There was Darklore within the keep. Evangeline cursed and gripped her weapon a little tighter. She tore through Warriod, her pace swift. She focused on locking down the panic and worry inside. Zeru was with Blair in a warrior dorm, he'd been headed there when she, Kleio and Gabe had taken DeeDee to the infirmary.
Her worry shifted to Morgana and Orion; neither of whom she'd seen all day. They had to be safe, dear gods they must stay safe. A handful of Angelus students appeared, in a flurry of movement, at the top of the staircase Evangeline was sprinting up.
'Girls, get to a defendable, secure location and help cast protection. Tell the same to all others you see.' she commanded as she dashed past them.
The girls glanced at each other, then at Evangeline who paused to nod at the corridor fork she was going to take a left at, then they took off down the right one. Evangeline paused for just a moment, watching as they splintered off and passed on the message to all who appeared, knocking on classroom doors as they went.
As she neared her destination a Master raced along the corridor beside Evangeline and as they got to the Upper Main Hall, a central place within Warriod, more students rushed into the room with them from various entrances to the place. A few moments later the girls Evangeline had sent to spread the word arrived with a dozen or so more students.
Headmaster Thantos' voice filled the air around them, and listening intently Evangeline paused to suck in a breath.
'Students, teachers, we are facing an invasion. If you can, proceed to the Upper Main Hall, or remain in your dorms; our Angyali guests will seal them with protection. Failing these options, I urge you to stay far from the lower levels where the main bulk of enemy forces are headed. Warriod students you know where our weapons are, arm yourselves. Defend your lives. Fight for each other, and protect the Angelus Candidates within our walls.'
His voice was curt, efficient, but there was a note of concern and care in its tone that made Evangeline feel better and for a moment she felt courage swell inside her chest.
Many students around Evangeline seemed to fill with similar resolve. A large number of students were collecting within the room already. More arrived over the next tense few minutes as Evangeline pushed through and around clutches of them in search of the faces she needed to see.
All in the hall nervously shifted as Masters and Angyali tutors gave out instructions. Evangeline scanned the room when she reached the opposite wall to where she entered.
He wasn't there.
Why wasn't he with the others?
Evangeline stiffened her spine, as the howling cry of Horde echoed through the corridors. She hovered near the door, unsure what to do. In the deep part of her chest, where most of her instincts and decisions came from, hummed out a warning, a protesting pulse in her very veins.
'Holly,' Evangeline snapped.
She gripped onto the arm of the passing candidate. The blonde, athletic angelus candidate was etching several summons runes onto her arm and cut Evangeline an impatient look. 'Holly have you seen Tien?'
Holly shook her head, wrenched her arm from Evangeline's hold, shot a withering look at the weapon in her hands and joined the ritual circle forming in the centre of the hall.
Evangeline glanced at the warrior and demi god candidates weaving around each other; reaching for weapons and settling into positions defending the two entrances into the Upper Main Hall. Then Evangeline baulked. Eros had been in the library. As Walker spotted her, Evangeline knew she only had seconds.
She shoved her shoulder into the candidate pulling closed the hall's doors closest to her, and darted past him, breaking into an all out sprint from the safety of the hall.
She skidded to a halt and ducked behind a large statue of a man astride a mighty stallion, as her uncle's clipped tones came towards her from the turn in the corridor.
'Phantom and Pheral Horde mostly. Master Elroy spotted a cohort of Skӧll on the lower levels near the east wing.'
His report was cut off as a god awful howl filled the keep. Evangeline covered her ears; the screams tore through her mind like a knife slash. The dark sky outside pressed against the windows and the shadows seemed to ripple on their own, as if curling out to explore her skin.
Evangeline bit down on a scream and stumbled round the statue. She prayed her uncle and whoever he was speaking with had moved on. She opened her eyes and breathed relief. As well as being ramrod straight, it was his back that faced her as he and Headmaster Thantos marched away.Her hand brought her quarterstaff close,
'Stay safe uncle.' she whispered.
Taking off in the opposite direction, she followed the soul deep alarm that moved her to return to the library, where, she feared this madness and chaos had been birthed. Evangeline sucked in breath.
