He briefly wondered what other secrets the relics held as they lay scattered about. What other secrets could be hidden under the ground for thousands of years and were yet to be discovered? He hoped he would never have to find out.
Leila sat on the edge of a platform, a ‘Please keep off the display’ sign on the wall behind her. She thought the sign was funny, considering how much damage had been done. None of it was caused by climbing on the display, more like a baseball bat or a makeshift weapon.
Looking around the empty room, the familiar sense of being overwhelmed threatened to envelop her. The job really was massive, despite how many people continued to volunteer for the hard work. One day they would dry up as they resumed their normal lives again. The desolate look on her face tugged at Jerome’s heartstrings.
“Leila, are you alright?” Reece stood at the top of the stairs, heading towards her.
She sniffled back the tears before they could consume her. “Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in.”
He sat on the display beside her. “We’ll get there eventually. Everything takes time.”
“What if it happens again?” She asked in a whisper, not expecting an answer. It was a fear they all shared but nobody spoke of. The violence had stopped abruptly, there was nothing to guarantee it wouldn’t start all over again. Perhaps they were being naïve trying to rebuild?
Reece didn’t say anything, just gently placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Leila rested her head on his shoulder, trying to take comfort in his silent reassurance.
CHAPTER 3
“We’ve got to do something,” Jerome declared as he burst into the hostel. He startled several of the other angels as they took time out to rest in the living room. All eyes turned to him. “Has anyone seen Alexander?”
“I think he’s in his room,” one of the resident angels seated on the sofa, Nicholas, replied. He pointed upstairs.
“Thank you,” Jerome said as he took off without hesitation. He needed to get it all off his chest and it couldn’t wait a moment longer. He was suddenly overcome with a sense of urgency and couldn’t stop until he had a plan.
Barging into Alexander’s room without knocking, he scared his sleeping friend. “What are you doing?” He mumbled sleepily.
“We need to do something. The council, we need to get rid of them,” Jerome stuttered out, trying to focus his thoughts. He needed to get them clear or he wouldn’t be able to convince anyone.
“I thought you didn’t want to have anything to do with it?”
Jerome couldn’t admit it was seeing the human getting cozy with Leila that had made him change his mind. He would have come to the same conclusion anyway – eventually – he reasoned in his mind. He wanted to make everything better for Leila, she needed to be happy again, and that included having her memory restored.
“I didn’t, but now I do.”
Alexander sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “And did a certain human make you come to this decision?”
“She’s unhappy, I can’t let her live like that.”
He lay back down, turning his back to his friend. “If you’re doing this because of the human, then you aren’t doing it for the right reasons. I’m not going to help you.”
Jerome wasn’t going to give him an option. He pulled off the sheet and refused to be ignored. “I’m not doing it just for Leila, I’m doing it for all of us. Something needs to change in the village or our survival won’t be guaranteed. You have my word on this, Alexander.”
An angel’s word was golden and absolute. They didn’t lie, they stuck by their honor. For Jerome to declare his word then it was enough for Alexander. He sat up again.
“What’s your plan then?”
Jerome had been wondering the same thing. The only way he could see forward was to do something he didn’t want to. “We need to support Ambrosia. He knows the way the council works from the inside, he is in the best position to lead us.”
Alexander nodded, agreeing and happy his friend was finally seeing sense. He had wanted to support Ambrosia since he had landed on their doorstep the previous day but for entirely different reasons. He had known Jerome too long to split on such an important issue.
“So we’ll support him then.”
“I’m going to talk to him, can I pass on word of your support?”
“You may.”
Jerome threw the sheet back over him and left, closing the door behind himself. He wasn’t prepared to tell Alexander his real plan yet, he needed some time to think it through first. For now, he needed everyone to think he supported Ambrosia and his insane plan to overthrow the council.
He couldn’t walk to the council building, instead, he flew. Every moment he spent away from Leila was a moment too long. He needed to find a way to get her memory back, he was certain of it.
The angel on the counter let Jerome go right through to Ambrosia’s office. He had apparently left her with instructions to do so.
“Ah, Jerome, I am overjoyed to see you.” Ambrosia stood on his short legs and indicated to the seat across from his heavy oak desk. “Please, sit down and tell me what brings you here today. Good news, I hope?”
Jerome spoke quietly, unsure whether they could be overheard or not in the office. He was on their territory, there was no telling the extent they went to keep tabs on their members. “I am here to pledge support. That of myself and Alexander. We wish to join you in your plans.”
“Oh, wonderful, I am so glad to hear it. You will not be sorry.” The smile on his face spread from ear to ear. “Having the support of the famous angel Jerome, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Everyone is going to take me seriously now.”
“What do you mean?” He was talking gibberish, Jerome had no idea what he was going on about.
“You don’t know of your reputation?” Ambrosia waited for Jerome to shake his head before continuing happily. “You are the angel that found the human. She saved the world, you are a hero amongst many. You saved us all from a certain doom. With a little help from yours truly, remember.”
