Silverblood Demons (Daughters of Darkness Book 1) (19 page)

“Nothing,” Xenakaz replied, then turned to his guards. “Everything will continue as planned. Bury Sarine’s remains and take Ophelexa to my private quarters, double her guard.”

“Forgive me,” he turned to us. “I have to leave and return Tulaqan to Heraclese. Qirvana−”

“We understand,” I cut in. “Thank you for all your help.”

Amber handed Tulaqan to Xenakaz. “I want to thank you too, I’ll make sure all
my sisters
in Sarturas know how you helped us get back home.”

“I made a promise to Qirvana,” Sin-dy said, as she approached Xenakaz. “Ask her about it, she may want you with her, and I thank you too.”

“You’re welcome, my friends, and Kylar, until I get back, my guards will be instructed to follow your commands and they know where to find me.”

Xenakaz sheathed Tulaqan, spoke to his guards and left.

Sin-dy, Amber, and I, walked out and headed toward Kira’s resting place.

“I’m so sad,” Amber said. “Are we going to take Kira home with us?”

“Yes,” Sin-dy replied, “and we better start getting ready, we should leave here by tomorrow morning and head for the gates.”

We returned back to where Kira was temporarily laid to rest and stood by her side. Jade had also returned and was standing alongside of Elektra, Amber hugged them both. The three of them stood there at Kira’s feet watching over her with their arms around each others waists.

Sin-dy looked over to Jade who had reached over to touch Kira’s feet, her little triangular pendant fell out from her shirt, dangling and glinting on the chain around her neck.

Sin-dy nudged me. “Kylar, I . . . I . . . ”

Chapter 22

“Sin-dy, what is it?” I asked. “Do you need something?”

“Kylar,” she gulped. “I have to talk to you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Um.”

“What’s going on?” Elektra asked.

“I’m really sorry,” Sin-dy grabbed me by the arm and whispered. “This way.”

“We’ll be back in a few minutes guys,” I called out as Sin-dy dragged me away.

After going back inside Sin-dy looked at me. “Listen Kylar, do you remember how I told you that crazy story when we were all on Crystal Mountain?”

“Which one?” I asked. “You told me lots of story’s, the one about Ophelexa being Eny−”

“No,” she cut in. “I mean the one about Owen Parfitt.”

“The nutty pirate?”

“Yes,” Sin-dy was looking at me with her eyes wide open as though she was expecting a bell to ring in my head, but it wasn’t.

“Kylar.”

“Sin-dy, you keep saying my name.”

“I told you about Owen, remember? Pulling a trick on the Devil.”

“Do you mean the magic trick? When he made the, I can’t remember, he . . . ”

“Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.”

“Listen, Sin-dy, you need to be a little more specific, where are you going with all of this?”

“Do you believe in destiny? Don’t answer that, but I think I do.” Sin-dy was pacing back and forth pushing her blonde locks back over her head and was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts. She was talking to me but kinda not. “I was meant to meet Owen that day.”

“Why,” I asked, but she wasn’t listening.

“Wait,” she spun around. “We have to get the pendant from Jade.” She looked back up, finally speaking to me, no longer just thinking out loud.

“Pendant?” I blinked, trying to add things up.

“Owen Parfitt said, “
Someone has to put the triangle in your mouth when you’re dead, it brings you back to life again.”

“Did you say, Jade has
‘the pendant’
the one Owen−”

“No, what I’m saying is Jade has, a pendant, a tiny triangular one with three horns inscribed on it, just like the one−”

I cut in. “Just like the one Owen described to you, Sin-dy, this would be the craziest thing that’s happened to us, to Kira, ever.”

“We can’t tell the others, they’ll think we’ve lost our minds.”

“Then we need to get it from Jade,” I said. “But how?”

“I don’t know, what if I’m wrong and the whole thing was just another pirate story by Owen, he was known for weaving tall tales, I’d hate to build anyone’s hopes up, they’d be really upset.”

