Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3)

by Harriet Carlton

  There were excited murmurs between squad members. Imorean however, held still and looked at Michael.

  “Do you think we’re ready?” asked the white-haired teenager. All the squad members quieted and turned their eyes onto Michael. The green-eyed Archangel sighed and looked down at the map on the table.

  “I do not think you are ready,” he said quietly. None of Imorean’s squad moved in the moment of heavy silence that followed, then Michael looked up and offered them a rare smile. “I know you are.”

  Imorean smiled back at his mentor and leaned on the table. “So, what are we doing?”

  “A reconnaissance mission,” said Michael, looking at each member of Imorean’s squad. “Along the east coast of Greenland.”

  “No,” said Imorean immediately, looking sharply at Michael. Michael looked back at him and raised one eyebrow.

  “We know there’s demon activity there. You said so yourselves,” said Imorean, gesturing to the map. “And you want to send a newly trained squad there? It doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “You and your squad are well trained enough,” said Michael. “Gabriel and I have had patrols sweeping up and down the coast throughout the winter. We have found only minimal traces of demon activity. It would appear that our prediction about Vortigern was wrong, as has been known to happen. On that note, you and your squad will be in little danger. We would not send you into a hotspot with so little training. It would practically be suicide.”

  Imorean frowned and looked back at the map. There was no denying that he and his squad were well trained. Perhaps they would be ready to face a few demons in combat. They knew how to navigate storm winds. They could fly for hours without tiring. They had been taught how to survive in Arctic temperatures. Perhaps they were ready.

  “We’ll be in no danger?” asked Imorean.

  “There is no such thing as no danger,” replied Michael. “I said that you will be in little danger.”

  Imorean turned to the squad. “What do all of you think?”

  “I think we’re ready,” said Dustin, clearing his throat. “I mean, we know all the things we have to know, we just need the opportunity now to put them into practice.”

  “I agree,” said Baxter.

  Imorean looked at the other squad members, each of them nodding their approval. The only one who was still was Colton. The small boy was looking pointedly away.

  “Colton, what do you think?” asked Imorean, catching the boy’s attention.

  “I—I think you’re all ready,” replied Colton, shrugging.

  “And what about you?”

  “I… we all know I can’t keep up with all of you like I should be able to. I’m just not as strong as all of you.”

  “They will go at your pace, Colton,” said Michael, speaking before Imorean could open his mouth.

  “We’ve got you, Colt,” said Baxter, grinning.

  Dustin punched Colton good-naturedly. “You really think we’d leave you behind?”

  “All right,” said Imorean, nodding. “What now?”

  “I am glad we are in agreement,” said Michael. “You will be leaving before dawn tomorrow.”

  “Toddy, Dustin, Mandy,” said Gabriel. “You’re with me. Come down to the basement and help me get everyone’s gear.”

  “Imorean, Baxter, Colton and Roxy, Ryan, stay here,” said Michael.

  Imorean watched as three members of his squad filed out of the door behind Gabriel. How much gear would they all have to carry? They had never flown with gear before. How would that affect them?

  “Imorean,” said Michael, drawing his attention back to the task at hand. “You will be staying in here with Baxter, Colton and myself. Roxy, Ryan, go to the hospital wing. You will find Raphael there. He will provide you with everything you will need for any first aid on this trip.”

  “Okay,” nodded Roxy, quickly exiting the building. Ryan followed silently behind her. Imorean couldn’t help but notice a satisfied look from Ryan as the taller boy exited.

  “Now, you three. Squad leader, team leader and assistant team leader to Ryan,” said Michael. “Gabriel and I will transport you most of the way to your destination via teleporting. Gabriel is sufficiently recovered to do so and the distance between here and the drop point is not far. We will drop you off several miles south of the village of Ittoqqortoormiit. From there, you will travel north and regroup with me and Gabriel at Daneborg. It is a little over a two-hundred-mile flight and, you should be able to do it in four days at least. Perhaps less. The purpose of your mission is for reconnaissance. Anything unusual, you note it down with the date and the time and bring the information home.”

