Angelstone: Dark Angel #2 (Urban Fantasy)

by Peach, Hanna

  “Keep your hands on the wheel. We still have to get to the Cajatambo community. And remember, we have a massive crucifix in the back, so go easy on the corners.”

  Marin rolled his eyes. “Alright already. I got this. Relax.”

  But Lukas couldn’t. He stared out the window and watched the landscape change as they drove out of the city of Lima. The dusty buildings were lost to the trees and the bushes of the ragged mountains of Peru. Lukas just couldn’t shake this feeling that something wasn’t right. Eventually, Marin gave up trying to engage him in conversation and they rode in silence.

  Lukas had nodded off. A sudden bang and a jolt made him hit his forehead on the window. He heard Marin curse.

  “What was that?” said Lukas, rubbing the rising lump on his head.

  “One of our tires, maybe? Dammit.”

  Marin maneuvered the truck to the side of the road and Lukas stared out the window. They were on a winding road travelling up the side of a mountain thick with trees.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “About half an hour from Cajatambo. Peruvian countryside.”

  Marin got out of the truck. Lukas followed. He squinted into the trees above as he stepped down out of the truck. Something felt off. He heard Marin swear. Lukas walked around to stand near Marin, who was kneeling by a tire. “What’s wrong?”

  “The tire’s busted. It needs to be replaced.”

  “Do we have a spare?”

  Marin grinned up at Lukas. “Of course. I’m not stupid. It’s in the back along with a jack. Checked it myself before we left. But you’ll have to help me with it.”

  Lukas couldn’t help but glance up again as Marin walked to the back of the truck. Lukas froze as a chill covered his arms. That’s what was off. It was too quiet. Usually he had to focus his mind to ignore the constant language of the animals around them but here there was no chittering of animals, no birds chatting away in the sky as they flew by. Nothing. Like they had been scared away.

  Lukas felt his heart start to thud. “Marin,” he yelled as he ran towards the back of the truck, drawing his sword. “We have to go.”

  Amid clanking of metal, Lukas could hear Marin sigh with thinly veiled impatience. “I know we do but we have to change the tire—” Marin’s eyes froze at Lukas’s unshielded weapon. Marin’s face then tilted up. “Look out!” he cried, pushing Lukas aside. Marin unsheathed his sword in one movement and met the blade of the first Darkened.

  Lukas turned and his heart dropped into his stomach as half a dozen more launched themselves from the trees.

  Chapter 37

  “They should be here. They should all be back by now.” Dianne was pacing up and down Tobias’s office where Alyx now sat with Vix and Israel. “What has happened to them?”

  “Dianne,” Alyx said, “It’s not the time to worry yet. They could just be late. They could have stayed longer at the communities.”

  “But all of them?” Dianne turned her eyes to pierce Alyx’s. “You shouldn’t have left them alone.”

  “That’s unfair, Dianne,” said Vix quietly.

  “I have tried alerting Jordan through the ‘Scape,” said Alyx. “I’ll let you know if he contacts me, but until then we can’t do anything except try not to worry.”

  Everyone jumped when the door banged open. It was Ky, huffing as if he just flew halfway across the world. “Come quick. Mama says. Come. Marin. He’s hurt.”

  The four of them sped to the infirmary, Ky hanging off Israel’s back. They burst in all talking at once. Marin was lying on his back on one of the beds, moaning, Ana beside him. Alyx’s mouth dropped open in horror. She heard Dianne cry out and Vix swore.

  Marin was shirtless and his whole torso was glistening, his body coated in red blood. Torn pieces of material were tied along his arms and legs. The wounds that Alyx could see through the slashes in his pants were still bleeding. Black Stone. The Darkened did this.

  Ana spun towards them. Her face was grim. “He is in a lot of pain. I need to tend to him first. Ky, out.”

  Ky, still clinging to Israel’s back, started to protest but Israel interrupted him. “Come on, Ky. I’ll wait outside with you.” With a grateful look from Ana, they left the room.

