Forbidden Angel

by Chantal Cross

  I have a right to feel betrayed. She gave herself up to me then threw herself at another. I’m not going to compromise on how I feel no matter how objective I am.

  But at the same time, I know Ebony can’t help herself. Denying that would be denying the truth of her. If I love her, truly love her, I must understand and accept her. It’s not something I can do, not yet.

  But I will strive to. Just because she takes comfort in Gabriel doesn’t mean she will never come to me again. I have to be patient. It’s not easy for me, but if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing.

  I love her. I’ll have her. That’s all that matters.

  Feeling more composed if not better, I turn from the grave to walk back to school.

  I almost jump in surprise, managing to rein it into a whole-body shudder. There’s someone behind me, like right behind me.

  It’s that liaison fellow. So unimportant I can’t even remember his name.

  How the hell did he creep up behind me like that? I have senses sharper than a wolf! I would have heard a footstep, detected his heartbeat! Nothing between the earth and all her magic could sneak up on me.

  Just as my face twists and my voice starts to roar indignation into his face, he grins.

  I hear a snap, see a bright flash.

  And that’s all I know before the rushing waves of unconsciousness take me.

  22

  Ebony

  It’s very late when I head into the underground for my session with Leo. I’m shaken after the day’s events, but I honestly think a nice, rough, training session will take my mind off things.

  I move through the dark grounds, sticking to the shadows. I could never explain walking around in the middle of the night when I should be locked in my dorm. Leo said he would always cover for me, but he shouldn’t have to.

  The more times he has to do it, the more suspicious it becomes. So, it’s best not to be seen at all.

  The night feels like its dripping with menace. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. The darkness has teeth, it nips at me. The wind howls through the trees, like a storm coming. In spite of the howling, the leaves barely rustle. I’d feel much better if the trees bent and twisted under the weight, bending to the wind and lashing the sky. The ghostly way the wind moans without disturbing the tree branches is unsettling.

  What kind of wind could do that? Or can the trees think and speak for themselves?

  Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  I missed Leo today. I would have liked his comfort. For his part, he stood by the grave, looking solemn but upset. I didn’t think he would miss Cordelia that much.

  The funeral was desperately hard. After arriving here at school, I found out my mother, who I loved and trusted, the only person who was responsible for my upbringing, had been lying to me my whole life. That was the first shock.

  After she nearly poisoned me with apple cobbler, I suffered a crisis of faith. When someone you loved lies to you consistently, over a long period of time, it scars your ability to trust. Mostly, I only felt numb when I learned of Cordelia's death. My anger with her over the cobbler incident had kept me from knowing my true feelings.

  Even now, I’m not sure who to trust. There's a horrific tug of war going on within my soul. Given my situation, I have no choice but to seek allies, but that doesn't mean I can give myself over to fully trusting others.

  It’s an exhausting existence.

  I was very grateful for Gabriel at the funeral.

  Seeing him break down affected me deeply. If he can feel like that, maybe his proposed feelings for me are real. I can understand him getting frustrated and possessive. He’s never had the attention from me that the others get. Now I’ve softened to him and realized we share the same grief, I feel more sympathetic, more likely to listen.

  Having him pressed up against me was thrilling as well as comforting. He’s almost like undiscovered territory. I wonder what it would feel like to actually share a joke with him, instead of being the brunt of one. His company could be easy, amusing, and loving. Maybe I’ve just been looking at things the wrong way.

  I come down the wide flagstone steps, moving past the main chamber. I go through the halls, which seem extra dark tonight. I check a few of the smaller rooms because we have met in those before. Once, when Leo decided to show me how to use magic for scrying.

  After roaming the halls, I’m convinced he isn’t there. It could be an elaborate cloaking, but I don’t think so. I frown a little as I head back, puzzled.

  I enter the main chamber, lit only by a few torches. There are more shadows than light. They streak the walls, making shapes that writhe and reach for me. The atmosphere is thick, and it sounds like that crazy wind has followed me in here. It echoes around the corner of the room, making the torches flicker low, squat down and almost go out.

  I can’t see, or sense Leo, anywhere.

  I expected to hear from him, and after the funeral, I didn’t think much of it.

  He seemed so upset. I saw him looking over at me a few times at the gravesite, and his eyes were burning. It was clear he was having trouble controlling himself. I was truly touched, much like I was with Gabriel. It makes me feel safe to know he can keep my trust.

  Still, I hold myself back from total disclosure with any of them. I’m not sure I can ever completely give my trust again. It’s only a small wound for the moment, one I believe I can manage. I know emotional wounds are worse if allowed to fester, but for now, I don’t have much choice.

  Not everyone gets regularly targeted for assassination. I should be commended for my bravery in just staying alive at this point.

  I couldn’t wait to meet up with Leo after the service. But he never showed. After how upset he was at the gravesite, I figured he just needed some time alone. Everyone does, I guess. I wasn’t surprised he didn’t send me a message. I was looking forward to seeing him and talking about everything, helping him work through his feelings as well as my own.

  But now, he’s not here.

