The Last Testament Read online

  For my parents,

  Who always believed in me, regardless of what I did. Without you, I would literally be nothing.

  Thank you for being the people you are, and thank you for teaching me how life is supposed to be lived.

  For my brother,

  The best cover artist the world has ever seen. Cof cof.

  For my grandmother,

  For whom any and everything I do is awesome. Love you, Vóvis.

  Copyright

  The Last Testament

  A novel by Paul Manes

  Copyright © Paul Manes 2016.

  All rights reserved.

  Written and edited by Paul Manes.

  Cover art by Caio Manes.

  This ebook was first published worldwide in 2016 by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

  All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This is my first book, and I hope it becomes the first of many. It took me a lot of years to write it, and now it is done. It was not easy, and it was not fast. In fact, writing in another language can be quite daunting – even if, like me, you have been working with foreign languages for over a decade. But this is not the place to talk about that.

  Before anyone else, I would like to thank the masters who created the Writing Excuses Podcast – Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells and Howard Tayler. I would also like to thank Mary Robinette Kowal, who joined our boys after the legendary “Puppeteering Episode” – Season 3, Episode 14.

  Brandon, Dan, Howard and Mary have taught me more about writing than anyone else, and I just cannot express how grateful I am to share a planet and an epoch with such marvelous people. They deserve everything the world has to offer.

  I would also like to thank Jim Butcher, whose work made me laugh and cry and hate him in equal measures. “I’ll keep the fire lit until morning” was one of the heaviest things I have ever read in my life, Mr. Butcher. Hurts like a hammer to the chest. And yes, the rumors are true. I read all fifteen Dresden books in two months, thank you very much.

  Now, talking about people I actually know, I would like to thank my personal cheerleader, Ivy Ferrari. She remains the only person in the entire world who has read everything I have ever written. And she seems to think everything I do is marvelous and wonderful and perfect. Thank you for your support, cupcake. It means a lot.

  I have to send a huge THANK YOU to Alice Azevedo, who was the first “outsider” to ever read my work. She seemed to like it. And to Lucca Sturmer, who’s just too sexy to be real.

  Last, but not least, a cryptic message that will puzzle generations of readers:

  Musashi
  The Last Testament

  Paul Manes

  Chapter 1

  I could really use some wings right now, thought the angel.

  His name was Lux, and he was surrounded by ten of the best swordsmen the Order had ever trained. As always, they intended to kill him.

  Lux was of medium height, with black hair and eyes; his skin was very pale, and his right forearm had a cross burned on it. A cross that looked like a sword - the Cross of Saint James. Lux was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt, with soft black pants and heavy black boots. The traditional training outfit of angels.

  Under normal circumstances, a ten-to-one disadvantage would make Lux run for his life, but when ten warriors armed with angelic blades wanted you dead, running was not really an option. So he looked around, making sure he had enough space to fight even though his only weapon was a dull iron bar.

  Lux was standing at the center of a wide room that smelled of dust and sweat. The floor had been built to emulate the streets of New Eden - hard stone covered with a fine layer of desert sand. It didn’t provide the most solid of footings, but Lux had been training in that room for ten years. It would have to do.

  Wings wouldn’t really make a difference right now, he reasoned. But angels should have wings anyway.

  Lux kept all his senses alert, ready to react to any movement or attack, but none came. He seized that chance to focus on the weapons of his opponents. Angelic Blades - the sharpest weapons the Order could provide. Those swords would destroy his iron bar in half a second. True, his “weapon” was as long and thick as those blades, maybe even thicker. But it was still a dull piece of cold iron.

  How did I get myself into this again? he wondered, gripping what would be the handle of his iron bar with both hands.

  The good thing about fighting multiple skilled opponents was that they would never attack at once. The first reason for that was pride. Angels they might be, but they were also swordsmen – and swordsmen are a proud bunch. They would never attack a target as valuable as Lux in group. Each of those angels would want to beat him fairly. Or at least as fairly as the circumstances would allow.

  The second reason was survival. If they all attacked at once, they would risk getting into each other’s way and that would mean disaster. So, instead of attacking, they waited. The longer they waited, the harder it would be for Lux to fight back. Knowing that, knowing his life depended on it, Lux decided to take the initiative. As long as they didn’t touch him, he would be alright.

  Focus on the weakest one, thought Lux, Let him know he is vulnerable. Let him know he is a target.

  Lux directed his gaze at the red-haired angel standing right in front of him. Lux’s black eyes focused on the angel’s green ones, and the angel retreated one step, gripping the sword harder. He was the thinnest, weakest one when it came to raw strength. And Lux knew it. He had trained with that angel many times before.

  Lux felt a smile touch his lips. He shouldn’t be smiling. Fighting etiquette forbid it among angels, but it also forbid ten to one combats.

  Time to fight, he thought. And advanced.

