"What are they going to think of me?" Hare turns and asks me with fear coating his face.
"Who cares?" I answer back, nudging him to keep going. Before he can get to the door, I open it for him, and he steps through reluctantly. There's really only one way to the court, so I don't bother directing him.
We walk, much too slow for my liking, through the snakelike hallways until it dumps us in the court. This is my least favorite room in the castle, even more so than the foyer.
The only thing I can sort of compare it to is an amphitheater on Earth. There's seating for thousands, which start at the floor and move up near the high-scooped ceiling. There's a small, or at least it appears small from where we come in, stage on the ground that has two tables with chairs set up. That's where the weekly delegations happen.
"I have to talk down there?" Hare squeals.
"Nobody will be here, don't worry. It's just the seven of us. They're big on traditions." I grab his arm and pull him down the steps with me. When it's taking too long, I lift him and fly us down. Within a snap of a wing, we're there. I can't stand the slowness of walking, especially when I'm nervously anticipating this meeting.
"Someone's inpatient," Hare grumbles as I put him down on the ground next to the stage. I laugh under my breath. I like that he doesn't know who I am. Most people don't speak to me that way. Ever.
"Micha?" Saraquel yells right before I feel her enter. "Where were you?" she asks as she flies onto the stage. Everyone says she's perfect, and I used to believe that. She's the perfect creation with waist long, blonde hair and golden eyes, but she's cold and hard. She acts like she owns me, and it makes me resent her. But we're mated and that's final.
"I have news," I tell her, flying up beside her. I realize as I land that I left Hare down below and when I glance back, he has his leg on the stage and is trying to hoist himself up. I stifle my smile as I reach down to lift him up.
"What is that?" Sara sneers at Hare with disgust laced in her voice and on her face.
"The name's Hare," he says, stepping towards her. He holds out his hand like humans do in greeting and Sara just glares down at him. "Or not," he says as he steps back beside me, shoving his hand into his jean pocket.
"What is the news?" Sara asks, returning her curious gaze to me.
"I need all the Archers. Where are they?" I ask her, looking left and right to decipher where they are. Before I can call for them, Sara whistles with her fingers in her mouth, and I can hear the Archers scrambling from the floors above us.
"I'm here, I'm here." Gabriel comes into the room and sits in his usual spot. "Did I miss anything?" he asks as he kicks his feet up on the wooden table and leans back, his hands clasped behind his head.
"Just the fact that he brought a halfling here," Sara basically growls.
"What?" Gabe shoots up in his seat and looks over at Hare and I. Hare raises his hand as if showing that he's the halfling, and Gabe smiles. "Well, this should be interesting, friend."
"Where are the others?" I ask them, annoyed that they're taking this long to get here. Finally, a heartbeat later, the other four fly into the room and sit beside Gabe at the table.
It's always the same order. The three brothers, Raphael, Raguel and Remiel all sit at the left end together—in that order. Sometimes, I still have trouble telling them apart. If it weren't for the fact that Remi cut all his hair off, he'd look like the others, but he's different now.
Uriel sits on Gabe's right side. I have to admit that, at times, I'm jealous of their relationship. They're not brothers, but they act like it in more ways than one. Gabe's my best friend, loyal to the core, and I just have to remind myself of that.
I sit at the far right end, next to Sara, my mate. I like to mix it up from time to time and switch seats with her so that I can be next to Gabe, but she hates that. She gets so mad at us that she'll go mute for a week at a time to teach me a lesson. She's coldhearted.
Sara moves over to the table and sits beside Gabe, my spot at the end vacant. I step towards them, mentally preparing myself for what's about to happen. I motion behind me for Hare to step next to me and he just barely moves. I'm sure he's nervous but now isn't the time for that. We have to get this done fast so we can save sweet Annie from the Lower Veil.
"I went to Earth to check on Annie," I reveal to them. Sara widens her eyes and leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest in defense. Gabe side glances at her and then looks back up at me, his eyes wide but in a completely different way: he's amused.
