Torn (26 page)

“And my father?
What about him? You killed him for something you can’t destroy anyway.”

He spoke carelessly, waving my question away like he was waving away a fly. “Ah, well. Casualty of war, I guess. He stood in the way of what I wanted, of what I needed, and he paid with his life.
And for his father’s betrayal.
You should be happy. Faithful all over the world are celebrating him like a martyr. So don’t be mad at
me
. I made him famous.”

The dam holding me back cracked. My eyes were still hazed with shadow but something else pulsed behind it.
Sadness?
That was new. It overwhelmed me. Not sadness for the fact that Sebastian killed my father but heartache for the fact that he was gone, period. The feeling was warm and uncomfortable. I fought to tamp it down but the crack widened.

I began to circle toward Sebastian and he mirrored me, knowing a fight was imminent.

“Do not talk about my father like you did him a favor. You took him from me. You took him away and I was never able to say goodbye. You can stand on your soap box and preach about celebrity and favors and temptation but you have no clue why people hope. You can’t take it away if you don’t know where it comes from.”

“Let me ask you a question, Samantha. Have you seen yourself? Not just the evil monster growing inside you, but the outside you? Have you seen your transformation? Your skin, once golden hued and soft, now radiates shadows. Your once beautiful blue eyes are no longer. Once the color of a Tahitian ocean, they have become blacker than hate. Even your tears are stained with the raven-colored tinge of despair. Your transformation is irreversible, you know. Even I am having trouble recognizing the flighty teenager you once were. And it’s hypnotic. Fueled by hate or love, hope or despair, you will not return to who you once were. And it’s magnificent.”

His words hit me and I realized he was right. I would never be the girl I was when this all began. Physically, I could tell the difference and I now knew everything about me had changed.

He took a few steps toward me, my sword still in his hand. “I think I have had enough of this conversation, my dear Samantha. Hand over the pendant.”

“No.”

He stopped mid-stride and grinned sarcastically. “No? Not this defiant conversation again. You saw what happened the last time you told me no.”

He closed the distance between us quickly and held his hands to my head. Forced to my knees, I heard the roar of the ocean, the clash of swords, the cries of battle. I was back on the cliff. My eyes were commanded downward and I could do nothing but listen to the slaughter of Faithful and Exiled alike. My whole being was enraged with despair. Despair that both my Faithful brothers and sisters and my
Exiled
counterparts were fighting and dying over the whim of one.

“Now Samantha, please look around you. All this is your doing.”

Jesse lay dead to my left, wings torn off. Mara collapsed in tears over the remains of Christian. Noah was in battle, still, with a faceless being that looked more like rotting wood than a person. Cal was the only one missing. The only sign left of him was half a wing and a sword that lay abandoned near the cliff’s edge. I could only assume he’d been cast over. Lucas held Ethan’s arms behind his back as Sebastian drove a sword through him.

“No! No!”

“I will make this happen, Samantha. They will all be dead and you will be at fault.”

I fell into a huddle of painful anguish. I wailed and kicked and punched.
What had I done
!
They were all dead or would soon be.
All because of me.
All because of the choices I had yet to make. The choices I’d been too scared to make.

Sebastian took over my head again as the scene switched to an unfamiliar alley. I could make out the shadow of what appeared to be a dumpster. A man kneeled before the dumpster, holding his arms to the sky and shouting something I couldn’t understand. Behind him, a dark figure swooped in. The man stretched out his wings as the dark figure raised his sword. I screamed as I saw the figure drop his sword along the man’s back and watched the crumpled wings fall silently to the damp pavement. In an instant, the figure knocked the man over and stood above him. I could hear the man’s thoughts.

Samantha.

Sebastian was showing me my father’s death. Everything in the vision became clear and saw my father’s defiant face. I saw that he knew he was going to die and I could see triumph in his eyes.

The dark figure standing above my father was Sebastian, face grotesquely twisted. Hate poured from him as he slowly plunged the sword deep into my father’s chest.

“Dad!”

Sebastian removed his hands from me and knelt down to search my eyes. He could see I was about to lose myself and he encouraged it. His hands caressed my hair in a way that made me ill and even though he could see the look of disgust cloud my face, he brushed his lips across my eyes.

Sebastian reveled in the pain of others, especially if the outcome suited him. He had laid down my sword in front of me, daring me to reach for it. I gingerly grasped it and slid it closer to me. The pendant began to glow brighter, again. Its heaviness had become cumbersome. With my eyes still downcast, a light caught the corner of my eye. My father stood behind Lucas.

Samantha, it is time. You must choose now. Choose your path. Whichever you choose will be hard. Your life is not meant to be easy. The war between the Exiled and the Faithful will see to that. Choose now. This battle is yours to win or lose.

“Lucas, No!”

I turned my head quickly at the sound of Ethan’s voice. He wasn’t dead! As the thought entered my head, I was knocked over from behind, my head singing from the blow. I quickly gathered my bearings and looked for my attacker. Lucas.

“Give up now, Sam. You won’t win. Join us.”

I stood, sword in hand, finally ready for the confrontation. “You don’t want to do this, Lucas. Think about the past, think of your family, of Ethan...of me. You can’t be so far gone that you would destroy us all.”

I saw him waver a minute before Sebastian’s voice thundered.

“Destroy her now, Lucas! If she will not give us the Heart of Hope then we must kill her and take it for ourselves.”

Lucas drew his sword high over his head and sent it crashing down. At the last minute I blocked his attack with my sword. The clash of our swords was deafening in the empty cavern of the room. The windows shook as Lucas and I became locked in a dance of skill. Determination set in his eyes. The force of his strikes increased with each blow. Darkness was fueling him.

