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Chapter Twenty Eight
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2024-10-29 19:42:56As his father poured two more glasses of scotch, Gabriel looked closely at the folds of skin around his eyes. He wondered, could the burden of keeping secrets age someone beyond their years? Could the weight of a lie somehow alter gravity?
“Gabriel you need to know that what I did, I did out of love. At the time I believed with all my heart that I was doing the right thing. I need you to know that.”
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“There’s someone coming up the drive and they seem to be in kind of a hurry,” Jasmyne warned as she peered out the window. “Aurora, do you recognize that car?”Aurora’s heart leaped. Gabriel had finally come. She tore back the curtains and stared down the driveway where a black four-wheel-drive was speeding toward the house, a cloud of dust streaming out behind it.
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty
Jealousy consumed Melloch. He had been the one to discover the change in the atmosphere upon the human realm. He had been the one paying attention. While Lucifer admired his own reflection, Melloch had been hard at work, and for what? He adored the Dark Lord, he had devoted his entire existence to serving him, and this is how he was to be repaid?When they rose, Lucifer would lead the charge. Lucifer would take the glory. Not Melloch, but Satan’s precious Morning Star.
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty One
Aurora was safe in Gabriel’s arms, but they were on borrowed time. In less than twenty-four hours Lucifer and the army would rise with one goal; to destroy the earth. She cuddled in close, her back pressed tight against his body.“What if they rise at each of the locations?” he whispered. “I know what the scripture says, but how can we be sure the entire army will surface here? I’m starting to second guess everything Aurora. What if we’re wrong?”
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty Two
Melloch knew what had to be done. Once Lucifer was out of the way he would surely inherit the earthly plain and be crowned prince of the second realm. Satan would be pleased with his defeat of the human race, and when all of God’s creatures were decimated, the world above would truly become hell on earth. But he could not be blamed for Lucifer’s death. Oh no. His hands must remain clean or his Master would be oh so angry, and that was not what he wanted. He longed to be the Dark Lord’s favorite son, to revel in his adoration as Lucifer had for so many eons. Soon it would be his turn. Melloch felt the first wave of excitement rush through him. It was wicked and deceitful, and murderously delicious. In his private quarters, he sat back and imagined the moment over and over again, fantasizing about the look on Lucifer’s face as he gasped his final breath. The surprise that would force his eyes wide open and the pain he would feel. Oh, the pain. It gave Melloch more pleasure than he had e
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty Three
“So how does a vampire come across the dagger used by the archangel Michael?” Harrison asked. “It might be just me, but it seems a little heavenly for a demon to be carrying around.”Lucius peered at him like a persistent bug that would not go away. “The dagger is a symbol of the unity between God and demons if you must know. It was presented to us by a servant of the Lord as a show of good faith that He would watch over our descendants. They are half-human after all. The only catch was we had to ensur
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At 6am, Jada pushed her long dark hair back from her face and wandered downstairs. When she saw the entire Council standing in the dining room she stopped abruptly and stared in terror.It’s okay child,” Lucius told her. “Go and wake your sisters. We have much to do.”When everyone had gathered downstairs, Lucius addressed the room. “We have an enormous task ahead of us, one that will affect the entire world. Should we fail tomorrow, the human race will cease to exist and every form of life on this planet will be exterminated.”“Right, so no pressure,” Harrison whispered beneath his breath.“Do you think this is a joke?” Lucius snapped. “I assure you, should we fail you will not take pleasure in the means of your death.”Harrison nodded and considered himself sufficiently chastised. “Sorry.”“Please, go on,” Aurora urged. “We need to know as much as we can.”“Lucifer and the Reaper Army will at the site of Chris Stone’s death. Melloch still believes that is the site of the fallen savio
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The sky pressed down, deep and heavy. If only the sun refused to rise then perhaps the world would be safe, but Gabriel knew better. They were coming, he could feel it. Despite the dark, there was something in the air, something electric. For an hour they had ridden toward the site where his brother was killed and were yet to see or hear a single animal other than their own horses. “When the time comes the animals will be there Gabriel,” Aurora told him gently. “Don't worry.” He wondered how she could expect him not to worry when in a few hours he would be dead. He shook off the fear and tried to clear his mind. Soon he would know what it was like to die and he was luckier than most. He would go to Heaven. He knew there was a God. He also knew he would never see Aurora again and if he were honest, that thought scared him most of all. But they still had a few hours until the battle and instead of worrying he needed to focus on what he was trying to save. As they pushed ahead he tho
