Rise of the Fallen (11 page)

Cael stopped me in front of a closed bedroom door. I looked on silently, trying to mentally prepare myself for what I was going to see. Cael opened the door, and I saw two bodies lying side by side, their hands clasped together firmly. The bodies were intact; the only visible sign that Holly's parents weren't just sleeping was the completely horrific sight of their throats and necks.

Each neck was so completely decimated that the spinal cord was clearly visible. I looked away in horror. Cael sighed and muttered that they should be left exactly as they were until the instant that we were leaving. I breathed deeply to steady myself before looking back at the bodies. The only odour was the distinct smell of pure bleach. There were at least five empty four-litre bottles of bleach sitting discarded on the floor. No doubt it was the bleach that had eroded their throats, though their mouths showed no visible signs that any bleach had passed their lips. I doubted a toxicology screening would have identified the bleach; the demons responsible would have made sure that the cause of death was impossible to determine.

“Do you think maybe it was some demons from Legion Five?” Cael asked.

I shook my head before changing my mind, “I don't know, Cael, it could've been any number of demons.”

Cael nodded, “I thought of that.”

Cael led me out of the room, shutting the door securely behind us. We re-entered the lounge room, where Holly still sat quietly reading her novel.

“When are we leaving, Cael?”

Holly looked up, dropping the book to the floor. “You aren't leaving yet are you? You can't leave me alone!”

“We have to leave right now. We'll be back tomorrow for you, Holly,” Cael said reassuringly.

She just stared at him for a moment before nodding wordlessly.
Cael reached out for my hand and I took it instantly. He led me into the backyard and opened the pool gate, gesturing for me to go first. I walked past him and he followed close behind, letting the gate swing shut noisily. All the while I felt Holly's stare fixed on us – I couldn't understand how she could stay in that house all alone, knowing what had happened.

Cael put his hand on my waist and gently pulled me down into the cool, blue water. There was no resulting splash, nor the heart-stopping shock of the freezing cold water.

I looked around and saw we were in Montague Park, standing knee deep in the muddy Brisbane River. Cael quickly pulled me out and once again we were completely dry. The sky was dark, but it was no longer storming. The park was silent and Cael told me that it was probably only three in the afternoon.

“We have nowhere to go, Cael …” I turned to him slowly.

He looked down at me, then quickly looked away nervously before he spoke. “That doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're both okay.”

Cael hugged me to him and steered me toward the pathway. I don't know how far we walked or for how long, but we saw the sun set and rise, beckoning a new morning. I wasn't worried anymore; Cael would always be there for me.

CHAPTER 10

We had been walking for most of the morning. School wasn't an issue any longer; Cael had phoned in, claiming to be our father, and withdrawn us from Palomar State High School. There was nothing particularly upsetting in leaving high school for the umpteenth time. After all, I had learned all of this before, and probably had even lived during the most critical times in the world's development. But like I said, school wasn't the issue here.

The issue was moving without being followed or stopped by Dorian, Soul or anyone else who was looking for us. I hadn't been too concerned with moving until Cael began to make me increasingly aware of the risks of leaving. The most concerning side effect was being killed. Obviously, that was the least desired outcome. I mentioned this to Cael, but he simply shook his head with a smile.

I had almost forgotten about Holly over the long night and morning. It became clear to me that there had to be some sort of time difference between where she lived and where we were right now, but I hadn't noticed that before. When I asked Cael, he simply told me not to worry, everything would work out fine. He was one of the only people I could trust to look after me and I was completely fine with that.

Cael told me I should learn to trust Holly the same as I trusted
him, but I couldn't see that happening. At least, not any time soon.

I barely knew her – I had only met her once and I didn't trust her powers. Her parents' death was suspicious, with everything far too perfect and neat. I knew demons; they were anything but deliberate in their actions. They preferred to let things fall into place; they don't plan. It was for that reason that I couldn't bring myself to trust her.

