Espial

by Nikita Francois

  Rider stepped in front of the door and removed his sword from its scabbard. He swung the sword around his head once and pointed it at the acronym, all while speaking in a foreign tongue.

  “Angelus Rider por la resistenta,” he said.

  “What did he say?” I whispered to Sacra.

  “Angel Rider for the resistance,” she replied, smiling at him.

  Steam hissed and poured out from the sides of the giant door. We all instinctively took a step back right as it began to lift open. Glinda giggled and clapped happily from my left and skipped through the doorway. Sacra followed, with me right behind and Rider bringing up the rear. After he stepped through, he activated a panel switch causing the door to slide down, closing us in.

  We were in the ARC’s main lobby. The entire structure was a massive half-circle. Forty doors total sat on each wall to my left and right. Most were unmarked, while others had signs such as “Treatment Department” and “Garments.” Against the wall directly across from us, at about three hundred feet away, sat seven glass round elevators, encased in glass shafts. The ceiling was decorated with five large chandeliers, sending crystal light everywhere throughout the lobby. Large murals of skeletal samurai angels in the midst of battle were covering the walls. They were eerily smiling as they fought various beasts in the murals. Angels of all colors were bustling around the lobby. I closed my eyes and opened them again, thinking I was dreaming. Some angels were like Sacra, monochromatic in color. Others emitted a color different than their wings. Some even had skin of various colors. One angel had light green skin, with ombré wings that gradually shaded from pink to white. What was common among everyone was that they were vibrant in color. Not one was dark or dull in any way.

  “Oh my. Oh my.” I repeated myself numerous times, once again at a loss for words.

  “Enlightening, isn’t it?” asked Rider.

  “This is unbelievable.”

  “It’s only an inkling as to what’s at large,” he said ominously.

  In the center of the lobby was a circular crystal welcome desk. Behind it stood a young angel, who seemed to be just a few years older than myself. He had caramel colored skin and beautiful crimson wings fluttering behind his shoulders. As we approached the desk, I couldn’t help but reach out toward his wings.

  “Cool, huh?” asked the angel.

  “They are absolutely beautiful,” I replied in awe. I looked at him, curious. “You sound young, but after today’s revelations, I can’t be so sure.”

  “Take a guess,” he laughed.

  “Are you twenty?”

  “Ha! Try again, older.”

  “Thirty-five?”

  “Higher.”

  “Ninety?”

  He shook his head and laughed. “Nope. Try two hundred and four.”

  My mouth dropped in astonishment. “You’re kidding!” I exclaimed.

  “You both are making me feel incredibly old,” laughed Rider.

  “Sorry,” I blushed.

  “My name’s Ace,” said the angel, extending his hand toward me.

  “Sol,” I replied, shaking his hand.

  “Oh I know who you are.” He turned to Rider. “They both arrived a little while ago and are in your quarters.”

  “Thank you, Ace,” replied Rider. “This way.” He motioned for us to follow him.

  We walked toward one of the glass elevators and stepped in. Rider faced a monitor secured on the inside of the elevator. A blue beam scanned his face, followed by a short beep. The elevator then began to move upward.

  “Where are your quarters?” I asked while surveying the lobby as it became smaller beneath us.

  “The penthouse,” he replied.

  “But I assumed you were all in hiding. How could you live so close to rooftop?”

  “We have precautions in place to help mask our presence here.”

  “Like what?”

  “A special angelic task force, with protective powers and the like.”

  “Did you just say ‘powers’?” I asked, eyes widening.

  “Yes. You will understand shortly.”

  The elevator came to a stop and its doors swished open. We entered an alcove with an ornately decorated door. A solid gold doorknocker hung in the middle, shaped like an eagle with the ring in its beak. As Rider stepped toward the door, it opened at once and we followed him in. In his living room, I could see how lavishly he lived. The wall facing the side of the building was made entirely of glass windows. Now dusk, the sun setting in the distance cast a warm glow around the room. I could see that we were on a remote island, far from Terredome. Plush black sofas made an L-shape in the middle of the room, surrounding a gold-trimmed glass table. On it sat figurines of various angels. Underneath lay a crimson rug with gold trim and tassels. To the right sat the kitchen with an open layout. The island separating the living room from the kitchen held several bowls with assorted fruits and vegetables. Two platters sat next to the bowls with freshly baked pastries. Sacra and Glinda both made their way toward the kitchen. Just as Rider began to follow them, I sensed a movement to my left and turned. There stood my mother and Luke.

  CHAPTER 9

  “Mom! Luke!” I shouted, running to them.

  They both took me into a big hug, my mother sobbing into my hair. “I thought that was it. I thought I lost you,” she cried.

  “I’m alright. I’m alright.”

  They released me and we all took a step back to look at each other. My mother had tears streaking her cheeks, yet her eyes were wide in happiness. She clutched her hands together and held them by her chin. Luke smiled at me, yet he looked tired and weak. His eyes had bags and his lips were dry. His hair looked completely matted down and he had cuts across his left cheek and neck.

  “Luke what happened?!” I reached toward him, trying to touch his face.

