Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3)

by Harriet Carlton

  “Hey,” said Toddy, pointing forward. “There’s a little bridge there, maybe we can shelter under it until this rain clears.”

  “I don’t think it shows much sign of clearing,” said Roxy, sparing a glance at the heavy, gray sky.

  “I think it’s a good idea,” said Colton, trying to pull his jacket closer still.

  “Okay,” said Roxy, finally consenting.

  Roxy had to admit that she was glad to be out of the rain, even if it was still damp and cold under the bridge. She sighed and looked up as a car drove over them. A few more drops of water dripped down on their heads. It was miserable.

  “Think we could thumb a lift somewhere?” asked Toddy.

  “I don’t know,” replied Roxy. “I don’t think anyone would be too eager to pick up a group of five winged teenagers.”

  “Very true,” sighed Mandy, leaning on the damp, stone wall of the little bridge.

  “It doesn’t help that we don’t know where we’re going,” sighed Dustin, resting his head on his knees.

  “Guys,” said Colton. “There’s AL Packs under here. They’re ours.”

  “But how?” asked Dustin, looking at Colton in disbelief.

  “Ours?” asked Roxy, turning around. “They can’t be! All of our things were blown up by Uriel.”

  “They are,” said Colton, walking forward carrying five AL Packs. “I recognize mine.”

  “That one’s definitely mine,” said Toddy, taking his from Colton.

  “And that’s mine,” said Roxy, hesitantly taking her own. She repeated Dustin’s question. “But how?”

  “Maybe Gabriel knew we’d be here?” suggested Toddy, squatting down.

  “Maybe,” said Colton, giving Dustin and Mandy theirs. “But I wouldn’t stake a bet on it. I think he was taken down by Uriel not long after we were sent away. He wouldn’t have had time.”

  “Raphael couldn’t have done it. He was already engaging Uriel by the time we’d left.”

  “Imorean?” said Roxy. “That seems most plausible to me.”

  “But Imorean didn’t want us following him, remember?” said Mandy.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Toddy. “And just be grateful that we’ve got something.”

  “I support that,” said Roxy, smiling slightly. She opened a small pocket of her pack and looked inside. “Hey… I’ve got money in here. But how? I never put any in.”

  “Don’t question the gift horse, Roxy,” said Dustin, rummaging through his own pack.

  “This is getting weird,” said Colton.

  “Colton,” said Toddy. “Our lives got weird when we got taken to Gracepointe in August. This is just a bit more weird than we’re used to.”

  Roxy, despite the rain and the wind and the overall miserableness of the day, smiled and eventually laughed.

  Roxy sighed in relief as she flopped down onto a bed. This was not something she had expected. After taking a few minutes to collect themselves under the bridge, she, Toddy, Mandy, Dustin and Colton had continued walking. They had walked for miles until they came across a small hotel. Sheer luck had drawn them there. A family-run bed and breakfast set in the middle of nowhere. It was there that they had decided to spend the night. It was because of Colton’s idea that they had been able to get into the hotel with their wings undetected. He had had the bright idea to cover them with their rain ponchos.

  Colton himself was settling down next to her. Toddy was already snoring softly in a bed under the window. Mandy and Dustin had gone to see if there was anywhere that they would be able to get anything to eat. Finally, things had begun to piece together again. Iceland. Gabriel had sent them back to Iceland. But why? Were they anywhere near Imorean?

  Roxy closed her eyes, only to have them flash open again a second later. How could she relax at a time like this, when her best friend was out in Iceland somewhere? It wasn’t fair to Imorean. Roxy sat up, ignoring how her legs strained.

  “Roxy,” said Colton, sitting up on the bed next to hers. “Don’t stress yourself. We’ll be no help to Imorean if we’re exhausted.”

  “He’s out there somewhere, Colton,” said Roxy. “I can’t sit here and let him fend for himself.”

  “We were all sent out here with a purpose. You, me, Toddy, Mandy, Dustin and Imorean. It was no coincidence that we found our AL Packs under the bridge. It can’t be. Someone either planted them there long before we got sent out or someone knew we were going to be going through there.”

