Chapter forty-five— Commencement of the Angels
I froze up. This could not be happening.
“R-Rachel..?” I gasped, shaking her slightly. My arms were numb. She did not stir.
Oh no, I thought. No, no, no. “Come on, Rachel! Wake up! I still have questions.” I shook her violently, but she did not open her eyes. Feeling her pulse, I knew the worst had happened.
“Somebody! Help! I need help- its life threatening!” I shouted, praying for the best as I lay Rachel on her bed. Her last words choked me on the inside.
When three nurses and a doctor rushed in, their eyes widened at the sight. Feeling clouded in the head, I rushed out of the room as they ran towards Rachel.
I had to tell the Queen that Meowiarty and Rachel are working for Malistaire. I don’t know who Rachel had become, but I know it’s too late for her to be saved. The three bladed weapon now meant nothing to me; she died of the wolf’s wounds rather then a lifetime in jail.
Before I was to reach the Queen, I needed to see my mother’s letter. Malistaire’s directions to Rachel were about a “nature girl,” and the death of me. I vaguely remember my mother had written something about nature in her letter to me. Perhaps an Angel of Nature?
As I climbed up corridors and turned from left to right, my grand bedroom door was in my view. However, the closer I walked to it, the stranger it became. I suddenly realized that my door was slightly ajar; as though somebody tried to close it, but didn’t close it enough.
Taking out my dagger, I held on to my citrine amulet just in case. There could be traitors anywhere…
Time froze as I stood outside my door. I felt ridiculous while I hesitated to go into my own bedroom I’ve been staying in for about a year. Perhaps it was me who forgot to close my door.
I stepped forward, thankful that I was stepping on marble and not creaking wood. I pushed the heavy door all the way open with two of my pale fingers. I covered my mouth to stifle a choking sound that I gasped out.
He was standing with his back to me; he wore a black shirt and blue jeans, all casual, but nothing was casual on what he was doing. His broad shoulders were bent, and his chocolate hair looked like he had been running his hands through it with strain. He held my mother’s letter to me.
“Oh,” I cried out, realizing what he already knew. “Caspian, don’t you dare read it.”
Caspian did not react to my appearance with shock. He merely turned around, his body stiff like a stone. His eyes looked serious, and I knew he already read it. He gazed up at me, his mouth in a firm line. “How can I pretend that I don’t see what you hide so carelessly?”
I shook my head, trying to apologize to my mother for my betrayal of our secret. “You weren’t supposed to know.”
Caspian held on to my mother’s letter as though it was for dear life. “Oh, but your friends can know? Nicole, Sophia, my sister knows, but not me?”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand.”
Caspian’s tan face paled. “Not my sister.”
I shut the door behind me, so nobody could listen in. “Abigail is half of what I am, Caspian.”
“And what are you? Angel of lies?” Caspian snarled in anger. “My sister wouldn’t hide something so… Impossible behind my back.”
“None of us know why she is like the way she is…” I felt myself trembling, not sure if I was on the verge of a sob or not. “Nicole and Sophia are… Full.” I couldn’t bring myself to say “Angel” in front of him. Not now, not ever; how could I bare with myself? How could I have been so stupid to leave the letter on my bedside?
I couldn’t see any emotion on Caspian’s face. I couldn’t see if he was angry, sad, or betrayed. What was I supposed to say?
When he spoke, I saw his eyes flash with an emotion, but it was too quick to see. “You can’t fight Malistaire and his army alone.”
“I won’t be alone.” I defended myself. “My sisters will be there with me.”
“For a wisdom Angel, you ought to be more intelligent.” Now I could see Caspian’s anger. “I doubt you will be able to kill your own father.”
“I-“I stumbled over words. I didn’t actually know how capable I would be on killing my last family member. “I’ll manage… You must understand me, after all I’ve seen.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“All that I’m wanted for.” My voice broke, my throat threatening to choke. “And although I’ve wanted more… My sister’s and I are the most powerful team you could ever find in the Spiral. Y-you must trust us, because it’s not what it seems.”
