Fallen Angel

I woke up with a pounding headache. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even move. When I opened my eyes I immediately threw up my arms to block the sun beating down on my face. I groaned and rolled onto my side, attempting to escape the light. I felt strong hands catch me as I began to fall and looked up into familiar pale eyes. "Careful, Aurie."
I jerked back, sitting up on the couch as I did so. I glared at him, though I wasn't really mad at him. I knew it wasn't really his fault he'd flipped out, so much as it was mine for provoking him. I knew I shouldn't have done that. Not that I wouldn't and didn't do things like that anyways.
I could tell Kian had seen the guilt in my eyes and was about to say something, but I quickly said "how long was I out this time?"
Kian shook his head in disbelief, before looking up to meet my gaze that now held no trace of any guilt. "Seven days. You had Jethro quite worried. As well as the rest of us."
I arched an eyebrow. "The rest of you? As in-?"
Kian nodded. "Yes. All of us. As in Alasdair, Camden, me, Naois, Niall, Seoras, Tocuil, Nalani, Jakori, and Valor."
I stared at him in shock. "They're back? Wait. I didn't hear you name any of the Halfs. I thought you said Jethro was here. If he was, then Ezra and Kate would be here as well."
Kian shrugged and sat down wearily on the floor, leaning against the couch. "Kate and Ezra. . ." He sighed. "They are with Cearbhall. Ashlin and Daylin convinced them. Necrosis helped, I believe." He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against my knee. I frowned as I began running my fingers through his choppy dark hair. "Our group is becoming a lot smaller."
I sighed as I settled myself on a pillow, knees pulled slightly up with my feet hanging off the edge of the couch as I continued to run my fingers through Kian's hair. "I know. But what are we to do? We can't recruit humans. And, unless we manage to find those three Angels that were rumored to have fallen, and manage to convince them to join us, how much will that help us? There isn't really anything that we can do."
Kian nodded, but the movement was slow. "I know. But we have to try. There are humans like you. That have a Curse and a Demon. I only wish we knew why. It might help with our situation."
I nodded. "Maybe. But it is very rare to find them. They're usually pegged with mental disabilities and hard to get to, even if we can manage to find them." I yawned, blinking.
Kian didn't move and his breathing had slowed into its regular rhythm. I smiled. He must not have slept for a while. He usually didn't just fall asleep, not like Camden. Camden's Demon was Exhaustion, so he was always tired and randomly falling asleep. Which really sucked during fights. I sighed and carefully slid off the couch, so as not to wake Kian up.
I stood up and stretched, suppressing a yawn. Sometimes I really hated my visions. Okay, most of the time. It was always painful and I didn't always remember what they were. In a way, I could be as useless as Camden was if he fell asleep during a fight. Not that I'm trying to say Camden is useless. He isn't. Not at all.
I sighed at my jumbled thoughts and walked towards the door, wincing as the stiffness faded from my joints. As soon as I walked through the door I heard someone call my name, softly as if they knew Kian was sleeping not too far away. I turned slightly to the left, the direction I had heard the voice come from. Camden smiled tiredly through the exhausted state I knew he was always in. I smiled and walked towards where he was standing in a small box-like corner by a window that was shrouded in shadows.
I leaned against the wall opposite Camden and he stared at me, light blue eyes tired. I crossed my arms. "Are you alright, Cam?"
He shrugged. "About the same as always. How are you? Do you remember the vision this time? I have a feeling whatever it was it is very important."
I shrugged, knowing very well that whenever he got a feeling like this and it didn't work out the way he thought it would we were all screwed. At least I didn't think he'd ever been wrong. I seriously doubted it. Camden was never wrong. Or if he was it hadn't been over something huge.
I watched Camden carefully. He seemed to be studying me as well, but with him it was hard to tell. Well, actually, with any of them it was hard to tell. When he finally spoke it wasn't what I had expected. "So you heard about Kate and Ezra, did you?"
