Fallen Academy: Year Three

by Leia Stone

  “What? Of course. Why?” This chick did have a fiery temper.

  She glanced around the room to make sure we were alone. “I ran away once, when I was thirteen. Me and my bestie went to San Francisco.”

  Now it was my turn to drop my jaw. At thirteen? “How?”

  Oh Lord, Michael had his hands full with this girl.

  She lowered her voice. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. There are these underground tunnels there. If you have enough money or jewelry to barter your way across, they can get you right into the city. The demons who work in the tunnels only care about money. Pay them enough and they’ll get you in.”

  “Geez!” Shea gasped, a hand on her chest. “You did that when you were thirteen? You must’ve given your mother a heart attack.”

  I was thinking the same thing. It’s official, we’re old.

  Emberly shut down then, her body stiff as something dark crossed her face. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. Don’t judge me.”

  Oh damn. Now I felt bad. This girl had clearly been through some shit, and was just trying to help me.

  “You’re right. We’re sorry,” I said, looking at Shea, who nodded reluctantly. “I’ll give you two hundred bucks cash right now, if you can draw me a map to the tunnels.”

  That could be my way in there. I could find Lincoln faster if I got right into the city.

  Emberly grinned—clearly she was money motivated. “And you don’t say a word to my dad?”

  I nodded. “Not a word.”

  We shook again, and then I turned to Shea. “I need to borrow two hundred bucks.”

  My best friend groaned but nodded her assent.

  I had to know something. “What did you do when you got there? To San Francisco?”

  Emberly beamed. “We stayed out all night singing at this demon karaoke bar. Then we stole a Vespa and drove home.”

  God help me, I was never having kids. I’d be fully gray-haired by thirty.

  “She was delightful,” Shea commented as we made our way to find Noah and tell him our plan to rescue Lincoln.

  I nodded, but something about Emberly made me wonder if she’d been through something dark that had made her so rebellious.

  “Seems like she’s grown up fast. By the time she graduates, she’ll be the age we were when we started.” Eighteen and she’d already be a Fallen Academy graduate and soldier.

  Shea nodded. “If my daughter ever sneaks out in the middle of the night to go play karaoke with demons, I’ma make her regret being born.” Her Demon City accent was coming out to play, making me grin.

  I laughed. “Look at us. All mature and shit.”

  I remembered it like it was yesterday, when it was Shea and I sneaking out as young teens to do wild and crazy things.

  We found Noah in the parking lot, piling boxes into the back of his car.

  Shea let out a catcall whistle and he turned, giving us both a wink. “Hello, beautiful ladies. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  She pointed to me. “We’re going to sneak into San Francisco, using some secret tunnels, and bust Lincoln out of there. Wanna come?”

  Noah dropped the box he’d been holding. “Woman, are you crazy!” he shrieked.

  Shea put a hand on her curvy hip and stared him down. “Fine. We’ll go alone.”

  Noah groaned. “Obviously I’m going with you, but… Jesus, you guys, do you know anything about San Francisco?”

  We both shrugged. “Grew up in Demon City. Can’t be that different,” Shea stated matter-of-factly.

  Noah chuckled. “That’s cute. Demon City is a freaking unicorn playground compared to San Fran.”

  What if Lincoln’s already dead?

  No. I couldn’t allow that thought.

  “Then tell us. Help us prepare. Because we leave tomorrow,” Shea informed him.

  Noah reached up to massage his temples. “Does Raph know?”

  I nodded. “And he’s going to help out with the war until you get back.”

  A deep sigh escaped the Celestial healer, and suddenly he looked overwhelmed with emotion. “I tried to keep him here. But he left in the middle of the night. I tried.”

  Shea and I stepped forward at the same moment, and pulled Noah into a hug. “We’ll get him back,” I said with as much assurance as I could.

  Noah pulled away from our three-way embrace, and sat on the hood of his car. “The Bay Area has completely changed. The freethinking hippies who used to inhabit that place are long gone. Now it’s full of demon gangs, drug wars, and human trafficking.”

