The Angel

by Blaire Hammond

  There were smiles and nods of agreement at that. Stella’s brothers had taken a step back, allowing Stella and Leo the opportunity to talk with their students alone. But Stella knew they’d be excited to talk to them.

  They bid good night to their students before watching them leave the sitting room they’d been settled down in.

  ‘I’m going to get some water for your tablets. I’ll be back,’ Leo said after a moment, and Stella nodded at her husband, watching his back as he hurried off.

  He was always taking care of her. She loved him so much for it.

  She was surprised when there was a knock against the wooden door a second later, and suddenly Laura reappeared, someone beside her. That someone was a woman with the same gold-flecked eyes as Laura.

  Stella sat up a little straighter.

  ‘Stel, I just wanted to introduce you to Megan. She’s the Chief of the Casters. She helped train me to use my gift,’ Laura said, the two of them taking a seat on the couch across from Stella.

  Megan reached for her hand, the injured one, and Stella let her shake it despite the slight pain it caused.

  ‘Laura gives me too much credit. She’s a natural,’ Megan said, her voice both soft and soothing.

  Stella smiled, knowing what Megan meant. Laura had a way of picking up on things quickly.

  ‘I heard about what you endured to protect her,’ Megan went on, still holding Stella’s hand lightly between her own. ‘I wanted to thank you.’

  Stella was shocked. How had this woman heard so quickly of what had happened to her? It wasn’t common knowledge. Especially since she’d just arrived that day and had only met Megan moments ago.

  ‘Laura has a part to play in this story. That you kept her safe, risking your own life to do so, is nothing short of admirable,’ Megan continued.

  There was a prickling in Stella’s hand, and she felt something like fear begin to take a hold of her. But then Laura moved across to sit beside her, putting an arm around her. In an instant, Megan removed her hands, and Stella peered down at her tingling fingers.

  She gasped. Fingers. Five of them. All there, as if there had never been one missing. Her eyes flickered across to Laura, who was smiling, her long chocolate brown hair framing her face, then over to Megan.

  ‘Wha... how?’ She stammered.

  ‘Being the Chief comes with its advantages,’ Megan replied kindly.

  Stella felt her throat begin to close over, and she wriggled her fingers, all whole and without pain.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said through the tightness in her throat.

  ‘No. Thank you,’ Megan responded.

  Laura hugged her tightly. ‘You have no idea how much it means to me, what you endured to keep me safe,’ she whispered.

  Stella hugged the young girl back, the tears already falling again. ‘Of course, my dear. I would do anything for you. All of you. You’re my students. My children. My family. I would protect you with my life.’

  ~

  Gemma strapped her sword to her hip, feeling the familiar weight of it. She secured her leather jacket over her battle gear and peered quickly through the window to check that she hadn’t been left behind.

  Speedily, she jogged from the room and down the stairs, keen to meet with Stella and Leo. Since they’d arrived, Gemma hadn’t wanted to let them out of her sight again. She couldn’t believe after all the months that had passed, they were back together again, alive, and she didn’t want to risk losing them.

  As she rounded the corner and stepped into the sitting room, however, she pulled to a hasty halt. There, standing before her, was not Stella, Leo and the others, but Mitch and his parents.

  The three of them were dressed in battle gear and were talking, Mitch’s mother’s arm linked through his. Gemma was about to turn around and leave but Mitch glanced up and saw her.

  ‘Gemma, I was about to come get you,’ he said, smiling at her.

  Gemma’s heartbeat quickened at that smile, but the nerves were more so about seeing his parents. She hadn’t properly been introduced to Mitch’s family. Robin’s funeral hadn’t seemed like an appropriate time, so she’d simply given her condolences and allowed them to grieve with their son.

  ‘Mum, dad. This is Gemma,’ Mitch said, waving Gemma into the room.

  Gemma crossed the carpet and shook each of their hands, giving them as warm a smile as she could considering the butterflies controlling her insides.

  ‘It’s lovely to meet you,’ she managed to say.

  ‘You too, dear. I only wish it were in better circumstances,’ Mitch’s mother said.

