by Hanna Peach
Jordan took great pleasure in watching Cleo’s mouth twist into an unpleasant pout. Jordan, one. Cleo, zero.
Tii’la stepped between them. She fished down Cleo’s top and pulled out a charm on the end of a chain. Cleo scowled as Tii’la handed the piece of jewelry over to Jordan.
“Come on, Cleo,” Tii’la said as she pulled Cleo away.
* * *
The Seraphim carried back the bodies of their dead to their community. Thirteen in total had been killed and several more injured. Those injured were carried back to the waiting beds of the Castle Speranza’s medical area.
There was a suggestion that Darkwood Mansion should be turned into a community. But that was quickly quashed, as there were already too many sad memories in this place.
All the rooms were searched and any mortals still alive were taken out to the road with their memories removed.
Thankfully, they were able to give Vix medical attention. She was still critical, but it seemed her life would be spared. Unlike so many of their brothers and sisters.
When Vix opened her eyes, Xiang was sitting at her bedside. There wasn’t a sight she wanted to see more. “Hi,” she croaked. Her throat was so dry.
Xiang’s face hardened. “If you weren’t injured, I'd hurt you myself.”
“W-what?”
“How dare you almost die on me? I am the one who is supposed to die first. Not you. I am not prepared…” Tears welled in Xiang’s beautiful almond eyes. “Oh, my hu.” She crawled into the small space next to Vix on the bed and snuggled under her arm. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“Gladly,” Vix whispered back to her.
The community held a mass Mourning Ceremony on the grounds of the Castle Speranza, Passar among those honored. Their bodies were adorned and laid out in a hero’s farewell. A fire was lit to cremate their bodies and return them back to the earth.
Alyx and her friends stood watching the fire as the bodies crumbled into ashes and dust. When the fire had died down into coals and the sun had fallen to dusk, scattering its own layer of smoky streaks and embers across the horizon, the Seraphim began to file inside. But not Alyx.
She pulled out one of the charms from under her shirt. The demon cage charm that Balthazar had given her had been fluttering against her chest since they got back, and she had ignored it until now. She could ignore it no longer.
* * *
Tobias looked up when he heard the knock on his office door and saw Israel peeking in, looking a tad uncertain. “Come in, Israel.”
Israel closed the door behind him. “When Alyx told me that my father was Seraphim, I asked her if there was any way of identifying him based on something that used to be his. Something metal. She suggested I speak with you because of your gift.”
“I can certainly have a look at it.” Tobias came around the desk as Israel took a chain from around his neck.
“My father gave this to my mother before I was born. After my mother died, my aunt kept it and gave it to me when I was old enough to keep it safe.” Israel pulled something off the chain and dropped the piece into Tobias’s palm. It was a plain gold ring, with words engraved around it.
Oh my God.
The image of a woman’s face came to his mind. The face was open and beautiful, framed with dark hair and eyes that cut through to his soul. A face he thought about every day since he had lost her.
“You can see, it has an inscription,” Israel was saying. “An−”
“Ani Ledodi Ve Dodi Li.” Tobias’s voice shook as he spoke.
Israel frowned. “Yes. How did you know?”
“Over twenty years ago I gave a ring like this to the woman I loved...”
“W-what?”
“This can’t be a coincidence.”
Israel blinked rapidly as he backed away, the confusion and pain evident on his face.
“Israel, I swear, I didn’t know you existed. If I did, I would have looked for you.”
“You? You’re my…father?”
* * *
“You’re more than a day late,” Balthazar said to Alyx.
She closed the door to one of the rooms in Purgatory and leaned against it. “I had a funeral to attend,” she said, no apology in her tone.
Balthazar tilted his head. “My condolences. Anyone I know?”
“Let’s just get down to business.”
Balthazar nodded. “I take it that since you’re alone and you didn’t bring the boy with you, you managed to kill Samyara. It would be a very unfortunate thing if you didn’t and yet failed to bring the boy.” Balthazar pulled out the parchment on which Alyx had signed their deal regarding Israel. She had signed it in her blood just over seven days ago.
She eyed Balthazar. “Are you disappointed or happy at this? I can never tell with you which way you lean.”
“Why Alyx, do you doubt my intentions?”
“Absolutely.”
Balthazar smiled, showing all his teeth. “I’m happy at your success, of course. It was your wish to keep the boy for yourself, was it not? You have grown quite fond of him, I believe?”
“Your sincerity is astounding, Balthazar.” The dryness to her voice showed him she didn’t believe him one bit. “You’re right. We succeeded. Samyara’s dead.”
“We shall see.” Balthazar opened his palm face up and placed the parchment in the middle, the sides curling out from gravity as he did so. The room warmed and a white light shone out of his palm. It swirled like a small icy snowstorm over the parchment. The parchment disintegrated and the pieces faded with the light, leaving Balthazar with an empty hand. Balthazar made a noise in his throat. “Well then. Seeing as that happened to the parchment and not you, it appears the contract between us has been fulfilled and finalized.”
“Good,” said Alyx, turning. “I have nothing more to say to you.”
