“Tell me you just saw that!” exclaimed a man who was looking up at the starry night sky.
The heavens were clear and the icy wind howled through the streets of London, announcing a stiff drop in temperatures over the next few hours.
“What?” asked his companion as he looked up expectantly, following his young friend’s gaze.
“I just saw a huge white eagle fly between those two buildings!” His voice exuded a tone of surprise bordering on incredulity.
“I always knew the Wave affected your brain,” joked the other man, lowering his eyes. He plunged his hands into his coat pockets and kept walking, unimpressed. “Are you coming or are you waiting to see if a dragon appears?” he teased without turning around.
The younger man stood still, examining the sky for a few moments more before finally giving up. He shrugged his shoulders and then, with a few long strides, caught up with his friend.
“Well I’d swear I saw a gigantic eagle,” he stubbornly insisted as they walked on.
At least two hundred feet in front of the flat roof on which he was perched, Vyns could clearly see the roof of the building in front of him. With eight fewer floors it was lower than this building. He waited for Asius to give him the signal. It was his turn.
He walked backwards until the building in front of him disappeared behind the railing he’d just been leaning on. He gained momentum as he ran toward the edge of the roof. When he got to the edge he jumped, pushing off from the railing with one foot, and fell into the darkness as he spread his wings. The wind caressed his face as it blew his ash blond hair back. His wings carried him gently through the air; his body glided in perfect balance.
For an instant, his mind flashed back to his memories before the Wave when flying was as natural for him as walking. In the thirteen centuries he’d spent as an Observer, he’d often carried out his routine tasks soaring through the blue skies of Earth. His razor-sharp vision allowed him to easily observe the Minors from the solitude of the sky. And flying permitted him to move quickly from one place to another when the situation required it. But flying wasn’t only about the practical advantages. Vyns had also greatly enjoyed the sensation of completeness he experienced when he took to the skies. His wings had been of the utmost importance to him, and using them required the coordination of all parts of his body. Unfortunately, all that had lost its meaning. Though some angels had found other uses for their wings, Vyns had never used his for anything but flying. And since the Wave had robbed him of that ability, he was surprised he sometimes thought of his wings as a superfluous part of his anatomy. That was not a proper thought for an angel to have.
Vyns had witnessed the Wright brothers’ first flight at the beginning of the twentieth century with a mixture of amazement and disappointment. He’d been present when other Minors had attempted to defy gravity and tried to fly, but they’d always ended in disaster and were, to Vyns, completely pathetic attempts. Until the moment when the Wright brothers successfully carried out the first self-propelled flight in the history of the Minors, Vyns had been absolutely convinced they would never achieve this goal. He’d even declared to other Observers that the Elder must have reserved the secrets of the skies for the angels alone. Of course he’d had to retract that statement, and once the era of aviation was in full swing, the time for enjoying solitude in the clouds was gone in the blink of an eye. And shortly after that the sky was littered with metal monstrosities capable of transporting hundreds of Minors at a time. Vyns had hated modern airplanes with their thunderous engines from the moment they'd hit the skies.
The descent to the roof where Asius and the rest of the them were waiting was too short for his liking. The sensation of flying was addictive, and he was painfully aware he would never again be able to do it in an ascent except when using the Channels in the Nest. Sadly, his days of flying were a thing of the past. Gliding was the only remnant he had left of the art he so longed for.
“We’re all here now,” said Yala as he took hold of Vyns, one twin on each arm, to help him cushion his landing and avoid making any noise that might alert the demons to their presence.
Vyns looked at Yala, resigned. “Thanks, partner. And to think that before the Wave I could land on the ground as light as a feather,” he sighed gloomily.
Yala shook his heads in a gesture of agreement and joined Asius by the door that led to the inside of the building. Vyns followed behind him.
They had been watching the building for several hours to make sure the more than two hundred demons they’d observed from Nilia’s hiding place hadn’t come back. Zaedon had underscored how reckless it would be to try to confront such a large number of their enemies and Vyns had only nodded, refraining from using a much less diplomatic description than “reckless” to express his opinion about how it would be to confront them. Yala and Lyam stayed out of the debate about how to approach Diago’s rescue. The Counselor apparently did not pay much attention to Zaedon’s observation, announcing that they would wait until nightfall to avoid any interference from the Minors and, if the enemy contingent did not appear, they’d infiltrate the building. Asius’s determined tone left no room for discussion.
