Gabriel loomed over her again. No, not Gabriel—it was David. She was glad she could tell the difference, although it was hard. He pointed a single finger at her and laughed.
Taylor closed her eyes and prepared to die.
Nothing happened. She didn’t feel anything. No pain, no movement, no impact. And then there was a terrific roar, as if a horde of angry lions all decided to voice their opinions simultaneously. What horde? What lions? They were in a football stadium on a university campus, not on some African safari or in a circus.
She opened her eyes. David was flailing in the air, held between two massive jaws full of shark-like teeth. The angry gargoyle bucked its head and David went flying through the air, away from Taylor. She smiled. “Thanks buddy,” she whispered. All went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Taylor opened her eyes. A dark room, torches flickering. Hurt to move.
Gabriel said, “Amazing.”
Taylor turned her head to the left, saw her boyfriend. He was sitting next to her, holding her hand. “What’s amazing?” she asked.
“That you’re awake already.”
Hours, days, weeks: Taylor had no idea how long she had been asleep. “How long?” she asked.
Gabriel checked his wristwatch. “Exactly thirty-five minutes. The doctors didn’t even have to stitch you up; your body took care of the healing on its own. A wound like that…” Gabriel shook his head. “Not many angels would survive that. I don’t know if I would have.”
“The snake?”
Gabriel said, “Not real, and yet real, somehow. Gone. Disappeared. My brother has evolved somehow, like the others. Lucas, Cassandra, and the rest—all evolved. Stronger, like you.”
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Your brother.”
“Gone. Escaped. Managed to fly off even after being chomped on by Rocky. Was so fast no one could catch him.”
“Rocky?” Taylor said. “But the gargoyle that saved me was huge. Rocky is just a little guy.”
Gabriel laughed. “You haven’t visited your friend in a while, have you?”
“I guess not,” Taylor said. “But that big?”
“It’s been two months, Tay. He’s full size already. And he is well above average in height and weight.”
Taylor’s mind flashed back to the gargoyle that had saved her. He didn’t resemble the Rocky that Taylor remembered. While staying in the Lair over the Christmas holidays, Taylor had befriended a newborn gargoyle. Rocky was unlike any other gargoyles—a free spirit. He allowed Taylor to feed him by hand and seemed to actually look forward to her visits. Even the gargoyle master, nicknamed Gargo, had told her it was a unique relationship. But she had been so busy with her training that she had forgotten all about him. And now he had saved her life.
“Where’d he come from?”
“After securing Cassandra, Chris brought Rocky back. He thought we might need reinforcements.”
Taylor said, “He was right.” Her muddled brain was trying to process everything that had happened. She was forgetting something. “Chris, Sampson, Kiren…” She ticked them off on her fingers. Gabriel looked at her strangely. Then she remembered. “Oh, no.”
Gabriel squeezed her hand. He said, “They took her, Taylor. Sam has been captured.”
Taylor took a deep breath. It will be okay. We will get her out. “Trade Cassandra for Sam,” she said.
“That’s the plan,” Gabriel replied. “We expect that Dionysus will go for it considering how powerful she is now.”
“A New Archangel,” Taylor murmured.
“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked.
“That’s what Lucas called himself. I think what happened to me—how I evolved from human to angel—inspired Dionysus to push the limits on the Archangel Council’s evolution.”
“Well it worked,” Gabriel said. “They were tough as hell. I used to disarm Cassandra in about three seconds in a swordfight. Now…”
“We have to get Sam back. How’s Chris?”
“Beside himself with worry, but focused on getting her out. I will be meeting with Clifford and Chris in a few minutes to modify our plans as necessary.”
“I’m coming too.”
“Taylor, you need to rest, recover.”
“I’m fine,” Taylor said, pulling the covers down to her waist. She was wearing a hospital gown. Unworried about modesty, she peeled off the gown and looked at her chest, expecting to see deep bruising and a bloody hole in her. Instead, there was nothing. Her skin was smooth and free of damage.
