Etheria (The Halo Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  Samuel nodded. “Salt is fatal to demons. Hence, the reason we’re on a ship right now in the middle of a sea of salt water.”

  Gray examined the blade closely. “What happens if demons come in contact with salt?”

  Samuel ran a sure, long-fingered hand across the flat side of the blade. “They burst into flames.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Chord stated dryly. “I figured it would be something more dramatic.”

  Samuel ignored Chord’s remark and collected five cruxes off a nearby shelf.

  “The remarkable thing about cruxes is, the objects themselves aren’t all that spectacular or powerful. They pull their power from the Halo wielding them. So, it doesn’t matter if you use your own or someone else’s; it will still respond to your individual power, which is different for each Halo. Some Halos are stronger than others. Some have more of a sting, if you will.”

  “Aurora, yours is going to annihilate the demons with just a brush of the skin,” Chord chided.

  Samuel passed a crux to each of the Halos and, as the hilt came into contact with their skin, the smoke within the blade turned from white to a vibrant color. Chord’s was a sunny yellow, Sev’s turned a forest green, and Brielle’s was an unsurprising bubblegum pink. Every blade had a color unique to each of the Halos. That was, except for…

  “Why are ours the same color?” Gray asked Samuel, looking from Aurora's blade to his own, which had turned a deep, purple-blue, like blueberry wine.

  Gray noticed something in Samuel’s eyes change, but his expression remained indifferent. “Some Halos have similar energies, similar colors. No soul is the same color, though.”

  “No soul is the same color?" Aurora asked. "You mean, like, auras?”

  “I don’t know if this is the best time to get into all of that, but the color in your crux is the match to your soul’s physical form. Your aura, essentially, yes. Each Halo has a star in the heavens known as a Celestial which represents their soul.”

  “Our souls have a star?” Chord said.

  “Well, your soul is connected to a star. It sounds strange, I know,” Samuel acknowledged. “It’s more complicated than all that. But it’s difficult for humans, even Halos, to comprehend. It is a way to shield your soul from evil; a part of it will always be safe and protected.”

  “Is that why stars die?” Aurora held her crux at eye-level, examining the swirling smoke. “They die when we die?”

  “Well, souls don’t die, of course.” Samuel led them out of the crux tent. “But, yes, the stars do go out when your physical body expires and your earthly soul and heavenly soul meet, combining your knowledge of both planes.”

  Brielle lifted her crux in a way that communicated she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. “Do we just hold onto these?”

  “Yes. In fact, you should keep it with you at all times. Even during sleep. Soon you will receive Halo armor, equipped with a weapons belt. For now, just find a place for it.”

  Brielle frowned at the blade and carefully stuck it through the belt loop in her daisy duke shorts. Aurora snickered at this, sliding her crux into the top of her tall black boot. Gray settled with his back pocket. As they followed Samuel to the next tent over, Aurora and Gray unconsciously moved to walk beside one another.

  “Feel like jumping off the ship yet?” Gray asked her.

  “No, actually.” She wore a faraway look. “For someone who has never had a stable, big-kid job…I’m almost relieved to have a greater purpose than just bossing around bastard-ass kids.”

  “Yes, you’re so angelic.” Gray received a well-deserved punch to the arm.

  The remainder of the day was spent climbing metal rock walls and jumping off of them. They discovered Brielle was terrified of heights—even more so than Aurora, which clearly delighted her. But Aurora's smug look was quickly wiped from her face when her foot slipped on a rock and Gray had to grab her arm before she went tumbling to the ground. Once she had righted herself, she pulled her arm away with an indignant glare.

  The Halos moved from the rock wall to jumping on oversized trampolines, which was supposed to teach them how to control their body when jumping through the air. Chord, Gray, and Aurora soon turned it into a flipping competition. Chord won, as he had apparently been in gymnastics for a period.

  After a day full of physical exertion, they parted ways to shower and change for dinner in the restaurant called Fairytale Forest. Gray thought it unfortunate that he had grown used to the extravagant dining rooms. He hadn’t, however, grown used to seeing Aurora in formfitting dresses. Tonight’s hip hugging, red ensemble forced him to avert his eyes to keep from drooling.