  “And do you think that that’s malignant or benign?” asked Roxy.

  “Ooh,” said Colton, musing for a moment. “Malignant. That isn’t a word I’ve heard for a while. I can’t tell, to be honest. I think that if something were wrong, we wouldn’t have had as much help as we’ve already had.”

  “I don’t really know what I think anymore,” said Roxy. “All I know is that my best friend is out on his own. I want to help him, but I don’t know how.”

  “Roxy, Imorean was trained by Michael himself. He’ll be fine. If Gabriel sent us here, I have a feeling that we’ll be meeting up with Imorean soon.”

  “We should get some rest,” said Roxy. “You’re right, as usual. We’ll never be any help to Imorean if we’re dead on our feet.”

  Chapter 52

  Imorean jerked awake as he was thrown onto his side, landing heavily on the metal floor of the truck. Since late yesterday evening, he had been catching rides on the backs of a few cargo trucks. The weather had turned bad and it had been too hard to fly. Every few hours, he had been changing trucks and making sure he was still following the heading Michael’s sword had given him. It was still odd to Imorean to find himself following a sword. But it was working, wasn’t it?

  He rubbed his eyes and picked up his AL Pack. He had been riding this one for far, far too long. Imorean stood up, using his wings to balance himself and threw the large rear door of the truck open. Imorean’s eyes widened as he took in the lie of the land. All around, hills and mountains had risen up out of the ground like giants reaching for the sky. The scenery had certainly changed since he had hitched a ride on this vehicle.

  Quickly, Imorean spread his wings and leaped out of the back of the truck, swooping up toward the sky. As soon as he left the cover behind the truck, he was thrown off balance by a chilling, howling wind. Imorean gritted his teeth and with great effort, he steadied himself. The winds out here were almost as bitter at the ones at Felsenmeer and perhaps even stronger. Imorean realized a moment later that the wind was not the only problem. Rain was now being driven into his eyes and he was almost unable to see.

  Imorean touched back down onto the ground, shivering as he did so. The wet combined with the cold was not doing him any favors. While he had been taught at Felsenmeer how to fly with ice on his wings, it wasn’t an easy feat and he wasn’t too sure of his ability to do it on his own. There was always the worry that an angel might fall out of the sky if their wings iced over. Imorean frowned as he wondered what he should do. After a moment of thought, he walked some distance away from the road and took out Michael’s sword.

  “Let’s see if I’m still doing this right,” said Imorean, tossing down the fragments of the sword. For a moment, they did nothing and Imorean’s blood started to run cold. Had he lost the only form of a heading he had had? He relaxed a second later when the sword pieces drew together. This time though, they lifted off the ground slightly and spun round and round slowly, pointing nowhere. What on earth was that supposed to mean? This wasn’t something that had happened before. Then the sword stopped, swinging its heading between two points to his east. Imorean raised his gaze, darting glances in both directions.

  “I wish I knew what you were telling me, Michael,” sighed Imorean, as the sword dropped back to the ground and fell back to pieces.

  As Imorean gathered them back up, he looked again at the two headings he had been given. Which should he follow? Did it mean that Michael was unsure as to where he should go? Did it mean that t
here was another assignment he hadn’t considered? A fourth assignment? Surely Michael wouldn’t be that cruel. Imorean remained in his position for a moment, looking out at the mountains. Even if he was to figure out which heading to follow, how was he supposed to get to it? The roads were too unreliable now for him to keep hitchhiking. After a moment, he sighed and took a small pot of grease out of his AL Pack. The grease would keep his wings from icing for a little while. Imorean slipped on his pair of goggles as well. They still smelled like smoke and ash from the volcano.

  The teenager took a deep breath. He was the best flier of both Gracepointe and Felsenmeer. Michael himself had trained him. He was ready for this. With those thoughts in his mind, Imorean took off, ascending higher and higher.

