Flesh and Feathers

by Hylton, Danielle; Fifer, April

  In a blink, Scarlet, appeared standing behind her. Whispering in her ear, Scarlet said, “After we are finished with you here, I will hunt down all who protected you and kill them one by one. I will be sure to save Kale for last.”

  Scarlet placed her hand on Az’s shoulder, slowly dragging her nails across her skin. Az’s breathing was fast as she stood very still. Just then, the metal door made a loud creaking sound as it opened, hitting the back of the wall.

  Tobias stood in the doorway. “Scarlet. There is work for you. Begin the preparation.”

  Scarlet clenched her teeth, but nodded and left the room. Tobias stood there watching Az. “You must forgive Scarlet. Her manners are dreadful when it comes to accommodating guests.” His comment was only meant as sarcasm.

  Az remained silent until she heard Scarlet’s footsteps fade in the distance.

  “She is evil because of you.” Az knew this, because of Scarlet’s reaction when she had mentioned Tobias’ name earlier. Az didn’t really care about Scarlet; she was simply trying to bide time.

  This made Tobias grin. “What makes you think that?”

  “The very sight of you makes the color of her skin change,” Az said confidently, knowing that what she was saying was no doubt the truth.

  Tobias paused for a moment. “Scarlet has an expectation that she tries to live up to. She will never meet that expectation–no matter how hard she tries.” Tobias seemed to lose himself in his thoughts. “No matter. We are not here to discuss Scarlet’s demons; we are here to discuss yours.” His words sent a chill through Az.

  “Did your friends tell you that you had a choice?” Tobias asked.

  “A choice?” Az questioned.

  “Just because you have been chosen to be the Arch, does not mean that you have to accept it.” Tobias could tell by the look on Az’s face, she had no idea what he was talking about. “I am not surprised you are unaware. They preach about free-will, but never really follow their own rules.”

  Az wasn’t really sure why this surprised her. Tannah and Kale had hidden the truth from her before, so to learn that she could choose a different life shouldn’t have shocked her–but it did. However, Az was loyal and felt the need to defend their decision to keep her in the dark.

  “Who says I want something different?”

  “It doesn’t matter. That’s no longer an option. I simply thought you should know.” Tobias was merely taunting her.

  “I have bigger plans for you.” Tobias held up a small vial of pale green liquid. Az watched him carefully. “This is called Qeres. The Egyptians used it during their burial rituals. They believed it helped the deceased in the afterlife. They were idiots,” He said, chuckling to himself. “They didn’t know how to use it. It doesn’t give life after death–it gives life to the dead.”

  At this point, Az was visibly shaking, though she tried to poise herself. She wouldn’t let him see her frightened. “What are you going to do with it?” she asked.

  His look was sinister, causing Az to turn her eyes away from his. “I am going to resurrect someone. Someone who will make Scarlet look like an angel in comparison…, and you are going to help me do that.”

  “I thought you just wanted more time here on Earth.” Az stumbled over her words, and she tried to make herself lucid.

  “So that is what they believe?” Tobias laughed out loud this time, deep and reverberating.

  “So be it,” he said as he left the room with the metal door slamming behind him.

  After Tobias had left, Az curled up on the floor in the corner of the room. She wondered to herself if Kale had found her note by now or if it would even matter–she knew that her time had just about run out. Tobias and Scarlet had made sure she knew that. Twenty-seven years was no lifetime. It was simply a glimpse of what might have been.

  Knowing you will die does strange things to the mind. You begin to regret things you hadn’t done in your life. And Az did just that. She remembered the time, when she was fourteen, and she had seen her best friend’s boyfriend out with another girl from school. Her friend was extremely happy and Az didn’t want to ruin it by telling her-so she didn’t. Or the time that very same friend tried to console her when Az’s mother died, but Az only pushed her away. Az never spoke to her again after that.

