The Noru 6: Rise Of The Alago

by Lola StVil

  “Yeah…I guess I will.”

  “And whether your mom and I are together or not, I care about you. If Frank creeps into your head with that ‘you’re not good enough’ bullshit my father used to shout to me, you come find me. I’ll help burn that bastard from your memory.”

  “I thought about killing Frank so many times. Back when you were human, did you ever think about killing your father?”

  “I didn’t think about it; I did it. And no matter how much good I’ve done, I can’t find it in me to be sorry.”

  When East comes back into the room, he’s composed and tells us he’s sorry for freaking out. We assure him it’s okay, but one look at Randy’s dejected face tells East otherwise.

  “I can’t believe we’re not bringing Bianca back! It was the only way to kill Malakaro,” Randy insists.

  “We shouldn’t lose hope. There’s a lot of Healers working on this right now,” I remind them.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but does it matter what the Healers find?” Melody asks.

  “What do you mean?” East asks.

  “If the Kon is going to say no to every vial the Healers come up with, what’s the point?”

  “Melody, Bex can’t allow the testing to be done. If Pryor can’t take the vial, it would kill Malakaro, but it would also kill her,” Swoop reminds her.

  “Yes, but what about the antidote? I mean, that’s worth a thought, right?” Melody replies.

  “What antidote?” I ask.

  “It’s a nonstarter,” Bex says.

  “Why didn’t you tell me there was an antidote?” I demand.

  “Because it doesn’t matter. There’s no guarantee that it will revive you,” Bex explains.

  “Wait, let’s talk about this. What are the chances the antidote will work and bring me back?” I wonder.

  “Look, in order for Malakaro to be harmed, the poison we’re making for him has to stay in his system for as long as possible while it kills him. So to test it, the poison would have to stay inside you for well over an hour. With every passing moment, the poison gets stronger and the antidote gets weaker,” Bex informs me.

  “What are the chances that the cure will work after I take the poison meant for Malakaro?” I ask.

  “You have a ten percent chance of survival,” Bex says.

  “Okay, we’ll take that,” I reply.

  “The hell we will,” Aaden adds.

  “We don’t have a choice,” I remind him.

  “You’re not going to ingest poison. Period,” Bex says.

  “Could everyone excuse us for one minute?” I ask as I grab Bex’s hand and head up the steps.

  “I need you to stop withholding information from me,” I announce.

  “I knew it was pointless to tell you because there’s no way we’d let you try it.”

  “Why? We don’t have any other way. You know the fifth vial is already in Malakaro’s hands. If I end up losing my life, it will be worth it to know that he’s dead and that Randy is safe.”

  “I’m not willing to take that chance, and I’m betting neither is the team.”

  “You think I want to die?”

  “I think there is another way, and we just have to find it.”

  “I need you to start thinking like a Kon and not just like my boyfriend.”

  “So you agree with the New Order? You think I’m putting us before my duties?”

  “No, but this vial is an option. One that you should have talked to me about.”

  “Again, why? You were never going to take it.”

  “Bexington, you have to stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Telling me what to do. I have to run my team the way I see fit. And if that means my death, then so be it.”

  “So that’s it? I have to watch you make decisions that will end up killing you and learn to live with it?”

  “I need you to be upfront with me and tell me everything. That’s what I need. And if I have no other choice than to die for my team and my family, you have to step out of the way and let me do that.”

  “You are really standing here arguing with me because I won’t let you die?”

  “If you had to give your life for the Paras, you would. Why is this any different?”

  “Because it’s you. And I’m in love with you, and I will not apologize for it.”

  “I never knew you could be so sexist.”

  “What?!”

  “It’s okay for a guy to die for his cause but not a girl?”

  “This is not about—what is your problem?”

  “The problem is the guy I love doesn’t think I can make my own decisions.”

  “I never said—wait. Did you just say you love me?”

  “I think I did,” I mutter, mostly to myself.

  He studies my face closely as if to see if there’s any sign of regret. I look into his stubborn, passionate eyes and speak sincerely.

  “Bex…I love you.”

  Chapter Eight:

  no Damn Birds

  There’s something I’m forgetting. Something that I should have paid attention to but didn’t. And as I close my eyes and drift off, that thing nags at me. It’s only a few hours later that I realize what it is I have overlooked. When it comes to me, my eyes pop open in terror.

  “Shit!” I shout into the empty room. I leap off my bed and head straight to Randy’s room. But I run into East on the way.

  “What is it, Pry? Are we about to be under attack?”

  “I’m not human anymore,” I reply, devastated.

  “Look, I know you’re going to miss junk food, but that’s not really an emergency,” he says, shaking his head in disapproval.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Never mind, I need to talk to Randy,” I reply as I walk past him.

  “Hey, I can be helpful too. I’m not just a pretty face.”

  “East, I need someone who is serious.”

  “I can be serious. Try me,” he says, signaling for me to enter his room.

  I reluctantly enter and hope it’s not a mistake.