“It isn’t over, Alyxandria.”
She spun. “What are you talking about?”
“You forget the little problem of your extremist Elder…Michael. We hear things down here, whispers about what your Elder is up to.”
“He’s not my Elder.”
“We hear rumors. Rumors of a dark Seraphim army…an uprising…”
Alyx remembered the communication scroll that she found in Michael’s chamber back when she had still been a part of the Elders’ society. She had been looking for the Blood Prophecies but found this instead:
“There have been seventeen births this moon-cycle.
A further fifty dark warriors have been trained to their fullest capacity since the last report. Your army is growing as per your schedule.
A breeder tried to escape earlier this week. We were able to recapture her. She was punished in front of the other breeders to discourage them from following her behavior.
In the last four weeks, we have sent out almost two dozen missions to various locations but still have not found the missing piece of the Amulet.”
Balthazar continued, “We know Michael’s looking for the lost piece of the Trinity Amulet. It would be bad for all of us if he were to acquire the final piece.”
If all three pieces of the Trinity Amulet were reassembled, it would mean that the holder would get control over Lucifer and his demon army. Or so the legend said.
Alyx remembered the Amulet piece that she had taken off Samyara when he had been killed. This piece was now tucked safely in a cabinet in Tobias’s office back in the Castle Speranza. Even if Michael did find the lost piece, he wouldn’t have them all. Something that Balthazar obviously didn’t know.
“You must help us do something about the missing piece,” Balthazar said. “We must retrieve it before Michael does.”
“I don’t have to help you do anything.” Alyx turned and pushed at the door, leaving Balthazar behind.
No, she hadn’t forgotten about Michael. The battle with Samyara might have been won, but the war wasn’t over.
Epilogue
Siana crouched behind a rock on a strange island off
the north coast of Egypt, staring around the barren landscape littered only by occasional dragonblood trees with their thick vein-like branches and finger-like leaves. Overhead, the sky was thick with angry full clouds, matching the sharp rocks of the island’s shoreline and making her shiver.
Siana had flown for several hours across the open sea behind Stantanople, who held Yael captive. Using her WaterBearer magic, she had used the flux of the waves across the sea to hide her from Stantanople.
Siana had followed them to this island. But now they had disappeared. Where had they gone? Apart from the trees, there was nothing on this island but rocks and shrubs. Perhaps they had gone underground?
The clouds broke over the island and rain began to fall. It made a melody as it bounced off the leaves and branches, a tune that only WaterBearers such as her could fully appreciate. The fall of each drop showed Siana the outline and shape of everything the rain touched.
But there was something on this island that wasn’t supposed to be there. Something that could not be seen by the naked eye. Something masked, cloaked by a thick mirage. Siana couldn’t see it, but she could feel it. As the raindrops fell, the massive structure seemed to rise up out of the earth in front of her. She stumbled back and gasped for breath as an invisible city appeared in her WaterBearer consciousness.
Holy hell.
What was it?
She could feel it, the vast size of this walled place taking up most of this half of the island, complete with buildings and Seraphim moving around inside it.
It was a city. A secret Seraphim city. A city with two distinct sections, one larger than the other.
She identified the outline of Stantanople and Yael as they entered the gate of the larger section of this city. Why was he taking Yael here? What was this place? Why was it not on any map?
Siana shuddered in the warm rain, trying to take comfort in the way it caressed her, like it was trying to hug and soothe her. She reached out through the rain and touched Yael’s body through the raindrops that fell on him.
As Stantanople carried Yael inside one of the buildings, she lost her connection with him. Her heart cried out. Yael couldn’t be lost to her forever. He couldn’t.
She would find a way to get him out. She had to. Her heart depended on it.
* * *
Angeldust (Dark Angel #5)
Hanna Peach
Everything about Michael’s dark plan has been hidden – until now. On an island off the coast of Egypt, a fourth Seraphim city has been discovered; a city that doesn’t appear on any Seraphim map. This city is hidden, the air smells of blood and there is something very, very wrong with the inhabitants.
Back at Castle Speranza, while Alyx is off uncovering the secret of Raphael’s charm, someone will betray her in the worst possible way…
Michael now has everything he needs. Will Alyx be able to stop Michael? Or could this be the end of the world as we know it?
Prologue
Siana slid along a small ledge on the exterior wall of one of the main buildings of this hidden Seraphim city, her hands shaking as she pressed against the rough-worn brick.
She had followed Stantanople here after he had knocked out Yael and carried him across the sea to this island off the coast of Egypt. At first she thought there was nothing on this island. Until the rain, which was still falling, had revealed through her WaterBearer magic, this secret city hidden under a mirage.
She had hardly believed her eyes when she had first “seen” it appearing like a glass fortress under the musical drops. Tall, thick walls enclosed the city. Above the walls stood a huge steel cage, thin but strong bars. To keep others out? Or to keep them in? Within the city walls, the buildings were squat and imposing. They had windows but they were slim and barred, like prisons. There were no trees here, no gardens, no flowers to bring any joy or cheer among the dusty grounds. Just a terrible sense of hopelessness stomped into the well-trodden dirt. Whatever this place was, it was not a place she wanted to stay long.