  Alyx, Vix and Dianne stood, watching wordlessly, silenced just as much from Ana as from the shock of seeing Marin like this. What happened? And what happened to the others? Alyx could barely push down the panicked impatience as Ana moved carefully around Marin, wiping again at the crook of his arm.

  Marin moaned as Ana injected him with something. She murmured to him as if he were a child. “This is for the pain, Marin.” Ana brushed the hair off Marin’s forehead, then finally turned to the three of them. “There was a trap. The tire of their truck carrying the crucifix busted out in the middle of nowhere. Then the Darkened... there were too many. When Marin woke, the truck and Lukas were gone. He managed to find his way to the Cajatambo community. Two Seraphim from Cajatambo brought him here. They didn’t know how to treat Black Stone wounds.”

  Dianne gasped into her hands. Vix cursed under her breath and looked like she wanted to kick something. Alyx felt strangely numb.

  “Why did they leave him?” Alyx wondered aloud.

  Ana glanced back at Marin, who now appeared to be sleeping. Ana motioned for them to move to the corner of the room.

  “Perhaps,” Ana said, “they thought he was dead. He has lost a lot of blood. A lot. He was smart enough to rip tourniquets out of his shirt and curtail some of the bleeding, which probably saved his life. I don’t know how he even made it to Cajatambo.”

  “Will he make it?” Vix asked.

  “If anyone can, Marin will,” Ana said. “He’s a tough one.”

  Alyx thought Ana was putting on an extremely brave face, but under the steel features Alyx could see the worry lines pressing at her brows. Of everyone here, Ana was the one with most to fear with Lukas having been taken.

  “I haven’t told Ky about his father yet, so please don’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to worry.”

  Alyx stepped forward and placed a hand on Ana’s shoulder. “We’ll get him back, I promise.”

  Ana nodded and turned away, but not before Alyx saw the tears in her eyes. “Now if you’ll excuse me. My patient needs me.”

  * * *

  The mood was somber when Alyx, Vix, Israel and Dianne returned to Tobias’s office for privacy. Alyx had filled Israel in along the way, talking in hushed tones and pausing when they passed the other residents of Aradale.

  “What are we going to do?” said Dianne.

  “We can’t let the residents of Aradale know,” said Vix. “They’ll panic. Things could get out of hand.”

  “Vix is right. We can’t let this get out yet. The official position is that they are still out visiting the other communities,” said Alyx. “In the meantime, who is next in command?”

  Vix nodded. “That’s me. I’ll send a swallow to the other two communities to see whether the Saudi Arabia team and the Florence team made it back to their communities. But I think we can work on the assumption that they didn’t and that they were also ambushed by the Darkened.”

  “What do we do now?” asked Israel.

  “We have to get them back,” Alyx said.

  The four of them looked at each other. The things left unsaid lay heavy between them. But how? They didn’t even know where the Darkened were keeping them. And what if it was too late? What if... they were already dead?

  Chapter 38

  “Alyx.” A feeble sounding voice called out, but Alyx couldn’t see who was calling her. A cold wind blew against her skin causing goose bumps to rise across her body. Alyx started to grab at her sword.

  “Alyx.” It sounded closer.

  Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the voice. “Jordan? Where are you?”

  The question was, where was she? Alyx looked around her as she fingered the rough handle of her blade. She could barely see through the fog that clouded h
er vision, swirling around her in fisted curls.

  Then she saw him through the mist. He stooped, one arm wrapped around his side. And he limped as he moved towards her through the fog.

  “Thank God you’re alive.” She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.

  He winced. “Careful.”

  “Oh, Jordan,” Alyx said, pulling back to study his bruised face. “What have they done to you?”

  “I’m okay. A bit worse for wear, but we’re okay. Tobias, Lukas, Luce, but,” Jordan’s face dropped, “Marin and...”

  Alyx shook her head. “No, Marin’s okay. Barely. He made it to Cajatambo and they brought him back to Aradale.”

  Jordan let out a breath, relief obvious on his face. “Thank God.” His face was serious again. “And Omniya and Fernando?”

