"Maybe we should come up with a secret door knock,” she suggested.
Staggering relief swept through me, and we all relaxed. Jason relatched the door behind her and followed her as she came through to the dining room.
"So, how did it go?” Andrew asked with folded arms and an intense expression. Irma collapsed in a chair.
"There's good and bad news,” she said.
"Start with the bad,” Andrew replied, pulling up a chair beside her. Everyone resumed their seats, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"Well, the angels are alive… but they're not exactly eager to send thousands of troops down to defend Earth. Not when the Urenphians' armies clearly outnumber ours. With the Starlight Barrier collapsing, they're already devising plans to leave."
"Leave?” I asked, shaking my head. "Where are they going?"
Irma shrugged. "The universe is a big place, Lucy. I'm sure there's a planet or moon out there somewhere that they've been planning to go to for centuries now."
"What?” I snapped, my jaw dropping. "I thought they were sworn by oath to help our kind?"
"They were—back when your kingdom stood a chance of actually developing into the world Titania had pictured,” Irma explained. "But now, they say Earth is a lost cause. And it's only going to spread from here. But they did advise that you get out now, while you can. You're valuable, Lucy, and they have offered to take you someplace else. You'll be able to start afresh."
I was gobsmacked.
"No!” I exclaimed, recoiling. "I can't just leave! This is my home! And what about my friends? My family? Do they expect me to leave them all behind?"
My opinion of the angels was taking a turn at the mere suggestion of abandoning Earth.
"Right now, their only focus is on what's a priority,” Irma explained gently. "I tried to reason with them. They're giving us an hour to decide, but if the hour passes by and you are still determined to fight for Earth, they have allowed for a small unit of soldiers to come down and help us. I can't guarantee it will be of much help, but it should be enough to help us get hold of Devian, at the very least. And that's a start."
"And after that?” Andrew pressed, cutting in. "What if Devian recovers Valarie's memories and we still hit a wall? What if there's nothing left to help us?"
He turned to me.
"The angels have a point—there are too many odds against us. If they're only sending us a portion of their army, that's nothing. And if they're leaving, we'll have no backup if we should fail. No escape route."
Despite the heaviness of his words, I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms.
"I'm not going anywhere,” I said firmly. "We just need to take it one step at a time. There's no good in guessing away at the unknown, and we can't predict what kind of help could come to our aid through our efforts. If we could, we could skip to the end of this entire battle."
There was a tense pause, and everyone wore thoughtful looks.
"I agree with Lucy,” Valarie said finally, and I was grateful for her support. "I want to help, and I'm ready to.” She gave me a small nod, and it was all I needed to understand that she had come to terms with her emotions for the time being. She leaned forward, and added,
"Plus, I happen to know some information about Chrissy that could be of use."
My eyes widened.
"What is it?” I asked, leaning forward. Valarie smiled a little.
"When I was captured, I had a lot of time to observe,” she explained slowly. "The house. Their mannerisms… I even overheard conversation snippets. And I learned that Chrissy and Kale have a certain weakness that we could use to our advantage."
"Which is?” Irma pressed. Andrew moved forward too, his eyes wide and eager. But I noticed Skye and Jason didn't look so surprised.
"Chrissy thrives off status—she always has,” Valarie explained. "Even back when we were younger, she was a bully. I know this because I saw it first-hand—she used to bully you, Skye, didn't she?"
I recoiled. This was news to me, and my gaze snapped to hers. She shrank back in her chair. But then, she gave us a single, small nod.
"Yes,” she said, her voice a whisper. "Both me and my brother."
Valarie's expression became gentle. "What I didn't know before was why she was a bully. There could have been any reason for it, but I also noticed that Chrissy was always asking you two for money."
I took note of Jason's gaze. There was no surprise there—if anything, he looked bored. He'd known this. He obviously knew her weakness… but why hadn't he told us?
"Chrissy and Kale came from an abusive family,” Valarie said, and the bluntness of her words made me stiffen. Something clicked in my head—the fire… what Jason had told me…
You'd be surprised what people would do just to turn their lives around.
They'd burned them alive.
"Chrissy was seeking a way out. She was saving up enough money to escape. But when offered a better choice, by a more powerful being… of course, she took her chances with it. With her power, she could have eyes everywhere. She could learn any secret, and use it against people. Chrissy's greatest fear is losing that level of power—of becoming helpless and vulnerable again. If we can cut off her sight and lower her status… she'll struggle. She'll become more focused on gaining that back, for fear of landing herself in the situation she was once in. She won't notice if we steal Devian out from under her—or even save a few people."
"Don't you think I've thought of that?” Jason said finally, his voice eerily quiet. Everyone—including Valarie—turned to him. Valarie and Jason's eyes bore into each other's, and a strange tension that made me lower my own gaze and sip my tea filled the air. Jason tore his gaze away and focused sourly on his own empty teacup.
"How are we going to cover up every mirror on the planet before she catches on? And how are we going to cut off her status?"
Skye nodded and straightened in her chair.
"Jason's right—there's a reason Chrissy's predecessor chose her. She's good at what she does. And I know better than anyone. I served her for long enough, even before I was bound by magic to do so."
