by Hanna Peach
Israel watched the house from across the road. The red light over the porch had been switched off. No jazz slipped through the cracks of the house as it had when he was here before. The trees still stood bare and cold, like uprighted bones along the front yard.
It was only a few weeks ago that he had watched this house from this very roof, but it had been Alyx who was crouched next to him instead of Vix. That seemed like a lifetime ago.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone inside,” he said to Vix.
“Doesn’t mean that there isn’t anyone in there. Let’s proceed, but slowly.”
Checking that there was no one walking along the street, Israel took Vix’s hand before stepping off the roof of the building. They floated down to the roof of the old demon den.
“You’ve got that weightless thing down pat,” she whispered as they settled softly on the roof.
Israel grinned. “Thanks.” He stepped around a broken roof tile as they moved to the edge of the roofline. Israel glanced over at Vix and she nodded. Israel jumped lightly to a window ledge below while Vix hovered close to the outside wall. They moved along, testing one window at a time, hoping to find an unlocked window while keeping an eye out for signs of movement inside. After testing all the windows, neither of them had found anyone or anything inside and all the windows were locked.
“What now?” asked Vix.
Israel grinned. “We do what any civilized person would do…we use the door.”
Vix rolled her eyes. “We’re not civilized.”
“Speak for yourself.”
Vix followed Israel to the back door which, of course, was locked. “Do civilized people break down doors?”
“Watch and learn, newbie.” Israel knelt by the lock.
Minutes later, Israel had picked the door lock. He held the door open for Vix and turned to let her through. He chuckled softly. “Don’t forget to pick your jaw up off the floor.”
Vix ribbed him as she stepped past him. Israel followed her inside.
It was perfectly quiet as they moved through the working kitchen, then the more formal gallery kitchen. There was a slightly sour smell that tainted the stale air. Israel wondered if it was coming from the fridge. Despite his superior night sight, the shadows spilled everywhere.
“I’ll take upstairs,” he whispered. “You check downstairs. We’re looking for anything that they might have left behind or any sign of where they may have gone.”
Vix nodded and Israel made his way to where he believed the stairs were near the front door. Although he had been inside this house before, he had been unconscious. Israel lightened his body so that his feet wouldn’t make any noise on the stairs.
Upstairs seemed darker. Israel noticed that one of the doors had been kicked off its hinges. This must have been the room where he had been kept before Alyx rescued him. He would check this one first. He moved towards the broken door.
Chapter 33
Samyara burst through the doors into one of the windowless rooms in his mansion, Adere following behind him. He frowned at the skinny Darkened who sat behind the far wall where computer equipment and monitors were set up, wires coiling around like tubes around a sick patient. “This had better be good.”
The skinny Darkened jolted and turned hurriedly in his swivel chair from the desk, where several large computer monitors created a glary landscape. There appeared to be footage playing across the screens, although of what, he couldn’t see clearly from here.
“Yes, sir.” The Darkened waved his arm out to them. “They triggered the Viewers we left behind not five minutes ago, sir.”
Samyara stepped forward just close enough so that he could make out what was on the screen. The first one showed a formal entryway stopping at the base of a set of stairs. Samyara could see a seraphelle with cropped hair and fierce eyes creeping onto the edge of the screen. He didn’t recognize her but from the way she was holding her weapon and the way she was moving so cautiously yet assuredly, he knew she was a warrior. A Rogue warrior.
The second monitor showed the top of the stairs and a small landing leading to several doors. Samyara squinted closer. One of the doors was broken open, showing a glimpse of the inside of a bedroom. A movement caught his eye. Israel was inside that bedroom.
“Adere, my dear, it appears you are right. Israel has returned to the old house looking for you,” Samyara said, holding his hand out to Adere. She clasped his hand and kissed the back of it. It was a wonder she wasn’t purring. “Strangely he has not brought the Guardian with him. Why is that, do you think?”
“Perhaps she doesn’t know?” the skinny Darkened guessed.
