Afterburn: Clavicula Nox Series 1

Chapter 1

A/N

The picture above is how I picture Leo... soooo handsome ♥ Erin

***

Two men sat in a dim throne room. One man sat on the throne and the other was standing behind him watching the bright, clear display of mist before them.

The mist seemed to be alive or as if it was a television displaying a TV show, but instead it showed an image of a warehouse where a woman was decapitating a group of men with their own weapons. These dead men had been so careless in not tying her to the chair properly and allowing her to have access to their guns and knifes was complete bought of idiocy.

The woman, only wearing her bra and panties, now splattered with her prior captors blood stood over the bodies breathing heavily taking the gun in her hand and shooting the large, balding man finally in the face before the mist dissipated with a wave of the man in thrones hand.

The man standing behind the throne shook his head causing his long blond locks to stray into his face and he pushed them away grumbling before walking in front of the man on the throne, "Perhaps now is not a good time for us to approach her?"

The man sitting in the throne grunted before opening his closed eyes and glared at the blond man with his dark soul penetrating eyes. Flashes of fire appeared in his eyes before disappearing, "There will never be a more opportune time."

"I could handle this mission alone." The blond man urged, almost begging as he attempted to look very serious.

The man with the dark eyes shook his head, "Leo, you have been my faithful servant for almost a century. She will help you to blend in among the humans."

Leo scoffed and pushed his hair further away from his face, "If we are successful, I will receive my wings and she her soul. Are you sure you wish to offer this to her? I am sure during the next turn of the moon she will feel the call to come to you? She was so close to succumbing to it during the last turn."

Rage bubbled in the man and he growled causing the floors to shake and rumble, "SILENCE!"

Leo raised his hands in a show of peace, "I apologize, Lucifer."

The enraged man, Lucifer exhaled and stood from his throne, "Go now. Find the traitors that wish my destruction, get your wings back and free her from my curse."

Leo bowed and backed out of the room into darkness. Fires raged over the fields of Hell as he looked out of the openings of the stone walls. Hopefully this would be the last time he would gaze upon those burning fields of souls crying out in pain and agony.

Sighing Leo shook his head before turning from the windows and muttered to himself, "Oh Sophia, what hell you have caused."

***

Sofia didn't stop the knee-jerk reaction as her hand swiped the knife from her knee high boots and held it pointed under the small table against Leo's groin.

Neither of them moved, they just stared at each other, Sophia silently begging him to try something so she could use the knife digging into Leo's jean covered leg.

Around them no one noticed. The coffee shop was as peaceful as it had always been. People were talking and laughing, completely unaware that a fallen angel was among them. Leo was the first to break eye contact and he let out a deep sigh before running his fingers threw his now long hair.

The last time Sophia had seen him, his hair was cropped short or as the humans would call it a "military" style. Now it was long, over his ears and was unkempt, as if he had just rolled out of bed.

"Can you remove the knife from my groin now? I'm not here to hurt you." He raised his hands in a show of peace. He pulled up the sleeves of his black shirt, "See. No weapons."

Not convinced Sophia eyed the distance from where they were sitting to the front doors and wondered if it would be quicker to make her escape through the back kitchen doors.

"There is no where for you to run. I will find you, but I only wish to talk to you." Leo pushed the mug closer to her, "I knew this was your favorite. It would be an insult to the serving girl if you did not at least drink some."

"Waitress." Sophia spoke softly not moving to take the offered cup and didn't remove the knife.

"What?" Leo leaned closer to hear her.

"She isn't called a serving girl, she is called a waitress, the male version is called a waiter." Sophia shook her head and finally removed the knife, slipping it back into her boot.

They returned to silence and the staring contest resumed until Leo chuckled absently, "I should have guessed out of the two of us, I would be the chatty one."

Sophia brushed a curl of her long dark brown hair away from her face, but didn't laugh or smile. She had always appeared so innocent to Leo but he knew she portrayed herself as a victim to seduce her prey, but Leo knew she was not to be tested. He had never seen her smile in the time that he had seen her in the depths of Hell.

"Did he send you after me?" Sophia questioned him gifting him with the same glare Lucifer had gifted Leo only a few days ago.

Leo leaned back in the booth and looked solemn, "He did, but not for the reason you're thinking." Leo looked around and looked out the window taking in the scenery before uttering softly, "There's been an uprising."

Sophia felt her eyebrows raise and couldn't stop the question from pouring out, "Is he..."

Leo shook his head, "No. He's been able to handle it down below, but those that wish him harm have fled to Earth. They mean to conquer the human realm."

"What about the angels? Can't they do anything?" Sophia looked around making sure others weren't listening and instinctively brought a hand up to rub her scar between the crux of her neck and shoulder, thankful her black jacket covered it completely.

"They say it's his problem and his fault that so many escaped from down below." Leo leaned down on the table and crossed his arms, "He has a proposition for you."

Sophia shook her head, "I want nothing to do with it or him."

Leo scoffed, "Come on Soph. Hear me out, millions of innocent people will lose their souls. He doesn't want that to happen and I know you don't either."

Sophia looked outside the window and watched as a human mother and child walked with their arms swinging and laughing threw the snowy park across the street. Sophia couldn't remember a time when she had been happy. Her past life before Hell was so distant and long ago that she couldn't recall it.

"How do these demons intend to conquer Earth exactly without the big guy upstairs having something to say about it?" Sophia hissed then staring into Leo's eyes scanning for any hint of a lie.

"They've taken certain weapons from Hell that Lucifer used in his uprising over Heaven. Though they cannot use these without summoning very powerful demons, demons that have been put to rest millennia ago. We need to find the rogues and destroy them before they are able to do so. Lucifer has sealed off the gateways to Hell until further notice. No one gets in and no one gets out." Leo pulled three sheets of paper from his back pocket and straightens them out on the table.

The first was a crude drawing of a sword, the hilt designed to that of fire encircling it to the tip, "This is the Flaming Sword. It had been split into three pieces, but Lucifer won it back. It's power is unstoppable."

The second paper was that of a mangled and warped looking staff of wood, "This is the Staff of Moses. It was used to produce the ten Egyptian Plagues. It's power is unstoppable against humans and angels alike."

The third piece of paper showed a drawing of a hexagon with markings and lines drawn all throughout the center. "This is an Enochian sigil. Enochian is language of the archangels, very powerful. It is said that Michael came down onto Earth disguised as a human man and attempted to find one who was so pure of heart, mind and body that could understand this language. He found a woman and blessed her with a child with this mark. This child, wherever he or she is, is in danger and we must get to he or she before the rogues do. They have Lucifer's book of Enochian. It has the power to smite anyone, but only if you can read it, hence they need Michael's child."

Sophia's mind swam and she shook her head in confusion as Leo folded the papers neatly before sliding them back in his pocket, "Why doesn't he just come to Earth and finish the rogues off himself?"

"He can't leave Hell. Someone has to keep down below under control and who better than their King?"

Sophia rolled her eyes before giving him a deadpan look, "What's in it for me?"

Leo smiled and and leaned over the table in her direction before gesturing for her to come closer. As Sophia leaned down she felt herself shiver at being so close to Leo as his whispered, "What you've always wanted...your soul."

***

A/N

Dun Dun DUNNNNNNN.... her soul!! Her SOUL!!! This is what she has always wanted!!! 

Okay y'all, let me know what you think so far in the comments and please be so gracious as to smash that vote button if you think Afterburn is deserving!  Enjoy! ♥ Erin