Behind her deep, green eyes and that charming, doll-like face, she was hiding something. I didn't doubt for a second that demons were involved with Holly's parents' death, but I doubted the cause. It made no sense, and it shocked me that Cael was so quick to believe her.

I wanted to call Dorian and ask him if he knew anything about it, but with Cael around me at all times I couldn't find a moment alone to make the call. He probably wouldn't tell me much anyway, Dorian rarely did. Unlike Soul. Perhaps I was wrong and Soul wasn't like Dorian in every way, but they were still close. When Dorian spoke about Soul it was as though they were close companions or friends.

Cael wouldn't say it, but I knew that he was furious with me for hurting Soul. I had unleashed hell on us – literally. I knew Lilith wouldn't just let us leave, but we had to try. I barely knew what she wanted with me. It seemed impractical to only want
me
to join them.

Nevertheless, my ideas and opinions remained unheard. Normally that wouldn't have bothered me, except this time I had a feeling that I was right. It was pointless to argue though; Cael was only trying to take care of me … and Holly.

Half the day had passed and nothing particularly exciting happened, until my phone rang. Cael looked over at me with curiosity as I quietly answered.

“Emilie, I think you should tell Cael that you're not going anywhere. We're not going to let you, I promise you that.” Soul's voice sounded slightly broken with a tinge of regret.

“You can't stop me from leaving, Soul.” I had hesitated before
answering, worried my voice would reveal the uncertainty I felt.

The line was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “You sound tense, Emilie …”

“I'm fine and I … I'm leaving with Cael,” I stuttered.

“I don't believe you,” his voice was forceful. “You've changed your mind, haven't you? Where are you, I'll come and get you.”

“I can't … I want to leave with Cael,” I said in a stronger voice this time.

“You're lying. You don't know what you want,” he hissed. “Tell me where you are and you can stay with me forever.”

I looked over at Cael, my eyes wide. “But Soul, Dorian said you're furious with me, why would you take me back anyway?”

Cael looked at me in disbelief, mouthing the words, “Soul wants you back?”

I shrugged and waited for Soul to reply. It was a while before he spoke and when he did, his voice was angry.

“So you listened to Dorian? Emilie, you should know better than that. He was just messing with you. Trust me, Dorian is one of my closest friends and he's more pissed off about you leaving me than I am.”

“Oh gee thanks, that's a comfort!” I replied sarcastically.

“Oh my God, Emilie, you aren't seriously going to get offended by that, are you? You know I care about you. Dorian only cared that we lost the chance for a reward.” Soul's voice was both impatient and amused.

“So … all you cared about was a reward then?” I asked.

“What? No … No! That was just a bonus …” Soul mumbled the last part, aware that he was making things worse.

“Fine then, Soul. I'll tell Cael what you said. If that's all you wanted, I have things to do,” I said, my irritation growing.

“That's not all I wanted to talk to you about, Emilie,” Soul
interjected just before I hung up on him.

“Well what else then?” I asked.

I was far too annoyed to keep dealing with this mindless chatter.

Sure, I didn't trust Holly and didn't understand why Cael did, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to leave.

“Lilith knows about Holly and she wanted to warn you. Don't trust her, she will never trust you. She knew the demons who killed her parents. You can believe it if you want, or don't. I honestly couldn't care less, but I do care that you're in danger,” Soul spoke quickly.

I believed him. It would explain so much more … The demons wouldn't have tried to go after her because they already controlled her. And the only reason she made friends with Cael was to sell him to the demons that owned her.

Perhaps Soul was lying. It wouldn't be the first time a demon had lied, though it was strange that it seemed like he was trying to take care of me.

“I know,” I replied, ignoring Cael's looks of confusion.

“Also … I wanted to warn you that we won't let you leave. I know that I've said it before, but I just need to ask you not to fight back. I know Cael will, and they won't care. He'll be taken care of and I don't want to see you hurt so please don't fight back, Emilie.” Soul's voice was once again quick and now held a concerned tone.

“What do you mean?” I asked, as Cael shot me a look of confusion and anger.