  “Now, tell Uncle East what the problem is,” he teases.

  “Never mind,” I reply as I head for the door.

  “Wait! Pry, I want to know. No jokes. Talk to me,” he says, taking my hand.

  “Bex and I didn’t have sex because I was human. So I didn’t have to worry about safety. I didn’t have to think about much less carry a Tam.”

  “So now that you’re back to being Noru, when you guys have sex, you’ll have to use a Tam. What’s so bad about using an angel condom?”

  “The first time with Bex already happened—last night. We didn’t use a Tam.”

  “Oh my Omnis! Why would you do that?”

  “Because I’m the stupidest being that ever lived! How could I not use a Tam? What the hell is wrong with me?” I rake my hands through my hair repeatedly.

  “Are you sure Bex didn’t swallow a vial of Tam while you weren’t looking?”

  “No, he was in no position to even think about that. He had just watched Mrs. Doris die. He was traumatized. I was comforting him.”

  “Side note, you seem to be really good with ‘comfort sex’; it’s like a go-to move for you.”

  “East, what am I going to do?”

  “For starters, I’d stay away from funerals. You’d end up doing every guy there. Could be a long day for you.”

  “Ha-ha,” I reply sarcastically.

  “You know, humans usually bring over a cake of some kind after a death, but I like what you bring to the party so much more.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “If things don’t work out with me and Melody, could you show me some of your ‘comfort pickup’ lines?”

  “East, will you stop it!”

  “Oh, c’mon, Pry. Just a few pickup lines. Wait, I got one: ‘Hey, so I hear your boyfriend was mangled in a ten-car pileup. Come here, let Daddy make it better…’”

  “That’s not funny,�
�� I warn him.

  “Wait, maybe something a little more…catchy, like ‘Hey, is that a casket behind you?’”

  “East!”

  “Wait, wait, one more: ‘The angel you love just passed away and you have a hole in your heart. I understand, baby, let me fill that hole up. Fill it really good…’” he says, and bursts out laughing.

  “Easton…what if I’m pregnant?”

  He stops laughing immediately. He looks into my eyes and sees just how overwhelmed and worried I am. His face softens, and the tone in his voice has no joy whatsoever. East is having a rare moment of maturity.

  “Pry, if you are pregnant, then we’ll figure it out. You know we’d be there for you and your kid. All of us.”

  “East, I can’t have…I mean…how…I—argh!”

  “Okay, okay. Let’s just calm down and think this through.”

  “The time to think things through was last night, but I didn’t. I can’t believe I let this happen. I’m such a fucking mess!”

  “Look, there’s no point in being down on yourself. It’s not like you don’t have other things going on. You made a mistake. It happens. We can deal with it. This team has had its fair share of kids.”

  “Yes, and they die. You know that. Kids don’t do well in this little story of ours,” I remind him.

  “Yes, but this would be the Kon’s kid. And he would be protected all over.”

  “This can’t be happening. Not with everything else going on. Do you know that Bex asked me to move in with him!”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I needed to think about it because it’s a big decision, but now with a kid, what choice do I have. I mean, not that I wouldn’t move in with him otherwise, I just…I don’t know…I can’t believe I did this!”

  “Pryor, you are going like a million miles a minute. You need to pause,” he says, taking my hand and guiding me to the armchair by his window. He pulls over a nearby chair and sits across from me. “You’re worried about something that may never happen. There’s a good chance Alexi won’t come near you, meaning no pregnancy.”

  “But there’s a chance it might. That silver bird could land on our front step any moment now.”

  “And if that happens, Pry, we will take care of it. RJ is doing very well. And we’d protect your kid the same way we protected him. We got this.”

  “I told Bex I love him,” I blurt out of nowhere.

  “Do you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But?”

  “But I wonder if it’s possible to love two beings at the same time.”

  “It is, but you always want one more than the other. At least I think. Does Silver know how serious you two are?”

  “You mean does he know I could be having Bex’s baby? No.”

  “There’s no baby. There’s just one small mistake that may end here. No damn bird.”

  “No damn bird,” I reply with a small smile.

  “I’m sorry I made fun of you,” he says.

  “It’s okay. And for the record, I don’t use a pickup line to ensnare the bereaved.”

  “I know, I know,” he replies.

  “I use a look,” I tease.

  “A look?” he inquires with a smile.

  “Yes, it goes like this,” I reply as I jokingly tilt my head to the side, bat my lashes, and give him my best “sympathy face.”

  “That’s brilliant!” he replies, impressed. We share a laugh, and when we’re done, he holds my hand.

  “No birds,” he assures me.

  “No birds.”

  In the next few days, things go from bad to worse for Bex. One morning we woke to the sound of screaming in the streets. The team rushed to help, but it wasn’t people screaming, it was echo birds. Somehow the New Order got their hands on one of the birds near the party that night. That one bird echoed the cries of the Paras as Malakaro forced them to mutilate themselves. The New Order gathered hundreds of birds and made them mimic the sounds. So all around the world, angels could hear the sound of their fallen family and friends. It was torture for them but most of all for Bex.

