The Pentagram Child: Part 2 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) (6 page)

I turned my back on him and proceeded to walk the narrow bridge that led not only to the Titans but also the end of life as we all knew it. I had a plan set in place but the chances of this working out in my favour were not looking good. Was I really willing to murder the world for one life and with no guarantees to go by?

Well we were about to find out because there in front of me was the key stone that awaited one simple key…

Blood of the Titans.

As we approached I could feel Sammael almost buzzing behind me. This was something Sammael had spent most of his life waiting for. Being once that of an Archangel his deception came at a price indeed but the power he gained more than made up for it. He started life long after the war of Gods and his duty was, granted, an unpleasant one. Life in the form of mortals had grown at an incredible rate and with it, death quickly followed. This was the price mortals paid for their free will and a realm of their own. After all they were created by the death of Gods, it was only fair that they were granted a life of choice as they had little in the first place.

The mistake often made in any religion is not which God made mortals, as many did but it is often how. The blood of the Gods did indeed rain down that day to the beauty below and that untainted blood was the catalyst needed to kick start the evolution of man. The power in that blood is what gave Homo sapiens the power of thought. And therefore both science and religion are one and the same.

So as the world below began the circle of life, th
e
Ouroboros came into effect. Angels of death were needed and Sammael was the first to step up for the job.

“I am curious Sammael, what was it that day? What changed for you to cause such betrayal to your maker?” I couldn’t refrain from asking as we neared the end of our journey.

“Maybe you should have asked me this before you banded my lips with metal, condemned me to a life in Hell an
d
murdered the one I loved.” His response made me growl angrily before quickly facing him and hitting back with the truth,

“You being silenced was your punishment, Hell was your prison and killing your love was an act of mercy!”

“There is no mercy in MURDER!”

“No, there is mercy when one has begged for death, one you refused to grant her in every life she was forced to live!” I snapped and when he winced I knew I had finally hit my mark but more still, I had just found the answer to my question.

“That was it wasn’t it? You were sent that day to take her life?” He scowled at me for a few seconds and the hatred was clear to see until he tore his venomous gaze from mine.

“That day it was decreed that the two last surviving pure bloods, one male and one female were to find death at my hands, yes. I hadn’t even known of their existence until the order came, none of us had.” He said sombrely and obviously reliving that time so long ago.

“But what had the Gods hoped in keeping them alive so long?” I had to ask.

“It soon became obvious that they were different to the rest of the mortals. For one they wouldn’t age, however like the Titans had learnt, they could die through great injury. The Gods had hoped they would reproduce, like some fucking experiment or rats in a fucking cage! When it became clear of Cronus’ plans to release the Titans they knew it was far too dangerous to keep them alive.”

“Enter the Angel of death.” I said folding my arms and figuring out the rest of the story for myself.

“Yes, enter me! Oh you stand there casting judgement on me when you yourself entered the same forbidden realm in loving a human.” At this I laughed but it was without the mentality of humour attached to it.

“You really think you loved her! You took away the one thing that word represents.”

“And what is that!?” He asked and for once I felt the tiniest amount of sadness for not just him but for anyone who didn’t understand it.

“You took away her choice…her God given right to choose, whether it be to live, love or die. You were no better than the Gods that had kept her alive for their own amusement or their blatant, arrogant ignorance and disregard for one of their own. And when they finally decided to do the right thing by the good of not just mortal kind but of every kind, you chose differently and why…because you lay claim to love her…” I let the anger I felt fuel my words of disrespect for such decisions, decisions to not only ruin the innocent life of a woman but to put every single life in jeopardy.

I stepped towards him and continued…

“Tell me Sammael, did she honour your feelings by loving you back…did she make such bold claims in the face of your own? Did she not put up a fight when you took her against her will, not once, no but with every reincarnated life you forced upon her…is that what you call loving someone?! Because that love you speak about is not only received but delivered back to you in equal amounts. The only thing that girl did against your will was to finally find peace at my hands…one she begged me for!”

“YOU LIE!” He came to rush at me as the truth seeped into his core and rooted there for all to see. I grabbed him and his feeble form, easily over powering him and turned to get him in a lock with my arm banded around his throat. 

I wanted to force the difference between real love and obsessive betrayal of free will. Oh I had no doubt he loved her in the only way he knew how but my next words I hoped haunted him for his actions for what little time I knew he had left…

“For real love is about letting them go. It is about doing what is best for not your own gain but for theirs…That is love. And she died in my arms knowing the difference…because I was the one that gave her peace, a peace you had refused her for far too many lifetimes.” I pulled tighter on his neck and whispered something that I hoped would finally break him…

“And guess what, she died with a smile on her face and honestly...it looked like the first damn smile she ever gave freely.” I finished when I felt him go limp in my arms and finally give up the fight. He slumped forward and I took a few steps back hoping this had been enough to end this madness, one that should have finished the second the light of Eveleen’s soul faded from her eyes.