Samyara smiled as that delicious thought warmed his insides. “Disorder in the ranks...what a delightful thought.”
“Or maybe she is with the others,” Adere said.
“That is a more likely scenario. Divided, they are weaker.” Samyara felt the kick of a thrill course through his body as he watched the screen for a few more seconds. He could almost feel the keye in his grasp. Then he turned to study the Darkened sitting before him. He was newly turned, which was why Samyara hadn’t sent him out with the others. But he would have to do. “Adere, darling, it’s about time that you and your lover were reacquainted again. Take him alive. Kill the other one.”
Chapter 34
Alyx placed her fingers on the edge of the glass window overlooking the main hall of the Galleria. She could see the Three Archangels through the glass, perched in the exhibition hall below. It was so close.
“Are you ready?” she heard Jordan whisper from the ledge to the right of her. Beside him was a seraph named Fernando, another Seraphim from Bella’s Florence community.
“As I’ll ever be,” Alyx replied. Alyx could feel Jordan’s breath on her neck as he drew up behind her. Threading his hands under her arms, he placed two suction pads on the middle of the glass. As Alyx placed her fingertips on the outside edge of the glass, she felt Jordan’s lips on her left ear.
“Jordan what are you doing?” she hissed low enough that she hoped Fernando couldn’t hear.
He chuckled. “Taking advantage of this situation.” He brushed her ear again.
Alyx turned her head to move her ear away from his playful lips. “Cut it out. I need to concentrate.”
She focused on her fingers and tried not to notice Jordan tensing behind her. She felt a stab of guilt about how hot and cold she must appear to him. But she pushed it away. Not now. She couldn’t think about that now.
Alyx pulled her attention to the FireTwirler bloodink at her ribs. It warmed her body and flooded to her fingers. Carefully she began to melt the glass along the rim of the window frame until the main piece of glass stood apart from the window, held up only by the pads that Jordan was holding.
“Ready,” Alyx said.
Jordan moved backwards and up towards the roof. Alyx, caught between his body and the glass, moved with him. On the roof of the Galleria, Jordan laid the glass pane securely down and let go of the suction pads. Finally Alyx was freed. She caught a cold look from Jordan, which she couldn’t ignore.
“I’m sorry,” she spoke, her voice as soft as she could manage. “Let’s please get this done.” Another splinter of guilt lodged in her chest.
After a moment Jordan nodded. “After you.”
Fernando was waiting for them at the open pane. Alyx pulled the remote for Mason’s device from her pocket. She looked at the two of them, both of them watching her. She hit the button to activate the device. “We have five minutes from now. Let’s go.”
As Alyx flew in through the open window, she tensed, expecting the alarms to begin ringing in her ears. But there was only the sound of the wind blowing against the open window in an eerie whistle. Jordan and Fernando followed her in.
Jordan flew straight for the security guard’s room while Alyx and Fernando made for the statue. Fernando hung upside down in the air and secured the Black Stone head of Raphael firmly with straps that were fastened to him in a h
arness. He nodded at Alyx. Alyx pulled the Fire sword from her belt and began to cut the first piece off the sculpture.
Jordan arrived just as Fernando was flying towards the open window with his piece of Black Stone, heading for the truck that was parked in a dark side street, where Luce was waiting to help load the piece.
“Mason’s device is actually working,” he said. “I can’t see you on the screens. But...” Alyx looked up from cutting the second piece. Her stomach clenched when she saw Jordan’s face.
“What?”
“I put one guard to sleep but the other one wasn’t there,” Jordan said.
Alyx cursed inwardly. “Maybe there’s only one on tonight?”
Jordan shook his head. “Always two. It’s their security protocol, remember?”
“There’s nothing we can do but keep going and hope that he doesn’t come back in the next few minutes. Secure this piece.” Alyx tried not to let her nervousness show. The second guard was an unknown factor. They didn’t plan for this.
