MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1)

by Valerie Roeseler

  Her arm slides off my shoulder, “There's no reason for you not to believe in yourself, Ivy. This is your army. You were created to destroy enemies like Lucian. It’s in your nature and essence. This is who you are. This is your destiny.”

  “Yeah, sure. No pressure.”

  “I know you’re stressed out. You’ve had to take everything you know and put it aside. You're not the same Ivy I met two months ago. She was reckless, arrogant, and barely keeping her head above water. Now, you're vigilant—still arrogant, but modestly so—and you’ve discovered your purpose. You're lethal when you need to be and compassionate about those you care about. And you have us. We're here to assist you in achieving the greatness you're destined for. We won’t let you down. It's crucial that you not only believe in us, but have faith in yourself as well.”

  Her words move me, and I'm overcome with eagerness to triumph. I hug her, sending my love through our touch. Then, I'm engulfed in a pair of massive arms from behind. The familiar sensation of playful brotherly love assails me, and I know it's Beckett. “Beck,” I wheeze from the lack of oxygen he's allowing me. “What are you doing?”

  “Awe, I just couldn’t resist the love fest going on without me,” he chides.

  “Well, I sort of can’t breathe!” I utter hoarsely.

  He releases us, “Sorry. Chief wants to talk to you.”

  “Oh, so now you’re a message boy?” I tease.

  His arms fold over his chest. “No. He just can’t get away from Thea’s onslaught of objections,” he gestures to Solas with a quick jerk of his head.

  Wandering to the table where Thea's expressing her protests with wild arms, Solas catches my approach and grins with amusement. He's not listening to a word she's saying, and she notices. She growls and stomps over to Eric in effort to get him to see her side. Skirting the table, Solas pulls me against his solid body and kisses my temple. “I thought she'd never shut up,” he says, his breath caressing my ear.

  I chuckle as he pulls back from me, “Beck said you needed me.”

  “That I do, princess,” his eyes sparkle with mischief. “I overheard you and Alice.” I grimace, wrinkling my nose. “I think I can make you feel more comfortable going into this.”

  “How?”

  “You know how to fight. No one doubts your abilities there.” He lowers his voice, adding, “I’m sure you could even take out a Griffin if you were so inclined.” I shake my head as he smiles. “Lucian doesn’t realize we're aware of their plans, and that gives us an advantage. We'll take cover and wait for them to present themselves before we attack.”

  I survey the maps on the table, trying to make connections with what he's saying. “I don’t understand. There’s eighty acres, and seventy percent of that is open land. How do you expect to hide over two-hundred of us? We won’t all fit in the manor.”

  “Camouflage. We have narrow slash patterns for those who will be in the grassy areas, and more blotchy patterns for those within the trees. You'll be here,” he says, pointing to the barn.

  “The barn? Seriously? I’ll be like a sitting duck in there.”

  “You'll be in the loft area at the top of the barn. Since there are only two entrances, you'll have an advantage. If anyone comes into that barn, you come down on them hard. Don’t let up. As long as you can incapacitate them, drag them into a stall so they can't be detected. Do it as quietly as you can so you don’t alert others within the vicinity. Understand?”

  I nod, “Yeah, but once they're unconscious, how long will they be out for?”

  “At the most, you'll have two hours. At the least, you'll have fifteen minutes. After ten minutes, I want you to move out and change position.”

  “Where do I go?”

  “That depends on the situation. If all is quiet and you don’t hear anything stir, you'll make your way to this group of trees on the edge of the property,” he indicates the area on the map. “Cassius will be there waiting for you.”

  “Ok, and if all hell's broken loose—no pun intended—where do I go?”

  “If that's the case, you'll take one of the horses and ride as fast as you can to this point here,” he points to the center of an open field on the opposite side of the property. “I’ll be here. Find me. And as long as we're both still on the property, we should still be able to communicate through my telepathy.”

  “Ok,” I breathe.

  Solas reads my apprehension, “I know what you’re thinking. If you’re captured, don’t fight. Save your energy for when you'll need it. I'll follow you wherever you're taken.”

  “What if you lose the trail?”

