Hear the Crickets

by BJ Sheldon

  But instead, I muttered, “You know...I’ve never...what I mean is...I’ve never met anyone like you before.” My words tumbled out sporadically making me sound like a complete idiot. I buried my face in the blanket and whispered, “Oh my God. Stupid.”

  I heard Dorian begin to laugh.

  “Skyy. Look at me.”

  “No,” I said, mumbling into the blanket.

  “Hey. Look at me.”

  I reluctantly lifted my head and faced him.

  He ran his thumb over my cheek bone and leaned in. His mouth met mine, sending a shiver throughout my body. His lips were soft and full. I was so shocked I nearly forgot to kiss him back.

  But I did.

  Chapter 19

  My eyes opened to find Sam’s face only inches from my own. His sudden presence startled me, causing me to shriek in surprise.

  “Where the hell did you come from?” I asked, grasping my chest.

  My sudden outburst jolted Dorian from a deep sleep, and unaware of what was happening, he sprung to his feet and reached for his Chakram cinched to his waist. Seeing that it was only Sam, his posture eased and he removed his grasp from his weapon.

  Sam chuckled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you guys.”

  “You can’t just go creeping up like that when there are people trying to kill us,” I said sternly. “Dorian could’ve killed you.”

  “Then you two shouldn’t have been sleeping so heavily,” replied Sam, smirking.

  “I don’t sleep. I was meditating,” I retorted. “I must have been really relaxed if I didn’t hear you.”

  “Well, I came through the portal and hollered for you guys, but I guess you didn’t hear me. Maybe you were a little too cozy, curled up together and all.” Sam laughed, plopped down in one of the opposite lawn chairs, and slid into a reclining position, resting both arms on top of his head. “Lillith and Sean will be here soon. They sent me on ahead, maybe to make sure you guys were decent.”

  I rolled my eyes at Sam’s attempt to be funny. Dorian put out his hand, and I took it, pulling myself up off the ground. He didn’t release his grasp immediately, and I didn’t fight to let go either. He winked as our gazes met, and I worked hard to hide my smile from Sam.

  “Why did they really stay behind?” I asked.

  “They were busy arguing,” Sam replied.

  “Again?” I heard Dorian let out a long sigh. “About what?” he asked.

  “Heck if I know. I think it started off as a conversation about organized religion and quickly escalated into an argument about theology and mythology. Apparently, even with everything he’s seen, Sean is still questioning the existence of a higher power, which in turn pissed off Lillith. Frankly, I think he’s just screwing with her because he likes it when she gets angry.” Sam folded his hands behind his head and rolled his eyes. “I swear, he just enjoys getting under her skin.”

  Dorian and I giggled loudly.

  There was movement near the tents. My body tensed at the interruption.

  A portal had opened, disrupting our laughter. It hovered there, empty and swirling, while we waited for Sean and Lillith to climb through. Instead, two unfamiliar faces stepped out of the churning void.

  Their faces instantly showed signs that they recognized Dorian, and they smiled and tossed up a friendly wave. The portal closed behind them as they stepped toward our small group. I knew immediately they were part of the reinforcements that had come to help us in our fight against Azazel’s army.

  One was dressed a lot like Dorian in baggy jeans with a tight, red shirt that showed off his muscular physique. The man’s jet-black hair was shoulder-length with tight curls that bounced as he walked. The dimples in his cheeks were set deep and long and only seemed to grow larger as he smiled. His eyes were dark like Lillith’s with eyelashes to match. Two medium-length blades hung in an X on his back, strapped there by a leather harness of sorts fastened to his chest.

  The blonde one had white wings and stood leaner and taller than his companion. His clothing was modern, not something I’d expect an angel to wear. He wore tight leather pants with clunky, black combat boots laced high over the cuff, making him look fierce. His black t-shirt was a bit small for his tall frame, but he somehow managed to pull it off. He wore a broadsword on his hip, a weapon that appeared to be a bit too large and cumbersome for someone of his stature. But I had no doubt he could wield it with ease considering he was an angel, not to mention the size of his biceps and forearms.

