The Sloth of Heaven, page 23
part #2 of The Fallen Angels Series
The United States was in its greatest state of unrest since the Civil War. The main divide was over religion. Muslims feared to walk the streets, the murder rate for them continued to spiral wildly out of control. Hate crimes directed at Muslims were plaguing all of America, mosques were being burnt down with their worshippers still inside, mobs were attacking them in the streets and attacks were being made against Muslim schools, businesses and homes. Undermining their efforts were their own increasing sharp peak in Honour Killings.
Christian Fundamentalists were the main culprit, their militias had seized control of various buildings and compounds throughout the US. Martial law had been declared in several states to combat the civil unrest. In a few states, the military and governments had even been assisting the ‘cleansing’ of their states.
Racial hatred to Jewish people had also started to become prevalent, many of the shrines and monuments remembering those lost in the Holocaust had been defaced with crucifixes. There had even been incidents of people being crucified, though they were being kept hushed. That was until videos of the events had been released on the internet.
But the Christians were not free from the backlash, or even from attacks on each other. Cathedrals, churches, compounds and abbeys had been burned, demolished, desecrated and even converted. No one was safe, not even Atheists and those belonging to other religions, from the brewing religious war between the Abrahamic Religions.
Not to mention that Hera’s faithful were actively keeping such tensions alive, or passing the blame for their actions. The plan was to destroy the Angels’ power in America. Unfortunately, their claws were extremely deep. While many of the large cities were only token Christians or had quite a large number of Atheists, the smaller cities and towns were predominantly Christian. It was the whole reason they were using the different Christian sects to destroy each other.
But it wasn’t just the brewing religious war that had America on edge. Crime of all kinds was spiralling wildly out of control. Martial law wasn’t having the success that the government had thought it would. There were wild stories and even pictures and videos of strange creatures brutally murdering people, of course, he knew that they were the Elites. All of the murdered people turned out to be paedophiles. But there was also the fact that the number of missing children had exploded, having been turned into Elites, as had the number of missing people, some being turned while others had been eaten or killed.
Humans didn’t realise that their numbers were either being fed to the Daemon Races or becoming them. Social and civil unrest were being encouraged by the Daemons. Those in power hindered progress or called for new laws. They actively attended Temple, praising the peace of Hera. They were the only religious places that had remained untouched by all the troubles, they were also the most defended. Vampires hunted unchecked through the cities, Were used their strength to destroy buildings or attack key figures. Sirens and Lilin used their powers to control people while the Maenads were relearning how to make the land fight.
It was a very bloody war that was brewing.
And for some reason, that feeling was saturating the Capitol Building. Kyle couldn’t understand why, but it did make sense. As the political centre of power, it was a beacon for trouble, and America was very troubled. People were scared, very scared, they were barricading themselves in their homes, pulling their kids out of school and shooting anyone that came onto their property. The suicide count had sharply climbed as well.
He had let his mind wander while the Senate started. The Senators would report to Ariadne or Hera all that had happened. There was also video coverage. He was more curious as to why there was such a sense of impending doom. It was not natural, for it was infecting everyone, and it felt almost physical. Something was going to happen.
His magical senses slithered over many empty spots, moving empty spots. He swallowed hard if it had been anyone but him they would never have noticed or thought anything of it. But he had spent a great deal of time around the Elites, he knew their feel very well. Now the sense of impending doom made perfect sense. It was one of their hunting techniques, they made their prey and all in the vicinity feel restless and uneasy.
Which meant one of the Senators was a paedophile, the Elites hunted nothing else and it had to be one of them for it to be this public. America was in for a very unpleasant shock today. He wondered what the Elites would hunt once America was cleansed of this taint. Would they be unleashed on all the countries to fall?
Someone screamed drawing him very much back to the present. He spotted one of the Senators pointing, following her terrified stare he saw what he had been expecting. Elites were crawling along the gallery above. Lots of Elites, it was going to be a bloodbath. Their black, alien and terrifying bodies clung to the walls, roof and balcony. Their lethal tails whipping behind them to counterbalance their leaps. Their eyeless heads were all focused on several of the Senators.
