Dark Destiny (42 page)

What was that?

Raphael inhaled a deep breath. “Probably Vlad taking his first step toward this room. He should be here any second.”

Kei and Obsidian stood as still as statues with slight, disturbing smiles on their faces.

What are the Shades waiting for?
Amblin asked.

“For Vlad to come stomping into this room and kill me. That way these two won’t have to get their precious hands dirty. Not that I imagine they’d mind.” Raphael rolled his neck. “But if they attack me, chances are one or both of them will die. Right guys?”

They didn’t bother to answer, only glared at him with hard, penetrating stares. Their lips twitched. Cocky smiles.

And you’re not concerned by this?

Boom.

Another step.

Louder.

Closer.

More sections of the ceiling fell. Cracks snaked up the walls. More rattling from the blasted tray. The chandelier tinkled, grating on his nerves.

“My safety is not my concern. The Revenant’s safety is.”

Well, your safety is
my
concern. And you won’t be able to help her if you’re dead.

Raphael smiled. “Don’t sound so worried.” He shrugged casually. “Besides, if I die, you’ll just get assigned to a different Angel. Maybe somebody of higher rank.”

I don’t want another Angel
, Amblin whined softly.

Shifting his eyes back and forth between Kei and Obsidian, the gears in his brain turned. Kei remained perfectly still while Obsidian rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. There had to be a way out of this situation. He shifted his eyes up, then down. There was hope yet. Would it work?

“Amblin, according to all the records, can Vlad fly?”

Checking . . . no.

“Perfect.” Raphael flipped his sword around so the hilt faced up. “Channel fifty percent of my power into my blade.”

Fifty percent? With that much power, you could bring down this whole building!

“Exactly.”

From within his mind, he felt her energy soften into a smile. She understood what he had in mind.

Do it
, Amblin said, the excitement in her voice evident.

Spinning the katana on its end, Raphael pointed the tip of the hilt skyward. White flame sparked to life and engulfed the entire blade.

The Shades each took a cautious step back.

Raphael widened his stance in anticipation of attack. He furrowed his brows at the Shades.

“You are lost souls,” Raphael said. “But you can still be so much more.”

Without waiting for their reply, he gathered his remaining energy and channeled it into his arms. Then he stabbed the ground with full strength. Even he was surprised by the noise that escaped his mouth—the sound of power.

The floor cracked open, and lines shot out all around the room like spider webs. White light shot up from the numerous cracks. Marble pillars broke apart. Chunks of the floor collapsed, one after another, crashing into the levels below. The back section of the room, where the Shades stood trying to maintain their balance, teetered, ready to plunge.

“Are you mad!” Obsidian shouted. “You’re going to bring the whole place down!” He flailed his arms, trying to hold his balance.

Kei shot Raphael a lethal smile. “Exactly.” He nodded once as the section they were standing on fell.

Raphael knew the Shades would be fine. They could fly out safely without being trampled by the building. As for Vlad . . .

At that moment, something burst through the disintegrating wall. Drywall dust exploded out, joining the rest of the debris from the collapsing room. Through the dust, Raphael made out something tall. It was at least twelve feet high. Covered in white powder and chunks of the wall, a black, heavily armored foot lunged forward. Scarlet lightning shot up from the shaky floor under the weight of the foot. Eyes like embers shone through the wall of dust.

Raphael brought his blade down once more. “This probably won’t put a dent on you. But at least it will slow you down. Till we meet again.”

The remains of the building tumbled to the ground.

Wednesday, 8:11 am (Purgatorium)

Caramel colored clouds swirled across the twilight horizon as Jared soared through the sky, the Revenant clutched in his powerful arms. The messenger bag with the snow globe flapped behind them. A loud air-raid siren, the same as the London Blitz, blared throughout the city. Below them, the ocean of shadowed buildings, resembling concrete and steel tombstones in a deserted graveyard, reaching toward the sky. A bass drum beat filled the streets, counterpointing the siren. One beat after another, the same as his heartbeat, if he still had one.

Behind them, the Transamerica Tower shook, rumbling that eventually gave way to a thunderous roar. As they flew over the decrepit city, the building behind them crumbled, collapsing in on itself, shaking the city. Dust and debris filled the streets below, flowing out from the center like an atomic shock wave. Pieces of the wreckage battered against Jared’s back, followed by a waste-filled wind erupting in full force. He curled his body around the Revenant to protect her. When the dust and wind began to settle he drifted down to land.

“Jared! What are you doing?” she yelled over the loud roar. Her hands gripped the front of his muscle-shirt, yanking.

“Just hang on,” he yelled back. “I’ll explain when we land.”

They landed on top of the Schaefer Tower, which Jared thought was likely the second tallest building in Baltimore. Flying was still new to him and he was forced to take a few balancing steps forward before setting her down.

“What is going on?” She pushed him away as soon as her feet touched the rooftop. “Look at you!” she cried, and her eyes took in the tight-fitting shirt, showing his ripped torso and biceps. The glowing white leaf tattoos snaked up his dark grey muscled arms. “You’re one of them? One of those . . . those
Shades
? The ones who wanted my Soul? What? How? This makes no sense! You’re supposed to Sebastian’s best friend!”

Lightning flashed above him, its shadow flickering across Jared’s face for a split second. Frustration creased his eyes. Thunder roared. Combing his fingers through his hair, he yelled, “Because, I know the truth!” He paused. “About everything! About you!”