  “So where do we start?” asked Roxy, walking out of the hotel next to Toddy, Mandy, Dustin and Colton. They had already paid for another night in the hotel so they wouldn’t have to worry about their gear.

  “I don’t know,” said Colton, sounding defeated. “I’ve been thinking about it all night. I can’t even begin to imagine where Imorean’s gone.”

  “Are we even in the same country?” asked Mandy.

  “I don’t think Gabriel would have sent us to the wrong place,” sighed Dustin. “But I’m wondering if we’re in the right place too.”

  “Well standing around here wondering won’t help us find him,” said Toddy. “We’ve got to go after him on our own and at least try to figure out if we’re in the same region. Come on.”

  “Agreed,” said Colton.

  Roxy nodded and began to walk along next to her friends. Once they were clear of the building and of any people who might spot them, they would probably take to the skies. They stood a better chance there.

  Imorean reached back into his pack, searching for a canteen. He couldn’t remember when he had last had something to drink. As he flew, he kept his eyes half on his compass and half on the skies in front of him. He tipped some of the water in his canteen into his mouth and realized with a jolt that that had been the last of all his water. Both canteens were now empty. He needed more. Imorean ducked down into the thick clouds below and continued downward through them until he was just skimming the underbellies, barely concealed by them. For the first time, white wings were a blessing. Imorean tucked his canteen and compass away and looked down, scanning the ground for a stream or a lake.

  There. At the bottom of a glen, he spotted a small river. Quickly, he looked around for any cars or any hikers brave enough to be out in the wind and the rain. There were none. He sighed in relief and tucked his wings against his sides, settling into a shallow dive down toward the river.

  A few moments later, Imorean alighted on a rock next to the riverbank. With a sigh, he pulled his goggles off. He had always hated wearing them. He stretched out his arms and his legs, glad to have a short reprieve for his wings. Imorean knelt down and filled his canteen, leaving his wings limp next to his sides. They needed a little while to get some of the feeling back into them. Imorean yawned. A rest would do him good.

  He seated himself on the rock and looked around when he had finished filling the canteens. The rain had abated, but the wind continued to blow. Had it not been for the biting wind, it would have been a more comfortable temperature. The hybrid looked around. There was still snow clinging on to the tops of the surrounding mountains.

  Seemingly small waterfalls tumbled down the sides of the hills in deep gullies and small, stunted trees grew in the glens. Trees on the mountainsides were few and far between. Imorean smiled slightly. These mountains here couldn’t have been more different to the Blue Ridge Mountains. A sudden feeling of homesickness overwhelmed him and Imorean leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. Would he ever return to the Blue Ridge Mountains? He didn’t exactly have a home there anymore. Imorean swallowed hard and raised his eyes to the dismal, overcast sky.

  “Am I doing the right thing?” he asked aloud in a quiet voice. Of course, there was no reply. Not that he had been expecting one. Then he smelled it. An old burning. He knew that smell. It would be one that was imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life. Remnants of the smell of the ash cloud. Could it be possible that he was close?

  Imorean raised his wings. He needed to be moving on again. He couldn’t dwell on his thoughts. Once he did that, he knew all his strength would ebb away. He couldn’t afford to let that happen. Not now. He had a job to do.

  Imorean checked his compass again and made sure he was still following the heading that Michael’s sword had given him earlier that day. He flared his wings, making ready to take to the skies again. But some instinct caused him to pause and he looked out across the glen. In the distance, he could make out five small, walking figures. Immediately, he narrowed his eyes, trying to see who they were. Imorean’s heart skipped a beat when he made out rainbow colored wings on the back of one of the figures.

  Roxy grunted as she pulled her foot from a deep puddle of mud again. She, Toddy, Mandy, Dustin and Colton had been crossing over open territory all day. They had strayed away from the roads earlier that morning and had decided to forge their own path. It had not been a good idea. They had been stuck in mud several times since. They were all filthy, soaking and irritable. Toddy was covered in mud from the knees down. Colton had been luckier. He had been so light that he was able to skirt over most of the muddy patches. Mandy had stayed relatively clear of the boggy patches, but Dustin had sunk to his waist at one point and had had to be pulled free. They had been alternating between flying and walking, covering as much ground as they could. In spite of their long day, Roxy thought they had done well so far.

