The Day of Legion (22 page)

Patricia wanted to reply, but couldn’t form a sentence with all of the jumbled thoughts in her head.

Soon after, Amanda and Jason were also eating at the table. The atmosphere was tense, and the adults wore worried expressions on their faces. Elizabeth went soon after into the underground sanctuary. David, Patricia and Amanda were talking constantly, bouncing opinions and questions off each other.

“Can someone pass me the salt?” Jason asked quietly. He got no response. He tried again, and still no one heard him.

All three adults halted and watched in amazement as the table began to vibrate, slowly at first, then shake violently in response to the angry look on Jason’s face.

The glasses and plates rattled; two bowls fell off the end. Jason looked at them all, realized what he had done and smiled. The table stopped moving; stunned silence filled the room.

“I taught myself how to do that,” he told them, still smiling and obviously proud of himself.

The others didn’t speak. Patricia remembered doing that herself in her dreams the night before, but considered it fantasy. David was about to say something, when they heard a vehicle outside.

They jumped up and ran out the front door. A car had pulled up under the trees. Two men got out. Elizabeth stood in front of the vehicle. The older man walked toward her smiling, while the other seemed shy and stayed back.

The older man motioned for the other to join him where he and Elizabeth were standing. Patricia’s eyes opened wide and she let out a yell. She ran towards them, her hand instinctively raised in front of her body, palm outwards. She was acting on impulse.

A vibration started deep inside her and built up until she had to unleash it. The energy that exploded from her palm hit the man in the chest. His feet lifted off the ground and his limp body flew backwards into a tree trunk; his face distorted in pain as he slid down, pinned by Patricia’s force.

A wispy trail was visible from her hand to where the man lay. The others stood behind her, watching in amazement. David remained ready to pounce on the man if he got up. He had no idea Patricia would be so strong. She was projecting her own power from within, not drawing on another source.

Elizabeth raised her hand. It cut Patricia’s energy and released the man. His body relaxed and he slumped forward. He lay stunned at the base of the tree, not moving. Patricia moved closer to him, but stopped when she heard Elizabeth’s voice.

“Patricia, stop! I know you can see the darkness in him, but he’s on our side.”

The others joined Patricia and stood behind her, as the older man helped the other one up and brought him to Elizabeth. He was weak, limping, but conscious. He was in great pain; when Elizabeth grasped his hand, he moaned loudly and closed his eyes tightly.

Elizabeth placed her free hand on his chest and whispered something to herself. A faint glow surrounded both her and the two men and when David looked up, he saw a figure floating above them. “Healing angel,” he said.

“What?” Amanda asked, looking into the air where he was staring. She could see nothing.

“She’s healing him,” he replied. “She has the power to call on angels.”

Amanda looked at David as he spoke. His eyes were bright and he had a smile of wonderment on his face.

Elizabeth took her hand off the man’s chest and released his hand. He was able to stand and was out of pain. He even managed a smile to the others, except Patricia.

She stared at him. She saw the blackness in his soul and it was deep and murky. It was small and pushed back behind the light, but it was there. She felt weak after what she did, but she wasn’t going to show it to this man.

Elizabeth stepped between the two. She was afraid Patricia would attack again, especially when she saw the darkness expand, which it always did when keepers of the light tried to attack him.

David realized Patricia was feeling the effects of releasing her power and stood with his arm around her. He attempted to appear as though he was just holding her, not supporting her. He was amazed at what he had seen and was glad they found her.

Elizabeth said to them all, “This is Matthew Roper. He is a police detective working the case of the mass murders, committed by our ‘friends’ Patrick and Clara. He was once in the grip of the darkness, born into a family with a long history of serving it.”

Matthew shuffled, clearly uncomfortable being exposed in this way. Charles had explained this to him during the trip, but it still wasn’t easy to hear.

“He escaped as a very young boy and was guided here by his dark angel. This angel was in fact Charles here: he was the leader of a group of dark angels who rebelled against the darkness after serving them for hundreds of years. They came to realize the darkness was destroying everything, and they stood against it.”

“Other than Charles, they are all dead now, destroyed by their own kind. When Charles arrived with Matthew, Albert took them both in. Charles was rewarded with the power of the light, and proved himself time and again in battle. He became Mathew’s angel, protecting him and providing support. Matthew left here still a young boy, and was adopted by a couple who cared for him, not knowing his history or what was inside of him.

“The darkness has been trying to lure him back since his escape, but he has resisted, always making the righteous choice. Charles kept the darkness away as much as he could. He knows their tricks and has never yielded to the temptation of their promises if he would return to the shadows and bring Matthew with him.”

They all looked at Charles. He managed an uncomfortable smile and looked away.

“The darkness is still inside him,” Patricia said. “I can see it’s getting stronger as we stand here.”

There was urgency in her voice.

Elizabeth was about to answer when Matthew spoke.

“The darkness will always be there. I will always have to fight the temptation of all it offers me, but I will resist for as long as I live. I have seen what it truly is. I have lived within the heart of the darkness and felt the cold, all encompassing rage it contains, its delight in causing pain to man. Charles here has been a part of it and will attest to this. It is difficult to explain the darkness, words just don’t exist, you actually have to experience it as a part of yourself.”

No one spoke. Elizabeth stepped forward.

“You need to go, all of you. Time is ticking and you are in great danger.”

“Are you coming with us?” Jason asked.

