Heart of Stone: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Fallen Angel Book 1)

by Leo Romero

  The light attracted some of the others nearby. That and Eldrin standing there trembling, his hand covering his mouth. Before I knew what was happening, the music stopped dead. The entertainers stopped entertaining. Heads turned our way. Every creature around us was suddenly more interested in the glowing thing on Aurora’s wrist. They gathered around in a circle, pointing and muttering to one another, either nodding or shaking their heads.

  “Gabe...” Aurora said in a concerned voice, her wide eyes taking in everyone surrounding us as she backed up toward me.

  “It’s all right,” I told her. “They’re just playing!”

  “Call the guards!” someone screamed from somewhere.

  Oh crap!

  That call triggered a cacophony of noise and gesticulations. The crowd quickly turned into a rabble and they were hopping our way. A goblin leaped toward me, his already twisted face twisting even more. I pulled out Bam Bam and fired. A splat of magic water erupted out of her muzzle, hitting the goblin right in the face. He staggered in surprise, but that was about all it did. He wiped the water from his ugly face, which scrunched up in anger. “Glarb!” he blurted, shaking a fist at me.

  I glared at Bam Bam’s muzzle in disappointment. I’d forgot I’d just loaded her with aqua slugs. Next thing I knew there were hands on me. Bam Bam was torn from my grip. Excalibur was grabbed from my other hand and immediately clunked to the ground alongside the poor unfortunate who tried to wield it. Hands entered my pockets and relieved me of my Deck of Death. Even the Gauntlet of Agony was ripped from my waist. Hando wiggled his fingers on the air in protest, but it was too late.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aurora open up her mouth, about to give them a sonic blast.

  “Don’t!” I said, stopping her in her tracks. “Their magic is strong down here, they’ll put you down in a second.”

  Aurora got the message and closed up her mouth again. Green and gray hands grabbed hold of her wrists. “Hey, let go of me!” she protested.

  “Leave it, Aurora,” I said as my own hands were pulled behind my back and bound with magic. Now I was their prisoner. From within the throng came the fae guards armed with their magic blades. They strode up to me, clad in green armor, their chests puffed out, ready to accost me. One of them met me face on. Her green eyes studied me stern and hard.

  “Hi,” I said with a grin.

  She lifted her wand.

  I gulped. She then aimed it down at my feet, specifically at Excalibur. The sword tremored on the ground, then shot up into the air, levitated by her magic.

  “Follow me!” she ordered the other guards. She set off, the creatures gathered around clearing the way for her. I was shoved along behind her.

  “Where are they taking us?” Aurora asked as she was pushed forward.

  “To the Fae King,” the fae guard answered over her shoulder, Excalibur floating on the air ahead of her. “To be tried for treason.”

  Chapter 8

  Oh boy. I only went down to the Underworld for some frost salt and aqua slugs and now I was being dragged to the court of the Fae King. The Fae King ran the Chicago Underworld. And he was a cantankerous old bastard at the best of times. He hated insubordination, kinda like the Big Kahuna himself. I knew that talisman was something weird and now that I was dragged from my hopperbeast-ridden cage to the palace grounds, that same all-seeing eye motif was all around me emblazoned on flags, placards; it hummed on the air in spectral pixie dust. The royal insignia. I’d forgotten all about it. It had been so long since I was last down there, it had been sorta wiped from my memory banks.

  I grumbled to myself in irritation. Why the hell was Aurora wearing a talisman of the royal fae insignia anyways? She was just a siren. Okay, a siren with weird extra powers, we’ve already established that, but still where did she get that talisman?

  We were led through a vast cavern, which seemed to grow even larger the deeper we moved into it. Those all-seeing eyes were all around, watching us like Big Brother. I got chills running up and down my spine passing them. The palace sat in the distance, an ornate Disney-princess-type castle built into the far cave wall, imposing, dominant. An illusory, magical light shone down from the cave roof between the myriad of stalactites, illuminating it with a dusky, sun-like glow. Green-roofed turrets sprouted out of the body of the palace like mushrooms, sitting at differing heights from low at the front to high at the back. Some of the turret windows burned with candlelight, while others were as pitch as night. It stood alone in that giant cave, a palace fit for a king.