Yes, she embraced the foreign certainty in her blood that told her the Darklore had originated from that place, why she hadn't figured that out earlier irked her as she ran.
Another, almighty, roaring groan erupted and Evangeline felt the very stone under her feet shudder. With each step towards the library the air grew colder, the shadows darker and more defined, mingled with every inhale of air, the unnatural stench of death and decay filled more of her breath. Evangeline froze; several feet from the library doors waited a monster.
Skӧll. Daemonic wolves; a horrific morphing of beast, man and blood, paced in front of the doors. The creature snarled the, scenting her presence in the air. Excitement filled its venomous ruby gaze as he turned towards her. Evangeline bit on her lip. This was a personal favourite of Satan's followers. Summoned in a blood sacrifice, skӧll grew stronger by feeding off the fear and panic of those around it.
The deformed monster's matted black fur and deadly mouth of poison laced fangs were bred to elicit terror and although Evangeline knew this, fear gripped her still. The skӧll patted towards her, its' head tipping almost like a pet dog would. The creatures' voice was coarse, gravelly, each word gurgled a little with the beginning to clot blood trails smeared around its jaws.
'Child of Michael... how sweet your young blood will be.'
'Stay back!' Evangeline shouted stupidly.
'The boy said that too... his blood was godly also, his scent matched yours.' the skӧll taunted.
His body slunk towards her, the predator marking his prey, 'Oh and how he screamed.'
The beast lunged, and Evangeline let out a shriek of her own. She flung herself left and only felt a light pawing of his sharp claws on her shoulder.
'I am not entirely defenceless you know,' Evangeline countered.
Her quarterstaff came down to slice along the beast's back. His howl burst her ear drums and the ringing distracted her as the creature rounded, swiping at her chest as she lurched back. Evangeline lashed out, the tip of her weapon embedding into the flank of the beast.
The monstrosity reared up, his powerful jaws snapping the weapon in two so only the splintered end remained in his flesh, the broken other half he tossed behind him, his deadly jaws now standing between Evangeline and her weapon.
'I'm curious, fledgling, what you plan on doing now?' he snarled, blood splattering the fur and floor at his feet.
'Evangeline, duck!!'
Tien's voice hammered into Evangeline's attention, on instinct she dropped to the ground, her body embracing the cool stone. A moment later a low whistling sound registered; followed by a sickening sucking pop, and a brutal whining.Evangeline looked up in time to see the daemon retreating limply down the corridor. An arrow lodge into his left eye; blood pouring over its' jaws and into fur, another in his side.
Tien held out a hand as Evangeline struggled to her feet. The claw marks on her shoulder and over her collarbone stung and pulsed with pain, but she gritted her teeth and clapped Tien on the back. As she moved and bent to pick up the remaining splintered end of the quarterstaff, another ominous groan filled the corridor. The pair of them darted their gazes to the end of the corridor but nothing appeared, Evangeline could sense Tien's nerves, so she reached over and hugged her friend.
'Great shot, Miss Everdeen.' she teased.
Tien rolled her eyes at Evangeline, a knowing look at what Evangeline had hoped to do thick in her eyes. Tien placed another bolt into her bow and jerked her chin towards the library. Evangeline nodded and together the two girls rushed to the library doors. Evangeline took a breath and flung them open.
*
Chaos met them. Shocked into stunned statues the two of them tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Dark waves of icy wind and anarchy filled the vast area. Books littered the ground. Bookshelves were topped like Jenga blocks over the floor and against the walls. Paper fluttered about the air, a vortex of Darklore and blustery air filled the room.
'Holy Heh-el...' Evangeline whispered.
Over the rushing howl of the stormy airstream, a male's scream reached them. As Tien and Evangeline watched, a Demi God candidate stumbled towards the entrance, gripping his head as he staggered.
'Eros!' Tien cried out.
She moved to step into the vortex. Evangeline grabbed her by the waist.
'Wait. The Darklore in there is too dangerous!'
'But we have to help him.'
'I know, just please wait a second.' Evangeline pleaded.
