Enthroned by Amethysts (A Dance with Destiny Book 3) (29 page)

Chapter 39

Alastyn

(ah-LASS-tin)

Jezreel was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor when Alastyn entered. He collapsed into a nearby chair.

She turned to him only after his painful sobs filled the whole room. With his shoulders shaking and his head in his hands, Alastyn cried with his entire soul.

Jezreel quietly approached him and knelt beside the shattered man. She didn’t speak. There were no words that could be said. She rubbed his back, but there was no comfort to be found.

His sobs were so open, so painful. She could barely make out his words.

“I know not why this happened. I only know the words I overheard from the Guardians, as I’ve told you before.” He tried to regain some control. “The bitter loss of my entire world will never leave me. Yet, I know the pain of this horrid reality will fade somewhat, with time.” He drew in a ragged breath. “That’s how it should be. That’s how life goes on… the only way it’s possible. As long as a sliver of hope yet remains, life goes on.”

“That’s the damnable way of it, yes,” Jezreel whispered.

“But… what if there was no hope left? What then, Jezreel? When every last light has been snuffed out and all hope has died in the night… What then?” His sobs had slowed but his tears refused to cease their frantic escape down his tormented face.

“As long as there is yet life, there remains hope,” she said.

“But there is no life. Not anymore.”

“What’re you saying, Alastyn? We yet live. Our hearts still beat. We are beaten, irrecoverably scarred. Yet we live.”

“Yes, my heart still beats.” He sighed heavily. “I have willed it a thousand times to cease its infernal pumping. Yet it beats. I know not why. Yet it beats.”

“Your pain is justified, my friend, and your grief equally so. But think to the future. Now is too soon. But one day, one day before long, think to what the future may hold for your destroyed heart. Hope is yet alive. This I know.”

“I did not tell you the whole of it, Jezreel. I couldn’t bear to say the words.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “When I was at the palace…” His voice trailed off. He was looking at a devastating scene, invisible to Jezreel. “…when Merodach fell. One of the Guardians, a woman, came to his rescue. She was too late. She destroyed the demon, saving
my
life. But… the King was gone.” He turned then and looked at Jezreel. “She loved him. He never mentioned her to me, never spoke of her to anyone. I hadn’t seen her before, yet I knew of her. Jenevier knew about her as well.” He thought back to the awful day they had both accidentally eavesdropped on that heart-wrenching conversation. “They owned each other’s heart. She held him tenderly, rocked him in her arms. Her tears were the saddest I have ever seen. Yes, she loved him too much.”

Jezreel sat quietly, entranced by his hauntingly sorrowful words.

“I left her with him, to hold him, bid him adieu in private.” He sighed again. “I was standing at the window, gazing into the distance, not truly seeing anything. I was numb. A giant warrior called out to his brother, drawing my hazy attention to them. He spoke the names of different layers, Ashgard was but one of them, and reported the same atrocities as we bore witness to here.”

“What? You mean, this is happening across the whole universe?” Jezreel fell back onto her bottom, stunned. “But… why? What’s happened? What could be the cause for such rage, such hate, such bitter destruction? What have we done to offend hell so horribly?”

Alastyn took a deep breath. “That’s almost the same questions posed between the two Guardians. I knew one of them to be the one who winged Jenevier away from Merodach’s prison palace after she… well, after she killed him.”

“And what did they say? What were their thoughts on such a thing as this?”

More tears burned the backs of Alastyn’s eyes. “Did you know Jenevier had married the Prince of Hell?”

“I did,” she whispered.

“Did you also know she carried his child?”

“I did.”

“Well, he’s the one responsible for this—her dark husband. He’s the one responsible for
all
this.” Alastyn spread his arms wide, encompassing the whole world and all that had been done upon it.

He collapsed back against the chair, releasing a haggard breath.

