World Without Angels

by Campbell, Jamie

  Alexander poured the entire bottle of liquid down Jerome’s throat. Only when it was empty did he take it back. Leila stroked his face, trying to believe it would make a difference but unable to keep up the faith. It was just a liquid, it wasn’t some magical potion that could do the impossible.

  “It’s going to take some time,” Alexander declared as he sat on the lounge opposite Jerome. “You may as well take a seat.”

  Leila wasn’t going to leave him. She slipped her hand into his and sat on the edge of the lounge. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she didn’t care.

  Alexander saw her wince when she moved. “You’re hurt, what happened to your shoulder?”

  She considered being stubborn and not telling him, but the pain was too bad. “Septuses scratched it.”

  “Show me.”

  He stood and hovered over her, not allowing her to refuse. She pulled down her shirt, exposing the raw and split skin on her shoulder. The blood had dried, making it look like a mangled, bloody mess.

  “Stay still and I’ll get something for that too,” Alexander said before hurrying away. Leila sighed and waited, not having any other option. He returned moments later with a lotion. “This is going to hurt but don’t move.”

  He wasn’t lying. Leila clenched her jaw through the pain, trying to stay still as Alexander rubbed at her wounds. The lotion was cold, almost freezing. But when it was absorbed by the skin, it started to heal instantly. She could watch it repair itself, mesmerized. By the time Alexander had the cap back on the tube, her shoulder was back to normal.

  “What is that stuff?” She asked in amazement.

  “Healing gel,” Alexander replied, shrugging like it should have been obvious. Leila didn’t bother asking for more details, figuring she wouldn’t get any.

  To take her mind off her worrying about Jerome, Leila studied her surroundings. The hostel was different to a house on Earth and everything was bigger to accommodate the angel’s wings. Subtle improvements had been made not that long ago with some of the windows boarded up and extra locks on the door. Unless you understood they were amidst a war, you probably wouldn’t have noticed them.

  Her eyes travelled back to Alexander, he was studying her too. His intense gaze was searing into her, making her uncomfortable. She decided to turn the tables and make him squirm for a bit. “So how do you know Jerome? You said you were friends?”

  Alexander nodded slowly. “We’ve been best friends since we were born. Our mother’s gave birth to us in the same month. Where’s he been for the last three weeks?”

  “On Earth. He fell there when he was being attacked by demons.”

  “And that’s where you’re from too? I didn’t even think humans could get here. You aren’t supposed to be able to.”

  “I don’t even understand how it happened,” Leila sighed and went on to explain everything she and Jerome had been through. The falling, the influence of evil on Earth, the prophecy, Hallows Gallows, and finally the realization that she was the one who could stop the demons. He listened intently until the end, not even interrupting once.

  “So you killed Septuses then? That explains why the demons left as quickly as they did. I guess I should be thanking you.”

  “Bring back Jerome, that will be thanks enough.”

  “I’ve done all I can,” Alexander confessed. “It’s all up to him now. We should know by morning.”

  Leila glanced down at Jerome, still looking so lifeless and still. She didn’t know how he could come back from that but she wanted it more than anything in the world.

  For just a moment, she wondered what would happen to her if Jerome didn’t wake up. She didn’t know how to get back to Earth and she couldn’t stay in the village. For a start, they didn’t even have any food there. Add to that her grief for losing the angel she loved, and she wouldn’t be able to last very long.

  As she could feel the tears starting to well in her eyes again, she felt a tug on her hand. It was ever so slight, she wasn’t even sure it was real, but when it happened again, she was sure. Jerome had moved his index finger.

  CHAPTER 18

  It took an anxious night of waiting and searching for that spark within him to return. Jerome opened his eyes at ten minutes past eight in the morning. He blinked a few times, as if adjusting his eyes. The moment that happened, both Alexander and Leila were hovering over him.

  “Jerome?” Leila asked gently, barely believing what she was seeing. It was like a miracle, the second one she had witnessed now. “Are you okay?”

  He tried to talk but his mouth was too dry. Alexander quickly fetched some water to help. He poured it down his throat and waited. “Take your time, buddy. We’re not going anywhere.”

  Jerome tried to move but his body was too painful. He gave up and just let his head fall backwards again. When he managed to speak, his voice was so raspy it could cut like a razor. “Leila.”

  Leila quickly took his hand again. “I’m right here, Jerome, I’m here.”

  “How are you feeling, buddy?” Alexander asked.

  “Like I’ve been attacked by a demon.” The joke started Jerome off on a round of coughing. “What happened?”

  “I killed him,” Leila stated. “I killed the big demon and the rest ran away.”

  A faint smile passed over his lips. “I told you that you were the one who we were looking for.”

  “I know, I’m sorry we argued about it.” Leila could feel the tears starting again. She could finally say the words she had wished she could say to him. It was like getting a second chance.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Jerome shifted his gaze to Alexander, so happy to see his friend after so long. Three weeks was a long time when you were at war. Anything could have happened to him, but thankfully it seemed like he had just taken a few claws. He directed his question towards him. “Is it over?”

  Alexander nodded happily. “They’ve retreated. It’s all over. The war has been won.”

