The Angel

by Blaire Hammond

  The Enchanted had been showing their immense gratitude to the Mariadies, Casters and Creatures through any means possible. Allowing them choice of shifts, letting them eat first, ensuring they receive the best medical attention for their wounded. The Enchanted knew they would not have been able to change the tide of the war without any of them, and it pleased Oscar that they weren’t stupid enough to let their prejudice dictate their actions. That they were smart enough to realise they needed the help and should put the planet before their own desires was important.

  Oscar hoped that once all was said and done, the Enchanted would make a serious change to their laws that not only allowed the Mariadies back into a society that stood by them and appreciated them, but that they made a place for the Casters and Creatures without wanting to experiment on or use them. Oscar didn’t know what would happen, but he had to remain positive, especially in such a dark time.

  ‘Oscar! How’d the trip go?’ Came Caspian’s voice as Oscar stepped down from the porch and made his way onto the street.

  He peered over his shoulder to see Caspian jogging towards him.

  ‘Good, they haven’t had any troubles at the border and we captured a few converted on the way back too. I’m just going to report to Loki and tell Erine now.’

  Caspian reached him, falling into step beside him. ‘Oh, great. I’ll walk with you.’

  Oscar smiled a little, then turned back to the street ahead, making his way towards the lab.

  ‘So, more converted, huh? We have to have turned back close to a thousand now,’ Caspian commented.

  ‘I’d say more since we sent vials of the cure overseas,’ Oscar replied.

  It had been a few days since they boxed up as much of the cure as they could and sent it off in various directions with a number of the groups leaving to assist the other islands.

  ‘I hope so. It’s a relief to know we’re helping them rather than hurting them.’

  ‘I know. I feel like we’re actually making a difference now.’

  They both fell quiet and Oscar found himself wondering what to say next. They’d become comfortable in each other’s presence, but since Stella and Leo’s return, something had seemed off with Caspian. He had grown quiet. Distant, even. Oscar wasn’t sure why, and while he wanted to ask, he wasn’t sure if it was his place. Since getting to know him, things had changed, their friendship shifted, and he didn’t know if it would push Caspian over the edge to pry.

  He supposed there was another reason why he didn’t want to ask what had happened. He was afraid. He’d liked spending time with Caspian; had come to consider him a close friend, in fact – someone he could rely on and talk to about anything. If he was being honest, it was more than just friendship. It was a bond unlike anything he’d found with anyone else. He knew, deep down, he feared losing that. He’d never had someone quite like that in his life before, and he didn’t want to let it go.

  Oscar pushed the thoughts away, opting to ignore them as always. Whatever had changed, surely would go back to normal after the war. It was probably just the fighting, the battles. It was enough to change anyone, himself included. Although, reasoning it away as he did helped none for he only felt bad for telling himself it was okay to ignore the fact that Caspian might not be dealing with the war that well.

  He sighed, looking out at the lab, the evening sky beginning to set in behind it as the afternoon went by. It had been a long trip back from the border and already it was nearing dinner. Oscar was tired, and beyond that, hungry after missing lunch. He hoped focusing on those facts would be enough to cover the unease and guilt he felt.

  Beside him, Caspian cleared his throat. ‘So? Um, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. You know, whenever you have time.’

  Oscar’s stomach flipped and he swallowed the sense of dread and worry that emerged. Perhaps he wouldn’t escape whatever problem had arisen after all. It was over, whatever was going on between them, Caspian was going to tell him it wasn’t working and that was that. Could he get out of it? Stall it? Change Caspian’s mind?

  ‘Uh, sure. Yeah, I just have to talk to Erine and Loki. Maybe tonight, after dinner?’ Oscar suggested, hoping it would grant him enough time to figure something out.

  ‘Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry. Sure, I’ll, um, I’ll see you at dinner then!’ Caspian said, forcing the cheer into his voice.

  Oscar slowed, turning into the entrance to the lab.

  ‘Definitely. See you then,’ he replied.