  The tables in Fairytale Forest were set between trees, through which the waitstaff expertly maneuvered, carrying trays of food and drinks. A light fog coated the ground and twinkling lights resembling fairies hovered in mid-air.

  It felt strange to have his crux stuck through his belt loop, like an amateur holster. Gray shifted in his seat, the point of the blade knocking awkwardly against the back of the chair. The men in the movies made it look so much cooler than it felt.

  “So, we seriously have to keep these with us all the time?” Brielle asked Samuel, voicing Gray’s thoughts as she laid her crux beside her dinner plate.

  Samuel nodded.

  Chord chuckled. “What, you think a bunch of demons are going to get onto the ship or something?”

  “You never know,” Samuel said cryptically.

  This shut Brielle and Chord up.

  They all ate more than their fill, having worked up ravenous appetites. Gray’s shrimp platter was quite possibly the best thing he’d eaten since he had arrived on the ship. That, and the soup and the bread and the crab cakes and the mounds of dessert.

  “So, what are we doing tomorrow?” Chord asked Samuel through a mouth full of brownie parfait, which made Brielle turn her head away from him in disgust.

  A slow smile spread across Samuel’s features. “We’re doing it all over again.”

  Twenty-Three

  AURORA

  Aurora had never slept harder than she did that night. Being a Halo was hard work and a little terrifying. But she’d meant what she said to Gray about being glad about having a purpose now. She was actually working towards something for once in her pathetic life. And, as negative as her views were about people, deep within her soul she wanted to help them, to make a difference. If she was honest with herself—and she rarely was—the real reason she had such bad feelings towards others wasn’t that she disliked them; it was because she envied them.

  Aurora arose before the sun, leaving Brielle to slumber wearing her hilarious pink sleeping mask. She'd had almost no time alone on Etheria, and, as an introvert, she was in desperate need of some. Aurora craved the quiet, and if it meant waking up earlier than the rest of the ship to get it, that’s what she’d have to do.

  The welcome scent of coffee grounds and pastries hit Aurora as she entered the seventy-ninth floor cafe. The barista waved, wearing a warm smile. “Good morning, Aurora.”

  Aurora smiled in greeting—she always had warm feelings towards people who were giving her coffee or caffeine of any sort. She glanced down at the barista’s thin, silver nametag. “Morning, Aella. Just a large coffee with cream and brown sugar, please.”

  “Of course. Anything else? Something to eat, perhaps?”

  Hungry eyes scanned the case filled with mouthwatering pastries made up of a billion calories. Oh, what the hell, she would burn it off during training anyway. “And a salted caramel éclair.”

  Aella smiled and nodded. “Good choice. Those are my favorite.”

  Aurora watched as the girl flitted around making her drink. She was blonde, but more in a platinum way than a golden way like Aurora. Aella’s large eyes were peppermint green. She realized everyone she’d encountered on this ship so far was beautiful in a pure, simple way. Most of the women had no need for makeup. Their hair seemed to fall perfectly at all times. Their skin was flawless
and their lashes thick.

  “So, I guess you’re an angel too.” Aurora realized too late her statement had probably sounded either offensive or stupid. She was usually okay with offending people, but she never wanted to come off as the latter.

  Aella laughed in a chiming voice, brushing her platinum hair away from her face as she sprinkled a spoonful of brown sugar in the bottom of Aurora’s mug. The laugh wasn’t condescending in any way, though. More like she thought it was a sweet or cute thing to say. “You are correct.”

  “I figured, but so many strange things have happened the past couple of days that I don’t even know what to think anymore.”

  “I can imagine.” Aella poured rich brown coffee and a measure of cream into a sizable porcelain mug with the Etheria emblem stamped on the side in dark blue ink.

  “Is it not strange?” Aurora said. “Serving us like this, I mean. You are the holy ones, after all, not us. Shouldn’t we be serving you?”

