A murmur of agreement from those assembled echoed around her, stabbing her like tiny knives.
Alexa looked over to Milo, his face echoing the fear she felt inside.
“Well, as it happens,” said Nathaniel. “I’m bored to tears of this sullen silence. More wine!” Nathaniel grabbed the wrist of one of the servant females with long, raven-black hair and pulled her onto his lap.
Alexa looked away, her insides twisted. It took a concentrated effort not to empty the contents of her cup. Instead, she buried her cup in the sand.
“It’s time.” She leaned forward and turned her head so that her back was to Nathaniel. “He’ll be busy for a while. Let’s do this now. I don’t know when we’ll get another chance.”
Milo’s expression was grim, but he nodded. He stood up, pulling Alexa with him. His chest crushed against hers, and his arms wrapped around her tightly. Alexa’s head swam as he leaned forward. His lips brushed against her ear as he said, “Relax. This is just for show.”
Alexa couldn’t relax. She didn’t think she could talk. Her body trembled slightly at Milo’s touch, his strong arms around her. Her body temperature went up a few degrees as he released her, and when he grabbed her hand it was exceedingly gentle despite the hard calluses. Smiling, Milo led Alexa away from the fire, and she couldn’t help but think that he was enjoying the pretend relationship status a little too much.
Alexa and Milo moved away in silence. A fire burned in the middle of the beach, and its flickering light fell over a crowd of angels as they danced to the beat of the drums. She felt the watchful eyes of the other angels as they walked past. Some of them were still dancing while others lounged in the sand huddled together.
The image of Nathaniel’s triumphant smile haunted her. It fueled her with both anger and fear—anger at the thought of the devastation of the mortal world at the hands of the order and fear that he felt as though he’d already won the war.
Alexa’s mind whirled with questions and uncertainties. What if he had won? What if Alexa and Milo were on a fool’s errand? What if they were risking their lives searching for the Staff of Heaven for nothing? What if it was already too late?
Alexa kept her fears to herself as she let Milo pull her along, up the steps, and past the pyramid’s main entrance. Lit torches lined the walls, illuminating the hallway in shades of gold, and cast long, quirky, dark shadows on the stone floors.
“Where do you suppose his quarters are?” inquired Milo as they passed the main hall and made their way towards a large staircase made of the same stone as the walls. His callused fingers stayed wrapped around Alexa’s hand as they walked.
“Well,” she said as she slipped her hand free, seeing as there was no one around. “Since Nathaniel has such a high opinion of himself… I’m thinking the top floor. We’ve never had the chance to look up there.”
Milo’s smile was radiant. “After you, darling.”
Alexa wanted to punch him, but she didn’t want to mess up his pretty face. “Thanks, hot stuff. We better hurry. Nathaniel gets bored really quickly. Let’s hope he hasn’t noticed we’re gone.”
Together, they dashed up the stairs two at a time, climbing past the first and second landings without seeing anyone. Just when Alexa felt it was way too easy, a servant angel female bobbed into view, carrying a load of pillows and blankets.
Milo grabbed Alexa and pinned her to the wall, her shoulders smacking against the cold stone, and kissed her.
His warm lips crushed against hers and Alexa’s head swam. She heard the other angel giggle as she moved past them, her footsteps echoing loudly against the stone stairs.
Just when Alexa had relaxed into the kiss, when she couldn’t hear the angel’s footsteps anymore, Milo pulled away.
“She’s gone. Come on.”
Alexa forced the smile away from her face as she raced to catch up to Milo’s supernatural speed. They continued up the stairs until they reached the topmost and final landing where there were only two doors. Milo crept towards the first door. While his right hand was wrapped around the handle of one of his spirit sabers, he lifted the iron latch and pushed the door open. It swung open with a loud screech, making Alexa flinch.
Both Alexa and Milo waited to hear the servant’s footsteps coming their way, but after a few moments Milo gave Alexa a nod of his head as he crept in first. He waited until Alexa had moved past him and then he shut the door quietly.
