“This is the advantage of tiny wings,” said Kadia, smiling. “We move quick.”
“I can tell,” replied Imorean.
He tucked his wings against his sides and dropped, landing on the gym floor. Kadia touched down seconds later and Imorean went on the offensive. His boots skimmed the floor as he raced toward her. Kadia swiped at him, but she was too late. He had already reached past her offensive, blocking her incoming blow, and pressed his dull sword tip to her shoulder.
“That could have been your neck,” he said, pulling away.
“You move faster than I do,” said Kadia, dropping her sword in surrender.
“He’s moving faster than he used to,” mused Colton. “What’s changed, Imorean?”
Imorean turned to look at Colton. Was he moving faster? He paused. What in him had changed recently? Why did it suddenly seem that he had been able to harness his powers with so much more grace? Why did it feel so much more natural?
“Nothing that I know of,” replied Imorean, picking up Kadia’s sword from the gym floor. The words sounded dishonest, as though he was forgetting something important. He shook his head, trying to clear the feeling.
“What now?” asked Kadia.
“You guys should go and get something to eat. Colton, I have a job for you later.”
Colton grinned. “Your wish is my command.”
“Go and read up everything you can on Huitzilopochtli.”
“The Aztec god? Why?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Kadia hesitated. “Well, where are you going?”
“I have to meet with Michael again. I’ll see you in a bit.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Michael’s office door was closed. Imorean stood in front of it, drumming his fingers. Normally, the door swung open the moment he was on the other side. He folded his arms. Maybe Michael wasn’t in. No, that would be far too out of character. Imorean pressed his ear against the door. He could hear something on the other side. Scuffling. He frowned and considered his actions as he depressed the handle. Michael was in a foul temper. This may be the last thing he ever did. The door swung inward. Michael sat behind his desk, pen flashing over some papers, eyes riveted to his work.
Imorean cleared his throat. “Hey.”
There was no reaction.
“Michael,” said Imorean.
“Yes?”
“You asked to see me.”
“Yes,” repeated Michael, settling the paper on one side of his desk.
“What’s up?” asked Imorean.
He couldn’t help feeling nervous. This had to be about his behavior in the gym. Michael would tolerate his temper to an extent. In front of other angels, though, he was much stricter. Imorean sat down and found himself pinned under Michael’s green glare.
“Our connection –”
Imorean cut him off. “I know. I know. It’s important. I shouldn’t get upset with you about using it. I’m just not used to it. Even now. It’s weird having you hanging out in my head and sensing my emotions.”
“I know.” Michael sighed heavily. “I am afraid, though, that in the coming weeks, it will be even more important.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“We are going to have a visitor.”
Imorean felt unease creep in. Michael looked angry. “Who?”
“Sariel. He will be working this time partly on behalf of Amriel, partly to bring me a report.”
“Who’s Amriel?”
“My father’s record-keeper. She is sending Sariel to observe Felsenmeer.”
“What for?” Imorean watched Michael’s aura darken.
“She wants to see how we run things. She is … not my favorite sister. Too strict for my liking. She likes her rules.”
Imorean laughed. “If you think she’s strict, she must be a nightmare.”
Michael froze, looking almost angry. Then amusement crept into his eyes “I’m just saying that there are things Amriel would be better off not knowing.”
“You haven’t told many angels, have you?” asked Imorean.
“About what?”
“Me. Being an Archangel.”
Michael pulled a small smile. There was something mischievous about it and Imorean found himself grinning back. “No. No, I have not. This being said, I would rather keep that knowledge under wraps until we have finished dealing with Vortigern. I trust Sariel not to say anything, however, I must ask you not to antagonize him, lest he pass false information to Amriel or becomes aggressive with you.”
“To make an Archangel hybrid, how many rules did you break?”
“None.” Michael looked away. “But I would rather not open that can of worms. All I ask in respect to Sariel is that you keep a civil tongue in your head while you talk to him, and for once, try to be respectful. That goes for him and for me.”
