The Guardian

by Elicia Hyder

  Fury put on her harness, then strapped her rucksack on over her chest, fastening its waistband strap behind her back. “Will this be too much for you?” she asked me.

  “Nah.” I held up my own rucksack. “Reuel, can you carry this?”

  He nodded, and I tossed it to him. His back was so large that his own backpack didn’t impede his wings, and he was able to wear mine on his chest. Then he picked up Fury’s gun case and the case holding the cuffs.

  “You’re not going to hold those for three-and-a-half hours, are you?” Ionis asked, putting his bag on backward as well.

  Fury reached into the middle pocket of her bag and pulled out two bungee cords. “Here.” She tossed them to him.

  He bungeed the cases to either side of my rucksack.

  Fury pointed at him. “Are those things secure?”

  He tested the tension on one of the cords, then gave her a thumbs-up.

  I finished securing my harness. “We ready to do this?”

  Fury came over and stood directly in front of me, and I hooked my harness to hers. She tied her ponytail into a knot behind her neck, so her hair wouldn’t smack me in the face all the way to the island. “How will you know where you’re going?” she asked.

  I tapped my temple. “Built-in GPS.”

  She smirked. “Sure.”

  I looked over at Ionis, who was double-knotting his shoes. Beside him, Reuel looked like a giant tortoise with two shells. “Ready?” I asked.

  All three of us stretched our wings, and white light illuminated the beach. “We need to fly dark,” I said, dimming my own wings.

  They did the same, and the three of us lifted into the air.

  I hadn’t done much flying on Earth, but it was wildly different than flying in Eden. The wind on my face was cold, and my eyes watered wildly until they completely dried out. I regretted not bringing goggles for myself.

  And while Eden got dark when its two suns went down, it was never completely impossible to see. Earth was a different story. Out over the water, far away from land, we were all but flying blind.

  Still, there was something therapeutic about sailing through the air. The freedom. The rush. Even the chill in the air to remind you you’re alive.

  Even Fury had relaxed in her harness and was letting her arms settle on the rushing wind. I bent so my mouth was close to her ear. “You doing all right?”

  She reached up and grabbed my forearm. “Better than all right. This is amazing.”

  I smiled. “Want to get a little closer?”

  She nodded.

  I brightened my wings just enough to see the surface of the ocean, then I dipped down far enough so Fury could trail her fingers over the water.

  Through the wind and sea spray, I heard her laugh.

  Then I heard something else…the crackle of static in my ear. My heart swelled. “Iliana?” I asked silently.

  “Warren, it’s Samael.” Samael was the Angel of Death who guarded the spirit line and the Eden Gate.”

  “What’s up, Samael?”

  “I thought you were headed to la Isla del Fuego?”

  “I am.”

  “Then why are you flying toward Vietnam?”

  Shit.

  I pulled my arms in and pressed the night-glow button on my watch. We were headed due east.

  “You a little distracted out there?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “Shut up, Samael.” I took a hard left, nearly doubling back to where we’d come from.

  Reuel and Ionis slowed as Fury and I passed them. Ionis held his hands up in question. Reuel just laughed and shook his head. Fury angled her face toward me. “What are we doing?” she shouted.

  “Getting back on course!”

  I felt her laugh against me. “What about that internal GPS of yours?”

  I thought about making some excuse, but I couldn’t think of one more plausible than the blood was rushing away from my brain the more she squirmed against me. So I kept my mouth shut.

  “You’re back on course now. I’ll keep watch in case you start wandering again,” Samael said in my head.

  “Thanks,” I grumbled.

  I began counting islands. We would pass over four major ones before la Isla del Fuego would be in sight. But I recognized the island as soon as we were over Negros. In the distance, I could see a glowing purple haze.

  I tapped Fury on the shoulder, then pointed it out.

  “That’s it?” she shouted.

  “I’d bet my life on it.” I looked back at Reuel and Ionis, who was looking exhausted, and made an exaggerated pointing motion up ahead.

