The Angel

by Blaire Hammond

  Then another figure stepped through the portal. Pushing past the Wicked, making their way to the front of the group.

  Laura.

  Caspian moved to shove Oscar aside. ‘Laura!’

  Oscar put his hand out to stop him. ‘Don’t.’

  Instinct bellowed at Caspian to throw Oscar aside and rush for his friend, but Oscar held his ground.

  ‘It’s not her,’ Oscar told him after a moment, voice firm.

  Caspian could barely think straight. His heart was screaming at him to go to her, to rescue her from Erebus. But his mind registered Oscar’s words, and a sickness spread through his stomach. He allowed himself to raise his eyes, to look Laura in the face. He saw it then. The darkness. The menace behind her smile.

  ‘Oh my God,’ Caspian whispered. ‘He did it. He took over her body.’

  ‘Ah. Good to see you again,’ Laura- no, Erebus said. The gold in his eyes flickered as he cast a glance over the Wicked staring at him. ‘I’ve come to grant you one last chance to choose the right side. The winning side.’

  The Wicked standing by the Enchanted made no move to switch positions. Not one.

  Laura’s face contorted into one of ugly hatred, something Caspian had never seen on her face before. He felt bile rise in his throat and he was quick to turn his face away. Such a look didn’t belong there on her kind, beautiful face.

  ‘You are making a mistake,’ Erebus spat.

  Still, the Wicked didn’t budge.

  Caspian felt a sense of relief in that moment. They were siding with the Enchanted. They were facing Erebus’s wrath, and still they were siding with the Enchanted.

  Erebus sucked in an enormous breath, then opened his- Laura’s mouth and screamed: ‘ATTACK!’

  Then, the world exploded. Erebus’s Wicked charged. More Wicked appeared through the portal, coming from who knew where. Out of nowhere, the Devil’s broke away from the God’s and shot down towards the ground.

  Caspian didn’t have a chance to run. All he could do was draw his bow and aim an arrow for the charging Wicked while the God’s chased down the Devil’s above.

  Oscar shot him a glance, then drew his own sword and took off. Caspian followed. If he was going to die that night, he would die fighting.

  Chapter Twenty

  Losses and Defeats

  Laura could feel Erebus’s rage vibrating through her body. While she could not hear his thoughts, she could still feel them, in a strange way. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. But she found herself able to ever so slightly inflict her thoughts and will upon him. When he’d moved to remove her sword, she’d been struck by Terian’s words. Never take it off. Somehow, she managed to push through the barrier in her mind and convince Erebus it wasn’t a good idea.

  Nevertheless, it was harder to control him than she thought. When he was so full of fury and anger, he was completely out of it. She’d always known that he had a problem, but actually being there, feeling that intense vehemence, was another thing entirely. She understood just how far past humanity he was. He would and could never be redeemable.

  Around him, Wicked fought with Enchanted, Creatures, Casters and Mariadies. Before him, Caspian and Oscar were already defending themselves against Wicked. More and more of Erebus’s last loyal fighters were emerging from the portal behind them, and yet, he remained there, unmoving.

  Erebus had called in everyone he could. There were no more loyal Wicked across the world for they were all coming through the portal to take out those before him. Laura didn’t know what he was trying to do. He’d already lost – the Wicked had mostly left him. There was no way he would win the war.

  Unless… above, Devils swooped closer to the ground. The Gods were there, holding them back with their pure power. Laura couldn’t see what was happening properly, for Erebus would not raise his gaze to the sky, but she could hear the thunder, feel the shaking, see the flashes of lightning strikes. She could smell the rain, could barely see through it as it poured.

  Erebus did not move. He only watched. Laura felt sick. She wished she could take back control of her body. She wished she could fight back against Erebus. But it had been hard enough to inflict her thoughts on him in order to keep her sword.

  Then, something began to bubble within. It was her power. Her gift. She knew it. She could sense it regenerating and springing to the surface – ready to be used. It could feel the fight, and it knew its influence was needed. But it didn’t understand that she was no longer in control of her body. Of her power.

