The Angel

by Blaire Hammond

  Rushing through the streets, they reached what had once been a science school and had been transformed into a workspace. Laura knew it wasn’t the only lab across the world that Erebus had up and running, but the satisfaction of seeing it before her was still strong.

  ‘Laura!’ Grace cried, as something slammed into her side.

  Laura stumbled back, catching sight of the Wicked that had dove at her. His grey eyes watched her intensely as he bared his teeth, readying to tackle her to the ground. She swung her sword around without a second thought, slicing it through the air towards him. He jumped back, darting away from her blade and drawing his own weapon.

  He didn’t have a chance to meet her blows however, for Drew appeared, cutting his sword through the air and straight into the Wicked’s neck. He toppled to the ground, blood spurting from the wound.

  ‘Come on,’ Drew said, and Laura nodded, stepping over the body.

  She’d grown accustom to the sight of the dead, but that didn’t make it any easier on her, knowing she and her friends were taking lives. It wouldn’t be something she simply got over. Maybe she’d grown less afraid of doing what was required of her, but that would never change the sorrow that settled in her heart at the knowledge that she had stolen the futures of many. She would never forget what she’d done in order to survive.

  They sprinted up the steps to the lab, meeting the Wicked guarding the building with the weapons ready. Laura had her power at the surface, and before they even knew what was happening, Laura was reaching into the air around them and snapping through their necks. It was quick and easy, and that was perhaps what sickened Laura the most.

  Nonetheless, each guard went down one after another, barely seconds after they’d drawn their swords. Drew and Grace scarcely needed to move, though the look of shock that they had on their faces was enough to convince Laura that perhaps she was a little scary.

  They didn’t acknowledge what she’d done, they knew and understood why she had to do it. She hoped, anyway. The three of them simply charged through the door, taking on the next wave of Wicked. Laura took the opportunity to use her sword again, saving her gift for later. She didn’t want to burn herself out.

  Four Mariadies appeared through the entrance behind them, entering the battle and defeating the Wicked in mere seconds. Laura had never seen anyone fight with such swift and accurate movements. Even Stella and Leo, who were the best Enchanted she knew, didn’t match up.

  Drew and Grace were just as stunned as they stepped away, allowing the Mariadies to finish the job. One turned to them, flashing them a vicious smile through the blood splattered across her face. Laura was a little frightened, she couldn’t deny that. But the Mariadies took up their weapons and darted through the lab, taking down Wicked after Wicked.

  They were a blur of movement, so fast Laura could barely see what they were doing. It was as though it were a well memorised dance to them, the way they spun and dived and wielded their swords.

  After a moment, Laura realised they’d managed to clear the whole entrance, allowing the three of them to continue easily to the second floor.

  ‘You lot go, we’ve got this floor covered,’ the woman yelled across to them before disappearing through a door.

  Laura didn’t wait a moment longer, turning to the staircase and taking it two at a time, Drew and Grace ahead of her. Two Wicked emerged at the top, one holding a bow and arrow. He fired, but Laura slammed up a barrier of power around them, sending the arrow spiralling off in another direction.

  The two Wicked stepped back from the stairs in shock, but Laura sent a wave of power for them, slamming them up against the wall. As she reached the top of the stairs, she pushed hard against the power, pressing them further and further into the plaster.

  The first Wicked with the bow and arrow slumped after a moment, the second one following suit instants later. Laura puffed out a breath, the sweat beading on her forehead and neck growing prickly and uncomfortable. Her battle gear was warm against her skin, but she pressed on.

  More Wicked appeared, and Drew and Grace were already spinning through the air towards them, daggers and swords soaring. Lightning shot from Drew’s fingers as he took down one Wicked, and Grace sent a dagger hurtling towards another, taking her out in only a second.

  Laura dug deep, pulling up her ball of fire she’d used against Megan in practice in the past and shot it at another Wicked who had set his eyes on her. He staggered backwards, and Grace stabbed him through the chest. Drew kicked out at him, sending him flailing into another Wicked, and Laura used another shot of fire to throw them to the ground, the flames burning them up.