She smiled and shook her head. “No, I know my destiny and am prepared for it. I’m not the important one here.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Clara watched as the demon left the body of the man. He had needed the still-warm corpse to enter the world, but now he was strong enough to no longer require it.

The remains were left in one of the spare rooms of the country house. The demon walked free on earth, in his own form for the first time in hundreds of years. Clara watched as he stretched his limbs and breathed deeply, holding the air in his lungs for as long as he could to savor the taste and relish his freedom.

He was long and lean, standing over six feet tall. He was in the form of a muscular, powerful man. His black muscles could be seen through his skin. In places, Clara could see blood flowing through his veins with each heartbeat. She could not think of a more beautiful sight.

The demon’s face was a cross between man and beast that she had never seen. The face was incredibly smooth and included a normal nose and mouth. Above that were the eyes of an animal, small and wide-set. His forehead was large and had small bumps under the skin, like a snake or lizard. He had no hair; the bumps covered his skull, pushing against the tight, black skin.

The demon’s companions had performed the ceremony which released him, and allowed Clara to watch. She would never forget. He lay on a table, still inside the body of the human. A hundred large black candles were glowing in the room. The shapes they created on the walls looked like black angels flying. Clara could see the companions as they knelt beside their master, invoking demons still on the other side who waited to rejoin this demon.

They spoke in hushed whispers, their eyes closed tight, and laid hands on the body. Clara had never heard the language before, but it resembled the ceremonial words she used to bring Patrick back to life. She knew that these were words she would never be permitted to know. They were the language of the darkness; ugly, violent and beautiful, spoken with deep guttural hoarseness.

The companions themselves were beautiful creatures; she couldn’t take her eyes off them. They weren’t like the black angels she’d seen in the past.

These creatures were stunning. Their skin was smooth, their bodies lean and strong, and they bore the visages of men. Their facial features were fine, the black hair flowed over their shoulders and their backs to the base of their wings.

Their wings were tall enough to touch the ceiling. Dark diaphanous skin covered the entire surface as they swung slowly back and forth, keeping their master cool during the ceremony.

One of them placed his wrist over the chest of the master and sliced it with a golden knife. The blood flowed thick and black. As it hit the skin of the human body and flowed down onto the table, their chant became quicker, more urgent.

Soon the upper body of their master was covered in thickening blood, which one of the angels spread over the rest of the body.

The chant increased speed. The bodies of the angels swayed up and down, perfectly timed. The angel spreading the blood moved his hands faster in time with the chant.

When it appeared the chant could get no faster, the angel spreading the blood let out a piercing shriek that made Clara jump. He plunged his hand through the body’s chest. The red human blood mixed with the black angel blood.

The four remaining angels all plunged their hands into the human’s chest. Soon they all had both hands in the human. Gently, they pulled the chest open, exposing the human’s heart. It was black and swollen, twice normal size since the possession.

They placed the heart on the human’s stomach and raised themselves up, hovering over the body. They had never stopped chanting in their haunting tones and continued at a frenzied pace while drifting in a circle around the body.

One of the angels picked the heart up, holding it above their heads. The whispers turned to booming screams. Clara knew they were invoking the demon himself, pulling him into the world.

The body disintegrated, melting into a flow of blood and liquid flesh and fat. In its place now lay the body of the demon. For the first time, Clara saw a true servant of the darkness. She felt blessed. Covered in the liquid remains of the human, the demon lay perfectly still, then stretched his limbs and opened his eyes.

One of the black angels turned and ordered Clara from the room in a spitting, hissing voice. She was told that she was not allowed to watch the bathing of the master, and to wait for his instructions outside. She left the room on a high.

Not long afterwards, the demon approached her. He placed one hand on her shoulder and kissed her gently on her lips, before whispering in her ear.

“You have been a perfect helper and you will be rewarded.”

Clara’s knees felt weak. She had never sensed such power and wickedness–and never felt so vulnerable. His touch was gentle, his skin warm and comforting, but she could sense his hatred of humans.

When he released her, she was steered outside and scooped into the arms of one of the companions. They took flight, flying high and fast, led by the demon. She watched, cradled in the arms of the angel. The demon’s wings sprung from his back, previously invisible, as they soared over the earth below. Clara could see the world passing below her and felt happier than she ever had. She was in the company of a demon, carried in the arms of his companion as they soared over the fools below.

Fields of corn, animals, farm houses and cars passed from view, until they flew even higher into the clouds. They rose higher and Clara could see the curvature of the earth as the sun rose in the east. She pulled herself closer into the angel and breathed in the sickly aroma of its body.

The wind was cold and strong, but she was warmed by his body heat. She could feel his chest rise and fall as he held her tightly to his muscular torso. His wings flapped quickly, and easily carried them through the air. He looked down at her; his eyes were a deep yellow. He had no expression on his face.

They descended a little, and Clara could see they were over a forest of pine trees, above a building that looked like a log cabin. A plume of soft white smoke rose from the chimney. An SUV was parked near the front door. There were a couple of outbuildings in the clearing around the cabin, but no sign of people.

The demon was high above, circling. The companions followed him, round and round. The demon seemed agitated; his wings flapping rapidly. Their beating created a thunderous roar around them. He turned to the companion carrying Clara and shouted something in the language of the darkness. He was furious.

The angel looked down at her. His face was still without expression, but a slight smile appeared as he released his grip. Clara hung on briefly, then fell towards the earth. She was confused. She wondered if this was a test, and the demon would swoop down and save her.