  “Understood. Michael, two hundred miles? That’s a long way…” said Imorean, his eyes wide.

  “It is not far,” said Michael. “Like I said, you should be able to do it in three to five days.”

  “And if we don’t?” asked Imorean.

  “Then Gabriel and I will wait. Again, the purpose of this mission is reconnaissance. Imorean, you know that your job is to lead, to be in charge. You will keep hold of the notes and will have the responsibility of being aware of anything unusual. Baxter, I want you to convey to your team leader, Ryan, that he is to cover Imorean. If anything, Father forbid, happens to Imorean, Ryan will take his place and you will take Ryan’s place as team leader. Colton, you will be in charge of navigation with Dustin as your help. I know you excelled at that when Haroel covered it in class. Make sure you do not get lost.”

  “I thought you said little danger, Michael,” said Imorean. “Why even worry that something unfortunate would befall us?”

  “I would not be doing my job as a commander if I did not give you a brief. I must say these things to ensure that all bases of knowledge are covered. I am confident that nothing bad will happen, but I must say these things just to make sure.”

  “Right,” nodded Imorean.

  “You will be taking your real swords with you,” said Michael. “What do I always say about them?”

  “They are not toys,” said Baxter, pulling a perfect impression of Michael’s voice.

  “So, do not treat them as such,” followed Colton with a grin.

  “Indeed,” said Michael, shaking his head. “Now, go to the basement and meet up with Toddy, Mandy and Dustin. Ryan and Roxy should meet you down there. Help them with gear and make ready to leave.”

  Imorean walked into the supply room to find Gabriel talking to Mandy, Dustin and Toddy. He looked around as they entered the small room. Where were Roxy and Ryan? He narrowed his eyes, but was distracted by Gabriel only moments afterward.

  “This is an AL Pack,” said Gabriel, holding up a wide, nylon belt lined on the outside by small bags. “You’ll put all your gear in here. Uniforms, boots, food, water.”

  “Gabriel,” said Imorean, frowning. He vaguely noticed that his squad members turned to look at him. “You’re joking. I might be able to fit one water bottle in each of those bags. An entire uniform?”

  “Angel technology,” said Gabriel, holding up a uniform jacket. “Observe.”

  Imorean grinned as Gabriel easily stuffed the jacket into one of the bags.

  “Regular military rucksacks won’t work for us. We specially designed these just a year or two ago to hold all of your possessions and not get in the way of your wings or sword. Sadly though, you can only fit one item in each of the compartments. We’re still working out the kinks in them.”

  “How heavy are they?” asked Imorean.

  Gabriel didn’t reply, choosing instead to throw the belt at Imorean. Imorean flinched as he caught it, expecting it to be heavy. Instead, he found that it was very lightweight. Perhaps even lighter than some of the normal belts he owned.

  “I’m impressed,” said Imorean. “AL Pack?”

  “Yes,” nodded Gabriel. “AngelLite.”

  “How creative,” scoffed Imorean, rolling his eyes in good humor. He sobered a moment later. “What are we doing for food?”

  �
�Military grade meals ready to eat,” said Gabriel. “They’re all right once you get used to them.”

  “Right,” nodded Imorean. From his peripheral vision, he noticed Roxy and Ryan discreetly slide into the supply room. There was a look of mischief on Roxy’s face and something very flushed about Ryan’s. Imorean frowned. The flushed expression on Ryan’s face may have just been down to his red hair.

  “Michael and I have also decided to give knives to all of you. Just in the event that you don’t want to use your sword to cut something. Let’s get to packing,” said Gabriel, pulling Imorean back to the present.

  Chapter 19

  Imorean shocked himself by not losing his balance as he and his squad members landed on a snow-covered hillside. A few members of the squad slipped on the icy ground, but for the most part they were able to keep their balance.

  “Are you ready?” asked Michael who had landed nearby. Gabriel was nowhere in sight.

  “Yes, I suppose,” said Imorean, straightening and walking to the Chief Archangel.

