The Chronicles of Fire and Ice (The Legend of the Archangel Book 1) (9 page)

Scarlett stormed bac
k into her room angry and upset. She realised she had to do what she did, but the whole situation frustrated her. She wanted to be with Dyston, but she couldn’t if he kept touching her like that, risking exposure. She needed to be alone. She threw her exercise gear on, grabbed her headphones, and ran out the door.

Her feet made a steady beat on the cobblestones as she jogged. She ran down all the small alleyways that surrounded the Academ
y, admiring the art and expelling her frustrations about Dyston and everything. She jumped down the stairs that led to the path that ran alongside the Yarra River. She headed left, jogging beside the chocolate-coloured river water. She ran until she could run no more until her leg muscles screamed in pain, and her lungs protested that they needed more air. She stopped in another alleyway, this one dark, the surrounding buildings cutting off the sun’s rays. She inhaled and exhaled trying to catch her breath until she felt a presence near her. She spun around and looked up but couldn’t see anything. Then she heard what sounded like the flap of wings above her head. The last thing Scarlett realised before everything went dark was that the shadow had no face.

After class
, Dyston made his way towards the dorms. Instead of climbing the last set of stairs towards the fourth floor, something told him to continue down the third floor hallway towards Scarlett’s room. When he got there, he found her door slightly ajar. He pushed it open.

“
Scarlett?” he called. When he didn’t hear a reply, he entered and found her room empty, with just her books and clothes scattered all over the bed and the floor. He immediately began to worry. He checked her wardrobe for missing clothes. He had come to know her habits and routines. He knew from watching her over the years that she owned pink
Nikes
. They were missing. He ran towards the French doors and pulled them open, unfurling his wings and leaping into the dusk sky.

Emer and Joshua walked briskly through the corridors towards the dorms whe
re they knew Dyston would be.

“
What if he’s not there?” Emer asked, panicking.

“
He will be. He’s a hermit, remember?” he joked. It was common knowledge that Dyston rarely came out of his room, apart from classes.”

“
But Del texted me that he and Scar had a huge fight today in
Traits 101
in front of everyone, including Professor Beth.”

“
Maybe he’s in Scarlett’s room and they’re making up?” Joshua suggested.

“
I don’t think so. It seemed like a pretty epic fight, from what I heard.”

“
What was it about?”

“
About… and I quote, ‘ever since you found out what I am, you haven’t left me alone.‘”

“
What she is?” Josh looked at her confused.

“
Yeah, didn’t you know? She’s a Legacy.”

“
It must have been something more than that. Lots of people are Legacies, and they’re not unique,” stated Joshua.

“
Well, maybe it’s her fire Trait. People also said that she caught on fire, and that Dyston put her out.”

“
Emer, did you just say
Fire Trait
?”

“
Yes... why?”

“
A Fire Trait is not an ordinary Trait. There’s only one kind of Angel that can develop a Fire Trait,” he told her, pulling her arm as he started to run.

“
What type of Angel, Josh? Why are we running?”

They rounded a corner and headed towards the administration buildings where the Professor dormitories were.

“We have to tell someone,” he told her.

“
Tell someone what, Josh?”

“
That Scarlett’s ‘The Legend,’” he replied. “It’s about time someone knows.

Emer was just about to speak
, but the door had opened ahead of him, and Lakyn had stepped out of it, blocking their path.

Darkness

Blackness swirled with grey in front of Scarlett’s eyes, and she didn’t know whether she was alive, dead, or dreaming. She felt softness underneath her and realised It couldn’t be all that bad. Her captors could’ve stashed her somewhere dark, musty, and uncomfortable. She flexed her fingers one by one to see if she had the freedom to move. She could. She tried to lift her arms, but felt resistance at her wrists. Something was binding them, and her ankles, too. She was stuck. Then she heard voices. They were coming closer. She squirmed in her bindings until a hand touched her arm. It was deathly cold.

“
Easy, don’t struggle,” the voice that belonged to the hand said. “Nothing you can do will free you of the bindings. They are made of Hell-Metal and are designed to withstand Heavenly Fire.”

“
Who are you?” she asked. Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. Her blindfold was removed, and suddenly, she could see. She had been laid in a bare white room and a hooded figure stood above her.

“
I am Abel. I’m here to help you,” he said as he dropped his hood.

Emer swallowed hard.

“Professor Lakyn. Do you know where your brother is? We need to speak with him urgently,” she asked.

“
No, I don’t. What is this about? Maybe I can pass on a message.”

“
It’s about Scarlett, but we should tell him ourselves. I think we’ll wait, thanks,” Emer replied. She grabbed Joshua’s arm and began to pull him away.

“
Wait. Is this about ‘The Legend’? Because, if it is, that is crucial information, and it should be shared with my Father.”

“
Um… did we say ‘The Legend,’ Emer?” Joshua asked, trying to cover himself.

“
No. We didn’t. I believe we said ‘Legacy.’ Right, Josh?”

“
Right.”

