The Lord of Darkness

by Kim Richardson

  “Exactly.”

  Alexa’s head pounded with tension and anxiety. Her stress level mounted in huge pulsing beats. The tightness in her stomach turned to tingling, and the tingling turned to a sense of dread. She’d lost the Holy Fire. She couldn’t lose the Staff of Heaven.

  Before Alexa could ask more questions, she was tossed gently to the side as the elevator shifted to a stop and the doors slid open. Blinding white light came flooding in, and she had to shut her eyes momentarily until her eyes adjusted.

  Everyone climbed out onto the small platform of white clouds that supported the elevator. She felt Milo’s arm brush up against hers as they both stepped out at the same time. But he quickly moved away, and it was almost as though she’d imagined it.

  Alexa stood next to Milo and looked down. She couldn’t help it. She did it every time she made it to the sixth level.

  A vast plane of greens and beiges spread out below them. Blue curves twisted through the landscape and out of sight. Across from her, in the distance, was a massive city, floating on individual clouds, as if kept up by some sort of magic. And on one of those floating cities was the High Council.

  She’d been tried and convicted there. Something like bile rose up in the back of her throat at the memory of the contempt displayed on the faces of the archangels. She let out a loose breath. This time, she wasn’t going to the city.

  The soft tat tat tat sound of a motor getting louder and louder reached her even before she saw the flying contraption. The familiar, oval-shaped cloud, the size of a normal car, sped towards them.

  The driver was a great white bird with a long beak and a large throat pouch, which Alexa immediately recognized as a pelican. He was perched on the steering gear with a blue cap resting on his head that had the numbers 9595 stitched across it in white letters.

  The driver pulled the lever down and the sky-car came to rest next to the elevator.

  “Sky-car 9595, at your service,” the pelican said. It then hopped closer to Alexa and Milo, opening its large beak.

  Milo flipped a silver coin into its mouth and the pelican wiggled it into its throat pouch.

  “Thank you for your payment,” said the pelican. “All aboard!”

  Alexa made to move forward but stopped. Only then did she notice that Lance and Cathy had stayed in the elevator.

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Yeah, about that,” began Lance looking at the ground for a moment before looking up. “No. We’re not coming with you.”

  “Lance, this isn’t funny,” said Alexa, raging and roaring inside. She kept her voice low enough that they couldn’t hear the fury in it as she continued, “You know we need you—I need you.” At that, Alexa noticed Cathy’s upper lip lifting over her canines. “Don’t do this.”

  Lance looked guilty. “I’m afraid I cannot follow you. Not unless you want Nathaniel to suspect what we’re looking for.”

  Alexa reached out with a trembling hand and held on to the side of the elevator door. “What do you mean?”

  “The only way you can safely make it to the Angel Isle,” said Lance, his eyes traveling from Milo to Alexa, “is by convincing The Order of the First that you’re there to join the rebellion. Most of the angels with the rebellion have already deserted. The fact that you two are only now willing to join is, let’s face it, suspicious.”

  “I get that.” Alexa watched the dog, her temper rising. “You’re still not telling me why you’re not coming. We can all pretend we want to join that stupid group.”

  Cathy shook her head. “They’ll never believe us.”

  “Why not?” said Milo, raising his voice over the sky-car’s motor.

  “Because we have a history with The Order of the First. And not a very pleasant one.” At Alexa’s questioning brow, Lance added, “Who do you think’s been spying on them for the Legion for years?” He gave Cathy a nod. “Us.”

  “And Nathaniel knows,” interjected Cathy. “We infiltrated their group, feeding the Legion with information as it came to us. But Nathaniel became suspicious in recent years and managed to remove those whom he suspected weren’t in it wholeheartedly.”

  “Removed permanently, that is,” said Lance. “Mike and Steve were never to be seen again. That was thirty years ago.”

  Cathy nodded. “Nathaniel knows of every Scout in the Legion. He’ll never buy that we’ve suddenly changed sides. He’s a fool, but he’s not stupid.”