  Caspian waved awkwardly, and Oscar could tell he’d hurt him a little with his dismissiveness. He felt terrible as he watched Caspian’s mop of golden hair disappear down the street. He sighed in frustration and pushed the door to the lab open.

  Later that night, after dinner, which had been spent listening to everyone else talk around them as he and Caspian sat at opposite ends of the table quietly eating, Oscar found himself sitting in the park, staring up at the stars. He’d run out of the dining tent fairly fast after he’d finished his meal, for he hadn’t figured out a way to avoid the discussion with Caspian, nor had he thought of a way to change Caspian’s mind.

  The park, which was almost back to its old state despite the burnt patches on the lawn and the blackened trees, was quiet under the blanket of the night sky. The moon was bright, granting Oscar enough light to keep a look out for anyone. Or rather, someone in particular.

  Caspian’s hair could stand out anywhere, though, so when Oscar saw the mop of gold moving through the streets, he forced himself to remain still. Unfortunately, his own bright red hair was enough of a statement, and he could never hide himself either.

  Caspian stopped a little way away from him, eyes trained on the moon.

  ‘Nice night,’ he said casually, hand’s in his pockets.

  ‘It is,’ Oscar agreed.

  They were both quiet for a moment.

  ‘Mind if I join you?’

  Oscar moved down the bench a little. ‘Not at all.’

  Caspian smiled briefly, then crossed the path and sat down beside him.

  Again, all was silent, apart from the hammering of Oscar’s heart and rushing of blood in his ears.

  ‘I’ll be heading out tomorrow to trade places with a group down in Rushvill,’ Caspian told him suddenly.

  Oscar felt the news like a blow to the gut. They’d always tried to be on teams together. Caspian had never gone and taken up a position without asking if he wanted to come first, and vice versa.

  ‘Oh,’ Oscar replied after an awkward pause.

  ‘Gemma and Mitch are coming, so I won’t be alone.’

  ‘Sure. Good. I mean, it helps having friends there.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Oscar could have hit himself. He’d seen it coming. He’d known something was wrong. Why did he write it off? Make up problems or excuses? Why didn’t he just confront him earlier? They could have fixed everything.

  ‘About before…’ Caspian said, voice quiet.

  ‘Yes. You wanted to talk to me about something?’ Oscar replied.

  He figured there was no point fighting it any longer. May as well get it over and done with.

  ‘Yes, I did. I don’t really know where to start. Or what to say, actually,’ he chuckled lightly, sheepishly, to himself, clearly hoping to break the awkward tension. ‘You’ve probably noticed, but I’m not much good at… well, social situations.’

  Oscar hung his head a little, and sucked in his pride. He knew it wasn’t easy, and he being so cold didn’t help the matter.

  ‘It’s okay. Say whatever you need to say. I understand,’ Oscar replied, keeping his tone kind. ‘Really. I do.’

  He looked across at Caspian, to see he was furrowing his brow in confusion. His eyes darted to Oscars, and paused.

  ‘Wait…’ but before he could say anything more, there was an eruption of light and a deafening boom.

  Both Oscar and Caspian jumped to their feet in fright, pivoting to see red blazing fire shooting into the sky. Enchanted, Maria
dies, Casters and Creatures alike shot out from buildings and onto the streets, all watching as the ground tore apart in the middle of the park and more and more red fire sprayed up from its depths.

  Oscar stared, mouth agape, unsure as to what was happening, or what to do, for that matter. Then, a blackened hand appeared, reaching up from the crack and gripping a rock. Another hand shot up beside it, and slowly, a Goblin emerged, dragging its body free from the depths of hell.

  Another followed, and another, until the gap in the earth was full of Goblins all clawing to free themselves from their fiery depths.

  ‘What the hell?’ Caspian gasped, pulling his bow free from over his shoulder and knocking an arrow into place.

  Oscar drew his own sword. The earth stopped tearing apart, but still more and more Goblins emerged, all lining up around the edge of the crack, as if awaiting their command.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Someone asked, appearing beside him.