I nodded, smiled sympathetically, and cleared my throat. "What's really going on? They would never leave us willingly. Not the Kate and Ezra I know. Not now. Not when we've heard there are three Angels that have fallen, one especially powerful."
Camden shrugged. "It is nearly impossible to know. Not unless you can contact them. Which I highly doubt. Cearbhall will have them under surveillance and will probably be trying to get information on us from them."
I snorted. "As if they would tell that jackass anything. Even if by chance they did betray us, they wouldn't tell Cearbhall and his idiots anything."
A smile pulled Camden's lips upward. "If you ever said that in Cearbhall's presence he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I believe he thinks of you as one of his greatest rivals. Even though you are human."
"Half," I inserted quietly.
Camden sighed, shaking his head. "We aren't even sure what the Halfs are. We just know that you and a few other humans have a Demon and a Curse. We don't know how or why. And right now that isn't really our biggest priority. We really need to find those Angels. I also believe we have pinpointed where they will emerge. Where the Gateway is located. You may be there if you wish, though it could be a while."
I crossed my arms. "Who else is going?"
Camden smiled tiredly. "Besides me? Alasdair, of course. Naois, Niall. Kian's staying here. We don't want to scare them off. Seoras is staying as well, for the same reason. Tocuil is going. Jakori is going. Nalani is going to go, for comfort if they are women." He snorted. "Not that that would actually provide much comfort. And Valor is undecided. He said he would wait until you chose." Camden shrugged. "You know how he is. Always worried about the hum-Halfs."
I laughed quietly. "Yes, I do know how he is. And everyone." I looked down. "I think the vision was important this time." I placed my hands on either side of my head, staring into Camden's eyes. "But I can't grasp it."
Camden straightened and walked over to me. He stopped in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Would you like me to help?"
I kept staring into his eyes. "How can you help? Your Curse or Demon can't help me. No one who lives here can. Except maybe myself." I laughed drily. "Unless Kian can charm it out of me."
Camden arched an eyebrow at me before his eyes lit up and he turned and started down the hall. I took a step after him. "Cam. . . I know what you're thinking. Don't do it."
Camden didn't even pause as he reached the door. A moment later he dragged a very annoyed-looking and half asleep Kian out of the room. I sighed and pressed the palm of my hand against my forehead. Camden was truly an idiot. I glared at him as he deposited Kian on the floor in front of me. I glanced at Kian before continuing to glare at Camden. "I was joking."
Camden grinned. "But-"
I held my hand up. "I. Was. Joking."
Camden's smile faded, but it was still there in his eyes. I sighed, choosing to do that instead to kick him somewhere he didn't want to be kicked. As if sensing where my thoughts were and were headed Camden backed up a few steps and Kian grinned, leaning back on his elbows, legs splayed out. I debated kicking him somewhere, too. I quickly decided against it. We would never hear the end of that. Never.
I took a deep breath, attempting to keep a grip on my patience, but it was quickly slipping away. I offered Kian a hand to help him up. He just stared at it. I suppressed an annoyed hiss and grabbed his wrist, hauling him roughly to his feet. I then leaned against the wall, arms crossed across my chest. Men!
~~~~
"They're your brothers?" I asked quietly, shock and surprise clear in my voice and eyes. "How is that?"
Apphia shrugged, looking away. "They just are. Don't ask questions." She walked away from me, pacing quietly. "You don't want to talk about why you fell. Neither do I."
I sighed and moved to lean against the wall. I watched Apphia quietly as she got her frustration out in her pacing. After a while, I decided to say something. "If I tell you why I fell, you'll tell me what I need to know."
Apphia froze, turned towards me, and stared. I shrugged, trying not to meet her gaze. Apphia walked quietly over to me and leaned against the wall next to me, before sliding down to sit on the floor. I sat next to her. "First of all," she murmured. "You don't need to know anything. You want to know it. And, second, I know you don't really want to tell me."
I shrugged. "But I will. If you agree to tell me what I want to know."
