The Noru 6: Rise Of The Alago

by Lola StVil

  “Yes.”

  “The human who couldn’t stand angels so much he resigned?”

  “He’s not a bad guy. He just…after my mom got sick, he went from disliking angels to outright hate. It’s almost like he blamed them, but I don’t know why. It’s not like angels gave my mom stage four cancer. I tried to reason with him. I tried to explain all the good angels had done in the world, but he still insisted that I stay away from the angel world. I couldn’t tell him about us. He’d lose it.”

  “That explains why you lied to your dad. Why did you lie to me?”

  “I thought you’d reject me if you knew who my dad was. And as far as the Silver thing goes, you two were already bumping heads, I didn’t want to make things worse,” she admits.

  “You didn’t think I could handle being the second guy you slept with?”

  “Well…”

  “I don’t care about that. You have a past, Mel. We all do. And as far as sleeping with Silver, as long as it’s in the past, I’m good with it.”

  “Wait, you are?” she says, stunned.

  “Yes. And just because your dad is a jerk doesn’t mean you should be seen as one too.”

  “Really! Oh, thank you. I’m so glad,” she says. We watch from the banister as Melody’s shadow moves towards East. I’m guessing she’s hugging him tightly.

  “I thought you’d hate me,” she says, relieved.

  “I don’t hate you. I’m just…sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry?” she asks.

  “Because while I can forgive your past and who you’re related to, I can’t forgive you for lying to me.”

  “East, I told you I was scared you’d break things off.”

  “Mel, I told you about the things my stepdad did to me. I told you about the times he beat me so bad, I wanted to die. I told you about the time I actually tried to die. I never revealed that to anyone. Not one living soul. But I opened up to you because that was the rule. That was the only rule: open book. And you looked me in the face and lied. That, I cannot forgive.”

  “East, I love you. I’m sorry. Please don’t do this,” she begs.

  “Good-bye, Melody.”

  “East, wait!” she says as latches on to him.

  “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER,” someone says as they burst into the living room.

  We all rush down the steps and find Melody’s father, Alex, tackling Easton. The two of them roll around on the floor. East is trying not to hurt him, but it’s hard to resist because Alex is wielding a curved twelve-inch dagger with spikes on either side of it.

  “Dad, what are you doing? Stop it!” Melody pleads.

  “I don’t want to hurt you; stop it,” East shouts.

  Melody tries to stop the fight by putting herself in between them. I signal to Swoop, who snatches Melody and does a series of flips to get her out of harm’s way. I go to pull the two of them away, but Aaden stops me.

  “Pry, look!” he says, signaling towards the weapon in Alex’s hand. That’s when I get a good look at the tip of Alex’s dagger. The tip is hollow. That can only mean one thing: He has inserted a soul chaser inside the knife. If that knife makes contact with Easton’s skin, it will proceed to suck the soul out of him and kill him in a matter of seconds.

  “East, you need to get him away from you,” Swoop shouts to her cousin.

  “I’m not killing a human,” East says.

  “His dagger has a soul-chaser point. It touches you, you die. I’m not losing any more members of this team. Kill him or injure him. I don’t care, but get him off of you, now!” I order.

  East manages to get the upper hand, but in order to do so he has to administer a powerful blow to Alex’s ribcage. Alex drops the dagger, and East wraps his lasso around him. Aaden throws a Holder towards East, who places it around Alex. A few seconds later, Alex is inside the bubble-like prison, writhing in pain.

  “No! Dad, are you okay?” Melody shouts as she runs over to the Holder.

  “Sorry, he wouldn’t stop attacking me,” East says.

  “He wasn’t going to hurt you. You didn’t have to break his ribs! He needs to get to a hospital,” Melody cries.

  “We’ll be happy to get him help,” I reply.

  “I don’t want anything from your kind,” Alex spits as he tries to stand up.

  “Daddy, let them help you,” Mel begs.

  “No, no, the hell with him and his kind. How could you be here with him?” Alex asks her.

  “His name is Easton, and he didn’t mean to hurt you,” Mel replies.

