by L. L Hunter
“No, I’ve never been before.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you’re going to love it. After this you’ll be addicted.” He told her. Scarlett held her breath as Dyston flew over the lights and into the mouth of the open roof. Her stomach leaped into her throat as he dipped down and glided around a full revolution of the stadium before setting her down in the grandstand.
“Our seats are this way.” He said. She followed in silence as she must have dropped her voice box somewhere out on the field. Dyston entered through some doors and warm air and food smells immediately struck her.
“Do you want another wine?” he asked.
“Sure.” Her voice sounded croaky, it must be the cold air she thought. She had to clear her throat. Dyston grabbed their drinks and led her back outside to their seats.
“So is this Angel Ball?” she asked when they had taken their seats.
“Yeah, have you ever seen a game?”
“Maybe once or twice on TV, my grandpa watched it.”
“Do you need me to explain the rules?”
“Yes please.”
“Okay, so the rules are pretty similar to AFL, except players are allowed to use their wings, so most of the game is played in the air.”
“So, every seat in the stadium would be a good seat right?”
“Right.” Scarlett took it all in. A few of the players were already on the field. A guy wearing a red a white striped jersey let out his brilliant white wings and leaped into the air, kicking the ball through the colossal goal posts, which were as high as the stadium roof.
“Wow.” she exclaimed.
“Pretty amazing huh?”
“Yeah. So which one’s your team?” she asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He smirked, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. She smiled back at him. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him as the siren sounded.
~
“I hope you don’t mind, I got one with everything,” Jacob said as he placed the pizza box on the coffee table near the fireplace.
“No that’s fine, I like everything.” Kat joined him, wine glass in hand.
“So what’s your Trait?” Kat asked, in between bites of pizza.
“I’m not going to tell you that,” he teased, taking another sip of wine.
“Oh come on! I’ll tell you what I think mine is.”
“Go on,” he said, relaxing back into his chair, waiting for her to talk.
“No, it doesn’t work like that Jacob,” she leaned closer, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?”
“Oh, it’s like that is it?” he chuckled and then sighed, “fine.” He took the glove off his right hand that Kat had been curious about and touched his wine glass. It frosted up and began to turn gold.
Kat gasped. “You have the Midas touch.”
“Yeah, it’s a worthless Trait if you ask me, unless you want to be greedy and rich.”
“Its not worthless.” she whispered. And then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Immediately she felt his lips begin to harden, it was a strange sensation. Then they cracked and a moment later, they were fine again. Jacob pulled away and looked at her in shock.
“What? What happened?” she asked. He was staring at her like she had something on her face.
“Your lips, they… I shouldn’t have kissed you.” He stood up and turned away from her.
“Jacob,” she stood up too and put a hand on his shoulder, “tell me what happened.”
He sighed and turned around to face her, “When our lips touched I turned yours to gold. But then the weirdest thing happened.”
“What?”
“Instead of staying gold, they turned to stone. I guess you could say it was kind of like a defence mechanism.”
“Stone?”
“Yeah.” He put his glove back on and pushed the hair away from her face, and she forgot to breathe. “Kat,” he whispered, “I believe that is your Trait.”
~
When Dyston flew them back to the Academy, he didn’t go through the front door, instead he landed on his own balcony. Scarlett realised this too late.
“This isn’t my room,” she said before he put her down.
“I know, it’s my room.” He pushed open the French doors and stepped inside the billowing white curtains. Scarlett had no choice but to follow him. Once inside she glanced around and took it all in. His room was in pretty much the same layout as hers save for the baby grand piano in the corner. His bed was dark mahogany draped in white curtains instead of the red she had on hers. His doona cover was white velvet and lace and Scarlett thought that it looked like clouds. She felt the sudden urge to go jumping into it, but she restrained herself. Her gaze found Dyston sitting at the piano. She realised he’d been playing a melody which she recognised.
“What is that?” she asked, taking a seat beside him.
“Just a melody I haven’t been able to stop playing.” He said.
“I’ve heard it before.”
“I was playing it before we bumped into each other in the hall that day.”
“Maybe that’s where I’ve heard it,” she said, watching his nimble fingers dance over the sleek black and white keys. “Did you write it?”
“I’m not sure.” He said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I heard it once in a dream and haven’t been able to stop playing it since.”
“Does it have a name?”
“No, but it reminds me of you for some reason, so I’ve been calling it Flame.” Their eyes met while he continued to play, not missing a note. Scarlett smiled and slid closer to him so that her shoulder was touching his arm. She leaned against him and relaxed to the sound of her melody.
Chapter Six
Strength
“The art of fighting is second nature to us,” preached Lakyn as he walked around the Combat Training room. The sound of wood against wood was deafening as the students blocked and parried their opponents with two-metre long sticks.
“Very good Kat, Scarlett. Have you two done this before?” He joked.
“No Sir.” replied Kat, blocking a swing from Scarlett, who had spun to put more force into it. Jacob moved into the room and stood at the edge of the mat with his arms crossed.
