Rise of the Fallen (Second Death Book 3), page 13
But the feeling did not last.
From the rubble, a dusty staff rose, and a charred, leathery claw at the end of a singed arm flexed its wiry muscles. The seared snout of Dalkhu appeared, and his ear-shattering howl stopped Frank’s breath.
Then a shrieking roar echoed across the crater of destruction—and, with an enormous flap of his charred wings, Aman-Gal rose, launching wreckage and ruins at the Watchers. Frank’s adrenaline surged as the warlord’s sword was raised and he stepped toward the circle of Watchers.
“Frank,” Delphine said, her voice weakened and concerned. “Where is the Chosen One?”
Frank drew in a deep breath, still wobbly from the powerful spell. “He’s gone off to find Nalsuu and the girl.”
“Then go!” she ordered. “Help him! We will continue the fight here. He is all that matters.”
Frank nodded fervently. He had to protect Jack—or at least help him as best he could. Jack was their only hope. He reached deep inside himself and found the strength and energy to battle on. His eyes narrowed—he steadied himself, and pointed himself in the direction of the lake, breaking into a run.
27
FRANK
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
From the corner of his eye he saw the gray, gnarled claw swooping down on him, but he was too slow to react, and the world was turned upside down as he was knocked off his feet. Stunned, his vision wavering, Frank glanced up from the ground as the clawed hand came crashing down, about to split his head in two.
He twisted to his left and the claw whooshed by his ear, taking a chunk of it off. Reeling, Frank gathered himself, trying to stand, but instead stumbled backward and fell hard on his ass.
Above him, the vicious warlord, Aman-Gal, raised his fiery sword. A growl rolled from the beast’s belly to his snout and his eyes bulged with victory as the sword came down in a blaze of fire and ash.
Frank raised his chin in defiance, his final act before his honorable death—but the blow never came.
A chain of red energy lashed out, wrapping around the demon’s blade, and ripped the sword from its trajectory. Aman-Gal spun, twisting to his right, the sword swinging wide of Frank and striking the charred ground instead. The warlord was all rage as he whirled and locked his yellow eyes onto the bastard that had stolen his kill.
Blasts of energy erupted from a hooded figure, striking Aman-Gal in his side repeatedly, knocking him off balance.
“Run!” Cassiel shouted from beneath his cowl.
Frank scrambled to his feet, dazed and confused, and limp-ran toward the lake again.
“Stop him!” Aman-Gal ordered, regaining his balance.
Then what appeared to be a brown-hooded monk raced at Frank. His chain of energy fell from his hand and crackled behind him. Frank glanced around looking for whomever the Protectorate guardian was attacking—when he suddenly realized he was the target.
As the guardian’s arm rose over his hooded head, the tail of the chain came sizzling through the air at Frank. Still shaken by Aman-Gal’s attack and the realization of the traitorous guardian, he formed his sword and shakily raised it in front of him to block the attack.
The chain wrapped itself around his blade and static crackled in his ears. His move had been just enough to deflect the attack. He lurched to his right and out of the way of another attack by the treacherous monk and sprang to the top of a pile of rubble. Gasping, he reformed his sword.
Three hooded warriors raced to Frank’s aid, stopping at the bottom of the pile, forming a line in front of him. A deep intonation came from the line of guardians in front of him and reverberated through Frank’s chest. The air in front of them became distorted, forming powerful rippling waves that knocked the renegade guardian off his feet, blowing his hood back.
His face was covered in raised scars, from his nose and cheekbones up his face and over his bald head. Frank narrowed his eyes through the warbling air. The scars looked like Enochian letters—and they began to sparkle like fiery embers as the three Protectorate guardians continued to chant.
As the embers spread over the betrayer’s skin, blackening wherever it touched, his mouth fell open, and his hands moved toward his ears. Suddenly, his head exploded, and fragments of his skull and brain were scattered over the desert.
