The person directly in front of me came to a halt and I careened into them, knocking both of us to the ground. I rolled onto my back, groaning.
I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t move.
Couldn’t save anyone, let alone myself.
27
‘Get up, Tyler. On your feet.’
Talaom loomed over me, looking even worse than I felt. Blood dribbled down his left temple, the eye on that side swollen and bloodshot. Connor leaned past him, gripped my upper arms and pulled me upright.
Fire flared through my body with each movement but I persevered, finally reaching the opening to a huge square. Vision bleary, I searched for the next set of stairs to ascend.
Elation rose within me. We’d reached the highest level. The tower dominated the square.
We’d done it.
Now all I had to do was somehow persuade an entire clan to put aside centuries of hatred to create enough positive energy to refuel the aether that was the only thing keeping the city together.
I stumbled forward, freezing when I spotted the men ringing the base of the tower. A dozen Tr’lirians had their white wings spread wide, feet firmly planted and swords in hand as they faced us.
To reach the aether, to feed it the energy I was going to harness from the Davilians, I needed to be touching the tower that was the city’s anchor. The Davilians outnumbered the Goddens, but they were unarmed, half-starved, and exhausted from the punishing climb. They would be no match against a fresh foe who could take to the skies at will and were armed with swords.
I couldn’t afford to waste any of the aether wreathing the tower. I would need every scrap of it to have any chance of saving Angellin. That left one weapon at my disposal, and I prayed what I was about to attempt would work.
I stretched out my senses, searching for their souls.
There.
Fainter than the songs of the souls of the newly mortal Davilians crowded around the square. But there nonetheless. And if I could hear them, I should be able to call them.
I’d never reaped more than one soul at a time, had never contemplated taking the lives of twelve people in one reaping. But my intention was not to kill them. I just needed to get them away from the tower.
I focused on the song of each individual soul, weaving them together in my head until I had one thread, its beat in time with my heart’s rhythm. I gave a tug, exhilaration filling me when their souls answered. The souls slipped free with ease, silvery ropes of light connecting them to the bodies.
Cade’s men, faces grey, dropped their swords to clutch their chests, falling to their knees. Agonised groans filled the air, making me wince. Their wings shook, some of their feathers falling out and drifting to the ground, but I didn’t let go of their souls. Not yet.
Forbidden ecstasy hovered just out of reach, tempting me with unimaginable fulfilment. All I had to do was complete the transition, sever the souls’ connections to their bodies and I would ride out the destruction of Angellin on a sea of bliss.
With a shudder, I released the souls and watched as they sank back into their bodies.
One by one, Cade’s rear guard dragged themselves to their feet, fear warring with hate in their eyes. I could imagine the thoughts running wild through their heads. They were immortal, thought themselves to be untouchable. I’d just shown them how false that illusion of safety was, at least where I was concerned.
One of them scooped up his sword and took several steps towards me before he thought better of the action. He stopped, sword tip pointed at me. ‘You will die with the rest of the Davilian scum, Reaper.’ He waved the sword in a wide arc. ‘You are all going to die.’
He lifted into the air, swiftly followed by the others. Within seconds their wings had taken them to the top of the tower. One by one they disappeared from sight, shifting from this plane to the next.
I turned around to get the Davilians into position and found Talaom staring at me. My cheeks flushed at the awestruck expression on his face.
‘What are you?’ he asked. ‘Not even Grimm could take the soul of a winged Tr’lirian. I know this to be true. I saw him try and fail on Almorthanos’s orders.’
‘Now is not the time.’ I said, my words punctuated with a deafening rumble deep below us. The pavers shifted under my feet, making it hard to stay upright. Loud cracks rent the air as the buildings ringing the square shuddered from the force of the earthquake.
Shouts of alarm from behind Talaom had him whirling around. I looked over his shoulder and gasped when I saw the nether mist had crept to the edge of the stairs and begun encroaching on the edge of the square. Talaom turned back to face me, a grim set to his features.
