Indebted

by Amy A. Bartol

  “Give up, Genevieve. Dis path goes nowhere but up!” Declan calls from farther behind me. “Dere’s nowhere left ta run…” he says, and I hear laughter in his voice, hitting me like an anvil from above, crushing my spirit when I see that he’s not lying. The path ends at a peak where an observation gazebo was erected a long, long time ago.

  As I reach the peak, I twist and turn, but there is nowhere left to run. I back away from the path and into the gazebo. My eyes focus on Declan as he makes it to the crest of the peak. I stop moving as my back soon comes up against the railing of the gazebo. Pivoting, I glance over my shoulder. I see a sheer drop of several hundred feet to the rocky terrain below.

  Declan approaches me cautiously with Goban directly behind him and another Gancanagh that I have not yet met behind him. The fangs of the unknown Gancanagh jet forward in his mouth with a click as they engage. He attempts to walk past Declan to me, but Declan’s hand shoots out, holding him back from entering the gazebo. “Dat one would be sweet to taste, Keefe, but bitter to pay for. She belongs ta Brennus—no one touches her except ta stop her from leavin’.” The look of yearning is in Keefe’s eyes as he stares at me like a deranged psychopath, making every hair on my body stand on end.

  “Oy, Genevieve, where are ye goin’?” Declan asks, as he raises his eyebrow that always seems to be asking the questions. Declan looks older than Brennus. He must have been middle-aged when he became undead, but he is still attractive in a hot-older-man kind of way.

  “Who, me? Oh, you know, hot date with an Ifrit—can’t be late or he’ll kill my friends, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just—” I start to say.

  Declan frowns, “An Ifrit, is it now?” he says with his dramatic accent. “Dat’s like talkin’ trash ta da rubbish, goin’ ta speak ta an Ifrit, dat is. Did no one ever tell ye dat da devil ye know is always better dan da devil ye don’t?”

  “Brennus is the devil I know in this scenario, I assume?” I ask, pressing against the rail of the gazebo.

  “He is,” he says as he takes a step to enter the gazebo, forcing me to climb up on the railing overlooking the valley far below.

  “Then you stay with this devil and I’ll wish you all the best,” I reply, trying to stretch out my wings as far as they will go.

  “Dere is another sayin’ where we come from, Genevieve,” Declan says, watching me hold on to the post and look again over my shoulder.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?” I ask Declan, trying to gather the courage I need to jump.

  “He who has da boots does na mind where he places his foot,” he replies. “If ye make Brennus chase ye now, he is gonna have dat boot pressed ta yer neck.”

  “They have a saying where I come from, too, Declan,” I say, turning to look at him.

  “Oh yeah, whah’s dat, Genevieve?” he asks in all seriousness as he inches closer to me.

  I hold up both of my middle fingers to him as I step off the railing of the gazebo and begin to fall.

  CHAPTER 9

  The Unholy Church

  As I fall through the air, I have the extreme misfortune to still be facing up as Declan launches himself off the edge of the gazebo where I just jumped. He looks less than happy too; his face is a mask of determination as he rockets towards me. He appears extremely bitter as he exposes his dagger-sharp fangs in a sneer. Maybe he is mad that I flipped him off as I jumped from the railing, or maybe he’s angry at me for making him come after me on a several hundred feet drop. Whatever the case, he’s salty.

  I turn over in midair, stretching my wings out as far as they can go, but that slows me down. With Declan moving like a streamlined missile, he is going to be able to grab me within seconds, and then we will fall together to the rapidly approaching ground. Judging by the fact that several Gancanagh plunged out of the sky back at our compound, they must have some way of cushioning their fall. I have a feeling that Declan is going to make it very uncomfortable for me once we hit the ground.

  Panic seizes me as I glance over my shoulder, seeing Declan reaching out to grasp my ankle. Kicking my foot, I try to evade his hands, hoping that he will fall past me. Declan is practically an expert at freefalling, by all outward appearances. It’s probably because he’s a faerie and he used to have wings before he became a Gancanagh. His wings were destroyed when he was transformed into an evil, undead creature, but he doesn’t seem to need them at the moment. He is grinning at me now because he knows he doesn’t need them either.

