Archangel of the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  The nightmarish evening went from unpleasant to downright horrid. His shoulders tense, Sabree stared ahead at the buffet as he rolled the crick out of his neck. Ariane and Jesse were near the end of the line. Relief from this monstrous know-it-all could not come soon enough. For now, he’d stall him with nonsense. Rarely did Sabree stutter, but he could not help himself. “Uh, how do you know everything about me? Are you a Malakhim spy? Your sister too?”

  The ghoul’s laughter wound Sabree’s stomach in a tighter knot. When he tried to rise, Brian shoved him against the table again. “What do you want?” Sabree squeaked out.

  “Your undivided attention. For now, act like none of this happened. Put on a happy face and be pleasant, especially to my sister. No funny business and you will live long enough to hear my explanation tomorrow morning. Understand?”

  “Qui, perfectly.” He could mist away but this self-assured Brian fascinated him. The Scottish warrior costume had come across as savage; even more so, the black smudges darkening his eyes. Best play along for now.

  The sneer on Brian’s face formed a genuine smile. “How’s the buffet?” he asked the others, waving vigorously at Jesse. “Glad you could make it.”

  Ariane and Jesse sat together, followed by Azrian, all three carrying platefuls. Ariane answered for them. “Considering the source, not too shabby. The prime rib is tender and medium rare, just like you like it. Lobster tails too.” She broke off a piece of lobster and handed it across the table to her brother.

  Eager fingers pulled the meat off the fork. Brian chewed and then swallowed. “Sabree, why don’t we raid the buffet? Looks better than what you’re having.”

  Azrian jumped in to comment first. “Dog food?” His nose wrinkled as he pointed a fork in Sabree’s direction. “Yuck. What jokester put that there?” He snickered while Ariane and Jesse stared at the can, both shrugging.

  The game made Sabree look the fool. He had put up with enough of their nonsense and stood. To distract Brian, Sabree flung the can at his skull and misted away from the table. His cape fell to the floor.

  Like it or not, Sabree broke rule number one: never let the humans detect the Fallen or their abilities. He welcomed the relief escape would deliver as his mist started to drift away. Then a voice commanded, “Stop!” Suddenly his body reformed, and he fell to the floor before he could catch his footing. His gaze shot to Brian, the ingrate smiling like a fool, whose curling finger gestured him to return. No ghoul could have stopped him from misting away. Impossible!

  Jesse shook his head in disapproval while Ariane’s eyes widened at the Fallen’s gift of misting. Certain no one else beyond their table witnessed the stunt, Sabree grabbed his cape and sat next to Azrian.

  “Cool trick, Unc,” Azrian said. He wheezed in a breath when Brian whacked the table. “Sorry, Pop.”

  To snare Sabree’s notice, Brian tapped the can and slapped shot it across the table into his lap. “Aren’t the Fallen supposed to watch themselves around humans?”

  “Desperation took over reason.” Sabree sneered. “My sincerest apologies.”

  Except for a silent Sabree, everyone’s laughter rolled until Brian stood with his glass raised. “Welcome to Scotland, Jesse. Thought you were supposed to land around noon.”

  “Thanks. Took me longer to wrap things up. Had to take a later flight.”

  “Glad you’re here.” Brian nudged Sabree on the shoulder. “Follow me. The prime rib’s calling my name.”

  Without a word, Sabree adjusted his costume and followed him to the buffet. Revel in your glory, Brian. Paybacks are a bitch. Sabree intended to pay him in return and then some.

  15

  Prepare to Die

  H ad I gone too far? Stooped too low? Sabree tottered on the edge of arrogance, nowhere near as deadly or cruel as the first time we sparred, the two of us more of an even match. Two ugly reminders of why my vendetta had reared its ugly head, flashed like neon signs. In Mexico Sabree let me think I killed Maria. If that didn’t hammer my spirit into the ground, he refused to help us escape the White Sands underground horror house. To boot, his greedy fingers snatched the flash drive from my leggings.

  So, why convince myself that he deserved the crap I had tossed his way tonight. Who’d have thunk I would despise teasing him more than I did? Surprised even me. For the rest of the evening, my good conscious vowed to contain myself, take it easy on my old friend.