“But… why? Jenevier loved him truly and he loved her. She told me how he’d been with her, how he had changed. How he was no longer the monster everyone said he once was. The Angel she spoke of, he was no longer capable of—”

He interrupted her rant. “If everything, and I mean
truly
everything
, you have ever loved was ripped from you and ultimately destroyed… if you had the awesome power to do something, to retaliate… Tell me, Jezreel. What would you do?”

“What are you saying, Alastyn?” Fear burned bitterly in the back of her throat.

“That’s the question the two warriors asked one another.”

She hesitated, swallowing back the building bile, and asked the question she didn’t truly want the answer to. “And… what did they decide?”

He rolled his head to the side and met Jezreel’s terrified gaze. “The gates of hell have been opened. All manner of evil has been unleashed upon the universe… because the darkest of Princes was wrought with an unbearable pain, an unquenchable fury.”

“…Because,” she prodded.

“Because… everything he had ever loved… had been utterly destroyed.” Alastyn’s tears returned, this time in silence. “His wife and his child are no more.
This
… is his vengeance upon God.”

Chapter 40

Jenevier

(ZHEN-ah-veer)

“I won’t be gone long, I promise. I must speak with this man; pull hidden secrets from a darkened path. We are yet safe,
here
. Alas, all is not well outside this valley. Swear to me now you will wait for me. Do not leave this place without me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“And you, Daichi. Will you heed my words as well?”

“Let me go with you, Naga. Let me be there when he says the words I already know he must now say.”

“What are you talking about, Daichi? What words are these? What do you hide from your mother?”

Daichi lowered his head. “Ugh, this is all happening too damn fast. We need more time.” He turned to Tenshi. “Can you not feel it, Brother? Does it not tingle in your wings and race through your blood?”

“Wings?” Jenevier grabbed Daichi’s arm. “Wings? You have
wings
? Both of you? And you didn’t tell me? You hid something like this from me? Truly?” She took an unsteady breath. “How long have you lied to your mother?”

“I wanted to show you, Mama. But Daichi said—”

“Enough! Tenshi, why do you yet whine as a babe? How long must I wait for you to grow up? You are weak and soft and fragile. Hell is coming, Brother, and you will not survive as you are. I cannot protect you
and
Jenevier at the same time. You have power, learn to use it.
She
is my first priority. You should be beside me, defending your mother!”

“Am I no longer
your
mother as well, Daichi?” she whispered.

He closed his eyes, cursing inside his head, damning his unbridled tongue. His temper had pulled the words forth before the proper time. He turned to face the enchanting woman who stood, silently crying behind him.

He tried to make his voice as soft as possible. “What are you saying, Naga?”

She took a step closer and lightly touched his arm. “You called me by my proper birth name. Do you no longer count me as your mother?”

He placed his hand over hers. “You are my
everything
. You are the reason for my very existence. If you die, I die. You carried me into this world, yes. But… I do not share your blood.”

Jenevier’s knees gave out with his words. She stumbled back, horrified. Yui’s strong arms caught her before she fell. He steadied her trembling form, lent her his strength.

Daichi growled. “Master Yui. Take… your… hands… off… her!”

“Stop it, Daichi! This is
your
fault. You cannot say words such as those and not expect it to break her heart.” Tenshi scooped his mother up in his arms. “You shouldn’t have told her like this. The time isn’t right.”

“Time? We’re all out of time, big brother. Your depraved father will be here soon. How much
time
will we have then?” Daichi’s voice echoed through their cavernous home. “Naga, listen to me. These are hard words, yes, but even harder times are knocking upon our door. Let me go with you. You should not be alone when you find out.”

“She will not be alone, little warrior.
I
will be with her,” Munenori said as he entered. “He cannot touch her as long as I am near. Fear not, Daichi. I have no intentions of harming her. I wish only to teach her what she must now know. This will give you time to acclimate your brother in the ways of war. He will soon need to know. Trust me. I promise to treat her as the tiny Princess she is.”

