Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3)

by Harriet Carlton

  “My brother is still very tired,” replied Gabriel, frowning slightly. “A trip like the one he just undertook takes a lot out of someone. Even an Archangel. Not to mention that he had to hold up the barrier around your tristate area and the barrier around Upper Morvine. He’s tired.”

  Imorean nodded, realizing why Michael had seemed so exhausted that morning.

  “Come on,” said Gabriel, tossing his head in the direction of the stairs. “Michael wants to run over the candidates to bring.”

  Imorean grinned and stepped forward, walking next to Gabriel.

  Chapter 5

  Imorean walked with Gabriel down familiar hallways, Roxy trailing quietly in their wake.

  “Michael also wants to give you your swords while you’re here,” said Gabriel, holding the stairwell door open for Imorean and Roxy.

  “So he said,” answered Imorean. “I thought we weren’t supposed to get them until we started our sophomore year.”

  “Originally, you weren’t. No one was. But in light of the recent events, Michael, the other Archangels and I are seeing fit to give them to you and your year group early. Honestly, things are progressing much faster than we thought they would and much faster than we would all like.”

  Imorean nodded. Gabriel’s words did not carry a positive message and he had to wonder just how fast he and the rest of his friends would be thrust into a real battle situation.

  Again, the young Archangel held open the door at the far end of the third-floor hallway. Imorean hadn’t been to this part of Felsenmeer before. He knew it led to the staff quarters and hadn’t particularly wanted to scope out where Michael’s room and office were. He and Roxy continued behind Gabriel along the third-floor hallway, until they finally arrived at a corner room. The door was already ajar and Imorean stepped in.

  He looked around the room they were in. It was a reasonably large room. A long bookcase stretched along the entirety of the back wall. An ornate, dark, wooden desk dominated one corner of the room. Michael was leaning on the desk. A small smile hovered on the Archangel’s lips.

  “No knock. Very courteous.”

  Imorean crossed the room and sat down on the wide windowsill, turning his attention to Michael. “You’re welcome. I figured you already knew we were here.”

  “Indeed,” said Michael, when Roxy and Gabriel had settled themselves around the room. “Now, it is time that we turned our attention to the matter of the other members of the elite squad who will be joining you here in just over two weeks. Special arrangements must be made for them, so we need to begin looking at candidates now. Already we have you, Roxy, Toddy and Colton. That is four. Squads normally consist of seven to twelve members. We will work on finding three more members for the squad and if we feel a need to add more, we will do so.”

  “Right,” nodded Imorean.

  “Any suggestions?” asked Michael, folding his arms over his chest and inclining his head.

  “Umm…” Imorean faltered. He hadn’t given this any thought at all. He hadn’t actually expected Michael to ask. “My friend Dustin from the track team might be pretty good. He was in the raptor class. Pretty tall and a really good distance runner. Owl wings too.”

  “Write that down,” said Michael, looking over at Gabriel.

  “Perhaps we should include those two boys Ryan and Baxter,” said Gabriel, as he scribbled down Dustin’s name on a scrap piece of paper.

  “Why?” asked Imorean. “They’ll just pick fights with everyone if they’re here together.”

  “Do you know that for a fact?” asked Michael.

  “Well, no, but I’d take Baxter over Ryan any day. Baxter isn’t too bad on his own. Ryan’s a–”

  “Imorean!” snapped Gabriel.

  “Well, in any case, they are both strong,” said Michael. “And not unintelligent. It would do you good to have some weight in muscle backing you. Write them down. Do not rule Ryan out due to past encounters, Imorean. Perhaps it would be good to have some competition on the squad.”

  “Could we get another female on the squad?” asked Roxy. “I’d rather not be the only girl in the middle of a sausage fest.”

  “What on Earth do you mean?” asked Michael, furrowing his brow and looking at Gabriel. “I do not recall that we were having a sausage festival.”

  Imorean snorted.

  Roxy blushed very slightly. “I mean–”

  “She means she’d rather not be the only girl,” said Gabriel, interrupting Roxy and sending her a glare.

