Elysium [Army of Lucifer #1]

Chapter One

© Stephanie Anne and Dee Atkins

                  Chapter One

 

The feeling of the frozen ground jolted Eleanor Ramsey out of her dream state, the faces around her blurring and multiplying as they stood above her.

Her heart raced, her palms sweaty and her breaths coming raggedly. She whipped her head around, trying to see, but everything was growing darker and darker. The world was spinning and there was nothing she could do to stop it, until a loud, ear-piercing scream filled the air.

The smell of blood was thick in the air, choking Eleanor as she attempted to breathe. She could barely see Cynthia at the end of the smoky hallway, rushing towards her, but her figure seemed too far away.

Eleanor's bare feet slapped against the cold, stone floor as she ran towards the other girl, hoping, praying that it wasn't too late. Her mind raced, her heart contracting, and bile rising in her throat at the stench of death and decay all around her. It was sickening.

This is all a mind game, she thought, clinging to the stone walls. It is Lucian’s way to train us. She swallowed down the bile and pushed forward, the ends of her skirts catching alight. She stopped only once to stamp them out, then made her way to the other girl, clutching her smaller hands in hers, unable to speak.

Eleanor stared straight into the other girl’s soulless black eyes and froze. The girl smiled, showing razor sharp fangs lining her mouth in two rows, and Eleanor realised just in time to reel back as the girl lunged, hissing venomously.

She pulled out a hidden blade and held it in front of her, deciding whether or not she would be better off beheading the dark haired girl before her, or not.

She always felt a sense of guilt and hesitation when she looked upon demons like her. They looked so innocent from far away. They looked so helpless. They looked fragile. But they weren't. Underneath all that they were monsters that wished to destroy and devour people like Eleanor. And if Eleanor had learnt one thing over the years of being stuck here, it was to not hesitate. And she didn't.

She swung the blade in an arc, the blow landing in the demon's chest. She twisted, hearing the familiar squelching sound, and pulled back, her arm jerking as the demon before her crumpled. Eleanor stood back and watched the hissing and spitting demon before she looked away, coughing.

And when she looked back at the crumpled heap the demon had begun to disintegrate, turning to ash. Eleanor just stood there and stared. No matter how many times she'd seen this happen it still shocked her, and she knew it shouldn't have.

Suddenly the world began to burn away, closing in on herself and the pile of ash until it was only her, and she opened her eyes to find that she was back in the training room, the only one awake while Lucian continued to play with the others’ minds.

Eleanor sat up slowly, blinking to clear her blurred vision and to gather her bearings. Lucian noticed her as soon as she'd moved and he sent a proud look her way before speaking.

"Well done. Miss Katherine is in the drawing room with afternoon tea. You are welcome to change and go wait in there." Eleanor nodded and stood, the trousers she wore still foreign, the tunic clinging to her skin.

With a short, curt bow Eleanor started to leave the room, but not before letting her eyes stray to her fellow Nephilim, stopping on Christopher to watch his struggle in his unconscious state. Eleanor gulped, looking away, and left the room for good.