Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3)

by Harriet Carlton

  Imorean was stunned into silence. He had always liked Baxter, but had never been particularly close with him. He always expected Baxter to support Ryan, not him. It was almost shocking to find that even when Michael wasn’t watching, he had loyalty from Baxter. Brown eyes darted to Ryan. There was a stunned look on the older teenager’s face.

  “I suppose that’s that then,” snapped Roxy, as she stood up. “Feel free to live in ignorance. I still think we should find out what Michael’s hiding, but that’s just me. All of you, just continue to be his puppets. Especially you, Imorean. Michael’s got your strings held so tight he’s choking you with them.”

  Imorean gaped at her as she flared her wings and took off, heading for the second floor. There were a few awkward glances from the other members of his squad before they returned to doing their own activities. Ryan shot him a dirty look. What little vitality there had been earlier though, had gone from their actions.

  Imorean waited until everything had returned to a relative state of normalcy before opening his own wings and following the path Roxy had taken. As he stopped on the landing at the top of the stairs, he realized he could hear music playing. Either Roxy’s dorm room door was open or she was playing her music far too loud. He had a feeling that it was the latter. Michael and Gabriel were on a completely different floor of Felsenmeer. In fact they might not be in the building at all, so they wouldn’t be able to hear it, but Imorean knew that if they could they would have something to say about the volume.

  Quickly, Imorean made his way down the hallway to Roxy’s room. His suspicions were proved correct when he saw that her door was closed. He rested one hand on the handle and pressed down, half expecting it to be locked. His eyebrows lifted when the door opened easily. Once inside Roxy’s room, Imorean had to resist the urge to cover his ears. Surely, Roxy must have been deafened by the volume of her music by now. He caught sight of her sitting on top of her dresser, staring out the window at the night beyond.

  “Go away, Ryan,” she snapped, not looking at the door.

  Imorean’s heart jolted in a strange way in his chest. She had been expecting Ryan, not him… He half-ran to her laptop and ripped out the cord connecting to her speaker system. The music faded immediately to an almost mute level. Roxy whirled around and Imorean found himself fixed with a venomous glare. He had grown accustomed to being glared at by Michael, Uriel or even by Ryan, but having Roxy look at him in such a way struck a chord in him.

  “What do you want?” Roxy snapped, shuffling her wings angrily. The feathers were fluffed up in irritation.

  “To say sorry,” said Imorean, walking across her room and popping up on the dresser next to her. He couldn’t help but notice that Roxy’s eyes seemed a little redder than they should have been.

  “For what you said or for upsetting me?” asked Roxy, looking away and rubbing her nose.

  “For upsetting you,” replied Imorean. “You know that I didn’t mean to.”

  “I know. You’re just ‘speaking like a leader’ now,” she said, making air quotations. “You’re only in charge of seven people, Imorean. Don’t get too big for your boots.”

  “I’m not trying to, Rox,” said Imorean quietly. Roxy scoffed and rolled her eyes, gazing determinedly out the window.

  “I don’t see what the big deal with Michael is either. He won’t hurt any of us.”

  “No, he won’t hurt any of us intentionally. Cross him and he’ll fly into a fury and I don’t know what he’s capable of,” said Imorean. “I’ve seen Michael angry once. I don’t want to push him any further. I think breaking into his office would break the boundaries he’s set up.”

  “Whatever,” replied Roxy, pulling her knees up to her chest. There was an uncomfortable lull in the conversation. Imorean sighed and grimaced. He could feel the anger radiating from his friend. Upsetting her had not been his intention. His gaze fell to the floor and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Perhaps it would have been better if Ryan had come instead of him.

  “You say I’m only in charge of seven people, and that’s true,” said Imorean, watching Roxy from the corner of his eye. “But that also means that I’m in charge of seven lives. Seven lives of people that are close to me. Don’t forget that the lives of five people that I love were taken from me just a matter of weeks ago. I think it may be in my nature now to be a bit of a worrier.”

  “I know,” sighed Roxy, turning her head to face him at last. “I’m sorry I stormed off. It was immature. I just—I want to know what’s going on with our lives. Our lives are not our own, and it’s not fair.”