  Aella’s smile widened, dimpling her cheeks and making her eyes shine as she handed over Aurora’s drink. “Angels have been serving humans in one way or another since the beginning of human life. It has always been our pleasure. We do it without grudge or complaint.”

  Without complaint. What must that be like? Aurora wondered. “I’m so used to being human…” Aurora cradled her coffee. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to all of this angel stuff.”

  “You will," Aella assured. "It’s what you were made for. And Samuel is a good teacher, so you will learn faster than you think.”

  Aurora thought maybe she saw the hint of a golden blush in Aella’s cheeks. This brought about a question she’d been pondering for some time. “So, uh, I know this is a random thing to ask, but do angels have…relationships? I mean, do they still fall in love and all of that? With other angels, that is. Or maybe not angels. I don’t know the rules.”

  Aella blushed a deeper gold. “We do. There is much more to being an angel than just saving other people and singing praises to the Light.”

  Aurora nodded in thought, returning Bella’s smile.

  She wasn’t sure why she even cared about such things, seeing as how she wouldn’t allow herself to be in a relationship even before any of this had happened. Though, if she was brutally honest—the few times she had gone to church—their idea of heaven sounded utterly…boring.

  Streets of gold were great, but that would get old quick. Lions cuddling with lambs? Cute. Super cute. But that would also grow timeworn since you were essentially in heaven forever, and all. She’d always wondered in the deep, dark depths of her mind if worldly pleasures like eating and sex were allowed there, though she never dared voice these thoughts aloud. They were far too sacrilegious for even her brazen self.

  So, she stayed quiet, deciding she'd find the answers to her questions if God allowed her to enter the pearly gates. Though, she hadn’t been so sure of her ease of entrance. Surely being a Halo and fighting a holy battle would be a guaranteed ticket in now. But, on the other hand, Lucifer was already an angel in heaven before he got kicked out.

  The elevator ride up to the top deck was a quiet one, as Aurora was the only one there. Strange that, of the thousands of Power Halos aboard the ship, none appeared to be early risers. At least, if they were, they were nowhere around.

  When the elevator slid open, Aurora was taken aback by the scene of carnival rides and sugarcloud stands, which had returned to their original glory. The tents full of weapons and cruxes had disappeared. Her own crux hanging from the belt cinching her waist reminded her that things were certainly not back to normal.

  It was eerily quiet in the still of the morning. Pulling her coat tighter around her while holding her coffee with both hands to keep them warm, Aurora moved across the deck, peering out over the railing. The sun was already rising and, like a vampire, she dashed away from the light, which she knew would bring the dreaded people with it.

  Her beloved wooden swing set awaited her, unbothered by the Halos who valued flashing lights and carnival rides over solitude. Settling onto the swing, she tore into the paper bag encasing the caramel éclair and took a large, unladylike bite of the pastry, letting out an audible moan as the salty caramel and crème spread throughout her mouth.

  “Holy balls, that’s good,” she said aloud.

  A voice spoke from behind her. “Holy what?”

  Aurora cursed and swiveled her head around to find Samuel watching her with an amused smile, his aqua eyes fixed on hers.

  “What is it about me that screams, ‘Hey, I’m going somewhere alone with a hot beverage. You should come sneak up behind me, make me spill the hot beverage, and interrupt my alone time?’”

  “I apologize.” Samuel didn’t look sorry at all. “May I join you?”

  Aurora sighed, looking at her éclair, then at the empty swing beside her. “Well, you’re an angel, so I guess I can’t exactly say no to you.”

  “On the contrary, you can say whatever you like to me.” Samuel took her answer as an invitation, settling into the other swing.

  “You can’t read minds, can you?” Aurora felt extremely exposed at the thought.

  “We can, but we don’t. It’s a tremendous invasion of privacy.”

  “No kidding.”

  “You can finish your éclair. Don’t mind me,” Samuel said. “Those actually may be the only thing on the ship better than the sugarclouds. Maybe.”

