Archangel Evolution (19 page)

Stripes of wetness roamed over her face,
tickling her. Not slobbery, like a big dog, but wispy, the licks
felt like she was being kissed by a fairy. She opened her eyes.
Upon seeing the face in front of her, she opened her eyes even
wider. The scaly oversized head had its mouth open, displaying
three sets of razor-sharp teeth. They would have been menacing, if
not for the fact that they seemed to be grinning at her. A
snakelike tongue continuously flicked from its mouth to taste her
face.

Taylor realized that she had regained control
of her body, but still she didn’t run. Although the gargoyle
standing before her had undergone extraordinary changes since she
last saw him, his eyes gave him away. Their blackness was so deep
that they were literally the absence of light, but unlike the other
demon gargoyles she had seen, his eyes sparkled. How they sparkled
while still seeming so infinitely black was a mystery that Taylor
knew she would never be able to solve.

“Rocky!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been meaning to
come see you, buddy.”

The big fellow roared with glee, sounding
more like a lion than a dog. He had really grown up fast. The earth
groaned under him as he took a step forward, crashing his foot to
the dirty cavern floor with a
Boom!
The ground shook. Taylor
took a step back and said, “Whoa there, buddy, you’re a little
bigger than you used to be!”

Rocky cocked his head to the side as if he
was trying to understand what she meant. Perhaps in his mind he was
still the rambunctious young gargoyle eating out of Taylor’s hand.
For him, maybe nothing had changed. Taylor said, “Can I go for a
ride on you, Rock Star?”

Rocky bucked his head up and down as if
answering in the affirmative and simultaneously demonstrating his
appreciation for the nickname his friend had just bestowed upon
him.

“Okay, here I go!” With an effortless leap,
Taylor mounted him, spinning in midair to ensure she was facing
forward when she landed. She sat in a natural indentation between
his head and wings, which looked tiny relative to the rest of his
bulky frame. Rocky let out a happy roar and spun around to face the
empty hall. He pawed a foot like a bull and then took off,
thundering across the cavern.

Taylor was left breathless for a moment, as
the speed of his scamper took her by surprise. She had expected him
to lumber along, perhaps reaching a top speed equivalent to that of
an elephant, but instead, she felt like they were moving as fast as
a galloping horse.

And then they flew.

Against all odds, they flew, as Rocky’s fairy
wings managed to lift him and Taylor from the ground. They didn’t
rise quickly, but like a hot air balloon, they gradually moved
towards the ceiling. With another roar, Rocky began to twirl
through the air, spinning Taylor in a circle again and again.

Taylor laughed gleefully, girlishly, like she
hadn’t laughed in a long time. Uninhibited. Rocky was showing off
for her and she loved it.

Taylor dove from his back and her wings
opened naturally, allowing her to settle into a gentle soar. She
did a lap around Rocky, who was smiling and trying to keep up with
her. She did loops, twists, and somersaults, flying freely—not as
part of some training exercise—for the first time since she’d
obtained her wings.

Eventually, Rocky grew tired of flying—his
wings weren’t cut out for long excursions in the air—and he
descended slowly to the ground. Taylor followed suit, landing in a
crouch in front of him. She ran to him and gave his tree-trunk-like
leg a hug. Rocky purred with delight.

Kiren approached cautiously. “That was
incredible,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s amazing how they can fly so well
with such little wings,” Taylor agreed.

Shaking her head, Kiren said, “No, not that.
He didn’t freak out when he saw you. That’s what’s amazing.”

Puzzled, Taylor said, “Why should he freak
out?”

“Because you’re an angel now. His instincts
should be telling him to attack you, to hate you, but instead, he
seems to
love
you.”

“Don’t tell Gabriel, he might be jealous,”
Taylor joked. “It’s probably just because he knew me as a human
before and still just sees me as his friend.” Turning to Rocky,
Taylor said, “Isn’t that right, buddy?” Rocky roared in
agreement.

Kiren said, “Whatever you say. Hey, do you
wanna watch him train with me?”

“Sure.”

Taylor gave Rocky another hug before
following Kiren across the grounds and then up a dozen stone steps
onto a raised seating area. Rocky followed them, shaking the earth
as he walked. Luckily, he didn’t try to pursue them up the
staircase, which was barely wide enough for Taylor to squeeze
through. Instead, he watched them ascend and sit down, before he
plopped down on his hind legs in an attempt to copy them.