Apphia shook her head in frustration. "That's not the problem." She took a deep breath and was silent for a few minutes before she continued. "The problem is that you think that why you fell is horrible. I don't really know what your reason is, but it probably wasn't all your fault. I know my reason is so much worse. I fell just to be with my brothers."
I stared at her. Her eyes agreed with what she had said, but I could tell she wasn't telling me everything. "Apphia. . . That isn't all, is it? There's another reason."
Apphia shrugged, carefully avoiding my gaze. "Tell me your reason first. Then I'll tell you more, including answering all of your questions. Then we need to find Emeyo. I'm beginning to get worried. She has been gone for quite a while."
I nodded. "I fell in love." I turned to her. "Okay. I told you. Your turn."
Apphia shook her head, a smile pulling at her lips. "No. You aren't getting out of it-or anything-that easily. Who did you fall for?" She laughed at her own joke.
I glared at her. "That isn't funny."
Apphia sobered. "I'm sorry. Of course it isn't. Continue." She smiled. "Please."
I sighed and leaned my head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. "Her name is. . . Well, I'm not sure exactly. I know what she looks like and that she prefers to be with certain strange fallen warriors, instead of with humans. She is what they call a Half, which means she has a Demon and a Curse. Her brother is very. . .strange. For a human. He is called Jethro, I believe. There were two other humans with her when I saw her last, but they seemed. . .distant. Distracted. I believe they were planning to join Cearbhall. He and Alasdair are enemies and lead different groups of the fallen, it seems." I glanced over at Apphia. "They are all very strange. There were sixteen with Alasdair, including himself and the humans, and seventeen with Cearbhall. Things may have changed, though. I do not know."
When I had fallen silent Apphia just stared ahead, seeming to see nothing. I sighed. Maybe I had said too much. It was hard to tell.
After a few minutes I heard Apphia's voice, small and quiet. "They're fighting against each other now? When did that happen?"
I think they were rhetorical questions, but I couldn't resist the urge to answer them. "It's-well, do you really want to know?" At Apphia's nod I continued. "When they fell a long time ago they both felt betrayed, but it was always worse for Cearbhall. He felt like the only thing he had left in the world was his brother. Then. . . Well, Alasdair fell in love. Cearbhall felt betrayed. He killed her. Then they discovered their Curses. . .and Demons. Both of their Curses. . . Well, they keep them from touching other people. If Cearbhall touches someone he drains their life energy. If Alasdair touches someone they literally begin to turn into shadows. And what you said about the Voices. . . Well, it was mostly true. They are really Demons, but you hear their voices, so it was an accurate guess."
Apphia stared at the floor. "So they are really Cursed, then? I had heard rumors, but. . . I refused to believe any such nonsense. I would not believe my brothers had turned on one another. In a way it is a betrayal to me. I-I am not sure I will be able to face them now that I know the truth."
"Well," I began, "there is a dilemma. You will have to pick a side. Alasdair and good or Cearbhall and evil."
Apphia didn't move as she spoke. "I will choose good. I won't join the side that hates everything that we-that we used to represent. I can't."
I just watched her, unsure what to say. How to comfort her. I knew she needed to be comforted, but what in the world could I say that would help? She had just found out that her brothers were in a major war in a battle zone that they had created. Though I wasn't sure whether or not she knew the state Earth was in because of her brothers. If not, it was best I kept it to myself.
Apphia finally looked up and met my gaze. "Do you suppose we should go look for Emeyo, now?" She stood. "And you didn't even need me to answer your questions. You already knew the answers."
I stood up and looked at her. "What? I did, didn't I? I didn't even realize that I knew the answers. That is strange."
Apphia crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at me. "You really didn't know that you knew the answers to your own questions? That is weird. Very weird." Apphia shrugged, shaking it off. "Well, there is nothing we can do now. Except maybe find Emeyo." She glanced at the wall behind her, to the right of the one we had been sitting against. "Unless she finds us first."