“We will kill him if he fights back,” Soul's voice was bleak. “I just thought you should know that you have an hour to call back and tell me that you've changed your plans.”

My heart was racing and I glanced up at Cael.

“Emilie, what is he saying?” Cael asked.

I shook my head, “Please don't do this, Soul.”
He was silent for a moment. “I have no choice. Lilith makes the rules and I have no choice but to follow them. I'll do my best to protect you, Emilie, but that can only go so far.”

“Why would you want to protect me?” I asked. “You told me you had no reason to protect me anymore.”

Soul sighed loudly. “I didn't mean it, Emilie! I was angry; I said things I didn't mean.”

A quiet “okay” left my lips, almost without sound.

“I suppose this is it then. You have an hour … Don't make us do this, Emilie,” Soul warned before ending the call.

I nearly dropped the phone as I placed it back into my jacket pocket.

“What did he say, Emilie?” Cael asked, his voice flat and emotionless.

“We have an hour to ring him back to tell him we've changed our minds or they'll be here and they will kill you … They said Holly works for other demons too …” I said.

Cael shook his head. “They're lying, Emilie. Holly isn't evil, she's the victim. And as for them coming … Let them, I'll be waiting.”

I looked at him in disbelief. It was pointless trying to argue, so I stayed quiet. I didn't want him to get hurt, but I didn't want to stay either. I suppose that was what Lilith was banking on. The natural light was dim and waning, and in an instant the fluorescent lamps lit up the park in a bright, yellow-white light. It amazed me how even the artificial lighting had changed over the years and now seemed even more beautiful than the stars. I looked down at myself. I was barefoot and my dress was creased. I looked like hell.

“Don't stress, Emilie. Everything will be fine, alright?” Cael asked, walking over and hugging me tightly.

“Yeah, I'm not worried,” I lied.

It was easier to lie to him than to explain every doubt and thought
that was going through my mind. Having already seen the Emriahls, I had a terrible feeling that this was not going to end well. I doubted that Cael would be the casualty today – it would be me, but I wasn't going to risk his life. I had been so sure that my time hadn't come yet, but now I didn't know what to think. I had no intention of fighting back, so I drew the conclusion that Soul would kill me the instant he arrived. He said he wasn't angry, but I didn't know whether to believe him. Common sense would say he was lying in an effort to calm me down … but I had no idea what to believe.

Everything I'd ever done seemed pointless. They were on their way; I was a little unsure who Soul meant by “we”. When Cael turned and walked away towards another bench I reached for my phone. I stepped behind a rather large tree and dialled Soul's number. It rang once before he answered.

“You're staying?” Soul said, his voice honestly sounded happy.

I took a deep breath. “No … I just … I wanted to know who would be coming …”

Soul sighed. “It will be Dorian, Andre, Lilith and myself.”

“Who is Andre?”

“He's an upper-level shapeshifting demon,” Soul said.

“Oh …” I replied quietly.

“Why aren't you staying, Emilie?” he asked curiously.

“We've been through this before, Soul. Cael won't let me, and I don't want to. I don't want Cael to get hurt … Or me either, but I don't have much choice,” I whispered.

“But Lilith … She's going to be there, do you not understand what that means? No one but a select few have ever seen her. You have to understand how important it is to her that you stay.”

“I have to go … Bye,” I said, hearing Cael approaching on the soft grass.

I hung up before Soul could argue the point any further. I was
terrified; I was sure that I was going to die.

“Emilie, I'm going to get Holly, I won't be long. Just stay here so I know where to find you when I get back.” Cael squeezed my hand then walked away towards the river.

He hesitated at the riverbank, before turning back to me, smiling. He took a step and disappeared instantly. I looked up at the moon in the dimming light of the sky. It was unusual to see the moon this early, especially at this time of the year. I sat down on a faded wooden bench, which was in front of a tall paperbark tree. The park was silent and now that it was dark, the temperature had dropped by several degrees.