Blood of Destiny (Witch Fairy #6) Page 15

  “What kind of crimes did they commit?”

  “You cannot expect me to speak of them all, but common crimes include: exposing themselves to lower life forms, exerting their will upon others, changing destinies and attempts to kill other Angels. Some were successful with the latter.”

  Angels killing each other? I’ve seen movies with that plot line but I never thought it was true. “Why would an Angel want to kill another Angel?”

  Ambriel gives me a ‘we don’t have time for this look’ but he tells me anyway. “Again, there are many reasons. If another Angel has caught them doing something against the rules. Or if there is jealousy or anger when another Angel is promoted or holds a prestigious position. There are some who may have been created with evil in their souls causing them to lash out at others.”

  Gee, those reasons sound familiar. “So basically you guys kill each other for the same reasons us ‘lower beings’ do.”

  I know he is dying to say no. I can even see his tongue and lips in the ‘n’ position. Instead, he pushes his lips into a grim line for a moment. Finally, he says, “Yes, but there is a difference.”

  Okay, he’s got my attention. “What’s the difference?”

  “When the body of a lesser soul is killed, it is judged and moves on. When an Angel is killed, there is no place in creation for it to go. It is forced to linger much the same way your friend Nixie does.” I rescued Nixie from the Shadow world and she lingers as a tiny spirit, not a ghost. She can communicate but she cannot be seen. Currently, she’s off exploring the Fairy realm.

  “Why is that such a bad thing?” It’s not like they’re sent to hell.

  Snarky look. He’s good at them. “As if being doomed to spend eternity as a spirit is not bad enough,” he pauses to give me an even snarkier look, “the spirit of an Angel must constantly be on the run from the dark Angels.”

  He stops talking. Why would he stop talking after saying that? “Why?”

  He sighs again. “Because Angels are able to absorb the spirit of a deceased Angel, tearing it apart and garnering its strength and power for themselves.”

  Huh. I wonder how many more murders there would be if humans could do that with other humans. “That sucks.”

  He cocks his head. “Indeed.”

  “You still didn’t tell me how they got out. And why are they here?”

  “They were released from their exile by a powerful Angel.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “No, no, no. I cannot give away everything. Just remember, you still have that final favor to grant me.”

  My mouth drops open. “There are dark Angels and Gargoyles at my house and you’re still worried about that stupid favor?”

  “If I were you, I would be very careful with the Gargoyles. They can be cunning when they want to be. They are also impervious to magic.” And now he’s gone. Jerk. I wish I could send him to Angel hell.

  Chapter 19

  Since I don’t know my way through the woods, the only way for me to get back to the house is the beach, which will put me in full view of the Gargoyle. Well, Gargoyles since there are now three of them. My heart is pounding in my chest as I walk towards them. I’ve seen pictures of Gargoyles but they did not do them justice. They are so much uglier in person. Their bright gold eyes follow me every step of the way back to the house. The super quiet house. Something is definitely wrong. I was sure that Kallen would be on the terrace waiting for me to come back but there’s no sign of him or anyone else. I need to get into that house because I’m sure that whoever brought the Gargoyles is in there with my family and friends. And I don’t think they came for tea.

  I stumble a couple of times because I am paying way more attention to the horrendous lumps of Gargoyle than where I’m walking. I can’t really tell what their skin looks like because it’s so dark, but I think it’s scaly. And their joints creak loudly when they move. How do I know this? Because one is flying towards me. Fast.

  I drop to my knees and cover my head with my arms as I pull magic to keep myself from being pierced with its claws. His four inch claws that are really better described as talons. It also has incisors that are almost the same length.

  Standing up still encased in a magical bubble, I try to see which way it went. It didn’t go back to the roof with its friend. A shrill screech from behind me warns me that it’s not gone. Even in my magic bubble, I’m terrified. I drop to my knees again and cover my head. He is freakin’ scary!

  Gathering my courage, I pull more magic and I send it out towards the Gargoyle. I don’t care what Ambriel said. My magic circle seems to be keeping them at bay. Unfortunately though, it moves too fast for me to hit it.

  His friends decide to join him in scaring me. They fly off the roof and I try flinging magic at them but like the first one, they’re way too fast. What am I going to do? I need to get to the house if there are dark Angels in there, but dropping my magical bubble so I can walk doesn’t seem like a good idea. I keep flinging magic, but all I’m doing is creating waves and blowing up trees and not hurting the Gargoyles one little bit. I’m trying to be careful and not hit the house, and I think they’ve figured that out because they are circling around it, taunting me.

  This is ridiculous. I refuse to be intimidated anymore by creatures that are half my size. I just have to figure out a way to be as fast or faster than they are. A thought hits me and a smile builds on my face as the Gargoyles are make another sweep over my head.

  Kallen told me this should come naturally. It’s a part of who I am now. Looking inside of myself, I call to my Pegasus form. Instantly, my body changes. It happens faster this time. It’s almost instantaneous. I’m ready for the stupid Gargoyles now. I may not be able to use magic against them but I now have other weapons. I have wings and hooves.