  To Laura’s horror, Erebus noticed it too. He seemed to stagger a little at the unexpected feeling rising within them both. Then, a grin stretched across his lips as he peered to his hands. He didn’t know how to use her power, but he knew how to use the lightning. If he could draw that on, he could draw on her gift, too. Laura could only pray he didn’t develop a complete understanding of how it worked once he did so.

  Erebus moved to take a step forward, when a flash struck the ground just ahead of him. He shrieked, jumping back as the freshly made hole in the bitumen smoked and bubbled from the lightning strike. Gold shimmered at the edge of his vision, and he twisted his neck back, turning his deathly glare on the God hovering above him.

  Laura watched in shock as Terian shot Erebus a knowing grin. He understood what had happened to her. Perhaps he had always known what was going to happen. Laura wanted to break free of her prison. Wanted to beg him to help her.

  But the anger – that horrific feeling of fury - within Erebus was vibrating through him. That, and the power. Laura didn’t realise what was happening until it was too late. Erebus dug deep, grasping a hold of her gift and thrust a hand up towards Terian.

  From the tips of Laura’s finders shot a deep red lightning unlike anything Laura had ever seen before. It slammed into Terian square in the chest, encasing him as Erebus pushed more and more of her power into his attack.

  Terian growled, his face contorting into a look of pure agony, and he moved his staph slowly, pushing back against the lightning. From its end shot a ball of air, which slammed straight into Laura, knocking her to the ground.

  Erebus sucked in a breath and rolled over in time to see Terian soaring down from the sky, staph at the ready. He was going to slam its end straight through her heart. But Erebus wasn’t going to let that happen. His fingers reached across the ground, closing around something.

  Laura could see Terian falling faster, could sense what was going to happen. But she was too weak to do anything. All she could do was scream and scream and scream as Erebus dragged the dead Wicked’s sword to his side and thrust it up through Terian’s chest before his own staph could meet Erebus’s.

  Terian froze mid-air, his eyes wide and unseeing. He stared straight into Erebus’s malevolent face. Then, he moved past it. His gaze bored into Erebus - into Laura.

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Then, he slumped forward, the full weight of his body falling onto Erebus. Erebus shoved him off and crawled out from beneath the dead god.

  Laura couldn’t stop screaming. Terian was dead. How could he be dead? He was a God! Her power surely hadn’t been strong enough to kill him! He could heal himself. The Angels could heal him. The other Gods, surely. Right? It wasn’t the end! But Terian lay there, unmoving, and Laura’s soul broke. How had she let such a thing happen? How could Erebus have so easily killed him?

  Erebus threw the bloodied sword to the ground and brushed himself off, swivelling to see the Wicked still fighting against the Enchanted.

  Inside, Laura was enraged. She had never felt such fury, such anger, such desperation before. But it was not the same kind of rage that encapsulated Erebus. No. It was something far different. She had to kill Erebus. It was the only way. She had to kill him before he used her power to do far worse things.

  ~

  The city had fallen to chaos once again, and Stella could barely think straight as she and Leo hurried to Archer and Ta
rim’s side.

  ‘We’ve rounded up all the Humans in the city,’ Archer said.

  ‘Good,’ Stella replied. ‘Let’s get them the hell out of here.’

  Sully arrived then, Martin close behind him. All of her brothers stood before her, and Stella was grateful to see them one last time.

  ‘They’re all on board,’ Martin told her.

  Stella nodded, and Martin locked eyes with her.

  Realisation seemed to dawn on him, then on the rest of her brothers.

  Leo reached across and took Stella’s hand, squeezing it tight. She needed it, for the look on her brother’s faces was one of fear and sadness.

  ‘You have to go. The lot of you. You have to get them to safety, okay?’

  ‘We won’t leave you,’ Sully replied firmly.

  But Stella shook her head. ‘You must. I won’t leave my students here to fend for themselves. We have to find them. And we have to find Laura.’

