The Fallen Part 1

THE FALLEN.

With stories by Marie Morin.

Jaide Fox.

Kimberly Zant.

Celeste Anwar.

THE BEGINNING.

In the beginning, when the star dust of an exploding sun sprinkled the world with the seeds of life, they were among the first to crawl from the primordial soup, emerging as chameleon-like creatures, able to change shape and color at will to protect themselves from the predators that emerged along side them. Like the salamander, they could heal the most grievous wounds with amazing speed and grow new appendages when necessary. This gift for rapid cell regeneration, they used to give themselves an even stronger advantage over the beasts that would prey upon them, the development of wings to glide high above the tangle of vegetation that had sprouted from the soil, where death lay behind every frond and leaf. Eventually they developed the ability for true flight.

These endowments gained them the right to life when others perished and eventually, over time, they emerged as the Elumi, evolving into the dominant, intelligent species of their world.

When the first, ape-like creatures that were manas ancestors emerged and began their struggle to cultivate and dominate nature, the Elumi had already conquered the known world and its skies, and their gifts had led them to see what no other eyes could see--the gateway to a world that coexisted with the primitive, violent Earth, beyond the destructive forces of nature, beyond the reach of time, beyond the tedious struggles of mankind, who were multiplying and polluting the world the Elumi had dominated for ages.

For a time, the Elumi and mankind lived side by side and the Elumi enjoyed the awe with which these weaker creatures viewed them, calling them G.o.ds, angels, demons, fairies--and endowing these G.o.d-like beings with many powers the Elumi didnat actually possess. For a time, the Elumi fought the boredom of their existence with these intelligent beasts, amused themselves with these savage, pseudo-intelligent creatures, but there was little sport in it when all was said and done and in time they grew more annoyed than amused and the Elumi pa.s.sed beyond the gate, away from the distraction of these lesser beings to pursue their own course.

Their gifts had made them virtually immortal, resulting in a notable lack of fear of death, which encouraged their natural aggressiveness. With no reason to progress beyond that stage they found most compatible with their warlike dispositions, they simply did not. The strongest and most aggressive carved out kingdoms for themselves, twelve in all. Twelve kingdoms dwindled to four as the ages pa.s.sed and one by one they fell to a mightier foe.

Many ages of mankind pa.s.sed in the world below them while the remaining kingdoms contented themselves with merely squabbling over boundaries and incursions into the other kingdoms from time to time to count coup or to take a particularly appealing prize, but the time came when they grew restless. The time came when the petty disputes erupted once more into all out war when King Braeden of Nardu threatened the balance of power by seeking to ally himself to the kingdom of Marceena by marriage to the Princess Leia.

Wily King Edric, father of Princess Leia, did not oppose the match, but did not approve it either since he was well aware that King Braeden wanted his kingdom far more than his daughter. He allowed the courts.h.i.+p and bided his time while he considered how he might turn the situation to his own advantage and add the Kingdom of Nardu to his own holdings under his rule.

The threat was enough to alarm both King Sorecet of Garyn and King Gozal of Tearra and although they were fast enemies, they began to negotiate the possibility of joining forces to oppose the army they feared would rise against them the moment King Braeden and King Edic settled their differences.

And thus it came about that the wars in the land of Pearthen, high Earth, spilled over into the lower world of mankind once more.

FALLEN ANGEL.

By Marie Morin.

Chapter One.

aItas been two frigging years,a Kylee said angrily. aYou mean to say youave got nothing? How could you have nothing?a She could see that the detective sitting across from her was holding onto his patience only with a strenuous effort, but she didnat care. s.n.a.t.c.hing a drawer open, he hefted a file fully six inches thick from it and plopped it down on the top of his desk.

aWeave got a whole lot of nothing,a he said tightly. aWeave followed every lead, but we ran out of leads more than a year ago. So, unless you have something newa?a Her stomach tightened as she stared at him, trying to gather up the nerve to put her plan into action.

Shead never considered herself a coward--still didnat. The plan that had slowly evolved in her mind wasnat the product of a sane person of bravery, but one insane with grief and the need for vengeance. But she was not so far off the deep end to feel no fear of something she had every reason to fear.

aIave--I decided to smoke him out. Iad like your help if youare willing to help me, but Iall do it anyway,a she said quickly before she lost her nerve.

