THE SAINTS HAVE FALLEN: CHAPTER 25 (Part 1)

The Saints Have Fallen is a YA Dark Romance Fantasy Novel written by Celine Mahadeo.

Novel. Fiction. Genre (Dark Romance Fantasy).

By Celine Mahadeo.

BLURB

After being stripped of his title as a God and turned into a demon in the presence of his brother, Yuri was banished to earth to live amongst the humans whom he hates. 200 years later, a young girl shows up at his doorstep holding both his life and death in her hands whilst not having any idea of the power in which she possesses.

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Chapter 25 (Part 1)

Ana.

The world was spinning around me. Any ounce of pleasure suddenly dispersed. Birds screeched loudly and came to an abrupt silence. The minutes were somehow seconds, and the faint sound of Yuri’s voice beckoning me back to my senses jolted me forward.

In a heavy gasp, my senses crashed within me, and I was once again in alignment with it. Apart from the slamming headache, there was no other pain. I blinked, recollecting my memories, of the man before me. His silver hair that unearthly shade which fell over his eyes studied me critically as he remained, knelt before me.

“Are you alright?” His voice was soft and low with a hint of authority layered beneath.

I passed my fingers along the soft skin where his head had been. Two small dots of the wound remained under my muddied dress.

“It should heal completely soon.” He continued as he stood and extended a hand for me.

I frowned at his sudden change of gesture, slapping it away and pushing myself up. How dare he. All he’d ever been to me was confusing. Hot and cold and repeat. Bipolar was one thing, but this– him- he was another.

“How dare you.” I iced.

“Ana,” he protested, but I held a hand up to stop him and took a step back.

“If you expect me to thank you for that, I won’t. I came into this town confused, trying to find answers. Instead, all of this is happening.” I motioned my hand around in a fluster. “I thought I left the monsters behind but…” I paused and stared directly at him, sucking in my breath, “I don’t understand why I’m here and clearly you don’t understand why either, but instead of helping each other you try to kill me. I’ve given you no reason not to trust me and yet…”

“I wasn’t going to kill you-”

“Well, I wished you had done it,” I snapped, “Instead of toying and pretending to be interested in anything about me and my past. I thought you were being genuine. Not gaining my trust to lead me here just so you can put a dagger to my throat to pry information. I feel sorry for you- that you think everyone is your enemy. Believe it or not, this human, as you so call me wasn’t.” I was about to walk away but turned back, “And if you think I know anything otherwise about why my grandfather sent me here then why the Gods would I have even gone to Quilt’s? Did you think I enjoyed being declined help? That I felt helpless? Did you think I liked that feeling? You could have easily read my mind if you so wanted to know as you’ve been doing before.”

He stood there in a stormy silence, absorbing my words with his expression, cryptic and unaltered.

I sucked in my breath before leaving, promising myself I won’t be helpless anymore. “Don’t come after me, don’t follow me. My grandfather sent me here for a reason and I’m going to figure it out. And I’ll do it far away from you.”

It was a bit of a bold move to distance myself away knowing fully well that he could have easily caught up to me and slit my throat right then and there. Probably even dumping my body in some hidden well deep in the woods. Yet, surprisingly, he didn’t follow. And that I was grateful and relieved for. As I walked through the slightly crowded park, I ignored all the curious stares I was gaining from passersby. I couldn’t blame them, I looked as if I was rolled and coated in shit and mud. If I hadn’t stopped to quickly wash my face at the park fountain, then I’m pretty sure someone would have called authorities for an indecent exposure of absolute filth. If that was even such a thing. Although, I knew to myself I left the real 6’2 silver-haired filth back in the forest. This anger and betrayal were boiling within my blood and bones. By the Gods, I was turning into a raging monster like my father, and I hadn’t even realized it. Stopping, I took a deep breath and clasped into Mathias’s stone.

Give me strength, Mathias. And forgive me for what I’m about to do. 

I hid behind the narrow alley just outside Quilt’s bookshop. If it’s one thing I was grateful for, was the information that was confirmed to me and given by Yuri. If Quilt was the messenger to Mathias then I had to find a way to ensure my letter reaches to the God himself. Before sneaking into the bookshop, I made a quick stop at the nearest stationary shop and quickly scribbled onto paper what I wished to say to the God. At first, the pen lingered a second away from the sheet as I was unsure of what exactly to say. If I had told myself three-four years ago that I’d be in a stationary shop somewhere in a sleepy town in England, writing a letter to a God, cover in mud as the shopkeeper watched me concernedly at the side- then I’d probably laugh. Not that I didn’t believe and have faith in the God of Faith himself but because me – out of all the wonderful, beautiful, and unique people in the world- it was all happening to me. Nonetheless, I let my heart pour into the ink I spilled upon the paper.

