“Do you think we can actually jump?” I asked because I didn’t want to wait for Jones. Jeremiel has waited long enough.
“Yeah, I do,” she said.
“Fine, let’s do it,” I said and blew out my candle. I pushed off the ladder and let go. With my knees slightly bent, I fell into the pit and I felt my stomach climb up to my throat. My heart raced and this was definitely further down then the first floor. I landed in a crouch and with a loud thud.
“Are you okay?” Angela’s voice echoed.
“Yeah!” I yelled back and in less than a minute, she fell right where I had. I had stepped away to give her space, as well as to get a look around. Without the light I couldn’t see much, but my eyes adjusted to the darkness and some things were clearer than they should be. This place looked like some sort of hurricane bunker; surrounded by steel and concrete.
“There’s definitely a glamour rune in place because there’s no way we should have gone this deep without hitting water. We’re literally on the beach,” Angela said as she dusted something off her jeans. My heart was still beating fast from the drop and she looked as casual as if she took the elevator down here.
“Is your stomach not in your ass?” I said, astonished.
“You’re scared?” she said and I could hear a smirk in her voice.
“No, but still…” I was glad for the darkness. “Whatever, are you able to see? I can a little but not much. It’s like we’re in a bunker or something.”
“Surprisingly, I can see pretty well. There’s a passageway to our left, but I can’t see where it leads. It looks like a tunnel,” she said and if it wasn’t for the sparkle of her green eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to see her in this darkness. “But we should wait for Jones, maybe he can throw down the box of matches to re-light the candles.”
“We can’t wait, it’s already been too long,” I said and stepped closer to where she said she saw a tunnel.
“Max, if he’s really down here, it doesn’t matter if we wait a couple minutes,” she said and I wanted to throttle her. Of course she doesn’t understand, she hasn’t been down here for over a month.
“No. He’s been down here for far too long, we’re not waiting a second more. Wait here for Jones and just yell if you need me,” I said and didn’t wait for her to respond.
I felt up the wall and could see a darker spot of empty space. I went through the passageway and could hear the echoes of Angela screaming my name. I wasn’t going back, I knew he was down there and it had been long enough. I was embarrassed he even had to wait almost two months for us to find him.
With my hands on either side of me, I walked tentatively with my palms against the wall to get a feel of where I was. The area was cold and it was only getting chillier. My vision was adjusting and I could just make out a dim glow a few feet ahead. I jogged toward it and entered a small room where a utility light was hanging from the ceiling; it flickered on and off. The light was barely strong enough to see anything, but it was enough for me to get a look at the cot that was on the far wall with a very old and unconscious man. I dropped the candle stick on the ground and ran to Jeremiel who hadn’t moved or said anything to acknowledge my presence.
“Jeremiel?” I said as I reached under his chin to his neck for a pulse. I couldn’t find it and I started to panic. No, no no no no. I laid a cheek on his chest, facing him and felt his chest rise slightly and a small, barely discernable breath escaped his nose. I wasn’t crying, but I could feel a few tears slide down my face and wet my cheeks.
With my right arm, I slid it behind him, under his arm and the other under his knees. With my knees bent and back straight, I lifted him up and he was dead weight. His head flopped back and he looked dead. But I knew he wasn’t. His body was cold, but this place was freezing, I reasoned. In a power walk, I went back the way I came from and almost ran the whole way. But no matter if I’m Nephilim, he was still heavy, but I pushed forward, I needed to get him out.
I got back to where I left Angela, just as a rope was thrown and swinging back and forth in front of her.
“Ang,” I said in a choked sob. She turned around and saw me with a frail Jeremiel in my arms.
“Oh God,” she whispered and ran to me, but I wouldn’t transfer him to her. I didn’t want to let go. I needed to protect him.
“Please, just help me get him up,” I said mechanically.
“Of course.” She ushered me to the swinging rope. “Are you going to be able to hold on to him?” I nodded. She wrapped the cord around me and tied it firmly from my left shoulder, across my chest and under my right arm and around.
