“I guess I’ll find a way to get home with them and then we’ll fight the demons.”
She had been expecting that answer, it was logical after all. However, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Because in that plan, she didn’t fit into it at all. Once Jerome had what he needed, she would be excess baggage, useless in the fight to end the war. She would lose her angel forever.
“Without me?” She asked quietly, knowing for sure she didn’t want to hear the answer this time. But yet she had to, she had to know what was going to happen or her mind would spend an eternity filling in the blanks.
“It will be too dangerous to take you home,” Jerome said carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He would never do that intentionally. “The mortal will fight the demons and then everything can go back to normal. Earth will no longer be influenced by the demons and things will start to get better here.”
“What about if I wanted to come with you?”
“You can’t. You’re not even supposed to know about the existence of angels. You don’t belong in my world.”
Leila didn’t want to hear any more, she’d heard everything she didn’t want to for one night. She turned around to face the forest, silently blocking Jerome out. If he could plan on leaving her all alone so easily, then she didn’t want to see him. Perhaps she had made a big mistake coming to Hallows Gallows with him. He might decide she was no longer useful earlier and leave her there. After his last comment, she felt like he was capable of it.
“Leila? Are you alright?” He asked gently.
“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”
He sensed there was more but didn’t know how to proceed. Jerome did as he was told and closed his eyes again. He knew they needed to sleep otherwise they wouldn’t get far the next day. And when you were saving the world, every day counted.
The hours passed by slowly, getting some sleep was far easier said than done. However, when the sun started to warm the forest, they knew it was time to get going.
Leila ate breakfast in silence, refusing to even look at Jerome. While he tried to make conversation, she would only respond with one syllable answers. It was all he deserved, in her mind.
“So we’ll continue north again today?” He asked tentatively, hoping for more of an answer.
“Do what you want.”
“I think we should continue north.”
“Fine.”
Jerome picked up her pack and started walking, hoping she would follow. After taking several steps, she slowly started traipsing behind. He sighed, already knowing it was going to be a long day.
“It’s warm already,” he commented after breaking out in a sweat after only a few hundred yards. The air was thick with humidity, there had to be water around somewhere. He made a note to keep an eye out for it, Leila would need to replenish her water bottles before too long.
“Whatever.”
“We need to look for a water supply for your bottles.”
“I guess.”
He gave up, it was like having a conversation with his sister when she was two years old. In other words, impossible. He kept walking, listening for running water. If she didn’t care about looking after herself, then he would have to do it for her.
They walked for three more hours in complete silence. The only benefit was being able to hear all the noises of the forest surrounding them. There appeared to be many species of animals living in the trees and undergrowth. A type of possum particularly liked to follow them on their journey. They didn’t seem harmful so Jerome never mentioned them, fearing Leila wouldn’t appreciate the critter’s company.
They found a stream of water running through their path. It looked to be freshwater so Leila filled the three water bottles she carried with her. In such hot temperatures, she was going through it faster than she normally would.
They were well into their fourth straight hour when Leila heard a noise she really didn’t want to. A rustling was sounding right beside her, so close she was scared whatever the leaves were hiding would jump out at her at any moment.
She stopped in her tracks, fear freezing her place, when she caught her first glimpse of the creature. Slithering at her side was the largest snake she had ever seen in her life. The green monster was staring at her, sizing her up.
“Jerome,” she whispered, not even wanting to move her lips in case it provoked the horrible thing.
“What’s up?” He stopped walking and turned back, seeing the snake instantly. “Stay calm and back away.”
“I can’t move.”
“Take one step and then another. Just give it a go. You’ll be fine as long as you’re slow.”
Leila tried to make her brain process the information and move her legs. She tried it, ever so slowly moving her foot backwards. The snake watched every second of it, his forked tongue sliding in and out of his mouth between his teeth – his sharp teeth that could so easily sink into her flesh.
Her foot felt the earth underneath, she had made it. She repeated the process with the other one, letting it step backwards and away from the snake. She did it again, and again until she had put a good three feet between her and the serpent.
“Stay still and it will go away,” Jerome prompted her, standing like a statue himself on the other side of the snake.
Its alert little eyes stared at them both, deciding who to devour first. With one bite he could unlock his jaw and do some serious damage in only an instant. His fangs were at least an inch long. Given enough pressure, he would be able to break Leila’s arm in two.
Leila could feel her heart pounding, she wanted so much to run away from the creature but she knew she couldn’t. There was no way she’d be able to outrun the snake and it would probably enjoy the chase. It would only work up an appetite.
They stood and played chicken with the snake as the seconds ticked by. They felt like hours, but it only took minutes for the snake to grow bored with them. There would be easier and juicer prey to be had elsewhere. He turned and slithered into the bushes, the sound of rustling leaves slowly growing fainter.
Leila let out the breath she was holding. “Is he gone?”
