In the midst of imagining Jerome laying injured or worse, Leila couldn’t help but worry about herself too. She was in the middle of one of the biggest forests in the world. She had no compass, food for only a few more days, and no idea how to survive in the wilderness. She wouldn’t last for more than a week without Jerome. And she would never be able to find her way out of Hallows Gallows. She wouldn’t even be able to find her way back to where the other humans had established a camp.
She was all alone. Truly, all alone. Leila felt tears stinging her eyes, it seemed like such a hopeless search. Jerome was obviously gone, he wasn’t going to come back for whatever reason. She shouldn’t even bother trying to find her way out, she would never make it.
Leila was about to completely break down, her voice was hoarse from yelling out Jerome’s name like a desperate banshee. She was in such a panic that she didn’t even hear Jerome’s footsteps as he returned.
“Leila? What’s wrong?” He approached her carefully, hoping it wasn’t something he had done again.
“Jerome?” She sniffled, wiping her eyes before throwing her arms around him. “I thought you were gone.”
“I had hoped I would be back before you awoke,” he soothed as he stroked her head. “I’m terribly sorry if I caused you this distress. I didn’t mean to.”
She smiled up at him, finding it difficult to be angry when she was so relieved he was there. It had been a rollercoaster of a morning and she had barely been up for half an hour.
“Where did you go? I thought something might have happened to you. I didn’t know whether you were coming back, or if you were hurt, I just didn’t know.”
Jerome looked her directly in the eyes, holding her head so she couldn’t look away. “I will always come back to you. I’m sorry.”
Leila didn’t believe him, especially not after the day before when he told her outright that he would be leaving when they found the sword and the mortal. But she was too emotionally exhausted to get into that now. Right at that moment, she chose to believe him.
“So where did you go?”
A smile beamed across his face. “I think I found something.”
“What?”
“I woke up and I had this feeling we were close,” he started to explain excitedly. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I went searching. I must have walked for hours until I tripped over something on the ground. It was a nettle bush, a dried up old nettle bush.”
Leila could now understand the excitement. “The sword is near a nettle bush.”
“Exactly. It was too dark to see anything, but I know how to get back there. We need to go and check it out in the daylight.”
“Let’s go then.”
She packed her bag in record time, eager to get away from their home for the night. It kept bringing back the memory of how panicked she had been only minutes before. She never wanted to feel that way again. Ever.
Jerome led them through the trees, seemingly just meandering his way through random branches. Leila had completely lost her bearings, she wasn’t sure what direction they were going in or where they had come from. How Jerome had managed to find his way along in the darkness of the night was beyond her comprehension. If it was her, she would be lost forever.
“Slow down a little, I don’t have long legs like you do,” Leila pleaded, trying to keep up with his fast pace. She knew he was hurrying because he was excited, but it was making her breathless. The sword had been there for thousands of years, it would still be there if they walked.
Jerome slowed down slightly but still kept up a brisk pace. He really wanted to find the nettle bush again. When he was so close it had scratched his leg, he didn’t want to leave it. But there was nothing he could do in the dark and with the knowledge that Leila would be worried about his absence.
“There it is,” he pointed to a bunch of brown and beige nettle bushes quickly approaching in front of them. They were bristly and dangerous, easily able to rip human skin to shreds.
Jerome examined the bush, careful not to touch it. On one of the lower branches was a speck of blood. His blood, he knew he had found the right spot.
“How do we know this is the nettle bush from the prophecy?” Leila asked, hoping it really was one and the same.
“We’ve been walking for four days, do you remember seeing any other nettle bushes?”
“No.”
“It has to be the one then,” Jerome grinned. “All the other plants look like they belong here, these don’t. Someone planted them in this forest and they did it for a reason.”
“There’s something behind the nettle,” Leila said as she crouched down and tried to see through the ugly branches. “We need to move the branches so we can see better.”
They both stood and stared at the bushes, neither willing to touch the nettles and suffer the pain as a consequence. Yet it had to be done. Jerome could see Leila was right, there was something behind the nettle bushes and they had to find out what it was. The only way to do that was to suffer some pain.
“Stand back and I’ll do it,” Jerome said, taking his shirt off. There was no question about who it would be, he wouldn’t be able to stand by and let a human get hurt. He wrapped his shirt around his hand and used it as a mitt to move the nettle bushes. They were so thick and rough he doubted whether anyone had touched them in centuries.
Leila watched, not really wanting to. It was like witnessing a car accident, it was difficult to look away and painful to watch. She was just waiting for the nettles to catch his exposed skin somewhere and rip him a nice new wound. The only good thing was that it distracted her from seeing his muscled, naked chest. She couldn’t focus on how unbelievably good he looked, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Most of this nettle bush is dead,” Jerome commented, rousing her back to reality. “If I had something to cut it away with, we could move it permanently.”
