The Angel

by Blaire Hammond

  ‘A fifth? A fifth of my entire army is still loyal to me? Only a fifth?!’

  Erebus turned back to the room, which had grown quiet at his outburst. The Wicked stared at him, some wide eyed, some open mouthed, some unsure. Erebus stepped forward.

  ‘Are you all loyal to me?’ Erebus asked them.

  The Wicked nodded.

  Erebus reached for his staph which leant against the stone wall. He slammed it once into the ground as hard as he could. Against the stone wall, an enormous red swirling portal opened.

  ‘Then let’s finish this war. Once and for all.’

  ~

  Grace stood, gripping Logan’s hand for a long minute, listening to Drew speak as he told Stella, Leo, Megan, General Lain, Caspian, Oscar, Loki, Mitch, Gemma and Obverse what had happened to Laura.

  Rain poured down on the little group, and Grace’s hair was matted to her scalp from water, sweat and blood. She felt sick, tired and saddened. She’d seen Laura as she’d been taken through the portal. She hadn’t been able to reach her in time. None of them had been able to.

  Above, thunder and lightning still raged on as the God’s and Devil’s fought. One Devil had been killed in their area so far. What the tallies were like elsewhere, they didn’t know. Most of the Goblin’s had been defeated besides a few, and with so many Wicked having changed sides, the Enchanted were finally able to stop and rest for a moment.

  Creshan stood a little way away, awaiting their response. Drew had wanted to tell everyone about Laura first, but they still had to decide what to do about Creshan and the Wicked. Had they really changed their allegiance? Were they really on their side, or was it all just an elaborate plan of Erebus’s?

  The Wicked were under guard, but none were fighting back, which was a start. Grace wanted to believe Creshan. She wanted to believe he was telling the truth – that all the Wicked were. Drew had told them about Laura’s conversation with the Emperor of the Gods. Of how the Wicked were never really evil – that they were forced to be so, thanks to the prejudice and poverty.

  ‘What are we meant to do about them?’ General Lain asked, nodding towards Creshan, as the subject of the Wicked came up.

  Grace could see the misery on Drew’s face, and so stepped forward to speak so he didn’t have to.

  ‘We can ask Erine to cure Creshan. Then he can tell us the truth – if they really have come to help us.’

  There were a few murmurs of agreement, and Grace straightened.

  ‘Are we sure he will tell the truth though?’ Mitch asked, his dark brown hair, which had grown out during the war, curling down over his forehead.

  ‘Yes, Erine said once the Enchanted have been converted back they return to their original state,’ Oscar explained. ‘He’ll be the person he once was. He won’t have any evil inclinations to lie.’

  ‘Let’s hurry and do it now then,’ Loki said, nodding to a number of Mariadies standing off to the side.

  The three of them approached Creshan, who followed them willingly.

  ‘We should go to,’ Stella said quickly.

  ‘Not all of us,’ Grace jumped in. ‘We don’t want to overwhelm him when he does change back.’

  ‘We’ll go,’ said Stella, looking across at Grace. ‘You spoke to him when you killed Mr Stark. He might feel more comfortable with you there.’

  Grace nodded, giving Logan’s hand a quick squeeze before letting go and following Stella. She peered back over her shoulder at her brother, who had barely lifted his head. He was thinking. Shrinking back and escaping into his mind – just as he’d done when they’d lost their parents and cousin.

  Grace felt anxiety begin to set in. Last time, he’d been plotting revenge. What was going on in his mind after losing Laura? What was he planning?

  Grace turned her gaze back in front of her, matching Stella’s stride.

  ‘I’m worried about him,’ Stella said quietly.

  ‘Me too,’ Grace whispered.

  Stella turned her blue eyes to Grace and Grace could see the tears in them.

  ‘Laura might be okay…’ Grace said hopefully, though she knew in the back of her mind that she was more than likely wrong.

  Erebus had the Devils on side. He was able to work out how to possess the Goblins with Demons. He still had Kane captive as far as she’d last heard, though Stella did say she’d never seen the Sorcerer during her time underground.