“Not what it seems.” Caspian repeated quietly. Suddenly, he was in front of me, staring down. Trapping me by the corner near the fireplace with his arm, his shadow loomed over me like a titan. Strangely, I was overwhelmed; but not afraid. “You and your sisters are going to go to places that I’ve never been, and its going to be extremely dangerous, even for you. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of work and danger, and if I can’t be there to make it easier… You’re going to get hurt.”
Them or me? I thought. “Then we are going to get hurt.”
Caspian shook his head, his dark hair tickling my forehead. “If something happened…I couldn’t live with myself.”
There was a large bang, and the door flew open. In a flash, Caspian was about five feet away from me, and my sisters barged in. They didn’t seem to notice Caspian, but Abby was staring at him in shock. I wondered what she saw.
“Mary- did you hear the news?” Nikki gasped, and I noticed they were all out of breath. They may have run here. “Rachel died this morning.”
“I know.” I replied, numbly. “She died in my arms.”
They stared at me, and Sophia raised her eyebrow. “You saw her?”
I took a deep, shaky breath. Caspian’s presence still shook me up. “I had to figure out a few things… And I did. She indeed was working for my father; she practically told me so, considering her last words were about my defeat.”
“That’s such a desolate position you were in.” Abby murmured with pity. “How can you stand it?”
I stared at her gently. “A life for a life, Abby. All those people she killed… I can’t feel anything more than pity that she couldn’t repair the damage she created before she died.”
“I’ve never heard a criminal regret what they did, even after hearing of their consequence.” Nikki told us with a heavy heart in her voice. “I think it would be the same for Rachel.”
“I agree.” Sophia decided bitterly. “Rachel was no person for forgiving.”
I sighed, holding myself with my arms, as if cold. “She also spoke of the nature girl.”
Nikki and Sophia glanced at each other nervously and Abby was staring quietly at her brother. “Erm… Mary? It’s not just us that are in the room…” Nikki pointed her head quickly towards Caspian.
“He already knows.” I proclaimed with gloom in my voice. “He found the letter in my bedroom when I was meeting Rachel.”
“Oh.” They had blank faces on, not knowing what to say. Sophia was the fastest to recover. “Are you… Okay with that?”
I glanced at Caspian. “I’d rather not have him included, but since he knows…”
“We have no choice.” Abby interrupted. “If he knows, he knows.”
“Yes, Mary.” Caspian spoke and I thought he was rubbing it in. However, when I looked up at him, his face was total seriousness. “You have no choice.”
Glaring at him, I spoke through gritted teeth. “Let’s continue with the conversation, if you please.”
“Okay.” Nikki squeaked with fake cheerfulness. “About the nature girl.”
Everybody’s heads perked up in interest except Caspian. However, he was already listening intently, although I didn’t know how much he knew already.
“Did she give you any clues?” Sophia asked me.
“No, just that I will fall to my knees for my father, and that the nature girl will perish.” I informed them. “Nothing to give us clues about the clock tower.”
“What about the prophecy in Sophia’s dream?” Nikki insisted. “Perhaps the nature girl falls in love?”
I felt a jolt in my heart; I had forgotten about the prophecy. It was like a bullet through me, but I didn’t understand why I was feeling this pain. This feeling of… Overwhelming realization of something I couldn’t understand.
“Whoever falls in love, then they die or they are saved by keeping away from that person.” Abby restated, slowly and painfully. Was it just me who felt this regret? “Wherever the nature girl is, let’s hope she’s not in love, or it’s going to cost her life.”
“What if it’s not the nature girl?” Sophia asked quizzically.
“Then we must beware of our feelings.” I felt a gaze, and noticed that Abby was staring right at me when she stated the words. “No matter what.”
“I- I need to go get some air.” I felt as though I was being suffocated in this large room.
“Are you alright?” Caspian spoke in a monotone voice, leaning into the marble wall.
Staring at him, I repeated, “I need some air.”
Pushing open my balcony door, I stared out into the clouded sky, not even relieved by the sweet air. I felt confused, hurt, and stressed. I heard the door close late, and turned my head to see Nikki behind me.
“Something is going on, isn’t it?”
My arms shook as I held on to the balcony railing. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel as though my heart is breaking. My father has deprived of everything that I’ve ever wanted… And now, he’s forbidden all of us to love, because of this stupid prophecy.”
She touched my shoulder gently, and I heard kind empathy in her voice. “Things will get better.”
