Chapter Ten
I stood in the throne room, just like I had months ago when I first arrived at the Legion. This time, rather than nervous excitement, I felt pride and anticipation at what the future had in store for me, and what role I would play in helping complete the missions we were about to be assigned.
But first, there was to be a formal ceremony inducting us into the Legion of Angels, led by none other than the greatest warrior in history.
Michael came through the large double-doors of the throne room with an air of strength and authority that was both inspiring and still more than a little intimidating, reminding us that while we had worked hard in training, we still had a long way to go to ever reach his level.
Jonah and Ember stood on each side of me, and the friendship and love that we shared wasn’t lost on me. I was so truly thankful to know them both.
Jonah’s shoulders straightened with pride as his father stepped forward, pausing in front of him for just a moment, silently acknowledging his beloved son.
Ember was on my left, just as she had been during the very first ceremony. Her experience over time had calmed her nerves. I couldn’t help but smile at how different we both were, standing here, after having endured months of hard training. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her watching Michael closely, but the look on her face was one of respect, more than fear.
As for me, I felt hardened and ready for battle. The weeks of fighting holographic demons had been good practice, but I couldn’t wait to be back on the battlefield face-to-face with real evil, doing my part to rid the Earth of whatever darkness I could.
Michael remained standing in front of his throne, wearing a breathtaking smile. “Welcome. I know the progress that you have made throughout your time here.” His gaze paused on Jonah before moving on to skim the rest of the crowd. “I am grateful to you all for working so hard and preparing yourselves for the battles ahead. As we call each one of you to stand before me, hold your head high and be proud of your accomplishments. You are all worthy of being an Angel of the highest order, and today, is your day.”
The page who had announced us on the first day stepped forward, his lips curving into a soft smile. He took a deep breath as though he wanted to make the silence last one more minute, before opening his mouth and calling out a name that brought a tear to my eye.
“Trinity Searle.”
As my training partner stepped out of the crowd, I felt my heart flutter with pride for my dear friend. She had worked so hard during training, and I knew that she was as serious about becoming the best warrior she could be, as was I. We were once again dressed in the same gowns that we wore during our first ceremony, and as she walked by, I couldn’t help but smile. She was muscular—a warrior to be feared. Her hair flowed down her back in a mass of curls. As she presented herself to Michael, she squared her shoulders and held her head high, just as he had told us to do.
Michael wore a scabbard at his waist that held his sword, but on the opposite side he had yet another weapon tucked away. As he pulled it from his side, it gleamed brightly, and as he held it up, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the brilliant light that surrounded it.
“Trinity Searle, you have earned your place in the Legion of Angels. Accept this sword as a token of our trust in you, and bear it with pride.” Michael held the sword out, one hand at the hilt and the other at the tip, and presented it to her.
Trinity bowed as she took the sword, but it was clear that she had no trouble with the weight of the blade. As she came back down the marble staircase, she winked at me.
One by one, Angels were called to stand before Michael. I watched with joy as the red-headed Hasmal, who had certainly proven his worth in the training arena, received his weapon. His cloud of curly hair gleamed as brightly as his new sword, and he couldn’t stop smiling.
Hannah was called next, her slim back tall and straight as she accepted her new blade. Her fine, blonde hair had been artfully twisted into a crown of ringlets, with tiny flowers placed inside each curl. She was beautiful.
Michael said the same thing to each of us as we came before him to acceptance his gratitude, and to hold our new weapons. Still, even knowing what to expect, my heart raced when I heard him call out to me.
I hardly dared take a breath as I stood before him, and he welcomed me into the Legion. I was filled with so many different emotions—from pride to honor to humility. We were all here for one purpose under God, to rid the world of darkness, and I was thankful to have ever been called to stand among some of the greatest warriors I had ever known.
And now I was one of them.
As I accepted the beautiful sword from him, memories came rushing back. It had been many years since I had seen a weapon such as this one, and it looked exactly as I had remembered it. My parents both kept swords like this at their sides, and I could still remember the gleaming hilts and glorious shining blade.