People screamed and stared in horrified petrification. Some were trying to rationalise it as some sort of hoax, but their bodies were too material, moving with deadly, sinuous grace. They were very real. Something terrifying from movies and games come alive. The rumours of Monsters and Demons were real. Some of the more thoughtful Senators and guards were looking around the room with suspicion. They knew that a paedophile was housed among them.
“Don’t shoot them!” Kyle yelled as the guards started to pull guns “They will kill you if you attack them if you have nothing to hide you are safe” of course many didn’t listen and any further conversation was stopped by the sound of shots being fired. Naturally they did very little to Hera’s Elites, she had crafted them with care and made them Divine. Those that were shot at pounced instantly on those who had shot them. Blood sprayed across the chamber as heads were ripped off or sharp tails tore through soft flesh.
It was mayhem, Humans struggling to run from the room, shoot at the Elites and the Senators still trying to get up out of their seats. Amid all the chaos one of the Elites, bigger than the rest, jumped down from the gallery, gliding down on shadowy wings that disappeared once he stood up.
In the eyes of your victims, you have been found guilty John Ford, Tiffany Williamson, William Jones and Aaron Jackson. For your unforgivable crimes, your debt shall be extracted from your flesh.
Kyle recognised Juan’s ‘voice’ “Everybody out, don’t fight them or they will kill you. They will not harm anyone but paedophiles” he used his magic to project his voice, it startled many but not the focused Elites. They had closed in on three Senators and one guard. The other Senators and what remained of the guards had started pouring out of the room. Though some extremely foolish guards chose to stay and shoot at the Elites. They died very quickly.
Kyle glanced back at the circle of Elites as he hurried Hera’s Senators out. Several tails and claws were raking leisurely through the body of one of the paedophiles, his agonised screams filled the building. Kyle had no sympathy for them, they were paying for their crimes. Their awful, awful crimes.
He had a moment of pity for any of the security force that would be on their way to the Senate chamber. But then the Elites were nothing if not efficient, they might already be gone by the time the security force reached the chambers.
He would find out later.
“Victoria. Victoria” James banged on her door incessantly until she answered.
“What?” she snapped as she opened the door. From the looks of it, she had been in the shower.
“You’ve been summoned to the Seelie Court as a member of the royal family. Something big has happened.
She looked surprised and ran back into the bathroom. She reappeared a few minutes later in a green and gold dress of the Fae style. She grabbed a pair of shoes, while many of the Fae races chose to go barefoot a lot of the time she did not. She glanced in the mirror, clicked her fingers and her hair dried as it straightened out. She grabbed the small circlet that Sorcha had given for her for such occasions. It was silver and gold, with a large ruby. That was her mark as being a royal in her own right apparently and the red represented the colours of Imperial Britain.
“That’s a handy trick.”
She gave a brief smile “I’ve been experimenting. The Fairies always manage to look so perfect all the time that I realised it had to be magic which meant I could do it.”
“Huh, I guess I’ll have to give it a try.”
“For all that hair of yours?” She ruffled his short hair as they hurried along the corridors.
He merely laughed in response. Further talk was cut short as Xandelexis appeared around the corner “Ah there you both are. You’ll need help getting to the Seelie Court” He grabbed their hands and the world disappeared to reappear a few moments later. They were standing in the rear of the entrance hall, Cathair turned around at their appearance and smiled at her. She smiled back as she hurried over to his offered arm. He gave her a brief kiss as he adjusted the circlet on her head. “It is strange to see you looking so Fae.”
“Strange good or strange bad?”
“Just different. Come, we had better get seated.”