  Then an even uglier reminder came to mind—the dog food factory. Aye, he deserved most of it. The vow forgotten, I continued to sit in silence, too busy stuffing my face while the others joked, drank, ate, and danced. Ariane complained about having to stay until the end, but then she had another drink. And another. She danced with Jesse at first and then a few times with Sabree.

  Every time I glanced her way, the topaz pendant glimmered around her neck like a beacon. “Look at me. Look at me. I’m an expensive gift from Sabree,” it proclaimed. Would this necklace replace the star locket she used to wear? Someone had left the locket on our mother’s grave. Never found out who. Something to ponder on later.

  My son had no problem with staying longer. Azrian drowned himself with five beers, probably still in awe of the time he spent with his mum. At least, the time travel theory panned out, and he was still here. Whew.

  “Pop, I’d like to go home.”

  No problem indeed. Wrong about Azrian wanting to stay, I said, “No can do. We sit here until the end.”

  “Why? What’s going to happen?”

  “Nothing, I hope. But this way I can keep an eye on you while doing the same for everyone else.” I pointed at my sister and Sabree on the dance floor. “Makes my job easier.” Wayde wasn’t finished with us yet, certain the lunatic had a few more tricks up his sleeve. But why kill us if I already promised to deliver the journal. Blame it on intuition or my gut, something bigger was destined to happen. More cumbersome than waiting for ice water to simmer, we’d sit here until it boiled over.

  “Can I dance then?” Azrian asked. In defiance, he swallowed the rest of his aunt’s drink. His fingers crawled toward Sabree’s half-empty goblet.

  I pulled it away from his grasp. Easy lad. Something had my son in knots. “Dance with who? By yourself?”

  “No, duh, with someone.”

  “Ariane and Sabree are on the dance floor.” My gaze skimmed the bar. “Who knows where Jesse went.” When Azrian performed his infamous eyeroll, I shrugged. “Why are you asking me for permission? You’re an adult.” I pointed at the table filled with a group of young women. “Maybe they’re single.”

  When Azrian’s gaze settled on the table to the left, I blinked hard to focus on the angel and Greek god, both older men. My eyes blinked in succession until the younger man dressed as a pirate glanced our way. Then the smile on my son’s face jump-started my gray matter. No wonder Zoe had such a difficult time charming him. Not because they were close cousins, but because maybe my son preferred dudes. Funny, he never confided in me about it.

  I goaded him on. “Go on. Ask him. The worst he can say is no, which is usually the case with females.”

  Azrian flashed me a look of uncertainty and then a sly smile. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Watch out for Wayde.” Well, if any of us intended to hang out with humans, best be the same sex. That way none of us had to worry about impregnating a human female, causing her eventual death. Which dummy pulled off such a senseless stunt? A chilled numbness filled my veins. Two losers came to mind: me and Sabree.

  To chase the morbid thought back into the darkest depths of my mind, I twisted in my seat away from the direction my son headed. Discretely and from the corner of my eye, I spied Azrian introducing himself. Together they hurried to the dance floor. For my sake, this being so sudden and all, thankfully the deejay played a round of fast dances. Aye, parenthood.

  I faced forward in my seat and that’s when it hit me. The table looked larger, no make that emptier. Seated alone, my gaze glued to the dance floor, I continue
d to nurse a double-shot of scotch. Our server removed the empty dishes and glasses while others switched the main course leftovers with an array of desserts, the buffet more enticing than ever.

  My line of sight caught Sabree trying to decide on a snack. Sugar in all forms beckoned me. Nope, I had to stay at my post. Stand guard, now that the urge to do so heightened. “Please leave the wine.” I raised my empty glass. “And may I have a refill?”

  The server glanced at the tray as if to count the glasses he had already removed from our table. “Dr. Chambers offers limo service to deliver you home safely, sir.”

  “I bet he does,” I scoffed. First-class ride into hell. Speak of the devil, my jaw clenched when he strolled toward our table after the server departed. “There goes the easy, peaceful evening.” My knuckles turned white as they clutched the edge of the table. The premonition that something awful might happen washed over me like a tsunami.

