by Hanna Peach
Alyx flew towards the fallen body. She almost cried with relief when, pulling back the hood that draped partway across the face, she could see it wasn’t Israel. One of his attackers, no doubt. But who the hell defeated him? And where was Israel? And Vix?
Alyx thought she heard the creaking of wood. Was there someone still here or was this house playing tricks with her as it settled into itself? Alyx stilled herself and listened again. Nothing. Only her own heartbeat in her ears.
Alyx moved through the door into the landing. The doors to all the other rooms on this floor were open. Each room offered the same sight. Broken windows but no glass. It was then that Alyx realized that all the broken glass in the room she just came from couldn’t have come from one window. There was too much glass. All the glass for the second story windows had been drawn into that one room. What the hell had happened?
She moved towards the top of the stairs. Another figure lay prone and turned away from her at the foot of the stairs. This time the familiar shape of his lean body caused a small cry to fall from her lips. All the things she had wanted to say but had left unsaid – I’m sorry, you are everything, I love you – taunted her. Why had she been so scared? Even when he had told her that he loved her, she didn’t say it back. It had remained in her heart, trapped. Now those words would remain trapped within her forever like a butterfly encased in amber.
Alyx flew to Israel’s body. Perhaps it wasn’t him. A part of her still refused to believe that it was him. Her hand shook as she reached to roll him towards her. She had to see his face. She had to be sure.
She touched his shoulder. He was still warm...was he still alive? A hand flicked out gripping hers and pulled her forward, tipping her off balance. A blade was cold at her throat. His head snapped around to hers with a furious snarl on his lips.
Then it softened. “Alyx?”
“Alyx?” another voice came from behind her. Somewhere in the part of Alyx’s mind that wasn’t completely lost in Israel’s face before her, she recognized the voice as coming from Vix.
“You’re alive,” Alyx said, her eyes not leaving Israel’s face. The grip at her wrist loosened but didn’t let go.
Alyx was vaguely aware of Vix saying something behind her, something about checking the perimeter, then she was gone.
“I’m okay, angel.” His breath brushed across her face like a caress as he sat up against the front door and pulled her into his lap. Their eyes never left each other. He pulled her hand to his face so that her palm rested on his cheek.
“You’re alive,” she repeated dumbly. She moved her fingers down to his jaw and then down his neck. His pulse felt warm and comforting under her fingers.
He chuckled and pulled her closer so that his lips now brushed against her cheek.
“It certainly does look like it. But you should keep touching me, just to make sure.”
Alyx’s fingers continued down his neck and down his chest. “I thought I was too late. I thought you were gone.”
He moaned as her fingers found the skin of his stomach under his shirt. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“But why were you just lying here...” Alyx’s face fell when she realized. “You were using yourself as bait?”
Israel laughed nervously. “Yes. Stupid, I know.”
Alyx opened her mouth to agree but then a thought struck her. She would have done the same thing.
“No,” she said. “Not stupid. Dangerous, but very brave.”
He seemed surprised at this. He had obviously expected her to get angry at his actions. She smiled at him to show him that she wasn’t mad. Alyx moved her hand up his warm stomach until she found the scar over his chest, then she moved her hand to his right side and found his heart. He placed a hand on top of hers, his shirt dividing them.
“See,” he said. “It still beats. It’s in the wrong place but it still beats.”
“No,” she said. “Nothing about you is in the wrong place.”
He smiled. Then tilted his head forward until their foreheads rested on each other, their breaths mingling, their hearts and their hands between each other. Alyx could feel his pulse thudding against her hand, matching her own runaway heart rushing through her ears. She felt herself draw forward, her lips begging to touch his. He looked down at her lips and moved forward as well.
Then he cleared his throat and lifted his head so that their little world was broken. “We should help Vix secure the perimeter, then head back to Aradale.”
“Oh.” Israel’s words repeated in her head, until we figure our own stuff out, we can’t be together. “Of course.”
She suddenly felt awkward sitting across his lap, her hand up his shirt. Alyx got off him and the stark reality of her surroundings came back into focus. She suddenly remembered why she had gone there. “What happened? What happened to Adere? I saw her in your mind. Did you...?”
Israel shook his head. “She ran off when I killed the other Darkened. Vix was cornered so I helped her instead of going after Adere.”
“So you killed the Darkened upstairs. But what happened to the windows? I didn’t think Vix had gifts.”
Israel looked sheepish. “She doesn’t. I did that.”
“What?”
“Don’t get mad,” said Israel. “I was going to tell you.”
Alyx shook her head, still confused. “How?”
“I can manipulate air. Similar to your AirWhisperer, I guess. A side effect of the demon side of me.”
“Show me,” Alyx demanded, still not believing.
Israel hung his head. “I’m not very good at controlling it. I can’t really do it at will. Not yet. So far it comes out when I’m angry or scared. I need to work on that, I know.”
“Wait, what? How did you even realize?”
Israel frowned. “Some of it I can’t tell you, not because I don’t want to but because I made a promise to someone. I wanted to surprise you when I learn to control it fully. That’s why I didn’t tell you, that’s all. No other reason, I promise.”
