I sensed the authority in his voice, but we could ponder about what was going to be said later.
Meeting Ryuu's eyes, I pointed upward, encouraging him to hurry back into the vent. He nodded and shot up to quietly grip the sides of the vent opening, pulling himself up. We were next, but I caught onto Ryuu's sister's response.
"You didn't tuck me in," she mumbled. "Brother always tucks me in."
"Ah, I see. Prince Ryuunosuke does tuck you in every night, doesn't he? I have to check this room for just a moment and I'll come tend to the princess's needs. Is that okay?"
"I guess. As long as Ducky gets to be tucked in, too," she replied.
Biting my lip, I tried to summon some wind to carry us upward, but I was struggling.
This is bad.
Yuriel noticed my struggle. "You’re still recovering from the charge of magic," he whispered.
"We don't have time to wait," I replied with urgency. "I can't do an invisibility spell either."
Jingling keys caught our attention once more, and I looked up to Dimitri and Ryuu, who were looking down at us with worried eyes.
I ushered them to go, and they nodded, disappearing from sight. Yuriel muttered something under his breath, tugging my attention from the door.
My jaw went slack as my eyes widened, noticing the massive pair of wings that were poking out from his back and spreading outward.
Fuck...black wings.
With one flap, we were darting up to the opening, and he lifted me through space first.
Shaking off my shock, I crawled to the opposite side, seeing Ryuu was waiting at the end of the vent that led to the right.
I used my hand to order him to keep going, and he nodded, crawling forward. I moved to create space for Yuriel, his hands gripping the edge.
His wings pulled back into his back, disappearing from my sight as he pulled himself up.
Taking a final glance down, I noticed a single black feather floating down toward the floor.
"Star," I commanded, noticing the uni-kitten was staring at the feather that was making its way down to her.
"Mewr!" she quietly replied, hopping up to grab the stem of the feather into her mouth and floating up toward us.
With my outstretched hand, she landed with ease, and Yuriel quickly shut the opening at the same time we heard the door open.
We didn't dare move, both of us holding our breaths.
"Peek-a-boo," we heard Ryuu's sister say. She giggled. "No one here."
"It appears not," Guardia replied, sounding both disappointed and annoyed.
"Can you tuck me in now? I'm sleepy."
"Certainly, princess. Let us head to your room and I'll tuck you and Ducky in."
The sound of the door closing vibrated up to the vent, followed by it being locked. We listened to their fading footsteps, and after a minute we both sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness," I whispered. Star dropped the feather into my hand before a little yawn escaped her.
With a poof, she was gone, the relief of our escape sinking in.
I stared at the feather in awe, noticing the bits of magic that clung to it. "How beautiful."
Yuriel was quiet, and I looked up to see his conflicted expression as he looked away. "Yuriel?"
"We should go," he muttered.
I didn't budge, knowing damn well he could move around me to leave. He sighed, finally meeting my gaze. "What?"
"You're a Fallen angel?" Obviously, his black wings confirmed it, but I wanted to hear it from him.
"Disgusting, right?" he muttered.
"Why would you think that?" I countered, furrowing my brows at him. "They're beautiful."
"I never asked for them," he grumbled. "And I hate explaining." He lowered his gaze to his hands that pressed against the gold steel.
"You don't need to explain. I just wanted to know for sure what you were," I voiced.
Reaching out with my free hand, I lifted his chin up, our eyes meeting one another once more. "Whether it's a path chosen for you or not, don't look down upon the beauty of your wings. The actions of others may taint your view of them, but I think they're stunning and deserve nothing but admiration."
Yuriel stared into my eyes for a long moment. "What if I don't want the rest of the world to see?" His voice was low and filled with hurt.
Does he really believe his wings are ugly? If only he could see what I see.
I thought quickly, trying to think of a solution that would help him.
"Can I try something real quick?" I asked. "I won't make any promises, but I might as well try now while the others aren't here."
