The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human (21 page)

My heart slowed as I turned.

The hand belonged to a human, wearing a cotton mask and a white tabard emblazoned with the balanced scales that represented their god of order. He stared at me with his green eyes. His other hand rested against a sheathed blade that had a hint of blood on the pommel. “There was a minor infection in the nearby village. For your safety, please join the others so that we can check for any signs of the plague.” He released my arm and pointed towards the roots of the Mother Tree where the whole village waited anxiously.

Filia grabbed my head tightly, her hands unsteady. "The plague? Are people going to go away like Mommy?"

“No. Everything is going to be fine,” I whispered. “No one from the village is sick, let alone with the plague. The humans are probably going to give us a lecture on some nonsense about their gods.”

She nodded, but her hands kept shaking as we joined the others and sat in front of the Mother Tree. To reassure her and myself, I lifted her onto my lap, unable to shake off the uneasy feeling.

After a few minutes, a bald human appeared before us, his other facial features indistinguishable beneath his cotton mask.

“Thank you for gathering here today," he said, pulling off his mask. "My name is High Priest Varian, not that any of you will remember it. Now, some of you may have heard that there has been some sort of infection or a plague. I am afraid that’s a pile of orc shit.”

Lindote, the tree whisperer, stood and mumbled a complaint, but he was immediately pushed down by a nearby human.

The human druid laughed. “Of course, when we came to aid our pointed-eared friends..." He slowly waved his hand across us. "...all of you were driven mad by the plague. We had no choice but to put you all down gently. Leaving us, your kind and peaceful neighbors, to safeguard the rich mineral deposits during your absence and use them to support our town.”

"What are you talking about?" Bruntwood, the ancient grove-keeper, rose to his feet, his green robe intertwined with plants swaying with him. He leaned on his cane and wobbled towards Varian. "I will not stand for this. You have been told countless times to leave. We are not allowing you to cut down—"

Varian drew his sword. "It's different this time. Today, I am acting under divine authority."

Bruntwood edged back, but the human druid stomped towards the elder and drove his sword through the old elf's throat.

I buried Filia's eyes against my chest to hide the world from her.

"Dirty little bastards,” Varian said, pulling out his blade and wiping it clean on the elder's robe.

He flicked his finger at another human who quickly brought him an axe and exchanged his sword for it. “Now, then, for our second reason for this visit. Let’s see if this large husk has our treasure." Grasping the handle of the axe, he struck the Mother Tree.

Crimson sap sprayed out, droplets brushing my cheeks. Dumbfounded, I watched the carnage with everyone else as the tree swayed her branches, moaning. She tried to swat away the offending human, but the damage was already done, and her branches failed to brush against a single human.

The human dropped his axe, bent down and drank from the newly formed pool of sap. He smirked, his face covered in blood-like sap. "Wine! Haha! What a wonderful tree. Cut it down! After that we will pull up the stump and dig down."

A few of the humans gleefully charged forward and chopped away at the tree. She screamed in pain, and our ears flinched as the wave of agony washed over us.

I covered Filia's ears in a futile attempt to block out the screams, but she still cried out in pain as life around us was snuffed out. In a matter of moments, the lush forest had disappeared, replaced by withered plants and grass. Our once-green robes darkened. Even the trunks of the trees seemed to shrivel and twist themselves. The entire forest, once green and full of life, dulled into one of grey monotone.

Several enraged clan members screamed and charged towards the offending humans. They grabbed the humans and tried to drag them away, only to be cut down like animals, their blood mixing with the essence of the tree.

Filia stared at the massacre. I lifted her into my arms. "Close your eyes. This is just a bad dream."

She did as she was told and clutched my robe, crying.

I looked for a way to escape, but the ring of humans around us slowly closed in, and those foolish enough to head straight towards the armed soldiers were rewarded with swords driven through their guts.

Everyone screamed and huddled closer to the center as the ring tightened. Others weren't so lucky and were quickly caught, their lifeless bodies littering the clearing.

I held Filia closer to my chest. 
We need to get out of here.
 My eyes darted across the line of murderers closing in on us and saw an opening as a single human, his eyes stricken with guilt, hesitated to strike down a maiden.

