by Mary Ting
“The one and only Tree of Knowledge? The one where the serpent convinced Adam and Eve to take the first bite?” I asked, beyond excited.
“Yup. The Tree of Knowledge was located in the Garden of Eden. It still remains there, except you could say it’s located on the Island of Eden now.”
“Sure, I would love to see it,” I replied.
“It’s getting late. You can go back to your room and sleep while you wait for him or…you can rest your head on my shoulder and fall asleep while you look up at the stars.”
“I’d rather look up at the stars.” I rested my head on his shoulder, gazing at the dazzling lights. After a while, I was fighting to keep my eyes open, but it was getting late and still he didn’t show.
“He’ll come.” Austin said, sensing my concern. “He has no sense of time. He’s not so perfect, you know.”
I giggled
and thought about Gamma and Mom .
Chapter Twenty-Three
When Claudia rested her head against Austin’s shoulder, his heart went flaccid, and he felt like he was swallowed up by her. How she made him feel vulnerable and weak by her touch, he could not explain, nor did he want to. As he jabbered away about the constellations, she started to glide lower and curled her body into him. She must have been extremely exhausted, he thought. She wouldn’t usually have snuggled up to him like that. Unsure if she felt cold from the breeze, he draped his wing completely around her and savored the moment, having her here alone with him.
Michael transported to Island of Eden and found himself standing behind Austin and Claudia. The countless stars sparkled across the night sky, and the moon glistened across the water in the darkness. A romantic spot, Michael thought as his eyes pierced through Austin’s wings. Claudia’s head was resting on Austin’s lap. He felt a little sting of jealousy running through his veins, seeing her comforted by his embrace, especially at the thought of them sharing this breathtaking view together. But he knew better than to worry; she loved him. A part of him wondered if she cared about Austin more than even she knew. After all, they did spend time together and Austin was very smooth with the ladies, or so he was told.
“You’re late,” Austin challenged.
“You didn’t put up your shield?” Michael asked, but his tone sounded more reprimanding.
“I knew you were on your way. You don’t want to be blocked out like the last time, do you?” Austin mocked, gloating.
“Next time, knowing I would come or not, put up that shield. What are you going to do, fight by yourself?”
“Don’t forget about the watchers behind me. You do remember them, don’t you?”
“Not enough…doesn’t matter. You need to take all precautions, especially when it comes to Claudia’s safety.”
“What are you, my mother?” Austin huffed. “I’ve been around long enough to know what I need. Don’t tell me what to do. Anyway, you’re late,” Austin reminded him again.
“No need to remind me. I was following a demon.” Michael now stood in front of them.
“Better late than never I suppose. You seem to be doing that quite often these days. Found anything?” Austin’s eyes met his.
“Someone has to. And I think you are putting a lot of trust in Michelle and Gracie. I saw them talking to a demon. I followed them but came up empty-handed.”
“It is not I who trust them. I don’t trust anyone except for my close friends. And you’re not one of them.”
“It doesn’t concern me if you trust me or not. When it comes to Claudia’s safety, I need to take matters into my own hands.”
“Venators work together. We call it teamwork.”
“You’ve worked together for many centuries. This is our first assignment, our first time out of Crossroads.”
“It must kill you that you can’t be with her, as I can.”
Michael didn’t say a word. The day would come when he would have to leave her. “I’ll find a way,” he muttered. “even if I’m damned to Hell. I’ll find a way to be with her.”
“I guess Hell will have to wait.” Austin carefully gathered his wings, revealing Claudia fast asleep.
Michael overflowed with love and excitement at the sight of her.
“She is a lot stronger than you think.” Austin stood up effortlessly and gingerly placed Claudia in Michael’s arms.
As Michael drew her into his body, he released a light sigh. How he had missed her, and a feeling of belonging and comfort rushed through. “I know.” Then Michael gingerly enclosed her with his wings. He looked at Austin with a quick smile to say thanks and laughed to himself as he prepared to say something he knew would throw Austin off. “Peace out,” Michael said, leaving Austin speechless from his words.
Austin gave a short snort and shook his head.
Gently, Michael lay her down on her bed. When he reached over for her blanket, his eyes fell on his T-shirt. Chuckling, he guided her hands, crossing one arm over it. Tenderly, he stroked her hair and her cheeks. “Te amo,” he whispered into her ears. Michael walked to her desk, picked up a piece of paper and pen, and started writing.
My dearest Claudia,
I am sorry I was late. I have a meeting with Margaret, so I won’t be here when you awake. I love you with every beat of my heart, and if my heart stops beating, I’ll love you still.
In my heart, in my soul—M
Then he sat back on the side of her bed and gave her a feather-light kiss on her lips. He snapped his head to the right, sensing a presence. “Good to see you, Davin,” Michael said, knowing he was right behind him.
“Good to see you too, Mr. Houdini.”
“Who done what?”
Davin let out a chuckle. “No. Mr. Houdini. The greatest magician, who could make himself disappear. I stumbled upon it when searching through the net.”
