AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
SARIEL
Iwas being watched.
It shouldn’t have surprised me. I had been assigned to track down a particular nest of hellion demons and they didn’t take kindly to strangers on their turf when they had staked a claim.
Hellions had spilled out onto the earth five years earlier when a powerful fallen angel had broken out of the Pit of Tartarus where he had been imprisoned for thousands of years. Determined to release his fellow fallen angels and the nephilim they had spawned, Shemyaza had formed a cult of supporters who had enabled him to finally open the gates and release the evil contained within. Thanks to the actions of a team fromthe very organisation I now worked for, Shemyaza had been defeated, and those that the Pit had been built for were returned to their eternal prison. The beings that had spilled forth from the Pit with them, however, had not been cursed by God, and therefore were not pulled back inside when the Gates were sealed once more. Tens of thousands of these creatures now walked the earth, and the relative ignorance humanity had lived in for millennia was now broken. They knew demons walked among them.
I moved further into the dark alleyway; my senses heightened as I searched for evidence of the entrance to the nest. Hellions were of less than human or demon intelligence, but higher than animals. They possessed no emotion, but a malicious desire to kill. They fed on bodies of humans, demons, angels, but it wasn’t hunger that drove them to kill. Spawned from the worst of our kind, the fallen angels, and the anathema nephilim, hellions were driven by hatred and a gleeful cruelty, and they hunted humans for sport. They gathered in nests, more powerful in numbers, and my organisation now had teams of agents specifically designated to track down these nests and wipe the creatures out.
I was one of those agents for the time being, and I moved further into the shadows, feeling that primal prickle on the back of my neck that let me know I was in danger. I was almost certain the nest lay down here. It was one of the roughest parts of the city, and rubbish lay in piles down the alley, concealing who knew what. I picked up the scent of old blood, and rot, and guessed there was at least one corpse hidden under weeks old newspapers, broken pallets, and black bin bags. I should return to headquarters and report my findings. Although tracking the hellions was my designation, I was not permitted to take them on alone, and I didn’t work well in teams. I was however, onehell of a tracker, and my organisation had put me to work, tracking the nests before calling in the hit squads.
I didn’t like to return without proof though, a feeling wasn’t evidence. I ventured further down the alley, turning a corner so the main road disappeared from view. Concrete buildings towered above me, their windows black and lifeless, the lower levels covered in metal grates to protect the aged glass. The graffiti down here was abundant, but old. No one had brought a can of spray paint down here in a long time. Even humans were attuned enough to their survival to sense when they shouldn’t be somewhere.
A rustle up ahead had my skin breaking out in goosebumps, but from anticipation rather than from fear. I could more than handle myself. In fact, I was gearing for a fight. None of the current supernaturals at our branch could best me in a fight, and my skills were not exactly being put to good use. I slid my hand underneath my trench coat, brushing my fingers over the hilt of my sword. I’d had to return my military armour and weapons when I’d been cast out from Heaven, and the sword I carried now was nowhere near the quality as my old one, but it served a purpose, and my angelic powers hadn’t been taken from me. I was still an angel, just on probation.
I moved past a pile of soggy cardboard boxes and into the space where the alley opened out into some kind of loading space. The prickling sensation increased, and the shadows around me seemed to grow darker. The alleyway was now engulfed in an eerie silence, broken only by the distant hum of the city beyond. The air cooled and I smiled. It was a trap. Maybe I was still in some favour with the Almighty. I wasn’t allowed to engage the enemy except in self-defence, but if I’d innocently walked into a trap, I was allowed to defend myself.
I slipped my hand under my coat again, drawing the sword slowly, enjoying the scrape of the metal against the hilt. Theshadows grew, as did my smile. This should be fun. The air crackled with anticipation, charged with the energy of impending combat. A chill wind whispered through the narrow space, carrying with it the faint scent of decay and malevolence. From the depths of the abyss, they emerged one by one — animalistic shadow demons, grotesque and formidable. Their feral eyes gleamed with malice; their razor-sharp claws extended in anticipation. These creatures were no match for a powerful angel like me; they were mere pawns in a cosmic game I had grown accustomed to.
I didn't react, except to charge my blade. The sleek steel blazed with a white fire that illuminated my surroundings with its brilliant light. The red lights of eyes flickered and a hissing came from around me, but the hesitation lasted no more than a couple of seconds, and then the demon creatures lunged at me, their claws slashing through the air with a ferocity that matched their vile nature. With a graceful twirl of my blade, I unleashed a surge of pure celestial energy that cascaded through the air like a radiant comet. The luminescent trails of white fire danced before me, illuminating every corner of the alleyway. The shadow demons recoiled, momentarily blinded by the brilliance that emanated from my weapon.
Seizing this advantage, I lunged forward with an agility and precision that came from thousands of years of training. My blade sliced through the shadows like a scythe through wheat, severing demonic limbs and dispelling their malevolent essence with each stroke. The clash of steel against shadow filled the night as sparks erupted from every impact — a symphony of battle that resonated deep within my soul.
As the creatures lunged at me, I effortlessly spun and countered each one, their wicked claws deflected by my blade. The air around us crackled with arcane energies, and the scent of singed furs filled the air. My heart raced as adrenaline coursedthrough my veins, invigorating me with a strength and speed beyond human comprehension. I was lost in the exhilaration of combat, every slash a dance of death. The air around me was thick with the stench of blood and ozone, the stale odour of shadowy energies being vanquished.
