Chapter Thirty
Olivia
As soon as it’s safe, we all meet in the bell tower. Jonah and Tanwen are sitting on the couch bleeding from gunshot wounds, while Araceli and Marcus heal them. Bastien gets everyone something to snack on and to drink from the kitchen, while they give me a rundown of what I missed.
“The Duskhunters used some kind of fae relic to blast the gates, destroying the magical wards,” Jonah says, wincing as Araceli moves his arm into a different position. “They sent their drones in to attack us first, but they had fighters on the ground too. Most had guns. Some had dark-infused weapons.”
“How did they get those things?” Callan asks.
“Good question,” Tanwen growls. “We fought them off, but many of them were able to retreat.”
“Yeah, all at once they turned tail and ran,” Marcus says. “Guess they realized they’d made a big mistake attacking us.”
“Or maybe it was something else,” I mutter, still clutching the feathers.
Kassiel suddenly lands on the balcony with blood tricking down his forehead. “Everyone okay?”
I run over and hug him tightly. “What are you doing here?”
“I was on my way to see you when I got wind of the attack.”
“Kassiel fought alongside us during the battle,” Bastien says, with respect in his voice.
Kassiel ducks his head. “This is still my school, even if I no longer teach here.”
“Come over here so we can heal you,” Araceli says.
“Where were you during the fight, Callan?” Jonah asks with a wry grin. “I thought you’d be out there on the frontlines, slicing through any human who dared breach the gates.”
Callan’s jaw clenches. “That was the plan, but then Liv got kidnapped.”
Half a dozen shocked responses all happen at once. I quickly explain to them what happened and assure them I’m fine.
“He had wings similar to Azrael’s and sort of looked like him too. But hair…” I pause and stare at Callan. “Hair like Callan’s.”
“Are you sure?” Bastien asks.
“Pretty sure. He also went intangible, like we saw Grace do in the farmhouse. At least, that’s what I think happened.”
“It can’t be.” Callan suddenly stumbles over to the armchair and sits in it. “How? After all these years?”
A heavy silence falls over the group as everyone stares at Callan. I feel like I’m missing something. Something big.
“Do you know who that was?” I ask.
Callan covers his face with his hand but can’t seem to answer. Bastien moves to his side and rests a hand on his shoulder, a rare display of affection and sympathy. Then again, Bastien has opened up a lot in the past few years.
“Ekariel,” Bastien says quietly. “It’s the only explanation.”
It takes me a moment to remember where I’ve heard the name. Callan’s half-brother. Son of Jophiel…and Azrael.
“He was killed by demons twenty-five years ago. Only a few months before I was born.” Callan lowers his hand and looks up with haunted eyes. “Or so we thought.”
“Are you sure it’s him?” Marcus asks.
“It’s the only explanation,” Bastien says. “He has Azrael’s wings and Jophiel’s hair, and the same Archangel power as his half-sister, Grace.”
“Could the two of them be working together?” Jonah asks.
Callan shakes his head. “I doubt it. Ekariel was killed—or something—when he was four years old. Azrael and my mother were both distraught. Jophiel was pregnant with me at the time.”
I can see how something like that would have shaped Callan’s life, even though it happened before he was born. He would have heard all sorts of horrible things about demons. It also explains why he’s had so much pressure on him to be the best, not just because he’s Michael’s son—but because he’s Jophiel’s surviving one.
“Grace’s mom would have been pregnant with her around the same time,” Jonah says. “Your birthdays are only a month apart.”
“Maybe that’s why Azrael never acknowledged her,” Tanwen says. “If Grace’s mom had an affair with Azrael and then his son died, he might have been too consumed with grief to want anything to do with her. Especially if she was unplanned, unlike the other Archangel children.”
“That’s horrible,” Araceli says. “I never understood them getting together for the sole purpose of having powerful children anyway. But not acknowledging one of them? That’s harsh.”
“Could Ekariel be working with the Duskhunters?” Kassiel asks. “Perhaps they kidnapped him as a child?”