Her sense of danger, of warning flared up like a match in her mind. The Darklore seemed contained to the library, the dark storm trapped in the one room. But Evangeline sensed that might change if they stepped over the threshold. The last thing anyone needed was for this insanity to expand beyond the doors, but then Eros screamed again. His shout of 'no' iced the blood in her veins. Tien yelled out, her hands stretching towards him.
'Eros!! Please, please Eros, come to us, just a few more steps! Please!'
She shouted again and again to him and her voice seeming to amplify and swell with care and love until it echoed louder than the storm.
He staggered more and stumbled over an overturned desk chair, but eventually, he was nearly within their reach. His eyes, pressed tightly shut, streamed with tears of blood. Just as the two girls were able to grab his arms, he yelled out a heart wrenching sound.
'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!' he screeched.
His eyes snapped open, the usual intense brown of them veiled in a milky shade. He slammed Tien and Evangeline aside, breaking into a dead run out the room and away from the darkness. Tien glanced at Evangeline for only a second, long enough for Evangeline to nod before Tien sprinted after her Demi God.
Evangeline never prayed. But for one, fleeting, calming moment, she let herself pray to whoever might be listening; to get them through this. She opened her eyes again and wavered as she took in the library, unsure if she was brave enough to enter but certain nothing would improve if she left.
Then another male cry made the decision for her. The tendrils of Darklore swayed and parting a little for a second she saw Adonis and Alecto; battling with the summoned Darklore deeper in the library.
'Adonis! Alecto!' Evangeline shouted.
Her feet moved independently of her brain and she stepped over the threshold. The tendrils of Darklore pierced her skin as an arctic chill would. Dimly, she was aware of the sound of shattering glass, the windows blew apart and she shielded her eyes, feeling the wind cut at her skin.
Evangeline fought her way through the dark curtains of Darklore at a slower pace than she liked. It was as if the darkness in the room was a physical weight on her body, slowing her down and giving her a harder struggle.
The roar of the vortex was almost unbearable, the paper whipped into a frenzy about her. One caught her cheek and she felt warm blood slide down her face. The tendrils quivered and she cried out, slapping at the curious one trying to curl against her face.
'Get away!' she shouted foolishly.
Knowing deep down that the Darklore was not going to listen, but for her own sanity she needed to scream. Tripping over a toppled bookshelf she fell, and as her hands sank into the pulsing mass of Horde tendrils covering the floor, her mind was pierced by this poison and she screamed as Eros had done.
The others see your failings, you can never be good enough
....DeeDee is much prettier than you. -- like she didn't know that?Your uncle kept all this from you, let you grow up isolated... -- she should want to hurt him.
Evangeline scrunched up her face, the pain in her mind intensified and the multitude of voices grew louder, their words a bitter, soul deep agony.
'Stop.' she whispered.
Her eyes were hot with tears and as she brought her fists to her temples to try and rub away the thoughts, the dark voice, her voice, merely laughed. It was all her deepest fears and concerns made real in a poisonous version of her own voice giving reality to her subconscious weaknesses, flaws, doubts.
I am pathetic, barely able to trust. How can this world be part of me?
...Simple virgin girl, playing at a heroine...
Your stranger parents would be ashamed of your struggles.
Her parents...
The ones that had died protecting her and countless others. Evangeline opened her eyes, seeing through hazy vision Alecto and Adonis; their fight much less strong and determined now. She forced herself up, stretching out a hand. Behind them she could almost see another figure beyond the balcony doors, stood in the darkness, looking in.
The outline shifted and the swirling madness whirred with greater force. With an almighty roar and crack, the stone wall behind Adonis split apart. Stone upon glass, upon stones shuddered and crashed together as the side of the wall and balcony came undone and plummeted to the ground. The wailing howl of wind rushed in and met the already swirling current within.
Evangeline felt the two parts collide and as the floor shook and more stone fell away, down into the dark night she lost balance, having to struggle back up from her sore knees that had taken the impact of the fall.
'Adonis, take my hand!' she screamed.
Only in this close range could she see the deep gouges in his torso and down his shoulder. The claw marks marred his otherwise perfect body and in seeing the ugly horror Evangeline's heart ripped apart.