  “But you two, on the other hand,” said Lance, “don’t have a history with them. At least,” he said, looking at Milo, “not one that involves spying. You’ll have to find the Staff of Heaven without us.”

  Alexa shook her head. “So, then, what’s our story?”

  “Yes, Alexa’s right,” said Milo moving an inch closer to her. “You said it yourselves that Nathaniel will be really suspicious of anyone joining the rebellion so late in the game. What gives you the impression that he’ll accept us? Granted, he knows who I am. But I don’t think that will be enough to convince him.” His light eyes found Alexa. “And what’s Alexa’s story? Why would they believe her now when she refused to go with Nathaniel after they destroyed Tartarus?”

  Lance shifted uneasily on his feet. “Because of our master plan.”

  Alexa’s grip tightened. “Which is?” Her every nerve screamed that she wasn’t going to like it.

  Lance looked carefully from Milo to Alexa. For a moment he said nothing, as though he were preparing himself or them for what he was about to say.

  “That the two of you are involved,” Lance raised his brows. “That you’re together, together. The two of you are an item.”

  Alexa’s grip slipped, and she caught herself before she fell forward. “What?” She turned and looked at Milo for support, but he was staring at Lance, his mouth slightly open with a strange expression on his face.

  Lance bounded on the spot like his paws were on fire. “I know. I know what you’re thinking, but trust me when I say it’s the only way.”

  “He’s right,” said Cathy, a strange smile on her poodle face. “It’s the only way.”

  Somehow Alexa suspected the poodle was enjoying herself.

  Lance gave Alexa a sad puppy face. “It’s why Cathy and I can’t come with you.”

  Alexa righted herself. Her face burned like hot needles poking just under her skin. “But-but-but-that makes no sense,” she blurted, her tongue suddenly too thick in her mouth. Her mouth was terribly dry.

  “Just think about it for a minute,” said Lance. “The two of you as an item is the perfect lie. And when you think about it, really think about it, you’ll see how brilliant it is. They’ll believe it. It’s the perfect way to infiltrate the group.”

  An item. The more Alexa heard the words from Lance’s lips, the more her head spun. This was insane. She and Milo had only ever shared a kiss, a very passionate one, but they were far from being involved. She didn’t even know what they were. How could they pass off as being together if Milo didn’t believe it? Nathaniel wouldn’t believe it either. They were going to be killed.

  Alexa kept her eyes on the Scouts. She couldn’t dare a glance in Milo’s direction. What was he thinking right now? Would he bolt?

  “Nathaniel will never believe that,” said Alexa, her face tingling with warmth. “The Legion forbids it. It’s crazy. This is going to get us killed. There has to be another way. Nathaniel knows the Legion had me locked up. He’ll accept that I’ve decided to switch sides. I’m a fugitive. He’ll believe it.”

  “And what about Milo?” said Lance. “You need him with you to find the staff.”

  “He left the Legion to be with his father.”

  “Yes, but everyone knows Lucifer didn’t give him a chance. He was forced to go.”

  Alexa shook her head. “It’s not going to work.”

  Lance watched Alexa. “He’ll believe it.” The intensity in his voice made her shiver.

  Alexa’s face was on fire, and whatever else she was about to say got lo
st somewhere between her throat and her jaw.

  “It’s brilliant.”

  The spark of animation in Milo’s voice took her by surprise, and she found herself staring at him in disbelief.

  “You believe if we confess our—like you say—involvement openly to them,” he said to Lance, “about of our feelings for one another… they’ll believe us.” Milo nodded his head, swallowing. Alexa saw the tension in the muscles of his face.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Milo’s eyes rested on Alexa. “You know romance of any kind is strictly forbidden in the Legion. The punishment of angels caught in romantic affairs is Tartarus. I know of many angels that have deserted for this simple reason.”

  Alexa glowered at his use of the word simple. There was nothing simple about the complications of human—angel emotions.