  “I know, but I’ve learned that I can generally rely on Gabriel to tell me what’s going on when he’s here. I’m sorry I was sharp with you. I didn’t mean to be.”

  Roxy nodded and sighed heavily.

  “I want this all to be over, Imorean,” she said. “I’ve wanted it over ever since Bethany set those demons loose in my house.”

  “I wish I could tell you when it would be, Roxy,” replied Imorean. “But I don’t know. We just have to ride it out.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  Imorean flashed her a small, sympathetic smile and pulled one knee up to his chest, feeling a bit more stable on their shared perch. He placed one hand on the window frame to help balance himself.

  Imorean frowned and drummed his fingers. “You were really expecting Ryan, huh?”

  “We’ve been getting closer because of med training,” shrugged Roxy, not looking at him.

  “Right…” Imorean sighed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Roxy and Ryan were getting unusually close. He wasn’t sure how much he liked that thought. Of course, Roxy was free to do whatever she wanted, but he would rather it was with anyone but Ryan.

  There was an oddly distant expression on Roxy’s face when she spoke again. “I don’t see why you’re worrying.”

  “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Bethany screwed me up and I don’t want to see the same thing happen to you.”

  “There’s nothing going on, Imorean.”

  Something in Roxy’s tone told him that was the end of the conversation as far as she was concerned. Imorean nodded and looked back out the window. His eyes were riveted to the white snow on the hillsides. This side of Felsenmeer was darker, unlit by the orange lights of the entrance hall, yet in a strange way, it was even more beautiful. The snowy hills were more magical, reflecting the light of the moon above. Imorean thought back, a wave of homesickness washing over him. The life he and Roxy had shared in North Carolina seemed worlds away from the life they were living now.

  All of a sudden, color burst through the room. Blue, pink and green lights danced across the backs of Imorean’s hands. He was just raising his gaze to ask Roxy if she had color changing light bulbs when he saw her looking at him in equal wonder. Imorean turned quickly and looked out of the window. The northern lights. His jaw dropped as he saw the auroras dancing across the clear night sky. Imorean stared or a moment, transfixed, then he moved. His fingers fumbled with the latch on Roxy’s window.

  “What are you doing?” asked Roxy, jumping down off the dresser.

  “Help me with the window,” said Imorean, his voice shaky with eagerness. He was glad when Roxy questioned him no further and knelt on the dresser next to him, helping him to pull up the stiff window.

  “What crazy scheme have you taken into your head?” Roxy asked, as Imorean hopped forward onto the window ledge.

  “This isn’t something you see every day, not even here,” said Imorean, flaring his wings and launching out away from the building. When he was several meters away, he turned and hovered, waiting for Roxy.

  “Come on,” he said, beaming.

  “And I’m the one who makes bad plans,” said Roxy, opening her rainbow wings and gliding out toward him.

  Imorean grinned as Roxy took up a position beside him. Together, they began to ascend toward the flickering northern lights. Imorean basked for a moment, feeling the freezing air current
s running under the feathers of his wings. It was cold, yes, but it had been far colder over the last few weeks. It had actually been a mild day that day. Imorean beat his wings hard and continued to climb. He was dimly aware of Roxy dropping back and remaining at a height where she was comfortable. He looked down for a moment and smiled when he saw her tumbling over herself in the air. It looked to Imorean as though she was playing. Then suddenly, there were other angels in the air with him. Toddy, Colton, Dustin, Baxter, Ryan, Mandy. They were all in the air as well. Imorean grinned in bliss and rocked backward on his wings, feeling the air stop running under them and his flight stall. Imorean laughed loudly as he dropped into freefall, plummeting back toward earth at breakneck speed. He snapped his wings to his sides and rolled over, flaring them back out and catching himself before he descended down to the same height as the rest of his squad.