I sighed. “No it won’t… Don’t you understand, Melissa? We are to fight in a war. What if we don’t find our other sisters soon enough?”
“We will.” Nikki assured, but I heard the tiniest pain in her voice. “And after the battle is over, we will be free to our heart’s content.”
“No,” I disagreed. “Even if my father dies at our hand, I will never be free. My heart shall be shackled by the pain of revenge; for what do I do when my heart tells me not to follow revenge, but it is thy only choice?”
Nikki side hugged me gently and sweetly spoke: “I have seen your true reflection; a fraction of a second I recognized. It is the light between your tired eyes, that there is wisdom in pain. You are only a girl… Created from love to love, only chosen for a special reason.”
I smiled. “You should be the wisdom Angel… Not me.”
Nikki chuckled. “I’m only one for remembering… And you have something that nobody has.”
“How?”
“Your instincts are always correct, no matter what. I saw you shiver when you passed by Rachel for the first time. I saw the way you spoke of your mother and sister, and the trust you deprive of your father, despite he is your only family left. I saw how you looked at Caspian.”
“Oh.” I stared off into the sky, thoughtful. What did she see about Caspian and me?
“But most of all, you have the spirit that I’ve never seen anybody in my life have.” She smiled, and her kind energy overflowed me with a fuzziness of friendship. “You should see yourself when you’re fierce.”
“You are over exaggerating me, Nikki.” I laughed quietly. “Making me feel better isn’t going to change the events that are coming.”
“I always have a feeling that when I talk to you, you know what to do.” Nikki continued. “Like you’ve been through it before.”
I sighed. “One can never always be right. If you are to learn from your mistakes, then you are a wise being.” I began to pace. “If it was even possible for a person to be always right, they would be completely stupid; considering that they wouldn’t know right from wrong… This is why you shouldn’t listen to me.” I laughed.
“See, Mary? I knew I could bring you out of your shell… Even though you do know right from wrong.” Nikki smiled.
I blushed, and then sighed. I sat down on a bench, and stared at my hands. “I feel like my heart has been broken again, but I don’t know why.”
She sat down next to me. “Its Caspian, isn’t it?”
I frowned. “Caspian- no. It can’t be.”
Nikki sighed. “Mary, ever since he’s come into your life, you’ve acted… Different.”
“How?”
“You’re just, you know…” She trailed off, thinking. “More spirited in how you do things, I suppose.”
I shook my head. “I don’t love Caspian.”
“Then who do you love?”
There was a pause.
I shook my head again. “Nobody. After all that’s happened… I don’t even know if I could be capable of loving.”
“I bet when we find the Angel of Love, she will say quite differently.” Nikki chuckled.
I gasped, almost bouncing off the bench. “We’ve been so brainless! What if the person who falls in love, which is of course risking their life, is the Angel of Love? It would make sense, right?”
The door to the balcony opened. A servant girl was standing there, with a black dress and white apron; classic. Her blonde hair was in a bun, which bounced when she spoke in a high voice. “The Queen would like a word with all of you, misses.”
Glancing at Nikki, we nodded and walked forward and inside. Everybody was standing near the door; I wondered if they had been watching Nikki and me outside. It would be awkward to answer what she had been counseling me about.
“Follow, Ladies and Gentlemen.” The servant girl left the room, and we followed with our backs straight and as much manner as we could muster.
Walking through many corridors and turns, we reached the Grand Hall, the dining and second throne room of the Queen. I noticed that the King was not yet back from wherever he was.
The Queen’s most loyal and trusted advisors and lords were standing by her throne, which was of gold, marble, and red silk. The Queen wore an emerald green gown today, which contrasted with her pinkish pearly coat. Banners were hung high on the ceiling of the Great Hall, all with a symbol of a canine on them.
As we walked forward, we bowed and waited.
“Melissa Nicole, Mary Ravengem, Abigail Silvereyes, Caspian Nightstone, and Sophia…” She noticed that Sophia had no last name, and I had yet to realize that nobody did. “You have all given me sweet pleasure and I hope you obtain my wondrous gratitude.”
I smiled, enjoying the feeling of praise. “Your welcome, my Queen.”
