“YOU DARE TRY TO DEFEAT A GOD!” The voice that came from him flew out with a great gust of wind that knocked the three winged men from my body and sent them crashing into the other side of the room. The walls cracked under them and each groaned as they got up. Lucius shook his head to displace the stone from his horns and Vincent ruffled his feathers from the debris. Draven was the only one that had been harder to knock down as he now stood at the ready.
I looked back at the source of such power and I was no longer met with the picture of a pale slim Malphas, no, now he was changing…now he was becoming a… God.
“NO!” I screamed but no one could see me, let alone hear me. I ran over to my still body on the altar and took hold of my shoulders and started to shake myself in desperation.
“DO SOMETHING! WAKE UP AND STOP THIS!” I screamed at myself. I didn’t know if I could stop this but I had to try. I knew I had to do something to put an end to the madness I had helped create. I slapped myself hard on the face and felt the effect of it as my head whipped to the side. So I could feel but my body couldn’t. I needed to join the two, I need to find my way back somehow!
“DAMN IT! PLEASE…I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I don’t…I don’t know what to do anymore!” I started sobbing onto my bloody chest as I heard the chaos of the battle around me. I heard Draven shouting orders and I looked to the side to see Vincent calling forth his armies from the Heaven. I saw the earth splitting in two and Lucius trying to command his armies in Hell to stop the legions coming through the black swirl of a portal. I saw the world as I knew falling to the ground and coming to an end. I had to stop this…I just had to!
“I am praying for you to hear my pleas for help, take my life, I give it to the Gods freely but before you do, please give me the power to stop this! I beg of the Gods! I pray to the Gods! I give my life to the GODS!” I screamed to the Heavens and with one last cry out, I let my tears drip down and when one single drop landed on my still heart I felt my answer in an explosion from the Gods!
I looked up and saw the brightest light that was a tranquillity hidden behind a blinding glow. I looked down at my body that had turned grey and knew my time here had come to an end. I got up and started to run as fast as I knew how towards the light at the end of the room. I ran past the sight of soldiers falling, the piercing battle cries of Angels and Demons fighting for the earth… and I ran until my last breath was taken as the sight of Heaven took me into its arms and swallowed me whole.
HEAVEN
I opened my eyes and looked down at myself to see I was back in my body but this time I wasn’t alone.
“Fear not my child, as we become one.” I heard a voice in my head and it sang and floated like a musical echo in my mind. It made my body tingle and the sight of myself like this was like being reborn into a new body but taking with me my old soul.
“Who are you?” I said out loud but I realised I was wrong before. Her voice wasn’t in my head, my voice was now in hers! She was the one in control of this body and I was just along for the ride.
“I am the Goddess in you, awakened by the blood of those who love you.” She said sweetly and the comfort she brought was like a mother’s kiss. Then my body sat up and it was a covered in a radiant luminosity that shimmered with every movement. I moved my arm, although it wasn’t me in control, a stream of blue energy was left in its place and stayed in the air until it dispersed like smoke.
“How is this happening?” I asked and I felt the Goddess inside me smile.
“The power of the two Kings and royal bloodline brought me forth to heal you but I think I can do more than that while I am here.” We got up from the altar as one and I heard Draven scream out my name in disbelief. I tried to turn towards him but she wouldn’t let me.
“I want to go to him!” I shouted, but she just laughed sweetly.
“In time Electus, in time, but first let us put an end to this stolen power.” She said after turning to let me see Draven fighting the masses of soldiers trying to force their way out of Hell to aid their master. She turned us back round to see the Horned God had now completed his transformation and there was very little left of Malphas to see.
The Horned God stood at about ten feet tall and was about the size of five Ragnar’s put together. His bare muscled chest and arms were metres wide and its thick skin was like tree bark with slashes cut into the folds of his arms and cut of his muscles. His chest cavity was open and bones were broken outwards with a gaping hole that suggested no heart lay there. In one hand he wore a man’s skull as a boned glove and the other was fused to a hammer weapon that was spiked wood coated in a sticky substance like tree sap. It glistened and when he forced it down to the ground the crack to Hell widened and allowed more men to come flowing over the edges like a wave of black insects the size of men.
His legs were hidden under a leather skirt made from skinned bodies sewn together and held in place by a massive horned skull that matched his repulsive face. His head was all bone, like that of a sun bleached desert skull, sand blasted and smoothed until it reached to two ridged, winged bones that framed each side of his head. These connected to the three pointed horns that nearly met high above his head. The hollow of his eyes looked like black pits of eternity and in his open snarling mouth only a top row of teeth remained, like enlarged human ones only without the protection of gums.
As soon as we approached, his head shot up like someone blew a whistle at him. I shuddered in fear hidden deep within my body but the Goddess remained strong and soothed my fears from the inside.
