Tempest

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  Ivan’s head burrowed into my back. “Tell me…when it’s…over,” he stammered.

  His words were almost incoherent, but I got the gist. Sawyer’s fingers dug painfully into my arms, but he was silent. With effort, I turned my head to glance over my shoulder. His eyes were closed and his face scrunched. Behind us, I could just make out Ormr’s green body. Horas, Insepth and Eae were pale blurs on his back.

  This is going to hurt…and we might get separated upon landing, Chumana said.

  A solid rock wall, glowing red as though it was on fire, rose up in front of us. It was hundreds of feet high. A glistening dome stretched from the wall over a huge area of land. In the instant before impact, I recognized that water and stars created the dome.

  Chumana sped up, elongating her body like a torpedo. It was the dome she crashed through, not the wall. When her head touched the strange substance, time slowed and waves pressed against us. The light was blinding and I struggled to keep my eyes open just enough to see what was going on.

  For a moment, we were stuck in the thick, glowing substance and breathing was impossible. I felt Chumana’s muscles gathering beneath my legs and her skin shone burnt red. Blue fire blasted from her mouth, creating another hole. The dragon dove through the gap and the oppressive pressure disappeared. Ormr jetted through the opening like a slingshot and sprinted ahead of us to take the lead. The jarring transition back into clear air knocked Ivan and me against Sawyer, who then lost his balance. As Chumana jetted toward the ground, we rolled along her back, grasping at anything to keep from falling.

  Sawyer caught hold of a spike at the crest of her tail and grabbed Ivan just as he slid by him. I bounced over both of them and with thrashing legs, became airborne.

  “Ember!” Sawyer shouted and I stretched for him, but he was too far away.

  I fell through the air and Chumana kept going, either not noticing me or not able to slow her descent even if she wanted. I saw Sawyer’s pale face for an instant and then it was gone.

  A dark green carpet spread out below as far as the eye could see. I blinked and the ground became more distinct as I plummeted. Giant trees formed a never ending canopy of dark foliage that I couldn’t see through.

  After everything I’d been through, dying like this wasn’t what I had expected—and it was going to hurt terribly if I wasn’t killed instantly. As the ground raced up to meet me, I closed my eyes and said a prayer. Please God, not like this. I have so much yet to do.

  My stomach lurched into my throat when I struck something. I dared to open one eye and saw Insepth and Horas grabbing for me from Ormr’s back. The smaller dragon had turned, attempting to break my fall. Insepth missed completely and Horas’ fingertips barely brushed mine as I whipped by them. Then I saw Eae. He stood just above the dragon’s tail, perfectly still, only his golden curls billowing around his head. For an instant, light shone off him, and I imagined he had great gray wings flapping behind him again.

  I careened toward him, but knew I was too far away for him to catch me. Our eyes met and I tried to smile, but the wind kept my mouth from moving properly.

  This is it. I’m seconds away from dying.

  Just before Ormr struck the treetops, Eae jumped free from the dragon. His leap brought him to me and his arms coiled around my body. There was a barrage of breaking branches as we tumbled downward. I buried my face into Eae’s chest, feeling a spasm of guilt for being relieved that my guardian Angel was with me. He was surrendering his own life in an attempt to save mine.

  The green dragon smashed into the ground, shaking the trees, and I gulped a breath in, bracing for impact. Eae did a somersault in midair and straightened his long torso. He bent his knees and landed on both of his feet as if he’d simply jumped off a porch roof.

  I bit my lip hard as Eae sank, the ground giving way below him, foot by foot, until I couldn’t see past the dirt.

  When all motion finally stopped, I sagged in Eae’s arms. He stroked the top of my head like I was a toddler, but I didn’t protest. My stomach rolled and my head pounded. I spit out a chunk of bloody dirt and coughed into the dust.

  “I’m so…sorry,” I stuttered.

  “For what? This is my purpose, to protect and guide you,” Eae said with a stronger voice than I was expecting.