I glanced at the wall, then back to Apphia's face. She smiled reassuringly, but it was weak and didn't reach her eyes. I wasn't reassured at all. If anything, it only made me more afraid and nervous. I stiffened as a low, piercing, mournful howl resounded throughout the room, echoing in my ears. Apphia had her hand on my own in a moment. I looked over at her. "It's okay. Don't worry. But we need to go out there. I think Emeyo's in trouble and needs us."
I blinked, then quickly nodded. "I'll follow you. You would know better than I where we should look."
Apphia nodded and started towards one of the walls. She placed her hands, palms down, against the wall. She hesitated. "Do me a favor and tuck your wings tight against your back. It will be the safest path possible to keep you from the same fate that struck me."
I nodded and carefully folded my wings against my back, for a second struck my the black of the feathers, instead of silvery-white that they had been before. I shook my head before walking over to stand behind Apphia. She smiled sadly. "I am afraid the color is a hard thing to get used to. I didn't even get fully used to it before I lost my own wings." She looked down. "I just want to protect you-and anyone else-from what I had to go through."
I placed my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. If we can help it, no one else will. You shouldn't have had to go through any of what you did, either. I hope that you never have to face such pain ever again."
Apphia glanced up and met my gaze. A half smile formed on her face. "Thank you." She looked back to the wall. We can go right through the wall. But just be warned. . .it will not be easy to do anything, including breathe. It will be hard." She glanced at me. "Are you ready?"
I took a deep breath before nodding. "Will we be able to find Emeyo?"
Apphia shrugged, turning back to face me. "I. . .don't know. I hope we can. But in a situation like this it is very hard to tell what we will be able to do. I think we have a good chance, especially if she wants to find us, or is even looking for us. And the fact that she can teleport will definitely be helpful. But her. . .Voice, or Demon, whichever way you look at it, is Fury, and that attracts the other Demons. I know she can defend herself, but it still worries me."
I let a small half-smile form on my face. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a warrior, isn't she? She'll be alright. I'm sure of it."
Apphia nodded, but she didn't smile. She turned back to glare at the wall, her gaze seeming to bore through it. "We have to go out there. You know that. Don't you?" I whispered, clenching and unclenching my hands into fists.
Apphia took a deep breath and didn't say anything for a while. She took another deep breath." Yes," she whispered, "I know that."
~~~~
We had been watching the Gateway for over twenty-four hours. I was beginning to get majorly bored. I sighed and leaned my head back against the tree. Alasdair was still pacing back and forth in front of the Gateway. The sun had gone down about half an hour ago and it was almost completely dark. I sighed and looked around. Cam, Valor, and Aurnia hadn't gotten here yet. Alasdair was still upset over what had happened when Aurnia's vision had hit the other day. I-or anyone else, really-wasn't sure what to say to him.
I looked over at Niall and silently-as I always was; damn Demon's fault-got to my feet. I walked over to my twin brother and stood behind him. As if sensing my presence he turned around, a worried smile plastered on his face. I sighed. He was always so happy. It only depressed me more. I just wished I could talk to him. I hadn't talked in over ten years.
"Naois? Are you okay?"
I shrugged. Are you okay? I signed the words quickly. I preferred to sign, rather than to suffer the pain that talking caused. Besides, Niall had quickly picked up on the signs that I used and translated them. He was usually my translator for the others, though some of them had picked up on the language as well.
Niall shrugged. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad you stopped trying to murder Kian. That might not have ended well. For him, at least."
I let a smile pull my lips upward. You know I would have killed him without a second thought. He tried to kill you.
Niall sighed. "We both know it was accidental. As if we've never gotten out of control of our Demons or Curses. You know as well as I do that it is not that hard to lose control."
I shrugged and walked back over to sit next to the tree I had been next to before. I sat down and leaned back against the tree. Niall followed me and sat next to me. He looked over at me. "You need to stop being so anti-social."
I arched an eyebrow at him. "You want me to stop being anti-social? You want me to be in pain?" I said quietly.
