The Chronicles of Fire and Ice (The Legend of the Archangel Book 1) (12 page)

S
o, this was what Lakyn was up to? But how did it involve Dyston and herself? On her way out of the room, she accidently knocked the Lucifer statue, and it fell sideways onto the desk. Simultaneously, a panel of the wall opposite slid up to reveal a collection of skeleton keys. Just as she was about to grab one, a figure appeared in the doorway. She spun around, and came face to face with Lakyn.

T
he interior of the Chambers seemed much smaller than the impression the exterior gave, probably due to all the Hematite and black marble floors. Abraham led Dyston towards the back of the foyer and veered to the left. He pushed on a set of double doors, also made of Hematite, and stepped into a room that was entirely white, a shocking contrast to the previous room. Abraham sat Dyston on a table in the centre of the room. It looked like a surgical room, and Dyston was suddenly afraid.

“
Wings out,” said a woman in white scrubs and mask, whom Dyston hadn’t noticed. The only thing Dyston could see was her eyes. They were the colour of a lemon meringue pie. He couldn’t disobey her, when someone asked for an angel to show their wings, they had to. His enormous coal black wings sprouted from his back and the woman took hold of them, stretching them out. His wings were very sensitive. It annoyed Dyston immensely.

“
What are you doing to them?” he asked fearfully. The woman didn’t answer, instead she let his wings go, and came around in front of him. The woman then began shining a torch into each of his eyes.

“
Have you completed your Task?” she asked in an eastern European accent.

“
Not yet, why? What are you doing to me?”

“
That is very strange,” was all she said in reply.

“
What’s strange?” he asked, confused.

“
Your wings, they’re black, very strange.”

“
Well, I guess I did
stray
from my Task, as you say.”

“
They should not be black, unless you have chosen. Have you chosen?” she asked, looking Dyston straight in the eye. He matched her gaze. He didn’t have to think of what to say, he knew.

“
Yes, I have chosen.”

“
What are you doing in my office?” he asked Scarlett, who was still standing in front of the keys. He looked at the wall, and then at the Lucifer statue, and straightened it back up, closing the wall panel.

“
I came to find you,” she told him, innocently.

“
That’s flattering, but I’m busy,” he told her, rubbing his neck. Scarlett noticed there was a small puncture wound there. Probably from Jacob’s dart, she guessed.

“
How did you escape from the cell?” she wondered aloud. “I thought Jacob drugged you.” Lakyn stopped rubbing his neck and looked up at her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a skeleton key, dropping it onto the desk.

“
What do you want? As I said, I’m busy.”

Scarlett stood straighter and changed her persona. She had a plan.
“I won’t take up your time,” she told him, shutting the door.

“
What are you doing?” he asked, as Scarlett came closer to him. She walked around the desk to where he was now sitting, sliding her finger across the tabletop.

“
You may have heard, that I broke up with Dyston,” she began, attempting to be seductive. This was only the beginning of her lie.

“
Why are you telling me?” he suddenly couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“
Because,
you
are more my type. He was so clingy and possessive. But
you
let me have my space, which I like.”

“
You like me?” Lakyn’s eyes became wide in surprise. “Wait, how did you get free?”

“
Well, I may not carry around a key like you do, but I do have my secret weapon.” Scarlett watched Lakyn’s eyes take her in.

“
I know you like me, too. I’ve seen you looking. You check me out every day,” she told him, sitting on his lap. She was playing with fire, and she knew it. But it was the only way to save Dyston. She had always been told to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Well, she would keep Lakyn Blackbell so close that she would know his every secret and every weakness.

“
So my brother, he’s in love with you. You know that, right?” he asked her, staring into her eyes.

“
Yes,” she lied. Her heart sank, but she had to do this. She would explain everything to Dyston later. She only hoped he’d forgive her. Even though a part of her loved him, the other half suspected that he was only with her, because she was the Legend, and because she was his Task, so he felt the need to protect her and keep her to himself. But that was what she hated the most. She hated being treated like a possession.