  With the end in sight, I picked up speed. Fury grabbed onto my arm again, and I wrapped my other arm around her stomach. “You OK?” I shouted.

  She nodded, angling her face again so I could see her smile.

  I bent my wings into the wind, sailing even faster. When we were over the island, I slowed as we reached its center. The eerie purple glow grew brighter as we approached, but the sky was too dark to see our reflection in the salt mirror.

  “Can we get closer?” Fury asked.

  I descended toward the gate, then stopped and hovered far above it. Reuel and Ionis stopped on either side of me.

  “Nulterra,” Reuel said, his voice filled with awe.

  “I expected it to be more sinister and spooky,” Ionis said.

  Maneuvering my arms around Fury, I blasted the circle with my power to try and open it. The “no” sign burned bright neon purple against the dark landscape. It lit up all our faces.

  Ionis laughed and nodded his head. “OK. That’s impressive.”

  “Shh,” I said. “We don’t want to disturb the locals. They aren’t exactly friendly.”

  “Then maybe you should kill the lights,” Ionis said.

  The lights were already beginning to fade.

  “I almost want to try to get in tonight,” Fury said.

  My arm was still around her waist. “I know it’s hard to wait, but we could all use a good night’s sleep.”

  “Amen,” Ionis said. “Have I told you how much I hate flying?”

  “Only about a thousand times.” Fury looked back at me. “I’m ready if you are.”

  We flew south to the southern tip of the island, an area called Lazi. I cruised past what appeared to be a man-made beach and a small resort. Fury tugged on my arm, and I bent so I could hear her. “It was past this place. I saw this resort on the map.”

  “How much farther?” I asked in her ear.

  “Half a mile, maybe.”

  I slowed as we approached a dim light on the shoreline. “Is that it?”

  Her head bent. “I think so.” A second later, she nodded more definitely. “Yes. See how it’s built in a semicircle?”

  I scouted the shore for the most inconspicuous area. Then I set down on a rocky beach shrouded in darkness about two hundred yards past our destination. The only light was the distant gleam of the stars.

  “Anybody know where we are?” Ionis asked.

  I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “The place where we’re staying tonight is just back there.”

  “Hallelujah.” He pushed his rucksack off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground with a heavy thud. “I hope they have a masseuse on staff.”

  I unhooked Fury’s harness from mine, and she immediately loosened the straps across her chest. “How was your first flight?” I asked.

  She pulled her arms from the harness and pushed it off her hips. “Who said it was my first flight?”

  Disappointment hit me like a kick to the balls, but I refused to show it. “Oh yeah?”

  “He took me once when I was younger.” She looked at Reuel. Then her jaw immediately dropped with shock.

  When I looked over, I immediately saw why.

  The case containing the blood stone was gone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The walk to the resort was tense after tears and gnashing of teeth. Reuel didn’t even try to pretend it was an accident. H
e told her he hoped the case was at the bottom of the South China Sea, and he meant it.

  Us three angels waited outside with what remained of our luggage while Fury checked in with our hosts. “Why’d you do it?” I asked him.

  He stared straight ahead. “You know why.”

  “Yeah, I do.” I looked up at the stars. “But while I understand the why, you shouldn’t have done it. It was her choice.”

  Guilt flashed across his face. “If it keeps her here, I’m not sorry.”

  I sighed. “I know you’re not. But you’d better hope we can still get in without taking her inside. Or she might kill you with my sword in your sleep.”

  Fury returned with the keys. “We’re in treehouse three.” Before reaching us, she turned and walked toward the treehouses.

  Ionis sighed and shook his head. “It’s going to be a long journey to Hell.”

  The three of us followed her, and when we reached treehouse number three, she started up the wooden staircase on the left. I went up the staircase on the right and met her at the top.

  “The bathroom is the door downstairs,” she announced loud enough for us all to hear. Then she used a key to open the left-side door. “This is the room with a king bed. The other must be the room with the bunks.” She tossed me the other key, and I stuck it in the second door.

