[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Angels."
Two bright forms swooped down and landed between
Christian and the door. The third landed in front of the pass,
blocking the way out. Christian clutched Seth's arm, heart
pounding. They were trapped.
The tallest angel stepped forward, leaving its companion to
guard the door. The angel's wings folded, and its light
dimmed a little, enough for Christian to look at it without
squinting. It had the form of a tall, slender man with long,
silver-white hair. His face was smooth and unlined, but there
was something unfathomably old about it. He stared at
Christian, his expression cold and inscrutable.
An icy hand squeezed Christian's heart. Like Seth's eyes,
the eyes of the angel seemed to see into the dark and secret
places of his soul. He found he couldn't look away, couldn't
move. Unlike Seth, however, this angel looked at him with an
unmistakable distaste, as if Christian were a squashed bug on
the floor.
The angel's gaze shifted to Seth. "I thought you might be
involved with this. Still haven't learned your lesson, have
66
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
you? Still trying to rescue damned souls as if they were lost
kittens? Did you really think we'd allow this?"
"Let us through, Andrael," Seth said.
"I don't think so."
Seth pulled his sword of light from the air. It blazed in his
hand like a piece of the sun.
Andrael raised one thin brow. "You're going to fight us?"
"If I have to."
"You know you can't win."
"I won't hand him over to you."
Andrael sighed and drew a sword from the white-gold
scabbard at his hip. The blade gleamed brilliant silver, as if it
had been dipped in moonlight. "The Council has tried to be
merciful. They could have destroyed you for your crimes, but
instead you were only banished. Perhaps they were too
lenient."
Christian looked at the brilliant forms standing around
them. They all radiated power. His stomach knotted. Seth
was outnumbered, and weary from his battle against the
Eaters. He had no chance. "Seth," he whispered. "Don't fight
them. I'll turn myself in."
"No," Seth said. He wrapped an arm around Christian's
waist, and pulled him against his side. "I'll die before I let
them take you."
"So be it." Andrael raised his sword, and light exploded
from the blade. Rays burst out in every direction, a vast
sunflower of light. It blinded Christian, filling every corner of
his vision. Wind roared in his ears.
"Hold onto me!" cried Seth.
67
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Christian clung tight, breathing hard, and pressed his face
against Seth's body, but the light still stabbed into his eyes
like white knives. Then an invisible force tore Christian from
Seth's arms.
"No!" roared Seth.
A dark hole blossomed open in the ground beneath
Christian's feet, and he plunged, screaming, into the void.
He landed on something hard, and the impact jarred him
to his bones. He lay, panting. Blackness surrounded him.
Eaters appeared out of the darkness and closed in on him,
hissing, mandibles clicking. Clawed hands gripped his arms,
pinning him in place as the red-cloaked figures leaned close,
and their foul, hot breath filled his nose.
Then a brilliant light flashed overhead. The Eaters hissed
and shielded their faces, shrinking away. Christian looked up.
A hole blossomed in the darkness, as if the air itself had been
slashed open, and brilliant light shone through. He saw Seth
descending, blinding white wings spread wide, his sword
blazing in one hand, his eyes twin suns. He landed on both
feet. Two Eaters moved toward him. Seth's sword swept out
in an arc, cleaving them in half. They collapsed to the ground
and dissolved into nothing.
Seth wrapped one arm around Christian and pulled him up,
into the air. His wings beat, creating a miniature windstorm
around them. The Eaters reached for them with brittle,
clawed hands, but Seth's sword swept through them as if
they were smoke, and they disintegrated into dust. "Hold
onto me," he said, and his arm tightened around Christian's
waist.
68
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
His huge wings beat and lifted them higher into the air,
through a hole in the darkness. A blinding light filled
Christian's eyes, and suddenly they were spinning through
emptiness, hurtling through space. Christian hid his face
against Seth's chest. The only sound was the steady beating
of Seth's wings. Exhausted, overwhelmed, he blacked out.
[Back to Table of Contents]
69
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Epilogue
"Wake up, Christian."
Christian's eyelids fluttered. He looked around at the four-
poster bed, the dresser, the faded walls. "We're in your
house," he murmured, "in your bedroom."
"That's right."
He looked up, into a pair of luminous golden eyes. Seth
was still in his angel form, his true form, shining white and
winged, and Christian lay in his arms, cradled against his
chest like a child. Christian blinked. "How?"
"I brought us here. Rest." One slender, white hand
smoothed back Christian's hair. "Just rest."
"What happened to the angels? The ones who attacked
us?"
"I defeated them. And just in time too. Another moment,
and you would have been lost."
Christian shuddered at the memory. "To think that that's
what awaits people after death ... how can the Council be so
cruel?"
Seth's arms tightened around him. "Someday, I will
change things. I swear it."
"I want to help you."
Seth stared into his eyes, his expression unreadable. "Do
you know what you're asking?"
"Yes. I want to stay with you, Seth. I don't want to go
back to Earth. There's nothing for me there. I'll do anything,
just please, let me stay."
70
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Seth's slender, strong hands framed his face, and he
kissed Christian, slow and deep. "I had hoped and prayed that
would be your choice. But it had to be your choice. I had to
give you every chance to return to Earth, to know that this
was your heart's true wish." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
"Angels."
