Rebellion (15 page)

Adara walked next to Ballard. While she tried to be strong, her vulnerable composure showed how fragmented her heart was. They would eventually exchange looks, but I knew Ballard was still thinking about what had happened to him.

Ahead of us was the Nephilin that had remained faithful all this time. Even though he tried never to show his true feelings, I knew Devin struggled with his decision. Evil had run in his blood since birth. I wondered if he ever felt like surrendering to his nature and becoming like the others. Adawnas had not been as strong, and who was to say that Devin would also not meet the same fate?

My return from the Wastelands had left me with a void inside of my heart, one that I felt growing stronger

“Are you alright, Isaac?” Demetre asked, noticing that I had slowed my pace.

“Yes,” I replied. “I…I just um…need to think for a while.”

With a worried look, he bore his eyes into mine.

“Isaac, do not let—”

“I said I am fine!” I shouted. The others turned in surprise.

“What is the matter?” Xylia asked, fixing her hair behind her ear.

“Nothing,” Demetre responded, keeping his eyes fixed on me. “Everything is alright.” He picked up his pace, marching his way to Devin.

I kept watching them walk through the valley. If fear was a scent and I was a predator, I would have smelled my prey from miles away. They were all afraid.

Petra came to a stop. He let the others go ahead of him. Once I was by his side, he continued walking alongside me. He cracked his knuckles, gnawing on his lips.

“I must share what I saw,” he said in a low voice.

“What do you mean?”

“When I touched Ballard’s book, it showed me…something.” His breath caught in his throat. For a while, he whimpered as his left hand caressed his satchel. He widened his brown eyes. “The Creator will be killed,” he stated in a somber voice.

My throat closed at his remark.

“Killed? How so?” My eyes narrowed.

“I saw the Creator wrapped by a snake; its macabre eyes were hollow, its body covered with the color of night. The Creator’s white fur was stained with blood. His wings had been clipped and his mane was the same color as the snake,” he affirmed with a rough voice.

“What you saw, Petra, could mean many dif—”

“No, Isaac. I know what I saw. It is a warning. I did not want to tell the others because I can sense fear within them.”

My eyebrows came together. “Do you not think that I am afraid?” His jaw opened. “Fear has never left me. I’ve just learned how to tame it.”

He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

“Then do not share this with them until they also learn how to tame their fear.” His pace quickened.

DEVIN

X

Throughout my life, a part of me had always longed to be free from the evil that coursed through my veins, while another craved every single destructive desire I had. I recall the day I left Byllith and sought refuge with the Council of Justicia. Athalas received me with opened arms, welcoming me into the castle. For four hundred years, Athalas taught me how to control myself and my natural desires.

It was not an easy thing to see the man that had taught me all that I knew fall into darkness. The worst part was that I had never noticed any signs that his allegiance had changed. Had it all been in vain? Maybe I belonged with the other Nephilins. Was it foolish of me to think that I could find redemption by helping these young ones on their journey? I didn’t know how they all perceived me. Little did they know of the daily struggles my inner man endured.

I can’t deny that I was tempted to lead them to the Nephilins or the Fallen Stars and hand them the five books. But I knew that if I followed this desire, I would bring destruction upon many innocent lives throughout Elysium. I was torn in two—my desires battled against each other.

“His aloofness is growing every day,” Demetre complained, walking next to me.

“Isaac has a lot on his mind, Demetre.” I kept my eyes on the trees ahead of me. “Let him be for a while.”

The wind picked up. Demetre rubbed his hands against his arms. His eyes carried an empty stare.

“Sometimes I feel as if I do not belong here with all the others.” He raised both of his shoulders. “I am not the bearer of any book. I do not have any special abilities of my own.” He lifted his eyes, meeting my gaze. “Am I just a burden?”

“What do you think?” I lowered my head, avoiding the thorn-covered branches that hung ahead of me. “Are you worthy of being on this quest?”

He pressed his fingers against his lips, considering his answer.

“A man is as a man sees.” I rested my hand on his shoulder. He lifted his eyes to me as his lips curved into a thin smile.

“I remember the day I first met your parents,” I said, seeing their faces in my mind. “They were some of the first Council members to welcome me. At the time, they were not yet in love, but their friendship was strong.”

Demetre watched me with curious eyes.

“They never seemed to object to the fact that I was a Nephilin and wished to do harm more than good. At that time, I had already lived in Elysium for a thousand years, and never had I found anyone that accepted me as much as they did. ‘Be strong, Devin,’ your mother said. ‘We all struggle with the desires of our hearts. We just need to find ways to strengthen the desires that are pure and righteous.’”

His right eyebrow rose up, hiding behind his dark hair. “She said that to you?”

I let out a brief laugh.

“Yes, she did.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “Why is this relevant to me?”