“Oh,” Michael said lightly. “Big deal. I can make myself disappear.”
Davin chuckled again. “You know it’s not the same.”
“I know.”
Davin sensed Michael’s foul mood. “You know you don’t have to do things yourself. We are here to help you.”
“I know, but sometimes a situation presents itself and I can’t wait. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll never doubt you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. But I’ll tell you something.”
Davin sat on Claudia’s chair, making himself comfortable. “I’m all ears. What’s going on?”
“I don’t trust Michelle and Gracie. I saw them talking to a demon, but I couldn’t hear their conversation. Then afterwards, I tried to follow the demon, but I think it knew it was being followed.”
“Maybe they were just trying to get information?”
“Perhaps, but though I know they were told to get information and lure a demon to find Aliah’s hideout, something doesn’t add up. Aliah couldn’t have taken the death crystal when he was cast away. Someone gave it to him. That is my theory.”
“Are you going to confront them with this information?”
“No. I need to track them longer. Austin and Trinity take turns watching over them; I’ll ask Trinity to see what she can find out.”
“Can you trust Trinity?”
“Yes,” Michael said with certainty.
“Are you sure?”
“If Katherine can trust her, then so can I. I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.”
“I’m just asking…that’s all. And if you can, then so shall I. Margaret told me to come and get you. I suppose she’ll be keeping you up to date.
“I suppose,” Michael said wearily. Not wanting to leave, Michael exhaled a deep breath. “I better go. You take good care of her.”
“You know I will. Now give me a hug before you leave.” Davin leaned in for a hug.
“What? A hug?” Michael asked, chuckling.
“You know, when you put your arms around me.”
“I know what a hug is. It’s just that…”
Michael di
dn’t get to finish his words. Davin dove in for a quick hug. “Now, that wasn’t so bad was it? You be careful too, and keep us informed.”
“I’ll try to telepathically tell you next time, but it isn’t my strongest point. Not only that, the demons can pick up on the vibes, and they will know someone is watching them.”
“Okay. But do try your best. Oh, before I forget. You need to ask Claudia to the Valentine’s dance before some other guy asks her.”
“A Valentine’s dance? And what other guy?”
“During winter break, I snooped around school to see if there were any signs of Nicholas, which there weren’t. I saw students posting flyers about it. I looked it up. It’s a day where loved ones celebrate each other. The day is named after a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. Though there are several legends regarding this man, I’ll tell you the one I like. So the story goes …when Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Hmmm…sounds like us…sort of. Anyway, Valentine defied Claudius and performed marriages for the young lovers in secret. When he was discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. What a jerk! So, while in prison, he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, he wrote her a letter and signed ‘From your Valentine,’ and apparently, that expression is still in use today. They even have a dance because of him. Way to go, Valentine. So…you going to the dance or not?”
“Oh. You know I don’t like to attend those things, but I will for Claudia if she wants to go.”
“Dude…”
“Dude? Have you forgotten my name?” Michael gave Davin a confused look.
Davin chuckled. “Dude means like ‘hey’ or something you call another guy.”
“Oh.” Michael furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to continue.
Davin spoke before Michael had a chance to say anything else. “You need to ask her, but you have to make it special. And the other guy…that would be me. You know how I love to shake it.”
Michael frowned at Devin, even knowing Davin was joking. “Okay. Got it. Thanks for letting me know. It’s difficult to keep everything straight—Claudia’s schedule and trying to catch these demons. More so because humans’ lives are too complicated; there is so much going on.”
“Lucky you have me,” Davin reassured and smacked Michael hard on the back.
Michael gave Davin an annoyed look. He didn’t appreciate the smack. Then he gazed his eyes on Claudia who was fast asleep, taking one last mental picture of her. His heart felt utterly heavy as he disappeared.
Aliah looked down at his hazy reflection. He saw a face with strong, high cheekbones and supple lips and eyes, blue as the perfect cloudless sky. How beautiful, he thought, as he saw himself right before he had become a fallen. Then, with a blink of his eyes, he saw his true reflection. His face looked thin and bony, his lips only a thin line, and his eyes cold and dark like the deathly storm. Looking beyond, his eyes focused on his once alabaster, glorious wings, now wilted and pallid with a mixture of gray and black, looking more pathetic then majestic.
Anger pounded through him so fast that without thinking, he slapped the water to see no more. “Ahhh!” he shouted in pain as the acid sizzled on his fingers, and as his body performed its healing magic, he turned as he sensed a presence. “Stupid demons. Why do their tears have to be acidic?”
“You trapped them in the walls of this cave, you remember?” the visitor said, surprising Aliah.
“That was many lifetimes ago. They are still trapped. Hopefully, soon they will be released. They would have to possess mortal souls to become strong again. One step at a time, I suppose. First I need to find a way to get them out. It’s too bad you can’t. Your soul is almost as dark as mine. But…what a nice surprise! I thought you would no longer be contacting me. Did you come to give me your healing crystal? You do remember I gave those to all of you.”
