They went to lunch, and the news of the fight had already spread across the school. During lunch, she found out they had suspended Ciera for two weeks, but she couldn’t help the feeling they’d seen her for the last time on school grounds. The others at the table were laughing and talking about the ‘epic matchup’, but Sathe’s eyes hardly left Angel as she just pushed her salad around, barely eating anything, and she’d grown increasingly quiet. “You’re not hungry?” he asked when it was almost time for the bell to ring and she’d eaten less than half of her food. “I know for a fact you haven’t eaten in like, two days.”
She shook her head. “Not really,” she said, her voice listless. She was still pale, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her face, despite the cool temperatures inside the school. He held his hand to her forehead, and he could feel her fever returning. She shoved his hand away. “I’m fine,” she snapped.
Sathe and Adea exchanged long looks. She’s relapsing? she asked.
I don’t know for sure, but it damn sure looks like it, he said, unable to keep the fear out of his mental voice, and he felt an icy knot erupt in his chest. Finally, the bell rang, and Sathe threw their trash away, then wrapped his arm around her after she stumbled up the three flights of stairs for their last class.
* * *
In art, she came out of her daze long enough to notice her and Sathe’s pictures were hanging up on the wall. As proud as he knew she was over it, there wasn’t much of any emotion on her face at all, and her eyes seemed to refuse to open up more than halfway. He saw her shiver, despite the heavy jacket she was wearing, and he met her eyes. “Call your mother,” he ordered softly.
She objected, but another chill made her teeth rattle. “Maybe you’re right,” she replied in a whisper, and he didn’t think her voice could get any louder at the moment. She got to her feet to talk to the teacher, and she immediately gave her a hall pass. She made her way downstairs to the office, keeping one hand on the wall. Feeling worse, and more afraid, by the minute, she called Selene’s cell phone from the phone on the desk in the office, knowing she was overseeing the horses’ workouts. “Mom, can you come get me?” she asked.
Selene’s voice was instantly on edge, hearing how weak she sounded. “What’s wrong?”
“I got into a fight with Ciera, and now, I’m feeling terrible,” she whispered.
“Are you okay?”
“She popped most of the stitches, but Laren bandaged them up.” Selene asked nervously what she meant when she said she was feeling bad. “Like I’m relapsing.”
Selene swore. “I’m on my way. Sit down in the office and try not to move around too much.”
“Hurry, Mom,” she said weakly, then hung up the phone. The secretary asked if she was okay. Angel didn’t, couldn’t answer. She was gripping the counter in a white-knuckled grip as the world spun sickeningly, and a loud roaring filled her ears. Her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground. Blood began seeping through the bandages.
Sathe was having a hard time sitting still, and he had a bad feeling when Angel didn’t return. It was almost impossible for him to concentrate on anything at all. He was feeling worse by the second, and his heart sank as he saw Diamonique come rushing into the room and speak quickly to the teacher. The teacher looked up at Sathe, her face seeming to get whiter. “Garin, you’re checking out, too,” she said.
He jumped up from his seat and grabbed his and Angel’s stuff to put it up, but the teacher told him to go ahead, she would put it up for him. He bolted for the door where Diamonique was waiting for him, snatching up Angel’s purse and his jacket. As soon as the door closed behind them, they took off running down the hall, jumping down the stairs. “What happened, Diamonique?”
“You know I’m working as an office aide, and as soon as she got off the phone with Selene, she just collapsed. The fever’s back. She’s relapsing, Sathe,” she replied. “And on top of all of that, Laren’s bandaging didn’t hold. She’s bleeding pretty badly.”
“Which hospital did they call?” he asked.
“They called the right one, Universal,” she replied. “It’s in her file that’s the only one they call in case of an emergency. An ambulance is on its way, and so is Selene. She called Michael, and he called to the office and said you’re checking out to go with her.”