Daichi faced off with the older Angel. “I read plainly in your mind how you wish to treat this woman. The moment you saw her, the moment she touched you, the moment you
tasted
her… I read every thought as clearly as if you yelled it from the heavens. Your desires are a misplaced weakness. You know her for what she is, Munenori. Do not drink of the poison you know will destroy you.” He leaned in closer as he whispered, “Play not with her. Remember this. She is blended. You cannot say for sure how she will respond to your words or how she will react to your revelations. She is light
and
dark. She is heaven
and
hell. She is glorious
and
dangerous. Touch her, and I will spend eternity trying to turn you to ash,
Brother
.”

Munenori kept his eyes locked with Daichi’s as he spoke. “Come, Milady. We have much to discuss and very little time. I will now help you walk down the path of your new destiny. Hand in hand, I will gently guide you in the proper ways of this unknown thing. Give me your trust, Little Fire, and I will erase all the pain and confusion warring within you.”

Daichi bristled but Munenori was not swayed.

Jenevier slid down from Tenshi’s comforting arms and numbly walked toward the mossy lavender Angel. Her legs moved of their own accord, as if she were in a dream, not in control of her body but prisoner to it. Her mind was telling her to run the other way, but her body dutifully obeyed the command. Sounds were muffled in her ears. Her vision blurred.

Daichi grabbed her arm, focusing her mind, halting her advance. She looked at the perfectly beautiful sapphire Angel she had named and counted as son. His lips were moving but his words were silent. She felt light as air. Like she was splitting from her corporal body and the unimaginable misery she knew was quickly approaching. She could feel its dark presence and now only waited to hear it crashing against the stone fortress she’d built around her perfect little world. Her eyes rolled in her head. She felt consciousness ebbing from her.

Daichi grabbed her by the back of the neck and shook her, forcing her to meet his healing gaze. When her eyes focused on his, tiny currents wove through her. Jenevier’s body jerked involuntarily as little electric impulses, mini lightning bolts, were furiously fusing together her scattering essence. She felt more like herself with each passing second. Those beautiful steel blue eyes were the only things left in the world.

When he saw she was whole once more, Daichi flexed his regal shoulders. Fantastical sapphire wings stretched forth from either side. They took her breath away. They were perfect. In all she had witnessed, in all she had been forced to live through, never had she seen wings such as these.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Now is not the time to allow that enormous heart of yours to take the lead, Naga. Encase it within granite and believe all Munenori says. We need you to understand.
I
need you to understand. Worry not over Tenshi. He will be ready upon your return. Until then, I will protect him with my life, Milady.” Daichi released her, placed his fist over his heart, and bowed low before her.

Munenori took her shaking hand, leading her away from the place she now counted as home. She heard the sound of swords clashing and Daichi yelling out instructions to his brother as this strange lavender green Angel led her deeper into the secret valley, and closer to her worst nightmares.

They had traveled far before she finally found a ghost of her voice.

“Before I take one more step, tell me why my son is no longer my son.” She sank to her knees as she spoke. “Tell me how my dark husband has come to this place. And don’t leave out an
understandable
explanation as to what Daichi just did to me with his eyes. What was that? Did he
heal
me? Truly?”

Munenori glared at her. “You’re as stubborn and tender as the secrets my kind whisper about you. Get up. If you refuse your wings and force me to walk by your side, the least you can do is keep moving. Time is of the essence. As for Daichi, he wove your pieces back together as you shattered. He can do this only for you. It is a gift Father knew he would need. Seems to me, it’ll most likely be his fulltime job,” he grumbled.

He continued on without another word, didn’t even glance back. Jenevier jumped up, chasing after him. He had called her bluff and she hated him just a little more for it.

Munenori looked at her sideways when she caught up to him, matching his pace.

“Daichi will have his work cut out for him. As will I, it seems.” They walked in silence a few more paces. “Tenshi yet shares your humanity, Naga. He is your beloved son. His father is Angel and his mother is still only half.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Your other half, Kagi Naga, is divided equally between humanity and warrior. He should act more Angel, yet his heart is as yours once was. It’s good to see his father’s bad habits will not easily master him.” He glanced at her. “You’re the one to thank for that.”

“And what of my second born? What of my son, Daichi?”

