The Chronicles of Fire and Ice

  Betrayal

  Adam knocked three times on the cast iron door. It opened and a gravelly voice spoke.

  “What business do you have here?”

  “I bring news of Lakyn’s whereabouts,” Adam told the man through the small slit in the door. There was a moment of silence, and then the door opened wider.

  “You may enter.”

  “Thank you.” As Adam stepped inside, the heavy door closed behind him, and he was plunged into darkness. The smell of mildew was abundant in the gloomy staircase, and he would have tripped if it weren’t for the flickering of candles coming from below. The man with the gravelly voice led Adam through a dingy hallway towards some ornate wooden doors, a sight he never expected to see down there. The doors opened, and in the doorway stood an older man with a greying beard and cold dark eyes.

  “I hear you bring news of my son.”

  “Yes, sir.” Adam bowed his head reverently towards the older Nephilim, as if he were worshipping him.

  “My, my, it has been fifteen years, but you haven’t changed.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It is you, is it not, Adam?”

  “Yes. It is me,” he said, but he still could not look at him.

  “Then come inside and tell me about my son.” Zachariah ushered Adam inside where a hall built for kings awaited them. There were rows and rows of tables filled with laughing and merry Nephilim who were eating from a lavish feast. Adam was at a loss for words. Was this really what the Lucifites did all day? Zachariah led him towards a table at the back of the room and sat himself down in a large plush chair that looked quite like a thrown—decorated in gold and green velvet. Did Zachariah Blackbell see himself as a king?

  “So, tell me about Lakyn. Where has my son been?” Zachariah asked once Adam had sat down. He took a large gulp from a medieval goblet and trained his eyes on him.

  “He’s been living with my sister, Rachael, in a secret location with their daughter.” He saw Zachariah’s eyes widen, but he didn’t look surprised.

  “Well, he has been busy, hasn’t he?” Zachariah chuckled.

  “But that won’t be for much longer. You see, sir.” Adam leaned closer towards Zachariah as if to tell him a secret. “My sister and niece are going to move away, so Lakyn will have no choice but to come back here.”

  “That is good news. Foolish boy. I never thought he would betray me like this. I always thought that would be my youngest. He has the same loving soul my wife has. But Lakyn… he is more like me, was more like me. But that is about to change.” Zachariah stood up abruptly and raised his goblet.

  “Listen up,” he shouted, and the room fell silent. “Young Adam Daylesford has come as the bearer of good news. Lakyn will return to us soon.” A roar erupted throughout the room followed by the stomping of boots and a clanging of crockery. But it soon died down when Zachariah raised his goblet again.

  “So I’d like to propose a toast to Adam. May he always be welcome within our ranks. To Adam!”

  “To Adam!” mirrored the rest of the Lucifites, raising their goblets and drinking to Adam, who sat there speechless.

  “I… I don’t know what to say,” he stuttered.

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just join in the celebrations.” Zachariah took another sip of his wine and leaned in close to him. “Now, tell me, where exactly are your sister and niece moving to?” he asked. Adam picked up his own goblet of wine and leaned back in his chair, a knowing grin appeared on his face.

  “To the Michaelite Sanctuary.”

  Lakyn stirred. He could hear signs of activity within the bedroom. He opened one eye and saw Rachael moving about the room.

  “Rach, what are you doing?”

  “Oh, morning. I’m just cleaning.”

  “With suitcases?” he asked, not buying it. Rachael stopped packing clothes into the open suitcase on the floor and looked at him.

  “Rachael, what’s going on?” He pushed the covers back and sat up in bed.

  She sighed and pushed her hand back through her hair. “I’m so sorry, Lake, but we have to do this. We have to leave. It’s better for her.”

  “Leave? You’re leaving me? And taking Eden?”

  “I don’t want to, but I have to.”

  “Why? Why do you have to? I told you, I can help her.”

  “No, you can’t. We have to go.” Rachael turned and picked up the bags on the floor. But Lakyn was quick and was across the room in the time it took for her to take a breath. He grabbed hold of her wrist causing her to drop the bags.

  She gasped. “Lakyn, please. This is why you can’t help her.”

  “Why can’t I?” he snarled.

  “This! Your insatiable anger and your constant greed. I don’t want Eden to be like that.”

  “Are you saying I’m influencing her?”

  “Not your heart, just your ties with them. You are still connected to them. I can tell you think about them constantly. You miss them.”

  “That is not true. I left them. I’m tied to you and Eden now. I’ve changed.”

  Rachael tugged her arm away from him. “No one can truly change.” And she picked up her bags and walked out the door. Lakyn clenched his fist and threw the vase of tulips sitting beside the bed against the wall, leaving it dripping with water and the carpet soaked. He dressed and decided to leave the place he had begun to call home, without as much as a second thought.

  Abraham picked up the Soul Sphere that contained Kat’s soul, and her spirit immediately appeared in front of him.

  “Oh, good, Miss James. You’re here.”

  “What do you want? Just because you hold my soul, doesn’t mean you have power over me,” Kat retorted.

  “Feisty one, aren’t you? No wonder you’re still around. I summoned you here, not only because I like seeing your pretty face, but because I need you to do something for me.”

  “A favour? I don’t do favours for demons,” Kat retorted.

  “No, not a favour—a bargain. It’s the bargain of the century, and it won’t be around for long.”

  “That’s worse! No, I won’t do it.” She crossed her arms over her body.