I leaned back, grimacing.
"Why did you become their Chards?” I asked, genuinely curious. I didn't think a bully's victim would willingly step up to assist their tormentor.
"I did it because of Devian,” Skye admitted. "Chrissy loved being a bully—and when she no longer needed our money, she wouldn't let us go. She said her work wasn't done… so she made a deal with him. Said that she'd stop harassing me once and for all if he stepped up and served her for eternity. He's my big brother—he'd do anything for me, so of course he accepted her deal. He wanted me to get out of here and start a new life. But I couldn't do that; I couldn't possibly leave him in her clutches. After all, he's all I have left."
I nodded slowly.
"So you joined them too,” I said quietly. "I bet he's angry about that."
I would be angry too. If I gave up everything to save someone and they threw it away, I'd be more than just angry.
She nodded a little.
"That's why I can't leave him now. Why I asked you to try and save him… I owe him that much."
When Skye said Devian was all she had… could that mean she didn't have parents? Where did she live? Had they lived by themselves before all of this had happened? I didn't know anything about either of them—I hadn't paid attention to the public-school kids. I had just been too busy in the past, so I honestly didn't know their story. But of course Valarie had known something—she'd been the one always out partying with Hannah and Rosie.
"Listen, Skye,” I said, leaning forward and meeting her eyes. "When we get Devian back, you don't have to stay with us. You can go and find somewhere safe to stay, if that's what you want. And I completely understand if it is, because I can only imagine what your life has been like under the direction of Chrissy. But if you need it… this house will always be open to the both of you."
A pause.
There was a heaviness in her voice when she replied, "That's very kind of you, Lucy. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
I nodded to her.
"Back to what I was saying,” Valarie intervened carefully, her gaze drifting around the room. "I’m not suggesting that we cover up every mirror on the planet—that would be a waste of our time, and a dead giveaway of what we're up to. But we have an angel army coming here, right? So why don't we find out where Devian is stationed, and set up two plans—a fake plan, to throw her off, and make it look like we're escaping and covering our tracks. And a real plan, because once she goes after the decoy, we can go in, take Devian, and save whoever we can. When she comes back, she'll have failed in front of the Urenphians, and that will damage her credibility and reputation."
My eyes widened.
"Valarie—that's actually brilliant!” I exclaimed. "But we also have to consider Kale—I haven't had a lot to do with him, so I don't know what he's like compared to Chrissy. But I heard you lot got caught in a trap of his."
My gaze shifted to Andrew and Irma, and they nodded in confirmation.
"Kale has illusion magic, and it messes with your head,” Irma said. "So when you mix real traps with fake ones, you can't tell which is which. We went to find Valarie at that closed-down florist just outside the centre of town. It made sense, because Chrissy's mother had owned it, but when we got there, we were locked inside in the darkness. And every time a trap went off, we couldn't figure out if there was actually anything there or if it was our mind messing with us. It was designed to waste our time—to give them time to complete the ritual without us realising."
As intrusive as Chrissy's power was, Kale's was no less dangerous.
"How did you get out?” I asked.
"Walter found us, and he took Kale out. He’d been so focused on us that he didn't realise Walter came up behind him,” Irma explained.
"So… if we can find a way to keep him distracted, we won't have to worry about him trapping us,” I said. "But how are we going to do that?"
Andrew shook his head.
"We caught him off guard, but he'll be more careful from now on. It'll be harder to just take him out—someone's going to have to go in as a distraction."
That made my stomach sink. The idea of sending anyone out rogue made me extremely worried. At least in pairs you had backup, but alone?
"I'll go,” Skye announced finally, and my jaw dropped.
"Hold on a second—” I protested, but she shook her head.
"No, this is the best way,” she replied. "If anyone else did it, Kale would catch on immediately to the fact that we're trying to distract him. The only one who can come up with a plausible excuse is me, because I'm Devian's sister. And now that I'm free, I could approach him and pretend to bargain for Devian."
Andrew pursed his lips.
"It's not a bad idea,” he said, eyeing me with a questioning look. "Thoughts?"
I let out a slow, uneasy breath.
"I guess,” I admitted. "It does make sense. But I'm worried—perhaps we should send an angel with you. Even if they hide out of sight, just as a precaution."
"That's too risky,” Jason cut in. "What if someone finds them? We can't afford to leave anything to chance."
I scowled, and Jason turned to Andrew.
"The angels will be here within the hour, right? Well, we can't afford to waste much more time. I think we need to finalize this plan tonight, prepare for it, and be ready to head out by tomorrow evening."
Andrew nodded in agreement.
"The darkness will give us some cover, and having twenty-four hours to prepare will make sure we're well rested and ready for whatever we face out there. Plus, we're going to need weapons.” He turned to Irma. "Didn’t you say Walter salvaged some in the observatory fire?"
"That’s right,” Irma confirmed. "He put them in the safe before we went to save Lucy. The safe is fire-resistant, so with a bit of luck, they'll have survived."
"Then I propose that Jason goes to retrieve them,” Andrew ordered, and Jason’s face tightened, but he didn't complain. Andrew turned to Neo and added, "When the angels get here, they'll need someone to greet them. You can handle that, right?"