“You can stop this Sammael. You can give Eveleen the memory she deserves and not invite destruction to the realms in her name. You can choose the right path…” As I said this he raised his head where he had remained on his knees. But something I had said made him snap the other way and instead of giving up his resistance he fought harder for it. He raised himself up and stood with his back to me.

“Your Gods and their precious mortals had their time…now it is time for mine!” He hissed at me turning his head with the last threat before walking past me and stepping up to the keystone.

“The blood of my kin, hand it to me.” He demanded.

“No.”

“No...? You realise what will happen if you refuse?” Oh I knew alright and I could only wish I had the strength needed to follow through with that refusal, however it was a startling revelation to realise I wasn’t. Would I murder the world…I wanted to lower my head in shame but I knew with shame came knowing that my decision wasn’t the right one and every fibre in my inner soul knew I was doing the right thing.

“I will give you the key only when I am assured she is safe.”

“And I can only do that when I return.” This was a hopeless battle of a trust neither of us held for each other or ever would but what choice did I have?

“I demand a blood oath.” I stated hoping it was enough to hold up against such a being. The terms of a blood oath were up to the being it was offered from and if accepted then it was binding.

“Very well, set your terms.” I felt my tension ease slightly in spite of what I was willing to give in to.

“Upon your return you will free Keira of the curse and swear she will not be harmed by your hand or that of your kin and in return I will let you release the Titans. If these terms are not met or honoured then you will be forced to your knees and await death by my blade once having your will stripped bare and your choices swiftly taken from you…do you except my terms?” Sammael stared boldly at my eyes, raised a hand to his mouth and bit forcefully into his flesh. He never took his eyes from mine as he accepted the only option he had if he wanted to follow through with his plans.

“I accept your terms and leave my blood onto you as it lays witness to our treaty made.” He then slapped his hand to mine and I felt the power of the pact forge into one of absolute. Our binding was complete and it was time now for me to fulfil my end of the bargain.

“It is done.” Sammael said as he too felt the same force of power bind us. He nodded to the keystone that stood at the top of the arch, situated in the very middle. The doorway was yet to be revealed by the protruding arched blocks but by them being here told anyone alike that this was the door to the Titans’ prison.

The keystone was the face of Cronus himself with his mouth open and ready for a taste of his own kin. The blood of the Titans.

I pulled the vial from my jeans’ pocket and lifted it up to eye level to see only half of the blood remained. Sammael’s slitted eyes widened before they narrowed for a second. I handed it out to him all the while forcing such actions and demanding submission of my demon from emerging.

“Change of plans.”

“What?!” I said frowning in obvious distrust.

“You’re
going to release the Titans.” I shook my head unable to think why he would want such a thing.

“Are you going back on our terms?”

“Not at all, the terms I believe stated you would let me release the Titans, and in doing so I need your aid…after all, my wings don’t work like they used to.” He said nodding up at the top of the arch, one that indeed needed flight to get to. The door when it opened would be big enough for giant Gods to walk through, that was for sure.

“Very well.” I took his reasoning for what it was…another deception. One however I had little choice of avoiding.

“Let get this shit over with!” I said cracking the vial in my fist and letting the infected blood of the ancients seep into my palm.

I summoned forth my wings and let them take me until faced with Cronus immortalised in rock and very much a part of his people’s prison.

Then I did something that was the very opposite of the reasons for which I had been born…

I brought on Armageddon. 

Chapter 49

Triple Crossed By Past Lives

The second my hand crossed the opening, was the second my betrayal to my people was fully recognised. It gifted me with the power of foresight and held me immobile and defenceless against the attack. It was as if my blood supply had been replaced by rock and my back bowed, arching with the pain. My wings seized any movement as they too were affected. I was half expecting my body to slump with only my arm anchoring me to the mouth of Cronus. However this did not happen. Some kind of force kept me imprisoned and for the first time in my existence I felt like a living statue.

The other half of the Temple of Lost Olympus flashed in my mind. And that was where the foresight started. This vision granted to me was utter torture and one I was helpless to stop. It showed the Temple of Fallen Gods flood with Lava until stone fingertips reaching up were the last thing on the floor to disappear.

It showed angry Titans with flesh made from black rock and magma running through their veins. These giant Gods stormed through the Temple, as lava splashed up their legs. They smashed any trace that lingered of the Gods they loathed until only one remained. The biggest Titan roared up at the Temple’s crumbling ceiling, spitting lava like a volcano before lashing out an arm and decapitating Zeus in one blow.