  The Mariadies materialised with two other groups, entering the battle and taking down more and more Wicked. It felt like they’d been fighting for hours, when in reality it had all taken less than five minutes. With the Mariadies on their side, they were unstoppable.

  They swept through the third and fourth floor, a force to be reckoned with, taking down Wicked after Wicked. Laura knew that there was always a chance some of them were Enchanted that had been converted, but she understood they couldn’t save everyone. She hated it. Hated that there wasn’t a way of distinguishing them so they didn’t hurt them. But there simply wasn’t an easy, spur of the moment way.

  They took back the lab in less than half an hour, slicing through the Wicked as if they were wax. Just as they were making their way through the rooms, checking for any missed Wicked, someone arrived, telling them that they’d pushed the Wicked back to the seas and had succeeded in gaining back the city.

  Laura slumped with relief. They’d done it – and they had saved a number of Humans in the process. There were a lot that had yet to be experimented on, and they were rushed from the building, taken to safety back at camp. Those that had been experimented on were helped back to Erine, who would set to work undoing whatever had been done. Any papers or vials were transported back as well.

  Laura hoped he could help the Humans. She knew what it was like for one to be thrown into something that one had never asked for. The only difference was she belonged in the Spirit World. The Humans did not.

  Nonetheless, it was a small step in the right direction. Erine was smart, Oscar had promised them that if anyone could work out how to help the Humans, it would be him. So Laura trusted he would do whatever possible to succeed.

  In spite of everything, they’d rescued another city. They’d pushed more Wicked out to the seas where Enchanted waited to cut them down before they could escape further. They were making progress. It would be a long road, but she was starting to believe that they could defeat Erebus once and for all.

  ~

  Caspian was silent as he, Oscar and Reya made their way back to the base. It had been another successful mission, and yet Caspian felt worse than he ever had. Not only because he’d seen just how bad the war had become, but, as stupid as it sounded, he’d seen just how well Reya and Oscar had worked together.

  It had soon become clear to him that they’d spent a lot of hours training together in the past. Oscar knew Reya’s every move, and Reya was ready for all of Oscar’s. They worked in a harmony Caspian had only ever seen in Stella and Leo, which only made him feel all the more hopeless.

  Why, he wasn’t entirely sure. Or maybe he was, and he just didn’t want to admit it. What was the point anyway? It was clear that the two of them were made for one another. Oscar got on better with Reya, and they’d known each other for much longer. Caspian was only a teenage Enchanted who’d looked to the young leader for help in a dark time.

  ‘I better get cleaned up. I’ll see you at supper?’ Reya said, casting her dark eyes over Oscar.

  ‘Of course. Good work today. We did well,’ Oscar replied with a smile.

  ‘We did more than well!’ Reya laughed, extending her clenched fist to Oscar, which he met in a fist bump. ‘We kicked ass!’

  Oscar laughed at that. ‘See ya, Rey.’

  She waved, barely even looking at Caspian, then turned he
r back and left.

  Caspian scowled at her before continuing on, not caring whether Oscar was following or not.

  It turned out he was, for he soon caught up with him. ‘You were awesome today.’

  Caspian shrugged, not feeling up to talking.

  ‘Seriously. The way you took on those Wicked was inspiring. You’re pretty much a master at your lightning now.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Caspian mumbled.

  The two of them fell quiet for a moment.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ Oscar asked cautiously.

  Caspian glanced briefly at him the looked away. ‘Perfectly fine.’

  Up ahead he saw Logan coming in from his own mission, Gemma and Mitch with him.

  ‘I have to talk to my friends,’ he said, taking off before Oscar could say another word.

  He knew he was being petty, but he also knew Oscar could see the way Reya was acting, and the fact that he made no move to stop it was proof enough that he liked the attention.

  Caspian had been stupid, from the very beginning. He only wished it hadn’t taken him so long to realise it.

  ~

  Erebus marched through the streets, flanked by his Wicked Guards. It had been a trying few hours, but he’d been quick to follow up his lead at last, and it hadn’t taken him long to hone in on a location.