  “That’s bullshit! Every single angel I’ve ever met has caused us harm. His kind is a plague on the world.”

  “What the hell happened to you? Your family used to work alongside ours,” I remind him.

  “Yeah, and that was a mistake. Angels are a vile virus that Omnis sent down to earth. Mel, you are never to see this Easton freak again,” he orders as he starts coughing.

  “Don’t worry about it; it was over before it started,” East says.

  “It’s not over, you’re just upset,” Mel insists.

  “You are not to date him or any other angel. Am I clear?” Alex demands.

  “Daddy, I love him.”

  “Is that why you lied to me? Because you love me so damn much?!” East asks bitterly.

  “My father is in pain. Do we have to do this now?” Mel asks.

  “Your father tried to kill me. And yeah, we kind of do,” East retorts.

  “He would never hurt anyone. The knife was just for show,” Mel promises.

  “Bringing a soul chaser into a house full of angels isn’t just for show,” I correct her.

  “The First Noru is right. I would have killed your little boyfriend and anyone else who tried to drag my kid into angel business.” Alex groans as he holds his side.

  “What happened? You used to like angels. You dated Pry’s mom,” Diana reminds him.

  “That was a big mistake. A mistake that I am not willing to let Melody repeat,” Alex says as his mouth twists in agony.

  “Dad, we have to get you help,” Mel urges.

  “I would rather die than be helped by angels or angel lovers,” he says, literally spitting on the ground.

  “Why, Daddy? Tell me why,” Mel pleads.

  “The angels killed your mother,” Alex announces.

  “Mom died of cancer,” Mel says.

  “Yes, but she didn’t have to,” Alex replies.

  “You’re pissed because we couldn’t use vials to cure your wife? You know we can’t do that kind of thing,” I remind him.

  “No, little girl, that’s not why I hate your kind. My wife had cancer for years. We never knew, and by the time we caught it, it was too late. She died of something that was completely treatable,” Alex says.

  “Again, how is that our fault?” I ask.

  “Your mother knew. She knew my wife was going to die and she never said a word,” Alex responds.

  “You know my mom can’t save everyone on the list of beings that have to die,” I reply.

  “She knew for years that my sweet Anne was going to die. She never warned us because she said it’s what Fate needed to happen. Screw Fate! Do you know that your mother had the nerve to come to her funeral? That’s the kind of sick twisted beings you’re dealing with, Mel. They took her from us. They took your mom away.”

  Melody looks back at us with tears in her eyes and starts to speak, but before the words leave her mouth, a white Powerball comes crashing into the living room. We all take cover as the blast rips the living room in half. East covers Mel with his body, and the Holder protects Alex. We all take to the air in attack mode. We search for the demon that attacked us, but find Hunter hovering in the air instead. He lands in what’s left of the living room. He too pulls out a blade; this one has the symbol of the Kon on it. He grabs Melody and places the royal blade right up against her neck.

  “Hunter, what are you doing?” I yell.

  “I’ve been listening to your sad littl
e story about your wife. And I’m sorry to say it’s going to get a hell of a lot sadder if you don’t tell me where you hid my brother,” Hunter replies.

  “He doesn’t know anything about the New Order,” Diana says.

  “Like hell he doesn’t. He’s the leader,” Hunter replies.

  We all turn and look at Alex. He doesn’t care that we’re staring. His only focus is Mel and the blade that Hunter has pinned to her neck. The blade itself is so sharp, it would fillet her in seconds. But to her credit, Melody is trying very hard to remain calm. She presses her lips together to avoid crying out. She puts on a very brave face, but her hands are shaking. East looks at her reassuringly, but he too is freaking out.

  “How do you know it’s him?” I ask.

  “I came here to ask for help in finding Bex since the Omari are shorthanded. But when I landed, I heard the leader’s voice coming from your house,” Hunter says.

  “That’s all well and good, but I need you to take that dagger away from my girl,” East demands.

  “I thought you two were broken up,” Hunter says, amused but holding steady with his threat.