  “Where is everyone sleeping?” I asked.

  “I don’t care, as long as I don’t have to talk to Reuel.”

  Her words made me cringe for him.

  “I’ll sleep with you, Fury,” Ionis announced proudly, taking a few steps toward her.

  She stopped him with a hand to his chest. “I changed my mind. I do care. Warren?” Fury went into the bedroom on the left.

  When I passed Ionis, he winked. “You’re welcome.”

  Heat immediately rushed to my cheeks, and I followed her inside.

  The room was little more than four walls and a bed. A box AC unit jutted out of the wall beside the window, and each side of the bed had a nightstand with a lamp. Aside from a couple of throw pillows on the white bed and a wall mirror, the only decoration was a dreamcatcher hung over the headboard.

  I carried my stuff to the corner and dropped it. Fury did the same on the opposite side of the room. She let out a frustrated groan and folded her arms across the top of her head.

  I took off my sword and leaned it in the corner. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.” With a deep exhale, she bent and picked up her rucksack before carrying it over the bed. She ripped it open and pulled out her toiletries bag. “I’m going downstairs to get ready for bed. What time do you want to head out in the morning? The owner said they serve breakfast here from seven to eleven.”

  “Let’s eat breakfast at seven and leave after. God knows we might not get a decent meal again for a while.” Or ever, I added silently.

  She pulled a couple of pieces of clothes from the bag and walked out the front door. I walked out on the deck and over to the next room. The door was open, and Reuel sat on the lower bunk bed, hunched way over, with his eyes fixed on the floor.

  I sat down beside him and put my hand on his shoulder. “She’ll forgive you, eventually.”

  He replied in Katavukai. “I don’t like it when she’s mad at me.”

  “I understand all too well, my friend.” I tried to straighten and smacked my upper spine against the top bunk frame. “On another note, how the hell will you sleep here?”

  He smiled just a little bit. “Snug as an insect in the carpet.”

  I laughed and rubbed my hand down my face.

  “It’s ‘snug as a bug in a rug,’ you big doof,” Ionis said, looking down from the top bed.

  I stood. “Breakfast at seven in the morning. We’ll leave right after.”

  “Have fun tonight, Warren,” Ionis said, hanging upside down off the bed with a smile.

  I pointed at him. “Don’t you start.”

  He chuckled as I walked out of the room.

  Fury returned a little while later, her long dark hair wet from the shower. She wore a black ribbed tank top and plaid boxer shorts. It was hard not to stare. “There’s no hair dryer, but there is hot water if you want a shower.”

  Hot water wasn’t what I needed. A cold shower, however, might be a necessity. “Thanks.” I started toward the door with my change of clothes and toothbrush.

  “What side of the bed do you want?”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “You can have the side by the AC. I know you sometimes get hot at night.”

  “I appreciate it.” And I did. I was also surprised by it. Fury wasn’t known for being thoughtful. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  When I returned to the treehouse, I heard Fury talking inside our room. Her voice was small and high-pitched. I slowed my pace so I could listen. “Hi, sweet baby. Mommy misses you. Are you being a good boy?”

  Baby Jett was making gurgling noises.

  “How’d he sleep last night?” she asked in her normal voice.

  “Seven hours.” John’s reply was curt and emotionless. “Tell Mommy goodbye, Jett.”

  “But I just—”

  Silence. John had hung up on her.

  I wanted to choke him. I climbed the last few stairs and walked into our room. She was still staring at her phone, and she quickly put it on the nightstand when she saw me.

  “Everything all right?”

  She nodded, turning her face away from me.

  I carried my stuff back to my rucksack in the corner, putting my dirty clothes away and leaving my toiletries out for in the morning. When I turned to the bed, Fury’s back was to me, and she was wiping off her cheeks.

  I gritted my teeth. “You wanna talk about it?”

