Darksiders: Age of Creation (Book 3)

Chapter 16: Blood for Blood, Life for Death (Part 2)

  Gently cupping her opal necklace to her chest, Ilyea mumbled to the gem a series of mystical words, Ilyea watched as the gem emitted a bright purple gleam. The beam washed over Tooth and allowed it to take on his true form; a Stalker.
"Now we have to be quiet now." Ilyea warned the restless Stalker.
Tooth made a sound similar to purring and growling and eased down to the ground, allowing for his master to slid onto his back.
When she gave the okay signal, Tooth jumped towards where the horsemen's mounts rode, easily picking up on their scent.
"Okay, stay low in the trees."
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"What are they doing, Tooth?" Ilyea leaned forward on the quiet Stalkers broad shoulders to have a better look at the dazed Horsemen.
"They're the most powerful beings alive, even that girl there, I can sense it." She mumbled excitedly into Tooth's ear.
    The Stalker only made a curt sigh and shifted on its feet, glaring down at the trio below with its lax emerald eyes.
It seemed to...tolerate the young Maker, maybe even enjoy her company.
     But now, her excitement of the tiny beings bored the Stalker and it was half tempted to throw her off and stalk back to the Forge....
If she didn't have such a tight grip on the scales at the back of its head....
"Wow, I can't believe it! I know who the one in the red hood is; its War, The rider of the red horse! Look at his sword." Ilyea mused, leaning on Tooth's head.
"And...that girl...that's the Rider of the Black Depths! The Anti Christ Aloxsunamoon!" Ilyea leaned on to Tooth's head dreamily.
"I wonder what they are talking about...."
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't drop her!" Death scolded War, whom was struggling against the now half awake Damiana's thrashing.
"You try holding her then!" War hissed at his eldest brother, who gave him a stern glare from the side.
The Anti Christ struggled against her brother's hold and made a few noises mixed with growling and hissing, desperate to get away. After a few moments, she laid limp, breathing evenly and quietly.
That's what bothered War the most; how quiet she was. Other than the animal like noises she made, the youngest horseman didn't utter a single sound of fatigue.
As if she weren't struggling against his grip, Damiana had a sudden air of pure serenity. Her muscles relaxed and she stopped moving with a sudden sigh of pure sadness.
"Brother...can you put me down?" She mumbled, looking up at him with her bright red eye.
"Brother...?" War stopped and looked down at her in confusion; she never called him brother.
As soon as War's grip faltered, Damiana lunged forward and snapped at him with her razor sharp fangs. When he recoiled, the crazed anti Christ rushed at him, knocking him out of Ruin's saddle. The two tumbled to the ground, one on top of the other.
Without flinching, War reached up and grabbed Damiana by her windpipe, causing her to choke. Slamming her into the ground, War steadily got up and put most his weight onto her shoulder with one hand.
"Little help would be appreciated, you know." He mumbled to Death, who was watching Damiana in quiet interest.
"I'm sure someone of your caliber can handle a small thing like her...now," Death crouched before Damiana and looked at her arm.
"Are you acting this way because of this Mark?" Death reached forward to gently touch the pulsating red mark.
     As soon as Damiana sensed his presence, she snapped forward and sank her teeth into his pale skin.
"Now you know that won't hurt me...Nevertheless, it's annoying." Death recoiled and tried to pry her jaws from his arm, which were becoming much like scalding nails.
"Let go."
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"They need help!" Ilyea jumped down from Tooth's back and rushed down the densely wooded hill.
"Stay here!" She called to Tooth, who simply sighed and sat on his haunches.
Bringing up Black Betty, her trusted War Hammer, Ilyea went to help the horsemen. However, the foliage seemed to want to go against the young maker...
Tripping over an upturned root of a tree, Ilyea dropped to the ground and rolled to the bottom of the hill. Her hammer sailed through the air and smashed into the red horseman, knocking him to the side.
"O...ops.." She stammered as Damiana rose up from the ground.
When Death stood up, the young horseman easily knocked him to the side and slowly stalked the paralyzed maker.
"Oh...um" she mumbled, rising up to her knees.
Her eyes...they were so...mesmerizing...a deep red with a faint orange glow to them....
    Damiana only hissed at the Maker and lunged forward, aiming for her unprotected throat. Ilyea closed her eyes and waited for the gleaming teeth of the anti Christ to sink into her flesh, deeming her into oblivion...
But only a shriek of pain sounded, no tearing or ripping of any kind.
"You need to really learn to protect yourself..." The eldest horseman mumbled, gently palming the talisman in his hand as Damiana cringed and twisted on the ground.
              ~~~~~~~~~~~
    Ilyea sat silently as the two brothers bickered amongst themselves, casting nervous glances at the slumbering Damiana, whom was mumbling quietly sleep.
"We don't know if we can trust," War castes an angered look at Ilyea, who lowered her head in quiet submission.
"That runt, why haven't we left yet?!"
"She said she might know what's wrong with her...and get over it, the midget said she was sorry." Death scolded War.
"Um...I have a name..." Ilyea said in a small voice.
"What was that, runt?" War glared over at Ilyea.
"I'm not a runt...I'm still...growing." She said in an almost inaudible tone.
"You're only a few inches taller than us-"
"Enough, what is wrong with our sister?" Death looked down at Ilyea, who looked down quickly in submission.
"Oh I didn't...even...start-"
"Speak up!" War grumbled, looking down at Ilyea with chill eyes.
"Stop. Now." Death said harshly, looking back at War in tired anger.
"Now you said you were a Mage? What's wrong with her?"
    Ilyea looked over at Damiana and hesitantly walked over to her. Kneeling down by her side, Ilyea gently took Damiana's hand into her own and instantly felt a small rush of excitement as soon as their flesh met. A maker, no, a midget of a maker being able to touch the skin of a Nephilim?
Impossible, improbable, unheard of,
Well...at least to Ilyea...
"Mark of...Cain?" She said in quiet surprise as the sun gleamed against the Anti Christ's glowing Mark.
"Cain..?" Death edged closer and watched as Ilyea gently caressed her mark.
"The Mark of Cain...it was a curse on the human Cain...he murdered his brother, the second son of the first two humans..." Ilyea explained.
"Okay...but what does that do with her biting and changing like that?" War asked.
"It was meant for whoever deserved it...murderers really. But the soul of Cain stuck with the mark...casting a dark shadow of evil and malice in the holder's heart..." Ilyea looked down at Damiana and sighed contently.
"Oh how horrible it must be..."
"So...she has 2 souls in her..? And he's influencing her to act like this?"
"She needs blood." Ilyea looked at Death, ignoring War's question.
"She'll go back to normal as soon as Cain is feed with blood." She said in a sure tone.
+Kay, so, I'm ending this here because...why not? :3 also, I want to make this chapter two parts and here looks like a fun place to cut the chapter off. I hope you continue to read this, even tho i made a confusing chapter development.+