  “Hunter, let her go,” East demands again.

  “Are you really the leader of the New Order?” I ask.

  “Damn right. And one way or the other we will eradicate angels from this Earth. Now let go of my daughter. She’s not a part of this,” Alex promises.

  “You killed a lot of innocent people,” Swoop says angrily.

  “I did what I had to. I stood up for humanity. If someone had done that before, maybe my wife would still be alive,” Alex says.

  “Where’s Bex?” I ask firmly.

  “Now that we know he’s no longer Kon, he’s of no use to our cause. We put him somewhere far away, a place that will have him begging for death. Just like your brother’s victims, Pryor,” Alex accuses.

  “We didn’t make Malakaro attack. He did that on his own. We’ve been trying to stop him,” East yells.

  “All angels are like Malakaro given enough time,” Alex replies.

  “Yeah, you hate angels. I get it. And that’s okay because I’m actually not a fan of humans. Now where the hell is my brother?” Hunter says.

  “Tell him, Alex. Your plan failed. Bex isn’t Kon anymore, so just give him back to us,” Swoop says.

  “Bex was clever by giving you his title. But that allows us to make an example of him now. We will kill him in the most vile and slow manner; it will incense the Paras. And knowing the First Noru made that possible, well…I think a civil war is unavoidable,” Alex informs us.

  “Why would the New Order members follow you, knowing you want to eradicate them all?” Diana asks.

  “They don’t. They’re too focused on punishing Malakaro. They’re willing to do anything if it means they get their revenge. I know the feeling.”

  “You’re exploiting their grief to punish the angel race,” East says. “That’s crazy. It won’t happen.”

  “It’s already happening. Tell them, Hunter. Tell them about the army you assembled to take the Noru down,” Alex says.

  “I didn’t come here to be questioned. Where is Bex?” Hunter shouts.

  “I knew you weren’t going to back us, but I didn’t think you’d gather an army,” I admit as I look at Hunter in disgust.

  “You and I want the same thing: We want Bex found. However, that is where our common interest ends,” Hunter says.

  “So you came here to ask for our help, and once we helped you get Bex, you’d have us killed?” Swoop says.

  “When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a bad guy. I’m not. I just believe in protecting my kind, the Paras. The Noru are on their own,” Hunter says.

  “But you want our help to find Bex? Unbelievable,” Aaden spits.

  Hunter tightens his hold on Mel’s throat and steps closer to Alex. The Kon speaks in a chilling tone that tells us he is, in fact, dead serious with his threat.

  “Okay, I’m bored, human. Tell me where you took my brother. If you don’t, I’ll cut up her pretty face so bad, an open casket won’t be an option.”

  “No! I won’t tell you where he is,” Alex says as his voice trembles.

  “Okay, but for the record, I asked nicely,” Hunter says as he plants the knife into Melody’s face and begins to carve…

  Chapter Seventeen:

  The Time For Games Is Over

  Melody’s cries hit the air and fill the room. We demand that he let her go, but he refuses. Instead, he continues to slice down her face. East tackles him, but he manages to move out of the way before the Noru can make contact, all the while keeping a firm grip on Melody. Alex is crying and cursing at Hunter as he watches his daughter’s face gush with blood.

  “Hunter, let her go!” I demand once again.

  “Do you want to find Bex or not?” Hunter replies.

  “Not like this, we can’t do it like this,” I plead.

  “We don’t have time to baby Alex. I will not let Bex die because you and your team want to have a tea party and talk to the asshole who abducted him.”

  “Hunter, let her go!” Diana shouts.

  “The next time I use this knife, I won’t aim for her face, I will aim for her damn heart. So start talking,” Hunter warns.

  “Please, please let her go,” Alex begs.

  “WHERE IS BEX?” Hunter rages.

  “If I tell you, you have to let her go,” Alex whimpers.

  “No, she will die at my hands because you took so damn long to talk and because you killed Mrs. Doris, and I loved that nagging old woman. But if you do talk, and I mean right now, I will kill her quickly.”