  ‘Mitch has told us about you,’ Mitch’s father added.

  Mitch’s face reddened a little at the raised brow Gemma shot his way, but he rolled his brown eyes at her regardless.

  ‘Mum and dad heard about what was going on and came up to see what we were doing here,’ Mitch explained after a moment.

  ‘We’ve been fighting the Wicked in Corin, holding them back from the city. We’ve been successful so far, but it’s one of the few cities free of Wicked. Until you all arrived, that is,’ Mitch’s father explained.

  Gemma was shocked to hear her home city was still free of Wicked infiltration, and her eyes widened accordingly.

  ‘We’re getting a little desperate, though, so thought we’d come see if you could spare any of your warriors to help keep the city safe. We have a number of Humans we can’t evacuate that we’re trying to keep safe,’ his mother told her.

  ‘Oh, of course. We can to speak to Obverse, Megan and Loki right now. I’m sure they can spare some of their people to come,’ Gemma said immediately.

  ‘Fantastic,’ Mitch’s father responded, following her as she led them out of the sitting room and to the exit.

  ‘Will you two be coming with us?’ Mitch’s mother asked.

  Gemma peered over her shoulder at Mitch, unsure what to say. She would have loved to, but her duty was there, and she couldn’t leave Stella and Leo, not to mention her friends. The look on Mitch’s face, however, was one of confliction, and Gemma was hit with a pang of worry. Would he go with them? It would make sense, they were his parents, and he had other family in Corin she was sure he was concerned about.

  Gemma realised, however, that despite that knowledge, she was selfish and wanted him to stay. She didn’t want anything to happen to him. She didn’t want him to be miles away, fighting in a battle where she couldn’t be near him, couldn’t make sure he was safe.

  She bit her lip, holding her feelings in. She was selfish, but she wouldn’t tell him out loud. It was his decision – his family.

  ‘I’m not sure yet, mum,’ Mitch replied.

  Gemma remained in the lead, taking them down to the office where they often came together to talk tactics. Megan, Loki, Obverse and General Lain had taken up permanent occupancy there, having become the lead representatives of their kinds. If there was anywhere you would find them, it would be either there or on the battle field.

  Gemma knocked once, then opened the door. Loki stood at the table, peering down at the map of Lastrala and pinning out a new border from their last battle. They had managed to push the Wicked further away from the coast and were already gaining some of the cities inland back.

  Loki looked at them, her eyes tired, but she smiled and straightened when he saw it was Gemma and Mitch.

  ‘Come in,’ she said.

  ‘Have you heard anything from last night’s teams?’ Gemma asked immediately.

  Every time one team returned from the battle, another would replace them. There were constant runners moving back and forth, passing on information and updates.

  ‘Not yet, but that’s expected. There was a large population of Wicked to the west of the battle ground so they’d be sending their reinforcements in now,’ Loki replied. ‘If we don’t hear by tonight though, I’ll be getting worried.’

  Gemma could see the strain of the war reflecting in Loki’s eyes. Since meeting the woman, she’d been blown away at h
er strength and fierce demeanour. Getting to know her over the past week or so however had revealed a very different side to the woman. She loved her people, and all she wanted was to protect them. She’d been torn between doing the right thing and keeping her people safe, so the fact that they were at war and she’d already lost three of her people, which while wasn’t a large number, was still a blow all the same, it was clear that it was weighing heavily on her. Still, she was not one to back down or give up. If anyone could lead them to victory, it would be Loki.

  ‘I’m sure we will hear soon. If not, we can send someone to check on their status,’ Mitch suggested.

  Loki gave them a grim smile, but nodded in agreement.

  ‘Anyway, how can I help you?’ Loki asked, peering across at the two strangers with them.

  ‘These are my parents,’ Mitch said, introducing them to Loki.

  ‘Good to meet you both,’ Loki said, shaking their hands.

  ‘You too,’ Mitch’s father replied.