“I don’t know if you’ll be able to cradle him like that, but you might want to grab some of the rope so it doesn’t tighten your chest so much and give you rope burn. Jones will pull you up until you reach the ladder again,” she said and I was only somewhat listening. I didn’t care about rope burn, I just needed to get Jeremiel out of this hell hole.
“Max is here!” Angela yelled. “He has Jeremiel, pull him up!” I felt a tug around my chest and soon, we were being lifted off the ground. The rope burned, but I paid it no mind, all I could do was stare at Jeremiels pale and wrinkled skin. He had thinned out and whoever—Samuel—was keeping him locked down there, was barely feeding him. His skin was sand paper rough and dry under my hands so I knew he needed water. He wore rags that just clung to his bones.
“I swear, I’ll kill whoever did this to you,” I whispered to him.
We reached the end of the ladder and I called out to Jones. “I got it!” I wrapped some of the excess cable around Jeremiel and held on with one hand, while the other grabbed on to the steps. I saw the light that was coming from the closet and pulled up with tired arms.
Jones reached in and helped me push the Angel of Prophecies up and out of the pit. As soon as we were in the clear, I carefully removed the cable and winced at the sore spot that probably held a bruise from the ropes grip.
“Send the line back down to Angela,” Jones said as he carried Jeremiel to the bed. I hesitated for a moment, thinking this is what she deserves, to rot down there where no one could hear her. But a glimpse at a frail Jeremiel, made me think otherwise. I dropped the rope.
“Are you good?” I asked and waited for a few seconds.
“Yeah, pull me up,” she said and I did just that.
As soon the door to the bunker was closed, I ran to Jeremiels side where Jones was administering First Aid.
“He’s extremely dehydrated and we need to get an IV going. Ang, can you make one for me?” she nodded and slipped out the room.
“We have IV’s?” I asked a little dumbfounded.
“No, but she can make one. It’s just salt, sugar and water. She knows the correct ratios, but actually he’ll also need some electrolytes, so go ask Ang if she can run to the store and get a crap ton of Gatorade,” Jones said.
I bolted down the stairs to the kitchen and nearly ran over Nikolai; paying him no mind, I found Angela boiling water over the stove.
“Jones said to get Gatorade,” I said as Niko followed behind me.
“What’s going on?” he asked and worry lines etched themselves on his forehead. “Max, you’re drenched in sweat, you’ve had plenty of time to rest.”
“We found Jeremiel,” I said, my voice detached from any emotions. I couldn’t believe he’d been suffering here, in his own home, for so long.
“The Angel of Prophecies? You found him, already?” Nikolai was stunned.
Angela turned and rubbed her eyes. “They had him locked up in some bunker, inside the house,” she said as her hands fisted at her sides. “Can you believe that? In his own home!”
“Guys, if they had him here, that means we aren’t alone. Either they’ll come to check on him, or someone’s already in the house,” Nikolai suggested.
“No, the house is empty. Jones did a sweep when we first arrived, but I can bet money that they come and check on him,” Angela said. I hadn’t even known he’d done that.
“What about the busted gate? If they come by and see we’re here, they might avoid us,” I said.
“They’ll think it’s some kids on vacation doing some vandalism. Since there’s no one at the security box, I’m surprised no one has done it already,” she said and I nodded. It’s not like we’re throwing house parties or making it obvious that we’re here.
“Do you know how to set up an IV, Niko?” Angela asked.
He was a little green in the face. “Uh…yeah,” he said.
“Can you set it up for Jeremiel while I run to the store?”
He shook his head. “No, don’t worry, I’ll go to the store. What do you guys need?” Angela gave him a list of things to get besides the Gatorade and Niko was out the door before she could give him the money.
“Seems like he might be a little squeamish when it comes to needles,” Angela joked and I tilted my head. I didn’t think that was it, but I’d have to ask Greed what that was all about later.
We went upstairs and while we let the saline cool down—it wasn’t that hot—we cleaned Jeremiel up and got him some clean clothes. He hadn’t woken up yet and I worried he wasn’t going to.