  “… Right,” said Michael, darting a suspicious glare around the room at all the occupants. “Well then, Roxy, do you have any suggestions?”

  “I would have said Bethany, but you know what happened with her, so how about Mandy?”

  “Mmm,” hummed Michael, narrowing his eyes further.

  Gabriel spun the pen in his fingers. “We’ll consider her. I would keep thinking of potential females to join you up here, Roxy. Until we find one suitable, we’ll consider all possible candidates.”

  “Indeed,” replied Michael. “Gabriel, write down Mandy, but also make note of Kadia Palmer. She may be of use as well.”

  “You said we’d be getting our swords?” asked Imorean.

  “Yes,” nodded Michael. “Raphael will be bringing them in a few days. You will be allowed to have them in your dorms, but you will not be using them until I say so. I will also not be handing them out until after everyone has arrived.”

  “Right. Makes sense.”

  “You are aware that you will be being taught combat here, are you not? Fighting, maneuvering, even killing. You will learn that here.”

  “Believe me, Michael, I’m fully aware. Gabriel, won’t you be staying here as well?”

  “I was hoping to be here more than away,” said Gabriel. “But I think it’ll be more likely that I’ll be back and forth between here and Upper Morvine. The other students still need instruction and the other schools still need protection. Gracepointe will be emptied of students until further notice due to its compromised location.”

  “Okay. I understand that,” nodded Imorean. He looked back at Michael. “What are you planning for us here?”

  “What I just mentioned. We will have to see how you all progress,” replied Michael cryptically.

  Imorean nodded, not sated. He glanced away from Michael and caught sight of something that seemed to be out of the ordinary about the Archangel’s bookcase. In the very middle it seemed disjointed. Imorean frowned. What? That wasn’t normal for a bookcase.

  “Imorean,” said Michael.

  Imorean looked back at Michael. The Archangel had fixed him with a suspicious glare. He realized a second too late that he had tuned completely out of the conversation.

  “Yeah?” asked Imorean, acting as though he had just been daydreaming and not pondering about Michael’s bookcase.

  “What are your thoughts on eventually taking to the air outside and having a look around?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Bear in mind that the air here will be very different to what you are used to,” said Michael.

  “I get it, it’s colder here. Do—do Toddy and Colton know they’re coming here?”

  “We’ve already made the necessary changes to their tickets, but I’ll make sure that they are aware when I meet with them after I get back,” said Gabriel.

  “Okay,” nodded Imorean. He was looking forward to seeing Toddy and Colton again. He couldn’t help but wonder though if they had heard about what had happened with Bethany.

  “Well,” said Michael suddenly, standing upright. “Is that all we have to cover today?”

  “I think so,” nodded Gabriel, tossing the pen he had been using back onto his older brother’s desk. Michael frowned at him and put the pen back into the holder in one corner.

  “Right. Gabriel if you would stay here and review potential candidates to add to the squad with me that would be appreciated. Imorean, you and Roxy are free to go.”

  “Thanks,”
nodded Imorean.

  “So, you think Michael’s hiding something again?” asked Roxy, putting her feet up on the footboard of Imorean’s bed.

  “I saw something odd about his bookcase. It seemed sort of disjointed somehow.”

  “Maybe it’s just cheap,” shrugged Roxy.

  Imorean raised one eyebrow. “You really think Michael would furnish his office with something cheap?”

  “Well, you do have a point. But, I think you’re right. There is something suspicious about this place.”

  “Maybe… what’s that face for? You look like you’re scheming.”

  “I’m sure there’s something in there that’ll shed some light on what we’re going to be doing here,” said Roxy with a smirk. “If Michael’s hiding something, he’d keep it close to him.”

  “Oh, yeah, great idea,” said Imorean, folding his arms across his chest.

  “Wanna break into his office?”

  “Yes, Roxy, perfect. Break into the most powerful Archangel’s office. I’m sure nothing bad will happen. I think Michael spends about ninety percent of his time in there.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to go when he’s not there, won’t we? Of course, we’ll need Toddy, Mandy and Colton with us as well to pull this off.”