  ‘They have been holding the fort down in Corin. It’s one of the only cities in land that is still free of Wicked, but they’re starting to feel the strain. They have Humans held up within the cities border and can’t evacuate them. They were hoping we could send reinforcements to help hold the line and maybe even push the Wicked back,’ Mitch told her.

  Loki raised both brows. ‘Really? I didn’t realise there were still cities free. Do you know which others are in the same position as you?’ Loki asked, looking to Mitch’s parents.

  ‘We heard Gladsdale and Morlaine are both like us. Apparently Vindic is too, but we can’t confirm that one,’ Mitch’s mother replied.

  Loki was nodding, looking at her map and marking out the towns and cities.

  ‘This is good news. We can send reinforcements down to all four cities and start pushing the Wicked back to the sea from there,’ Loki said. ‘Give me some time to consult with Megan and Obverse. General Lain should be back tonight. We’ll come to a decision and let you know the plan in the morning. If you can give me any information you have, it would be of great help.’

  Mitch stepped aside so his parents could move further into the room.

  ‘We’ll go find Megan and Obverse and send them over,’ Mitch offered, receiving a nod from Loki, who then returned to conversing with Mitch’s parents.

  Mitch held the door for Gemma and she stepped out into the cool morning air.

  ‘I can’t believe your parents are here. It must be great to see them,’ Gemma commented, falling into step beside Mitch.

  Mitch’s face was alight with a joy she hadn’t seen in a while. She realised that in all her worry and concern for Stella and Leo, Mitch must have been feeling the exact same thing for his parents. It wasn’t that she’d forgotten, it was simply that they hadn’t talked about it, and thus she hadn’t thought to bring it up. So much had been happening, especially since they had been reunited. She wished she had been better than that, though. She should have asked him how he was doing, knowing they were still in Corin.

  ‘I know. I can’t believe they’re okay,’ Mitch responded. ‘I had pushed them from my mind because I knew I’d just worry myself sick otherwise. But having them turn up alive was a huge shock. I hadn’t expected to ever see them again, if I’m honest.’

  Gemma caught his eye, saw the relief and fear reflecting in his face, and took his hand.

  ‘Well I’m glad for you. It must be a weight off your shoulders, even if you tried not to carry it.’

  Mitch squeezed her fingers. ‘It is.’

  Gemma fell quiet, her free hand playing with her blond hair absentmindedly. They walked through the streets, making their way towards the food tent where they hoped Megan and Obverse would be. Gemma tried to ignore the growing nerves in her stomach, but after a moment, Mitch nudged her, and she knew he saw right through her charade.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ He asked quietly.

  ‘Nothing,’ she insisted.

  ‘I know somethings up. Did I offend you when I introduced you as just Gemma?’ He asked, and Gemma’s eyes snapped up to his, shocked.

  ‘Of course not. Why would I be offended?’

  He shrugged sheepishly. ‘I thought maybe you would have preferred I told them you and I were… you know. A thing.’

  Gemma thought on that, then chuckled lightly. ‘No Mitch. I’m not offended. We know we’re a thing, we don’t need to broadcast it to everyone. It only matters that we know what we feel for each other.’

  Mitch laughed with her, and she leaned into his side.

  ‘Although, hearing you call me your girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad,’ she added.

  ‘My girlfriend, hey? So that’s what we are? Official?’ He asked, his tone teasing.

  ‘Fine, I’m breaking up with you,’ she said, mocking him, and he laughed again.

  They fell quiet again, but Mitch wasn’t going to let it go.

  ‘So what’s wrong?’ He asked after a time.

  Gemma bit her lip, then looked up at him. ‘Are you going to go back to Corin with your parents?’

  Mitch’s deep brown eyes locked with hers, and she saw the confliction within them. He stopped, turning to face her fully.

  ‘Do you want me to?’ He asked.

  Gemma hesitated. ‘That’s not my decision to make. They’re your parents. I understand if you want to go with them to protect them. I feel the same about Stella and Leo.’

  Mitch took up both of her hands then, his fingers warm against her skin.

  ‘Gem, I love my family. But I know they can hold their own. Yes, I’ll be worried about them, but we’re all going to be worried about someone. This is war, it’s not like we can keep everyone safe.’