“My gosh, Taylor. If the New Archangels heal that quickly, they may be invincible.”
“Don’t say that. There’s a way to beat them, I know it.”
Gabriel stared intensely into her eyes, and then said, “Okay, let’s go.”
Taylor changed into a fresh set of clothes that someone had left beside her bed. The jeans were about a thousand years old, ripped in all the right places, as comfortable as being naked, except without the embarrassment. Her t-shirt was dark and contrasted sharply with the soft glow of her skin.
They took a transporter from the medical wing to Clifford’s office. When they walked in, Chris was already there, speaking in hushed tones to the head of the demon Elders. His mouth opened when Taylor came through the door, but not because he was going to say something. In fact, he appeared to be speechless. Taylor put her hand under his chin and pushed up, closing his mouth.
“Me angel. Me heal fast,” Taylor said, doing her best Tarzan impression.
Clifford smiled. “Indeed,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Taylor said, “So the first priority will be to get Sam back?”
Chris said, “Yes, we will trade our prisoner.”
“Yeah, Cassandra,” Taylor said. “Any possibility I can slap her around a little before we let her go?”
“Only if I get to participate,” Gabriel said.
Clifford said, “You won’t have much time. Dionysus has already agreed to make the trade today. It seems he values her highly.”
“Tell him what you think,” Gabriel said, encouraging Taylor.
Taylor explained how Lucas had referred to himself as one of the New Archangels and how Taylor believed they had managed to evolve into a more powerful form of angel.
Chris said, “It’s like I was telling you, sir. They’re tougher, stronger, faster. We had them way outnumbered but could barely defend ourselves.”
Clifford stroked his beard, his usual sign of deep thought. “Hmmm….,” he mused. “If they have evolved, it’s only a matter of time before Dionysus allows more and more of his army to do the same, to ensure they win every battle. I fear that when we lose our prisoner, who we were hoping to use to draw Dionysus out of his stronghold, that we will lose our only advantage.”
Chris’s face sharpened. “Are you saying we shouldn’t trade Cassandra for Sam?” he said. His tone was accusing.
“Not at all, my dear boy. I am simply saying that we need to find another way.”
“Like capture someone else?” Chris asked.
“No, like use a different kind of bait. Like me.” Clifford’s eyes were sparkling and he wore a wry grin.
“You would be the bait? I’m not following,” Chris said.
Clifford leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. He sighed deeply. “Besides destroying the demons as a whole, Dionysus wants to see me destroyed. I was his father, and he hated me for it. When I found out that his view of the world was different than mine, I gave him a hard time about it. Told him he was crazy, that he was a fool. I didn’t listen to him, or even try to understand. He never forgave me for that. I know him. He never forgets a grudge. I can draw him out. I can be the bait.”
Taylor, Chris and Gabriel looked at each other, waiting to see who would reply. Taylor said, “It’s not your fault he is the way he is, Clifford.”
Still smiling, Clifford said, “It took a while for me to convince myself, but I fi
nally did. I know that now, but I still have regrets.”
Gabriel said, “There’s too much to risk. You are the face of the demons, they turn to you for guidance, to comfort them. What if something goes wrong?”
“It won’t. And if it does, there are many others in the Eldership that are capable of taking my place.”
Taylor said, “I will protect you.”
Clifford nodded. “It’s settled then. We recover Sam, and then set a trap for Dionysus, while Gabriel creates a rebellion amongst his people. Should be simple, don’t you think?”
“With Super-Angel here,” Gabriel said, motioning to Taylor, “it should be a piece of cake.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The boy was fully recovered. Remarkable. Nearly eaten by a monstrous gargoyle and he was ready to fight again within hours. The boy stood next to Dionysus, watching him intensely. Dionysus stared right back. Dionysus said, “What do you propose we do, David?”