  I’ve wasted all that time, Az thought to herself. It was ironic for her to think this way–she had always said, if she had it to do all over again, she would do it the same. However, that was not the truth whatsoever. She always thought that she would never have regrets. That every mistake; had made her who she was today. Now, she wondered if she had made different decisions, would she be better than the person she was at this very moment.

  Az tried to clear her mind and not think at all. It would do her no good now to think about what should have been. She began to focus her attention on a tiny piece of mortar on the wall. It was a different color from the rest of the stone and look out of place, much like how she felt.

  Trying to distract herself, she started to pick at it with her fingernail. Little chips and pieces flaked away, landing on her pants. The more she picked at it, the angrier she became. She began taking it out on the patch of mortar until she had dug a hole in it, cursing under her breath the whole time. In her last effort, she bent her nail back and cried out in pain. A small tickle of blood ran from her finger.

  Weeping, Az butted her head against the wall.

  A muffled whisper came from somewhere. At first, Az thought this is the part where insanity would take over, and she would start hearing voices. But as she quieted her cry, she heard it again. It was coming from the tiny crack in the wall.

  Then suddenly, small pebbles began to fall from the crack. The hole was now the size of a quarter, and as she peered through it, she saw Jen staring back at her.

  “Jen!” Az called.

  “Az, are you okay?”

  “Yes. Are you?”

  Hope flooded the both of them. In all the darkness, finding each other was a true gift.

  “Yeah, I’m alright,” Jen, replied.

  Az immediately thought of Mitch–his lifeless body at the bottom of an open grave. She knew that it would kill Jen, but she had to tell her. She had regretted not saying anything to her high school friend years ago. She would not make the same mistake twice. If the tables were turned, she would want to know about Kale.

  “Jen, there’s something you should know.” Az stopped long enough to catch her breath. This would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do. “It’s about Mitch.”

  “I already know.” Jen’s voice lost the hope it had just carried, and although Az could barely see her, she knew Jen's face was grief-stricken and torn.

  Az knew better than to say any more. All she could to do was be there for her friend. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s my fault. I knew better. I guess the more time I spent on earth, the more human I thought I was. I messed up. There’s nothing anyone can do.” Jen started to sound further away, her voice icy and withdrawn.

  They both sat silently for a moment before Az spoke. “Do you think the others know where we are?”

  “I pray that they do, but I’m not sure how long it would have taken them.”

  “Where were they?” Az asked. “I saw your note and went to find them, but I couldn’t.”

  Jen didn’t respond, which made Az edgy.

  “Az…, you really are lucky,” Jen said. Az realized that she must have paid no attention at all to what she had been saying. She became aware Jen was suffering from the same thoughts of regrets that Az herself had felt moments ago.

  “Do you know how precious it is to be free?” Jen asked.

  “You have wings, Jen. What’s more freeing than that?”

  “Wings don’t give you freedom.”

  Remembering how torn Kale felt about leaving her, made Az become conscious of how binding it must be for all of them. She only knew a fraction of their world.

  “I envy you,” Jen contin
ued. “For who you are and what you can do.”

  This seemed strange. For as long as Az had known Jen, she could only marvel at her. She had foolishly believed that Jen’s life was perfect.

  “But I’m not…” Az stopped at the sound of the door rattling. They had finally come for her.

  Scarlet entered the room, yanking Az up by her arm. “Tobias is waiting for you.” She grinned.

  Scarlet held out the small vial of green liquid. It was the same bottle that Tobias had shown her earlier–the Qeres. Az’s eyes widen at the sight of it. Scarlet pinned Az down and forced her mouth open with her hand.

  Az struggled under the pressure, trying to move her head back and forth, but it was no use. Scarlet shoved the bottle between Az’s lips and forced the liquid down her throat.

  Gagging, Az stood up and looked at Scarlet. Her eyes were watering from where she had choked.

  “Now, you’re ready,” Scarlet said as she dragged Az out of the room.

  ***

  Tannah, Kale, and Gage landed a mile from the monastery. They had made their way through the wooded terrain and were now inside the building.