“Your beloved Daichi… he is your Blessing, Naga.” At that, Munenori stopped walking and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You felt him within those sacred waters in Vanahirdem. You didn’t realize it then, yet you felt the very moment he was placed within you. That twisting nauseous little flutter?
That
was Daichi, not Tenshi. You were told of your blessing that same night, were you not?”

Jenevier swallowed hard, she could taste the bile rising in the back of her throat. She kept telling herself over and over…
granite heart… granite heart… granite heart
.

Her doubting mind drifted back to standing within those sacred waters while she watched her most treasured friend, dying before her eyes. That was the same night she’d brought King Merodach to Vanahirdem, healed Vittorio with those ancient words, and said farewell to her beloved Apollyon, forever.

After she’d spoken aloud the healing words, an incredible light filled the massive room, halting time. While in that amazing transcendent state, God spoke to her, was pleased with her, and
blessed
her. Jenevier had always thought the glorious blessing was being allowed to become pregnant with her dark Angel husband’s only child. They had feared his seed would not take hold without divine consent.

This was all too surreal. She refused to believe such a wild revelation.

But… didn’t Daichi hint about this same thing, only hours ago? He hadn’t spoken with Munenori when his angry words sliced my heart open. Has he always known? Is that why he called me Naga instead of Mama? I only thought he had trouble pronouncing the word, then it just stuck. Has my little Daichi always known I wasn’t his mother, merely his vessel?

Then she remembered the strange words Apollyon had said to her right before he was pulled back into the portal
… “Listen closely to my words, beautiful Anicee. I know how He blessed you. Yet you will discover it in time. It was the greatest of blessings, my love. All other Angels will envy you. It’s a blessing that breaks my heart… and heals it at the same time. I have forsaken Father many times. No wonder His heart now stands empty in my regard. Yet you, littlest of Angels, He loves you too much. Glorious things await you. And that heals my heart as well. Keep your faith and all will be well with you and our beautiful babe. Your Blessing will love you and protect you always. God will never remove it from you. If you remember nothing else, remember these words.”

Tears burned the backs of her eyes. Her breathing became painful in her chest. She heard Munenori’s faint words as if he spoke through a sealed door.

“You could never again be with the dark one you loved. I’m surprised Father even allowed that to happen in the first place.”

“Do not blame God. I have no trouble causing my own bad luck. I cash it in daily, it seems.”

“Be that as it may. You are not a creature of hell. You could never be with its Prince. And that’s because of
his
many sins, Naga. Not yours. He was someone you were never supposed to meet. Yet you pleased Father. He rewarded you with your very own Angel, a brand new one with neither spot nor blemish. It’s the most sacred of all gifts, straight from Father.” Munenori turned to look at her. “We whisper about you amongst our kind. Much favor has been given you, even though you are flawed—not perfect, as are we. Many of us hold jealousy in our hearts concerning you.”

“Umm… gratitude.” Her tone was flat, sarcastic.

He continued walking. “Daichi knows from whence he came, as do we all.”

“Because Angels
just know
?” She mimicked the way Vareilious always said it.

“Something like that. Do not act as if you haven’t experienced it yourself.”

“I can never accept what it is you speak of, Munenori. It’s not possible. I can never think of Daichi as anything other than my precious little boy.”

“Not possible? You cannot even convince yourself of the truth in those words. This you know.”

“If what you say is true, why didn’t he appear right then? Why did I have to give birth to him, raise him as my child? And how is it he’s the mirror image of my own son?”

“I cannot answer for Father, Naga. Think upon it yourself. Tell me. Would you have accepted this great miracle if Daichi had appeared before you that very night? Would you have believed him had he spoke the words from his own mouth?”

She knew the answer immediately even though she paused in admitting it.

“…No,” she whispered.

“No. And what of timing, Little Fire? You were still with your dark husband when you were blessed. You were enjoying the one day of sunlight and love God had rewarded Apollyon with. And then, after he returned to the pits, you were in mourning for him. Were you not?”