Demon's Trust (The Chronicles of Arcayos #1) - Raven Dark Page 0,19
long, slow strides. “At the moment of his banishment, as he was cast down into Hellinon, Hazuldar struck out at the Goddess. His counterstroke trapped Va’halzoret in Elorian.”
“That’s her world.”
“Yes. For a time, the Angels managed to keep Hazuldar’s forces in check. But he’s been trying to break out of his prison ever since. Growing his army, preparing for the day he will be free and the demons wage war on Elorian. The war will destroy the world as you know it, and demons will rule over men. In time, the chaos they caused and the forces he amassed became too much for the Angels to contain.”
He pauses again, once more clasping his hands behind him.
“And there came to pass in those days, a Prophecy. A creature of darkness who carries the Light shall be chosen by the Goddess and knighted by her sword. Armed with the Sword of Shadows, he shall battle the forcers of Demonkind, destroying all that threaten to plunge Earth into eternal darkness. And she shall name him her Knighted One. He shall be called Her Champion.”
I furrow my brow. “Carries the Light? What does that mean?”
He says nothing, his expression impassive. Unreadable.
I sigh. “Okay, so, you’re the scourge of the underworld because you serve her. Hazuldar and his baddies want you dead because you battle the forces of evil in her name.”
“Yes. And it does not help that I am half human.”
“A half-breed. You’re impure.”
He nods.
I put my head between my knees, shoving my hair back. Demons? Angels? Gods? It’s as if reality is slipping away from me. Suddenly I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.
This is like something out of one of Ryan’s books. That kind of shit always bored the hell out of me. Now I wished I’d paid more attention when Louie and Ryan went into geek mode.
“Do you know how ridiculous this sounds?” I stand up, holding my arms out at my sides and then dropping them. “How do I know you aren’t just killing people and spinning this story to make it look good? I mean, isn’t that the kind of shit a demon does?”
“It is.” He crosses the room to me, his hand reaching out. I retreat a step, and he rolls his head back. “Listen to me. I am not an Angel, Cassidy Morgan. Beings like me—ones who are half human, half demon—are not meant to exist. I am not meant to have a soul. If indeed I have one, it does not make me good. I am a creature of evil. Born in darkness, in the Fires of Hellinon. The darkness lives in me. All the time.”
“Then how the hell am I supposed to believe a word you say?”
He raises his hands in a placating gesture. “I can promise you, when I kill a human, I have no choice.”
“Funny, that’s exactly what a serial killer would say.”
A low growl of frustration vibrates from him.
“I’m sorry, Arcayos. I’m trying, I really am. But you killed five men. Human men.”
“They weren’t—”
“To me, they looked human,” I snap. “To me, it looked like you sliced off the heads of five ordinary guys. Bad guys, but still.” I fling a hand toward him. “You said it yourself. You’re a creature of evil. You might not have a soul. You’re not making this easy for me.”
Suddenly he grins. “Now you sound like her.”
I click my teeth. I get the feeling he regularly pisses his Goddess off.
“Why would Va’halzoret choose a demon to be her emissary? I mean, you still have the impulses of a demon. So why didn’t she choose an Angel? Why didn’t she just pick a human and grant them special powers? She’s a god. She can do that, right?”
“That is the same question I ask myself every day.” He shrugs. “Perhaps a being of the human realm cannot be knighted. And perhaps she chose a demon instead of an Angel because she wanted a creature who knows how demons work, who understands them and their world.”
“That does make sense. It’s sort of brilliant if you think about it.”
I pace the room, thinking hard, and then turn to him.
“I don’t know, Arcayos. This is all just a little hard to swallow. I should be bringing this to Colburn.”
Arcayos is a blur of motion. Next second, he’s looming over me. He puts one finger in my face. “Cassidy Morgan, let me make one thing clear. You will not say a word of this to anyone.”