The Chronicles of Fire and Ice (The Legend of the Archangel Book 1) (24 page)

“
Jacob? Jacob, wake up!”

Jacob stirred and opened his eyes.
“Kat?” He sat up amazed, but her finger pressed against his lips.

“
Shh. Don’t wake the others. Come.”

“
I can actually feel you, Kat. What’s going on? I thought…”

“
I am not yet dead, nor am I alive.” She led him from his room into the corridor.

“
I’m very confused,” he yawned and scratched his head. Kat didn’t explain, but instead appealed to him.

“
Listen, Jacob. I need you to do something for me.” She came so close their bodies almost touched.

“
I’ll do anything.”

“
I want you to find my soul.”

“
What do you mean, Kat?”

Kat led Jacob into the
chapel crypt and to the coffin where her body lay.

“
Jacob, I need you to take my body to the Michaelites who will provide security while you go in search of my soul.”

“
How was it lost?”

“
The Gatekeeper stole my soul while you slept. From now and until you find it and return it to me, I am trapped in the Realm of the Dead.”

“
The Gatekeeper? Of the Realm of Light?”

“
No, The Realm of Death,” she told him.

Jacob
’s heart stopped.
The Realm of Death
. Jacob knew that to be in the realm of which all souls were taken, that it was near impossible for an angel to go there, unless they were dead.

“
I have a clue for you,” she offered. “The Gatekeeper dwells with Lakyn and the Lucifites.”

“
All right. But how would I identify The Gatekeeper?”

“
You need to discover that for yourself. Okay?”

“
Okay.” Jacob assented and stepped closer to her.

“
So, you will do that for me?” she asked, with big puppy dog eyes.

“
I’ll do anything for you, Kat,” he insisted. “And I won’t give up until your soul is restored to you.”

Kat smiled.
“Then we can be together,” she informed him. Jacob smiled too, but as he went to wrap his arms around her, her body evaporated, disappearing into thin air.

“
Kat!”

Jacob sat up in bed. It had been a dream. He rubbed
the sleep from his eyes and tried anxiously to dismiss the dream, hoping that Kat’s soul wasn’t missing and that instead she was safe. Throwing off the covers, Jacob quickly ran barefoot to the crypt. He pushed open the heavy door, and in amazement, he saw her. Kat’s spirit was standing over her own body, her image translucent. In that instant, Jacob realised he hadn’t been dreaming. Kat’s spirit had indeed led him here. He knew what he had to do.

Introduction to

The Chronicles of Blood & Stone

Betrayal

Adam knocked three times on the cast iron door. It opened and a gravelly voice spoke.

“What business do you have here?”

“I bring news of Lakyn’s whereabouts,” Adam told the man through the small slit in the door. There was a moment of silence, and then the door opened wider.

“You may enter.”

“Thank you.” As Adam stepped inside, the heavy door closed behind him, and he was plunged into darkness. The smell of mildew was abundant in the gloomy staircase, and he would have tripped if it weren’t for the flickering of candles coming from below. The man with the gravelly voice led Adam through a dingy hallway towards some ornate wooden doors, a sight he never expected to see down there. The doors opened, and in the doorway stood an older man with a greying beard and cold dark eyes.

“I hear you bring news of my son.”

“Yes, sir.” Adam bowed his head reverently towards the older Nephilim, as if he were worshipping him.

“My, my, it has been fifteen years, but you haven’t changed.”

“Excuse me?”

“It is you, is it not, Adam?”

“Yes. It is me,” he said, but he still could not look at him.

“Then come inside and tell me about my son.” Zachariah ushered Adam inside where a hall built for kings awaited them. There were rows and rows of tables filled with laughing and merry Nephilim who were eating from a lavish feast. Adam was at a loss for words. Was this really what the Lucifites did all day? Zachariah led him towards a table at the back of the room and sat himself down in a large plush chair that looked quite like a thrown—decorated in gold and green velvet. Did Zachariah Blackbell see himself as a king?

“So, tell me about Lakyn. Where has my son been?” Zachariah asked once Adam had sat down. He took a large gulp from a medieval goblet and trained his eyes on him.

“He’s been living with my sister, Rachael, in a secret location with their daughter.” He saw Zachariah’s eyes widen, but he didn’t look surprised.

“Well, he has been busy, hasn’t he?” Zachariah chuckled.

“But that won’t be for much longer. You see, sir.” Adam leaned closer towards Zachariah as if to tell him a secret. “My sister and niece are going to move away, so Lakyn will have no choice but to
come back here.”

“That is good news. Foolish boy. I never thought he would betray me like this. I always thought that would be my youngest. He has the same loving soul my wife has. But Lakyn… he is more like me,
was
more like me. But that is about to change.” Zachariah stood up abruptly and raised his goblet.

