I thought he was a tad too angry. He saw Jordan and me comforting each other in Nathaneal’s car. No wonder he’s upset. At least that is a misconception I can clarify – if he’ll simmer down enough to listen.
A sudden blast of hot air shoves Jordan backwards into the wall.
‘Wait!’
Shocked at Gabriel’s show of power, I squeeze between them. ‘Gabriel, back up. Move back now!’ I’m surprised when he does. ‘I pressured Jordan into driving me to my science teacher’s house. Jordan knew I would go on my own if he didn’t come. The whole time we were there, he was conscious of time passing. He kept reminding me of our curfew. But dark clouds swept in and there was a long path back to the car and darkness arrived sooner than expected.’
Gabriel stares at me in silence, his eyes darkening ominously like angels do when they’re drawing on their powers. I force myself not to cower before his intimidating look. ‘If you need to blame anyone for this terrible tragedy, Gabriel, make sure it’s me. I made the mistake.’
While Gabriel continues to stare at me with unnerving silence, I search into his eyes as Nathaneal has been teaching me, but before an impression develops he looks away, shaking his head.
‘I was in the Watchtower at the time,’ he says. ‘In their duty as Gatekeepers of the portal, the Brothers of the Holy Cross Monastery keep the Crossing entrance safe for angelic movement through the dimensions. Brother Timothy was briefing me on recent demonic activity near the portal when an undefinable energy, stronger than anything the Brothers have measured before, appeared on their radars.’
Jordan steps out from behind me. ‘It came out of nowhere, Gabe, and started following us when we made the turn on to Ridge Road. It chewed up the road like a tornado with lightning bolts streaking and booming inside it. Man, it was crazy. It lifted the cop car chasing –’ He stops abruptly, his eyes shifting to me.
‘That police car was after you?’
I jump in quickly, ‘We don’t know that for sure.’
‘When Brother Timothy pointed out that my brother’s car was on the same road as an unidentifiable dark force that was annihilating everything in its path . . .’ He shakes his head. ‘I raced outside and saw a police car exploding, with no idea what had happened to you two until you drove into the garage. And when you didn’t exit immediately I didn’t know what to think. Jordan’s thoughts were chaotic – I couldn’t make sense of them – and yours, as usual, were closed.’
‘We were just taking a breath,’ I explain.
His eyebrows rise, his eyes widen. ‘You were taking more than a breath, my lady, unless the breaths you took were each other’s!’
‘You’re wrong. You got this wrong.’
He laughs, mocking me. ‘I saw you clutched in each other’s arms, gazing in each other’s eyes. I heard your whisperings and promises of love.’
‘Love? What you saw and heard were two people comforting each other after a terrifying experience. The rest your creative mind imagined.’
His demeanour suddenly changes. He straightens his back and starts walking around me, studying me as if I’m an insect from an alien world. ‘You lie, and you do it so smoothly even your micro-expressions give no clues. You don’t tighten facial muscles, alter your blinking rate, or break eye contact. For an angel, that’s impossible.’
‘What are you saying? That I’m not an angel?’
‘All I’m saying is that I’m sure of what I saw – young lovers, clasped in each other’s arms. And your denial makes you a liar.’
He’s so arrogant and self-assured that it will be hard to convince him of the truth. He’ll tell his brother, and Nathaneal will hate me. At the least it will upset him and cause him undue worry, especially if Gabriel tells Nathaneal he caught me lying. But if I ask Gabriel not to tell Nathaneal that would look more incriminating.
‘Dude, you are so wrong. Ebony does not lie.’ Jordan is so angry on my behalf he may do something he shouldn’t. I can’t risk more people getting hurt because of me, especially Jordan.
‘Arguing with Gabriel is pointless, Jordan. Don’t bother. His mind is closed and there are more important things to worry about right now.’ I glance up at Gabriel. ‘So you saw the accident.’ It’s not a question, but he nods anyway.
