40
Ebony
Jordan is dying. I can feel his life force slinking away as sure as I can feel the thud of my own heart beating faster than it should. We prop him in a sitting position, supported between the wide roots of a giant fig tree. We’re near Nathaneal’s house, but still deep enough inside the forest not to be seen.
I don’t want to leave Jordan, but Nathaneal is positive Jezelle is nearby. He needs to know what’s going on and he won’t leave me in the forest without protection. ‘The house is just through there.’ I peer through a bunch of trees, bushes, ferns and vines, finally glimpsing a portion of a structure with multiple levels, walls almost entirely of glass, and a ceiling that looks like a pair of outstretched eagle’s wings illuminated by a bright full moon.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I whisper.
He smiles and we take off. Fortunately we don’t get far before Jezelle finds us, with Isaac and Shae right behind her. Shae’s eyes go straight to mine. She scans me up and down, then nods, looking relieved. But there’s no relief on the other two angels’ faces and Jezelle starts to relate her report. ‘The house is surrounded by Prodigies. Prince Luca and his two lieutenants were first, and ever since they have been arriving in pairs –’
Nathaneal looks stricken but urges her on. ‘Hurry, Jez, Jordan needs your help.’
Alarm at this news has her speaking faster. ‘Prince Luca is standing on your front deck as if he owns the place, but as far as I can tell he’s not managed to break through your barriers to enter the house.’
‘He’s taunting you,’ Isaac says. He appears to want to say more but a sharp look from Jezelle has him closing his mouth.
She jumps straight back in. ‘He has two of his Prodigies up on the deck, one on either side of him, six are maintaining a perimeter approximately one hundred metres out from the house, with four more who have just arrived taking positions on your front lawn. What happened to Jordan? Where is he? Where do I go?’
Nathaneal directs her to the tree where we left him, briefly describing his injury. Jezelle’s eyes widen as she listens. Before Nathaneal finishes she’s off and running so fast she appears as a black blur disappearing into even blacker forest.
Then Shae says, ‘There are Aracals on your lawn, picking out insects and worms.’
‘Any word from Michael and Gabriel?’
Isaac nods. ‘They’re coming now with the Brothers.’
The dark angels are in black uniforms, with helmets from the eyes up and front chest armour, with swords in scabbards by their sides. They surround Nathaneal’s house, just as Jezelle described, with two standing out in front and another two at the base of the deck. I’m watching them through a thatch of trees grown so close together they form a kind of screen. Seeing them sends a chill along my spine. They’ve come here for me, and I’m pretty sure they won’t care how much blood is spilled to achieve their goal.
But does blood have to spill tonight? If I choose to go with Prince Luca, this all stops; no one has to die. But if I choose Nathaneal, or refuse to go with either, there will be a confrontation and people will die. At least three already have.
Jordan is mortally injured; what if he dies? I can’t stand the thought of that! How would I live with myself knowing I could have stopped all this?
Wise, wise girl! I applaud your rational thinking – and under such prodigious duress.
The voice in my head is not my own. I recognise the perfectly modulated smoky tones as the voice from the dream I can’t forget. The memory of the alluring winged man is still so clear I can see him now leaning over me, the intoxication of his desire in his penetrating green eyes.
Come with me now and end the bloodshed. Choose of your own Free Will and they will not stop you. Young Prince Nathaneal doesn’t love you enough to break a code. But there is no code in any universe that would stop me.
Why do you want me? I’m just a schoolgirl who can run fast.
Ah, but you have hidden talents, my lady, talents that complement mine. Your future, foretold during the formation of the stars, is to become a queen. I intend to make you Queen of Skade. I will even give you a province of your own to govern one day.
If I hadn’t met Nathaneal, and if I didn’t know that evil lies at this prince’s core, it’s possible I could fall for his hypnotic charm. But if I really am immortal, I can’t think of anything more abhorrent than to spend eternity at this dark creature’s side.
I regret to advise you that I decline your invitation.
