Etheria (The Halo Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  “Do you know how ignorant you sound right now, Aurora?” Gray shot back. “I don’t know what sort of spell Samuel has put over you, but just think about it. Think about what he said at dinner. If he’s not the traitor, then why lie about those stones?”

  Okay, so Aurora had to admit the stone thing was strange. And the fact that those hooded men stole their luggage and took nothing would be a viable explanation for how the stones got there. But she refused to believe Samuel had anything to do with it. She trusted him. He was the only one she did trust. “You’re just trying to put this on Samuel because you’re jealous of him.”

  Gray shook his head in disbelief and laughed humorlessly. “He really has made you blind, hasn’t he? You honestly don’t think the way he acted at dinner was suspicious? And you didn’t notice that Anther was going to comment on the stone Sev was holding when, out of nowhere, his face just went completely blank? Like a spell had been cast over him or something?”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “Of course not. Your eyes were probably on Samuel the whole time.” Gray ran two frustrated hands through his soft curls, making his hair stand up slightly. Aurora forced back a laugh. Gray’s face went serious. “I honestly can’t believe, after what you’ve been through, you’d let a guy manipulate you again.”

  Gray clearly wasn’t expecting Aurora’s hand, swinging towards his face and coming in forceful contact with his cheek and jaw because his eyes grew round with surprise as she pulled it back. It tingled from the slap.

  “I didn’t tell you that story for you to throw it back in my face.” Her voice wavered slightly, but her eyes were clear of tears, burning only with anger.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured after a moment. “I just, I know you’re making a mistake in trusting him.”

  Aurora turned all the way around to face him, though she was still on higher ground. “If that’s true, then let me. I’ve been making my own mistakes for twenty-five years, Gray. I know how to handle them. Just because we’re Stellars, and our souls are fused together and what not, doesn’t mean you have to save me from everything.”

  “That’s not why I want to save you, Aurora.”

  “Why do you want to save me then, Gray? Because, ever since I told you what happened to me, you think I’m this poor, damaged, little girl who doesn’t know how to make smart decisions? Because you know all of my tough girl walls were just a façade?”

  “No.”

  “Then why?”

  “You know why, Aurora,” Gray said in a low voice, taking a step upwards so they were standing eye to eye. “You’ve known for a while now. Which is, I think, the real reason you’ve distanced yourself from me.”

  “Will you stop being so cryptic and just tell me,” Aurora whispered, her heart beating inexplicably fast. Both of their breaths had quickened—their faces only inches apart.

  “I—” Gray began and then he stopped when two voices appeared on the landing above them.

  “If you think I’m not going to speak to Michael about this, you’re mad, Samuel.”

  It was Anther. Gray pulled a resistant Aurora with him into the shadowy corner of the landing, behind a large marble statue of a weeping angel.

  Anther continued. “You can’t just keep something like mulciber stones from him! If the Halos are finding them in their things, that means they were planted there. We have to do a sweep of the ship to find—”

  Samuel cut him off, his voice dark. “If you speak to anyone about this, I assure you it will be the last thing you do as a Power.”

  “I’m sorry, but is that a threat?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Very amusing Samuel. I still don’t understand why you won’t just—wait.” Aurora heard Anther take in a quick, sharp breath. “The mulciber stones. Of course. You’re the traitor. You’re the one that opened the portals. Michael thought it was a Halo.”

  Samuel let out a mirthless laugh, sending a chill across Aurora's skin. “Well, well. It would appear you’re smarter than you look, even if you are a baby angel. Such a shame, really… You had so little time to enjoy your wings.”

  “What’re you—” Anther began and then was cut off by a choking sound. Looking up, Aurora watched a pool of golden liquid trickle through the cracks of the floor, landing on her shoulder and dripping down her arm. Through the spaces in the dark wood, she saw that Anther had slid to the ground and the golden liquid was pouring out of a slit in his neck, his eye staring unseeingly at her through the slats.

