On Broken Wings

Chapter 9

Lucifer

Cassius walked away, taking my heart with him. I longed to keep him by my side, where I know for sure he'd be protected the most, but I could not take the risk. Satan is not to be messed with. I have not sent up a prayer in eons, but for Cassius I did. I swallowed what little pride I had left and turned to a higher power.

Please, keep him safe.

"My lord."

I turned to find Malik, the warrior's leader standing before me, a small platoon of guards behind him. They were armed with spears, made with the metals of the earth. "Is this all?"

"Yes, my lord. We ask for your orders." Malik bowed his head respectfully. I recalled the day of his Falling, how even then his eyes shown with courage and strength.

"Man the towers and the perimeter of the village. I suspect there is only one enemy in our midst, but that does not mean to relax. Be on watch and call the signal at the first sight of anything off, even if it's the smallest detail."

"Yes, my lord. Is that all?"

"Give me a spear."

Shock flashed across face. "You'll be going alone?"

"He's here for me," I said, accepting the spear he offered me. I tested its weight, tossing it from hand to hand. "I cannot ask you to risk your lives for me."

I've already taken enough from you.

Malik knew better than to argue with me. He bowed again stiffly; disagreement written clear on his expression. "Yes, my lord."

Even now, his loyalty shown through. I know Malik will not disobey, not even if I did order him and his warriors to their death. What I had done to warrant such faith, I do not know, but I've long since accepted his devotion to me, to Eden. He led his warriors away, casting one last glance at me before turning to his duties as head protector for the Fallen.

The sounds of nature subsided, birdsong cut off, the whispering trees silenced. The forest grew still as I walked through it; a calm before the storm that was waiting to happen. A calm before the storm that I so deeply dreaded, the storm I feared just as much as Cassius's future.

I did not search for a trail, for footprints in the soft soil or broken tree branches. I simply walked deeper into the wood, heart beating erratically, so loud I could hear the blood roaring in my ears. What was coming for me was waiting for the time to strike, and I could do nothing but anticipate it. Anticipate him. The bloodlust in his amethyst eyes, his constantly morphing body, changing shape to better suit his spontaneous emotions.

"Lucifer," a voice purred, almost endearingly.

I did not need to turn around to know who it was. "Asmodeus." I gripped my spear tighter.

"It's been too long," the lust incarnate said, placing a cold hand on my shoulder, leaning in to hiss into my ear. "Decades? Centuries? I'm afraid I've lost count."

I whipped around, forcing his hand away with the blunt of the spear. "Leave. I will not ask you again."

Asmodeus's ebony hair was long, draped over his shoulder, the end hanging just past his waist. His dark skin seemed to shimmer in the dappled sunlight, his stature tall and lean. The form he took was beautiful; I could not help but notice how close to Satan he looked.

"Why should I?" He tilted his head, eyes widening with false innocence. "You have power over us no longer, Lucifer. You chose this."

"So, you won't leave?"