“Dad, we have to try it,” Amber walked around the corner we were standing at, she had been listening to us. We were stunned at our stupidity for not realizing she was there. “Amber, I’m so sorry, what did you hear?”

“Everything,” she replied.

“Everything? Then, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Sin-dy asked. “What i
f－
”

“What if it’s true?” Amber asked.

“Honey, if it isn’t true, it’ll make everyone feel worse,” I said. “Maybe we should think about this for a while.”

“No dad, we don’t have time, I want my aunt back.”

“Me too,” Sin-dy said, as she touched Amber’s arm. “We all do.”

“I’m going to ask my sister if I can wear it for a while.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sin-dy said.

We returned to Kira’s resting place, Jade was gone but Elektra was still there, her eyes fresh with new tears. Killing Sarine might have exacted revenge for Kira but it wasn’t making Elektra feel any better, her sister’s death was killing her from the inside out, it was like her spirit was dying. They had grown up together and always had each other to turn to even after being placed with foster parents. I couldn’t tell her what we were planning, it would just seem like a cruel joke.

“Where’s my sister? Aunt Elektra,” Amber asked.

“She’s getting Davina and Coral ready to leave tomorrow morning.”

“I love you aunt,” Amber said.

“Love you too,” They hugged, Amber turned away and looked over to me and Sin-dy as she passed us. My emotions had finally surfaced too and I dropped to my knees and started to cry, Sin-dy and Elektra knelt down beside me as I let it all out. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but just the possibility that I’d have my sister back sent me over the top.

“Hey bro,” Elektra said quietly. “Let it all out, don’t lock it up all inside.”

“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel any worse sis.”

“Shall we go help the girls pack?” Sin-dy asked.

“What about Kira,” I said. “It doesn’t feel right to leave her by herself.”

Sin-dy looked at me. “We’ll be back soon, right?”

The three of us walked back to the play-room and found everyone in a good mood, they were getting ready to go home, to New York. “I’m going to kiss mama over and over and over,” Davina said. “Where is she?”

None of us wanted to answer her. “She’s sleeping,” Amber finally said.

Jade turned to Amber. “When do you want to tell Davina?”

“Not now,” she replied. “Oh, I know what I wanted to ask you, can I wear your necklace? This one.” Amber pulled at the chain around Jade’s neck that held the pendant.

“Sure, but why? It’s just−”

“Remember, you said you were told it has great magik. I have a wish and I want to see if it comes true.”

Jade pulled the chain over her head and placed it around Amber’s neck. “My wish, is that your wish comes true.” Jade kissed her sister on the cheek.

Now we had to try and get back to Kira without anyone following us. Sin-dy came up with a great idea. “I’ll be right back,” She picked up a purple sheet that the girls had been using. “I’m going to cover Kira, there’s a light breeze outside.”

“I’m coming too,” Amber said.

“Kylar, I want to talk−”

“Didn’t you guys just do that?” Elektra sensed that we were up to something.

Amber tried to break Elektra’s chain of thought. “Oh, I interrupted them last time. Come on dad,” she said.

It didn’t work, I could see Elektra was puzzled but none of us could wait, we practically ran out of the play-room. A few minutes later and we stood alongside of Kira.

“How do we do this?” I asked.

“Owen said he just placed it in his mouth, I don’t know if he had to swallow it. Are we crazy for even trying this?”

“We’d be crazy for
not
trying,” Amber replied.

She pulled the tiny pendant off the chain and looked at us. “Go ahead,” Sin-dy said.

Amber slipped the pendant inside Kira’s mouth and stood back, we waited but nothing happened.

“Maybe it has to be under her tongue?” I said.

“No, Owen didn’t say that.”

The wind picked up and for the first time since coming to Sarturas we heard a rumble in the air, like there was a storm brewing. Lightning crackled across the sky and then another crackle, it made us feel jumpy. Moments later a light sprinkle of rain was washing across the entire area, and onto Kira. Within a couple of minutes it was as though Heaven had opened up its floodgates into Hell and the rain began to pour and was drenching us.