"I had a bad feeling about what was going on, so I went to check on her. My thoughts were justified. She got involved with demon hunting and discovered a place called the sanctuary, where halflings were hunting escaped Demons.
"I tried to get her to stop, but she changed from when we left her. She hates the Angels now and refused to trust me or listen to reason. I followed her on a hunt, and she was with Luke." Uriel gasps and covers his mouth with his hands, but I continue on. "He created a portal to the Lower Veil right in the center of the city and took Annie with him down. I went to the sanctuary to figure out anything and found Hare tied up in the closet." I look back and nod for Hare to begin his part of the story.
"Hi," Hare says, waving his hand to the Archers in front of him. I step aside so that he has the floor and pray that he explains himself well. I need him to convince them to help on Earth. "I'm a Nephalem, or what you call a halfling. I grew up in the sanctuary and—"
"Just tell us what you know of Luke," Remi says.
"Sure, um…" He pauses and takes a deep, audible breath. "A few weeks ago, I was rummaging through Luke's things. He had this fascination with Annie from the second my sister and I found her getting attacked by a Demon. I wanted to know why since I liked Annie." My heart picks up on hearing that Annie was attacked. It must have been shortly after I left her on earth. This is my fault.
"I knew this other Angel from the Veil that was banished when I was a child. She came to the sanctuary and then a week later, we never saw her again. I was afraid that was going to happen again, so I snooped.
"I found this elaborate plan to take over Earth. I discovered that our leader, we knew him as Luke, was a Demon. Well, he's the king of Demons. I went to confront him. I thought the sanctuary was safe. It's all I ever knew, so when I found out that he was just using us to tame his Demons and become a part of his army, I became livid.
"I waited in his office yesterday after I finally conjured up the courage to confront him. I was hoping it was just a plan or a joke or something he dreamed of but wasn't going to follow through on. But when I told Luke that I knew, he admitted it all. He said that this was just the beginning and now that I knew, he had to act fast before the others caught on.
"He had a Demon tie me up, beat me, and then shoved me in the closet. I thought I was going to die in there. He said the only reason I was alive was so that he'd have fun finding me when they came to Earth."
"Wait a second," Gabe says, holding up his hand and stopping Hare. "Lucifer, ruler of the Lower Veil, is creating an army filled with halflings and Demons to take over Earth?"
"Yes," I answer for Hare.
"This is absurd!" Raquel shouts from his seat. He bangs his hand on the table to drive his point home.
"We have to act. Otherwise Earth will fall. This is our job!" I yell when I can see that the Archers aren't convinced. I can see the hesitation in their angry eyes.
"You want us to act so you can get your little play toy back," Sara snarls, her words venomous.
"That's not true!" I yell back at them.
"Guys, relax. Just be quiet so I can think." Gabe shuts everyone up. The room falls to silence as I eagerly wait for someone to defend me. My only shot is Gabe, but despite the fact that he's loyal, he's also smart, so I don't know what he'll say.
"Listen, Micha. I understand that you liked the girl, but we can't let that alter our decisions," Raguel says, meeting my gaze.
"I don't want it to. This isn't ev
en about her. This is about the fact that our job is to protect Earth. We know Luke is creating an army to take it over. We have to act before he does."
"We can't let it tip the balance. As long as there's no threat to the Veil, I don't think we can act," Uriel says. He rummages through his bag on the floor and pulls out a thick book. He starts flipping through it, but I can't wait for him to find the rules.
"How do you know he'll stop at Earth? Once he's claimed it, he'll move right up here," I say.
"Impossible," Sara states, her eyes hard on mine.
"So, you all refuse to help me?" I ask them all, pleading to get at least someone on my side. But, everyone nods his or her refusal, except Gabe, who just sits there stone-faced, refusing to make eye contact with me like a coward.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Preparations
I fly Hare out of that room as fast as possible. They're not going to change their mind. I fly us up into my chambers so I can prepare. I guess it's just Hare and I against the world and right now, I don't even care. Those Archers are supposed to be my family, but right now, they're nothing.
