by C. Gockel
“How was he able to do that?” Key inquires.
“He sought out dying dictators, mass murderers, and child abusers. They were the worst humanity had to offer and could give him the most insight into darkness.”
“What did he do once he found them?” Swoop asks.
“He distilled their essence into a mixture he created called Rye. He started to combine Rye with other powerful elements. He did this because he wanted to create an evil that was more powerful than Omnis. He thought he would drink the Rye mixture and then he would be able to understand evil because it would be inside him.”
“How did this Rye mixture work?” Randy asks.
“Once it’s administered, the being takes on the dark sprit of the original human it was distilled from. In other words, if Pinter drank the Rye of a murderer, he would suddenly have an inexplicable need to kill.”
“He really didn’t see how dangerous his experiment was?” Pryor asks.
“As I said before, he was obsessed. In fact, Pinter was not happy with the darkness that came from just one vial of Rye. It was not strong enough,” The Face says, shaking her head in dismay.
“An overachieving mad scientist. Perfect,” Bex spits.
“In many ways, yes. He combined the Rye vials together. It worked; the Rye had enough power to take on Omnis. However, when Pinter drank it, it nearly killed him. The mixtures became unstable and his experiments failed.”
“That’s good, right?” Randy asks.
“Yes, but Pinter was a very determined Para. After many failed attempts to ingest Rye, Pinter finally realized his mistake. It wasn’t the mixture that was unstable but rather it was too strong for one being alone. He learned that there is no one force to rival Omnis; evil needed a partner. Pinter referred to this ‘perfect partner’ as the Alago.”
“I so don’t like where this is going,” Bex says.
“Yeah, same here,” Pryor confirms.
“Okay, so what happened?” I push.
“Pinter desperately sought out beings who were daring and curious enough to drink the Rye and become the Alago: the perfect partner to evil. When Omnis found out, he was furious. But Pinter insisted he was doing it for the greater good and that the Rye would someday put an end to evil everywhere.”
“Omnis wasn’t buying it,” I guess out loud.
“No, he sent the Omari to destroy all the vials of Rye Pinter had created and to capture the scientist. But when they got there, Pinter had fled, taking five of the strongest Rye vials with him.”
“Did the Omari catch up with them?” Swoop asks.
“Knowing the Omari, yeah they did,” I reply.
“Aaden is correct. The Omari always find the being they are hunting. But in this case they found him too late. He had already added Nor to the five vials of Rye,” The Face says.
“He added Nor to it? Are you freaking kidding me?” I shout.
“What’s Nor?” Randy asks as he studies our troubled faces.
“Nor is another creation by Pinter. It makes objects indestructible,” The Face says.
“So what did Omnis do?” I ask.
“Omnis was certain that Pinter had lost touch with what it meant to be an angel. And that he had let his curiosity overrule him. He knew that if given enough time, Pinter would find a being to share the Rye with and thereby create two evil forces that would become anti-Omnis.”
“Omnis couldn’t find a way to destroy the five vials of Rye?” Randy asks.
“You have to understand. Pinter was celebrated and looked up to among Paras. Even if Omnis could have destroyed the Rye vials, it would have been a sign of disrespect. So instead, Omnis had the five vials hidden around the human world where they would be most difficult to find.”
“Yes, but if Pinter was as determined as you say, he would have looked for the Rye vials regardless,” Key says.
“Exactly. You see, Omnis took care of the first problem by hiding the five vials, but just to make sure Pinter’s experiment never took off, he added a meter to the Rye vials before he had them hidden.”
“What does a meter do?” the human asks.
“It can identify you,” Swoop says.
“So even if Pinter found the five Rye mixtures, the only being that could drink the other half would be the being that Omnis designated when he inserted the meter inside the vials. Or it would not work,” The Face informs us.
“So Omnis couldn’t destroy the vials but he found a way to alter it so that only a certain being could drink it and become the Alago?” Bex asks.
“Not just that being but anyone in that being’s bloodline,” she corrects him.
“I don’t understand. Why would Omnis pick any being at all if that being could bring about his demise?” Key asks.
“Omnis could not take away from the Rye mixture because Nor protected its original contents. But he could add elements to it. So he added a meter so that the only being that could drink the other half of the mixture was a being Pinter would never sacrifice. Someone Pinter loved.”
“The Blue Rose can drink the Rye mixture,” Pryor guesses.
“Exactly,” The Face confirms.
“So Omnis made it so that only Blue Rose could be the Alago. Clever bastard,” I reply begrudgingly.
“Blue Rose or any one of her descendants” The Face tells us.
“Pinter just went along with this?” Randy asks.
“He didn’t know about it until the vials were all hidden. When he found out that only the woman he loves could be sacrificed to achieve his lifelong dream, he killed himself by leaping off Tamara Falls Mountain. It was only later that we learned of his contract with the Guardians,” The Face announces.
“Pinter turned to the Guardians?” Pryor asks.