‘Get to the tower. I’ll get everyone into position.’
I ran, urgency washing away the pain and exhaustion racking my body. I placed my hands flat on the cool, smooth surface of the tower, sighing as the familiar tingle of pure aether wrapped around me, soothing my jangled nerves. Hands grasped my shoulders and I looked back to see Rhonda and Connor were on either side of me. I gave them what I hoped was a reassuring smile as more and more people lined up around them. Soon the tower was surrounded by Davilians, all of them touching the person in front of them, forming a human chain that allowed them to join the connection between me and the tower.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the aether wreathing the tower, searching for its heartbeat and synchronising mine to it. When I was one with the aether, submerged in its song, I called out in a voice amplified so it reached everyone’s ears.
‘I need you to close your eyes and let go of every negative thought you have ever had. I need you to picture Angellin as it once was, before the war with Clan Godden, back when the city was vibrant and alive, filled with aether. Picture it in your minds and your hearts. Let love flow back into the streets to wash away your pain and grief. If you want to rebuild your home you have to rebuild your spirits first.’
Slowly, as centuries of war fought to erode the positive message I was broadcasting, images appeared in my mind. Memories from when the Davilians first came to Angellin, a sluggish trickle becoming a flood as I sent each image I received to everyone I was in contact with. As their hearts opened to each lilting note of the symphony sung by their souls I felt the aether respond, strengthening, expanding.
Rhonda had not been exaggerating. Angellin had been breathtaking, a beautiful silver city in the clouds, shining its light over those who lived in it. I only hoped the aether created by the memories of its remaining inhabitants was enough to restore it. It swelled within me, building up until it saturated my pores. The tingle in my skin became a burning sensation as I struggled to hold on to my control. Pain erupted in my body, centred in my back, and I bit off a scream at a tearing sensation along both shoulder blades.
Blackness hovered at the edge of my vision as the song the Davilians created with their souls reached a crescendo. I unleased the aether into the tower, screwing my eyes shut when a brilliant light flared beneath my hands. As bright as the sun, it sheared through my closed eyelids and brought tears in its wake.
The ground beneath my feet rocked. I fell to my knees, hands falling away from the tower. I heard thuds and groans from all around me as the Davilians also fell to the ground. I curled into a ball, head ducked into my chest, arms forming a shield to block out the cleansing light still being sent out by the tower.
It seemed an eternity before the light began to fade.
When it reached a level where it no longer brought tears to my closed eyes, I risked a quick peek around the square. Like me, most of the Davilians had formed a ball to protect their eyes, though some were sprawled out as if unconscious. I could no longer sense their thoughts, each soul once again singing its own song, the connection formed by the aether and the tower fading with the light.
People were slowly unrolling themselves and getting to their feet, eyes fixed in wonder on the tower behind me. I got to my feet and looked up at it, tears forming at the sight of so much pure aeth
er. It pulsed and flowed with joyful abandon, turning the tower into a beacon of hope, its light spreading out to burn away the nether mist that had invaded the square.
I walked to the low wall bordering one side of the square, peering over the edge to watch as the light flowed down through the levels. In moments, it had banished the nether and the dark shadows it had created until only remnants of it remained on the lowest level where the temple was.
I felt a presence at my side and looked over to meet Rhonda’s eyes. ‘You did it. The city is restored.’ Tears streamed down her cheeks. ‘I didn’t believe it was possible. But you did it anyway.’
‘There is still nether down there,’ said Connor, appearing on the other side of me and pointing down below us.
‘No amount of aether can get rid of the darkness completely,’ I said. ‘It’s part of nature. The Davilians are just going to have to make sure they maintain the balance between light and dark to stop the city being threatened again.’
‘They will,’ said Talaom. ‘The elders will make sure no one forgets how close we came to losing the city for good. The temple and the nether that surrounds it will be a constant reminder for them.’
