Noru 4: When Angels Break (The Noru Series, Book 4)

by Lola StVil

  “Yeah, it’s very faint,” Swoop replies.

  “Its tracks are coated in a layer of Tent, the ingredient that’s in the center of a Soul Chaser,” she adds.

  “I don’t get it,” Randy admits.

  “Tent is to angels what kryptonite was to Superman,” Diana explains.

  “You know, she’s really starting to grow on me,” Randy says to me, gesturing towards Diana.

  I spot Key rolling her eyes and turning away. I don’t mention it, but I think Randy may stand a chance with her yet.

  “And we are sure the Layu vial is on the train?” I ask.

  “Yeah, we’ve looked all over the platform, and the train is the only place it could be. Besides, the Brothers would want us in danger. Placing the Layu vial on the train does that,” Aaden reasons.

  “I guess we’ll find out,” I reply.

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, we hear the white noise and repetitive rumbling announcing the train is arriving. The light from inside the tunnel starts to grow as the train nears the platform. We get ready, and Aaden reminds the team to be absolutely silent.

  The large black and blue train rolls into the station. The outside looks sleek and modern. It seems that evil travels in style. When the double doors slide open, our first instinct is to run and rummage through the train, but we enter slowly.

  The train is packed with dark shadowy figures that have red, hollowed-out holes where their eyes should have been. They hover a few inches off the ground and sway slightly as they emit sickly ghoulish moans.

  A chill runs down my spine and down to my feet. I have never heard anything so ghastly as the sound of a doomed soul. Judging by the looks on the team’s faces, they too are shocked by the ghastly sounds.

  I motion to the team to spread out quickly and find the Layu vial before the door closes. Diana is right; the souls have no idea we are there. We search underneath the metal seats; we open the panel in the middle of the train floor and the wall door of the train, in case there is a hidden compartment. We find nothing. The team and I stare at each other, confused. I motion for them to search the same places again in case we missed something. Still we don’t find a vial of any kind.

  Crap! Where the hell could it be?

  The twins wave their hands to grab my attention from the other side of the train car. They then point towards the Port on the platform. It’s blinking. We’re running out of time. I quickly signal to the rest of the team to let them know what’s about to happen. Randy opens his mouth to talk, shocked that we are nearly out of time. Thankfully East is able to get to him and block his mouth so that no sound comes from Randy’s lips. Meanwhile the light inside the Port is fading faster.

  C’mon, where the hell are you, vial?

  I look up as if to ask Omnis for some help, and that’s when I spot the vial inserted deep inside the crevice of a panel in the ceiling. I signal for Aaden to come and help since he’s the tallest one. He hurries over to me and manages to yank the vial from its hiding place; I hand it to East, and he puts it inside his pocket.

  Suddenly, the doors on the train start to close. We make our way towards the door quickly but quietly. We’re about to slip through the small opening of the double doors when Diana’s cell phone rings. Every dark soul turns its head towards us at the same time. It seems to happen in slow motion. The crowd of dark forces converges upon us.

  We. Are. Dead.

  We blast them as much as we can, but since they don’t have bodies, all our power does is push them back a few inches. We can’t inflict any real pain on them. On the other hand, every time they swirl around us and make contact with our bodies, they leave behind large, bloody gashes.

  The train door is nearly closed; I stick out my foot to keep it from closing all the way while I fight off two vicious souls on either side of me. The movements I’m making cause the mixture on my chest to fail. My wounds open up again and I’m bleeding.

  East gets to the door and manages to pry it open a little further, but still not far enough for us to fit through. Diana and Key try to help him, but they are intercepted by three souls just to the right of them. Aaden sees the blood oozing from the front of my chest, and alarm spreads throughout his face. He tries to get over to me, but I shout at him to protect Randy.

  From the corner of my eye, I watch as the light on the Port blinks away and begins to fade even more. If we do not get past the door, we will be stuck on this train. And if we somehow get past the door but don’t get to the Port in time, we’re still dead.