He nodded in agreement, and I took a few seconds to ponder. "Can you summon your wings but make them small enough to fit? They don't need to be fully out, just a little bit."
With another nod, he closed his eyes, a small portion of his wings poking out from his back. I reached over to hug him, laying my hands gently on their sleek surface.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated, feeling my mana already flowing to my hands.
It felt nice to call upon my magic again; its desire to help Yuriel was as strong as mine. Closing my eyes, I slowed my breathing, the words coming to my mind as I pictured his wings cloaked with sparkling white magic.
"Conceal the black within these wings. Shield them from hateful eyes. Only those worthy of witnessing such magnificent masterpieces shall see the true form of art when prejudice is lost and acceptance of Yuriel Xin is found. Individuals who see Fallen angels for who they are and not for the predicament they are forced to live in. Cloak these wings and let them shine as white as snow. For as long as I'm by his side, let this spell remain active and pure."
The warmth in my hands heightened in strength, but I held back the whimper that threatened to escape.
I figured something like this would take more time, but I hastened the process and it was exactly why my hands felt like they were on fire.
The heat began to dim, prompting me to open my eyes and witness the result of my magic. I sighed in relief, his once-black feathers now a sparkling white.
"Perfect." I pulled back to look into his eyes.
He turned his head to peer over his shoulder, staying like that for a full minute before he looked back with wide eyes.
"They're white."
"Yup," I said with a confident grin. "Seeing as we're apparently dating for the next four years, as long as I'm around, they'll always be white. I don't necessarily need to be physically around you, but uh...as long as we maintain some type of relationship, a bit of my magic will always activate when you summon your wings and cloak the color. Only those who accept who you truly are will see their true form. Like family and close friends. That way you don't need to explain when you go back home to visit and whatnot."
He looked speechless, his eyes displaying his gratefulness. "No one has been that kind to me," he muttered.
"Then it's nice to be the first," I whispered.
Shuffling around to face the path we were supposed to go on, I looked over my shoulder to give him a motivating smirk.
"Let's get out of here. We can get a better look once we're done with this quest." I began to crawl forward.
"Silver?"
Stopping, I looked back at him. "Yes, Yuriel?"
"Thank you." The smile that curled up on his lips made my heart skip a beat while my body grew hot with attraction.
Goodness, he's absolutely stunning when he smiles. That can't be legal.
Blushing from his thanks, I gave him a nod and looked away. "Anytime," I muttered. "Let's go."
We made our way through the vent, meeting up with Ryuu and Dimitri, who were waiting for us.
I could tell they wanted to ask what held us up, but the priority was getting out of here as soon as possible.
Reaching the top entrance of the mountain, I looked around before peering over the edge of where the five of us stood, including Wolfgang, who looked pleased that we made it unharmed.
"What took you
guys so long?" His tone was hushed.
"Almost got caught," I whispered. "We'll explain when we're safe. How are we getting down the mountain?"
"I can shift? All of you will fit on my back," Ryuu offered.
"Never ridden a dragon before," Yuriel muttered. "I can fly on my own."
"Guess the three of us will ride Ryuu," Wolfgang concluded.
"That sounds dirty," Dimitri noted.
"You have a dirty mind," Ryuu grumbled rolling his eyes. "Let's move."
"Hold up, I think I dropped my phone," Dimitri announced, patting his pockets.
"Really?" Ryuu softly exclaimed. "Get a new one."
"Can't. Valuable contact info on there," he replied. "Give me a few seconds. It must have been when we dropped from the vent."
He rushed over to where we'd dropped. Yuriel stood behind me while Ryuu began to shrug his shoulders before lifting his arms up to stretch.
I noticed Wolfgang scrunch his face, sniffing the air a few times. "What's the musty smell?" he questioned, looking like he wanted to sneeze.
We peered around, trying to see if there was smoke or something that contributed to the smell that my nose was now picking up on.
Dimitri was jogging back, waving his phone. He came to a stop only a few steps away, and his nose twitched in disgust before he looked like he was about to sneeze.
