From Heaven To Earth (The Faith of the Fallen) (21 page)

Riell raised her hands. Shadows of trees around them rippled and rose
high into the air.

A reflective dome formed around the playground. This dome would mask
their battle from the eyes and ears of the living and would keep any stray
Inner blasts inside its radius. If someone were to walk down the path they
would only see an illusion: a wall, a change in the direction of the path, a
bear, anything to keep them from wandering into the shield.

Riell. I need you.
Drean’s voice nudged her mind.

Riell’s eyes averted at this, and she walked away from Shrazz and Gerald.
Shrazz took notice and half glanced at her.

“Riell, where are you off to?” he asked.

“We have company,” she said and did not stop. She passed through the
shield and could no longer be seen.

“Fine.” Shrazz dismissed her from his mind, and turned back to Gerald.
“It’s time, Gerald. Don’t disappoint me.”

Shrazz took a deep breath, and closed the distance between them when he
expelled it.

Drean! Don’t worry I’m on my way!
Riell thought at him and raced
through The Park, feeling for him with her mind.
Drean, what happened?!
Riell
waited for Drean’s response but couldn’t feel him anymore.
Damn it, he’s not
responding! And I can’t sense him either?

A cold aura stabbed into her consciousness.

Keep. Hitting him from the sky might catch him off guard.

Riell zeroed in on Dejanto and made herself invisible.

Riell’s wings snapped out. She jumped into the air and flapped them once.
Now high above the forest she looked where Keep’s aura felt strongest and saw a
concentration of shadow there.

Riell decided against rushing him.

I’m not even sure that I could begin to fight him regardless of
whether or not he is holding Drean captive.
Riell considered this.
He’s
my mentor, but I have to try to save him.
She wrinkled her face while she
thought and stared down into the shadows below her.

Chaya could be useful in this situation.
She flapped her wings
lightly to keep herself aloft and closed her eyes to summon the spirit beasts.

With her mind composed, she reached out to the shadows below her. Intense
waves of heat and cold passed through her body as she expended the necessary
Inner to draw them from their world.

Park lights below her sputtered and exploded. Out of the darkness three
animal-like forms took shape.

Once fully formed the beasts resembled panthers, only much larger. Black,
iridescent, carapace covered them save for a few underbelly soft spots and
protected them from nearly all forms of penetration.
 

Chaya could track anyone or anything with uncanny precision and subtlety.
One Chaya cat could easily dispatch a large group of unaware victims. If anyone
had ever spoken to Riell or someone else who frequently used the beasts about
utilizing one cat on a single target, much less three Chaya; it would be deemed
excessive and laughable.

In this case Riell needed to test her opponent’s strength.

Riell made telepathic contact with her pets. She relinquished one of her
most recent memories of Keep: when she felt his negative aura at The Horse. She
ordered them to subdue him only.

From a memory Chaya retrieved vital information they needed to hunt and
assassinate their target. If the memory was not satisfactory Riell would have
received protests in the form of colors: the Chaya way of communicating with
humanoids. Warm colors were colors of aggression. Riell would have received
yellows or light oranges if the information was insufficient.

Orange red flared in her mind’s eye.

I know it’s a handicap, but you should be able to manage. Wound him
only.

She gave them a memory of Drean so they would know to not attack him.

That’s all. Good luck,
she thought at them.

Reds cooled to blues and greens. They felt confident.

“They’re so cocky.” Riell smiled a little and relaxed so she could
maintain contact with all three.

A flash of yellow, they’ve picked up his scent.

They circled around the area in question surreptitiously. They would not
be seen unless they were ready to be.

One of the beasts bounded noiselessly from the ground into a tree and
walked out on a branch above Dejanto, who still believed his shadow magic
concealed him.

The two shadowbeasts on the ground sprung at him.

Blood red pervaded Riell’s mind. Riell opened her eyes to find the
battle. She only had to search for a moment and stifled a giggle.

Keep was already on the ground incapacitated.

She felt the glee of the two Chaya that had made the attack. The third
was still perched in the tree.

I wonder why she didn’t join in. Those cats love the thrill of the
hunt and the climax of the ambush.
Riell swooped down to congratulate them
when she felt something and stopped.

His energy. It’s pulsing.