  Feeling my wings catch an updraft and flutter in the current, the movement triggers something—some deep-seated instinct in me. I concentrate on that movement, how it feels—where it originated. With effort, I move my left wing up and it pitches me sharply to the right.

  Declan hasn’t anticipated that I would move, so he shoots past me, just missing me by inches. Concentrating harder, I move my wings rhythmically, up and down. The most amazing thing happens: I stop falling and flutter up. Looking down, I watch Declan continue to fall to the ground; his grim expression would almost be comical if he wasn’t so scary. But, because I am who I am, I give him a little wave as he plummets away from me.

  I continue to move my wings and it takes me a second to realize I’m flying. I mean, really flying, not gliding, like I did with Russell in the woods of Houghton. I’m slow though, not moving very far or very fast, but I am definitely moving. I try to veer away from the rough cliff wall, so that if Goban or Keefe decide to jump off the gazebo and pursue me, they won’t be able to land on me.

  When I am far enough away, I turn and look back at the gazebo. Several Gancanagh are watching me from the railing now and one of them is the unmistakable figure of Brennus. Fear threads through me as Brennus extends his hand to me, indicating that I should return to him. I feel a pull to return to him, like he is my master. Fighting that feeling, I turn away instead and begin to head in the opposite direction, wondering how far I can fly as I try to figure out where I am.

  Flying is much harder than running—totally harder. It’s nothing like being held in Reed’s arms as he soars through the sky with confidence. This is like being a kite and being torn in the direction that the wind seems to want to take me. I have to fight against wind currents to continue in a fairly straight trajectory. Beginning to tire almost immediately, my head still aches from the faerie dust Brennus used on me and I’m exhausted from the struggle of evading Declan and his firebombs. I need to rest and regroup—find a phone—call Reed.

  Reed must be out of his mind with worry; I cringe as I descend towards the ground. The dense woods beneath me cause me to panic because I have no idea how to land on even ground, let alone in the woods, but I have to land or I’m going to drop out of the sky.

  I pull my wings in hard as I near the trees and I manage to fly between the branches most of the way down. When they get thicker at the bottom, however, I crash into a pine bough and fall about twenty feet to the ground. Feeling the wind get completely knocked out of me, I lay there for a few moments trying to get the air back into my lungs. I’m tempted to just lie here forever. My body aches and I need to rest, but I pull myself up off the ground and stumble forward. I have to find a town so that I can find out where I am.

  I lean up against a rock, breathing heavy. Stumbling forward, I walk past a few extremely large trees and then I still as someone says, “Evie.”

  Poising to run, I stop when recognition dawns on me.

  “Phaedrus!” I exhale in a rush. “How did you find me?” I ask, turning and stumbling towards him. I fall against his chest and he catches me and hugs me to him. As I peer into his black eyes, he smiles back at me, brushing pine needles from me.

  “I have a knack for finding my targets when they need me. Rough landing?” he asks, holding me up as I lean against him unsteadily.

  “A bit,” I reply, feeling the super soft feathers of his wings brush my cheek like silk as I rest it on his shoulder. He rubs my arms, trying to warm me up because the shock of what just happened is now setting in.

  �
�We had better start moving, Evie,” Phaedrus says, sniffing the air. “I can smell them.” Seeing the alarm in my eyes, he adds, “They are not close, but they have been through here recently. It makes me nervous.”

  Phaedrus grasps my hand, leading me away from where I had landed. Pulling a protein bar from his pocket, he smiles as he hands it to me. Tears come to my eyes as I say, “How did you know?”

  He shrugs, “You looked hungry in my head.”

  Ripping open the packaging I all but stuff the entire protein bar in my mouth, chewing rapidly. After I manage to swallow it, I ask, “When did you start seeing me in your head?”

  “Last night,” he replies. “I saw you taken by the Gancanagh. I was already on my way back to the compound because I had seen some things in my head that made me worry about you. I have been in contact with Reed and Zephyr. They are planning on attacking the Gancanagh to get you back, once they find out where they are. I didn’t know that you had escaped until I just saw it in my head. They don’t know,” he says.