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“So how does a vampire come across a dagger used by the archangel Michael?” Harrison asked. “It might be just me, but it seems a little heavenly for a demon to be carrying around.” Lucius peered at him like a persistent bug that would not go away. “The dagger is a symbol of the unity between God and demons if you must know. It was presented to us by a servant of the Lord as a show of good faith that He would watch over our descendants. They are half human after all. The only catch was we had to ensure the savior remained safe, until now of course.” “And that's why you let us all believe that Chris was the chosen one,” Aurora nodded. “To protect Gabriel.” “Chris was born with many skills, but that was God's doing not ours. It was necessary to make Melloch believe that he was the savior. My job was to protect Gabriel, to ensure the Reapers never found out about him.” “Are you saying that God gave Chris all those gifts just as a distraction to trick Melloch?” Gabriel stared at Lucius
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The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Epilogue
Gabriel coughed and it was the sweetest sound Aurora had ever heard. She leaned in close and tucked another pillow in behind his head. On the floor, Aurel rested quietly beside them.“Aurora,” he sighed. “I'm not an invalid.”“I know, but you're not as strong as you used to be. You're a mere mortal now and lucky to be alive.”He returned her smile and took hold of her wrist, gently pulling her down onto the bed.“Careful,” she told him. “My scar is still healing.”Gabriel traced his finger over the tiny ridges of the symbol that had saved his life, probably more than once. “It's incredible,” he whispered. “What we've been through.”“Gabriel when I thought I lost you, I mean really lost you, I…"“Ssh,” he soothed. “I'm not going anywhere, okay? Not ever.”She nodded and gently kissed his forehead. “You have your human life back just like you always wanted. Tell me, what will you do with it?”He smiled and shook his head. “You know what? I have no absolutely no idea.”Aurora nodded and
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Forty Four
Aurora’s hands fell helplessly to her sides and she let out a long breath. After everything they had been through she was sure that God would return Gabriel to her. How could she have been so wrong?“I'm sorry child,” Lucius whispered as he got to his feet. “We tried.”Tears rolled over Aurora’s cheeks and spilled onto Gabriel's chest. “Thank you Lucius,” she whispered. “Now if you could please leave me.”“Of course.” Lucius got to his feet. “Aurora, your parents would be very proud of the woman you have become. You really are your mother’s daughter.”She smiled through her tears and thanked him for his kindness. Lucius had saved her life. If only she had been able to save Gabriel’s.As the Council turned to leave, a gust of wind blew in through the window scattering the earth across Gabriel's chest. Aurora dipped her head as another tear slipped over her cheek. One quickly gave way to many as she could no longer contain her sadness. Tears pooled on Gabriel’s chest and Lucius had to
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Forty Three
When night fell and they were finally alone, Aurora folded herself tightly into Gabriel’s arms.“I still can't believe you're really here,” she whispered. “I’m so grateful.”But instead of pulling her close, Gabriel pushed himself up onto one elbow and looked at her. “Aurora there’s something I have to tell you. I am here, but there were conditions attached to my return.”“Conditions, what do you mean?”His brow dipped and a shadow fell over his eyes. “Aurora we have much work to do. There is so much that needs to be done and I will be counting on you to help us.”“Us?” She repeated. “Gabriel you're acting very strange. What's going on? What are you talking about?”As she waited for him to respond, his gaze was so intense that the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.“The earth needs to be cleansed,” he began. “It must be returned to the way God created it. It’s what He wants Aurora. It’s the reason He sent me back.”“Gabriel you're not making any sense. What do you mean it must
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Forty Two
The female Elk and her first fawn of the spring grazed at the edge of the forest. Winter had receded and new life was emerging. When the Reapers returned to Hell spring had bloomed throughout the entire forest. Wildflowers burst from their pods and newborn animals balanced on slender legs. It seemed all the world was rejoicing, except for Aurora.She gazed out of the window at Jasmyne and Harrison as they sat together on a brightly coloured picnic rug, her head resting easily on his shoulder. They were friends for now, but Aurora knew their relationship would grow to be much more. She was pleased for her sister. She deserved to be loved and Harrison was a good man. Had it not been for him they would have died on that field and Melloch and his Reapers would have taken over the world. If anyone was to take the place of her brother in Jasmyne's life she was glad it was going to be Harrison. There would be problems of course. He was human and she was a descendant. Children were not allowe
