by Hanna Peach
She thought she heard voices, faintly. Alyx moved forward towards a door. The voices were arguing. Israel. Israel was behind that door.
Alyx deactivated the mirage and drew her sword. She kicked open the door. The inhabitants of the dark room jumped. Jordan turned his sword on her. Marin kept his trained on Israel, who was slumped in his chair.
“Alyx?” Jordan lowered the point of his blade slightly.
Alyx raised her own blade to meet his. “Let him go.”
“Alyx, we just want−”
“I know what you goddamn want and I’m telling you, you’re not touching him.” Alyx laughed but it wasn’t because she was finding anything about this situation funny. “I can’t believe I trusted you.”
Jordan looked pained. “You still can, Alyx.”
“Says the man pointing his weapon at me.”
“Alyx,” the relief in Israel’s voice was palpable. She looked over to him. He had straightened up in his chair and some life had returned to his eyes.
“Did they hurt you?” she asked.
Israel shook his head but his eyes still watered with pain. No, they may not have hurt him physically, but the revelation that he wasn’t completely human…that he contained within him blood of the creatures that he hated so much… God, Alyx could only imagine how this was tearing at Israel’s insides. And for him to find out this way… Alyx’s stomach churned with guilt. Part of this was her fault. She should have just told him.
“Of course we wouldn’t hurt him,” Tobias spoke gently. “We just need to make sure that he’s not going to compromise the safety of this community.”
“By probing his mind? What you did to Mini was bad enough,” Alyx growled, directing this at Dianne, who hung back in a far corner.
Dianne drew herself up, trying to hide her unease. “If he has nothing to hide…”
“No,” Alyx snapped. “Invading his mind…it’s a violation. Israel has had a rough past. I won’t let you make it public.”
“It wouldn’t be public, it would just be us,” said Tobias.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t let him do it.”
“Perhaps we should let Israel decide what’s right for him.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Israel. His mouth moved as if he was about to speak, but no sound emitted from him. His gaze found Alyx’s. She could see in his eyes that he was torn. Torn between wanting to clear his name and having all of his secrets revealed. Like their intimate night together.
What would it mean for the two of them if they allowed that to become public? If this was in front of the Elders, they would both be punished. But the FreeThinkers…would they accept a relationship between a Seraphim and a mortal? No, not just a mortal…a part-demon. Alyx felt the blood drain from her face. Even if the FreeThinkers accepted their relationship, it wouldn’t be long before someone made a connection with the prophecies. The secret about the significance of their child, if she truly was pregnant, would be revealed.
“Can I have a moment alone with Alyx, please?” Israel said. “I’ll give you my answer after that.”
Dianne and Marin began to protest, but Tobias held up his hand to silence them. “I think that is safe enough. There is no way out of this room apart from that door.” Turning to Israel, Tobias said, “We will stand outside and wait. You have two minutes. Then we would like an answer.”
Israel nodded. Tobias herded the others out.
As soon as Alyx was alone with Israel, she flew to his side, sheathing her sword. “Israel?”
He took her hands in his. “Alyx, they think I’m part-demon. They’re wrong. I’m not working for the Darkened. You believe me, don’t you? You don’t think our bond is a trick, do you?”
Alyx shook her head.
A small smile lightened his face for a moment. “I want to prove it to them.” Alyx couldn’t help the soft cry that slipped from her lips. Israel’s face darkened. “But you don’t want me to do it.”
“They’ll see...us. Everything. All of it.” She couldn’t bear to hold his gaze at that moment. Alyx burrowed her forehead against their hands. She felt him slip his fingers under her chin so that he could tilt her face towards his.
“Tell me the truth, Alyx. Are you embarrassed about what we did?”
“What? No. You think...no, Israel. That’s not it at all.”
“Then why not? If it’ll clear my name...”
“Israel, that night, everything between us...it should just be for us. If we let them see it...it won’t be ours anymore.”
“But that’s all that will happen. They’ll just see it.” Israel laughed. “Perhaps seeing a bit of skin will help remove the rod stuck up Dianne’s ass.”
She laughed, but she quickly cut it off. “This isn’t a time to be joking, Israel.”
“Hey,” Israel leaned his forehead against hers and brought their hands up to his lips. “They can’t know how we felt in those moments. They can’t know what was in my heart, your heart... They can’t take that. That is still ours. Forever.” He kissed each of her fingers entwined with his. “I want to do this to clear my name. But I won’t if you don’t want me to.”
Alyx whispered, “There must be another way...”
They pulled themselves apart as the door opened. Tobias, Jordan, Marin and Dianne returned silently into the room.
“Well?” Tobias said. “Have you made up your mind?”
Israel opened his mouth to speak.
There must be another way…
“Wait,” Alyx called out. She turned to Jordan. “Remember the other day when the MemoryThief almost touched me? Didn’t you say that that the MemoryThief chanted that little poem about my most divine memory so that it would conjure up the happiest moments of my life and bring them to the forefront of my mind so that she could steal those particular moments?”
Jordan looked mildly confused. “Yes, but−”
“If you could do the same thing to Israel but referring to the Darkened, then you would bring forward only his memories relating to the Darkened...”