Alyx remembered the plate that day in the kitchen and how it had seemed to jump on its own and smash. She remembered the day that she had found Israel, furious, attacking that tree with his sword, how the wind whipped around him in a fury to match his own...the signs of an unchecked gift. How had she missed them?
He grinned. “There is something I can show you. Go outside onto the grass by the side of the house.”
Alyx started to protest but he silenced her with a kiss which left her lips tingling. “Just do it,” he whispered against her mouth.
Alyx moved as if on autopilot. She soon found herself standing on the lawn.
Israel appeared in one of the upstairs windows. She found her senses when he began to climb onto the sill, kicking out the remnant pieces of glass before placing his feet.
“Israel, what the hell are you doing?” Alyx hissed.
Israel smiled. “Trust me. Do you trust me?”
Alyx wanted to scream at him. But instead she nodded, her mouth dry.
He jumped. Instinctively Alyx lunged forward to catch him. She froze when she saw that he wasn’t falling. He was floating down towards the ground. Floating, like a dandelion on the breeze. He landed softly right in front of her, grinning.
“Okay, you can stop showing off now,” Alyx heard Vix’s voice from nearby. “The place is secure. But you need to see this.”
Alyx found she couldn’t move. Israel leaned in towards her. She shuddered when his lips brushed her ear. “You’re gawking,” he whispered. “You’re very cute when you gawk.”
Cheeky. That snapped her out of it. Alyx strode quickly to Vix, making a point to glare at Israel as she passed him.
In Vix’s hands was a small cage the size of a closed fist. A small creature, some kind of butterfly, was lying dead on the base of the cage. The body was covered in black scales. The wings were also black and were frozen in place. On the wings was a set of dark blue eyes with clear eyelids half-covering them.
It was almost like a larger version of the Communicator that Balthazar had given her that she now wore hidden under her shirt.
“What the hell is it?” asked Alyx as Israel came up beside her.
“‘Hell’ is right. This is a type of hell creature called a cicalope. These creatures have a second pair of eyes on their wings which they use to transmit what they see back to their nest. I suspect that Samyara was using these to keep an eye on this place in case you guys came back. I’ve found two and disabled them both.” Vix suddenly glanced up. “I take it the Florence heist was successful?”
Alyx grimaced. “There were some complications, but we got the sculpture out and everyone’s okay. We should return. Jordan and the others should be back soon.”
As Alyx, Israel and Vix soared into the sky to return back to Aradale, Alyx decided that as soon as they returned, she needed to tell Jordan that things between them would never work out. Maybe in time… No, not even in time…
Chapter 36
Lukas wiped the sweat from his forehead using the back of his hand, then clambered into the front of the truck with Marin. The two Cajatambo FreeThinkers had already taken to the sky and would meet them back at the community.
Marin grinned as he released the clutch and drove the truck away from the Lima cathedral. He let out a laugh. “That was easy.”
“Too easy,” Lukas said. It had been. Everything about the heist worked perfectly. This unnerved him.
Marin laughed and slapped him good-heartedly with his left hand. “You worry too much.”
“Keep your hands on the wheel. We still have to get to the Cajatambo community. And remember, we have a massive crucifix in the back, so go easy on the corners.”
Marin rolled his eyes. “Alright already. I got this. Relax.”
But Lukas couldn’t. He stared out the window and watched the landscape change as they drove out of the city of Lima. The dusty buildings were lost to the trees and the bushes of the ragged mountains of Peru. Lukas just couldn’t shake this feeling that something wasn’t right. Eventually, Marin gave up trying to engage him in conversation and they rode in silence.
Lukas had nodded off. A sudden bang and a jolt made him hit his forehead on the window. He heard Marin curse.
“What was that?” said Lukas, rubbing the rising lump on his head.
“One of our tires, maybe? Dammit.”
Marin maneuvered the truck to the side of the road and Lukas stared out the window. They were on a winding road traveling up the side of a mountain thick with trees.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“About half an hour from Cajatambo. Peruvian countryside.”
Marin got out of the truck. Lukas followed. He squinted into the trees above as he stepped down out of the truck. Something felt off. He heard Marin swear. Lukas walked around to stand near Marin, who was kneeling by a tire. “What’s wrong?”
“The tire’s busted. It needs to be replaced.”
“Do we have a spare?”
Marin grinned up at Lukas. “Of course. I’m not stupid. It’s in the back along with a jack. Checked it myself before we left. But you’ll have to help me with it.”
Lukas couldn’t help but glance up again as Marin walked to the back of the truck. Lukas froze as a chill covered his arms. That’s what was off. It was too quiet. Usually he had to focus his mind to ignore the constant language of the animals around them but here there was no chittering of animals, no birds chatting away in the sky as they flew by. Nothing. Like they had been scared away.
Lukas felt his heart start to thud. “Marin,” he yelled as he ran towards the back of the truck, drawing his sword. “We have to go.”
Amid clanking of metal, Lukas could hear Marin sigh with thinly veiled impatience. “I know we do but we have to change the tire−” Marin’s eyes froze at Lukas’s unshielded weapon. Marin’s face then tilted up. “Look out!” he cried, pushing Lukas aside. Marin unsheathed his sword in one movement and met the blade of the first Darkened.
