The City of Flame and Shadow

by Kim Richardson

  For a moment there was silence. Alexa looked around the room, hoping someone else would protest, but no one did. The council said nothing, and the silence spiraled horribly.

  “Am I the only one here who has no idea what we’re talking about here?” demanded Erik, his face flushed. “What’s soul channeling? And what does it have to do with Alexa? Valerie? Michael? Anyone?”

  “It’s the ability to channel the power that comes from souls,” answered Milo, raising his eyebrows at the shocked expression on Erik’s face. “When Hades tried to take Alexa’s soul, he separated it, taking only a part with him. The empty part of her soul was mixed with some of his own powers and became a conduit—a channel that can manipulate a soul’s energy.”

  Alexa looked up and met Erik’s frown. She could see the puzzlement in his eyes lift like a morning dew, only to be replaced by understanding and then distress. She was aware of Rachel’s eyes on her as warmth rushed up her neck and face.

  Erik’s words came out strangled. “You have this… this thing inside you because of what happened? Because of what you did to save my—”

  “But for it to work,” interrupted Alexa, her face burning now, “I’d have to…” The rest of Alexa’s words were stuck in her throat. Sabrielle’s cold and calculated gaze wrapped around Alexa’s neck like a noose, choking her. With a sense of dawning horror, she realized what the archangel wanted. She wanted Alexa to use Erik’s and the others’ souls.

  Sabrielle’s smile widened at the horror and understanding she saw in Alexa’s eyes. She waved a dismissive hand towards Erik and the others.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, won’t you?” Her gaze moved from Erik to Matt, and finally to Rachel, her eyes gleaming with near-predatory intent.

  Milo rolled his shoulders as though he was trying to rid some tension. He turned and caught her staring, a look of comprehension coming into his eyes. He knew what Sabrielle wanted her to do. And by the archangels’ stiff postures and unwillingness to meet her gaze—they knew too.

  Everyone did. Everyone except for the mortals.

  Alexa felt a sickness in her nonexistent stomach and tasted something acidic gushing up her throat.

  “So, I repeat,” addressed Sabrielle, grinning in a horribly manic way. “Your orders are to retrieve our missing angels. And if, by chance, you’re confronted by the pagan god Hades himself, you must do everything in your power to destroy him.”

  Alexa felt Sabrielle was speaking to her directly, as though she held the sole power to destroy the pagan god.

  Sabrielle recognized the reluctance on Alexa’s face and said, “You are an angel, a servant of the Legion. And you will see this through. Do you understand? Good. Now, bring back our angels.”

  Alexa didn’t look away from the archangel’s cold and disturbing gaze. “When do we leave?” she asked, scowling.

  Sabrielle’s smile was like ice. “Immediately.”

  CHAPTER 9

  HILLS HIGH SCHOOL SAT IN a cluster of concrete buildings situated amidst the tallest trees Alexa had ever seen blocking out patches of the vast, inky sky. The large, red-bricked structure with four Romanesque pillars around the front entrance looked ghostly, its Gothic-arched windows reflecting the moonlight like silvery mirrors. A wrought-iron fence surrounded the building, making it look more like a prison than a school. Soft light spilled from the street’s lampposts, creating dim puddles of light against the snow.

  They’d arrived by the R train a few minutes ago. The thirty-minute journey to Queens had been one of uncomfortable and suffocating silence. No one spoke and everyone avoided each other.

  Erik, Matt, and Rachel stood huddled in a tightly knit group, giving Alexa and Milo a wide berth. Although the Legion had paired the mortals and the angels together as a team, they couldn’t have been more separated.

  Alexa stole a look at Erik, and her insides gave a jolt as their eyes met. But his eyes darted away from her so fast that she almost thought she’d imagined it. He’d been avoiding her since Milo had revealed what Hades had done to her in order to save Erik’s life.

  He either felt guilty about what had happened to her because of him, or he was ashamed and regretted that she’d done something so foolish, so personal. Alexa figured it was the latter, but she didn’t have time to worry about Erik’s feelings towards her. He would have to figure it out himself if he still wanted to be friends.