“Should we have taken him to the hospital? I don’t think we should be playing doctor,” I said a little jittery.
“We can’t go see a human doctor, Max. With no actual documentation to verify who he is, will be hard enough but if they find some…abnormal qualities in his blood work or x-rays, we’ll be in serious trouble,” Jones said. I sat in a chair beside Jeremiels bed, praying he would wake up soon. If there is a God, I hope he’s listening to me.
An hour later, Nikolai returned, but he wouldn’t come in the room; he waited by the door in the hallway. “I brought everything and placed it on the kitchen counter,” he said. Angela nodded and turned to us.
“I’m going to start making some Jello and rice for when he wakes up. Do you guys want anything?” Jones shook his head and I quirked an eyebrow. She chuckled and it sounded glorious. “Not Jello and rice together, Max. When he comes to, he needs to eat bland food to avoid an upset stomach, which is why I gave Niko the list of things to get. Gelatin is good for dehydration because it’s mainly made up of water.” For a second I forgot I hated her and watched as she schooled me on survival 101.
Once she left, I turned my attention back to Jeremiel but caught Jones watching me. “She’s not a bad person, Max. You need to learn to forgive when it’s deserved. And deep down, you know she didn’t mean to hurt Emily.”
“I know,” I said and was surprised at my own response. “It’s just easier to blame her.”
“You can’t, Max, it’s not right.” He sighed. “I know this may be weird coming from me, but there’s a connection between you two, that her and I can never have. We’ve tried, but it’s not easy for us because we’re your guardians. Don’t lose something special because it’s ‘easier’.”
“He’s right kid, remember what I told you, it’s a rare thing,” Nikolai said from the hallway and I forgot he was even there.
I rolled my eyes at both of them. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Since when did you two become such girls? Better yet, when did you decide to start agreeing with each other?” I said with a grin.
Jones scoffed and Nikolai snickered from behind me. Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t last, I don’t know why they don’t get along. If they ever did hang out, they’d be best friends, they’re both sarcastic and immature assholes.
“It’s because…they’re both…jealous…of each other,” a hoarse voice said next to me. I looked down to see an awake, Jeremiel.
“You’re awake!” I grabbed his hand and he softly squeezed it.
“Yes…Maximillion…I knew,” he took a deep breath, “you’d come for me.” My vision blurred from unshed tears, but I swallowed them back. I couldn’t look like a pansy in front of these guys.
“I’m sorry, Jeremiel, I’m so sorry. I should have come sooner,” I said, guilt evident in my voice.
“Nonsense. You came…that’s what matters,” he said as he tried to suck in as much air to talk.
“Try not to speak, Jeremiel. Once we get you stronger, we can catch up, yeah?” Jones said from the end of the bed and the Angel of Prophecies nodded.
“Rest,” I whispered to him. I gently squeezed his hand as he shut his eyes and a single tear slid down from the corner of his eye.
I placed his hand under the blanket so he’d stay warm, and Jones and I got up to leave so he could rest. We were almost to the door when I heard Jeremiel say something. I was by his side again with lightning speed. “Seer,” he croaked. “You…have to find…her. Max…go.” I watched as his eyes fought to stay open but he ended up losing that fight. I turned to Jones and Nikolai who were standing by the door.
“He said something about a Seer?” I repeated. They looked at each other and shrugged, not knowing what he was talking about.
I went downstairs to find Angela and see if she knew what he could be talking about. We found her in the kitchen again, and I never knew she was able to cook. She was not the girly type to even stand being in there, but it smelled delicious so she must know what she’s doing.
“How is he?” she asked when we entered, but didn’t turn around.
“He woke up,” I said and this time, she did turn to look at me. “He’s sleeping now, but he said something about a Seer? That I had to go find her, do you know anything about that?”
She leaned over the counter and her brows furrowed. “The only possible Seer—that I know of—that lives on the island is Lady Mandisa, but I don’t know where she’s located.”
“Why would he tell me to go see her?”