  “I look worse than I feel, Sol.” He gently removed my hand from his face. “We need to talk. All of us. Now.”

  “Yes now is the time,” said Rider who had appeared out of nowhere. “Please, let’s all sit in the living space.”

  I walked with my mother and Luke to one couch, while Sacra and Glinda came over with food. They sat on the L-shaped portion of the couch and began munching on some of the pastries, looking at Rider to start. Rider stood in front of one of the large windows, facing outside while addressing us.

  “You all know why we are here. Today’s events have demonstrated that it is now time to take our efforts to the next level.”

  I tilted my head, wanting him to explain further.

  “Warren Sato’s name is an anagram for his previous title: War Senator. When he was first asked to become an angel, he declined. His desire was to take over the world, ruling it and claiming everything for himself. He technically would have been an arch angel. But he felt that the best way to achieve his desires would be to enslave all of mankind. We angels have been able to delay his plans for thousands of years.”

  “Wait. Are you saying that you are each over a thousand years old?” asked Luke.

  “Yes. But Sato is significantly older than all of us. Those of us left are around two thousand years old. Solomon Arch would have been about three thousand years old. But we believe that Sato is well over four thousand years of age. And he created significant harm to our efforts during the Great World War. Humans thought they were fighting random assailants from across the world. In reality, they were fighting against his demon armies. Sato purposefully detonated the nuclear reactor in the sky in order to destroy all angels. While a good number of us survived, too many were killed. We were lucky enough to rebuild our defenses here in the ARC and communicate with other survivors throughout the world. However, Sato is becoming strong again.”

  I shifted on the couch, the ache in between my shoulders now throbbing immensely. Rider turned and faced me.

  “Sol, you are becoming an angel. Within a few days your wings will be fully developed. As such, you will be hunted; pursued until you are either killed or left
begging for mercy. Once they make the connection that you are an arch angel, all evil forces will try to do everything in their power to destroy you. This is all rooted back to the man you know as Warren Sato.”

  I sat quietly for a moment, carefully formulating a question.

  “Why am I an angel and why did everyone assume I’d be what you call an Espial?”

  “You are possibly an arch angel because of the great Solomon Arch,” said a voice from behind me.

  We all turned. I gazed upon the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. At just under six feet tall, this female angel had a light green aura emitting from her being. Her wings were turquoise and sparkled with silver specks flickering throughout her feathers. With piercing green eyes, she studied my face. Her emerald green hair was pulled into a tight bun and she wore a leather white catsuit, hugging her lithe body closely. With matching white leather boots, she looked like she was a hand-drawn image.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, taking her in.

  My mother rose and stood next to her. “I can explain, Divinica,” said my mother to the green angel. Divinica strutted toward the kitchen island and sat on one of the stools facing us.

  “Your great-grandfather was one of the greatest arch angels of all time, Sol.” My mother spoke calmly. She slowly walked over and stood next to where I sat.

  “No other angel has had the history of successful battles as Solomon did. He died at the hands of Warren Sato during the final battle of the Great World War. Solomon had been protecting the nuclear reactor when it detonated. While he was a noble warrior, he was the only known arch angel to have fathered a child, your own grandfather, with a fellow angel. She apparently died during childbirth, but Sato did not know that the child survived. Your grandfather, James, was sent to live with adoptive Espials who knew the truth about him.” My mother sat gently next to me, placing her right arm around my shoulders. I shifted closer to her.

  “James later had a child, your father, with a human. She too died during childbirth. Your grandfather renounced his angel status when she died, overcome with grief. He died shortly after, leaving your father with the Espials who had raised him.”

  “That’s so sad,” I commented, truly feeling the impact of my ancestry.

  “When I met your father, we knew it was love at first sight. Eventually he confessed that he was the descendant of an arch angel, which took me by surprise. We had been taught nothing about otherworldly beings in school; all we knew were that mythical beings were the subject of fictitious stories. But to know that the man I loved was an actual angel just made me fall in love with him even more.” She looked down at her lap and I could see her eyes begin to glisten.

  “When I realized that I was an Espial during my Oculation procedure, I knew in an instant that it was all meant to be. The following evening, after the technicians had already made me take a vow of silence about what happened, Rider showed up at my home.”

  I looked over at Rider who was looking out of the window, nodding silently.

  “I knew I had to keep guard over her,” he said. “And when she told me she was pregnant, there was no way I would let her out of my protection.”

  “I understand,” I replied. “But why am I not an Espial? Why am I an angel?”

  “We can only assume that your great-grandfather Solomon’s genetic makeup was strong enough to override any human genes within your mother’s ancestry.”

  “Aren’t other angels easy to spot? How do they avoid the Oculation procedure?”

  “We believe that the only other angel to have undergone an Oculation procedure was your father, yet he faked his exams. No other angel has ever been found in Terredome. Espials, on the other hand, have been found six times since the Great World War, including your mother. Your mother is the only Espial to have survived. The others were exterminated during Oculation.”

  “Why?”

  “Because how on earth would Sato allow human beings with the ability to see angels and demons simply walk around, divulging his greatest secret of all time?” replied Divinica.

  “Easy, Div,” said Rider, holding up his hand. “She’s still learning.”