  “Daddy!” Melody screams.

  “Let her go!” Alex sobs.

  “You have three seconds, human,” Hunter says.

  “She’s all I have. Please let her go,” Alex says as he sinks down to his knees.

  “One…” Hunter replies coldly.

  “I won’t tell you again, Hunter, let her go,” I yell.

  “Two…” Hunter replies as he brings the knife to Mel’s chest. He looks over at the weeping mess that is Alex. He opens his mouth to say the last number in the countdown.

  “Th—” Before Hunter can finish counting, Aaden plunges the dagger Alex dropped into his back. Hunter screams as his soul is sucked into the tip of the knife. Hunter dies with his eyes open.

  Hunter’s corpse crumbles to the ground, and Mel goes down with him. Diana and East quickly rush to her aid. Aaden and I exchange an intense glance. Aaden nearly killed Hunter after discovering that he had a hand in Sparks’s death. Now, he has finished what he started.

  “We can’t stay here,” Swoop shouts at the team.

  “I can heal her, but the scar will be forever,” Diana warns as she applies a mixture to Mel’s face.

  “It doesn’t matter. Just help her. Make the bleeding stop,” East begs Diana.

  “It won’t be long before the Omari come after us. We have to go,” Swoop says.

  “We are not leaving here without Bex’s location,” I vow as I turn to Alex.

  “We stopped Hunter from killing your daughter. But I will have no mercy on you. I will do things to you that will give Melody nightmares for the rest of her life. I’ve been tortured enough to know exactly where to strike and how much force to use so that you stay alive and conscious the whole time. Talk,” I demand.

  “Daddy, please. You’re all I have too. Don’t leave me here alone. Please,” Melody begs.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you where to find Bex…”

  As Alex gives us the directions, Mel asks that we release her father from the Holder.

  “I’m sorry. We can’t do that,” I reply.

  “My dad isn’t a bad guy. He just loved my mom so much,” she pleads with us.

  “That love has caused him to murder innocent angels and humans. We can’t just let him go,” Swoop reasons.

  “You can’t just leave him like this. He’s wounded,” she begs East as the bleeding fina
lly subsides.

  “Diana, see what you can do,” East replies as he signals for her to remove the Holder that kept Alex in place.

  Diana tends to Alex’s wounds quickly as East takes Melody over to the side. He speaks to her in a concerned voice and looks deeply into her eyes.

  “You need to leave this place and go back home,” he says.

  “No, I have to stay with my dad,” she replies.

  “Things are going to get very bad for your dad. What he did won’t go unpunished. Are you sure you want to stay here with him?” he asks her.

  “I know what he did was wrong, but I love him. And I stand by people I love, even if they do the wrong thing. Love has no conditions,” she says as tears spring to her eyes.

  “You really believe that?” he asks.

  “I know, it’s stupid and you’re gonna make fun of me, but—”

  East pulls her towards him and plants a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. The two embrace and wrap their arms around each other. Their kiss intensifies, and Alex shouts for them to stop.

  “I never said it was okay for you to be with my daughter, you bastard,” he rants.

  “Well, that’s too bad, Daddy. I will stand by you when the Paras come, but I’m with East. I love him. And you call him any more names and you and I are done,” she warns him.

  “You would trade in your father for this filth?” Alex asks.

  “I’m not in love with him because of his powers, I love him because of his heart. Mom taught me that,” she reminds him pointedly.

  “Don’t bring your mother into this. I would rather die than see you with an angel.”

  “Don’t worry, I think the Paras will see to that,” East scolds.

  “The hell they will!” Alex rages as he reaches for the dagger in Hunter’s back.

  East calls out for him to put it down, but he doesn’t. He aims straight for East. Swoop does a series of flips and kicks the dagger out of Alex’s hand. It doesn’t stop him from using all his energy to launch at East again. I hold out both of my palms and Pull the life force from his body. Alex slams to the floor face-first. The leader of the New Order is dead.

  “Nooooo!” Mel howls as she falls to the floor and gathers her father’s corpse to her chest.