“This is our first time moving as a team over open space. Michael told me before we came out that this was a lesson in detection, as well as putting all of our skills to the test. Our objective is to cross the terrain between here, Thor Peak, and home, Felsenmeer undetected by Michael or the other Felsenmeer staff. The areas where they’re hiding and watching should be marked vaguely on your maps. Mandy, Toddy, Baxter, you’re our weather tracker team. What are the conditions on the ground?”
It was Baxter who replied, screaming over the wind. “Cold on the ground! Icy conditions below cloud cover! Approximately negative twelve degrees! Wind blowing north-northwest wind at nine miles per hour! Headwind!”
“Roger that! Colton, Dustin, what’s our route?”
“We’re aiming for a direct route heading southwest over the mountains!” called Dustin. “That’s the shortest way. Only twenty miles of terrain between here and Felsenmeer.”
“That’s optimal route!” shouted Colton, his voice nearly carried away by the wind. “If we get sent off course or have to fly closer to the ground and go around mountains, the route will be closer to thirty or forty miles!”
“Got it! Ryan, Roxy, everything ready?”
“Ready!” replied Roxy with a grin.
Imorean nodded and turned to face the open sky. Michael had vanished completely. With a deep breath, Imorean focused on their goal: get home undetected and with no mishaps. It should have been easy, though with Michael and all of the Felsenmeer staff lining the route back, Imorean knew it would be anything but. White wings opened wide, each feather feeling the wind currents. He narrowed his eyes against the wind, then ran forward, hurling himself into the open space beyond the rounded mountain brink.
Freefall was both terrifying and exhilarating, but today Imorean didn’t have enough time to truly enjoy it. He allowed a few feet of effortless fall, but all too soon beat his wings. He had a mission to carry out and needed to conserve the energy of both himself and his squad. He took a quick glance at his own compass. The readout was southwest. They were on to a good start. Quickly, Imorean glanced down at the clouds below them. Only high mountain peaks pierced through the blanket. He snapped his wings down harder. All he had to do was hold true to their heading.
The snarl was nearly frozen on Imorean’s face as he fought against the headwind. It wasn’t fast, but it was relentless. The sun was setting and soon they would be surrounded by darkness.
“Imorean! We have to go down!” shouted Colton, coming up alongside Imorean.
For a moment, Imorean hesitated. He didn’t want to descend. They were doing fine up here. They were moving toward Felsenmeer and they were still undetected. A gust of sharp wind hit Colton and he dropped back a few meters.
“Please!” shouted Colton.
Grudgingly, Imorean nodded and angled the squad down. It wouldn’t do them any harm to descend or even land for a few minutes. Vapors clung to white feathers as Imorean led the squad down toward the ground. He cried out as he landed hard on the frozen ground and his legs fell out from underneath him. Tired, white wings tried to help him keep his balance, but Imorean crashed down to his chest and skidded several feet along the ground. He realized a moment later where he had let his squad land. They were on a frozen river. He swallowed. Surely, the ice had to be quite thick.
“Careful! Icy landing!” he shouted, watching as the other seven members of his group landed. Mandy, Roxy and Baxter all fell as they landed.
“So, how are we doing?” asked Toddy, helping Imorean to his feet.
“As far as I can tell, we’re still on course,” said Dustin, crouching on the ice as he studied his map.
“I’m not so sure,” said Colton. Imorean watched as the small boy took out his own map and looked between their surroundings and the paper.
“What’s up, Colton?” he asked, peering over Colton’s shoulder.
“We should have already passed this point.”
“I guess that headwind was stronger than we thought?” chuckled Dustin.
Colton spun. “This isn’t funny. We want to be home before dark. Do you want to spend the night out here?”
“He has a point,” nodded Mandy. “We don’t have any supplies to stay out overnight.”
“We’d die of exposure,” said Ryan. “Well, maybe not Imorean, but he’s special.”
“None of us are going to die. This is just an exercise,” snapped Imorean, stung at Ryan’s words. “Where are we, Colton?”
