I looked at him this time, really looked at him. There was sadness in his eyes, and I finally understood; in this world, peace was something you had to obtain the hard way, through tears, pain and anger. Rolling back my shoulders, I stood taller and readied my weapons. "Okay, let's practice then," I said, still regretting every word. He summoned his two-handed sword and we stood there staring at each other until he made the first move. I doubted I knew how to fight, but it seemed my body had once more proved me wrong. As he swung his blade, I ducked and rolled away, catching the tip between my swords and pushed it away, slashing at his stomach. He jumped away and swung again, nearly hitting my face even as I jumped out of the way. "Come on, my weapon is a lot heavier which means slower blows; take that time to strike before I can strike you," he advised as he ran toward me. As he swung his blade up, I jumped at him, slashing at his chest and ripping his shirt to reveal the open wounds I had just inflicted. I dropped my swords and reached out, only to watch as the open flesh stitched itself back together. My mouth hung open as the last bit of flesh became flawless, only smeared with blood that seemed to have never truly seeped from his body. When my eyes found his face, he was smiling and holding the blade over his shoulder. "Cool, huh? We all heal fast," he said proudly. Running my hands down my arms, I shivered. "Wow." It was all I could say.
"Yeah, but broken bones take longer to heal, and wounds can't heal if something is blocking the way. For future reference."
"It's good to know... I was kind of worried I had really hurt you."
"Well, it hurt pretty damn bad, but I can handle it and so can you. I've seen you take some mean blows and still be able to get up; you're a tough little girl."
"Don't call me little."
He laughed loudly, making my brows furrow. It wasn't funny; I meant it. Sure, I appeared to be sixteen, but I technically wasn't. Picking up my blades, I slashed the air to tell him I was ready again and I went for the first strike. As I ran toward him, he raised his weapon and it was then that I knew I had timed his movement wrong and I found myself get knocked in the head with the hilt of his sword. The world went black for a moment and when my vision cleared, I was on the floor. Groaning, I pushed myself back up and wobbled back to my spot. "You know, you used to be good with predicting movement speed, weight, strength and a lot of other aspects when it came to fighting. You were a good tactician," he said. Were? I clenched my teeth at the word and gripped the hilts of my sword. "What do you mean 'were’?" I asked coldly.
"Uriel, I didn't mean it like that. You still are but you just need to regain that aspect of you and it takes time."
"In a war, we don't have time."
"Look, you need to take this slow or you'll get hurt or you'll blow our positions. I understand the want to jump in and save the day right now, but that's not how it works."
"Then tell me how it works, Jophiel. We're some divine beings of Light that serve God to keep balance, but we can't just retrieve all our senses, all of our memories back when we wake? We have to wait?"
There it was again; the explosion of energy burst from me and threw him back into a pillar. I didn't want explanations, I wanted my memories and my abilities back. I wanted this to end quickly so I could feel the peace. My wings had ripped through the material of my shirt, and wind had begun whipping around us. I could hear the muffled voice of Nikita screaming at Jophiel who was now walking towards me slowly, holding up his hands. "Uriel, please calm down!" he pleaded. My hair slapped me in the face as the wind howled, raging between us and as he stepped closer, I put my blades in a cross in front of me. I was silent; I couldn't speak, couldn't make a noise. I was inside myself watching through my eyes as he stood in front of me with a hand outstretched. "I have read many books since I've woke and each book has a hero. That hero is never born a hero; he went through a rite of passage to become one. If people got handed what they needed to succeed, it wouldn't be an achievement, it wouldn't feel as good as it does to work for something. In order to save us all, we need to go through obstacles to finally become what we're supposed to be. Uriel, please, every hero will have a hard time, but in the end, it is always worth the pain and tears."
Something snapped and I had control over my body once more, only to find it falling to the floor. Nikita rushed over and put an arm on my shoulder, looking down at me with worry in her eyes. "You were right, Jophiel," she said quietly. "I must speak to the council." Jophiel helped me up as Nikita hurried away up the stairs.