  “Good,” nodded Michael. “Set a heading north and fly toward Daneborg. Rely on Colton, since he is excellent at reading the map. Baxter and Ryan will support you–”

  “I know, you’ve briefed me twice this morning. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were fussing,” said Imorean, cutting off the Chief Archangel.

  “I am not fussing,” replied Michael, sounding affronted.

  Imorean suddenly felt on edge as Michael’s shoulders and wings dropped a fraction and the Archangel released a tiny, almost imperceptible sigh.

  “Think of all of this as a test,” said Michael. “I know you will do well.”

  “It’s all about tests with you, isn’t it?” said Imorean, not expecting an answer.

  “Good luck,” said Michael.

  Imorean furrowed his brow in confusion as the Archangel took his hand in a firm handshake. Then, before Imorean really knew what was happening, there was a rush of air and Michael had vanished.

  Michael had pressed something into his hand during the handshake. It was a small, old compass. As Imorean turned back to the rest of the squad, he clenched one hand around it. It was worn and cased in metal. He shook his head. Why on earth would Michael have given him an ancient compass, when he knew full well that they were all already equipped with brand new ones? How odd. For a moment, Imorean considered tossing it down in the snow, then he shook his head and tucked it into one of the bags of his belt. No doubt, it was part of the test. He smirked and considered writing it down as an observation of something odd. He shook himself. He needed to make sure his friends were all right.

  “Everyone okay?” asked Imorean, sliding down a snowbank to his squad.

  “Yeah,” nodded Roxy. “Just a bumpy ride is all.”

  “Agreed,” said Imorean. “Got a heading for us, Colton?”

  “Ah… yes,” said Colton after some hesitation.

  “Right. V-formation. Colton, I want you flying beside me. Baxter, Ryan, take the back of the formation and watch our rear. Dustin, you and Toddy fly with each other. Roxy, you and Mandy make a team. If anyone has problems, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

  “We know, Imorean,” said Roxy, laughing.

  “Come on, man,” said Toddy. “Try and loosen up a bit. Michael said there hasn’t been any activity here lately. We’re just doing an exercise.”

  “You’re right,” nodded Imorean, smiling at his squad. He was stressing about this too much. Of course, not even Michael would send them into an area that he knew was dangerous. They were too valuable.

  “Everyone ready?” asked Imorean, turning to the north and flaring his wings.

  “All ready!” called Baxter from the back of the squad.

  “Let’s go,” said Imorean, taking to the sky.

  Imorean spared a glance down as he led his squad over the roofs of a small cluster of houses. Specks of color on an otherwise white landscape. He smiled as he and his squad coasted along a thermal several thousand feet above the ground. For a moment, he thought back. Only six months ago he would have been terrified to be at this height. Now, however, he enjoyed it. He felt safe up here. He felt free.

  All too quickly, they had flown over the houses and if he had wanted to look at them again, Imorean would have had to crane his neck. He did not. Instead, he chose to look ahead at the impressive mountain peaks that rose up in their path. To Imorean the mountains here were far less breathtaking than the ones on Baffin Island, but they were an obstacle nonetheless. Mountains always caused difficult air currents. He looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Roxy—was that a flash of guilt that he saw on her face—and gave the signal for them to ascend higher into the sky. They had a great deal of ground to cover and very little time to do so.

  Imorean’s lungs were burning, his wings were aching and his body was sore as the sun started to grow low in the sky. He knew that they would not be able to go on much further. None of them liked flying at night and they would be safer to make camp somewhere and get some rest.

  “Imorean,” said a little voice next to him. The white-haired teenager looked over. It was Colton.

  “Are you all right?” asked Imorean.

  Colton shook his head. “We have to go down.”

  “All right,” nodded Imorean. He turned and signaled for the squad to start descending. Imorean kept them in forward motion as they came back toward ground level, hoping to cover as much distance as they could.

  As soon as Colton’s boots touched the snow, the small boy nearly crumpled to the ground and would have, had Imorean not caught him.