“Vyns, you’ll stay with Lyam at all times to protect him. I want you in the center of the group,” he ordered, scratching his goatee. “I’ll go in front. Zaedon, you’ll stay behind me. Yala, you’ll be in the rearguard.”
Without waiting for confirmation, Asius motioned with his hand and the door opened without a sound. His reddish mane disappeared inside and the rest followed in the order he’d established. They descended some stairs and arrived at another door. Asius opened it and went inside the building. They were in a long, wide, dimly lit hallway. The Counselor gestured for them to keep silent.
“We must quickly search for the floor where they’re hiding him,” he quietly instructed. “The longer it takes us, the less chance we’ll find Diago alive, and the higher the risk the demons will return.”
They were on the top floor of the building, the tenth floor. They wandered, finding absolutely nothing; neither Diago nor the enemy. The corridor went all the way up the middle of this floor of the building. The rest of the floor was a large, open area that appeared not to have been used for many years. It was covered in dust, with vast curtains of spider webs hanging from the ceiling and pieces of broken furniture scattered about. When they got to the other end of the corridor they saw an open freight elevator, offering them quick and easy access to the floors below.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to use this elevator,” Lyam stated.
“We won’t,” agreed Asius. “The noise would give us away and I don’t want them to surprise us while we’re inside that thing with no space to maneuver.”
“And it might be better if we separate,” suggested Vyns. “It will take us less time to search.”
“But since we only have one Healer,” contested Asius, “we’ll stay together. We don’t know what’s waiting for us here.”
Just to the right of the freight elevator they found a staircase identical to the one at the other end of the corridor but without a door. They descended to find the ninth floor was much the same as the tenth. They were breathing in the same stale air in another area that had long since been abandoned. They advanced up the main corridor, taking sideways glances at the large windows all along the walls. Halfway up the corridor Asius raised his hand, ordering them to stop. Burning silently in midair were several short lines of fire—a rune. Asius studied the lines for several moments, then walked around them, observing the rune from the other side. As Asius contemplated the rune, Vyns and Lyam joined Zaedon in a careful examination of the opposite side of it.
“Does anyone recognize what this is?” asked Asius. From the other side of the flames, Vyns, Lyam, and Zaedon all shook their heads at the same time, their brows furrowed in confusion. For a fleeting moment Asius thought the synchronization of the three angels was a feat worthy of the Twins. “Yala, check out this rune to see if it looks familiar to you.”
One of the Twins walked past the other three angels and stopped in front of the rune.
“I’ve never seen it,” he declared indifferently.
“I haven’t, either,” reflected Asius. “I don’t like the implications of this.”
“What do you mean?” asked Zaedon. The soft glow of the rune reflected off his short white hair and beard, accentuating his resemblance to an elderly Minor.
“What if they’ve developed something new? Something we are unfamiliar with and with which they would easily be able to take us by surprise? We don’t know anything about them anymore.”
“But there was no reason for us to worry,” said Vyns. “It was impossible to predict the Wave and even more impossible to know one of its consequences would be the opening of the Hole.”
“Vyns is right,” Lyam concurred, never taking his eyes off the rune. “The Favored One managed to seal the Hole to keep us from getting in, but they were never able to get out, either. There was no reason to think that we ever in a million years would meet up with them again. The Wave changed everything.”
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“Well we may just pay dearly for that change,” declared Asius. “Either way, we don’t have time to study this rune. We have to find Diago.”
“It doesn’t look like an offensive rune,” noted Yala. The Twin reached out his hand before anyone could stop him and went over the lines of the rune. His hand had no effect on the flames. The rune was unaltered. “It’s not defensive, either.”
“Yala, stop. I don’t want anyone to do anything with that rune as long as we don’t know what it means,” Asius said sternly. Yala pulled back his hand and returned to his position at rearguard. “Now let’s go. We have to hurry.”
They continued up the corridor in silence. Asius could not stop turning the strange symbol over in his mind. The fact he didn’t understand it only served to increase his anxiety. Too many things were happening in too short of a time. And everything pointed to their enemy being organized and having a premeditated plan.
The angels hadn’t changed their mode of operation; they had no reason to. They’d won the War. And having no new threats in such a long time did not necessitate them modifying their standards of behavior. Both their internal organization and their combat methods were the same as they’d always been. As such, he suddenly realized they were an open book for the demons and took himself to task for not having thought of this before. His adversaries had changed, as this new rune so graphically demonstrated, and he had no idea of the full range of their new methods.
They made it to the opposite end having seen no sign of Diago. They stopped a moment before the doors of another freight elevator. Evidently the structure of the building was symmetrical, with access at both ends.