  She sniffed. “Talk about what?”

  “Nothing.”

  “The AC doesn’t work,” she said, pointing at it.

  “Wanna sleep with the door open? I can pull the mosquito net over it so we can listen to the waves.”

  “Sure.”

  I pushed the front door open and pulled the mosquito netting across it, securing it with the Velcro edging. Then I returned to the bed and switched off my bedside lamp.

  After laying there for a while, staring at the plain ceiling, I pressed my finger to my ear and silently called out for Iliana.

  Nothing.

  My heart sank.

  Then I focused on the sound of the waves crashing against the beach and prayed it would lull me to sleep.

  But beside me, Fury was crying. It was so quiet no one but an angel would be able to hear it. My protective side considered curling into her back and wrapping her in my arms. My logical side said to keep my distance.

  After a moment, she slipped out of bed, padded across the room, and slowly pulled the netting away from the door. Krrrrchh… I watched her step out into the moonlight and disappear from my view.

  When she didn’t return, I got up and went to the door. She was sitting at the top of the steps with her face buried in her knees. I pulled the netting back and walked out to join her.

  She looked up, and her eyes were wet with tears. I sat down on the step beside her.

  She swiped her fingers under her eyes. “Must be post-pregnancy hormones.”

  I nodded.

  “Sorry if I’m keeping you awake.”

  “You know I don’t really sleep much anyway.” I folded my arms on top of my knees and looked over at her. “You OK?”

  She sniffed. “Of course.”

  Shaking my head, I stared out toward the ocean. “It’s understandable to not be OK. God, Fury, after the week you had, if anyone has the right to fall apart, it’s you.”

  “I don’t fall apart.” She pulled up the hem of her tank top to dry her eyes, as her fingers weren’t able to keep up with the job.

  I looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.

  She laughed a little. “I swear I haven’t been the same since Jett was born.” She fanned her face with her hand. “
It’s like I can’t shut the feelings off. I’m angry. I’m sad. I feel guilty. I’m worried.”

  “Why are you worried?”

  “I’m worried about not finding Anya. I’m worried we’ll find her, and it will be too late. I’m worried we won’t be able to get in through the gate at all. Now I’m worried you’ll have to go alone.”

  “You know I’d rather go alone, right? I’d rather not risk anything happening to you.”

  She stared ahead a moment. “Do you know why I’m so hell-bent on going with you?”

  “Because you want to be the one to save your sister?”

  “No. I don’t care who saves Anya as long as she gets out of there. I know you’re fully capable of doing that.”

  “Then why?”

  She took a deep breath and held it. “Because what if something happens? What if Anya is dead? Or what if Anya is being controlled by Abaddon? How will you ever get out of there without my key?”

  Her words slowly sank in.

  “I’d never be able to live with myself if something happens to you when I had the power to stop it.”

  I put my arm around her shoulders. She leaned in and buried her face in the crook of my neck. I kissed the top of her head. “That may be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “It’s the pregnancy hormones,” she whimpered, her voice muffled against my skin.

  I chuckled and kissed her head again. I rested my cheek against her hair. “What can I do?”

  She curled her fingers into my T-shirt. “Help me get the cuffs back?”

  I’d secretly been relieved when the blood-stone cuffs had been lost, but the warmth of her plea on my skin was about to make me desperate to find them. Closing my eyes, I felt the pressure of her knuckles against my chest and the tickle of her eyelashes on my neck.

  “I don’t know how,” I admitted.

  She sank in my arms.

  “But…”

  She looked up, her eyes filled with hope.

  I pushed her hair behind her ear and stared at her perfect pink lips. “I’ll go to Eden. If there’s a way to get them back, Cassiel will know how.”

  Fury put both arms around my neck and squeezed. I encircled her waist and held her against me. Her fingers trailed up through the back of my hair, then she turned her face and pressed a light kiss just beneath my ear. Electricity shot through my extremities. I shuddered and smiled.