“I think so.”
“I didn’t know snakes lived in here. They’re probably everywhere, just waiting for us.” Even the thought made her shiver with disgust. All those noises she had heard during the night, any one of them could have been a slithery nightmare.
“Snakes are to be expected in places like this,” Jerome said as he turned to start walking again, not wanting to lose any more time.
“Really big ones like that?”
“Any type of snake.”
“I didn’t realize you were such an expert,” she shot back at him. She knew she was being snarky but didn’t care.
“On forests, I’m not. On snakes, I am. There is something buried here somewhere that can end the war between demons and angels. The demons will want to protect the sword so we don’t find it,” Jerome explained, trying to keep his voice level and not provoke her any more than he apparently already was.
“What do demons have to do with snakes?”
“Snakes are evil,” he said simply, like it was a well known fact. When she didn’t respond, he continued to explain further. “Demons created snakes so they would have a presence on Earth. They occasionally use them for their bidding, like protecting things they don’t want found. The sword of Cadmus would definitely fall into that category.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this before? Like when I said I wanted to go to Hallows Gallows?”
“Would it have stopped you?”
Leila was taken aback, momentarily speechless by the harshness in his voice. When she thought about his comment, he was right. It probably wouldn’t have stopped her, however she would have liked to have known what she was getting herself into beforehand. At least she could have looked out for snakes instead of having a heart attack when she encountered one of them.
She followed him, stomping along at her own pace a
nd not really caring whether she kept up with him or not. She wished they would find the sword so they could go home already. She wanted something familiar around her, even if that was only the temporary home they shared. Yet she knew it would be worth it in the end. The second she got home, she knew she would want to come straight back and finish what they had started.
Jerome was acutely aware of her behind him. He could feel the hostility pouring out of her. Combined with the humidity and the endless walking, he decided he had enough – of everything. He stopped, throwing up his arms in the air.
“We should give up and go home. We’re never going to find it in this huge place.”
Anger boiled inside Leila. She let it all out. “I did not come all this way just so you could give up. I came because you believe in that damn prophecy and I believe in you. So we are going to find the damn sword even if we’re eaten by evil snakes in the meantime.”
Jerome was shocked, he didn’t know what to say. All he could do was stare at the human. It wasn’t the anger or the sharp tone to her voice, but the words he hadn’t expected to hear. She believed in him. She wasn’t there because she really thought they would find the sword, but because he thought they would find the sword. Never in his life had anyone had such blind faith in him. It was the most flattering, burdensome thing he had ever experienced.
“You really believe in me?” He replied, stuttering out the words in disbelief.
“Of course I do. You’ve been going on about this prophecy and Tiresias and how it all has to be true, blah blah blah. You convinced me you were right. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“Well, now you know,” Leila sighed. “So we need to keep walking or we’ll never find the sword of Cadmus.”
She walked ahead without looking back. A smile spread across Jerome’s lips as he started to move after her. He easily caught up.
“I can’t believe you want to give up,” Leila mumbled when she saw he was at her side. Seeing his meltdown made her feel better at her own discomfort. At least there was a part of Jerome that was very human. He wasn’t some kind of mystical creature that was absolutely perfect. She had witnessed a chink in his armor and it was endearing. She tried to put her hurt behind her for now, shelve it for another time when they didn’t need each other so much. The time would come soon enough for Jerome to have to leave, she would deal with it then.
“I can’t help it, this place is huge,” Jerome defended himself, feeling a little embarrassed about his outburst. He really did want to go home, if Leila had agreed then he would have flown them both out of Hallows Gallows within minutes.
“We’re going to find that sword.”
Jerome nodded. “Yeah, it’s got to be here somewhere.”
They continued walking, now a little lighter than before. It was amazing how just a conversation or a change of perspective could make things so much better. After all, nothing had actually changed, just their mood.
“Who was this Cadmus person anyway?” Leila asked, trying to change the subject and refocus their attention elsewhere.
“He lived in Ancient Greece an extremely long time ago.”
“I kind of figured that.”
Jerome grinned. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“Well, go on then,” she said impatiently, but couldn’t stop the smile creeping over her lips either. She liked it when Jerome told her stories, she was certain there was nothing about ancient Gods he didn’t know – despite his claims he didn’t know much about history.
“Cadmus was sent on a mission to find his sister named Europa. However, those that sent him knew he would never be able to find her,” he explained. “When he finally figured that out, he settled in a place called Boetia and founded the city of Thebes.”
“Thebes, as in Tiresias was the blind prophet of Thebes?” Leila was proud of remembering the connection.
“Exactly. Tiresias would have known of Cadmus and therefore would have been well placed to include him in the prophecy.”
“It’s all quite complicated.”
“I think everything was in Ancient Greece.”
