I crawled
laboriously over to the edge of the pillar and stuck my head over the edge. I
felt Bas’s hands on my shoulders making sure that I wouldn’t tip forward. Below
us Sloan was standing with his feet apart talking loudly to three people that
were shimmering with unearthly light.
One of them was
a woman, I could tell from this height because her hair was braided into a
thick rope that rested over her shoulder. The person next to her was too small
to be anything other than a child or a dwarf. I remembered what Audrey had said
about some of the Sun Soldiers being children and I gasped. I hadn’t believed
her at the time, but there was proof standing right below me that the Sun
picked its army because of their simplicity of mind.
The third
person was a man, but that was all I could tell from this point of view. Sloan
raised his voice another octave and was waving his hands around as if
describing something to the trio. I slid backwards and rested my head on the
surface of the pillar.
“I can’t
believe it, but I don’t think he’s told them that we’re up here” I breathed
out.
“He’s covering
for us” Bas said.
“Why?”
“There’s one
thing about Sloan that you don’t know and that’s despite his vileness he’s as
loyal as a dog. I’ve saved his life numerous times, and I have no doubt that he
hates me for it, but he has never forgotten it.”
“I never knew
that” I frowned, “I thought you said he had resented you from the moment the
darkness entered you and not him.”
“He did, but he
still wanted power even if it was association with it and not possession. I
think if the chance presented itself and he could take the darkness from me he
would, all loyalty forgotten.”
“But he wouldn’t
give you up to the Sun Soldiers?”
“Or hurt anyone
innocent” Izwan added, “We are lucky ones. Not like ones trapped in camps.”
“I think that’s
why your group hasn’t fallen apart” I whispered, “you have seen something worse
than the darkness, whereas I was the worst thing my group had ever seen.”
“That’s no one’s
fault.”
“If I hadn’t of
joined them at the shipping yard they would all still be living there together,
Marla and Toya, Old Mal even Tod and Jack.”
“Don’t forget Owen” Bas said. His
face was expressionless as he said his name, devoid of any resentment or
jealousy.
“We
were heading past the shipping yard, to the industrial areas anyways” said
Travis, “we, I mean Roth, would have probably cleared that land anyways. At
least this way you know your friends are still out there.”
“Do
I?”
“Should
I interrupt now? It seems like a good time to interrupt them doesn’t it?”
I
whipped my head around so fast that I felt the Earth tilt under me and begin to
shift from side to side. The woman with the braid was holding the hand of the
child and floating mid-air next to our pillar.
“I
think we got their attention” the kid answered the woman. His voice was small,
but hard edged like a shard of glass that cut through our reverie. Sebastian
moved to stand between me and the Sun Soldiers while Travis swiftly ducked down
to lift me to my feet.
I
held on tightly to his arm as I steadied myself. Despite my weakened state I
could still feel my dragon stir in the pit of my stomach. It seemed that no
matter our state of mind, whether we were drunk and overloading on power or
fatigued and damaged, our darkness awakened in response to the light.
“Easy
now, we just came up here to talk” the woman said blandly. Her voice though did
not match her appearance. Her eyes were wild, darting from Bas to me and back.
Her hair was a dirty blonde and it swung ever so slightly as the pair hovered
above the ground. They were both wearing similar clothing. It looked like army
survival gear, the type that resembled the colour of mustard and grass with lots
of pockets and hidden straps. It struck me as odd since the child didn’t look
any older than 10.
The
boy had wispy brown hair that floated around his head like a halo, but his eyes
were a deep chocolate brown that hinted at a maturity that he couldn’t possibly
possess.
“They
are both demons” the boy muttered.
“I
can see that” the woman responded impatiently, “that is why we have to speak to
them.”
“I
hate demons” the boy spat out at us with such vehemence that I was taken aback.
Great, so we were the demons fighting the angels and we all know who wins in
those kinds of stories.
“And
we dislike your kind” Sebastian said calmly, “but we are willing to talk.” All
five of us stared at him in surprise.
“Well,
good” the woman replied in a haughty voice.
“On
the ground then?” Bas said inclining his head to where Sloan and the other man
were standing. The Sun Soldier had Sloan’s hands behind his back and a thin ray
of light encircled around his neck. It looked like they hadn’t bought whatever
tale he had spun them. Instead they had come up to the top of the most
unnatural looking pillar of earth to investigate for themselves.
Without
a response the pair glided down to the ground in a mass of warm light. It
reminded me a bit of jet packs, if they were soft and slow and not roaring fire
powered machines.