He led her through the arch and out from behind the curtains out onto the royal dais. Sorcha was already seated on her simple and yet imposing throne. Aisling was seated on her throne one step down, the Heir’s step. Cathair started when he saw the other two thrones were still on the same step before he ushered them into them. “Mother pays you great respect and honour to sit as an equal to the Heir.” He whispered to her. He wouldn’t normally get to sit so high.
All the nobles and lesser royals of the Fairy and Daemon races were sitting down in graceful movements and managing to look suddenly imposing, patient and dignified in one breath. She wondered how they did it, then again they had spent their whole lives within the court so it was probably second nature to them. She took a breath, sat up straight and waited.
Brigid flared into appearance behind Sorcha, managing to look like she was part of the throne itself. It was a striking image meant to send a message. She wondered what had happened.
She didn’t have to wait long before many blue fairy lights appeared, spiralling down onto the floor. The Atlantean Guards materialised encircling a group of perhaps nearly a hundred Centaurs. She gasped slightly but thankfully only Cathair heard her.
Sorcha spoke, “Who petitions the Seelie Court for the aid of the Fae?”
Ritualistic words that summoned powerful magic. Victoria was curious but suddenly a little afraid. Perhaps because she held Brigid’s favour she had never really considered just how much of a threat the Fae were. Sorcha had always been polite and had formed a pleasant and workable relationship with her. Then there was her fiancé Cathair who loved her. But now she felt the power that the Fae wielded, a power undiluted from prehistory. It troubled her, how much did she really know about the Fae?
“I, Chiron, son of Cronos, leader of these Centaurs petition for the protection and sanctuary that the Fae may offer.” That caused a noticeable stir among the usually expressionless nobles, a demigod son of one of the Titans.
“Chiron died thousands of years ago when he gave up his immortality.”
“And was placed in the stars as a reward for doing so, that was until the Hell Curse ripped me from the stars and threw me into Hell. As you may know, the Curse was broken by the Chaos Goddess, in doing so I was granted my immortality again and my species was saved from extinction.”
“Are all these that are left of your race?”
“No, your Majesty, we are less than a third of our numbers. The Centaurs are not united in our temperaments. We sought greener pastures, for we have heard of the benevolence of Brigid and the safety of your lands. We were told by Maenads that many races have sought your protection.”
“And did they inform you of the price for our protection?”
“Absolute loyalty to the Seelie Court and its Queen. To live by the laws of the Court and swear eternal fealty to you and your line, accepting that your word is absolute.”
Sorcha smiled “You have been well informed indeed. You are willing to accept the conditions of life within our Court knowing that to break even one is death? And that if you leave without the Court’s consent that you may never return upon penalty of death?”
“I am. As are my brethren.”
Sorcha stood up, a slight nexus of light surrounded her as she stepped down the steps. The guards parted before her as she came to stand before Chiron. While shorter she was clearly the far more powerful one.
As one, all the Centaurs made the difficult descent into the Centaur pose of complete subservience or respect. Front legs spread forward and low, one arm across their chest, the other to the back and side, their human torso bowed until they were under Sorcha’s height. Victoria wondered if perhaps one of the guards had prepped them on doing this. It was too uniform otherwise.
A ceremonial dagger appeared in her glowing hand. It was made of no metal Victoria recognised, green in colour with blue sheens. Then she remembered that a lot of the non-Human races were allergic to various metals, Cold Iron for several of the Fairies, Silver for the Were and Vampires, Sun Gold for Vampires, and there were probably others she didn’t know.
She placed the dagger to his throat “Do you swear?”
He raised his eyes to look into hers, if he was hoping for compassion or kindness, he saw none. Her eyes were fully Fae, cold and completely inhuman. “I swear.”
“Words are useless, blood is the most binding.”
In a savage and quick movement, she slashed his throat, red blood splattering across the Queen and floor. The exact same injury occurred to all the Centaurs at once. Victoria covered her mouth in horror but she was the only one, she was also the only Human.
