The Fallen Book 1 Dark Genesis- Inside the tower, the dark mages were in the process of destroying another life when a flash of blue light exploded in the room, stopping all work and turning all eyes upon the source. As the light faded and eyes readjusted, Leonard, demon master of the black arts, stood before the current occupant of this tower of horrors. A young female warrior’s legs were anchored to the ground, her arms suspended from chains that hung from the ceiling, her body exposed. “Welcome, Master,” one of the mages said with a respectful bow. Staring, taking the measure of the holy warrior stretched out before him, Leonard could see she had the look of one who still had fire in her soul—but how much? He drew back his scaly hand and slapped her across the mouth with all the force he could muster, snapping her head back. “Ssstill some fight in this one,” Leonard hissed, glaring at her. “We shall soon sssee about that.” The angel, cut and bruised, looked directly at the reptilian face under the black hood and spat a mouthful of blood straight at him. “We shall see who still has fight left in them when this day is over, monster!” she retorted, grinding her teeth with anger and pain. Do what you will to me, bastard, but as soon as Gabriel discovers this camp, he will—” Leonard’s hand shot from the hem of his robes, and he wrapped his scaly hand around the angel’s throat, cutting off her air flow before she could finish her threat. “Don’t worry about your pressscious Gabriel; plans are already in the works for him. You should be more worried about your own fate, holy scum!” Leonard shrieked, his serpentine tongue flicking out to taste the blood on his captive’s face. He turned his head toward two goat demons who were standing by, smiling eagerly at the thought of sating the bloodlust that characterized their race. “Are you ready?” he asked. Pure malice spread across both their faces as they nodded in anticipation of the gory ecstasy to come. In his snakelike voice, Leonard began chanting the garbled syllables of a spell. As he finished the quick incantation, the slack in the chains that bound the warrior’s wrists went tight, pulling her arms straight up to the ceiling and fully stretching her body out. She hung in the center of the damp room, unable to move even an inch in any direction. She knew that with whatever happened next, her fate was sealed. Still she fought feebly against the chains that bound her, her gaze never leaving Leonard as she tried to kill him with a hate-filled stare. The two goat demons moved to stand directly behind her, one on each side. The warrior’s anger gave way to a fearful reality. Breathing in the foul air of the tower, she shut her eyes, bracing for the pain she knew was coming. As her vision dimmed, her thoughts left the demons and the unholy tower and she allowed her mind to float up to the Crystal Palace in the land of tranquil light—back to her peaceful life in the skies before Armageddon shattered everything. She thought about how it felt to soar through the blue skies on routine patrols, the wind whipping through her hair. She recalled walking the battlements of the castle, talking with Abdiel about the importance of having faith in themselves and of the oaths they took to protect mankind and free will. Through the years, she had never regretted becoming a soldier, no matter how hard the training was or how many battles and friends she lost along the way. All her long years were spent training and preparing for this moment in time. Right here, right now. On this day, she and her brethren would free mankind from Hell’s tainted influence forever. It was her life’s duty to serve the All-Father and to uphold the oath in any manner she could, even if that meant paying the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Please be proud of me, Gabriel, she thought. Come what may, the angelic warrior knew the All-Father would not abandon his faithful servant. Empowered by the strength he’d given her, she would suffer through the physical trials ahead. She felt the demons place their hairy hands upon her pristine wings, wrapping their crusty fingers around the place where the wings connected to her back. She began a whispered prayer: “All-Father, hear my words in this, my darkest hour. Deliver me from the clutches of evil, and grant me the strength to persevere as the darkness spreads, intent on extinguishing your graceful light.” Tears began to form in the corners of her closed eyes as the demons began pulling down on her wings. Through the pain and tears she sang, “Remember your faithful servant and embrace me with open arms when—” Her words turned to screams of pain. The body of the once-proud warrior was pulled so tight she couldn’t squirm away, and her memories of Heaven and the Crystal Palace gave way to the harsh reality of the tower and the pain wracking her battered body. Gritting their foul teeth together, the goat demons pulled harder. One of her wing bones snapped with a horrible popping sound that echoed through the vast room. Tears streamed down the angel’s face, and she convulsed in the throes of unimaginable pain. Still the demons pulled. Another pop, as the other wing broke free from the joint, tearing through tendons and cartilage. Still the demons pulled, as Leonard looked on with pleasure. The flesh around the base of her wing bones stretched and began to tear free. Her memories completely blotted now, the angel could only scream in horror and pain. Finally, in one final burst of power from the goat demons, both wings were ripped from her back. Blood sprayed everywhere. Little pieces of bone and cartilage hit the walls, while bits of muscle and flesh hit the ground with a dull splatter. In shock, the warrior fainted, her head slumped forward. As the two demons walked past Leonard, smiling—a wing in each hand, fresh fuel for the fire—Leonard turned to one of his mages. “Cut this one’s eyesss out before you send her to the cages.” “Yes, Master,” replied the mage, pulling a small knife from the cuff of his sleeve. Leonard walked toward the door, hearing screams from behind him. The warrior had awakened, unable to do anything but scream her eternal suffering for the rest of the captives to hear. Leonard smiled: this was the time of demons and evil intent. amazon/The-Fallen-1-Dark-Genesis-ebook/dp/B00A65FX10%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJBDF5XQBATGDX4VQ%26tag%3Dspea06-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00A65FX10
Posted on: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:00:15 +0000