“Probably a good idea to go and talk to her after this is over,” said Gabriel, stepping into the center of the living room. Imorean nodded mutely and dropped down to one of the couches, his gaze directed at the floor. His mother had never looked at him like that. Not ever.
“You can sit down, big brother,” Gabriel said, resting a hand on Michael’s shoulder.
“Probably a good idea for this conversation,” said Michael, collapsing tiredly onto the couch opposite Imorean. “Raphael, please look at Imorean’s wing, would you?”
“I want to see your wrist and that chest wound first, if that’s alright, Imorean?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Gabriel, would you pass me the rubbing alcohol, it should be on Imorean’s kitchen table.”
Imorean swallowed, struggling to push away his guilt and turn his attention to the conversation at hand. Gabriel vanished and reappeared with what Raphael had requested. There was a methodic focus in Raphael’s eyes as he began wiping away the dried blood. Imorean looked up, but rather than looking at Raphael, he looked at Michael. The Archangel Commander was tired. He knew it was possible for angels to tire, but to see the Archangel look so exhausted worried him.
The living room had dissolved into a horrible, still silence.
“So,” said Imorean, kick-starting the conversation. “If I left…?”
“It is highly likely that Vortigern would come after you and leave the rest of the students alone here.”
Imorean nodded, grappling to find words to reply.
“Could I see your wing?” asked Raphael. Imorean nodded, but still jumped in surprise as Raphael rested his hands on his feathers. He trembled as the doctor ran his long fingers gently over the scorched vanes, as though trying to draw out some evilness that the mark had left.
“I have not told either of you about this,” said Michael, addressing Gabriel and Raphael.
“We’re curious as to what’s going on,” said Gabriel. His voice was carefully measured.
Imorean rested his elbows on his knees. If he hadn’t been curious before, he certainly was now. What secret was Michael guarding so valiantly that he hadn’t even told his own brothers? More importantly, what did it have to do with him?
The teenager took a deep breath. “Why does Vortigern want to kill me so much?” He felt uneasy as Michael sat forward, blinking in exhaustion.
“Because Imorean, you are different,” replied Michael with a sigh.
“…You don’t say.”
“Not like that. Even by angel standards, you are different. As I stated earlier, Raphael, Gabriel, I have not told either of you about this. Because of my own pride and overconfidence, I may have… I have placed Imorean into a very dangerous position. And the worst thing is that Vortigern already knows what I have done.”
“Michael,” said Gabriel in a serious voice. “What have you done?”
“Do you remember what you said many years ago, before we ever began this charade? If we had more Archangels, we might gain an edge?”
“Of course I do. Oh, no … you didn’t?”
Imorean looked between the two brothers, just as confused as he had been a few minutes ago.
“What are you two talking about?” asked Imorean, butting into the conversation.
“Imorean. You are not just an average human-angel hybrid. As it currently stands, you are a human-Archangel hybrid.”
“Archangel?” asked Imorean. His voice was much weaker than he had hoped it would be. He felt as though the bottom of his stomach had dropped out. His eyes flicked from Gabriel to Raphael to Michael.
“When each of the students were graced with angelic divinity as children, I gave you a portion of my own,” said Michael.
“Yours?” asked Imorean. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt that his heart may have stopped beating.
“Mine. You and I share ties. Call it what you will. DNA, genetic coding, blood, it all boils down to the same thing. We are connected. It is because of this that Vortigern wants one of two things. He either wants you dead or he wants to bring you to heel. He is a master at capturing angels and turning them into demons … he is part of the reason our numbers are dwindling so terribly. Imagine what he could do with a human-Archangel hybrid. A creature containing powers beyond his own comprehension? And your death? The results of either would be absolutely catastrophic for us.”
“That’s why he wants me?” whimpered Imorean, unsure whether to look at Michael or Gabriel. He barely noticed as Raphael rested a hand on his shoulder and the feathers on his right wing began to regrow themselves.
“Yes,” sighed Michael, sighing and dropping his head to level his gaze at the floor. Imorean swallowed hard. Michael’s answer should have explained everything … but it didn’t. It didn’t explain why Vortigern hated him with such a violent passion or the sense of familiarity the demon commander displayed. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t add up.
“Oh, Michael,” said Gabriel.
Imorean bit the inside of his lip and darted a glance at the younger Archangel. Gabriel was pinching the bridge of his nose and was shaking his head.
“Michael,” said Raphael seriously. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”
“Oddly enough, I have been struck with the sudden realization.”
“I’m shocked at you,” said Gabriel, releasing his nose and stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You’ve been placing Imorean’s life at risk all semester. You didn’t even tell us what was going on. Your own brothers, Michael. We could have helped. Maybe the situation wouldn’t have come to this if you hadn’t been so proud.”
“Do not accuse me!” snarled Michael, lunging to his feet. Tension crackled between the two powerful beings, the windows began to shake and ornaments nearby rattled on their perches. A low, pulsating hum was starting to fill the air.
Imorean stood and moved as well, crossing the room and standing between the two bristling Archangels.
“Stop it,” he said in a firm voice that surprised even himself. “The two of you can growl and snarl at each other all night, but that won’t help me, Roxy or any of the other students, will it?”