  Divinica crossed her arms and shook her head.

  “Every summer solstice, angels at the age of 15 begin their transformation. Once human-like in appearance, their wings begin the unsheathing process and their auras emerge with elegant vibrancy. Sato created Oculation on each summer solstice in an attempt to catch any young angels and espials and kill them. This is why there continues to be so few of us.”

  “And you did nothing to stop him killing those other five Espials?” I couldn’t understand why other Espials didn’t survive.

  “We were not in a position to do so, Sol. There are things we’ve been preparing over the last few years, but we’ve been waiting for just the right moment. And that moment came today.”

  “Alright,” I conceded. “I think I’m beginning to make sense of things. But how does this all involve Luke?” I asked, turning to face him.

  “I’m an Espial,” he replied. “One of my ancestors was one, and I guess it skipped a few generations.”

  “When did you find out?”

  “When I stepped through the stone archways, I landed in a laboratory where Rider was waiting for me. He removed my lenses while explaining everything. We went to find Angelica Chere who was an Espial as well. It turns out we were distant cousins.”

  “Where is she? And why are you referring to her in the past tense?”

  Luke looked away, wringing his hands together. He then turned back to me.

  “She didn’t make it.”

  “What?!” I exclaimed.

  “After we found her, we headed down the hall to get you. A security guard intercepted us and we got into a fight. He had a strange gun I’d never seen before and aimed it toward me. Angelica lunged forward to knock me out of the way. He fired and it killed her.”

  “Oh no!” I cried.

  “We checked on her, but it was of no use,” said Rider, stepping next to Luke’s seat. “She was gone.”

  Luke arose and headed toward Glinda and Sacra.

  “Rider then gave me a map with directions to the Airbus where your mom was waiting. My dad was there as well. I guess he left the military base pretty quickly,” he said solemnly, scratching his head. “Sacra gave him a complete memory wipe after I said goodbye to him. He no longer knows I ever existed. He was then sent to a city far from Terredome to start a new life.”

  “Oh no. Luke I’m so sorry!” I said in shock. I went over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. “And all this took place while I was in the lab?” I asked.

  “Yes,” replied Rider. “We wanted to be sure you were each accounted for. Speaking of which, Div, any word regarding Levi Boz?”

  “Yes he is at the military training center. His memory was wiped and he is only aware that Sol is being considered a fugitive at large. Sato has a bounty on her head.”

  “Fugitive at large? What?” I asked, turning to Rider.

  “Sato will not want anyone to find out that you are an Espial on the loose. We don’t believe he knows that you’re an angel, let alone a possible arch. But he does know enough from the security feed to have you hunted. There’s a larger battle taking place, Sol. Terredome isn’t the only city that has revitalized itself post-Great World War. There are many others, in which Espials and angels fight together against the demons still associated with Sato. Terredome is his test city; it will allow him to determine how efficiently he can enslave an entire society. He has only allowed me to work there because I swore I would never reveal my true identity to anyone. He has no idea of my connection to your great-grandfather Solomon and thinks I am just an unassuming angel who survived the GWW.”

  “So everything I’ve known, everything I’ve experienced is a result of him wanting to run his own playground? And there are more thriving cities outside of Terredome?” I was beginning to feel angry as I returned to the couch.

 
“Well…yes,” said Rider. “With a fugitive Espial on the run, his entire plan is at stake. The last thing he would want is for you to tell the citizens of Terredome the truth. He’ll want you killed upon sight.”

  “All of this has to stop,” I declared. “It’s too much. How could one person or demon control our lives so intricately?”

  “It will stop. We are on the brink of another World War. We’ve all seen his factory vents emitting fumes day and night. It’s clear he’s working on something malicious. But because so few of us are around now, I’m afraid we may not survive his devious plans. So you’re right. It will stop; one way or another.” With that, Rider walked out of the living room. Everyone sat motionless, his words hanging heavily in the air. I decided to speak first.

  “I want to help. But I have no idea where to begin.”

  “That’s what we’re here for!” said Glinda, lighting up instantly. “Sacra and I will guide you through your unsheathing. Div will train you and Luke in combat and weaponry. And Rider will be educating you on the workings of the ARC and all of the systems that keep it functional,” she said with pride. “However, all of that will begin tomorrow. For now you need some rest.” She grabbed Sacra and they both scurried into the kitchen.

  “This has been quite a lot for one person to take in, Sol,” said my mother, concern furrowing her brows.

  “It’s pretty overwhelming, but I can’t sit back and watch Terredome become destroyed,” I replied. “I can’t hold all of this knowledge and supposed power, yet do nothing with it.”

  “Whatever you decide, I will always be here supporting you.” She leaned over and embraced me. After we pulled apart, she got up and left the room.

  “Sol you know I’m with you all the way,” said Luke, walking over to me.

  “I know. I need you because you’re far stronger than I am. But I’m so sorry about your parents. I can’t imagine how you must feel right now.”

  He simply nodded, then playfully punched my arm and left the room as well. I outstretched my arms to relieve the pain in my shoulders. Glinda and Sacra came over. Sacra was holding a brass goblet with a frothy, milky beverage inside.