  “Going, going…” he held the Crystal sphere over the desk in the office where they stood, threatening to smash it. An uncontained soul was unprotected and free for all to take.

  “Wait! What’s the deal?”

  Abraham smirked and hung the Soul Sphere back around his neck. “Tell your underwear model boyfriend that the only way he’s going to get your soul back is if he retrieves something for us.”

  “What does he have to retrieve?”

  “An item of great importance to our cause, and it lays in a place only angels and humans can enter.”

  “Tell me what it is. Otherwise, I won’t help you.”

  “Patience, pretty one. Tell him to bring us The Golden Chalice of St Michael, and we shall negotiate the return of your soul.”

  “That’s blackmail!”

  “I know. It’s what we do best.” He smirked.

  “How do I know you’re not just going to smash that sphere before he gives it to you?”

  “Darlin’, we may be demons who have no souls with black hearts, but we keep our word.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll do it.”

  Lakyn felt soulless. The inescapable truth hit him in the face as he flew. Rachael was gone, and so was Eden. He had barely gotten the chance to know his daughter, and now he didn’t know when, or if, he would see her again. One thing he was glad for though, he had his memories back. He decided to reminisce on one of his favourites, back in a time when all was perfect. He wished he had Rachael to take him back there now.

  “Rachael?” Lakyn called as he ran through the blue maze-like corridors of the hospital. This hospital was owned and run by Michaelite nuns and priests. He didn’t know why Rachael had chosen to come here. Nephilim infirmaries were perfectly all right.

  “Rachael?” He turned a corner and almost collided with a nurse.

>   “Lakyn Blackbell?” she inquired.

  “Yes, that’s me,” he replied as he tried to catch his breath.

  “She’s through here.”

  The nurse led him through a black curtained doorway. The hospital was dark, which was weird. Weren’t all maternity wards normally bright and cheerful? All the walls were painted the same shade of steel greyish-blue and black curtains hung from every doorway. Lakyn was perplexed. But everything made sense when he heard her.

  “Rachael?”

  “Lakyn!” cried Rachael desperately. “Lake? Is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  The nurse pushed aside another black curtain, and he saw her, lying on a bed, sweating, and holding her still-pregnant belly.

  “I’m so glad you’re here. You’re just in time.” She winced in pain and held her hand out to him. He took it.

  “I’m sorry that we were separated again.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Rachael cried out in pain again.

  “It’s time to push, Rachael,” informed the nurse. Lakyn squeezed Rachael’s hand firmer.

  “But I don’t want to… I can’t!”

  “You can, Rachael, you can do this,” Lakyn tried to comfort her but the expression on Rachael’s face showed fear.

  “Rachael, you have to push now. The baby’s coming,” warned the nurse.

  “But…”

  “Now, Rachael. You have to push now!”

  “No!” Rachael screamed as she pushed with all her might. And soon after, a new life was bought into the world.

  “It’s a girl!” cried Lakyn as Rachael collapsed against the bed.

  “That’s…good,” Rachael gasped, exhausted.

  “What are you going to name her?” the midwife inquired.

  “I was thinking… Eden. It means ‘a place of pleasure’,” Rachael stated.

  “Why?” asked Lakyn.

  Rachael’s eyes met his as she held their daughter. “Being with you, reminds me of the Garden of Eden from The Chronicle.” This caused Lakyn to smile.

  “Because you were tempted like Eve?”

  “Exactly,” she smiled. Lakyn leaned forward. He was about to kiss her when he heard his name being called.

  “Mr Blackbell?” It was one of the midwives.

  “Yes? And it’s Lakyn. Mr Blackbell is my father.”

  “Well, Lakyn, can you come with me for a moment?”

  He nodded and turned to Rachael. Baby Eden was already asleep against her chest. He stroked both of their heads.

  “I’ll be right back,” he told them, following the Michaelite midwife through the black curtain. Rachael hugged her daughter closer to her and stared after Lakyn with concern.

  Once out in the hall, the midwife confronted Lakyn and pulled him aside.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Do you have dark intentions?” asked the midwife. Lakyn was dumbfounded. It was peculiar question to ask, and a bit rude, he thought.

  “Um… why are you asking?”

  “I need to know, because if you do, that child is in grave danger.”

  “What do you mean, ‘in danger’?”

  “We did a blood test, and the results… they were unusual, to say the least.”

  “Look, can you please clarify? Because I’m freaking out as it is.”

  “Your daughter’s blood showed trace amounts of demon blood.”

  “Demon blood? But I’m not a demon, I’m Nephilim.”

  “You are more connected to the darkness than you realise.”

  “Look, lady, you don’t know what you’re saying, you’re just a Human,” he accused, pointing a finger before turning to head back into the room. But the woman’s voice gave him pause.

  “Up until Rachael met you, she was, too.”

  “What?”

  “The mother of your child was raised human.” The midwife fixed Lakyn a warning glare before entering the birthing suite, leaving Lakyn standing alone in the hallway with his thoughts. The lights flickered above, and then went out, shrouding Lakyn in darkness.

  The Lucifite lair came into view and Lakyn cursed. Realising that fourteen years ago, after Eden’s birth, he had been warned about her trait. Her blood had shown early signs of it, and he had only taken it lightly.

  “Stupid. How could you be so stupid,” he told himself before landing at the door to his future.

  To be continued . . .