“Well, when we find the sword…” Leila joked, thinking it would probably make mulch of the bushes if it was as powerful as it sounded. Perhaps it would even be like a light saber, able to shoot out lasers and destroy anything. She had to admit, that would be kind of cool.
Jerome worked away, building up a sweat until he made a space behind the bushes. There was just enough room for him if he folded his wings into his back and tried to keep them there. The thought of getting them entangled in the nettle was enough of a threat to make sure that didn’t happen.
“Hey Leila, you have to see this,” he exclaimed as he took in his surroundings for the first time.
“What is it?”
“You just have to see if for yourself.”
CHAPTER 13
Leila made her way cautiously through the nettle bushes, Jerome holding them back as far as they would go. She wanted to hurry, to see what was so amazing that she just had to see it, but she didn’t want to get stung or caught in the bushes. A hasty walk was going to have to do it.
She finally made her way through to the end, squishing up next to Jerome just to fit. He let go of the bushes and they sprung back into place behind them, closing their chance of a quick getaway if they needed one.
“What do I have to see?” Leila asked, trying to see past him but her vision was blocked by a solid angel standing in her way. “I can’t see anything.”
He sucked in his breath, moving to the side so she could at least peek her head around him. “Now do you see?”
Leila’s mouth dropped open before she could process what she was seeing. She was staring into darkness, a deep cave that seemed to fall straight to the centre of Earth.
“What is it?” She managed to ask, her eyes trying to focus on anything in the darkness.
“It appears to be a cave.”
“I have a flashlight in my backpack. Care to do some exploring?”
Jerome nodded, hoping she would say that. Not that the thought of going into the cave was appealing, but he could sense they were on to something. You don’t stumble across a cave in the middle of
a gigantic forest every day. He was ready and raring to go exploring.
If only the flashlight wasn’t on the other side of the bushes. Jerome sighed as he held the nettle back and waited for Leila to slip through again. His arm was growing tired of holding the heavy bushes, but he didn’t waver until she was back safely by his side again. He slipped his shirt back on, trying not to notice the few new holes in it.
Leila shone the light into the dark abyss before them, startling a few bats as they tried to sleep. “I’ve changed my mind, I can’t go in there. There are creatures living in there.”
“Too late, you already said you would,” Jerome smiled, and started walking, not waiting for a reply. He knew she would get scared at the thought of standing alone and hurry after him. And sure enough, it took her a whole thirty seconds before she did just that.
The flashlight beam darted around the cave as Leila tried to look at everything all at once. She wanted to see anything that was in there, before it could see her. Jerome didn’t rely on the light to see, instead using his other senses like he did the night before. It was much easier than waiting for Leila to shine the light in the right place.
“I don’t like this place, Jerome,” Leila whispered, looping her hand through his arm and gripping on tight. It would be too easy to lose him in the darkness, despite his large frame. And once lost, he would probably stay that way forever.
Jerome placed a reassuring hand over hers. “Just keep your eyes open for the sword, it’s got to be here somewhere.”
The ground started a gentle incline downwards, Leila barely noticed until the flashlight shone on the roof and it was a lot higher above her head than she realized. They were heading deep underground, to what end they didn’t know.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, the screeching of bats was so loud they had to cover their ears. The little bodies flew over their heads, their outstretched wings flapping hard. Leila dropped the flashlight with the sudden noise, leaving the only light coming from their beady little eyes. She remembered horror movies starting out that way, it wasn’t a good omen.
Finally, the screeching echoed into the distance and it grew quiet again. “Where were they going in such a hurry?” Leila grumbled, crouching down and searching for the flashlight in the dark.
“I don’t know but I think we’re going to find out what made them move so quickly.”
Jerome stared at seemingly nothing, while Leila’s hand collided with the flashlight. It had rolled against the stone wall and turned off. She switched it back on and stood up, shining the light beam straight ahead. When she saw what Jerome could see, she was frozen in place.
“What is this place?” She asked in awe, hoping he would have the answers.
“It’s a cavern.”
The area before them was a gigantic bubble in the earth. The ceiling was at least a mile high, the walls the same again wide. Large rocks and boulders lay dormant along the sidelines while determined weeds tried to grow in between them. Somewhere deep in the distance there was running water, it was the only thing they could hear besides their own heartbeats.
“Hey, give me the flashlight for a second. I saw something,” Jerome insisted as he took the torch. Leila just hoped that whatever he saw wasn’t alive and watching them, ready to pounce if they looked tasty. She waited patiently, silently dreading what he was going to find in the cavern.
“Over there, look,” Jerome held the light beam on a spot high up on the wall. So high that it was almost the roof. There was something glinting in the light, reflecting it back. “There’s something up there. Something metal.”
“It can’t be the sword of Cadmus. We can’t be that lucky.”
“We’ve been walking around the forest for four days, almost getting bitten by snakes and encountering potentially savage locals. I don’t think our luck has actually been very good.”