“Forget Cassandra. The human girl is too valuable to waste on a trade.” David’s words were cold, uncaring, businesslike.
Dionysus decided to put him to the test. “We can’t just abandon one of the New Archangels. What if it were you that was captured, David? What then?”
“I would say the same thing. My life is forfeit compared to carrying out The Plan.”
Dionysus was impressed. He detected only truth in the boy’s words. Of course, the boy was extremely hard to read, his voice monotone, bland, emotionless, like something out of a thriller movie where the killer is a child sociopath looking to chop his family to bits before snacking on their body parts.
“What if I disagree with you, decide to make the trade?” He was testing him again.
The boy’s eyes never left his. “I will support you. But then I have another idea.”
Dionysus said, “Go on.”
“I lead a mission of the New Archangels. We need to draw the key demon supporters out of the hole they’re hiding in, and without the human girl, we don’t have any bait. So we start attacking humans. That will surely get their attention.”
Dionysus raised his eyebrows and finally blinked twice—he had been staring at David for more than five minutes without moistening his eyes. Attack humans. Dionysus had never really considered it. The Plan had always been very specific on the order of events. Defeat the demons—the protectors of the humans—and then the rest would be easy. Sure, he had murdered his fair share of humans but only when absolutely necessary for experimental purposes or for some specific reason. But haphazardly killing humans just to get the demons attention? It was madness! It was also genius.
“Okay, David. Your mission is approved. You’ll leave as soon as we get Cassandra back. But it will only be you, Lucas, and Cassandra.”
“Yes, my lord,” David said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The agreement was specific. The trade would take place halfway down the battlefield. No Archangels could participate, except for Cassandra, of course, who was part of the trade. Christopher, as well as any angels supporting the demons were also prohibited from participating, as Dionysus said, “The filthy traitors are not recognized by the angels as authorized demon parties.” Taylor fell into the category of Archangel, according to Gabriel.
She watched the transaction on a large screen, which was fed by a series of cameras that were used to film each and every battle in the Great War for tactical and strategy purposes. The room was filled to capacity, like a sold out movie theater showing the latest Harry Potter film. It was mostly demon Elders, and a few dozen other key army personnel.
Gabriel sat on her left and Chris on her right. Sampson was also there. Kiren would participate in the trade as she didn’t meet any of the criteria to be excluded—and she had insisted.
The tension level was high. Any number of things could go wrong, which Chris couldn’t seem to stop pointing out, like he was trying to prepare himself for the worst. He whispered to Taylor, “What if Cassandra tries something? I don’t trust her.”
Taylor sighed. She reminded him, “The agreement is that both prisoners must remain bound until they are back in their respective mountains. If they try to release Cassandra early, you’re gonna teleport Gabriel and I out there and we will resolve the situation together. Try to breathe, Chris. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Taylor was surprised to hear herself making a promise for something she had very little control over. Lately she had been surprised to see herself doing a lot of things; it was as if she were a robot, being controlled remotely by some great inventor.
Chris’s cheeks inflated, and then he released the air in a long, slow breath. “Thanks, Taylor.”
She nodded and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly. Her other hand held Gabriel’s, but not as firmly. She turned her attention back to the screen, where the first flicker of activity was occurring.
A trio appeared in the distance, walking towards the camera. Using her angel eyes to zoom in on them, Taylor said, “The one in the middle has a sack over her head.”
“That was also agreed,” Gabriel commented. Taylor remembered that the rest of the agreement included no teleporting, flying, or even running fast. Both parties could only send two escorts, who were required to walk “reasonably slowly” to the meeting place.
A similar trio appeared in the foreground with their backs to the camera. Taylor recognized one of them as Kiren, and knew the curvy one in the middle with the bag over her head was Cassandra. Taylor cringed at the thought that Gabriel was once friends with her. Out of the corner of her eye she glared at him. He didn’t notice.
The second escort—another demon—was someone Taylor couldn’t recognize, or didn’t know.
