Cam stood on a rooftop on the side of the Thames. While he decided on his next move, dark clouds were gathering in the yellow and orange sky.
A wide pipe ran under a rocky ledge down by the muddy shore. Balthiour had run into that pipe moments earlier. Cam couldn’t go back and look for Rathanael and Kalaziel; police would have surrounded that area by now. If he went back to regroup with Bath and Lahabiel, that would allow Balthiour time to get further away. No, Cam was on his own.
He threw himself off the roof and dropped to the rocky shore below.
There’s a reason why Bal went in there. He approached the ridged pipe. This isn’t just a random place to hide, is it?
The thought caused his heart to race, and he wondered if he was walking into another trap. The demons seemed to have been one step ahead of them today. But then they did have Balthiour working with them.
A pool of dirty water ran through the centre of the pipe, which led into darkness ahead. Cam stepped around the water, careful not to make a sound in the quiet area. After several feet, dull outlines of a room ahead could be seen as his eyes adjusted to the low light.
The pipe opened up to a cave-like room with a metal railing ahead. Rock walls were on either side, and as Cam came closer he saw that the ground dropped off at the railing, and a larger room was below. He slowly stepped to the railing and looked over the balcony.
Around twelve feet below, several figures in black robes stood around a large cauldron. Some held tall candelabrums that contained several candles, while others had open books in their hands—these ones muttered a rhythmic chant of some kind. Flames in metal sconces bathed the area in a low light, sending animated shadows across the rock walls.
Cam’s attention fell on the cauldron, which stood around five feet tall. A dark liquid gleamed and wavered inside it. As Cam looked closer, he could see a faint, purple light within the rippling surface.
He ducked quickly as Balthiour came into view and joined the circle of robed figures. He stood with his back to Cam, saying something to the figure next to him. Heavy hoods covered their faces, but Cam got the impression that they were all demons.
The chanting of the book-holding figures grew louder, though their harsh words were indiscernible.
A heavy throbbing slowly filled the room, like a wave of static buzz, and the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble. The purple light strengthened with the increasing bubbles, becoming a faint, misty glow over the cauldron.
Cam thought about putting a stop to whatever they were doing, knowing that it couldn’t be anything good, but his curiosity got the better of him. He watched as a wavy mist built up over the cauldron, swirling like oil in water.
The mist gathered and thickened in a bulky, formless shape. Cam’s grip on the railing tightened as the rough shape solidified into the hazy outline of a person. It appeared to be slowly rising out of the cauldron.
Movement caught Cam’s attention. Balthiour was turning around, and he looked up. His dark eyes met Cam’s. The look caused Cam’s heart to race, and he froze.
He knew I was here all along.
“I’m so happy I am here for this reunion,” Balthiour said.
A crooked smile crossed his face, his eyes glaring with what looked like excitement.
Cam was speechless. His mind raced with a jumbled mess of chaotic thoughts.
The figure over the cauldron became more defined as the mists cleared around it. Long, flowing hair fell over the sharp features of a face. A woman’s face. The naked form of a curvy, toned body became clearer.
No. No, it can’t be.
Her eyes flicked open, revealing glistening green orbs. Cam’s heart sank, his stomach twisting and threatening vomit.
It was her. Alyssa. She floated over the bubbling cauldron, fully formed and clear in the red light of the room. Her hair was no longer blonde, but jet-black, hanging like a straight curtain.
Balthiour and the robed figures dropped to their knees and bowed down to her.
Cam had enough. His body burst to life, though his mind was still numb, and he flung himself over the railing. He landed behind Balthiour, but they all seemed to ignore him.
Cam grimaced as he looked on at Alyssa; she faced ahead, staring blankly. He wanted to say something to her, but his throat had been seized. What would he say?
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Tendrils of purple mist began to curl around Alyssa, solidifying into a dark material around her torso and limbs. Unfolding through the mists in rapid strips that rippled over her, a black corset materialised, along with a dark skirt and knee-high boots. Her full breasts showed under the deep neckline, accentuated by her tightly bound narrow waist.
Despite the situation, Cam felt a longing stir within him. Whatever hold she had on him was still strong.
Balthiour rose to his feet. “Behold, Camael,” he said excitedly, holding his arms up to her in an elaborate gesture. “Look upon your love, who once went by the name of Alyssa. Now, she is Sephiaza, returned once again to the mortal plane.”
Cam froze in place. He knew of the name. Sephiaza, Chief demon of fallen angels. But how was she Alyssa?
The woman blinked, her shoulders relaxing as she slowly looked around. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed with focus, as if she were waking from sleep. Her eyes fell on Cam.
“Camael,” she said in a voice that was void of emotion. She stared blankly at him, though there was a hard edge to her expression.
Cam struggled to breath. Her startling eyes, once a source of warmth and affection, were now cold and frightening. He turned to Balthiour, needing to look away from her piercing stare. “Why?” he breathed. “How…? What did you do to her?”