  Me and Aurora were dragged along the winding pathway leading up to the palace while the rabble followed behind, the fae guards forming a protective line with their shields held up to keep them in check. Man, that talisman on Aurora’s wrist had got em all riled up. I had no clue what was going on, but it didn’t look good for us. I caught Aurora’s stare. Her bottle-green eyes were quivering, her pink lips trembling. I prayed we got outta this one alive.

  We were escorted up to the front doors where more agitated guards were waiting for us. As we approached, the mighty oak doors creaked open and we were led inside the front hall along a carpet of red fawnberry petals. They crunched ever so slightly beneath our feet. The doors thudded shut behind us and the noise of the Underworld rabble was cut off.

  “Oh boy!” I said to myself with a sharp intake of breath. Inside the castle was standard fare. Stone walls adorned with stained glass depictions of the Fae King himself plundering the faraway realms of NeverEverVale before having them magicked over to the Chicago Underworld to sit alongside the sewers, declaring it the rightful home of the shunned, the creatures the Big Kahuna had turned his back upon. The Fae King liked nothing more than to mock the Big K, having his kingdom right beneath his nose, on his own planetary realm, right alongside his precious humans, without them even knowing. Satan could learn a thing or two from the Fae King on how to get under the Big Kahuna’s skin. This guy had it down. And as you can guess, yeah, the Fae King didn’t like angels too much. Anything to do with Heaven in fact. The good thing was he didn’t have much time for Hell either.

  Lined up along the vast hallway were trees with mahogany and azure trunks, twisted and gnarled. They grew right outta the floor, their roots rupturing the ancient stone. They glowed with pixie dust, swaying lightly on an unfelt breeze. Plump, exotic fruits hung tantalizingly from the ends of the branches alongside vibrant leaves of deep-violet, bubblegum pink, lime-green, jam-red. Above it all, exotic baubles dangled from the ceiling infused with feverish fireflies that exuded strong light, illuminating the whole hallway. Way up ahead at the end of the hall, which seemed a million miles away, was a giant throne carved from the trunk of a mighty oak tree. Sitting on it was the Fae King. He was leaning forward, chin resting in hand, elbow propped on his thigh, his other hand clamped on his other knee. Even from this far away, I could see his frown. He wasn’t happy. Oh joy!

  We trudged through the hallway, passing more of those depictions of the Fae King’s triumphs over his enemies. The guy had an ego. We passed more trees, ripe, exotic fruits like ultra-violet pears swaying on branches like globules of sugar candy, ready for eating. Tiny pixies swarmed around the leaves, leaving traces on the air as they tended to the trees and picked any ripened fruit. Sweet aromas of vanilla, spice, and all things nice permeated the air like incense. The fawnberry petals beneath our feet continued to crunch as we approached the Fae King, his very presence emanating in radiant waves something like an intense heartbeat.

  My own heartbeat was starting to intensify. Here I was being dragged in front of a one man judge and jury with my ass on the line. And no defense other than my wits. The hallway finally opened up into a cavernous chamber that appeared to grow bigger before my very eyes like an expanding cloud. A high ceiling glowed green, a massive over-elaborate depiction of the Fae King bare-chested, hands raised high above his head, glowered down at us, moving as if alive, the detail and vividness putting the Sistine Chapel in check. Ancient trees stood left
and right, their fruits glowing like lanterns, giving off radiances of different hues: fire-yellow, lightning-blue, moon-white. The floor was now mottled with a mix of fawnberry petals and curled autumnal Phraxus tree leaves. The crunch underfoot echoed with more intensity now as we were brought before the king.

  He remained as he was, studying us with his solid, emerald-green eyes, stroking his shaggy, sea-green beard, his chalk-white face stern. Tiny fairies danced around his mighty green mane, grooming him. If it was me, those things would annoy the hell outta me. My eyes fell on his rotund belly; it was popping out of a plaid shirt that was too tight for him, the lime-green tunic covering it bulging under the pressure. The old so and so liked his grub all right.

  We made it to the small steps leading up to his throne and were ordered to stop. I gave the king a grin and a nod.

  The Fae King let out a bored breath. “Gabriel Stone,” he boomed, his voice reverberating through the chamber and back again. The fairies dancing around his head came to a halt and hovered there.

