“Shut up!” the demon whispered harshly.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice cracking in fear.
The Kjin pushed her up against the side of the garage and ran his tongue slowly up the side of her cheek. “I want you.”
“Please, don’t,” she whimpered.
With one arm pressed across her throat, he reached down for the button of her jeans. “Just do as I say and I’ll let you go after I’m through with you. Do you understand?”
The girl choked back a sob, but nodded.
Fallon stepped out of the shadows. “Let her go.”
The demon whipped his head toward her, but didn’t release the girl. “Get lost or you’ll be next,” he growled.
“Highly unlikely,” she murmured and slammed her Aventi against the Kur on her arm. The night lit up as her sword flared to life in the dim recesses at the side of the garage. The girl’s eyes widened as much as the Kjin’s—hers with fright and his with recognition.
The demon rammed the girl’s head into the side of the garage and she crumpled to the ground. He turned to face Fallon. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, Knight,” he spit out through cruel lips.
“Nor do I care,” she responded and lunged forward with supernatural speed. He tried to dodge the thrust, but she was too quick and the sword pierced his side. He hissed in pain but managed to spin in a circle and bring his foot around toward her head. She caught his ankle in her left hand inches from her face. With her right, she drew the sword across his throat.
He made a clumsy attempt to hit her with his fist, but he was already dying from the cut she made, so she let go of his foot and pushed him to the ground.
His death didn’t take long and within seconds, a black, snarling wraith exploded out of the corpse, searching for a nearby body to steal. It roared menacingly when its eyes found Fallon, but she didn’t hesitate. She plunged the Aventi into the center of the dark mass and it disintegrated into a pile of ash.
The threat eliminated, she walked over to the body of the young man and looked down. How sad. His head lolled to the side and his eyes were glazed but already she could see the change in him. The mask of the demon now replaced by one of innocence. She wondered when the Kjin had taken his body. Had he been a child at the time or was it more recent? Had his family detected the changes in his personality and wondered at the cause?
She knelt by his side and whispered, “Your Aegian guide awaits you. There, you will find your peace.”
Whoever found his earthly remains would assume he died of natural causes. That would be better for the parents to accept than the fact that a demon had been living in their son’s body. All that Fallon cared about was that there was one less Kjin in the world. They could not reproduce so every one slain was a step closer to having an earth free of evil.
The girl moaned.
Fallon quickly went to her, picked her up and brought her back to the sidewalk. As soon as the girl came to, Fallon waved the Aventi before her eyes. The pupils dilated and went out of focus for a moment and then regained their vision.
“Are you all right?” Fallon asked, tucking her weapon back into her back pocket.
“Yes, I think so,” she said, getting to her feet. “What happened?”
Fallon refused to lie. “It looks like you took a blow to your head.”
“I…I must have tripped and blacked out.”
She didn’t correct her. “Can I help you home?”
The girl shakily picked up her book bag and slung it over her arm. “No, I…I think I’m all right. I live just down the street. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem. But, hey, be careful next time, okay?”
The girl gave her a grateful smile and walked away.
Fallon turned and went back the way she had come. She was late now for her meeting with Father Tomas at St. Mary’s Church, but she never expected to find a Kjin in Alden so quickly.
Known for its peaceful, quaint appeal, Alden was a typical upstate New York college town, complete with the requisite non-working fountain in the center of Main Street. Old and stately homes lined the surrounding streets, many of which had been converted into apartments for the students that flooded into the area every Fall.
Fallon untied her hoodie from around her waist and put it back on, pulling the hood over her head. Back on Main Street, she passed through the crowd of students without making eye contact, but their easy companionship made her long for Julian and Nikki, the only friends she had here on earth. Any friends Fallon had prior to her death were most likely busy making plans for retirement or caring for grandchildren.
Still, she didn’t feel envious. She was following her calling and knew that Darius was pleased with her efforts to eradicate the Kjin and save human lives. With a smile, she thought back to her first day of Knight training.
After receiving her wings, Leah, the Patie, left her to walk through the vast arched doors of the Hall of Knights on her own. Beneath a domed ceiling at least a hundred feet high, male and female angels engaged in a variety of drills. Some practiced group offensive techniques and others hand-to-hand combat. Most, however, sparred with a sword of light. The speed and agility with which the angels moved impressed Fallon and she wondered if she, too, would have these same abilities when her training was complete.
The door opened behind her and three angels, two boys and a girl, similar to her age, walked into the hall and approached her. “Is this the Knight training?” one asked, a tall, blonde-haired boy.
She nodded.
“I’m Julian,” he told her. “And, these two are Blane and Nikki.” Blane was also tall but with dark hair, and Nikki was a few inches shorter than Fallon, her long, auburn hair hanging straight down her back in pretty waves.
“Hi, I’m Fallon.”
The introductions were interrupted when a male angel dressed in white pants and a sleeveless white shirt called out to their group. Completely bald and at least seven feet in height, he was much larger and glowed brighter than anyone else in the room.
Julian nudged her and whispered. “He’s an Elder.”