‘We saved the city, and that’s great,’ said Connor, turning around to lean his back against the wall to look over the square. ‘But we’re still stuck here with no way of getting home. No offence, Mum, but this is not where I want to spend the rest of my life.’
‘I’m afraid you have no choice,’ said Rhonda. ‘Without wings, none of us can leave.’
‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that,’ said Talaom, looking at me with eyebrows raised and eyes wide.
‘There’s another way out of here?’ I asked.
‘No, I mean about not having wings.’
‘Talaom, it could take years for any young to have their wings emerge,’ said Rhonda. ‘And years more for them to develop enough to be able to carry another person.’
‘Wait, you mean your babies aren’t born with wings?’ I frowned.
Rhonda shook her head. ‘They are born with nubs on their shoulder blades, and usually the wings begin to emerge once the young reach puberty. In rare circumstances the wings never develop, or can take twice as long. It is a rite of passage amongst our people when the first feathers begin to show.’
‘Which is what appears to be happening to Tyler.’
‘What?’ I spun around and stared at Talaom. ‘I don’t have wings.’ Astral ones, yes, but I certainly hadn’t been born with nubs on my shoulder blades.
‘Maybe not before, but you do now.’ He grabbed hold of my shoulders and twisted me around. Then he grabbed my right hand and guided it to the top of my left shoulder blade, to the spot that had hurt when I’d unleased the aether I’d harnessed from the Davilians.
My fingers found a rip in my shirt and underneath it a hard ridge that had definitely not been there before. I pulled away from Talaom and checked the other side, only to find another rip and a hard ridge. I gulped as I traced the single feather that sprang out of my shoulder blade back at my touch. More and more feathers soon joined the first, and within seconds I was possessed of a full set of silver wings.
My head spun and I clutched the wall beside me when my legs threatened to collapse.
I had wings.
Real wings.
Not the ethereal ones of my astral form.
Oh my God.
28
‘That’s impossible.’ Rhonda backed away from me, eyes wide. ‘Tyler has barely any Tr’lirian blood. She can’t just grow a set of wings. Not even a full Tr’lirian’s wings develop that fast.’
‘Impossible or not, you can’t deny she has wings.’ A thread of awe laced through Talaom’s words. ‘Silver wings. Like those Ha’niel are said to possess.’
‘Ha’niel are a myth. A children’s tale,’ said Rhonda, shaking her head.
I flexed the wings in question, curling them around so the tips were in front of me. I stared at them, mesmerised by the way the individual feathers sparkled in the light from the tower. It was an effort to drag my eyes away and focus on Rhonda’s next words.
‘Malia was obsessed with getting her wings back, searching the world for some kind of power to restore her immortality. I guess she really did find what she was seeking. Restoring the tower must have triggered what was left of the power she’d stored in her necklace.’
Talaom stepped closer, peering first at my wings and then at me. Finally, he shook his head. ‘No, this did not come from Malia. This is all Tyler’s doing. I’m telling you, she is Ha’niel. It is the only answer that makes sense.’
‘What is a Ha’niel?’ I asked.
‘It is the name given to those of us who ascend to a higher form of existence after a thousand years of contemplation and sacrifice. Their wings change colour to reflect the journey they have undertaken. Ha’niel are to be revered above all others, so it is said, though no Tr’lirian has ascended in living memory. Until now.’
I shook my head. ‘No way. I can’t be one of them. I haven’t spent a day in contemplation, let alone a thousand years. And I’m only twenty-five.’
‘And yet you have silver wings. You must be Ha’niel.’ Talaom’s assertion was threaded through with desperation.
I could see in his eyes how badly he wanted to believe I was Ha’niel. Perhaps even needed to believe. But I was no one special.
‘It has to be the necklace, something I absorbed when it exploded. I should not have wings in the first place. I’m human. I go back to Easton, how in the hell am I supposed to explain these?’ I flexed my shoulders, expecting the wings to respond to the movement.
