Page 39 of The Hunchback

“I know,” I interrupted, my stomach knotting again. “I mean, I didn’t at the time, but I do now.”

She blanched and pressed her palm to her chest. “Did you… Is she okay?”

“I… I don’t know,” I confessed, casting a concerned look towards her.

As painful as it felt to give her the gist of what had transpired, I was grateful that she would hear it from me rather than from Frollo. Still, being so far away from Esmeralda and not knowing her current status had me sick with apprehension. I wouldn’t rest until she was out of Paris and by my side, or at least until I knew that her Light had returned.

We were deep in discussions about my possible plans with Esmeralda when the sharp, clinking sound of the city-wide alert resonated inside the house. Nan and I exchanged a concerned look, then she went to turn on the vidscreen in the living area. Before the image even appeared, my gut told me it wouldn’t be good news for Esmeralda and me.

As soon as the image of High Seraph Phoebus appeared, I jumped to my feet. A murderous rage slowly took over me as I watched my woman afraid, distressed, and leashed like an animal behind him.

“No, no, no…” Nan whispered before covering her mouth with both hands.

I didn’t say a word, watching the whole message, my hands fisted so tightly that my nails started to dig into my palms. Only my self-preservation instincts kept my claws from jutting out, maiming me.

“I need you to call me one of those Vesta’s Tear transportation pods,” I said in a voice so filled with anger, it sounded like a growl.

“You can’t go!” Nan exclaimed, jumping to her feet as well. Closing the distance between us, she gripped both my arms and stared at me pleadingly. “He will kill you the moment you set foot in Paris! Run away! There are places you can—”

I placed two fingers on her lips to silence her. “No, Mother,” I said in a controlled voice. I hadn’t meant to call her that, but my heart, not my head, was speaking right now. “I will not abandon my mate. And running isn’t an option anyway. As we speak, security is locking down all the spaceports, and any ship trying to leave the planet will be scanned. I don’t even have a ship to begin with, and Frollo will not put his neck on the line to help me escape. But beyond that, I will not be responsible for starting another war.”

“I just found you again…” she said, choking up.

I cupped her beloved face in my hands and caressed her cheeks with my thumbs. “I should have died years ago, but I’m still here. It isn’t my time yet,” I said with a gentle voice, pushing my anger deeper down. “I, too, have just found you again, as well as my soulmate. I will not go down without a fight. You both have given me too much to live for.”

“But Kwazeem—”

“I willnotbe deterred, Mother,” I interrupted, gently but firmly. “Go on, please call the Tear for me.”

She embraced me tightly, and her warm tears dampened the fabric of my shirt. I allowed it for a few moments. Thankfully, Nan spared me from pushing her away by releasing me. It broke my heart that I should have reentered her life only to possibly say my final goodbye. Still, if this was to be my end, I was glad to have seen her one last time and let her know that I loved her.

My imps returned from their foray in the woods seconds before the Tear arrived. They refused to be left behind. To my shame, it comforted me not to be alone in these last moments. After one last gut-wrenching embrace with Nan, I entered the Tear, carrying nothing but one of my staves. Thankfully, the autopilot took care of everything as I didn’t know how to navigate one of these vessels.

A whirlwind of emotions coursed through me. Anger, fear, trepidation, and a sense of injustice all raged within me. And yet, beneath all of that, a strange sense of peace and acceptance kept me grounded. Despite the High Seraph’s declaration on the streamed message, I still refused to believe Esmeralda’s Light was gone. We’d been together the morning after we’d made love. Wouldn’t I have felt its complete absence within her?

Halfway through the journey towards Paris, a flock of Elohim flew out of Elysium, all of them converging on my position. They’d probably been scanning all transports headed in and out of Paris to detect one transporting a Fallen. Despite the fear knotting my insides, I couldn’t help marveling at their majesty as they flew in formation before surrounding my small vessel. Their powerful wings flapped almost in tandem with each other’s. Their sole garment, a leather kilt, hid nothing of their rippling arm and chest muscles that screamed of superhuman power. Each one carried a magnificent staff or lance. And yet, the petty thought that mine rivaled—if not surpassed—theirs still managed to cross my mind in this dire moment.