  Aurora stuffed the rest of the éclair in her mouth, refraining from moaning and saying anything about sacred testicles this time, though it was just as good as the first bite had been. She was going to have to make that a daily breakfast…and maybe find somewhere else to hide.

  “Did you practice any of the fighting maneuvers I taught you yesterday?” Samuel asked as Aurora took a sip of her still-scalding coffee.

  The corners of her mouth melted downwards as her eyes cut over to his. “Umm...no. You didn’t tell us we needed to practice.”

  Samuel shook his head. “Wow. Today is going to be rough for you then. I know all of the others practiced.”

  Aurora's stomach sank. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, you might as well just quit now. You’ll be too far behind.”

  Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “You’re lying. You ass.”

  Samuel let out the first actual laugh Aurora had heard from him. “Did you just call an angel an ass?”

  Aurora flashed him an exaggerated smile and took another sip of her creamy, sweet coffee. “Sure did.”

  GRAY

  After grabbing a muffin and some coffee, Gray left in search of Aurora. He was beginning to feel like a sad puppy dog, following after her all of the time. Maybe if he backed off, she would go after him.

  Eh, who was he kidding? That would never happen. She was much better at playing games than he was. If he had it his way, he’d give up the charade and kiss the hell out of her, something that had gone through his mind rather frequently since she’d grabbed his hand on the plane.

  At least she’s mildly predictable in her choice of solitary refuge, he thought as he made his way to the back of the ship, popping chunks of his cinnamon apple muffin into his mouth and washing it down with smoky black coffee. As he approached the spot where the wooden swing set stood, he was surprised to hear Aurora laughing. Then he heard a male voice chuckle, and his stomach inexplicably turned.

  “Making angels curse,” Aurora said. “I really am a bad influence. You know, Michael would be disappointed in you.”

  “You have no idea,” Samuel returned.

  Gray skirted to the edge of the wall separating the swing set from the rest of the ship and peered around the corner to see Aurora in her usual spot and Samuel in Gray’s usual spot. The green monster known as envy reared its hideous head in the pit of his stomach. Calm down, he thought to himself. They aren’t even doing anything.

  “So, all of those visions Michael showed us the other day; were those real?” Aurora asked quietly. “Were you really there for…e
verything?”

  Samuel nodded. “We were.”

  Aurora looked forward and then down at the ground. “I didn’t know anyone knew about what happened to me. I haven’t told anybody, not even my mom. I hid it.” Samuel stayed quiet. “Why didn’t any of you stop it?” she said finally, an accusatory tone infiltrating her voice.

  “There are rules, Aurora,” Samuel said after a moment. “We can’t always intervene. Free will, you see. I know it may not sound like much, but our presence kept your mind as calm as possible. We knew you would make it through alive. You are strong. Stronger than you even realize.”

  “Because I had to be,” Aurora said, her voice shaking for the first time since Gray had met her, causing his stomach to turn. “That night had the potential to destroy me, Samuel. In fact, it nearly did. Why do you think I act so damned tough all of the time and refuse to let anyone in? Especially men.”

  “I know,” Samuel said.

  “No, you don’t know,” Aurora snapped.

  “Actually, I really do. Angels have a level of empathy humans could never understand.”

  “Well, then I don’t see how you could have let that happen. How God could have let that happen. Or the Light, or whatever you call Him.”

  “I’m afraid there are some things even angels don’t quite comprehend,” Samuel said darkly.

  Aurora was quiet after this, she and Samuel swinging in unison. Gray didn’t know precisely why, but intense jealousy writhed like a serpent in his stomach. He didn’t like that Aurora was talking to Samuel about something she’d probably never dreamt of talking to Gray about.

  He must have been under some absurd delusion that she had been warming up to him and only him. He’d seen it in the maze when he told her about what happened to him on 9/11, and he’d seen it the day after they’d learned they were Halos. Now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe she was just warming up to everyone, which he should be happy about…but he wasn’t. It was selfish of him—he knew that, but for some reason, when it came to Aurora, an unknown side of him took over, making him irrational and crazy.