"The council?" I asked curiously, dreading what the answer would be. All he did was nod, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yes. They're the ones our guides report to and they're the ones that can take our wings."
Chapter Six
The world was dark with more than just the night that swallowed the sun. The frigid air caused the hair on my arms to stand up as I stalked in the shadows for the demon that lurked the city's streets, preying on the teenagers running late for curfew. My hands held imaginary blades, but in my mind, I was ready to call them for a quick defense if I were to be attacked. Growling vibrated against my eardrums from the alley I was passing and I stopped under the street light perfectly poised above me; a spotlight to show the girl who was hunting the predator. "And the hunter becomes the hunted, is that what you think, Lightbringer?" the shadows in the alley spat. My ears opened, listening to the world around us for any human walking around this area; nothing. Keeping my blades close, I presented them, the silver glinting against the orange glow of the street light. "It's not what I think; it is what I know. You've done enough killing here. You've taken innocent souls and that will come to an end tonight," I replied coldly.
Its footsteps shook the ground beneath me, and its loud breath was laced with a satisfied growl. Size was just another thing I had to account for when fighting and from the sound of its heavy steps, the demon was large in size, slow in speed. "What the hell?" A voice drew my attention to a group of teenagers late to their curfew and I was picked up off my feet and hurled into the building across the street. The screams of the group pierced my ears and I stood up, dazed, to see the demon had gone into the light, facing them with a dark grin spread across its face. "Look what you've brought me, Lightbringer, a feast of souls," it chuckled reaching for the paralyzed humans. Rolling my shoulders back, I let my wings unfurl, bursting free from the fabric of the dress I had been wearing and burst forward, blasting my energy into its side. Its body flew away from the frightened group and I stood in front of them, my face stone cold. "Get out of here. This should be enough of a lesson to know you should never miss curfew," I said plainly, surprised when they didn't comment about my age appearance and hightailed out of my sight. The demons snarls grew louder and it was finally on its feet once more. "You really think you can beat me? You are as young as the souls I've already reaped and kept for myself," it growled.
"I don't think I can beat you. I know I can. I appear as young as those souls, but seeing as how you don't know me, you are young yourself... or you've just woken. Listen, I'm not here for a chat. It's time you go back home. And never come back."
"How quaint. A child telling me to go to my room?"
Fed up with its taunting, I ran forward with my blades at my side, summoning my energy into the blades and unleashing them as I swiped them at its neck. It roared in fury as its flesh sizzled, burning away to reveal the souls that held it together, and it swiped at me with claws extended. Jumping to the side, its claws sliced open my arm; another misjudgment. Damn it. Landing on my feet in a crouch, I glanced at the wound that started healing before leaping up and turning. I was in tunnel vision, locking onto my opponent and calculating everything about it; its left foot was weak and its weight and size reduced its speed by a good percentage. Summoning my energy once more, I blasted it into the demon, knocking him into the ground; it was my chance to use the stun for my advantage. I ran forward and jumped to the left, slicing clean across its neck, watching as its head rolled slightly away from its body. Leaping off, I studied as its body bubbl
ed into black tar and fell away into oblivion.
I wiped my blades against the hem of my dress, ridding them of the thick blood of the demon before casting them away. I turned on my heels to leave until heavy footsteps echoed against the walls of the alley and I pushed myself back into the shadows, pulling my energy in to hide myself and remain undetected. My eyes remained locked on the entrance of the alley as a lesser demon stumbled in, attracted to the scent of battle and the newly released souls that had escaped as soon as the demon perished. With a tilt of my head, I observed the presence behind the lesser demon; a presence that held no dark or light energy. Sliding myself a bit to the right, the presence turned into a hooded figure. That figure pulled his hood down to reveal a mutilated face. His lips were sewn and melted shut, eyes that were a black void of nothingness and an ugly scar across his face of an untold battle. I recognized him as a council member... but why was he here?