To govern?
To everything.
Perhaps there is room to negotiate.
Go on, I say reluctantly.
His response is to laugh. Come with me now, and, as well as no more bloodshed, I will return your parents unscathed.
You took my parents?
They broke their vow of silence. We had a contract which they ignored. But, just to show how generous I can be, to make up for destroying the disgusting pile of filth they called a home, not only will I release them, I will ensure their good fortune continues through to their old age.
Why would you burn our house down?
I gave them the means to make themselves wealthy so they could raise you in an environment befitting your future status, and they provided you with nothing but bare essentials while their neighbours surrounded themselves with luxuries. They also promised to keep your true origins secret, to avoid causing you undue … distress.
I was a happy child who grew up in a loving environment.
That much I concede, my lady.
How do I know you’re not lying? How do I know my parents are still alive?
They’re no use to me dead!
Your word isn’t enough.
Come and see for yourself. I’ll have them brought to the gates and give you one night together. You can tell them what a loving environment they provided for you, keeping in mind that they agreed to hand you over to my lieutenant in perfect condition on the eve of your eighteenth birthday.
I want to deny it, but there’s a ring of truth in his words.
What if I don’t come with you tonight?
Need you ask? He finds my question amusing and chuckles. Your human caretakers remain in their cells until I grow tired of their screams and incessant wailing of how unfair I am.
You’re evil!
I accept your compliment with thanks, my lady. And by the way, being evil is more fun than being good. You’ll grow used to it. You may surprise yourself and discover you enjoy it.
A moment of silence feels like a blissful reprieve. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open them, Michael and Gabriel have arrived with a small band of reinforcements, every one tall and incredibly beautiful, from their shimmering hair to their strong bodies in battle uniform to their slender boot-clad feet. It makes me wonder about their homeland and if it’s as perfect as its inhabitants are. I wiggle my toes, recalling how uncoordinated I am. I’m nothing like these people, and yet, they’re willing to spill blood to keep me safe.
I feel suddenly guilty, like I’m consorting with the enemy. If I actually chose the Dark Prince, would any of these beautiful angels know I did it to stop them being injured? Or would they think evil was at my core too?
I look for Jordan and can tell that his condition is worse. Jez is kneeling by his side.
I’m about to hurry towards them when Prince Luca’s voice chimes in my head again. I will soon walk out to the centre of this yard and wait twelve minutes as measured by the Earth’s clock. And for those twelve minutes, the fate of everyone on this mountain will be in your hands.
If I agree to go with you, what happens then?
We leave immediately, and all who inhabit this mountain remain unscathed. It’s your choice.
My choice? My choice! To walk away from my life?
And what if he’s lying about my parents?
But he’s not lying. I knew they didn’t die in the fire.
And then I think of Nathaneal. I love him, though I don’
t know how it happened, or why.
Get out of my head!
A night in my arms, in the palace I built for you, my lady, and he will be nothing but a drifting memory.
How is it that I can speak to you in my thoughts, and …
And not him? Interesting, isn’t it? You’re intelligent enough to figure it out.
No. No! I don’t belong to you.
‘Ebony? Ebony, what’s wrong? Look at me, Ebony.’ Nathaneal pulls me into his arms.
It’s time I make my appearance. Your choice is a simple one. We can settle this peacefully, or we can take the carnage route. Your human friend will be the first. As a matter of fact, I believe my darling Aracals have already set his spirit on a path to my gates.
Go to hell!
I like your humour. We will get along superbly.
I hate you!
Jordan’s feeble voice calls out from seemingly far away, ‘Thane … Thane! What’s with Ebony? There’s something wrong. I feel it!’
Skade is your true home; your birthright is to be queen. Only I can give you that. Come to me. Come, my lady. Come …
I can’t think clearly with that voice in my head. I need it to stop. I grab both sides of my head. ‘Make it go away!’