From behind we heard voices. It was everyone, Elektra, Jade, Jasmine, Coral, and Davina. “What’s going on!?” Elektra rushed toward her sister and picked up Kira’s body in her arms. “Help me get her back inside, are you guys nuts leaving her outside in the rain like this?”

Jade rushed to help Elektra and slid in the rain tumbling into them and they all fell into a heap, the rest of us ran to help them get back up. We heard a cough and the pendant hit Jade in the face. “Amber, what is this? I thought−”

“Mommy!” Davina wrapped her arms around Kira, are you awake?”

“Hi baby,” Kira spoke. “What’s going on? Why are we all out in the rain? And why is everybody looking all weird and crying?”

The rain continued pouring down on us and we didn’t care. In a jumbled mess of explanations, crying, laughing, hugging and kissing, we told Kira everything that had happened to her. It was a moment of triumph that we savored for as long as we could.

Elektra and Jade helped Kira on to her feet and walked back inside with her, and everyone else ran ahead of them to find Kira some dry clothing. Sin-dy, Amber, and I held back until we were alone.

We stood there as the rain eased off, I reached out and pushed Amber’s hair away from her face. “Won’t be long hon, we’ll all be back home soon.”

“I don’t know dad, but something in my gut tells me it isn’t going to work out perfectly.”

“What do you mean?” Sin-dy asked.

“Didn’t Ophelexa say, we “
don’t know everything.”
What did she mean by that?”

“Yes, that’s what she told me, but I don’t know.”

“Well, for now she’s locked up and can’t harm us in any way,” I said.

“Okay dad, well I’m going to see how aunt Kira’s doing.”

Amber walked back inside looking like she was deep in thought, she was right of course. Ophelexa was still a threat and none of us would be completely safe until we were all home. For a moment I pushed those thoughts out of my mind.

“I can’t thank you enough babe,” I said. “You saved my sister’s life.”

“If we ever meet Owen Parfitt, we’ll have to thank him, he’s the one with all the incredible tales.”

Holding each other tightly we watched as a rainbow developed across the sky. It felt like the calm before the storm
,
Sin-dy gently tugged at me. “Let’s go see Kira.”

We headed back too, but just like my daughter I couldn’t help wondering what Ophelexa meant by “
you don’t know everything”
and there was more, she also said something else. “
You’ll find out, but not right now, only when it’s going to hurt you all, as much as possible.”

That’s what worried me, tomorrow morning was Ophelexa’s last chance to keep her promise.

Chapter 23

Sin-dy and I ran right
at
my sister, I picked her up and spun her around. “Whoa, you’re making me dizzy bro,” Kira said. “Sin-dy, I heard all about Owen, thank you so much.”

“Oh, please don’t thank me,” she said. “It was just luck that I met him that day, I think.”

Jade was looking at Amber’s hand. “Why didn’t I see that ring before?”

“What, this? Aunt Elektra found it before we went into Sedah Hall.”

“Don’t you remember from our studies? It looks like an Eftalpha ring.”

“A what?” Amber asked.

“There are only seven in all of creation,” Jade said. “If that ring is the real thing, it means you can have control over seven of Lilith’s children.”

“Lilith?” Kira Asked.

“She was Adam’s first wife,” Jasmine had joined their conversation. “But she decided not to be with him and left the Garden of Eden. The ring has the power to reveal all her children and you can have control over the ones that have the same color nose ring as any one of the seven points on that ring.”

“So, where do they all live?” Elektra asked. “I mean, can we test it?”

“They’re going to find Amber,” Jade replied. “If that ring is actually one of the seven rings
,
then Lilith has to allow them to be subservient to the wearer as her punishment for refusing to be subservient as Adam’s wife.”

“I don’t remember any of this,” Amber was turning the ring on her finger.

“And that’s exactly how they’ll find you,” Jasmine was watching Amber. “By spinning the ring on your finger.”