  This time, it wasn’t a faint smile that passed over Jerome’s lips, it was a big one. He was overjoyed with the news. He had been successful in finding the one person who could end the war and she had been triumphant. And to top it all off, she survived the fight too. Leila was fine, he could see it with his very own eyes.

  They were interrupted by a sharp knocking on the door, the noise making all three of them jump. Alexander pointed to a room off the living room, indicating for Leila to get in there quickly. She obeyed, hurrying to get inside and close the door. Once he saw it was safe to do so, Alexander answered the front door.

  Standing on the stoop was an official from the council. He held an envelope, his face grim. It wasn’t a good sign.

  “Patrick, what can I do for you?” Alexander asked, trying to keep his voice friendly. It was never a good idea to get the council offside, no matter what he actually thought of them.

  Patrick, with his short little legs and tubby waistline, didn’t exactly reciprocate. “Jerome is summoned to the council. He must be there by noon and he is ordered to bring the human with him.”

  “What are you talking about?” He tried hard to look confused, but wasn’t sure how well he was pulling it off. Angels weren’t supposed to lie, they weren’t built for it. He may as well have been wearing a sign around his neck declaring his deceit.

  “You know what I’m talking about. Twelve o’clock, Jerome and the human. Be there or suffer the consequences,” Patrick looked at him seriously, leaning in closer. “And you really don’t want to suffer the consequences.”

  “Thank you for the warning.” He accepted the envelope and waited for the Official to leave. He so badly wanted to yell at him for being such a pompous idiot, but he held his tongue. It wasn’t going to do anyone any good.

  Closing the door, he opened the envelope and delivered it to Jerome. “You can come out now, Leila.”

  The note inside simply said twelve o’clock, council building. No pleasantries, no formalities, nothing. Considering they had just saved
all the remaining guardian angels and probably the world, they could have been nicer in their request.

  Leila seemed to be of the same opinion. “Why do they keep calling me the human? I have a name, I’m a real person. They make me sound like a troll or something.”

  “That’s the council for you,” Alexander said with a sneer. “They don’t see living beings, they see pawns in a chess board. They always have and they always will.”

  Leila remembered the small details that Jerome had told her about the angel council. He never revealed much and it was usually divulged before he realized what he was saying, but the few details she knew didn’t impress her. They seemed more like a dictatorship than a heavenly council.

  With Alexander’s help, Jerome sat up. They only had a few hours before he would need to be well enough to make it to the council. There was no option of calling in sick or missing the meeting. If that happened, they would probably throw him into hell for the demons to have their fun with. The council did not like to be disobeyed.

  “What’s going to happen at the meeting?” Leila asked, worried it was concerning the angels.

  Jerome exchanged a look with Alexander before answering, it didn’t make her feel any more at ease. “There is nothing to worry about. They probably just want to thank you for killing Septuses.”

  She didn’t believe a word of it but didn’t want to argue, not when he was still so pained by his injuries. They waited in the living room until it was time to leave. Jerome could have used many more hours of rest before he was truly well enough to leave the hostel, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, he limped along with Alexander’s shoulder for support.

  By the time they reached the large and imposing council building, the angels were worn out and Leila was a bundle of nerves. Still, they made it there by the deadline and were guided into a room that was far bigger than it needed to be. The meeting room had an oval table in the centre with enough seats for two dozen people. Alexander waited outside while Jerome and Leila were told to take a seat.

  Within minutes, they were joined by five members of the council, the last of them being the grand head himself. Leila felt sick at seeing them, they each wore medals pinned on their chest and each looked extremely important. They took a seat across the table, all in a row.

  The one in the middle, with blonde hair and the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen, spoke first. “Thank you for coming.”

  Jerome spoke before Leila could, his promise to protect her still ringing in his eyes. “Thank you for the invitation.” It was more important to keep the council happy than be snarky with him. Jerome’s strategy was going to be purely to be too pleasant for them to be mean.

  “Do you know why you have been asked here?” It was the blonde one again, he was obviously the one appointed the speaker for the group.

  “I’m not entirely sure.”

  The blonde one chuckled. “You haven’t guessed that it’s got something to do with the little human at your side?”

  “My name is Leila,” she spoke before she could stop herself. She immediately wanted to recall her words but she was tired of them referring to her as an object instead of a person. Perhaps that was really the way angels saw humans, just objects to protect rather than real living, breathing, people. She guessed perhaps it might make it easier for them to do their job with that attitude.

  Blondie looked over his glasses at her, as if just noticing Leila for the first time since he arrived. Slowly, as if in slow motion, he turned his attention back to Jerome. “How dare you involve a human in angel business? What were you even thinking going to Earth in the first place?”

  “I fell to Earth during a battle with the demons, I didn’t intend for it to be like that,” Jerome said matter of factly, he wasn’t trying to defend himself rather state the truth.

  “I guess you also didn’t intend to involve a human either?”

  “No. I was injured and Leila took me to safety. I intended on leaving her when I recovered.”

  “Then why didn’t you?”

