Chapter Fourteen
It was an exhausting flight back to High Command. Oriel told us not to worry about helping with the cleanup, that we had done enough. I knew that he was right, but I still didn’t like the idea of leaving someone else to clean up after me. I had slaughtered my share of those sons of bitches, and I should have been the one to get their rotten corpses out of there. Still, I couldn’t argue with exhaustion. The Sleeplessness spell and the massive amounts of fighting we had done, had left me completely depleted.
The flight back to High Command would be long, longer than the flight away from there because all of our adrenaline had been emptied out. I kind of zoned out as we flew, not really noting the time or place. I drifted silently through the air as we left the mountain range and made our way back across the land toward the woods that would take us to High Command. It should have been beautiful. The sun was drifting down in the sky, casting deep orange rays across the landscape. But our flight path heading westward would soon put us ahead of the sinking sun.
We had defeated our enemies, we were all alive and safe, and I’d even had the chance to fight alongside Jonah once again. But something weighted heavily on my mind that I couldn’t quite identify.
“Did they say anything about Hannah?” I asked quietly. Oriel was flying a bit ahead of us, and I hoped he didn’t hear me. I felt as though Hannah’s injury had been my fault, and I didn’t know if Oriel felt the same way. “I got so caught up in the vampires that I didn’t think to ask after her once the other Angels arrived.”
Jonah nodded solemnly. “Her wing is badly damaged. She’s already on her way back to High Command.” He pressed his lips together and looked at me. “It’s going to be a long time before she’s part of our mission group again, if she ever will be.”
“What? Why?” A new sense of horror, one completely different from that I had felt around the vampires, crept under my skin. The idea of being kicked out of my mission group terrified me. They were all I had.
He shrugged. “It’s going to take a long time for her wing to heal. Even when you throw healing light into the mix, there isn’t much they can do for Angel wings, but let time take care of it. And from what I understand, once she’s back on her feet they’re going to send her back to training.”
It was then that I realized just how important it was that we were successful out in the field. Smaller missions that we had conducted on our own before being inducted into the Legion had been completely different. You could get away with being a little sloppy, or not quite following the rules. But an official mission that had come from Michael himself was far more important, and much more dangerous. They couldn’t afford to send out an Angel who wasn’t perfectly up to speed.
I bit my lip. “I hate that for her.”
Jonah allowed a trace of a smile to cross his lips. “And all this time, I thought you didn’t like her.”
I looked away, my eyebrows furrowing and my jaw set. “I just didn’t know her that well.” He was right, of course he was. I had been jealous of her for no reason and in that moment, I regretted letting it affect what friendship I might have had with her.
“She’s a good fighter, but she might be better placed somewhere else,” Jonah admitted. “We’ll always have each other’s backs, but we can’t spend all of our time worrying that one of our teammates is having trouble.”
In my mind’s eye, I could, once again, see Hannah falling through the cavern toward the vampires waiting below. It was an awful vision, one of snowy wings reaching out desperately to catch the air, the terrified look on Hannah’s face, and the crazed determination of the vamp who had ambushed her. Hannah was not the most impressive warrior I had ever seen, but that had been a freak accident. It could just as easily have happened to me.
“So, what happens to the rest of us now?” I asked, ready to change the subject.
The sun rose higher in the sky, the further west we flew, extending our day. I allowed myself to soak in its warmth and be distracted by the beauty it shone upon. The sun had set Jonah’s hair ablaze, highlighting rainbow-like flecks of color that couldn’t be seen otherwise, and it shimmered as he ran a hand through it. “I’m sure my father will find something for us to do. He spends a lot of time deciding who should do what, and he won’t hesitate to get us back out on our next mission.” He laughed softly. “We’ll get home, have a meal, and be on our way again.”
I hoped that he was right. I didn’t want to just sit around and continue thinking about the Elders of Alabaster. I needed rest—there was no denying that. But as soon as I’d had a meal and a good night’s sleep, I knew I’d want to get back out into the world, fighting.
Even with the extra hours gained by traveling across several time zones, it took almost an entire day to travel back to High Command. When we arrived it was mid-afternoon there. Alijah waited to greet us at the gate with a smile. He held his arms wide and took Jonah and I into a massive bear hug. “My students! My wonderful trainees! I have heard so much about your mission already, but I can’t wait to hear about it directly from you! Come, come. We have a little bit of time yet before the ceremony.” He turned and headed off toward a nearby building.
“Ceremony?” I questioned. “Nobody said anything about that.”
“Yes, we’ll have time to discuss all that once we’re inside. Come on!” He led the way to a low building that didn’t look nearly as remarkable as the golden tower that housed Michael’s throne room, or even the silver, castle-like structure where I had stayed during my training. This structure was only one story and looked to be made of plain bricks.