There was a crowd outside the office door, and Sathe shoved his way through roughly. A guy turned around to say something, but his mouth closed as he saw the dark look in Sathe’s eyes, the way his jaw clenched. The prince hit his knees beside her, and he knew it was definitely a relapse. Her sleeping throughout their first class had been a clue she wasn’t ready to come back, but the fight with Ciera was probably the main catalyst.
Selene came running in the office herself a few minutes later. The principal and vice principal had finally cleared the hall. “The ambulance just pulled up,” she whispered, her face pale. Take her hand and give her some of your energy. When Ciera attacked her, it must have knocked the blocks down, and the venom’s spreading again. Without a second thought, he did as she said. I can’t redo them here, and it’s probably too far spread by now.
The EMTs began coming in, and Sathe saw they all had a blue cornered star on their lapels. Get in the ambulance with her and keep up the energy feed. It’s the only thing keeping her heart beating right now, Selene said.
When Sathe looked up, he saw Neo and Diamonique in the doorway as they gently placed Angel on a stretcher. Damian had come with Selene, and his expression mirrored theirs. He could feel their fear and worry as plain as day, and he knew it was only a reflection of his own turbulent emotions.
Once they were in the ambulance, all the medics began speaking Solarian, and he understood them as easily as if they were speaking English or Elagonian. Once they’d all given him a nod, the head EMT looked at him. “Selene gave you instructions to keep up the contact, right?” he asked, and Sathe nodded. “All right. Here, take this seat, your Highness. Don’t worry, we’ll be able to work around you. You keeping up that contact is the most important thing right now.” There was some slight shifting around the stretcher, but eventually, Sathe situated himself by her head. He felt the exhaustion hit him as he continued to feed Angel his own energy, but the grip on her hand never wavered.
* * *
Once they got to the hospital, everything was identical to a regular hospital, except it being built specifically for Solarian and Elagonians, considering how their blood and DNA differed completely from humans. They treated humans as well, but the staff was almost only otherworldly. It was Selene and Daniel who had commissioned the very first hospital, but now, there was a vast network of hospitals all over the world.
They took Angel straight to a room, trying to keep her out of sight as much as possible as they ran through the halls. It was easy for Sathe to tell the Solarians from the Elagonians. The Solarians would give a low bow of their head, but they kept moving while the Elagonians would stop completely and give him the formal bow of their planet. Once they got her in a room, the Healers took over, supplying their own energy to save the princess. “We’ll take it from here, your Highness. You did amazing.”
Selene, Damian, Diamonique, and Neo arrived just a few minutes after they had taken Angel into the room. Sathe was waiting outside, leaning against the hall, his hands into fists to control the shaking. “Have they said anything?” Selene asked. She saw how pale his face was and asked if he was okay.
He shook his head. “No, I haven’t heard anything. They just took her back a few minutes ago, and I’ll be fine. I’ve just got to recover what I put out.” His breathing was a little ragged, but it stopped completely, and his eyes widened as they brought a crash cart in at a run. “No, no, no,” he whispered.
Adea slid around the corner after the Healers and Healers Assistants had rushed into Angel’s room, She raced up to them. “I ditched,” she replied breathlessly, then she saw Sathe’s grief-stricken face. “She’s not…”
“Not yet,” he
whispered, sliding down the wall until he hit the floor. “I can’t lose her. I just can’t.”
Neo knelt in front of his prince, laying a hand on his shoulder. He was a warrior, not prone to showing much emotion, but he also knew how much his prince cared about the princess. “Do not give in to despair, Sathe” he said. “The princess is a strong fighter. You know this better than anyone except perhaps her mother.”
It was several long, agonizing minutes before the Healer came out, and Sathe jumped to his feet. It was obvious to the Healer that everyone was on edge. He held up his hands before they could bombard him with questions. “It was very close,” he said, “but I think she just went through the worst of it. The fever seems to be breaking already. If you’ll give us just a few minutes, you should be able to go in.”