  Archer stared at her, and Stella straightened a little.

  ‘You all have lives waiting for you after this. I know you want to help us fight, but you know the Human’s need you. Everyone else is out there in the battle. No one else can get them to safety. Please,’ Stella begged, looking from one brother to the next.

  Sully glanced at Leo, and Stella felt Leo shift a little before speaking.

  ‘They’re our children, no matter how old or capable they are. We won’t leave them behind,’ he said quietly.

  Stella felt her heart break as Tarim threw his arms around her neck. She let go of her husband’s hand and hugged her brother back. Soon, all four of them were squeezing her tightly in a bear hug.

  ‘I love you all so much. And tell mum and dad…’ Stella paused, swallowing back her tears. ‘Tell mum and dad I’m sorry, and I will always love them.’

  Tarim pulled away along with the rest of her brothers, and as they each peered down into her face, they saw the tears welling, saw the sadness and fear of her own. They each told her that they loved her, told her that they would not say goodbye because they would see her again.

  She smiled weakly, not wanting to deny them that thought. Then, one by one, they turned and made their way down the docks to the ships. They’d be taking the Humans to one of the safe islands where they would remain, watching over them and helping take care of the others on the island. Once the war ended, they would seek out their partners, their own children, their parents, and they would live the happy life that was stolen from them by Erebus.

  Stella leaned into Leo for a moment, observing her brother’s backs as they boarded the ship. Then, she straightened, forced herself to draw her sword, and, with Leo beside her, they hurried to find their students.

  ~

  Drew reached the battle just as Caspian emerged from the midst of it, bloodied and battered. He saw Drew, and his face shifted. Drew sprinted to his best friend, reaching him just as he raised his hands to stop him.

  ‘Drew, don’t,’ Caspian said.

  ‘What?’ Drew asked, worried, checking him over for wounds. ‘What’s wrong? Are you okay?’

  Caspian stepped back. ‘Stop, its fine. It’s not my blood.’

  ‘Then what’s wrong?’ Drew asked frantically, gazing out at the fighting.

  Caspian’s eyes blinked rapidly, then he squeezed them shut all together. When he opened them, they were full of sadness.

  ‘It’s Laura.’

  Drew froze. His insides turned to liquid and his heart began to pound.

  ‘What about her?’ He asked quickly.

  ‘She’s-’ He cut himself off, swallowing. ‘He took over her body, Drew. He killed a God with her power.’

  The rushing in Drew’s ears took over and he felt himself swaying on his feet. The world around him blurred and he felt bile in the back of his throat. Then, Drew moved to push past Caspian.

  ‘Drew, stop. He’s gone. He left through the portal. Most of the Wicked that are loyal to him are retreating too. After he killed the God, the other God’s were furious. They fought back harder against the Devils, driving them into the sky again. I’m not sure what’s happening but they managed to put the protective shield back up. The last of the Wicked here will be taken out soon. The battle is over, Drew.’

  Drew realised then that the ground was no longer quaking and that the rain was dying down. The lightning and thunder could barely be seen or heard over head, and the sky had darkened to the same shadowed gold mix it had been before. The last of the Wicked that remained were doing their best, but ultimately were no match for the Enchanted army.

  Drew was seeing without really seeing. Hearing without really hearing. Laura was truly gone. He’d been right. Erebus had taken over her body and her power. He’d killed a God! How the hell had he killed a God?

  ‘Who was it? The God? Do you know?’ Drew managed to ask.

  Caspian’s face was pained. ‘Terian.’

  Drew stared at his friend, shocked. The one God Laura knew, the one God that had really helped her, had been killed by her own power. Erebus had to be stopped. The battle was over, but the war wouldn’t be won until Erebus was dead.

  Drew felt sick all over again. Not because of the battle, or the death, but because Laura was gone. He’d never see her again. Never hear her laugh, never watch her smile, never gaze into her eyes and admire the bright gold shining within.