  “Where are they now?” I ask in panic.

  “They are still back at the compound. They killed most of the Gancanagh that remained behind after Brennus took you. They didn’t know where he went with you, so they have been interrogating Gancanagh survivors to try to find out.”

  “What about Brownie and Russell? Did you find them?” I ask.

  A pained expression crosses his lips. “We think we know where they are. We had a plan, but now—I will tell you about it when we meet up with Reed and Zephyr,” Phaedrus says, cryptically. “I need to get us out of the mountains so we can find a tower that gets cell phone reception. We are blacked out, so it is just us for now.”

  I slow my pace, pulling against his hand and stopping him. “What happened? Did the Undines really back out?” I ask. “Because of what Safira did?”

  He glances back at me before he gently pulls me forward again. “It’s more complicated than that, Evie,” he says, picking his way between dense trees and over jagged rock.

  “I’m sure it is, why don’t you tell me about it?” I say, following him.

  “Reed nearly killed Safira. If it weren’t for Zephyr, she would be…” he trails off. “As it is, I hear that most of the Gancanagh did not survive because of him. Zephyr had to ban Reed from interrogating the prisoners because he lost perspective and was just carving them up one-by-one.”

  “Oh,” I murmur, knowing that I have to get back to him so that he will know that I’m okay. “So he is flipping out a little.” Phaedrus gives me a sidelong look to indicate that I have understated the situation.

  “He will be better once he sees you. I doubt he will let you go anywhere after that, so enjoy the scenery while it lasts,” Phaedrus says, half-joking, trying to lighten the grim topic.

  I still, letting go of Phaedrus’ hand. No, Reed will never let me out of his sight or near anything remotely dangerous, not after this. He’ll keep me in the dark about Brownie and Russell. They’re dead now, without the help of the Undines; they stand almost no chance at all. That’s why Phaedrus left them to find me—he can help me, he can’t help them.

  “Slight change of plans, Phaedrus,” I murmur, knowing that he is not going to like what I have to say. “We can’t go back to the compound, or meet up with Reed.” I add, almost choking on my words.

  “No?” Phaedrus says with confusion.

  “You’re going back to help Brownie and Russell, aren’t you?” I ask in a low tone.

  His expression turns grim. “I have to, it’s what I do,” he says.

  “Well, me too,” I reply.

  Phaedrus’ eyebrows pull together. “No. I was sent here to protect you,” he states firmly.

  “Are you sure about that?” I ask. “Why do you think that you couldn’t find them before? You needed my help because I’m supposed to go with you. It’s the only way to save them.”

  “You are not a Virtue, you are a Seraph. You cannot perform miracles,” he says with a stubborn edge in his tone.

  “No, that’s why you’ll be there. Just look at me as back up, a bargaining chip,” I say reasonably.

  Phaedrus’ expression grows darker. “I don’t bargain with evil, they never hold to their end,” he replies, like I’m a naïve child.

  “They will if you give them everything that they want—at least I think they will,” I say, biting my lip in indecision. “It’ll be worth the price, if we save Russell and Brownie.

  “What if you are the price?” he asks.

  “I’m evolving new tricks every day. I bet that soon there won’t be any cage that can hold me,” I say in all seriousness. “If I can survive, then I can get away. You have seen what I can do and there are other things that I can do that you haven’t seen yet.”

  “Other things? Like what?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “You have to turn around,” I say to Phaedrus.

  His black eyes widen. “I have to—”

  “Just do it,” I sigh.

  When Phaedrus’ back is to me, I remove my clothes. I move a few paces to a moss-covered boulder nearby, and then I press myself against it. Closing my eyes, I imagine Brennus walking towards me from the trees nearby, causing overwhelming fear to course through me. In the back of my mind I whisper the word hide. “Okay, turn around—” Instantly, rigidity overtakes my limbs while my body resembles the gray mass of stone speckled with moss and bracken.

  “You are a nymph, a sprite…” he exhales in shock, while his hand traces my silhouette. It takes a couple moments for me to lose some of the rigidity so that I can answer him.