He stopped, dropped his sword, grabbed the maiden by her hand, and ran for the woods.

Seeing the tiny gap in the net, my mind exploded with hope. I lifted Filia in my arms and ran for it.

Others joined us, their desperate footsteps crunching behind me. I pushed through the gap before it could close while others slammed into the humans, knocking them down so that those behind them could escape.

We ran, and once we reached the trees, those who had followed me scattered while the humans gave chase, shouting false promises of friendship and mercy.

I dashed through the grey forest, ignoring the small cuts left by the deceased branches clawing at us. There was nowhere to hide, no leaves to shelter us from the humans. All around us, the sound of killing echoed, the cries of old and young becoming louder with every heartbeat. 
I need to get Filia somewhere safe.

I closed my eyes, hoping that this was all a dream, and was rewarded for my foolishness when something caught my foot. I dropped to the ground with Filia in my arms. My ankle throbbed, sending surges of pain up my leg. I got to my feet, but my ankle was sprained, and I immediately fell back down to my knees.

The sound of killing drew closer, and Filia looked at me with horror in her eyes. I smiled and patted her head. “Filia, listen carefully. Daddy's a little tired. Why don’t you run ahead for me? I’ll come find you soon.”

“No!”

She placed her head under my arm and tried to lift me. Somehow she succeeded, and we limped forward at a slow pace. "You're not leaving me like Mommy."

But by the time we had traveled past a few trees, Filia's breathing became ragged and her arms unsteady.

Up ahead was the maple tree I had napped in only half a sun-cycle earlier. Behind us, the forest had grown eerily silent.

No one was screaming anymore.

Tired from all of the running, I pointed to the tree. “Let’s stop there. The humans won’t be searching very hard.”

Filia groaned in response and just barely managed to lower me against the tree. "Daddy? Are you okay?"

"Never been better."

Filia's eyes became watery. She burst into tears and buried herself in my arms. The unbearably loud sound of the heavy human steps echoed towards us.

Shifting my back against the trunk for support, I resigned myself to my fate. With a calm hand, I stroked my daughter's hair and lied. "It’s okay. No one will hurt us."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Filia wiped her tears away. She gave me a warm smile, and for that brief moment, I hoped we were safe.

But it didn't last.

A shadow stepped behind Filia, a human with a sword with blood dripping from its end. The man, without muttering a word, raised and plunged the sword, driving it through her back and into my chest.

The pain from the cold steel was excruciating, and my body screamed silently.

Fear appeared on Filia's face. She reached for me, but a moment before I could feel her hand, the life in her eyes vanished. Her small body slumped against me, and I felt my world end.

The sword pulled out from my chest, and the human holding it kicked us over to the ground. "High Priest, sir, what should we do with the bodies?"

"Dump them with the rest."

Mafis—nine years ago

A sharp pain in my chest stirred me awake. I lay somewhere dark, a ditch of some kind. On top of me was Elder Bruntwood, his grey, dead eyes gazing into mine.

I pushed the elder off me.

The sky was black, and the moon covered by clouds. All around me, a forest of arms and legs obstructed my view. Everyone lay still, some with emotionless faces, others with open mouths, but all with lifeless eyes. None of them appeared to be at peace, and the stench of blood was overpowering, threatening to make me vomit.

In the sea of bodies, I clutched my bleeding chest and searched for Filia, but she was nowhere to be found. I screamed, stepping on the faces of friends and family to climb out of the nightmare.

The hole was steep, but terrified to spend a second longer inside, I somehow crawled out onto the grass above and breathed in the fresh air. My stomach twisted and emptied itself. Looking back at the rotting mess behind me, I tried to find anyone else alive. But, I was alone. Still, to my relief, I didn't see Filia, and a small part of me expected to see her dropping down from a tree any moment to tell me she was fine.

Maybe she is. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe I'll wake up and see her again. I should be a better father. I should let her kiss that human boy.

Then a faint sound of wings parting the air caught my ear. I looked up, half-hoping for Filia.

Instead, a scantily-dressed winged creature with a bright ring of light on top of his scarlet head descended from the night sky. "Quite a slaughter, wasn't it?"

"Why?"

The angel laughed and his smile sickened me. "Is that really a question you should be asking your savior?"