“Now a change of scenery for you two. Kat I want you to take on Jacob here,” he suggested. Kat met Jacob’s eyes with concern. “And then after, Scarlett will have the honour of fighting me.” He told them, meeting Scarlett’s eyes. Did she just see his irises change? She forced herself to swallow; she would not let Lakyn scare her. She promised Dyston that she would hide who she really was, and hide she would.
Kat matched Jacob’s blocks and parries easily. It was as if they were in sync with each other. They danced around the mat gracefully.
“Come on, this is boring. Jacob, don’t go soft on her. She’s Katherine the brave, Katherine the strong.” Stated Lakyn, as he circled them. Finally Jacob spun and somehow got his stick behind Kat and pulled her towards him until there was no space between their bodies. Their faces were mere centimetres apart. Kat had told Scarlett about her and Jacob in confidence. Was she going to let the whole class know? Scarlett cringed. She thought Jacob was moving in to kiss Kat. But at the last minute he spun her and moved his stick underneath her throat.
“Very well done Jacob,” he applauded, “This, class, is why he is our best fighter.”
Jacob released Kat but not before whispering, “sorry,” into her ear.
Scarlett knew what was coming. She silently wished she could send a message to Dyston. But then she realised that she could. She closed her eyes and prayed, hoping that it would work. It was the same way he could put images in her head. If she were really the offspring of an Archangel, she would be able to too.
“Dyston, Lakyn’s making me fight him. Please come. He’s going to try and expose me.”
Before she could even finish, Dyston had entered
the room. She met his eyes, and he gave her a reassuring nod.
“Ah perfect timing, baby brother.” Said Lakyn, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Come to watch your girlfriend lose?” he teased. Scarlett cringed, what else was he going to try and expose?
“Not likely,” replied Dyston, “I’ve come to watch her beat your sorry ass,” he teased. There was a collection of Ooh’s around the room.
Lakyn laughed, it was an evil laugh.
“Well, you’ll soon be disappointed,” he said, picking up a stick. Scarlett picked up hers and stood on guard. In one second flat Lakyn was across the room and right beside her. His stick crashed against hers, making an ear splitting sound. Scarlett praised her fast reflexes and blocked it. She spun around and hit him square in the chest, winding him.
“Woo, go Scarlett!” Cheered Kat and Thomas. And then she heard Dyston’s voice in her head.
“He has a weak spot, right at the back of his neck, he was burned, hit him there.” Scarlett almost dropped her stick. His voice had surprised her. Was it another one of his Traits?
“Don’t lose focus. He’ll come at you from the right. Anticipate him.” He told her. She wanted to look at him, but she resisted. He was right though. Lakyn swung at her from the right but Scarlett spun right too, meeting him. She could almost see defeat in his eyes.
“Very clever, Miss Porter. Has Dyston been training you?” He asked, eyeing his brother.
“Yes, he’s an excellent teacher. I understand him better than I do you.” she told him. His irises flared and there it was, she saw it, the green monster. It appeared and she noticed it. She swung her stick round above her head like a helicopter and brought it down behind his neck, pressing it into the damaged skin. He cried out and dropped heavily onto the mat. The class erupted with cheers and applause as she turned to face Dyston. He smiled and clapped as well. She wanted to run towards him and throw her arms around his neck, but she withheld.
Lakyn rose from the ground, he was fuming. Dyston sensed the rage and immediately moved in front of Scarlett to block her.
“Lakyn, control yourself. Not here.” Dyston told him, his voice steady and calm. Lakyn strolled towards them.
“You…” he stood a few centimetres from Dyston and Scarlett, “Watch yourself.” He said. And stormed out of the room. Scarlett didn’t know if it was directed towards Dyston or herself. Dyston looked at Scarlett and then at the class, who were standing watching with their jaws on the floor.
“Class dismissed,” he told them. The students immediately left, except Kat, who stood still next to Jacob. Her eyes met Scarlett’s, sharing her concern. Jacob took Kat’s hand and led her across the mat where Dyston and Scarlett stood.
“Do you sense what I’m sensing?” Jacob asked him.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to admit it though.”
“What’s going on?” Scarlett asked Dyston.
“I’ve suspected it for awhile,” he met her eyes, “We think Lakyn’s involved with something… dark.”
“Dark… as in… Lucifer?”
“Shh.” He hushed her and gazed around, “yeah, but to be more accurate, The Lucifites.”
“The Lucifites? But I thought they had been wiped out.” exclaimed Kat.
“We thought so too. But then we began to suspect that something wasn’t right around here,” Jacob said.
“And there’s been whispers that not all of them had been killed.” added Dyston.
“We need to do something, before this gets out of hand.” stated Jacob.
“Yes, we’ve got to train them up, and fast,” said Dyston.
“Hey, please stop talking like we’re not here. Do you mean us, Kat and I?” asked Scarlett, gripping his arm to get his attention.
“You, and the other Legacies.”
“Do you know who they are?” asked Scarlett. Dyston and Jacob met each other’s eyes and smiled.
“Yes, we do.”
~
“It’s so dark, I can’t see Josh. Argh!” Emer screamed as something brushed her arm, she grabbed onto Joshua.
“Its okay, it was just me,” he told her.
“Are we there yet?”