Leila couldn’t argue. She considered adding the fact that they had somehow been caught up in saving the world and that didn’t seem very lucky either, but she kept quiet. She didn’t need to bring down the mood. The dark and dank surroundings were already threatening to do that.
“How are we going to find out what it is?” She asked instead. “We’ll never be able to get up there.”
“I have wings.”
“Oh, right, I forgot. Is there enough room for you to fly?”
Jerome looked at the walls, there was going to be plenty of room for his wings to stretch out. It might get a bit tight as he reached the roof, but he wouldn’t know until he got up there.
“I can do it. Hold the flashlight steady on the object and don’t move it unless I ask you to, okay?” He handed the torch back and took a step away from her, unfolding his wings from against his back. It felt good to let them stretch, they had been in the one position for far too long. And even longer since he had used them to fly.
Leila nodded and did as she was told, holding the flashlight steady on the shiny object. She could faintly make out Jerome as he started flapping his wings, slowly at first but speeding up after he tested the space around him.
The sound of the wind being manipulated by his wings started to drown out the running water. They became a rhythmic ebb and flow as he climbed higher and higher. He focused on the metal object, hoping he wasn’t about to collide with a wall or the ceiling in the darkness. The conditions weren’t exactly made for flying, nor was doing it underground.
“Be careful,” Leila called out, feeling totally useless in the whole thing. All she could do was watch, wait, and cross her fingers. If the angel came crashing down, she wouldn’t have any idea what to do with him. She wouldn’t even have a pillow to prop underneath his head while they waited for him to heal.
Jerome didn’t reply, he was too intent on the metal object. He was getting closer, another few flaps and he would be able to get a clearer look at it. He kept going, sensing the ceiling was close. If he went too high, his wings would hit it and they could get injured. Without functioning wings, he wouldn’t be able to stop his fast descent to the hard ground. It would literally be all downhill from there.
“Hold the light still,” Jerome called down, so close he could almost touch the object.
“It’s a bit hard when I’m shaking so much.”
“Just try your best.”
His encouragement made the beam stop moving around so much. He could see the object in all of its glory. He was looking directly at the sword forged from precious metal, the one that was taken from Cadmus’s hand, the one that would end all pain and sorrow. They had done it, they had found the sword.
“Jerome? What is it?” Leila yelled when he didn’t move. She could see his face illuminated by the beam but she couldn’t make out what he was thinking. “Jerome?”
He took a deep breath, barely believing what he was about to say. “It’s the sword of Cadmus.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s got the markings carved into the blade. It matches the ones on the statues of Ananke. It’s definitely the sword.”
Leila was so excited she almost dropped the flashlight. The beam danced around to the ceiling before she recovered and set it on the metal again. “Sorry.”
“I’m going to grab it and then come down. There might be some loose stones so be careful,” he warned before taking a final look at the sword. It was wedged into the side of the wall but he figured one good yank and it should come out. He was going to put all his strength behind it, there was no way he was going to leave empty handed.
He placed his fingers around the hilt of the sword, it was freezing cold in his grip but it felt sturdy. He counted to three, took a deep breath and then pulled with every muscle he had.
The sword broke free, sending rocks plummeting to the ground as he predicted. But that wasn’t his biggest concern, he didn’t even get to think of the rubble before chaos broke out.
A wall of water rushed out of nowhere, crashing into the cavern with such force that it was like a bomb exploding. It came from every cr
evice, every crack in the wall and even from the ceiling. Within seconds, the entire cavern would be completely inundated with fetid water.
Jerome acted without thinking. While keeping his grip on the sword, he flew down to the ground. He pulled his wings back, letting himself freefall most of the way. Only when he was about to collide with the ground did he extend them again.
He didn’t stop. With his free hand, Jerome grabbed Leila around the waist and pulled her up to him. She didn’t have time to argue or fidget, she was too terrified about what was going on. Her mind couldn’t even process what was going on.
Jerome tried to see in the darkness, the flashlight long gone. He flew as fast as he could, trying to remember the route they had taken to get to the cavern and reverse it. He was flying blind and his wings were only just fitting as they flapped, but he couldn’t stop. The water gushed behind him, threatening to swallow him up if he slowed for even a second.
There was nothing but fear and a desperate need to survive spurring him on. All he could think of was that he made a promise to Leila to protect her and he did not want to go back on that promise. He had to make it out of the cave to safety or he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.
His feet were wet from the lapping of the water, a stark reminder that he had to speed up. He flapped harder, wishing he had more room. The path was starting to get snug. That either meant he was going the right way and was nearing the entrance or he had taken a wrong turn somewhere and was heading directly for a dead end. He couldn’t spare any energy thinking about it.
Jerome’s breathing grew labored, he hadn’t needed to fly that fast for a very long time. If at all. His arms were locked into place at his side. The sword was held out in front of him, making sure it stayed away from Leila. She was pressed against his side, hooked under his arm and threatening to slide out if they went for too much longer. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to adjust her position, he had to keep going.
World Without Angels Page 17