Jordan nodded, but the frown didn’t leave his face. Alyx helped him secure the second piece of Black Stone to his harness, then she finished off the second cut. Fernando had already returned before they had finished.
“We aren’t working fast enough,” Fernando said when Alyx finally turned to cut the third piece, which he had anchored to himself.
“I know. I’m working as fast as I can. There’s a second guard unaccounted for, so look−”
A yell from behind her caused her to snap her head around.
“Hold it right there.” The second guard, tall and spry looking, was holding a gun aimed at them. He pulled his handheld radio to his mouth and spoke into it, “Bernie, situation in exhibition hall B.”
Alyx froze. What should they do?
Then the guard appeared to look closer at them. “What the hell?” he said, noticing that Alyx and Fernando were suspended in the air. “Bernie, where the hell are you?”
“Take him down,” Fernando said in Alyx’s ear. “We’re running out of time.”
Alyx heard the guard cry out. “What have you done with Bernie?”
The first two bullets cracked the air like a whip. Alyx flinched as one of the bullets ricocheted off the marble. A yelp came from Fernando.
He’d been hit. His shoulder oozed red blood.
“Get him, damn you.” Fernando placed his feet on the sculpture and began to kick. The Black Stone piece shifted slightly. “I’ll get this out.”
The gun began to fire again at Fernando. He gritted his teeth but kept kicking at the piece. Alyx launched herself off the sculpture towards the guard. He pointed his gun at her and pulled the trigger. Alyx winced as a bullet lodged in her shoulder. He fired again, this time grazing her arm.
The guard’s face contorted into a mask of horror as Alyx tackled him to the ground. His gun was knocked from his hand and slid across the marble floor.
The guard recovered quicker than she expected and aimed a punch at her jaw. She blocked it with her elbow. Then blocked another punch.
“Settle down,” she said, trying to restrain him as he was bucking under her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
The guard continued to struggle.
“Move off him,” she heard Jordan cry out from somewhere behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that Jordan was flying from the open window towards them with his palms out. DreamWalker. Alyx tried to rise up off the guard, but he clung onto her, wrapping his legs around hers in an attempt to use her as a shield.
“Alyx, move,” Jordan said louder.
“I can’t.”
“We don’t have time for this.”
In the distance, Alyx could hear the wail of sirens. Underneath her, the guard froze. His eyes widened as he stared at her wound, which she could already feel closing over the bullet. “What the freaking hell are you?”
That distraction was all she needed. Alyx rolled to her left, pulling the guard up and over her until he was on top and his back was now exposed to Jordan. “Jordan, now!”
Alyx felt the guard flinch as the DreamWalker pulse hit him. She watched his eyes become dull, then shut. He slumped, his full weight collapsing on her. Alyx shoved the sleeping guard off her.
“You okay?” asked Jordan.
“Fine. We don’t have much time.”
They both flew back to the sculpture. Fernando had gone with the third piece. Alyx eyed the statue and the space of the open window. They had maybe five pieces left to break up and transport. Four if they pushed it.
“I estimate we have one minute until those cops are on us, probably less.”
“We’re not going to make it.” Alyx ran through what she knew of the building. Her mind raced over the exits and all the windows and the dome...
“New plan,” she said. “We’re going to have to destroy that glass dome. Then pull this statue out in one piece. That’s all we’re going to have time for.”
“Can the two of us carry it?”
“Nope,” said Fernando’s voice. He had flown in through the open window, Luce behind him. “But the four of us can.”
While Luce helped Jordan and Fernando strap up the sculpture, Alyx flew out of the open window and up to the top of the glass dome. The sirens were louder out here, and Alyx could see the flash of red and blue lights several blocks away. They had one shot, at best. She said a silent apology and began to smash the glass dome with her sword. The dome broke, raining colored glass to the floor below.
Alyx flew down through the hole to the sculpture where Luce, Jordan and Fernando were waiting. She grabbed the last strap.