“Yes, I remember. I will keep mine since it was a gift not just from you but from all the Royal Council members. You should have given us two each…then I would give you my spare one. Now you’ll have to steal one,” the visitor insisted. “I wanted to stop by to make sure the plan is succeeding.”
“Indeed it is,” Aliah smirked. “Soon, they’ll believe she is a traitor. They will point their blame on her.”
“And how are you going to do this?” he asked.
“You shall see.”
The visitor’s wings closed, revealing Kyle, who was in the clutch of the visitor’s hand. Kyle was dreadfully wounded; the wounds that were inflicted by Austin were badly infected. The visitor tossed Kyle in front of Aliah. “This is your plan?” the visitor asked angrily. “If you cannot control your demons to do our task, then I will get someone else!”
“Don’t threaten me. I am your superior! Need I remind you that you are part of my plan? I can get rid of any plan if I so wish…you understand?” Aliah huffed in fury.
“Yes.” The visitor’s head lowered meekly.
“Now, what shall I do with you?” He looked at Kyle with discontentment. Kyle had shamed him and made him look like a fool. This he could not forgive. “I told you not to disappoint me again. I don’t give second chances. It’s a good thing I have Nicholas who is reliable.”
“You may want to get rid of him,” the visitor suggested, indicating Kyle. “He has swallowed a pill. It’s like a tracking device where we can monitor his movement. The venator must have made him swallow it so that they could track him to you.”
“What?!?! These weaklings have no idea of the power and strength I hold in the Betweens. Let them find me. I’ll kill all of them!”
Then Aliah turned to Kyle, who was slithering away, trembling. “Master, the fallen were too weak. We were ambushed. They knew we were coming. Someone…”
Before Kyle could finish, Aliah hurled him into the pool of water. The visitor turned away, unable to witness Kyle melting and crying out for help. His body sizzled into nothing but bones, and then disappeared.
Feeling disgusted, Aliah turned to the visitor. “I need more death crystals.”
“I can’t give you any more. Since they know you got a hold of them, they’re heavily guarded.”
“Find a way,” Aliah heaved. “I need more.”
“You’ll just have to gather more fallen to help you. Like I said before, it is impossible. If I could, I would. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”
Aliah sighed furiously with irritation. “Were you able to find Aden’s sword at least?”
“Yes,” the visitor said proudly.
“Do they know it’s not in their possession?”
“No, not yet. And I’ll make sure they point the blame on one of the alkins.”
“Very well. Proceed as planned,” Aliah said. Then he
vanished.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was the first day back to school after winter break. I was distracted by the Valentine’s dance posters—so was everybody else. I wondered if I would be going. The venators decided to keep their eyes on me from a distance since the demons showed no movement, and they could not find a way to get close to one. But every once in awhile, Austin would bump into me between classes to make sure I was fine or to say something to make me laugh. It almost felt like everything was back to normal. Vivian was on watch after school, and I could not wait to see her.
After I settled my backpack and myself inside my room, I plunked on my bed to do homework and anxiously waited for her. Intensely focused on my work, I hadn’t noticed anyone inside my room until I looked up, wondering where Vivian was. I snapped myself up on my bed when I was startled by the sight of Trinity.
“I’m sorry. Did I scare you?” she said so tenderly that her tone was believable.
I wondered how long she had been there just staring at me. “I…I…was expecting Vivian or…” I wanted to say someone else besides you.
“Vivian asked me t
o keep an eye on you. She had a few things to do.”
Like what? I wanted to say, but didn’t. “Oh,” I said, feeling extremely awkward. “Well, I’d better get to my studies. I have a quiz tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for her response. I focused my eyes on the first available notebook.
“Actually, I’m supposed to take you to Michael, unless you’d rather study.”
I flashed my eyes to hers. “Where is Michael?” I asked, wondering why he wasn’t here himself. Then I wondered if he had something special planned for us; but why would he ask Trinity? Unless, he wanted to prove to me she didn’t care about him. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” She opened her beautiful, pearl white wings and gestured for me to go to her.
I took a couple of steps toward her, and she spoke again. “You know you can’t be with him, don’t you?”
I stopped abruptly, staggered by the sudden difference in her tone, and gazed into her eyes, asking for further explanation.
“It’s hopeless to think that you have a future together.” She swiftly folded her wings to closed, and I stood there listening to what she had to say, even though I didn’t want to. “I mean, he can’t even be here with you. You’ll grow old with wrinkles, and he will remain his youthful age forever. Do you think he’ll still want you then? Have you thought of that?”
“I don’t see how this is any of your concern,” I replied with an even tone, though I was brewing inside with anger.
“You’re right. It’s none of my concern; however, I just wanted you to remember…just in case Michael forgot to tell you. I don’t know how much he has shared with you. After all, I know him better than anyone,” she smirked.
I didn’t want to talk to her anymore. She was furiously irritating me. How could Michael send her to get me when he knew exactly how I felt about her?
“I just want to remind you that in the end, you’ll end up hurting him, so you should let him go. I’m not saying this so that he’ll run back to me. I’m worried that he’ll be damned. Don’t you care about his soul?”