  More than once, Alexa caught Rachel’s killer-stare as she turned to look at Erik. She hadn’t looked at him on purpose, and she silently wished the mortals weren’t here. They were more distraction than aid, and she knew she’d be better off with just Milo.

  Part of Alexa wished Lance were here. The Scout would know just what to say to ease the tension between the two groups. But Lance had mysteriously disappeared just when Alexa and the others had been summoned into the meeting.

  “We should get moving,” said Milo, breaking the awkward silence. His profile in the moonlight was serene, “before someone looks out their window and sees a suspicious group of people standing in the street in the middle of the night.”

  “Right,” said Alexa, turning to the others. “Come on, let’s go—”

  “Giving orders now?” Erik’s face twisted in anger, and Alexa stiffened. But he was staring at Milo with a look of deepest loathing.

  “Are you talking to me?” Milo stepped back and turned around with a look of mild surprise.

  “Erik, don’t,” said Alexa. “We’re all on the same side here. Just relax.”

  Erik stepped around Alexa so he was facing Milo. “You think being a stiff gives you the right to boss us around?”

  “I’m not bossing anyone around,” said Milo calmly. “I’m simply following orders, just like you—”

  “Yeah well, I don’t take orders from stiffs,” said Erik, his face two shades darker. He’d clearly been holding in his anger until now. “I don’t care about you or your stupid Legion.” He moved closer until their noses nearly touched. “Let’s get something straight. We’re only here because our people asked us to be, and that’s it. Trust me, we don’t want to be here. So, as soon as you find the rest of your kind, we’re out of here. You got that?”

  Alexa felt the last bubble of warm feelings for Erik burst. She flexed her fingers, wanting to slap him.

  Milo’s face was expressionless. “You’re free to do whatever you want, mortal,” he answered with the air of explaining something very simple to somebody very simpleminded. “It makes no difference to me. But the Legion and your leaders paired us together and made us a team. I’m sure there are very good reasons behind their decision. Don’t you agree? Or do you think you know better than them?”

  “Stop patronizing me,” spat Erik. “I know what you lot are like, and I know your schemes always get mortals killed. Always. It’s just how you do things, isn’t it? The Legion always comes first. Mortals are dispensable, right?”

  “That’s not true, Erik, and you know it,” said Alexa, her temper flaring. “The whole point of the Legion is to watch over mortals—to protect their souls. Or have you forgotten that?’

  Erik’s eyes flashed in her direction for the briefest moment. “Like I said,” his attention was back on the tall angel, “as soon as we find your friends, we’re gone.”

  “Suit yourselves,” said Milo, his expression both calculating and faraway. “I won’t stop you.” And with that, the angel turned his back on them, eyeing the entrance to the school in a way that suggested he was anxious to get going.

  “Wow, real mature, Erik,” hissed Alexa, whirling on Erik, who finally looked at her. She heard the bitterness in her own voice as she said, “What is wrong with you? We’re on the same side—”

  “Like hell we are,” laughed Rachel, sneering in a way that made her look unattractive for the first time. She was enveloped in a long black coat that she hadn’t buttoned up. It billowed around her as she moved closer, revealing her tight clothes and showing off all of her perfect curves. Rachel caught A
lexa staring and her smile amplified.

  “We’re on the living side… you know… warm blooded… soft… real… we’re not the dead desperately clinging to the living.”

  Alexa’s insides withered with anger. She didn’t dare look at Erik. “You know what? Fine. If that’s really how you feel, maybe you should leave. You’re no use to anyone with that kind of attitude.”

  Erik clenched his jaw. “We’re not going anywhere,” he said, his brows narrowing slightly. “We’re going to see this through.” He looked past Alexa to Milo. “Which part of the school are they in?” he asked, unable to keep the loathing out of his voice.

  “No idea. I guess we’ll find out when we get inside,” answered the angel.