Neo nodded, and Andrew turned back to Irma. "As for you, you should go upstairs and get some rest. You've had a long trip."
Irma nodded gratefully before slipping off her chair and heading out of the room.
Valarie rose to her feet.
"I just had an idea,” she said, a glint in her eye. "We need clothes to fight in—most of us have been in the same clothes for days now, and they're not made to withstand battle."
She looked at me.
"Do you have a sewing machine around here?"
I had to think about that. I'd never recalled seeing one—my mum bought new clothes from department stores on a fairly frequent basis. But there could have been one in the attic for all I knew.
Valarie followed me as I led her upstairs. I pulled down the ladder leading up into the attic, which was so rarely visited that it was ridden with dust and cobwebs. The light flickered on, and stacks of boxes greeted me when I popped my head up.
Valarie and I did some snooping, and to our luck, we did find one. It was ancient—so old it probably belonged to my grandmother. It might not even work after all this time.
We dusted it off a bit and carefully brought it back downstairs. I cleared off the desk in my room, and we set it up. Valarie knew exactly what she was doing—once she'd plugged it in and connected the pedal, she threaded string through the machine, set the needle, and stepped back to admire her work. A little light had flicked on towards the end, indicating that it was ready to use.
"Now, I just need fabric and some pencils,” she muttered to herself, and looked around. I side-stepped as she fluttered about, grabbing the things she needed.
"How exactly are you going to make battle clothes? You know there's a difference between fabric and armour, right?"
"Yes, but haven't you noticed the state of Jason's jacket?” Valarie asked. "It's barely got any rips in it because it's made of leather. You're all going to need tougher fabric on you if you want to survive."
She flung my wardrobe doors open, and I bit back a protest as she dragged out my most decent skirts and tops—all made of thick, expensive fabrics. But despite my annoyance, I was happy; it had been far too long since I'd seen her in her element like this. She was definitely inspired.
"I won't be able to get this done on my own,” she said, dumping the clothes by the machine. "I'm going to need measurements. And more fabric than this."
Her eyes lit up, and she whirled around to face my window.
Or rather, my hideous curtains. I could practically see stars in her eyes.
"Perfect!” she declared, racing over and pulling my desk chair with her. She stepped up and began unhooking the curtains.
"Wait!” I protested, wide-eyed.
"Oh, come on, Lucy!” she said, glancing over her shoulder. "I know you hate these curtains as much as I do. I'm doing you a favour!"
"No, it's just… the curtains are the only thing keeping us hidden! When daylight comes…” I trailed off, and she paused, realising what I meant.
"Right,” she said, and lowered her hands, deep in thought. "You'll have to board the windows up or something,” she said finally. "Do you have any wood?"
I racked my brain.
"Dad might have some in the shed,” I replied. Valarie beamed at me.
"Great! Well, go get Andrew, and board up every window in the house. I'm going to need all of these curtains,” she instructed me. I nodded, and was heading for the door when she let out a cry.
"Oh! And can you send Skye up to me? I'm really going to need an assistant!"
Sixteen
Four hours later, I was sweating, and my muscles were aching from holding strips of plywood in place while Andrew hammered nails into them. It was all we'd been able to find, but Andrew had assured me it would be enough.
>
Valarie had been at work for hours, the sound of bustling movement echoing from my room constantly. Skye had been down and taken all of our measurements, as well as collected every curtain in the house, while we'd covered the windows. Jason was expected to be back soon too—he'd agreed to try and get a look at the situation in town and locate Devian if possible, so we'd at least have some idea of where to go.
The angels had arrived, as expected. There were twenty of them—Walter had been right in saying that was practically nothing. But twenty was better than none. Neo had kept them busy in the kitchen, going over a strategy with them as they devised the best infiltration route and decoy operations.
I had to admit, as terrifying and horrible as all of this was, a part of me was enjoying it. The thought of pulling this off filled me with an electric thrill, though I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and the fear of our uncertain future made my stomach turn.
"Are you okay?” Andrew asked, observing me. I shook myself out of my thoughts, realising I'd just been standing there.
"Yeah,” I nodded, reaching for the next plank. I pushed it firm against the last gap of the living room window and felt the steady thump, thump, thump vibrate through it as Andrew got back to hammering.
"Are you scared?” he asked all of a sudden, and I blinked in surprise.
"Scared?” I repeated, frowning.
"Of what's coming,” he added, pausing to glance over at me. "Of what you'll be up against out there."
I bit my lip. I mean, of course I was a little scared. But more than anything, it was a feeling of being underprepared. I'd had a while to think about it now, and Jason hadn't been entirely wrong when he'd said I was crap at holding my own in battle.
The one thing that always threw me off my game was being out of place in a situation—like going into an exam without studying beforehand. I mean, that thought alone made me feel sick. But something this crucial, where the stakes were higher than anything I'd ever had to anticipate before… it made the air seem tighter around me.
"If we had more time, I'd appreciate being able to prepare more,” I admitted to Andrew. "Having two functioning arms would be nice, for a start. But knowing how to fight properly would be an added advantage too.”
Lanterns In The Sky Page 18