  “What? I don’t know. We haven’t heard back from the swallows to the local communities of Saudi and Florence.”

  Jordan slumped. “Samyara said he left one of us at every site as a warning to you about how serious he is.”

  Alyx felt her skin grow cold. One from each site. “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know. We were blindfolded. Somewhere dark. A cellar of some sort. It smells damp and sour, like overripe grapes. But... I don’t have much time. I’ve been sent here with a message. Samyara wants to trade. All of our lives... for Israel.”

  “Never.” It slipped out of Alyx’s mouth before she could stop it. She could see a new pain in Jordan’s eyes. She had instinctively chosen Israel over him, over all of them. Alyx wished she could crawl into the earth and let it swallow her.

  “I know you can’t give him up. He is connected to the prophecy. The mere fact that Samyara wants him so badly tells you that you can’t let Samyara have him. With his half-demon blood and mortal blood... they would be so close to having their keye. You can’t give him up.”

  “No.” Alyx shook her head. “There has to be another way. We’ll rescue you.”

  “There’s no time, even if I could tell you where we were. Samyara wants an answer in one hour.”

  “But then...” she couldn’t say the words... but then you’ll die.

  “These are tough choices we have to make, Alyx. We must consider the greater good. I have already spoken to Tobias and Lukas and Luce. We all agree.”

  “No. I won’t let you. There must be another way.”

  Jordan touched her face, his eyes bore into hers. “Alyx, do what you have to do. I promise, I won’t blame you or hate you for it.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers, barely a flutter. It felt like a goodbye kiss.

  Then he faded into mist.

  Chapter 39

  The swallows had returned carrying bittersweet news. Omniya had been found near the Saudi community and Fernando had made his way back to Florence. Both were in bad shape, but at least they were alive.

  In Tobias’s office, there was a silence when Alyx finished telling Dianne, Israel, Ana and Vix what Jordan had said to her. Alyx could see the depth of pain etched on each of their faces. She couldn’t bear to look at any of them, especially Ana. Ana collapsed to the table with a wail that hit Alyx right in the stomach.

  “No,” cried Dianne standing up so violently that her chair clattered to the floor. “You’re lying. They would never give up their lives for him.” Dianne glared at Israel when she said him. “You would give up these good Seraphim’s lives for the sake of your lover?”

  “No,” cried Alyx. “I’m telling the truth.”

  “No. We won’t let them die,” said Dianne. “We’ll exchange this half-blood for their lives.”

  “We can’t give up Israel,” said Alyx quietly.

  “Why the hell not?” Dianne snapped. “You would value his life over the lives of four Seraphim?”

  “He’s a link to the Blood Prophecies.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass.” Dianne turned to Vix. “Vix? What do you say? Will you throw away Tobias’s life? Will you cut off Jordan’s life? Jordan who has kept this community safe for so long? Will you look at Ana, Ana who has given up so much of her time and care for this community, and tell her that you are condemning her husband to death? That you are taking away the father of her boy?”

  Vix leaned her face forward and placed her forehead in her hands. The strain of this decision was clear on her face.

  “You should give me up,” Israel spoke up. “I can’t be responsible for the lives of so many.”

  “No!” Alyx cried.

  “I’m sorry,” Vix said. She lifted her fingers from her face. “If Israel is offering... I can’t let Tobias and the others die.”

  Alyx sank into her chair. “There has to be another way,” she said quietly. “There has to be a way to save them all.”

  Chapter 40

  Samyara sat motionless in his chair as two bulky Darkened stood on either side of him. The chair, generously padded with a high back, was out of place down here in the dark and dank wine cellar of this mansion, but Samyara had insisted on bringing it down here while he waited for the DreamWalker to wake with the answer to his proposition. No need for him to wait in discomfort, was there?

  Samyara watched the Seraphim’s breathing become shallower. Then his eyes blinked as he awoke from his unnatural sleep.

  “Well?” Samyara said, scowling with impatience.