Nathaneal realises what’s happening. He pulls me up by my shoulders and shakes me. ‘Ebony! Ebony! Don’t listen to him. Block him out. Barricade your thoughts!’ He groans. ‘Ebony, look into my eyes.’
I look and he says, ‘Find a space in your mind, make it blank and visualise a door with a lock.’
I close my eyes and nod.
‘Go inside and lock the door behind you. Ebony, you can do this.’
I open my eyes and focus on his.
‘Order him from your head. Order him to leave. Do it, Ebony. Do it now!’
‘But he’s giving me a choice.’
Michael comes and stands beside me. He says softly, ‘He’s playing with you, tempting you. It’s how he operates. Don’t listen to his poison. You have Free Will that even he can’t take from you, but you must assert yourself. He knows you are a kind soul who cares for others, who will put the lives of others before your own. Whether you go to him or not, tonight there will be a confrontation. If you choose Luca, Nathaneal will never stop looking for you and there will be retribution of the kind this universe has never seen.’
‘I just don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me.’
‘Ebony, you aren’t forcing us to do anything we don’t want to do. Besides, this is our job. We’re the king’s soldiers and Prince Luca is his enemy and therefore ours. You are one of us, and that’s all that matters.’
Come with me and I promise a thousand years of peace on the Earth.
I return my head to Nathaneal’s chest and, hearing only the beating of his heart, I visualise my secret room. I step inside it, turn around, lock the door and scream out in my thoughts, Get out of my head, Prince Luca! This is my private space and you aren’t welcome in here!
I wait a moment, two, three, and there is nothing but silence. ‘I think it’s worked.’
‘I knew you could do it,’ Nathaneal whispers.
‘You belong to me,’ I murmur.
He kisses my hair. ‘Yes, I do, my love. I belong to you.’
A wave of grey mist, cold and fetid, swirls towards us through the trees. I walk out to the clearing with Thane holding my hand and the others follow. We watch the mist pour out of Prince Luca’s mouth. Everyone is silent. Something is about to happen.
And then he walks down the stairs and on to the lawn. The Dark Prince is taller than I recall from my dream, and thicker set around the shoulders. It could be the armour, or an illusion caused by the distortion of air around him. He looks regal in a soldier’s uniform beneath a black floor-length cloak with fur-lined hood. Six soldiers move to stand behind him.
‘Your time begins now,’ he announces, his voice carrying like wind to everyone’s ear.
Michael moves silently to stand a pace in front of me to the right. Nathaneal loosens his hand from mine, and moves to the opposite front wing position. Isaac, Shae and Gabriel take positions at my rear so that I’m now in the centre of a circle of angels.
Meanwhile, the putrid-smelling mist spreads into the forest.
I peer between my protectors for a glimpse of Jordan. I know he’s nearby; I can feel him through our bond. Trying something I never imagined I would, I reach out to him with my mind. To my surprise I find him almost instantly, and it jolts me how bad his condition is. His life force is streaming out of him like wine spilling into thirsty soil.
In my mind I see him shivering and moaning incoherently between the fig tree’s roots as Jezelle holds him in her arms while sitting on the moist earth. I’m shocked to see tears are cascading down her face. Sensing me, she looks up, shakes her head and murmurs, He’s failing fast and I’m doing all I can.
I struggle to take a deep breath, releasing it in a shuddering sigh, and the mind-link disappears.
Prince Luca calls out, ‘My lady, should you decide not to come with me, your decision will lead to many deaths in the next twenty-four hours. The mist I have released becomes active at sunrise. It will kill every child under the age of three on this mountain. These deaths, the agony their families will endure, rest on your shoulders.’
The monster! How can he do this? But the answer is simple: because he can. He can do whatever he wants.
And if I don’t choose him, if I don’t walk up to him, take his hand and say, ‘I choose you, my lord,’ I will have to live with the guilt of knowing I could have stopped it.
