They left the house and settled into a steady rhythm as they walked home. Jerome didn’t remember the way, having to rely on Leila to guide them. He would have offered to fly but he figured that would be a big leap – for now.
“It’s good to be out of the hostel for a while,” he commented as they turned a corner. “It’s terrible being on lockdown.”
“What’s going on in your world? You said someone had died?” Leila was relieved for the change of topic, at least they weren’t talking about themselves for a while. It was far safer.
“Two council members have passed on,” Jerome confirmed. “They think an angel was the one who set the building on fire which killed them. So we are all imprisoned in our homes until further notice.”
“But you can visit your human?”
“Only if they are in trouble, technically.”
Leila gasped. “I’m not getting you into trouble, am I? Was it wrong to call you like I did?”
He patted her gently on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, hopefully they won’t notice. You were pretty upset when I was summoned to you.”
“I’m sorry anyway. Why would an angel kill other angels?”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “The council isn’t in a good state, the angels are angry at them but I never thought they would act like that. We aren’t capable of hurting each other. They banished two of my friends four days ago for no good reason, they’re out of control.”
“Banished?” Leila wondered what kind of punishment that would be. She was banished to Earth by the council, would they get the same?
“To the wastelands. It’s an area that doesn’t exist anywhere.”
“That doesn’t sound very nice.”
Jerome had to agree. “We’re working on trying to get them back. Hence the reason I had to ask you for help the other day.”
“I passed on the message, Lucia took the note,” Leila said proudly. “If I can help in any way, I want to. You only have to tell me what to do and I will do it.”
He didn’t doubt it, the only problem was how much he could involve her. Just showing himself to her was risky enough. Now they were communicating again, the council could go ballistic. Benecio would probably kill him if he found out. He tried not to think about it for now, he wanted to just enjoy the short time they had together.
“I will let you know,” he said vaguely.
They continued walking and finally reached the cul-de-sac where the Sinclair’s house was situated. Jerome was wary of others seeing him, he hoped the dusk light was enough to hide his large figure.
They reached the door to the house and hesitated. “I should leave you now,” Jerome said with regret. “Nobody else can know about me. I know you won’t tell anyone, but I can’t risk them seeing me.”
“I understand,” Leila answered. “Promise me you’ll tell me if I can help you in any way.”
“I promise.”
She turned and opened the door, not wanting to say goodbye yet. Still, it had to be done. “I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, just yell for me. Or throw a tantrum, whichever you please,” he grinned, teasing. She felt herself blush and went inside the house, partly to avoid the embarrassment.
Inside, Leila stopped. The Sinclairs were entertaining a visitor. She stood from the living room sofa, her hands clasping a small white envelope.
“Shenay,” Leila gasped before hurrying back outside to catch the angel before he disappeared again.
CHAPTER 14
“Jerome,” Leila yelled, watching the angel walk slowly down the street by himself. He turned around, his face so sad she momentarily forgot what she was doing.
He ran back to her, worried something was wrong. “What’s happened? Is it Toby or Maree?”
She briefly wondered how he knew who she lived with but pushed the thought aside, it wasn’t the issue right now. “Lucia has replied to your message. Wait here while I get it.”
He wanted to follow her inside, but knew he couldn’t. He was walking on a thin rope as it was, if he moved a tiny bit more one way he was going to lose his balance. The council would ensure a dangerous fall. Instead, he had to wait anxiously outside, counting down the moments until she returned.
It didn’t take long for Leila to emerge from the doorway. She hurried over, the small white envelope gripped tightly in her hands. She held it out for him to take – unopened.
“Thank you.” Jerome accepted the envelope, his hand lightly touching Leila’s. The flash of sensation that ran straight from his hand to his head was anything but light.
He opened it with shaking hands, unable to admit why they were doing so. The letter was brief and to the point, Lucia didn’t waste any words that weren’t necessary.
“What does it say?” Leila asked, waiting impatiently to hear. She tried to work out whether it was good or bad news based on his facial reaction. He was dead still, not revealing one little thing. “I hope it’s good news.”
“It’s not,” Jerome sighed. He lifted his gaze to meet hers briefly before returning to the note. “Lucia says no-one is running the council.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? It means they can’t do anything.”
“Unfortunately, no. It means they can do whatever they want. With no formal council, each individual councilor is doing whatever they want without needing consensus and without fear of consequences.”
“Oh.” Leila could now see how it was bad news. It would be like a police force with no rules, each officer able to take justice into their own hands. Without rules, regulations, and someone to answer to, vigilantism would be rife.
But, then again, they were still angels. Weren’t they supposed to be righteous and innocently pure? Surely they couldn’t go too rogue. “The councilors are angels too, right?”
“Yes, they are.”
“So how bad could they be? If they’re anything like you, then they will still be responsible and good.”
Jerome wished it was that easy. He didn’t even know where to start explaining. Sure, they were angels, but they believed in the council more than any individual. Whatever they did, they could justify to themselves by declaring it for the greater good. Even the most good and pure had to make tough decisions sometimes. Jerome had done the same thing himself when he involved Leila in his mess – again.
