The blond tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. “Adam, there is no need for such formalities, my students merely want to exchange a symbolic olive branch to our visitors.” Adam’s eyes narrowed as a group of distinguished looking Angels exited the building behind the students in training clothes. “My fellow members of the High Council and I felt it would be a charming idea for our youngest guests to participate in some games with our students. A little icebreaker.”
Aza released her breath in a low hiss, and my heart began to race as I caught sight of Gabriel’s fingers twitching. The High Guardian’s face flushed red, like a warning light on a dashboard, and he addressed his council. “Emily, fellow members of the High Council, this is an inappropriate suggestion. Our guests are here to share information and to establish whether we have mutual concerns, they are not here to provide sport or entertainment by participating in activities they cannot win—”
“We accept.” Emmanuel’s voice cut through the air like a warm knife through butter. Sam rolled his shoulders and stretched his fingers until the knuckles cracked. The High Guardian attempted to dissuade Emmanuel, but the Master silenced him with a flick of his wrist. “Emily has made a challenge, and the Shadow Children accept. Samuel, Megan, Lucas—you will represent us.”
Emily’s smile was a sweet as a candied apple as she stretched out her arm to seal the deal with a handshake. She gripped Emmanuel’s fingers tightly between hers and tilted her head to one side. “May the best team win.”
Emmanuel returned her stare. “I have no doubt they will, Emily.”
“Nor do I, Emmanuel. After all, they had a wonderful teacher.” Emmanuel attempted to withdraw his hand, but Emily held on. “By the way, your team is short of players. We no longer play with the trio. We haven’t since I was a student, over thirty years ago.”
Emmanuel gave a tight smile and nodded in my direction. “Not a problem, Emily. Grace will compete also.”
I clenched my fists and lifted my chin. The athletic blond grinned wide enough to split her face in two. “How wonderful, Emmanuel. And with your little Human companion, that makes a full team.” She let go of the Master’s hand with a sudden jolt and raised her own hand into the air. “Two teams of five, we are ready to begin.”
Emily jogged back to where the students and the other members of the High Council were watching us with ravenous eyes. Gabriel gathered us into a huddle around Emmanuel, turning our backs to the prying Angels. Emmanuel’s face was ashen. “I assumed the games will be played as a trio—that has been the Angelic tradition for hundreds of years. Teams of five? Never. I have never heard such a thing. I will tell them we can’t compete. It was my foolish mistake. My pride, I apologize.”
Emmanuel twisted to face Emily, but Brandon grabbed him by the elbow. “Let me play.” He glanced at Lizzie, and she nodded at him with a tight smile. “I know that I am Human, Emmanuel, I know my weaknesses, but I do have strengths. I’m probably the only kid on our team who has even read the books about traditional Angelic tests of skill and power. Let me try. It’s only a game, right? Not like they’re going to try and beat me to death.”
I winced, and Emmanuel shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, Brandon, but I cannot take the risk. You are immeasurably vulnerable as a Human when you are facing a magical battle, it’s an unfair fight, you’re defenseless.”
Brandon’s jaw twitched as he glared at the ground. Lucas lifted his hand and let it hover above Brandon’s shoulder for a moment before letting it fall limply by his side. Sam crossed his arms. “Let him compete.”
I spun my body to face Sam. He shrugged his shoulder. “He’s already given his life to the Shadow Children, he’s made his sacrifice, and he has the right to decide what he wants to do with his own body. If he wants to compete, I’d be honored to play alongside him. I trust Brandon. Guy does his research. If he thinks he can be useful, who are we to stop him?”
I stared across the huddle at Megan, and she gave a lopsided smile. “Hey, no arguments here. Brandon is the only one that’s actually been listening to anything we’ve done in training or classes for the past year. We’ve got plenty of brawn on the team, brains we need. Unless you don’t want to compete with him on the team?”
Brandon looked at me from under his thick, black eyelashes. I exhaled. “I trust Brandon, and this is what the Shadow Children is about, right? There’s a place for everyone. We’ve got this.”