I looked back at the pit filled with the dead. The thought that Filia had to be in there crushed my heart. There was no point in anything. “Just kill me. I don’t want to live.”

The angel placed his finger under my chin and lifted it up so that his green eyes, filled with madness, could gaze into mine. "Tell you what. Since I am a kind and caring soul, I'll give you this great book that will make you love the world again."

I shook his finger off. "Why should I trust a servant of a human god?"

"Because your daughter will be brought back to life," he said, snapping his fingers.

Filia’s lifeless body appeared in front of me and dropped to the grass. Her dead silver eyes stared into mine, and I imagined her asking me questions still, even in death. Why can't I move? Why can't I talk to you anymore?

Tears overwhelmed me, streaking down my cheeks. I held my head in my hands, my last hope of seeing her alive put to death.

"Great deal, isn't it?" The angel tossed a black book onto the grass. Even from a distance, its coldness sent shivers through me and withered the grass beneath it. "All I want you to do is summon a demon."

Emily—present day

"Really? An angel wants to summon a demon?" I leaned back in my chair and raised an eyebrow. "That's a little hard to believe. And what does that have to do with me helping you?"

Mafis removed a black book from his side and handed it to me. The dark, leather-bound tome felt soft against my hand and had a pleasing smell. "Because we need you to break Palkeon out of his cell, demonspawn."

Emily

The torn half of the Grimoire felt cool against my hand, the cover as smooth as silk. "Demonspawn?" I asked Mafis, lowering the text to my side. "I'm a human. Not some fancy mythical creature. Stop playing tricks and tell me where you stowed Narius." 
So he can destroy this damn thing.

But if you destroy me, then your angel will leave you,
 a silky female voice said inside my head.

My eyes shifted to the book. 
How—

I am a Codex, after all. Just with a different cover. Now, why don't we listen to what the handsome elf has to say? Palkeon is locked up because Lord Halfaya was lied to, and you are the key to his rightful salvation.

Mafis sighed and leaned against the chair. "Tell you what. Why don't you just read the first page? You can stop at any point you want, and I will tell you where your precious angel is."

"Fine." I cracked open what remained of the book, and inhaled the pleasant fragrance of lavender that arose from it. "Anything to get this whole charade over with."

The book quivered in my hand. 
Excellent. Let's see how much I can do with only half of myself. Little one, let me tell you a story...

I focused on the first line of the book. Underneath it was a detailed illustration of an angel. His dark wings were spread apart as if in flight. Sitting cross-legged on a cot, his head was lowered, and dark curls obscured his face. I settled into my chair and read. 
This is too easy. If this is a trap, I can always hurl the book in his face. Then use it to beat the answer out of him.
 I tried to look back at the elf, to make sure he didn't do anything shifty, but I couldn't tear my eyes off the book. It was so... captivating.

Narius

On the other side of the mirror, Emily spoke to Mafis, her words muted. She sat back, appearing at ease in the chair, but the muscles in her jaw tightened.

Then Mafis handed her the Grimoire.

Unaware of the danger, she thumbed through the unholy text.

My heart slowed, and my wings twitched as if an icy hand traced my spine. The Codex shook, unleashing her magic at me, and the cloud that had gathered in my mind dissipated. "No! Don't read that!" I spun to the archangel. "You have to send me there right now!”

The archangel poured himself another glass. “Why the rush? No one is going to die.”

Leaning over the table, I grabbed a fistful of his collar, spilling his drink and staining the hem of his robe. “Emily is only a human. She will go insane if she reads too much! I need to be there!”

He brushed my hands away with ease and tsked. "Well, there goes the mood. All right, youngling.” He snapped his fingers. Magic burst forth from them and engulfed me. I relaxed and let the power take hold of me. An instant later, the view of the cave vanished.

I reappeared in midair and touched down on my feet. I was in the ruined temple I had seen in the mirror. The rotting stench of the Grimoire was far worse than the smell of a dozen decaying books. The smell twisted my stomach, forcing me to cover my mouth and nose.

A few steps away, Mafis sat with his back facing me. Taking advantage of the situation, I grabbed Emily's staff from where it leaned against the table and flew towards him.

