The Coalition (Book 1)

Chapter 65

He saw the yellow glow of its eyes first. Piercing the darkness. Haunting.

After he'd fallen, Aliah's pace had slowed. His knees burned, his lungs ached and his blood pounded incessantly in his ears like the roar of the waterwheel in the Core. Confidence had given way to sheer determination long ago, and his feet thundered on by force of will.

The sight of the amber eyes slicing through the veil of night brought him a strange twist of relief. He knew he'd been watched by this wolf even as he had watched the Laelites. Its presence lurking and waiting for an opportune moment to whisper dark thoughts to him. To send him messages from his father beyond the veil of death.

Maybe this was it. He exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow. He wouldn't fight it. He deserved what he got.

He bit his lip. He was ready for Gershom.

"Come for me!" He yelled into the darkness. The yellow of the wolf's eyes blinked out like two flames that had been blown out.

Aliah dropped to his knees and opened his arms wide. He tipped his face up, exposing his throat and a tremor of fear arced up his spine. He braced himself for the impending attack.

"Come..." Something hit his chest and knocked him backward, his breath escaped in a whoosh. He gasped and coughed then waited for the second attack.

This is too easy. I won't defeat you like this. Stand up and fight like a man. The voice hissed inside Aliah's head.

Rocks and sticks bit into his back as he lay on the ground, but he didn't move. He smiled. The voice sounded almost irritated. Maybe because the puppet strings had finally been cut. He was his own man now. He may still hear the voice, but its power over him had broken.

He spread his arms and legs out and forced his eyes to stay open. "Come for me." His invitation rose barely above a whisper.

Suddenly the weight of the wolf was there, on his chest. Crushing him. He could see nothing but darkness and the pressure on his body made him think that in few moments he'd be one with the earth. He didn't struggle, but let the air escape from his lungs little by little. The muscles around his mouth twitched as his frozen smile threatened to fade.

The yellow eyes appeared again, inches above his face. At the same moment he felt icy fingers around his neck, crushing his windpipe. His legs trembled, his lungs pleaded for oxygen.

A cloud moved and a pale shaft of moonlight slanted across a familiar face. Hair he knew to be the same shade as the flecks of amber in the eyes, mouth twisted into a sickening grin.

It came as no surprise that Zev was the angel of death.

Aliah's fingers trembled against the blade he still held in his right hand. Hatred flowed like ice through his veins. The edges of Aliah's vision clouded. Soon I will cross over Gershom's threshold. He let the blade roll off his fingertips.

"You're really stupid. Why would you kill yourself just to enter Gershom? Won't do anyone any good to have you dead. You always were the dumb one." Zev released the pressure on Aliah's throat, enough for Aliah to take a breath, but he refused to. The trembling in his legs became violent.

"Remiel's dead. Shai's dead. Died together, in each other's arms," Zev sneered.

Aliah's survival instinct kicked in and he gasped. He coughed and rolled onto his side, sputtering and cursing.

"Ah, there you go. I knew that would get to you." Zev rolled off Aliah then sat cross-legged beside him while drumming his fingers on his knees.

"Take your time and catch your breath. You're not going to go that easily." Zev narrowed his eyes. "I don't know why you waste your time trying to be the hero. What are you trying to prove? That you're worthy?" Zev snorted and shook his head.

Aliah collapsed back on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Worthy of what? Daddy's love? Well, your father doesn't want you. He never did. Poor, poor orphan boy." Zev leaned over and looked into Aliah's eyes. "He doesn't want you! You hear me?" Zev yelled into Aliah's face and specks of spit hit Aliah's lips. Aliah tried to steel himself, not against his father's voice this time, but against Zev's words. Words that sliced into his heart.

"He chose Remiel, not you! You failed, remember? You tried to murder Remiel. You.Tried.To.Kill. Your. Brother. And that's why your father disowned you. He couldn't stand to look at you. You sniveling coward!"

Pain roared through Aliah's body as he curled up tight, fighting the tide of memories. Wave after wave of shame crashed upon his soul like a storm-ridden sea when it pounds the shore. Suppressed guilt unleashed its agony and bitter tears sprung to his eyes.

A new pain exploded in his back as Zev kicked him again and again as he lay curled on his side. Each time Zev rammed his foot into Aliah's side he punctuated it with curses and shouts. Liar! Murderer! Loser!

Aliah surrendered to the pain in his body. It washed over him and would've relieved him if not for his tormented mind. I deserve this. I deserve punishment. I am deserving of whatever Death wants to do to me.

He scratched the earth and left scars in the soil with his nails. He crushed a handful of gravel in his fists and let the sharp rocks slice into his palms. Let my blood run. Let it flow.

He'd cut himself open and let his blood soak into the ground if he thought it'd wash him clean. But he was filthy. His blood too filthy to clean anything.

He pulled his hair until his scalp went numb, but the physical pain paled in comparison to his mental anguish.

Finally a shuddering sob erupted from a deep place in his chest. "My brother! My brother, I didn't mean... No! Remiel, please... oh please." He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the dirt. Zev brought his boot down on Aliah's lower back, then ground his heel into Aliah's spine. Pain shot up his back, travelled along his nerves and ended in an explosion in his torso.

Then nothing. The pain left. Zev disappeared, swallowed up in the curtain of darkness that suddenly descended.