  He’d never even told her the truth. That he loved her. That he loved her with everything he had. He’d been so afraid, so focused on the battle, that he hadn’t taken even a second to simply tell her. He would never have the chance to do so, either.

  How could he live with himself, knowing he’d made such an enormous mistake? How could he not have told her? Because he’d known it for so long. Of course he loved her. He loved her kindness, her determination, her smile, her laugh. He loved her ability to always fight to see the good, always look to the positive, always try and do what’s right. He loved how her beautiful face lit up when they joked and bantered. He loved the way she hoped, even for the simplest things. He loved that, no matter what, she was always intent of putting others before herself. He loved her for the simple fact that she’d been so willing to sacrifice herself for people she’d never known a year before – that she’d been so determined to fight for a world that, six months prior, she’d never known existed.

  He loved her, and he’d lost her. Just like that.

  ~

  Erebus paced the underground cavern, waiting for news of the Devils. He’d seen the reaction of the God’s. The moment he’d killed that stupid God, he’d felt the shift above. He’d escaped soon after, but he wasn’t sure what was happening out there.

  At last, a Wicked burst into the room, face wild and frantic.

  ‘The God’s have pushed the Devils back. They killed three more of them,’ the Wizard told Erebus.

  Erebus halted his pacing and turned.

  ‘What does that mean?’

  The Wizard’s face and clothes were red and dirty. He bit his lip, then grit his teeth. ‘They’ve retreated. The God’s have won.’

  Erebus spun and slammed his clenched fists into the stone wall, feeling the bones snapping within. Rage over took him, and he slammed them again and again and again into the stone, screaming with frustration.

  ‘He… he wants to see you,’ the Wizard said when Erebus paused, puffing to catch his breath.

  Erebus knew the Devil would kill him. He’d promised The Devils an easy ride. They weren’t receiving that. He’d have to figure out another way to defeat the God’s and give the Devils what they wanted. Perhaps if he did that, then they would help clear the land for him as well.

  There was nowhere left for him to go. Lastrala had been taken back thanks to those Wicked who betrayed him. The rest of the world’s countries and Islands were back in The Enchanted’s control as well. He had no base, nowhere to gather…. except Alast. That was the only place still within his command. The last of his loyal Wicked were waiting there. They’d been pouring thro
ugh the portal and entering the battle, but after he’d killed the God, he’d quickly realised that he was still fighting a losing battle.

  The way the God’s had taken over had sent a rare pang of fear through him – then he’d noticed that his own Wicked were dying. He’d called off the rest of the Wicked and had left an instant later.

  Alast had been the home of the God’s. It was the home to the Enchanted. It was the only place where he could lure them. Could end them all. With the girl’s power, a power so strong it could kill a God, he could do anything. If he somehow managed to contact the Gods with her power, to call them down to Alast, he could have his Wicked ready to kill them. Then, the Devils would see he was true to his word, and they could help eradicate the whole world’s population.

  ‘Get everyone together. We’re heading back to Alast,’ Erebus told the Wizard, flexing his sore hands.

  Pain shot through them with each movement as the bloodied and broken fingers screamed out in agony. He didn’t yet know how to heal himself, so he was forced to ignore it.

  Instead, he reached for his staph and slammed it into the ground, creating another portal. A plan formed, he stepped into the swirling mass, thinking only of Alast.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Battle Is Won

  Gemma could smell the blood, could taste the fire and smoke as she walked through the dead bodies. Many Wicked littered the street – a street that had already been three times cleared of dead. She passed the body of an Enchanted, a Creature, a Mariadie as she went, and her stomach clenched with grief.

  The Wicked had been defeated and the battle had been won, but not without consequences. The Enchanted had lost their own in the battle. Even a Caster had been killed, which had shocked everyone to hear considering they were often able to heal themselves before they died.

  Many that were close to death were in the midst of being healed by the Caster, though. The hospital was back up and running, and the Humans had been taken to safety. Those that remained were left to clear up the mess and search for survivors that could still be saved.