After an awkward silence, Jordan clears his throat. ‘What if it comes back? I mean we can assume this dark force is looking for Ebony, right? So do you think this house is strong enough to stop even that thing from getting in? I’m not saying your brother didn’t do a good enough job when he built this place. We all know how strong he is, but, dude –’
Jordan is babbling. My hand wants to reach for his shoulder to calm his rattled nerves. But after Gabriel’s insinuations I know how it might look and stop myself just in time.
Gabriel notices I’m struggling, however.
‘A Guardian and her Charge should never reside together,’ he snarls, his piercing eyes directed at me. ‘It’s unheard of! I don’t know what my brother was thinking leaving a pair of teenagers alone in his house for an indefinite period,’ he rants. ‘As I understand, you two pleaded for the opportunity.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘You heard.’
Looking frantic, Jordan rakes his fingers through his hair. ‘Dude, you got it wrong! Michael said there was no one available to stay with us and –’
‘Did you inform my brother that you did not need babysitting?’
‘I said that,’ I try to explain, even though it’s probably pointless. ‘Nathaneal was becoming distressed.’
He laughs. ‘That does not sound like my brother.’
My skin grows hot. Gabriel seems intent on misunderstanding everything I say. I just want this all to go away, but now Jordan won’t let it drop. ‘That’s not how it went down. Talk to him. Thane’ll tell you how Ebony offered to go testify for him, even though she doesn’t have wings to survive the Crossing.’
He scrutinises me and, when he speaks, surprisingly it’s without the sharp, cynical edge. ‘I’m afraid humans are not known for their restraint. And you, Ebony, think like a human. Left alone together, anything could happen between you.’
But it didn’t! And it wouldn’t! And . . . I’m starting to think less like a human and more like an angel every day.
I want to set Gabriel straight, but if he can think this badly of me, nothing I say will change his mind. The only person that needs to know the truth is Nathaneal. And he already does.
I calm down a little at this thought. But Jordan is a long way from calming down. His face is darkening by the second. Oh, no! I hope he’s not recalling his fantasy from last night. Gabriel will see it play out in his head like a movie with an 18 rating. In their role to protect humans, it’s second nature for angels to tune in to human thoughts, and I’m not sure that in Gabriel’s mind-frame he’ll be able to tell the difference between Jordan’s reality and his make-believe.
I start to feel as if my blood and sweat are mixing together, like a chemical reaction bubbling up through my pores. I clench my hands into fists but it does nothing to stop the escalation of adrenalin.
Gabriel doesn’t miss the red-hot colour spreading under the skin of my face as well as Jordan’s and, as I knew he would, he misreads it completely. He becomes livid all over again and points his finger at us. ‘If either of you disrespect my brother, it won’t only be my brother you will have to contend with. We are a big family and we look out for each other. Do you both understand?’
‘Back off, Gabriel, nothing happened!’ Jordan yells out.
‘That sounds like a threat,’ I murmur, fed up with Gabriel’s accusation. What if Gabriel works on Nathaneal until he convinces him that Jordan and I are up to something? Who will Nathaneal believe, the brother he’s known his entire life, or . . . ? How can Gabriel . . . Ooh! I can feel anger tightening the muscles of my arms.
‘Are you up to the task my brother set you?’ he now asks Jordan.
‘Of course I am.’
‘
Do you need reminding of your agreement terms?’
Jordan’s face drops. ‘No. I don’t.’
‘We angels take our contracts seriously. Whether forged with words or signed in blood, we’re honour-bound to them. There are consequences if a promise is broken. Am I making myself clear?’
‘Gabe, I get it.’
I start to see everything through a reddening haze. As I look from Gabriel to Jordan, my eyes pass over a vase sitting on the hall table, an antique from France in potent blue that I love because it reminds me of Nathaneal’s eyes.
Suddenly, the vase shatters, with pieces flying through the air and scattering halfway across the living-room floor. When the dust settles Gabriel and Jordan are staring at me. ‘Well, I didn’t see that coming,’ Jordan says. ‘Did you, Gabe?’
Gabriel gives Jordan a withering look, lifting his hand to his forearm, where blood appears to be dripping to the floor in fat globules. ‘If I did, I wouldn’t be standing here plucking shards of pottery out of my arm.’
