Prologue – Darious

Black Winged Angel

The Guardian Heart Crystal Series Book 7

Amy Blankenship, RK Melton

Copyright © 2010 Amy Blankenship

English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship

Second Edition Published by TekTime

All rights reserved.

Prologue – Darious

The monastery bells rang like an alarm, though no one was in the bell tower to pull the ropes. Lightening flashed across the courtyard as the storm appeared out of nowhere. The wind whipped mercilessly, bringing with it the harsh stench of death. A dark ominous cloud appeared on the horizon, racing toward the monastery at breakneck speed.

The monks, who made this monastery home, fell in like soldiers with their weapons of wood, bone, and gold at the ready. They had trained all their lives for this war… this moment in time, as their ancestors had for over a millennium. Sacred scrolls of power and magic were unearthed from the vast library and brought forth to do their work.

Dark blue and amethyst cloaks billowed violently as the monks stood ready to fight a war they each had secretly prayed would not happen in their lifetime.

Trained archers stepped forward first, their arrows strung and glowing with heavenly blue energy. They were silent, standing tall against an enemy none of them were able to truly defeat.

As the cloud came closer, it was apparent that it wasn’t a cloud at all, but a whole legion of demons set on destroying mankind. This monastery and the monks within were humanity’s last and only hope. A deep, almost calming hum could be heard in the air as the monks cast their spells of protection, determination shining in their eyes.

The sacred scrolls had foretold of the coming darkness that would unleash a plague of demons in their world. It was prophesized that once this battle was over the surviving demons would scatter to the four corners of the earth, following the mystical guardians that had once protected this land as they protected the seal.

Why the guardians and priestess had not yet appeared was a mystery to some, but to the elders it was no surprise. This was something that even the fates could not detour.

An unspoken command was given and the archers released their arrows into the plague that was bent on eradicating the world. Demons fell in the first wave and the first archers fell back, only to have others step forward to take their place. More arrows flew over the once green fields, disintegrating demons in their wake. Their efforts, however, were fruitless. It seemed for each demon they destroyed, ten would take its place.

The archers fell back completely and the sacred scrolls were unraveled. A barrier appeared around the monastery but no one had the ability to call upon the complete power of the scrolls any longer. The ancient ones had written the scrolls and through the centuries their full understanding had been lost. However, it was enough to buy the monks some time.

Orders were given and the gates of the monastery were closed, locked with a seal of protection to give them a few more minutes. Each individual looked from one to the other, knowing this would be the last time they would see each other on this plane of existence.

They all clung to the legend spoken of in the scrolls of the one bound in chains by the demons searching to kill this world. It was written that during the time of the uprising, the demons would mistakenly turn their backs on him.

Him… a child of untamed rage and melancholy, with the temperament of the darkest of angels and the power to close the portal, sealing the demons in this world but keeping others from following. It was this child that would hunt down the demons one by one and send them back into the realm of darkness where they belonged… claiming his vengeance against those that had imprisoned him for so long.

Some legends in the scrolls describe him as a god, while others say he is a devil that seeks to kill the gods to gain his freedom. They had given him a name, if for nothing more than to voice it in their prayers… Darious.

The gates to the monastery groaned under the strain as the demons finally reached them. The thick wood cracked and splintered while the seal holding it closed slowly weakened and finally broke. The gates opened and, like a tidal wave of death and blood, the demons swarmed in, claws and teeth ripping into human flesh.

Oil drums lighting the torches fell over, covering some who were unlucky enough to be battling so close to them. The walls caught fire… creating an inferno that may have rivaled hell itself. The ground cracked open and more demons poured out from beneath the monk’s feet.

The rain had begun to fall, sleeting over the fire-engulfed monastery that refused to bend to the whim of the elements. One by one the monks fell, choking on their own blood as they prayed for their salvation… for the prophecy to be released. Thousands of demons had already come through the portal and the monks had no knowledge of a barrier strong enough to keep them from invading the lands around them.

A great crack of thunder followed by a bright lightening burst across the sky caused a furious shockwave, which sent the monastery crumbling to the ground.

The following silence was deafening as the wind died down to nothing and the rain abruptly stopped. The calm eye of the storm had settled over the remains of the monastery; its walls surged around it, trapping the demons and the monks as well.

Those of the monks who were still alive turned their eyes toward the sky and muttered prayers of penance. The one they had thought was a savior was far more frightening than the demons that had come before him.

He stood in the eye of his own storm, with the chains of his imprisonment dangling from his feet and wrists… the thickest of the chains still wrapped around his neck. They clinked ominously in the silence, covered in the blood of the demons he had slain during his escape.

His long flowing black hair lifted slightly, whether from the storm around him or from his own power, it was impossible to tell. His lethal body was unclothed as all who are suddenly born into this world. Blood glistened from the fresh wounds he had received, telling of the battle he’d fought to make it this far. Two wounds cut across his back where magnificent wings had once been.

Lifting his perfect face to the sky, blood-like tears fell from eyes the color of mercury. The ground beneath his feet quaked once more and rose up, trapping many of the demons and mending the portal, sealing it.

A bright white light shattered and streaked across the landscape, scattering what was left of the multitude of demons to the far reaches of the world.

The prophecy, Darious, lowered his gaze to the center of what had once been a grand monastery. There, encased in a soft angelic glow, was the statue of a maiden kneeling, her hands outstretched as if asking him for something that he could not give her. With the next streak of lightening, the maiden statue vanished.