Jerome had not heard the rumors he spoke of. Nobody had said anything to him. The guys in the hostel jeered him about it every now and then but nobody had acknowledged his part in killing Septuses and ending the war.
He didn’t even think he wanted to take any credit for it. Leila had been the one to kill the demon, she had done it all on her own while he was unconscious on the ground. He had just helped her to realize her destiny.
“They really think like that?” He asked, disbelieving.
“They do. Which is why your support means so much to me.” Ambrosia skirted around the desk and placed a hand on Jerome’s arm. “Thank you, really.”
He was completely uncomfortable with the man’s gratitude. He decided he needed to get moving on his plan, anything to get out of the stuffy office. “I think we should get started.”
“I admire your enthusiasm. What did you have in mind?” Ambrosia clapped his hands together in excitement.
“Have you gone through the rules to see what you need to do to start the… project?” Jerome said guardedly, still fearing they would be overheard.
“I skimmed through it.”
“Perhaps I could take a look?” He asked hopefully, trying to suppress the eagerness he felt. He needed Ambrosia to believe him, he just had to for everything to work.
“Be my guest. I’ll show you where it is, nobody goes down there. You won’t be hassled.”
Ambrosia led him out of the office, down the corridor, and deep into the depths of the basement. In the records room, the walls were lined with perfectly bound books. Each one a work of art, the binding done by hand with a needle and thread. There was no typing on the pages, no printing press, every letter was put there by hand. A hundred hours went into each and everyone one of them.
“Those ones there are the rule books,” Ambrosia pointed to a shelf of five books in the corner. “I hope you find a good loophole and make it easy
for us to… take them down.” He whispered the last few words conspiratorially.
Jerome nodded and waited for the councilor to leave him alone in the room. He had no intention of going through the rules, if Ambrosia wanted to overthrow the other council members so badly, he could do the grunt work himself. Jerome was after something much more important.
He had never seen such works of art before, he couldn’t help but notice the book’s beauty as he scanned the shelves. A layer of dust was settled on the tops of them, betraying the fact nobody had read through them in a long time.
Jerome went straight to the top shelf, believing they would put the good stuff up there. He didn’t know where the cure for Leila’s memory loss would be but it had to be there somewhere. If the council had the power to take it away, then surely they also had the ability to put it back again.
The inner workings on how the council’s powers worked were a closely guarded secret. Nobody that worked outside of the sturdy walls were privy to the information. Ambrosia was risking his job just allowing Jerome to be in the building by himself. Even though it didn’t seem to worry him.
Jerome slid one of the books off the shelf carefully, extra cautious not to damage it in any way. He gently dusted off the layer of dirt and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. It was heavier than he had expected, the thick paper adding extra weight. He opened to the first page to try to gauge what it contained.
It appeared to be a record of the past council meetings. Every gathering was formal with a chairperson presiding and the secretary taking minutes of the events. The dates of the meetings in the book went back three hundred years. It was no good to him. He replaced it and skipped a few, trying to find something more relevant.
The meeting minutes stopped just over two years ago. The last council meeting recorded was before the first demon had crossed the line and attacked the angel Maleia. Jerome assumed they were still filling the latest book, perhaps it had been delayed with all the events of the war going on.
Several of the books were written in a language unfamiliar to Jerome. He could only stare at the cursive writing and symbols and admire their beauty before putting them back.
Growing tired with the search and lacking any other options, Jerome went to the rule books. He didn’t want to do any research to help Ambrosia, but perhaps what they did to Leila was somehow against the rules? Maybe they weren’t allowed to wipe her memory? He was grasping at straws but it was worth a shot anyway.
The rules were far more complex than he could ever have imagined. The language used was old, the ink of the paper severely faded. It was no wonder why Ambrosia had shirked his responsibility to do the research himself. No doubt he knew how difficult it would be.
Jerome powered on, however, determined to find something so his trip was not wasted. He could have spent his time watching over Leila instead of relying on his senses to pick up whether she was in danger or not. He was eternally linked to her no matter where he was. Yet he still preferred to be near her.
It would take more time than Jerome had to go through each of the five books. He tried to skim through for something relevant but it was almost impossible. Unless you really paid attention, it was like reading a foreign language.
Jerome replaced the book and leaned against the shelves, searching the room for something that might help him. The books were all far too old and ancient to leap out and tell him what he needed to know.
A pile of papers sat in an in-tray, ready to file into one of the waiting books. He rifled through them, curious about what they held. Could they be the missing minutes he had noted earlier? He wanted to know.
The papers were largely made up of correspondence within the different council offices. It all seemed quite mundane to Jerome, a whole lot of bureaucratic ramblings.
When he reached the last piece of paper in the pile, Jerome stopped and pulled it out for closer examination. This particular piece of correspondence was different to the others. It was written on yellow paper, meant to stand out.
The note was a memo from the highest level of the council to the middle members. Someone like Ambrosia who was in the lower levels would not have seen it before. It was dated nearly two years ago to the day.