“Have they been around that long?” Jonah asks.
“It’s possible,” Kassiel says, stroking his chin. “They could have been working in the shadows all this time. Hiding. Growing. Planning.”
“Well, that’s terrifying,” Araceli mutters.
“They’ll be stopped,” Tanwen says, slamming her fist into her palm. “They killed my mother and I won’t rest until they pay.”
“I’m not sure what’s worse,” Callan says, his voice rough. “The thought of Ekariel dead, or the thought of him working with the Duskhunters.”
I sit on the edge of the armchair and wrap my arms around him. “I’m sorry.”
He leans against me, his eyes staring off into space. “I need to tell my mother.”
“Of course.” I gently stroke his hair, wishing I could do more. He must be in shock.
“If he has that intangibility, how did you get away from him?” Tanwen asks me.
“I’m not sure. One second I was in his arms, and the next I was somewhere else.”
Marcus’s eye widen. “It must be your Archangel power!”
Jonah sits up a little. “Ooh, maybe you teleported like Dad! Try to do it again.”
“I’m not really sure how I did it, but I’ll try.” I close my eyes and picture my bedroom in Angel Peak, then will myself to be there. Nothing happens. I open one eye and look at my friends. “This isn’t working.”
“Maybe it’s not the same as your father’s power,” Bastien suggests. “Try to recreate the moment as it happened before.”
I go over everything that happened and remember staring intensely at the arch to Hellspawn, wishing I could be there. I stare at the kitchen pantry and in an instant, I’m beside it. The others look around confused, and then spot me in my new location.
“That was so cool,” Araceli says.
I try to do it again, this time teleporting out into the hallway. Or onto the roof. Nope.
After a few minutes of practicing and a little trial and error, we discover I can only blink to locations I can see. That keeps it pretty limited to short distances, but I think it could come in handy in a fight.
Just as Callan walks back inside with a long face, a fae portal appears in the middle of the room. We all move out of the way before Lilith steps through, followed by Eveanna. I jump forward and hug my mom, so relieved she’s back, and then move to hug Eveanna, except Tanwen’s gotten to her first. I grin at the sight.
“You all look a bit glum,” Lilith says. In contrast, she looks like she just came back from Lucifer’s Ball. Her gown is spotless, her hair and makeup impeccable. How could she travel through Faerie and come back looking like that?
“It’s been a rough day,” I reply. “How did it go in Faerie?”
“It was lovely.” Lilith drapes herself across one of the armchairs like it’s a throne. “I forgot how much I love the place.”
“We found Culann and convinced him to give us the answer,” Eveanna says dryly. “It was not easy.”
Lilith waves her hand. “Yes, he needed a little persuasion, but he could never refuse me anything. I knew he would give us what we came for eventually.”
“And?” I ask.
“Only Lucifer and Michael can destroy the Staff, since it’s made from their essence,” Lilith says. My heart sinks until she adds, “Their sons might be able to do it too.”
“We tried to do that,”
Callan says, his voice bitter. “It didn’t work.”
Kassiel meets Callan’s eyes. “We tried separately before, not together.”
“Yes, you’ll need to both be touching the Staff,” Lilith says.
“Let’s get it over with then.” Callan stomps over to the broom closet and throws it open. But then he just stands there.
“What is it?” I ask.
“The Staff is gone.”
“What do you mean it’s gone?” Jonah asks.
“That’s impossible,” Araceli says, jumping to her feet. “I glamoured it myself and put it back after Callan and Olivia left.”
“What happened after that?” Tanwen asks.
Araceli shrugs. “I flew to the gates, saw Marcus healing people, and dropped down to help him.”
“The Duskhunters took the Staff,” Bastien says.
Lilith suddenly sits up. “The Duskhunters were here?”
“The attack on the gates must have been a diversion,” Marcus says. “But how did they know it was here?”
“The drones.” Callan slams the broom closet shut so hard the door nearly falls off. “One of them followed Araceli here while Olivia was holding the Staff. The cameras must have seen it.”
