by Mary Ting
When the light dimmed, everyone else around him slowly gained control of their muscles, their faces contorting in rage.
As Uriel repeated a chant, the headstones he passed blew apart like bombs. Hands poked through the dirt, then an arm showed, a face covered in dirt, torso and then wings. The book closed and thumped to the ground.
I had expected archangels to rise, but the scowls on the risen figures, their eyes cutting through everything in sight like they wanted to hurt someone, had me doubting the right people were back.
Uriel paled as the original watchers flapped their wings to shake off dirt and scrutinized the witches and vampires surrounding them.
“Ko!” Uriel shouted, tightening his fists.
“Why, Uriel. It’s so nice of you to raise us from Hell.” Ko stumbled out of the upturned soil.
Uriel’s eyes illuminated and shoved Ko out of the way, knocking him to his knees. Then Uriel dug, dug like a dog trapped desperate to get out, as if somehow, he would find his brothers. Soil tossed about faster than human eyes could see. Finally Uriel stopped.
“This can’t be. I used the right words, I’m sure of it.” Uriel rose, picked up the book, and placed his hand to open it, but no avail.
In a blink of an eye, Uriel stood before Samyaza and pulled him up by his collar. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. You’re the one who said the chant, not me. Now let me down so we can solve a problem.” His eyes darted to the watchers.
“Where are my brothers?” Uriel yanked Ko off the ground. “Where? Tell me before I slit your throat.”
“This is your fault. Not mine. You opened the wrong gate.” His lips curled into a triumphant grin. “You see, Uriel. I planned a great plan. Knowing you might one day trap us, my little Mayra was given instructions. She was to trick you, plant the words in your mind, and even sleep with you to ensure you were misled. And that clever little angel, she did quite a number on you.”
“Plant the words?” Uriel shoved Ko and stumbled back, looking distraught. “She…”
Uriel looked confused for a moment longer, then horror stretched across his face. He must have remembered something, realized something.
Ko shrugged, feigning innocence.
Uriel raised his left wing, forming it into a sword-like blade, and pointed at Ko. “Surrender now. You might have tricked me, but you’re outnumbered and too weak to battle.”
Ko craned his neck and rolled back his shoulders. “You give me no credit, Uriel. I still think of you as my brother. Now that we are back, join us and wipe these”—he eyed the witches and vampires— “these filth of this realm together. You by my side.”
“Stop wasting our time.” Jonah stepped out of the shadow.
“Aren’t you Mayra’s friend?” a watcher said, mockingly.
“Shut up. Don’t you say her name. You can go back where you came from. Attack!” Jonah raised his sword.
Uriel followed suit. Just as chaos erupted, the book shot open and translucent figures flew from it.
“Michael.” Uriel’s voice was a sound of pure bliss.
Six archangels floated like ghosts. Uriel peered up, as everyone else waited for them to take a solid figure.
“Uriel. You’re here at last. We’ve been waiting,” Michael said with joy yet sadness.
Michael and the others reached out their hands as if they had to push their way through, but they bounced against an invisible shield. With concerned faces, they pushed again and again.
“What’s going on?” Uriel marched to Ko, who was surrounded by his men. “What did you do?”
Ko, still weak, didn’t fight as Uriel dragged him to where Michael floated. Jonah and Samyaza positioned their swords to Ko’s men, keeping them from following. It was a perfect time to terminate the watchers with impunity, and yet Uriel didn’t. Couldn’t, maybe. I supposed if he had, he would be no better than them.
Uriel pushed Ko to his knees. “Release them!”
I felt sorry for Uriel. His desperation had caused his mind to go frazzled. He’d forgotten about the witches.
Ko laughed so hard he held his stomach. “You think I have the power to seal them in? I wish it was my doing, but I assure you it’s not. This is the witch’s doing.”
Uriel’s stone cold eyes cut to the witch smirking. “You. Is this true?”