Frank grunted. Still exhausted, he turned back to the lake and pivoted into a run to reach Jack. From behind him he heard the shrieking roar of Aman-Gal, and the anguish of death from one of the Protectorate guardians who had saved him.
I’m going to kill every last one of these bastards, Frank thought. He dipped his shoulders, finding energy from deep within, and ran at Watcher’s speed to the lake to find Jack, and to kill Nalsuu—and his bitch.
28
NALSUU
Under Lake Havasu City, Arizona
The cave shook and part of the ceiling fell to the ground as Nalsuu’s heartbeat pounded violently. The death of Pasmet, and the powerful spell that had killed so many of His soldiers, had been unexpected. The Watchers had proven more resourceful than He had anticipated, but the battle had just begun—and the half-breeds would pay in blood for what they had done to His children. They would endure a cold and dark suffering that would make them beg for death before the end.
“How can this be happening? How have they defeated our army?” Jessie whined, like an old hag. “How could you—”
He whirled on her, raging at her questions. His veins coiled around her violently, raising her high above the ground in front of Him, and the Heart of Darkness thrummed in the cavern, sending tremors through the earth.
He watched her squirming within His grasp, and had she not been carrying His Son, He would have killed her. She wore the sting of a lover scorned on her vile human face and revulsion flowed through His veins at her emotional display. Who was she to question Him? To doubt Him? He was a God, and had bestowed upon her His dark gifts and powers. He was the Leech of the Aeons, and He was free! What insolence! What petulance! He had tried to cleanse the useless humanity and its associated emotions from her, but perhaps she needed more of His aid.
He sank His teeth into her with ferocity, gushing more of His ichor into her frail form—He would rectify her lack of faith with the power and darkness of His essence.
And as she shrieked under His grasp, He cursed the Creator once more for placing these weak, fragile beings above the Celestials; for gifting them with the freedom to choose and procreate within his hierarchy, free and unbridled by servitude to him. His affection for them was inexplicable, and it enraged the Heart of Darkness beyond anything else.
Since the rebellion of the Fallen, the Creator had been and continued to be a recluse; a coward secluded away in some hidden corner of the Universe. He had been too weak to rule over the Elder Ones when the Universe had been created; too weak to confront his own creations—the Celestials he had enslaved—when they had rebuked his laws and rebelled against him. Nalsuu and many other Celestials had turned their back on him, and had ruled his precious Earth in his stead. And what then had he done? He had sent those in his thrall—like Uriel—to fight for him. And why was that? Why had he not come himself? Cowardice. Weakness.
Yet despite all of Nalsuu’s powers, and despite even the death of Uriel, Nalsuu had not yet struck the death blow to the Watchers. These half-breeds were a blight on His rule; and there was still the prophecy of the One to deal with. And His vexation grew as Jessie’s questions now echoed His own thoughts.
How could this be? How could He defeat them and return to His throne atop this Earth?
And the answer to the problem that plagued Him was suddenly revealed.
He would have to succeed where His servants had failed Him.
He turned His attention back to Jessie. She moaned above the ground, coiled in His web of tentacle-like veins that pushed His ichor through her. He loosened His grip on her, setting her down gently.
My Queen, mother of My Son, we shall not be defeated. The Watchers shall feel My wrath this day, and forever be wiped from the Earth!
Jessie swayed on the ground, reeling from the force of His kiss. She glanced up at Him with wet, cloudy eyes, her head unsteady, “Yes, my King,” she said weakly. “We shall kill them all…”
Nalsuu reached out telepathically and touched the minds of Dalkhu and Aman-Gal, and spoke to them.
Dalkhu, you will bring Me the Stone of Serr’rah. Return to Me at once.
Yes, my King, Dalkhu responded.
Aman-Gal and Arraziel, lead our forces to Me, and protect us. I will lead our armies to victory this day!
Yes, my King! Aman-gal replied.
He turned His attention to Artimus, His ire rising.