“We’re here,” he said, pointing to a small lake shaped like a bean. “We’re on course, but we’re moving slowly. We need to swing further east. If we head straight east then straight south, we’ll get home.”
“But how long will it take?” asked Roxy.
“Maybe two hours extra,” sighed Colton. “If we avoid all the areas where we know Michael has groups hidden.”
Ryan scoffed. “Screw the detection.”
“I’m with Ryan,” nodded Baxter, stamping his feet and hugging himself for warmth.
Imorean looked around the squad. They were all cold, hungry and tired. So was he. But their mission was to get through the exercise without being noticed. These were the types of things they were being trained for. If they failed now, at their first group challenge, it would seem as though they were squandering the training.
“All in favor of flying straight over Michael’s watching groups, raise your hand,” said Ryan with a smirk.
Imorean’s heart sunk in horror as Ryan, Baxter, Dustin and Colton put their hands up. Colton grimaced in apology.
“I’m cold and I want to be home. Sorry, Imorean.”
“We’re not doing it,” snapped Imorean, his temper rising. “We came out to do this exercise right.”
“We’ve already screwed it!” shouted Ryan. “We’re way behind. We’ll be arriving so late!”
“There’s no time constraint!”
“They’re tired! You’re half Archangel. You can’t relate to how we’re feeling!”
Imorean shook his head hard as Michael’s voice snapped in his ears. ‘Stay in control!’
“We’re doing this my way,” said Imorean, opening his wings slightly and turning away. “And I say we’re going around them. We’re sticking to the original plan.”
“Why are you so obsessed with being in charge?” shouted Ryan. “Bethany was right about you.”
There was a collective intake of breath and the members of the squad went silent as Imorean stopped. He barely noticed them. Ryan… Ryan dared to mention Bethany’s name. The very same Bethany who sold out the location of his family. The girl who got them killed. Imorean shivered as his emotions rose through him, threatening to take control. His skin burned and his senses heightened. He knew precisely how far away Ryan was, how hard he would have to hit him to send him crashing down to the ice. He trembled again, Michael’s words still in his head. Stay in control. Stay in control. Stay in control. Imorean bit the inside of his cheek so hard it bled. His very blood felt as though it was on fire. Underfoot, there was a loud bang! Brown eyes swept the snow-covered ice. Over the wind, he heard something unnerving. Crackling. His squad had stilled entirely.
“The ice is cracking,” said Imorean. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded oddly calm. “We’ve been here too long. We’re doing this my way. No questions asked. Get in the air and stay on me.”
Filled with a confused sense of triumph, Imorean leaped up into the air, his sore wings battling the driving wind.
The soft, orange lights of Felsenmeer were a welcome relief as Imorean led the squad down over a final foothill summit. The gentle glow twinkled on fallen snow like a beacon. Imorean sighed in relief. He had done it. Despite his argument with Ryan, he had done it. He had got the squad home safely, after leading them across almost thirty miles of rough terrain. They had done it. They had all done their jobs. He opened his wings and soared over the ground. Nearly home. Behind him, Baxter whooped. Imorean grinned. Dustin broke formation, looping around the squad in
relief. Mandy followed him, laughing. Imorean breathed another sigh of relief, slowing down. They were home.
In the dark, something approached. Imorean pulled up in horror, giving the signal for them all to stop. Something large, coming in fast. He spun as Roxy screamed from behind him. Black shapes were streaking downward out of the darkness, attacking his squad! The information barely had time to register, before Imorean was grabbed from behind and dragged down toward the ground. He could have sworn his very bones shook as he smacked down hard into the snow.
Imorean snarled as he scrambled to his feet, shaking with shock, fury and exertion. Desperately, he tried to find his attacker, but there was nothing. Only silence and darkness. He shook with anger. Who on Earth thought they were allowed to come and attack his squad when they were so close to home? Who? Then the attack came. Something landed with shuddering force on the back of his neck and Imorean crumpled silently to the ground, the world blurring away.