  Everywhere he went, he would hear the birds singing their sick song of death. Many of the Paras that died that night were personal friends of his, and listening to their last cries was taking a toll on him.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to send the birds away?” Bellamy asks as she enters the black tower where Bex and I await her daily report.

  “Yes, I want them all dead! But that’s not the right thing to do. I can’t take my rage out on the birds. They haven’t done anything, and they are an important part of our ecosystem,” he snaps.

  “I understand, Kon. But if the New Order’s plans were to get others to feel for them and join their cause, the song is working. All over the world there are more and more articles questioning your decision not to test the mixture on the First Noru,” she informs him.

  “How bad have things gotten?” I ask her.

  “The following hashtags are trending: The Kon is a Con, Fight for the Fallen, Whose side is he really on? and Consent or die,” Bellamy replies.

  “Wow…” I mumble softly to myself.

  “The New Order also has a surge of support from the angel community. They’re displaying this symbol on their homes and on their bodies,” Bellamy says as she holds up her cell phone for us to see.

  The symbol is one of a white dove with strong, powerful white wings. Behind the dove is a serpent. It creeps up from behind, coils itself around the dove, and sucks its head up into its mouth. The image is repeating on a loop. It’s tattooed to an angel’s forehead. He looks back at us with a stern expression.

  “Well, can’t say they don’t use their imagination,” Bex says bitterly.

  “Kon, I respectfully advise you to ban this symbol. There should be repercussions for wearing it or displaying it in any form,” Bellamy says.

  “No, I won’t rule my kingdom like a dictator. The Para are free to express their disappointment with me. However, hurting humans and harming other angels who don’t agree with them is another matter. We have no issue with the New Order sympathizers. We do, however, have issue with the New Order. And when we find them and their leader, they will be dealt with,” Bex vows.

  “And if their leader is your brother?” Bellamy asks.

  “I said before, I can’t see Hunter behind anything that would harm Mrs. Doris. But if he is…I will act as a Kon must act. And not like a brother,” Bex concludes.

  Bellamy would like to object. In fact, I think there is a lot she is eager to say. But given that Bex is her boss, she wisely decides to stay quiet. He sends her back out once again in search of the New Order members. Once we are alone again, I choose my words carefully, but not carefully enough. Soon, Bex and I are arguing.

  “Why would I say yes to something that will kill you?” he asks.

  “The mixture may not kill me. It may work. We can’t just dismiss it outright because I’m your girlfriend.”

  “I can’t talk about this anymore. You are not taking the mixture. Period.”

  “You can’t bully me into agreeing with you!” I remind him.

  “You will not take something that could end your life. I don’t care what the chances of survival are—why won’t those damn birds just stop singing?” he shouts. Before I can reply, he marches towards the window, angrily summons a Powerball, and hurls it at the tree across from the tower.

  “SHUT THE HELL UP!” he orders as the Powerball heads straight for the birds. They fly off quickly, and the tree implodes.

  The next day we wake up to find that the New Order has created orbs of synthetic angel’s blood. Once it makes contact with anything solid, it spreads, creating the illusion of a silver-colored river. Angel blood has invaded the streets and has been smeared all over many important Para institutions. And only the ones in the angel world can see it.

  The number of New Order supporters continues to grow, just like Bellamy said it would. By the end of the wee
k, their numbers resemble that of a small army, and my relationship with Bex becomes front-page news.

  They portrayed him as a king too much in love to see what’s going on. Some of the media went so far as to suggest I somehow tricked Bex into loving me and have him under some spell. One blogger actually wrote that he suspected Malakaro and I were in it together.

  Bex had to speak out and remind the Paras that as an angel, there was no such thing as “too much” love. He also stated in an interview that we are stronger when we fight evil together. He reminded them that Malakaro had taken from him too. He vowed that he would work tirelessly to find a solution that didn’t involve ending my life.

  He really was working all the time. If there was a lead on Malakaro’s location, Bex was the first one in the air. He hovered over the Healers he had on staff and made sure they were working nearly every minute. He read everything there was to read on mixtures and tackling evil. The problem was there had never been an evil like Malakaro. So Bex wasn’t really getting anywhere.

  I walk into the tower one evening and find that he has trashed the place in frustration. There are dozens of books spread throughout the room and vials of mixtures everywhere. I rush over and immediately begin to scold him for being so careless.

  “You can’t just start mixing things together. You’re not a Healer—you could hurt yourself,” I remind him.

  “What’s the point of the Healers? They’ve been looking for months, and they can’t find anything to stop Malakaro. Oh, well, except the one thing that will get you killed,” he says darkly.

  “You need to put the vials down and get some rest. You look awful.”

  “Pry, my Paras are suffering. Malakaro didn’t just kill a bunch of them, he took away their faith, their faith in good, honor, and in me. They don’t believe in me, and I get it. I have let them down, and I cannot allow that. I have to stop him.”