Page 55 of Blood and War
Fucking delusional.
He loved his siblings, but gods…sometimes they made it so damn difficult.
“And the girl?” That look returned to Eire’s face, and he was nearly ready to smack it off her. His temper flaring from the conversation.
“We indulge her.” Gabriel looked at him, then. “Accompany her until she reaches the town safely, then we forget this assignment ever happened.”
They broke from the fire minutes later, but Kellan stayed in his seat. He didn’t care where the others went right now. Not after that conversation. Lucifer was a risk that none of them could take, and they all knew it. He couldn’t fathom the thought of trying to capture the bastard, let alone bring him in front of the council. He of all people knew that would never happen.
He was angry. Too manyemotionsswirling around inside him. Rage. Always so much fucking rage. Confusion…even shame at the way his brother had looked at him. Spoken his final orders as if they were directed at him. And that made him even angrier.
So, when Eire left in the middle of the night, he didn’t try to stop her.
“We’re being tracked.” She’d been harsh. Absolutely sure of herself.
“There is nothing out here.” Kellan sighed, exasperated. He felt like a void. There was nothing, and had been nothing for miles. The smoke had driven away any individual. Nothing wanted to be near the blaze. That was why they had yet to encounter a single demon, angel, or creature of earth. “The air here is making you hallucinate. Nothing is following us.” He’d let himself slip to the ground some hours before, settling his back against the cool stone as he sat beside Demitria.
“I’m telling you, something is out there.” She glared at him from across the fire, already several feet away from their makeshift camp.
“You’re mad.” He rolled his eyes, losing interest in her claims as quickly as she’d brought them up. He hadn’t sensed anything, and the others hadn’t spoken up about it either. Eire had always been the tracker of the group, but someone else should havepicked up on it too. “There’s nothing out there, Eire.” He sighed, slinging his arm protectively over the sleeping figure nestled into his side.
Eire swung her body up atop the gray mare and her heels dug into the horse’s sides in a harsh jab that sent her reeling off into the dark night air, grumbling about proving her point as she left.
Kellan knew the others were awake. Listening to his interaction with Eire. Their eyes were closed, but he could tell. Kane and Gabriel had come back to the warmth of the flames sometime within the last hour, sitting much the same as he had, their backs propped against a stone. He knew they were absolutely sick of breaking up the two of them, it was their usual dynamic, even before things seemingly went to shit. Violence almost always was involved, especially as of late, it seemed.
Morning crept up on them all too soon, and they all stirred as the first rays broke over the horizon. There were no signs of Eire, or the being she had claimed to be tracking them since the burning community. Kellan was sure it had all been for show. Whether it be to scare Demitria, or something entirely different, he didn’t know. Maybe even to get away from him. Some days, he felt as if he hardly knew his siblings anymore.
“Thirsty?” Kellan held the canteen out, motioning for her to take it. Demitria didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink as she watched his movements. She hadn’t changed since the other day. The deadly calm still radiating through her. The claim about killing the Dark King still hung fresh in his mind. She’d die doing it, he knew that. Hell, he might die doing it. But none had questioned her on the proclamation. He wasn’t sure if it was because the council still wanted her dead, and they’d seen it as a way to have her eliminated without setting a finger on her, but it would make sense. Kellan didn’t want to know, so he didn’t ask.
“Where do we even start?” Kane asked.
“I know a place.” Demitria said, catching him off guard. “We got word of a group of angels that took up residence not too far from here. J—” She caught herself, only faltering slightly at the near mention of his name, before continuing. “Sent a few scouting missions to keep an eye on them, watch what they were up to.” She finally took a large swig from the canteen, screwing the lid back on before passing it back to him. “They’ve been here for a few years. Never caused any trouble, so we never bothered them. It was…where I was headed before—”Everything? She didn’t need to say the words for each one of them to know what she meant.
He and his siblings stared at the girl. They’d defected? Being on Earth meant those angels had abandoned the council and its orders. They were Fallen.
They had known about some angels going rogue every once in a while, abandoning Eden for Earth, leaving behind the responsibilities of the High Council with them. Kellan had thought about it once. Maybe twice, albeit briefly. Being shackled to the council, having to obey their every order when sometimes they just didn’t make sense.Like now.
He stared at Demitria again. He still had so many questions. Too many to count. Now this? The Fallen were always found, and always eliminated. It was only a matter of time before the council would send out an Angel of Death. Usually weeks, sometimes months. Their freedom never lasted long. But years?
“They will know where the Dark King resides. Where he hides, I’m sure of it.” Demitria met the eyes of each Horsemen present as if in challenge. She stared the longest at Gabriel.
“Lead the way.” He motioned toward their horses, waiting patiently for them to mount up and ride out. She stared, one last long look before swinging her body atop Atlas. The rest followed, only moments behind as she took off northbound.
Eire had yet to return, but she’d track them down without a problem. It was what she was best at, after all.
“How do you do it?” Demitria asked hours later. They’d been riding at a fast pace all day, following closely behind as she led them toward the Fallen. She’d slowed her mount down now until they were in line to speak. “How do you kill with no remorse?”
Gabriel was the first to answer. “We do not kill without reason.” He watched the human as Kellan had the day before. Recognizing the dark depths of where she now lay, the rage that leeched its way through her, eating away every ounce of humanity. One he’d seen on Kellan far too many times. “Our purpose is balance, and nothing more.”
“That’s nothing but a lie, and you know that.” Face hard, she glared at the eldest.
“I do not thrive on killing. It is my job, and nothing more.” Harsh. Final. Kellan stayed silent, unsure on what to say. He did not have a clean past, and the blood on his hands was far too great. He could drown a thousand times over in it. His hands had never been clean from the moment the council trapped him in their clutches. Not like his siblings.
“We are required to keep the balance. Our job is to eliminate anything that threatens that, and nothing more.”
“So why me? Why was I deemed a threat?” She asked.
“I do not know.” He answered.