What if Rio is seriously hurt and Miku can’t get there in time to heal him? What if Jay can’t fend off the Akons because of his wings? Will Ameana and Miku be okay against so many demons all at once? And Marcus, one miscalculation, one misstep and his wings could end up spread on the White Mountain in Difi…
The picture of the morose mountain made of Angel wings makes me queasy. My body pleads with me to slow down or better yet stop.
Emmy, keep going…
I order my legs to keep moving. The buildings go by me in a blur. I pay no attention to them or my screaming muscles. The burn inside my chest grows with every step I take, but I ignore that, too.
Then a few feet to the right of me, a man is set on fire. His cries fill the air. I look up and find Rage in the sky. He throws another fireball and the entire block goes up in flames. I run faster but I know it’s hopeless since I can’t match his speed.
The only advantage I have over Rage is that it is against the rules for him to use his powers in a big crowd of humans. I look around anxiously for the most crowded street I can find. In New York City that isn’t usually a problem but it wasn’t even day break yet.
Finally, I spot a group of guys at a warehouse loading and unloading their trucks. I run right into the warehouse and pray there are a lot more people inside. Thankfully there is. I stand in the middle of the floor. Rage and I now stand separated by a crowd of humans.
Rage stands outside just a few yards away from me. I can see from the look on his face, he’s thinking about whether or not to take the risk.
“Rage, don’t,” I say breathlessly. The crowd starts asking each other what’s going on.
Rage looks into my eyes.
“So, you really have it in there, don’t you?”
I don’t respond. He doesn’t need to know I’m scared. He doesn’t need to know that at any moment my legs are going to give out on me.
“We’re going to get it from you. We will tear into your flesh and pop out your eye balls,” he says with a sweet smile.
“Maybe. But not today”
He sneers at me and leaves. I’m so weak with relief, I sit on the ground and hold my head between my hands.
One of the workers come up to me and asks if I’m okay.
“Yes, thank you.”
He holds out his hand and helps me up.
“Was that guy your boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Good, I can tell from his face; he’s no angel.”
I shake my head and smile at the biggest under statement of the century. Once the sun comes up and the streets are filled with humans, I make my way to The Sage’s place. I am carful not to use any side streets or wander anywhere that’s isolated. By the time I get to the Sage, it’s nearly eight in the morning.
I knock on the door and the old lady with the kind face whose name we never know, lets me in. I don’t even get a foot in the door when Marcus moves in to hug me.
“I was gonna come look for you but we didn’t want to lead the Akons to you,” he explains.
I don’t have any words. I just want to stay in his arms but a thought jolts me out of Marcus’s embrace.
“Is Rio okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, I healed the cry baby,” Miku says.
“What? I healed you just last week when a Demon broke your legs.”
“It was just one leg and that took like ten seconds.”
As the Twins bicker on, I asked about Jay and Julian. Marcus told me they are in Daraquin getting treated but that they should be fine.
“We should take you there and have them look at you,” he says.
“I’m okay.”
He shakes his head but lets the subject go. Just seeing his beautiful face again, knowing that he’s standing there in front of me and not sprawled out on the sidewalk, dead…
I grab him and hug him again, as tight as I can. I whisper quietly in his ear and ask him to make a promise a leader fighting evil can never make.
“Don’t die, okay?” I ask softly.
He looks into my eyes and sees them swimming in tears.
“I won’t,” he swears.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I put my head on Marcus’s chest. I spot The Sage standing at the doorway. His expression is that of a boy who has read ahead in a story and knows it won’t end well. I turn and face the other way.
CHAPTER FOUR: PHIN
“We can’t stay here can we?” I ask.
“No. The Sage isn’t supposed to be taking sides,” Marcus confirms.
“So why is he helping us?”
“It’s not because he likes me, that’s for sure.”
The Twins and Ameana enter the tea room. It seems that every time we get life-altering news, it’s here. The Sage has decorated the room with plush furniture, a magnificent tea set, and a chessboard made out of pieces that represent Akons and Guardians.