Lukas turned and his heart dropped into his stomach as half a dozen more launched themselves from the trees.
Chapter 37
“They should be here. They should all be back by now.” Dianne was pacing up and down Tobias’s office where Alyx now sat with Vix and Israel. “What has happened to them?”
“Dianne,” Alyx said, “It’s not the time to worry yet. They could just be late. They could have stayed longer at the communities.”
“But all of them?” Dianne turned her eyes to pierce Alyx’s. “You shouldn’t have left them alone.”
“That’s unfair, Dianne,” said Vix quietly.
“I have tried alerting Jordan through the ’Scape,” said Alyx. “I’ll let you know if he contacts me, but until then we can’t do anything except try not to worry.”
Everyone jumped when the door banged open. It was Ky, huffing as if he just flew halfway across the world. “Come quick. Mama says. Come. Marin. He’s hurt.”
The four of them sped to the infirmary, Ky hanging off Israel’s back. They burst in all talking at once. Marin was lying on his back on one of the beds, moaning, Ana beside him. Alyx’s mouth dropped open in horror. She heard Dianne cry out and Vix swore.
Marin was shirtless and his whole torso was glistening, his body coated in red blood. Torn pieces of material were tied along his arms and legs. The wounds that Alyx could see through the slashes in his pants were still bleeding. Black Stone. The Darkened did this.
Ana spun towards them. Her face was grim. “He is in a lot of pain. I need to tend to him first. Ky, out.”
Ky, still clinging to Israel’s back, started to protest but Israel interrupted him. “Come on, Ky. I’ll wait outside with you.” With a grateful look from Ana, they left the room.
Alyx, Vix and Dianne stood, watching wordlessly, silenced just as much from Ana as from the shock of seeing Marin like this. What happened? And what happened to the others? Alyx could barely push down the panicked impatience as Ana moved carefully around Marin, wiping again at the crook of his arm.
Marin moaned as Ana injected him with something. She murmured to him as if he were a child. “This is for the pain, Marin.” Ana brushed the hair off Marin’s forehead, then finally turned to the three of them. “There was a trap. The tire of their truck carrying the crucifix busted out in the middle of nowhere. Then the Darkened...there were too many. When Marin woke, the truck and Lukas were gone. He managed to find his way to the Cajatambo community. Two Seraphim from Cajatambo brought him here. They didn’t know how to treat Black Stone wounds.”
Dianne gasped into her hands. Vix cursed under her breath and looked like she wanted to kick something. Alyx felt strangely numb.
“Why did they leave him?” Alyx wondered aloud.
Ana glanced back at Marin, who now appeared to be sleeping. Ana motioned for them to move to the corner of the room.
“Perhaps,” Ana said, “they thought he was dead. He has lost a lot of blood. A lot. He was smart enough to rip tourniquets out of his shirt and curtail some of the bleeding, which probably saved his life. I don’t know how he even made it to Cajatambo.”
“Will he make it?” Vix asked.
“If anyone can, Marin will,” Ana said. “He’s a tough one.”
Alyx thought Ana was putting on an extremely brave face, but under the steel features Alyx could see the worry lines pressing at her brows. Of everyone here, Ana was the one with most to fear with Lukas having been taken.
“I haven’t told Ky about his father yet, so please don’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to worry.”
Alyx stepped forward and placed a hand on Ana’s shoulder. “We’ll get him back, I promise.”
Ana nodded and turned away, but not before Alyx saw the tears in her eyes. “Now if you’ll excuse me. My patient needs me.”
* * *
The mood was somber when Alyx, Vix, Israel and Dianne returned to Tobias’s office for privacy. Alyx had filled Israel in along the way, talking in
hushed tones and pausing when they passed the other residents of Aradale.
“What are we going to do?” said Dianne.
“We can’t let the residents of Aradale know,” said Vix. “They’ll panic. Things could get out of hand.”
“Vix is right. We can’t let this get out yet. The official position is that they are still out visiting the other communities,” said Alyx. “In the meantime, who is next in command?”
Vix nodded. “That’s me. I’ll send a swallow to the other two communities to see whether the Saudi Arabia team and the Florence team made it back to their communities. But I think we can work on the assumption that they didn’t and that they were also ambushed by the Darkened.”
“What do we do now?” asked Israel.
“We have to get them back,” Alyx said.
The four of them looked at each other. The things left unsaid lay heavy between them. But how? They didn’t even know where the Darkened were keeping them. And what if it was too late? What if...they were already dead?
Chapter 38
“Alyx.” A feeble-sounding voice called out, but Alyx couldn’t see who was calling her. A cold wind blew against her skin causing goose bumps to rise across her body. Alyx started to grab at her sword.
“Alyx.” It sounded closer.
Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the voice. “Jordan? Where are you?”
The question was, where was she? Alyx looked around her as she fingered the rough handle of her blade. She could barely see through the fog that clouded her vision, swirling around her in fisted curls.
Then she saw him through the mist. He stooped, one arm wrapped around his side. And he limped as he moved towards her through the fog.
“Thank God you’re alive.” She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.
