Page 84 of Destined for Eternity
“Did you know that when you sent me here?”
Remiel smiled. “We knew it was a possibility.”
“I’m certain you did,” he said, crossing his arms. The guardian’s gaze shifted to Raguel. “Will this hurt very much?”
“Worse than anything you’ve ever felt.” Bartol’s father wasn’t one for sugar coating things. “But it will pass…once we’ve finished.”
Kerbasi could occasionally be brave when he chose, and he could inflict pain with the best of them, but he did not do well when faced with his own torture. Bartol found it more than a little ironic. There was no way he’d let the man back out of the deal when not only did he deserve to suffer, but they needed him to do this for the greater good.
He moved to stand before the guardian and stared directly into the man’s liquid silver eyes. “If you want any sort of absolution for your crimes, you will do this.”
Kerbasi worked his jaw. “This would be enough for you to forgive me?”
“Hardly, but it would be a start.”
“But I helped with your…”
Lucas growled. “Stop acting like a weak little fool and just let the archangels get on with it.”
Kerbasi took a deep breath and straightened his back, his gaze falling on the men in white robes. “What will I become after this?”
“You won’t be a guardian anymore,” Raguel replied, then cocked his head. “I can’t say for certain what you’ll transform into since we’ve never converted one from your caste to a demon slayer. It shall be interesting.”
His eyes rounded. “Interesting? The process won’t kill me, will it?”
“Probably not,” Jeriel said, cocking his head. “But of course no one can say for certain and stranger things have happened.”
“Remove your clothing and lie down,” Raguel commanded.
Kerbasi looked like he was a breath away from running far and fast. Bartol shot him a stern look. The guardian hesitated for a moment before slowly removing the gray robe he’d donned for the occasion. He folded it neatly, handed it over to Lucas, and then lowered himself to the hardwood floor. A person about to undergo open heart surgery couldn’t have looked more nervous, but after allowing himself a brief shiver, the man lay still and folded his hands over his stomach. His expression turned serene.
“Do what you must,” he said, voice calm and even.
They’d given him a few days’ notice to prepare himself. Kerbasi hadn’t been forced into doing this, but he had been strongly encouraged and given good reason. The fallen nerou had meant something to him, though he didn’t say so in many words. They’d found him saying prayers over their graves when Bartol and his father came to make their proposition, and there’d been suspicious moisture in the guardian’s eyes.
It was the temptation of gaining powers which would enable him to fight the demons that initially drew him into agreeing. Now, though, he’d had time to fully consider the implications, and it obviously frightened him. It would Bartol as well. From what he understood, the conversion process often didn’t go smoothly, and it could have unintended side effects. The only guarantee was that Kerbasi would gain the powers he needed to slay demons. Whether he’d be the same man on the inside or out afterward was anyone’s guess.
Raguel kneeled at the guardian’s head, taking it between his hands, then gestured at them. “Each of you take a limb and hold it tightly.”
Bartol and Lucas each grabbed one of Kerbasi’s legs, keeping their gazes averted since the last either of them wanted was to touch or look at the naked man. They had only volunteered for the job to see the guardian suffer and perhaps out of curiosity. Remiel and Jeriel grabbed the arms.
“Ready?” Raguel asked.
They each nodded.
The archangels started to chant, using words in a language only they understood. At first, nothing noticeable happened, but after a few minutes, Bartol saw something from the corner of his eye. He glanced over to find light beginning to glow from Raguel’s fingertips. Soon after that, it flowed into Kerbasi’s head and lit his olive complexion so that it radiated golden. He lay there under their hold, gasping for breath but not making a sound. If he was feeling any discomfort, he was holding it in so far.
The glow continued to spread and reached the guardian’s chest where it brightened exponentially. Raguel, Jeriel, and Remiel continued to chant, the staccato words coming faster and faster. The guardian began to jerk underneath them. At first, his movements were small and manageable, but after about ten minutes they became so forceful it took all of their strength to hold him in place.
“It burns!” Kerbasi screamed, unable to contain himself any longer. “Make it stop!”
The scars on Bartol’s face twitched. He didn’t feel sorry for the man in the least.
Crackles sounded from the guardian’s body like fireworks going off, and he let out a loud, shrill shriek that went on for long minutes. He never even drew a breath. The screaming simply kept going, and it was all Bartol could do to withstand the sound.
Just when he thought his eardrums would burst, the light inside Kerbasi magnified by a power of ten and blinded them. Bartol clenched his eyes shut. He could barely continue holding the leg he grasped as the skin beneath his palms became so hot he thought it would melt his hands off. Sheer willpower held him fast. He knew he couldn’t let go, but it wasn’t easy as the man underneath him bucked and screamed as if a thousand knives were stabbing him at once.
Bartol’s vision returned moments later. He blinked and checked the others around him. Lucas was gritting his teeth as he jerked up and down with Kerbasi’s powerful kicks. The archangels were grunting where they tried to keep the guardian’s arms and chest from coming off the floor.