  “I'll always find you, Ivy,” he teases with confidence in his words, but his tone's soft and thoughtful.

  Over the next nine hours, the rest of the Griffin army arrives in groups of twenty. Our two days left of waiting becomes one. No one sleeps. Solas continues to explain the various positions to be maintained and by whom. He indicates where the many caches of weapons will be hidden and what they'll contain. I question why we're not using guns, but he advises against it because bullets don't have any effect on angelic beings, just pisses them off. So, I prepare myself for the archaic barbarian way of combat to ensue within hours.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Alice says, joining us.

  “Hey.”

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and get some rest? Grab a little something to eat from the kitchen on your way up. You need the energy.”

  Momma bird, I laugh to myself. “I don’t want to sleep while there's so much to be done.”

  “The Griffins are going to take their positions tonight. We don’t know a time frame for the attack, so we'll all be on alert. Eric and I will keep watch inside. Get as much rest as you can.”

  “Are you sure?” She nods, and I turn to Solas conversing with a group Griffins a few feet from us. I know he's listening. “What about you?” I ask him.

  He excuses himself and joins us. Wrapping an arm around my back and hugging me to his side, he says, “I’ll be up in just a little while. Once everyone's in position, I'll join you.” He kisses my cheek, and I love the feel of soft prickles from his five o'clock shadow. It makes me want to drag him upstairs with me.

  I concede to their suggestion, but skip eating. My stomach's in knots. I can’t stop worrying about the many disasters that could happen in the next few hours. Trudging the stairs to the third floor, my feet drag across the red carpet. Face first, I crash on my bed as if I just got home from an all-night drunken bender. Sleep's easier to come by than I expect.

  The dreamless sleep I was hoping for blends into a tirade of flashes like a movie reel. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was dying and my life’s flashing before my eyes. The scene of my adoptive parents arguing while I hide in the darkness on the stairs plays in silence as I watch Frank slap Ruth across the face. A little boy introduces himself and we become best friends. I observe us growing, getting older, and getting into mischief. Intermittent flashes of red eyes in the darkness begin separating the scenes. Another flash, and I’m turning over inside my car, rolling off of the side of a cliff. Shards of glass dance around me in slow motion. It almost feels like I’m floating in space, surrounded by millions of diamond-like stars. Then it stops. I’m upside down and bleeding, calling for help. Gideon stands close by. Immediately, I know I’m dreaming because he has wings. Their magnificence shimmer yellow from the light of the moon overhead. Then he's gone.

  I transcend to the day I moved in with Alice. Her smiling face greets me in the doorway with Eric at her side. Scenes flash by faster. Red eyes. Jack. Practice with the girls. Jack. Trey. Beleth. The dungeon of The Keep. Trey. Blood on my hands. The scenes slow on Solas’ face as he rises from a bow next to Beleth. His eyes broaden as he stares at me across the table. My surroundings disappear and are replaced with Jack in my arms and my father standing by my side. Images merge, speeding up again, and I’m flying with Cass and Beck. I’m back on campus again. I’m training.

  The flashes
stop on the quiet peacefulness of the Veil. Jack's there. He begins walking towards me from under the colorless oak tree in the distance. There's no mistaking it's him. He smiles that million dollar smile, and my heart jumps into my throat.

  “Ivy,” Solas whispers and brushes my hair from my face to waken me from my restless slumber.

  My heart's torn open again with the choice between Jack and Solas. I remind myself Jack's gone. I attempt a forced smile at Solas, but it feels sluggish. “Hey,” I croak.

  “It’s time. They're close. We need to get ready,” he says in a low voice of secrecy.

  I jump from the bed, wide awake with his warning. We keep the lights off in the dark room in case the enemy is watching for us to stir. I quickly put on a camouflage jumpsuit he hands me and a matching beanie to cover my black hair. We quietly speed down to the basement to meet Alice and Eric. Alice is smearing different shades of green face paint over Eric’s face, neck, and ears. She's hardly recognizable herself with her features covered in splotchy goo. I pick up a pair of gloves as she calls out to me, “You’re next.”

  After I’m painted up, I spin to Solas, “I love you.”