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The world fell silent as Lucifer stared into the water. Time stopped and nothing moved.“This cannot be...” He reached up and gently touched his face. “I don't understand?”Aurora glanced across the pool at Lucifer’s reflection and her blood ran cold. His golden hair was nothing more than a tangled grey web and his once radiant skin hung like melting wax. No longer a sight to behold, his wings were torn, soiled with mud and ash. He stared in horror at his reflection while around him the Reapers fell on bended knee, their heads bowed.“But I was perfect,” he whispered. “The most beautiful being in all of creation. How?”Slowly and carefully Gabriel inched his fingers, one by one, toward the dagger. He had to strike Lucifer down before the pool receded. It was their only chance.Lucifer peered into the water as a loose strand of silver hair slipped through his twisted fingers.“My hair..." he whispered. “My face…”Suddenly he tore his eyes away from the pool and roared up at the sky. “W
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The sky broke open and driving rain lashed the field. The army of Reapers thrashed their heads and shook their arms desperately trying to rid the freezing water from their bodies. Many had never experienced rain or bitter cold and Aurora had counted on the extreme weather hindering their attack. It was working. Soaked to the core, she ran through the forest and found Gabriel crouched down where she left him.“We're holding our own for the moment but we can't push them back much longer. Lucifer and the others will be coming. Gabriel, are you ready?”He tightened his grip on the dagger. “Ready as I'll ever be.”She forced a smile and kissed his cheek. “I'm so proud of you Gabriel.”He was about to respond when a brilliant white light exploded from the cave dwarfing the entire field in its glow. The rain stopped. The birds retreated to the safety of the trees and the world fell silent.“It's Lucifer. He's here,” Aurora whispered. “Let's move.”They hurried through the forest until they r
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty Nine
Aurora shot a second arrow into the air, a signal the Reapers were coming. Using the arrows to communicate was effective but more important, it was silent. The arrow sailed high into the darkened sky and hung against the storm clouds like a black-winged bird.To Aurora, it felt as though her entire life had been leading to this moment. Only seconds remained until the Reapers would breach the cave. She pictured her mother and father as they had been when she was a child. They were the reason she was here, not because they were her parents but because they represented all that could be. Her mother had lived her life every day not as someone put on the earth, but as a part of it. Her father had watched over them as every season they grew taller and stronger. Together they had sewn their love and tendered to it with warm smiles and splashes of laughter. People deserved a chance to learn how to love like that - and it was up to her to give it to them.The first calls of the Reapers caugh
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty Eight
The tunnels were dark. It had been a long time since Melloch travelled along these earthen halls and the twists and turns were taking too long. He knew what he had to do and he was becoming impatient. The sooner Lucifer's blood was spilt the better.As he led the first legion toward the surface, Melloch let the heat of his hatred burn stronger and hotter. Behind him the footfall of his legions echoed through the tunnel, the rhythm growing louder as they moved toward the chamber of the cave. His best soldiers were up front, the rest would breach the surface once the site had been secured. The human saviour was dead. Melloch had seen to that himself but just to be certain, he wanted his strongest soldiers up front and ready to fight.His plan was to blame Lucifer's untimely death on the soldiers of the second legion. When a battle with the humans inevitably began, the second legion would falter. The humans couldn't kill his soldiers, but their weapons would cause confusion. Maybe some o
The Descendants - Rise of the Reaper Army Chapter Thirty Seven
Aurora was striding across the field and from the look on her face, Gabriel knew she meant business.“We have His blessing,” she said firmly. “Now let's kill these bastards.”“Wait, we what?”She held up her wrist and Gabriel saw the symbol burned into her skin.“Aurora, how?”“He sanctioned the battle Gabriel. We have God on our side. There's no way we can lose now.”“What's all the fuss about?” Harrison asked as he walked up, an M24 sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. “What did I miss?”“God sanctioned the fight,” Gabriel told him. “Look at her arm.”Aurora held out her wrist and proudly showed Harrison the symbol.“Aurora, this is incredible news.”“I know, I was just telling Gabriel the same thing. I really feel like we can win now.”Their enthusiasm was building but Gabriel failed to share the jubilation. Not only was God allowing them to fight His battle - now He had carved His approval into Aurora's arm. He couldn’t help wondering where God was in all of this. Why He wasn’t d