Awan swayed her hips closer to Uriel with no regard for who he was. “Finally you ask. I’ve been waiting. And yes, I did it. With all my sisters’ help.” Her eyes darkened to an amber glow, and her flippant tone changed to something sinister. “I didn’t come just to watch idiots make fools of themselves.”
“Why are you here, witch? This has nothing to do with your kind,” Uriel said.
“First, you can address me as Awan. Second, it has everything to do with me and my sisters, and my coven.”
When Jonah and Samyaza inched closer, the dark-skinned witch raised her hand. The swords flew yards away. Jonah and Samyaza cursed, but they could do nothing but stand there.
When Awan waved her hand across the sky, Michael and his brothers vanished. She moved back to protect herself from Uriel’s sword.
“What did you do? Bring them back right now.” Uriel’s eyes lit up and he seemed to grow taller.
“Ah, ah, ah...you hurt me and you’ll never see your brothers again. Don’t worry, they’re safe. At least they’re out of whatever hell they were in.” Awan tilted her head, like she had picked up on something. She extended her arms sideways. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Ko and his brothers were slowly backing away. With so many dead leaves and twigs from the broken branches, even a human could hear those sounds.
“You don’t need to bother us. I have important things to do. This doesn’t concern us.” Ko spoke with such authority, even I flinched.
“Oh, you’re wrong, Ko, who murdered my kind. Yes, I know who you are. And you owe me.”
Ko ran, even tried to fly, but the florescent purple light prevented anyone from getting out. It was a good thing we were behind the gates.
“You witch,” he roared, glaring. “Release me. I command you. Or I swear when I’m well, I will kill you, hunt you down like I did to the rest of your kind.”
Awan inhaled a deep breath. “That’s the problem with watchers. You never learn. You think you’re a superior race. You won’t when I have you locked up.”
“You can’t cage me or my—”
“Time’s up. Goodbye.” Awan closed her fist and a florescent light glowed around Ko.
Apparently she could. Not only did Ko vanish, but so did his brothers.
“I’m so tired of cocky jerks like Ko. He thinks there are no consequences to his actions. And as for you.” She pointed at Uriel, Jonah, and Samyaza. “I need to make a bargain with you three.”
Samyaza scowled. “And if we don’t like what you have to offer?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Let me show you what happens. Shall we, sisters?”
Uriel, Jonah, Samyaza, and everyone in the cemetery winked out of existence.
“Whoa,” Kai breathed.
“What the hell just happened?” Suri rubbed her eyes. “Are they...did they...gone? And where did they go?”
“I can’t believe I saw witches.” Daniel stared as if dazed. “We have so much to report to Ezekiel, but...”
“It’s out of our hands. I have a feeling Malum had something to do with this.” I pushed myself up and dusted the grime off my pants with little effect. I looked like I’d been rolling in the mud.
Daniel started to wipe away the wet soil, but he stopped, seeing it didn’t help. “How do you know?”
I shrugged. “All the supernatural beings are here. Guess who’s missing?”
“I agree with Keira.” Suri flicked dirt off her shirt, grimacing. “Shoot. I have to do laundry now.”
“Now we can go,” I said to Daniel, thinking how we weren’t freaked out by the showdown we’d just seen.
We should be worried for the
archangels. We had no idea whether the witches had ill intent. They could do whatever with watchers—I didn’t give a damn about them. But I did care about Uriel, and maybe Jonah, but I wasn’t sure about Samyaza. He still smelled fishy to me, even though he proved his loyalty tonight.
Chapter 33
Prison
Uriel
I groaned. My arms felt too heavy when I lifted them up to rub my head. Then I found why. Chains. Chains bound my wrists and then extended to the wall behind. I should easily have broken out, but yet when I tried, they wouldn’t crack.
I felt so...human.
These dark chains were not ordinary ones. They had to have been made from some special crystal or metals. I had never seen these before, nor had I ever been imprisoned.