  Chambers clapped loud enough to emphasize his rage but muted enough not to distract the guests. “What were you thinking, Colton? Where’s Azumi?” He stole a glimpse of her empty table. “What did you do with her friends?”

  I stood to confront him face-to-face. “Safe. Far away from you, Wayde, and his goons, minus one.”

  The jowls lining Chamber’s jaw jiggled. “Minus one? What do you mean?”

  When he shook his head, exasperated by my silence, the jowls performed a dance from one side to the other. I had to stop myself from snickering. The man should have come as Humpty Dumpty instead of a decked-out penguin.

  “Chase Unwin had to bow out.” How ironic. Disguised as a zombie, the fall had crushed his skull, so zombie no more. “I dropped him off at Wayde’s office.”

  While I waited for a comeback, guests cheered from the dance floor. Some clapped and raved about the extraordinary costumes and how Dr. Chambers outdid himself. “So, what’s the side show about?”

  “Side show?” Chambers asked, his beady eyes darting. “The jugglers and acrobats aren’t scheduled for another hour.” He gritted his teeth. “This isn’t finished. I’ll be back.”

  “Not going any—” I yelped and stumbled back when a spearhead poked through Chambers’ forehead, the purple wig dangling from its radiant tip. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as they focused on the sparking arrow.

  The Malakhim weapon, not quite solid, not quite pure energy validated my night-long dread—something awful had already arrived. Everything happened at once. Chambers toppled over. Spitfire shot into my hand. And a Malakhim soldier stepped over the doctor’s body, his crossbow aimed at my head.

  The frown I wore for the lifeless doctor slid into an easy sneer, my teeth clenched. The gods favored me today with the same Malakhim leader I fought and killed in the battle to save the Caderen. The leader didn’t know me, but I sure as hell knew him. Kurian. I had witnessed the bastard’s death and would enjoy seeing it again. For reasons unknown, the Malakhim did not regard the Fallen rule of remaining anonymous to humans. “What’s the meaning of this?” I asked.

  “Athorsis warned us you were playing with fire. That you traveled back in time to change Earth’s future. You and your sister shall perish!”

  Rage cleared my mind. Fire fueled my veins. Athorsis ratted us out. Scared shitless because I finally outwitted his waste-of-time resets. My do-over clobbered his grand scheme.

  Behind me, panicked screams and heavy footfalls replaced the cheers. More Malakhim? A voice from the dance floor reached my ears. “Prepare to die. All of you.”

  I planned to leave the leader untouched. That honor belonged to Spitfire as it swung at Kurian. The telepathic missile inside my skull began to magnify a cerebral blast powerful enough to destroy every Malakhim at the party and those beyond the portal, waiting in retaliation. Why not bequeath them with a quick death. Demonstrate to the Malakhim and Athorsis that I meant business when it came to defending family and Earth’s creatures.

  Telepathic waves of distress from my sister distracted me. Seeing from her eyes, Sabree drop a plateful of pies and charged the dance floor. He lunged in front of Ariane before a soldier released an arrow from his crossbow. My heart skipped a beat. Sabree had risked all for my sister.

  At the same time, the leader, his abdomen laid open, fired an arrow at my chest. Worried about everyone, I tripped over my own feet, unable to dodge out of the way fast enough. The tissue around the arrow energized, identical to the way my physical body transformed inside the portal. The same freaky phenomenon happened every time something threatened my physical self.

  The energized tissue slowed the momentum of the arrow. It dropped to the floor behind me. The leader sneered and raised the bow again, a new arrow reloaded. My sword arm moved instinctively. Spitfire sliced through the air in a wide arc. As the electric blade swept up and around, it sliced the bow and arrow from his grasp. It showed off, not me.

  Without missing a beat, a thunderous roar fired from my skull. The telepathic missile shot a wave of death in every direction. Multitasking between blasting the Malakhim and slicing the leader in half gave me a migraine. The leader’s eyes turned crimson, aware his entire army had met their demise. He lunged at me.

  My fumble corrected itself to an en garde. Although I had practiced a few lunges, parries, and cuts on YouTube, I never imagined myself sword fighting like a pro. But now, whatever my mind conjured, the sword performed the dance. The Malakhim splattered to the floor in pieces. My breath wheezed on a gasp. So did a few guests crouched underneath the tables.