I doubled over in pain as it speared through my stomach and spiraled throughout my body. Niall placed his hand on my shoulder and rubbed my back. I straightened and took a deep breath before looking over at my twin brother. Niall automatically smacked me across the face. "You idiot."
I blinked and clenched my hands into fists at my side. "Was that absolutely necessary?" I muttered, trying-and failing-to ignore the pain. I winced slightly, which almost earned me another smack. I grabbed Niall's wrist right before his hand connected with my face. Again.
Niall met my annoyed and pained gaze chocolate brown gaze with one of his own. We had Twin Empathy so of course he could feel all of my pain. Just as whenever he was in pain I could feel all of it. I sighed, and even that caused a little jolt of pain to go through me.
Niall crossed his arms. "Stop that. Stop making noise. It's painful enough to have to watch you be in pain, it's worse that I have to feel it myself."
I shrugged. You'll live. If I can live through it, so can you. I signed quickly.
Niall rolled his eyes. "You really annoy me sometimes." He leaned his head on my shoulder. "It's a good thing we're related or we might have already killed each other."
I snorted, but didn't bother to sign what I was thinking. Niall had already closing his eyes and his breathing was slowing down slightly. I knew he was tired and must already be asleep. I suppressed a sigh as I continued to look around. Alasdair was still pacing. Tocuil was leaning against a tree nearby, talking with Jakori. I was sure Nalani was scouting around somewhere. Usually Jakori was with her, but for now he was just staying where he was.
I was starting to get bored, and probably would have gotten up, if Niall hadn't been asleep on my shoulder. It wasn't that I minded. I didn't. I was just restless. It was late and I preferred to be awake at night and asleep during the day. I was just weird like that, I guess.
"Hey, Naois."
I looked up as Nalani appeared next to me. Hey, Nalani. I signed. What's up?
Nalani smiled. She was black, like Jakori, with waist length black hair and eyes that were silver now, but would most likely be dark blue later. She also had three silver dots on her forehead, but we weren't sure why they were there. Her black wings were tucked tight against her back. She wore a simple black tank top that dipped to about the middle of her back and tied behind her neck, and black shorts. She wore no shoes. Hardly ever did.
Nalani pushed her hair back and watched me with her strange eyes. My gaze almost immediately strayed to the three dots on her forehead. Nalani arched an eyebrow at me. "And how many times have you seen them? I think you must have them memorized by now."
I shrugged, then glanced down at Niall as he groaned and shifted. I sighed. Nalani, what is the point of you bothering me? Do you actually have something important you need to tell me?
Nalani shook her head. "Not particularly, no. I just don't feel like going back over there. You are much more entertaining to talk to." She smiled at her own joke. "Besides, I was going to tell you that you really shouldn't torture Niall like that. You know how much it hurts him to see you in pain. Don't deny it. I know you do. I also know that it hurts him more to see you in pain than it does for him to actually feel the pain."
I nodded. Nalani sighed and turned around, starting back over to the others. She was probably going to attempt to calm Alasdair, which would not work. At all. It was nearly impossible. I grabbed her ankle. Nalani turned. "I suppose you are going to tell me that I shouldn't try to help Alasdair calm down." Her stare turned hard. "I don't care. I'm going to continue to try to help him. As long as I can."
You love him, don't you?
Nalani's eyes narrowed. "I do not. Now stop it. I know he doesn't care for me that way. And I don't love him. Just drop it."
I smiled and was about to sign something else when there was a loud thrumming sound and the ground suddenly burst open. Niall sat up straight. "No!"
I turned to stare at Niall before my attention turned to the two-no, three-women who had just burst out of the ground. I gasped as Alasdair stopped dead in his tracks. We all knew the woman he had fallen in love with so long ago had been killed a long time ago, but. . .
One of the women who had just come out of the ground looked exactly like Sophia Greane. The human woman that Alasdair had fallen for and Cearbhall had killed. The only problem was she had black wings tucked behind her back and she was wearing warrior clothes.
She was a fallen Angel.