Alexa followed and glanced around. Two things hit her immediately—the musty smell of sweat and perfume and how dark it was. The room was covered in darkness. There were no windows that she could see, and she immediately wished Milo hadn’t shut the door. They could have used the light from the hallway.
“Don’t worry. Your eyes will adjust in a moment,” came Milo’s voice from somewhere behind her, making her jump.
Just as Milo had said, Alexa’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and shapes came into view. The chamber was set up as a bedroom. It was spacious with a large four-post bed sporting an intricately carved wooden headboard and multiple layers of colorful throws and blankets. The blankets were heaved in messy piles over the bed as though someone had jumped out of bed quickly or had had a fight. The bed was obscured by long velvet curtains. A chandelier thickly coated in dust hung from the tall ceiling, its candle scrubs still resting in its sockets.
She could make out two iron mounted torch holders fastened to the back wall, one on each side of the bed.
“I guess lighting the torches would be a bad idea, huh? I don’t know how we’ll find anything in the dark like this. Even with our special eyesight. We’re not cats.”
Milo’s boots padded near her and she blinked as his face came into focus. “If someone sees the light beneath the door,” he said, his voice low, “we’re done for it. We can’t risk it. We’ll have to work in the dark. No choice. Besides, the dark won’t matter. The staff is made of delor metal. It’ll glow. So, it’s probably better that it’s dark in here. Trust me, if it’s here, you won’t miss it.”
The wardrobe doors stood open and clothes lay in piles on the floor while other still hung neatly inside. There was a giant mirror that went from floor to ceiling.
“This is Nathaniel’s bedroom,” said Alexa.
Milo whirled around, his voice curious. “How do you know? It could be for one of the archangels.”
“Only he would have such a giant mirror to fit his giant head.”
Milo snorted. “You check the wardrobe—and I’ll check the bed and small tables.”
Slightly irritated, Alexa began to search the contents of the wardrobe. She was even more certain that this was Nathaniel’s dressing chamber as she picked through white linens that matched his style. Her nose wiggled at a faint citrus scent. All angels had the same lemony scent. It was how they could sense each other. But Nathaniel’s scent was different, not as lemon-flavored and more like curdled milk.
Alexa gagged. Making a face, she moved the clothes out of her way and slid her hands inside the wardrobe, looking for a secret door. But after a few minutes of searching it was clear the staff wasn’t here.
“It’s not here,” said Milo as he pulled himself from under the bed and crossed the room towards the door.
Alexa gladly heaved herself out of the smelly wardrobe and followed him. “If it’s not in here, it has to be in the next room.”
Alexa’s stress rose to a higher level as Milo tried the second door.
“It’s locked.” Milo looked strained and anxious. “Move back.”
“Yes, master.” Alexa gave him a sarcastic smile and he stood there with a strange expression on his face.
“What?” Alexa’s face warmed.
Voices flowed up from the first landing.
“Hurry!” hissed Alexa, but Milo had already pulled out one of his swords and with a quick slice of his saber, cut the iron lock. There was a clunk as the severed part hit the stone floor.
Milo pushed the door open with his shoulder. Alexa followed him
in. The second room wasn’t as dark as the first one. Filaments of silver light spilled from a window across from them, and the same velvet drapes from the previous chamber hung from a thick wooden rod and framed the window. Instead of a bed, there was a large wooden desk, its legs carved in the shape of eagles. Papers and maps littered the top. Books and scrolls lined the back walls in floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
Alexa’s gaze wandered to a portrait that showed Nathaniel sitting in a throne-like chair. At his feet was a giant white eagle. Alexa was strangely reminded of Metatron.
“This is his study,” exclaimed Alexa, her nerves pounding through her.
Milo followed her gaze to the portrait. “Now that’s interesting.”
“More like creepy.”
As Alexa moved deeper into the room, she heard a scurrying of feet and the murmur of voices.
“Someone’s coming! Hurry!” she whispered.
Alexa and Milo went into action. They raced around the chamber without speaking. Milo sheathed his sword and went straight to work on the bookcases while Alexa attacked the desk. She yanked open the drawers, and it was only as she searched the last one that she realized her mistake.