  I start to walk around on my toes, checking behind equipment. Leo could be hiding, waiting in ambush. Of course, he'd call it a ‘training strategy,’ to ambush me unawares.

  Plenty of times he's come from behind and dealt me a blow that knocks me to the ground. He keeps saying I won’t learn anything if I don’t come away with bruises. The last few times he did it, I managed to turn and block without even thinking. If the training strategy is effective, I guess I don’t have a right to argue with it, even if I find it distasteful.

  It does nothing from my trust issues, let me tell you that.

  I cross the room several times. No Leo.

  I check every shadow, with my eyes as well as my magic sense. He could be cloaked, almost invisible. I sense a lingering impression from our previous time down here, but that’s all.

  It’s not like him to miss a training session. I feel worry blooming inside me, but I tell myself not to be ridiculous. Leo’s a grown man, with a deadly set of skills both as a warrior and a magician. He can take care of himself. The idea that little innocent Ebony Black would have to rescue him is just absurd.

  But I can’t help starting to feel more than worry. This school is a dangerous place. Leo would have spoken to me. I’m sure.

  Unless he can’t. That would be the only thing that would stop him contacting me.

  Who would want to hurt Leo? What would they get out of kidnapping him? I’m still struggling with the idea that he could be overpowered at all. It seems absurd.

  But my guts are starting to fight with themselves, tearing me apart. The pain feeds off my worry, making me more afraid. This sense of fear reaches through my chest into my throat. Now I’m not rational, I’m all emotion. Many torches are black and cold, instead of being lit, making more shadows than light, soaking the underground chambers in the cloak of night. That scary wind seems to follow me even now, deep into the far reaches of the room.

  It’s not right. Something is really, severely, not
right. My body is telling me, and so is my magic sense. When I think of Leo and try to scry him, my instincts and my magic flutter like birds taking off.

  Something is wrong, it's undeniable. He’s in trouble.

  I’m drawn to the widest, tallest brick wall. Two torches adorn the bottom of it and its one of the only places that is well lit.

  It’s almost as if I am drawn here purposefully, like the dark halls were designed to draw me to this spot.

  As I watch the wall swaying back and forth, and wondering why I find it so entrancing.

  Then streaks of red appear on the wall. In runs and trickles, glittering like rubies in the flickering light.

  It looks like blood.

  An invisible message. One that will only reveal itself to the eyes of its intended recipient.

  It's glowing bloody lines seep out of the wall with loops and flourishes like an ancient flowery script.

  Meet us in the woods.

  The dark and far corner of the black forest behind the school.

  Come alone.

  Tell no one.

  Or Leo will die.

  My heart steps up its pace. My mind fogs for a moment, my eyes water in shock.

  I can’t do this now! I can’t let my emotions take me over. Leo needs me.

  It looks like innocent Ebony Black is going to ride to the rescue after all. Once I get my heart and my breathing back under control.

  The spooky wind blows through the place again, guttering the torches. They don’t go out, but its close.

  Something stirs in the breeze. I see it flickering, catching the light. Something beautiful that can absorb and reflect.

  I step closer, looking for it in the gloom.

  Tossing in the breeze that is somehow inside the room, right at the foot of the message, is a single perfect feather. It glows as white and pure as the moon.

  Since I’ve dealt with angels before, I swallow a hard lump in my throat.

  I’m hoping it’s a gryphon. A harpy.

  Please. Anything but an angel.

  23

  Ebony

  I can’t waste a moment. Who knows how long they have been waiting for me already? Are they torturing him? Did I come too late? Have they killed him just because I was late?

  The how and the why spin inside me, wrestling and grappling. It makes no sense.

  Clearly, it’s all about me. Getting me out into the woods.

  It could all be a trick! They didn’t send me proof of life or anything to indicate they have actually kidnapped him.

  Leo could be safe in bed, and I’m chasing off into the darkest, most dangerous woods all by myself.

  I leave the building just as the final lights go out. As they do, deeper shadows fall across the pathways. I can run flat out now, without worry of being seen. If anyone looks out the window, I’ll just be a blur in the night.

  I turn off the main pathway and run towards the forest. No one ever goes in here. It harbors leftover magic, spells that were used and not completed, not banished. Creatures hang from the trees, laughing at me. Little imps and ghouls, the worst of the spirit world.

  Here, the veil is thin. They can reach out with their icy fingers and tug at my hair, trying to draw me in. Their one saving grace is they serve no one—they are tricksters intent on capturing people for their energy. They’ll feed off a wizard, using them as a living battery.

  They use fear to get a foothold. I have plenty of fear right now, but it's not for me, and it’s not directed at them.

  It’s all for Leo. I pray he really is safe, sleeping after the long, stressful day. I hope when the one who wrote that message finally shows up, its only me that’s in danger.

  I’m so used to it now; I don’t shy away from the thought. It’s far safer to put myself in front of those I love. Then I don’t have to feel so guilty all the time.

  After all, it’s me that everyone is after.