  She let out a soul shaking gasp. Gray cuffed a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Samuel’s cerulean eyes were already staring down at them.

  Thirty-Seven

  SAMUEL

  Aurora Coel and Grayson Cross. The bane of his current existence. Suspicious, meddlesome, annoying, obliviously lovesick Stellars. He would enjoy killing them. But he’d been foolish and let his temper get away with him as he typically did, and now he needed someone to blame Anther’s murder on. And who better than the two most powerful Halos on Etheria? Lucky, too, because Michael was already on his way.

  Summoning a small amount—just enough—of the power of Darkness, he immersed the two Halos in unconsciousness from the landing above theirs and watched through the cracks as they crumpled in a heap, tangling with one another like a pair of marionettes whose strings had suddenly been cut.

  Apparently, Samuel’s influence over Aurora hadn’t been enough to keep her away from Gray completely. He’d thought her feelings had shifted. After their little episode earlier that day, he figured it was only a matter of time before she gave in to him. After all, he knew her better than any other. He was getting to her, he knew that much. Physically, at the very least. And his initial plan would have worked if Gray hadn’t gone and thought too much about his damned mulciber stone and shattered it with his crux. Samuel had known from the beginning Gray would be a problem when the Horns told him of Gray’s suspicions about the Beasts taking their luggage.

  Well, neither of the Stellars would be a problem for much longer. Samuel put on a face of sorrow as he painted a picture in his mind of what he would tell Michael.

  “Anther. Oh, dear boy,” Michael said with great sorrow as he approached the scene. “Samuel, please explain to me how this happened. Why weren’t you able to stop it?”

  “Forgive me.” Samuel bowed low. “I’m afraid I arrived too late, sir. It would appear the Stellars are more powerful than we’d imagined, or feared.”

  “Grayson and Aurora did this?” Michael said in disbelief.

  “They did, sir.” Samuel nodded solemnly. “I’ve been worried about them as of late, I’ll admit. They’ve been keeping to themselves, speaking in whispers. I believe they were beginning to realize just how powerful they truly are. And I found this.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a mulciber stone and held it up, the light from the sconces illuminating the rock. “It rolled out of Gray’s pocket after I put them under.”

  Michael’s eyes widened fractionally at the sight of the stone and he reached out a hand to take it. Samuel nearly pulled back but knew this would be unwise.

  “Well, I will say I never expected this of them,” Michael said, examining the stone. “Even with the extent of their abilities. Aurora in particular. I have watched her grow up. Though, I imagine the horrors of her past may have something to do with this. Gray’s as well.”

  Samuel folded his hands in front of him. “Some souls simply don’t know how to handle their pain. Take that and mix it with the power of Stellars and you get this.” He waved an arm over Anther’s body. “The death of a beloved angel.”

  “He’s not truly dead, of course,” Michael said, telling Samuel something he already knew. “But he will no longer get to be a Guardian, something I know he’d aspired to be since his Earthly death.”

  “Yes.” Samuel nodded, waiting for Michael to stop crying over Anther so he could get on with his plan—rather sooner than he’d like. He needed to alert Bane and the other Horns.
>
  “And Aurora and Gray. Are they—?” Michael began.

  “They are unconscious, only. I figured I would leave their punishment up to you, sir.”

  “They will remain in captivity until we reach Arx Isle. It should only be another day’s journey, at most,” Michael said in a subdued tone. “I must inform the other Powers of Anther’s passing, as well as prepare his body for blessing. Would you mind taking Aurora and Gray to the holding cells?”

  Samuel kept the satisfied smile off of his face, replacing it with one of disappointment and sorrow as he said, “Gladly.”

  Thirty-Eight

  AURORA

  The ground was hard and cold. Aurora’s eyelids fluttered open to reveal only blurred shapes and streaks of light filtering through darkness. Blinking several times, she pushed herself shakily upward on weak arms, pressing a hand to her pounding head.

  “Good morning, Stellar,” an amused voice said.