“What
are you doing” I said grabbing a hold of his hand. The connection only revealed
the fact that he was scared out of his mind, not for himself, but for all of
us. “Talk to me!”
“Talking
is the only thing that will save us right now” he turned to us, “so let me do
it, understood.”
I
let go of his hand. Maybe the others were used to him ordering them around, but
I sure as hell wasn’t. It didn’t help that my dragon had been revived from its
state of exhaustion and was churning my insides into a rage that I soon wouldn’t
be able to control.
“Evs,
I love you” he said before leaning forward and planting a kiss on my chapped
lips. The show of affection, especially in front of the boys startled me so much
that I forgot I was angry. He let go of me too soon though and the feeling didn’t
hold.
As
he manipulated the pillar to retract into the ground I steeled myself for what
was to come. If Bas couldn’t talk his way out of this I would most likely hurl
myself at the three Sun Soldiers and try and go out in a blaze of glory, not
that I wanted to act like a suicide bomber, but I just knew that’s what would
happen. Sebastian probably sensed it too and he gave me one last reproachful
look before we became level with the so called angels.
“Before
we begin I just want to clarify that we are not demonic” Sebastian said with
the same controlled tone he had used before.
The
child began to laugh uncontrollably.
“That’s
enough Grigori” the man snapped and the boy seized laughing so suddenly that I
wondered if the whole thing had been an act. “We are angels and you are demons,
everybody knows this, why try and deny it. Look at yourselves.”
I
looked down at myself involuntarily before realising that he meant the darkness
that had stained our skin. I had become so used to the phenomenon that I forgot
how it must look to others. Black skinned people with black eyes and veins
darker than even the surface on which they pulsed. Compared to the trio before
us who shone in what looked like a heavenly light we looked very much demonic.
“We
are children of the Earth and you of the Sun. Everybody knows that” he said in a slightly more mocking tone that
sounded more like Bas, but he quickly righted it before he continued. “Demons
and angels have nothing to do with what we are.”
“They’re
insane” whispered the woman to the child with raised eyebrows that almost disappeared
into her hairline. Grigori grinned at her and the whole picture took on an
eerie vibe. I looked from them to the man holding onto the Sloan and noted that
he too wore the same ugly army style gear.
“Are
you a family?” I asked. Bas shot me a look that said ‘shut up, I’m the only one
supposed to be speaking’, but I ignored him.
“Zadkiel
is my brother as is Grigori” the woman answered, “I am Ariel” she added as an
afterthought.
“My
name is Roth, this is Evelyn, Izwan and Travis. The man you are holding hostage
is Sloan and I would like you to release him” Bas said before I could open my
mouth to comment on their strange names. I wracked my brain as to why Zadkiel
sounded so familiar and it dawned on me. They had chosen angel names for
themselves. Zadkiel was a Hebrew angel of mercy and Ariel was from the Book of
Enoch, I remembered studying a bit of theological history for an assignment and
reading about different types of archangels. Who knew that it would actually be
useful knowledge and not just more useless facts that crowded my brain? Grigori
though was a name I couldn’t tie in with anything I’d read and I assumed it must
be angelic, since that’s the theme they were going for.
“As
you wish” the man smiled. The way his grey eyes glinted I instantly knew
something was wrong. Bas took a step towards Sloan expecting him to be released
into his care, but I knew better.
“No!”
I yelled, but it was too late, Sloan’s body ignited with a light so fierce that
a shield of darkness was rapidly flung over my face. I swiped it away so that I
could see what was happening, but Sloan was gone. I turned to Sebastian to see
if I could gauge what had happened from his face, but his jaw was clenched so
hard that I could see a thick inky vein bulging on his neck from the force.
“Where
did you send him?” he asked deathly quietly.
“I
released him just like you asked” Zadkiel continued to grin. Without waiting
for a response from Bas I threw up a shield over Izwan and Travis.
“Run”
I called out to them, “I’ll shield you for as long as I can, just get out of
here.”
Grigori
let go of Ariel’s hand and moved towards the dark mass.
“Please!
Bas can’t lose both of you as well, we’ll find you I promise!” I cried out
desperately. If Grigori came in contact with my shield his light power would
cancel mine out and then we would be pitched into a fight that we would lose.
Three against two was hardly good odds.
I exhaled in relief as the broiling darkness
began to swiftly move backwards as the boys began to move. I heard Travis’s
voice call out to us, he said one word “Portugal” and I understood.
We would see them again when we saw Manoel and
Owen.
If we survived.
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