I felt my eyes rolling back in my head as the vision started to end with a blur of action and I didn’t need to see the details to know what came next. The Titans had all run at the mountain walls and burst free from Tartarus. But there was something else in my vision and I squinted trying to focus on what it was hiding in the background of Hell. 

“No…it, it can’t be…?” I said not sure if even my lips were moving in the real world. But it was the sight of a small mortal figure that stood at the edge of Tartarus as if awaiting the Titans to break free. Titans that I myself had just released… 

And with it releasing Hell on Earth.

The vision’s thread snapped and unconfined me at the same time letting go of my hand. I fell backwards through the air onto the bridge and watched from on my back as the keystone and the mouth of Cronus closed. The stone eyes shut and the face of the king of Titans started to crumble away.

I got up off the floor and without taking my eyes from the doorway watched as the protruding stones started to glow. The same symbols that were carved into the flesh on my forearms all appeared one by one on every black stone. But my thoughts were not just on the terror I had invited back to the world but on the small figure in my apparition. One that looked as if it was there for a single purpose. I didn’t know how I knew this but that was of little importance. No, what was important was that they were searching for something…

Or someone.   

“It’s started!” Sammael shouted as the whole mountain started to vibrate around us. Small rocks rained down around where we stood and the floor beneath our feet started to pulsate. It wasn’t the same as the way the land trembles before an earthquake hits but more like watching a fast and heavy base line through a sub speaker. The volcanic dust created a fog in the air without being allowed the time to settle.

I turned to growl at Sammael and the cause of what was to come…did he really understand the depth of chaos he was inviting to share his madness with?

“You can’t control them!” I shouted over the sound of the mountain trying in vain to hold itself together.

“We shall see!” He said nodding back towards the doorway that had now started to move and create an opening. The rectangular blocks twisted into squares and fell away one by one until the size of a castle door was now an opening. One big enough for any Titan to pass through.

Once the doorway had emerged it didn’t stop there. The turning blocks continued to fold in on themselves until pretty soon I and Sammael had to step back to watch as the whole Pyramid caved in on itself. The rivers of lava that had once flowed up the sides became a gushing torrent that fell back on itself, acting like a glowing orange waterfall on either side.

Pretty soon there was nothing left of the structure and all that was left was the heart of evil it had held captive all this time. It became obvious that what had held them imprisoned so effectively was the constant cascade of volcanic matter that was being poured on them from above. Now however, that containment was quickly diminishing down to nothing and leaving behind the frozen ash bodies of angry and defeated Gods.

All of them were looking up at the Heavens they had once been banished from and all were cast with the same haunted empty eyes. Each of the eleven remaining had their arms in shackles behind their backs and the size of chain that secured them to the floor was one you would have found attached to the anchor of a super tanker.

As the last of the encasing lava emptied down past their feet it became the moment of truth for I don’t think either of us knew what to expect next. The glowing chains first erupted into blue flames before bursting into ash and landing in the stream of molten rock like grey snow, melting on hot tarmac.

What surprised me was to see each of them not only as carved black statues, but more so to realise they were the size of mortal men. In my gifted sight into the future they were seen as giants breaking free.

They were all male as none of the Titan females were imprisoned. Also some of the Titan men were spared from imprisonment for various reasons that were only to benefit the new Gods’ ruling, so that left eleven Titans of both the first and second generation.

We both waited on baited breath for what would happen next and both for very different reasons. Sammael’s eyes shone with unshed tears from waiting so long for this day to come. The anticipation showed not just in his demeanour but also the black blood that seeped from his nose and mouth. It trickled down past his chin and when dripping onto the floor the dirt sizzled like acid eating away at the rock.

“Their time is now.” He said more to himself and I turned in time to see the Titans take their first breaths in this lifetime. I was just about to speak of his insanity when his next words were said from directly behind me…

“And so is mine!” Then before I could react his arm reached from behind me and with the blade he now held he cut a slice across my chest. I bellowed in rage and spun to face him. His body started to fade and I reached out to grab his robes but the feeling of material in my grasp faded along with him. His last words to me haunted me more than what I was left to deal with…

“Don’t worry about your Electus, I have plans for her and they…” He paused and nodded to the freed Titans before continuing…

“…they have plans for you!”

Keira

I opened my eyes and never thought such a small action would hurt as much. One of them I closed as soon as I felt liquid trying to soak in. Was I lying in a puddle of water? It only all came rushing back to me when my vision was more a red fog that when cleared I saw the puddle of my own blood I was lay in.

Yep, now I remember…I was dying.

I squinted my eyes and tried to see past what was obviously proof of my last moments on this earth. Well at least the pain was gone and the numb side of death had obviously set in, thank goodness for small gifts of mercy. Now if only that mercy could be extended to small acts of murder…let’s say to insane, megalomaniac ex-boyfriends that wanted to destroy the world…yeah, that would be nice and dandy.