  That sent chills up my spine. “What do you mean, human trafficking?”

  He looked at me like I was an idiot.

  Okay, stupid question, but I was in shock.

  “They steal human kids, teens, and single women from their families, and ferry them into San Francisco to get on boats and planes. Then they’re sent out to different countries and never see their families again.”

  Kids. He said kids.

  “Oh my God. That’s horrifying.” Shea found her voice before I did.

  Kids. It made it all the scarier, that Emberly had gone there unattended at age thirteen.

  “Is that what Lincoln’s doing there?” It sounded like something he would do.

  Noah nodded. “He’s sneaking kids back out of the city, back to their families.”

  I never thought I could love that man more, but my heart expanded in that moment, making more room to love him.

  “But the demons who run the trafficking make billions doing this. So if you’re caught getting kids out of the city, they’ll hang you up in town and make an example out of you,” Noah added.

  Oh, Lincoln. What have you gotten yourself into?

  It was a noble cause. Stupid. But noble.

  Noah sighed. “Let’s start working on our story. We’ll need disguises too. Shea, can you magically change hair color?”

  She scoffed. “Since my first year here.”

  He nodded, dismissing her attitude. “All right. I’ve got a plan.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning, when we walked into Raphael’s office, he and Michael were sharing a pot of coffee and looking at a map. When we entered, they both stared gob-smacked at our group. Gone were Shea’s wild brown curls, long silky black hair in their place. Noah also had dark hair, and mine had been turned candy red. For good measure, she gave me a light smattering of freckles across my nose.

  “Well done on the disguises, Shea,” Raphael complimented.

  She smirked. “Thanks. It was easy.”

  We also showed them our forearms, where Shea had covered our Celestial tattoos, and replaced them with a Dark Mage death mark.

  Now it was Michael’s turn to look impressed. “Your talent is not being used to the fullest in the Fallen Army,” he declared.

  Raphael waved him off dismissively. “Save that for when they get back.”

  When, not if. Bless him.

  “Now listen.” Raphael stood before Shea. “I know you’re good with portals to Hell, and they might make you conjure one to prove your gifts, but I have something for you.” He pulled out a small metal keychain with a skull on it. “I had this made from a hunk of metal off the school gate. If you create a twin portal to it, it should lead you here, right to the campus.”

  Something clicked then. “My ring,” I gasped.

  Shea turned to me and nodded. “I tried to create a portal from your wedding ring, which Lincoln had bought as a set to the promise ring you wore to see if you were alive. They came from the same metal so it’s possible.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “It was working but… it was taken from me.” I didn’t want them to hate Raksha.

  The room was silent for a moment, until finally Michael cleared his throat. “So where did you get this map of the tunnels?”

  I blanched. I’d given Raph the map that Emberly made me to look over, but I didn’t think Michael would come.

  “From a friend,” I added co
yly.

  He smirked. “Your friend’s handwriting looks familiar.”

  Shit.

  “So, I heard there’s human trafficking in the city?” I quickly changed the subject, keeping my mind clear so as not to give anything away.

  Michael let it go and nodded. “San Francisco was the first city to fall. Lincoln and the other brave soldiers there are doing good work. One day I’d like to take it back, free the slaves there.”

  Slaves. He said slaves.

  I wasn’t quite sure that I was mentally prepared for San Francisco.

  “Which is the best way in, do you think?” I gestured to the map.

  He sighed and rested his hand on his clean-shaven chin before pointing to a spot. “Here, just outside of San Jose. That’s where they start their checkpoints. If you’re recognized or they’re suspicious of you, they’ll kill you on the spot. If you take this tunnel,” he ran his finger along the map, “it’s about a forty, to fifty-mile walk into the city. That should take you two days if you walk all day. Then once you pop up in the city, it’s too hectic to be checking everyone’s ID, so you’re less likely to be found.”

