Covenant
The
Books of Raziel
Book
2
Sabrina
Benulis
Genre:
Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher:
Harper Voyager
Date
of Publication: 4/1/2014
ISBN:
9780062069412
Number
of pages: 400
Word
Count: 98,000
Book
Description:
The
haunting gothic tale started in Archon continues-a mesmerizing work
of the paranormal in which a young woman discovers that she is caught
in a labyrinth of intrigue where angels, demons, and all the
creatures between Heaven and Hell will stop at nothing to possess
her.
A
year ago, Angela Mathers, a talented artist with a tortured soul,
enrolled at the Westwood Academy and encountered the angels who
haunted her dreams. Then she discovered the dark truth … she is the
Archon, a being of supreme power who will determine the fate of the
universe. But with such power comes great danger, and for every force
seeking to aid Angela there is another burning to stop her. After a
scheming demon kidnaps the Book of Raziel, Angela must find her way
through a nightmarish game and enter the Door to Hell to rescue her
only friend before it is too late.
The
perilous fate of both Heaven and Hell rests on her success.
Excerpt
Genesis
~ The Story So Far
In
the beginning of all things, there was a song, and starlight, and a
Garden within eternity's shadows. There, God created three great
angels, and they were destined to rule all of Heaven from three
majestic thrones.
Israfel,
the Creator Supernal, was considered to be the most beautiful of
these angels. A vision of bronze feathers and grace, he found favor
in the eyes of God and Heaven and soon outstripped his siblings in
both popularity and power. His brother Raziel, the Preserver
Supernal, became known for the virtues of wisdom and gentleness. And
then there was Lucifel, the Destroyer Supernal embodying creation's
fathomless darkness and depths, who despite her taciturn personality
still managed to snare the hearts of creatures.
The
storms and upsets of the universe could not touch these three angels.
Sickness and death were beneath them.
But
they were not immune to the passions of the heart.
As
Israfel's favor grew, so did Lucifel's frightful envy and discontent.
Seeing
herself as an equal to her sibling and with a loyal band of angels to
support her claim, Lucifel finally broke with the established order
and challenged Israfel's position as Heaven's supreme ruler under
God. When Raziel--who had always seemingly vacillated in his loyalty
between both siblings--took Lucifel as his lover, a bloody revolution
exploded. The children of their forbidden union were executed, but in
retaliation Lucifel engulfed Heaven in a War that ended in Raziel's
suicide, Israfel's abdication, and her own tragic destiny.
Though
defeated by both fate and circumstance, Lucifel chose to begin a new
regime in lower, darker places. Yet she was swiftly imprisoned in her
new kingdom of Hell.
Those
who had once worshipped her in her glory were now her fearful
jailers. They called themselves demons.
In
the darkness below all things, caged and alone, Lucifel's ideals
twisted even as her shadow of influence grew. From Hell it then
spread like a poison, touching even the mortal world.
Though
her true motives remain unknown, she is now suspected of wishing to
open Raziel's fabled Book, seeking to use its power to silence the
universe and the light within it that mocks her. Lucifel moves
quicker by the day to manipulate events in her favor. But Raziel's
death was not completely in vain. He has returned as the guardian
spirit of a human girl to see that his sister Lucifel fails in her
goal. This human girl is called the Archon.
The
Archon is the only soul believed to be capable of opening the Book
for the power of good. But like all creatures She has a choice, and
will either stand against Lucifel and destroy her, or kill her only
to take her place on the Throne of Hell and begin a darker era of
Ruin.
In
either instance, Her decision must be made quickly.
With
the ties that once held the universe together brutally severed, an
order long teetering on the edge of collapse has started to slide
toward complete annihilation. A silence more threatening than
Lucifel's looms over all creatures--one without hope of resurrection.
The whereabouts of the Lock and Key of Raziel's Book are unknown, and
the task of opening it to save what remains of the world verges on
the impossible.
The
Archon is a soul born in mortal misery, and she has only recently
grasped the virtue of friendship. There are many who believe that her
dark destiny is--like Lucifel's--unavoidable.
But
if Ruin and Death born of three unhappy angels sparked the end, it is
also true that covenants broken can be remade, and that the wheels of
fate can be turned backwards despite all odds. Hearts call to one
another, undoing the knots that have strangled hope, and imprisoned
peace. For darkness to exist, there must be a brighter light. The
world has always known pain, strife, and wars.
Yet
it is the bonds between souls that have moved the stars.
Zero
Many
doors begged to be opened in the city of Luz. Kim was certain he'd at
last found the only one that mattered.
