by KC Bellinger
I crossed my arms and nodded.
“I have a bit of ability myself. Of course, nothing like you or Dustyn.” Her face flinched when she said her name. “I just know things. They started the day Dustyn and the dark-eyed man showed up at the church. I could see it in her eyes—she knew evil, had touched evil. It surprised me they let her onto our sacred ground. I thought for sure she’d go up in flames when she entered the church. But she didn’t. That night, I dreamed of her taking Casper away and of him dying at the hands of a demon. Is that what happened?”
I nodded, but said nothing.
“The dreams, or predictions, came all the time after that. For a few years, they subsided until you came. You are like her, but not really. I’ll figure it out in time.”
“Can I say something now?”
She nodded.
“Dustyn was a demon collector. Everytime she captured a demon, her eyes turned darker, like the dust from Hell’s fire clouded her iris. She was the least evil person I ever knew.” I couldn’t believe those words came from my mouth, but they were the truth. “I had a demon companion until recently. Dustyn always warned me about him—I never listened. I should have.” I felt embarrassed.
“That makes sense. I was scared, that’s all. I didn’t know what was happening to me. “
“I imagine it would be. Are you psychic?”
“I suppose so.” Julia sat on the cold rock.
I followed her.
In the silence, the scratching sound started up again.
“I see when someone will disappear, but I don’t know where they go. Also, I saw you and that black-haired man with dark glasses coming. I’ve seen the two of you together.”
“Really?” my voice made an unexpected squeal. “What did you see?”
“Not much. I know the two of you have a strong connection, but I’m afraid something is missing with him.” She looked puzzled.
“Like what?” Excitement tickled me to my toes. “Me?”
“No, I don’t think that’s it.”
Darn.
Julia’s eyes glazed over for a moment in the candlelight. “I don’t understand the vision, it’s kinda like trying to recall a dream. It’s pretty fuzzy. He appears incomplete. Every being is solid in my visions, but he isn’t. It’s like he’s missing parts.”
Julia rambled on, but my thoughts drifted to Rhys. The curve of his lips, his sultry eyes, the way I fit in the curve of his embrace. “We aren’t together, that’s what’s missing.”
“Do you love him?”
I didn’t have to answer. My face betrayed me. I was told to hide my feelings but I was easier to read than a picture book.
“Hmm.” Julia wiped her soiled hands on her jeans and turned to get up.
“What? “
“I shouldn’t say anything.”
“Like Hell. You better tell me.” I got up and playfully pressed her arm in between my fingers.
“Okay, okay. Let me go. I’ll tell you.” She sighed and started walking again. “You and Justin are supposed to do something amazing together.”
“We already are, aren’t we? I mean, we are rescuing these angels.”
“Okay,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Okay, but … what?” Frantically, I searched her face.
“There’s more you are meant to do together.” She threw her hands up. “But don’t ask me, I don’t know yet what it is. I just know it doesn’t involve that other guy.”
“It doesn’t involve Rhys?” When I realized she didn’t understand what I was asking, I clarified, “The guy with the dark glasses and black hair.”
She nodded.
“Is he a part of my life at all? Because he is supposed to be unless I die. Is that it, Julia? Do I die?”
“No, Whitney, you do not. I see Rhys’s soul rising.” Her eyes drifted heavenward.
“Oh, that’s all?” Relief replaced the terror in my gut. “Well, he is an angel. Oops, I’m not sure if I should have told you that.”
“That explains a lot. The dark-eyed man with Dustyn—he was an angel, too, then?”
“Yes. His name is Tresian, but, Julia, tell me what you know.”
After begging and pleading, she shook her head firmly. “I knew I had to befriend you because of my brother. I don’t have many friends because I can see things and it’s disturbing. You have no evil intentions, well, not really. Don’t worry, your secret about Rhys is safe with me, both of them.” I must have looked confused because she added, “Please don’t tell Justin about your angel. It’ll break his heart and it might alter future events.”
