The Chosen Soul (12 page)

“Father...” She spoke, and her new sultry, other-worldly purr escaped from behind

her fangs, wrapped around him, innocently, unknowingly, awakening protective emotions

he barely recognized.

For the love of the Dark Powers
, Malphas thought,
This one will to be hard to shield
from the prying eyes of Hell.

“I feel...” Winter paused mid-sentence, and the perfect skin of her brow furrowed

slightly as she searched for the words to describe the sensations that flooded through her.

“I feel so -”

“
Powerful,
” he finished for her. She blinked, smiling shyly. He noticed the faint

glow about her body, the way she fairly emanated the magic of Darkness.

“
Yes
....”
She closed her eyes and, holding her arms out at her sides, she released her claws.

“
You are
,” he said as he reached out, gently grasped one of her outstretched hands,

and pulled her toward a window that she could have sworn was not there only moments

before. “
And you will have to learn to control your new power before you leave this

realm
.”

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Heather Killough-Walden

They reached the window and Malphas peered out over the dominion that was Caina.

The vast expanse of an icy and desolate wasteland stretched into infinity under the

towering shadow of Malphas’s palace. Raven gazed out at the bleak landscape of cold,

gray despair. A howling wind carved the pattern of eons into glaciers that shifted and

floated, rimmed by rivers of slush and rime, bottomless and barren.

The mortal heart looking upon such frozen solitude would surely have felt the

wretched anguish of frigid despondency. It would have, perchance, ceased to beat,

overwhelmed by the unwillingness to go on, without hope, without passion, as dead

inside as was this eternal, lonely winter.

However, to Raven – to
Winter
– it felt much, much different.

“Caina,” Raven let the word roll off of her tongue. It was an almost beautiful sound,

soothing and welcoming in an unfamiliar kind of way.

“
Your home
,” her father added, softly, gently.

They fell into a mutual, comfortable silence.

*****

Princess Zeta watched her brother as he gazed, distracted, into the fireplace in the

richly decorated drawing room. He leaned over the marble hearth, his arms braced against

the mantelpiece. The firelight cast shadows upon the planes and angles of his handsome

face and caused his eyes to flicker like blue flame.

She smiled to herself. His mood had progressively deteriorated since his return from

the tavern that afternoon. And as his mood worsened, hers improved.

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She looked away, turning her attention to the diamond beading on her lavender silk

gown. “So, she managed to break your enchantment, you say?” she cooed as she

languidly stretched her long legs out onto the divan and re-arranged her dress so that it

draped properly over the edge. She chuckled softly and shook her head. “And then she

attacked you.” Her smile was all but cruel now. “She sounds positively delightful. When

do I get to meet her?”

Astriel turned his gaze upon his sister and the azure irises of his eyes dilated from

cat-like slits into the black circles that mortals were more familiar with. He returned her cruel smile, effortlessly, and much more effectively, and then looked away once again.

“Soon. She’ll not escape me a second time.”

“Oh?” Zeta asked, mockingly. “From what I hear, she is not entirely mortal.” Her

smile disappeared then, and her tone became serious. “I was told that she called out for

her father. And that Malphas answered.”

He righted himself and turned to face her. Their eyes met and held for a moment and

then he moved to the bookshelf against one wall and appeared to casually peruse the

titles.

“If she is the daughter of Lord Malphas, then she will prove a difficult prey, indeed.

And you must also consider, Astriel, what she was doing in our city. Have you thought

about what significance her appearance might hold?”

He waited a moment before answering, his back still turned toward her.

“It crossed my mind,” he said casually. He pulled out a book, briefly shuffled

through its pages, and then returned it to the shelf. Finally, he turned to face her. “I care little what plans the dark lords might be hatching. They are not what concerns me.”

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“No, just one of their daughters.”

“She will be mine.”

Zeta’s smile was back. Astriel had never been denied something he wanted before.

No mortal had dared ever defy him. This woman, this
Raven
, had to be simply killing his enormous ego.

“If you are so sure,” she began slowly, “then I propose a wager.”

This had Astriel’s attention. He gracefully sat in one of the overstuffed chairs

opposite her, and leaned back, a curious smile on his gorgeous face. “Oh?”

Zeta’s eyes glittered malevolently. “Indeed.” She leaned forward, drawing out the

suspense. “I bet you cannot capture this rebellious little prize of yours without resorting to magic. I wager ten of your courtesans that you can not bring her back to the castle as a mortal man would – using no Fey power whatsoever.”

Astriel stared at her in silence. His expression turned darker, more determined, with

each passing second. And then, slowly and gracefully, he leaned forward and smiled a

horrible, beautiful, dangerous smile.

“I accept.”

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The Chosen Soul – Chapter Nine

Raven lay in the center of the her giant four-poster bed. She had been given her own

room in Malphas’s castle. In fact, she had been given an entire quarter, decorated

lavishly, from the most basic of necessities to the finest of details. Malphas had told her that it had always been there, waiting for her to reside within it.

After her transformation, Malphas had waved Loki’s sleeping form away to his own

room. Then, with a second wave of his hand, he had fashioned for her, rich beautiful

attire, out of thin air and magic.

Once she was clothed, he called his court before him to introduce her. As the

demonic members of his court gathered, genuflecting, around them, she had wanted so

very badly to hide behind her father, especially when she recognized the barely-kept

looks of hunger that spread across their faces when they laid eyes upon her.