And I remembered something else.
One day, my mother had taken hers out to clean it and allowed me to hold it. I must have been no older than thirteen, but I suddenly felt so grown up feeling the weight of it in my hands. It had felt lightweight and maneuverable, easily wielded with just one hand. The ripples of color in the blade were almost iridescent, and I had imagined that it was created by the most skilled blacksmith at the Legion. Though the sword practically begged me to swing it around, I knew better. I had even apologized to my mother for getting fingerprints on it, but she had just laughed, and patted me on the shoulder. “Isn’t it beautiful, Rumor? Just like you.”
Now, there I was, standing in front of Michael and accepting a glorious sword of my own. Once it was placed in my hands I felt a surge of strength and determination greater than I had ever felt before. I nodded my head in respect to the Archangel, then turned to descend the marble stairs, returning to my place in the crowd, next to the most handsome Angel I had ever laid eyes on who wore the expression of a man that loved me deeply.
* * *
Later that day, Ember and I were in her room talking about the future. What little we had acquired during our stay had been packed, and we were ready to go. We still had some time before we were to meet in the center of High Command where we’d get news of our upcoming missions, and I wanted to take advantage of the few minutes we had left with each other.
“I still can’t believe that we got through training, and now we’re getting ready to go out on the field with our teams,” she said as she checked her bag once again to make sure she had everything she needed. “The time went by so fast, and now I don’t even know when I’ll see you again.”
I stood at the window, looking out over the city. Angels rushed down the streets, anxious to pack up so they could head out. Others prepared for the next batch of recruits. While another group headed to the armory to prepare weapons.
“We’ll see each other soon, I promise. Just because we are being sent out on different missions this time doesn’t mean it will always be that way.”
We headed into the center of the city, excited to discover what our missions would entail. When we arrived, our trainers split us up into new groups and gave us a quick briefing. We would head out right away. There was no time to waste.
In my heart of hearts, I prayed that Ember and I would be given a chance to fight side-by-side again one day soon, but now would not be that time.
“Jonah on your team?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he is.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. If I can’t be by your side, I’m happy you have him.”
“No one will ever make a better slaying partner than you, Em,” I replied with a smile.
She laughed, and rolled her eyes. She twirled her hair in her fingers, twisting it into a tight braid that would keep it out of the way during her journey. Suddenly, her face grew serious. “We’re going to take down a witch coven. How about you?”
“Vampires.” My trainer had been rather vague, telling us that we would be given more information when it was time to leave.
“Well, at least you have experience with vamps.”
I took my new sword out of its scabbard and admired the depth of the metal. It was forged in the armory here at High Command, the metal folded over, time and time again, and creating numerous ripples of color in the steel. It had a fine, hard edge that would take down anything it came across. I thought about the upcoming mission and how we’d be facing a much stronger enemy than what we were used to.
I looked at Ember thoughtfully as I slid the sword back into its sheathe. “I have a feeling these aren’t the same kind of vampires we’re used to.”
* * *
Having changed out of my ceremonial gown and into travel clothes, I made my way down the sidewalk to our meeting place. There I saw our team leader sitting next to a fountain with a beautiful mermaid statue at its center. The scene was unusually chipper in comparison to the seriousness of the conversation that was about to take place.
My team leader, Oriel, was an older member of the Legion. He was a tall, slim man, with such pointed features that I would have mistaken him for an elf if I hadn’t known better. His long, chestnut hair was straight and fine, and he kept it pinned back at the nape of his neck.
Our team was small but highly skilled, and I was grateful that I had been assigned to the same team as Jonah, Trinity, and even Hannah. Our other teammates from Arena One would be sent off on other missions, but we’d regroup eventually.
“Our journey will be a long and tiring one,” Oriel said. He carried the traditional sword on his hip, but he also held a staff in one hand. It looked short in comparison to his great height.
