The Angel Knights-Prequel (The Angel Knights Series Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter 2

I resided in Crossroads, a place between Heaven and Earth. My mother had traveled through her dreams and met my father there. Due to her special soul, the Fallen wanted her, so my father and other Nephilim—half-human and half-angel—were sent to Earth to protect her. Little did they know my mother’s soul was the key for the Fallen to enter Crossroads.

My parents fell in love, which our handbook declared a big fat no-no. But even the Divine laws couldn’t stop their undeniable love, and thus, my brother Zachary and I were born.

At seventeen, I’d been training three quarters of my life—since I was old enough to hold a sword.
My training included instruction in physical combat and various types of weapons: swords, crossbows, and daggers. In addition, I’d learned how to spot a demon, how to home in on conversations with my super hearing, and how to block out unnecessary noises. We also delved into human mannerisms and their history, since there were occasions when we had to interact with them.

When flying to Crossroads, one first saw the white, fluffy clouds, layered like a thick blanket, next to the castle in Halo City. Around the crystal castle glowed a ring, illuminated like the sun. It shielded the realm against all evil. Darkness could not exist in Halo City, because light ruled between Heaven and Earth.

As soon as we walked through the thick double doors, Mother greeted us with hugs and a smile of relief. She looked angelic and elegant in her long white dress, and not a strand peeped out of place on her braided hair. I knew she was worried, but knowing Father had gone with us seemed to have eased her concern.

“You’re all back safe.” Mother clasped her hands together. “Great teamwork, as always.” Mother’s eyes locked with Father’s.

“They were the bomb.” Father winked.

I heard the chuckles behind me from the others, and I couldn’t help laughing with them.

“The bomb?” Mother giggled. “Why, Michael, I didn’t know you knew such a word.”

“Of course I do.” Father tilted his head back, trying to act cool. On the way to Crossroads, I’d explained what “the bomb” meant and when to use it.

Mother shook her head with a smile. “Children, why don’t you head to the discussion room with Davin? The other Venators are waiting for your arrival.” Mother shifted her attention to Father. “Michael, come with me. The Divine Elders will be holding a meeting regarding the recent missions. Some were not successful.”

The Divine Elders consisted of twelve angels who oversaw humanity and assigned missions. My parents had been asked to join when spaces became available due to betrayal and death of other council members. They didn’t have much choice, since the Divine Elders needed their guidance.

When we arrived at the Venators’ meeting room, everyone eagerly waited in their seats. Some of them came from Nubilus City, a place hidden among the clouds. It was also a training facility, but we had been trained solely in Crossroads. My parents wouldn’t have allowed us to be separated.

“Welcome,” Uncle Davin greeted the room filled with demon hunters while we took our seats. There must have been a thousand of us. He waited for the noise to settle, then continued. “As you already know, there have been more demon appearances lately. This only means the Fallen are possibly regrouping. Today, a small group of us went to Insula, and sure enough, they were present. Why, we don’t know. Usually they are in search of a hideout. I believe this is just the beginning, and we must intensify our training. Would anyone like to share where your team has traveled and if you found anything? Yes,” Uncle Davin said when one of the Venators raised his hand. “What is your name?”

“My name is Dominic. I have been training at Nubilus City with Austin, our mentor. We were investigating a place called Specus just before we were told to come here for a brief meeting. We encountered the Fallen, but they left without a word or a fight.”

Uncle Davin rubbed his jaw with a nod. “I see. Again, I believe they’re scouting for places to make their home. Specus was theirs at one point. They’ll most likely go to a familiar location first and test it out, and then seek elsewhere if we show up. They’re probably looking for somewhere their presence can be undetected. Anyone else who would like to share?”

A girl at the back of the room raised her hand.

“Bethel, you may speak,” Uncle Davin announced.

She cleared her throat and began. “We failed our mission.” Her tone sounded shaky and nervous.

“What do you mean?” Uncle Davin furrowed his brows.

“About twenty of us went to an abandoned warehouse in New York City. The Fallen were there and…and…more than half of us didn’t make it back home.”

Sharp gasps echoed throughout the room, and then…dead silence.

“That’s very unfortunate,” Uncle Davin consoled. “I’m sorry to tell you it won’t be the last time. It’s the exact reason you are trained to harden your hearts. Yes, we are a family, but we are also demon-hunting angels. We mourn our loss, but we can’t allow it to hold us back.”

I didn’t know Bethel, but I sensed her pain. We were taught to protect our hearts from emotions, but being half-human, it was challenging. Victoria and I exchanged glances. I assumed we had the same thoughts. We could have lost Jude that day. I could only imagine how Bethel must have felt to see so many die right before her eyes.

“Who was your leader?” Uncle Davin broke me out of my thoughts.

“Gregory,” she whimpered, still overcome by her emotions. “He…he gave up his life so we could escape.”