Taylor laughed. “You’re welcome to sit with
us until it’s time to train, Rocky.” Rocky purred.

Kiren said, “Sorry I didn’t invite you to
come with me, I didn’t plan on coming here.”

“Me either, I just ended up here by accident.
So why did you come?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know. Just to
take my mind off things I guess. I’m worried about Sampson, he’s
always getting into trouble.”

“Tell me about it, Gabriel’s a walking
disaster sometimes. The two of them together scares me, too,”
Taylor half-joked.

Kiren laughed. “If you’re trying to help,
you’re not,” she said lightly.

“Sorry, I guess it’s my way of dealing with
things. I like to make jokes.”

“For me, it helps to watch the gargoyles
training. I don’t know why.”

“I know why,” Taylor said, “because they’re
awesome!”

“Most demons—and angels too, I think—see them
as grotesque, an abomination, only to be used in war.”

“I’m not most people,” Taylor said. “If
there’s anything my mom taught me, it was to not always follow the
popular opinion.”

“That’s good,” Kiren said.

“So things are pretty serious with Sampson,
huh?” Taylor asked.

Kiren blushed, her dark cheeks becoming even
darker. “Yeah, it is. I’ve never felt like this about someone.”

“I know how that is. Gabriel is my first real
boyfriend. It scares me sometimes how strong my feelings for him
are. Like I can’t control them. Like I’m dependent on him or
something. But I’ve realized I’m not really. I’m still me, as
independent as ever. It’s nice having someone to love though.”

Kiren said, “Thanks, Taylor.”

“For what?”

“For being there to talk to. Being a female
in the army, I feel like I’m surrounded by guys most of the time.
There are more girls than there used to be, but we’re still
seriously outnumbered. It’s just nice to hear that someone else has
the same feelings as me.”

Taylor laughed. “Sam’s in the same boat,
although she got in it quite differently. Before Chris, her
boyfriend count was about a thousand, with the average length at
maybe a week. But now it’s like she’s married. Weird how things
change.”

“Yeah,” Kiren said. She had a faraway look in
her eyes, like she was trying to make sense of how her life had led
her to date an angel.

Taylor said, “It’s starting.”

A giant of a man had walked into the arena.
Rocky was already up, running over to him. The man carried a long,
black stick. His face was covered by a foliage of dark hair in the
form of a bushy beard, long mustache, thick eyebrows, and long
bangs. His black hair fell to his shoulders and, when combined with
his size, gave him the appearance of a professional wrestler.

“Hey, Gargo!” Taylor yelled.

The big man waved. When she had first struck
up her uncanny relationship with Rocky, she had befriended the
demon gargoyle master at the same time. Although his mother had
named him Barnaby, his ability to communicate with gargoyles had
earned him the nickname Gargo.

For the next hour, Gargo put Rocky’s skills
to the test, using his rod to communicate. He waved, spun, and
thrust the rod in various ways, each of which was a new command.
Taylor was glad to see that the pole was not used to prod or strike
the gargoyles, merely to communicate with them, like sign
language.

With pride, the young gargoyle was able to
meet every challenge, roaring and smiling at his audience of two
with each success. He shot streams of fire at small targets from
his gaping mouth; he dodged or blocked anything that Gargo threw at
him; he ran and flew through a complex obstacle course meant to
increase his agility; and most impressively, he crushed anything in
his path, from stone walls to concrete blocks, kicking or
shouldering his way through them using only raw power and
strength.

When it was all over, Taylor and Kiren stood,
clapping and whistling. “Go, Rocky!” Taylor yelled. Rocky beamed,
as only a gargoyle with three sets of teeth can. With a final roar,
Rocky allowed himself to be shepherded through a huge tunnel that
presumably led back to the gargoyle paddocks.

Taylor was energized. Rocky had inspired her.
She was ready for her mission.

G
abriel checked his
watch. Nine-thirty in the morning, local time. Four thousand miles
north, and nearly two thousand miles west of the Lair. Only thirty
seconds of travel thanks to the demon travelling with them.