  “We’re close. I can feel it,” Gage said as they snaked down the corridor, moving in the shadows to stay hidden. He led the way while Tannah and Kale stayed close on his heels. Gage was tracking Az–with her emotions running high, he could follow the trail easily.

  The three had entered through a window in the East Wing and were now on a passageway off the main entrance. As they stood with their backs against the wall, Gage peered around the corner of the hallway.

  “She has to be down there.” Gage pointed to a pair of double doors at the end. They looked to be miles away due to the length of the hall.

  At that moment, a scream pierced the silence so loudly that they all paused. It was Az–none of them could deny it. They were about to edge slowly in the direction of the scream, when Gage held up his hand, stopping them.

  “Something’s wrong,” he said.

  “What do you mean?” Kale asked in a hushed voice.

  Gage’s eyes squinted, trying to figure something out. “It’s gone.”

  “What’s gone?” Tannah’s voice quivered a bit, and Kale stared at her unsure.

  Gage turned to Tannah, almost too afraid to speak. “The trail…, I can’t feel her anymore.”

  At that moment Kale understood exactly what had happened. He took off running at full speed to the doors. His wings were stretched out behind him.

  “Kale! Stop!” Tannah shouted, but it was too late.

  Kale burst through the doors, disintegrating them into tiny pieces that landed several feet in front of him.

  He paused at the sight of Az, lying on a marble altar at the end of the room. Her body had been painted with cryptic symbols. He almost buckled at the nauseous feeling starting to take over him. Tobias stood over her, holding a knife made of stone and it was lodged in Az’s abdomen.

  They were too late. He had killed her. The break in Gage’s connection was proof.

  Kale let out a gruff cry at the vision of her lifeless body. Blood trickled down the table and onto the floor. Her skin was pale and her eyes had dark circles under them.

  He was so overwhelmed; he hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room. Scarlet stood beside Tobias. On the other side, were three men. Two of which wore dark cloaks, and the third was Vega–the fallen, who had betrayed his lover to become part of this sadistic entourage.

  At the sight of Kale, the four began to spread themselves cautiously, in a circling technique, but Tobias never moved… not even looking up at Kale’s incursion. As Scarlet and the men moved step by step towards Tannah, Kale, and Gage, Scarlet separated her spirit form from her body. It happened in perfect unison, making it impossible to tell which was her body and which was just the illusion. This was her way to deceive them.

  Tannah and Gage stood, flanking Kale. Kale twitched as Tannah slightly touched his wrist with her hand. She spoke in a low voice. “Kale, the only way to Az is through them. I need you and Gage to focus on the three men.”

  Tannah pulled a pair of Sai from behind her back that had been secured by a leather strap. She inched her way towards Scarlet, watching her carefully. Waiting for her to make the smallest mistake and give away her true position.

  The two images of Scarlet weaved back and forth with each other as they approached. Their faces were tight and focused on Tannah.

  Scarlet was within a few feet of Tannah when she pulled out her prize dagger and lunged it at her. And as if the light had given a strange reflection of some kind, Tannah was able to distinguish Scarlet’s physical form from her spirit. Tannah leaned to the side as Scarlet’s blade missed its target. Tannah then quickly twisted her body around, using her wing to knock the dagger from Scarlet’s hand. The dagger sailed through the air, landing across the room and out of reach. Tannah swiftly brought her hand up, using the Sai to slash the side of Scarlet’s face.

  Scarlet was surprised by this maneuver. Her two forms merged back into one. She no longer kept them separate because the wound now showed her opponent the difference between them.

  On the opposite side of the room, the two men in cloaks were circling Kale, while Gage had managed to corner Vega against the wall. Vega began pleading with Gage, hoping that Gage’s moral binds with the good angels would spare him his life.

  “I did it for Jocelyn. I had to help Tobias. He would have killed her had I not. Killing me will only hurt her,” Vega beseeched in a strained voice as Gage’s hands closed around his throat.