To make things worse, I’d failed Enoch’s mother. Marcus had never showed. He set a trap for me, forcing me to go to the cemetery, but he hadn’t delivered his side of the bargain. I shuddered with rage. Enoch’s mother better be alive. She had to be. I would find a way to save her.
Where was I? Hell wouldn’t have chains. At least I knew I wasn’t in Hell. Could the witches even send me there? And how had they found chains strong enough to bind an angel?
I thought about what happened at St. Margaret and how it had gone so wrong. I had known the risks, but never had I anticipated the witches. I had been so blind, only focusing on opening the book and the known threats.
What did the witches want from us? She would have killed us if she wanted us dead. What amazed me the most was how she had so much power over me.
Yes, I’d frozen her and everyone at the cemetery, but briefly. And after I’d used my light, I had to replenish in order to use the same power again. I needed more energy to immobilize that many, but Awan on the other hand, had made all of us vanish in one effort.
“Jonah? Samyaza?” I whispered.
Silence. Rustling chains. I called their names again.
“Uriel, is that you?”
I recognized Jonah’s voice. He stepped out from the darkness. His jail was in front of mine.
“Yeah, it’s me. I have chains on my arms and legs.” He lifted them up to show me.
“Well, welcome to the party,” Samyaza said, his voice coming from the left cell.
A chair grated along the ground.
“Samyaza, at least we’re together.” Jonah sighed.
Thump.
“That was me,” Jonah said. “These chains weigh a ton.” He paused and then he let out bursts of chuckles but in spurts, as if searching for humor behind what he wanted to say. “I have to tell you, I had a whole bunch of scenarios in my head that could have gone right and wrong. But never did I imagine witches would show up in force, and never did I picture this. What the freakin’ hell.”
A door down the dark cavern creaked. Or at least it sounded like a door. Then Awan and her two sisters appeared.
“Hello, angels.”
Awan’s smile made me want to rip off her face.
“I see the chains are holding you in well, but don’t worry, it’s just temporary. Well, unless you decide to go against my wishes. Then you’ll just be locked up for eternity. Doesn’t sound fun, does it?”
“You...” Samyaza grunted. Chains clanked loudly.
It seemed like he tried to break the bars with the chains.
Awan shook her index finger, like a mother scolding her naughty child. “No, no, no. You’ll only hurt yourself. You’ve been warned.”
“What do you want?” Jonah spat. “And why is it that you only speak? Can’t your sisters talk?”
As Jonah and Samyaza continued to speak their minds, I sat on the ground with my head shoved in my palms. I had locked up my brothers from one darkness to another. I had failed them. I could still picture their happy faces when they had been set free, only to crush their hearts again with my stupidity. What kind of warrior was I?
God should strike me down. If I could trade places with them, I would do it.
“Awww...Don’t blame yourself, Uriel. It wasn’t entirely your fault,” Awan purred. “Your brothers are well, I assure you. They’re eating, drinking, resting, and having a wonderful time, but they’re trapped.”
She couldn’t possibility read minds, could she? And I didn’t know if I could believe her.
“What do you want?” I asked with venom in my tone without looking up at her. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me at my lowest.
My heart filled with rocks. I wanted to sink beneath me and die. Feeling worthless was one of the most painful feelings I’ve ever experienced.
“Where are we?” Jonah interrupted, tugging fruitlessly at the bars.
Awan frowned, her lips twisted. With a quick flick of her wrist, Jonah’s body crashed against the bars and dropped.
“You freakin’ whore...” He cursed, but his voice was lost when the blonde witch stood in front of him.
“Oh, by the way.” Awan craned her neck to Jonah. “My sister Corian likes to eat tongues, so I would be very quiet if I were you.” She turned to me with a smile. “Where were we….Why yes, I have a proposal for you. I want you three to find my mother’s book. It’s called Book of Magae.”
Samyaza clanked his chain against the bars. “Why are you asking us? You find it. You’re the witch. Bitch.”
Awan glowered, annoyance marring her face. “If I could find it, then of course I would have it by now.”