Brandon chewed at the corner of his lip and nodded at me. I reached out and squeezed his fist tightly. All eyes turned to wait for Lucas to speak. His shoulders were drawn up around his neck. He looked at the Demons and raised his eyebrows. Aza pressed her hands against her hips. “Don’t be looking at us to speak for you, Bambi. If you are afraid to fight with your Human charge by your side, you best lay that claim yourself.”
Lucas screwed his mouth shut and shook his head. “I’m not afraid to fight with him. I just don’t think it’s safe, a Human can’t protect themselves against magic. They could get hurt.” He snapped his lips closed and spoke to Emmanuel, avoiding the death glare Brandon was shooting from his eyes. “Whatever. I’m out voted. Let’s just fight.”
Emily’s voice blasted against my eardrums. “Are you ready to compete, Shadow Children? Or do you wish to concede already?”
Emmanuel’s gaze landed on each of us in turn before he lifted his eyes to meet Emily’s. “Let the games begin.”
Chapter Thirteen
The High Guardian positioned himself in the center of the semi-enclosed quadrant that had been chosen as the playing field for the game. His lips were stretched thin as he held a hand up to stop Councilor Emily’s incessant interruption to his explanation of the rules. “Councilor, that will suffice. You should go to your team and prepare them.”
He nodded at Emmanuel. “Former High Guardian Emmanuel, your team is permitted to assign two coaches who can be consulted by the team in between rounds of the game. Everybody else needs to find somewhere to watch that is outside the magical boundary.” He pointed to a faint glowing outline that surrounded the quadrant and gestured for the other members of the High Council to move behind the line.
The two Guardians who had accompanied us to the University were left standing inside the quadrant with Emily and her team. Emily addressed Pierre, the boy with the gray eyes, in a voice too low for us to make out the words and beckoned him to come to her side. He shook his head and retreated behind the boundary, leaving his companion to serve as the second adviser to Emily’s team.
I turned to Emmanuel with a smile that I hoped disguised the pounding in my chest. “Right, who’s going to advise us out of this mess?”
I could almost see Emmanuel calculating the strengths and weaknesses of each available adult as he darted his sharp amber eyes around the group. He massaged his wrist. “The obvious choice for advisers would be one with advanced healing magic, and one with great knowledge of Angelic trials. Unfortunately, we have neither of those at our disposal.”
Gabriel crossed his elegant arms over his chest. “I told you it was foolish to leave Jabol behind, but no, you wouldn’t listen. Children never do.”
Despite the weight of the situation I grinned at fresh faced Gabriel referring to Emmanuel as a child. Sam shoved his hair off his forehead. “Jabol had to stay with Cain to protect the rest of the cell. They’re vulnerable enough as it is, we’re down too many hands…”
Sam’s voice petered away, and he kicked at the ground with his foot. Niamh sighed and clapped her hands together once. “Pointless chatter, you’re wasting time, the High Guardian is just about to set the clock.” She flicked her hand in the direction of a freestanding clockwork monument in the center of the square. “The most appropriate candidates to advise on this kamikaze mission are clearly Aza and Elizabeth. “
Lizzie opened her mouth to argue, but Niamh silenced her with a glare. “Cease. Emmanuel himself has admitted he knows nothing about current Angelic pract
ice for trials, and even at the height of his Angelic career he was more powerful with a pen than a blade. True?”
The corners of Emmanuel’s mouth twitched, and his eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. “Fair assessment.” A deep furrow formed across his brow. “I agree with Niamh; Aza’s reputation precedes her. If there are strategies to be found which will give us an advantage, I believe she will find them. And Lizzie is the obvious choice for any battle scenario.”
Megan’s face contorted in undisguised disbelief as she ran a critical glance over Lizzie’s hiking boots and her hooded gardening jacket. Lucas caught my eye and lifted his shoulder in confusion, but both of them remained silent. Brandon poked his elbow into my ribs and shot me a pointed glare. I cleared my throat. “What about Gabriel? No offense, Lizzie, it just seems like maybe Gabriel might have a little more experience with this fighting and competing malarkey. Less a lover, more a fighter?”
