by David Estes
She could tell that Dionysus recognized the gleam in her eyes. Even as she fired her weapon, he was yelling, “FLYYYYY!”
A heavy beam of light burst from Taylor’s outstretched hands, colliding with the group of Archangels and angel guards, immediately vaporizing them. A lucky few were able to react to Dionysus’s scream fast enough and shot into the sky and away from Taylor, racing back towards the angels’ mountain.
During the melee, Cassie had evidently taken it upon herself to protect David Knight, and now stood on the edge of the plateau with her arm around the boy. Her mouth gaped open at the sight of the destruction caused by the human girl. Like a statue, she was frozen in place. Before Taylor could aim again, Dionysus ran to Cassie and David, picked each of them up with a different arm, and soared into the evening sky.
Taylor’s first instinct was to chase them, to finish what she had started. The energy pulsing through her veins was intoxicating. She felt powerful, invincible, as she continued to hover in the air, her wings instinctively waving up and down using some new muscle. Her senses were heightened as well. She could see a bat sliding noiselessly through the air. She watched, mesmerized that she was able to ascertain the most intricate details of its tiny wings. The texture, the color, even the veins. And she could hear its breathing, shallow and quick. A strange throbbing sound pulsed in her eardrum. What was that? It hit her—it was the bat’s heartbeat. Amazing! Then she realized that the bat was at least ten mountains to the west, probably about five miles away.
All of these thoughts went through Taylor’s brain in mere seconds, as even her ability to think was heightened. She found that she could now process thousands of sensory and logical inputs simultaneously.
Someone groaned.
Abruptly, her wings retracted and she dropped to the ground, landing easily on both feet. Gabriel looked like he was dying; his face was ashen and his eyes closed. In reality, he was slipping into a coma, a result of the demon blade that David had pushed deep into his leg. But Taylor didn’t know that. She just thought that she was about to lose the only thing that truly mattered in her world.
But somehow she knew that she could help him. Placing her still-glowing hands on his head, she moved her lips as if to speak, but said nothing. Her hands brightened. The light from her hands was seemingly transfused into Gabriel’s head, and then crept slowly along his scalp, onto his cheeks, down his neck, and along his bare chest. The knife popped out of his leg and thumped to the ground, scattering dust particles.
It was a day of extremes. Unexpectedly, Taylor felt weak, like she was sick with a bad case of the flu. Unable to hold herself up to even kneel, she toppled over and lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Was she dying? Or maybe she was already dead. She couldn’t have possibly become an angel unless she was dead.
Gabriel groaned again, but this time it was different. Not an I-think-I-might-be-dying kind of groan like before, but more like an I-was-hurt-but-might-be-recovering type of groan. Taylor tried to lift her head to look at him, but couldn’t seem to find the strength.
She heard, “Taylor, Taylor?” A hand shook her. She opened her eyes to see Gabriel’s beautiful blue eyes looking at her anxiously. “Are you hurt, Taylor?”
“I don’t think so, just tired,” she replied.
A relieved smile crossed Gabriel’s face. “What happened?”
“I’m not really sure exactly. And if I told you, I don’t think you’d believe me anyway.”
“My family?”
“Fine, I think. Back at the Lair. Chris saved them.”
“And David?”
Taylor frowned. She shook her head. “With Dionysus,” she said simply.
A sudden memory seemed to flash across Gabriel’s face, his eyes widening. He said, “David—he cut me. It was a demon’s blade. I feel great, but how?”
“I think I healed you.”
Gabriel gazed at his girlfriend in awe. “Just when I think you can’t surprise me anymore…,” he said. “You’ll have to tell me all about it later, once you’ve rested.”
“I will, I promise.”
Gabriel reached out and touched Taylor’s head. “Taylor, your hair,” he said.
“What?” He lifted a lock of Taylor’s hair and moved it in front of her face so she could see it. It was white. Frantically, Taylor grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled it in front of her eyes. Still good old brown, thank God. Strange, she thought. “Just one lock?” she asked.
Gabriel nodded. Taylor wondered what other changes she had undergone. She started to get up, but Gabriel stopped her. “Taylor, I think you need to rest.”