“Ah…” I moaned as I tried to raise my head up and it felt like even having these thoughts was bringing back the pain. I closed my eyes again hoping the feeling would pass and instead what followed was a first class ticket to Hell on Earth.

But that wasn’t strictly true as I found myself transported back to what I knew as Hell yes, but more importantly what I now knew was a deeper level of Hell… Tartarus.

I remembered that day so clearly it could have been an oil painting hanging on the walls of my brain. I had just told Draven that he should learn his lesson for the next time he fell in love. It seemed so laughable now thinking back to the reasons why he kept so many secrets to begin with and not that his actions were suddenly condoned but more simply understood.

That night I had woken in a different place I had laid my head to sleep and now I knew the reasons as it all seemed so blindly obvious now. Draven’s tie to this place was like living with a disease without the need for a cure….until now that was.

And like that night I found myself looking at the same canyon only this time there was no Draven to draw me closer to the edge of the cliff. No, this time I walked those steps with a purpose I didn’t really understand. I walked those steps to quell the curiosity something the higher powers were relying on. I walked to the edge to see what they wanted me to see.

The Everest sized mountain lay before me and unlike before the vast space wasn’t filled with row after row of soldiers. There was nothing but a vista of volcanic ash and dry crusted patches of dirt that went on until your eyes lifted to the enormous mountain, one I knew held the name Tartarus. I looked one way and then the other and saw nothing but the same dead landscape on either side as far as the eye could see.

“So what do you want me to see?” I asked the forever nothingness around me and definitely not expecting an answer. So I was a little more than surprised when I got my answer in the form I did. As if on cue with my question the mountain side suddenly exploded outwards as if something gigantic had just crashed into it from the centre. At first I thought it was lava that had burst from within but then that lava started to take form or in this case, many forms.

“Oh God…the Titans!” I gasped before covering my mouth in horror. The giant Gods stormed out one after the other and started to cut across the black desert in no time leaving destruction in their path. Molten rock poured from the opening and for one split second I thought I saw a winged figure looking back at me from what seemed to be the broken remains of what was once a Temple.

I didn’t know how I could even see this greater distance than what was humanly possible but I put it down to the vision of things to come. And what was to come was charging at me right now. So I did the only thing I could do, the only thing my body would allow me to do in the face of such destruction. I closed my eyes and let my tears of fear fall down my face. I felt them linger on my chin a second before they fell and as soon as they did I opened my eyes one last time.

It was in the hope of seeing that winged figure once more and I didn’t really know why. However what happened did so in painfully slow motion. It was as if everything around me was moving at such a sluggish rate and once my tears left my skin they too became a part of this world.

I looked down at the droplets still on their slow decent to the ground and frowned in disbelief at what was happening. I looked back up to see the Titans too had slowed enough that they barely looked like they were even moving at all. I knew this was all part of the vision but even then it didn’t make any sense. I had been fully prepared to watch the Titans charging at me and only waking up the second they reached me…but what was happening now I couldn’t understand what the fates were trying to tell me?

That was until I watched my tears land in the dirt.

An action so innocent as tears from the heart were shed in a place like this and in sight of the damnation to come. What should have been a simple act created an eruption so immense I fell backwards landing on my buttocks. The second my tears had touched the ground it sent a shock wave across the canyon floor and straight towards the Titans. I watched on in awe as the rumbling floor rippled until it centred the Volcanic Gods and then…

BOOM! There was an explosion of black ash that went up in a mushroom cloud as though a nuclear bomb had just exploded. The world around them started to split and branches of cracks spread out like growing fingers reaching out for safety. They finally stopped just short of where I remained frozen in the dirt.

I tasted the dust on my tongue from being unable to close my mouth in shock. And this didn’t change when the ground erupted outwards and the Titans started to fall through Hell’s outer crust and into the mantel below. Just as the dust cloud started to settle I could clearly make out the bodies of Titans as their lava forms were being consumed by liquid metal.

It burst out around their reaching limbs like chrome death dealers trying to drag them back to the core of the earth. One arm at the very last second reached up and out, erupting free from the ground closing around it. Then I looked on as first the molten metal consumed it, diminishing its fiery veins before the ground sealed around its elbow.

The Canyon floor calmed and when the last of the dust settled all that remained in the vast space was one giant metal arm. It rose up like a monument to what could have happened on this day. I got up from the floor and just as I was straightening myself a great cracking sound echoed in the desert valley. I flinched as the cooled metal shattered from around the arm but left in its place one of black statue limb instead. One whose fingertips were reaching up to the Earth above, one I thankfully now knew it would never see again…