  Ahead, a single farm house stood, dark and lonely. Trees surrounded it, a lake to the left, and a classic red barn to the right. It could have belonged to any innocent Human. But it didn’t. It was owned by someone he’d long been after. A Sorcerer. But not just any Sorcerer. A Sorcerer with the possession mark.

  Erebus paused, his Guards stopping instantly beside him. The front door to the farmhouse opened, and someone stepped through the entrance. A woman, dark skinned and long haired. The sun beat down on them, and yet neither of them moved a muscle. They stared at one another across the yard.

  ‘I have been waiting for you,’ the woman said at last.

  Erebus’s lips tugged upwards into a smile. ‘Good. Because I too, have been waiting for you.’

  ~

  Erebus was gone, taking his most loyal Wicked Guards with him, which meant it was the perfect time for Creshan to make another move. He’d already rushed four Human’s from the lab, but he was running out of time, and he still had yet to pass out his next stack of flyers.

  One might assume flyers meant nothing to the Wicked. Not without someone to follow or back up what’s being written. But Creshan had found that it had not only sparked a conversation between some of the Wicked, but that it was turning people’s heads, making them cautious, and causing them to look twice at Erebus.

  No one yet knew of his involvement in the rebellion. He’d been sure to keep his position behind it under wraps. But soon, when he was sure he’d have enough Wicked willing to take his side, he would make his mark as the leader of change.

  Not the kind of change Erebus was promising, but real change. A change that would grant the Wicked a real life, a free life, as they’ve always desired.

  Creshan gathered his leaflets and left the lab. It all had to start somewhere, with someone. Why not him?

  ~

  Drew found Caspian sitting alone on the Dock, feet dangling down into the water. The sun had begun its descent from the sky in the distance, and Drew settled down beside his friend, watching the water lapping against the ships hulls around them.

  The air had not long before stopped smelling of smoke and all felt at peace in their city. The Humans had taken up occupancies in one of the ships, and soon they would be sailed down to Elias for safety. The old man had said that should then need anything, simply ask, and Drew hoped that he would be happy to take in the Human refugees.

  ‘Today was insane, wasn’t it?’ Caspian asked, glancing across at him.

  Drew looked at his friend, saw the redness in his eyes from the smoke and, most likely, the lack of sleep.

  ‘I know. It was… nothing like I expected,’ Drew replied, voice thick.

  They sat quietly for a moment longer. Drew didn’t really want to talk about what they’d done. The number of Wicked, and probably converted Enchanted, they’d killed. Instead, he chose to change the subject.

  ‘So, how was it meeting the Mariadies?’

  Caspian’s face transformed into one of excitement.

  ‘It was incredible, Drew. Honestly, you should visit them when…’ He trailed off, then caught himself. ‘Well, if you get the chance, go see their set up. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s as amazing as Oscar said it was. I can see why he’s been made Head of the Guarding Guild now too. The way they fight…’

  ‘I know, I saw them in action today!’ Drew replied. ‘They were crazy. I don’t even know how they did it, but they took out like twenty Wicked to four of them in a matter of seconds!’

  ‘Exactly! I don’t know why the Enchanted ever cast them out like they did. Oscar said that when this is all over, they better get down on all fours and beg for forgiveness. I have to agree. We sure as hell need them.’

  ‘You’re not wrong,’ Drew replied.

  ‘I think I’d like to go live and train with them, like Oscar did. He’d learned so much in only a year. I can’t imagine how much I could gain from them too. I think Oscar wants to go back as well. To learn even more.’

  Drew was about to respond, when he suddenly realised something. Caspian spoke of Oscar an awful lot. Not that he blamed him, Oscar was an incredible fighter. But it was the way he spoke of him. The tone he used when speaking his name.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Caspian asked, suddenly.

  Drew bit back the smile that nearly broke out on his face. Maybe his friend didn’t realise it, but Drew sure did.

  ‘You’ve become quite close with Oscar,’ Drew commented at last.

  Caspian’s eyes widened a little and he looked away.