Gabriel flared his nostrils and took a steadying breath before backing away a few paces.
The smaller Archangel nodded. “Imorean is right. What’s done is done.”
“Indeed,” replied Michael, standing firm and narrowing his eyes.
“Gabriel’s right. What’s done is done,” said Raphael, standing at Imorean’s back. “The question is how are we going to help them all now?”
“We will have to recall all of the students and not just the ones from Gracepointe. It is the only way we can even think of defending them.”
“No,” said Gabriel, rubbing his chin in thought. “The way I see it, we have three options, Michael. One, we can recall all the students and cause absolute rage and havoc when they return to the schools. Two, we can recall Imorean and send him back to Gracepointe and risk his exposure there with a potentially compromised location. Three, we can recall Imorean and send him to Felsenmeer.”
“We do not have anyone based at Felsenmeer anymore,” snapped Michael.
“My point exactly,” replied Gabriel.
“I see what he means,” said Raphael. “It would be the last place Vortigern would think to look for him.”
“Felsenmeer?” asked Imorean.
“It was our elite camp,” said Gabriel. “Only the best of the best ever went to Felsenmeer.”
“Where is it?”
“Baffin Island, Canada,” said Raphael. “It’s well within the Arctic Circle.”
“What of the other students?” asked Michael, disrupting the conversation. “Should we go on and move them to Upper Morvine? Or perhaps even further to one of our other schools?”
“Moving them would perhaps be the safest thing to do for them. I will see how much vacancy we have at Upper Morvine,” sighed Raphael, sinking back down onto the couch next to Imorean and holding his head in
his hands.
“Wait,” said Gabriel.
Imorean looked up. The young Archangel was drumming his fingers together and there was a light flickering in his eyes.
“We can turn Michael’s folly into something to our advantage. What if we select just a few other students to send to Felsenmeer with Imorean. We have an opportunity here to make an elite squad.”
“What about my friends?” asked Imorean, his blood chilling in his veins. He had been all right going to Gracepointe because he had known he would have Roxy with him, but this time, he didn’t know how he felt about going to Baffin Island, potentially with a group of students he hadn’t become close with at all. There was every possibility he was going to be incredibly lonely. His friends had been a source of his strength. There was no telling how he would be without them.
“Well…” said Gabriel, pacing the room. “Naturally, Toddy and Dustin will be going. Those owl wings of theirs are unusual and would fit well on a specialist squad. Colton, of course, would fit well. Despite the fact that he isn’t physically as capable, he is the cleverest hybrid we have. Top grades in every class.”
“Mandy?”
It was Raphael that spoke up. “We’ll consider it. She has seagull wings and could be useful.”
“Roxy?” asked Imorean.
“To put it bluntly, Imorean,” said Michael, looking up for the first time in a while. “She is nothing special. She is not overly intelligent, neither is she overly strong or athletic, nor overly resourceful. She does not have a place on a specialist squad. We are looking for hybrids that are different from everyone else.”
“So, just because I’m not as fit or as clever as everyone else, you’re going to separate us?” asked a small voice from the bedroom hallway.
Imorean turned to see Roxy standing in the darkened hall with tears in her eyes, and a blanket draped over her head and shoulders.
“Miss Daire,” said Raphael gently, standing up. “You should be in bed.”
“No!” cried Roxy taking a shaky step backward. “I won’t move until you tell me whether I’m going with Imorean or not.”
“I want her to come with me,” said Imorean, standing as well. “We’ve been friends my whole life. I’m not being separated from her now.”
“That is not your decision,” said Michael firmly.
“We’ll see what we can do, Imorean. I should have an answer for you by tomorrow,” said Gabriel. “For now, Michael, Raphael, we should go. We need to leave this good family in peace. We have given them a lot to talk about and we have our own affairs to attend to.”
“Where are you going?” asked Imorean.
“Michael and I are going back to our hotel. With all the demons around, we can’t afford to leave now. You students need all the protection you can get,” said Gabriel, clapping both his brothers on the shoulders. “Raphael however, is going to Israel.”
“Israel?” asked Imorean.
“Israel,” nodded Gabriel.
“What would you have me do, Brother?” asked Raphael.
“Retrieve Remiel and Raguel from heaven. With the escalating situation, we need as many of us here as possible. Leave only Uriel and Sariel in heaven. Uriel will need as much time as he can have to recover from his ordeal. Sariel can hold the gates on his own.”
“I can do that,” nodded Raphael, moving toward the door. Michael followed his younger brother’s path and exited the house in silence. After he did so, Gabriel breathed a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry for this, Imorean, I really am. If I had only known what Michael had done …”
“It’s not your fault, Gabriel. I … I’ll do whatever you need me to do, provided it keeps my family and the other students safe … and keeps Vortigern from, you know, murdering me.”
Gabriel laughed softly. There was no humor in the sound. “Good lad. I’ll do my best to make sure Roxy can go with you, but I can make no promises. If you can think of anything, anything at all that might work in her favor to get her onto the specialist squad, please tell me.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“Gabriel,” said Roxy.
“Yes?”