She shook her head. “
What
? What does that even mean?”

“Just look,” he said quietly. He took the messenger bag off and offered it to her. She didn’t move. He sighed. “I can’t touch what’s inside because it’s from the Light, but you can.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just look in the damn bag!”

Rolling her eyes, she yanked it out of his hands. She flipped the top half open and peered inside. “The snow globe? But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.”

“It’s your memories. Your
true
memories. Concentrate on its center and let your mind do the rest.”

Her eyes shifted from the snow globe in the bag up to his face. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?”

“Because it doesn’t have to be. Get your memories and know the truth. Hurry.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out the snow globe. It pulsed in her hand almost like a heartbeat. The war siren and drums continued all around her, but Sara’s attention was solely fixed on the globe.

She squinted, trying to see through the haze that filled the glass. It was murky, like it had spent years sitting in an attic. Still, she stared. Something was there, deep inside, at the very center.

The haze cleared like fog dissipating in the sunlight. In the center of the snow globe sat a canoe. Sara blinked. It floated on a small body of water that was somehow separate from the water that filled the globe.

It flowed gently, always in one direction whether Sara moved the snow globe or not, as though the water was controlled by a force beyond her, beyond even the glass walls of the globe. Sara stared harder. In the canoe was a tiny man, perhaps a teenaged boy.

And he waved. At her.

Her eyes unfocused.

A rush came at her and she felt her stream of consciousness zoom with such speed she had to close her eyes. Then, all was still.

An eerie silence permeated her senses.

Then, a gentle breeze.

Cool air brushed lightly against her skin. Birds chirped.

Water lapped on a far shore.

She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. Bright sun. A deep green tree line off in the distance, the shadow of a mountain beyond. And water, all around. She was seated in a small canoe that rested in a calm, crystal clear lake. She could smell spring, plants pushing their way up through moist soil mixed with the rot of composting leaves, the fresh smell of life. Nothing like the cold night she left behind in Baltimore.

Warmth from the sun’s rays kissed her skin. The bright light reflected on her arms, making her feel like she were glowing.

“Beautiful.”

The voice came from the other end of the canoe. A boy about her age sat casually, his elbows resting on his knees. His longish black hair blew in the breeze. He wore a white shirt, jeans, and black, silver-studded wrist bands on both arms. Empty jars were scattered at his feet on the floor of the canoe.

“The lake?” she asked.

“No.” His lips curved into a half-moon, “You.”

Cheesy
, she thought, but she felt her face flush unconsciously. Her cheeks turned red and she couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips. It was silly. Lots of guys told Sara she was beautiful. Why did it mean so much more to her coming from this boy, this complete stranger? She let her eyes meet his. There was something about him, something awfully familiar.

He gave her a warm, lopsided smile. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

His smile widened. “Yes.” He leaned forward. “More than you know.”

She blushed again and turned away.
What is going on here?

She didn’t even know this guy’s name. She gazed down into the water, marveling at how remarkably clear it was. An open mouth bass brushed up next to the canoe before fading back into the water. This all seemed so familiar.

“I’ve been here before,” she said distantly.

“Yes,” he replied. “As a little girl, it was your favorite place to go. Horseback riding on the shore was your favorite hobby. You even had a favorite horse. His name was Gluey.”

“
Gluey
?”

“Your father called him that as a joke but you loved it. That was until
—
”

“I found out later what it meant,” she said softly. “I remember. I was so
—
”

“Horrified?”

All she could do was stare. “How do you know all this? Who are you?”

Sunlight glinted off his dark hair, causing it to shine, mesmerizing her. He didn’t answer. His face gave nothing away.

“O
kay
.”

Moments passed. Finally, he said, “I’m glad you got my message.” He paused. “I was wondering if we’d have the opportunity to talk.”

“Your message?”

“The snow globe.”

“You sent that?”

“From the Light, yes,”

“
You’re
from the Light.”

“Well, technically not
from
the Light. But I’ve been there. It’s nothing like this place.”

“Why this place?” she said, looking over the serene surface of the lake, the towering trees in the distance.

“You have a connection to this place. Or, I should say
we
have a connection here.”

She considered his words. “I feel something, like I’ve been here before . . . with you. Is that why you chose it?” She let her eyes meet his once more and her breath caught in her throat. Something about his eyes, the way he looked at her.

He shrugged. “I thought it would be appropriate. This is where it happened.”

There was caution in her tone. “Where
what
happened?”

When the boy turned away, Sara remembered some minor detail about him. He had a penchant for building snow globes.

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

“Why won’t you answer me?” she asked gently.

He breathed in deeply, a pained expression on his face. She knew he wanted to tell her something, but he wouldn’t. Or couldn’t.

“Because,” he said, “it has to come to you on its own. That way, you’ll know it’s real.”

Know it’s real?
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Know what’s real?”

His eyes sunk to the canoe floor. He took one of the jars and twisted the cap off. He set both back down. He repeated the process once more with another jar, the clink of the metal lid and glass on the wood were the only sounds.

Sara sighed. She knew the answers were here, she could feel them. She just needed to find them. Somehow, she was going to get this boy to tell her.

At the tree line, a sharp noise made her jump. Black birds sang a chorus of ka-kaws from high in the canopy, the branches swaying back and forth. The whooshing sound of flapping wings hit her ears as a flock of blackbirds flew overhead.