  Laura, Oscar quickly realised, and she looked terrified.

  Oscar shook his head. ‘I don’t know. They aren’t attacking, just coming up from the earth.’

  There had to be over a hundred of them so far.

  ‘Why aren’t they attacking? What are they waiting for?’ Gemma asked, as she materialized from the crowds of people.

  ‘I think they’re waiting for something,’ Drew replied, following behind her.

  Then, as quickly as the crack appeared, it began to dissipate, growing smaller and smaller as the last of the Goblins freed themselves, taking up their place in line.

  With an almighty crash, the earth snapped back together, sending them into almost darkness, with only the moon shining down over their enemies and the fire running through the Goblin’s veins marking them out from the darkness.

  Someone shouted something, then more and more shouts echoed it, and before Oscar knew what was happening, Enchanted, Mariadies, Casters and Creatures were all moving in the direction of the Goblins.

  As one, their heads snapped towards the group closest to them. They raised their clawed silver stumps and opened their mouths, letting loose a battle cry unlike anything Oscar had ever heard before.

  Then, they charged.

  ~

  Laura ducked the stumped fist, swivelling and slamming her sword into the Goblin’s side. She gasped as it exploded into a fiery mess before falling to ash on the ground. She was up and moving an instant later, arcing her blade through the air for the next Goblin. But it was fast, faster than a Goblin should be, and it shot back, out of her weapons path.

  She stumbled a little at the sudden movement, but regained her footing and balled a sphere of fire quickly in her hand, sending it at the Goblin. It cried out, its raspy voice dark and deadly. Laura didn’t let the distraction go to waste, however, as she freed a dagger and sent it sailing into the horrific creatures face.

  It disappeared into nothing but coal and ash a second later, and she was fast to retrieve her weapon from the mess. As she did so, however, she watched something dart out from the remains of the Goblin, a black shadow it appeared to be. She lost sight of it in all the fighting, however, and already another Goblin was heading for her.

  To her left, Drew spun and struck the enemy Goblins, cutting them down where they stood. It soon became clear to Laura, though, that everyone was fighting a tougher battle. The Goblins were stronger than they ever had been – faster and smarter too.

  The first Mariadie fell fifteen minutes into the battle. The First Creature eighteen minuets. It may have seemed reasonable – people died in war, in battles. But Goblins were not skilled fighters, not with the fire in their bones and dead, charred skin on their bodies. How were they defeating the best fighters Laura has ever seen?

  They fought the Goblins, taking out the last of them half an hour later, but not without more casualties. Something wasn’t right. Something had changed, and Laura felt sick to the stomach as she questioned what it could be.

  Then, the first runner arrived. He met Megan and Loki on the battle field, shocked at the sight of the dead around them – Goblins and Enchanted alike.

  ‘You were attacked too?’ He asked as Laura hurried over to the leaders.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Gemma asked, appearing beside Laura.

  Laura’s heart was hammering in her chest, for she knew exactly what the boy was saying.

  ‘We were attacked, down at the border. The ground opened up and all these Goblins emerged. We took them out, but we lost a number of our own. Even the Wicked fighting to get over the border fled at the sight of the Goblins,’ the runner told them.

  Laura met Megan’s gaze, feeling the worry she clearly reflected in her own eyes. Loki looked the runner in the face, before casting her eyes over the battle field.

  ‘That means we weren’t the only ones. This could have happened all over Lastrala. Maybe even all over Elixir,’ Loki said.

  ‘What the hell is happening though?’ General Lain asked, appearing at the edge of their forming group.

  Already Drew and Obverse had arrived, and Caspian and Oscar could be seen approaching. Even Stella and Leo were rushing over from a distance away, and Laura was hit with relief, knowing that they were okay. Stella was still recovering, despite what Megan had done to restore her lost finger.

  At the General’s desperate question, Laura caught Megan’s gold gaze again, knowing in the pit of her stomach what was happening. Or rather, what she thought was happening.