  “A chameleon is how Reed described me. I’m evolving to survive. Let me help you, it’s my mission,” I plead.

  Phaedrus turns his back on me again as I begin to change into my original form. Quickly, I collect my clothes and put them back on. When I’m done, I walk to face Phaedrus in order to gauge his reaction.

  He stares at me for a few moments before he puts his hand through his hair in agitation. “Here is what I am willing to do. I will take you to Buns and Preben. We will contact Reed and Zephyr from there, but I am not taking you with me. Too much can happen.”

  I nod grimly to his new plan. It gets me most of the way there. I can find them on my own when we get close. If I have to slip away to accomplish that, I’ll do it. Something tells me that my enemy, the Ifrit, will find me. Brennus said he had to block the Ifrit’s magic from getting to me. There will be no blocking it now. He will find me and I will save my friends. I try hard to block my thoughts from Phaedrus, because if he listens to what I’m thinking, then he will never let me come with him.

  As Phaedrus and I travel through China, we are mostly on foot but sometimes we fly, and not on a comfortable airline either, but with our wings. I thought it would be mad cool when I finally gained the ability to fly, but it’s hard work and it makes every muscle in my back, neck, and shoulders ache. I can only fly for an hour or so at a time before I need to stop and rest. Phaedrus is encouraging, trying to show me ways to streamline my technique. I’m grateful that he is here, not only for the advice, but because he had to catch me a couple of times early on when my wings just gave out on me and sent me plummeting towards the ground.

  Phaedrus has access to money, too, which helps tremendously. We are able to rent a car. I like to say we “rented it,” because we left them money to purchase a new one before we took it out of the rental garage near an airport in Russia. We were considering trying to fly, but I have no papers and the risks are too high that we will be spotted by an “unfriendly,” which can be anything from Gancanagh, to Fallen, or even an unenlightened divine angel.

  We only stop in small towns on the way, where I buy us food, gas, and a change of clothes. Well, I don’t buy Phaedrus clothes because he explains that he has “special clothes” not bought off the rack. His clothes look the same to me, but it’s definitely not from around here because humans can’t see it. Humans can’t see Phaedrus either. He’s a Virtue, so I have
to do all the negotiating for whatever we need. I rely on him to translate whatever anyone is saying to me because there is quite a language barrier for me in this part of the world. Phaedrus does most of the driving while I sleep. I haven’t been this tired since the last time I fled from the Gancanagh and it’s beginning to show.

  Every time Phaedrus’ phone rings, he just looks at the display and then puts it back in his pocket. We both know that it’s one of our inner circle trying to get an update from him to see if he knows where I am. We haven’t talked about it, but it’s kind of an unspoken agreement that it’s better for them to think that Brennus has me. We both know that our chances of some kind of survival seem better with Brennus, so we decide not to tell the other angels the truth about going to confront the Ifrit.

  Phaedrus keeps watching me with a pained expression on his face, like he is reconsidering his decision to bring me along with him. Hiding my thoughts from him is becoming almost impossible because I can hardly keep my eyes open, let alone stop my mind from wandering where it will. Maybe he is having trouble reading me because I’m so scattered or maybe it’s easier to read me because I am, I don’t know.

  Unfortunately, Phaedrus is not my only companion on this trip. Not long after we leave Russia, the Ifrit invades my mind while I’m sleeping. His raspy voice comes to me when I’m in the twilight between sleep and wakefulness. He keeps asking me to show him where I am, but I’ve been able to stop him from seeing our location. He is frustrated. He oscillates between threats and the seductive promises of pleasure beyond my wildest dreams. At this point, the wildest pleasure I can think of is sleeping for a couple of days straight in a soft bed–with Reed.

  It is growing dark by the time we leave Kiev where we had stopped to use the bathroom and to get something to eat; Phaedrus and I drive south, out of the city. “We’re close now,” I say in a low tone. The city lights are gone and the scenery has become more of a rural landscape. Enormous fields stretch out near the road, dotted with the kind of small windmills that I recognize from visions the Ifrit has been sending me.