Two bright forms swooped down and landed between
Christian and the door. The third landed in front of the pass,
blocking the way out. Christian clutched Seth's arm, heart
pounding. They were trapped.
The tallest angel stepped forward, leaving its companion to
guard the door. The angel's wings folded, and its light
dimmed a little, enough for Christian to look at it without
squinting. It had the form of a tall, slender man with long,
silver-white hair. His face was smooth and unlined, but there
was something unfathomably old about it. He stared at
Christian, his expression cold and inscrutable.
An icy hand squeezed Christian's heart. Like Seth's eyes,
the eyes of the angel seemed to see into the dark and secret
places of his soul. He found he couldn't look away, couldn't
move. Unlike Seth, however, this angel looked at him with an
unmistakable distaste, as if Christian were a squashed bug on
the floor.
The angel's gaze shifted to Seth. "I thought you might be
involved with this. Still haven't learned your lesson, have
66
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
you? Still trying to rescue damned souls as if they were lost
kittens? Did you really think we'd allow this?"
"Let us through, Andrael," Seth said.
"I don't think so."
Seth pulled his sword of light from the air. It blazed in his
hand like a piece of the sun.
Andrael raised one thin brow. "You're going to fight us?"
"If I have to."
"You know you can't win."
"I won't hand him over to you."
Andrael sighed and drew a sword from the white-gold
scabbard at his hip. The blade gleamed brilliant silver, as if it
had been dipped in moonlight. "The Council has tried to be
merciful. They could have destroyed you for your crimes, but
instead you were only banished. Perhaps they were too
lenient."
Christian looked at the brilliant forms standing around
them. They all radiated power. His stomach knotted. Seth
was outnumbered, and weary from his battle against the
Eaters. He had no chance. "Seth," he whispered. "Don't fight
them. I'll turn myself in."
"No," Seth said. He wrapped an arm around Christian's
waist, and pulled him against his side. "I'll die before I let
them take you."
"So be it." Andrael raised his sword, and light exploded
from the blade. Rays burst out in every direction, a vast
sunflower of light. It blinded Christian, filling every corner of
his vision. Wind roared in his ears.
"Hold onto me!" cried Seth.
67
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Christian clung tight, breathing hard, and pressed his face
against Seth's body, but the light still stabbed into his eyes
like white knives. Then an invisible force tore Christian from
Seth's arms.
"No!" roared Seth.
A dark hole blossomed open in the ground beneath
Christian's feet, and he plunged, screaming, into the void.
He landed on something hard, and the impact jarred him
to his bones. He lay, panting. Blackness surrounded him.
Eaters appeared out of the darkness and closed in on him,
hissing, mandibles clicking. Clawed hands gripped his arms,
pinning him in place as the red-cloaked figures leaned close,
and their foul, hot breath filled his nose.
Then a brilliant light flashed overhead. The Eaters hissed
and shielded their faces, shrinking away. Christian looked up.
A hole blossomed in the darkness, as if the air itself had been
slashed open, and brilliant light shone through. He saw Seth
descending, blinding white wings spread wide, his sword
blazing in one hand, his eyes twin suns. He landed on both
feet. Two Eaters moved toward him. Seth's sword swept out
in an arc, cleaving them in half. They collapsed to the ground
and dissolved into nothing.
Seth wrapped one arm around Christian and pulled him up,
into the air. His wings beat, creating a miniature windstorm
around them. The Eaters reached for them with brittle,
clawed hands, but Seth's sword swept through them as if
they were smoke, and they disintegrated into dust. "Hold
onto me," he said, and his arm tightened around Christian's
waist.
68
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
His huge wings beat and lifted them higher into the air,
through a hole in the darkness. A blinding light filled
Christian's eyes, and suddenly they were spinning through
emptiness, hurtling through space. Christian hid his face
against Seth's chest. The only sound was the steady beating
of Seth's wings. Exhausted, overwhelmed, he blacked out.
[Back to Table of Contents]
69
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Epilogue
"Wake up, Christian."
Christian's eyelids fluttered. He looked around at the four-
poster bed, the dresser, the faded walls. "We're in your
house," he murmured, "in your bedroom."
"That's right."
He looked up, into a pair of luminous golden eyes. Seth
was still in his angel form, his true form, shining white and
winged, and Christian lay in his arms, cradled against his
chest like a child. Christian blinked. "How?"
"I brought us here. Rest." One slender, white hand
smoothed back Christian's hair. "Just rest."
"What happened to the angels? The ones who attacked
us?"
"I defeated them. And just in time too. Another moment,
and you would have been lost."
Christian shuddered at the memory. "To think that that's
what awaits people after death ... how can the Council be so
cruel?"
Seth's arms tightened around him. "Someday, I will
change things. I swear it."
"I want to help you."
Seth stared into his eyes, his expression unreadable. "Do
you know what you're asking?"
"Yes. I want to stay with you, Seth. I don't want to go
back to Earth. There's nothing for me there. I'll do anything,
just please, let me stay."
70
Escaping Darkside
by Amanda Steiger
Seth's slender, strong hands framed his face, and he
kissed Christian, slow and deep. "I had hoped and prayed that
would be your choice. But it had to be your choice. I had to
give you every chance to return to Earth, to know that this
was your heart's true wish." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]