It was the quiet voices that finally brought Imorean to his senses. Familiar, comforting voices. He was warm and felt oddly safe. He opened his eyes. He was in the lobby at Felsenmeer, lying on one of their couches. With a groan, he sat up. Michael was standing in front of the fireplace, dressed in very dark, gray clothing. Other Felsenmeer staff were dotted around the lobby, wearing the same uniform as Michael. Their clothes were still crusted with snow. Brown eyes drifted further around the lobby. Ryan was still unconscious on the opposite couch. Baxter was sitting dazedly in a chair, clutching a glass of water. Roxy, Mandy, Toddy, Dustin and Colton were all huddled on the remaining few seats. Roxy was sitting in Mandy’s lap.
“Ahh, Sleeping Beauty,” chuckled the Archangel. “Welcome back.”
“What happened?” asked Imorean. He could taste blood in his mouth.
“You let your guard down. As you approached your goal, you got careless and flew straight over the very last group of sentries.”
A groan left Imorean’s mouth as he laid back down flat on the couch. They had failed. They had come so close to their goal and failed.
“I am impressed.”
Imorean sat bolt upright and stared at Michael. The other members of his squad had gone quiet.
“You heard me right, Imorean. You and your squad impressed me. For you to fly over twenty miles and avoid my own soldiers was brilliant. A little more training and you will be ready.”
Imorean shook himself. “Ready for what?”
“You will see. Tomorrow is your weekend. Enjoy it. Please, do not go outside of the Felsenmeer borders. Be ready for Monday.”
Imorean barely noticed Michael and the rest of the angels leaving. Instead, he turned to his squad. Baxter seemed to finally be coming back to his senses. Ryan was still unconscious.
“Well,” said Toddy. “We did the impossible. We pleased his lordship.”
“I’m still in shock,” said Mandy with a grin.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” said Imorean, standing up shakily. He sat back down heavily a second later. His head was still spinning.
“Take it easy,” said Roxy, moving from her original spot and sitting down next to him. “Michael didn’t really hold back when he took you down. Got you right behind the ear with the pommel of his sword.”
“He yelled at us so much for that,” said Colton.
“What?” asked Imorean.
“Letting you get taken out.”
Toddy grinned. “Apparently, we were supposed to protect you at all costs. It would have helped if he had, you know, said that.”
“It’s Michael,” said Dustin. “What did you expect?”
“The unexpected,” sighed Imorean, leaning back on the couch. He was more than pleased that they had all managed to come through the exercise fine and in one piece, despite being ambushed at the last moment. As he closed his eyes though, he ran Michael’s words through his mind again. ‘You will be ready.’ But for what? What did they have to be ready for? Imorean swallowed and pushed the worry to the back of his mind. He had to trust Michael’s reasoning, however hard or nonsensical it may be.
Chapter 15
Imorean rubbed his hands as he came back up the steps from the gym. They were still numb. He had just come out of swordsmanship training with Michael. It had been his second session of the day and he was cold and exhausted. Homework was piling up. He went straight through the lobby, not sparing a glance for either of the fireplaces, and continued straight to the dining hall. Felsenmeer was quiet tonight. All of the students had settled into their training and were working hard. Imorean had to admit, he was proud to see it. This was his squad, and they were his people. To see them pulling together was more than he could have asked for. He furrowed his brow and refolded his wings. Michael had called a meeting this evening in Outbuilding Two. Despite having been at Felsenmeer for a month and a half, Imorean had never been in Outbuilding Two. Michael had always said that it was covered in charts, and Imorean had taken him at his word.
Imorean smiled as Roxy waved him over as soon as he entered the dining hall. His smile widened when he saw she had already loaded a second plate for him as well. Roxy, Toddy and Colton were all sitting at their regular corner table. Mandy was with Dustin, Ryan and Baxter tonight. Imorean didn’t mind. He knew Mandy and Baxter were close. Briefly, he wondered if there was something going on between them, but pushed the thought aside. If there was something more than friendship, that was their business. They would tell everyone when they were ready.