  “Your legs…”

  Eae chuckled and the movement shook me. “I may not have wings any longer, but I’m still strong and fleet of foot. I’m not damaged—much.”

  “What about the others?” I blinked many times, and tears ran down my cheeks.

  “I’m harder to kill than that.” I still couldn’t quite catch my breath, but I was surprised at the surge of energy I felt when I heard Insepth’s voice.

  It was Horas’ face I saw when I glanced up. His arm was extended and I wiggled from Eae’s grasp to reach for his hand. In a fluid movement, he hoisted me out of the hole, depositing me between him and Insepth. Eae climbed out behind me with little effort.

  The Watcher and Demon were covered with cuts and an especially nasty bruise was darkening on Insepth’s cheek, but otherwise they were still in one piece. Ormr took two steps and peered down at me. A puff of smoke spiraled from his nostrils.

  “Where’s Sawyer and Ivan?” I asked.

  “Haven’t seen them yet. We’ve only just landed,” Insepth said with a lopsided grin.

  “We have to find them.” I turned to leave, when Eae’s long arm reached out to stop me.

  “You must not use your power here. It will be the same as lighting a beacon of your arrival.” His voice dropped. “Trust me, there are beings hiding here you do not want to meet.”

  I glanced between Insepth and Horas. “We can’t use our powers?” I squeaked.

  Insepth found his voice. “I hadn’t thought of it before, but it makes sense—unless our lives are in jeopardy, that is.”

  “This isn’t a place to dally in. We must get on with the mission and get the hell out of here,” Horas said.

  “I won’t leave Sawyer and Ivan!” I argued.

  “You don’t have to.”

  I twirled around and Sawyer was standing there with Ivan. I jumped into his arms and he clung to me.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” Sawyer mumbled into my ear.

  “Eae saved me.”

  Sawyer pulled back enough to plant a kiss on my lips before nodding to Eae. “Thank you.”

  “I do what I do for Ember—no one else.” Eae’s voice was cool.

  Sawyer snorted and was about to respond when Chumana lumbered up.

  You’re on your own human-Angel girl. We can’t stay in this place long—it will disrupt the balance and bring the Angels down on us. I began to protest and she dropped her head, showing me one red eye. This is the way it must be. We’ll return for you in this exact spot in twenty-four hours. If you aren’t here, we leave, never to return.

  Even if it was possible to argue successfully with a dragon, there wasn’t any point. We needed secrecy and stealth to rescue Vorago and retrieve the dark particles. There was also the matter of Ila, which probably required the most discretion of all. We certainly couldn’t sneak anywhere with the dragons along.

  I nodded. We’ll be here.

  Chumana burst into the air, following the path Ormr had come down through. Once she was clear, Ormr leaped up, flapping his giant wings hard. The wind created by the departing dragons nearly knocked us all to the ground.

  I watched their red and green forms becoming smaller, then the burst of light from their fire and the explosion in the dome that followed.

  “They aren’t very subtle, are they?” Sawyer commented.

  “They don’t need to be. Angels don’t actively hunt dragons anymore. For the most part, they are free to come and go as they like—as long as they don’t stay in one place too long or cause unrest with any of the other beings,” Eae said.

>   “If history had been different, they would have ruled the world.” Insepth hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders. “Let’s not waste any time. The clock is ticking.”

  I’d lost my pack sometime during my freefall, but saw that everyone else had theirs. All in all, we weren’t in such bad shape after all.

  I looked at Eae. “Can Ivan transform here or will it bring an army down on our heads?”

  “Growlers are imprisoned in these walls. It shouldn’t be noticed.”

  I didn’t need to even say the words. Ivan changed into a wolf and loped ahead to scout.

  The forest beneath the canopy was twilight dark, and there wasn’t any other vegetation covering the hard-packed ground. The closest branches were fifty feet or more above our heads and the trunks of the trees had the girths of cars. Cool, damp air barely stirred and a chill raced up my spine at the sensation of being watched.

  Eae turned and followed the way Ivan had gone. I hurried to catch up with him.

  “Does the sun never shine here?” I asked.