“Why are you bringing down more Archangels?”
“Because when Imorean is relocated to Felsenmeer, I will be spending a portion of my time there. Ergo, I will be between Upper Morvine and Felsenmeer. I love my brother dearly, but in these last few months, he has been far, far too quick to anger. Michael I trust, his temper I do not. Remiel, Raguel and Raphael will take charge of Upper Morvine.”
“This is all getting serious, isn’t it?” asked Imorean, looking at Gabriel. He knew that his concern must have carried in his eyes, because Gabriel’s expression softened and he offered a small smile.
“Yes, Imorean. It’s getting very serious, very quickly. Bethany’s betrayal took us all by surprise, but I believe we can still come back from this. We must just look after the remaining students much more carefully.”
Imorean nodded and his gaze dropped to the floor as Gabriel exited the house, leaving him and Roxy alone in the living room.
Chapter 33
“Imorean,” said Roxy, crossing the living room.
Imorean looked up at her. She looked exhausted. Dark shadows stood out beneath her eyes. There was a bandage patch on one side of her head and bandages wrapped around her hand. His own terror wrought by Vortigern could wait. Michael and the other Archangels seemed determined to make his safety their top priority. For now, he was out of harm’s way. Roxy was the one who needed looking after right now.
“How are you feeling?” asked Imorean, putting an arm gently around her shoulders and guiding her over to one of the couches. He glanced at his watch as they sat down. It was only nine o’clock in the evening. It felt so much later. In less than twelve hours, his entire life had been spun sideways.
“I’m so sorry,” said Roxy, sitting down next to him and hiding her face in her hands. “I should never have spoken to Bethany. It’s just –”
Imorean kept his hand resting on Roxy’s shaking shoulders. He was almost certain she was crying. When she spoke again, her voice was thick and blocked.
“I thought I could trust her. We both knew her from Gracepointe and I was angry at you for saying you wouldn’t help me and I wanted to get away and – and …”
“It’s okay Roxy,” said Imorean, pulling his friend closer and offering as much silent support as he could.
“And now … Imorean, I nearly got you killed. Bethany and all the demons know where you are, who you are and what you are. They already knew you’re half Archangel. You could have died today. All because I wanted to run away and get away from Michael.”
Imorean shuddered as Vortigern’s words echoed in his mind. He pushed them away and turned his attention back to his friend. “Roxy. We all make mistakes.”
“Do our mistakes normally almost get our friends killed? Don’t patronize me,” said Roxy, her voice lacking the venom Imorean knew she had wanted to put into it.
“I’m not,” replied Imorean, knowing it was better to allow Roxy’s emotions to run their course.
“I – I told my parents,” said Roxy, her body shaking slightly as she drew a sobbing breath.
“What happened? When did you tell them?”
Roxy wiped her eyes. “This morning. They … they want nothing more to do with me. They don’t want a freak in the family. That’s all I am to them … just a freak. I always have been. Now I’m a monster.”
“They said that to you?” asked Imorean, looking at Roxy in concern. His best friend had buried her face in her hands once again.
Roxy nodded miserably.
“It was after that that I sent a text message to Bethany saying I was ready to go, to get out of here and get away from the angels. She told me she was in the area and she would meet up with me.”
“You never liked Bethany, though. Why would you meet up with her? That would be like me meeting up with Ryan.”
“I don’t know … it
just seemed like a good idea at the time. It seemed like a good idea for several weeks. I’m guessing you didn’t see my family when you went by my house, did you?”
“No. How did you know we went by your house?”
“Raphael told me. You didn’t see my escort either, did you?”
“… No.”
“Is she okay?”
“Why do you ask?”
“My parents had already gone when Bethany arrived so she came all the way to the house. There was a whole platoon of demons with her, including that head demon Michael is so bent on killing. Vortigern. My escort distracted most of the demons for a few minutes so I could get away, but I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Roxy … your escort is dead. Michael told me while we were looking for you.”
“What? They killed her?”
“Yeah … Bethany used her to send up a distress call. That’s why me and Michael showed up when we did.”
Roxy’s lower lip trembled again and her eyes welled up with tears. Imorean ran a hand up and down her back in an attempt to calm her, but he had a feeling Roxy was beyond all soothing.
“This is all my fault,” said Roxy in a very small, very quiet voice. She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and buried her face in it.
Imorean gave her a sympathetic glance, wishing there was something he could do to help or reassure her.
“And now they’re going to take you away and if I can’t prove that I’m special in some way, they won’t take me with you and I’ll lose the best friend I ever had. They’ll separate us.”
“We’ll figure something out. Gabriel said he’s willing to work with us to get you to come too.”
“But will Michael?” asked Roxy, wiping her eyes and looking up again.
“I think he will.”
“Everything is different between the two of you now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” replied Imorean. He swallowed hard. Of course, it was a huge shock to find out he was half Archangel, but he was determined to not let it show. For Roxy’s sake. He bent his wing tightly against his body. The feathers had regrown, but there was still a charred line of black where Vortigern’s sword had cut through the vanes. It stood out like a vicious scar.
Angels Soaring (Angels Rising Book 2) Page 31