I would support any one of them and the fact that my allegiance is one-sided makes me sick.
I place Hare next to the door and he stumbles with the rough drop. I move from cabinet to cabinet, gathering all of my belongings. I've never been to the Lower Veil, but I'm sure I'll need this stuff.
I grab my swords, my knives, and any weapon I can find, ancient or not. I know Hare doesn't have anything, so I try to grab things he can use also. It's difficult because the tools are heavy, but I do my best. He'll need it.
"Are you okay?" Hare asks from where he still stands, leaning against the frame.
"I'm fine," I mutter back, waving him off.
"Are we still going to save her?" he asks, stepping closer now.
"Yes." As I throw the last of my things into a bag, a thought occurs to me. "Do you eat?" I ask him.
"Yeah, I do."
"We'll have to find you food to pack. I don't know how long this will be," I tell him, frantic. I zip my bag up and throw it over my left shoulder. I look around to make sure that I didn't miss anything when my chamber door opens, revealing Gabriel.
"I'm sorry," he says, stepping in and shutting the door behind him.
"Listen, we really have to go." I don't even look at him. I can't. I don't want to see what he's feeling because I don't care. I never ask for anything from the Archers. I've always done exactly what I'm told. The one time I ask, I'm shot down.
Gabe comes to me and puts both of his hands on my shoulders, squaring us so we're facing each other. I look down at my feet, because I don't want to see him. But he forces my gaze up so we're staring at each other, just white air separating us.
"I'm coming," he says, a small smile hiding on his lips.
"You're lying," I tell him, not believing his words. I quirk my head to the side and roll my eyes because if this is his idea of a joke, he's way off base.
"I trust you. If you want to do this, then I'll be beside you. I just couldn't say it in front of the others. They don't need to know your plan." But all I needed to hear was that he'd be beside me. I hug him, thanking him.
"Thanks!" Hare yells from the doorway, waving his arm around.
"He's coming?" Gabe asks, widening his eyes at the halfling.
"Yup," I answer back, smiling at Hare. I hate to admit it, but he's kind of growing on me.
"Give me five minutes to prepare, and then we can go. You're holding the kid, though." He chuckles and then exits the same way he came.
"We did it!" Hare exclaims excitedly, clapping his hands and jumping up and down.
"We may not have gotten seven, but we got one. Not too bad if you ask me," I say and then lift my bag and Hare.
"I'd rather have a piece of pie than the whole thing anyway."
"That doesn't make sense," I tell Hare, trying to understand his bizarre humor.
"Yeah, it does. You know if you eat the whole pie, you get sick. One piece is just enough," he says as I hoist him onto my shoulder.
"Whatever you say, halfling," I laugh under my breath. I fly us down the stairs and search the kitchen on the bottom floor. It's only stocked when tours come around. They try to make it as authentic as possible. The food ends up going bad most of the time anyway.
"You know, we don't like to be called halflings," Hare says as I chuck random foods into the bag. I find things in cans so that the weapons don't hurt the food.
"Why not?" I ask him, not realizing that.
"It has a bad connotation. We like Nephalem. Or you can just call me Hare. I like my name," he says, now going into the cabinet and getting his own things.
"Sorry," I apologize.
"No problem," he answers. "Just warning you in case you meet another one of us. I know Annie doesn't like to be called it. That and Angel really tick her off."
"She hates being called Angel?" I question. I stop what I'm doing and face Hare. The expression on my face must be intense, because Hare looks a bit taken aback.
"Well, sort of. Luke calls her it all the time and she says she hates Angels and all that." I look down and realize how much has changed. Annie must hate me. And I just walked into her life, turning it upside down. "Can you blame her?" Hare asks.
"I suppose not," I answer him, depressed.
"We did banish her," Gabe yells from the hallway.
"Not us personally," I retort, rolling my eyes.
"Same thing. I'm sure she just associates us all together."
"Once you save her, I'm sure she'll forgive you," Hare says, trying to lighten my mood.