“Not the team your parents were a part of, but a much earlier team, before their time. Pinter trusted Guardians. He loved that they were once humans who died painful deaths before their time. He felt that gave them more understanding than angels who were born with wings, like Paras. And since Rye was his creation, he was able to dictate what should happen in his absence. So he drew up a binding contract with three conditions to protect his dream and his love.”
“What was in the contract?” Bex probes.
“Pinter was worried that if anyone knew who the Blue Rose was, they would hunt her and her family for generations. So before he died he placed a marking on the woman he loved. That marking is of course that of an actual blue rose. The first condition was the marking only appears to First Guardians and their heirs.”
“So Pryor is the only one who can see the blue rose marking the Blue Rose descendant?” I ask.
“Since Pryor’s father, who is the current First Guardian, is in the light, yes Pryor is the only one who can identify the heir of the Blue Rose. Sam would have been able to as well if he...”
She doesn’t finish her thought. She sees Pryor wince slightly and knows it’s better to let the statement go unsaid.
“But Malakaro can tell who the Blue Rose descendant is too since he’s also Marcus’s child, right?” Bex says.
“Yes. That brings us to the second condition in the contract Pinter had with the Guardians. No matter how twisted his reasoning was, Pinter truly was trying to help good win out over evil. So he admitted to having added a meter of his own to the Rye.”
“Okay, so what exactly is the second condition in the contract?” I ask.
“Only a First Guardian or their heirs can drink the first half of the Rye mixture. He reasoned a First Guardian would have noble intentions. He never conceived of—”
“My brother,” Pryor realizes.
“Yes, Malakaro can do what the other evils before him couldn’t. He can find the five Rye vials because he’s heir to a First Guardian,” Pryor says with growing alarm.
“That’s crazy. What do we do? How do we stop him?” Key says, in full panic.
“Where are the Rye vials?” We need to get to them first!” Bex says, jumping up from his seat.
“I agree with the Para, we need to go, now!” I add as we all head for the door.
“Stopping Malakaro from getting the five vials is going to be next to impossible. He’s already stronger than you. Each vial he finds, he will ingest half of it and gain more power,” The Face says.
“Well, what are we supposed to do? We can’t just stand here and wait for the end to come,” Pryor barks.
“That brings us to the third condition: Only the First Guardian or their heir can kill the Blue Rose descendant. Pinter knew that a Guardian would only kill the Blue Rose descendant as a last resort,” The Face says.
“Wait! I got it. Pinter trusted the Guardians and had a contract with them and it has three rules: Only a Guardian can drink the first half of the mixture, only a Guardian can see the Blue Rose sign on the heir, and only a Guardian can kill the Blue Rose descendant if it came down to that,” Randy says, proud of himself.
We all turn to look at him, baffled by his need to repeat what The Face just said.
“Hey, humans need time to process, okay?” he says defensively.
“What happens once Malakaro and Alago meet?” Pryor asks.
“The existence of the two together will bring about the end. Omnis dies as does all of civilization.”
“Okay, so we find the Blue Rose descendant and convince her or him not to drink the mixture and become the Alago, right?” Pryor says.
“No, Ms. Cane. According to the message Fate left in the box, you are to find the heir and kill them before Malakaro gets to the five Rye vials.”
“What? But the Blue Rose descendant could be some innocent angel who didn’t do anything wrong,” East protests.
“Yes but they will once they drink the mixture,” The Face promises.
“We’re not killing an innocent angel,” Key informs her.
“She’s right. We can just find this Blue Rose descendant and tell them not to drink the mixture. That could work,” Swoop says.
“If it did work, then there would be no need for Fate to warn you to kill them. For whatever reason, the Blue Rose descendant will drink the Rye and become the Alago. And when that happens, Omnis himself won’t be able to save us,” The Face replies gravely.
“You really want us to kill a fellow angel?” Key asks.
“We don’t even know if the Blue Rose was an angel. The woman Pinter loved could have been Quo. It was common to hide an affair with a half angel, half human in those days,” The Face reminds us.
“So we could be off to kill a Quo. Is that supposed to make us feel better?” East asks, clearly on edge.
“As a fellow Quo, I can understand your anger. But the fact is we have no idea what race the Blue Rose was. Pinter never revealed that to anyone. There was never a need for anyone to look for her until now,” The Face says.
“Pryor, you have to say something. We can’t just go off and kill someone who didn’t do anything wrong,” Key pleads.
“Correction, hasn’t done anything wrong yet,” The Face replies.
Pryor looks out at us, she’s in deep thought. It feels like the whole world has stopped and is awaiting her answer. She exchanges a look of concern with me. Then she addresses Mrs. Greenblatt.
“Our job is to protect humans at all cost. If the Blue Rose descendant partnering up with Malakaro causes the end of all human life then we have to stop it.”
“Pryor!” the twins shout in unison.
“I’m sorry, guys, but we don’t have a choice. Whoever this angel or Quo heir is...we will find them and kill them. ”
19
Think Of Me
Pryor tried to forget that she would have to kill an innocent angel or Quo by focusing on the dance. Even though she wasn’t going, it was the perfect distraction. The girls on the team have fashion fever. While all their attention is on shopping and celebrating our first win as a team, I have other things on my mind.