“Let’s go,” she cried.
They pulled up into the air at once. The straps pressed into the skin of her hands as they carried the full weight of the Black Stone piece towards the open dome. Just as they lifted up and out into the open sky, the police cars pulled up to the building, skidding in their haste.
Dammit. “Luce, can you get a mirage up?”
“Already on it.”
Alyx felt the familiar whoosh of energy envelop her skin. But it was an unstable mirage, the edges billowing in and out like a large soap bubble in the wind. The mirage kept pulling back from parts of her body. Alyx bit her lip. If a police officer looked up at the wrong moment...
They kept flying up over the building and towards the edge of the roof. The police officers, who had now gotten out of their cars and were crouched behind them, pointed their guns at the entrance. One police officer had a megaphone and was calling out for them to surrender.
They were flying right over the police now.
Luce moaned.
“You okay, Luce?” asked Jordan as quietly as possible.
“Straps slipping,” she said through gritted teeth.
Alyx looked back at her. She could see the strain on Luce’s face. Her knuckles were white as she gripped her straps. Her straps slipped a few inches and the sudden movement caused everyone to jolt in the air.
No, this wasn’t happening.
A flash of something falling caught Alyx’s eye. Her breath hitched as she realized what it was. Small pieces of glass must have fallen from the dome onto the sculpture as they pulled the Black Stone out. The jolt had dislodged the glass from its place on the sculpture and it was now falling like tiny missiles towards the heads of the police below. Please don’t hit anyone. Please.
She watched them fall, landing close to an officer. The officer shifted and looked down. Luce moaned again and the mirage wavered for a second. The officer looked up, frowning.
Alyx felt her heart thumping as he appeared to look straight at her. Almost there, hang on Luce.
The alarms inside the building began to blare as the security system reactivated and the cop turned his attention forward. Alyx breathed in relief.
They were past the police barricade. They just needed to get over this next building and down into the alley behind to get to the truck.
Alyx felt the blackness begin to edge her periphery
. She was being pulled into Israel. Her heart began to thud. Israel was in trouble. Dammit. She knew that returning to the demon den was a bad idea. But she couldn’t afford to be distracted at this second. Alyx focused on the straps that were cutting into her hands and forced herself to remain present.
The truck, a dark shape in a narrow alley, was a welcome sight. The four of them lowered the sculpture onto the ground with a crack. Luce collapsed. Fernando flew to her side. Alyx took a moment to let herself slip into Israel’s mind.
Israel took a step back, but in this small room in this old demon house, there was no more room. His back hit the wall. His hand gripped the handle of his sword as he faced the two hooded figures at the doorway.
Then a familiar voice, soft yet with the promise of viciousness to come, floated to him, “Hello, lover.”
Alyx blinked and was back in her own body. She flew to Jordan’s side. “Israel’s in trouble. I have to go.”
“Trouble? At Aradale?”
“No. Look, I don’t have time to explain. Will you guys be okay?”
She glanced at Luce and Fernando. Luce was exhausted from her magical exertion, but she would recover. Fernando’s shoulder showed a bloody mess around where the guard’s bullet entered, but it appeared to have stopped bleeding.
“We’ll be okay. You go.”
Alyx made to take off, but Jordan stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Be careful.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.
She swallowed, a lump caught in her throat. “You too.”
Chapter 35
The demon house was quiet and dark when Alyx arrived. It was too quiet. Was she too late?
When she got closer, a cold creeping fear seeped through her down to her bones. Each second floor window yawned like black mouths with jagged glass teeth. They had all been smashed out.
Alyx aimed feet first for the second story window. She slipped into the house and landed low, crouched on the carpet of the bedroom. The cold fear now choked her as her nose filled with a sour tang of blood. The missing glass lay around the room’s edge in an odd ring, as if a small tornado had whipped around the room. At the doorway was a body, dark hood wet with spilled life, the neck opened and shards of glass protruding from all over the body.