This was a descendent of Herakles and Venus herself! One of the few close relations she had left. His leg looked mangled, and yet he fought on, the pain not besting him.
Evangeline was not losing him to Darklore. Not while she had strength left. She heard Alecto cry out beside her as a desk upturned in the chaos and collided with his head. He went down and the Phantom tendrils began to inch closer to his prone form.
A Pheral Horde appeared in the jagged rubble once standing as the east wall of the library, his hand, tendrils of Darklore, not quite corporeal stretched out and gripped Adonis by the ankle. Others around them chuckled and Evangeline shook. They were targeting Adonis, why?!
As an aftershock rumbled through the floor, Adonis lost his footing, and in the confusion the Horde gripping his ankle aided the vortex whipping about them and with a final tug Adonis tumbled out of the gaping hole behind him.
'NO!'
Evangeline didn't think, slashing the Darklore coiling around her waist with her quarterstaff, she sprinted across the few last steps of remaining ground and flung herself out the library. Adonis was plunging towards the ground. A mosaic of rubble, jagged and deadly seemed to stretch out in hopes of catching him.
'Ostende mihi alas permisit eos exire, liceat mihi CONSCENDO!' Evangeline exclaimed.
As her arms closed around Adonis' midriff, she felt warm heat drench her back and shoulder blades. 'Show me my wings, allow them to come forth, allow me to soar.' Evangeline whispered the words again, the English version of her summons feeling right on her lips.
For the briefest of seconds nothing else happened but then light exploded from behind her and a fluttering warmth filled her from her core outward until she felt it everywhere. Silk strength filled the length of her shoulder blades as if sensing a part of her body for the first time after waking. The sensation ran on, further and further until glorious white wings surrounded Evangeline. With a fluid beat of power and purpose; she and Adonis rose from their fall and almost death upon the ground.
On reaching the rough opening that had been created by the Darklore, Evangeline placed Adonis gently on the now quiet library floor. The tendrils of poison seemed to be subdued, and scurried away like the vermin they were as the Elysium light filling each feather, banished them. The immediate area around her remained bright and warm.
Evangeline barely registered her new acquisition, that part of her so responsive it arched up protectively without her really thinking on it. It was like a muscle she had never noticed before but instinct promised she'd know how to use it now she remembered it was part of her body.
The Horde began to recover from her blast of Elysium, phantom Horde grasping out and probing closer. Evangeline dipped to where she'd placed Adonis' battered body, she dug into her jeans pocket for the summons ink stick each angelus candidate had been ordered to carry with them and drew a rough circle into the ground around Adonis.
A circle of protection.
A circle promising his fight would be repaid.
A circle of safety, at least if she summoned it correctly.
The tendrils recoiled, feeling the new strength in her protection summons. Then scoring a lightning styled line in the northern most area of the circle she locked in the protection. The markings glowed a little in obedience and she murmured.
'By the grace of Elysium, protect him.'
The feathers rustled behind her and the light intensified around Adonis. Evangeline finished the mirrored marking on the back of her hand, rose and turned to the next problem. Alecto was surrounded, his body crawling with Darklore. Evangeline scored two symbols onto her palms and brought her hands together.
The vortex around them rumbled, the darkness whipped at her but the sting of the lashes was minimal, her wings beat most of it back. A roar from Horde in the area made her skin crawl. She wasn't sure what to summon. Fear sliced her mind for a moment but she ignored the voices, and yelled intuitively over the racket.
'Release Alecto! Light of Elysium, of Angyali before me, help me now.'
The beam of light tore through her muscles but Evangeline held firm and the light manifested as a laser of strength that shredded the tendrils crawling over Alecto.
In her focus, she missed the danger. In a howl of vengeance, the skӧll Evangeline thought defeated launched himself at her and his jaws crunched down on her forearm.
Evangeline screamed. Pain exploded from the point where sharp teeth punctured her skin and raced up, spreading throughout her body. Evangeline fell to her knees as the wolf daemon snarled, refusing to relinquish her arm. Please gods, Evangeline prayed, don't let me die. . .
~