  “Angel relations are complicated,” said Milo as though reading her mind. His voice was oddly constricted, as though he was out of practice using it. “It’s been the cause of many heated discussions for centuries. I think it goes all the way back to the Legion’s beginnings. It’s always been an issue. If I were to guess, I’d say most of The Order of the First deserted the Legion solely for that reason, or something of that nature.”

  Alexa didn’t know how long she stood there staring at the angel warrior. Had he shared those feelings before with someone else? She wouldn’t have been surprised if many angel rookies or fledglings had fallen for the ruggedly handsome angel.

  At that moment, there were so many things she wanted to say to him, but she felt as though everything was slipping away from her.

  Milo leaned closer until she could smell the leather of his jacket. “I’m willing to do what it takes to put my father back where he belongs. We can pull this off. I know we can. But only if you’re willing. I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. Are you with me, Alexa?”

  The sound of his voice, gentle and warm, traveled down her spine in a sweet caress. Part of her hated that anyone could have that effect on her.

  A flicker of the memory of their shared kiss flared up in Alexa’s mind. But that was all that had ever happened. A romantic relationship? That was way past kissing. How the hell was she supposed to pull that off? Her mind whirled with questions, her body pounding with feeling.

  She pulled her eyes away and gazed at the Scout. “And you’re sure it’s going to work? This plan you’ve concocted—without consulting me, by the way. Thanks.”

  Lance moved his shoulders in what Alexa took as a shrug. “Nothing in the world is certain, but if you can think of a better plan… now’s the time to tell it. We don’t have much time. The Legion will know soon that we used the Healing-Xpress.”

  “We’ve got about a minute before they send someone,” said Cathy, not sounding stressed at all, but rather bored.

  Alexa sighed. “I can’t think of anything right now. Not on the spot like this. But if you’re sure—absolutely sure—the order won’t believe my idea for switching sides…”

  “They won’t,” said Lance, his words registering like a blow. “Not when you refused him the first time. With this new development, your refusal can be interpreted as though you were waiting for someone.” He looked at Milo. “For Milo. You’re a pretty girl. He’s a handsome fella. It makes sense.”

  Alexa felt Milo looking at her, but she refused to make eye contact. She kept thinking of how to act once they made it to the Angel Isle. And the more she thought about it, the worse the sense of panic filled her mind.

  “Alexa?” came Milo’s voice, and Alexa recognized a hint of anxiety in it. He thought she’d back out.

  “Fine,” she said resolutely. “If it’s the only way. I can do this. Yes.” The words felt more like she was trying to convince herself than them.

  Without looking at Milo, Alexa climbed into the waiting sky-car. She heard Milo say something to the driver, but she couldn’t make it out over the hammering in her head. She shoved her shaking hands between her thighs, rocking slightly. She felt the sky-car sway as Milo took the seat next to her.

  “May the souls protect you,” she heard Lance say as the sky-car shot forward into the bright blue sky.

  CHAPTER 13

  THE SKY-CAR FLEW ACROSS the sky, picking its way through and over clouds. The wind whistled in Alexa’s ears as she tried to calm her mind. Finding the Staff of Heaven was more important to her than her feelings. She focused on the beautiful landscape below them. Squinting through the wind, she could see miles and miles of aqua oceans gleaming below. She couldn’t make out land or even islands—only sparkling blue water that seemed to go on forever.

  They rode in silence. Alexa’s hands couldn’t stop shaking and her throat was tight. She wanted to talk to Milo, but she didn’t trust herself to speak. She was extremely relieved when Milo decided to break the silence.

  He turned around in his seat and faced her. “We need to work on our story.” His voice rose over the roaring wind. “Come up with a plan. We only have one shot to make this work. We need them to believe that we’re… you know…”

  “Boyfriend and girlfriend?” Alexa’s voice came out hard before she could control the emotions in it. She looked into the angel’s eyes, but there was none of the softness she’d witnessed before on the night he walked away with Lucifer. He was all business with only icy determination in those remarkable eyes. It was the same hard resolve he’d greeted her with the first time they’d met, like she was meeting Milo again for the very first time.

