Blood and Feathers (14 page)

“Keep me? What am I: a gerbil?”

“You, Alice, are a weapon. And like all weapons, we need to make sure that you don’t fall into the wrong hands.” He ignored Alice’s open-mouthed fury and turned to Vin. “Take her to the twins. They’re expecting you.”

As he turned away, Alice almost called out to him. She wanted to ask him what right he had, who he thought he was... and then she remembered the angel in his armour, and she was silent. She already knew the answer.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Marked

A
FTER THE FIGHT
at the graveyard, Gwyn had done one of his regular disappearing acts, leaving Vin to lead Alice to ‘the twins.’ Shivering, and beginning to feel aches which she suspected were entirely her own, Alice followed. Vin was unusually quiet, not at all himself, and Alice wondered whether he was simply tired and a little shaken up (not to mention
beaten
up) or whether Mallory had had a point. Even the Fallen had been angels once, and even the Earthbounds remembered their brothers. They didn’t speak much, not until they finally reached a block of flats with plate-glass windows and tall security gates. It looked expensive: arm-and-a-leg expensive.

Vin stopped in front of the gates and sized them up, his eyes narrowing. “Alice?”

“Aren’t you going to buzz them?” Alice pointed to the security call-box fixed to the wall beside the gate.

Vin cracked a lopsided grin, suddenly looking like himself again. “Are you kidding?” He gestured for her to come closer, and shook out his wings. “Let’s hope I didn’t lose too many feathers.” He slung an arm around her shoulder and Alice was suddenly lifted off the ground and over the gates. “Uh, Vin?”

“Don’t worry. They’re only on the ninth floor.”

“Which one’s that?”

“The top one.” His breathing grew a little more laboured as they rose, and by the time he had dropped them both onto a large glass-fronted balcony on the ninth floor, small beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. He leaned forward, resting his head on the balcony rail. “Clipped wings. Can’t fly so much.”

“When you’re an Earthbound?”

“You get them back when your time’s done. But in the meantime...” He fluttered his wings sadly.

“Does it hurt when they...?”

“Yes.” His eyes darkened. “More than you can believe.”

There was a click from the other side of the balcony door, and it slid back along its rails. A head of dark hair stuck out, shouted something Alice couldn’t quite make out, and then vanished back inside. A moment later, two bodies came barreling out and launched themselves at Vin, who raised his arms slightly and staggered back. “Take it easy, guys. It’s been a big night. Alice, meet the Twins.”

The bodies detached themselves, and two heads swiveled to look at Alice. She found herself staring at two almost-identical faces: childlike, with large green eyes, one male, one female. They were exactly the same height, and stood in precisely the same way, with their heads tipped slightly to one side. The man, slightly more heavily built with broad shoulders and wide arms, had black hair slashed across with white, while his sister’s was bright white with a black streak that fell across her eyes. She smiled and held out her hand to Alice.

“Florence. Come on in.”

“Alice.”

“We know. We were told you’d be coming.” Florence stepped inside, and Alice was ambushed by the other twin, who threw his arms around her in a bear hug that knocked the breath from her body. Just as she thought she was going to pass out, he released her and she gasped, choking as quietly as she could. He beamed at her. “I’m Jester,” he said, then turned on his heel and vanished through the doorway. Vin made an amused face, and ushered her inside.

They even gave Alice a room – a room with an honest-to-goodness
bed
, not a sagging couch full of woodlice and other unmentionables. And Alice fell into it and slept for a day and a night, waking to early morning sunshine pouring through the curtains and the smell of toast. Her bag, which she had given up for lost at Mallory’s, was at the end of the bed; she pulled on clean clothes, feeling more human than she had since this all began. She opened the door, and a steaming cup was thrust at her. Blinking in surprise, she took it, and realised it was attached to Vin, who was leaning on the wall.

“Morning.”

“Hi,” she said, still groggy.

“There’s breakfast. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” Alice couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. Whenever it was, it was most likely something Mallory had put together, which meant it would have been delivered pizza. Possibly a couple of days old. The thought of real food made her head spin. Vin steered her down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

“Word of advice,” he said. “Don’t let Florence cook you anything.
Anything
. Not even toast, you get me?”

“She’s not good in the kitchen?”

“Girl’s a disaster. Trust me. She made me scrambled eggs once and it nearly killed me. And I’m an angel. I’m hard to kill.” He nudged open the door at the end of the corridor. “Look who’s up!”

“Alice!” Florence looked up from a newspaper, and Jester waved a spoon at her, his mouth full of cereal. Florence stood up from the table and pointed at a large red fridge. “You want anything? I can get something together if you...”

“No!” Vin said, a little too quickly. Florence looked wounded and he patted Alice’s shoulder. “She’s still a bit woozy. Maybe just give her a minute.” He parked her on a chair at the table. “Drink the tea. Accept nothing,” he whispered.

Alice settled into her chair, sipping her drink, and then she jerked away from the table; the mug falling away from her and shattering on the floor, the chair clattering against the tiles. Her hands. She held them in front of her, staring down into the palms. They had felt so hot, she had been expecting to see flames. She had been sure...

Vin’s hands settled on her shoulders. “It’s just the drink, Alice. It’s alright. Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re safe.” He picked up the chair and pressed her into it, while Florence mopped up the spilled tea, scooping the broken china into her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Alice said, but Florence shook her head.