41
Jordan
I’m dying. Again. What does this make it? Two, three times? There’s one thing I gotta know before the lights switch off for good. Why is this crazy angel crying over me? I mean, literally, crying, over the top of me. The tears are dripping straight into the Aracal’s bite and stinging like gnawing ants.
‘Jezelle, what … gives with the tears?’
‘Don’t talk to me, human boy. Can’t you see I’m busy working?’
So she’s not crushed by the thought of losing me.
‘Stop moving!’ She sniffs. ‘Can’t you feel any improvement yet?’
Now that she mentions it … well, no, I’m still immobile, lifeless and pretty darn sure I’m about to die. After a couple more sobs she sits up and wipes her dribbling nose on her sleeve. ‘How’s that?’
‘Well, the ants are gone.’
Keeping me on her lap, she lays her hand on my wound and rocks back and forth while humming.
A minute passes. Then another and she’s still meditating. At least she’s not giving up on me easily. Suddenly she gets up without warning. I roll off her lap to the dewy forest floor. ‘Hey! What’s with you?’
‘Why don’t you look at your hand and see for yourself.’
But I don’t have to. There’s no pain and I have energy. Yes! I’m not going to die today! I have more lives than a cat!
‘Don’t be so sure. The night is far from over yet.’ Standing about a metre away, she fiddles with her hair, puffing up her curls and making a show of looking around at the trees. Is she waiting for something? I take a stab in the dark. ‘Um, hey, thanks. I owe you one.’
‘You owe me your life, but all I want is one promise.’
‘Since you put it that way, sure, what is it?’
‘Tell no one how I disinfected your wound.’ Confused, I nod and mutter, ‘You got it, but … how did you disinfect my wound?’
She mumbles a whole string of obscenities under her breath that I wouldn’t utter even alone in the shower. Finally she says, ‘Tears, you dumb human. Tears contain natural antibiotics.’
‘Wow, man, you cried for me.’ I find this suddenly amusing and a small laugh escapes.
‘I should have let you die,’ she murmurs acidly.
‘You made yourself cry to save my life. That’s awesome, Jez. No one’s ever gone to such effort over me before.’
‘Do
n’t get carried away, OK?’
‘Of course not, I’m just surprised at the nature of your unique healing skills.’ She shrugs and I add, ‘You’re a healer, sworn to save lives – that’s all there is to it. Right?’
She nods.
‘It’s not like we have anything going on between us.’ She doesn’t respond. ‘Right?’
‘Do we have an agreement, human boy?’ she snaps.
‘Your secret is safe with me, sister.’
She nods sharply, her wings smacking in my face as she takes off. I follow at a run, watching the direction the trees move as she flies between them. I soon find everyone at the house, the Brothers too, and other angels that must be the reinforcements.
Jezelle places herself in the circle around Ebony. ‘What’s going on?’ I ask, coming up beside her.
She points with her chin to the lawn area where Prince Luca and six Prodigies have come out.
‘Jordan, my young human friend.’ Prince Luca notices me right away. His voice carries across the night air as clearly as if I was standing next to him. ‘What a remarkable recovery.’
I’m not surprised. With my luck, why wouldn’t he be right on my case?
‘We meet face to face at last,’ he says.
Eyes turn in my direction. But so far nobody suspects he’s up to anything.
‘I do hope we can still be friends after this.’
Uh-oh. After what? Then he’s in my head, Our meeting was so brief we didn’t get a chance to debate the finer points of our arrangement. You remember, don’t you, boy, where you take your mother’s place in my world, and I set her free?
He doesn’t give me time to figure out what he’s up to before a bolt of sheer heat spears into my chest and I can hardly breathe.
‘Jordan!’ I hear Thane call out.
Practically at the same time, Jezelle asks, ‘Jordan, what’s wrong?’
But it happens too fast. Prince Luca points his middle finger at me, curls and uncurls it. It flashes green, and before anyone moves, the Dark Prince drags me to him by whatever invisible force he speared into my chest. In a blink I’m passing everyone, half in the air, half dragging on the ground.