Sathe breathed a heavy sigh, but his eyes narrowed, and he swore to kill Kane in dark Elagonian. “You can’t,” came a quiet, weary voice. He turned to stare at Selene in shock.
“Surely, you’re joking, right?”
“No, Sathe. I’m not. It’s against Solarian law to kill. You know this,” she replied.
He looked around. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re no longer on Solaris. And why is that? Because of them. If we had executed them when they destroyed my planet, for the murder of my parents, Solaris would still be whole,” he said, his voice growing louder. Several Healers and Healers Assistants stopped what they were doing to look at them, concerned.
Selene stood firm, her eyes locked on his. “We did not throw the old laws out when my planet disappeared into a cloud of dust. No one is above the law, Sathe. Not even me. Besides, the last time I checked, killing someone is against most of Earth’s laws as well.”
“What did you think was going to happen when we got to them here, Selene?” Sathe asked, his hands into fists again, but this time in anger. “That we would just give them a slap on the wrist and tell them to not do it again? We’ve all seen what they’d do with a second chance. You and I ended up dead, and Solaris in pieces. What makes you think Earth will be any different?” He drew himself up, his head high, and he looked every inch the Crown Prince of Elagon. “You know I have all the respect in the world for you, your Majesty, but I am not Solarian. I am the Crown Prince of Elagon, and I say we will execute them for the destruction of my planet, and for the murders of our King and Queen.”
Selene smiled darkly. “Exactly, Prince Sathe. My laws do not bind neither you, nor Neo, nor your father. If should some of my people accidently slip, well, I suppose there isn’t too much I can do about that.” Sathe stared at her, his confusion obvious, then he slowly returned her smile. It was just as dark and cold as he realized they’d always been on the same page.
* * *
The Healer came out a few minutes later. “She’s awake,” he said.
Selene ran in, and Angel looked so weak and pale with her eyes closed. They opened as she took her hand. “What happened?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“You collapsed at the school,” Selene replied, brushing Angel’s hair back. “When you got into that fight with Ciera, it must have knocked down my blocks, and the venom kept spreading. After forty-eight hours, it must have lost most of its potency. That relapse was fast and powerful enough, it should have killed you. What in the world was that fight about, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Angel replied, frowning slightly. “Everyone had gone back to dress in, and I was walking to the doors when I heard someone screaming and running towards me. I got turned in time to see it was Ciera coming for me. I was about halfway turned when she hit me. That’s when the stitches popped. She had me pinned for a minute, then I kicked her off, and she came running for me again, so I put her down. That’s when everyone came running out, and Laren bandaged me up so I could make it through the rest of the day. I started feeling bad about fifteen minutes later, during lunch, and the last thing I really remember was sitting down in art.”
“You don’t remember going to the office and calling me?” Selene asked, gripping her daughter’s hand.
She shook her head gingerly. “It’s all just a blur. The doctor said he thought I was over the worst of it?”
“They think so,” she replied, and it really hit her just how close she’d come to losing her only daughter, and tears formed in her eyes.
Angel was quick to notice, and she squeezed her hand. “Mom, please, don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m feeling better already.”
Selene hugged her tightly, heaving a great sigh, then kissed her forehead. “You don’t know how glad I am you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done…” she trailed off, then shook her head. “But, you said you’re feeling better, right?” Angel nodded. “I’m sure Sathe’s fairly foaming at the mouth to see you, so I’ll let you two have some time. I love you, Angelina.”
“I love you, too, Mother,” she said.
Selene left, and as soon as she left out, Sathe came running in, and he threw his arms around her, kissing her mouth, her eyes, hair, everywhere. “I was so afraid I’d lost you.”
She gave a small smile, then shook her head. “But it’s like I told my mom, I’m already feeling better, so hopefully, I won’t be here too long.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I wish I could have seen you hit Ciera.”
Angel rolled her eyes. “God, it felt so good. She just went freaking crazy, raving and babbling like a madwoman.”
“I don’t know if you remember, but they suspended her for two weeks,” she said.