  “The sun?” He laughed, and the deep sound of it chased away some of the goosebumps rising along my arms. “No, child. Sun touches the realm of earth. The only light here is a small amount reflecting from faraway Heaven. It’s dreamlike for a reason. God wants Purgatory’s inhabitants to remember Him and His glory. There can be no salvation if one forgets there are worlds other than this one.”

  “So it is true then. Those imprisoned here still have a chance for redemption?” Horas spoke up.

  “Of course.” Eae kept walking with long strides and purpose.

  “But it’s my understanding Demons reside here?” Horas asked slowly, matching Eae’s stride to stay close enough to hear his answer.

  “Even Demons can find their way to God.” Eae inclined his head at Horas.

  Horas looked thoughtful before saying, “I’ll go on ahead to see what’s there.” He met my gaze for approval and I flicked my hand. He was a Demon after all. If anyone could fit into such a place, it was him.

  “Why give him false hope?” Sawyer said.

  Eae stopped and turned around. His lips twitched. “What do you know of it?”

  “Maybe more than you.” Sawyer avoided my hard stare. “Garrett, the leader of our compound, said that God turned his back on the soulless ones—even though it isn’t our fault that we’re like this.”

  Eae’s lips pursed and he looked pained. “The Angels who rebelled against God were cast out of Heaven. Many made their way to earth and its women before the Celestial host drove them from earth’s shores. Because of their defiance, they became tainted and evil grew in their hearts. That evil, mixed with human blood, created soulless Demon offspring.” He glanced at me, and then at Insepth. “Whereas their ancestors were Angels of God, yours was an Angel of darkness.”

  Hurt flicked over Sawyer’s tightening features and I said, “Wait, did you lie to Horas?”

  Eae shook his head. “If a person is contrite enough, and worthy, God has the power to make a soul where there isn’t one.”

  Sawyer snorted and strode forward.

  “That was mean—and you’re an Angel,” I chastised.

  I left Eae and sprinted ahead.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m not concerned,” Sawyer said.

  “Of course you are—you have to be.”

  Sawyer slowed and glanced over. “I made my peace with what I am a long time ago.”

  “You can change. Eae said so,” I whispered.

  “It’s all speculative at this point. Besides, we have more important issues to deal with right now.” Sawyer pointed into a hollow we came upon.

  Insepth leaned between us. “It felt like a walk in the woods for a moment there—couldn’t be so lucky, eh?”

  Sawyer pulled me behind a tree and Insepth moved with us. Eae stood in the open, not flinching.

  “Who are they?” I lowered my voice, directing it at the Angel.

  “They are wraiths, souls not blessed to enter Heaven, nor damned to Hell.”

  Thousands of luminous people drifted above the ground in a herd, mouths agape and arms dangling at their sides. Ghosts. As they passed by, the air became thick and colder.

  “Are they dangerous?”

  Horas ducked around a tree, out of breath. He bent over gasping for air while we waited, and I shifted my gaze between him and the suspended souls.

  “They aren’t.” He lifted his chin towards the hollow. “But the Angels are.”

  “Angels, here?” Eae came forward. “Describe them.”

  I noticed how he now used the tree for cover. Blood pumped madly through my veins. His usually pale skin was a shade whiter and his eyes darted around.

  “There are three of them, all hooded in black and wearing no armor or weapons, except the one at the lead. He carries a black scythe inscribed with golden runes that match the ones tattooed on his face.” Horas forced the words out.

  “Azriel,” Eae breathed.

  Insepth hung his head and muttered, “Our luck has run out.”

  “Who is this Angel?”

  Eae turned his green eyes my way. “He who slaughtered the first born of Egypt in the tenth plague recorded in the book of Exodus—the Angel of Death.”

  “He unfurled his black wings and swooped into the crowd, slashing the scythe like he was cutting down weeds,” Ivan exclaimed.

  I put my arm around his shoulder and squeezed. We sat side by side on a log, surrounded by five massive trees that afforded us some camouflage. There were no birds chirping or bugs buzzing. The dark forest was dead. Even the trees were unnaturally still.