  Aurora’s vision cleared and her head snapped to the left to see Samuel, dressed in a wine colored cloak, standing beside the door to her windowless box of a room.

  “Where am I?” she breathed. “Where’s Gray?”

  “Oh, don’t you worry about him. He’s in quite the same predicament.”

  “What predicament? Where—” Suddenly everything that had transpired earlier on the staircase flashed like a movie montage through her throbbing skull. Samuel and Anther. Golden blood. Then darkness. “What have you done, Samuel?”

  “Times are changing, little lamb,” Samuel said, his voice steeped in condescension. “In case you haven’t noticed, the world is growing darker and gloomier by the day. People are becoming more hateful, more selfish. They’re committing devilish sins, some in the name of the Light, no less. You should know all about dark acts, though.”

  He waved a hand and flashes of David ripping at Aurora’s clothes, of her running home, of the scarring events that followed, filled her brain.

  “STOP!” she screamed.

  Samuel laughed, and the images disappeared, leaving only him in Aurora's line of sight. She crab crawled backwards until she was pressed up against the cold wall of marble.

  “People are letting the Darkness take over, and demons are growing stronger as a result. Now, with Caducus soon descending, it’s almost foolish to take the side of the Light. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like being foolish.”

  “Do you know the definition of foolish?” Aurora snapped, pressing herself into the wall. “Because, if you looked in the dictionary right now, I’m pretty sure you’d find a picture of yourself beside the word.”

  “Poor thing.” Samuel shook his head in mock shame. “You try so hard to throw daggers, but they always turn to daisies.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  Keep him talking, Aurora thought. Just keep him talking.

  “It means you want to be looked at as strong and intimidating like a lion. But all I see before me is a sheep. A lamb, even. Small, insignificant, and weak. Don’t get me wrong; you have the potential to destroy everything Caducus has built. It’s in the stars. But you can’t do it alone.”

  “Gray,” Aurora whispered.

  “Precisely. Gray. But, lucky for me, and the rest of the Dark followers, you were too stubborn and hardheaded to let him in enough to discover your true potential together. But we all knew what you could’ve been. Even Michael knew, which is why he had no trouble believing you and Gray killed Anther.”

  “You told Michael that we killed—”

  “Oh, don’t sound so shocked, little lamb. I couldn’t very well let him know what I am…yet. Not before I’ve completed my assignment.”

  “And what is that precisely,” Aurora said, trying to prove she wasn’t a little lamb, though the slight waver in her voice suggested otherwise.

  “To destroy as many Power Halos as possible. You are, essentially, the army of the Light. The rest of the choirs of Halos we can handle. But first we need you all out of the way. Especially you and your little soul mate.”

  “Where is Gray,” Aurora repeated, trying not to get hysterical at the thought of him being hurt. At least she knew he was alive…because she was alive.

  “Just within arms’ reach. Too bad there’s an impenetrable wall between you.” His satisfied laugh was malevolent. “But you should be used to that. You’ve been putting walls between yourself and others all your life.”

  Aurora turned her head to look more closely at the wall behind her. Even for their prisoners, the angels went out of their way to make the room beautiful. Aurora stared up at the mural of the creation of Adam decorating the tiled wall, a good two stories tall. The domed ceiling towered high above her. Then she noticed the circular, stained glass windows stamped across the top of the room like portholes. Her eyes landed on the one just above the point in the mural where Adam and God’s fingertips were nearly touching.

  Samuel’s gaze followed hers up to the window which Aurora assumed connected her and Gray’s rooms. A sickening smile lifted his features. “Yes. Such a shame you don’t yet have your wings.” Then his eyes moved to his watch. “The time has come for us to part, I’m afraid. But before I go, I’ll leave you with a little gift.” Moving his cloak aside, he reached deep into his pocket, retrieving an object, which he tossed to Aurora. She caught it in both hands, peering down at what she realized was a glowing black and red stone. Just like the one Sev had at dinner. “Wouldn’t want you to get lonely in here,” Samuel said. “You’ll soon have more friends than you know what to do with.”