Inside, the place was dark. A large bar took up the back wall, and numerous tables cluttered the floor around it. It was remarkably like Good Spirits, except that it had much cleaner floors and there was no need for a bouncer. Several Angels were scattered around the room, talking quietly and enjoying drinks. None of them wore the white clothes that indicated they were trainees, opting instead for jeans, leather jackets, and t-shirts. We had just come from battle, and we fit right in.
“What is this place?” I asked, shocked to find a bar at High Command. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing the Legion would approve of.
“It’s for our returning warriors,” Alijah replied.
He chose a table that sat a little apart from the other patrons and ordered beers, which were promptly brought to us by a pretty cherub. “And you don’t have to pay for a thing. What I would have given for a place like this when I was back on Earth!”
I blinked at this bit of information. It made sense that our trainer had started out at the bottom just like we had, but I’d never envisioned him as anything but a top trainer in charge of his own arena. “Why didn’t you tell us about this place before?” I asked. “I don’t think I even remember seeing the building.” The aged mirror above the bar was remarkably reminiscent of something I would find on Earth.
Our former trainer shook his head. “Trainees aren’t allowed in here. They need to keep their minds focused on new spells and improving their skills. You wouldn’t have seen it, or have even been able to enter it before your first mission was complete.”
I nodded and took a long sip. The texture of the beer was what I loved more than anything, the foam against my lips, and the fizzle of the bubbles on my tongue. The heady feeling didn’t hurt either.
“But after a mission, we deserve a good, stiff drink.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“So, tell me everything,” Alijah said as he sipped the foam off the top of his mug. “I want to hear it all firsthand.”
“Didn’t Trinity or Hannah tell you anything?” Jonah asked as he traced patterns in the condensation on his glass. “They got back before we did, didn’t they?” I could hear the concern in his voice.
“They’re here,” Alijah assured him, his smile fading slightly, “but they weren’t in much of a mood to chat. Hannah’s in the infirmary, and she’s being looked at by the best, but it’ll be a slow recovery.”
“Maybe we should go and see her,” I said, pushing my chair back, suddenly feeling extremely guilty for even thinking about having a beer.
Alijah laid a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry, Rumor. They don’t want anyone in there while they’re working on her. There isn’t anything you can do for her right now.”
I didn’t like not being able to check on her, but I knew Alijah was right.
“Now, then. Tell me all about the mission.”
With a deep breath, I recounted my side of the mission as quickly as I could. I appreciated that our trainer wanted to know what kind of warriors he had turned us into, but even being all the way back at High Command wasn’t making the battle any easier to talk about. The images in my mind were still just as clear as they had been when I had witnessed them—the bubbling of the vampires’ skin, their glistening fangs, the screams as they dove at us and fell back dying. “Lighting was extremely useful,” I added at the end. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t taught us that one.”
Alijah laughed, a deep sound that echoed throughout the bar. “It’s one of my favorite skills. Now, what about you, Jonah? Tell me about your adventures in the tunnels.”
He took a long pull of his beer before answering. “Trinity and I landed where Oriel had instructed, moving straight into the tunnel. We encountered vampires right away,” Jonah continued. “The tunnel was just the right width that the two of us could stand shoulder to shoulder and fight them, and to make sure they couldn’t get around us. We took down about a dozen or so, and then the tunnel was completely empty.”
“You would think they would have more sentries out,” I noted. “We only found one in our tunnel before we reached the cavern. They left themselves completely unprotected on that end.”
Alijah shook his head. “It used to be that you knew exactly what to expect from any given type of evil creature. Vampires were always asleep during the day, and they were never in covens bigger than about a dozen or so. You could only find demons in the run-down neighborhoods. Goblins stuck to the sewer systems, and gargoyles were so rare that it was like hunting down a trophy when you got one. Now all of them are everywhere, and they don’t even follow their own rules.” He sucked down the last of his drink and ordered another one. “Things should be getting better, not worse.”
Jonah, uncertain of how to reply to Alijah’s lamentations, continued with his story. “Once we got past the first group of them, I thought we were going to get lost in the tunnels and never come out again. They twisted and turned so much that I could hardly keep track of what direction we had come from.” He shook his chestnut mane, now muted in the dim light of the bar. “We fought a vamp here or there, but other than that it was nothing but burrowing into rock. Eventually, we came out to the cavern, where the others were. You know the rest from there.”
“You fought bravely, all of you.” Alijah glanced at his watch. “Looks like it’s time for us to go!” He stood up from the table, wobbling slightly as he made his way to the door.
The beer hadn’t had much of an effect on me yet, but I still felt the difference as we walked back out into the sunlight. It was as though my blood had suddenly been cleaned, leaving me feeling much fresher than I had when we’d arrived. “You didn’t tell us about the ceremony you were talking about.”
Alijah gestured for us to follow him toward the plaza outside the golden tower. “Come on,” he said with a grin. “You’ll see.”