  “How can a ghost be cut down?” Horas asked. He pinched a long pine needle between his teeth.

  “It is not their bodies being reaped; it’s their souls.” Eae leaned against a tree as he talked. “After a time, if a soul is contrite and opens itself to the Lord, it is taken up to Heaven. If it remains stubborn, it goes to the pit. When Azriel cuts them down, one of the Angels takes the blessed souls to Heaven and the other deposits the unbending ones in Hell.” Eae sighed deeply. “If you saw correctly, and the Angels didn’t leave, it’s a bad sign.”

  “What does it mean?” Insepth, who up until that moment had been intensely studying the bark of one of the strange, fossil-like trees, came away from the trunk and sat beside me.

  “The Angels are close to blowing the horns and unleashing Hell.” Eae ran a hand through his hair in a very humanlike motion. “They aren’t taking time to disperse the souls properly. Instead, they’re simply freeing them to go adrift. A true death.”

  “So the Angels are out of control—gone rogue.” Insepth frowned.

  “In a sense, this is true.” Eae lowered his voice. “Michael’s behavior at your mansion was not expected…” He trailed off as if searching for the right words. “It was not aligned to scripture. He acted on his own, and there could have been dire consequences.”

  “He flattened my entire estate, killing a hundred of my servants.” Insepth stood, his voice sharp. “It’s a good thing my earth warding was strong enough to hide it from the humans. How incredibly stupid it was for that arrogant Angel to put everyone at risk like that.”

  “It was almost as if he wanted the humans to find out about the Angels,” Horas suggested.

  “I don’t understand it myself,” Eae admitted.

  I searched the grayness that stretched as far as I could see. The dark silhouettes of the enormous tree trunks dotted the landscape. Sawyer had gone on a reconnaissance mission, stating he might be able to track the Angels unseen. I’d argued with him about going alone, but he wouldn’t listen. I thought his persistence to leave had to do with the conversation with Eae about Demons and their salvation, but Ila’s warning for him not to come here hung heavily in my mind.

  Taking a risk, I closed my eyes and reached ou
t for him through the darkness and the trees. I found him far away and moving quickly. His mind gave me the impression everything was all right. He seemed almost excited.

  Hearing my name, my eyes opened. “What?”

  Insepth frowned. “This isn’t the time, nor the place, to daydream, and please be careful. I can feel your Gaia stirring.”

  I swallowed. “Sorry. My fire and earth are both anxious.”

  “To draw on the power will notify Azriel—and other beings—we are here,” Eae scolded.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m doing my best.” I turned to Ivan. “Are you okay?”

  Ivan’s usually healthy glow was diminished and his eyes were dull. “I am fine, but I feel tired.”

  “You are fully one of earth’s children, even though you are Growler. The sun and moon strengthen you. Nature sustains you. Here you have none of those things. If you stay too long, you’ll become like the ghosts we saw earlier—a lifeless shell.”

  I rose, pulling Ivan up. “Then we best get going. Which way?”

  I looked at Eae, Insepth and Horas in turn, but they all remained quiet. My gaze settled on Eae. “Do you know where Vorago is being held captive?”

  “I have suspicions, but do not know for sure.”

  “Adria said Vorago was a dolphin Growler. There isn’t an ocean here, but I bet his water essence still runs in his veins.” Horas looked expectantly my way. “What if Ember drew on a small amount of that element to locate him?”

  “I don’t know how to do that,” I objected.

  Eae shook his head fiercely. “She will compromise our location to Azriel if she does. We can’t take that chance.”

  Horas glanced at his watch. “We’re down to twenty-two hours.”

  “A commotion—that’s it!” Insepth exclaimed. “What if we create a distraction to keep anyone from noticing what Ember is doing?”

  Eae scratched his chin. “It might work. Do you have something in mind?”

  “I sure do.”

  My heart pounded at the curl of Insepth’s lips. The last time he had a brilliant idea, I ended up inside my dog.