A couple of the Archangels turned to look at me through the windshield of the Tear. Their glowing pale blue eyes shifted to red to express their aggression before they turned back to look ahead. My imps whimpered in fear and curled up against me. Trying to rein in my own sense of dread as my vessel began its descent into Paris, I absentmindedly caressed their heads to soothe them.

The High Seraph and his small following flew out of the temple. They landed on the plaza only seconds before my Tear touched ground at its eastern edge near the stairs to the landing pad. Pushing down the terror that threatened to cripple me, I embraced the seething fury burning within me in order to face the challenge ahead.

The Angels and Archangels surrounded my vessel, leaving a single path towards Phoebus. He stood in the center of the plaza, holding his staff firmly planted on the ground, and my woman restrained behind him. Despite being clearly intimidated by so much hostility, my imps settled on my shoulders and clung to my neck. I couldn’t tell if it was more out of fear of being left behind, out of solidarity, or a mix of both.

As soon as I stepped out of the Tear, the auras of the Elohim slapped me like a hundred hammers. I’d never stood so close to one of them before. For the first time, my Fallen nature—the Light Eater in me—awoke with dizzying force. My mouth watered with a rabid hunger to feast on all that raw energy. And yet, the power that Esmeralda had awakened in me, and which had begun to dim in her absence, also reawakened, surging forth, seeking what my body perceived as kindred essence.

Destabilized by these conflicting emotions, I looked at the Archangels towering over me with confusion. A similar expression temporarily replaced the murderous fury on their faces as I marched before them to meet the High Seraph. The crowd that had gathered around the plaza—although keeping at a safe distance from the Elohim’s aura—muttered angrily upon seeing me. Some of the insults about my hybrid status and my hump, and the curses flung at me stung. Wearing a form-fitting shirt only emphasized my deformity. But knowing a battle awaited me, a loose garment would have only further impeded my already slim chances.

Despite the brooding expression on Phoebus’s stunning face, I didn’t miss the slight stiffening of his broad shoulders as I entered the radius of his aura. Even more than with the others, the High Seraph’s power called to me. However, it was the Light of my mate I sought. I couldn’t latch onto it with so much divine power surrounding me, muddling things. And yet, I could feel her.

“Kwazeem!” Esmeralda called out, looking distressed that I came.

Seeing her leashed to the Well’s tower tore an outraged screech from Victus and Lazarus. All fears forgotten, my imps launched off of my shoulders and dashed towards her. Arrius and Magnus—Phoebus’s two generals standing guard on each side of my mate—made as if to stop them but the High Seraph raised his hand in an arresting gesture, ordering his men to let the imps proceed.

They each landed on one of her shoulders, then kissed her cheeks before glaring at the collar. Grabbing it with their tiny claws, they pushed their magic into it. In seconds, the collar unclasped, releasing my mate. Arrius gasped in shock at seeing a divine restraint so easily discarded. Victus’s head jerked towards him, and he hissed in a menacing way. Never breaking eye contact with the Elohim general, Victus glared at him and hugged Esmeralda’s neck in a way that said ‘don’t ever mess with my girl again.’

Free at last, Esmeralda tried to run towards me but, lightning fast, the generals crossed their staves in front of her, blocking the way. She appeared to want to force the issue, but I shook my head, indicating for her to stay put. She hesitated before reluctantly conceding. Until I had a better sense of what would befall me, I wanted to keep her out of harm’s way.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Frollo’s shuttle making a swift approach towards the city. But I dismissed it, having bigger issues to deal with right now. I stopped my advance a few meters in front of the High Seraph, feeling small in his towering presence and under his scrutinizing stare. I hated not knowing what he was thinking. Although still clearly angry, his scowling expression was lacking the seething fury and the contempt he’d projected in his message.

---