  Erik quirked a brow. “You mean you don’t know? Don’t you have special senses or something? I thought you angels could feel your own kind the way you can feel demons, like some sort of internal GPS.”

  Rachel snorted and shared a smile with Matt. Alexa didn’t realize she was clutching her blade with brutal force until she felt a sting in her palm and then released her grip a little.

  Milo glanced away from Erik, his eyes tracing the corridor as he clenched his jaw. “We feel changes in the Veil, but we can’t pinpoint an angel’s location, or a demon’s.”

  Erik rubbed his face with his hands. “So, what you’re saying is, you can’t know for sure if they’re actually in there? Why did we come all this way if we don’t even know where to look?”

  “Keep your voice down,” hissed Alexa through her teeth, her hands shaking. “Do you want the demons to know where we are? Is that what you want? To botch this mission? Because it sure feels like it.” She was beginning to regret the Legion’s decision to involve the mortals on this job more and more.

  A savage humor flashed across Erik’s face. “Demons? Are you sure? I thought you couldn’t sense them?”

  “We can, you idiot,” said Alexa. She felt her insides jolt as Erik scowled at her, but she pressed on, “Weren’t you listening? It’s just like Milo said—we can sense the presence of demons and the supernatural—yes that means angels too—but we can’t fix on their exact location. We’re not electronic devices. We’re angels. That’s not how it works.”

  “Clearly,” said Rachel with her hands on her hips and a wicked smile unfurling on her lips. “Not very helpful, is it? And here I thought you were supposed to be the superior beings.”

  “To answer your question,” said Alexa, turning to Erik again, her voice quivering in anger, “we’re here because it’s the last known location before the angels went missing. They’re here somewhere in this school and they need our help. Yours and ours—” she looked at their faces, “together. And we’re not leaving until we find them, or at least find out what’s happened to them.”

  The repugnance on Erik’s face reminded Alexa of the first time they’d met, a kind of deepest loathing. She had never imagined she would see it again, especially after the intimate moments they had shared. But there was no denying the hatred in his eyes, on his face.

  She was getting used to it now, his face full of rage. He wore it like a new pair of jeans, all the time, to break it in.

  “I still don’t know why we’re here,” said Rachel, moving forward so that her hips were nearly touching Erik. “This has nothing to do with us.”

  “Are we seriously going to do this again?” Alexa’s voice shook with controlled fury. “This is getting really old, really fast. You better get your act together and stop whining. Or have you forgotten your oaths?” Alexa knew immediately it was the wrong thing to say by the killer looks Erik, Rachel, and Matt gave her.

  “You mean the ones where we serve the Legion?” said Rachel, looking furious.

  “No, listen. Okay, that came out wrong. That’s not what I meant—”

  “Sure, it was,” said Rachel, her teeth flashing in the gloom. “We all heard you, didn’t we?”

  “I heard.” Erik’s voice was low. “I think I heard enough.”

  “Erik, that’s not what I meant. Please, just listen for a sec—”

  “Come on.” Rachel took Erik’s hand and pulled him with her. “Forget it. She’s a stiff,” said Rachel. “She can’t understand what’s like to be like us, to be alive, because she’s already forgotten what it’s like to be human.”

  Alexa’s mouth dropped open, heat rushing to her face.

  Erik swore but he let himself be pulled away by Rachel. They made their way together across the street towards the entrance to the school, a slouched Matt following closely behind them.

  “Alexa,” said Milo, and she turned to face him, “please try to control your mortals before they completely jeopardize this mission. We’re wasting valuable time with your chatting.”

  Alexa pointed her soul blade at Milo’s face. “Don’t you start with me,” she said, but Milo merely smiled crookedly, his face resplendent in the light of the moon.

  “Don’t let them rattle you so much. It’s not worth it,” said the angel gently. The look on his face showed a struggle taking place inside of him. “It’s not personal.”

  “Really?” said Alexa angrily. “Well, it felt like a personal attack. At me—at us. I thought… never mind what I thought. I was wrong, that’s all.”