“How big do you think the staff is?” her voice was loud with desperation, and she hated herself for it.
Milo dropped a handful of scrolls. “No idea. But if it was made for the archangel Michael, I’m guessing it’s probably big.”
Alexa stared back at the desk and its small drawers, shaking her head. Angry tears threatened to spill as she looked about the room. It wasn’t here.
“The drawers are too small,” she whispered to herself. Desperation and fear filled her, suffocating her until she felt as though she was drowning in water.
She strained her ears and heard the footsteps and voices getting louder and louder. Panic sliced through her like the stab of a death blade. She couldn’t fail. She had to find the staff. She’d already lost the Holy Fire. If they couldn’t find the staff…
A small frustrated cry escaped Alexa as she pushed the thoughts from her head and cleared Nathaniel’s desk in one sweep. Books fell with a loud thump on the ground. She didn’t care. If they didn’t find the staff now, it wouldn’t matter if they got caught.
The voices grew louder until Alexa felt as though they were in the next chamber.
Alexa’s pulsed raced. “It’s not here. I was so certain. I—I was wrong.”
Milo’s face was wrinkled in worry. “It has to be here. It’s the only place he’d hide it.”
“Maybe not,” said Alexa, her voice trembling. “Maybe he buried it somewhere on the island. Maybe we’ll never find it…”
Fear lapped at her as she looked over the chamber, at the piles of books and papers that littered the floor, the desk and the walls. The room looked burglarized.
She had failed again. The oracle should have entrusted someone else with the task.
Dread and guilt gripped Alexa at the sight of Milo’s anxious expression. If they were to die now, if they were caught, it was her fault, all her fault. She had consented to the plan, given Milo the idea… She had been so sure Nathaniel would have hidden it here…
“Maybe we’re looking at it wrong,” she whispered to herself, “maybe it doesn’t glow… yes, it doesn’t glow… and it’s long and tubular…”
Alexa’s eyes moved past Milo to the window. The curtain rod was made of wood, and Alexa felt it was way too thick to hang drapes. It was long, tubular, the perfect size for a staff…
“Son of a—”
“What? What is it?” Milo turned on the spot.
“The curtain rod,” she said and rushed to the window. “How could we have missed it?”
Even now as she stood before it, she felt it. It was faint, enough to have missed it, but when she pulled her angels senses towards it, there was no mistaking that this stick—this curtain rod—was a celestial creation.
“I thought you said it was made of delor metal? This is wood.”
“I thought it was,” said Milo as he shrugged next to her, his eyes on the curtain rod. “I was wrong.”
“It’s a stick—a wooden stick—a wooden staff.”
Alexa reached out and pulled her hand back. “Maybe you should take it.” The power of the staff reminded her of the Helm of Darkness, and for a second she feared she would lose herself to its power.
Milo shook his head and gave her a warm smile when he saw the fear in Alexa’s face. “No. You should take it. The oracle left you the instructions, not me. Besides, I don’t think I should touch it. It’s giving me a strange feeling… like some kind of warning that I shouldn’t touch it.”
Alexa observed the shadows that danced across Milo’s face. “Because you’re Lucifer’s son.”
“Because I’m Lucifer’s son,” he repeated. “The staff was created to destroy Lucifer. It might recognize the part of my father that’s in me. I think it already has. It might even kill me.”
Alexa felt her chest cave in on her. “But you’re an angel now. You can’t be blamed for who your father is and what he’s done.”
“Even then,” said Milo. “I wouldn’t underestimate the power of that staff. Let’s play it safe. You take it. Go on. Take it.”
Alexa stared at the staff. And when she reached out again, she noticed that her fingers were shaking.
“It can’t hurt you,” said Milo, seeing her distress. “Take it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Alexa swallowed hard, hauled up on her toes, reached out and grabbed the staff. The drapes fell to the floor as she lifted it off its hinges. With her fingers wrapped around the wood, she gave a start at the warmth of it, as though it had been sitting in the sun for hours. It pulsed slightly, like the soft murmur of bees. She pulled it closer and inspected it, rubbing her thumb with the grain in the wood.