“
But I don’t love him,” said Scarlett, and then she kissed him hard, pressing herself against him. He spread his wings and pulled her into the air, where they hovered above the desk. Scarlett looked down and then back up at him. She smiled, taking in the glory of his wings.

“
They’re beautiful,” she said, stroking them. “I’ve never seen marbled wings before.”

“
They’re unique,” he told her.

“
Like you,” she said flirtatiously, kissing him again.

“
And like you,” he told her, before tearing off her clothes. She gasped, but she let him do it. She couldn’t believe that she was about to sleep with the enemy, to sleep with someone other than Dyston. Some nights she had fantasies about being with Dyston, but this was no dream or fantasy. This was acting. Scarlett needed answers. She took off his shirt, ripping the buttons apart.

Afterwards
, they lay wrapped together in his wings on the floor.

“
You know, that was my first time, right?” she told him, running her fingers through his hair.

“
I’m surprised I beat my brother to it,” he chuckled.

“
He was too much of a gentleman. I prefer bad boys,” she told him, kissing his chest, which made him laugh. He stroked her hair, and she snuggled closer. Then she asked the question she had been dying to ask.

“
Can you tell me about the Realm of Light?”

“
Why do you want to know?”

“
I’ve always wanted to go there. I can’t wait.”

“
Well, you have to be a full-fledged angel to enter the Realm, or be called there. Didn’t you know that?”

“
No. And be called there? For what?”

“
For tests or punishment. They run exams to see how far along angels are with their Task and to see if they’re in danger of straying.”

“
Task? Like how Dyston was tasked with protecting me?”

“
That’s correct.”

“
Do all angels receive a Task?”

“
Yes. We all have a mission on this earth.”

“
And if angels stray from their task, what happens then?”

“
Their wings will be ripped out, and added to the Bridge of Wings as a reminder of what they have done,” he told her. Scarlett felt sick. If that’s why Dyston had been taken to The Realm of Light, then she didn’t have much time left, if any. And if it had already happened, if they had already torn his wings out, then she had failed him.

“
What happens to an angel after their wings have been ripped out?” she asked.

“
They are shunned and stripped of their Trait, and, therefore, become human.”

Human
—any angel’s worst nightmare. For that was the reason for the war in The Realm of Fire in the Beginning. Angels rebelled against God because they felt jealous of his new creation. So it was ironic that if they rebelled again, they would have their wings ripped out and be turned into the thing they loathed the most.

“
How do you enter The Realm of Light? Is there like a magic gateway, or key, or something?” Scarlett asked.

“
There are both. Now, why all the questions about the Realm?”

“
As I said, I’m curious. I really want to go there,” she said, kissing his chest.

“
Well, just for you, I might be able to pull some strings.”

“
Really? Thank you so much.” She kissed him again before sitting up, and pulling together what was left of her clothes after Lakyn had torn them.

“
It’s no problem. I have a bone to pick with someone there anyway,” Lakyn said, as he sat up, pulling on his briefs. “You had better go and get changed,” he told her. “I’ll meet you in the library by the tree.”

“
Okay.” She crossed to the door while holding the strips of fabric around her as much as she could, and prayed to God that no one saw her.

“
And Scarlett?” he asked, stopping her

“
Yes?”

“
Thank you,” he told her with a genuine smile. Was he falling for her? Scarlett didn’t know what to say. She just smiled back and exited the office. As she snuck through the corridors and up the stairs to her room, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, and a little pleased at the same time. Guilty for what she had just done, when she was sure she had feelings for Dyston and pleased that her plan just might have worked. She was going to the Realm of Light.

Voice

“Breathe in and out, in and out,” said Professor Harpe as she ran her students through breathing exercises. “An angel’s voice is probably the most important weapon they have,” she continued. “It is even more important than an Archangel sword or bow,” she said as she paced before the semi-circle of students in front of her.

“
To achieve your voice, you have to learn how to use your diaphragm. Now breathe!” Stopping in front of Kat and Emer, she placed a hand on each of their abdomens. “In and out, girls.” The girls nodded silently. It was no joke that everyone was frightened of Professor Harpe.