“I only revealed her true self,” Balthiour said.
He paced around her animatedly, moving with an excited step, a dark glint in his wide eyes. Cam now saw Balthiour as a completely different person than the angel he once called his Commander. A part of him was glad that his other brethren could not see Balthiour like this.
Gesturing to the cauldron, Balthiour said, “This device marks the end for the angels. Centuries in the making. A portal that summons spirits to the mortal plane. Spirits like our friend here, and also… pure beings. Unfiltered demons straight from Hell!” He threw his head back and raised his arms as he finished.
So this was how they brought a pure demon to Earth. Cam grimaced, disgusted with the Balthiour that stood before him.
“You have gone insane,” he said. He ignited his light sword. The bright light filled the room, thrumming quietly and pushing most of the shadows away. “And I will let you go no further.”
A hard, brittle laugh filled the air. Alyssa—no, Sephiaza—turned to Cam, her eyes blazing with intensity.
“How did I not see what a weak and pathetic being you truly are, Camael?” she asked, chuckling still. “Your light has long gone out, but you have yet to realise it.”
Cam’s insides twisted with grief. He felt as though he could have cried right then.
This woman can’t be any part of Alyssa, there’s just no way.
Balthiour stepped in front of her. “Enough of this. This is the end of the road for you, dear brother. We have entertained you too much.”
He ignited his own light sword, and then his dark light sword in his other hand.
Cam frowned deeply, despite knowing that this moment had to come. They stood facing each other for several heartbeats, before they burst into action.
A raging anger ran over Cam as he battled with Balthiour, blocking, dodging, and unleashing a barrage of attacks. Balthiour’s betrayal, Alyssa’s evil form… it all fuelled his determined actions. They moved across the room, jumping and diving as their light swords clashed.
Balthiour dodged a low swipe and jumped back, coming near to the cauldron. Cam unleashed a combination of attacks that were blocked by both swords, and then swung his other arm out. His fist sent Balthiour stumbling backwards and he collided with the cauldron, knocking it over. A dark liquid spilled out and pooled over the ground.
As Balthiour gathered himself, splashing through the shallow pool, the liquid reached a candelabrum that had been dropped, some of the candles still alight. A burst of flames shot up from the liquid, creating a wall of fire that spread over the room. Intense heat smothered Cam, a heavy, smoky air stifling him.
He shot a look towards Sephiaza, and saw the robed figures moving her to the back of the room, towards a shadowed side tunnel.
“You cannot stop what is happening, Camael,” Balthiour called over the raging flames.
He stepped towards Cam, throwing out a succession of attacks that caused Cam to stumble back.
The wall of fire spread in between Cam and Sephiaza, and he momentarily lost her movements through the flames. He ducked under a vicious swipe, and quickly shifted his focus back to Balthiour.
Balthiour came up from a high position, bringing both of his blades down onto Cam’s sword. Cam pushed against the black and white swords, holding his light with both hands. His legs shook and his forearms began to burn.
“You are a fool to resist, Camael,” Balthiour said through gritted teeth. He looked practically demonic within the harsh white and dark lights casting shadows on his twisted face. “It is not too late for you.”
Cam grunted. “No. But it’s too late for you.”
Giving one last push up, Cam extinguished his blade as he ducked to the side, leaving Balthiour to stumble forward. He dodged a backhanded swing of Balthiour’s light sword, and then caught his arm when he attacked with the dark light. Cam brought his fist up and punched Balthiour’s torso. He kept his hand in place against his stomach and looked up at Balthiour’s pained expression.
“I’m sorry, Bal,” Cam said, and ignited his light sword through his knuckles.
Light pierced Balthiour’s stomach, scorching his skin. Balthiour jerked up and his eyes widened. Cam’s expression softened as he looked upon his once-Commanding Angel. He grimaced as he slid his sword across Balthiours torso, releasing it sideways in a gush of blood.
The flames were roaring all around him when he turned from Balthiour’s downed body.
“Alyssa!” he called out as he saw her and the robed figures entering the side tunnel.
She stopped and turned to him, the flames whipping over her image. Her eyebrows rose when she saw Balthiour’s body.
“You will pay for that, Camael,” she said venomously. “We will meet again. And when we do, you will die by my hand. Until then, lover…”
Cam thought she gave him a wry, mischievous smile as she turned and entered the tunnel, followed by the robed figures.
He stepped towards them but the flames held him back. The smothering air began to overwhelm him, and he coughed and choked back his breaths. Though the fire would not kill him, it would injure him greatly and leave him in no state to chase after her.
He looked up at the balcony he had entered from, seeing that it was his only way out.
The overturned cauldron remained at his side. Cam regarded it with a contorted frown, considering the depths of its uses.
This thing has caused so many horrors.
His light sword burst to life in his hand and he lashed out, splitting the cast iron structure in two. Another strike cut it again, and he continued to swing, again and again, until dozens of pieces lay at his feet.