  Gemma knew she couldn’t ask him to stay. She couldn’t tell him to leave his parents to fend for themselves. But she didn’t want to lose him after only really just finding him.

  ‘But as much as I want to take care of my family, I also want to take care of you, too. I know you can defend yourself, but this, between us? This is something I could never risk losing. I really like you, Gemma,’ he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Gemma’s heart stopped, and she peered up into his face, seeing the genuine feeling behind his words. She felt a rush of emotions hit her so hard it was overwhelming.

  ‘And I don’t think I could go to Corin knowing that there was a possibility of never seeing you again. I want to spend as much time as I can with you. I want to know, that if anything happens, my last days were spent fighting beside you.’

  Gemma didn’t allow him to go on. She threw her arms around him, pressing her lips to his. He kissed her back, intense and passionate. As if it would be their last. As if all the feelings they had could be displayed in that one kiss.

  When she pulled back, she hugged him tighter to her, and said, ‘I really like you too.’

  Mitch grinned, then kissed her again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  And They Emerge

  Oscar locked the converted Enchanted into the room, ignoring their growls of protest. The windows remained boarded up, limiting their chances of escape. Erine would be over soon enough to administer the cure anyway so it didn’t really matter. Plus, there were constant guards present, keeping an eye on the building.

  He and Tahiki had captured another four converted Enchanted they’d found sneaking over the border and had brought them straight to the base. It had become a routine of everyone’s – finding (accidently or on purpose) converted Enchanted and bringing them back to be turned. The rules in place were to attempt reasoning first, then use force if they didn’t comply. Unfortunately, the four they’d met hadn’t been interested in hearing about the cure, so Tahiki and Oscar had been left with only one option.

  It had been easy to knock three of them out with Tahiki’s help. The fourth had been harder to capture, but the battle hadn’t lasted long before Tahiki took her down. They then had to transport them all back in one of the few cars discovered in storage that they’d been p
ermitted to use. Their whole army refrained from using the cars to travel places for fear of the sound, but on special occasions, such as that day, they were allowed.

  On that particular morning, Tahiki and Oscar had been taking a load of weapons and supplies down to the new border to the soldiers camping out there, holding the line. The Enchanted had snuck up on them during their drive back, but hadn’t been a match in the end.

  Receiving the cure meant that all the Enchanted were able to swear allegiance back to the Gods, though that decision was left up to them. Oscar, and many of the others in their army, already felt bad for how they had to handle some of the converted Enchanted just to turn them back, so didn’t want to force them to make any more choices that weren’t their own. It was also up to them if they wanted to re-join the war with the Enchanted. Many did, and some stayed behind to help in the hospital or docks, but there were a few who chose to leave, so scared by their experience that they simply couldn’t remain.

  Oscar didn’t blame them. Turned into something they’re not; forced to kill their own, probably people they had once known or loved. It would change everything for them. They were sent to the free islands where the Human’s were – and where they could attain help from the Enchanted working there.

  All had been rather quiet, or as quiet as it could be during a war. Much fighting still ensued and many of their army was still spread out through Lastrala, working hard to push the Wicked back to the seas and from the land, but still, it felt as though it were the calm before the storm.

  Erebus had been sighted in Faramet a month before, but he’d disappeared fast, and the Enchanted had lost his trail. Besides that, there was no word of his whereabouts or what he was doing. In addition, the Wicked, while still fighting, were slowly dwindling. Whether that was thanks to the Mariadies, Casters and Creatures help or because they were being called elsewhere, Oscar wasn’t sure. He hoped it was the former, though.

  Thanks to the success, a number of smaller groups of Casters, Creatures and Mariadies had been sent out to other continents and islands to implement the same plan that was currently underway in Lastrala. So far, they’d received word that they’d managed to free Herrem, Valan and Elis. There was a team moving in on Dante last Oscar heard. If they reclaimed that land it would be a huge deal, for that was one of the main locations for the Human experiments. Freeing them was a priority, so Oscar prayed they were able to do so.