  ‘Come on, man. You know you can talk to me.’

  Caspian peered out at the setting sun and forced a sigh.

  ‘I don’t know. He’s… cool.’

  Drew raised a brow. ‘Cool. Sure. And that’s it?’

  Caspian threw his hands up. ‘I don’t know what’s going on in my head. Everything is a jumbled mess with this whole war. There’s too much to worry about.’

  ‘But you like him?’

  Caspian shrugged, but it was one of those shrugs that really meant yes.

  ‘Why don’t you tell him?’

  ‘Because I’m pretty sure he’s not into me like that. Plus, he’s got Reya.’

  They way he spoke the girls name made Drew laugh. He was jealous. So very jealous.

  ‘How do you know? Have you asked him?’

  ‘Well… no. But-’

  ‘No but’s. You have to talk to him. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, mostly from you actually, it’s that life is far too short to be worrying about the ‘what ifs’. Remember what you once said to me? Live in the now.’

  Caspian looked across at Drew, and Drew gave his friend a smile as he shoved his black hair out of his eyes. Then, a memory hit him, and he couldn’t stop himself from bursting out with laughter.

  ‘What?’ Caspian asked, surprised.

  ‘I just remembered that time I had a go at you for ‘liking’ Laura. You tried to tell me then, didn’t you? And here I was, all high and mighty.’

  Caspian started laughing too, and before they knew it, they were doubled over, unable to stop themselves.

  ‘That was quite funny. You had no idea,’ Caspian said once they’d calmed down. He wiped at his eye. ‘I did say we were only friends.’

  Drew chuckled at the memory, feeling a little silly. He’d never known his friend was gay, and yet suddenly he realised perhaps part of him had known it, subconsciously, all along. He shook his head at himself.

  ‘What are you two talking about?’ Came a voice from behind them, and Laura arrived beside Drew, sitting down on the dock next to him.

  ‘Just how Caspian is going to tell Oscar that he likes him. And soo
n,’ Drew replied and Caspian groaned.

  ‘Oh, he totally likes you too. Don’t even worry,’ Laura replied with a light laugh.

  ‘Wait, what?’ Both Drew and Caspian said at the same time, peering down at her.

  ‘He does! I can sense these things. Well, okay, that’s a lie considering I didn’t really pick up on your hints for the first month, but hey! I’m getting better,’ Laura said, grinning at Drew.

  Drew nearly laughed at how cute she looked, yet he couldn’t help but ask. ‘You knew he was gay?’

  ‘Yes, of course I did,’ Laura replied, confused. ‘Didn’t you?’

  Caspian was still laughing behind him, and Drew shot him a look.

  ‘Maybe I’m not as observant as some.’

  ‘Clearly,’ Laura muttered, giggling.

  ‘How do you know Oscar… um… you know… likes me?’ Caspian asked after a moment. ‘I mean… he and Reya…’

  ‘Not Reya again,’ Drew sighed.

  He could see the blush creeping up onto his best friends face and smiled to himself.

  ‘Have you seen the way he looks at you? How he hangs off your every word? Why do you think he agreed to train us all in Alast before the invasion? It sure as hell wasn’t to become friends with all of us,’ Laura responded. ‘As for Reya, she likes Oscar, yes, but haven’t you seen the way he always turns to you when she’s around. He chooses to go with you. To talk to you. He’s not interested in her.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yes, oh,’ Laura said. ‘By the way, I came down here to let you know dinner is ready.’

  ‘Good, I’m starving,’ Drew said.

  The three of them climbed to their feet, but before they walked off, Drew halted them.

  ‘Wait a second, what about me?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Laura asked.

  ‘Well, I’m totally a catch. How come you never hit on me?!’ He asked, eyeing Caspian.

  Caspian rolled his eyes. ‘Drew, you’re not gay.’

  ‘Technicality,’ he responded, waving a dismissive hand. ‘I’m still handsome, right?’

  ‘Umm...’

  Laura bit back a snort and Drew’s jaw dropped.

  ‘I’m offended on so many levels right now.’