“…and you would only need to shift through all of the memories of my experiences with the Darkened,” Israel said catching on.
Alyx glanced around at everyone’s faces. They had to say yes. It was the only way to prove his innocence and keep their privacy.
Tobias looked to Dianne. “Would that work to satisfy us?”
Dianne frowned. Alyx groaned inwardly at Tobias deferring to Dianne. Surely she would never let up that easily.
But then Dianne nodded. “It would certainly save me a lot of time and energy shifting through all his memories if we could just isolate those related to the demon-kind.”
* * *
It took Dianne over an hour to shift through Israel’s memories of the Darkened.
Finally she pulled her hands off him and slumped down into the only other chair in that dark room. “The boy is telling the truth. I see nothing here that links him to the Darkened.”
“I told you he wasn’t lying. He didn’t know anything about his demonblood,” Alyx said, glaring at Dianne triumphantly.
Dianne frowned. Then a strange glint came into her eyes. “What his memories don’t tell me, however, is why you kept the knowledge of his demonblood from him.”
The blood drained from Alyx’s face. What would she say? What was her excuse? “I… I…” she muttered. Then a realization struck her. “Wait, you couldn’t possibly know that from Israel’s memories.”
Dianne’s smile dripped with fake sincerity. “Of course, you’re right. But thank you for confirming to me something I only suspected.”
Alyx’s stomach dropped. Oh, stupid girl. She had just been tricked into revealing it herself.
“You knew?” The accusation came from Israel. Alyx cringed. When she looked at him, her heart broke. “So it’s true.” His face twisted with her betrayal. “I have demonblood. And you never thought to tell me.”
“Israel, I…”
But he didn’t let her finish. He
stood up, his chair falling back with a clatter, and stormed past her and out the door. Nobody moved to stop him. Alyx stood frozen for one long moment. What had she done? Why hadn’t she just told him? A single tear fell from her eye and the sensation of the warm liquid on her cheek was enough to snap her out of her stillness. She flew after Israel, calling for him to stop.
Chapter 17
Alyx caught up to Israel out in the forest of the Aradale property. He was laying into a tree trunk with his blade, splinters of wood flicking out from his constant attack. The wind seemed to carry Israel’s fury as it caught the splinters and pulled off leaves from the trees around them in a circular gust.
“How long have you known?” he yelled without turning to her.
“I...” Alyx’s mind scrambled for what to say. Should she lie to soften the blow?
“How,” slash, “fucking,” slash, “long?”
Alyx felt all the potential excuses and lies dribble out from her. Her shoulders curved forward around her as if they were trying to shield her from the consequences she knew she had to face.
“Mayrekk told me,” she said. “Before I came for you in the Hollows. There is something in the prophecies about...us.”
Israel threw the sword at her and she jumped. It struck the ground near Alyx’s feet with so much force that the blade buried itself almost halfway deep into the earth. He hadn’t been trying to hit her. But it was close.
Israel began to pound into the tree with his fists, growling as he did. The wind howled louder. He began to leave behind glistening red marks where he hit the bark. His punches became a furious crescendo until he collapsed forward over his knees with a yell.
Alyx took a step towards him. She flinched when he snapped around. His eyes glinted with a hardness she had never seen turned on her before. His hard breaths shook his shoulders. His fists, now dripping blood across his knuckles, hung in tightly wound balls by his sides. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was...afraid to. I was trying to protect you. To keep from hurting you.”
“Hurt me? Hurt me.” Israel threw his head back towards the sky and laughed. It was almost manic. When he snapped his head back, there was no humor in his eyes. “Well...well done, angel. You certainly managed to do just that.”
What could she say? What could she do to make it better? Anything. Something. What?
“Israel, please...this doesn’t change anything between us,” Alyx couldn’t help the desperation in her voice. She started to move slowly towards him. If she could just touch him, if she could just get her arms around him... Israel just watched her progress towards him with what seemed like apathy.
“Us? Us?” He tilted his head and frowned as if something just occurred to him. “Oh, won’t you look at us. An angel and a demon in love. Do you think God will ever forgive you for making such a stupid decision? Or do you think they have special places in Hell reserved for creatures like us? Does this make me the bad guy now? Should we be fighting instead of fucking, angel?”
Alyx cringed at his choice of words and the cruelness to his tone. He’s just angry, she tried to tell herself. He doesn’t really mean these things.
“Israel, this doesn’t change who you are.” Alyx was now close enough to touch him. If she could just touch him… She reached out her hand. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“Don’t touch me.” He jerked away from her. He ran his bloody hands across his face and through his hair. The blood from his open knuckles smeared across his face, smelling like spilled copper. “I’m a monster,” she heard him mumble through his fingers.
Alyx reached again for him. “No, Israel...”
“No.” This time he pushed her hand away from him. “Don’t touch me. How can you stand to touch me?” his yell echoed off the trees above them.
“Israel−”
“Leave me the hell alone.” He strode off, snatching his sword handle as he passed it, leaving her standing. Alone.