  “Hey, bro!” said the dark-haired male, flashing a bright white smile in Dorian’s direction.

  “Rami! What’s up, man?” Dorian belted out, clearly excited at their sudden presence.

  Their handshake was brief and was followed by a quick one-armed man hug and a slap on each other’s backs. The blonde warrior followed suit and awkwardly hugged Dorian as well.

  Then, as if they both suddenly realized I was standing there, their stares landed firmly on the wings hanging from my back.

  “Arna. Rami. This is Skyy.”

  I was immediately uncomfortable being the center of attention, but I threw up my hand and wiggled my fingers in an attempt at a friendly wave.

  “Hi,” I mumbled, taking a step back, partially hiding myself behind Dorian. His hand reached back and took mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze to let me know it was okay.

  “Just as beautiful as you described, man,” Rami declared. He reached around, pulled me from my hiding place, and took my hand in his, leaning forward to kiss it like an old-fashioned gentleman. I felt my cheeks grow pink.

  I wasn’t used to that kind of attention.

  “Back off, dude,” said Dorian, half-jokingly removing my hand from Rami’s grasp. Rami threw his hands up and backed away with a broad smile on his face.

  Sam cleared his throat.

  “Oh. My bad. Guys, this is Sam. Sam, this is Arna and Rami. They’re two of my oldest friends.” Dorian grabbed Rami by the shoulder.

  “Nice to meet you guys,” said Sam, extending his hand to our visitors.

  They both eyed our young friend suspiciously.

  “Human?” Rami asked.

  “Human,” Dorian replied. “But he’s okay. I swear.”

  Arna was the first to step forward and take Sam’s hand, shaking it cautiously, followed by Rami.

  “So, you have a mortal fighting with us?” Arna asked.

  “Two,” I blurted out.

  “What?”

  “We have two mortals fighting with us,” I said.

  Dorian interjected. “Skyy has a friend named Sean that’s joined the cause. He and Lillith will be along shortly.”

  Rami appeared to perk up at the mention of Lillith’s name.

  “Lillith? How is your sister these days?” he asked.

  Dorian immediately became a bit irritated by the question and quickly let go of my hand. “She’s fine,” he said flatly.

  “Whoa. Stand down, soldier. I was just curious. No need to get all defensive.”

  “I’ve known you for years, man. You leave my sister alone.”

  Rami laughed. “No worries, dude. I would never mess with your sister.”

  “Good,” said Dorian, loosening up a bit.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not doing it out of respect for you.” Rami chuckled. “I’d be afraid she’d kick my ass if I tried.”

  Dorian glared in his direction but was suddenly distracted by the appearance of another portal.

  “Your ears must have been burning,” Arna called out as Lillith stepped through the void, closely followed by Sean.

  Lillith remained silent, quickly closing the portal once Sean was completely through. Her clenched jaw and furrowed brow told me everything I needed to know. She was one step above angry and seemed to be using every bit of her self-control to keep from punching Sean’s lights out, which he undoubtedly deserved.

  She paid no attention to the visitors and stormed off to her tent, slapping the tent flap shut and zipping it behind her.
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  “Yeesh,” I said with a laugh. “What crawled up her butt and died?”

  “She’s just being a bitch. Apparently I’m a close-minded jackass that can’t see the forest through the trees, or so she says,” said Sean calmly, plopping himself down in a lawn chair.

  “Why do you antagonize her?” I asked, rolling my eyes. I already knew the answer to my own question. There was nothing Sean enjoyed more than pushing someone’s buttons to see how far he could go before they snapped.

  Sean shrugged. He didn’t seem to care or even want to acknowledge the two new people who were suddenly standing in our campsite.

  “How far is the site from here?” Arna asked, getting down to business.

  I found a seat next to Sean and sat down, carefully folding my wings around me.

  “It’s not far. The Fallen are all there,” said Dorian.