“What’s an Elder?” she asked.
“There are four Elders in total, one for each caste. I guess you could say he’s our new boss.”
“Angels,” the Elder greeted in a rumbling, deep voice. “My name is Darius and I am the Elder for the Knight Caste.” He reached into a bag with a drawstring that hung from his belt. He handed each one of them a gold cuff. “You are to wear this on your arm. It is called a Kur and it is a device of great power. Not only does it activate an Aventi, but it also detects the presence of Kjin.” Reaching back into the bag, he handed them another object. It looked like a simple black tube. “This is your Aventi. Your sword. To ignite its power, you simply touch the Aventi against the Kur.”
“Amazing,” breathed Nikki and hefted the Emperical weapons in her hands.
“You will learn more as you train,” Darius continued, “but a brief history lesson is in order. In the beginning of time, Emperica flourished with the Creator and his original twelve angels. When the world of man was created, some of those angels rebelled out of jealousy. The leader of the rebellion was an angel by the name of Tyras and he sought the destruction of humanity at every turn. He was very successful at whispering dark insinuations into the ears of the flawed men and women of earth and soon developed a large following of evildoers. The Creator discovered Tyras’ plans and banished him and his followers into the underworld of Mordeaux. Years later, Tyras discovered a way to break out of his prison and let loose thousands of his demonic brethren into the world. The Creator was able to capture Tyras and send him back to Mordeaux, but the others—we call the Kjin—were not so easy to find. They appear as normal humans, but are not. They are the murderers, the rapists, and the terrorists that live to torment humans. The evil wraiths live in the host bodies of those they kill, and when that b
ody dies, they simply move on to another.” He paused and looked at each of them in turn. “The only weapon that can kill the Kjin is the Aventi of a Knight of Emperica.”
“How many Knights are there?” Blane asked.
“Very few are chosen. Few develop the skills necessary to defeat the Kjin. It remains to be seen whether the four of you will become Knights.”
“My guide mentioned that if I become a Knight, my wings will be clipped and I will be earthbound,” Nikki commented with a twist of her lips.
Darius nodded. “It is not a pleasant experience I am afraid as the sacrifice of your wings cannot be made lightly. But, it is the only way. You must have a corporeal form to wield the Aventi. The pain of wing removal also serves as a reminder of the commitment you wish to undertake. Mortals are completely defenseless against the Kjin and their only protection are the Knights of this caste. If you succeed in your goal of Knighthood, you will not return back here to Emperica until every Kjin is destroyed or you are killed. If a Kjin does manage to kill you, you will return to Emperica and become a member of the Patrit Caste.”
“A Patie! But, I don’t want to be a Patie!” exclaimed Julian.
Darius patted him on the shoulder. “Then I suggest that you do not die again, young angel.”
Fallon felt a sense of pride fill her at the thought of returning to earth and saving humans from the Kjin. She was even thinking of seeing her old friends again. “How long does the training take, Elder?”
“Thirty years.”
Chapter 2
The Emissier & The Cop
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been four days since my last confession.”
Fallon couldn’t see the Emissier’s face beyond the screened window, but did hear him chuckle softly. “You are forgiven, child, although I doubt very much you have anything to be forgiven for.”
She smiled in the dark of the small confessional. “No.”
“Thank you for coming, Fallon. Darius tells me that you are proving to be one of our best Knights.”
“I do what I can, Father.”
“That is good to hear, because we have a particularly dangerous Kjin in this area. Two children have gone missing within the past month but before that, the Kjin was killing college-aged girls. A total of six over the past fifteen years that I can with almost certainty attribute to him.”
“Are you sure it’s the same Kjin?” Fallon asked. “It would be unusual for a serial killer of women to suddenly resort to crimes against children.”
The dark silhouette nodded. “It is the same one. He is now leaving a calling card.”
“He’s taunting the police?” she questioned in surprise.
“No. Me.”
“You? How do you know? What does he leave?”
“Flowers. A lily dipped in fresh blood was placed on the rectory steps for me to find after each child disappeared.”
Fallon’s blood raged at the thought of this Kjin murdering innocent women and children. “Luck may be with us, Father. I killed a Kjin just before I came here and it could have been the one you’re looking for. He was young, probably in his early twenties, and he tried to abduct a girl right off the street.”
“No. This Kjin is quite a few years older. But, it is highly unusual to have another demon in the immediate area. The Kjin have never come together as an organized faction. These animals are very territorial about their dens of destruction.”
Something Father Tomas said gave her pause. “Wait. How do you know how old he is?”
He hesitated before answering. “I know who he is, Fallon. He is the President and a professor at Alden University with a wife and four children. I have personally known him for over twenty years and never once suspected him of being Kjin until a little over four weeks ago when he carelessly walked too close to the font and a splash of holy water burned his hand from the contact. He tried to cover his mistake, but not before I saw it happen.”
“What’s his name?”
“Marc Ellis, and for this particular assignment, you will pose as a college student to get closer to him. He is very intelligent, Fallon, and I cannot stress enough how difficult this will be.” The shadow leaned in close to the screen. “He has already killed another Knight, Fallon. A man named Gabe Mackey.”
