Treachery : book 2 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Time froze. The defenders stood ready and waiting. They were braced for the flood that was about to surge through the gate. The army of Hell was all watching the figure in crimson armour. They didn't need to hear any shouted order. The simple motion of swinging the blade was all the signal they needed. Lucifer looked from Odin to Jason who she saw was staring daggers at her. He still believed that she was Satan and clearly he was just begging for an excuse to jump off the wall and kill her. The crimson blade in her hand began to shake as her hand trembled. She had no choice, there was no other option. Even if she refused and tried to flee, the Demon commander would give the order and then come for her. He probably had direct orders from Satan to kill her. Again Lucifer silently prayed for forgiveness.

A small gap appeared in the clouds and a golden shaft of light poured down directly onto Lucifer. What? The princess of Hell looked around wildly expecting to see some new magical attack from the Aesir gods but it wasn't from them. She looked up directly into the golden glow. Wait, no! it can't be! The golden light penetrated her armour and began to seep inside her. She could feel it warming her heart, warming her mind, it eased the aches and pains of her wounds. She could feel it warming her soul. The light flowed on and on burning brighter and hotter. It began to illuminate every dark corner of her mind, it revealed every lie, every sin. Nothing could hide from the light as it laid bare every secret Lucifer had ever tried to hide. Even the truths she had tried to hide from herself were exposed. The light was becoming a raging inferno inside her, surely any second now she would burst into flames and be reduced to ash. Lucifer screamed at the sky, this light saw everything, there was no escaping it, no running or hiding from it. The princess of Hell screamed in horror, in misery and utter shame. The sword dropped from her hand and plunged point first into the ground.

"No! It can't be! Please no!"

Lucifer screamed her fury and rage up into the shaft of light, she unstrapped her helmet and tossed it aside. She basked in the warmth of the light as poured down her. Her tear soaked face had a stricken look. The whole thing lasted just seconds, the clouds closed over and the golden light vanished as quickly as it had come. Lucifer let out a moan of sheer misery. No one moved, no one even dared to breathe. The army of hell looked at the crimson blade sticking in the ground. What did it mean? That wasn't an order to attack. Under her breath Lucifer whispered a name "Omael" she kept looking at the spot where the light had come from, begging for it to return but it didn't, her mind was racing with countless questions. Lucifer unfurled her beautiful black angel wings and screamed at the sky one last time before hurling herself into the air and flying faster than she ever had in her entire life, never once did she look back at the battlefield or care about the consequences of leaving.

Upon the ramparts, Odin scowled. That shaft of golden light shouldn't have existed. But then, Lucifer shouldn't exist or the so called kingdom she was once from. He continued to scowl at the rapidly shrinking form in the sky. There was so many strange things at work, he had much to think on, much he needed to discuss with Kvasir but for now there was a battle to finish. Questions and musings could wait.

Next to Odin, Jason stood ridged as he watched the princess of Hell fly away. He couldn't get his mind around what he was feeling. He had almost killed her. He had known who she was as soon as she spoke. "Go ahead, finish it!" as soon as he realised it wasn't Satan he was fighting, he found that he just couldn't deliver the killing blow. Jason would never admit it out loud but he actually liked Lucifer, he liked her intelligence and sharp wit. He even respected her. He sensed that Lucifer was one of those dark souls that may have a terrible past or evil history, but she was now clearly repentant and trying to redeem herself, seeking absolution perhaps? Of course he had no proof of any of that, it was just what his gut feeling told him. Eva was stood next to Jason also watching the princess flee she sent a thought to his mind