  “I don’t think this is a good idea, Roxy.”

  “You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to. It was just a suggestion. You’re the one who’s so suspicious about him anyway.”

  “It’s just when you get in trouble, I invariably do as well. Plus, I’ve already been in enough trouble with Michael.”

  “We’d just have to think carefully about how we’re going to do it,” said Roxy, grinning at him. Imorean returned her smile, but couldn’t fight the pit of nervousness that rose in his stomach at the thought of entering the Chief Archangel’s office uninvited. Even the very idea seemed intimidating.

  Chapter 6

  The temperature around Felsenmeer continued to drop as the weeks rolled slowly by. Late January had arrived. The coldest, most depressing time of the year. Imorean found himself feeling increasingly frustrated the longer he was trapped inside. Despite the comforts of the campus, he hated not being able to go outside. The only room to fly was the gym. He had never liked being cooped up and the gym did little to stop him feeling claustrophobic.

  White wings folded as Imorean took up a perch on the gymnasium’s metal rafters. He paused for a moment, contemplating, before he decided to take back to the air. The gym may be tiny by comparison to the open sky, but it was better than nothing. His consolation lay in the knowledge that the rest of his friends would soon be joining him here. Perhaps then, the boredom would stop dragging quite so much. He was looking forward to seeing them. Toddy’s friendly, open face. Mandy, down-to-earth and sturdy. She had very pale blond hair and eyes that were nearly colorless. She had been Roxy’s roommate for a semester and Imorean already knew they would get along well. Colton was blond and nerdy, complete with thick glasses, but had the quickest mind Imorean had ever known. He had a feeling that Dustin and Baxter would be joining them as well. If so, he was looking forward to it. Imorean adjusted a wing as he wobbled slightly in the still gym, his feathers making a tiny rushing sound as he sliced through the air. Dustin and Baxter were already good friends and Imorean thought they would settle in well. He knew Dustin already from the track team at Gracepointe and liked him. Baxter was also easy enough to get along with. Maybe they had the makings of a cohesive elite squad.

  Imorean swooped around the gym, enjoying the feeling of flying, but not reveling in it quite so much as he usually did. He missed the feeling of air currents rushing under his wings, keeping him aware of his surroundings. He thought over the video chat he had had with his mother that morning. She had seemed significantly less quiet and the twins had been happy to see him, even if it had only been through the lens of a webcam. His thoughts turned to his fellow students. The majority of the student body had left on their flight to return to Gracepointe early that morning. He smiled and rolled over in the air. His friends would be on their way here by now. Their flight should have left Raleigh already.

  The white-haired teenager spooked in surprise and alighted again on one of the steel rafters at the gym ceiling as a door to the massive room opened with a loud slam. It was Michael. Even from his distance, Imorean could see that Michael’s short hair was a mess and his green eyes were wild.

  “Imorean!”

  “What’s up?” asked Imorean, opening his wings and gliding down to his instructor. Immediately, he tasted fear in the air. Fear? What was wrong? What was it that could have Michael, Chief Archangel Michael, afraid?

  “Outside. Now,” said the Archangel. Imorean furrowed his brow. There was something in the Archangel’s voice that was horribly, deadly serious.

  “Okay,” nodded Imorean.

  Michael returned his nod then whirled around, out of the gym, sprinting up the stairs. Imorean followed behind the Archangel, wondering what could have caused him to be so upset. It had to be something major if it had worried Michael like this.

  Imorean was well and truly out of breath when they reached the entrance lobby, but Michael didn’t stop, so Imorean realized they would have to go outside. He hesitated. It was well below freezing outside and he was only wearing a light sweatshirt. How long would they have to be out? All Imorean’s qualms about leaving the warm interior of the main building fell away when Michael slammed his entire body weight against the emergency crash bar on the entrance door, flinging it open. Imorean’s eyes opened wide as the small pane of glass above the threshold of the electronic doors shattered and fell away from the frame. Imorean covered his head as he ran under the doorway, narrowly avoiding being hit by falling glass. He jumped down the steps outside and skidded to a halt on the icy ground just behind Michael.