Fallon sucked in a breath. “A Ha’Basin?” The Ha’Basin, a ritual of dark magic, required ten Kjin working together to invoke the power necessary to cast a Knight back to Emperica. She had heard of the deadly rite, but to her knowledge it had never happened. She didn’t know the story with Gabe, but it would be next to impossible for a demon to get a Knight into a weakened position like that. It would be even more rare for that many Kjin to be working as a group.
“No, not a Ha’Basin. We found his…decapitated body.”
Again, her anger flared. “I will handle this, Father.”
The priest’s voice turned urgent. “Please be careful, Fallon, I do not wish to lose another Knight.”
She nodded but didn’t respond, already planning the Kjin’s demise in her mind.
“Go to AU, get close to Marc Ellis, and choose your opportunity carefully. Your registration is complete so you simply need to go to the Registrar’s Office tomorrow morning to pick up your schedule.”
“Do you have a place for me to stay?”
A white paper appeared under the screen. “Here is the address. Just two blocks from here, it is an old, yellow Victorian. It is quite large for one person, but all I could arrange on such short notice. It is very hard to find housing at this time of year.” An envelope slid toward her. “Here is the key and money. I stocked the kitchen with a few groceries, but wasn’t sure of your preferences.”
“Thank you, Father,” she said, standing. “I’ll be back in touch in a few days.”
“Wait! I need you to do one other thing for me if you would.”
She sat back down. “Of course.”
“It’s a personal favor. There is a former police officer at the jailhouse by the name of Kade Royce. He is being released today after spending the past year in jail. His parents are out of the country and I promised to deliver the key to his new apartment which just happens to be next door to yours.” The Emissier passed another envelope to her. “He is also attending AU.”
“What did he do to end up in jail?”
The priest snorted. “He was too good at his job. Working with Gabe Mackey, the two of them put a big dent in the criminal element in this county. Unfortunately, Ellis took notice and set the pair up on the fake charges.”
“Kade worked with the Knight that was killed?”
“Yes. Gabe infiltrated the force and was working as a police officer partnered with Kade. During the ambush, an undercover cop got to Kade and arrested him before he could be killed. Gabe wasn’t so lucky.”
Fallon let out a low breath. “Things are a lot more complicated than I thought.”
“Yes, they are,” the priest whispered softly.
“See you in a few days, Father.” Fallon gathered her envelopes, stood and exited the confessional stall. The church was silent at this hour, but a sudden movement caught her eye. An altar boy dressed in a white cassock was just taking a seat in the last pew to pray. Fallon left him to his private moment and pushed out of the wide double doors of the church.
She looked down at the small paper in her hand.
Yellow Victorian at 47 Oak Street
She already knew where Oak Street was located from her earlier walk through the small town, but headed in the opposite direction toward the county jailhouse.
Navigating once again through the teenaged mob, it was hard not to get caught up with the excitement in the air. For most of these kids, this was their first time being out on their own. Not yet bogged down with the deluge of work that would keep many of them confined to their dorms for long hours once the term started, tonight was a night for celebratio
n.
Soon, I’ll be among them. But, she wasn’t looking forward to it. Since her return, she found she had little in common with young adults her age and just wasn’t comfortable in social situations the same way she used to be. After thirty years away, she was still trying to wrap her mind around that fact that you could talk on a phone without wires and that parachute pants had gone out of style.
Oh, she tried in the beginning. A few times. But, she really didn’t have much to contribute to most conversations and whenever she did, it usually ended with people looking at her funny.
Julian tried to help. Evidently, her overly confident friend had no trouble assimilating back into this society. Listening to him, you would think he had been born in the nineties instead of the sixties.
With a fond smile, she shook away thoughts of Julian when she reached the jailhouse, a nineteenth century red brick building with huge white pillars out front. She went inside, and a young deputy behind the desk immediately straightened.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here for Kade Royce.”
His face registered shock, but he tried to hide it. He directed her to a bench along the wall. “Have a seat. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”
She turned from the desk and sat down, but noticed the guard glancing her way every few seconds, clearly curious as to who she was. In a small town like Alden, the deputy not only must have worked with this Kade guy, but probably knew him personally.
Keep guessing, buddy.
The door behind the deputy buzzed open and a young man in faded jeans and white tee shirt strode out. He was about six feet tall, muscular throughout the shoulders and chest, but with narrow hips and legs. His brown hair was too long, and he needed a shave, but it didn’t hide the obvious—he was drop dead gorgeous. He walked with an authoritative step that belied his young age, which if she had to guess was around twenty-two.
He threw some papers down on the desk. “Everything is there, Dave. I’m out,” and he walked toward the door without waiting for a response.
“Um…Kade.”
He turned back impatiently. “What is it?”
Dave the deputy nodded his head toward Fallon. “She’s here for you.”
Kade turned and looked at her and then shrugged. “For whatever reason you’re here, let’s talk about it outside. I need fresh air.”