“For all we know, Ekariel has been spying on us for a while,” I add.
“Ekariel?” Lilith asks. “Son of Jophiel and Azrael?”
“Yes, we think he’s alive and possibly working with the Duskhunters,” I explain.
Lilith sits up, her voice anxious. “Was there a girl with them? Around sixteen? Dark brown hair, green eyes?”
“I didn’t see anyone like that,” Araceli says, and the others confirm the same thing.
“Is she the one you’ve been searching for all these years?” I ask, vaguely recalling Lilith mentioning that last year.
Lilith’s eyes fill with tears. “Yes. Her name is Lena. She went missing five years ago and I’ve been trying to find her ever since. I believe the Duskhunters kidnapped her.”
“Like they must have done with Ekariel,” Kassiel says.
“If they have Ekariel, Lena, and the Staff, then we are doomed.”
“Why?” I ask, my stomach twisting in knots. “What are you talking about?”
She meets my eyes. “Lena is your sister.”
I step back, feeling like someone punched me in the chest. “I have a sister?”
“Half-sister, yes.” Lilith’s voice trembles. “The daughter of two Archdemons. Much like Ekariel is the son of two Archangels. Together they would be powerful enough to use the Staff and rid all demons and angels from Earth.”
“That must be why the Duskhunters took the Staff,” Marcus says. “They want us all gone.”
I know this is bad. Really bad. But I’m still in shock over the fact that I have a sister. I stare at my mother. “Why didn’t you tell me? First Asmodeus, and now this?”
She holds out a hand that is trembling a little, and I reluctantly take it. “I’m so sorry. After Gabriel and I agreed to keep your identity a secret, we decided that applied to your siblings as well.”
“Yeah, that didn’t work for us,” Jonah says dryly.
“In retrospect, we were probably wrong to do that, especially now that we’ve seen how important the two of you are to each other.” Lilith says. “But Asmodeus is so much older and things with him are…complicated. Lena was born when you were seven, Olivia, and already in foster care. I planned to introduce you two when she was older and I could trust her to keep your existence secret, but she was taken when she was only eleven. After that…I couldn’t speak of her. After sending you away and then losing her, it was just too painful to bear.”
I draw my mom in for a hug. “I wish you’d told me, but I understand.”
She embraces me tightly. “I’ve spent the last five years chasing down every lead, trying to find her. I believe the Duskhunters have her, but I’m not certain. If they do, we have to stop them before they can use the Staff.”
“How can we find them?” Araceli asks.
“I still have Ekariel’s feathers.” At some point I put them in my pocket, but now I pull them out again. “Can we use these somehow? Like we used Lucifer’s feather?”
“I’m afraid not. That feather was enchanted somehow.” Bastien tilts his head and holds out his hand. “May I examine them?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Bastien
For a cold, emotionless bastard, I’m feeling a lot today. With the news of Ekariel and Lena, along with Liv’s near-kidnapping and the threat of the Duskhunters using the Staff, I’m suddenly overwhelmed with turbulence inside me.
The people I care about most are in danger. I must do something.
Drifting forward by some force I can’t explain, I reach out and take the black and white feathers from Olivia’s hand. The second I touch them my eyes slam shut, and yet I can still see. My gaze stretches across a forest, as if I’m flying over it. My head turns slightly, and I see wings with black-and-white feathers like the ones in my hand.
I’m somehow in Ekariel’s head, seeing through his eyes. A vision, of some sort.
My brain catalogs the passing scenery, which changes as he continues flying over houses and shops, plus some larger stores, heading toward the coast. The ocean comes into view in the distance, along with a larger town, and Ekariel begins to fly lower. Just outside the town, he drops down onto the pavement in front of a large warehouse.
Ekariel opens a steel door and steps inside a huge high-ceilinged building with dim lighting. Bunkbeds line the walls in the front, with people sleeping in some of them. I try to count them, but then Ekariel swivels his head and gives me a view of the entire warehouse. To the left, some people are sparring with weapons, and I spot guns mounted to a wall. Others are fixing drones, with a few hovering in the air beside them. In the back metal stairs lead up to two other floors, with some free-standing modular offices, some with windows, and some without.