  When my transformation is complete, I let go of my magic circle. Spreading out my wings, I start to fly as a Gargoyle comes at me. I’m not fast enough and I get a little gash from its claws. That’s enough motivation for me to flap my wings faster, learning balance and navigation with them as fast as I can. I’m a little shaky at first and another Gargoyle is able to get another swipe in. Damn it. I’m bleeding from that one and it really hurts.

  Pushing any other thought out of my mind, I focus on my enemy. I watch how they turn and swoop and find their rhythm. It turns out that when I want to be, I’m faster than the little buggers. It’s my turn now to swoop down at them. I clip one of their wings with my hoof eliciting a loud screech from it. I see why when it falls to the ground. I think I broke its wing. It’s dragging on the ground as it screeches up at me.

  Taking advantage of my distraction, a Gargoyle gets a good swipe at my hind quarters. I have hind quarters. That’s kind of funny. Maybe I’ll refer to my butt that way from now on. After I get these other two Gargoyles and take care of the dark Angels.

  I round on the one that just scratched me and I fly right at it. It holds its ground as we play magical creature chicken. I’m determined to win. It figures that out and tries to fly backwards but it’s not fast enough. I’m on it in no time and use my hooves to throw it to the ground. It lands awkwardly on its wing and leg. Pretty sure both are broken. I really don’t like hurting any creature and I’d feel badly about it if they weren’t trying to kill me. Or eat me. I’m not sure exactly what Gargoyles do with their prey.

  One more. One more and I can figure out what’s going on in the house. I circle around to the last spot I saw it, but it’s not there. Moving my big white ears backwards and forwards, I listen for the flapping of its little wings and the creaking of its joints in the wind. There, behind me. It’s hiding in a tall tree. It is a cunning little thing. It knows that with my large body, I can’t get through the branches like it can. I swear it’s laughing at me as it moves to another tree a little deeper into the woods.

  What it hasn’t figured out is that I don’t need to chase after it into the woods. It may be impervious to magic, but the trees aren’t. Baring my teeth in a h
orsy smile, I send out a blast of magic that makes the tree it’s hiding in fold backwards and it’s forced to hold on or fall to the ground. Not for long, though. As soon as I let the tree go, the Gargoyle is catapulted back towards me. The force of the action is too great for it to flap its little wings hard enough to change course. It’s flying right towards me. I rear up and when it’s close enough, I kick it as hard as I can. It tumbles out of the sky in an instant, joining its friends on the beach, nursing its injuries.

  I kind of feel bad. I’ve never hurt an animal before. But then again, are Gargoyles really animals? I don’t know. They felt more like stone than flesh and blood but they could just have a hard exterior and be soft underneath. Kind of like an M&M©. Either way, I still feel mean as I look at the pathetic creatures struggling to fly and not being able to even get off the ground. Maybe I’ll heal them later. Right now, it’s time to face the Angels.

  Chapter 20

  I mean to land gracefully, I really do. But meaning to and actually doing it are two different things. Maybe it would have worked better if I wasn’t landing in sand. Because of how my wings are structured, my hind legs hit first and they slide in the sand. When my front legs come down with a dull thump, I end up sitting rather painfully on my tail as I come to an abrupt halt. Not being used to having four legs, I try to stand up with my front while my back legs are still kind of under me. It doesn’t work. It does make me fall to the side, though. Great. How am I supposed to get up now? I try to bite my bottom lip to ponder the situation, but I can’t quite get it to my teeth. That’s probably a good thing because I can chomp down pretty hard with these horsey teeth, so it probably would have hurt.

  As I consider the ways that I can get up from this position, a thought dawns on me. Why am I still a horse? It’d be a lot easier to stand up if I only had two legs.

  With a thought, my body begins to shrink and I have less and less white hair covering me. My wings disappear with a pop and I am left lying naked in the sand. I’m so glad it’s dark out here. Concentrating as hard as I can, I dress myself in dark jeans and a black t-shirt. Appropriate attire for fighting dark Angels, right?

  Picking myself up with ease now, I brush the sand off from me with my hands. I give the Gargoyles a glance where they’re still stranded on the beach. They’re not going anywhere. Turning my back to them, I walk to the terrace steps and into the house.

  I expect to see everyone bound and gagged and sitting on the floor or tied to chairs. That’s not what I find. I find everyone in a seldom used living room with three people I don’t know leaning against the far wall. The people I do know are sitting perfectly still on the couches that are strewn around the room. Kallen, Kegan and Alita are on one. Isla and Tabitha are on another. Ray, Zoe and Raziel are on the one closest to the three standing. Mom and Dad are hovering in a corner. As I look closer at all of them, I can tell something’s wrong. They may not be bound and gagged, but they’re in a comparable state. I’m pissed now.

  “Nice moves as the horse,” a tall woman with fiery red hair says in a teasing voice.