  “Steady, Colt,” said Imorean. The snow crunched beneath their boots as the rest of squad landed. “Everyone doing okay?”

  “Yeah,” nodded Ryan. “My team is fine.”

  “Good,” replied Imorean. “Colton are your people doing all right?”

  Colton looked up and hesitated for a moment.

  “Yes, they’re fine,” he said, breathing hard. “I’m not so sure I am though.”

  “What’s wrong?” asked Imorean.

  “I can’t keep going. I’m just too tired,” said Colton.

  Imorean frowned. They still had a few hours of daylight left. He would really like to keep going and make the most of it… but then again, they needed to set up a temporary camp.

  “Okay,” he said after a moment. “Dustin, Toddy, Roxy, Ryan, Baxter and Mandy, you guys start building snow trenches. There’s eight of us, so we should need three. Try to sleep three to a trench. It’ll be warmer. Colton, you take a rest and help when you feel able. Maybe you should draw up a sentry schedule in the meantime. I’m going to scout around and make sure everything is all right. I should be back in a few minutes. Ryan is in charge.”

  “Got it, boss,” said Ryan, giving Imorean a mock salute.

  Outwardly, Imorean smiled, but inwardly, he was trying to close his mouth. This was the first time that Ryan had been respectful or actually acknowledged him by position. He had to wonder if Baxter had said something. Imorean smiled as Ryan dropped his mock salute. All the squad had given him that same mock salute at some time or another. In fact, they did it so much that it was starting to mean something. The white-haired teenager glanced at them, then leaped up into the air. He felt more himself all of a sudden. Less serious and a little more carefree. Perhaps being a leader was starting to change him. He hoped it wasn’t.

  Imorean steadied himself in the sky and swept around his squad below in a large circle, searching for anything that may seek to harm them. Aside from the breeze, Imorean could detect nothing amiss. He bent his white wings to descend back to the ground. He wished that the mission had allowed them time to build igloos in the places they spent the night, but they had been instructed by Michael to leave almost no traces in any place they had been. No doubt it was for use in a real combat situation. Imorean landed on the snow and considered for a moment. He really was a soldier now, no matter how he looked at it. He wondered if any of his friends from B
lowing Rock would ever believe him if he told them what he had done just in the space of a semester and a half. Probably not. If he hadn’t done it for himself, he wouldn’t believe it either.

  He looked up as he heard laughter and Roxy playfully chastising one of the squad members.

  “We’re supposed to be building shelters!” she shouted.

  “But snowball fights are more fun!” cried Toddy.

  Imorean grinned as he saw a round ball of snow whizz over Roxy’s shoulder. He knew they should be building their shelters, but…

  “Hey!” Imorean shouted, putting as much irritation into his voice as he could muster. Everyone stilled. A snowball tumbled from Mandy’s hand, landing on the ground below.

  “Really?” asked Imorean, walking forward. “We could die of cold out here and you guys are having a snowball fight? That’s ridiculous. If we were back at Felsenmeer, I would report all of you for ill conduct.”

  “Imorean,” said Toddy, stepping forward. “We were just having a bit of fun.”

  Imorean shook his head and maintained his glare.

  “You’ve all been telling me lately that I’m too serious, that I need to relax,” said Imorean, resisting the urge to talk with his hands. “And you know what I think…”

  None of the squad moved. Even Ryan seemed to shrink very slightly.

  “I think you’re right. Think fast!” called Imorean, sending the snowball he had been holding zipping toward Toddy’s head. The rest of the squad erupted into action. Snowballs being made, snowballs being thrown. Imorean was hit by several as he flew over their heads. Somehow, Imorean found himself able to ignore the freezing temperatures for a few minutes as he enjoyed the snowball fight with his squad.

  All too soon though, it was over and all of them were standing around the single, half-finished snow trench, breathing hard.

  “Come on,” said Imorean, standing upright. “Let’s get these finished, unless we want to freeze tonight. Colton, since you’re still not feeling able to help, go ahead and set up a watch rotation. We need at least one person keeping their eyes open throughout the night.”