Amber stopped turning it. “I guess I must have been climbing a tree or something, instead of attending class.”

“LOL.”

We all looked at Jasmine. She raised the MP3 player. “Um, am I saying it right? It’s on here, in one of the songs.”

“Yeah, Jas,” Elektra said. “You’re a quick learner. How about we all stop with the ancient history lessons and finish packing.”

We really didn’t have a lot to pack, just some swords, daggers, the huge diamond that Qirvana had given Sin-dy, Coral’s tiaras and some other things that might come in useful for our journey home.

I waited until Kira fell asleep with Davina and Coral by her side, just to be sure she was safe and not affected by her ordeal. Eventually we all slept for a few hours. We then woke to the light that streamed through the windows and to the sound of demons rushing around getting ready for the exodus of the girls.

“Ophelexa has been transferred to the holding area,” a guard was addressing me. “When will you be ready to go?” He asked.

I had forgotten that Xenakaz left me in charge of Ophelexa and some of the proceedings.

“If you can just give us a few minutes,” Kira saw my indecision. “We need to get the children ready.” The guard nodded and left.

“This is it bro,” Elektra said. “Hey, I heard all about your bike, the ‘Triumph’ from Sin-dy, you know I’m going to take it for a spin when we get back, right?”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Do you even know how to ride a motorbike?”

“Oh yeah, I crashed dozens of em with my last boyfriend, but he was a Harley guy, right Kira?”

The mood as we threw the last things together was a good one. After eating a little breakfast we made our way over to the ‘holding area.’ It was a small cell that had Ophelexa securely triple chained from every limb.

Sin-dy approached her. “Do yourself a favor Enya, stay out of my way.”

Ophelexa looked at me, then Sin-dy, then Amber. “I don’t take orders from anyone, but by the time this is all over you will suffer like you’ve never suffered in all your lives,” She narrowed her eyes. “And that ring isn’t going to help you, Amber.”

“Why are you looking at my ring? Why do you think I’m going to need its help?”

Sin-dy pulled her dagger from its sheath and ran it across the cell bars. “She’s just trying to scare you hon, but she’s harmless.”

“What did you mean when you said,
we don’t know everything
?” Amber asked.

Ophelexa laughed but didn’t have time to say another word. Several guards came in, fifteen of them. They unlocked the cell and each one held one of the chains that had been restraining her. “We’re ready.” One of them said.

Kira picked her daughter Davina up, Jade took Coral into her arms and we all followed the guards holding Ophelexa. We flew up and out of Sector Seven. As we made our way I could see Amber constantly looking over to Ophelexa.

A couple of hours later and in the distance we could see a vast amount of demons. They were gathered inside the gates of Hell, which were now open. Xenakaz must have unlocked them before leaving to rescue Qirvana. His supporters were making a tremendous amount of noise and one of them, the Sukah Magi, was reading out as loudly as he could, the decree that Sarine had etched onto the royal tablet. Ophelexa was pulling a couple of the guards holding her chains but didn’t seem to be getting loose. Outside the gates, what looked like millions of The Third Millennial Templars had gathered.

We stepped down in the center of the throng with Ophelexa still being securely held by the guards. Sin-dy pointed. “Look, here they come,” Xenakaz’ supporters had opened up a path and millions of girls, babies being carried, and teenagers, marched toward the gates. It looked like every single girl had their own Templar escorting them away.

One by one the girls passed by us, probably confused by the proceedings. Most of them likely didn’t know that they had been rescued from a fate worse than anything they could have imagined.

“We’re going to wait, right dad?” Amber asked.

“Yeah babe, we’ll stay until every last one has gone through.”

Finally we could see the end of the procession. Ophelexa was becoming increasingly violent and was looking around as though she was expecting help. Then the sky darkened once more, a huge number of demons had descended on the event and they headed right in our direction, they were Sarine’s supporters but didn’t try to stop the remainder of the girls going through, they were coming for Ophelexa.