Instead of filing into the building as before, all the Angels in residence were standing outside the tower on a vast grassy park. They were lined up, facing forward, and Michael was already there. I quickly moved to join the other Angels at the back, but Alijah grabbed my elbow and brought me forward to the front of the assembly. Jonah trailed along beside me.
I noticed that Trinity was already up front, standing a short distance from Michael and facing the other Angels. Oriel was next to her, his hands clasped behind his back and his face neutral. Alijah pushed me toward them and moved off to the side of the assembly, out of the way but with a good vantage point.
“As you are all aware, some of our best slayers were sent out on their first missions a few days ago,” Michael said, addressing the crowd. “I work with the trainers and the mission leaders to assemble the best teams possible, and to give them tasks which match their skills.” Even outside, Michael’s voice was remarkable. He spoke without effort, and yet I had no doubt that everyone in the crowd heard him.
As I looked out over the audience, I realized that there were far more Angels here than who had been present during the induction ceremony. These were not just the newest recruits, but everyone in the Legion who happened to be at High Command. My throat swelled a little, and I tried to swallow the lump that had formed inside it. I looked quickly through the rows for Ember, but saw no sign of her.
“Most missions are nothing more than a job well done. Everyone knows what they are in for when they sign up with the Legion, and nobody expects any special recognition. It is our quest and our purpose to obliterate evil to the best of our abilities, and so that is what we do.”
I wondered where this was going. I doubted that Michael would stand us up here in front of the crowd without a solid purpose, but I hadn’t quite figured out yet if I was in trouble or not.
“However, sometimes a team is sent out on a relatively simple mission that swiftly becomes more complicated. Sometimes, they find a bigger problem and take care of so much more than they were originally expected to. That has happened with Mission Team One.” He gestured grandly toward us, and I plastered a nervous smile on my face.
“They wiped out a growing cell of the Elders of Alabaster, which was their original mission. Then they found evidence of the reigning coven and located and obliterated them, as well. I thank all of you who fought long and hard to eradicate this evil from the world.”
The audience clapped enthusiastically, and I felt my cheeks burn. I would rather have gone with Jonah’s idea of a quick meal before getting back out into the world to fight. This was embarrassing. The gaze of every Angel at High Command was on us, and I felt it intensely.
Michael came toward us now, his hand at his belt. “I present each of you with a Dagger of Light. They have been specially forged by our armorists, taking inspiration from our trainers. These daggers are forged with silver as well as iron, and the metal has been cooled in holy water. It will take no more than a nick from one of these knives to slay a demon or vampire.”
He handed the weapons to us one by one. I accepted the long knife carefully, unable to keep my eyes from its gleaming surface. The blade itself was wavy, curving back and forth from a hilt in the shape of Angel wings. The metal was a liquid silver so deep that I thought I might be able to dive into it, and it was of an even lighter weight than my sword. The dagger was so delicate and thin that it barely looked like more than a letter opener, and yet I knew that if Michael was presenting such a thing, it must be worth far more. For a moment, I had to question why these weren’t given to us sooner. They would have certainly come in handy when we were slaying that last batch of vamps. I assumed there was good reason for holding out on us, perhaps they simply had to be earned.
“I know that you will use these weapons wisely. You will receive your new missions in the morning, but for tonight, please rest and recover. I thank you for your service to the Legion.” In a sweep of his great wings, Michael was gone.
The audience clapped their appreciation before dissipating, but I barely heard them. I wanted a chance to see the Prince of Angels for a little bit longer. I wanted to ask him what we could do about the rising levels of evil in the world, and how we could prevent things like the Elders of Alabaster from happening again. I wanted to tell him about Gregory, down there in that makeshift dungeon under the farmhouse, and everything that he and the other humans had been through. I knew that he probably already knew about it, but it still left my heart empty not to tell him myself.
“You shouldn’t look so sad,” Oriel remarked, as he laid his hand on my arm. His hair was down, hanging long and straight past his shoulders and making him look even more like an elf than normal. “You have done something that very few others have done—earning the Dagger of Light from Michael after only one mission. He rarely gives those weapons to new slayers as they are very dangerous if ever taken by an enemy and used against us.”
Suddenly it made sense why Michael hadn’t handed them out prior to our mission. Though a powerful slaying tool against demons and vampires, if they ended up in the wrong hands, they would be equally as destructive against our own kind.
“She is letting her work get to her,” Alijah interjected, coming over to our group. “She is too busy thinking about all the things she thinks she should be doing, instead of understanding that she has already done far more to help the world than most Angels her age.”
He was right. It was time to let go of my worries and allow myself to relax, just for a little while. I would never be able to go out on another successful mission if I allowed my mind to stay wrapped up in Hannah, Gregory, and the vampires.
“Let’s eat!” Alijah suggested heartily. “I wasn’t even the one doing the work, and I’m starving!”
We laughed and followed him, eager to just be Angels for a night.