They vanished.
‘What the hell? Where did they go?’ Connor waved his hand over my head, meeting empty air.
‘They’re gone,’ I said, a pang of disappointment lacing my words as I felt behind me and found nothing but a ripped shirt. As hard as it would be to explain why I suddenly had wings, my heart had thrilled at the idea of being able to fly for real.
I poked a finger through the rip on my left shoulder blade, frowning when I realised the hard ridges from where the wings had sprung were still there. I smoothed my fingers along it, stomach lurching when a feather once again appeared at my touch. More joined it and soon I had a set of silver wings back.
I spread them out to their full span, unable to contain a grin as with gentle sweeps they lifted me off the ground. I reluctantly stifled the urge to take off, to see just how far and how fast my wings could take me, and planted my feet firmly on the pavers of the square.
Talaom wore a shaky smile as he shook his head. ‘I have never heard of anyone whose wings could appear or disappear. Whether you are Ha’niel or not, let’s just hope they can be used to open the portal between Angellin and the physical plane.’
‘What good are wings that could disappear at any moment?’ Rhonda crossed her arms in front of her chest. ‘No way am I letting her carry me back to Easton. What if her wings did their disappearing act mid-flight?’
‘I don’t think they will, not unless Tyler wants them to.’ Talaom shrugged. ‘I’m guessing, hoping, her wings respond to her wishes. She wants to fly, they appear. She wants to blend in with humans, they disappear. But there’s only one way to find out if I’m right.’
I thought about it for a moment, about not wanting to have wings. Gasps from Rhonda and Connor let me know they’d disappeared before I put a hand back to test for myself. This time I didn’t touch the ridge to see if the wings would reappear. Instead, I just thought about them returning, smiling when I immediately felt a rippling in the air behind me as the wings spread to their full span.
‘Cool. Tyler has wings,’ said Connor. ‘She gets to return home. But what about the rest of us? The guys who carried us here were huge, and it took two of them to cart me around. Tyler’s half my size. No way she’ll be able to take off while carrying me.’
‘I’m not that small.’ I sent Connor a reproving look. ‘And I’m stronger than I look. B
ut I don’t need muscles to carry you. I can use aether.’
I drew a thread of aether away from the tower, marvelling at the power it contained in its purest form, and wrapped it around Connor’s body. I lifted him in the air, laughing at the cry of shock he let out when his feet left the ground.
‘I can easily take you and Rhonda home with me.’
‘And me,’ said Talaom. ‘I’m coming too.’
I gently lowered Connor and stared at Talaom. ‘I thought you’d want to stay here, help your people rebuild.’
He glanced across the square to where his sister stood talking to the oldest Tr’lirian I had ever seen. Talaom shook his head. ‘I’m a reminder of all Nadia has lost. Every time she sees me, she sees Blane. It is better for her if I’m not around.’
He forced a grin to his lips. ‘Besides, you’re going to need my help if you want to stop Cade becoming God.’
I stared at him for a long moment, reading the pain in his eyes, before I said, ‘Okay.’
‘You’re not going to trust this guy, are you?’ Connor asked. ‘He killed you, and then he double-crossed you. Do you really want to give him the chance to do either of those things again?’
I gave a shrug. ‘Trust him or not, he’s right about me needing his help. He’s a reaper. We can use him. Cade has had years to plan his takeover of Easton. If he really has infiltrated every aspect of government and law enforcement, we are going to be seriously outnumbered. Threatening to reap the souls of his people may be the only advantage we have.’
I shifted until I faced Talaom, hands on my hips. ‘But there will be no more torture, revenge killings, or hurting innocent people. You only reap as a last resort, either to save your life or someone else’s. If you step out of line I will make sure it is the last thing you ever do. Do you understand?’
Talaom was silent for a moment, gaze steady as he stared at me. ‘And when Cade calls our bluff? What then?’
Silver Reaper (Reaper Series Book 3) Page 16