Leave Frank Bishop to Me. Find and kill the leader of the Council, the one they call Delphine, or you shall suffer a fate worse than death!
Y-yes, my King. I shall not fail You, Artimus responded meekly.
Disgusted by the traitor’s cowardice, Nalsuu severed the telepathic connection and turned to Jessie.
Come—we must go to the surface. Now!
Jessie nodded, seemingly more awake now, and moved closer to Him.
Rocks fell from the hole in the cavern, and Nalsuu turned His attention to the disturbance, sensing a presence at the edge of the hole above.
So, Nalsuu thought grimly, the One has arrived to fulfill the prophecy…
29
FRANK
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Frank skidded to a stop next to Jack, sending rocks and gravel over the edge of the hole and down into the darkness below them. Jack didn’t flinch. He was fixated on the hole, gazing deep into it as if seeing what was happening below.
“Jack,” Frank said, “we have to find Nalsuu and Jessie.”
Jack motioned with his head. “Down there,” he said.
Frank wondered again how the kid knew so much about what was happening.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get down there and stop them.” Frank edged closer to the hole, readying himself to jump down into the pit and fight—but Jack extended his arm and blocked his path.
He turned to Frank and stared into his eyes. “Frank,” he said softly, in almost a whisper, “don’t come down with me. You won’t… You should stay.”
Frank searched the kid’s eyes. What was he talking about? Again, the kid spoke to him with riddles and an I know something you don’t kind of tone.
“Tell me,” Frank said, his voice clipped. “Tell me what the hell is going on, Jack.”
Jack turned back to the hole, his face taut and sad. “I don’t know anything for sure,” he mumbled. “It’s just a feeling… I told you before, just trust me. Don’t come with me.”
Frank stared at the kid. He didn’t understand him completely, but he knew Jack had been right before. He had warned Nic, and Nic didn’t listen, and he had paid the ultimate price of damnation. But Frank wasn’t Nic, and he had sworn to protect the kid and make sure this thing ended well. Nic had helped kill Legion—and even though he had sacrificed himself doing it, it had been the right thing to do. And Frank was willing to sacrifice himself, too. It was his duty as a Watcher, and as guardian over the One. Whatever was going to happen to him was his destiny, and he accepted that freely. He had been born for this, and he would see it through until the end.
“I’m going, Jack, and there’s nothing you can say to stop me,” Frank said quietly.
“I know,” Jack whispered, not looking at him. And then he stepped off the edge, and Frank watched as his body disappeared into the darkness below.
Frank took a deep breath and jumped, following him into the black.
30
FRANK
Under Lake Havasu City, Arizona
His boots hit the ground with a thud and he gazed around, looking for Jack. It was dark and dank, with a soft glow coming from beyond a large pile of rock that had once been the roof of the underground cave. The ground vibrated with a thudding cadence, one that Frank recognized immediately. Nalsuu was just around that rock pile, and Jessie was with him. Frank clenched his jaw in anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for; the moment he would kill the bastard that had started all this…and the bitch that had been helping him.
“Over here,” Jack whispered to him.
Frank caught the outline of Jack in the dim light of the cave and went over to him.
“Frank, you don’t have to. Please—”
“There’s no turning back now, kid, like I said. I’m all in.” He nodded to Jack, and they stepped around the rock formation.
Nalsuu’s body pounded harder and faster as they approached. The thrumming reverberated through Frank’s chest and rattled his teeth. The girl stood beside him, a slender silhouette against the vibrant, enormous black-lavender heart. Frank squinted against the brilliance of Nalsuu’s glistening flesh, trying to see the girl more clearly, but her features were hidden in the glow of the monstrous heart that towered above her.
Frank swallowed hard in the presence of such powerful evil. He had envisioned this moment for many weeks, and in those imaginings, he had been all fury and rage. But standing here, before the greatest evil he had ever faced, he found himself too in awe of the power and darkness to do anything but stare. It was as if all the evil of the Universe had been concentrated into the room, and was pressing down on him—a tangible force that could be felt on both his skin and his soul.