“Lucas!” I yelled between defensive moves. “Don’t listen to him. You don’t want to do this. I know you don’t.”

“You know nothing. I will do what I have to. As long as you are alive and haven’t joined with us, you are the enemy. I have chosen with whom I stand. You still waver and that makes you weak.”

Inflexible resolve heightened within me, and adrenaline coursed through my blood. I could see it in his eyes. He was no longer the Lucas I grew up with. He’d become a dark monster. Sebastian had twisted his mind beyond repair. The choice I had to make was for the good of everyone, regardless of what side they were on. The Faithful must know they could not lazily jump ship and head for the temptation of the Exiled. The Exiled must know they could not take advantage of their position in this world. All must be balanced and fair.

I twisted to the left and dropped to the floor as Lucas aimed his sword at my head. He kicked out and landed his foot in my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I moved to get up but it was too late. Lucas was standing above me, Sebastian just behind him with a look of gleeful hatred on his face. For a moment Lucas looked into my eyes and we connected. It was a connection of long lost friendship and love. It lasted mere seconds before his face twisted back into the demon he had become. With a forceful growl he dropped his sword downward, aimed at my neck.

Time slowed down as Lucas’ sword came towards me. A blinding flash of light distracted everyone in the room and the winged girl from my dreams appeared between us. Everything around me froze in time. I turned my head to take in her beauty. She cast a light so intense, almost like an eclipse. I felt like I might be blinded if I stared too long, but I could do nothing to tear my gaze from her.

“Do what you must, Samantha. But know that from this day on, your actions will be remembered. Good or bad, people will know who you are. Both the Exiled and the Faithful will follow whatever foot you put forward. Do what it is you feel will balance the scales of darkness and light. A decision must be made.”

She faded and I saw Ethan stand. He limped toward Sebastian, with a sword in his hand. He was clutching his stomach and could barely keep himself upright but the look on his face told me all I needed to know. I used the moment of distraction the girl had provided me to roll away from the tip of Lucas’ sword. Everything moved quickly now. I leapt to my feet behind Lucas and heard Sebastian gasp as I brought my sword down and stripped Lucas of his wings. With a terrible wail, Lucas fell to the floor, his sword clattering out of his reach. Instantly, Sebastian stood before me, his demonic features fully exposed. His face was so frightening; I wanted to look away but forced myself to stand firm.

“What have you done?” He shrieked; all trace of composure eliminated. He threw me across the room.

Standing, I wiped blood from my mouth as I replied defiantly, “I’ve done what needed to be done.”

“Then why don’t you finish him?” His words taunted me. His hatred intensified to a manic state. He had lost all control. He knew his plans were unraveling, as I refused to play into his hand.

“His death would have been needless. Because his choices were not fully his own, his death would be senseless. Without his wings, he’ll be less of a threat. If he is to continue serving you, then he will do it without his wings for now. They’ll heal slowly and painfully, you should find joy in that Sebastian. Lucas was lost and you took advantage of his impressionable nature. For that, he need not be punished.”

“You show mercy after his betrayal? After he told me where your father would be? After he used you and turned against you? For his sins, you show mercy?” His tone was baffled and aggressive.

“Yes. And I will do the same to any Exiled interested in disturbing the symmetry of humanity. Mine is not a path of destruction but of equilibrium. If the scales are tipped, I will right them. That is the mercy I show. That is the balance I bring, the path I walk.”

“He will come back stronger. I will see to it.”

Sebastian raised his arms above his head. I was lifted off my feet and thrown furiously to the ground. But still I forced myself to stand back up and face him.

“I killed your father and I will kill you. When I destroy the Heart of Hope and the Box of Hope, darkness will extend to every corner of this world and into the next. You have not beaten me.”

“I will fight you to my last breath, Sebastian. You will not win. Not as long as I am breathing.”

He screamed. “You cannot kill me.”

“Not now I can’t.
Just as you cannot kill me.”

He looked to Ethan, who was standing behind me, sword drawn. Bruised and damaged, determination outlined his face. Blood dripped from his neck where Lucas had tried but failed to behead him. The thought brought malevolence to the surface, and I fought to push it back down.

Sebastian pleaded with Ethan.
“My son.
Come back to me. I will right the wrongs I have done to you and together we will rule as equals.”

“You aren’t my father.” Ethan’s voice was hoarse.

“I am. And inside you can feel it. You can feel the darkness struggling to get out, to make amends with the father you shun. You and I are meant to own this world. You are my blood and I am yours. Come back and together we will triumph.”

“I won’t join you, Sebastian. You stopped being my father the day you killed my mother. Samantha is who I follow. She is the one chosen by both light and dark, by the stories of both Exiled and Faithful. She has my allegiance. Not you. I will never follow you.”

My pendant’s incandescent light burned a hole in my chest but I refused to flinch. My face reflected back to me through Sebastian’s dilated eyes and I understood fully that my transformation was permanent. I still looked like me, only different. My skin had taken on a porcelain glow, much like that of the angel that visited me in my dreams. My eyes were still round and black and oily tears stained my otherwise angelic face.

Behind me I could make out the faint shadow of something out of place. A shimmering image of black and silver reflected what little light streamed through the stained glass. I closed my eyes and concentrated as my wings unfurled for the first time. Sebastian’s eyes widened from the slits they’d become and I could see his fear for the first time.

“Then you will suffer the same fate at your precious
Samantha.
This isn’t over,” he yelled as he stepped back from me. “You will not defeat me. I will rule this world. I will destroy whatever humanity is left and all will kneel before me.”

“That will never happen, Sebastian.” My voice was quiet and steady. My wings pulled back and beat forward with a force that sent Sebastian flying against the altar, knocking the box to the ground.