  The crossbow brightened until it metamorphized into a smooth ruby and flew into my pouch, accepting me as the new bearer. My sister from the future had warned me that during her visit to Harmonyville, the Teachers said the color red was forbidden within the Archangel realm. Did this mean Kurian’s red stone was corrupted? Or was it red because he was one of Athorsis’s minions? The forbidden color might explain why it didn’t leap into my hand to begin with.

  Screams filled the hall. The bite of burnt sugar from the Malakhim dust drifted in the air. The stench reminded me of a cotton candy machine overheating and spinning out sugar. I raced over to the dance floor. My eyes widened. Chaos greeted me head-on.

  Costumed guests, their necks ripped open, lay scattered across the floor. Empty eyes gazed at the ceiling as if to plead for help that had come too late. Bile rose in my throat when Sabree tried to pull an arrow out of his chest. Unable to do so, he collapsed to the floor. Then my gaze fell on my son, his body slumped over, shielding the human he had danced with. An arrow pierced his back.

  An ice-cold numbness traveled outward from my core to both arms and legs as I searched for Ariane and Jesse. Her whimpers came first. My gaze fell on the couple entwined in a hug. Jesse gave me a thumbs-up that they were both okay. I refused to budge until I could assess the entire room. Smoke smothered my sinuses. My gaze shot upward. An arrow had set the black and orange streamers on fire. Flames spread to the velveteen drapes lining the huge picture windows.

  Phone in hand, a bartender yelled over the counter that help was on the way.

  With only seconds to react, I popped a few Colton tabs and zipped around faster than the eye could detect. I scooped up Azrian and his friend and engaged in JLS to drop them off at the mansion. I returned to the ball and repeated the same rescue for Ariane and Jesse.

  Back at the mansion, I asked Jesse to check on Azrian. I disappeared before Ariane could ask about Sabree. His rescue ensued. The chaos reappeared with Sabree at my feet. The arrow that sailed through my chest sparked an idea. Energized fingers grasped the shaft without touching him. The rest mimicked my hand as JLS sped me a few feet behind a table. To my surprise, the arrow had vanished along with me, all without tearing his flesh. The same trick should work on my son.

  The fire spread to the deejay’s platform. Most of the surviving party goers made it outside. A few first responders, one moonlighting as a bartender and some invited as guests, helped the injured get outside. One looked my way, pointed, and shouted above th
e others, “The Scottish warrior! He crushed the terrorist leader.”

  “Bloody hell,” I muttered. To avoid the slew of cell phone cameras and videos, I ran behind a door hidden from witnesses and then sped around the room faster than any cell phone could detect. Those around me froze in time. My blur whipped around to create a vacuum that snuffed out the oxygen feeding the fire. On my final spin, firefighters and EMTs raced into the main hall. Wayde charged through the first responders out the door. I’d confront him later, long after retrieving all nine drives.

  A final task remained. I swooped in, grabbed Sabree by the waist, and JLS sped back to the mansion. I collapsed in a heap and rolled aside to avoid landing on him. Exhausted, my arms and legs drained, the rest of me flopped over like a landlocked fish to check on Jesse. “Is Azrian okay?”

  Jesse glanced my way and frowned. “Fine as soon as I figure out how to remove the arrow.”

  “Wait.” I floundered closer to my son until the arrow was within reach. My eyes squeezed shut to siphon every ounce of energy reserved inside me. A wee JLS delivered me and the arrow a few feet away. “Aye, cool trick, right? Sabree was the Guinea pig.” I rolled my head his way, surprised to see Ariane fussing over him.

  The problematic exhaustion had grown tiresome, so I chewed on a precious Colton tablet. As soon as my body recharged, I popped one each into Azrian and Sabree’s mouths. The rest must be saved for going after the flash drives.

  Ariane’s mouth opened to form a perfect “o” as she stared at Sabree. His wound healed and his skin and hair improved. Violet eyes fluttered open, brighter than ever. “What magic is this,” she asked me.

  “You’ll know soon enough. My stash is low, so we need to set up the lab to create more.”

  “More anti-vamp pills?” Ariane brushed Sabree’s hair from his face as he tried to sit up.