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  Luxana did not know what to make of Lucifer’s odd behavior or his threatening pronouncement. It almost seemed to her that he had made his initial request with the hope that she would refuse him. Perhaps this retribution he had spoken of, just prior to vanishing, had been the real cause for his coming. If so, why did he then leave them without violence?

  Her people were just as bewildered by these events as she was. No one knew what to make of the angel’s arrival here in the jungle, especially after so long a time. The sprites had come to believe by now that they were a forgotten people. And that was what they wanted.

  The last thing Luxana desired was to become entangled in further strife among the Descendant clans. Too much damage had resulted already. She liked the idea of being swept up within human conflicts, like this second world war, even less.

  The Amazon Jungle had been the perfect place to get away from it all. Here they had been able to put the past behind them and start over. The jungle was akin to their former home of Galidel on the spiritual plane, howbeit more treacherous. Naturally, this kept most of the tourists away.

  The jungle also provided all that they could need. Food was plentiful here, and fertile plots had been sown with seed to create lavish gardens and orchards for fruits. Meat was also in abundant supply, and the sprites enjoyed a protein rich diet of monkey and capybara with anaconda gumbo on special occasions.

  They had spent several decades in the Amazon since the release of the cherubim on the spiritual plane and the subsequent destruction of their world. And they wanted nothing more now than to be left alone, separated from the troubles of the world, where they could dwell at peace. But Lucifer’s arrival had spoiled all of that.

  Sprites were not forgotten after all, as they had hoped. The Fallen still knew how to find them. And where these wicked angels inserted themselves, trouble was never far behind.

  Mere seconds had passed when the first cries of distress came to Luxana’s ears. The villagers were still huddled together, murmuring about the cryptic manner of Lucifer’s visit and departure while attempting to ascertain what it all must mean. The first she heard were shouts of warning silenced quickly. The next she heard came as shrieks of horror.

  Warrior sprites attempted to make their way, flying over the crowd in the direction of this sudden disturbance, even as others retreated. They found that a man had emerged from the jungle, pouncing like a panther. He was so quick—much faster in his movements than a human should be.

  Luxana hovered high, trying to get a good view of this interloper. She saw a soldier crashing through sprites like some crazed juggernaut. Her warriors were there to oppose him, but the soldier barely regarded their interference. Their slight bodies made them like children to this man.

  What made no sense at the moment was why he was still coming. Clearly her warriors had attempted to ensnare the man’s mind with their angelic gazes. But this soldier kept coming, as though nothing at all could stand in his way.

  Humans and Descendants alike were not immune to the wily charms of sprites. At a sprite’s command, almost anyone would gladly take their own life, or that of another, without hesitation. But something was wrong here.

  Already others had realized that their efforts were in vain. For whatever reason, the soldier went unaffected by their powers of persuasion. Luxana and her warriors retrieved swords and bows from an armory kept close at hand. Tears came to her eyes, hearing the screaming pleas of her people in the throes of death.

  They flew at the man, weapons in hand. Several of Luxana’s more adept warriors attacked with swords. The soldier dodged away and then back at them, disarming two at a time with crushing blows. He took up their weapons, becoming even more dangerous than he had been while unarmed.

  Bowmen sent a volley at the soldier at Luxana’s order. The soldier dashed aside among more sprites, the entire village a chaotic mass of frightened lambs trying to escape the slaughter that had suddenly come upon them. It was hard to tell where the man was at times, causing many who fled from him to actually run toward him.

  More arrows were fired, but the speed of this assailant and the ensuing chaos caused sprites to be killed with every volley. Even though the soldier had been hit a few times, he had not stopped. The arrow shafts were pulled out or snapped off. But he kept on killing.

  Then Luxana realized what she had not noticed before. The man’s gaze was dull. His eyes did not focus upon any particular target. He was blind.

  Lucifer had chosen his assassin well. This soldier was particularly suited to this job. Being blind, he was not subject to the power of sprites which, apart from mild telekinesis in some, was primarily invested in their beauty and persuasive powers. Terror struck her, understanding that her people were all but powerless against this killer.

  Sprites fled into the jungle while the brave remained, unwilling to let this murderer chase them away. Luxana was among them. A contingent of her warriors attempted to shield her, keep her from the fight. After all, she was their queen. They could not afford to lose her.

  However, those who made the attempt to stop this human gone berserk were quickly dispatched without mercy. The blind assassin cut them down like wheat before a scythe. There was no chance of overpowering him. He was too big for them. There was no chance of out maneuvering him. His other senses apparently more than compensated for his lack of sight.

  Her people were dying all around her. Luxana felt dumb and mute. She had stopped calling orders to her soldiers as the situation turned into pure chaos. How could this have happened?

  Luxana had failed. She was nothing more than a useless figure head. She had no idea how to stop this man whom Lucifer had sent. And she had no doubt that the angel had been the one to send him. His timely arrival just after Lucifer had threatened her and then vanished? It could not be coincidence.

  She drifted down to the ground in her despair. Pixies lay dead or dying no matter which direction her gaze fell. Others ran frantically. The frenzied melee had caused lanterns to be shattered, their fire spreading quickly to begin consuming the trees where they had their homes. The remains of her meager kingdom were literally going up in smoke.

  Then Luxana mustered the vestiges of her strength. She was not so young as she had once been, but she could still fight. She might still be able to kill this individual and stop the slaughter of her people. At the very least, she had to try.

  Getting her legs under her again, Luxana stood to her feet. This she rarely did, since sprites tended to fly rather than walk. But she strode toward the man, even as he was busy intercepting her frightened citizens and destroying them.

  Luxana raised her sword and ran at him, hot tears running down her cheeks in anger. The blind eyes did not react, but the head turned, hearing her approach. She noticed the slightest wrinkle of his nose, somehow in recognition.

  At the last moment, he dodged sideways, hammering her arm with his own. The sword dislodged, clattering to the jungle floor. She winced at the pain. When she looked up at him, a fist pummeled her into unconsciousness.