  Stella reached up, swiping a tear from her cheek, and Grace quickly swallowed, forcing her own desire to cry down.

  ‘We have to be strong and win this war for her,’ Grace said after a while.

  Stella nodded, smiling across at her through the tears.

  ‘I just wish I’d been able to protect her. I should have done more. I knew she was at risk, more so than anyone else,’ she shook her head. ‘I should have done better.’

  Grace reached up, resting a hand on her mentors shoulder. ‘You did everything you could. Laura wouldn’t blame you.’

  Stella wiped away more of her tears as the two of them paused at the door to Erine’s lab.

  ‘All right. Let’s hope Creshan is telling the truth,’ Stella said.

  Grace gave Stella’s shoulder a squeeze then straightened, reaching out and pushing the door open. The two of them stepped inside to see Erine already ready to go. Creshan peered across at the two of them, his face innocent. He sat on the bed, arm out.

  ‘Good. You’re here,’ Erine said. ‘I made progress with the Human’s this morning. Not a cure, but a breakthrough.’

  Grace’s heart began to race with anticipation.

  Erine waved his hand. ‘I haven’t got time to explain it further. I need to get this over with so I can continue working on that.’

  ‘Of course. Go ahead,’ Stella said.

  Erine nodded, picked up the syringe with the cure, and pressed the needle into Creshan’s arm. He sat quietly as it was injected, closing his eyes for a moment. The war outside boomed on, the God’s and the Devil’s still fighting overhead. The rain pitter-pattered on the roof and the echo of lightning and swords could be heard in the distance. In the meantime, Grace waited, intent on seeing Creshan’s change through rather than rushing back to be with her brother. Slowly, the Gold W on his wrist shifted to silver as the Wicked blood was burned from his veins. Creshan’s eyes blinked open again, and a smile appeared on his lips.

  ‘Thank you,’ he whispered to Erine. ‘Thank you so much. You have no idea the horrors I’ve endured since he changed me.’

  A sob escaped his throat, and before Grace or Stella knew it, he’d broken down on Erine’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I did. Everyone I hurt. Even my own… my own kind! But I just-’ he choked on a sob. ‘I just couldn’t snap out of it. I was the first one he changed, and so I became special to him. Like some trophy. He made me do horr- horrific things-’

  The little man patted Creshan’s back and Grace’s heart broke. She knew of the things Creshan had done. She’d witnessed them during their time held hostage by him and Erebus. But she also understood he was under the influence of evil.

  ‘Now, now. You couldn’t help it. Erebus stole that choice from you. But you’re back with us now. He’ll never have control of you like that again,’ Erine said, his voice calm and surprisingly soothing.

  Grace caught the man’s eye, and she realised that he must have done that a lot with those he’d converted back.

  They allowed Creshan some time to compose himself, but he took only a moment before he turned to face them.

  ‘It’s not a lie. What I told you when I was… one of them.’

  ‘You’re sure.’

  Creshan nodded. ‘After you spoke to me that time in the cave, I’m not sure what happened. But then… well, then I went to see Stella, and she told me almost the same thing you did. It must have been enough to break through to the old me or something. I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But it was like I was able to start fighting back for control again. The evil inside me stoppe
d winning and I was able to start working against Erebus from the inside.’

  It made sense. Since Erine’s studies, it had been discovered that what Erebus had done, injecting the blood of the dead into living beings, had been enough to turn their souls dark. It was not the Wicked blood that made them evil. It was due to the fact that they were dead. Erebus had created his evil army just as he’d always wanted. But he too had been wrong about the Wicked.

  ‘How did you convince the Wicked to follow you instead?’ Stella asked quietly, stepping forward and taking the young man’s hand.

  ‘The more I spoke to them, the more I began to realise that they weren’t happy. I could see the truth. It all started to make sense. They didn’t like the things Erebus’s was doing, but he was offering them something they’d always desired and they didn’t want to risk losing that by going against him. But then I started creating flyers and planting the truth in their heads. That Erebus is in this for no one but himself.’