  Milo’s lips were a tight line. “I know this is a little—”

  “Intense.” Confusing, she wanted to say. Although every nerve in her body was on fire, she wouldn’t look away from him. Straining, she fought to keep her emotions at bay and her face from showing the roller coaster of emotions that spun inside her.

  Alexa looked to the driver. “Does he know where to take us?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes, I told him.”

  “And will he wait for us to take us back?” Alexa knew that once they had their hands on the staff, they needed a quick getaway. What better way than a sky-car?

  Milo mustered a small smile. “I’m afraid not. The sky-car to the Angel Isle is a one-way ticket only. We can’t risk having a waiting sky-car discovered. If they see that a car is waiting after we’ve arrived in it… they’ll know we don’t plan on staying long. They’ll know we’ve deceived them. We’ll have to find another way to leave the island.”

  “It’s an island right,” inquired Alexa, stating the obvious. “Can’t we just jump in the water that surrounds it?”

  “I would think so, yes.”

  “With the staff?”

  “With the staff.” Milo’s stare was intense. His eyes, honest and transparent, caused the familiar reaction on her skin.

  Alexa stared at Milo without blinking. “Let’s pray to the souls that the staff is actually there. That this trip—all of… this… whatever this is… all of what we’re about to do, won’t be for nothing.” Because it’ll be as embarrassing as hell, she thought.

  Milo’s brows rose, seemingly reading her mind. “Alexa, I know what you’re thinking—

  “No, you don’t.” Alexa debated whether to bring up the whole kiss thing, but she had the feeling it would just make matters worse. “Don’t worry, I can do the girlfriend thing if that’s what’s got you worried.”

  “I’m not worried about that.” His voice was calm and sure.

  “Good. Then we understand each other. We’re here for the staff,” said Alexa. Then she lowered her voice as much as she could without worrying about the driver overhearing their conversation. She didn’t know if she could trust the bird, but the pelican stared ahead and gave no indication that he was listening.

  “Let’s focus on that. The staff. Everything else doesn’t matter—won’t matter—if we mess up our chances again. We go in, play our parts, find the Staff of Heaven and get out.”

  A shadow flitted across Milo’s face. He turned ba
ck around in his seat without another word.

  Alexa wasn’t sure what to make of the warrior’s sudden silence. She knew he’d wanted to talk about something, perhaps maybe even the thing, but she was frustrated with him and didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of showing her true feelings—that he’d been right. Her eyes traced along his jaw and saw the familiar tightness there whenever he was stressed.

  The muscles in his shoulders stood out, sharp and tight. Their outlines were visible under his jacket. Something was definitely bothering him, and she suspected it had nothing to do with the Staff of Heaven.

  She needed to be clearheaded and unyielding in order to endure the next few hours. Her thoughts drifted at the first sight of land.

  It stood out like a lonely ship lost at sea. It was a large, mountainous island of lush tropical rainforest covered in greenery that stretched up into the surrounding hilltops. The closer they got, Alexa could see white-colored sand around the edges and clumps of wild native flowers in warm shades of pinks and reds and orangey provided jolts of color in a world of turquoise waters.

  The largest mountain stood out right in the middle of the island like a skyscraper, taking up much of the island’s range. Alexa gripped the side of the sky-car and leaned forward for a better look. The mountain was covered in lush greenery and rock. She could see a road from the bottom spiraling around it and reaching the very top.

  But she saw no movement, no angels.

  Alexa was thrown back suddenly as the sky-car plunged, making a dive for the island. Her clothes and hair flapped around her as the sky-car shot downward at an incredible speed. She could barely see anything through the squint of her eyes. But then the wind stopped and when she could open her eyes wide again, the sky-car was hovering over a sparkling white beach. It swayed and then dropped onto the sand.

  Alexa sat still. She hadn’t realized how nervous she was until the sky-car stopped moving. She stood up on shaking legs, hoping that Milo didn’t see any of it. He was already out of the sky-car. He offered his hand, but Alexa ignored it and climbed out. A dizzy spell came and went as she felt the strength in her legs returning. Alexa looked around.