“What does this have to do with our connection?” asked Imorean.
Michael folded his hands on his desk. “I have broken no rules yet, but by Amriel’s, and possibly Sariel’s, standards – as he will be working on behalf of Amriel – we are about to. There is a dangerous mission looming in the future.”
“Can I let the rest of my squad in on this when they arrive?”
“If you would like.”
“Thanks,” smiled Imorean, moving to stand up. “Anything else?”
“Take Kadia out for her tour of the surroundings. I have paperwork still to take care of. You are dismissed.”
Imorean nodded. “I was planning on it.”
Chapter 29
It was a cool, but clear day. A few thick clouds lingered in the sky, scudding along on a gentle breeze. Imorean took a deep breath of the Arctic, summer air. A perfect day for flying. Kadia would be joining him in a few minutes. He double-checked the straps of his sword’s scabbard, making sure the weapon was buckled safely on his back. Brown eyes roved over the hills surrounding Felsenmeer. A short way south, over those hilltops, was the town of Pangnirtung. The residents there knew of Felsenmeer’s existence, but they all thought it was an Arctic weather research station. Imorean smiled. Pangnirtung and Felsenmeer were nestled at the base of some of the most stunning mountains of Baffin Island. One of the most amazing places he had ever been. He was sure Kadia would love to look around. He looked out over the flat, grassy ground in front of Felsenmeer’s main entrance. The tough, windswept grass was now green, changing with the seasons. In spite of summer, even the lower mountains in the distance held fast to their snowy peaks.
Imorean turned as he heard Felsenmeer’s main door slide open.
“Hey!” called Kadia.
“Hey,” he replied. “You ready?”
“I hope so. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to keep up with these small wings.”
“You’ll do fine. We’re just doing a tour today, so we won’t be going any great speed. We’ll probably be in the air for a long time, though. There are some places and landmarks you need to see to be able to navigate the area.”
Kadia nodded. Imorean could see the eagerness in the motion. He swept his eyes over her. She was bundled against the cold, more so than he was. He nearly frowned. Archangels were better equipped against extreme temperatures than normal angels. Thanks to Michael, he was the same way. Kadia was unarmed. Imorean paused for a moment. They had one sword between them. He shook his head. Nothing and no one would attack them here. Michael was just making him paranoid.
“Let’s get going,” Kadia said with a grin, flaring and furling her small wings.
Imorean nodded and ran forward a few steps. The grass was springy beneath his boots. He pushed down hard with both feet and launched upward into the air. His wings snapped down in unison, sending him toward the sky. Weightlessness seized him and he closed his eyes as he ascended, wings beating together. A breeze rippled his hair. The ground dropped away beneath him. He paused and hovered as Kadia caught him. Without a word, white, falcon wings beat down again and he led the way over the low hills toward Pangnirtung
.
White flashed gold in the afternoon sunlight as Imorean rolled in the air. He grinned. This was a risky move, but with any luck, they would be too far above the town for any of the residents to take notice of them. Kadia slipped up next to him, her tiny wings flapping at twice the speed of his own. Imorean inclined his head.
“Have you only flown in the simulator?”
“This is one of my first times away from it,” she said, sounding breathless.
Imorean slowed to match her pace. “Leave your wings fully extended. Feel the air around you.”
“I’ll fall!” called Kadia. Imorean sensed rather than heard her nervousness.
“No, you won’t. Angels don’t fall. Slip into the air ahead of me.”
Kadia hesitated then took a deep breath.
“Breathe in as you draw your wings up and out as you send them down. There you go! Now leave them still.”
“I don’t want to!” shouted Kadia.
Imorean frowned and snapped his wings down again. “I have an idea.”
Kadia looked at him, worry in her eyes. Imorean glanced down. The ground beneath them was flattening. They were close to Pangnirtung and they desperately needed more altitude to avoid prying eyes.
“Put your left wing on top of my right one. When you feel me move, you move, too. It’ll help you find rhythm and keep you from rushing yourself so much.”