  “You forget that they’ve lost loved ones, very recently. It’s not an excuse for their blatant disregard for the Legion, but I understand why they’re apprehensive and even hateful. Angels killed their own, it’s perfectly normal for them to feel such animosity towards us. They wouldn’t be human if they didn’t.”

  For a moment, Alexa said nothing, the weight of Milo’s words pressing heavily on her. He was right. If the roles were reversed, Alexa knew she’d be just as spiteful and guarded as Erik and the others were. She willed her anger away. There was no place for it now.

  She looked up into Milo’s face, sculpted to perfection like that of a Greek god. “They shouldn’t be here. They’re not ready.”

  Milo sighed. “I know.”

  “I know and you know, but I get the feeling the Legion doesn’t, or they just don’t care.”

  “I’m not sure,” said Milo. “Perhaps they’ve forgotten how fragile a human heart is.”

  A human heart. The element that separated angel and mortal—life and death.

  Before she knew what she was doing, Alexa reached up and pressed a hand to her chest where she had once felt the steady pounding of her beating heart. Whatever she felt now was artificial, a gimmick, made to blend in better to the mortal world. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the rhythmic beating of her human heart until now.

  Alexa swallowed hard. “Well,” she said, dropping her hand, “it’s too late to do anything about it now. I just hope they won’t do anything stupid.” She wasn’t as good at keeping the emotion out of her voice as Milo was. She could hear the pain in it, like a bleeding wound just under the surface.

  “If they do,” said Milo, watching her closely, “it’s our job to make sure and keep them safe. Come on.” And with that, the angel made his way towards the entrance.

  Alexa watched him leave. She might not be a mortal, but this mortal suit with all its artificial bodily senses and feelings was drenched in anger and frustration.

  The sensations were so close to the real thing—she’d never felt more alive.

  CHAPTER 10

  ALEXA HURRIED AFTER MILO, who’d forged a little ahead of the others with his long angel strides. She could hear Rachel’s laughter as she ran across the street, and her scowl deepened. Buckets of heat rose from her neck and face.

  With her fists clenched, Alexa met up with Milo and followed the warrior angel up the stone path to the double front doors. The stone arch above the doors was marred with light gray markings, graffiti that had been scrubbed but had never come off completely.

  When they got to the door, Erik brushed past them. He pulled out two small metal picks from inside his jacket and, when he caught Milo staring, said, “Lock picks, to open the door—”r />
  “You won’t need them,” said Matt, who pushed open the door and was now standing in the threshold. “It’s open. See?”

  Milo dashed past Matt and disappeared through the doorway into the darkness beyond with Alexa right behind him.

  They stood in a long, dimly lit hallway with doors flanking each side and corridors branching out in intervals. Soft night lighting glimmered overhead, casting a flickering insubstantial glow over the polished floors. Portraits of the school’s football and baseball team champions hung on the walls.

  Alexa heard a soft hissing noise and then old-fashioned water heaters spat to life all along the corridors.

  Even before she scanned with her angel senses, she felt the familiar, cold, empty feeling of death. The rancid scent of darkness and death was everywhere—in the air, on her skin and seeping into her clothes. She even tasted it on her tongue.

  Yet even among the rancid scent of darkness, Alexa felt something else, like a sudden shift in the Veil, something that had latched itself on to the darkness like a parasite. Something different. Something new.

  Milo looked at her and then drew his spirit sabers from their sheaths. The silver blades glimmered in the semi-darkness like blazing stars.

  “Shouldn’t there be an alarm or something,” said Rachel, stepping into the hallway.

  “It’s clear whoever took care of the door also took care of the alarm,” said Erik as he pocketed his instruments.

  Rachel looked around with a rather bored expression. “Are we going to stand here in this hallway all night, or are we going to go looking for your friends? It’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  Alexa pulled out her soul blade, a slight shake to her hand. “I have an idea,” she smiled. “How about you stay here by yourself, and the rest of us go looking for our friends?”