  He hesitates, then pulls me to him, “I love you too.” His lips crush mine with hasty passion. “I'll see you soon.”

  Alice sneaks with me to the barn and hurries to her position with Eric in the back garden. I tiptoe to Max’s stall and open it without a sound. “You ready, boy?” I ask, petting his mane. I turn on my heels and cross over to Andromeda’s stall to open her gate as well. “I know you’re ready,” I smooth out a tuft of hair laying between her ears over her forehead. Leaving their stalls open, I ascend the ladder into the loft and pull it up behind me. I take a prone position where I can see through the back entrance of the barn, assuming they won’t be stupid enough to come through the front.

  The waiting game begins. As the sun begins to rise on the Tuesday morning, the temperature doesn’t change. My breath flows from my mouth in bursts of fog. As to not give away my position, I start breathing through my nose. Seconds become minutes, and the minutes turn into an hour. Where the hell are they? My skin burns from the cold. My eyes start to droop when I notice a tiny, white particle float to the ground outside the barn doors. Opening my eyes wider, I see another, then another. Fuck! It’s snowing! The camouflage is useless. The snow starts falling faster and sticking to the ground. I call out to Solas in my mind, hoping he can hear me. It’s snowing! What do we do?

  His response is immediate. "We were prepared. In the corner of the loft is a hay bale. Lift it up. You'll find snow camo with a hat and gloves." I cross over to the hay bale in the corner and find the change of clothes. Solas continues to whisper in my head, "Use the green camo to wipe your face as best you can. We'll have to take our chance without face paint.

  Got it. I’m glad you were thinking ahead.

  "That was Alice, actually."

  I smile as I finish dressing and squeeze the gloves on. Of course it was. Right as I pull a white camo beanie over my hair, I hear a snap of a twig close by. They’re here, I whisper to Solas as if I could be heard.

  "Remember what I told you, Ivy. Don’t let up. Fight with everything you’ve got."

  I hear Max shuffle in his stall with warning and drop back to my stomach in a prone position. A long shadow approaches the back entrance of the barn. It stops, and I hold my breath. My heart pounds with anticipation, and I calm myself before it can be heard. The shadow shrinks away, withdrawing from the entrance.

  Lingering a few seconds to make sure they're not coming back, I slink forward to the edge of the loft for a better view. Everything's perfectly still. The electricity in the air is palpable from the amount of enemies surrounding us. With the stealth of a ghost, I rise to my knees and slowly stand. I retrieve the bow and quiver leaning against the wall of the loft. Sliding the strap of the quiver over my head to rest on my back, I slip a white feathered arrow from the case. I take a knee, knock my arrow, and aim at the back entrance from the far corner of the loft. Anticipation builds inside me, and I have to steady my heartbeat and breathing again.

  Andromeda nickers softly, which is unlike her character. I lean forward to peek over the edge again. CRASH! The roof of the loft caves in with an explosion. Splinters of wood fly down with a massive beast of a Fallen angel. I keep my kneeled position, arrow at the ready. When he stands to his full height, which I image to be seven feet tall, I don’t hesitate in letting my arrow fly. The arrow spins midair and spears its target with a soft thud. Blood oozes over the white feathers protruding from the center of the target’s neck. The angel’s eyes bulge as he falls to his knees. Wasting no time, I pounce on his body and wrench his head until it snaps. As his vertebrae shudder through my palms, I gingerly lay the beast down.

  I don’t know why I’m still trying to be silent. It’s not like no one could hear him crash through the barn. The hole in the roof gives away my position, and I'm forced to move. Distinct clinking of swords in the distance grow louder with each second. I step under the hole in the roof to see what I can. A shockwave of tremors accompany my disbelief. The amount of Fallen angels sailing and diving in chaotic patterns is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, but this is far worse.

  Their insidious wings contrast against the pure white falling snow, which is blanketing the ground now. I knock another arrow and aim at one of the beasts above me. I open my hand, releasing the arrow, and it punctures the scapular of the angel’s wing. As he twists midair, I knock arrow after arrow and assault his falling form. When I'm out of arrows, I drop my bow and quiver, jump down from the loft, and rush into Andromeda’s stall. I uncover a broadsword from beneath the hay in the corner and mount her. “Ready, Ani?” She shifts her weight in response. "HA!" I call out, commanding her with the kick of my heels against her sides.