Mafis spun around, but before he had a chance to do anything, I smashed Emily's staff against his head.

There was a loud crunch, and the elf crumpled to the floor, a trickle of blood flowing down past his eyes.

I tossed the staff to the floor next to the unconscious elf then stepped towards Emily, only to sense an oppressive air of corruption that stopped me in my tracks.

The problem was easy to see. She was still reading. Her emotionless blue eyes flickered over the pages while her hands moved restlessly, flipping through the text.

“Emily, drop that book now!”

She continued her trance-like reading. The corruption, in the form of a small wisp of dark smoke, rose from the Grimoire and curled around, holding her in its foul embrace.

I took a cautious step forward and raised my hand towards the darkness, wondering if I could push away the corruption by purifying parts of it, when a hand grabbed my wrist.

Alarmed, I spun around and saw archangel Heliose smirk. “Now, now, Narius. It isn’t polite to interrupt when she is reading.”

"What are you—"

“Stop.” His green eyes glowed with power.

My body froze. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even twitch my wings. "Archangel, what are you—"

Heliose sighed. “Patience, young Narius. You will have time to shine.”

I took a deep breath and yelled as loud as I could, "Emily! Stop reading!"

The smoke around her evaporated. She pulled herself out from the book and stared towards me with a blank face. "Narius? Are you there?"

Heliose frowned at me, his eyes glowing again. "Silence."

My lips clamped shut. I willed them to part, to make a sound, to do anything, but nothing happened. I was trapped inside my own body and could only watch helplessly as the archangel approached Emily. 
No!

Her emotionless eyes shifted towards Heliose, passing me by without pause. "Narius, is that you? Why do you have a halo?”

Heliose scowled. “Because I am an archangel, you little freak.”

Emily frowned and stared at the empty air in front of the archangel. “I'm a freak?"

"Yes, you are." He patted her head and smiled, the cloud of corruption leaving him untouched. "Why don’t you keep reading? You need to awaken the power within you.”

Emily nodded and returned her attention to the Grimoire. I tried to call out again, to warn her to run away, but no sound escaped me. Smoke billowed from the corrupted Codex. It engulfed her, tainting the air with its foul stench.

Heliose gave me a short glance then walked past me and kicked Mafis.

Mafis groaned and stirred. He rose to his feet, clutching his bleeding head, and growled, "What are you doing, Heliose? Why did you bring that angel here? You told me to deal with the demonspawn myself."

Heliose wagged his finger. "Now, now, aren't you forgetting about little Filia? You do want her back, right? Why don't you scurry along for a bit, you filthy animal. I will meet you at the human capital once the delicate matter here is dealt with, yes? Do you understand?"

The elf flinched and clenched his fists. "Very well," he said, turning his back on us and heading out of the hall.

The archangel shouted after Mafis. "Thank you!" He pinched his nose and turned to me. "I wonder if he bathes. Any questions so far?"

I wanted to answer him, but my mouth was still bound by the holy words.

"Oh. Right." He waved his hand and removed the commandment. "My apologies. But rest assured, Narius, I have only the noblest intentions."

“Archangel, you have to purify the Grimoire. Otherwise—”

He raised his index finger and silenced me. “Purify this. Purify that. You still don’t understand, do you? I was the one keeping an eye on Emily. I was the one subtly guiding her to take up the contract for Pannaxx. I was the one who gave that useless elf the book. I do not want Palkeon to rot in his cell so that he may one day repent for his sins. I want him free.”

It took me a moment to think about what he said. 
Pannaxx? Subtly?
 "What?"

Heliose closed his eyes and sighed. "I am starting to wonder if the drug to cloud your mind was necessary at all."

"But why are you making Emily read the Grimoire? I thought you just wanted to save your mate.”

“I am. But in order to save my love I need to reawaken the ... to ready ourselves to summon the demon once we get the other half of the book." The archangel rubbed his halo. "Honestly, do you know how difficult it was to set all this up? Especially with your mother searching for me. I had to cower inside that cave for a decade, only venturing out once every few years to avoid being seen. Can you believe I had to rely on an incompetent priest and an elf with daughter issues to further my plans?"

Nothing made sense. 
Why would the archangel try to summon a demon? Why did he bring me here?
 "I don't know what you're talking about! But I'll tell Lord Halfaya."