“I’m not sure, but we can ask around the port. They’re many fortune tellers that can tell us where she is or at least set up a meeting with her. She’s very private and keeps her location a secret, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was friends with Jeremiel,” Angela said.
“How come she’s so secretive?”
“This lady is old, Max. Like she was around during the caveman times, she doesn’t do well with people,” she said.
“Seers are rarely okay in the head anyways. Just look at how Sloth is, you met her, she’s cray cray,” Nikolai said as he tossed an apple in the air before biting it.
“Sloth?” Angela inquired.
“Yeah, another Nephilim. She’s a Seer as well, but she has some screws missing,” I said. “Hold on, you said she was around during the caveman times, do you think she maybe lives in a cave?” If this was the lady I met the last time I was here, then I knew where to find her, and it would make sense that Jeremiel knew that I had met her.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“I think I know her,” I said, astonished.
“Max, it seems to me that you know everyone,” Nikolai said in between bites.
I rolled my eyes. “I ran into her out in the woods the last time I was here. Remember I told you guys about that old lady who freaked me out when she started chanting?” Jones and Angela nodded. “I found her hidden inside of a cave, she was blind.”
“Seers tend to lose their sight with old age,” Greed said. “Do you remember exactly where you found her?” I felt the heat creep up my neck as I remembered my day with Sienna.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Then, first thing tomorrow we head out. It’s getting too late to go now,” Angela said but I shook my head.
“No, I think I should go alone. I don’t know why I have this funny feeling that Jeremiel didn’t want me to go with anyone,” I said and was met with three pairs of stern looks. Yikes, they do not like that idea. “I’m serious, let me do this on my own, I can handle myself.”
“It’s not that we don’t think you can’t handle yourself, it’s if Abbadon is around and takes the opportunity to get you while you’re alone. I have to agree with your guardians on this one, it’s too risky,” Nikolai said.
“He won’t, just trust me, okay?” They still weren’t convinced. “I�
�ll buy a rape whistle and you guys can wait for me on the beach, how does that sound?” Jones and Nikolai busted out laughing. Angela…not so much.
“This isn’t funny, Max and rape isn’t a joking matter,” she glared at the others who immediately shut up. “Seers are dangerous if you don’t know how to approach them. They get very confused with the past, present and future, they don’t always make sense.”
“I’m sorry, but I stand by what I say, I can handle myself.”
The three of them watched me for a good minute before, surprisingly, Jones was the one who relented. “Fine, but one of us waits on the beach for you, since we should stay here to watch Jeremiel.”
“I volunteer to escort!” Nikolai raised his hand.
“I’m sure you do. You just want to scope out the blondes on the beach,” I said with a knowing smirk. He grinned from ear to ear and I chuckled.
“Heck yeah, and if you’re smart, we can both check out the female crowd after you’re done with grandma,” he said and I saw Jones tense. Is that what Jeremiel meant? That Jones was possibly jealous that Nikolai was taking his place?
“He has no time for girls right now, go see Lady Mandisa and head straight back here,” Angela said.
“Uh-oh, your girlfriend has you on a tight leash, Max,” Niko said and I smirked. Was that Angela being jealous?
“Cut it out, Niko. She’s right, we need to come straight back and hope Jeremiel will be awake to talk,” I said. Hopefully after my visit with the Seer, I could talk to Jeremiel and he could tell me what was really going on.
27
Since Jeremiel was sleeping in his room, I took one of the extra guest rooms. Which wasn’t a problem, all these rooms were luxurious so it wasn’t like I was downgrading. And it didn’t matter if the bed was comfortable, it’s not like I was able to get a good night’s sleep with my mother chasing me around in my dreams. At least now I’ve learned to fight back, but she was still there—taunting me. After a shower, I got dressed and headed downstairs where everyone was hanging out in the kitchen. This seemed like our permanent, meet up area; maybe it was the food. I grabbed a banana and then plopped down on one of the dining table chairs next to Nikolai.
Greed (Sins of the Fallen Book 2) Page 17