20
Ebony
Gabriel looks aghast and stares at me as if I’m that alien insect again, while Jordan just looks stunned. He lifts a hand to his brow like he does when he’s thinking hard.
Ignoring Jordan until I see how hurt Gabriel is, I move towards the disgruntled angel when he lifts a hand in the air. ‘It’s nothing. I’m healing already.’
‘Can I get you anything in the meantime, like a bandage or something?’
‘I require nothing from you,’ he says with forced politeness.
I head over to help Jordan clean up the shattered vase pieces. We put them in a bag that Jordan takes to the garage.
‘What a shame,’ I murmur, watching him walk down the hallway. ‘I really liked that vase.’
‘Maybe next time, my lady, you should think twice before you lose your temper.’
I spin round at Gabriel’s accusation that I somehow caused the explosion, bringing my hands to my hips. The red haze is still hanging around, making my head fuzzy, and Gabriel’s tone raises my frustration levels. But before I can challenge him, Jordan returns and I turn to include him in my questioning.
But as I shift my glance from Gabriel to Jordan the room swirls and the two of them swirl with it. Scraping and groaning noises sound too loud and I lift my hands to my temples.
I blink hard, trying to clear my vision of this annoying redness. ‘What is going on?’ I yell through the noise. ‘What’s happening? Why is the furniture moving? Someone tell me what is happening here!’
Finally everything stops and the room falls silent. I take a deep breath, still holding my head. Jordan’s mouth is open. He sets a lamp on the ground and rushes over. ‘Ebony, you should sit down.’
I would if there was somewhere to sit. I look around at a living room with furniture in complete disarray. Couches, tables, lamps, books, are all over the place.
Gabriel is staring at me again. Not only is it unsettling, it’s plain rude, and I yell at him, ‘What? Why are you staring at me like that?’
I’m not used to being this angry. My whole body feels as if it’s buzzing. I use my hands to try to disperse the reddish haze in front of my face, but the scraping and banging noises keep distracting me.
Suddenly strong arms swing round my waist and I’m being carried across the room at lightning speed. It’s Gabriel, and just as he lowers me to the ground the chandelier shatters over the spot where I was standing.
Meanwhile, my legs want to give out and my arms feel weightless yet heavy at the same time. ‘What’s happening?’
Gabriel spins me round. ‘Ebony, look at me.’
I lift my head to find him staring down at me, and I remember he just saved my life. ‘Thank you for, you know, saving my life.’
‘You’re immortal, Ebony. You would have survived.’ He tilts my head back with his thumb under my chin and looks into my eyes. ‘Ahh! I thought so.’
‘What is it?’
‘Nathaneal will be thrilled when I tell him.’
‘Tell him what?’
‘How you redecorated his living room.’
I glance around. ‘Do you think I –’
‘Your powers are emerging. Now, if you could learn to harness them while maintaining a calm state of mind, we will all be safer around you.’
Is he laughing at me?
‘Close your eyes,’ he orders.
‘Why? What are you going to do to me?’
He frowns. ‘I thought my brother exaggerated your trust issues. Clearly, he underplayed.’ A hint of a smile changes his face completely, banishing all the harshness.
He lifts his hand to my forehead, then lowers it over my eyes. ‘Ebony?’
‘Yes?’
‘Breathe.’
‘Oh!’ I do what he says and my skin immediately begins to cool. When I open my eyes the red haze is also easing away, and I sigh with relief.
I notice Jordan tidying the living room, setting tables and chairs on their legs again. He sees me, and smiles. Except his smile looks a little sad. I don’t understand. I thought he would be happier to hear I’d tapped into my powers, even though it was by accident.
‘Feeling better?’ he asks.
‘I think so.’
He lifts a large chunk of chandelier into the air. ‘It’s pretty much wrecked,’ he announces, collecting all the pieces and carting them to the garage to join the shattered blue vase.