  Wordlessly, they flitted around each other, tumbling over in the air, bending the currents to their wings. Imorean looped around Toddy, Dustin hot on his heels. Imorean swooped under Dustin and the taller boy mirrored his movement. They grinned at each other as Baxter ducked between them, Mandy right next to him. Baxter’s massive eagle wings seemed to dwarf Mandy’s smaller, slimmer seagull wings. Imorean grinned as they twirled around each other. Roxy and Ryan spiraled one around the other under a stream of pink light. There was something oddly beautiful about the scene. Imorean stopped to watch them. Overhead, the auroras glistened off all their wings, dancing with color. Below, the snow seemed to have been turned into a tumbling rainbow.

  Imorean tilted his head back and looked up as he ascended higher again into the sky. The fantastic colors of the northern lights danced before his eyes and held him captivated. Fingers of rainbow light reached down from the sky and seemed to embrace him. For a moment, it felt as though he was flying in them, part of them, even though he knew the lights themselves were miles and miles above him, held in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Imorean beat his wings hard, the world falling away beneath him as he climbed. A second pair of wings softly brushed his own and Imorean glanced over. He was somehow not surprised to see Michael next to him. The Archangel’s emerald wings were glistening beneath the glimmering lights. Imorean spared a glance at his own and was taken aback to see them taking on all the colors of the auroras above. The teenager raised his gaze back to Michael and the Archangel nodded his head. Imorean moved quickly, slipping into flight next to Michael, both of them ascending up toward the auroras. Wings beat in perfect tandem. In that moment, Imorean felt as though he could fly forever, and in those quiet seconds, all of his fears, worries and troubles faded from his mind. For a moment, just a moment, all that mattered was flying higher and higher, swooping, twisting and diving under these beautiful lights. Then Imorean looked to his side and swallowed. Michael was still keeping something from them all, and this time, Imorean knew that it was something that was bigger than anything they had encountered before.

  Imorean flinched. The smell here was acrid and burning. Smoke. Black smoke. He blinked hard against the dark vapor. He could barely see. It stung his eyes and burned his nose. His chest ached. One hand pulled his jacket up over his nose and mouth. The other hand stretched out, feeling for obstacles in the dark fog. He cried out as his leg crashed into an object. Eyes narrowed, he looked down. A table? His wing twitched in new fear. He was home. Some deep instinct told him so. And home was on fire.

  “Imorean!”

  Imorean spun. He knew that voice. The mirth and sadism in it was unmistakable. Vortigern. For a moment, he froze. Fear wracked his body. Heat at his back forced him to move. Habit carried him to the front door. Coughing, he burst out into the dusky, red evening. He doubled over, hacking and gasping for breath.

  “I wondered when you’d get here,” smiled Vortigern.

  Imorean shook himself and looked up through bleary eyes. He couldn’t move. Horror rooted him to the spot. Vortigern stood before him, sword in hand. That bright smile was riveted in place, teeth too sharp and too white. A cloud of smoke descended, and in it, Imorean saw shapes struggling and floundering. Only seconds later it cleared and before Vortigern were seven new figures, gagged and bound. Toddy, Roxy, Colton, Mandy, Ryan, Baxter, Dustin. Seven pairs of eyes silently begged him.

  “Tell me, Imorean,” said Vortigern, spinning his sword in his hand. “Which of them do you value least?”

  “Why are you doing this?” whimpered Imorean.

  Vortigern smiled again and shrugged, huge black wings moving with his shoulders. “I enjoy it. Now, answer me.”

  “No.”

  “Fine,” replied Vortigern. With that, he swung his sword toward Toddy.

  Chapter 18

  Imorean soon found himself unable to dwell much on what he had heard Michael say to Gabriel in the Outbuilding. For weeks, their training schedules had been accelerated. The work had gotten harder. He was glad of it. He was too tired to dream at night, much less have nightmares. Their classroom sessions had become more intense, piling on more and more homework. Their studies of demons were much more involved. They had moved on from obscure demons like Quonachs, to learn about Hellhounds. Vortigern typically kept two or more near him. They had also begun to understand how demons travel in a non-corporeal form. Imorean was now sparring with Michael during Leadership Evolution. Sometimes it was hand-to-hand, sometimes with a training sword. During Teambuilding, he sparred with Ryan or with Uriel. The only thing that he wasn’t able to do properly was harness his Archangel energy. He always came away from mental Leadership sessions exhausted and disheartened.