Detective Strand gave her a patronizing look that made her long to slap him. aIf youall pardon me saying so, that would be plain out stupid. Youall only end up getting yourself killed.a aYou know it was hera.a She stopped. She couldnat bring herself to say apimpa, not about her baby sister. Drug dealer sounded almost as bad. The truth was the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had gotten her little sister hooked and used her and then killed her when she tried to get out because she knew too much about him. aaboyfriend that killed her,a she finished, feeling ill even to use that description, although it was less offensive to her sisteras memory.

aWe think it was him, and that means exactly zero, because we havenat found anything to link him to the murder aside from the fact that he was her pimp. It could just as easily have been one of her johns.a Kylee winced at the word pimp. How dare the b.a.s.t.a.r.d sit in judgment on poor Stacy! She hadnat been much more than kid, easy prey for the sonofab.i.t.c.h that had used her, but she could see it in his face. As far as he was concerned, Stacy was nothing but trash, a wh.o.r.e and a junky and undeserving of life--or his valuable time. White faced, Kylee got to her feet. aWell, how about I do your job for you? If I get a confession for you on tape, do you think you could put the b.a.s.t.a.r.d away? Or does it take more than two hands for you to find your a.s.s?a Detective Strand was beet red when he shoved his own chair back and surged to his feet. aIam going to pretend I didnat hear that,a he growled. aIf youare so d.a.m.ned determined to go out and get yourself killed, I donat see how I can stop you, but if you do anything illegal, youare the one thatas going to end up in jail, Ms. Griffin!a aItas a h.e.l.l of a lot safer to run in law abiding citizens, isnat it? Especially if itas a woman half your size!a His eyes narrowed. aI put my life on the line every day,a he growled, anot that people like you appreciate it.a aItas your job, Detective! If you didnat like the job description, you shouldnat have taken the job to start with. I donat have to appreciate your half a.s.s service. I pay the taxes that support you! The biggest problem I see with that is that I donat have anything to do with hiring and firing. I just get to pay taxes through the nose and listen to excuses whenever I actually need you!a Grabbing her purse up, Kylee stalked from his office before he could fall dead in a fit of suppressed rage.

She was still so furious when she left the precinct that she merely stood on the sidewalk for a time, staring at nothing in particular while people walked by her, jostling her. Finally, she moved to the curb and hailed a taxi to take her back to the room she was renting.

She hated the city. There were too many people, too many cars, and too many opportunities for corrupt and/or incompetent cops and outright criminals.

She was still seething when she reached the shabby room shead rented. She was also terrified. All she really wanted to do was to tuck her tail between her legs and high tail it back for home where she could feel safe and untainted.

She was hardly a saint, but the filthy things that happened in the dark corners of the city made her feel unclean just from proximity.

She couldnat just go home knowing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d that had butchered her little sister was still going about life as usual, making money off of the bright eyed young girls that flocked to the city for adventure and ended up as carca.s.ses on a slab in the morgue, picked clean, sucked dry.

Shead spent a solid year hoping to hear head been caught, hoping to hear head been found dead--anything that would make her feel that justice had caught up with him and he wasnat able to prey on anybody elseas little sister.

She was never going to be able to put this behind her as long as she had the mental picture of his grinning face next to her sisteras cold, dead one.

She didnat want to die, though, and she had very little confidence that she could carry out her scheme. She wasnat street smart. Shead seen plenty of violence, even in the small city where she lived, but although shead been a awilda teenager she hadnat dealt with the drug scene and certainly not prost.i.tution. She hadnat rubbed elbows with users, or dealers, or women that had been forced to make their living in such a way.

She was going to stick out like a--victim just waiting to be pounced on. She might as well strap a sign to her a.s.s.

After taking a hot shower to try to calm her frayed nerves, she lay down on the bed, hoping she could force mind and body to rest. If she was going to be out half the night, she needed to have her wits about her.

Kylee had spent nearly a year training in self-defense. She had a bottle of pepper spray in one pocket and a tape recorder in her bra and she still felt naked, completely defenseless, and scared totally s.h.i.+tless as she made her way down the dimly lit streets where her sister had lived and died.