Kadia glided closer to him and Imorean nodded. He turned his nose to the sky, taking them straight up, level with the bottoms of puffy, white clouds. He waited a few moments, then beat his wings slowly. Kadia breathed an audible sigh of relief. Imorean levelled them out and pointed ahead.
“See that town?”
“Yeah!”
“That’s the closest place to Felsenmeer. You flew into it a few days ago. Swing away now, toward the fjord.”
Kadia banked sharply to the left, soaring over him as she did so. Imorean took a slower turn. His larger wings were less maneuverable.
“How do you feel about diving?” called Imorean.
Kadia looked over, confused. “I have a scuba certification, if that’s what you mean?”
Imorean laughed. “I mean in the air.”
He nudged her wing gently as her confused expression turned to horror.
“I’ve never dived in the air. It always worried me.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he replied. “Come on!”
“I’m not so sure about this, Imorean!”
Imorean pulled them into a hover and held out a hand. “You’ll be fine.”
Kadia hesitated.
“I promise,” said Imorean. He watched as she looked down. Over a thousand feet below, the fjord’s water glittered under the sun. The tide was in and the water high.
“Only if you’re sure,” said Kadia, taking his hand.
Imorean grinned and nosedived. His wings beat a few times, gathering speed. The world blurred white as they hurtled toward the water like twin comets. In the background, he registered noise. He couldn’t tell if Kadia was screaming or laughing.
Brown eyes closed. Imorean remembered facts from what seemed like a lifetime ago. The gyrfalcon could reach speeds of over one hundred and ninety miles per hour in a dive. His eyes snapped open. They were only a few hundred feet above the water now. He flared his wings open. Kadia was screaming next to him – definitely screaming. Still they descended. He wasn’t sure if Kadia had noticed that they were no longer diving, but slowly flattening out to fly parallel to the water.
“Let go!” he shouted, grinning.
Kadia’s brown eyes met his own, and grudgingly, she released his hand. Imorean opened his wings to glide on his own speed. Kadia copied him. Pointed like an arrow, streamlined, he coasted above the surface of the water. Frigid splashes of saltwater landed on his wings and spattered his face. Kadia was next to him, an awed smile now on her face.
“What did you think?” asked Imorean.
“Where did you learn to fly like that?” she gasped.
“Gabriel taught me.”
“That must have been amazing,” sighed Kadia. “I still can’t believe you’ve always been involved with the Archangels. It’s incredible. We were all really jealous when we heard Michael had taken a handful of students for special training.”
Imorean paused and let his eyes rove across the fjord. Even in the height of summer, a few icebergs insisted on floating through the water. Jealousy. It wasn’t something he had expected the other students to feel.
“Do you know why he did that?”
Kadia shook her head. Imorean swallowed. He hadn’t had to tell anyone the story of his time with the angels before.
“Because Vortigern wants me dead. He’s wanted to kill me ever since he found out I existed.” Those words sounded so ancient, so foreign on his tongue. “The location of Gracepointe was compromised by Bethany Voran. Do you remember her?”
“Vaguely,” replied Kadia. She inclined her head. “Know-it-all? Blonde?”
“That’s her. She’s Vortigern’s … daughter I think.”
“But couldn’t they have moved you to Upper Morvine, too?”
“Michael didn’t want to. He wanted me in a remote location. I just wish he’d brought my family, too.” There they were. Words he had always thought, but never meant to say.
Kadia looked at him. “Why?”
“Putting out a death threat against me wasn’t enough for Vortigern.” Imorean swallowed again. “He killed my family. My mother, my half siblings and my grandparents.”
“That’s why you’re here?”
“For my own safety and to create a specialist team to rival Vortigern.”
“I had no idea,” whispered Kadia. “We … all of us at Gracepointe just assumed you were Michael’s favorite. Do – do you think we’ll be able to do it?”
“What?”
“Stop Vortigern? Kill him?”