Crouching, I backed up slowly as the council member stalked the lesser demon who, still unaware of the presence behind him, continued to walk in my direction. As if just feeling his presence, the demon turned and roared, its threatening shriek being cut short. My eyes widened as the demon struggled against the council member and the sound of air and... something else being sucked in made me cringe. What the hell was going on? The demon's body crumbled into ashes, leaving the council member alone and standing in the little light coming from the street lamp. He wiped ebony tar from its sealed mouth. All breath escaped me as I realized the horrible truth; the council members weren't as pacifist as they made themselves out to be and most of all, if they were consuming demons for their power, they were corrupt. The council member's body began to jerk violently, his form changing into that of the demon he had just consumed. It wasn't possible; the council was neither demon nor angel; it was made to be made up of neutral beings. The council was once our trusted source of information, but now, I knew we could trust no one.
* * *
I sat up straight in what was now my room in Nikita's house, wiping the sweat from my face. My eyes traveled to the window where a breeze lifted the curtains, making them dance to a whispered song. The sun poured into my room, and my skin seemed to lap it up greedily. Pushing the sheets aside, I took in a deep breath of fresh air and looked out the window to the view of the world's auburn color palette. I noticed Jophiel making his way up the driveway and my heart stopped. I rushed to the dresser that held the clothes Nikita had bought for me to wear and rummaged through the drawers, throwing on a random shirt and pair of jeans. When the doorbell rang, I was vigorously brushing my hair, allowing the curls to fall gently over my shoulders. Downstairs, Nikita shuffled towards the door and I ran down the stairs, nearly falling at the last step. Nodding good morning to her, I waited as she opened the door to reveal Jophiel standing tall with a blank look on his face.
When he stepped inside, he looked at me and his face changed, softening with a small smile. "Good morning, Nikita, Uriel," he said. Nikita beckoned us to follow her in the kitchen and a pit formed in my stomach as if I already knew what she was going to say. In the kitchen, she had already laid out cups of coffee for us. "Sit, there is something I need to talk to you about," she said motioning toward the chairs. Jophiel and I exchanged glances before sitting beside each other, and I found myself staring into my cup, watching the steam pour out of the top. We sat in an uneasy silence, waiting for Nikita to finally tell us what was on her mind. I found her staring at me. "Uriel, I spoke to the council about what happened yesterday," she began. At the word council, I shuddered, remembering the nightmare I had last night. At that moment, I couldn't look her in the eyes because I wasn't even sure if it was a nightmare. Something told me it was a memory, and I had a hard time bringing it up to her; I wasn't sure if I should and then she slammed me with the one thing I didn't want to hear. "They're coming here to take a look at you," she finished quietly. I choked on air and almost fell over. "What?" I demanded.
"They were interested in what I told them and they want to see for themselves. They've never heard of a case like this, Uriel."
"And you trust them?"
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
Sighing to myself, I refused to answer the question. There was no use trying to explain to her; she trusted them and I wasn't going to tamper with that trust with something I witnessed while I was sleeping. "When are they coming?" I asked swallowing a lump in my throat. I could feel Jophiel's concerned look at my back. Did he feel what I was feeling; that hollow pit in my stomach? "They show up when they are ready and when they are available," she replied. That was something I didn't want to hear. Nodding stiffly, I got up and picked up my coffee.
"Jophiel and I are gonna train some more."
"Do you want anything from the store? I need to go shopping."
"No, I'm okay."
Turning to Jophiel, I gave him a pleading look, and he got up to follow. When we were finally down in the gym, my inkling on him feeling what I felt was confirmed. "Are you okay?" he asked looking me in the eyes. It was then that I knew I couldn't lie to him and I spilled everything about my dream. When I had finished, I just watched as the blood drained from his face. "That doesn't sound like any old dream, Uriel," he said. I fidgeted with the cup still in my hand.
"To be honest, I don't think it was a dream."
"You think it was from a memory from another time we were awake?"