  Lux took three long steps forward, making sure he could keep his balance. Luckily for him, his heavy black boots provided solid footing even on the uneven floor. The angel he had been facing retreated even more as Lux advanced, breaking the circle they had formed around him. This time Lux didn’t even try to hide the smile on his face. Spinning on his right heel, he drove his iron bar into the collarbone of the angel closest to him. The angel collapsed at once, dropping the blade with a scream of pain and curling into a ball. Lux kicked him right on the jaw and saw his eyes rolling back inside his skull.

  Nine to go.

  Lux felt tempted to grab the blade the angel had dropped, but decided against it. A single mistake would cost him his life, and he didn’t need to kill those angels - only to incapacitate them like he had done to the first one.

  While Lux tried to decide on his next course of action, a blonde angel with long hair attacked him with Saint Judas’ Strike. Lux blocked the technique at the last second, using Saint Paul’s Crucifixion to drive the angel’s blade into the ground. He kicked the angel in the knee and slammed the iron bar against his temple. The angel collapsed to the floor and his body started twitching.

  That’s gonna leave a mark.

  Lux was used to handling swords, not iron bars, and the difference in weight was taking its toll on his techniques. He felt something on his left arm, and noticed that his defense hadn’t been perfect. He was bleeding. It was a shallow, clean cut, and it didn’t offer him any immediate danger, but it would make things harder. He would need to practice his defenses if he survived the day.

  Eight to go.

  The red-haired angel that had broken the circle decided to advance with a scream. He was fast - even faster than Lux. But he was also too eager. Or maybe he was just trying to compensate for his previous mistake. Whatever the case, Lux sidestepped the angel’s vertical strike, spinning on his heels and hitting the angel straight on the lower back. As soon as the angel dropped to his knees, Lux kicked him straight on the jaw. The angel fell like a sack of potatoes.

  Seven.

  The twins. Of course the twins would attack together. They always did. Short brown hair, dark brown eyes, maybe more athletic than Lux. They were identical to the last freckle. And they fought in perfect harmony. Against another opponent, that might have been an advantage, but Lux had helped them refine their techniques.

  They advanced with quick steps, attacking with simultaneous horizontal strikes - one to the neck, one to the waist. A great technique, called Saint Josephine’s Smile. Lux couldn’t jump, couldn’t duck. He had to retreat or die. But they would be expecting that. So he advanced. He jumped forward, diving through the space between the two blades. Lux landed rolling over his shoulder, then crouched and jumped forward again, putting some distance between himself and his attackers. Those two would be a problem.

  The bleeding on his arm had already stopped - advantages of being an angel. However, even angels got tired sooner or later, and Lux still had a lot of opponents to fight. That only left him one option.

  Time to get dirty.

  All that matters in a fight to the death is winning. It doesn’t really matter how you win, as long as you’re the only one standing in the end. You do whatever you have to do to survive, and that’s what decides the victor. Some people are afraid to cross some lines, while others hesitate when the time comes to do what must be done. Lux had neither of those problems.

  Taking advantage of his second jump, Lux landed and filled his left hand with sand, then charged his opponents. They raised their swords in an identical Saint Luke’s Defense. Luke was a great defense against swords, but not so great against sand.

  Lux
threw sand against the twins’ wide eyes, and they screamed, swinging their blades wildly. He stepped around them while they were trying to clean their eyes and drove his iron bar against the back of their heads in two swift strikes. They fell to the ground and didn’t even stir.

  Five. Only five more.

  “I’m not fighting this guy,” said one of the angels, driving his sword point-first into the ground and crossing his arms.

  Lux cocked his head to the side, trying to understand what had just happened. He suddenly felt sand being displaced behind him and ducked automatically. A blade cut the air where his head had been a mere second before. He rolled forward, spun on his back, and held his iron bar in a defensive posture known as Saint Sebastian’s Sacrifice.

  An angelic blade cut Lux’s iron bar in half, but the impact slowed it enough to let him roll backwards over his shoulder. The attacker recovered way faster than Lux had anticipated, and didn’t stop to give him time to get up. Lux rolled backwards over his shoulder, and the angel advanced again.

  Lux saw the angel’s motion, rolled sideways, and kicked him straight on the side of the knee. A loud pop echoed through the room as the angel’s knee bent the wrong way and he fell screaming. Lux decided to keep that one conscious, so that the pain would purify his heart and teach him some manners.

  Four remaining. And now I have two weapons.

  The angels now formed a semicircle around Lux, and he could keep all of them inside his field of vision. But breathing had become difficult. There is not enough training in the world that will prepare anyone for a real fight. Sparring is good, but there really is no substitute for a real fight. His head was lighter than it should have been, and some black spots started appearing in his vision. Things got worse because the sweat made the floor’s sand stick to his skin, mixing with the blood on his arm. The smell was terrible.

  Lux shook his head and hit both his heels on the ground. That sent a shock up to his skull, and his vision got a little better. It wasn’t enough to make him recover, but he couldn’t stop now.

  He looked at the two halves of his iron bar – they were about forty centimeters each. Not enough to do much. The angel on the floor began to moan, rolling around and holding his leg.

  Lux smiled at that.