“What’s the catch?” Jonah said, his voice tamer. “Why us and not sons of God? Or find a nephilim to do it?”
“You have to enter another realm, and that is all I’m going to tell you. Take this offer—”
“Or what?” Samyaza cut in.
“Or stay here for eternity.”
“Then this isn’t a proposal. This is a threat.”
“Take it how you want it. You have twenty-four hours to make your decision. My sisters and I will leave you now. A servant will come to give you food and water to show you I’m not as bad as you think. I just want my ancestor’s book that was wrongly taken from us. Our coven has been through hard times from the beginning of...well...since I met Cain. And if you were in my place, you would do anything to protect your family, as I see you tried.”
“Why did you take my brothers from me?” I let out a low guttural growl.
“Sorry, but I need them for now as collateral. I’m most certain if I’d asked you, you would have turned me down. You don’t care for my kind. And sometimes, I’m not sure if you care for those humans either. Nevertheless, I’m tired. It’s late. Unlike angels and vampires, we need our beauty sleep. Until tomorrow night.” She gave a curt nod and headed out, her sisters trailing behind.
When the door thudded, silence filled the space for a little while.
I laughed—the short, humorless kind. “So much for buying Kenan’s men, Samyaza.”
A low growl reverberated down the hall. “I’m not going to pay him the other half. His men aren’t worth twelve million. What a joke. They couldn’t even last five minutes.”
“If you don’t pay Kenan, what will happen?” I asked.
“He’ll probably send his men after me. If we’re not there, they won’t be able to find me. So I suppose we do whatever the witch wants. You want your brothers back, don’t you?”
“What are your thoughts?” Jonah asked.
Angels never get tired, but I felt exhausted. My heart filled with overwhelming somberness that weakened me. It was the same feeling I’d experienced when I had locked up my brothers the first time.
“I don’t know. You rest up and let me think about it. I want to be sure my brothers are alive first. She’ll have to show me proof. If you don’t want to come with me, I will understand. This is my war now, not yours. Time is different in the other realms. And who knows, we might be chasing a phantom. It might be years until we come back.”
“I have no ties here,” Samyaza said. “If you need my service, I’m all yours.”
“Me too.” Jonah’s tone chang
ed from serious to light-hearted. “It’s not like we have an apartment to go back to.”
True. So very true.
Chapter 34
Crazy Witch
Malum
After dinner, we gathered in the living area and drank coffee and tea. My brothers and I were told to stay home, even Balen, who didn’t seem to care. I wondered if he would have gone with them if they had asked or simply refused.
Never had I ever been told by a woman what to do. Dom did not take his order well. He cursed and bickered with Awan, but at the end, the witches convinced us.
Their plan seemed simple. Get to Uriel and his team, however many there might be, before any other players decided to ruin their plan. Awan assured us when they connected their life lines with each other, Awan’s power would be stronger than the archangel’s.
Joining came with a price. If Awan had been killed, everyone linked to her would die. It was a risk they were willing to take to capture every single one of the angels. The witches had their reasons to capture them and we had ours, though we’d rather have them not released from their current jail.
Giselle walked in my bedroom like she’d said she would after she came back. She wore her cloak, and I wondered if she had changed her mind to stay the night with me.
“How did it go?” I asked, sitting up against propped pillows.
Her lips twisted into a scowl. “Vampires were there. Kenan’s men. At least we know why Uriel was at the nightclub.”
“How do you know who Kenan is?”
Giselle sauntered closer, her eyes and her tone were playful and light. “Malum, I know everything.”
“Do you now?” I bit my bottom lip when she slowly began to take off her cloak, revealing black lace lingerie. I shivered from the ache of wanting to touch her curves and large breasts. I wanted to lick and taste her, and do wild things to her.
“I’m guessing everything went well?” I thought that was what I said. My brain didn’t function well when she flicked off her spaghetti straps and teased me by rubbing her nipples.
“Very well.”
“And where are our prisoners?”