by L. L Hunter
“We’re at The Gabriel Academy in Sydney,” said Father Luke. Scarlett had seen photos of Gabriel. Like Blackbell, it too was attached to a Cathedral, this one St. Mary’s.
“But why? Why did we leave Melbourne?”
Dyston looked at Father Luke, and then back at Scarlett. He came and sat down beside her on the bed and placed his hand on hers.
“Scar, we left because Melbourne doesn’t exist anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Sorry, my memories are a little rusty.”
“Well, it burnt to the ground.” Then everything came flooding back, the realisation was like a train hitting her at full speed. The smoke, the fire, and the ash in the air after she had landed could only mean one thing.
“I caused this? I turned the city to ash?” Scarlett asked. She felt nauseous.
“Yes, it was caused by your fall.”
“But Blackbell… everyone…”
“Blackbell Academy is gone. But everyone made it out, they’re okay.”
Scarlett’s heart sank. She wanted to scream and curse and rip something to pieces. Her home was gone because of her. No, not her. Lakyn. If Lakyn hadn’t been so selfish and taken her for his own evil purposes, then she wouldn’t have fallen, and Melbourne and Blackbell would still be standing. The door burst open and Emer and Joshua spilled in.
“Dyston,” gasped Joshua.
“What is it?” asked Dyston, gesturing at Scarlett, hinting that he was busy.
“I didn’t believe it when Dyston said he found you in the ash. I’m glad you’re okay,” Emer told her.
“Was there an urgent problem?” asked Dyston.
“Oh, yeah, we just came to tell you that they’re outside.”
“Who’s outside?”
“Lakyn and his army.”
Chapter Sixteen
Battle
Everyone ran to nearest window, but Scarlett couldn’t see anyone behind the laneway of trees in Hyde Park.
“Are you sure they’re outside, Emer?” Dyston asked.
“Yeah, Jacob and Kat were going for a romantic fly over the harbour when they saw them.”
“I can’t see anything,” said Scarlett.
“They’re hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush,” said Father Luke.
“Maybe I could go and reason with Lakyn,” Scarlett said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her like she was crazy.
“No!” cried Emer.
“There is no reasoning with Lakyn, his heart is like ice,” said Dyston. “Plus, you are not going anywhere until you’re healed.”
“I am healed. I’m fine, Dyston,” she told him. “I feel great.”
‘Scar, your limbs were broken. You had your blood drained.”
How did he know that?
“I know, but honestly, I feel brand new, and my limbs are fine, see?” She swung her arms and legs out one at a time to demonstrate. Everyone gasped.
“Impossible,” said Father Luke, making the sign of the cross.
“But…” began Emer.
“I don’t understand,” said Dyston. Only Joshua remained silent.
“When I was falling from the Realm of Light, my body began to repair itself, until I hit the ground. Then my limbs broke. But they were already healing.”
“Maybe that’s the blood of the Archangel,” said Joshua, who hadn’t spoken in a while.
“It is known that Archangels are a great deal stronger than Seraphim,” said Father Luke, “but not a lot is known about what their blood can do. We haven’t come across an Archangel in a while.”
“In a while?” asked Scarlett.
“Yes. It was documented.”
Scarlett was intrigued. This could be the first big break in discovering her origins.
“And where are these records?” she asked.
“In The Michaelite Headquarters of course, but they are sacred.”
“Could you take me to them?”
Father Luke was about to answer, but Dyston interrupted.
“Not now, we have to keep this Academy protected, we can’t leave.”
There came a knock and the door opened, Jacob stood in the doorway.
“Dyston, I need you now.”
“Coming.” Dyston turned to Scarlett. “Stay with Emer. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Where are you going?”
“Jacob and I have been researching Heavenly weapons. As it turns out, all of the books were written by your ancestors.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, and all of the weapons were designed by mine. Now I know why I seem to have an affinity for Heavenly metals,” Dyston added.
“And that you’re good with your hands,” added Emer, this got a chuckle out of Dyston, but Joshua didn’t seem to approve.
“Sorry,” she told her boyfriend apologetically.
“Anyway, I’ll try and return as soon as soon as possible. Why don’t you guys go keep the other students calm and busy.” Dyston took Scarlet’s face in his hands and kissed her. “Stay safe,” he said, and then he pulled away and headed towards the door.
“Dys?”
“Yeah?” He stopped and turned to look at her.
“I love you.” That was the first time she had said the words awake.
“I love you, too,” he told her, holding her gaze one last time before he left. Scarlett turned back towards the window. She realised she was still wearing Dyston’s shirt. She never wanted to take it off.
Joshua cleared his throat.
“Well, I better go find Thomas. I think he wanted a game of Texas Hold ‘em while we wait for instructions.”
“Okay, baby, you know where I’ll be,” said Emer. Joshua kissed her quickly and headed out the door, leaving the two girls alone.
“Now, I think we had better get you changed,” Emer told her, looking Scarlett up and down with her hand on her hip.
“No, I’m fine how I am.”