“You’re wonderful, you know that,” said Imorean, sitting down next to Roxy.
“I know. I admit it and I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but training today was fun,” said Roxy, smiling and picking up her knife and fork.
“I agree,” replied Toddy. “I keep looking forward to getting to play with those swords.”
“We shouldn’t treat them like toys, Toddy,” said Colton, shaking his head. “They kind of scare me.”
“In the right hands, there’s no reason to be afraid of them here,” said Imorean.
“Yes, but when we go to fight, we won’t be facing opponents with them in the right hands, will we?” snapped Colton. Imorean inclined his head. Colton sounded afraid. The blond boy shook his head and looked away, his red wings twitching in agitation.
“Don’t worry about him,” sighed Roxy. “He sat in on my and Ryan’s first aid class today. We were working on arterial wound treatment. I think he’s still a little shocked.”
“Makes sense,” nodded Imorean. “I hate to rush, but remember we have that meeting tonight with Michael in Outbuilding Two. It must be something pretty important because he brought Gabriel back for it.”
“Really?” asked Toddy, pausing as he ate. “It’ll be good to see Gabriel again.”
“We haven’t seen him for a few weeks,” said Roxy.
“My question is what’s so big that we need three Archangels here,” muttered Colton.
Imorean shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll find out.”
Cold bit straight through Imorean’s jacket as he held open the door for his squad. He hissed and swore very quietly as they stepped out into the frigid winter. Again, the temperature tore all the way down to his bones. Not in all of his life had Imorean experienced cold like the cold here on Baffin Island. Despite his angelic nature, he still felt the chill of this weather. He was just glad that the outbuildings were reasonably close to the main building.
“Where’s Mandy?” he asked, noticing she wasn’t with them.
“She’s waiting for Baxter,” said Colton with a smirk.
“I think she’s got a crush on him,” said Roxy, giving Imorean a sidelong glance.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” nodded Imorean, brushing aside Roxy’s look without comment. Instead, he looked at Toddy. There was an oddly reserved look on his friend’s face. Before Imorean could ask if Toddy was all right though, Roxy interrupted him.
“So, did Michael say what we’re looking at this evening, squad leader?” she asked, bouncing up
next to him and slinging one arm around his shoulders. Imorean smiled at her affection.
“No, they haven’t mentioned anything to me. I thought the lectures for today would be over after we handled our swords for a little while.”
“I’m sure it’s something important,” said Colton. “All the stuff we do here seems to be more important than what we did at Gracepointe.”
“Well, I can understand why,” said Imorean. “We’re an elite squad. We’re being made ready for combat. The students at Gracepointe are still, sort of, students.”
“I don’t know how I feel about going into combat,” said Toddy, the regular humor in his voice gone. Imorean looked at him again, concerned this time.
“I think I’m a bit scared,” said Roxy. “Those demons that came to my house seemed… well they didn’t seem easy to kill.”
“I don’t want to do it,” said Colton. His voice was quiet. Imorean looked at him. The younger boy’s gaze was fixed on the ground. There was obviously something weighing on his mind.
“What about you, Imorean?” said Roxy, interrupting Imorean’s train of thought.
“I’m ready,” said Imorean. His voice was angrier than he had imagined it would be. Again, he saw his mother’s terrified eyes through a television screen and heard Vortigern’s laughter as the camera cut away. Inside his chest, his heart burned with grief and fury.
“Very bloodthirsty, Imorean. Why so eager?” asked Colton, furrowing his brow.
Imorean spun and glared at Colton in disbelief. His eyes were narrow, anger bubbling just below the surface. Toddy and Roxy both sucked in breaths through their teeth.
“Two months ago, demons destroyed my family. My mother, my siblings, my grandparents. They had nothing to do with me being involved with these angels, but Vortigern destroyed them all anyway. What he did to them was monstrous. I will not allow him or Bethany to escape what they have done, even if it costs me everything,” said Imorean. His heart was thundering and there was a wild, rushing feeling in his blood.
Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3) Page 12