“You have helped us solve so many murders and crimes… And it was all by the same person, and one wolf.”
A few of us glanced at Sophia. I saw her grimace, and we still knew the wolf was still tracking her at random times. “Your welcome, my Queen.”
The Queen shook her head with a smile. “I am not here to thank you, ladies and gentleman.” She nodded her head towards Caspian, as he was the only male. “I’m here to congratulate you.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Sir Thomas, please bring the scroll up.” She waved her hand to a knight, whom held a scarlet plush pillow, with a pristine white scroll on top. Queen Cecilia thanked her knight quietly, and took the scroll gracefully with her paw. She held the scroll up for us to see. “Do you know what this is?”
“It’s…” Caspian squinted, thinking. “A scroll, evidently.”
“It’s an invitation.” The Queen smiled. “To your commencement.”
“We’re getting awards?”
“Medals. Trophies. Anything you wish. There will be a feast, a dance, and I shall bring all of your status to my high advisor’s position.”
“Oh?” Nikki frowned. “High advisor?”
The Queen did a small giggle. “Of course. I would love for you to stay in the Palace.”
“My Queen?” I contradicted, now understanding the problem. “I don’t think we will be able to stay in the Palace… We have places to go and things to search for.”
“Oh, I’ve gotten that figured out.” The Queen replied merrily. “My true knights shall find what you’re searching for very easily.”
The lords standing near the Queen were holding gold boxes, and I had not noticed them holding the boxes earlier. Queen Cecilia nodded, and the lords walked forward with their backs straight and no emotion on their faces. They stood in front of us, holding the boxes.
“Your majesty… You don’t understand.” Abby protested. “Your knights cannot know what they are searching for, and even if you send them to find what we are searching for, they will not find it.”
“And why not?” The Queen’s smile faltered. She regarded her lords casually: “Open the boxes, so they can obtain their awards.”
“Because,” I added with slight annoyance. “It’s very important that nobody knows about it.” I glanced at the lords standing by her side. They were like statues. “And it’s our job to find our own sisters, not yours.”
“Pick up your medals.” Queen Cecilia’s voice was monotone.
We picked up the golden medals out of the box, and it was cold and heavy to my skin. Noticing the Queen’s cold look, I put the medal around my neck, and it clinked as the metal touched the citrine on my amulet. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. We have to do whats right.”
Queen Cecilia pouted… Something I thought I’d never see. “Such a pity… I was looking forward to keeping all of you to myself…”
Abby made an uncomfortable sound. Glancing at her, she staring at us in anxious fear. She turned to Caspian, and whispered something in his ear. I noticed his hand tighten around the hilt of his sword.
“I’m sorry, your majesty.” Nikki told the Queen in a forsaken tone of voice. “But it’s our duty that we should be leaving directly after the upcoming commencement.”
The Queen burst out laughing, but stopped abruptly. “You are not going anywhere.”
I gasped, suddenly realizing the intense danger we are in. In a mere second, Sophia had her golden bow out, and Nikki was using her staff. Knights cascaded around us, and my sisters were twirling and fighting with all their might.
I had to say, we were good.
Abby had two daggers in her hands, and despite the small weapons, she was hard to catch and deadly if she caught you.
I tugged on my necklace, and in a second my golden sword was in my hand. I ran toward, fast as the speed of lightning, to the wall where a bronze shield was hanging. Using the sword to knock it down and catch it with my hands, the shield was heavy, but it was fine enough to protect me from spells and swords. I twirled the sword in my hand with a little twitch of my wrist, and turned around in a blur. Blocking a spell that rebounded towards me, I also struck metal against metal as I hit a guard’s armor. The force knocked the knight backwards, and I kicked the knight to the ground and held the sword to his throat.
My breath shuddered, and I took away the sword. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill him. The guard stood up and ran, fearful for his life.
The Enforcement burst into the room in full blast, taking in the scene. Half of the Enforcement began to fight against us, but I noticed people like Blaze, Sierra, and Courtney stop and actually contemplate the surroundings. When they began to fight the knights, I smiled and continued to fight.