  “Heya, Bracken,” I replied, giving him a toothy grin. “Long time no see.”

  King Bracken’s top lip curled up. “When I gave you access to my kingdom, it was on the proviso you didn’t cause any aggro. But, alas, all you angels are the same...”

  I shrugged. “And I’ve kept my word. Seriously. I dunno what all the fuss is about, your highness. I just came down here for some buffs for my weapons and your guards seemed to get all excited about something.”

  “Hmph!” Bracken grumbled in typical cantankerous fashion. He leaned forward in his seat, something having caught his attention. He jutted his neck out as he studied Aurora. “And what have we here?” he asked, flipping a finger at Aurora. One of the fairies began whispering something in his ear. Bracken listened intently. “Hmm… really? So. Yes...” he kept repeating, his solid-green eyes staying fixed on me and Aurora. “Is that so?” he said in an intrigued voice before rising to his feet, standing over seven feet tall. He glowered down at us both, hands on hips. He pointed at Aurora. “You. Show me your wrist!”

  A fae guard swiftly moved up behind her and untied her magical binds. Aurora gasped in relief as both her arms flopped by her sides. She glanced at me. I nodded back to her. “You better show him.”

  She tentatively pulled up her sleeve. An intense glow erupted from her wrist, causing me to squint. The King’s eyes widened, two massive green marbles. “Where did you get that?” he asked with a gasp.

  “I...” Aurora began and she glanced over at me again.

  I looked at the floor, my eyes swaying left and right. I thought it was best just to keep quiet at this juncture. Bracken looked agitated and that wasn’t good.

  “Speak, child!” Bracken ordered.

  “It was given to me at birth,” Aurora answered, kicking into life. “It was my mother’s.”

  “And where is your mother now?” the King asked.

  Aurora looked downward. “She died. During my birth.”

  Bracken turned his head to the side and glared at her sideways, his brow furrowed. “Was your mother a siren?”

  Aurora nodded. “Yes.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Sanatara.”

  Bracken’s back straightened and he flinched as if he’d been slapped. My eyes rolled from him to Aurora. She glanced at me. Something weird was going on here and I didn’t like it at all. Man, I knew that siren was trouble from the moment I saw her. I must have rocks in my head to put any trust in a siren.

  Without saying another word, the King came toward us, taking one step at a time like he was in a stupor, like he was daydreaming—or drunk. The whole time, he stared at Aurora, his white lips slightly parted. His footfalls echoed all around us. He reached Aurora and stood ahead of her, a giant towering over a munchkin. He glared down at her, while her head was turned up to meet him, her whole body trembling. I watched in anticipation, praying this turned out okay.

  “Many plaegons ago,” Bracken began, speaking down to her. “I went on an expedition to the Overworld. I was experiencing some kind of internal crisis and thought the change of scenery would do me good.” He took a deep breath. “While I was there, I made love to a siren up on the craggy rocks of Lake Michigan beneath the moonlight. But the way she wailed and whined was torture on my ears, so I never returned for more.” He sighed. “Her name was Sanatara.”

  My jaw dropped. Aurora’s mouth became a small O.

  Bracken nodded. “I handed her a talisman such as the one around your wrist for luck and blessings. Felt rather bad for leaving her in that way.” He reached down with both hands, placing his snow-white fingers in her hair. He delicately pushed it back, exposing her ears.

  Oh man, I groaned to myself, spinning away in frustration. Her ears were slightly pointy like she was a damn Vulcan. Fae ears. Man, I wish I’d checked her ears when I first met her. I’d have ID’d her as a fae in the blink of an eye. She kept that one well hidden, the sneaky so and so!

  Bracken nodded. “My daughter,” he said, cupping a tender hand on her cheek. Aqua-blue tears welled in his green eyes. “You are my daughter. And you’ve returned.”

  I sighed. Now I knew how Aurora could lift Excalibur. She had divine blood in her. Bracken’s royal blood no less. She smiled up at her father, a thin, but loving smile. Who knew what was going through her head right then. Whatever it was, it was bound to be filled with confusion. The King placed his hands on her shoulders. He hesitated and then pulled her into him. Aurora wrapped her small arms around his huge legs, her cheek pressed on his thigh. Tears squeezed from between her closed eyelids and ran down her face.