  I wish I gave good glares. I don’t. Instead, I’ll go with sarcasm. “Thanks. That was the end of this evening’s entertainment, so you can go now.”

  She smiles and it doesn’t even look sinister. Amazing how Angels can look so…well, Angelic even when they’re up to something terrible. She’s wearing a long flowing dress that matches her hair perfectly and it looks just right on her. “Before we have had a chance to talk? That would be rude.”

  “I’m okay with it. You go right ahead and be rude. I’ll let it slide this time.”

  “You are a witty child. I believe we will get along fabulously.”

  Yeah, I don’t think so. “Why would I want to be around you long enough to determine if we would get along fabulously or not?” I think it’s a valid question.

  She laughs the pretty little Angel laugh and her two friends join in. One is average height with a rugged looking face, brown hair and yellow and green eyes. He’s wearing dark pants and a tan button down shirt. I could easily picture him as a cowboy. The other is a woman with long, flowing blonde hair and brown eyes that capture your attention and hold it. She’s wearing what looks like a cocktail dress. It’s all shiny and red, and cut too low and too high at the same time. Way too much cleavage and leg showing to consider her actually dressed. Okay, looking at them and talking to them, despite the almost nonexistent dress on the one, it would be really hard to tell that they’re Angels let alone if they are light or dark Angels.

  “Xandra, we have come to offer you the deal of a life time. Well, eternity, so many lifetimes. We have been observing you for some time and I believe we can make everything right again.”

  I scowl. “What do you mean ‘everything right again?’” And what is it with Angels watching me? Soon, I’m going to be too paranoid to go the bathroom for fear an Angel is looking at me through a peep hole in the realm.

  “Please, have a seat so we can talk,” she says pointing to one of the empty couches. I have yet to figure out why Isla has filled this room with so much furniture since no one ever uses it. It does look cool, though. I guess she was going for the aesthetic value rather than usability.

  “If I sit down am I going to end up frozen like them?” I swing my arm around towards the people I love.

  The red-haired Angel waves her hand as if I’m being silly. “Of course not. That would make it a little difficult to converse.”

  True. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, though. “I think I’d rather stand.”

  She tilts her head and nods. “As you wish.”

  “So, how do I get you guys to leave?”

  She smiles. “We will leave after we have had our discussion.” She may be smiling but there’s razor sharp steel in her words. “Hopefully, you will choose to leave with us.”

  “Or I’ll be forced to leave with you?”

  She shakes her head. “No, Xandra. We will not force you to do anything you do not wish to do.”

  What a refreshing thought. I’d be daft to believe it, but still refreshing. “Okay then, talk.”

  She eyes me for a moment before saying, “I understand that we are making you uncomfortable. Hopefully, what I have to say will make you more at ease with us. We have come to help you.”

  I snort. “Yeah, that’s why everyone I care about is sitting motionless around me.”

  She ignores that statement. Sitting down and motioning for the others to do so as well, she says, “Your fate, like all the others, was predetermined. You were destined to walk a path of greatness; a prophetess of sorts for humanoids. But on a dark day in our history, your destiny was changed by magical intervention.”

  I barely restrain the eye roll that’s pulling against my eye muscles. “Sure it was.” That was pure sarcasm. How much crap does she expect me to believe? “How can magic be used to change destinies? Did Ambriel’s little rock suddenly change the course of my life?”

  “Magic knows no boundaries, Xandra. It is the limitation of our minds that creates impenetrable walls of restriction.” I think I understood that. What impresses me the most is that she managed to say that without coming off as condescending or arrogant. “And it is not Ambriel who has affected your destiny.”

  Then what is she talking about? “So, you think someone changed my destiny magically. Am I not supposed to be the first born Witch Fairy or something?”

  She smiles softly. “No, that part did not change. You were always meant to be the being of three magical heritages.”

  My frown deepens. “Then how can you say that my destiny was altered? And who altered it?” For the first time, her smile looks sad as she prepares her answer in her mind. Yeah, I’m not buying the sad act yet.

  “You were torn from your true destiny by one whom you care for and respect, and by an Archangel. They did this for their own personal reasons.”

  I’m running through my mind to figure out who would have the power and the inclination to change
my destiny to help them out. I can’t think of anything those around me have gained from me being the way I am, except stress and trouble. “Will you please stop stalling and just tell me?” I have to add, “Do your friends talk? Because they’re really starting to creep me out just sitting there and staring at us.”

  The male one inclines his head with a nod. “Rest assured, we do speak. It was simply easier to designate one of us to tell the story.”

  “To change your destiny, the magic needed to come from someone powerful in each blood line. Raziel,” she points to where he is sitting, “is the Archangel who summoned the other two and convinced them to help. Isla was chosen as the Fairy representative and your great grandmother, the mother of your maternal grandfather, was the other. That latter made sure to instill a fear of Fairies deep within your grandfather’s psyche to ensure your new destiny stayed on course.”