Falter (50 page)
Authors: Haven Cage
Are you in?
Archard’s words entered my mind.
Yeah. Can you hear me?
Yes. Stay there. The demons aren’t far. We are getting into position now. Stay hidden until I tell you,
his troubled voice echoed against the walls of my head. Shit was about to get serious.
Where are you? I want to see you.
Wait a second.
Suddenly, thin rays of light seeped through the cracks around the door. A familiar aroma rolled into my little room.
What is that? What’s going on?
An uneasy feeling rattled my nerves. My eyes jumped from dark wall to dark wall, seeking perspective. I’d never visited this place before, yet I somehow knew the smell and the feel, of this hallowed building. More than that, I was almost one hundred percent certain that in the deep crevices of my brain, I knew what was about to happen.
Earthy, sweet spices melded with the stale, moldy air. I scoured my memories to put a name with the odor roaming in from outside my small chamber; anything to spark a clear thought about my strange recognition.
We lit some lanterns and incense. It’ll make it harder for them to detect us. Are you still ok?
A single drop of sweat slid down my face and stung the cut on my lip.
Everything tumbled into place like a domino reaction.
This can’t be happening
.
I rushed to look through a sliver of space in the doorframe. It was exactly how I remembered in the dream.
The broken, elaborately painted ceiling gave way to the glowing stars. The frayed, red velvet runner lay torn on the stone floor. Climbing ivy flourished around huge marble pillars. And, hiding in the rafters, I caught the neon glow of his eyes. He hid exactly where I knew he’d be.
I wiped the sweat from my mouth with the back of an unsteady hand and checked my sword to make sure it was there. I was going to need it.
Pieces of my dream continued to click into place, one scene at a time. This wasn’t going to end well. The demons never intended to bring George and Gavyn for the trade.
At last, I recalled every terrible detail. I wasn’t going to survive this, but what other option did I have? How could I save George and Gavyn if I didn’t make it out alive?
There has to be another way.
I raced frantically through different scenarios, pacing tight circles inside my confessional—a rat in a cage.
The spiced fragrance of incense flushed out of the room as another smell flooded in and violated my nostrils. Between the incoming putrid odor of sulfur and my frazzled nerves, I doubled over, unable to fight the vomit that spewed from my mouth.
Archard, I can’t do this. I know how this ends
, I screamed in my head.
What are you talking about, Nevaeh? Just stick to the plan. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.
Archard’s assuring words attempted to save me from panic, but it wasn’t enough.
There’s another way. I have no choice. I’m so sorry
, I answered.
Wait. What are you going to do? Nevaeh, don’t do anything stupid,
he pleaded.
I relayed every detail of my premonition into his mind and hoped that he was able to understand why I was doing what I was about to do.
NO! Nevaeh!
Archard’s energy surrounded me like a storm cloud, full of fury and speed. It clawed for a grip on my will, struggling to take control of my intentions and save me, but it failed.
I’m so sorry. I’ll come back to you. Please forgive me.
As I thought the words, I peeked through the door crack one last time. He was shuffling in the shadows, debating whether to come after me or not.
The demons lurked just outside my sinner’s chamber. This is where I had belonged all along. Especially, for the choice I was about to make.
As I breathed the words, the burning on my forehead ignited. “I renounce God and relinquish my soul as a servant of Satan.”
The harsh rush of bitterness flowed through my blood. Archard’s mental shouting vanished. My insides felt as though they were tearing apart—a sure sign that my spirit was transitioning. The pain was excruciating and, yet, lovely to my newly poisoned heart.
I collapsed to the floor in agony, fire burning through my veins. Pushing past the agony, I crawled to the empty wall next to me.
A deluge of power exploded from my body. The ceiling quaked and crumbled. The wood panels around me snapped and popped as the little room gave way. The door split in two, allowing low light from the lanterns in the church to seep into the small room.
My eyedammits focused beyond the broken door to the curious demons trampling toward me. Their screeches and clicks no longer bothered my ears. It was music to my darkening soul.
I had to move quickly. I couldn’t let them get me, yet. My unsteady hand rose and pushed flat against the wall. I collected whatever power I might have gained by declaring myself and willed it to open a portal. There was no guarantee it would work, but it was my only chance to escape this trap.
Red-hot energy scalded my fingers and glowed beneath my skin as it flared out from my hand. I looked over my shoulder at the monsters scratching and scraping at the broken barriers separating them from me. Behind them, the angels dropped from the rafters, taking the demons out one by one.
The wall split beneath my hand and spread outward, dragging my focus away from the ruckus outside. It emitted the electric, glowing haze that I’d seen from the Hell portals before. It was working. If I could just speed it up a little more. I was so close.
A ripping pain crippled my leg. I glared back at the demon latched onto me, tugging me away from the portal. I kicked at it and lurched toward the wall, my scourging hand fluxing with power again.
Archard’s form came into view just beyond the demon. He screamed my name over the chaos of battle. The ridges of his face deepened, and the endless sorrow in his eyes shattered what heart I had left. The last fleck of goodness in my withering soul yearned for him, and I regretted the choice I had made.
“I’ll make it back to you. I’ll make it back to you,” I chanted as a reminder of my promise while surrendering the last of my freedom.
I kicked the demon’s head as hard as I could, loosening its grip from my leg, and scrambled away from the its bony hand.
I lunged myself upright, glancing back one last time. “See you in Hell,” I spat at the monsters swarming my confessional. I succumbed, and the greedy hands of darkness jerked my body into the portal.
About Haven Cage
Haven Cage lives in the Carolinas with her husband and son. After many years of dabbling with drawing, painting, and working night shift in the medical field, she decided to try her hand at writing. Unfortunately, her love for books came later in life and proved to add a healthy challenge during her writing journey. Determined to hone her craft, though, she soaks up as much information as she can, spends her free time tapping away in her favorite local coffee shop, and keeps a good book in hand whenever possible.
What began as a hobby has grown into a way of escape and the yearning to take her journey farther, her love for writing and reading deepening along the way.
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