  ‘This has to be Erebus’s doing,’ Mitch said, reaching them as Caspian and Oscar did.

  ‘Of course it is. He’s trying to tip the scales in his direction because he knows he’s losing,’ Loki muttered angrily. ‘Bastard. I really thought we were going to end him. But if this is what he can do…’ Drew trailed off.

  Laura’s insides quenched at the implied meaning of Drew’s words.

  ‘I think Erebus is finally calling on his deal with the Devils,’ Megan said softly, drawing everyone’s eyes to her.

  ‘I do too,’ Laura agreed, knowing she couldn’t hide what she saw. ‘I think he’s somehow managed to possess the Goblin’s with Demons, which is why they were able to fight so well.’

  ‘What?’ A number of them gasped.

  ‘Are you sure?’ General Lain asked quickly.

  Laura nodded. ‘I saw what I’m fairly certain was a demon leave the dead body of a Goblin after I killed it.’

  ‘That’s insane. How the hell did he manage that?’ Oscar questioned.

  ‘Moreover, what else has he got planned?’ Leo added, joining the group with Stella.

  His question was met with uneasy silence, and they peered around at one another, Logan and Grace having finally arrived, completing their group.

  ‘Wait…’ Caspian said after a moment. ‘If he has figured out how to allow demons to possess Goblins without them being on the brink of death…’

  Laura squeezed her eyes shut. She’d known exactly what that meant the moment she’d realised what was happening. She’d forced herself to ignore her building anxiety, but she knew she couldn’t continue doing that.

  ‘It means he might finally have found a way to possess Laura,’ Stella said solemnly.

  ‘Or another Caster, for that matter. Word’s been getting out about them joining the war and about their discovery,’ General Lain added grimly.

  ‘We’re going to have to be careful,’ Megan said.

  ‘I think we should pull all Casters back to base where we can protect them and keep an eye on them. We can’t risk Erebus getting his hands on any of you,’ Leo decided.

  Megan nodded, though Laura could see how much she hated the idea. She, however, understood the risk. They couldn’t allow Erebus access to the power they possessed.

  ‘I’ll have my Creatures send out replacements,’ Obverse offered immediately.

  Loki replied with one swift nod, eyes trailing over the battle field at all that had fallen. There were tears in her eyes, but she blinked quickly, forcing them back. Laura bit ba
ck her own desire to let go and cry. They’d worked so hard to build a safe place… but it appeared as though no place was safe anymore. And it never would be again unless they ended Erebus once and for all. How would they do that, though, if they had no idea where he was? How could they defeat the Demons and Goblins alike? What else did Erebus have up his sleeve?

  ‘I need to talk to the Gods,’ Laura said suddenly.

  ‘What for?’ Drew asked.

  Laura could see the conflict on his face, his desire to tell her not to, for Gods could be unpredictable, fighting the knowledge within him that she probably had to do it anyway.

  She didn’t know why she’d suggested it in the first place, really. The words had left her lips before she’d even had the chance to think them through.

  ‘I think they will have the answers we need,’ Laura replied at last, then continued with certainty. ‘Or at least, they might be able to help. I have to talk to them.’

  ‘I think you do, too,’ Megan responded, to Laura’s surprise.

  ‘I’ll need help to call them…’ she began to say, looking to Leo who had helped her in the past, but Megan was already shaking her head.

  ‘No, dear. You have a connection to the God’s through the Angels blood within you. You need no one but yourself to call for their help.’

  Laura gaped for a moment, unsure whether Megan was telling the truth. She’d never been able to call for help before without Leo or her mum. What was Megan talking about?

  ‘But I don’t have my Identity Mark,’ Laura responded.

  Megan only looked at her calmly. Expectantly. Then, Laura recalled the time Terian had visited her and Drew in the desert, just when they’d needed a portal most of all. He’d said it was because he was interested in her story. But what if she had unknowingly called him?