“
Where’s Scarlett?” Delilah whispered. “I thought she’d be back in class by now.”

“
She’s back, I just don’t know where she is,” replied Emer.

“
Jacob said he dropped her off and hadn’t seen her since,” added Kat.

“
We…” began Del, before being interrupted by Professor Harpe’s stone cold stare.

“
Less talking, more vocal warm-ups!” She was beginning to sound like a drill sergeant.

“
Why is an angel’s voice so important, Miss?” asked Thomas and Emer shot him a glare. He shrugged. Always the straight-A student, she thought.

“
Thanks for asking, Thomas. An angel’s voice is important for many reasons. It can be used in identification between mates…” Professor Harpe paused because numerous giggles had erupted throughout the room. She continued, though. “It can also be used as a weapon as I said earlier.”

“
How?” asked Kat

“
Well, when used in conjunction with Glory, an angel’s voice is a shield.”

“
Can you demonstrate?” asked a Nephilim with silvery-purple hair. Kat remembered her from Combat Training as Diamond.

“
Ok, just a warning, though. An angel’s Glory is hard to look at by an untrained eye. For it is a representation of one’s self in the Realm of Fire. It is pure light and energy,” she told the class. Then she stepped backwards. The students stood on a tiered stage so it was easy for everyone to see clearly. Then Professor Harpe inhaled, opened her hands, and sang while showing her full glory. Students shielded their eyes from the glare. Looking at Professor Harpe’s Glory was like looking into the sun. It shone in perfect harmony with her impressive soprano voice.

Dyston felt as if he had been
in the Chambers for an eternity. How much longer would they make him wait? He paced around his new surroundings. He had been moved from the white laboratory to a new red room. The furniture, the walls, everything was in varying shades of red, except for the floor, which looked like Hematite—dark grey and shiny. Who was the interior designer, he wondered. Then he moaned. The red made him think of one thing, one angel—Scarlett. He longed to hold her, to kiss her. To feel her heat beneath him, and then let his touch cool her down again. He also longed for a piano, so that he could play the song he wrote for her. It didn’t yet have a name, or lyrics, but he couldn’t get the melody out of his head. So, to keep him occupied, he decided to hum it. He wished he could hum it to her. As he hummed, his heart sank as he remembered how they had fought in
Traits 101
. She had told him to stay away from her, and it had felt like a Tear Tip ripping through his heart. He slumped into a nearby loveseat and continued to hum. All the while trying to send a prayer to her, knowing that it probably wouldn’t work, but he had to try anyway.

Scarlett tore through her close
t looking for something to wear. She decided on something practical, as she felt she would be doing lots of walking, running, or fighting. She took her Converses out from the bottom of the closet, readjusted her bra, with which she was thankful that Lakyn didn’t break, and put on clean knickers and her favourite acid washed grey skinny jeans. Then she looked for a shirt and found a maroon one. Perfect, she thought. She knew both of the Blackbell brothers found her absolutely irresistible in this shirt. She’d been wearing this same shirt the day she bumped into Dyston and met Lakyn. She stood up after tying her shoelaces, and gazed at Dyston’s perfect black feather, still sitting where she had left it on top of
The Chronicle
by her bedside. She picked it up and stroked it. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, a thousand times sorry from the bottom of her heart. But that would have to wait. Right now, she had to play the role of a schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher, so that he would lead her into a magical realm to save his brother. When she thought about it, her life had become complicated. What would her good, kind Grandmother think of her now? She put the feather down, but not before tucking the silver dagger that Dyston had given her for emergencies into an ankle sheath. She remembered the warning and concern in his eyes vividly the day he had given her the dagger.

“Only use it at precisely the right moment
,” he had told her. She knew that now was the right moment. She slipped out of her room and ran two doors down, and knocked. She only had to wait a moment before Jacob answered. He let her in right away.

“
Any developments?” he asked, before going back to the bed to join Kat, sitting beside her.

