Page 8 of Wings of Torment
Like a good friend, I only nod and pretend I believe her. Maybe someday she’ll let us in on whatever’s going on between her and the Fallen house leader, but until then, all I can do is support her.
There’s a loud chirp before Principal Cael’s voice echoes across campus. “Students of Silver City University. After the devastating events of today, we are postponing all scheduled midterms by one week. Classes will be on hold for two days, and the previous lockdown has been lifted. You may use this time to go home and visit your families if you wish, but we require that you notify us of your intentions. This is only so we can be aware of who is staying and who isn’t. Myself and the rest of the staff at SCU offer you our deepest regrets, but I assure you we will not be taken by surprise again. Over the coming days, we will work to repair the damage, but please use caution when getting around. If a friend is missing, please notify us immediately. Thank you for defending our great school. It will not be forgotten.”
Almost immediately, Dina’s slate lights up. She reads the name flashing across the screen before letting out a loud sigh.
“Your dad?” Hayliel asks, seeming to know what that means.
“Yeah. Guess I better start packing,” she replies, heading inside the closet to answer.
“We should let Dina pack. She’s going to have her hands full for the next few days, I suspect. I’ll just send her a message real quick.” Hayliel finds her bag propped up against the wall, but what she pulls out of it doesn’t look like a slate at all. “Shit. I must have landed on it when the assholes pulled me from the sky. Can I use one of yours?”
Raphael pulls his out at the same moment a call from his mother pops up. He swipes it away without a moment’s hesitation and hands it to her. That’s when I realize I don’t have mine.
“Fuck. My slate must still be in the library. If my grandparents found out about the attack, they’ll be worried sick.” Panic wells within me. Have they been calling? What must they think happened to make me not respond? They’re too old to be worrying about me, dammit.
Hayliel wraps me in a hug. “Go. Check in with your family. I’m going to head to the main hall and see about getting a replacement slate. I’ll reach out as soon as I have one, okay? Please be safe.”
I squeeze her tight, not really wanting to let go but knowing I have to. Raph and I share a look over the top of her head. Neither one of us wants her to be alone right now, especially not after the demons converged on her like a target.
“I’ll go with you,” Raph says to Hayliel. “Just in case.”
“Alright. But can we head out the main doors this time? As much as I loved you both carrying me, I think it will draw more attention than I want to deal with right now.” The cutest blush I’ve ever seen spreads across her face.
“You got it, sunshine. We’ll be nothing but plain, boring Janes. Promise.”
Broken pieces of wood lie near the front door — which is barely attached to the house at this point — but otherwise no structural damage done. It’s strange that they wouldn’t have attacked here.Demons have an innate ability to sense angels. They’d have known how many students were hiding in their rooms, so why didn’t they force themselves inside?
Outside, the air smells of chilly darkness, of dew forming on leaves and mixing with the tart scent of blood. I wave to my friends, promising them I’ll check in once I’ve spoken to my grandparents, and then I take off into the air.
Today has revealed so many things and yet nothing at all. Everything we’ve been working toward feels like it’s grown three times in size. It’s not only about Hayliel’s wings anymore. There’s more at play. If our group can uncover some of the secrets everyone seems to be keeping, maybe we’ll be able to protect ourselves.
But that means relying on angels like Ezekiel. He’s a complete enigma. I felt his presence during the battle, felt him following Raph and me as we raced toward Hayliel, but why was he following us? And why did he stay? It’s pointless to think about, not without answers or understanding what happened between him and Hayliel to make their friendship so strained.
Whatever it is, his indifference is clearly hurting her. If he can’t get his shit together, then I guess I’ll have to do it for him.
4
Work together. With those Pure assholes? Never.
But as I fly above Silver City, I wonder if maybe that’s a lie. Saying yes means being close to Hayliel, and if I say no … something tells me it will put a divide between us that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to break down.
I’m flying high enough that the twinkling lights look like tiny candles and remind me of the colorful toy Mom always talked about playing with when she was a kid. Fuck, I miss her. What would she think about the attack? Would she have any nuggets of wisdom to impart that would help shed some light on what was actually happening? I know she would. Dad might too, but ever since Mom died, things have been strained between us. He loves me and is proud of me. There’s no denying that, but it’s like he just gave up on the rest.
It’s late enough now that the merchant district is dark. No vendors selling their wares, completely oblivious to the chaos that just rained down on us at the school. I fly a little further, over the entertainment district and then the production district with their large manufacturing plants lit up like beacons. Fallen angels are worked to the bone, taken advantage of and not paid a fair wage because of our wing color. It’s disgusting. This district is my least favorite, and I usually avoid flying over it because of how much it pisses me off, but I’m clearly not in my right mind tonight.
Too much has happened for me to think straight. I can’t stop the niggling hole in the center of my chest as my mind replays the attack today. Hayliel, tucked beneath her wings while a group of demons closes in on her. Raphael, Theo, and I racing to save her, fully knowing we’re all too fucking slow. It shouldn’t scare me this much. I barely know her, and it’s not like I’ve even given myself a real chance to get to know her better lately.
Now I’m just supposed to work with her and the Pure boys she’s always with? Act like they aren’t laughing behind my back at how foolish I was to think this angel would choose me? Watching them today made me sick. I didn’t miss the fact that her bond was strong enough that the blond one sensed her fear from across campus. The blow hurt less than I know it would have if we hadn’t just survived a horde of fucking demons, but still.
Seeing them all together, the way they fought to protect her, poked a hole in what I thought was a very sturdy understanding of Pures. They didn’t treat her like shit, even before the golden wings. If I hadn’t been so caught up in my pain and misgivings, maybe I’d have noticed.
Unfortunately, the best chance we have at finding answers is by working together.
This day fucking sucks.
In the distance, lights shine from the mountain which houses Guild HQ. It spans the length of Silver City, and when the sun first disappears for the night, it’s like a wall of fire separating us from the Archangels. At this time, though, it’s usually more of a burning ember. Not tonight. Despite it being so late, many of the lights, including those near the top, are still on. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll expand so far along the mountain, the university falls will be dried up by the fire. Swallowed up, just like the lives of its members. But part of joining the Assassins’ Guild is understanding that your time is no longer yours. It belongs to the Guild, and every single angel within Silver City.
But if that’s true, why hadn’t anyone answered my distress call? Why had no one showed up? This attack wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t happenstance or accidental. They planned it. Shouldn’t we have caught on to their behavior? Sensed something?