“He’ll find out, eventually. Once these angels are sent home, I plan on spending every free moment with Rhys,” I explained.
She tried to smile but failed.
Before I could ask why the tunnel opened onto another grave.
Chapter 17
A fully dressed corpse laid in the middle of the floor. I looked up to see if perhaps he had fallen, but there wasn’t an empty place for him on the ridge. The bodies were neatly stacked and covered with ceremonious blankets. The man on the floor looked embalmed; I could still make out the features of his face and his nose protruded slightly from his skull. His black cassock covered his arms and legs, and the fine red embroidery looked freshly sewn on.
“Have you seen him before?”
Julia shook her head. “No. I bet it’s been about ten years since I’ve been down here. I wonder what happened.”
I leaned down and reached past his clerical dress to find a pair of matching black slacks with the same stitched design.
“What are you doing?” Julia looked disgusted.
“Well, only one way to find out.” He had a wallet in his back pocket, but there was no form of identification. There was nothing in the folded leather at all. “Looks like someone took everything he had.” I stared at the body for a moment. “It just doesn’t seem right to leave him like this. Help me move him onto a shelf. We can scoot someone over to make him fit.”
“You are sick, Whitney!”
“What do you want to do then, just leave him on the ground?”
“No, you’re right.” She wrinkled her nose as we pushed the skeleton from the first shelf close to the wall.
We picked up the corpse and glided him into the space. A loud clanking sound erupted when we carried him over.
“What was that?”
“He must have dropped something.” I covered the man with a nearby blanket and scanned the ground for what had fallen. A golden chain had slipped between two large rocks beneath our feet. It was a tight fit, but I yanked on it, snapping the chain in half.
Julia shined the light over the crack. “Look, there is something down there. He must have hidden it before he died.”
I reached my fingers into the groove and heaved the moist rock. My hands slipped a few times, but I finally felt the rock free itself from the earth. “These rocks don’t look normal, do they?”
“No, they look like they were part of another tunnel system. The ground here is smooth and speckled like there’s quartz in it. This rock is black and rough.” Julia pushed on the rock, helping me roll it away from the sparking item below. “It may be more quartz.”
I got down on my knees and peered into the crevice. “It looks like a shell. Help me move this other rock, Julia.”
Once both rocks were removed, I could squeeze my hand into the hole. There was more space now, but the item had wedged itself deep into the ground like it was trying to return to the earth. I yanked hard and pulled it free from the wet clay.
“Is that the bowl we are looking for?” Julia asked, getting down on her knees to have a better look.
“It doesn’t look like a bowl, does it? It looks more like a spoon or a shell. I think it’s made of bone.” A small hole was drilled through the handle and the rest of the chain still clung to it. “Do you think this is why he was killed?”
Julia’s face turned an eerie shade of white. Her eyes rolled back into he
r head and a slight sound escaped her lips as if she were meditating.
“Julia, are you okay? Julia?” I started shaking her. “Julia, please don’t puke. Oh, shit! What’s wrong?”
As fast as her face paled, it returned to its normal peach color.
“What the hell just happened to you?”
“I had a vision. Someone needs our help.” Her focus turned down the corridor and then up. “Shh. Listen.” The faint sound of scratching echoed through the tunnel. “That isn’t the sound of rodents.”
“I never thought it was,” I said snidely. “Do you know what is above us?” The clay and sandstone walls were bare of roots or traffic noise. The only sound besides the scratching was the slow drip of water from the wet rocks.
“We have to be close to the cliffs. There are a few houses there, but only a few are occupied … that I know of anyway.”
“Could we be near the mayor’s house by chance?” I recalled the same faint but constant sound coming from below their house.
“Yeah, it’s possible.” Julia sniffed then sneezed. “We are close to the ocean. Can’t you smell it? I bet saltwater is seeping through the tunnels.”