“
I’m going to the Realm of Light tonight with Lakyn,” Scarlett told them.

“
Wow. What did you do to convince him, sleep with him?” Kat asked, not knowing that Scarlett had done just that. Scarlett tried not to let it show on her face, which was hard. For all she knew, she had a big neon sign on her forehead announcing,
“I slept with Lakyn Blackbell!”

“
No, I… just talked to him,” she finally said, covering herself, but not very well.

“
You
talked
to Lakyn?” asked Jacob, unconvinced.

“
Well, I admit I had to flirt maybe a little, but it worked, and he agreed to take me. I’m going to get Dyston out.”

“
Good luck,” Kat told her, pulling away from Jacob for just a second to hug her.

“
Do you have a weapon?” Jacob asked. “Dyston has a special dagger, the Blackbell dagger, it…” Before Jacob could finish, Scarlett had pulled the dagger out from under her jeans’ leg.

“
You mean this?” she asked, waving in front of them.

“
Yes, how did you get it?”

“
Dyston gave it to me one night, after he realised who I truly was. I guess he knew what was coming.”

“
It’s inevitable,” muttered Jacob. Kat glanced at him, concerned.

“
I better go. You know how impatient Lakyn is. I love you guys,” she told her friends, hugging them one more time before she left.

She opened the door to the library
. It was dark, apart from a single glowing ball of bluish-white light emanating from within the tree.

“
Lakyn?” she called, moving gingerly forward into the library.

“
Here,” he said, appearing in front of the light.

“
What’s this?”

“
The gateway.”

“
To the Realm of Light?”

“
Yes, but we have to hurry. I can’t keep it open forever. Here, take my hand,” he told her. She stepped forward into the light and took his hand.

“
Now, promise me you won’t be scared,” he said, before they stepped into the gateway in the tree. Scarlett was confused. Why would she be scared? They were going to a place she had always thought was a myth, the way her grandmother had told her. A place full of globes of light and crystal rivers, and castles that floated on clouds. It sounded magical.

Scarlett didn
’t know what to expect as she stepped through. Solid ground maybe, or clouds—but not this, not a feeling of falling from an unimaginable height. She wanted to scream, but then she realised that she was moving forward, not down. And that Lakyn was carrying her. His arms were around her waist, and his enormous marbled wings were carrying them gracefully through the light. Scarlett blinked. Everything was so white it hurt her eyes.

“
Where are we?”
she asked, blinking. But the voice didn’t come from her throat, she realised. It came from inside her head.

“
Above the realm. I’ll land soon,”
he said back telepathically. The sensation was strange. Did they all talk this way here?

“
Above? You mean we’re not actually in the Realm?”

“
We’re in, but we’re flying in its stratosphere. Okay, it’s all right now. Hold on.”
And then Scarlett felt herself suddenly dropping. She gripped Lakyn tighter.

“
Why did you do that?”
she asked, once he was flying horizontally again.

“
I had to make sure the airspace was okay.”

“
Why? I thought that all full-fledged angels just come and go as they please?”

“
They do. It’s just that they might not be okay with me bringing you in,”
he told her. Scarlett pondered that as they flew through the whiteness and into the glittering dark.

“
Oh, Lakyn,”
she exclaimed.

“
Amazing for virgin eyes, I know.”

They flew over the mou
ntains and the Forest of Lights. Scarlett realised that her jaw was open, and she quickly shut it again because the air around them was bitterly cold.

“
It snows here?”
she asked

“
Yeah, but it’s not the kind of snow we have back on Earth. This snow is ethereal snow.”

“
You mean it’s made of Heavenly matter?”

“
Exactly. You have been doing your research,”
he chuckled. She hadn’t really. Once, Dyston had put a dream in her head of them skiing together, and in the dream, he had explained that it was ethereal snow—snow made of matter and wasn’t cold, not real snow made of ice.

“
What is that?”
she asked as they came upon the spires of the castle in the clouds.

“
That is The Chambers, where we go when we get summoned.”