Sorcha then took the blade to her wrist, cutting deeply. Rich green blood poured from the wound, glowing with the potent magic it contained. She took her bleeding wrist and held it to his throat, her magic had already pulled his hands away. He stared at her in a horrified haze while she waited. Bright green light flared and a powerful blast shook the room.
When it cleared, Sorcha stood in front of Chiron holding a sword of that same greenish-blue metal. All the Centaurs were looking around in surprise, their throats had completely healed. None of them had moved from their prone position, but they had changed. Their bodies had grown more powerful, less bulky and noticeably taller, their lower bodies now distinctly looked akin to Clydesdales with hair covering their larger hooves.
Green magic could clearly be seen still dancing under their skins.
“You are bound by blood to the Seelie Court, our ways are now your ways, our laws are absolute. You will be instructed in our laws and expected to abide by them. In the course of your Curse and your initiation, your magic will have changed, my magical advisor Xandelexis will aid you in rediscovering your powers. In the meantime, all the Centaurs will settle within Sanctuary to give you time to settle into our ways.”
She lifted the sword with both her hands, resting the blade first on one of Chiron’s shoulders and then on the other. “Chiron will remain your leader for now, but it is the right of each race of the Fae to have their own representatives at court, whether they be royals, nobles, elders or even elected. That is your race’s right. I welcome you to the Seelie Court, my sons.”
Chiron gave a final bow before standing up straight again while the other Centaurs took the time to examine their changed bodies with fascination, he kept his dignified air “Thank you, my Queen.”
She smiled “May the Goddess smile upon you.”
“May I ask a boon of the Goddess?”
Her face became solemn “You may ask but you may not receive.”
“Rumour speaks of an Angel Goddess, who lives on these isles, we were wondering if it was the same who freed us from our imprisonment?”
Brigid spoke for the first time, startling the Centaurs who had thought her part of the throne “There are two who reside in these Isles of Avalon and yes, one of them is the Chaos Goddess, who freed you.” She looked around the audience hall, her eyes failing to find Sariel “Where is Sariel?”
There was some murmuring before James appeared from behind the dais curtains “She is gone.”
“Gone? Where has she gone?” She materialised right next to him, to his credit he didn’t flinch.
“She teleported last night.”
“Do you know where?”
“To see Tiamat.”
“Why would she seek out Tiamat? Does she even know where she is?”
“Because Tiamat can teach her how to channel Chaos.” In the shadows behind him, Hecate closed her eyes as pain flashed across her face. “But she did not know where Tiamat was and yet she teleported anyway.”
“But that is not possible, one must know their destination. We cannot track each other and Sariel does not know how to signal to another God.”
“But Sariel is unique, her powers uncharted. She may be able to bend many of the rules. Chaos is unfathomable, there is no telling what she may be capable of.” Hecate said from the shadows.
“That is true” Brigid reappeared behind the throne “It would appear the Chaos Goddess has temporarily disappeared but she will return.”
Chiron nodded before following Xandelexis and their Atlantean Guards out of the throne room. The assorted nobility also started to disappear. Brigid took Sorcha by the arm and then they both disappeared. Very soon all that was left was Victoria and Cathair.
“Looking Fae suits you remarkably well.”
She spun around smiling “Oh do I? I hadn’t noticed.”
“You look utterly radiant,” he noticed she even had a soft glow.
She placed both her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him “Really just how radiant?”
His kiss was more than answer enough, it was hungry and passionate. It was an intense kiss that left her with no doubt as to where it was headed. When they came up for air, they were standing in their bedroom. He was watching her carefully and she understood why. She was no longer powerless, she belonged to his world now and that made her dangerous. Perhaps not as dangerous as he but danger was still danger. He had nothing to fear from her though, she loved him with all that she was. Just as he loved her with everything he was. A strange union of Fae and Human that actually worked, most Human-Fae unions were short-lived and ended bitterly. Yet their romance had carved its own path. He had given her a beautiful engagement ring and had taken plenty of time to romance her. They had dined and dated in Sanctuary and Orkney. It had been a wonderful time for them both.