How could Stacy, five feet nothing and, maybe, ninety pounds soaking wet have gotten up the nerve to come to such a dangerous place to start with? How could she have lived here, she wondered? Were drugs that powerful? Did they distort reality that much? Even if they did, Stacy would have had to have been bombed out of her mind all the time not to notice how dangerous the area was even for a two hundred pound gorilla, much less a speck like Stacy.

Knots of hookers waited on just about every corner. They gave her suspicious, aggressive glances whenever she pa.s.sed them. Derelicts dotted the landscape, swigging from bottles, lying in the gutters, squatted behind the dubious concealment of trash dumpsters that over flowed everywhere, or staggering along the sidewalk. aPimp mobilesa pa.s.sed along the street at intervals, creeping along so that the aladiesa could get a good look at them and stay on their toes.

She was almost relieved when she saw the sign shead been looking for, the bar slash pool hall where Enrico, Stacyas former boyfriend, was known to hang out. Girding herself, without waiting to think it over, she grabbed the door handle and stepped inside.

Her lungs seemed to collapse in her chest like deflated balloons. Her heart put on brakes.

There were probably two dozen of the lowest looking low lifes shead ever seen hovering around the pool tables, slouched in bench seats in front of rickety tables, and standing along the walls. A few of them glanced toward the door when it opened and did a double take.

Kylee ignored them, raking her gaze over the a.s.semblage in a desperate attempt to see if she could identify Stacyas killer.

One of the guys that had glanced her way elbowed a man standing in the shadows. The guy looked up, took a step forward.

Kyleeas heart slammed into her chest wall as it surged to life again.

Whatever doubts shead entertained that she would recognize him vanished.

Whatever doubts shead had that he would instantly know she was Stacyas sister disappeared, as well.

He looked like head seen a ghost.

It was all shead come to do.

Stepping from the bar, she walked as briskly as her shaky legs would allow in the direction from which shead come, resisting the temptation to break into a run. She had just reached the first intersection when she heard a shout behind her.

Glancing back, she saw that Enrico had barreled out the door of the bar. Kicking her heels off, Kylee sprinted down the next block. Shead left the rental car on the street at the next intersection. aPlease, G.o.d! Donat let it be stripped down to a sh.e.l.l before I can get to it!a she muttered under her breath, dodging a man that tried to block her path. He caught her anyway, swinging her around. She dug for the pepper spray and filled his face full.

Screaming, he released her to rub his eyes and she leapt away, her feet pounding against the pavement in time to her heart beat. She slowed enough to dig for her keys when she saw the car. She could tell from the sounds behind her, though, that Enrico was gaining on her.

Reaching the car, she shoved the key in the hole after sc.r.a.ping paint off the door all the way around the hole. Diving inside, she slammed the lock down and shoved the key into the ignition. Luck was with her. The engine turned over at the first try.

Someone grabbed the door handle, wrenching on it. Kylee turned to see Enrico glaring at her through the window. aI know what you did and Iam going to see you fry for it!a she screamed at him, flicking him a bird.

It was probably one of the more ill advised impulses shead had, and given in to.

He slammed his hand against the window so hard she was surprised it didnat shatter. Screaming, she jerked the car in gear and stepped on the gas just as he slammed his fist against the window again. That time the gla.s.s did shatter and he grabbed a fist full of her s.h.i.+rt, tearing it half off of her as the caras momentum yanked him off balance. He rolled away from the wheels as she jerked the car into the street, narrowly missing another car.

She ran the red light at the next intersection, almost hitting a second car as she glanced in her rearview mirror to check on Enrico. To her horror, she saw him leap to his feet, run around to the driveras side of the car and yank the driver out.

aOh s.h.i.+t!a She turned at the next intersection, whipping the wheel around the corner at the last minute. The car fishtailed. She fought for control and managed to get the car straightened out. When she got to the next corner, she turned again, glancing in the mirror to see if the car Enrico was now driving had managed to make the turn. The sound of grinding metal reached her as he sideswiped a parked car.