She had been accosted by a multitude of emotions when surrounded by their

kneeling forms, and she had to admit to herself that though there were some she was

certain would never lay a hand on her, there were some she simply did not trust because

they truly frightened her.

Being surrounded by so many powerful devils at once was naturally overwhelming.

Malphas shielded her from the full force of their devastating power, his awesome form

standing between them on many occasions, as if he could psychically tell when their

presence was becoming too much for her young mind to handle.

Her father had gently but firmly guided her through the castle, never allowing her to

escape his gaze, and never letting anyone else get too close. And then when they had

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finished with the introductions and the tour of the palace, he had brought her here, to her room, and sat her down on the bed.

“
Daughter, I must tell you that once you return to the Terran realm, you will

not be able to call upon me for help any further
.”

Raven gazed up at her massive father, her beautiful brow gently furrowed. He turned

his back to her and strode to the giant windows across the room. As he gazed out across

all that was his, and would one day be hers, he continued.

“
The Lord of the Ninth Circle has decreed that Dark Royalty can appear upon

the Terran Realm but once a year
.” He turned to face her again. “
Though I did not
personally appear to you in Aster Hollow or in Trimontium, my display of power

was far beyond what is normally allowed of our kind
.”

He paused, and Raven could feel the air around her grow thick with tension. Her

father was angry at something and was fighting not to let it show.

“
The Lord of Abaddon learned of my assistance and forbade me from further

action beyond the boundaries of Hell. Therefore
,” he said as he turned and approached her at the edge of the bed. “
You will be under Adonides’s protection when you return.

He will help you gain control of your newfound powers.”
He peered down at her, his

presence indomitable, demanding attention and compliance.
“Winter, you will go

nowhere without first telling him. Do I make myself clear?”

She nodded.

He smiled then turned and left her alone in the massive chamber.

She sat on the edge of the giant bed, her wings folded gracefully behind her, her head

bowed. And despite her growth into the strong, lithe she-devil she now was, she at once

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appeared delicate and tiny, a figure small and solitary in the immense ice-hewn palace of

her father, in Caina, the Eighth Circle of Hell.

*****

Malphas stared into the heatless flames of the hearth from where he sat in the large

high-backed chair at the center of his study. Absently, he raised his goblet to his lips and allowed the heady blood-red wine to pass over his tongue and burn as it slid down his

throat.

There was a brisk rapping at the door and Malphas returned the goblet to the small

table to his right.

“
Come
.” He’d been expecting someone.

“My liege.”

“
Adonides. Approach
.”

Malphas turned his head slightly to watch the powerful Abaddonian move with

practiced stealth across the room. His steward was a tall, strong devil, with skin of pitch like coal, and eyes that burned a golden blaze. His long black hair cascaded down his

back, and his giant bat-like wings folded gracefully behind him. Adonides took a seat

across from the dark lord.

Malphas leaned forward, searching his handsome face for traces of what he knew

would be there. And he was not disappointed.

“
You find her as intoxicating as do the others
.”

Adonides was clever enough not to deny it. “Yes. She is amazing.”

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His master leaned back again and took a deep breath. “
Indeed. That is what

concerns me
.”

“You are shielding her presence from the other Circles.” Adonides knew this must be

so, or there would have been interference by now. Winter was clearly not like any other

female in Abaddon. She possessed more power, more beauty and yet more innocence

than should be possible. He could think of quite a few arch devils who would be all-too

interested in her existence, and Malphas had far too many enemies.

The Dark Lord nodded, “
She is safe while in our realm. However, she is

vulnerable to danger on the Terran realm
.”

Adonides nodded. “Agreed.”

“
Which brings us to the reason I have asked you here tonight
.” He approached

his steward, who was swarthed in the black garb of Malphas’s armies. “
She can not be

allowed to leave here until she has at least learned to control her new form. When

she does, I will send her back to Kriver, along with her brother
.”

The Dark Lord fell into silence then.

Adonides was a wise man. He grasped where this was leading, and he had to admit

that the thought brought him nothing but pleasure and anticipation. Which he respectfully

stifled.

“I will watch over her, my lord.”

“
See that you do
.”

Adonides knew he was being excused. He rose, bowed reverently, and turned to

leave the room. And as he made his way down the dark passageways to the wing that

housed the new Princess, he was filled, not only with a keen eagerness, but also with

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apprehension. For he knew that his master would not allow any transgression against his

daughter to go unpunished. And there was a thin line between right and wrong in

Abaddon.

*****

All afternoon, there in her private room, Raven struggled to gain control over what

she had become. Her father had forbidden her from returning to Kriver until she was able

to switch, effortlessly, between her two forms.

Her change into Winter had been guided, pushed along, and completely out of her

hands. However, Malphas refused to help her switch back into Raven, and had insisted

that her ability to do so on her own was imperative to her safety and wellbeing.

Which left her in a quandary. For, it seemed her soul preferred this, more powerful,

figure to that of Raven, the woman who more often than not found herself a victim.

To further complicate matters, her new form came with a plethora of arcane abilities.

A few, her father had pointed out to her, and helped her to realize. The rest, he said, she would learn on her own, as they would come to be when she needed them most. That

worried her. It wasn’t that she was contrary to surprises, she loved a good birthday party