“Release her.”

Ophelexa began spinning around causing some of the guards holding her chains to fall.

“It’s Smelly!” Sin-dy exclaimed. “Son of a bitch, I’m going to kill you.”

“Sin-dy, stop, the girls are almost all through,” I said. “Let’s make our way out too.”

“Okay, sorry, he was the rat that was strangling me with that bitch Enya.”

Several of Sarine’s supporters began pushing aside the guards holding Ophelexa and finally they began to unshackle her. This wasn’t looking good.

There were only a few thousand girls left to go through the gates and Ophelexa was finally freed. Pointing at us she shouted at the top of her lungs. “These children of Gaia have murdered Sarine!”

By this time only a few hundred girls were left making their way out, the Templars heard Ophelexa and began to spill inside the gates grabbing the remainder of them. This was turning bad.

“Quick,” Elektra shouted, “Let’s get out.”

Ophelexa’s supporters were increasing in numbers. We started to back away from her, toward the Templars who were shouting at us to hurry up, the girls were all gone and the gates were being closed with us still inside. “Don’t let them get out,” she ordered. “They have to be brought to justice.”

We managed to reach the gates which were now almost closed and began backing out through them but Ophelexa’s supporters were also right in front of our faces and began reaching for us. Finally with just Sin-dy, Amber and I left, Ophelexa grabbed Amber and was pulling on her, realizing that we may not all make it through Amber turned and pushed Sin-dy and I out to safety.

Ophelexa shouted. “I told you I’d make you suffer!” She yanked Amber back inside the gates as they slammed shut. “Dad! No!”

My daughter was screaming for help, Cerberus the hound of Hell was trying to attack us, some of the Templars were pulling at us. “We have to go, it’s over, you can’t do any more!”

I looked around and the Templars had already taken everyone, including most of my family away. Elektra and Sin-dy were still with me, we tried reaching for Amber through the gates. “Dad! Help me.”

Finally Ophelexa revealed what she had been saying to us about “not knowing everything”

“Come with me, My Daughter.” She laughed in our faces and pulled Amber further away from us.

Her words were like a dagger in my heart, I couldn’t believe Ophelexa was Amber’s mother.

“I’m going to come back and kill you!” Sin-dy yelled.

“Amber, be strong, we’ll never give up looking for you!” I shouted.

I looked at my sister who was rubbing her arm and Amber realized what Elektra was trying to tell her. She closed her eyes and began holding her Grphyn arm-band. Moments later Golleenia crashed into the demons knocking them everywhere including Ophelexa. Amber jumped on Golleenia’s back and shouted, “Dad! I’m going to wait for you.”

Golleenia turned and smashed into the gates, her face was right up against ours but on the inside of the gates. “I’ll protect her,” she whispered. “Go to Thornhill Square.” Then with incredible power Golleenia shrugged off the demons trying to subdue her, and flew off and away from us.

Ophelexa picked herself up. “I’ll find her, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me Kylar.”

“I’ll find you,” Sin-dy shouted back, “This isn’t over.”

The Templars had finally succeeded in pulling us away from the gates and all I remember is that we were spinning in a crazy vortex that channeled us all the way back to Earth. We landed in a heap in New York in the middle of Times Square. All my family were there too, except for Amber. We grabbed each other and held on tight, stunned at everything that had happened, but this wasn’t just another busy morning in my home town. We looked around and there was chaos everywhere, thousands of girls dressed in simple white gowns were blocking the streets, they were finally home. In the following few days we learned that this scene was repeated in every country across the planet, millions of girls were going to be returned to their families.

Amid all the mayhem Elektra and Sin-dy told Kira and the rest what had happened to Amber and what Golleenia had said. We also needed to make time to let the authorities know where the girls had come from, but the next thing we had to do was get back to my house. The script for ‘Thornhill Square’ was there and somewhere inside its pages was the secret to rescuing Amber and we were damned if anything was going to stop us doing that.