“Never liked that mug anyway. Gift from one of his exes.”

She raised an eyebrow at her brother, who wrinkled his nose and turned his attention back to his breakfast. Vin poured himself a coffee and wandered away to the living room, leaving Florence staring at Alice. Finally, she spoke. “So, you’re the one they’ve been talking about, huh?”

Alice shrugged. “I... guess. I’m sorry, I don’t know much...”

“Of course you don’t. They don’t share – not in their nature.”

“You say ‘they.’ So you’re not....?”

“Earthbounds? God, no. We’re half-born, just like you. Well. Maybe not
just
like you, but you get what I mean. Vin’s our Mallory. He was sent to prepare us for when the gifts started kicking in. Not that they’re doing very much yet.” Florence looked a little embarrassed.

“What can you... wait.
You
know Mallory?”

“
Everyone
knows Mallory. He’s the closest thing the Earthbounds have to a general. He’s hardcore. You’re lucky.” Florence sounded almost wistful.

Vin’s voice drifted through from the next room. “I can hear you, you know!”

“Fortunately for Vin,” Florence said, louder than was entirely necessary, “we’re such good students that we never need him around for long, and he’s free to piss off back to Hong Kong.”

“Anything to get away from you two,” Vin replied, and Florence stuck her tongue out at the door. “Don’t do that. You’ll stick like that if the wind changes.”

“There is
no
way you saw that!”

“Nope. But I know you, Florence. Now leave me be.”

“He is
so
rude,” Florence said, turning back to Alice. “Sorry. He takes a bit of getting used to.”

“He’s fine. I’m not sure how I’d have managed without him last night... the other night.”

“I heard. You took out one of the Fallen. That’s really impressive. I’ve never heard of a half-born doing that on their own before. We don’t have the strength, I guess. But you? No wonder they’re making a big deal of you.”

Jester dropped his spoon into his bowl and pushed it across the table. “Can we see it?” he asked, reaching towards Alice.

She frowned and drew back. “See what?”

She saw Florence shake her head slightly at Jester. “I don’t think she knows yet,” she hissed.

He looked taken aback, then embarrassed. “Oh. Sorry.” He paused. “But now she’s wondering what the hell we’re talking about, so we might as well take a look, right?” He gave Alice another of his smiles, and the room felt warmer. “Gimme your hand.” He took her hand, pulling it gently towards him and flipping it over, pushing back her sleeve from her wrist. A memory of white brands in the darkness flashed across her mind. “Jackpot,” said Jester, pointing at a dark smudge on her wrist.

“What? Let me see!” Florence was all elbows, scrambling to look over Alice’s shoulder. “No. Way.”

“And we’re looking at what, exactly?” Alice asked, feeling uncomfortable.

“The mark.”

“And that would be...”

“Didn’t Mallory tell you?”

“Apparently he’s too busy being a general.
What
mark?”

“Choir mark. First time you really use your gift, it leaves a mark.” Florence picked up Alice’s wrist, turning it this way and that, trying to get a closer look. “It’s the mark of your choir, see?” She held out her own wrist, which on closer examination had a long squiggle across the back of it, a sort of jumble of the number three, a long line and the letters v and e.

“Zadkiel. He’s all about memory and the mind and stuff.” she said. Alice nodded sagely, despite not having the faintest idea what Florence meant. It didn’t seem to bother either of the twins, who were already bent over Alice’s hand: she wished she could take it off, and leave it on the table for them to pore over.

“I’m not even going to ask,” said Vin from the doorway.

Florence barely looked up, but pointed to Alice’s hand. “It’s coming through, look!”

“Seriously?” Vin was across the room faster than Alice had ever seen him move – even in the graveyard – and shoving the other two out of the way. Now there were three people peering at her hand.

“Can’t you make it any clearer?” Jester asked. Vin sighed.

“You did not see me do this, you hear?” He placed the flat of his palm over the back of Alice’s wrist, and she was aware of a tremendous pressure. She tried to pull her hand away, but Vin held it in a vice-like grip. “Don’t... move,” he said through gritted teeth, and then the pressure faded and he released her. She let her arm drop to the table, not noticing that Florence’s endless chattering and fidgeting had stopped.

“Alice? Look.” Vin pointed to her hand, and she leaned forward, somehow reluctant to move it. She was starting to want to keep a healthy distance between her hands and the rest of her. But there it was: right in the middle of her wrist, where the ashy smudge had been moments before, there was a clear mark, similar to Florence’s. Only it wasn’t similar; not at all. While Florence’s looped and swirled, the thing on Alice’s arm was jagged and hard-edged, totally alien.

Vin let out a whistle. “Like we needed convincing.”

“What is it?”

“That? That’s Michael’s sigil. You’re his, alright.” He shook his head. “Man, is Gwyn going to be
pissed
.”

“Why? I’d have thought it would make him happy.”

“Nope. And you know why? Because it was Mallory who was sent for you, not him. He’s a passenger. When it comes to what happens to you, it’s Mallory calling the shots. Gwyn might be the Descended, but Mallory’s the mentor.” His eyes twinkled. “And Gwyn’s not going to like that one little bit.”

C
OINCIDENTALLY – OR PERHAPS
not – Gwyn turned up soon after that, knocking on the door of the flat hard enough to dent the wood. “Mallory will take care of that,” he said as he strode across the threshold. “Should he ever deign to grace us with his presence.”