“Your parents made wrong choices, but these choices do not erase the righteous deeds they performed in the past. I am not sure how much a Nephilin’s life is worth, but they helped me—saved me. I want to show you that no matter how weak or unworthy you might feel, these feelings cannot erase the fact that you belong with this company. And though we might not see the reason now, we will find out soon.”

Demetre gave me a half-hearted smile.

“Thank you,” he said after a brief moment of silence.

We continued making our way through the valley. The snow fell once again. A thick mist settled as the frigid temperature continued to drop.

“Look out!” Ballard shouted at the top of his lungs, his finger pointed toward the sky.

Something fell from the tree branches above us. It thudded on the soft snow, squirming blood on the thistles that covered the ground. I lost my breath when I saw that it was the lifeless body of an old man. He had a rope tied to his neck. The smell of decayed flesh brought tears to my eyes. Xylia and Adara covered their noses, staring at the corpse in horror.

“Look up,” Isaac whimpered, his eyes fixed on the branches above us.

Ten naked bodies hung above us. Two of them were children—a boy and a girl. Four were young women who seemed to be no older than thirty. The other four were men. They were missing their toes and fingers; their jaws had been ripped from their faces.

“What is this place?” Petra stumbled back, trying to catch his balance as he stared at the dead bodies.

The sound of hoofs thundered in my ears. I unsheathed my sword, positioning myself for an attack.

“Get your swords ready.” My eyes froze inside their sockets, looking for whatever being approached us.

We waited in silence, expecting an attack. The sounds of beating hoofs grew louder. What devilry had come to encounter us? After a while, no one appeared.

“Where is it?” Isaac asked, standing next to me, his eyes surveying the landscape around us.

“I am not sure,” I replied, feeling the frigid wind brush against my face.

I was startled by the sound of a loud neigh. I squinted my eyes in an attempt to better see through the blinding mist. With careful steps, I walked in the direction of what sounded like a horse, and the others followed. Walking through this mist set my teeth on edge. I fidgeted at the sound of every branch I trampled upon. My eyes glanced over my shoulder. Adara held her sword with trembling hands. Petra walked beside Ballard, their eyes set on me. Xylia and Demetre hastened their steps, following alongside Isaac.

From the mist emerged an old stall and, from afar, I caught sight of the distressed animal. I let out a quick breath, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand.

“It is just a horse,” I said, lowering my sword. The others followed my action.

There was an old two-story house on our far right. It had a large front window with two horizontal shutters next to the door, which lay on the ground, broken into pieces. Some of the roof shingles were missing.

“I am assuming those people lived here,” said Xylia, glancing in the direction of the bodies.

“What happened here?” Adara had her fingers over her mouth, and was staring at the old house.

I paced toward the animal and the sound of its neighing increased the moment it laid eyes on me. My right hand stretched as its dark eyes bore into mine. The horse was a dapple-gray stallion.

“There, there,” I whispered as I approached it. I saw its wounded hind leg—the injury stretched all the way up to its thigh. The horse tried to escape from the stall by casting its body against the walls. I rested my hand on its head. At my touch, the horse fell silent, its leg twitching.

“What was that?” Adara asked, approaching the animal. Her hands were curled into a ball, resting on her chest. “How did you get him to stand so still?”

I gave her a closed smile. “I can communicate with some animal species—call them when I need them.”

“Can you call us some horses so we do not have to walk in the snow?” she inquired, her eyes demanding that I give her the answer she expected.

“I tried the moment we left the valley. Unfortunately, I did not feel any horses nearby,” I said.

“Then I am assuming your gift is not that effective,” Xylia noted, walking toward the horse. Petra, Ballard, Isaac, and Demetre had their eyes set on the old house.

“Why do you say that?” My eyebrows tightened.

“This horse has probably been sitting here for a while. If you can feel and call them, how come you were not aware that this animal was here?” She petted the gray stallion.

She was right. I had used my gift to search for horses just moments ago. Why had I not been able to feel his presence?

“Over there!” I heard Ballard shouting.

Startled, I looked and saw the boys running.

“Where are you going?” I stepped away from the horse, following them. “Wait!”

My body froze in shock when I saw a child walking out of the house and descending the two shorts steps that led out the door. The girls flocked in his direction. The boy closed his small eyes and fell to the ground, smashing his face against the snow.

Isaac knelt next to him. He removed his coat and wrapped the boy with it. He seemed to be around six years of age. His brown hair was covered in blood, his feet were bare, and his chest was exposed.

“Can you hear me?” asked Isaac as he reached under the boy’s head, holding him against his chest. Blood dripped from the small cuts on his chapped lips.

The young boy grunted, gulping his throat.

“Mom…Dad…” he whispered in a low voice. He opened his eyes, looking at every single one of our faces.