“I’m fine. Really,” she insisted.
Gabriel helped her to her feet. Taylor was feeling strong again already. If she was really an angel, then she would recover much quicker than when she was a human.
At that moment, dozens of demons began appearing around them, one by one. There was one human, too. “Sam!” Taylor exclaimed.
Sam approached them, holding Chris’s hand. “Thank you for not dying, Tay,” she said with a smile. The best friends embraced; their hug was long and warm. A little more warm than Sam expected. “Taylor, are you feeling alright? You’re burning up.”
“You didn’t tell her?” Taylor asked Kiren, who had just approached the group.
“Tell her what?” Sam, Gabriel, and Chris said simultaneously.
Kiren shrugged. “I thought you would want to do it yourself.”
Looking embarrassed, Taylor said, “Well, the thing is…it’s kind of a funny story, really. It seems that I might not be…fully…human…anymore.”
Gabriel was looking at her strangely, like he didn’t understand. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to recognize the truth immediately. “Let me see your wings!” she said in excitement.
Still looking sheepish, Taylor put her arms around Gabriel’s neck and kissed him on the lips. When she pulled away, she asked, “If I show you something, do you promise not to run away screaming?” Her words were identical to the words he had used not so long ago when he showed her something miraculous.
“I promise,” he said.
The words had barely escaped his lips before her beautiful brand new fifth and sixth appendages shot from her back and extended over her head. They shimmered in the moonlight, as if a million diamonds covered them.
“Wow!” Sam exclaimed. “They’re perfect. And I like the hair, too. It fits in with your punk look.”
Despite being ready to witness the impossible, Gabriel appeared awestruck. “Tay, they’re amazing.” He walked over to inspect them.
“No better than any other angels’ wings,” Taylor noted.
Gabriel ran his hand along the feathers. “Actually, I think they’re far superior to any wings I’ve seen before.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re different than mine. They seem bigger and stronger, yet lighter than other angels’ wings. Here, let me show you.” With a pop, Gabriel’s own set of beautiful wings extended. He compared them to hers. Next to Taylor’s, his wings seemed basic and boring, like the old model of a newly redesigned car.
“Wow!” Sam said again. “Yours are so much nicer. No offense, Gabriel.”
“But why?” Taylor asked.
“I don’t have the slightest idea,” Gabriel said. “It almost seems like a miracle.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
The last three days had been peaceful. Sure, there were massive celebration parties, dozens of meetings, and plenty of games of pool, but compared to the last week it couldn’t have been any more relaxing. There was also a lot of catching up to do. Gabriel introduced Taylor to his family members and they immediately welcomed her as a friend. They had already seen her dedication to Gabriel when she willingly offered to sacrifice herself to save him. A few tears were shed when they talked about David and the choices he had made, but overall the feeling amongst Taylor and her friends was happiness, pure and unchained.
Clifford, of course, requested a full
briefing of the events. Upon meeting with the Elders, the first part of the story was told by the Knights, who were the only eye witnesses to their own abduction. Next, Gabriel picked up the story from his rescue attempt to the point where he blacked out. Then, the Elders and their guests all listened in fascination while Taylor recounted the rest of the incredible story. Initially, Clifford was angry for being disobeyed, but when he recognized the extreme bravery that they had all demonstrated, he was quick to forgive and forget.
“Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary,” he said. “This is only the third example of significant human evolution in the last two thousand years. First, the Demon Evolution. Then, the Angel Evolution. Now, this. I don’t even know what to call it. We will have to study her.”
“Not so fast, Dr. Frankenstein,” Gabriel interjected. “She’s not some kind of lab rat, you know.”
“It’s okay, Gabriel,” Taylor said. “I’m willing to have a few tests run to see what can be learned from me. I’m curious myself.”
“As long as I am present for all tests,” Gabriel demanded.
“Of course, of course,” Clifford said, throwing his hands up defensively. “There will be time to discuss the details. For now, I just want to congratulate you all on what you have accomplished. We all believed it was a dire situation, one that would likely result in the loss of many lives. While that is true, they were all enemy lives and thanks to Taylor, the angel leadership has never been weaker. They have lost many Archangels.”