  “Anything?” called Colton from behind Roxy. It was the question they had all been asking throughout the day.

  “No,” sighed Roxy, shaking her head and looking around. There didn’t seem to be another living soul anywhere nearby.

  “Wait,” said Toddy, stopping and pointing. “What’s that?”

  Roxy looked up to where Toddy was pointing. Several hundred yards away, in the distance, she could make out a small, blurred pinprick of white.

  “Imorean!” she shouted, surprised when her voice bounced back at her, echoing off the mountains. Without another thought, she opened her wings and lifted off the ground, winging her way toward Imorean.

  Imorean leaned back in surprise as he heard his name. He opened his wings and half turned in preparation to flee in the event that this was a trick. He watched as the approaching winged figure grew larger and larger. After a moment, he tucked his wings back behind his shoulders.

  “Imorean!” panted Roxy, landing near him.

  For a moment, neither of them moved. Imorean regarded Roxy calmly and she gazed at him, seeming almost hesitant. Then Imorean stepped forward.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling and opening his arms. He was glad to see her but… it had to mean something awful had happened.

  “Imorean,” said Roxy, rushing forward and pulling him into a tight hug. “We’ve been so worried about you.”

  “I have to say I’m surprised to see you here,” said Imorean, smiling and dropping his arms from around her shoulders. He looked up as he heard the rush of Colton’s wings, signaling the arrival of the smaller boy and Toddy. Mandy and Dustin alighted on the boulders nearby.

  “Toddy, Colton, Mandy, Dustin,” said Imorean, smiling and pulling both of his nearby friends into a one-armed hug. He nodded and smiled at Mandy and Dustin. “It’s good to see all of you, but what on earth are you doing here? What’s going on?”

  “Imorean,” said Toddy. “Something’s gone very wrong at Upper Morvine.”

  “I had a feeling. What’s happening?” asked Imorean, looking between his friends as his blood ran cold.

  “It’s Uriel. He’s gone crazy. He came looking for you the night you left. We think he might have killed or seriously injured Baxter. Someone’s stolen Michael’s sword,” said Colton, speaking very fast, his voice shaking.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Imorean, rai
sing his hands. “Easy, Colton, slow down a little. What?”

  “Uriel’s looking for you,” said Dustin, taking over and moving a few paces closer.

  “I did wonder how long it would be,” said Imorean, looking away. “Go on, tell me what’s been happening.”

  “He thinks you stole Michael’s sword,” said Roxy. “We wanted to vouch for you and say that you wouldn’t have done anything like that, but he didn’t give us the chance. He came storming into the house the night you vanished, looking for you. Baxter trapped him in your room and… Uriel blew up the house. We don’t know what happened to Baxter. Uriel might have killed him. Last time we saw him, he wasn’t moving.”

  “I see,” replied Imorean, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. “What else?”

  “Gabriel sent us here hoping we could help you,” said Mandy. “We haven’t heard from him since we got sent here.”

  “I’m worried that something’s happened to him,” said Colton, sounding small.

  Imorean turned away from his friends and stood on the stones of the riverbank. He raised his eyes to look at the surrounding mountains.

  “I think if we haven’t heard from Gabriel or Raphael, we can only assume that they aren’t in a position where they can communicate with us.”

  “You think we’re on our own?” asked Roxy.

  “I think so,” replied Imorean, looking over his shoulder at his friends. “How did you get here?”

  “This is where Gabriel dropped us,” said Toddy.

  “How did you find us?” asked Colton, tilting his head.

  “I, ah, got given a special heading,” replied Imorean, smirking.

  “What do you mean?” asked Roxy.

  “I’ll show you when we’re somewhere safe. Where have you been staying?”

  “We found a hotel not far away,” replied Mandy.

  “What?” asked Imorean, his smirk dropping. “You went in public with your wings? How on earth did you get away with that?”