"Don't sneeze!" I hissed.
"ACHOO!" Dimitri sneezed, the sound seemingly echoing through the entrance and down the walls of the mountain. "Sorry, I'm allergic to dust."
The ground suddenly shook, followed by a loud roaring sound.
"Fuck! Go, go, go!" Wolfgang encouraged.
Yuriel grabbed my hand, while Ryuu raced right off the cliff. I gasped, my heart spiking in fear, but it was soon replaced with awe when his body shifted and grew quadruple its size, revealing a blue-purple scaled dragon.
Wolfgang and Dimitri were next to race off the cliff, both of their bodies shifting mid-air into their other forms.
I didn't even get a chance to admire them as they landed on Ryuu's back as he began to fly away.
"Oh no! He probably thinks I got on, too," I exclaimed, looking at Yuriel in fear.
He didn't seem a bit worried, squeezing my hand before tugging me forward. He began to jog, and I followed his lead, sensing something powerful behind us.
Glancing back, I saw the stream of smoke heading toward us, glowing blue eyes peeking through the smoky mist.
We sprinted right off the edge, my spike in magic summoning the breeze to catch us. It wouldn't last long, but Yuriel let go of my hand as his wings burst from his back.
I gazed at the pure white wings, feeling thankful that my magic had actually worked, but a shriek left my lips when my body began to plummet downward, my shift in concentration breaking my wind spell.
My eyes watered as I flailed around, trying to summon my magic before I reached the base of the mountain.
Arms hooked under my armpits, catching my weight before lifting me swiftly up.
I sighed, peering up to see Yuriel's spread wings, which appeared even bigger than before as we shot through the air at a swift pace.
He looked down and smirked. "I got you."
Returning his smile with my own, I gave him an encouraging nod before taking my time to see the final product of his wings. "So pretty."
Yuriel nodded. "Let's catch up to the others."
10
Race Against Power
The sight of Ryuu's gigantic body came into view, the mist that surrounded the mountain fading away as we distanced ourselves. From the height Yuriel was flying at, I could now get a better view of the others.
Wolfgang's wolf body was three times bigger than a typical adult husky. His fur was black but had gold highlights. He was sitting down, looking comfortable as the wind ruffled his coat of fur.
I turned my attention to Dimitri, who sat next to Wolfgang. His body was even bigger, while his fur was a mixture of black, orange, red, and gold. It almost looked as though his fur was on the verge of bursting into flames, specks of embers fluttering off his body.
His tail was wagging anxiously, repeatedly engulfed in flames for a few seconds before they would extinguish.
He peered at us, his flaming eyes locking on me before he seemed to calm and lower his head to the blue-purple scale surface.
I couldn't see Ryuu's full appearance, but the scales of his back alone twinkled in the sunset sky.
Depending on the way he turned, the colors would alternate between teal blue, an ocean green, and a gorgeous mix of yellow and gold, adding hints of red from time to time.
My mind couldn't wrap around the fact that it was almost nightfall, shocked at how time seemed to have sped up during this quest. No wonder why they gave us forty-eight hours.
Our task had definitely been difficult, but it took half the time since the ring was in Ryuu's family territory.
If it was a place that was foreign to us, there was no way we'd be wrapping things up and heading back this fast.
A thought came to my head and I looked up to Yuriel, who sensed my gaze, lowering his head to meet my eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Didn't the Guardia call Ryuu a prince? And he called his sister a princess. Are they royalty?" I questioned.
Yuriel looked deep in thought, slowing down a bit to answer me.
"Maybe in his shifter race they are? If the ring artifact was among the section of items one hundred years or older, he must have been a collector for a long time to be given the responsibility. Not simply because he's a dragon. Before the world got hit with that wave, some supernaturals still existed in hiding. They lived among us in their human forms and with the swift change, it was made easier for them to live without the risk of exposing their race."