  “And Raja?” asked Rami.

  “He’s been around. Unstoppable as ever. And there’s something you need to know.” Dorian paused, knowing that his words were about to have an impact. “He has the spear.”

  “What?” Rami shouted. “Where did he find it? How did this happen?”

  “It turns out Skyy had it all along,” Dorian began. “Long story short, her mother had used her power of disguise to shield the spear, turning it into a key that Skyy wore around her neck before it turned into a sword.”

  “This is bad,” chanted Arna. “This is really, really bad.”

  “The situation isn’t ideal, I know,” Dorian replied. “But it isn’t the end. The others will be here tonight. Together, we have a chance at defeating Raja.”

  “Raja, maybe. Azazel, doubtful,” said Rami, his dark eyes glancing in my direction. “Without the spear, how do we expect to defeat his army? We don’t stand a chance.”

  The battle hadn’t even begun, but doubt had already crept in within the ranks. Still, Rami was right. Without the spear, how did we ever expect to win the fight?

  “I know it sounds bad, but you need to have faith,” said Dorian. “If we don’t believe in our abilities, in Skyy, we’ll never succeed.”

  “Faith alone isn’t going to us help win,” Arna interjected.

  “True. But faith and skill will.” Dorian’s face had a look of determination I hadn’t seen before. His eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened. There was no room for defeat in his stance as he straightened his back, standing tall in an apparent effort to look confident.

  “That still doesn’t solve the issue of the spear. It’s the only thing that can kill Azazel,” said Rami.

  “We’ll get it,” I blurted out. The guys stared at me, stunned at my sudden outburst. “If we can’t retrieve it, we’re screwed. So, we don’t have a choice. We’ll do whatever we can to get it back.”

  Rami stood with his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. “And exactly how do you plan on doing that?”

  “How the hell should I know?” I replied. “You can’t expect me to save the world and come up with a plan, too. You guys need to do some of the work.”

  I heard Sean snicker from his chair. He was more than used to my sarcasm.

  The newcomers, however, were not.

  They all stared incredulously in my direction, clearly irritated with my disregard for how serious the situation had become.

  But it wasn’t that I didn’t understand.

  It was the exact opposite, actually. That being said, I only knew one way to deal with stressful situations—sarcasm.

  “Guys, look,” Dorian began. “Skyy is the one. I have no doubt about her abilities. I’ve seen her fight. And I’m certain she’s the one the prophecy spoke of.”

  Arna interjected. “But without the spear...”

  “Without the spear, defeating Azazel will be problematic.” Dorian glanced over in my direction. The conversation wasn’t going well.

  “Problematic?” Rami threw his arms across his chest. “Hornet nests are problematic. Volcanoes are problematic. Not possessing the only weapon in existence that can stop the apocalypse is catastrophic, not problematic.”

  Sam had sat there quietly, taking in the exchange. But as he rose up from his chair and found his way to the circle of Hybrids, it was clear there was something on his mind that he wanted to share.

  “Can I say something?” he asked.

  The Hybrids appeared to be taken aback by the teen’s audaciousness. A mere mortal of a boy was about to address some of the most powerful beings in existence.

  “By all means,” Dorian replied.

  “It seems to me that everyone is so worried about the spear that you’ve forgotten the most important thing.”

  “And what’s that?” Rami asked with a snort.

  “Skyy.”

  Everyone grew silent.

  “I agree. She’s important. But without the spear, we have no hope of winning this battle,” Rami replied, clearly annoyed at how the discussion had progressed.

  “Wrong.” Sam’s smile was quickly replaced by a stern glare aimed at the Hybrids who towered over him. “The prophecy says only the spear can release the Fallen from the ground, but only the Protector’s blood can restore their Watcher form. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the prophecy also says that the Protector is the only one who can keep it all from happening. Not you guys. Not the other Hybrids. The Protector. And the last time I checked, the Protector is Skyy.”

  Dorian tried to hide a smile, clearly pleased with how Sam had handled himself.