The heart had no mouth, but it spoke to Frank telepathically, its booming voice overtaking the thoughts in his mind as if it were Frank’s own internal voice speaking inside his head.
So, this is the One and his protector, Nalsuu said. A boy…and his crapulous guardian. You should not have come, Frank Bishop. Like your brother and father before you, so shall you too have your end under My power.
Frank’s stomach sank at the mention of his brother. “What do you know of my brother, you bastard?” He clenched his fists and began to glow with anger. If Nalsuu had done anything to David, he’d suffer an eternity of hell before Frank finally killed him.
Nalsuu’s chambers thumped louder, but he did not reply. Frank sensed there was something behind the silence.
Jack was motionless in front of the giant heart; calm and eyes like stone. “I will have no mercy on you, Nasriel. Cherish this moment of false triumph. It will be your last,” Jack replied. “And you,” he said, motioning to Jessie, “you, too, shall feel the wrath of the Creator. You have chosen poorly—and you, and the evil that grows inside of you, are doomed.”
Nalsuu’s laughter echoed in Frank’s mind. That name died millennia ago, boy. I am the King of the Fallen, the Leech of the Aeons, and the name of Nalsuu shall be the last name you HEAR!
Tendrils shot out at them from the Heart of Darkness. Jack was unflinching as Frank formed a shield and protected them both from the attack. The tendrils recoiled and Frank tensed as he held the spiraling shield of energy around them.
Through the shield, he saw the portal to the Second Death that had been opened next to Nalsuu. The imprisoned Fallen had come from here, and were still coming. They had to close that portal between realms and somehow get the Fallen back in. But how?
Jack raised his arms, and his palms began to glow. Frank readied to drop the shield and form his katana. He would take Jessie, leaving Nalsuu to Jack.
Bring it, he thought. I’m ready for whatever you’ve got.
But from behind Nalsuu, a figure appeared, capturing Frank’s attention. The outline of a man approached them slowly, walking deliberately…and then the man’s features came into focus in the glow of Frank’s shield, and Frank’s breath caught in his chest and his throat closed.
“No…” Frank croaked.
Frank’s concentration was broken. His shield dropped. He was frozen, unable to move under the weight of the overwhelming emotion he felt at the sight of David, his brother. He stared in disbelief, unable to think, to move, to breathe.
David’s features had changed. He had aged unnaturally, and his hair was long and gray. He had a beard that touched his chest, and his body was covered in dirt and grime, his clothes in tatters. But his eyes were unmistakable: it was David, only twenty years older. He had finally found his brother after having given up all hope, and Frank became overwhelmed by the impossible becoming possible.
“It’s not him,” Jack said, but Frank barely heard him, or the weariness in his voice.
David’s eyes held him, unblinking. But there was no recognition in them; no look of surprise, or happiness, or even fear. Does he not recognize me?
“David!” Frank said. “David, it’s me,” he said desperately. “It’s Frank!”
David blinked slowly, his face still blank and unmoved. He didn’t respond. What have they done to you, brother?
“Frank, it’s not David,” Jack said. “David is—”
MINE! Nalsuu boomed through Frank’s mind, making him wince and his knees buckle. The Fallen King’s voice shook Frank from his paralysis, and Frank’s mind flashed back to his vision a few days ago, when he had seen his brother and had heard the same thunderous word in the Dreamlands.
Frank tensed and his fists clenched, his fingernails biting into his palms. “No!” he shouted. “He’s my brother! And after I kill you and that bitch, we’re getting out of here and I’m going to fucking kill the rest of you bastards! You hear me?” he yelled, nodding to the silhouette of the girl. “You’re all going to fucking die!”
Jessie hissed in response, and Nalsuu’s laughter receded into an eerie silence.
“Go, Frank,” Jack whispered. “He is not your brother anymore. There is no return for him. Let me—”