  This thought gives me strength. Even though my tension is rising, my warriors’ instincts and the power of my magic rises with alarm, if the kidnappers are after me, then they don’t even care about Leo. They’d have no reason to hurt him.

  The chilly air stirs a little. All the trees here are dead, and instead of whispering leaves, the bare branches knock against each other. Even though I’ve been running hard, the dark air soaks me through with ice. The strange wind blows through the trees once more, knocking the branches around like wooden wind chimes.

  I start to slow down, picking my way carefully over the roots of the trees. This section of the forest is so old the trees are twisted and covered in knots. Their roots rise up out of the soil, massive, high walls of wood I have to scramble over. The trees don’t feel friendly. I don’t understand how they can be so old, still alive, and yet have no leaves.

  My fear bleeds away to a low-level anticipation. My magic sense is not ricocheting around, scaring me. It’s becoming a steady throb between my heart and core. My breathing begins to settle into long, slow sighs that relax me and loosen the grip on my heart.

  I’m ready. Come on. Let’s do this.

  I’m still scared, but my hands are curled by my sides, my legs ready to spring.

  When I come forward into a small clearing, I’m surprised by how suddenly it appears. One moment I’m scrambling over buttressed roots, diving under branches with long pointed fingers that seem determined to scratch out my eyes, the next I’m standing at the edge of a vast space.

  I walk forward warily. I reach out with my senses, both magical and physical.

  Leo’s here. I can’t see him, but I can definitely feel his presence. I’m at a loss as to what to do. Should I sneak around the clearing in the shadows, looking for him, or just walk into the clearing and scream to the world I’m here?

  No. That would make me a great big target, and I wouldn’t do Leo any good.

  I sneak forward a bit, trying to see. There is no moon, her little sliver already gone to bed some time ago. The clearing seems to glitter with ice shards that glint and flicker like stars. It makes no sense, frost doesn’t fall this early in the night, even if it was cold enough for it.

  Behind me, there’s a sharp snap of a twig. I turn and scurry backwards, unable to believe someone snuck up on me. I’ve been training too hard with Leo, and I should have sensed someone moving behind me just by their life force.

  There is nothing there. The fear dies away as I look into the darkness, straining my eyes. What broke the twig? My alert muscles soften up, just a bit, as I try to fathom where my foe is. Maybe I’ve been lured out here as a joke. What a relief that would be!

  “Here, Snow White.” A voice rumbles right near my ear and I yelp, leaping up. I spin to face them, fists ready.

  He definitely snuck up on me, without my notice. It’s almost like he can teleport. As I take a step back, a light flares around him, illuminating his form.

  I recognize him straight away, but my familiarity is quickly overtaken by awe.

  He seems taller. He has a glowing golden aura that spreads from the halo around his head to envelope his whole body. He crosses his arms, standing pure as the light that clothes him.

  Great wings slice the air as they arc from his back. They are thickly feathered in perfect, white down but the edges, the long flight feathers, are edged with steel and sharp as blades.

  His face is even more dramatic and beautiful than before. He steals my breath away. He is a living piece of heaven, come from beyond all the magic we know and command.

  This is a warrior of the highest class. An archangel.

  I begin to feel truly afraid. I can’t beat an archangel. The best I might be able to do is sacrifice myself. I don’t want to do that. But where is Leo?

  As if he can read my mind, the angel steps to the side, looking behind him. I see Leo there, on his knees, his face bloody and bruised. With a cry of shock, I hurry forward, but the archangel waggles a finger, coming between Leo and me.

  “Dear girl. You don’t think it will be that easy, do
you? I’m not going to let you just take your lover.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  He grins, far too smug for a heavenly being. He just stands there grinning for a few seconds. I frown at him, thinking only of Leo and the terrible pain he must be in. Did the angel beat him? How did he subdue him? I know the angel has great power, but so does Leo.

  I can feel my magic rising. It’s happening all by itself like it often does when I am very frightened.

  The wind comes up again, and I start to wonder if it might be me causing it, not the other magics at work tonight.

  “I had to take a wild guess there, you know,” the archangel says conversationally, adjusting a cuff like he has all day—or night. “I really wasn’t sure.”

  “Sure, about what?” He’s talking in riddles. When do we fight? What does he want?

  Does he mean to kill Leo, no matter what becomes of me?

  He smiles again. I’m really getting sick of it. It’s so saccharine sweet it deserves to be on a box of frosted flakes.

  “Sure, about which one to take, of course. I had to get you out here, as part of my plan. Believe me, it’s a bit different from the plans of those who came before me.”

  I don’t like this, not at all. He’s scaring me now. If everyone else just wanted to kill me, what horrible torture has he got in mind?

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  He shakes his head, laughing,

  “All I’m saying my dear is you made my choice of bait a difficult one. The way you sidle up to all of these men, I couldn’t be sure which one was your favorite. The one that would get you out here as quickly as possible. I guess I chose well then? You charged out here the second you got my message. Leo for the win! Lucky for me.”

  While he gloats over me, I press my lips together. It would be an awful thing for me to voice my thoughts right now.