  We charge out of the barn towards the gardens beside the manor. Eric rips the wings from a Fallen with his foot planted between the enemies extremities. Alice is on her back with a dark angel readying himself for the kill as he shifts his sword from hand to hand. I pull Andromeda’s reigns to the right and slice the angel’s arm off. I twist in the saddle and witness Alice spring from the ground. She nods to me, and I continue through the gardens to reach the open field on the other side.

  Snow blankets the ground covered in blood, feathers, and dead bodies. The Griffins attack from above in full animal form. Their screeching battle cries pierce my ears. I spot Solas in the distance and squeeze Andromeda’s sides, urging her faster. White and red snow kicks up beneath us in dust clouds. I lean forward and ready my sword again. I slice through random black wings, throats, and arms as I pass them.

  A female dark angel lands before us with her wings spread wide as she crouches down and snarls. Her ebony skin makes her red eyes glow bright with iniquity. Andromeda rears up and kicks at the beast as a powerful body slams into my side, taking me down. I hit the ground hard and lose my sword.

  The dark angel that took me down sits on my chest and growls as he chokes me with his bare hands. His wickedness is like lightening through his fingertips. My hair swarms in my face as I squirm beneath his grip. His anger becomes my anger, and my lack of oxygen becomes the least of my worries. Reaching both hands above me, I rip my gloves from my fingers. I slap his ears in unison and watch as his equilibrium wavers. His grip never falters. I push my arms up between his and try to pry his hands away. When they start to give, I use my head like a battering ram and slam my forehead into his face—signature Ivy move when I'm in a bind. He releases my throat with a thunderous roar. Wrapping my leg around his waist, I roll on top of him.

  “Ivy!” I hear Solas call out. I glance up just in time to catch the dagger he tosses me. “Duck!” he warns.

  I lean forward and plunge the dagger into my enemy’s throat as Solas dives over us. When I sit back up, I twist around and witness Solas decapitate the female angel with the red eyes. His wide stance faces away from me, his breathing's labored, and dark blood streams of
f his outstretched Katana blade, trickling to the ground and staining the snow. The world seems to fall away in silence.

  I rise from the ground and he turns to me. “Have you seen Lucian?” I ask him.

  “No. Have you?” he grits through his clenched teeth.

  “No.”

  He growls in response. I step closer to him with caution until our cold breaths entwine. His anger and frustration melds with my own as I touch his cheek. “Are you ok?”

  His stern expression falls soft, “Yeah. You?”

  “I think I’m ok,” I reply as I scan the carnage surrounding us.

  “They’re retreating,” Solas says as I drop my hand from his face.

  Looking to the sky, I watch as hundreds of dark angels flee. “That was too easy,” I note.

  Solas sheaths his Katana over his shoulder. “They were testing us. That’s why Lucian never showed. He wanted to see what our forces were capable of. This won’t be the last we see of them.”

  Three massive Griffins land next to us, causing the ground to quake. With a loud screech from each of them, I stare as they shake their bodies like wet dogs. The metamorphosis is breathtakingly frightening. The fur and feathers of their bodies disappear beneath their skin. Their claws morph into fingers then hands, breaking and reconstructing at awkward angles in the process. Their back paws transmute into bare feet, and all three rise naked before us.

  I avert my eyes to Solas, guarding them with the cup of my hand. The last thing I want to do is witness Cass and Beck in their birthday suits again. I take my snow camo jacket off and toss it to Thea. She catches it and slides it on. Solas follows suit and tosses his to Beckett.

  “What? Don’t act like you don’t want to see me in all my glory,” Beckett mocks.

  “And what glory would that be, Becky?” Eric calls out as he approaches from behind. Beck mumbles an insult with a rumbling growl deep in his chest. Eric releases Alice’s hand to take off his jacket and give it to Cass. As the brothers tie the jackets around their waists to cover themselves as best they can, Eric's violet eyes bounce between Solas and me, “No sign of the Prince?”