“Do they ever fill with water?” I asked, a little frightened.
“No. At least, I’ve never heard of that happening, but I guess anything is possible.” She shrugged.
The scratching noise became more intense.
“Go tell the others and meet me at the mausoleum. I have to do this alone.”
Without a second glance, Julia was gone. I grudgingly reached into my backpack and pulled out the cloak.
Chapter 18
It didn’t seem to fit. The cloak was heavier and bulkier than ever. The last time I had it on, it conformed to my body. Now, it seemed as though I’d thrown a bear rug over my shoulders. I covered my head with the hood and waited for the so-called magic to happen, but it didn’t.
The hood covered my eyes and nose, and the faint smell of wet dog filled my nostrils. I tried to walk, but I couldn’t move. It was angry with me but I couldn’t figure out why or how that was possible. Relaxing, I opened my mind a little, trying to feel for the soul that once wore the skin. Just a sliver was all it needed to pry into my head and become my second skin once again. It felt good and, for a moment, I was totally disgusted with myself. The scratching came again and the battle between mind over matter would have to wait.
I glided through the shrinking tunnel with ease until I came upon a boulder. Someone purposefully put it there. It wasn’t a problem moving it, especially since I had the cloak on, but where would I put it? I didn’t feel like I had the time to roll it back into the main cave. Whoever or whatever was in there would have to squeeze around the rock.
“Neetah,” a disembodied voice shook the surrounding earth. The scratching stopped, and the word trembled through the rock around me.
In my mind, I searched around, trying to feel for anything. There were more dead-end tunnels, but right above me, something felt different. The smooth and water-slick rock buried in the clay walls was carved out—I touched metal. I burrowed my senses past the strange terrain and it opened into another cavern. No, a room.
The rock to the tunnel beyond was just a diversion. Nothing was there but a few offshoots and a small cavern threatening to collapse. It must have been a trap and I almost fell for it.
“Neetah,” that voice again, like someone calling their pet.
By the sure will of the cloak alone, my fingers grazed the dirt above me. Small pebbles and clay rained down. Beneath a thin layer, a trap door appeared. Luckily, the lock was on my side of the door and, with the elements rusting the metal, it broke easily. I yanked hard, sending an avalanche of earth on top of me … Someday I’ll learn to open doors with a little more ease.
I shook the dirt from the cloak, but most of it had fallen to the floor already. Peering up into the hole, two faces looked down at me. One had eyes lined in black, and although they were pitch as night, they appeared soft and inviting. The other, a bronze-skinned woman, with the same black, angel eyes, but they spun in their sockets with a feral intensity.
“Neetah,” she slurred through thin lips. She reached down and pulled me up by the hood.
They both had glossy black hair; the kind you can see your reflection in when the sun is setting. His hair was cropped short in the back, but the front fell, long and slick, over his face. He wore deer hide pants and nothing else. The woman wore a beaded dress from the same material. Her mane dusted the floor as she kneaded on the fur like a kitten suckling its mother.
I locked eyes with the male angel. We stared at each other as if a connection had already been formed. Something familiar? A comfortable bond filled the otherwise tense situation. Even the female, who was now rubbing at my arm, felt soothing. Was it because they were angels? Besides Rhys, the only other angel I knew was Tresian, and I felt safe and happy when he was around. This was different. With these two, I felt I’d found something I hadn’t known was missing.
A faint sound of footsteps severed the connection. We sat in silence, waiting for it to pass. After a moment, I opened my mouth to speak, but the male placed a finger on my lips. The touch was gentle and a sudden urge to touch his hand overtook me. His eyes widened in surprise, as if he felt something, too.
I stepped back, allowing his hand to fall away.
“They’re gone,” the woman said, breaking the brief connection.
I averted my eyes to anywhere but him.
The room was stark, with two folding chairs, stinking of sulfur. The woman, firmly attached to my arm, was now petting the cloak like it was a lost pet. She looked oddly familiar, though I was certain I had never seen her before.