"Unfortunately. But if that's what it was, what do we do? The council is corrupt but there's no way to actually prove it."
"We shouldn't think about that now. I believe you, but right now we need to focus on finding the others. We're all in this together."
I couldn't help but agree with him. We really were in this together and I couldn't bring this up to Nikita. She would just dismiss it as a dream or something along the lines of my dreams mixing in with memories. Placing the cup on the nearest table, I started rubbing my temples. "What do we do when they come, then?" I asked. Jophiel seemed deep in thought until I asked that question. "I was asking myself the same thing," he replied.
"Should we just let them do what they're supposed to do? Let them examine me?"
"For now. I don't think we have any other choice. It's not like we can push them away; they're Our Father's council."
"You're right. Oh crap, it’s a school day. I completely forgot!"
Jophiel looked at something on his wrist and slapped his forehead before looking down at me with bewildered eyes. He took my hand and rushed us up the stairs. "Get your backpack, we should have left three minutes ago. I'm surprised Nikita didn't ask us why we'd train right before school," he said shaking his head. Without another word, I ran up the stairs to my room and grabbed my backpack, running to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth.
I hopped down the stairs toward the semi-open door as quickly as possible, stopping abruptly. My heart dropped into my stomach and Jophiel grabbed my arm. Five hooded figures stood on the other side, and something flipped inside me. I knew right away who they were: they didn't need to address themselves. The council had come quicker than expected.
Chapter Seven
Their eyes bore through me, making me feel small and uncomfortable. It should have been hard not to laugh looking at five hooded figures sitting awkwardly on the large sofa that threatened to swallow their thin bodies, but my heart and mind raced too fast to get a hold of the reality sitting before me. As much as I hated knowing that one of them could be the member in my memories, I was slightly anxious, yearning for them to remove their hoods and reveal severely mutilated features. The man on the far side of the couch stood and rolled his shoulders back. "We have come after receiving word of your outburst from your guardian," he said flatly. Jophiel shifted uncomfortably beside me and I resisted the urge to grab a hold of his arm.
Unable to look him in the eyes, I stared at the table in front of me. "I understand, sir, but I thought Nikita would be here for this," I said quietly.
"Your guardian needs not to be here for
us to study this anomaly. She told us Jophiel was the one who noticed this?"
"Yes, on both accounts, sir."
"Then we will wait for his word on this matter. Tell us what you saw."
I could hear Jophiel's heartbeat like it was my own and my stomach churned. Shifting closer to me, he cleared his throat. My leg crossed over the other as I turned to him as he explained the situation. "Well, you see, both times this happened, Uriel was expressing strong emotions," he said looking at the ground. I knew from the skip of his heartbeat, he didn't want to give away that much after the memory I had revealed to him. We were both on edge and unsure of whether or not we could trust them. "What exactly happened?" the council member asked.
"Uriel was in History class learning of the Holocaust. To be honest, I'm not sure what emotions she was feeling at the time, so anything could have triggered it. The wind started blowing fiercely and her eyes turned white--"
"Turned white or did they roll back?"
"I-I'm not sure."
As Jophiel continued to explain what he saw, I could feel eyes on me, accusing. I refused to look up to find which of them had been watching me like a hawk; it was no use, anyway because their faces remained concealed. Black, vein-like shadows bordered my vision as Jophiel's voice became muffled and a new voice whispered in my head. I know what you saw. My heart sank into my stomach, and I began fiddling with my hands. It seemed like the temperature dropped, and my arms started to prickle. It is wise that you stay quiet. I swallowed a lump in my throat and nervously tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ear.
The muffled voices died down as my head began to clear and I found them staring at me. "Did you hear the question, Uriel?" Jophiel asked, the true meaning of the question laced between the lines. Are you okay? I grabbed his hand and my body began to heat up. "No, I'm sorry... What was the question?" I said shakily.
Uriel (The Hallowed Chronicles Book 1) Page 4