Before I can get a better look, a man walks up to Ekariel. He’s older, maybe fifties, with gray-streaked brown hair and a beard. He has the confidence of someone who think he’s the boss. “Any news?”
“The abomination is going to a ball at Hellspawn Academy tonight,” Ekariel says, confirming this vision is from the past. “It’s the perfect time for an attack.”
The other man strokes his beard, but then shakes his head. “No, we want to capture the abomination if we can, in case Lena is too young to use the Staff. For now, we will wait and keep watching.”
“I understand.”
The man pats him on the arm. “You’re doing good work, Ekariel. Never forget that.”
I have the sensation of nodding. “Thank you.”
Ekariel walks past the bunks, up the stairs, and into one of the modular offices. Inside is a cage. An actual human-sized cage. A teenage girl with wavy brown hair sits on the floor inside, and when she looks over at Ekariel, her ice-blue eyes light up with something like hope. She looks like Lilith and Olivia, only younger.
“You’re back.” The girl who must be Lena stands and moves to the side of the cage. “Did you see my sister?”
“I did.” Ekariel reaches inside the cage and takes Lena’s hand. “This will be over soon. I promise.”
The vision ends abruptly and I’m back in the bell tower, where everyone is staring at me.
“Bastien?” Liv asks, waving a hand in front of my face.
I take a long breath to regain my bearings and process what just happened. “I had a vision.”
“What kind of vision?” Jonah asks.
“The second I touched the feathers, I experienced what I believe is a form of psychometry, allowing me to see a past event through Ekariel’s eyes.” I turn to Callan. “His name was said during the vision. I’m sure it’s him.” Then I swing my eyes to Lilith. “I also saw Lena there.”
“Are you sure?” Lilith jumps up and grabs my shirt. “Is she safe? Is she hurt?”
“She’s trapped in a large cage but isn�
�t hurt. Ekariel isn’t caged though. He’s able to move freely, and he’s been spying on us for some time. The vision I had was the day of Lucifer’s Ball.” I quickly give them a run-down of everything else I saw, including a description of the warehouse. I leave out the part where they called Olivia an abomination.
“It must be your Archangel power,” Marcus says. “It’s finally emerged.”
Yes, that would make sense. Uriel is able to see glimpses of the past in someone’s eyes, so it would follow that my own power would be related in some way.
“Did you see anything else that might help us?” Callan asks, his voice insistent.
“No. I can try again though.” I close my eyes and clutch the feathers tighter, reaching for that burst of power again. Nothing happens. I shake my head and offer the feathers to Callan. “I’m sorry.”
“Bastien’s vision confirms they’re planning to use the Staff, and now that they have it, they can do it any time,” Eveanna says.
“She’s right,” Lilith says. “We must stop them immediately—and rescue Lena.”
“And Ekariel,” Callan adds.
I almost reply that it didn’t look as though he wanted to be rescued, but decide it’s better to keep my mouth shut. “I believe I can trace his flight back to the location of the warehouse.”
“Then we leave immediately,” Olivia says.
Tanwen holds up a hand. “Hang on. We killed a lot of them at the gates, but they had guns and drones. Even with fewer numbers, they’ll be dangerous. We can’t do this alone.”
“My mother is already on her way,” Callan says.
“Did she tell Azrael?” Liv asks, biting her lip.
“No, I used the excuse that she shouldn’t tell him yet in case we’re wrong.”
“Good. We can’t let him get the Staff.” Liv gives Callan an apologetic look. “Or Jophiel.”
“If Ekariel really is there, she’ll be too worried about rescuing him to care about the Staff,” Lilith says. “I know I will be.”
“Who else can we trust?” Araceli asks. “Uriel? Raphael? Gabriel?”
“Gabriel we can trust,” Lilith says. “But not the others, with my apologies to Bastien and Marcus.”
Seraphim Academy 3: Fallen Kings Page 15