They proceeded at a similar speed to the approaching party, ensuring that they met at the exact center of the valley, which was marked by a flag, half-white, half-black. The long walk took only eight minutes, but felt like an eternity to Taylor.
As the traders approached each other with their prisoners, the camera zoomed in to show as much detail as possible. Although the camera was capable of picking up sounds—the intermittent chatter of birds chirping for example—neither party spoke. Instead, Kiren and her counterpart simultaneously raised their hands and clasped the prisoner head coverings. With a dramatic flourish, they removed the sacks.
It was Sam alright, and she actually managed to smile. Lighting up the screen, her teeth and lips looked beautiful, in spite of whatever she had been through while captured. Taylor wished she could see more than just the back of Cassandra’s head. Her face would likely be contorted into a sneer of sorts, a stark contrast to the vision of goodness and beauty that stood before her. In the purest sense, Sam and Cassandra represented the difference between good and evil, love and hate. Interesting that they found themselves being traded for each other, Taylor thought.
With short strides—due to their legs being shackled—each prisoner was pushed forward to the opposite side. Sam’s arms were held tightly behind her back, like Cassandra’s. Kiren grasped Sam’s arm and led her back towards the camera, and safety. The angels did the same with Cassandra, and the parties slowly diverged.
Ten long minutes later, the six bodies had been swallowed up by their respective mountains and the trade had gone off without a hitch. Applause filled the auditorium, but Taylor didn’t participate; she, Chris, and Gabriel had already risen and were headed for the door, anxious to welcome Sam.
Knowing that she would initially be taken to the medical wing for a mandatory examination, they caught a transporter there, arriving in less than five minutes. Sam was already there, having likely been teleported as soon as she entered the mountain. Kiren was waiting for them when they exited the transporter. They followed her to the exam room.
Sam, still smiling, sat on a bed, while a shadowy male doctor took a blood sample. Her smile remained wide even when the needle punctured the skin in her arm. Sam said, “Remind me to write a review on Tripadvisor.com, that hotel was one of the worst I’ve stayed in.”
Taylor laughed out loud. Good old Sam. Chris grinned, but it was forced. He was still in concerned-boyfriend mode. He took two long strides and ducked around the doctor to kiss her.
The doctor said, “Just a minute, just a minute, please. I need to check a few more things and then she’ll be free to go.”
Chris backed off, waiting eagerly, like a dog at the front door just before its owner gets home. Taylor said, “So what did they feed you in that place?”
“Nothing, zip, nil. Not even a complimentary glass of water with some stale bread. And there was certainly no mint on my pillow. In fact, there was no pillow at all,” Sam said.
“Angels,” Taylor said, “can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.”
Sam laughed. “It’s good to be out of that place. It was really scary. I may have screamed a few times, I have to admit.”
“That’s cool, we won’t tell anyone,” Taylor joked. “And we’ll go straight to the café for some grub after we get out of here.”
The doctor said, “You can go eat now. You seem to be perfectly fine, not a scratch on you.”
“Thanks, doc,” Sam said, hopping off the table.
Chris immediately grabbed her, picking her up and holding her tight. He kissed her a few times. Taylor and Gabriel looked at each other, smirking, for a few minutes, until Taylor finally said, “Uh, this is awkward.”
Laughing, Chris said, “Okay, let’s go.” It was like a huge weight had been lifted from him, both physically and mentally. He had a bounce in his step and a spark in his smile.
Taylor said, “Damn, Chris, I think you were hurt more by the whole kidnapped girlfriend thing than the kidnapped girlfriend was.”
Laughing again, Chris said, “I know I look tough, but at heart I’m a big softie.”
Sampson met them at the café and the triple-pair were reunited. There was a lot of laughing, more than enough joking, and a fair bit of hugging. Although Taylor enjoyed herself immensely, she couldn’t help thinking that it was surely the calm before the storm.