"You're right," I say under my breath.
"We ready?" Gabe asks, opening the door so I can see his own black bag on his back.
"Yes," I answer, dropping my bad mood and focusing solely on the task at hand. Save Annie, worry about how she feels about me later. As long as she's safe, she can hate me forever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Into The Hold
Annie's apartment is exactly as we left it, almost eerily so. But the penthouse suite gives us a perfect vantage point to watch the portal. It's grown in diameter since I left it.
Or maybe it just seems that way because hoards of people congregate around it. The police must've lined it in yellow tape, because all the people are stuck outside of the circle. Reporters talk in front of cameras excitedly, while photographers click away at the strange hole in the ground.
As I watch from the high perch, I see some new people in black cars roll up to the hole. They exit their car with bags in their gloved hands. Their outfits and demeanors make them look like police, but they're examining the torn up gravel and inspecting the portal.
Gabe and I should be able to break through the wall. Despite Luke's power being unheard of and stronger than any other Angel, fallen or not, it's been over a day. The shield should drop, especially if he's planning to bring all his Demons to Earth.
I climb back into the apartment and watch Hare pace around Annie's apartment. His fingers jitter around, grabbing his pants and then clasping together. I feel bad for the poor kid.
"I think it might be good for you to stay here and take watch." I decide to give him a way out. He doesn't need to come with us. He'll only get hurt down there or get in the way.
"No way, I'm coming," he answers immediately.
"You don't have to. It's okay for you to stay. We could use someone watching Earth for us."
"I said, I'm coming," he states, looking up from the floor to connect with me. His eyes are hard, serious, and stubborn. "My sister is down there. I have to make sure that she's okay"
"How did she get in the Lower Veil?" I ask him, turning and staring out the window.
"She chose to follow," he reveals.
"I'm sorry," I tell him. I'm not sure if I should be sorry, but it seems as if Hare needed to hear it. I don't think his sister following a Demon was expected.
"I just want to make sure she's okay an
d then I can let her go," he answers, nodding his head to himself.
"I understand," I tell him. "Why don't you rest? I'll wake you when it's clear."
"Promise?" he asks as he stands from the couch.
"Promise."
"Aren't you two just the cutest things ever?" I roll my eyes at Gabe as he steps into the living area. He paces the room, stopping and touching everything. I can tell his nerves are on full alert. Hare retreats into Annie's room. When it's just Gabe and I in the room, I have a feeling he's going to question me. I sit on her sofa and as Gabe sits down across from me, I know he's going to.
"What does she mean to you?" he asks me, skipping right over pleasantries.
"I don't even know. She hates me, so it doesn't matter, but I just can't sit back and let her die. She's special," I tell him.
"You love her?"
"I could."
"What about Saraquel?" Gabe asks, placing his hand on my shoulder. He squeezes it comfortingly, and I think he's the only person who can actually make me feel better. Probably because I trust him.
"What about her?" I ask back.
"She's your mate. You can't throw that away. Rem chose you two. I don't think that can change."
"You don't think I know that?" I ask, his words cutting me deep. I stand and move towards the kitchen, pacing to get rid of some of my frustration.
"Relax, Micha. I'm just saying, once you save her, don't expect to ride off into the sunset." Gabe turns so his body is facing me but doesn't bother to come to my side.
"If we save her."
"Right." He pauses, running his hand through his hair. "There's no happily ever after. She's a human: you're an Archer. She'll stay on Earth and you'll go back to the Veil. There's nothing you can do."
"I know that. I do." I rest my elbows on the kitchen counter and stare at Gabe. I do know that we'd never be anything. It's impossible for us to have anything, even friendship, but for some reason, I still want it. I'd fight for it.
"What's that face for?" Gabe asks, narrowing his eyes on me. "You'd give it all up, wouldn't you, Micha? You'd give up your powers and wings for a girl?" I pause, because I don't know if I would. I could never live on Earth. I could never be powerless. I don't think. "You paused. That says enough."
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