“Hun, you’re only wearing a shirt.”
“I know, but I like this shirt.”
“That’s because it’s Dyston’s shirt, and it’s filthy.”
“Fine, but I’m still keeping it.”
“Fine.” Emer produced some shopping bags and placed them on the bed.
“What is this?”
“Del and Kat went shopping for us. The rest of the Blackbell girls went too, since we lost all our clothes in the fire.”
“Where’d you get the money?”
“Insurance,” she shrugged.
“But—”
“Relax, Beth said we could. Now gimme that shirt, or do I need to pry it from your dead fingers?”
“Fine, I’m undressing.”
After showering and washing away the black ash that seemed to cling to every crevice of her body with the vanilla body scrub that Dyston had obviously left for her, Scarlett dressed in the clothes that Emer had laid out. Red skinny jeans, a black and white striped top, and paten black Doc Martens. And new underwear, of course, which Scarlett was going to strangle Emer for, because they were black and lacy and very small. She joined Emer in the hall, and the girls went to see what they boys were doing.
They found Joshua and Thomas in the dining room. It was much smaller than the one at Blackbell had been. There were eight rows of rectangular wooden tables, each seating six students. Josh and Thomas were at one near the window, which spread across the back wall and looked out over a small stony courtyard. They were playing cards quite competitively. They had been told to keep the other students calm. She didn’t know how they were going to do that. Surely they all knew what was happening outside. As Emer and Scarlett made their way towards the boys, Gabriel’s students stared at them warily. Some even had their mouths open in awe.
“What are they staring at?” whispered Scarlett.
“You,” replied Emer. When Scarlett didn’t say anything, she added, “They know you’re the Legend and that you’ve come to save them.�
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“But I don’t know how to do that.”
“That’s what Dyston and Jacob are trying to find out.” They sat at the next table down from Thomas and Joshua, and Scarlett looked back at the students of Gabriel. Each of them wore a different piece of pine green clothing—their school colour. She tried to give them an encouraging smile, but failed. Would that mean she would also fail in her task of being their role model and their saviour? Whatever she did, Scarlett had to stay brave, even if it were a facade.
Their peaceful solace was soon broken when shouting could be heard from outside. The doors burst open and Delilah ran in, tears streaming down her face.
“Come quick,” she sobbed.
“Del? What’s wrong?” asked Thomas, standing up.
“It’s Kat. She surrendered.”
Everyone followed Delilah to the foyer, but they all stopped before the doors that led outside. Scarlett peered out, and sure enough, there stood Kat, surrounded by Lucifite Warriors and their deadly angelic weapons, which Scarlett had a hand in creating. Kat stepped forward.
“Kat, don’t do this,” pleaded Jacob, who stood a few paces behind her.
“I surrender,” she said in a clear strong voice.
“We don’t want you, Katherine, we want your red-headed friend,” said Abraham.
“That’s why I’m here, to negotiate a trade. Me, for the freedom of my friends.”
“No!” cried Scarlett. She ran forward and stood beside her friend. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do, Scarlett.”
“You can have me! Take me!” Scarlett offered, stepping in front of Kat towards the Lucifite Army. If she could cry, she would have, but Scarlett no longer had any tears, they had stolen them. And now they were about to steal something else dear to her.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. We don’t negotiate.”
It all happened in the space of a second. Dyston grabbed onto Scarlett and pushed her out of the way, and Kat stepped forward into the line of fire. Someone released the first Tear Tip. Scarlett looked for the shooter and saw nothing but ice blue eyes. But Lakyn hadn’t pulled the bowstring. As the crowd receded, she heard him utter three words.
“Good job, Simon,” he said, patting the new man on the shoulder. Simon. Scarlett recognised that name from Lakyn’s email. Simon Frost was a Nephilim who had been missing for several weeks, according to news bulletins. He had just shot the arrowhead coated in Scarlett’s tears straight into Kat’s heart.
The battle had begun.
Chapter Seventeen
Martyr
“No!” Jacob ran to her and caught Kat before she hit the ground. He met Lakyn’s eyes. He had stayed, watching like a sadistic serial killer coming back to the scene of his crime.
“Why?” he asked.
“She wanted this, she wanted to be the martyr,” said Lakyn. Then he turned and began walking towards his men, but Jacob’s voice kept him near.
“You can redeem yourself, you can heal her,” Jacob pleaded. Dyston put his hand on Scarlett’s shoulder. He stood behind her where she was kneeling in the dirt. She refused to take her eyes off her friend who lay dying.
“What’s done is done,” said Lakyn. “Put down your weapons,” he instructed, and his soldiers obeyed.
“This is not over,” sobbed Jacob.
“No, it’s not,” Lakyn smirked, and then took to the sky.
Kat moaned. It was the worst sound Scarlett had ever heard. She wanted to do something, but she couldn’t move. It was all her fault.
“Shh. Don’t move. It’ll be over soon.” Jacob stroked her hair, his tears blended with her blood.
“Ja-cob,” she choked.