  It was snowing hard, a strong wind sending the flakes flittering everywhere. The sky was dark, almost as dark as it was during the night. They had been expecting a blizzard that week and it seemed to Imorean that it had almost hit. How would his other classmates make it here?

  Imorean’s jaw dropped and his heart leaped in his chest. It seemed his other classmates wouldn’t have to worry about their plane being diverted. Gathered in the center of Felsenmeer’s courtyard were Gabriel and the six students he and Michael had chosen to join Imorean and Roxy at Felsenmeer. Gabriel was on his hands and knees, blood running from his eyes and his nose. His wings were limp and tattered and his skin was deeply bruised. He was gripping his side and trembling, as though in great pain.

  “Gabriel!” cried Michael, racing to his brother’s side and kneeling next to him, skidding slightly on the ice. “What happened?”

  “They thought we were moving Imorean today. Vortigern’s scouts found us at the airport. There was no way I could have gotten the kids onto the plane,” replied Gabriel, gripping onto his older brother’s jacket.

  “How did demons break through the barriers a second time?”

  “I don’t know, Michael.”

  “Imorean,” called Toddy, waving Imorean over. Imorean smiled, glad to see his old friend from Gracepointe. Toddy had lost a little weight and his cheekbones seemed sharper. His brown eyes though, were still bright under a shock of auburn hair.

  Colton, small and blond-haired, the youngest of all the former Gracepointe students, adjusted his glasses on his face. Imorean noticed as he half ran, half slid across the ice over to his friends that Colton’s bright blue eyes were wide with fear. Mandy too, seemed strained. Her thin, pale face was drawn. Imorean’s heart pounded. His happiness evaporated. What had happened?

  “Hey, are you guys okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” said Toddy. His voice was shaky. “I guess this is Felsenmeer?”

  “It is,” nodded Imorean. “But that really isn’t important right now. What the heck happened?”

  “Imorean,” said Michael, interrupting.

  “Yes?” asked Imorean, looking back over at his mentor.


  “Get everyone inside and find Roxy. Now.”

  “Roxy’s here,” she called from the top of the steps.

  “Found her,” nodded Imorean. He turned to address the rest of the students who had arrived unexpectedly with Gabriel. “Come on, guys, let’s get inside out of the cold.”

  There were murmurs of nervous appreciation as the group followed Imorean inside, eager to get out of the cold. Imorean stopped at the top of the steps, turning to watch as Michael lifted Gabriel off the ice and half dragged, half carried his younger brother to the door. He took a deep breath and started to calm down. Something had obviously happened at the airport in Raleigh, but all the students were here now. They were safe. The crisis was over. Quickly, Imorean surveyed who had been brought. Toddy, Colton, Mandy, Dustin and Baxter. Then Imorean noticed Ryan. Tall, broad-shouldered, ginger-haired and arrogant Ryan. Ryan had been elected for the elite squad as well. A spark of annoyance flickered through Imorean. One of the only Gracepointe students he couldn’t stand had been chosen to join him here at Felsenmeer.

  “Tod,” said Imorean, stopping next to his friend inside the entrance hall. “So, what happened?”

  Toddy shivered slightly, knocking some snow from his jeans. “We got ambushed at the airport. It’ll be all over the news by now. Someone set off a bomb, demons appeared out of nowhere, it was just chaos. It was an ambush. They must have been there for a while. There were angels from all over the place trying to keep them from getting to us. It must have been almost all of the angel guards in the tristate area. Gabriel said they were looking for you?”

  “So that means…” began Imorean, turning to look at Michael as the Archangel entered.

  “The barriers have been breached. You better call your mother,” said Michael, his voice still worried.

  “My phone can’t reach her from here,” replied Imorean, trying to keep his voice steady. Panic sunk its steely talons back into his chest and gripped tight around his heart.