Gabriel helps us reorder the room, and when we’re finished he sits on a lounge chair and motions for the two of us to join him. ‘We need to talk about what happened tonight. It’s imperative you tell me everything so I can figure out what this entity is, and deal with it before I leave. Regarding the tragic loss of human life, there will undoubtedly be an investigation. I will do what I can to keep your names out of it. When I’m gone, you will need guards here.’ He looks directly at me. ‘And I don’t want an argument over that.’
Sitting on the couch opposite Gabriel, I’m listening attentively, but what I really want to know is how Nathaneal is holding up, how the hearing is going and when I can expect his return. It’s been several days. By now there should be some idea of when it will end. I’m dying to ask him about the message Nathaneal said he would send me at his first opportunity, and if Gabriel knows anything about my parents.
‘Gabriel, do you know when Nathaneal will be coming home?’
He stiffens suddenly and closes his eyes, the livid look I saw earlier evident in the tightly clenched muscles of his unearthly-beautiful face.
When he opens his eyes a moment later, they’re ice cold and staring straight at me. I hurriedly try to work out what I said to spark this reaction. But he tells me himself before I get a chance, ‘My lady, my brother may not be in an ideal place right now, but he is home. Home in Avena.’
‘Oh! Of course he is! I didn’t mean . . .’ I don’t know where to look. His eyes are too condemning.
‘I know exactly what you mean,’ he says coldly.
He might be intimidating, but I need to know how Nathaneal is and I can’t let his attitude get in my way. ‘Gabriel, I just want to know if he’s OK. Has something happened to him?’
He pats the couch beside him, but I don’t move. He reaches out, and in a swift seamless motion lifts me into the seat beside him. He’s warm, strong, masculine, and so much like Nathaneal that my chest aches.
‘I apologise for handling you, my lady,’ he says, ‘but I have to tell you something and I’d rather do it without having to reorder the room again. I simply don’t have the time.’
‘Okaay . . .’
‘Something quite mundane has come up that will retain my brother for a while longer.’
‘Mundane?’ I wasn’t expecting that. ‘For how much longer?’
‘At least another week.’
‘That sucks,’ says Jordan. But for a fleeting moment I think I see his head nod as if he approves.
To my way of thinking there’s nothing positive in this delay. Sure, som
ehow I’ll get through another week as long as I know Nathaneal is all right and still intends to return – to me. ‘Is he . . . um, is he ill?’
‘No.’
‘Is it family business?’
‘I’m not playing this guessing game with you, Ebony.’
‘Then tell me what’s going to keep him away at least another week? Did the hearing not . . .’ My heart trips, skips a beat, and I whisper, ‘Not go well?’
‘It could have gone better.’
‘Don’t be ambiguous with me, Gabriel. Not now.’
‘He’s not ill, he’s not in prison – that’s all you need to know, my lady.’
That’s not enough! I want to scream at him. I want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. Why is he being so vague? Why can’t he just tell me what’s going on? ‘Gabriel, where did the court send Nathaneal?’
His soft gasp is one of surprise. Grudgingly, he says, ‘The court decided my brother needed to make retribution for his crimes against Earth’s environment and for revealing secret tactical information to the enemy. The punishment nominated meant that he would spend a minimum of two years and no more than two hundred years regenerating the Rievre Forest, recently devastated by a cosmic storm.’
‘Two to two hundred years?’
‘But my somewhat clever brother, horrified at the prospect of being away from you for that long, took it upon himself to offer up an alternative punishment. He had some convincing to do, and conditions to accept, but he sold the idea to enough voting members to pass it.’ He stops suddenly.
‘How long will this alternative punishment take?’ I press.
‘Knowing my brother, he will keep going until he completes the task, or extinguishes his existence doing it.’
Did he just say ‘extinguishes his existence’? Like . . . like . . . he could die?
Gabriel stretches his long legs out in front of him before he looks up again. ‘I’ll stay the night to deal with this dark force and ensure it doesn’t return.’
Jordan asks, ‘And if you can’t get rid of it?’
‘Let’s not worry about that until we need to.’
Gabriel has succinctly changed the subject, but I need more answers. Maybe there’s something in Nathaneal’s message. ‘Gabriel, do you have a –’