Uncle Davin looked shocked at first, and then he composed his expression to neutral. “I didn’t know,” he said softly. “I would have found out after this meeting, when I’m supposed to meet up with other leaders. This is….” He bowed his head for a second, and then looked up. “He was a great leader. He will be greatly missed.”

The ache in my heart deepened to see Uncle Davin hurting. He hid his emotions well, but I saw he cared about this angel. Uncle Davin was one of the most unique angels I’d ever known. His jovial personality made him lovable, a friend to all, and at times, more like a human than an angel.

“We were sent to Los Angeles, and other groups were sent to other US cities,” one spoke up. “Some of us didn’t make it back home.”

Uncle Davin’s shoulders tensed and his jaw tightened. “This only means you need more intense training, and we also need to send a larger number of you. No more investigating. We go in as if we are at war. There is power in numbers. You are dismissed. Take the rest of the day to rest. We start training tomorrow. I want
my
group to stay behind.”

As I wondered why Uncle Davin wanted us to stay, Zach’s voice spoke in my mind.

Do you think it was a trap?

My brother and I had had a special link ever since we were born. My father had this gift as well, but he could only project thoughts
into
our minds and not vice versa.

What do you mean?
I replied.

Maybe the Fallen purposely divided themselves to different areas, in between and on Earth, to separate us. Like Uncle Davin said, there is power in numbers.

I don’t know. But I’m heartbroken. We have lost so many today.

Stop your emotion, Lucia. Turn it off. I feel loss, too, but you can’t let it take you over.

Zach handled his feelings far better than I did. He had it down pat; as for me, I needed more work. But I wasn’t sure if I ever could control them. I believed having emotions made me a better angel, more understanding. But what did I know, anyway?

When the last Venators left the room, Uncle Davin addressed us. “So, I thought I’d start with you five and see how this helps. I need to find a way to build your confidence and teach you to think faster on your feet.”

“What do you have in mind?” Jude ran his hand through his thick hair, looking slightly nervous.

Uncle Davin gave us the most mischievous grin and waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t worry so much, Jude. It’ll be fun. Having a different mentality might help ease the situation.” He patted Jude so hard he jerked. “You might just get paint all over you, but it’s all good.”

“Paint?” Isaac frowned, and his blue eyes became darker.

“Paint?” Victoria questioned, her eyebrows pinched at the center. “I don’t like paint.”

Uncle Davin chuckled out loud. “Am I speaking English? Why are you repeating my word?”

I shrugged when Victoria looked at me.

Do you know what he’s talking about?
Zach asked me telepathically.

Nope,
I lied.

I actually did know what Uncle Davin was talking about. He’d shown me the weapon not too long ago. I couldn’t wait to use it.

“Follow me. To my room we go. I’ll show you what I mean.” Uncle Davin led the way.

Chapter 3

“This is…a gun?” Zach examined it. “We’re not supposed to use one.” His eyes widened in surprise. Picking it up hesitantly, he glided his finger along the smooth, cool surface.

“It’s not real,” I explained. “It shoots paint.”

“Paint!” everyone exclaimed.

“Oh, so that’s what you meant.” Jude’s shoulders relaxed and the tension on his face eased. Then his green eyes lit up. “This should be fun. I’ve always wanted to fire one.”

Uncle Davin stood up. Holding one of the guns, he pointed it at us and released the lock. I jumped back, thinking he was going to shoot it. The sly expression on his face warned me he might, and I wouldn’t put it past him if he had.

“The object of this mission is to get paint on Michael and Claudia, two of the Divine Elders,” Uncle Davin instructed.

“What?” Isaac narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? We can’t…we’re going to get suspended.” He ran his hand down his face.

“I agree with Isaac,” Jude said sternly, and then shrugged sheepishly when Uncle Davin gave him an “are you kidding me” look.

“We don’t know how to use it,” Zach added.

Uncle Davin’s forehead creased with his scowl. “Think of it as your sword or a bow. Just point and shoot. Nothing to it.”

Victoria picked up a gun and clicked the lock the way Uncle Davin had done it. Her red hair cascaded down her face, covering her beautiful hazel eyes. “Come on, wimps. This should be a piece of cake. They won’t know what’s coming.”

Zach arched his brows, doing the same with his gun. “You don’t know my parents, do you?”

Victoria smirked, her ivory skin glowing. “I know enough to know a novelty such as paint will throw them off. When do we attack?”

“Soon.” Uncle Davin lit up a mischievous grin. “They’ll be out of their meeting shortly. We need to position ourselves.”

Uncle Davin showed us individually how to hold the gun, aim, and fire. We practiced several rounds on a target he’d created with an X on the wall. With our angel coordination, it didn’t take us long to get used to it.

“Now that you’re ready…should you fail this mission, well, then….” Uncle Davin shrugged. “I guess there’ll be an extra tedious exercise added to your training.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Isaac marched away from our group.

Uncle Davin shook his head and pointed at Isaac. “Where does he think he’s going?”

Before I could answer, Uncle Davin triggered his gun. Red paint splattered the wall near Isaac, and he leapt back in shock. Then his lips slowly curled. “Cool!”