“Absurd.” I almost jumped at the sudden volume in Niamh’s voice. She inhaled through her nose with tightened lips. When she spoke again her words had returned to their normal, controlled level. “That is an inaccurate assessment of the resources currently available to you. Gabriel is clearly struggling to control his emotions which renders him useless.”
Gabriel’s violet glare was riveted on the members of the High Council standing on the other side of the quadrant, and he didn’t even glance in our direction as he spoke. “Aza and Lizzie will advise you. Lizzie could beat two of me in a trial of battle skills. Expect the lowest of the low when it comes to cheap tricks—the Angels will want to prove that you are scum. This is their chance to justify the crimes they commit against those born of mixed blood.” His head snapped around to stare into our eyes, one by one. “Prove. Them. Wrong.”
“Positions, please. Teams and advisers to the center. Spectators, please find a viewing location outside the magical barrier.” I tried to focus on the High Guardian as I made my way toward the clockwork sculpture, but fear of the unknown filled my lungs, and I turned back to face Gabriel and Emmanuel. Niamh stepped in front of the two men, and despite her slender frame, she managed somehow to eclipse them. She lifted her chin, and a wave of energy as fresh as an Atlantic wind whipped through my hair. I drew it into me and curled my hands into fists.
Lizzie’s fingers brushed my shoulder. “Grace, ready?”
“Yes.” I nodded once, tearing myself away from Niamh’s icy energy. “Yeah, I am.”
The High Guardian indicated with his hand that each team should stand on opposite sides of the gleaming timepiece. Sam stood to my left and Brandon to my right. Megan and Lucas took up positions at either end of the group, like beautiful blond bookends, but more deadly.
“The trial will consist of a single test.” He placed his hands on two gleaming globes that sat on either side of the clock—one white, one black. “The team that reassembles their globe first will be declared the winners.”
He raised his palms, and the spheres split into several pieces and began to swirl above his fingertips. Lucas spoke into my ear. “The big, scary trial is a jigsaw puzzle?”
I stared down at my shoes and fought the nervous snicker threatening to erupt from my lips. The High Guardian tugged at his collar. “All forms of magic are acceptable, as are all forms of combat. The only weapons permitted on the testing ground are Spirit Blades.”
Lizzie eyeballed the advisers for the other team as she questioned the High Guardian. “Adam, you say all forms of magic are acceptable, this includes magic which is beyond the Angelic, correct?”
“High Guardian Adam, these are Angelic trials, only magic Angelic in nature should be permitted.” Emily’s lips puckered as though the words had soured on her tongue.
“The rules state that all forms of magic are acceptable, Emily.” His eyebrows drew together, and he gave her a stern glance. “Your students know the rules, know the playing field, and have been practicing this game since they were ten years old. You have all the advantages, Emily. Isn’t that enough?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he flung his arms out and sent both globes spinning through the air.
My eyes widened as I watched the pieces of the globes separate and swirl over our heads, rapidly disappearing out of sight. A short brunette from the other team cried out and ran toward her teammate. She vaulted over his head, using his shoulders to propel her into the air, and snatched a piece of the black globe. She somersaulted and landed on her feet, clutching the black metal against her chest. “Black! We fight for black.”
She shot a smug look in our direction as she clicked her piece of the puzzle onto its podium beside the golden timepiece. Emily’s face split into a wild grin for a moment, before returning to dour, as she faced her team. “What are you waiting for? Gather those black pieces, now!”
Her team scattered across the large quadrant, some of them disappearing from sight behind the majestic trees that lined the paths. Emily and her adviser sprinted in opposite directions to each other and took up positions on the center line of the open space. I spread my fingers wide and stared at Brandon and our two advisers. “What the hell is going on? They are already one piece up on us, and I have no idea how we even play this game.”
“Whoever snatches the first piece, decides what color their team is playing for.” Brandon tapped his foot on the ground like he always did when he was trying to concentrate.