Like
all ominous things, it had materialized in the darkest hour of his
life. Now he stood in front of its immense black wood and gasped for
breath, cold sweat trickling down the side of his nose. A thousand
warnings sounded off in his brain, and his lungs ached as they sucked
in the freezing air. His hands had gone numb. Ice shellacked the tips
of Kim's hair, and the strands swept punishingly against his neck.
The wind strangled him with every breath, searching relentlessly for
other lives to snuff out, sighing like a cold song through the alley.
A
soft hiss shivered through the bone cold night, and the harsh breeze
died for a moment. The damp and stone-filled city had hushed, as if
waiting. Flurries drifted serenely to the ground.
Kim
glanced over his shoulder, shuddering. Fear throbbed through him in
waves.
He
would have to move fast. He didn't have much time to make a decision
before she caught up to him.
The
door beckoned, suspicious and dark. Should he? Shouldn't he?
Kim
stared at the door, gasping for breath. He peered at the odd carvings
and symbols in the wood. Impulsively, he reached for the snake-shaped
iron knob.
Reality
twisted and warped like a flash of lightning. Without warning the
iron serpent came alive and lunged.
Inch
long metal fangs sunk into Kim's palm. Needles of agony wrenched
through his arm.
Kim
cursed under his breath, tears of pain bunching at the corners of his
eyes. He snatched his hand out of the snake's reach, wrapping fingers
around his injured palm. Blood seeped hotly between his fingers. The
iron snake recoiled back to its original position, glaring into him.
Its reptilian eyes glowed with an unnerving yet familiar shade of
orange. Try again, they seemed to say.
Frantically,
Kim searched every inch of the wood for a keyhole. But there was
none, and he realized with a newer shot of panic that he had no key
anyway.
Another
icy hiss echoed through him, drifting through the alley along with
the snow. A soft rattle, like the sound of tiny bones rubbing
together, cut through the silence.
Kim
peered around again, sweaty bangs screening his vision.
A
pair of phosphorescent yellow eyes gleamed back at him from the end
of the cobbled road. Sickle-shaped black wings flickered once within
the night. The sad glow of a gas lamp brushed the tips of his
cousin's nails, and then her devilish form melted back into the
darkness.
In
a few more breaths, those nails would rip him apart. His hunter was
badly hurt, but that wouldn't buy Kim enough time to escape.
He
glanced around pathetically and sucked in more horrendously cold air.
Silvery ice shellacked the surrounding walls of brick and stone, the
hard ground. Snow drifted, fell, tumbled in the renewed gusts of
winter wind. He didn't want to die in the cold depths of Luz alone.
Too much life awaited him, and possibly love.
He
clung to that last hope with fanatical loyalty.
Kim
clutched the cross necklace at his chest, and his mind raced and
filled with thoughts of Angela Mathers and how much she needed him
without even realizing it. He pictured her brave face, deep red hair,
and cool blue eyes. He felt her kiss on his mouth and ached for the
part of his heart he'd unwillingly left with her in a moment of such
irrational anger. He heard an angel's voice say like it had said
before that Kim was about to get exactly what he deserved.
A
terrible, crushing sensation threatened to stop his heart. The hair
stood on the nape of Kim's neck. His veins throbbed with terror.
Blood rushed and roared in his ears. He fought off the screams rising
up into his throat. Unseen and silent, death's stealthy approach felt
keen as a knife in his back.
Kim
threw himself at the door, pounding on the wood with his fists.
Seeing
Angela's face in his mind one last time, he knew he'd give anything
to reach her again. The screams left his mouth at last, reverberating
in the icy air. Someone, anyone, for the love of God let him in. He
knew footsteps were behind him and ragged breaths and pitiless teeth
and the thought was unbearable. He banged harder and harder, ignoring
the threat of another bite from the snake because his hands were dead
with cold and pain.
He
would do anything, if someone would save him.
The
world paused. A voice like a snake's touched the edge of his
thoughts.
Anything?
It sounded amused.
Yes.
Yes. ANYTHING.
A
tremulous click broke the silence.
Kim
jumped backwards and stared, his heart pounding. The immense black
door had opened, and a sliver of nothingness peeped at him from the
gap between door and wall. Like a man in a trance, he opened the door
wider, revealing a worn stone stairway that led down into a dimly lit
darkness. A stale but warm breeze wafted upward from the depths.
There was no telling what waited for him down there. For a single
moment longer, he hesitated.
Pain
slammed into him like a thunderbolt.
The
door slammed shut. Kim whipped sideways into the bricks, scraping his
cheek on bitter ice.