  Solid plan.

  “Wow, you know a lot about San Francisco.”

  He nodded with a glimmer in his eye. “I had to follow my daughter there once, in the middle of the night, when she was thirteen.”

  I blanched while Shea choked on her spit beside me.

  “You know about that?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Of course. I’m an archangel. She can’t sneak out of my house.”

  Whoa. Scary dad vibes. God help the man who tried to date her.

  “You never called her out on it?” I was totally shocked at Michael’s parenting technique.

  He shook his head. “Nope. It would just make her want to go again, and I think she learned her lesson.”

  Truth bomb. Damn, he was good.

  Raphael put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “She’s been through a lot. You’ve done well with her.”

  Michael nodded solemnly.

  Shea and I shared a look. When we got back, we totally needed to know this girl’s story. Like stat.

  Noah broke the silence. “So Raph, you’ll be doing our protections?”

  Raphael seemed to snap out of it. “Yes. Right.”

  We needed to get on the road if we had a seven-hour drive ahead of us, as well as two days of walking. Every day Lincoln stayed in that dangerous city, brought the chance of him dying closer and closer.

  Raphael walked around his desk and retrieved something from his drawer. It looked like three tiny stopper bottles, containing a glowing white light.

  “I had Mr. Claymore help me.” He handed us each one. “Just drink it and you’ll be invisible to any prying eyes until the protections are broken. Which can only be done in person by a powerful magic user.”

  Shea was spinning hers around in her hand. “Whoa. Nice work, Raph.”

  The archangel beamed. “Thank you. Also, I’m going to extend protections to the military dorms, and bases across the city right after this.”

  I sagged in relief. “Including my mom’s apartment?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry.”

  The Dark Prince was no doubt livid that I’d broken free, and would be hunting for me. If my family were exposed, he’d use them to hurt me.

  “Bottoms up,” Noah cheered and tipped the white light back, taking it by the mouthful.

  You could see the glowing fluid make its way down his throat and then spread throughout his chest. “Cool,” he said. “It tickles.”

  Shea and I clinked bottles, and then I poured the fluid into my mouth, letting it slide down my throat. Drinking the light magic was what I imagined eating a cloud would be. It was light and fluffy all the way down, and when it reached my chest, it did indeed tickle.

  Michael clapped Noah on the back. “All right then. Let’s get you guys off to your destination. You can have no affiliation with the school or the army, so we’ve borrowed a civilian car. I’ll fly above you as far as Fresno, but then you’re on your own.”

  Noah nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

  Michael beamed. “Return with Captain Grey, and that’s thanks enough for me.”

  Captain Grey. My heart pinched, eyes welling with tears once again.

  As we were making our way out, Raphael stopped me, and let the others go ahead. Pulling another bottle of the glowing light from his pocket, he handed it to me. “For Lincoln, when you find him.”

  I smiled, taking the bottle from him and stashing it in my backpack. That he’d made it in the first place touched my heart, but the fact that he was so positive we would find Lincoln touched me the most.

  “I can’t imagine what I’d do without you,” I confessed. “Being down there was so hard, but knowing you were all here waiting for me… it got me through.”

  He pulled me into a tight hug, one that reached deep down into my soul.

  “Remember, Brielle, like me, when Lucifer fell from Heaven, he was given an earthly body. He may be powerful, but he can be killed,” he whispered.

  My heart beat wildly in my chest at his words. It was a question I’d been asking myself a long time—could Lucifer be killed? I’d seen Archangel Michael injured and bleeding, and I’d just seen my own guardian angel shed his form, so I knew their bodies were susceptible to damage. But…

  “How? How do I kill him?” I asked.

  Raphael beamed at me, cupping my face. “There is no one like you in all the universe, and you alone have the tools. You’ll figure it out.”

  Cryptic Yoda stuff? Really? “No, seriously, I need you to tell me how,” I pressed.