“I remember, but it’s like I thought when I heard that, I don’t think we’re going to be seeing Ciera at school anymore. She’s getting too close to crazy.”
They talked for a few minutes, but he saw her eyes growing heavy, and he kissed her gently, brushing her hair back. “Get some rest. We’ll take care of anything that comes up, so don’t even worry about that. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sathe. Will you tell the others thanks for coming, sorry for worrying them, and that I’ll be okay, and that I’ll see them later?” she asked, her voice already drowsy.
He laughed. “I will.” He backed out of the room, her eyes closed, and once out in the hallway, he passed along her messages. They all laughed, and after hugging Selene and Sathe, they began clearing the hall. Sathe closed his eyes. Dad, she’s going to be okay.
Thank the Gods, Michael breathed.
They said they think she went through the worst of it, so hopefully, she won’t be here too long, and I’ll be home soon, Sathe explained.
Okay. Just be careful, Michael urged, and Sathe promised he would be.
Even Angels Fall Sometimes
The next three days were calm, and there was only one minor encounter with the Wabaku. Angel was recovering rapidly, and her side, once they had re-stitched it, also began healing quickly. After being in the hospital for three days, she’d finally gotten the approval to go home, and now she was waiting for Selene to come pick her up. Sathe was with her, and they were sitting on the edge of her bed, talking and laughing.
Suddenly, there was an evil laugh in her head. Well, well, well, Princess. I see you’re still alive after all. Kane will be so disappointed.
Yazmina, Angel snarled, and from the look of hatred on Sathe’s face, she was projecting into his mind as well.
All day long, she replied, and Angel could just imagine how she’d toss her thick black hair back over her shoulder. She was so fond of that little gesture. So, how’s your mom? Have you talked to her in the past twenty, thirty minutes?
What do you mean?
There was another laugh, dripping with hate and malicious glee. I do believe you’ll have to find another ride home.
Angel jumped to her feet, her star glowing. If you touched a hair on my mother’s head…
I’ll just say this, your Majesty…history repeats itself, Yazmina sneered, then her voice faded out.
“Did she just call me your…?” Angel asked out loud, and Sathe could see the blood dr
aining from her face. Mom?! she called out frantically, reaching out mentally as far as she could.
The voice that came back was weak, as if calling from a great distance. Angel frowned, able to pinpoint Selene’s location, and it wasn’t that far. Angelina?
Where are you? Are you okay?
I was on my way to pick you up, but a car blew through their red light and slammed into me. Someone had cut the seatbelt almost the whole way through, and it broke the rest of the way in the accident, Selene explained, her voice seeming to grow even weaker. Angel asked if she was okay. Everything is in your and Sathe’s hands now. It’s up to the two of you, and the others to save our worlds.
Tears filled Angel’s eyes as clouds suddenly gathered outside, rain sprinkling down gently at first, then it suddenly came pouring down in thick sheets. I can’t do this without you.
Of course you can. It’s in your blood. Her voice began fading even faster. I love you, Angelina Storm, Princess of Solaris. No matter what happens, never forget that. The greatest joy I’ve had in either life was seeing you, my precious daughter, grow into an amazing young woman.
Angel bowed her head. I love you, too, Momma.
* * *
Selene’s presence faded completely, and Angel screamed in rage and despair. Lightning flashed and forked across the sky, thunder roaring as she hit her knees, the light from her star blazing, lighting up the entire room in an eerie glow against the sudden black darkness outside. Every Solarian on the planet felt the pain of the Queen’s passing, and Sathe heard the crying out in the halls. He knelt beside her, but she seemed to be completely unaware of him.
He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, calling her name softly, but there wasn’t any response. He took her in his arms, rocking her back and forth on the floor, tears in his own eyes. After a few minutes, he felt her arms wrapping around him, and she clung tightly to him as the sudden storm continued to rage outside, the winds whipping and howling around the building.
When Worlds Collide: Solarian Chronicles I Page 10