“Behind me, soldier,” Uncle Davin commanded.

“Wait.” Zach stopped us in our tracks. “Do my parents have a paint gun? Are they expecting us?”

Uncle Davin slowly curled his lips. “Nope. No more talking. They’re probably out already. Follow me.”

We followed my uncle. Walking on the pristine white floors suddenly became too loud. My heart raced with anticipation at the thought of what my parents might do. They were fun and loving; however, they were Divine Elders. Trusting my uncle to know what he was doing, I relaxed, but I stiffened again when we flattened our backs against the wall near the meeting room.

“Here they come,” Uncle Davin whispered. Then he gestured for Victoria and me to move to the other side. With our guns in front, we did as he told us. It felt odd to hold an unfamiliar weapon, but at the same time, it was exhilarating.

“Fire!” Uncle Davin hollered, his voice echoing through the hall.

My finger delayed on the trigger when I saw my parents’ stunned faces. Countless blotches of paint shot out, each gun holding different colored paint; mine was blue. I had imagined various scenarios with my parents all drenched in paint, but none of them happened.

Father dodged the paint, weaving from side to side, and then he whipped out his wings. Mother extended her arms and with a motion of her hands froze the round balls of paint in midair. They began swirling in slow circles around her, as if they were of her making.
Oh my heavens! We’re in trouble.
I knew the second Mother gave us the most playful look.

“I knew you were coming.” Mother gaped at Zach and me.

I exchanged glances with my brother. His heart thumped faster than mine. Mother had told me many times before she felt our emotions. She must have sensed the anxiety pumping through our veins.

“We will not be defeated. Team Davin, fire!”

Uncle Davin shook us out of our trance. He climbed the wall and ran across the ceiling using his angel speed, followed by Isaac and Jude, while Zach stayed behind to cover them. When they reached the other side, they started shooting. Now our parents were surrounded. We shot from both sides, but Mother stopped the ones she could while Father blocked the rest with his wings, which were peppered with pretty colors. Then Mother let go the ones she controlled in midair and sent them straight at us.

Using my wings and sword to block the onslaught, I was forced back by the impact of the paint hitting my wings. When I looked up, paint splashed my chin, dripping down my neck and lower. Ugh! Wiping it off my eyes, I saw the mess on the wall, on the floor, and…everyone drenched in rainbow colors—like me—except for my parents, who were laughing.
This is so not fair.

“Well,” Father said, shaking his wings. More paint flew out from them to splatter us. “Let’s do this again. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in ages.” He patted Uncle Davin hard on his back. Uncle Davin was unrecognizable with green paint covering his face.

Mother shook her head. “Apparently Davin underestimated us, leading you into an ambush.” She snickered.

Uncle Davin wiped the paint off his face, revealing his green eyes glaring at Father. “The plan was to target my students and leave the teacher out.” He frowned.

“What!” Victoria squealed. Paint dripped down her arm to her fingertips. “You planned this?”

We exchanged dumbfounded glances among our team—and then burst out laughing. Uncle Davin shrugged. He looked so discontented. “It was supposed to be a prank on all of you, but Michael and Claudia apparently changed it. See what happens when a plan gets changed without the other member knowing it? It screws the person who thought of it.” He scowled at my parents. “You just started a war. I’m not on your team anymore.”

Father patted Uncle Davin’s back again. “Don’t be a poor sport. Just giving you a taste of your own medicine.” Looking at all of us, he said, “Your wings are the colors of the rainbow. You look like fairies.” He chuckled. “Now, go wash up, relax, and we’ll meet up for a re-cap. Consider it a lesson on how important teamwork is. And don’t ever underestimate the demons, even when you have the upper hand.”

“You’re dismissed,” Uncle Davin said through gritted teeth.

None of us moved a muscle; we enjoyed watching the highly entertaining interaction. Observing our superiors—my parents and Uncle Davin—act like children was too good to be missed.

“This was so much fun. I can’t wait for my revenge, Michael,” Uncle Davin snarled sarcastically.

Father arched his brows. “Why are you mad at me? It was Claudia’s idea.”

Uncle Davin slowly turned his head to Mother. “Claudia, tell me it isn’t so.”

Mother wouldn’t look at him, but the smile on her face answered his question.

“Well then….” Uncle Davin jumped in front of Mother and gave her a tight squeeze before she had time to react.

Mother screamed. “Davin!”

When he backed off, Mother was smeared in paint, looking horrified.

Uncle Davin chuckled and opened his arms to Father. “Give me a hug, Michael.”

Father backed away and turned to us. “Venators, I give you permission to fire away at Davin.”

We looked at each other and smiled in agreement. After all, we’d just found out Uncle Davin’s plan to get us ambushed. Raising our guns, we fired until the guns clicked on empty chambers.

“I’m going to get you back, Michael. Team, stand down!” Uncle Davin hollered.

After we ran out of paint, poor Uncle Davin looked like a masterpiece of art from head to toe.