He tried hard to explain it. “The council will do what is best for the council, even if that means sacrificing some individual angels. Their main priority is the council.”
“So if you don’t agree with them, then you’re against them?”
“Exactly, and with two councilors dead, they automatically assume you’re against them.”
Leila knew the situation well, having seen it repeated over and over again during the past two years. When it came to crunch time, people instantly became paranoid and it was a strong emotion. The fight for survival far too powerful to overcome.
“So what are you going to do?” She finally asked, keen to hear the answer. She couldn’t imagine how they would be able to fix the situation.
“I don’t know yet but I have to go.” Jerome was already slipping the note back into the envelope, he couldn’t stay still any longer. “Thank you for this and please thank Lucia’s human too.”
He started walking. Leila was overwhelmed with an instant sense of panic. She had wanted some time to think and be alone, but now he was actually going, she didn’t want him to. Her thoughts were too confusing to sort out, she feared time alone would now just make it worse.
“When will I see you again?” She called out.
“I’m always with you, Leila, all you have to do is speak,” he said over his shoulder, giving her a dimpled grin before disappearing into thin air.
Within seconds, Jerome was back in the hostel. He snuck into Alexander’s bedroom, making sure to stay unnoticed by the other angels. He would prefer maintaining a low profile for a while, leave them guessing what he’s up to. With any luck, they would all think he was brood
ing in his bedroom. Everyone knew he was good at that lately.
“Alexander, wake up.” Jerome nudged him hard enough to ensure he would be heard.
The angel stirred, sitting up and blinking the world back into focus. “Where have you been all this time? I thought you were just going to check on Leila and come back? I thought you must have been banished or something.”
Jerome didn’t have an answer he would want to hear. In all honesty, he didn’t realize he had been gone for so long. Time spent with Leila zoomed by so fast it was difficult to keep a track of it. It wasn’t like he wore a watch to keep an eye on the time. It didn’t normally matter to angels, they had nowhere else to be except with their human.
“I, uh, I was talking to Leila,” he finally replied, not technically lying, just leaving out some important data. “Lucia returned the note. She said the council is not united now, it’s every councilor for himself.”
Alexander nodded, not needing further explanation. “That’s what I was afraid of. They’re probably accusing people of crimes left, right, and centre.”
“I know. There will be more angels in banishment than in the village.”
“What are we going to do?” Alexander asked, sounding very much like Leila had. Jerome would have found it funny if the situation wasn’t as serious. Or if he actually had an answer.
“We need to move quickly, that’s all I know,” he replied, with a steely determination in his voice. There was no way he could sit idly by and do nothing. Everything he had believed in would be destroyed and he couldn’t allow it. No matter the consequences and the risks, he had to do something. Those that watched terrible things happen and didn’t do anything were just as guilty as those actually doing the acts. It was time. “I’m going to go to the council and see what I can do. There’s got to be somebody there who will speak with me.”
“We’re in lockdown, you can’t go anywhere.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“But you’re going to the council, they’re going to know you broke lockdown. You’re serving yourself up on a platter for whatever punishment they want to throw at you.”
“If I’m caught then it means I get to speak to one of them. Who knows? I might get lucky and a few of them will capture me,” Jerome grinned, joking like he only could with his best friend. Alexander should have known better than to try and talk him out of it.
“I want to go with you then,” Alexander declared. If he couldn’t beat him, then he would join him.
Jerome shook his head vehemently. “No, I need you to stay here. If something happens to me, then I need to know you are safe and can act on the outside.”
“You mean, if you’re banished.”
“You know me too well, my friend.”
“I wish I didn’t, then I might actually believe you when you say you’ll be fine,” Alexander grumbled. “I guess it’s time to wish you good luck if you insist on running a fool’s errand.”
“I can’t help it if I’m a fool.” Jerome stood, trying to hide his nerves about stepping foot outside. He didn’t know what kind of magic the council had weaved around the village. For all he knew, an alarm might be triggered the second he even opened the door.
With one last look at Alexander, Jerome closed the door and headed down the stairs. The lights were off in the living room, everyone had retired to their rooms for the night. With nothing else to do, it didn’t surprise Jerome to see everything so empty.
He stood in front of the door, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. Once he opened the door and stepped through, there would be no going back. He was overtly breaking the rules and taking himself directly into the dragon’s den. There would be no excuses about why he was there, there could be no misunderstanding, and there definitely would be no mercy. He was on his own and would suffer any consequence that happened.
Jerome placed his palm on the handle, willing himself to turn it. There was just so much unknown about taking that step. Anything could happen when he walked outside. It might all appear to be the ordinary village with everything occurring as normal, but it wasn’t. Two councilors were dead, a large portion of the council building was in ruins, and one of them had been the perpetrator. Everything had changed, he had to remember that.