  “East, I swear to Omnis, if we die here, I’m going to come back as a ghost, track your mother down, and haunt her lying ass forever!” I shout as I pull dark souls off of me left and right.

  Aaden, thinking quickly, yanks off one of the metal poles from inside the train. He shoots fireballs into the hollow pole and turns it into a makeshift cannon. This allows the fiery orbs to be more concentrated and, hence, push the dark souls farther away from us.

  Swoop seizes the opportunity provided by Aaden, flips in the air, and lands between the closing doors just as East is about to lose his grip on them. We all band together and try one last time to pull the doors apart completely before the dark souls have regrouped.

  The souls make their way back just as the doors finally give in and come apart. We all stumble out of the train just in time to watch the Port blink for the last time.

  “The Port is going dark; run!” Randy shouts.

  We zoom across the platform and dive onto the Port just as it starts to disappear. We all leaped into the air so quickly I have no idea if we made it in time or not; my eyes are closed. I swallow hard and dare to open my eyes. When I do, I find myself looking back at what is right now my favorite place on Earth: Central Park.

  The second thing I lay my eyes on is just as wonderful: Bex and a small army of Paras and Healers. Bex orders the Healers to tend to us and then quickly explains that he knew I was in distress thanks to the pendant, but that he couldn’t do anything until the humans were safe.

  “It’s okay, I understand, but we need to get to my grandfather. He’s in danger,” I warn him as a Healer applies a fresh mixture to the wound in my chest.

  “Julian and his wife are fine. I sent Paras to their location as soon as I heard. They took them to the clinic, where they were treated and healed. He promises to contact you later after his wife has her memory wiped,” Bex says.

  “What about the Brothers? We have to find them!” Aaden rages.

  “We disclosed the fact that they cheated in their ‘game’ and that they were trying to hustle other demons who had placed bets by rigging the game. So the Demon world isn’t too happy with them right now,” Bex replies.

  “Let me guess, they called Diana’s phone?” Randy says.

  “Exactly. They did everything they could to ensure you would lose,” the Kon replies.

  “So where are they?” Swoop asks.

  “We imprisoned the Brothers in a special Holder. It took some doing, but we got it done. They will live forever, but they won’t enjoy it,” Bex assures me.

  “What about the humans?” I ask.

  “Many suffered minor injuries, two of them broke their backs, and one had a heart attack. The Healers have fixed them, and their memories will also be wiped,” Bex says.

  “Bex, thank you,” I reply as I take his hand.

  He looks deep into my eyes as if he’s about to say something. I can feel Aaden’s eyes on me. But before Bex can say anything, Randy calls out for us to look up at the sky. There’s a figure looming above us, surrounded by a brilliant light and massive wings. The light is so bright we can’t see the being’s face.

  “Oh. My. Omnis.” Key gasps as the figure lands before us.

  We all scream and cheer as the figure’s face is revealed. Swoop stops the Healer from treating her bloody gashes so that she can stand up and make a formal introduction.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Easton, the new Noru!”

  Chapter Twe
nty-One:

  Blue Dove

  Ever since we’ve been back from the mission a few days ago, East hasn’t stopped looking at his wings in the mirror. He’s like a teenage boy who has just spotted his first facial hair. He stares at them all day and flaps them around in wonder. Finally, we reminded him the wings were not meant to be stared at but to be used. That’s when East took to the air. Or at least he tried.

  It turns out, as a Noru, he gets his wings, but flight skills are sold separately. East can barely fly straight. He can’t make it past the last house on the street. He doesn’t get enough speed; he wobbles in the air, falls constantly, and often lands in the wrong place. East is our friend and a cousin of the twins. He’s having a hard time learning to fly, so naturally, we help him—by making fun of him every step of the way.