She didnat wait to see if he made the next turn, zigzagging through the city in an attempt to lose him. Driven by sheer terror, it was a while before she realized that she was moving deeper and deeper into no manas land.

She found herself in a aghosta town, an area of the city that contained nothing but run down, or falling down, buildings. About the time she realized she hadnat seen a soul in several blocks the car Enrico was driving barreled out of an alley, slamming into the rear of her car and sending it spinning completely out of control.

Chapter Two.

Fortunately for Kylee, the caras momentum had slowed considerably before the car struck the pile of debris that finally brought the spinning to a stop. She hadnat had the chance to fasten her seatbelt. The abrupt stop slammed her down on the seat hard enough it stunned her for many moments.

By the time shead recovered enough to begin trying to struggle upright, Enrico was already reaching through her window to unlock her door. In a state of shock, completely disoriented, Kylee was dragged from the car like a rubber doll, unable even to find her voice to scream. He lifted her from the ground by her throat.

Instinct kicked in when her air was cut off by his grip and her own weight, and Kylee began clawing at the hand holding her.

aYou listen good, Putta. You mess with Enrico, he cut your pretty throat like your Putta sister. You got that?a Not on the f.u.c.king recorder, Kylee thought dimly as darkness circled her like vultures, realizing she hadnat had enough presence of mind to turn it on.

He shook her when she didnat answer, though how he thought she could with the grip he had on her throat she couldnat imagine.

Close by, an explosion of sound, like something huge hitting the roof of one of the buildings surrounding the alley, made him jerk in reaction. Dropping her to the ground, he whirled around sharply, his head tilted toward the roofs as he searched for any sign of a threat. Gasping like an asthmatic, Kylee fought to drag air into her lungs and get to her feet at the same time.

A clanging from somewhere nearby, like someone banging on a metal pipe, echoed hollowly through the alley. A duller pounding, like running feet, accentuated the frantic clanging.

aWhat the f.u.c.k is that?a Enrico demanded, sounding further enraged that anyone would dare interrupt his a.s.sault and battery.

Kylee didnat answer. She didnat figure he was expecting one. Instead, she struggled to reach the tiny recorder to switch it on. The impact had s.h.i.+fted it from the middle of her bra to the outside of the left cup. aThe cops know you killed my sister. I know you killed my sister,a Kylee managed finally.

Enrico barely glanced at her. He was too busy tracking the sounds above them that continued unabated. aYeah? Well, I tell you the same ting I tole de cops, prove it, Putta.a aIave got your DNA under my fingernails and all over the f.u.c.king car!a Kylee screamed at him. aIf it matches the DNA they found on her a.a He grabbed her by the throat again, cutting her off mid-sentence. Before he could choke the life out of her, something landed on the hood of the car so hard the car bounced. Enricoas eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. aMadre de dios!a Releasing her abruptly, he tore off toward the car head left running, leapt into the front seat and peeled off.

Feeling the hair on the back of her neck standing on end, Kylee, on the ground once more, turned to see what had scared the thug off. Two--somethingas were struggling on the hood of the car. As she gaped, the one on top, almost as if he sensed her gaze, lifted his head and looked straight at her. His face was contorted into a mask of rage. His eyes glowed an eerie iridescent green--almost like the eyes of a nocturnal animal.

In spite of the strange eyes, he looked just like a man--except for the great wings sprouting from his back.

The distraction cost him. The man--creature--beneath him, clubbed him on the side of his head with his fist. The one on top tumbled from the hood of the car, taking the other creature with him. Abruptly, they broke apart and shot skyward, disappearing into the darkness of the night sky.

From high above her, Kylee heard the clanging again. It stopped suddenly. A strange whistling noise followed.

Frowning, Kylee stared up at the sky, wondering what the h.e.l.l it was. Slowly, she got to her feet, moving toward the front of her car to look at the crushed hood. An object struck the ground beside the car, little more than a foot from where shead been sitting only moments before. She leaned around the hood to look. A broad bladed sword lay in the dirt and gravel next to the front wheel.

Sirens screamed with a suddenness that made her jerk all over. Flas.h.i.+ng blue, white, and red lights rounded the corner of the alley before the vehicles did. Without quite knowing why, Kylee moved around the car and pushed the sword under the edge out of sight just as the two police vehicles slid to a stop roughly a car length from hers.