His
hunter rolled to the slippery ground next to him, her sparsely
feathered wings beating the stone in a frenzy. Ice cracked and split
beneath her weight. Cold air rushed over him in merciless waves.
Scabs
covered Troy's black pinions, and her entire body had become even
leaner with hunger. Growls of rage peppered her almost unintelligible
words. Kim stole one more glimpse of his cousin's lethal angelic
beauty, the sight of her sharp teeth, the terror of her hypnotic
eyes, and he wrenched himself from the slick wall and once again
flung open the door.
Troy
grabbed his leg, cutting more blood out of him.
Frustrated
shrieks sliced into him like her nails. Her broken ankle had cost her
time and speed, but it was her other injuries that had brought her
close to starvation. Kim screamed a prayer.
Shuddering,
she let go.
In
a second she was on her hands and feet, preparing to pounce again.
Kim swung himself through the doorway.
Troy's
bony hand grasped the bloody tatters of his coat and pulled. Kim
slammed to the ground. Her wings buffeted him, punishing his legs and
waist. She scrabbled for a foothold on the unfamiliar ice, and he
fought against sliding into biting range. Troy's hot breath reached
his skin. The chain of his necklace threatened to choke him.
Kim
pulled with all of his strength.
The
coat fabric ripped from between her fingers. The necklace chain
snapped. With a cry of triumph he dashed for the stairway again and
turned, slamming the door shut.
Troy's
feet and hands clanged like a sharp wind against the wood.
Kim
staggered back, nearly pitching down the stairs. Grasping blindly, he
clung to an iron bar on the door's inside, trying to keep his
balance. In a fury of Jinn nails and thundering wings, Troy scratched
against the door and rasped his name, screeched out her fury. Her
voice was like a song of terror.
The
door shivered beneath the onslaught. Kim was sure a mere two inches
of wood separated them.
It
didn't seem to matter. Something was protecting him and Troy knew it.
Her
hisses of defeat continued, cutting through him like poisonous ice.
Kim let go of the iron bar and stood at the top of the stairway,
keeping his hand on his other bleeding palm, whispering every
exorcism prayer in his memory.
Hours
passed. Every so often, chalk-white fingers and sharp nails slipped
under the door, searching for Kim's skin. Above the howling wind, he
heard Troy's hiss or the rattle of the bones in her hair, and
sometimes the screech of the crow that haunted her side. So he waited
with her, certain that one of them would eventually give up but that,
God willing, it wouldn't be him.
Finally,
unbelievably, she left.
Kim's
sanity returned by degrees. With it came suffocating hunger and
thirst. He'd been running from Troy for so long, food and drink had
become hasty and disgusting occasions. Now the overwhelming need for
both began to overcome his terror at what might be waiting outside
the door. He touched it, weighing his fortunes. No, he couldn't bear
it anymore--
Kim
set his jaw, pushing on the door from the inside.
It
wouldn't budge. There was no interior knob either, only the iron bar
that had left his arm muscles aching. He was trapped.
A
warm breeze rose out of the darkness and brushed against his skin.
The ice coating his hair dripped onto the stone.
Kim
patted his chest, sensing emptiness. His cross necklace was gone,
probably lying on the icy ground where Troy had torn it from his
neck. There was no sense in grieving. That memento his foster-father
had given him was now long past its usefulness. The memories it
symbolized would best stay where Kim had left them, half-buried in
snow and ice. Besides, he couldn't return even if he wanted to.
With
the most furtive glances, Kim examined the staircase.
He
breathed hard, his chest aching. His throat was raw from screaming,
and as he stood, every muscle screamed back at him in protest.
Carefully, he stepped onto the first set of stairs.
Troy's
steady breathing sounded from the door's other side.
She'd
never left at all.
With
his next step, she breathed louder, as if growing desperate.
Kim
knew better than to walk down a mysterious set of stairs, after
entering a mysterious door, all because he'd made a desperate
promise. Yet he had no other choice, and deep inside, he couldn't
help feeling that this was somehow the right one. A whisper at the
edge of his memories called from far below. Perhaps this was the
moment he'd been waiting for.
Here
is your chance, the voice called to him again.
Despite
Kim's better judgment he believed it. He needed to believe it. So he
left death behind to meet salvation where it waited--darker and
darker down.
About
the Author:
Sabrina
Benulis graduated with a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction from
Seton Hill University. She currently resides in the Pocono Mountains
of Pennsylvania with her husband Mike, and her spoiled cockatiel
Caesar. COVENANT is the follow-up to ARCHON, her first novel.
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