  “The trauma of giving birth to one of fae blood killed your mother,” Bracken said down to her as he gripped her tight. “I’m deeply sorry.”

  More tears sprang outta Aurora’s eyes. Bracken briefly pulled her in tighter while he fought back his own tears, staring out ahead somewhere, contemplative. He finally released her and whirled away toward his guards. “Let it be known, that from this day forth, my daughter will be heir to my throne!”

  The guards all fell to one knee and bowed their heads. I remained on my feet, looking around them like a dumbo.

  Bracken then turned his attention to me. “And you! What have you been exposing my daughter to?” he growled.

  My eyes widened in surprise. “Me? Nothing! I’ve been looking after her.”

  “Lies!” Bracken spat. “You wanted to bring harm to the heir to the throne.”

  My face scrunched up in anger. “Like hell I did! I mean, okay, we got off to a rocky start, but she’s a good kid, and I reunited her with you didn’t I?”

  “Please, Father,” Aurora said, getting into the father-daughter thing real easy. “Gabriel saved me from the clutches of frog, hog and bog monsters.”

  “That’s right! You tell him, A!” I said with a firm nod.

  “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be a plaything for those foul creatures.”

  “Damn straight!” I added.

  Bracken gazed around, hands on hips. His mind was ticking over. I knew he hated anything to do with Heaven and all its agents and just tolerated some of us down here to do business, so this was on a knife edge. The only saving grace I had was Aurora, the half-siren, half-fae Dark Bearer.

  Bracken looked past me at his guards. “Guards. Take my daughter to the Jade Spire and prepare her living quarters for her.”

  The guards nodded their heads in understanding.

  Bracken whirled around to face me. “And as for you, StoneAngel...” He glared down at me with a snarl tattooed on his face.

  I gulped. “Yeah?”

  “Guards, take this fallen angel to the privy gaols where he’ll be imprisoned for treason!”

  Oh crap!

  Aurora gasped. “No, Father. Gabriel has done nothing wrong!”

  Bracken threw a finger her way. “Silence!” he boomed.

  Aurora went to speak again and no words came out of her mouth. She frowned in confusion. She o
pened up her mouth to let out a siren blast and nada. She stared at her hands in horror. I nodded to myself. Silencing spell. In the Underworld, the Fae King’s magic was supreme. No one could touch it.

  “Take her away,” he ordered, suddenly going all militant on everyone, even his long-lost daughter. Two guards went over to Aurora, while she continued to talk soundlessly. The guards dragged her away.

  She mouthed the word ‘Stone!’ at me as she went past. ‘Help!’

  I shrugged in response. “Nothing I can do, kid.”

  She whipped her head back around, still shouting my name, but without a decibel of noise. They led her out of the chamber through an oak door and that was that.

  Now I was on my own. There was nothing for it, I needed to talk my way outta this. I faced Bracken. But before I could get a word out, Bracken turned his back on me.

  “Grab him!” he ordered with a flip of his hand before heading back for his throne.

  A couple of guards snatched an arm each and I instinctively tried to shrug them off. If I ended up rotting in a cell, Beelzebub would still be running around town looking for the Gauntlet of Agony and Aurora. There was only one thing for it, one last desperate throw of the dice.

  “Look, Bracken, I know how we can sort this out!” I blurted as he slumped back down in his throne.

  He looked my way. “What now?”

  I put on a grin. “How about a game of cards? If I win, you let me go. If I lose, you throw me in jail. How does that sound?”

  Bracken became still. He arched a brow. “Cards?” he echoed, his voice laced with intrigue.

  I bit my bottom lip and nodded slow. “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

  Bracken’s eyes widened briefly. He licked his lips and began stroking his beard. I knew he was a sucker for gambling. Every guy was, you just needed to give em a little push in the right direction. I grinned, raising my eyebrows. I almost had him. The cogs of intrigue were whirring in his mind. He wanted a game, he knew it, I knew it, the whole Chicago Underworld knew it. He pouted his lips, a faint smile at the corners. He was ready to bite. My eyes widened in anticipation. My heart picked up pace as my hopes rose.