Detective Strand disgorged from the unmarked car, surveying her and the car with an expression of disgust. As he shut his door, two more patrol cars pulled in behind the first two. Catching the eyes of the drivers, he made a circular motion in the air. The two cars backed up and shot off in the direction Enrico had disappeared.

The two cops riding in the patrol car got out and followed Detective Strand, waving their flashlights along the ground and studying the interesting donut Kylee had cut with rubber into the pavement.

aSatisfied?a Detective Strand commented as he reached her.

aActually, yes,a Kylee said, dragging the recorder out of her bra and handing it to him.

He played it back, frowning. aThatas not a confession,a he said dryly, handing the device back to her when head listened.

Dismay filled Kylee. aHe confessed to me just before that. He said he would cut my throat like he had--my sisteras,a Kylee finished, struggling against the wobble in her chin.

aHe said, she said. Granted youare a lot more credible witness, but the DA ainat going to go for it, I can tell you that. Itas too weak.a aWhat about DNA? His DNA is all over the car and under my nails.a He gave her a look. aEven if it matches what we found on her, it wonat prove anything. He was her pimp and her lover. She wasnat raped, Ms. Griffin. The s.e.x was consensual and any lawyer would shoot down DNA evidence on that alone,a he said almost kindly.

He moved closer and looked her over. aWe can file a.s.sault and battery charges on him.a aHow long would he be in jail?a He shrugged. aA while. Several years anyway.a Kylee fought the urge to burst into tears again. aMy sister was only eighteen! He deprived her of the rest of her life.a aYou can get him off the streets for a little while, anyway.a She didnat want him off the streets for a little while. She wanted him off permanently.

The detective frowned when she said nothing, glancing toward the hood of the car. After a moment, he moved around her to study it better. Feeling weak kneed, Kylee moved around the car door, which was still standing open and collapsed in the seat.

aThis happen when he slammed into you?a Kylee put her head in her hands. She hadnat had the chance to a.s.similate what shead seen. She still didnat know what shead seen, but she wasnat so shook up that she didnat know better than to say anything about it. The cops would think shead gone off the deep end.

aI donat know. Everything happened so fast.a And then the sword dropped out of the sky. Her heart accelerated at that thought. It was proof--but of what? The rest of the story didnat sound any better in her mind. When she glanced toward the other cops and saw theyad moved off, she leaned over, grabbed the sword from beneath the car and very carefully slipped it under the car seat.

Detective Strand was looking at her when she looked up again. She stared back at him guiltily. aWhatas this blue stuff?a Relieved that he hadnat noticed what shead been doing, Kylee lifted up slightly. She still couldnat see what he was talking about, though, and got up, moving around to the front of the car. The detective had dabbed a finger in the blue liquid smeared all over the hood of the car. He sniffed it, shook his head, rubbed it between two fingers. aIt ainat paint.a It didnat look like blood either, at least not of the human variety, but the image of the two creatures struggling on top of the car instantly filled her mind--along with the pounding on the roof of the building, the clanging of metal, the sword falling out of the sky. The man/creature on bottom had had a sword clutched in his fist, she remembered, the fist head slammed into his opponentas head.

Blood, she realized, feeling shock go through her again, a coldness. She s.h.i.+vered, glancing up at the buildings that surrounded them.

The sound of an approaching vehicle caught her attention and she turned to see an ambulance pulling up. Detective Strand moved around the car. aHere, letas get you checked out. When theyare done with you at the hospital, Iall need to get a statement from you.a Kylee didnat try to argue. The shock had begun wearing off and the pain level was rising. She didnat think there was anything wrong with her aside from bruising, but that was enough to make her hurt all over.

A wrecker arrived to tow the car as she was helped into the ambulance and consternation filled her. Realizing there was nothing she could do about the situation at the moment, she tried to put it from her mind. The techs helped, poking and prodding as they checked her vitals. They made her lie down on the gurney, strapping her in for the trip to the hospital. She didnat protest about that either, but she felt absurd. She wasnat hurt--not really.