Hell Blessed

Chapter 13

Val and I stood in the road, watching as Calliope's car got further and further away. "Well," Val said, turning to me. "Let's do this."

I gripped the amulet in the palm of my hand as Val started the chant. "Et ego invocabo in virtute Dei." The metal grew hot and I almost dropped it. "In hac hora tenebris et beatos vos Azrael." Outside the circle, the wind picked up, whistling through the trees and creating small cyclones of sand. Inside, where we stood, everything was perfectly still. "Ego aperiam ostium tibi ego ligaveris venire ad me."

As soon as Val uttered the last word, a pure white cloud of smoke gathered at the center of the circle. A dark figure appeared in the smoke and, after a moment, it stepped out, materializing into the form of a man. He looked to be about nineteen and, to say he was good looking would be an incredible understatement. His eyes were a striking shade of emerald and he had hair as black as Lucifer's soul (if he even has one). It was left long and the bangs were swept to one side. He looked roughly 23, pretty far from his real age. Do archangels even care about things like age? Woah, I'm getting way off topic. Anyway, back to the gorgeous angel of death.

Azrael's eyes immediately went to mine, capturing them in his piercing gaze. "You summoned me," he said in a smooth baritone voice. I was too distracted to answer so Val cut in.

"Yes, we did. We need your help," she told him.

"What do you require?" he sighed, finally looking away from me.

"I need the power to use this," I said, pulling the sigillum dei out from under my shirt. Not wanting to lose it, I had hung it around my neck, figuring that was the safest place for it. "We need it to keep the demons from opening the gates of hell. It's the only thing that keeps the gate locked. If it's activated, I can use its powers to keep the demons away."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Cassandrea?" he asked. "Once given, the mark can not be removed."

"Yes. I'm positive," I nodded.

"You should also be aware that, once opened, the only way to close the gates is the blood of both good and evil shed willingly."

"Thanks for that information. Now give me the mark."

"As you wish." Azrael pulled out a silver dagger. It flashed in the moonlight as he brought it up to my neck. "Brace yourself," he whispered, and he touched the metal to my skin.

A searing pain raced through me and, despite my best efforts to contain it, I screamed. Instinctively I splayed my fingers, sending Azrael flying. He hit the barrier at the edge of the circle and dropped to the ground. Val stumbled back in astonishment. "What the hell was that?" she said incredulously.

"You." Azrael gasped, looking straight at me. "You're the child. The Ahalig."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Val asked him.

"It means your companion is an abomination. Half demon, half angel."

Val turned to me, fear in her eyes. "Is this true," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Yes."

"And the mark?" I reached my hand up to my neck, no longer feeling the pain. It felt warm and, when I removed my hand and looked at the palm, a symbol blazed orange for a moment, before disappearing.

"Can I use the sigillum dei now?" I asked Azrael.

"This was a grave mistake," Azrael muttered, picking himself up from the ground.

"What do you mean?"

"The sigillum dei is purely good, and balance is needed to wield it. The mark on your neck is the essence of darkness. The first evil. Dark enough to tip the balance in your soul. Before, you could never truly be good or evil. But now, there's no telling what could happen."

"I'm not going to go evil, now tell me if I can use the amulet!" I shouted. Val flinched.

"Yes, you can."

"Good," I snapped, and walked out of the circle. I could feel Val staring at me as I walked away.