  Lately in Teambuilding, Imorean and his squad had been introduced to performing battle maneuvers in the air. Imorean found that all the movements came very naturally to him. In a way that they didn’t seem to for some of the other members of his squad. Colton in particular had had a very hard time with the air maneuvers and with flying in general. In addition to work in the air, their Teambuilding sessions had also been involving doing work on the ground. More hand-to-hand combat, wrestling, running, agility exercises.

  Imorean was deeply proud to see that they were all starting to pull together as a squad. One of the only things that still had him concerned was the fact that several times he had spotted Roxy and Ryan involved in whispered conversations in the hallways. They always fell apart after Imorean spotted them though. Imorean knew Roxy had told him not to worry about Ryan, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. He had always been Roxy’s confidant. Not Ryan.

  It was after one of their outside Teambuilding sessions that Imorean was called down to ground level by Michael. He and the rest of the squad had just returned from a short exercise over the surrounding mountains, searching for flags Michael had laid out earlier that morning.

  “Yes, sir?” asked Imorean, landing and skidding to a halt in the snow in front of his mentor. Despite the freezing temperatures, Imorean was warm, clad only in a pair of medium weight trousers and a sweatshirt.

  “Gabriel is back. When you have gotten everything wrapped up out here, meet me in Outbuilding Two. We have some news.”

  Imorean inclined his head, but didn’t press for more information. He wanted his entire squad to be present when Michael told them what was going on. Perhaps they were finally going to find out what Michael and Gabriel had been keeping from them. Michael turned away without another word and Imorean looked back at his squad. Dustin, Toddy and Baxter were scuffling playfully in the snow. Colton was talking animatedly with Mandy and Roxy about something. Probably about the way demons used energy during teleportation. Imorean smiled at them all for a moment. Each one of them was like a sibling to him. Except maybe Ryan. His smile faltered when he spotted Ryan standing next to Roxy. The white-haired teenager shook himself a second later.

  “Guys! Come here!” he called, waving them over to him.

  “What’s up?” asked Colton as they approached.

  “Michael says meet him and Gabriel in Outbuilding Two. He’s got some news for us.”

 
“Did he say what about?” asked Roxy, raising her eyebrows.

  “I didn’t ask,” replied Imorean. “I wanted us all to be present.”

  “Thanks,” said Toddy, clapping Imorean on the shoulder.

  “No problem,” nodded Imorean. He turned and began leading the way toward Outbuilding Two.

  “Hey, you,” said Roxy, falling into step next to him. “What do you want for your birthday?”

  Imorean frowned at her, confused. “What?”

  “Your birthday, bonehead. That thing that’s in like ten days. You turn eighteen on March thirteenth, remember.”

  Imorean rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t realized how close the day was. “Oh, I really don’t mind. I don’t want anything big, Roxy.”

  “You don’t make party planning easy, you know,” said Roxy, ruffling his hair.

  “Took you long enough,” said Gabriel, grinning as Imorean opened the door.

  “Good to see you too, Gabriel,” said Imorean, returning Gabriel’s smile. Gabriel had been away at Upper Morvine for several weeks and none of the squad members had seen him for some time.

  “Gather around here,” said Michael.

  Imorean could hear through the Archangel’s voice that he was in no mood to waste time. Imorean passed Gabriel quickly and crossed the room to stand at Michael’s side, looking over the map on the table. It was the same map of Greenland that they had worked with a few weeks before. Imorean noticed that there were several more pins stuck into the surface of the map this time. He chose not to comment on it though. He was certain his squad had noticed the change as well.

  “So,” said Michael, placing his fingertips on the map. Imorean noticed that Michael’s fingers were on Baffin Island.

  “So?” prompted Imorean, raising his eyebrows.

  “The eight of you viewed these maps a month ago and have now been here training at Felsenmeer for almost three months total. It is now the first week of March. You have learned to become a cohesive squad. Each of you has excelled in some field. Do you believe that you are ready for an actual mission?”