  Raphael smirked. “I think you already know how. What makes you different from me, or Michael or Lincoln or Noah?”

  I frowned. “I have dark magic, black wings.”

  Raphael shook his head. “So does Lucifer. What about you is unique from everyone else?”

  A lightbulb went off in my head, then shattered. “Both. I have both light magic and dark magic!”

  He nodded, touching my nose like I was his five year-old-grandchild who’d just figured out a riddle.

  “When the time comes, I have complete faith that you can dispel Lucifer’s body, and send his soul where it belongs.” His voice was ominous, and while I admired that complete faith he had in me, it also scared me shitless.

  “Come on!” Shea popped her head inside, calling out to me.

  I turned back to Raph. “I’ll be back with Lincoln,” I assured positively.

  Raphael nodded. “You know, Brielle, there wasn’t one night that passed while you were away, that I didn’t pray for your safe return. The same is with Lincoln. I’ve grown attached to all of you earthly children.”

  His eyes grew misty, and we gave each other one more quick hug.

  “Thanks, Raph.”

  He nodded and saw me out the door.

  After leaving his office, I came out to find Noah and Shea pressed in a lip lock.

  “Get a room,” I joked.

  Noah pulled away, grinning. “She said yes!”

  “What!” I screeched.

  Shea burst out laughing. “The only reason I hadn’t answered him, was because I couldn’t imagine getting married without you there. Now you’re back, so… will you be my maid of honor?”

  Oh dammit, here come the tears.

  I nodded and flung myself at Shea for a hug. The moment was almost perfect.

  The only thing missing was Lincoln.

  “You guys, I need to toughen up if I’m about to go into the worst Demon City on the planet. Stop making me cry!” I told them.

  Shea laughed, hooking her arm with mine. “Did you say goodbye to your mom?” she asked, as we made our way out of the quad toward the parking lot.

  I nodded. “She’s terrified I won’t come back, but she understands why I need to go.”

  When we descended the steps to the parking lot, I saw Chloe and Luke leaning against our maroon
civilian car, both wearing backpacks and looking ready for travel.

  “No,” Noah offered immediately.

  Thankfully everyone was in class since it was a Monday, so the parking lot was void of any students that might overhear.

  Chloe put a hand on her hip. “What’s your story for wanting to go over there?”

  “Tired of Demon City down here, looking to find some work up there,” he offered lamely.

  Chloe tipped her head back with a cackle, and I realized she was standing in the sun. Like full sun on her skin. She must’ve gotten a Mage to do that spell on her, the one that allowed Nightbloods to be out in the light. I’d missed so much, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever catch up with it all.

  “You’ll be killed on sight! Three Dark Mages going to the deadliest city in the country to find work? Smells like bullshit to me. You’ll be found out.”

  Noah groaned. “What did you have in mind?”

  Chloe gave a sly grin. “My dad’s been to San Francisco once. He’s sending me on a mission to check out some properties. He’s interested in expanding the Third Eye Moon, to have a sister property up there. It’s a good business decision.”

  I had no idea if that was a true story or not, but it sounded great. Especially since Chloe’s dad was like the leader of the Nightblood mafia, and had lots of dark connections.

  Noah sighed, resigned. “And what’s your story?” he asked Luke.

  Luke flipped him off. “I’m going. Get over it.”

  I chuckled and stepped forward to give them both hugs. “I love you guys. You don’t need to do this.”

  Chloe nodded. “Yes we do. My dad said the only way to cover a Celestial’s ability is to make them look like Mages. Too many Mages is a red flag to the demons underground. They despise Celestials. If you travel with a Nightblood and a Beast Shifter, it’ll look more realistic that we’re all tainted academy kids.”

  “Besides, Lincoln’s family. We were going to go after him eventually, anyway,” Luke added.

  Noah and Shea nodded. “It’s true. We just didn’t have a plan before, but now we do.”

  “Group hug!” I squealed, and opened my arms.