He turned the handle, hearing the click of the lock as if it was a siren in the quiet. Nothing happened. He pulled open the door and looked outside. As expected, there was no-one in sight. A part of him had thought council guards might be walking the streets but he couldn’t see any. They could be hiding though, he wouldn’t put it past them.
Jerome placed one foot on the path and looked around. He wasn’t crash tackled to the ground so he placed his other foot beside it. He was completely outside now, officially defying the council orders to stay indoors.
In the next moment, Jerome started running as fast as his legs would take him. He flapped his wings, lifting off the ground and racing down the path. He let the wind skirt along his feathers, feeling the freedom it permitted him. It had been too long since he had flown and even longer since he had done it as such a great speed.
His grey feathers fluttered, up and down with the ebb of the wind. For just a moment, he could even forget about where he was going or why. All that mattered was the sky and the speed, the freedom that he could do or go anywhere. It raised his spirits like nothing else.
Suddenly, pain shot through his side and he tumbled. Over and over again, he somersaulted through the air completely losing track of which way was up and which way was down. He fought to regain his bearings, lest a hard knock on the ground do it for him.
He managed to stabilize himself before getting hurt, but just as he realized what was happening, two guards grabbed an arm each and pulled him downwards. Their grip was too tight to allow him any argument in the matter.
He found his feet a moment after the guards, making him stumble between them. “Let me go,” he grumbled. “I’m on my way to the council, I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You’re breaking the lockdown,” the guard on his left pointed out. “Or do you think you’re so special the rules don’t apply to you?”
They chuckled between themselves. Jerome didn’t find anything to laugh about. “I need to speak to the council, you have to let me. I have a right to speak with them.”
“Those rules don’t apply in lockdown. Now shut up or we’ll do it for you.”
Jerome knew better than to try to argue. He tried to co-operate as they escorted him. They appeared to be heading up the path towards the council, with any luck he would get his wish. All he had to do was get through the guards to speak with a councilor. It sounded simple enough, right? He gulped with the burden of the thought.
They walked all the way to the council building, still smoldering from the fire even though it was days before. Jerome noticed they had cordoned off most of the building, it was just one end they had left open. It appeared to be mainly intact, that portion had a small roof at least.
The guards took Jerome inside and down a set of stairs. He had never been in that part of the building before, normally it was off limits to anyone except selected council members. Ambrosia didn’t even have access to the rooms.
He tried to struggle against their hold on him but it was useless. They eventually reached a room with thick walls and threw him in, closing the door with a resounding thud.
Jerome looked around, he was in a cell. The windows were barred with thick steel rods, the door reinforced with steel. With barely enough room for his wings, the entire place felt claustrophobic and small.
One bed was bolted to the wall but it was barely wide enough to lie on. It made a better seat than a place to rest your head. But Jerome couldn’t sit, he needed to get out of there. Depending on which councilor the guards informed of his ‘crime’ would decide his fate. He didn’t know how far they had all fallen and what they were now capable of. His banishment might only be hours away.
He couldn’t pace in the tiny room, his wings w
ere too large to turn around easily. Jerome scanned the room with his eyes, looking over every bit of the cell for a weakness. He didn’t believe it could be infallible, nothing was.
Yet the walls were smooth, there wasn’t even a crack to be seen. He tried the window, using all his weight to pry apart the steel. If he could bend the bars as far as they would stretch, he might be able to squeeze through. He pulled and pulled. But they wouldn’t budge. The iron was stronger than he had ever experienced, it crossed his mind they might be magically enforced. It wouldn’t have surprised him.
He moved to the door, it didn’t even have a handle from the inside. Its hinges were sound, it wouldn’t even rattle when pushed. There was no way out, the cell truly was a cell. Impenetrable, solid, and his prison.
Jerome finally took a seat on the bed and took a few deep breaths. He couldn’t panic, now more than ever did he need to concentrate, focus, and plan. He couldn’t listen to the voice inside his head screaming that it was all over. It wasn’t, he still had options, he just couldn’t think of them right now.
The night passed as if it was in slow motion. Jerome eventually tried to get some sleep, hoping new ideas would come after some shut eye. He lay down and closed his eyes but it was far from comfortable. He tried to keep the despair at bay, keeping his faith in check. He would get out of the situation, he had to.
Nightfall turned into dawn and with it came a visitor. The door opened with a clank of a key. Jerome sat bolt upright, fearful of who or what was on the other side.
When Benecio stood there, grinning like a Cheshire cat, his fears were not allayed.
“Angel Jerome, my my,” Benecio started. “When the guards informed us we had someone break the lockdown, I did not expect to see you. I thought you were smarter than that. How the mighty have fallen.”
Jerome tried to hold his tongue, worried he would say something he would regret. Or get himself into even more trouble than he was already in. He stared at the wall, refusing to be pulled into the trap.
“Cat got your tongue?” He laughed, a cackle that echoed off the walls and ceiling. “Oh, I get it, you’re trying to ignore me. Why would you want to do that, angel Jerome?”
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