Jerome’s mouth dropped open as he read through, he tried not to let his anger overcome him. He wanted to remember every word on the page.
The memo spoke about the first demon that had attacked an angel. It alerted everyone to the assault and warned them not to tell anyone outside of their office. That wasn’t the infuriating part however, it went on.
Whoever had written the memo gave orders not to change any of the security measures within the village. Everything was to remain the same, they considered the attack to be a once off and never to be repeated. They didn’t deem it necessary to investigate further. The angel’s family would be asked not to reveal the cause of death. Yet Jerome knew the angel Maleia’s family had told a few people.
The council had the opportunity to pre-empt any more angel deaths and they didn’t deem it worthy enough to do anything about it. They could have warned the entire village to be careful but they closed ranks instead. They could have protected them. How many angels had to die because they kept the knowledge to themselves? How many humans died as a result? He had warned them, he had tried to make them see sense but they had assured him they had it covered. He believed the council would do the right thing, not this.
Jerome folded the memo and slid it into his pocket, he wanted to keep it. He wasn’t sure why but he wasn’t going to leave it there to be lost forever in the system.
He made sure everything looked the same as when he had first entered the room and left. He didn’t bother seeking out Ambrosia, he was too angry to be able to keep up the charade. Jerome stomped all the way back to the hostel.
His anger didn’t fade over the next few days, Jerome felt as lonely as he had his entire life. He told Alexander about the archives but he was sworn to secrecy. The angel didn’t know what he would do with the information he gleaned, even if he’d do anything, but he did know he shouldn’t act without thinking it through. If he stormed up to the council and demanded answers like he wanted to, it wouldn’t get him anywhere. Jerome knew he had a hand to play and would hold the cards close to his chest until he knew how to deal them. For the time being, Alexander would be the only one he would confide in.
Before he knew it, the weekend was upon him. Jerome watched over Leila sadly, trying to control his anger. She was getting ready to go out, for the first time at night.
She swished her dress in the mirror, trying to decide if she was presentable enough to be in public. Maree had made the dress for her, trying to cheer her up for the party. While sweet, Leila still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to go or not.
Reece was a nice guy, the nicest she had met since everything turned into chaos. He had survived the evil lurking in the world by barricading himself in his house. His only company for eighteen months were his younger brother and parents. They stockpiled food before the world spiraled out of control and never set foot outside. They had been the smart ones.
“You’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.” Maree stood at the door to her bedroom, her arms crossed as she waited. “Toby said he would walk you there if you’re worried about going alone.”
“I don’t think I should go,” Leila sighed, tearing herself away from the mirror. She still looked far too thin and scrawny, the sparkle gone from her eyes.
“You have to go, you need to have some fun.”
“What if his friends don’t like me?”
“Honey, everyone loves you and his friends won’t be any different.” Maree gave her a warm smile, crossing the room to take her in a hug. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Leila waited until she was let go. She glanced at herself once more in the mirror, she would have to do. “I’m not going to be home late. I’ll say hello to everyone and then leave.”
“You will do n
o such thing. You will go to the party and have a good time like a young woman of your age should be doing. You will come home only a minute before your curfew with a smile on your face and blisters on your feet. Do you hear me?” Maree waited with her hands on her hips until she got a smile and nod in return. “Be home before eleven o’clock, that’s your curfew. Do you want Toby to walk you?”
“No, it’s not far, I’ll be fine. Thank you.” She meant for the thanks to be for the way Maree reminded Leila of her mother rather than the offer for an escort, she thought the woman understood even though she couldn’t say it outright. If she started talking about her mother, she would start crying and it wouldn’t be a good start to her evening.
“Be gone with you then.” Maree pushed her towards the door. “The party isn’t going to start with you being here.”
Leila was nudged out the door and it firmly closed behind her, signaling no return. She started the walk on shaky legs, her nerves getting the best of her. It had been years since she had been to a party, let alone a boy/girl one. The thought made her smile a little, she was just a child last time. It seemed like everything that had occurred before the chaos, happened to someone else. She felt like a completely different person now.
The thought of spending time with Reece and his friends excited her more than she wanted to admit. Anyone he had introduced her to was done quickly in passing at a volunteer day. He was good at talking his friends into donating time. He was one of her biggest supporters.
Jerome walked with her, side by side. He was nervous too except for different reasons. He didn’t want Leila to go to the party, he had seen the look on Reece’s face when he extended the invitation and he was certain his intentions weren’t exactly innocent. He liked her, just like he did. Which is why it bothered him so much.
A mischievous thought played into his mind, if he made sure Leila didn’t get to the party, he wouldn’t have to worry about the guy. A hundred devious thoughts popped into his head, he could spin her around so she would get lost, he could remove the numbers from the letterboxes so she couldn’t find the house, or he could hold onto her ankle so she couldn’t move. He could do any of those or something else to impede her journey.
Angel's Uprising Page 3