"Intriguing. I want to ask him when we get back." I admitted. "At least once we arrive back and see Clarissa, we'll be able to rest. Though...I feel like we may be forgetting something."
"Are we?" Yuriel replied. "Now that you mention it, I feel we are forgetting something, too."
"What could it be? We'll check the paper once we reach la-" I paused in finishing my sentence, the strong sense of something heading our way thrummed through my body.
Out of instinct, I outstretched my hand.
"SHIELD!" I commanded.
An opaque wall formed right behind us, Yuriel shifting our weight so we could view what was coming, but it was far too late — the large impact of flaming energy hit and shattered the barrier, the remaining blast hitting the both of us.
"Ugh!" Yuriel grunted as we began to plummet downward.
I caught onto two sets of howls, but I was struggling with overcoming the feeling of falling long enough to cast a spell.
DAMMIT!
Opening my eyes and ignoring the intense stinging in them, I reached out and grabbed onto Yuriel's hand. I caught onto Ryuu's large body as he dove toward us, but a large fireball crashed into his side.
"ROOOAR!" He couldn't help but stop as we continued to fall toward the ground, the forest coming closer to view.
A large beam of fire shot out from Ryuu's mouth, clearly aimed toward the enemy chasing after us, which I could only assume was Guardia.
With gritted teeth, I let go of the lock on my magic, our bodies coming to a halt as I altered the shift in gravity around us.
We began to float upward at a slow pace while I multitasked; my eyes grew hot with energy as I began to swirl my free arm in large hoop circles.
The wind gathered at my call, spinning at a furious pace and swiftly moving beneath us. Once I knew we were both secure, I let gravity return, my eyes darting above to lock onto the enemy.
"He's over there!" Yuriel shouted, pointing toward a shadow behind us that was hidden by a large cloud.
I nodded and focused, using my anger and fear to take form until a phoenix the size of Ryuu blocked our sight.
"DISTRACT THE ENEMY! LET HIM FEEL THE SAME FEAR WE FELT!" I ordered wit
h spite.
The burning phoenix let out a battle cry, spreading its flaming wings and soaring toward the cloud that hid Guardia.
This is our chance to get out of here.
I shook my head a few times, feeling a tad dizzy. Using magic during flight wasn't my strong suit, especially when I was channeling multiple streams of mana.
Yuriel let go of my hand, his arms hooking underneath my arms once more. "Sorry, Silver. I didn't expect that," he apologized. "I'll carry you. Let go of the wind spell."
I nodded, the spinning cycle of wind dispersing from beneath us.
Yuriel's wings spread out, suspending us in the air once more. He then flew away at full speed, the two of us noticing Ryuu and the others who were waiting for us not too far ahead.
The moment they saw us, they continued forward, all of us racing as fast as we could to find somewhere safe.
Going to the car would give us away, so we needed to find a spot where we could lay low, at least long enough to lose Guardia's tail.
"There should be a cave up ahead," Yuriel announced.
"How do you know?!" I asked, looking over my shoulder. My phoenix was still at it, blasting fireball after fireball at the enemy as we continued to flee.
"I just know," Yuriel replied.
"Totally myster- OW!" I flinched, a stab of pain pulsing through me.
Yuriel looked down at me with worry, before tilting us to see my phoenix dissipate into nothing but specks of embers as another golden stream of energy shot out from a massive blue-black dragon.
His scales shifted to all black, and he opened his mouth, charging a purple ball of energy that began to grow bigger and bigger.
Yuriel began to dip down, flapping his wings harder to increase our speed.
"Any faster?! I swear he's going to burn us to ashes!" My head turned back to get a good glimpse of the ginormous black-scaled dragon following not too far behind.
"Hang on!"
I looked up to Yuriel as he outstretched his wings even further. "I don't really have a choice here," I commented.
He looked down to raise an eyebrow at me, but since we were trying not to get caught and screw up this quest, he returned his focus to catching up with the rest of the guys.
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 11