“
Don’t lie to me!” Lakyn growled, pinning Joshua to the wall. “Listen, I know all about ‘The Legend.’ I know who it is, so don’t play stupid with me.”

“
Let him go!” Emer screamed and ran into the nearest classroom.

“
Where is she?” he hissed in Joshua’s face.

“
We’re not telling you,” Joshua told him. Lakyn clenched his jaw and lifted Joshua up higher on the wall by his throat.

“
Put him down,” Emer told him calmly. Lakyn turned and saw her standing there in the entry to the Combat Room, holding an Archangel’s bow with the Tear Tip trained on him.

Lakyn snickered.
“You aren’t really going to shoot me, are you? You’ll be punished severely.”

“
I’ll take my risks,” she told him, pulling back on the bow-string. The next sound they all heard was a whistling through the air and Lakyn’s moan as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Joshua fell to his knees and Emer dropped the bow. It clattered to the ground as she ran to join Joshua. Then two sets of boots appeared beside them. Emer and Joshua glanced up and saw Kat and Jacob. It was Jacob who had fired the tranquilliser dart into Lakyn’s neck.

“
It’s only a sedative, and not a very strong one, in relation to angel blood, that is. He’ll burn it off soon,” Jacob told them as he lowered the dart gun. “We have to hurry.” He lifted Lakyn over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing at all, and Kat ran to join her friends.

“
Are you okay, Josh?” she asked.

“
Yeah, I’m okay now. Thanks.” He managed a smile while rubbing his sore neck. She helped him to his feet, and they followed Jacob.

“
You’re helping me? How are you helping me by keeping me tied up? And who are you people?” Scarlett demanded

“
We are a special sect dedicated to helping Angels with a true calling, like you,” replied Abel. Was he serious?

“
Look, I don’t believe you. And if you don’t let me go, you’ll have to deal with Dyston. He’s coming.” She struggled again, but this time she felt hot. She was burning up, and they would have to deal with it, she thought. She sent a silent prayer to Dyston.

Dyston flew over the
city tirelessly searching for Scarlett, but there was no sign—until he received a message.

“
Dyston, please help. I’m being held captive by a sect who says they help special angels.”

He immediately knew
who it was from.

“
Be strong,”
he told her.
“If they touch you, fight back. I believe in you.”

“
They have me shackled, and I’m burning up…”

“
Keep calm, breathe. Do you notice anything about your surroundings? Can you see a window?”

There were a few moments of silence, in which Dyst
on grew increasingly impatient. He wanted to murder the people who held her. He was thankful when he heard her again.

“
There’s one window. I’m surrounded by buildings.”

“
Describe them,”
he asked her.

“
Three buildings, almost joining, made of bluish glass. The smallest one has a tree on the top.”

Dyston flapped his mighty wings once and sped up, flying towards the main part of the Central Business District.

Jacob carried Lakyn down several flights of musty, dark, concrete stairs.

“
Where does this lead?” Kat asked. She stayed close by him.

“
To the cells. Long ago, they were built to hold angels who rebelled against the Realm of Fire, and who then decided to follow Lucifer,” Jacob told her. “Listen, you don’t need to come with me. You don’t need to see this.”

“
I want to. I’m not leaving you,” she told him, touching his arm. He managed a smile over Lakyn’s limp leg.

“
How long have you known what Lakyn was up to?”

“
I had a hunch from the beginning. As Dyston and I grew close, I began to notice things just by hanging out with the Blackbell brothers.”

“
Is Dyston evil, too?”

“
No, he’s the opposite. Although he has rebelled, and the Michaelites disagree, it’s for the greater good.”

“
Why did he rebel?” she asked, curious. Before Jacob could answer, Lakyn groaned.

“
We need to hurry,” Jacob told her, sprouting his wings. Kat gasped. She had never seen them before. They were as white as the clouds were when the sun hit them, and the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He lifted off the ground and flew down over the stairs and right into a cell, dumping Lakyn’s body. He quickly jumped out again and locked the Iron Gate behind him.

“
Why are you doing this?” Lakyn asked groggily.

“
To protect the good of all angel-kind,” Jacob told him, slipping his fingers through Kat’s.

“
There is no good anymore, only corruption and rebellion!” he spat, sitting up.

“
Dyston only rebelled against his Task because he fell in love with her,” Jacob said. Lakyn laughed, and Jacob immediately regretted telling him.

“
I always knew he was weak. That’s why his wings turned black,” he snickered. His laugh was sadistic.

“
Come on,” Jacob told Kat. “Let’s go find the others.” And they left the cells hand in hand, leaving Lakyn behind.

Dyston had the
city skyline in his sights. He zeroed his gaze in on a cluster of three buildings, one of which had a tree on top. That must be the one, he thought. He flapped his wing tips, which pushed him higher into the sky, and landed on one of the rooftops. But what he hadn’t noticed was that someone was already there waiting for him. He felt pain in his left wing and his world began to blur. He dropped to his knees and prayed.