  Arna and Rami both opened their mouths as if they wanted to say something, but neither spoke. They appeared to carefully mull over Sam’s words.

  “So?” Sam shifted his weight nervously and waited for an answer. Their continued silence spoke volumes. “Am I wrong? I mean, it seems to me that if we keep Skyy safe and keep her from somehow waking the Fallen, the spear is going to be useless anyway. Protect her, recapture the spear, and then let her follow her destiny to stop it all from happening.”

  Rami squinted down at Sam and cocked his head, seemingly deep in thought. Then his expression softened as he glanced over at Dorian.

  “For a mortal, he’s awfully perceptive.”

  Dorian smirked and slapped Sam on the back. “I agree.”

  Chapter 20

  Within hours, all the reinforcements arrived. Our campground was inundated with a hundred and twenty Hybrids, male and female alike. Every single one of them was statuesque and attractive. But considering they were all descendants of angels, I doubted there was anything else they could be.

  When I questioned Dorian about the number, he said we were all that was left, our numbers waning over the last few centuries. But he informed me that Raja’s ranks had dwindled as well, so we wouldn’t be too outnumbered on the battlefield.

  That was good news, all things considered.

  Everyone was staring at me and my wings. Even among the Hybrids, I was something of myth and legend, someone who shouldn’t exist.

  I was a miracle with feathers.

  And the fate of the world rested on my shoulders.

  Night was falling, and we knew the battle could commence at any time. Sleeping bags, blankets, and tents littered our campground, making it difficult to navigate the site. More than one campfire sprung up, sending flames licking high into the air. I found it hard to believe that locals in the vicinity couldn’t see us, but Dorian assured me that Lillith’s spell over the area was strong and unbreakable.

  It was oddly quiet, considering how many people were crammed into one campsite. Almost too quiet. No one spoke to me. It was as if they were all too afraid to approach the girl with wings, as if I were cursed. But it didn’t bother me. There were far too many people around for my taste as it was. I wished I were home alone in my trailer, reading Jane Austen or Suzanne Collins.

  I could tell Lillith was just as uncomfortable with all of the extra bodies as I was. Without warning, she quickly opened up a portal and announced that she was heading out to guard the Fallen site, stepping throug
h and closing it behind her before her brother could stop her.

  For a moment, I wished I could have gone with her.

  Since I didn’t require sleep, I volunteered to keep watch over the campsite. Dorian refused to allow me to take on the responsibility alone. I tried to argue with him, letting him know that he needed his rest before the impending battle.

  But he was stubborn.

  We found a clearing at the edge of the campsite that provided a good vantage point of our surroundings. He built a small fire, and together we sat silently watching over our flock of Hybrids while they slept.

  “You don’t think they’d ambush us at night like this, do you?” I asked.

  “Nah. Besides, we’d feel them coming anyway,” replied Dorian.

  “Feel them?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. When danger is near and you get that little tingly feeling in your gut?”

  “Huh,” I grunted. “That’s a Hybrid thing? I thought that was just a girl with wings thing.”

  “Nope. We all have it. Makes it really hard to sneak up on someone, which is good if you’re the prey. Not so good if you’re the predator.”

  “I can imagine.”

  I glanced down and caught sight of Sean as he stepped out of his tent and squinted at the sleeping bodies littering the campsite. He observed the scene with obvious utter annoyance, scratching his chin as he appeared to contemplate his next move. He began to tiptoe over the first Hybrid who’d decided to position herself directly in front of Sean’s tent flap. Then, he crept over a rather large Hybrid with shoulders as big as a barn, careful not to accidentally kick him in the side. Sean continued to step, hop, and steal his way over one body and then the next until he reached the edge of camp, disappearing behind a large rock formation to, what I could only assume, relieve himself.

  Dorian had witnessed Sean’s midnight stroll as well. He snickered quietly to himself and rested his chin on his knees, which he’d just pulled in tight, wrapping his arms around his legs.