Aza nodded her head. “They chose black because it will be easier to see against the pale stone of the buildings.”
“So, we’re looking for all the white pieces of the globe? We just run around like chickens and hope they show up somewhere?” Megan’s forehead creased in disbelief. “Angels have the potential to heal people, bend space, and control the elements—and these guys run around looking for puzzle pieces. Wow, now I understand why dad wanted to be a Shadow Child and not a Guardian. Crazeballs.”
A cheer rose up from the far end of the quadrant, and one of the Angels began sprinting back toward the centerpiece with black metal glinting in his hand. Emily’s snide laugh carried on the wind. Lizzie’s face transformed into something I barely recognized, as she grabbed Sam by the collar of his shirt and punched Lucas on the shoulder. “Stop him!”
Sam stared at her. “What?”
“Stop him! If they can’t put the pieces back together on the podium, they can’t win. Don’t let him get there.” Lizzie’s eyes blazed. Sam tipped his head in Lucas’s direction, and the two of them spun away from us and began to circle the center of the quadrant. Megan grabbed my hand and dragged me to the edge of the grass and into the shade of one of the trees. The others are jogged alongside us, and we watched as Sam and Lucas created a tornado of energy, cutting the Angel off so that he couldn’t return his piece of the puzzle.
Megan grinned, but Lizzie’s face was somber. “That won’t hold them for long, the rest of the team are already coming to join the battle. When they combine their powers, they’ll be able to cut through Sam and Lucas. We need to gather the white globe.”
“We just need one piece.” Everybody stared at Brandon, and he raised his shoulders. “If we have one piece, then Grace will be able to tell us where the others are, right?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Emily’s team assembled and created a ring to surround Sam and Lucas. I chewed on my baby fingernail. “I think so.”
“Right,” Lizzie prodded Megan, “Megan, get up high enough to tell Sam and Lucas they can stop spinning, and try to spy one of the white pieces.”
Megan began running before Lizzie had even finished speaking, leaping over a bench and scaling the side of the colossal building as effortlessly as if it were a jungle gym. She hollered for Lucas and Sam’s attention and managed to convey her message. Within seconds, the cyclone of energy dissipated and both boys sprinted to our side, allowing the Angels opportunity to place their second puzzle piece on the podium.
Sam’s face was thunderous. “What the hell? We were holding them off?�
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“Doesn’t matter. We need you guys to help us find one of the white pieces. Once we have one of them, Grace can use this to help us Seek the—”
“Megan!” Lucas cut through Brandon’s explanation as he caught sight of Megan hurtling toward us with a piece of white metal grasped between her fingertips.
“The podium.” Lizzie mouthed the words silently, and Megan swerved and made a beeline for the center of the quadrant. We ran to meet her there, and an exhilarated rush of adrenaline-fueled energy pumped through my veins. Megan grinned at me as she clicked the piece into place and I raised my hands up in warning, but I was too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Lightning blasted from the hands of a red-haired member of the Angelic team and sent Megan crashing against the nearest building. The taste of bile flooded my mouth as she jerked and convulsed on the ground. Aza reached her side in the blink of an eye and crouched down over Megan with fingers splayed and her mouth moving at speed. Lizzie held her arms wide to prevent any of us from going over. “Continue as planned.”
A smile played on Emily’s lips as she watched us. Lizzie shoved me toward the podium and shouted at me to touch the white puzzle piece. Another one of the Angels smashed past us and slammed the third black piece of the globe into place. They only needed two more pieces to complete their sphere.
“Grace, I said—we continue as planned.” Lizzie’s tone was stern. I stared over her shoulder at Megan’s motionless body, and I reached out, grasping the white metal hard enough to split my skin. Seeking energy ripped through me and I gasped for air.
“Main building, top floor, second windowsill from the right.” The words burst from my lips, and I clung onto the puzzle piece, ready to ride the next wave of magical power.
The Demon-Born Trilogy: (Complete Paranormal Fantasy Series) Page 37