I quickly paid the cashier and went back out, keeping a keen eye on the door of Quilt’s shop. The fair-haired boy walked out with a package in hand. He seemed going to deliver something. Was that a box of cupcakes? Quilts random services never failed to surprise me. Thankfully, he disappeared into the street on the right. He didn’t have his satchel in hand so it must have been in the bookshop. A wash of nervousness flushed throughout my body. I pinched myself. Now was the best and possibly only time. Carefully, I neared the door and peeked through the slightly opened crack. No one was in sight. Thank the Gods.

I silenced my footsteps and held my breath as I fitted through the doorway, trying not to make too much noise upon entering. Talking about Gods, where was Loraine? I dragged my eyes through the shop, but she was nowhere to be seen. For now, at least. My gaze drifted and halted at the door behind the countertop where the register sat. Swiftly, I made my way there to push open the already-opened door. It was a neat and dimly lit narrow sitting room which smelt like coffee and pistachio. At the corner of the room, sat an oaky desk where his satchel lay atop.

My hands trembled but I worked my way to unzip the bag and shuffle a few of the letters out. It all felt entirely wrong to be here like this. My heart was pounding furiously within my chest like a starved and angry dog chained for days. I swore I was hearing the thumps of elephant footsteps charging toward me. It felt so overwhelming seeing Mathias’s name written on gold and amber-coloured envelopes. Claudia, my cousin, never believed in him- and yet all this proof. He was as real as my anxiety was right now. I swallowed a chuck of thick saliva and carefully opened one of the gold envelopes. I fitted my letter neatly into it alongside the previous one. I wasn’t here to pry, simply to ensure my message reaches him.

With a shaky hand, I pulled out the glue stick I purchased from the stationary shop out of my pocket and glued it back as it was, sticking everything back to how the letters were and zipping the bag close. The sudden slow groan of the door ached. My eyes widened as I dropped to the floor and sank beneath the desk. I tried to ice my breathing which was previously gushing like a loud waterfall. Fear prickled at my arms and shut my eyes tightly, hoping I wasn’t caught. The footsteps grew louder. Closer. Until a voice rang through the air at the door.

“Quilt,” Loraine called him. By the distance of her voice, she was now within the room along with Quilt, “Was the delivery successful?”

“Yes.” He answered a little half-lived.

“What is wrong?” The Goddess asked, noticing his drowned tone as well, “You have been very quiet since Ana left.” The mention of my name prickled my bones and twisted within my stomach anxiously. Quilt remained in silence when she spoke again, “I don’t agree with what you did. You should have tried to help her, in whatever little way you could. I felt her heart when she left, it was so heavy.”

“You know I couldn’t.” He sighed. His tone was almost pained. “You know that. He wouldn’t like us disobeying him like that. I gave my word. I have my duty. It isn’t our place to interfere, Loraine.”

Quilt was about to say something when someone called from the shop. “Come now,” she said to him, “We have customers.” Their footsteps retreated to the store as the door shut behind them.

I needed to find a way out of here. On the side, I hadn’t noticed it before but there was a door which I assumed led to the back out. It was locked but I quickly grabbed the bobby pin from my hair and unlocked it. It was a trick I learned and kept in mind often whenever I was locked in a room. Which was far too often for my liking, so I always wore a hairpin in case. I guess some habits are hard to break out of.

Two steps outside, someone plastered their hand over my mouth and slammed me to the wall. My eyes widened at the sight of the thing before me. Syn. The alley was lonely and discrete as I felt his hot breath on my neck. He planted his unnatural coloured eyes onto mine in curiosity.

“Interesting little thing,” he said, showing a bit of his tongue. It was the shape of a snake that sent a shiver down my spine, “Blood of death and power.”

I knitted my eyebrows confused at his mad words.

“No wonder my Lord was so intrigued by you. You taste delectable, unlike anything I’ve ever-”

With a loose foot, I kicked him with all my strength in his shin. He stumbled back in a low growl. I ran to leave the alleyway when he suddenly pounced before me, blocking my escape. Quickly, I pulled out the pen from my back pocket and daggered it between us. It was that or the glue and I wasn’t sure if gluing him to death was quite an option.

“Come any closer,” I warned as I kept a safe distance between us, “And I won’t hesitate to stab this into your hideous eye.”

He looked offended and even more murderous than ever. “You nasty little bitch,” I stalked forward as I took a step back.

He stopped. His eyes went over my shoulder. And his face- his face paled as if he was seeing a ghost. Syn let out a ghastly hiss as he took a step back. The promise of murder never left his eyes for me. In a blink, he was gone.

An iciness shuddered through me. Behind me. Whatever was behind me was more threatening than the murderous breed which had previously stood before me. My heart slammed. I didn’t want to turn, but my body made its own decision.

A little girl stood before me with paper-white hair and grey eyes. A grey so silent and subtle that it almost mirrored the shade of her hair. Her aura wasn’t frightening. Instead, I felt peaceful. A strange sort of peace. Her pastel blue frock looked like she was dipped out of another era. It matched the two little bows on either side of her head. In her hand, she hugged tightly onto a thick, black leathered book. She gave a little smile and tilted her head to the left. There, an open alley called. That– that wasn’t there before. The little girl nodded and ran into it, expecting me to follow.

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