Heliose smote his brow and laughed. "You really are something special, aren't you? But really, Narius, I don't think you should bother someone who is bedridden. In fact, why don't you hold onto this." The archangel snapped his fingers and summoned an ivory dagger, the very same dagger that had been taken from Varian. Once the bony weapon was in my hand, his eyes lit up with power. “Great. Now, drive it through your own chest a few times.”

My hands gripped and raised the blade.

The Codex screamed, jingling the chain of my armor. 
Stop!

I wanted to listen, but her words sounded distant, and they soon faded away entirely. I tried to lower my arms, but my hands just kept on rising. Once they reached my chest, my arms pulled back and aimed the blade, readying to plunge the dagger into me. I tried to close my eyes, but even they refused to obey me.

Heliose placed his hand on mine. My hands stopped at the touch and a feeling of relief overwhelmed me. Seeing me relax, he smirked. "I would never do anything that would kill you, Narius. If you die, your mother would get nosy. Just avoid your heart. Those things are difficult to heal. Oh, and make it look like someone else did it to you.”

He relaxed his hold, and my hands plunged the dagger into my chest over and over, piercing my armor and driving the blade deep within me. Searing pain shot through my chest and rushed to the rest of my body. I wanted to scream, but I was trapped inside myself. I heard and felt the blade sink into me. The dagger struck my ribs. I felt my bones chip away, and my wings twitched with every blow.

Finally, after a dozen strikes, my hands buried the dagger into me one last time, and the commandment that held me disappeared.

Free from the bonds, my muscles slackened. I bowled over while blood oozed out of my wounds like wet manna.

The archangel's naked foot slammed down on my back and mashed my face into the stony floor. His foot smelled wrong, like a book that had been neglected for centuries.

I managed to twist my body just enough to look up at him. "Stop... Please..."

With a smile, the archangel lifted his bare foot and stomped on my face, grinding his heel into the side of my head. I screamed. 
Why?
 I looked at the cloud covering Emily. 
Emily. She is alone, and I am the only one here. I need to help. I need to save her.

The thought of helping her cleared my mind. Mustering every scrap of energy I had, I howled and channeled the power through my body, ordering it to rise. Bright rays of light radiated from me, destroying the shadows inside the hall. My wings spread and the glow from my body exploded.

I pushed myself up and shoved the archangel aside, sending him flying backwards and crashing to the floor.

Clutching my wounded chest, I wobbled towards the cloud of corruption that surrounded Emily. I swung my hand blindly into the smoke and struck the ice-cold cover of the Grimoire.

The book flew away from Emily, dissipating the cloud around her.

I smiled, relieved at her safety. For a brief moment, the pain dulled. Then the bits of corruption stuck to my hand from touching the Grimoire burned, bringing with them the feeling of misery as they pierced both my skin and soul.

My vision flickered like a candle in the wind. A surge of pain followed, so powerful that it robbed me of my scream.

I collapsed onto the floor, struggling to breathe as my magic and life oozed out of me. My vision blurred further, and I coughed up blood as the light around me vanished.

Meanwhile, Emily stared at her empty hand. Written symbols and words flashed across her body, glowing dark for a moment before disappearing.

Heliose appeared in front of me once more, his forehead wrinkled in a frown, and stomped on my head again. "Do you know what you've done? Now she will be out of control!"

Each blow felt like a bookshelf landing on my head, and his foot pounded me into a dazed fog.

With every strike, I felt less and less as the world dimmed. Eventually, Heliose stopped. "Fool." He snapped his fingers, and vanished.

Unable to move, I watched my blood spreading across the cold floor. Everything was quiet, and I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and rest.

The wonderful sensation I experienced when I wrote my first page of the Codex... the taste of chocolate... the odd feelings I felt being with Emily... all of it came back as my blood warmed my chest. Maybe I should have hugged her when I had the chance. It would have felt so good. A long breath escaped me, and my eyes went blurry. "Emily."

"Angel?" Emily asked.

With all my willpower, I blinked and focused my eyes, trying to get a good look at her one more time.

Emily squatted before me, her once-blue eyes now crimson as rubies.

"Run," I whispered.