  We told East to try to fly shorter distances before trying to go across the world. We flew from New York to Florida. East was supposed to be right behind us. He was airborne for ten minutes before he came crashing to the earth; thankfully he fell through the roof of a bedding store. So when he crashed, he landed on a pile of mattresses. When we found him, Swoop laughed and informed him that Jet Blue Airlines had a sale going on and he could just buy a ticket to Florida.

  “You’ll be there in just three short hours,” Swoop joked.

  “Hey, can you guys stop laughing?” East asked as he tried to get his bearings.

  “Swoop, East is our cousin. We should be supportive. Easton, don’t worry. We’re going to get you a nice pouch you can snuggle up in. That way we can carry you on our backs! Or better yet, we can carry you in front of us, like a kangaroo does to her baby!” Key said, hardly able to contain herself.

  We had more than enough fun with East, but the truth is we need him to learn to fly as soon as possible if we are to take on the task of finding the last vial. So I suggest something that assures East will hate me forever.

  “Pry, no!” he begs.

  “I’m sorry, Easton, there’s no other way,” I reply.

  “I am not doing this; you can’t make me,” he says.

  “It’s an order, Noru!” I reply, trying hard to keep the laughter from my voice.

  “Then I quit the team.”

  “That’s not allowed. Now suck it up and let’s go!” I demand.

  East gets off his Port and looks ahead at the small group of baby angels gathered on the hilltop. They are about two years old or so. This class is the only way to get East to learn the basics of flight. The instructor calls East forward to join them. East towers over the class.

  The toddler next to him looks up at East curiously. Now genuinely in a bad mood, East snaps at the little girl, “What are you look’n at?”

  She sticks her tongue out at him. The flight teacher gives them detailed instructions on how to prepare for flight.

  “It’s important to maintain a good footing so that when you push off, you are level,” the teacher says.

  East tries to emulate what the instructor is doing.

  The little girl next to him whispers loudly in his ear. “Ha, ha, you’re doing it wrong,” she taunts.

  East shoots daggers at me with his eyes. It takes everything I have not to crack up with laughter. I promised him that the rest of the team didn’t have to see him take this class.

  But that doesn’t mean I can’t record Easton’s misery with my cell for all to see later.

  For the past few days East’s flying has shown some improvement. He can now stay in the air and only crashes into things about fifty percent of the time. Firebug loves when East is in the air because she thinks it’s a fun game. She lights his way so that he has a makeshift runway waiting for him. She gets so excited.

  We are about three weeks into East having his wings, and although progress is slow, it’s consistent. Along with the ability to fly, East is now stronger and able to withstand more pain than before. We thought that was the extent of his new powers, but we were wrong. A few days ago, we were having lunch at school when East grabbed Aaden and held him tightly.

  “I need you like I’ve never needed anyone before. I want to feel you against me. I want to make love all night under the blanket of a million stars, like we did in Morocco. We were so happy there…” East says tenderly to Aaden as he leans in to kiss him.

  “What the hell?” Aaden shouts as he takes a step back, baffled.

  “What just happened?” East asks.

  “You grabbed Silver, then professed your love and desire for him,” Swoop says.

  “WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS IN MY DAMN BUSINESS? CAN’T I JUST HAVE ONE THING JUST FOR ME? YOU SELFISH BITCH!” East says as he slaps Key hard across the face.

  “East!” I shout, unable to grasp what’s happening.

  Aaden grabs East and restrains him.

  East looks over at Randy and addresses me. “I love you so much, Pry. But I know in the end, you will do what needs to be done. You’re gonna kill me. I’m scared. I’m so scared,” East says as he cries on Aaden’s shoulders.

  “Okay, someone tell me what the hell is happening!” Aaden demands.

  “I think I know,” Diana says.

  “Yeah, me too,” Randy agrees.

  “Cordelia Frost,” Randy and Diana say at the same time. They exchange a look of mutual surprise and then admiration.

  WTH?

  “Could it be?” asks Randy.

  “I don’t know…that’s not common,” Diana replies.

  “No, but it does happen. Given who Easton’s real father was…” Randy says.

