Rise Of The Nephilim
Chapter 31

JULY 26TH, 11:00 P.M.

Weeks had gone by since word had first come regarding the imminent attack on Babylonia by the Arcadians; all of Babylonia had remained on high alert. There was, however, a feeling that maybe the threat of an attack was the actual attack―to fill their minds with trepidation and uncertainty. But this theory did nothing to hinder the training of Nephilim and the arming of the Epochs.

Maxine lay still on her bed staring up at the dark stone surface of the ceiling above. She felt herself slowly beginning to drift into sleep―something she wanted to avoid for as long as possible. However, even Nephilim needed their rest. She tightened her fingers around the sword she held by her side, trying to pump new life into her weary body.

Her mind settled on Mathias. For some strange reason, she felt as though she needed him by her side, just as much as she needed her sword to protect her.

Mathias, why can’t I see you while I’m awake? Her eyes were becoming heavier and heavier. Mathias, Mathias, she called as she fell into sleep.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. He was looking down at her, smiling gently. The golden light that surrounded him cast soft highlights on her hair and face.

“Mathias?” She smiled as she looked up into his eyes. “You’re here.”

“You called, so here I am.”

“Mathias . . . what’s going to happen to us?”

She felt his warmth as he took her hands into his.

“Max . . . a great burden has been put upon your shoulders.”

She fell silent, recalling her Human name.

“You remember, don’t you?” asked Mathias.

Maxine nodded her head in agreement. Tears began to well in her eyes. “I remember everything. My mother. My brother, Shane. My father . . .my home. I remember it all.”

“What will you do now?”

Maxine sat up on her bed to face Mathias directly.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it. Returning to Brewster will only make things worse for everyone. On the other hand, if I continue to pretend that I have no memory of who I am, I’ll have a better chance of convincing Āmand not to wage war against Humans. I can better protect them here. Besides, if I leave here without Āmand’s permission, he’ll label me a traitor to his domain and I would be killed for sure.”

There was one thing she did not reveal to Mathias:she’d finally come to accept Babylonia as her home. And for the first time in her life, she felt accepted, as though she belonged there. More importantly, she was not looked on as a freak of nature, but was rather the norm, just like her Nephilim brothers and sisters.

She remembered how she’d been struggling with the decision to stay in Brewster or go to California to live with David after her graduation. It turned out that she’d made the decision on her own after all:she would stay in Babylonia and live as a Nephilim.

She lowered her face in the palms of her hands. “I don’t know! I don’t know what to do!” she cried.

Mathias pulled her hands away from her face. “I promise you, no matter what the cost is to me, I will be by your side. You will feel the warmth of my spirit lifting you up in everything you do,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes.

She placed her hands over his. Eye to eye, they stood, each entranced by the idea of the other, the possibility of love―a forbidden love between Angel and Nephilim, between good and half evil.

They drew closer, never looking away until their lips touched softly, intensifying as they fell deeper into the moment.

Maxine’s eyes snapped open when the sound of battle drums echoed through the walls; the feeling of Mathias’s lips to hers, his hands pressed warmly against her cheeks, lingered still.

She looked around, her heart racing, nearly matching the intensity of the beating drums.

It’s begun!

She grasped the sword that lay beside her and rushed toward her door, her heart burning, blood rushing to her head. Immediately after stepping outside, she was confronted by an Epoch. She stepped back instinctively.

“Sarai, I am Mogul. Follow me, I will protect you!”

She recognized the scruffy voice of the Epoch with whom she’d sparred on the exhibition floor during the first day of combat training. “Don’t be afraid. Mathias has charged me with your protection,” he said. “My sword is yours.”

Maxine stood stunned. Mogul had given up his wicked ways, had turned away from vengeance and his alliance with Āmand for a chance to be redeemed in the end.

Maxine recalled Mathias’s promise:that she would never be alone. Others will fight by her side.

“The city is burning!” Haman yelled breathlessly as he rushed down the long hallway toward Maxine and the Epoch, Silla, Gaden, and a few other Nephilim in tow, their hands gripped tightly around their weapons.

“What?” Maxine asked.

“The Arcadians are attacking the city above!”

Damn it, I’m too late! Maxine thought. Mom! Shane!

They entered the battlement where many had already gathered, their blood burning with the desire to join the fight, their faces marred with confusion.

Āmand swooped in like a bird of prey.

“Be calm, my children,” he said, landing in the space cleared for him. Surrounded by Nephilim and Epochs, he paced slowly in a circle. “It seems our war has begun. Our Day of Reckoning is upon us!”

“Yes!” The room erupted with exuberance.

“We must destroy our enemies, lest they destroy everything we have waited so long for. We must end this, once and for all!” Āmand declared.

“Yes! Death to the Arcadians!” someone shouted.

“Death to the Humans!” someone else yelled out.

“Death to the Arcadians! Death to Humans!” all repeated in a jubilant mantra.

Maxine felt her insides cringe with uncertainty. Today, I will die. I just know it.