One of the beasts lifted into the air. Violet, incandescent blood
streamed from its stomach and ran down the invisible blade of Dejanto. It
roared loudly, but its cries soon subsided into whimpers. As the cat faded to
nothing Dejanto wavered into view, clad in the corrupted celestinite armor
given to him by Leoran. His helmet covered his whole face with only small slits
over each eye.

Dejanto heard roars around him but could not see his opponents. The cats traversed
trees noiselessly, cursing and commending the black knight. They appreciated
his skill though they would miss their kin.

Dejanto closed his eyes to sense them. One of them sprung, and held him
while the other ripped his breastplate apart with her talon-like claws.

Their long swishing tails engorged, and stingers formed in their ends.
They plunged them into the weakened armor. Their otherworldly toxins could
paralyze prey, or kill competing predators. They merely paralyzed him, though
they desired to feast upon him.

With the smell of his blood titillating them, large fangs extended from
their gums. Dejanto’s shadowpuppet melted away before them, and their fangs
retracted into smaller pointed teeth.

“Blinded by rage... beasts, you’ve met your end!” The real Dejanto
appeared from the shadows behind the Chaya. He decapitated one cat before it
could react. The last flipped into the air and faded from normal sight above
Dejanto’s head.

“Your shadows will be your undoing!”

Dejanto used his shadow magic to nullify the cats and she found herself
visible.

Dejanto dashed for her. She replied with a charge of her own. When her
claws were inches away from their mark the cat’s prey disappeared. Dejanto’s
chop came from behind, halving the beast.

It faded from the physical plane before it even hit the ground. Dejanto
guffawed at the scene and looked up to where Riell hovered, invisible.

“Fight your own battles, Riell!” He gestured behind him. Two more
shadowpuppets faded into view and held an unconscious prisoner.

“Drean!” Riell whispered to herself. She felt compelled to launch herself
at Dejanto, but her feelings jailed her reaction.

“I know you’re up there, skia. Fight or this angel will be no more.”
Dejanto lifted his sword in the direction of Riell.

He’s my teacher no longer.
With this realization she was resolute.
I have to face him.

Riell dove down and landed lightly in front of Dejanto. He smiled.

“I’d like to speak with you face to face if that’s not too much to ask.”

“Fine.”

Riell became visible. Her eyes burned with abhorrence one only feels
after a loved one has been harmed by another.

“Don’t hate me so much, dear child.” Keep lowered his sword.

“How can I not?! You’ve betrayed us all!” Riell tried to stay objective.

How would she handle a betrayal if it were an underling on a mission with
her? What would she do if the betrayal compromised the mission? She would
execute them. She had to bring herself to do the same to Dejanto.

“I don’t want to fight you, Keep!”

“Keep has been long dead. I’m Dejanto once again.”

“Dejan, please.” She walked to him and tried to seem unafraid.

He raised his hand as if he were going to strike Riell.

“Respect my name, woman, if you want me to respect your wishes!”

“Sir Dejanto, that name means savior to me,” she said.

Dejanto turned away.

I can’t let these trivialities impede my mission. The Lord is my heart
again and failing Him would mean dishonoring Him.

“It means protector, comrade, friend!”

“Siiilence!” Dejanto jammed his sword into the ground and its impact left
the earth trembling.

Riell and Dejanto’s shadowpuppets stumbled.

Drean tried to open his eyelids, but felt too exhausted, even for such a
simple movement.

Riell felt him connect with her mind, but he could not even form a solid
thought to communicate. He stared at her and tried to reach out. Dejanto’s
minions gripped him tighter, and he cried out.

“Drean! Release him, Dejan! Now!” Riell put her hand on the hilt of her
short sword. “Release him or I will cut you down where you stand!”

Dejanto shook his head, smiled and pointed his sword at her.

“Can’t you see, Riell?” he said. “The old alliance and the new...” He
tapped the broken Chi-Rho on his breastplate with his free hand. “We must join
together on the battlefield. Only then can it be decided.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. As for my place, it is at
Drean’s side.”

“Then your allegiance is spoken for.” Dejanto raised his sword in a
salute.

He whirled his sword above his head and ran at Riell.

Riell back flipped high into the air and summoned her longbow. She pulled
back the drawstring, took aim and released.

“A little rushed eh! Forgot the arr...” Three arrows faded into view. He
lifted his sword to deflect them, but could not manage it.