  With these words, Samuel opened the door and slipped out. The sound of a clanging lock followed him before the door disappeared and Aurora was left in a smooth, empty room, void of any openings save for the stained glass portholes poked across the top of the twenty foot wall.

  Then one of the windows shattered inward, sprinkling her with glass.

  SAMUEL

  There was little time. He’d wasted too much of it taunting Aurora. But it had been so enjoyable; he hadn’t wanted to stop. Bane had been notified of the change in plans and the Horns were preparing the entryway for him. Now, all he had to do was contact Caducus.

  Emptying the last of his mulciber stones into his fireplace, he knelt before the scarlet flames in surrender to his master. Baring his soul, he pled Caducus would hear his call. He wasn’t disappointed. The cool Darkness overtook his body as he felt his master’s presence.

  “Everything is set,” Samuel murmured. “Everything is ready. I ask in humble obedience for you to open the gate between the Darkness and the Light.”

  His master’s response was felt, not heard. A burning power enveloped Samuel and a shudder moved throughout the ship as each portal opened. All three hundred. Each holding a hoard of demons. The ship would continue to go steadily towards Arx Isle, and when Etheria connected with land, the Darkness would overtake the pure island, like a cancer takes over a perfectly healthy body.

  “Thank you, Master. Through the Halos’ demise, you will be glorified.”

  Samuel felt Caducus’s pleasure just before his master left him. Distant screams began to spring up around Etheria. The poor baby Halos were unprepared for such a daunting undertaking. Regretting that he was going to miss the show, Samuel stood, bringing only his claret cloak with him as he stepped into the red flames in his fireplace and vanished.

  GRAY

  Gray awoke with a throbbing headache and a fat lip. His mind reeled as he tried to recall what had happened before he’d blacked out—and it didn’t take long.

  “Samuel, you bastard,” Gray growled, pushing himself upright.

  He was alone in an empty room without a door or a—no, there were windows. There were windows at the top of the wall, above a mural of the Creation of Adam. If only he had angel wings or, at least, enough strength in his legs to jump that high. Not that jumping out the window into the ocean would do him much good. At least, he’d thought the window led outside of the ship until he heard a distant—and at
the same time very near—scream that clearly belonged to Aurora. It sounded like she’d said the word “STOP.”

  Scrambling to his feet, Gray ran to the wall he now knew he and Aurora shared. He could hear muffled voices, but no more words were discernible. It didn’t sound like she was being hurt at least. That fact was just enough to keep him from going insane.

  After what felt like hours the talking on the other side of the wall ceased. Looking up at the mural, at the two hands reaching for one another, Gray was overcome with a feeling that this particular piece was not coincidentally placed there. Someone, somewhere, was looking out for them. He wasn’t sure why they were in these rooms or what else Samuel had done, but he knew for certain he had to find a way to get to Aurora. That’s when the mulciber stone in the corner of the room caught his eye. He might not be able to climb to the windows, but he could sure hit one.

  Gray retrieved the stone, turned around, closed one eye, and hurled the glowing rock at the window just above the place where Adam’s hand reached for God’s. The glass shattered outward into a million fragments, and Gray hoped Aurora hadn’t been cut by any of them. But it had done the job. There was a sizable hole in the once perfect window.

  “Aurora!” he called loudly, praying she’d be able to hear him.

  Silence. Then a muffled, faraway voice called out.

  “Gray?”

  Relief melted away all the aching in his body. “Are you okay?” he shouted back.

  “Yeah! Are you?”

  “I am now! Can you throw that stone back at the window to make the hole bigger?”

  In response, Aurora chucked Gray’s mulciber stone, which came crashing through the other pane in the window, making colorful glass rain down on him.

  “Thanks!” he called back.

  “Now what?” Aurora asked.

  Gray looked all around the room, but the windows and the tiled mural were the only things that kept it from being four white marble walls. Four, white, plain, flat walls that were impossible to climb.