  The seraph looked disorientated as he pushed himself off the cold stone floor into a sitting position, his shackles clanking as he moved. He turned his head so that he was now looking at Samyara. His other Seraphim friends also had their eyes trained on him.

  “She said yes. She agreed to meet tonight for the exchange. The Remembrance Park, Saint Joseph. 3 a.m.”

  “The devil’s hour. How fitting.”

  “She agreed to have two there for the exchange and only two.”

  “Excellent.” Samyara was already rubbing his fingers together.

  “There is one extra condition.”

  Samyara growled low in his throat. This was his negotiation, not hers. Annoying girl. “What?”

  “They want Adere as well.”

  “Adere? What does she want with Adere?” To gain his secrets? To torture information out of her? The location of his current base?

  “It’s actually not her condition. It’s his.”

  “His?”

  “Israel refuses to cooperate unless you hand Adere over. He still wants to save her soul.”

  “He wants to save her soul.” A little smile began to creep across his face. “Oh how touchingly disgusting. See,” Samyara turned to the Darkened next to him, “this is why we are far more evolved than these wretched humans. This is what happens when you care about other people. They become your weakness. Save her soul. Ha.”

  Samyara stood up and brushed down his pale blue linen suit jacket. “Tell her that he can have his little Adere.” Fat good it will do him.

  * * *

  Back in his den, Samyara called for Passar.

  “You wanted to see me?” Passar asked when he entered the room.

  “Leave us.” Samyara commanded to the Darkened at his side. For a moment they didn’t move. They had never left him alone with the traitor. Samyara snapped his fingers in impatience. “Well, go on then.”

  Hesitantly they left the room saying that they would just be outside.

  “Have a seat,” said Samyara to Passar. “I’m not going to bite. Not today, anyway.”

  Samyara watched, mildly amused at the traitor’s nervousness as he perched himself on the edge of his seat. It was always good for your underlings to retain a healthy dose of fear around you.

  “I have a task for you,” Samyara began, “Tonight I am making an exchange. In exchange for Israel I will give them back the prisoners that we captured and Adere. Incredibly generous on my part, don’t you think? When we make the swap, I need you to be in hiding over on their side. Once we have Israel and they have Adere, I need you to kill her.”

  “What?” Passar said. “But why?”

>   “They want to turn her back. If they succeed, the human Adere will give them all the information on us. We can’t risk her giving away our secrets. And once I have him, I don’t need her anymore.”

  “Why don’t you get one of the Darkened to do it?”

  “It isn’t your place to ask me ‘why’.”

  “This isn’t part of the deal.”

  “If you successfully kill Adere, I shall deem you to have met your contract conditions.”

  Passar’s mouth parted and Samyara could see the glint in the traitor’s eyes. He knew this seraph could almost taste his own freedom. Fool.

  Samyara smiled. “So you’ll do it then?”

  Chapter 41

  Passar shifted in his spot high up in the branches of a tree in Remembrance Park. Through the leaves he could see that the four prisoners were already kneeling in a row. Each prisoner had a small rough sack covering their heads. Their hands were tied behind their backs and strung together. Behind them stood Adere and another four Darkened; he only knew the largest Darkened’s name as Bostif. A way behind them was Samyara.

  In the distance the clock chimed three times. Moments later three figures appeared in the sky over the trees and made their way down to the park. Their feet crunched on the ground as they touched down in front of the prisoners. Passar recognized Israel. He was being held by Alyx and another seraphelle that he didn’t recognize. She had brown hair past her shoulders and watery eyes. Passar frowned. This mystery seraphelle didn’t carry herself as a warrior, her eyes darted too much and she looked nervous. Why would Alyx bring her?

  “I was beginning to fear that you had changed your mind,” Samyara called, his voice seeming to echo across the divide.

  Israel leaned towards the second seraphelle and whispered something.

  “I thought we said to come with only two,” the unknown woman called out. Her voice betrayed her nerves, though the woman tried very hard not to let them show. Strange that it wasn’t Alyx who was speaking.