She was thankful for the rain. With the help of her magic she had used the downpour as a kind of camouflage, which had gotten her inside the walls. Raindrops clung to her body like a hug and Siana felt less alone. The truth was, nobody knew she was here. If she was caught snooping, God knows what they would do to her. She shuddered but pushed this thought away. She had to keep going. She had to find out what this place was and where they were keeping Yael. She wasn’t going to lose her love.
Her breath caught as she spotted one of the guards rounding the corner below, his even footsteps crunching wetly in the mud. She dared not move as he neared. Please, keep going. Don’t look up.
He paused right below her, only meters away. She pressed further into the brick and her fingers gripped the ridges tighter without her meaning to. Maybe she should slip up to the roof, but there were guards up there too, which was why she chose to move along against the walls.
Under her fingers she felt the movement of a loose piece of brick. Before she could relax her grip, the stone flicked out from under her tensed fingers. She watched it falling towards the guard. No!
She pushed out a small burst of magic, coaxing the raindrops like they were her fingers. She managed to tap the stone aside so that it missed the guard by inches. It dropped harmlessly near his foot. She held still, all the relief bottled up inside her. The guard tensed, his head tilted down towards the ground, alerted to the stone, perhaps by the soft plopping noise it made. He began to look up.
Siana didn’t have time to think. She let out more lashings of magic, causing the rain to pelt directly into his face. He winced and turned his face away, his eyes squeezed shut against the unfriendly drops. This was her chance. She pushed up from the ledge towards the roof, praying that this wouldn’t send her into the stony arms of another guard.
She rolled onto the rooftop, tucking her legs in from the edge and huddled into a ball. Her ears pricked for any sound that the guard below was approaching. What if he had spotted her before the rain forced his eyes closed? What if he came up to check the loose stone anyway?
Moments passed. The only noise she could hear was the rhythm of the rain drumming on the roof and the rush of blood in her ears like dual drumbeats.
He wasn’t coming for her. Thank God. She uncurled herself slowly. Lifting her head slightly, she was relieved to see no guards patrolling near her. This place was less guarded than Michaelea or any of their other Seraphim cities. But they wouldn’t have much need to guard it. Nobody knew about this city and even if anyone were to come near it, it was hidden under a mirage.
Siana was about to move again when she spotted a reflection to her left. She frowned at the square shiny object embedded in the roof and moved closer. It was a skylight. Curiosity filled her.
She moved to the edge of the skylight, placed her fingers at the lip and slowly peered over. Her breath seized. Her heart twisted and bile rose in her throat.
Oh my God. What is this place?
Chapter 1
In Morocco the old town of Marrakesh was jammed within the old city walls, a pale salmon and dusty-orange labyrinth that seemed to breathe and swallow. Rain hardly fell here, only twenty-five days last year, so the skyline was a cluttered field of dusty flat shapes punctuated only by the numerous dome-tipped mosques; nothing in this town was allowed to be built higher than the sacred Koutoubia, the main mosque and center of prayer. Perched on a rooftop in this ancient city were Israel and Tobias.
Israel glanced at Tobias out of the corner of his eye. He still couldn’t believe that he had a father. A father!
Well, of course he had a father. After all, his mother didn’t just conceive him from nothing. But he had long accepted that he would never know anything about who his father was.
Now that he knew, Israel could spot the things that he had inherited from Tobias − they had the same light caramel skin, the same unruly dark hair and the same tall, lean-muscle build.
The days since the battle with Samyara had been divide
d between getting to know Tobias and spending time with Alyx. It had been the happiest time in his memory. For the first time in his life, Israel felt like he had a home. That he had…a family. But he couldn’t shake this undercurrent of fear that this life of his was just borrowed.
Tobias and Israel had agreed − after much debating − that they should come here where his aunt lived and confront her. Even though Israel hadn’t spoken to his aunt since he left her and his stepfather, he had always kept tabs on her.
Israel and Tobias were resting on this rooftop after having flown all night − Israel hanging on Tobias’s back − and waiting for the sun to reach a socially acceptable ascent before they knocked on her door, the red painted door that he could see across the street down below. They had spent most of the journey in a heavy silence. The sound of the wind as they flew didn’t make it the best arena for conversation. So far they had completely avoided the topic that Israel wanted to broach so much but didn’t know how to. Finally in the rising heat of the Moroccan sun, his desire bubbled over. “Tell me about her…my mother.”
“Maresa.” Her name escaping Tobias’s lips sounded so intimate, so deep and full of sorrow that Israel almost regretted asking about her. “Maresa was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was kind, loving, funny, smart…” Tobias laughed, “and also hard-headed and stubborn as a mule. I met her on my first night out in the world after I had defected from Society. She knew what I was the instant she saw me. I thought she was just a special human but… She had always had visions, what her sister called ‘fits’. She had seen things, she told me. But I never once thought it was because she was part demon. I didn’t know then.”