She wanted to follow him but she was rooted to the spot. She had ruined everything. Her hands felt empty. But not as empty as her heart.
Chapter 18
After leaving Alyx, Israel had walked far, far through the back grounds of Aradale. He now sat on top of the wall bordering the property, legs hanging over to the other side. There was nothing but more forest out here.
He should just leave this place. Just go without telling anyone. That’d show Alyx that he didn’t need her. He could simply disappear. He had done well enough before she came along.
He remembered the look on her face when she had realized she had been caught. The image burned like cheap vodka at the back of his throat. Part of him still couldn’t believe that she could have kept something so important from him. How could she?
Their conversation repeated in his mind.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was...afraid to. I was trying to protect you. To keep from hurting you.”
Poor messed up Israel. Needs protection. Can’t handle anything himself.
“Hello up there,” called a soft female voice, precise but with a thick Asian accent.
Israel started out of his thoughts and looked down over his left shoulder. Down on the ground below on the Aradale side was what appeared to be a small girl with long ebony hair framing an oval face.
Israel was so surprised he forgot to be angry for a moment.
“Did Alyx send you?”
The girl tilted her head. “No, the one you call Alyx did not send me.”
“Oh.” Israel’s shoulders slumped a little. “Sorry, I want to be alone right now.”
“I’m afraid that would be impossible.”
“What?”
Her voice took on a solemn tone. “Wherever you go, there you are. Therefore, you are never alone.” Her face shone proudly as if she had just revealed the great secret to life.
Israel frowned. He really didn’t need this Confucius crap right now. “Whatever. Just don’t come up here.”
“You need not worry about that. I can’t climb very well. Not like you.”
Israel peered closer at her. Silly girl, she couldn’t climb, but she could certainly just fly up...wait.
“You’re human,” he exclaimed.
Her voice tinkled as she giggled. “That I certainly am.”
“But...how?” Israel tried to think over what he had learned about Rogue sanctuaries. He didn’t think that mortals were generally allowed in. Although, he was a mortal – only part mortal, a bitter voice reminded him – and was allowed to be here. Perhaps she wasn’t supposed to be here?
“Do you live here?” he asked.
The girl smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth. “I’m afraid my neck is getting quite sore looking up at you on that wall. I shall sit here until you are ready to come down. Then we can talk and become friends.”
This strange girl proceeded to make herself comfortable on the grass. Israel could hear her humming a tune, soft and lilting but foreign.
Israel’s curiosity overruled his need to sulk alone. He swung his legs around and jumped down, landing softly on the grass. He glanced up at the wall. A jump like that would hurt most humans. But not him. He of demonblood, he thought bitterly. Why hadn’t he ever considered that his strength and abilities came from something inhuman?
“My name is Xiang,” she said once he had taken a seat cross-legged on the grass near her.
“Israel.”
This close, he could see that she wasn’t a girl but a woman with soft youthful cheeks, smooth skin and beautiful almond eyes that seemed to always be laughing.
“I would shake your hand but it seems...” she indicated his knuckles with a tilt of her head.
Israel slipped his hands to his sides, trying to hide them. Although the blood had crusted, the wounds were still raw and even more sore now that the adrenaline from earlier had worn off. “Oh yeh. That.”
“Did you fight someone?”
A tree. Myself. “Sort of.”
&n
bsp; Xiang’s eyes widened. “Did you fight to defend your truest love from death? Or to save an innocent from the dark forces?”
“Um, not exactly.”
“You slayed your opponent though?”
“There wasn’t really an opponent. Or anyone to save...”
Xiang’s thin eyebrows arched. “Then what, brave Israel, were you fighting?”
“Um...a tree?”
“A tree?” Xiang frowned. Then all at once, her forehead relaxed and a look of knowing came across her face. “Of course. The tree was possessed by a woodland demon.”
“It’s fair to say, no.”
“The tree was a portal to an evil dimension?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Then...why were you fighting a tree?”
“I wasn’t so much fighting it as I was just...um, hitting it.” Xiang continued to stare with a questioning look on her face. “Um, I was angry.” Of course, when he put it like that, it just sounded ridiculous. Israel suddenly felt a little stupid for his earlier behavior. But it had felt so damn justified at the time. All that glorious, righteous fury.
Xiang stared at Israel for another long moment before she started to shake with laughter, bringing her delicate little fingers up to her mouth to hide her giggles.
Israel spent a few more seconds being embarrassed before he cracked a smile. Fighting a tree. I mean, really?
When Xiang composed herself, she said with a sly smile, “Well, I’m sure that tree has learned its lesson.”
“Yeh, I showed it. So, do you live here at Aradale?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t seen you around.”
“Ah, that is because you have been too focused on your worries: the Darkened who are killing the Seraphim in your name, the Black Stone which keeps disappearing, and your relationship with your Guardian, which seems more complicated than it should be, in my humble opinion.”
Israel’s jaw dropped. “Have you been spying on me?”
Xiang laughed, the sound reminding Israel of little sleigh bells. “No. It is a small community at Aradale and I listen and watch closely. Apart from me, you are the only other mortal here, so you have been well spoken about.”