“What’s Neetah?” I asked the male angel since the female seemed way too familiar with my arm.
“She is the pelt you wear on your back,” he said in a tired voice.
“Do you have anything that can cut through this?” He fluttered his fingers, but it was the chain around his wrists he was asking about.
Running my hands over it, avoiding skin contact, I couldn’t feel any weak bonds in the metal. Then it hit me. I’d felt the cold rivets of that chain before. My hand automatically searched for the locket around my throat.
“That’s not metal, is it?” He shook his head. “I cannot. I know someone who can though. We have to get you out of here.” Forcefully, I pulled my arm from the woman. “Please follow me.”
“Brother,” the female angel slurred, taking my face into hers. Her hands frantically covered my face, tracing every curve of my nose and lips. “The mark of Nyx.” She let out a small hiss and then a terrifying snarl. “She has seen him.” She proudly twisted my face up to meet her brothers.
My cheeks reddened under the harsh grasp of her fingers.
“Let her go. You knew it would only be a matter of time before he’d send somebody to retrieve us.” The male angel stretched his back and his bare arms rippled with his movement. They were both so pale. After a day or so of sun, they’d have a healthy glow I would envy.
“You.” She thrust her arms under the hood and pulled out my waist-length blonde hair. She patted it like she did the cloak then laughed. “He has stolen stars for you.” She played with the locks, curling strands around her claw-like fingers. “You have fallen for the great moon.” Her eyes locked with mine and though hers spun methodically, I refused to blink. “Ha! Is there nothing else in that sky? Tell me, Star, have you fallen for a-ke-ro? Do you think a little dust from what humans wish upon will heal the deepest of scars?” She let out a horrific cackle.
“That is enough, Azu,” the male angel ordered. “She is here to rescue us; not be ridiculed by your taunting,” his voice boomed through the small room. His black eyes sauntered over to me. “We are very thankful you arrived. My name is Penn, and this is my unruly sister, Azu. We are triplets and by the mark in your eye, I can see you have met our brother.”
Rhys. I didn’t have to ask. Of course that’s why they felt
familiar, there’s a connection between the three of them. He looked like the two angels standing in front of me. My chest grew heavy just thinking of him.
Azu smirked. “Awe, she knows, her heart wrenches for him and soon her eyes shall weep.” She patted the top of my head.
I wasn’t sure if it was for me or Neetah.
Since their hands were tied in front of them, I helped them into the tunnel. Their hands were chilly and unnaturally pale. Could it be from the chain?
“Does it hurt?” I felt stupid for asking, but it seemed like a polite thing to say. I mean, if they were a part of Rhys’s life, they would be in mine unless they go back to wherever they came from.
“Not really. But it drains us from our power,” Penn replied.
“What kind of angels are you?” I asked, wondering if they were the angels we were searching for. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
Penn grinned. He was now facing me in the tunnel. He had to hunker down and put his massive forearms in front of him to walk. “No, I don’t mind. The three of us guard the relics. I know we’ve done a lousy job of it, but they have an affinity for us. They will find us if we do not find them first.”
“How did you lose them in the first place?”
“How do you lose anything? They get misplaced or stolen. We’ve had them for centuries, and they aren’t the only relics we have to babysit,” Penn answered.
His demeanor was so unlike Azu’s or Rhys’s; he was kind and pleasant and he didn’t possess the intensity Rhys had. But he also seemed nonchalant about losing something so powerful and expected someone else would help him out. I bet he was the youngest of the three siblings.
We walked for a while and I filled them in on the Strongs and what happened between me and Jaiten. Azu snorted at my mention of befriending a demon, but she said nothing. I was willing to bet she had a few demons stashed in her closet, too.
“What is that horrific sound? Is it a suffocating bird?” Azu hissed from the front of the pack. Penn and I shrugged.
She leaped forward to scout ahead.