Taylor squirmed in her seat. She wasn’t comfortable with the fact that she had killed so many angels…again. It seemed like every few days her weapon caused many deaths. It wasn’t that she believed her actions were unjustified, because she knew they were. She just hated thinking about it; it made her nauseous.
Clifford continued: “In any case, in just a few days our guests of honor, Taylor and Samantha, will be leaving us.”
“What?!” Taylor yelled. “I’m an angel now, I’m not going anywhere.”
“My dear, I appreciate your position, but you still have a human family. And until they know the truth, you still have obligations to them.”
Taylor had forgotten about her father. But how could she tell her dad something this big? Hi, Dad, I’m home! I had a great time playing pool, hanging out with Sam, and oh, by the way, I saved the demons from destruction and evolved into an angel while I was away, too. Not a conversation she was itching to have anytime soon. She knew Clifford was right.
“Okay, but will we be safe?” She said “we”, but really she meant Sam. Now that Taylor was an angel, and a powerful one at that, she felt like she could protect herself.
“We are planning on giving you some really good escorts, you might know them. Gabriel and Chris will be attending UT with you next semester.”
Taylor smiled, and happiness filled her. Looking down the table at Sam she could see that her friend was feeling the same way—she was absolutely beaming, her arm wrapped around Christopher. Taylor turned back to Gabriel who had put his arm around her; she stretched up to kiss him. As their lips met, she heard the applause of the entire panel of Elders. She knew that not only were they cheering for her and for Gabriel, but also for the fact that good had prevailed once again.
She began to daydream of the next few months: being back at school with Gabriel, lazy days on the school lawn, skipping class and playing pool with her friends. Maybe going back to the human world was just what she needed. A relaxing semester at college with the love of her life and her friends sounded pretty good all of a sudden.
If only.
Chapter Sixty-Three
“DAMMIT!!!” he roared, tossing tables, chairs and anything else he could get his hands on across the room. Each piece of furniture that he launched smashed against the wall or the floor and crumbled on impact.
David seemed to be cowering in the corner, while Cassandra did her best to protect him from the carnage. Three other Archangels were trying to subdue their leader. They were the last living Archangels. “Calm yourself, Dionysus,” Johanna said firmly. “You’re scaring the boy.”
For some reason, these words got his attention. In mid-throw, he froze, a plush, white ottoman dangling from his fingers over his head. Dionysus gazed across the room at the boy, who was a miniature version of his greatest enemy. “Ahh, David,” he said soothingly. “I’m sorry I lost my temper, David.”
David peeked out from behind Cassie. “No problem, my lord. I understand.” To everyone’s surprise, David was calm and collected. He didn’t look scared at all. On the contrary, his face was confident, emotionless.
Pacified, Dionysus asked, “What do you make of all of this, David?”
“It was a bad loss, my lord. Probably the worst we have ever seen. But all is not lost. We can still prevail.” His voice sounded older somehow.
Dionysus marveled at the strength of the young boy. He had the same strength that he had seen in Gabriel long ago, the same strength that he saw in himself. “You are wise, David. What must we do?”
David didn’t seem surprised that Dionysus was asking his opinion on strategy. It was like he had matured ten years over the course of the day. He was changed, somehow. “We must crush them.”
The boy said it with such malice, such contempt, that even Dionysus felt an involuntary shudder pass through him. Dionysus smiled. “We will crush them, David. And you will help us do it.”
###
The saga continues in other books by David Estes available through the author’s official website:
http://davidestes100.blogspot.com
or through select online retailers including Smashwords.com.
The Evolution Trilogy by David Estes:
Book One—Angel Evolution
Book Two—Demon Evolution
Book Three—Archangel Evolution
Connect with Me Online
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Estes/130852990343920
My blog: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/davidestes100
About the Author
After growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Estes moved to Sydney, Australia where he lives with his wife, Adele. When he’s not writing, he’s enjoying the sun and surf at Manly Beach.
Table of Contents
Book Two of the
PART I
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
PART II
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
<
br /> Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