“There’re no markings,” she said as she flipped it over. “I can’t see any sigils. It looks just like an ordinary wooden stick—”
“I can assure you that it is nothing of the sort,” came a familiar voice.
The chamber door crashed open.
Alexa’s hand froze around the staff.
Nathaniel stood in the doorway, his dark skin contrasting against the white of his clothes. Barakiel grinned next to him, and a dark sword hung in his beefy hands.
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the staff in Alexa’s hand. “I knew the two of you were up to something. It’s why I had you followed. I never believed your story. Not for a second. You might be in love or you might not—I really don’t care—but I knew whatever feelings you might have for each other weren’t reason enough for Lucifer’s son to want to partake in his father’s plans. We know you’ve been distancing yourself from him since you were born.”
Milo shifted his body protectively in front of Alexa. “What can I say? You’re right. I would never be involved with my father’s insane plans. And I’ll do everything in my power to stop him from spreading his evil.”
“Is that what you think?” Nathaniel laughed softly and Barakiel joined in. “Spreading his evil?” he repeated as he stared at the staff. “Your father was right in not sharing his plans with you. You can’t be trusted. And you—” said Nathaniel as he looked at Alexa. “The only reason I wanted you here was to keep an eye on you. You’re still very much a mystery. Things seem to fall into your hands. Don’t they? A wonder at your inferiority. But you never belonged here. The Order of the First is exactly that—made up of the first angels. You on the other hand are a newborn, a lesser angel that doesn’t deserve to be a part of our order.”
“Who says I’d want to belong in your psychotic cult?” spat Alexa.
“I thought you were spying for the Legion,” jeered Nathaniel, his body taut as his dark eyes stared, like a snake that was about to strike. “I thought you were sent to discover our plans. But seeing you now with that in your hands… I’m not so sure.” He cocked his head to the side. “It seems to me that you’re here on your own. It’
s just the two of you, isn’t it? Tell me, has the Legion abandoned you?” He laughed.
“You’re nothing but a thug.” Alexa’s anger rose at the truth in his words, devouring any common sense. “You’re a psychopath. Just like Lucifer and Hades.”
Nathaniel clicked his tongue. “Yes, yes, yes. Give me back what’s mine.”
Alexa stood her ground. “It doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the Legion.”
Nathaniel stepped into the room. “You have no idea what you’re holding.”
Alexa watched as Barakiel broke away from the doorway, tossing his sword from hand to hand in anticipation, as though he couldn’t wait to get the fighting started.
“I think I do.” Alexa wiggled the staff and grinned. “It’s a walking stick, right? Or is it a wizard’s wand? No, wait—I know—it’s a hockey stick.”
Nathaniel spat something at her in a language that sounded like Latin. “You’re going to wish you’d stayed in Tartarus after I’m finished with you.” Nathaniel’s smile would have frightened an ordinary young angel, but Alexa didn’t feel ordinary anymore, so she smiled back at him.
“You think you’re something special. Don’t you?” expressed Nathaniel. “Because of the soul channeling power you once possessed? Once being the operative word here. You’ve been stripped of your powers because you’re not worthy.”
Alexa flinched, and her grip on the staff slipped as she struggled for something to say but couldn’t find the words. She was surprised at how much losing the soul channeling ability still affected her. Was he right? Would another angel, a more valued angel, have kept the special gift?
“Don’t listen to him, Alexa,” said Milo. “You’re worth a thousand of him.”
Alexa strained to keep it together. This wasn’t the time to let her emotions take control of her. There was too much at stake. She was strong. Stronger than Nathaniel thought.
“You’re nothing but a filthy lesser angel,” sneered Nathaniel. “A mistake that I’m about to rectify. Kill them!”
With a powerful throw, Barakiel threw his sword like a lance. Its tip winked as it came straight for Alexa—
The Lord of Darkness Page 15