  Jerome didn’t have a real answer. He couldn’t admit he had fallen in love the moment he laid eyes on her. Nor could he say he wanted to protect her, as she wasn’t his to protect. Nothing he could say would get him out of trouble.

  Leila saw him struggling and stepped in, hoping they couldn’t do anything bad to her. Surely it was forbidden or something. “I asked him to stay with me because I was scared. There was a lot of violence going on and I feared being along. It wasn’t Jerome’s fault.”

  The blonde man suddenly banged loudly on the table, the sound echoing through the oversized room. “You are a guardian angel, Jerome, you know the rules and you know your responsibilities. What you have done is inexcusable.”

  Leila looked at Jerome, waiting for him to argue that he was only trying to help, waiting for him to defend himself. But he was just sitting there, his head bowed slightly as a mark of respect and regret. She wanted him to tell them everything, surely they would have to understand he wasn’t doing anything wrong? He just needed to speak up for himself, right?

  “Jerome,” Blondie continued, his voice deep and threatening. “We should take your wings and throw you down to Earth considering you like it there so much.”

  Leila couldn’t contain herself anymore. If Jerome wasn’t going to defend himself, then she would. “He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been nothing but brave and kind and he saved my life. You can’t punish him for that.”

  Blondie raised a hand to signal her to stop, he disregarded her like she was a bug on a windshield. The five council members stared at them, their eyes flicking between the two sitting across the table. The silence in the room grew deafening. All Leila could hear was the beating of her own heart and it sounded ominous. She wished they would just speak, get it over and done with. If they were going to punish them, then get it over with. There couldn’t be much worse a thing than sitting in the large room and being studied by grumpy looking men.

  After what felt like an age, Blondie actually smiled. “You found a feisty one. I’m glad all humans aren’t as difficult as her.”

  The other angels laughed, it just made Leila angrier. Jerome put his head up, finally read to speak. “She’s not difficult, she’s actually a hero. She killed Septuses, we have her to thank for our lives. All of our lives.” He directed the last comment at each and every one of the council members. Pointedly ensuring they knew why the war had come to such an abrupt end. Nobody insulted Leila, not on his watch.

  Blondie sat back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “We are well aware of the courage and sacrifice both of you have shown over the past few weeks, culminating in the slaying of Septuses yesterday. It was quite a feat discovering Tiresias’s prophecy and then finding the human we needed. You are both to be commended for that.”

  “How do you know about Tiresias and the prophecy?” Jerome asked, curious.

  “It’s a legend we’ve all heard, Jerome. I’m sure there isn’t an angel amongst us that didn’t hear the tale from their grandparents.” Blondie turned to his colleagues, they nodded in agreement like they were supposed to. “I’m sure none of us truly believed it until we heard the reports from the middle ground yesterday. However, while we are grateful for your service, we cannot ignore the fact that you involved a human.”

  Leila wanted to jump across the table and shake some sense into the blonde man. Jerome almost died and all they cared about was that he had worked with a human. The way they said it made it sound like the most heinous crime ever, involving a human may as well have been making a deal with the devil himself. She wasn’t a troll, she wasn’t a demon, she was just a seventeen year old girl. Surely it couldn’t be nearly as bad as they were making out.

  Jerome, on the other hand, completely understood the problem. From birth, it had been drilled into him that you never revealed yourself to a human. They should never know about their existence, it was vital to the survival of both humans and angels. Terrible, bad things were supp
osed to happen if they did. He knew he had broken their most important rule – and they didn’t even know the extent of it. If they knew he had fallen in love with the human sitting beside him, they would probably behead him right then and there.

  Blondie seemed to be considering their punishment as he sat across from them. He didn’t look happy, his face in a permanent frown. It was difficult to tell whether they had caused it or he was just generally a grumpy person. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

  The next person to speak wasn’t Blondie, it was the man seated at his side. He seemed a bit more pleasant, but his eyes were partially hidden in his thick black hair so it was hard to tell. “Perhaps we should give them a break for ending the war?”

  Blondie was quick to reply. “I have taken that into consideration in making my decision.”

  They waited, holding their breath. Leila could not believe they were actually going to punish them for doing the right thing. She wanted to walk out, they didn’t get to judge her, they weren’t rulers on Earth. But she didn’t have anywhere to go, she considered she would probably need their help to get back home. Still, if it wasn’t for Jerome, she doubted whether she would still be sitting there.

  The blonde one sat forward, his intertwined hands placed on the table. “What you have done, Jerome, has put our kind in grave danger of being discovered by the humans. However, I understand you have acted in good faith and with the best of intentions. For this reason, I am giving the human two options.”

  “That is kind of you, thank you,” Jerome responded respectfully. He quickly stole a glance at Leila. She didn’t look happy, he wished it was over so they could talk. He wanted to explain everything to her, let her know how serious the council took their secrecy. But above all, he wanted to tell her it would be okay, he would continue to protect her, even if that meant defying the council.

  Blondie consulted the piece of paper lying on the table in front of him, he read off the options formally. “Human, Leila, your first option is to be returned to Earth. You will have your memory erased so you do not remember anything of the past three weeks. You will not remember the existence of angels and you will resume your life as if nothing has happened.”