“Part of the reason the four of you were chosen for this mission is because you have mastered the spell of Sleeplessness. It’s vital that we make our way to the location of the vampire coven before they have a chance to discover our approach. Therefore, we will need to fly continuously without sleep.”
“This also means,” he continued, “that you will need to be well prepared when it comes to weaponry. Your own powers won’t be as effective, so you’ll need to be conservative when it comes to spells. Your Holy Fire will, of course, be necessary, but for everything else, you should arm yourselves with plenty of weapons. I’ve brought an assortment of goods from the armory that should help you.”
Oriel gestured behind him to several crates of weapons. We surged forward to fill our bags with wooden stakes, vials of holy water, and fine silver chains. I took a little bit of everything and hoped that the Sleeplessness spell wouldn’t drain me as much as Oriel claimed. I wanted a chance to use my new magic, and not just for staying awake.
“Why are we taking so many precautions against vampires?” Jonah asked. “I know that I’ve fought plenty of them, and I’m sure everyone else has, too.”
The leader’s long face was grave as he explained. “These are not simply some lowly creatures employed by demons to do their bidding. They have taken on a life of their own. Our intelligence states that they’ve been harvesting humans by the hundreds, as well as turning them into vampires to join their army. They are known as the Elders of Alabaster.”
The name of the coven alone was enough to make my spine tingle. “I assume we are to take them all out, no questions asked?” I rested my hand on my hilt, ready to make use of the fine blade. Vampires could heal quickly, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy making a few slash marks along the way.
Oriel nodded. “Yes, but we need to be watchful. If there are any clues in their haven as to what they plan next, we need to find them. We believe that there are several covens all linked to this activity.” He eyed the position of the sun in the sky. “It’s time for us to go.” His wings snapped out from his back in one swift movement, and with a purposeful step forward he was off the ground.
The rest of us followed suit, unfurling our wings and lifting from the ground to follow him. The flight led us away from the center of the city and toward the wide pathway Ember and I had traveled when we had arrived at High Command. I waved at Avalon, still standing guard at the gate, before we went shooting through the portal doors.
I recognized the area below me on the other side of the portal, and I knew we were back on Earth. Suddenly, everything felt different. Gravity pulled a little harder at my body. The sun didn’t shine quite so brightly or spread as much warmth across my wings.
“Don’t worry about being seen,” Oriel called back from the head of our formation. “The potion you took before you arrived at High Command is permanent. No human will ever see you again unless you need them to.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. We zoomed over the treetops, past rolling hills, and near various cities both large and small. I hadn’t thought about Earth much since I had arrived at High Command, and I could see now just how beautiful it truly was. It wasn’t as brightly lit, and the colors weren’t as vivid, but it carried its own untamed loveliness. Maybe it was the Sleeplessness spell that was keeping my eyes from barely blinking, but I couldn’t drink in enough of the earthly beauty.
We flew quickly, and based on the position of the sun, I guessed that it was mid-afternoon when Oriel finally led us back to the ground, settling outside an old farmhouse situated amongst waving cornfields and tall, green cornstalks. The paint on the old wooden siding was peeling, now a faded gray instead of the dark color I imagined it once was. The windows were intact but had been painted over with the color of charcoal. Several boards were missing from the covered porch, and when I looked up, I saw that many of the roof shingles had been ripped off and never replaced.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, using my psychic senses to look inside and get a good idea of the floor plan. Why did evil creatures always flock toward dilapidated buildings such as this one?
“We move in quickly and take them out. No hesitation, no questions, no second-guessing yourselves. Are you ready? I’ll take the back rooms, Jonah you cover the attic, and the rest of you can make your way to the second floor, killing anything you encounter along the way.” His eyes shifted from me, to Jonah, to Hannah, and finally to Trinity. Everyone nodded, and when he was satisfied that we were ready, he moved quietly up the porch steps and blew open the front door with a bit of white magic.
I charged after him, my heart beating wildly in my chest, and my fingers itching to whisk my sword out of its scabbard. I was ready to start my first official mission.