“Almost,” he told her. And then he felt her fingers slide through his. He grinned to himself, knowing that she couldn’t see him in the dark.
“Can you give me a hint?”
“Nope, just wait a little longer.” He teased.
“Fine. Oh its cold in here, and my voice echoes…” She was suddenly surprised as the room was illuminated. She blinked to adjust her eyes, looking around.
“We’re in the kitchen?”
“Yep,” he said, smiling at her.
“What are we doing in the kitchen? We’re not allowed in here.”
“I wanted to make you…” he walked over to the pantry and opened it, taking out a few items, “my special hot chocolate.” he told her, grinning. She giggled.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No, I just thought, well, a boy like you…”
“A boy like me, what? Can’t make hot chocolate?”
“Well, yeah.” Said Emer, leaning against the kitchen counter.
“Prepare to eat your words, Emerald Rose.” He told her, turning around to make it. Emer was intrigued, “You know my last name? I haven’t told you yet.” She didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but at the same time she wanted to be close to him while he did it. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was beginning to fall for him.
“Yes. And you don’t have to stand so far away Emer, I don’t bite,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. Emer walked towards him, coming to stand behind him. She then leaped up onto the counter. Joshua’s heart jumped, but he tried not to appear nervous. Which he had to admit was incredibly hard, Emer always made him nervous.
“How do you know my last name, Mr know-it-all?”
“I saw it on your books.” He replied sheepishly.
“You put chilli in it?” she asked, changing the subject.
“You sound surprised. Haven’t you ever had chilli hot chocolate before?”
“No, is it good?”
“You haven’t lived until you’ve tried chilli hot chocolate,” he told her, his green eyes meeting hers.
“Is it ready?” she asked after a moment of staring at him.
“Oh yes, sorry.” he replied awkwardly, passing her the mug. Their fingers grazed. Then a strange thing happened; a picture clouded her view and all she saw was smoke and fire, and heard screams. And a dark figure with black wings watched from a rooftop a few kilometres away. Then the scene changed, and she saw Scarlett jogging. She had her iPod headphones in, and she didn’t seem to have a care in the world. That was until a shadow swooped down and consumed her. The next thing Emer noticed was Joshua’s eyes, and she almost dropped her mug. Hot chocolaty liquid spilled onto her wrist. Joshua caught the mug just in time.
“Emer? Are you ok? What happened?”
“I… I… don’t know,” she stammered. Joshua got a tea towel from a drawer and wet it. Then he dabbed it on her scaled wrist. Emer winced.
“Sorry. Want to tell me what happened? You had this expression on your face that I can’t explain.”
“When I touched your hand… burning… it was burning… and people were screaming. And oh my goodness, Scarlett!” she cried.
“What about Scarlett?” he asked, her knees resting on either side of his hips. He dabbed her wrist with one hand and wiped her tears with the other. She hiccupped and looked into his eyes.
“Josh, I think Scarlett’s in trouble.”
“We’ll go find Dyston and tell him after, okay? But right now I want to make sure you haven’t burnt yourself bad.”
“It hurts but it’ll be fine, thanks Josh.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. But she didn’t answer him. Instead she leaned forward and kissed him. Joshua forgot all about the burn and dropped the tea towel on the floor, pulling Emer into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. And then she
pulled back.
“I have to go,” she told him, pushing away and jumping off the counter.
“Emer…” he called. But it was too late. He was now alone in the kitchen.
~
Lakyn stormed into his father’s office unannounced.
“Lakyn, do you ever knock?” complained Zachariah.
“It’s her,” he growled.
“Who?”
“The Legend, he’s hiding her.”
“Who’s hiding her Lakyn?”
“Who else? Your delinquent son; the one who will never be allowed into the Realm of Fire again.”
“Dyston found the Legend? Where is she?”
“At this very moment, probably in his deceiving arms.” Zachariah sighed and rose from his desk, rounding it and coming to stand beside his eldest son.
“I somehow knew this would happen. Your brother is unable to finish any task assigned to him. Instead, he spoils them.”
“What should we do, father?” Lakyn asked. Zachariah put his hand on his son’s shoulder and looked him in the eye.
“Teach him a lesson.”
~
Scarlett rested on the bottom of the pool, her breath steady, eyes closed. She heard a sound and opened her eyes. Someone was swimming towards her, getting closer and closer. She turned, and pushing herself away, but she wasn’t getting anywhere. Her hands slipped and the shadow grew closer. Her body felt like iron. And then it grabbed her, and her blue world turned black.
She sat up straight in bed sweating, trying to catch her breath. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed.
“Ssh its me, its just me.” Dyston told her calmly, “What happened?”
“I had a dream where I was drowning, and someone was after me. They… I couldn’t move.”
“It was just a dream,” he told her, kissing her bare shoulder and stroking her arm.
“But what if its not just a dream anymore Dyston? What if someone really is after me? I mean, those visions you sent me, they turned out real didn’t they? Well, mostly real.” she told him, turning to face him.
“Then we’ll just have to be strong then, won’t we?” He kissed her and stroked her hair, “I wont let anyone hurt you.”
“Dyston?” she asked against his kisses, “stop kissing me for once and tell me something?”