Imorean stared at her hard. “I have to believe that, Kadia. I have to. I don’t have another choice.”
Feeling uncomfortable, he put on a burst of speed, letting the smell of salt and Arctic water dull his senses. His reprieve didn’t last long.
“Imorean! Look!”
He slammed to a halt and snapped up into a hover. A black shape surfaced on the water. He swiped his sword from its scabbard, glad he had brought it.
“Wait,” said Kadia, putting a hand on his forearm. Her voice was quiet. “Watch.”
Imorean narrowed his eyes at her, but did as she said. Seconds later, a single, long, pointed tusk pierced the top of the water. It was joined by several others. He tried to count them. Six? Seven? More? Mottled, gray bodies and clouds of vapor followed the tusks.
“Narwhals,” grinned Kadia.
Feeling her eagerness, Imorean returned her smile. “Follow me.”
The water blurred gray as he led the way across the fjord. Kadia stuck close to his side. He ascended slightly, but not too far, and together, he and Kadia continued down the fjord, accompanied by a pod of dark, gray whales. They didn’t seem to mind the presence of two overly large flying creatures. He couldn’t help but laugh as Kadia was caught in the face by a mixture of water and air from one of the whale’s blowholes. Karma lost no time as one of the narwhales slapped its tail on the water, soaking Imorean in sea spray. Today, though, even the freezing droplets couldn’t dampen his spirits.
Chapter 30
Felsenmeer was too quiet. Imorean was glad that the two weeks of silence were nearly finished. All that he, Kadia and Colton had been able to do to occupy their time, other than train, had been research on Huitzilopochtli, Aztec history and Central American folklore – which hadn’t been easy. Genuine information about the Aztec god had been sparse. Even some of Felsenmeer’s oldest books had very few clues about him. Tonight, though, Felsenmeer should become a hub of activity once again. Imorean paced the lobby. Roxy, Baxter and Ryan were arriving that evening. He glanced at the wall clock. Already six o’clock. Surely, it couldn’t take m
uch longer. He was looking forward to their company. He couldn’t help but wonder how they would take to Kadia. How the team dynamic would change.
“Relax, would you?” called a voice from the second floor. “They’ll be fine.”
Imorean looked up, glad to see Colton. Colton already knew what else was bothering him. The last time the rest of his squad had arrived at Felsenmeer … that had been the night his family was murdered. He took a deep breath. His wings twitched in agitation. On edge. He couldn’t not be.
“I’m just …”
“I know,” said Colton, resting his forearms against the metal bannister. “You think something terrible is going to happen. It’s not.”
Imorean flared open his wings and launched himself up to the second floor. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course,” smiled Colton. “They should have landed on Baffin Island already. I’d say they’re on their way to Pangnirtung by now.”
Imorean nodded and bit the inside of his cheek. He felt stiff. He flinched as a disturbance rippled the air. He spun, looking back at the door. Figures paced beyond the great glass front of Felsenmeer. He sighed, relieved, and vaulted back over the second-floor railing, not touching the floor until he was in front of the automatic doors.
“Imorean!” cried Roxy, sprinting through the doors and wrapping him in such a forceful hug it made him stumble backward.
“Hey, Roxy,” said Imorean, pulling her into a gentler hug.
Over her shoulder, he spotted Baxter and Ryan. Both of them looked sad to be back. The last time they had all been here, they had been a complete squad alongside Mandy, Toddy and Dustin. Imorean patted Roxy’s shoulder, noticing that she had dyed over her blue hair. She’d turned it bright, neon orange this time. He dropped his arms from around her.
“Suits you,” he said. He approached Baxter and Ryan. “Same rooms as last time.”
“What? No hug,” grinned Baxter.
Imorean shook his head and pulled Baxter into a one-armed hug, glad to see him.
“I’ll pass,” huffed Ryan, brushing past Imorean and rejoining Roxy.
“You sure, Ryan?” asked Imorean, opening his arms.
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