In the past few days the nightmares have been getting worse. I hardly Recharge anymore and it’s wearing on me. There’s also the matter of finding myself in a place worse than hell every time I close my eyes. That’s why I need to speak to East.
I find him a few blocks away from school, doing what he normally does: charming a group of girls. Some of them are angels and some are human. As I walk up to him, the girls are fixed on me. The female angel’s wings start to flap uncontrollably. The humans around wonder where the sudden gust of wind is coming from.
“You’re Silver,” one of the female angels says as she stands up.
“Yeah, hey,” I reply, not sure what else to say.
“I’m Mandy,” she says.
“Ah...okay. Hey, East, can I talk to you for a sec?” I ask.
“Be right back, ladies,” East says as we take off down the street.
“Bye, Silver!” the girl whose name I already forgot yells out.
Once East and I are alone, I address him.
“Hey, can you wipe my mind again?”
“Oh c’mon, Silver, you know it nearly killed you last time,” East replies.
“We have to try again,” I insist.
“Look, I know that whatever happened to you was really hardcore. But I can’t do it anyway.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I plead.
“Well, I’m not willing to risk your life trying.”
“It’s my life, East, not yours. I decide if the risk is worth taking,” I remind him.
“You’re right; it’s your life, Silver. But it’s my power and I’m not using it on you.”
“What are you so afraid of?” I bark at him impatiently.
“For one thing, your father is a high-ranking demon and I really don’t want to piss him off by killing his only son. Another thing: I don’t want Pryor to go all ‘Kill Bill’ on me if I accidentally end the life of the guy she—look, aside from everything else, I don’t want to hurt my friend,” he explains.
Completely frustrated and exhausted, I place my hands behind my neck and let the weight pull my head down. I sigh heavily then lean against the wall of the building behind me.
“Listen, have you tried just talking about it?” East says.
I glare at him. He holds out his hand as if to say, “I surrender.”
“Okay, just hear me out,” he says.
“Fine,” I reply.
“Maybe talking about it will help you move on.”
“East, that’s easy for you to say. You have the best power in the world. You can make people forget the awful crap that happens to them,” I reply.
“Yeah, but the things that happen to me I’m stuck with. Don’t you get that? I know how much it sucks to want to remove a memory from your head. I can’t Mind wipe myself,” he reminds me.
“Oh, and what happened that’s so bad that you want to forget it?” I ask sardonically.
“You know what, screw you and your tone. You’re not the only one with problems. You don’t think I want to erase most of the stuff that goes on in my family?” he asks.
“I know you and your sister don’t get along, but—”
“My sister? You think she’s my biggest problem? I have a father who doesn’t hate me or love me because he doesn’t even see me,” East snaps.
“I know things aren’t that great at home,” I reply.
“It’s gotten worse. It’s like I did something to him that I don’t know about. And whatever I did, it’s something he will make me pay for until the end of time.”
“C’mon, man. You didn’t do anything. Your dad’s an asshole, plain and simple.”
“Your dad wasn’t. Every training session, and every parent teacher conference, he attended. And when it was held in the light and we weren’t allowed to come, he’d wait at the Pathway for you. He cares about you. We care about you.”
“I’m just trying to deal with this, okay?” I reply.
“No, you’re not trying to deal. You’re trying to forget. There’s a difference. Talk about it to someone.”
“I DON’T
NEED TO TELL ANYONE WHAT HAPPENED!” I shout.
“No, but maybe we need to hear it,” he counters.
“Forget I came to you,” I say as I start to walk away.
“Silver!” East shouts.
I turn and look back at him. He speaks in a pained voice.
“Everyone’s broken; some are just better at hiding the cracks...”
An hour later, after getting back to the house, I hear someone knock on my door. I run to open it, hoping East changed his mind and he was going to help me. However, the being behind the door isn’t East; it’s Pryor.
“Can I come in?” she asks.
“Yeah, sure,” I reply as I step out of the way and let her enter.
“I’m frustrated and lost,” she admits right off.
“I know Sam being gone hurts—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about you. Aaden, you really helped me in Ireland. And I want to help you in return, but it’s impossible when you’re not showing me the whole picture,” she says, unable to hide the strain in her voice.
“You don’t have to help me in return. I didn’t do it so that you could repay me,” I tell her.
“I know you didn’t, but I still want to—never mind. I know you have your reasons and they might be good ones but at the end of the day...it just puts a lot of space between us. Is that what you want?” she asks, sounding hurt.
“No, it’s not what I want.”
“Then what do you want?” she asks.
You. Always. You.
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I say out loud.
“Ruin knows more about your life than I do. I guess it’s different because she used to be your girl and I’m just your friend, but still...it’s really hard.”
“I’m not trying to make it hard, I swear..”
“Yeah, okay,” she says simply as she looks out the window.
She’s disappointed; I can tell by the way she avoids my eyes. I want to take her in my arms and tell her everything that’s happened.
Then tell her, you idiot.
No, I can’t. It’s better for her if she doesn’t know about the The Center and what they did to me.