“Have no fear my young one, for I am with you.” I felt the warmth arise in me as our entwined body erupted into blue flames sent straight from the powers of Heaven. The Horned God saw this and brought his chest forward and his arms back as he roared at the night sky before knocking three bodies back with his hammer. I screamed as I saw Ruto, Hakan and Caspian go flying backwards into the wall. On a scream the raging God stood on the other side of the pool waiting for my tiny self to attack. I knew I should have faith in the Goddess in me but given the size difference it was hard to see what strength we had against such a being.
“Faith is always the mightiest of weapons, child.” She said with certainty and I knew she was right. I had called for the help of Heaven because I believed they could help and now I needed to reinforce that faith and in essence that power.
“Let’s kick ass!” I said to her and she started laughing before she nodded our head.
“Let’s protect those that you love first before I unleash Heaven’s will on the beast of my brothers and sisters.” She turned from the God and held out our arms to the fighting forces of good and evil. She then clapped our hands together in a straight line in front of us and then started to part them slowly, forcing the fight to stop and the bodies of those I cared about to part. They were then pushed back to the walls, which unbelievably were still standing, and held them captive so that they couldn’t move.
“KEIRA!” Draven called as he watched immobilised and helpless to get to me, as he had been trying to.
“I ask for assistance in protecting thy soldiers of the Kings’ balance and aid in keeping them safe.” She looked up to the Heavens and the sky lit up with shimmering Aurora Borealis before floating down through the glass and building a wall of protection in between the ten bodies that had fought Hell’s escaped hoards.
“Thank you my sisters.” We turned back around and found the Horned God had been raising Hell’s warriors all armed and ready to fight but they couldn’t get past the protective wall and I let out a sigh of relief.
“You are not welcome in this realm. You were cast down and punished where you have become lost in the abyss of grief. The world you knew is not yours to control anymore.”
“YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!” It roared in response and then lifted his hands upwards to start raising the deep buried earth upwards through the ruined marble floor. Flaming tree roots burst out and came stretching out towards us in an attempt to capture us in a sc
orching hold. But the goddess hardly moved and with little effort held out her hand that froze the roots mid-flight and doused their flames into ice that travelled down their lengths until it reached the source of the tree and it then exploded like glass. When the shards hit the floor they became puddled water that sank back into the exposed earth.
“The earth you control has turned against you, now release you’re dying host and go back from the prison in which you came.”
“NEVER!” It thundered and with a resounding nod the Goddess whispered a,
“Very well” before she jumped us down from the bridged altars and landed into the black pool that was moving around like sea serpents. She placed our hands in the pool and I screeched out as I felt it singe my skin.
“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur et benedic Deo aquam manibus. Amen.” (Means ‘In the name of the father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created and bless this water by God's hands. Amen.’ In Latin) As soon as the last word of the prayer had been uttered, the water started to bubble cool around us before turning the water crystal clear. Then she stood us upright and the blessed water lapped at our bare legs as if getting ready. She then faced the holy beast, raised up our arms and pounded our fisted hands together at the sides.
“I INVOKE THEE PUNISHMENT ON TO YOU AND ASK THE MIGHTY GODS ABOVE TO BLESS MY JUDGEMENT IN CASTING YOU BACK TO THE UNDERWORLD, FOR YOUR PRISON AWAITS YOU ONCE MORE!” The voice that came out of me didn’t belong to the sing song voice of a sweet Goddess but now that of a thundering God in all its holy wrath. The room shook like never before and the glass panels above and around smashed all at once like a holy bomb had detonated. The glass rained down and the walls crumbled outwards. I felt myself flinch inside but the deity that held my body captive didn’t move a muscle as the glass came to an impossible stop above our heads.
Then a voice entered my head as if the Goddess knew I needed to be reassured. It was the voice of Lucius and I couldn’t help but find comfort in it.
“The only thing that can destroy a God, Keira… is another God.” I held onto those words and heard the Goddess inside me praise my decision to hold such faith in her and I believed this was what made her greater power possible. She needed my belief in her for her to really cast the God back to the depths of where he belonged.
“Then it will be Electus, my daughter.” She said softly before she held one hand up to waist height and then brought it up in a great whoosh making the pool of water between us and the Horned God fly upwards like a gravity defying waterfall. The wall of water served a greater purpose as every single shard of glass shot forward through the great mass of holy water before getting to the other side and finding home inside the beast.
The raging God boomed his cries of pain and the water dropped around us, soaking me and my Goddess friend. I looked towards the bellowing of pain as the God fought with the smoking glass that was burrowing its way into his body and the bright lights shone from the gaps every piece left behind. It looked like the light was filling him to the brim and his body could not contain it for long. The skull on his waist cracked at the same time as that of his head and with one last cry the body burst sending pieces of him around the broken room.
With their leader destroyed the legions of Malphas had no one to lead them, so they all halted and stood to attention awaiting their new master to come forth. The protective wall sheltering the good side was dropped and I saw Draven flying over to me in a panicked speed.
“KEIRA!”
“Draven” I said only it didn’t reach my lips. The Goddess held out our arm to stop him as he landed and when he didn’t heed her warning he dropped to his knees and couldn’t move.
“Leave her body!” He demanded and I couldn’t believe he was speaking to a God this way!