“Don’t speak.” Jacob kissed her head, and then lifted her and carried her inside.
“Bring her this way,” said Professor Anna. Father Luke led Jacob and the rest of the students down a corridor and into an open, white room that smelled of bleach and other chemicals.
“Can you heal her?” Jacob asked.
“Tear Tip injuries are quite serious. I will do my best,” Father Luke told them. Scarlett had managed to follow, but she was still in shock. She felt a familiar touch against her hand.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if she dies.”
“Her soul will go back to The Realm of Fire, you know that.”
“I know but…”
“Can I please have some space to work on this young Nephilim?” asked Father Luke.
“Come on,” said Dyston, tugging lightly on Scarlett’s hand.
“No, I can’t leave her.”
“Jacob will be with her.”
Scarlett reluctantly let Dyston take her away from the horrible scene in front of them, leaving Jacob and Father Luke to stay with Kat.
“It’s not your fault,” said Dyston once they were back in the corridor.
“It is. It’s all my fault.”
“Please don’t burden yourself with this. It’s a heavy weight to bear.”
“What do you know about burdens?” she snapped, and quickly regretted it. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know, because I’ve lived with one all my life,” he told her. She met his eyes. Scarlett knew that Dyston struggled with his decision every day. He had rebelled and fallen for her, and in return, his wings were made black. He’d been made a reject of The Realms ever since. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. There was still a lot more that Scarlett didn’t know about him. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she hadn’t realised that Dyston had led her back to her guest room. He opened the door and locked it once they were inside.
“What are we doing?” she asked curiously.
“We haven’t been alone since… well, a while.” He took off his black trench coat and hung it over the back of a chair. Scarlett never wore a jacket because her temperature ran hotter than everyone else’s. She fumbled with the gold locket around her neck, the only thing that she had left from Blackbell. Dyston walked forward and grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest.
“It is not your fault.”
“You don’t understand what they did to me. It is my fault.”
“What do you mean, what they did to you?”
“When I was taken to the Realm, they…” She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
“You can tell me,” he said, stroking her hair.
“They drained me of my blood, and they tried to kill me.”
“I know, but who did this?”
“A demon. She was working for Lakyn.” Dyston clenched and unclenched his jaw. She could tell he was holding back his anger for her.
“Did they say what they wanted it for?”
“No, just that my blood has different properties.” She could still feel that he was tense. She reached out to put a hand on his face, but he flinched from her touch. “Dyston?”
“I’m going to stop them. I’ll get your blood back,” he said.
“You can’t get my blood back. Don’t worry, I have more.”
“No, you don’t understand. They’re going to exploit you, poke you, and prod you like a lab rat.”
“They’ve already done that, Dyston.”
“Well, I’m going to put an end to it.”
“Okay, but not right this second. Stay,” she whispered, and stepped closer to him. “You said we haven’t been alone, so let’s just be alone.” Dyston leaned his forehead against hers and inhaled her scent. She smelled of incense, she was intoxicating. Scarlett stood on her tippy-toes and pressed her lips to his, and he relaxed. As each second ticked on, their passion grew fiercer. She pushed him towards the bed.
“Do you really want this? Right now?” he asked
“Yes, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.” She began unbuttoning his shirt.
“We should wait,” he said, in between kisses.
“For when? The world to burn or freeze over? I don’t want to wait. Now is the perfect time,” she told him, pushing him d
own on the bed.
“You’re right. We don’t know which moment will be our last. And until then, I want to spend each and every one of those moments with you.” He took her in his arms and held her close so that he could feel her heat. His hands slid under her top, and she let him remove it. They kicked off their shoes and rolled over. It was a small bed, a single, so Scarlett hit the wall when they rolled. She began laughing.
“Ouch.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I wish the bed was bigger.”
“I think that it’s fine, but tonight, I can push the other bed over so they’re together.”
“Tonight? You’re not staying.” She giggled as he kissed her neck. “You aren’t allowed.”
“Rules are only there to be broken.”
“Rebel,” she said against his lips, as he drew her up with him into a sitting position.
“That’s what I am, a rebel with a cause.” Scarlett gasped as Dyston’s fingers found her bra strap. At least he didn’t rip it like Lakyn… No! She would not compare one brother to the other. They were completely different.
“Black lace. Who’s the rebel now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he laid her back against the bed. Blood rushed to her face and she felt herself start to burn.
“Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s starting. I’m burning.”
“Not for long.” He ran his hands over her body, and she immediately began to cool.
“Thanks.” She shivered as he tugged off her jeans. “I’m glad I have you, you know.”
“Yeah, you’d be dead if it weren’t for me.”
“Don’t get cocky, Dyston Blackbell.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She kissed his lips to shut him up. And when their bodies connected, they were one. In sync, like the perfect duet.
She pulled away the white sheet that had been constricting her. They had been tangled together in the white cotton vine, but now she could breathe. She kissed his chest and stroked the lines of his lean abdomen with her finger. He sighed at her feather-light touch.
“I’m curious,” she said, after a few minutes of just stroking and staring.