One arrow pierced his forearm, and he heard two thunks behind him. He
turned to see his shadowpuppets fall and dissipate.

Drean slumped to the ground as Riell landed.

Dejanto growled and reached to remove the arrow embedded in his armor.
Riell’s eyes flashed venomous green. Her arrow exploded, and an emerald flame
consumed his right arm and his left hand. Riell’s arrows and longbow
disappeared, sent back to her armory with a thought. Dejanto screamed as the
flames superheated his armor.

She almost lost her nerve at the sight of her old teacher writhing but
drew her sword, ran at the burning knight with blinding speed, a prismatic blur
in her wake. A quick flap of her wings whirled her in the air to increase the
force of her blow: angled to sever his head.

Dejanto grit his teeth, and pushed all pain aside to concentrate. Dejanto
siphoned her life energy.

Riell opened her mouth to yell, but she could not control the muscles
required to make a sound.

Dejanto extinguished Riell’s magical flames.

His armor had melted to his arm. His right hand had been blown apart
completely.

He pointed his sword at her, and it intensified the siphon.

Dejanto’s armor repaired itself along with the arm under it. A new hand
regenerated from the stump of his arm.

Riell struggled to keep her sword level.

Dejanto resumed his attack on Riell. His first strike was painstakingly
parried, and his second knocked her sword from her grasp. She knew she was
finished. Drean could not help her in his condition. She had to at least buy
him some time to wake up.

She opened a mind link to The Falling Curtain’s local branch.

This is Riell Frallt. Reinforcements. The Park. Emergency code 665.
Hurry.

Right away, Ma’am.

“No.” said Drean weakly. A circle of six feathers flared on his back: the
mark left on him by God when he was given free will. His tattoo could be seen
through his clothes. He tried to pull himself to his feet but could not manage
it.

“Joining us? Quite timely. You haven’t experienced loss quite like this
before, angel, prepare yourself.” He pulled Riell into the air with his right
hand.

“Sorry, Drean. You’ll have to go on alone,” she said.

Drean’s eyes opened wide. Light spilled out of them like flames. A white
glow surrounded him. “No...” His voice trembled. Dejanto turned to Riell and
did not notice as Drean leisurely rose to his feet.

Neither Drean nor Dejanto noticed that they were surrounded until darts
filled with demon’s blood stung Drean’s skin and paralyzed him.

Dejanto heard Drean’s cry and turned. His blade grazed Riell’s side, but
the force was enough to throw her to the ground.

Dejanto snorted in frustration at his carelessness and strode to her to
finish the job. He heard voices and wings above him.

He saw skia in the sky, in front of him, behind him: all around him. He
didn’t bother to count. He knew he was outnumbered sorely. Two grabbed a hold
of Drean and tried to pull him into the forest. Dejanto cut them both down.
With his will he instantly erected a dome-shield to deflect a torrent of
incoming arrows.

Riell felt hands grip her and pull her up.

“Thanks for getting here so fast.”

She felt the edge of a blade against her throat and the point of another
at her back.

“Stay on alert,” one said into a microphone. “She may have called
reinforcements.”

These aren’t from The Curtain...
Riell pretended to be unconscious
and tried to expedite healing by moving Inner into her wounds.

“Arrows didn’t affect him,” the other skia, Feit said. “Charlatans, erect
shields around the angel’s position and mine then volley explosives. Minimize
damage to The Park. Put out fires before they spread. Verill wants opposition
exterminated before he gets here, so be efficient. Send more elite skia. We
can’t be overwhelmed if those reinforcements show up.”

Opaque black covered them.

Dejanto dropped his shield and watched the volley of explosive arrows
come down. He raised his shield again and expanded it. As the dome rose into
the sky it brought the arrows up with it. Some of the skia noticed this and
escaped. Those left were killed when the sky combusted.

Skia swooped down to confront Dejanto in close combat. They surrounded
him and summoned spears to keep him at a distance.

A charlatan removed the dome around Drean and carried him off. Dejanto
let the charlatan get out of sight and siphoned energy from him.

He saluted his opponents and left his sword upright as they closed in. As
spear points neared he spun, extended the blade and slew several skia. He tried
to summon shadowpuppets to guard Drean but could not concentrate with all the
skia around him.

Arrows clinked against his armor. He knew he had to kill them quickly,
and it was not long before all the skia on the ground were slain.