“Listen up,” he shouted, and the room fell silent. “Young Adam Daylesford has come as the bearer of good news. Lakyn will return to us soon.” A roar erupted throughout the room followed by the stomping of boots and a clanging of crockery. But it soon died down when Zachariah raised his goblet again.

“So I’d like to propose a toast to Adam. May he always be welcome within our ranks. To Adam!”

“To Adam!” mirrored the rest of the Lucifites, raising their goblets and drinking to Adam, who sat there speechless.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” he stuttered.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just join in the celebrations.” Zachariah took another sip of his wine and leaned in close to him. “Now, tell me, where exactly are your sister and niece moving to?” he asked. Adam picked up his own goblet of wine and leaned back in his chair, a knowing grin appeared on his face.

“To the Michaelite Sanctuary.”

Lakyn stirred. He could hear signs of activity within the bedroom. He opened one eye and saw Rachael moving about the room.

“Rach, what are you doing?”

“Oh, morning. I’m just cleaning.”

“With suitcases?” he asked, not buying it. Rachael stopped packing clothes into the open suitcase on the floor and looked at him.

“Rachael, what’s going on?” He pushed the covers back and sat up in bed.

She sighed and pushed her hand back through her hair. “I’m so sorry, Lake, but we have to do this. We have to leave. It’s better for her.”

“Leave? You’re leaving me? And taking Eden?”

“I don’t want to, but I have to.”

“Why? Why do you have to? I told you, I can help her.”

“No, you can’t. We have to go.” Rachael turned and picked up the bags on the floor. But Lakyn was quick and was across the room in the time it took for her to take a breath. He grabbed hold of her wrist causing her to drop the bags.

She gasped. “Lakyn, please. This is why you can’t help her.”

“Why can’t I?” he snarled.

“This!
Your insatiable anger and your constant greed. I don’t want Eden to be like that.”

“Are you saying I’m influencing her?”

“Not your heart, just your ties with
them
. You are still connected to them. I can tell you think about them constantly. You miss them.”

“That is not true. I left them. I’m tied to you and Eden now. I’ve changed.”

Rachael tugged her arm away from him. “No one can truly change.” And she picked up her bags and walked out the door. Lakyn clenched his fist and threw the vase of tulips sitting beside the bed against the wall, leaving it dripping with water and the carpet soaked. He dressed and decided to leave the place he had begun to call home, without as much as a second thought.

Abraham picked up the Soul Sphere that contained Kat’s soul, and her spirit immediately appeared in front of him.

“Oh, good, Miss James. You’re here.”

“What do you want? Just because you hold my soul, doesn’t mean you have power over me,” Kat retorted.

“Feisty one, aren’t you? No wonder you’re still around. I summoned you here, not only because I like seeing your pretty face, but because I need you to do something for me.”

“A favour? I don’t do favours for demons,” Kat retorted.

“No, not a favour—a bargain. It’s the bargain of the century, and it won’t be around for long.”

“That’s worse! No, I won’t do it.” She crossed her arms over her body.

“Going, going…” he held the Crystal sphere over the desk in the office where they stood, threatening to smash it. An uncontained soul was unprotected and free for all to take.

“Wait! What’s the deal?”

Abraham smirked and hung the Soul Sphere back around his neck. “Tell your underwear model boyfriend that the only way he’s going to get your soul back is if he retrieves something for us.”

“What does he have to retrieve?”

“An item of great importance to our cause, and it lays in a place only angels and humans can enter.”

“Tell me what it is. Otherwise, I won’t help you.”

“Patience, pretty one. Tell him to bring us The Golden Chalice of St Michael, and we shall negotiate the return of your soul.”

“That’s blackmail!”

“I know. It’s what we do best.” He smirked.

“How do I know you’re not just going to smash that sphere before he gives it to you?”

“Darlin’, we may be demons who have no souls with black hearts, but we keep our word.”

“Fine. Then I’ll do it.”

Lakyn felt soulless. The inescapable truth hit him in the face as he flew. Rachael was gone, and so was Eden. He had barely gotten the chance to know his daughter, and now he didn’t know when, or if, he would see her again. One thing he was glad for though, he had his memories back. He decided to reminisce on one of his favourites, back in a time when all was perfect. He wished he had Rachael to take him back there now.

“Rachael?” Lakyn called as he ran through the blue maze-like corridors of the hospital. This hospital was owned and run by Michaelite nuns and priests. He didn’t know why Rachael had chosen to come here. Nephilim infirmaries were perfectly all right.

“Rachael?” He turned a corner and almost collided with a nurse.

“Lakyn Blackbell?” she inquired.

“Yes, that’s me,” he replied as he tried to catch his breath.

“She’s through here.”

The nurse led him through a black curtained doorway. The hospital was dark, which was weird. Weren’t all maternity wards normally bright and cheerful? All the walls were painted the same shade of steel greyish-blue and black curtains hung from every doorway. Lakyn was perplexed. But everything made sense when he heard her.