They heard a low, guttural sound coming from the central corridor through which they’d just passed. None of them recognized what it was, and they all turned in the direction of the sound.
For a few moments, nothing happened. Then suddenly two yellow eyes appeared and they heard a deep growl—both of which belonged to a black animal that seemed to be made of darkness. Its face was similar to that of a dog, but its size was easily double that of a German Shepherd. Its powerful paws were adorned with sharp claws that were surrounded by flames each time they touched the floor then faded away when its paws were raised. It was as if the beast were walking on a bed of hot coals that sparked when its claws scraped across it. When it drew back its lips, a collection of icy white teeth were revealed.
The beast pounced at them with a surprising swiftness. It bounded through the air in one leap and landed with all four paws on Zaedon, knocking him onto his back. As soon as its front paws made contact with the chest of the stunned angel, blinding flames shot out of them. It had all happened too fast for Zaedon to react, and the enormous dog bit him on the right forearm.
Yala was the first to take action. One of the Twins took a step forward and kicked the black beast. It flew through the air and crashed into the back wall with a loud thud. The other Twin quickly helped Zaedon to his feet.
Everyone except for Lyam unfurled their wings.
“They’ve discovered us,” announced Yala.
“Lyam!” Asius summoned the Healer as he ran to Zaedon’s side. His arm was bleeding profusely and the flesh was ripped to the bone.
“I’m all right,” he said, still stunned. “I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
Lyam’s hand glowed as did Zaedon’s arm. When the light vanished, his arm had been completely healed.
“What the hell was that thing?” asked Vyns, coming to stand next to Lyam. “Has anyone ever seen anything like it before?”
“I sincerely doubt it,” answered Asius. “But I think it’s somehow tied to the rune we saw before. The eyes on that animal were exactly the same color as the flames of that rune.”
The enormous animal crawled out of the hole the impact of its body had opened up in the wall. It had pieces of glass poking out of its back, but it was not bleeding. And instead of the sharp points disappearing into the animal’s flesh, they merely appeared to have been bent and were clinging, mangled, all over the dark, black fur. The dog pounced again, but before it could land on them Yala split it in two from head to tail with his sword. The two halves of the slaughtered animal fell to the floor.
They heard more growling. This time it trembled throughout the entire floor.
The angels headed toward the corridor, their backs now to the freight elevator and the stairs. Vyns and Lyam brought up the rear.
Twenty more of the growling black beasts appeared in the corridor. They were frantically running and pushing one another sideways as they fought to be the first to attack, their heavy paws leaving behind an intensely blazing trail.
“They’re mine,” said one of the Twins.
“They’re mine,” the other said.
The Twins had once again spoken in concert.
From opposite sides, each one began to draw a waist-high horizontal line of flames with his sword, the two lines of flame coming together in the middle. Their movements were opposing and identical, as if they were one, six-foot-six blond angel standing beside a mirror portraying his reflection. The two swords cut smoothly through the air until their tips met exactly in the middle between the two angels. The line of flames was complete, and it burst forth the moment the first beasts jumped at them.
The arc of fire crashed against the first wave of the savage fiends, sending them flying in all directions. Some of them sailed into the walls, some crashed against the ceiling, and still others collided with the creatures following behind them.
“I’ll take care of them. I can hold them off. Go find Diago,” one of Twins proposed.
The next wave of animals pounced on Yala. The Twins split several of them in two before the beasts could even touch them. But there were too many of them. One dog bit one of the Twins in the leg and another bit the other Twin’s arm. Yala didn’t even appear to feel the bites.
“All right,” said Asius when he saw they had things under control. Their perfectly coordinated movements were absolutely captivating. “Zaedon, stay and help Yala. We’ll keep looking for Diago. To the stairs!”
He turned and hurried up the corridor. Vyns and Lyam followed him.
One Twin’s sword pierced another of the animals while he held out his other arm—the dog that had bitten him still hanging from it— toward the other Twin who was picking up with one hand the beast biting his leg. His other hand was swiftly bringing down his sword. The blade cut off the head of the dog that was biting the other Twin’s arm, stopping the beast before it even broke the skin.
At first, Zaedon didn’t know what to do. He decided to trace a barrier behind the Twins and off to their side to keep the beasts from surrounding them. One of the creatures smashed itself futilely into the barrier, but two other dogs jumped on him. He pierced one with his sword and, as he pulled back his right wing just in time, the other beast missed him and crashed into the wall.