“She gave her body as a sacrifice for the Gods to intervene, she is ours to do with as we please, Son of mine” Holy shit! Was this for real, was she really who I thought she was?
“Mother, please…I…”
“Silence my child. As I said, she is ours to do with as we please and what would please me, is for my own flesh to be her guardian as was always intended to be. She belongs to you my son and such are my reasons for coming myself, so that it would be ensured. Take good care of her, blood of mine.” Draven bowed his head in deep respect and kissed his palms before holding them out to the Goddess, which just so happened to be his mother!
“With all my heart and every breath I take, it is done.” She nodded our head, kissed our own palms and then placed them in Draven’s hands. As soon as our skin made contact, I felt her leave me on a parting message that soothed my soul to its core. I felt every last drop of energy leave me with a bang and I fell forward into the arms of Draven…
The only place I ever wanted to be.
Chapter 48
Commanding the Legions
“Take care of his heart, for my son will protect yours with every beat of his.” Her voice echoed in my mind and when I felt it fade, I knew she had left me. Well that was one thing in this relationship I never thought I would receive and that was the blessing of Draven’s mother.
“Keira! Keira open your eyes baby, come on now.” Draven’s voice surrounded me in the nicest way possible and it felt as comforting as my own heartbeat, which I was happy to report, was beating just fine.
“Draven!” I croaked and heard him inhale a sharp breath before I felt his arms crushed me to him. I felt cold and wet but I wouldn’t have cared as long as I had Draven with me, I couldn’t have given a damn about my discomfort.
“Oh Thank the Gods!” He said into my hair and I couldn’t stop my little laugh. I pulled back and looked up into his battle fought handsome face and said,
“Don’t you mean ‘Thank your Mother’?” The smile he gave me warmed me from the inside and I found I was no longer cold.
“Yes, I guess I do. Oh Keira, don’t ever do that to me again! Do you realise what nearly happened! You nearly left me…me! How could you, I won’t let that happen, not ever again do you hear me! I…”
“Hey, Stop. I would not be the person you loved, if I let my friend die.” I interrupted him and he looked like he wanted to argue more when one of my words hit him.
“Friend?”
“Yes. I am sorry Draven but yes, Lucius is my friend and he saved my life. I would never have let him die if I could have prevented it…not again.” I added quietly referring to the first time he died and before Draven thought to fly into a rage something in his head must have clicked and he let my comments slide. He simply nodded before burying his head in my neck and kissing me there. I hummed in pleasure and just as he was about to say something else, I could wait no longer. I grabbed his face and pulled his lips to mine in a searing kiss, deep enough to burn the memory of him to me.
My lips molded to his and after the initial shock, he then took control and grabbed my face to hold me to him. He tilted my head and took the kiss to a deeper level still. I felt his taste mix with mine and my blood lit up and I didn’t mean figuratively. I was now glowing a very faint blue colour and I looked like a dimmer version of the Goddess that took control of my body, in this case, Draven’s mother…how weird was that!
I pulled back and he growled at me which I ignored due to my new state.
“Draven, I am glowing!” I held up my hands and he took them in his larger ones, engulfing my daintier ones.
“It will fade in time my love, don’t fret.”
“I’m not fretting, I think this is so cool! I look like a living nightlight! I will never trip up again on the way to the bathroom in the dark!” I said and with Draven staring at me like I had lost my marbles, I heard Vincent and Lucius start laughing over Draven’s shoulder. He turned his head and started growling at them, making Lucius hold up his hands in defeat, while Vincent just smirked and then winked at me, making me blush.
Draven shifted his hold on me and then lifted me out
of the pool I didn’t realise we were still sat in. No wonder I was bloody cold.
“Keira!” I heard my name being called frantically and I smiled at the sound.
“Let her down so I can drown her again!” Sophia was barking mad and I frowned down at her. But her anger subsided as soon as it has arisen and she threw her arms around us both, splashing in the water as she did it. Draven grunted and I just giggled.
“Hi Sophia, did you miss me?”
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again! I dread to think if mum hadn’t come and saved the day!” She said looking at Draven and Vincent in turn. Only she must have seen something in Vincent’s face because she blurted out,
“You knew!” He just shrugged his shoulders at her and then said,
“If you talked to her more often then maybe you would have known she was watching out for these two.” I gaped at him and I felt Draven tense around me.
“Yeah, but she just nags at me lately.” Sophia moaned and Vincent huffed but then went to put his arm around her shoulders, dwarfing her with his size.
“You, my little sister, have been saying that for the last millennia.” Now she huffs and elbows him in the ribs.
“So, what are we going to do about these guys, ‘cause I don’t think I have enough bullets on me” We all look around to find the legions of Malphas’ army all stood awaiting their new leader to well… lead.
“Dom, it must be done.” Vincent said softly placing his hand on his shoulder and I soon found out why he was walking on eggshells.
“NO! She has endured too much, I will not put her through anymore and that is final!” Draven shouted and I saw a few people flinch.