  “That’s right. Rio had that power!” Diana replies.

  “Okay, can I get the non-geek version? Why was I crying just now?” East asks as he gathers himself.

  “According to what I read about his real father, Rio, it’s possible,” Randy confirms.

  “C’mon, kids, share with the class!” Easton says, getting upset.

  “You’re an empath!” Diana and Randy announce together.

  “Okay, first, stop doing that. It’s annoying enough when the twins do it. You guys are like creepier versions of Children of the Corn. And second, what the hell are you two talking about?” East replies.

  “Your father, Rio, had two powers, according to my research. The first was a shield. And the second was his ability to sense people’s emotions. It translated into colors for him. So if someone near him was pissed, it would emulate a color, and Rio could see that color from miles away. He could tell what all of New York City was feeling,” Randy explains excitedly.

  “You’re saying East has his father’s powers?” Swoop asks.

  “It can’t be; I don’t see any colors around you guys,” East replies.

  “No, you have a version of your dad’s powers. It’s like Rio two-point-oh,” Randy says.

  “You can do more than tell what people are feeling. You take their emotions, and they become your own. That’s exactly the power that Cordelia Frost has,” Diana says.

  “And who the hell is that?” Aaden asks.

  “She’s a minor character in the X-Men universe. Pretty but lacks focus,” Randy says with authority.

  “So I can feel other people’s emotions?” East asks.

  “It’s much more than that. Right now you can embody those very emotions. If you focus, you can choose whose emotions you take on. But what’s supercool is that if you really master your powers, you will soon be able to manipulate other people’s emotions,” Diana says gleefully.

  “So just now, when I was crying…” East says.

  “You were channeling that emotion from—someone in the group,” Diana says, not wanting to put Randy on the spot.

  We all know that it’s Randy who fears that I will kill him. Although in his heart he knows I wouldn’t do it, still he’s afraid of how this will all end.

  “When I was yelling at Key and hit her, I was channeling…”

  “You were channeling my little sister, who thinks I’m a bitch,” Key says.

  “Hey, I didn’t say that, our cousin
did,” Swoop defends herself.

  “He got it from your feelings!” Key protests.

  “I didn’t tell him to voice it out loud! And since when is it a crime to feel something?” Swoop replies.

  This new power is going to be an issue.

  “Whatever, Swoop. East, who were you channeling when you tried to kiss Silver?” Key asks.

  “I’m guessing every girl in Manhattan,” Diana quips.

  “No, it would have to be someone nearby. Your powers aren’t that strong yet, I’m guessing,” Randy says.

  “You were probably picking up on Pry’s feelings for Silver. These two have not had any ‘yum-yum’ time,” Swoop jokes.

  “Yum-yum? Seriously?” I scold.

  They all start to laugh at me. As we gather our things and head to class, Randy lingers behind and whispers in my ear, “Hey, when did you and Silver go to Morocco?”

  “We didn’t.”

  “So you’re not gonna ask Silver about Morocco?” Randy says as he blasts my jet out of the sky in the videogame we’re playing.

  It’s been nearly a week since East channeled Diana’s innermost feelings. Randy is in my room playing the best game of his life while my jet goes down in flames for like the tenth time.

  “You need to talk to Silver, if for no other reason than this is really messing with your concentration. I’ve never seen a jet explode during takeoff,” he teases.

  “Next game, I’ll come back strong. As for Aaden and Diana, I’ll let it go. I mean, we all know they used to be together. And she hasn’t made it a secret that she’s still into him. All that matters is that he wants to be with me. I don’t want to bring up stuff from the past. And really, haven’t we all had enough drama for a lifetime?” I ask.

  “You’re a good girlfriend, but a horrible pilot,” he says as he takes down my jet once again.

  “Damn it!”

  “You know, for a girl who leads the world’s most powerful angels…you kind of suck at this. I mean, East can fly better than you pilot your jet,” he jokes.