One of the demons lunged at me, eyes burning with hatred and desperation. I dodged its clumsy strike, spinning round to cleave its deformed head from its body with one stroke. The head bounced across the ground as another demon came for me, barely discernible in the darkness, till the light of my sword revealed its charge. I deflected its claws, shearing some of them from its elongated hands and it screamed at me, its unearthly voice like an icy knife through my head. I stumbled back, and two of them came at me, sensing my recoil. Claws raked for the soft skin of my stomach, but I turned at the last moment, avoiding those lethal blades. The creature's body slammed into mine, and the impact nearly caused me to lose my balance. I staggered backwards, and used the momentum to spin around and cleave the legs out from under the creature that was still coming. Screaming, it collapsed to the ground, claws still reaching for me. I brought my heel down hard on its hand, and with a final stroke of my blade, split its head in two.
The remaining demons howled in frustration, their ferocity unmatched, but they were outmatched, outclassed, utterly outclassed by a being born of celestial fire. Smaller demons realised their folly and melted away into the shadows, but one last challenge was issued to me; a creature bigger than the others, the nest alpha, I was sure. Legs that looked decidedly goat-like held up a hunched humanlike body from which numerous dark tentacles stretched. I swung for the thing, but those cursed tentacles blocked my every swing, bottomless black eyes tracking my every move.
Again and again, I struck at the creature, and every time it blocked me. On one occasion, a tentacle wrapped around my blade, and it howled painfully, but held on as it dragged me forward. Two more tentacles wrapped around my body pulling me closer into its dark, deathly embrace, the suckers burning through my silk blouse and into my skin. I gritted my teeth, fighting back with all my strength. The eyes took on an expression of glee, and I recognised its certainty in the outcome of this match. I immediately went limp in its grasp, dropping my sword down between us, and the creature gave a growl of triumph, jerking my body hard towards it. I wrapped my second hand around the hilt of my sword, holding it firmly as the creature impaled itself deeply. It screamed in agony as the white fire burned at its inside and it released me instantly.
It pulled back as I staggered away, recoiling as I came back for it. There was no way I was letting this thing crawl away to heal. I ran towards it, and the tentacles came up again, but this time I was ready. I veered to the side, using the walls of the alley to run up a few steps and spring onto the thing's shoulders, bringing my sword down with two hands solidly into the base of its spine. It didn't scream this time, just collapsed to the ground, hurling me across the alley. I held my sword in tight, and hit the ground, rolling, and coming back to my feet as the tentacled creature gave a gurgling noise and struggled to rise.
I leaped into the air and came down on the creature's back with my sword buried deep in its spine. The beast let out an ear-splitting shriek, its body contorting in agony, before crumpling to the ground. I kept my eyes on it for a few moments more as my breathing slowed. The remaining demons, seeing their brethren vanquished, retreated into the darkness from whence they came, their malevolent cackling still echoing in the now-empty alleyway.
In the aftermath of the fight, I stood alone, the fire of my blade slowly dying down, leaving behind a faint glow around my feet. The demonic stench had dissipated, and I took a moment to collect myself, my heart still pounding with the adrenaline rush of the fight.
A slow clap sounded behind me, and I turned to see a tall man wearing an expensive looking wool coat standing in the alley behind me. He continued his slow applause for a few moments more, but I ignored him as I sheathed my blade.
"Quite a show, Commander Sariel. Forgive me, but I was under the impression that you were merely meant to locate the nest, not dispatch its inhabitants?"
I smiled sweetly at him. "The nest became aware of my presence, and I was forced to defend myself, L- Euriel."
My smile faded slightly at my vocal slip up. The man in front of me was not human. Until five years ago, he had been an angel Lord, second in command to the entire host of Heaven until he had come to earth to investigate claims of a new nephilim on earth. He had become part of the team that had defeated Shemyaza, but his victory was not spoken about amongst our kind. Whilst on earth he had fallen prey to the seduction of another supernatural female, and he had chosen to fall from Heaven rather than return to serve his God. The shock of Euriel's fall had sent reverberations through the hosts, and it had unsettled our community greatly. Angels required discipline, focus and consistency, and something like this had stirred them up. The idea that one as esteemed as Euriel, Gabriel's right hand, would fall from Heaven for lustful pleasure was almost too much to conceive. It had left an opening at Gabriel's side; one I had almost earned until my own betrayal. But I hadn't fallen. I was merely punished for my indiscretion, and I would earn my way back. I would make Gabriel see he needed me. Euriel simplywaited as my thoughts ran riot, and I fought to get them under control.
"As I was in a position to observe you, I shall report the same, Commander Sariel. Clearly one such as yourself would not disobey orders from a superior officer, so it must be as you say."
A small smile played about his lips, and I snorted at the reference to a superior officer. My so-called superior was a low-level demon, who I could easily dispatch back to hell should the whim take me. But Gabriel himself had assigned me to the Concordia as my punishment, and part of my punishment was the shame and humiliation of working alongside these unholy creatures. It was a punishment I had to bear with dignity if I wanted to regain my position. So, I held my head high as I walked back towards Euriel.
"Thank you, Euriel, I appreciate the support, but it’s just Sariel now." My tone was polite but clipped and he sighed.
"You know, if you just relaxed a bit Sariel, this might not be quite the prison sentence you see it as."
I paused to look at him. "I was sent here as a punishment, Euriel. By our Lord Commander. A prison sentence is exactly what it is, and I shall not lessen my sentence by trying to find earthly pleasure in this life. I shall endure the sentence as it was meant to be endured, with rightful shame and regret for my actions."
Euriel rolled his eyes but followed me out of the alley. Did he sense my lie, I wondered. I was ashamed, and I would see out my punishment as Gabriel saw fit, like I told Euriel, but not once had I regretted my actions that had led me here. Euriel might not realise that, but Gabriel knew, and I sighed at the thought of how long this punishment might last.