The demon said, “I will stay close. Signal if
you are ready to move on.”

Gabriel nodded but the demon was already
gone.

“You ready for this?” Gabriel said.

“Just like old times,” Sampson replied.

They walked out from behind the patch of
bushes in which the demon had left them. It was a cold morning and
they could see their breath with each exhalation. It was vastly
different to UT’s warm-weather campus or the Lair, each of which
were significantly closer to the equator. But they were angels—the
cold didn’t bother them. Turn up the inner light a notch, risk a
little extra body glow, and it was like wearing a thermal coat,
wool gloves, and a toboggan hat.

They were in northern Central Park, New York
City. The plan was to focus on the places in the world with the
highest angel populations. NYC was a natural starting point,
boasting over a thousand angels throughout the urban sprawl. Most
were married to humans, had families, and lived relatively normal
lives, except for the part where their kids attended angel school
on the weekends to learn about the evils of demons.

Gabriel’s family had lived in New York for a
spell, before his dad was transferred southwest for his job. Now
his family was in hiding, sheltered by the demons in the Lair, not
safe after having been kidnapped by the angels and used as bait.
Gabriel didn’t want them to have to hide anymore. This mission
would help make that happen. The goal: start a rebellion. How? He
didn’t have a clue, but hoped he would figure it out when the time
came.

They walked down a path, heading for Fifth
Avenue. The park paths were crowded with runners, dog walkers, and
bundled up business men and women walking to another day of
meetings, computers, and coffee breaks. Their lives were normal.
Gabriel didn’t envy them though. He liked his life. Especially now
that Taylor was in it.

Using a combination of walking and
underground subways, they made their way through the gridlock of
swarming sidewalks and busy streets to their destination: an
apartment building in the Upper East Side. Gabriel had confirmed
with his parents that he still lived there.

The building had security, but not a security
desk; the main door was locked, requiring a key to open. A metal
intercom with a keypad and speaker was inset in the brick entryway.
Gabriel pressed one and then five. He waited.

A man’s voice came through the speaker:
“Timothy?”

“Guess again,” Gabriel said.

“I have no idea,” the man said.

“Gabriel Knight and a friend.”

“Gabriel Knight? Light-swords and
orb-blasters! I surely didn’t expect to find you on my front
doorstep.”

“Can we come in?” Gabriel asked.

“Of course, of course, I will buzz you in.
The elevator will automatically take you to the fifth floor only. I
am number fifteen, but of course you already know that.”

There was a soft hum and a click as the door
unlocked. Sampson pulled it open and held it for Gabriel. “Ladies
first,” he said.

Gabriel punched his friend playfully as he
entered first. A minute later they exited the elevator onto a
landing with three doors, marked thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.
Gabriel lifted his fist to knock on fifteen, but the door opened
before he could complete the motion.

“Gabriel, my boy, it feels like forever since
I have seen you,” the man inside the door said. He was tall, with a
long face, long neck, long torso, long arms, and long legs. Even
his fingers looked abnormally long and Gabriel suspected that if
his shoes were removed they would reveal three-inch toes as
well.

“Uncle Martin!” Gabriel said. “It’s been too
long.” He embraced the man and then turned and said, “Sampson, meet
Martin Hargrave. I’ve known him since I was a very little boy.”

Shaking Sampson’s hand, Martin said, “Longer
than that, although you probably don’t remember. I saw you shortly
after your birth, Gabriel. Your parents were so proud. You were
their first.”

Sampson said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.
So you’re Helena Knight’s brother?”

“Alas, no. I am an only child, but both
Helena and Theodore became such dear friends to me that the mere
restrictions of blood could not stop us from being uncles and aunts
to each other’s children. But where are my manners, come in, come
in, please.”

Gabriel followed Martin into the apartment
with Sampson behind him. The first thing he heard was the soothing
tinkle of light piano music in the background. They entered into a
sitting room. An antique couch and four antique chairs provided
seating for up to seven guests. A colorful, Asian-inspired rug
decorated the open space between the seats. Lovely paintings of
historic New York City adorned the walls. The place was kept
meticulously clean.
Good old Uncle Martin
, Gabriel thought.
He and his brothers used to drive Martin crazy with the messes they
would make when they were visiting.