They moved again in silence. However, they only had to walk for another few feet before Jerome’s arm shot out to stop Leila walking any further. Her first instinct was to look around for another snake, she had been imagining them everywhere ever since the encounter.
Jerome put his finger to his lips, making sure she stayed quiet and didn’t say a word. But it wasn’t a snake that had caught his attention, it was something of much more concern. Through the trees, he could hear humans talking.
He crept closer, crouching over and folding his wings back so they wouldn’t be as noticeable. Leila followed suit, although she still wasn’t sure why.
There were more than a few humans lurking in the distance. Jerome counted at least six distinguishable voices. They were a mixture of male and females and they all sounded like they belonged to adults. They could have been in the forest for any number of reasons. The worst would be that they were a bunch of savages and lived there like the animals they had become. The best reason would be they were seeking refuge amongst the trees from the violence in the world.
Jerome stopped by a tree that had to be at least a few hundred years old. He knelt by the sprawling roots, waiting for Leila to join him. She was lost in his shadow, she would never be seen by the people he was watching.
“There’s a group of humans over there,” he whispered, pointing. She could finally understand the reason for all the stealth.
They watched the group, eight of them in total. There was an equal amount of men and women. They didn’t look like savages, each of them dressed like they were just popping down the shops for some supplies. They didn’t have any obvious signs of injury and they looked like they still cared about their appearances with their hair neatly kept.
“What are they doing here?” Leila asked, keeping her voice as low as possible. Jerome seemed to have exceptional hearing, she knew she could barely speak the words and he would be able to hear her.
“It looks like they live here.”
Tarpaulins were draped over string tied between trees and a ring of rocks in the centre gave away their campfire. Another string held clothing. They weren’t just passing through, everything in the camp told them they had been there for a while and weren’t planning on moving on anytime soon.
One of the men was cooking on the campfire, he had something charred burning over the flames. Smoke was wafting from it, but somehow it didn’t look very appetizing. Five of the others were sitting around watching him, talking amongst themselves. The remaining two were having a serious conversation by one of the tents. They were too far away for Jerome to hear their discussion.
“Should we talk to them?” Leila asked, knowing they could be friend or enemy. There was no way to tell either way. They could welcome them into their camp or they could pull out weapons and try to kill them. It was a risk.
“I think we should just avoid them,” Jerome answered, having considered all the options already. They didn’t have to interact with the other humans, they didn’t have anything they needed. Nor did they need protecting, they looked to be doing a fine job on their own. In his opinion, there was no need to approach them.
Leila nodded, agreeing. They wouldn’t know where the sword was and they would probably freak out at seeing an angel emerge from the trees. Jerome was right, they should just avoid them and keep going on their way.
Jerome stood and set his path for westwards. They would loop around the human’s camp and then continue on north. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any further encounters that would slow them down, they’d had enough for one day.
They didn’t speak again until it started to cool down and they were at least three hours away from the camp.
“I think we should settle here for the night,” Jerome declared, putting Leila’s backpack down. “You should eat before you pass out.”
She let
the comment slide, trying to remember he couldn’t help be protective of her. The fact that she was actually hungry and tired also helped to forgive him.
Jerome checked the area for snakes at Leila’s request while she tried to enjoy the celery stalks she had for dinner. It wasn’t long before they huddling together and closed their eyes, desperate for a good night’s sleep.
Unlike the previous night, they both found it easier to sleep. Their minds were too exhausted to whirl with thoughts. The coolness of the air was a relief, wisping over them like a waterfall. Not even the memory of the evil snake could keep Leila awake.
She slept soundly until the early hours of the morning, not waking for even a moment. Leila started to become aware of the heat as a lone sunbeam crept across her face. She squinted, opening one eye and holding up her hand to act as a shield. It felt like it had been ages since she had experienced the sun on her skin. The forest seemed to take away time, like it didn’t exist anymore. Every day it was the same, you could easily forget the rest of the world was still there.
She rolled over, expecting to see a sleeping angel at her side. However, he wasn’t there. Leila sat up quickly, searching the surroundings with her eyes to try and spot him. An oversized human with huge wings wasn’t normally that difficult to find.
“Jerome?” She called out, straining to hear for some rustling in the bushes or tree branches bending as his wings passed. But there was nothing but silence.
She stood, trying to suppress the panic that was quickly rising within her.
“Jerome!”
Her breath was rasping, coming in great gasps as fear took her over. She circled the trees, trying to see into the distance for some sign of Jerome. Any sign, his wings, footprints left behind, a stray feather, or the shape of his shoulder. She needed to catch a glimpse of him, she needed to know she wasn’t alone.
“Jerome!”
But alone, she was. Leila continued to circle around their makeshift camp for the night. With each step, the anxiety was taking over. What if he left her for good? What if something happened to him? What if he wasn’t coming back? Couldn’t come back? The most tragic thoughts ran through her mind, only making the panic worse.
World Without Angels Page 16