“Don’t move.” I turned to see a young woman with feathered multi colored hair, wearing dark purple and strong high heeled boots. I was surprised that she was wearing makeup. She held a dark blue bow, but it held no arrow. Instead of an arrow, there was a wholly black knife with markings on it that I couldn’t exactly see. She held the bow and knife like it was natural that way. “I’ll kill you.”
I shook my head, raising my eyebrow and smiling. “You can’t kill me.”
“With this knife, I can.” She smirked, and pulled the bow back.
I gasped, realizing that this was the place that my amulet was manufactured; could something equally as deadly and anti-angelic kill me?
I heard the bow shoot the knife at me before I could lift the heavy shield. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that my shield would protect me fast enough.
I heard no bang against the shield, and I felt no pain. I heard a grunt of pain, and I opened my eyes to see Caspian’s eyes staring straight into me.
I couldn’t understand what had happened; it had occurred too fast. For a moment, I though Caspian was leaning into me, his blue eyes being drowned in blue blood, the gold flecks in his eyes glowing with fire. He was only unbalanced, and used the wall behind me to sturdy himself with his arm.
“O-oh!” I cried out. “Caspian!”
He fell to the ground beside me, halfway on his side, and using his arms like he was going to do a push up. The Knife was in the middle of his back, and blood stained most of his shirt already. I dropped my shield, just as I heard Abby scream and attack the woman that had aimed for me, but hit Caspian.
I dropped to his side, my hands reddening with his blood. He was still wide awake, just uncertain and in pain. “I’m alright.”
“No, Caspian.” I replied, breathless. “You’re not. I need to get you out of here.”
“No, Mary.” He miraculously stood up, sword in hand. He used the wall for support. “Pull the knife out.”
“Caspian- I don’t think I could do it.” I couldn’t even look at the painful sight of the black knife moving with his back as he shuddered in pain. Every second it seems to wedge tighter into Caspian’s skin.
“Damn it, Mary.” Caspian hissed. “Pull it out, now. It hurts.”
Glancing at the battle that was still happening, in stress, I told him quickly. “Alright, but we got to hide you. I can’t do it when somebody comes over and tries to kill us.”
Caspian shook his head. “We don’t have time. Do it, Mary, I can’t reach the damn hell knife.”
He leaned into the wall, and I grasped the hilt of the black metal knife. Icy and sharp shivers went up through my body as I touched the metal; this knife was associated with black magic.
Reluctantly, I tugged with all my might, and Caspian didn’t even scream. He stood straight up, wincing at the pain in his back. I held the bloody knife in my hand, and for some reason, I was scared to touch it. “Something is wrong with this knife.”
“That woman is dead meat.” Caspian winced as he staggered, like an old man, holding his back. He suddenly looked up, and yelled. “Mary, watch out!”
Sensing something, I whipped around, slashing the knife. I heard somebody howl in pain, and I realized that I had cut somebody’s face. A guard. The guard’s face bubbled black, and he lay twitching on the ground.
I gasped, staring at the knife. “It’s the knife! It’s poisonous!”
Turning around, Caspian wasn’t there. I don’t know how he could have disappeared with the injury that he had, but I knew something wasn’t right.
Caspian hadn’t reacted to the poison from the knife. Why?
Continuing the fight, I whipped around a dozen times, shooting spells at guards and slashing my golden sword.
I heard Queen Cecilia scream, and it wasn’t because of the fight. Most of her soldiers were dead, and a few from the Enforcement. To my relief, none of my sisters were hurt… But where was Caspian?
Queen Cecilia was screaming, pointing down at the window. Sophia came up behind her and smuggled her with her cloak, gagging and throwing the Queen down. Sophia looked out the window, and gasped. “By the Fates- emergency! Mary, get over here-“
But I was already there, staring outside, into the street. My eyes were not wide, and I did not feel my face pale. I just stared.
The sky had no stars. No moon. The buildings cast shadows like demons, and everything was so dark and empty except for one man. One horrible man; the one I hated.
My father was staring up at us, his eyes black and smiling in amusement at the slaughter that covered the windows. I wondered if I was dreaming of a nightmare; it seemed so unreal. His eyes bore into me the most; he knew what we were up to. His eyes showed knowledge of who I really was… Of evil…
I was distracted when I felt my own sword hit and slice into the back of my head with tremendous force, with my head ringing of somebody’s screams.