For several minutes, the scene didn’t change much. The animals kept coming at them, and the angels stopped them in their tracks by carving them up. There then was a short break as several beasts stalked them from the corridor, making no move to attack. Zaedon was bleeding in several places and was starting to get tired, but Yala was still going full force. He showed no sign of fatigue or weakness.
“Careful. This isn’t over yet,” said one Twin. “Get behind me.”
“How many of these things do they have?” asked Zaedon, obeying the Twin’s order and moving in behind him. This was, after all, no time for false pride. Yala was one of the Nest’s finest warriors and he gladly accepted his protection. “We’ve already finished off at least a hundred of them.”
That was a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. The floor was littered with dark hunks of the slain animals. The two angels watched in disbelief as the bits of flesh lost their consistency, becoming more and more transparent until they finally disappeared, leaving behind no trace. The only drops of blood that remained were Zaedon’s.
Something boomed. It sounded like a very heavy footstep, and the floor began to vibrate. More thunderous footfalls followed. Something huge was approaching. Whatever it was, it must have been the reason why the animals still had not attacked. They were waiting for reinforcements.
The beasts finally returned to battle, pouncing on Yala who held them off with lunges and magnificently measured blows. Suddenly, something enormous—at least eight feet high and as wide as the Twins put together—rose up in front of them. It had a more or less human shape, with arms, legs, and a large torso. But that was where the similarities ended. It was made of dark rock covered with blue flames. On its head burned two red flames where the eyes should be.
It brought its first blow down on Yala, who crossed his swords over his heads and blocked the strike, the sound of rock against metal reverberating through the area. The orange flames of their weapons mixed with the blue flames that covered the rocky giant and created an explosion. Several dogs were biting at the Twins legs, and Zaedon hurried to help them. The giant slowly raised its arm. Yala quickly traced a rune as Zaedon stabbed a dog and drew a line of fire between them. Then the rocky fist descended, blasting through Yala’s rune and shattering it to pieces. At the last minute, the Twins separated, and the giant struck the floor next to the foot of one of the Twins, very close to where Zaedon was standing. The floor broke apart under the force of the savage impact, and Zaedon and one of the Twins fell into the void with two of the dogs. The other angel hesitated only for a moment and the giant struck him with its other fist, sending him hurling several yards through the air and violently slamming him into the wall in the back of the room next to the freight elevator.
The enormous mountain of burning rocks advanced on Yala with slow, heavy steps, ignoring the gaping hole on the floor. The Twin got up and shook his head, stunned. He threw a wave of fire at his enemy but it ricocheted off the stony skin and dissolved away, having had absolutely no effect. Yala blocked another incoming strike with his sword.
He was faster than his adversary, but his strength had diminished from being separated from the other Twin. An exchange of strikes and blows went on for several minutes during which both opponents seemed to be sizing up the other. They were too close together for Yala to be able to draw runes, but he struck his rival in several places, trying to find a vulnerable spot on the stony body. Finding no way to penetrate the giant’s solid skin, he used all his strength to deliver a blow where the stomach should be. The giant doubled over and fell backwards onto the floor with a thunderous boom.
At that moment a bluish flash burst forth from the Twin’s leg. A deep cut in his thigh appeared out of nowhere and began bleeding profusely. Yala’s leg gave way for an instant, then he jumped over the giant and made it to the door of the freight elevator, kicked it down and looked inside. The elevator was on the floor above. The Twin reached out his arm and dropped his sword through the hole which left a yellowish trail on its descent.
He bent down just in time to avoid another blow from the stone giant that had already gotten back to its feet. Yala slipped around it and elbowed it behind its knee, but the creature struck him with its elbow, launching him backwards. Yala spread his wings to slow himself down, then quickly returned to the fight. The giant turned and attempted to deal him another blow, but the angel moved out of the way and the enormous fist missed him by inches. He grabbed the gigantic stone arm and, taking advantage of his enemy’s momentum, hurled him toward the corridor. The huge flame-covered mass slid across the floor and crashed into one of the walls, destroying it and then sliding on for another sixty feet, leveling everything in its path.
Yala climbed over the pile of bricks and rubble beneath which the giant was now buried. A few long seconds passed during which nothing happened. Finally, the bricks began to rise up in front of him, falling to both sides, and the giant’s head emerged, encircled by flames. Yala destroyed it with one blow. His knuckles blasted through it as fragments of rock flew in all directions. The blue flames that had encircled the giant’s body were finally extinguished.