  ‘You did an amazing thing, Creshan. You won’t be forgotten for this,’ Grace told him.

  Creshan smiled across at her. ‘I can’t go back on my promise to the Wicked though. I was being serious when I told them we could help them.’

  Stella was nodding. ‘Of course. If they are really on our side, which they have proved to be so far by helping us defeat the Goblins, then we will do everything we can to convince the Courts of finding a place for them in our world – a better place.’

  Creshan seemed to sag in relief.

  ‘And the humans?’ He continued suddenly, straightening again. ‘I managed to smuggle as many out as I could. I was head of the experiments so tried to save them when I had the chance. But not all…’ he trailed off.

  ‘Erine is working on a cure to convert those still alive back to humans.’

  Creshan nodded, not pushing the subject further. He knew that there were many who hadn’t survived. Grace thought it would kill him to hear it out loud.

  ‘Thank you, Creshan, for what you’ve done for us. And for the Wicked,’ Stella told him, patting his hand, her motherly instincts clearly kicking in. ‘Now, you should get some rest.’

  ‘What abou-’ Creshan began, but Stella eyed him.

  ‘You need sleep. While there’s a lull in the battle.’

  Creshan looked as if he was still going to argue, but must have thought better of it.

  ‘Some of the Wicked are like me…’ he said.

  ‘We’ll take care of them,’ Grace said.

  Creshan glanced between them, then stood.

  ‘Thom will show you to a room,’ Stella said, indicating towards one of the Mariadies.

  Thom stepped forward and guided Creshan through the door and down the street. Both Stella and Grace stared after him, catching the way he stumbled a little over his own feet. He’d been through a great deal – he had been the first turned Enchanted after all.

  ‘If we win this war, a lot of things are going to have to change,’ Stella said.

  Grace pressed her lips together. ‘It isn’t going to be easy.’

  Stella nodded in agreement.

  ‘But it has to happen.’

  ~

  Caspian shovelled the Goblin ash from the street, dumping it into the back of the truck Oscar had brought around. There was dirt and mud and ash everywhere from the fight, but the Wicked were there beside them, helping them clear the rubble.

  Stella and Grace had arrived and told them that, once converted back, Creshan confirmed the Wicked’s story. That, combined with Laura’s message from the Emperor of the Gods was enough to convince the group that the Wicked weren’t there to take them by surprise. They were still under watch, and there were to be more Enchanted, Creatures, Casters and Mariadies in the teams than Wicked.

  But it was a start. Decisions couldn’t be made for the war between the God’s and the Devils still tore on above them. The night was never ending. Day had probably come and gone, but they’d never know it through the rain and thunder and lightning mixed with the dark swirl of shadows and light swirl of gold.

  Plus, Erebus was still out there, as were those few Wicked still loyal to him. The war wasn’t over yet. It would never be over until Erebus was dead.

  Then, maybe they could work towards a life for the Wicked among the Enchanted.

  Caspian still had his reservations. He’d fought and killed Wicked all his life. He’d never batted an eye about it. It had become second nature to the Enchanted to hate the Wicked. To see them as evil. To hunt them.

  But Caspian also remembered what had been spoken of the Mariadies. The things that had been said about them. No, the Enchanted hadn’t spent their lives hunting them to kill, but they’d always been shunned from the Spirit World for their refusal to fight for the Enchanted after half their tribe was slaughtered.

  Caspian understood why, of course he did. He would probably have done the same thing had he been in their position. But it was a good reminder to think of the people he’d come to know since Oscar took him to find the Mariadies.

  They hadn’t been anything like the Enchanted had made them out to be. The history books had been wrong. And perhaps, they were wrong about the Wicked too.

  Nothing would change overnight, Caspian knew that. He doubted his own feelings would fade with a simple snap of his fingers. But he realised that things did still have to change. That the Wicked had the right to tell their side of the story. That the history books desperately had to be revisited, revised and probably rewritten.

  ‘You okay?’ Oscar asked, jumping down from the truck after having moved it along the street to their next location.