  Listening to Vega’s dishonest claim only angered Gage more. “It’s funny that you mention her. She asked a favor of me before coming here.” And with that, Gage used the power of his hands to twist Vega’s neck, snapping it in single click. Vega’s body fell limp to the ground.

  Gage immediately turned, seeing Kale a few feet away. Kale was fighting the taller of the two-cloaked men and had the advantage, but he was unaware of the second man who moved out of Kale’s sight and was now standing behind him. Gage charged at the man before he could attack Kale, throwing him to the ground.

  ***

  Jen sat on the floor with her back against the stone, staring at the crack in the wall. Only an hour ago she had discovered Az on the other side of it. This tiny crack had been a window between the two of them. It was a bittersweet blessing that had been hopeful and tragic–all the same.

  Jen pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. Her mind raced, wondering where they had taken Az and what they were doing to her. She tried not to wonder if Az was still alive, believing that she was, would be her only choice. It was hard for Jen to keep faith. She felt like everything was all her fault.

  Jen began to pray aloud. “I am mindful of my fate. I pray that my death will benefit our cause. Please grant me this final plea.” Her voice was low and whispered as she repeated the words over and over again.

  The lock on the door unbolted and then the door itself, eased open. Jen sat up and waited. She knew that this was her final moment. They had sent someone to kill her.

  Seconds went by, but no one entered. Jen stood and cautiously crept towards the doorway. Her fingertips braced the door as she pushed it opened. She stepped out into the hallway, but still there was no one. Was this some sort of trickery? She wondered to herself.

  Each end of the corridor was dark, which made her uneasy. There were no sounds, except that of a constant drip. Water was leaking from the ceiling stone and trickling on the floor, making Jen stay close to the wall as she hurried down it.

  Jen had maneuvered through the maze of passageways quietly. She wasn’t leaving here until she found Az, one way or another. She didn’t have any special power that would show her the way. Her only ability was her intuition.

  As Jen turned a corner, she could hear the sound of struggling. At first, it was hard to figure out the direction it was coming from, but as she stood soundlessly, it became very clear. Jen ran hastily to a small door
, but slowed as she approached it. The door was extremely puny, barely large enough for her to fit through. It may have been an old escape route and probably was hidden out of sight on the other side of the room.

  She inhaled a deep breath, building her courage to push it open when someone grabbed her arm, turning her around.

  “Kano,” Jen said with shock. She had been caught. Her fists tighten, preparing for whatever move he would make.

  Kano’s grip was strong, but she tried to ignore the pain and instead stood ridged. “Do not go in there. None of them will survive. You’ll be wasting your time,” he said. Jen stared at him in confusion.

  “What do you care of our fate?” Jen said through clenched teeth at the same time yanking her arm from his grasp.

  “I don’t,” he spoke quickly.

  “That is a lie. You would not be here if not for your benefit.”

  Kano was reluctant to respond. Seconds of silence flowed by, and Jen’s frustration would not keep. She placed her hand on the door, stepping forward to enter.

  “I came to warn you,” Kano spat out.

  She turned to him. “Those are my friends in there..., my family. If it is that we all must die, then we do it together.”

  Jen was still unsure of Kano’s reasoning, and at this point there was no time to be wasted. She had to help Az. Kano took a step back as Jen continued. “Help us.”

  Her request surprised him. There was no payment offered…, just a simple favor. No one would have dared asked something like this from him. His abilities and knowledge were sought after from many…. He did not grant favors. “I cannot. It… it is not in my nature. But I will not stop you.” At that moment, Kano turned, disappearing down the hall.

  Jen faced the door and with one grand thrust, she pushed it opened in time to see Scarlet holding Tannah off the ground. In her hand, she held one of Tannah’s Sai.

  “No!” Jen screamed. Scarlet looked at Jen as a smile filled her lips. Scarlet plunged the steel through Tannah’s chest. The blade had been lodged so deep that the tip had emerged from her back.