  Then charged the angel who had driven his sword into the ground, and who still had his arms crossed.

  The angel’s eyes widened as he tried to grab the sword, but Lux threw one half of the iron bar at him, hitting him square in the face. It didn’t do much damage, but bought Lux enough time to reach him. Lux got between the angel and the sword, throwing a straight punch at him. The angel dodged the punch easily, but got hit in the face by Lux’s knee. His nose started to bleed, and Lux kicked him straight in the temple. The angel collapsed like the others had.

  Lux turned around, facing the last three angels, and decided he was too tired to keep playing. He touched the handle of the sword that had been driven into the ground, feeling its weight, its texture. The air smelled like sweat and blood, dust and iron.

  Lux removed the sword from the ground and entered Saint James’ Stance. That was his favorite aggressive stance, not only because it carried Saint James’ name, but because it allowed him to be vicious and safe at the same time. Especially when he used his own version of it.

  The last three angels, seeing Lux with a real angelic blade in hand, seemed to decide that had been enough training for one afternoon and dropped their own swords in a gesture of surrender.

  Lux let out a long sigh and sat on the ground, breathing heavily. His heart was hammering his ribs, but he had a satisfied smile on his face.

  “Can someone please take me to Raphael?” asked Lux. His head was really light now.

  The Archangel Michael, Commander of the Host, walked among the fallen angels, checking to see how badly they had been injured. Then he cast Lux an irritated look.

  “You really didn’t go easy on them, did you?”

  “They are all alive, sir,” answered Lux, panting and shrugging. “I did all I could. Do remember, please, that they were trying to kill me.”

  Michael seemed to think about that for a moment, checking one angel’s pulse.

  “True enough,” he said after a while. Then he turned to one of the angels who had surrendered. “Alphonse, take Lux to Raphael. Tell him I’ll send seven more upstairs.”

  “Yes, sir”

  “And remember that surrender is not an option out there, yes?” he completed.

  Lux saw Alphonse’s face grow head as the angel looked down.

  “Yes, sir”

  Alphonse walked up to him with an embarrassed smile; he was a good angel. Lux was glad he didn’t need to put him down.

  “Can you walk, Lux?” Alphonse asked him, offering his hand.

  “I believe so,” answered Lux with a grimace. He got to his feet but refused Alphonse’s helping hand.

  Alphonse didn’t look very happy with that.

  “Sir, I think he can go alone,” he called to Michael.

  Michael looked at Alphonse as if he were especially stupid.

  “Of course he can. But who’s going to drag him upstairs if he passes out in the corridor? His partner can’t lift a fork without fainting herself.”

  Some angels laughed at that. Lux did his best to smile through the fog that now covered his senses.

  He knew Michael was in a bad mood, but he also knew how much the Archangel respected Mischa’s power. It was nothing personal, really.

  “Sir,” Lux heard himself say. “I think I am going to faint.”

  Chapter 2

  Someone was smiling at Lux.

  “Welcome to Paradise,” said a happy voice. “This is where all the stupid warriors who fight before eating breakfast come to celebrate their deaths.”

  Lux was lying on a bed so soft it was probably made of dreams. Looking around, he immediately noticed he was on the Healing Wing. And Raphael was taking care of him again. Lux’s head was still light, and now his arm was throbbing where he had been cut.

  “But I won the fight,” he mumbled. It seemed important to state that.

  Or at least to try to. What he really said was closer to uuummwomni.

  That seemed to be enough for Raphael, though, because the Archangel smiled more broadly at him, shaking his head.

  “Honestly, Luxy,” he said, walking around and waving his hands. “I thought you would have learned the importance of proper nutrition by now. It’s been ten years, after all.”

  “Ahwuvood,” mumbled Lux. I love food.

  Which was true. Even though Lux didn’t eat much - at least when compared to Mischa - he really loved food. He didn’t know a single warrior who would give up a good meal.

  “Then why don’t you eat it a few hours before fighting?” asked Raphael. “Honestly, my boy… I am an Archangel, but I can’t work miracles.”

  “I was late, Raphael,” Lux managed to say. “And look what that got me.”

  Raphael grimaced at that, nodding.

  “I have seven unconscious angels here, Luxy,” he said. “Some of them will take a few weeks to even walk again. Can’t say you’re in bad shape compared to them.”

  Lux felt his face flushing, but fought it down.

  “They were trying to kill me,” said Lux.

  “Of course they were!” said Raphael exasperated. “You know the Last Testament as well as I do.”

  Raphael’s wide blue eyes were sparkling as he waved his hands. His curly blonde hair moving wildly as he walked back and forth.

  “I am not excusing myself,” said Lux. “I just thought you should know. I would not hurt them if I had any other choice.”

  “I know that,” said Raphael. “But make sure they do, too. And stop being late to practice. Michael will end up getting these boys killed.”

  “It was only the third time,” said Lux in a small voice.

  Raphael looked at him and raised his eyebrows.

  “This month,” mumbled Lux.

  Raphael sighed and shook his head again.