  Caspian snapped to attention. ‘What? Why?’

  Oscar shrugged. ‘Looked like you were somewhere else.’

  Caspian knew what Oscar was referring to. Laura. He’d tried not to think about her. He’d tried to push the worry and stress from his mind. But it was proving impossible. She’d become like a little sister to him. Her kindness, her generosity, her willingness to talk whenever he needed it. She’d been there for him countless times. She’d saved his flipping life!

  Through all of that, how could he not bite back tears at the knowledge that Erebus had her? Who knew what torture he was putting her through?

  The Wicked had been spoken to, Creshan included, about the situation. Leo and Loki had called a meeting with those in the city to explain to them where they were at and what Laura meant to the cause. What Erebus having Laura meant.

  Many had been forthcoming, telling them all they knew about Erebus’s plans and hideouts. Everything they could think of, even the minute details. But it was difficult. Many of the Wicked had been told the bare minimum. Erebus had shared enough with them to allow them to get by. Even Creshan, while he knew the hideout to the main underground cave Erebus used, did not have all the facts.

  The only person who knew absolutely everything was, conveniently, the man who had died. Mr Stark.

  They couldn’t ask him, so they were left to piece together what little information they could.

  With a vast majority of the countries and islands having fallen back into the Enchanted’s control, Leo was able to contact a team to visit the underground hideouts. They hadn’t heard back yet for the message had only just gone out an hour prior, but it was a start.

  ‘No,’ Caspian replied honestly at long last. ‘She’s done so much for me. She saved my life. I was going to die, that day when Erebus changed bodies. She brought me back. She was the one who cured my sickness. All of it is because of her,’ Caspian shook his head and Oscar stepped towards him, resting a hand on his arm. ‘I just wish I could repay the favour. But I can’t.’

  ‘It’s not your fault. I know what she means to you, but it’s not your fault that this happened. It’s Erebus’s. It’s all Erebus’s,’ Oscar told him firmly. ‘We’ll get him. I swear we will. He’s already lost this war. We’re doing everything we can to find him and when we do, we’ll finish this once and for all. Okay?’

  Caspian
blinked rapidly then met Oscar’s gaze. His face was determined, and Caspian truly believed him. He nodded.

  Out of nowhere an enormous clash sounded overhead. Caspian and Oscar both staggered as the ground beneath their feet rumbled and shook. They peered up to see that the darkness and gold receding. Above, the moon materialized through the clouds, the stars flickered and flashed against the blanket of darkness, and amongst that, the Devils and Gods could at last be seen through all the shadows and sunlight.

  It was a scene like nothing Caspian had experienced before. Cloaks of black charged darting sparks of Gold, meeting in the middle in battle with one another, staphs swirling about, power skidding to and fro. It was as though the sky itself was on fire as magic shot across the night, finding its mark in each opponent.

  The land beneath their feet continued to quake with each clap of thunder, and the lightning cast through the sky began striking the earth around them.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Someone shouted.

  ‘Something must have happened to the shield they were using!’ Someone else responded.

  Caspian’s heart was racing as he saw the God’s and Devil’s once again rear back, staphs in their hands. Then, thunder clapped as they charged. Power and pure strength were their weapons as they slammed their staphs together, sending lightning to the ground, causing the ground to shake harder.

  Caspian struggled to remain upright as he and Oscar clung to each other.

  ‘What do we do?’ Oscar asked him, green eyes flashing.

  Caspian was about to answer, but then something began to develop in the middle of the street just ahead of them. A dark red portal grew larger and larger. Oscar was swift, and jumped in front of Caspian, pushing him farther and farther backwards down the street and away from the portal.

  Nothing seemed to happen as it continued to enlarge. Wicked and Enchanted alike were backing up, fearing what would emerge, eyes glancing between the sky, dodging the lightning and shaking of the earth.

  Then, through the red mass, other Wicked appeared. They poured through the opening, stretching out in front of the portal. There were around thirty of them.

  Caspian stared, unsure. Were they other good Wicked coming to help?