Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (35 page)

When they were finished with Anastasia, Aura
sent her mother a silent message, asking her father and
the Guild to meet them outside the school.
He was to
bring Henry with them.

“We need to go back to the Academy, so I can
speak to Andromeda again.”
“Why do we need to go back there?” Aidan
asked.
“I just want to have another word with her.”
As they approached the entrance, Aura saw
Paul and the Guild walking towards her. She asked Rita
to take the others to the side of the school. “I’ll meet
you in a few minutes.
I just want a quick word with
dad.”
“Come on – I’ll show you the fountain in the
garden,” Bren said.
Rita turned to Aidan.“I think Aura wants you
to come with us.” He followed, but he wasn’t happy
about being excluded from the conversation again.
“What’s this about Aura?” her father asked.
“I need to speak with you.
First, let
me
apologize for not divulging everything.
You know the
rules.I can’t tell you anything that might change fate.”
“Does this have to do with Richard?” Adam
asked.
“I wish it was only Richard I need to talk
about,” Aura said.
“Why don’t you tell us about it first, and then
we can decide how to help you,” Joseph said.
“Richard has changed Natalie’s appearance
again.”
“Are you sure?” Adam asked.
“I’ve seen a vision of it.We don’t have a lot of
time, so let me tell you what I need from all of you.”
“Do you know where Natalie is?” Henry asked.
“I do, but you don’t need to know her
whereabouts yet. That’s not what I wanted to talk to
you about. Natalie’s location is
unimportant
right
now. You need to know that Richard and Meredith are
going to ask the Commission to have Caspian declared
legally dead.”
“What?” Henry asked. He looked at Paul.
“Has something happened you haven’t told me about?”
“I can assure you Caspian and Axel are both
alive and unharmed.”
Aura
hesitated before
speaking
to Henry.
“Meredith is planning to make her request to the
Commission this afternoon.
I want you to support her
with that decision.”
“Why would you ask me to do such a thing?”
“I need to have Richard at the Hall of Justice
when Meredith makes
her request.
You need to
convince her that you are in agreement.
She wants
Caspian to be declared dead, so Richard can marry
Desiree. We will force Richard’s hand in front of
witnesses.”
“I’m not sure I follow you,” Adam said.
“Richard intends to take over the Utopian
colony.If you do exactly as I say, that won’t happen.”
“My son is getting married on New Year’s
Eve.Should we postpone the wedding?” Jack asked.
“Jasmine and Tristan aren’t exchanging vows
until that evening.
Given the time difference, we can
have the hearing in the morning and still have more
than enough time to return to Aeden for the wedding.”
Aura turned back to Henry. “Meredith will be
coming to see you in a few hours.
You need to put
your feelings
aside, so you can be
convincing.
Meredith has to believe that you support her. I’m
afraid there’s more,” Aura sighed. “Our suspicions
were confirmed.
Jeziel has remained in contact with
Samhael.”
“We need to tell Aidan immediately,” Joseph
said.
“No! We can’t say anything to Aidan. He still
trusts Jeziel and if we tell him everything, it will only
scare her away.”
“That hardly seems fair Aura,” Paul said.
“Aidan was the one who told Jeziel that
Mahlyssa was staying in Aeden with the rest of us.
Richard now knows that Mahlyssa has betrayed him.”
“Why would Aidan do such a thing?” Martin
asked.
“Everything Aidan says to Jeziel gets right
back to Samhael and Richard.”
“Do you suspect Aidan is following Jeziel
down thepath to darkness?”
“I need to protect my little ones. Aidan is naive
and trusting.He’s also blind when it comes to Jeziel.”
Aura returned her attention to Henry. “When
Meredith comes to see you, you’ll have to be cordial to
her. You can both go before the Commission together.
If they agree, Desiree will have to testify.
Richard will
accompany
her.
After
the
hearing,
when
the
Commission asks if anyone else wants to speak; Arian
will make his appearance known.”
Aura looked at her father. “You know what
you have to do.” Paul understood exactly what she was
asking of him.
“We will only have two days to get everything
ready.I’m going to ask Will and Joshua to remain here
at the Academy until tomorrow. Rita and Jessica can
stay with them.
It will probably be better if Arian
returns with us to Aeden.”
“There is something I don’t understand,”
Martin said. “How could Richard change Natalie’s
appearance
again? You aren’t insinuating that
Mahlyssa has deceived us?”
“Regrettably, Mahlyssa was not the last
Enchantor.
Do you not recall her speaking of the
Cavanaugh’s, Shannon’s parents?”
“We thought they returned to Ireland. What do
they have to do with any of this business?”
“They are in London.
Richard has maintained
contact with them. Claudia never gave up the practice
of the dark arts; quite the contrary.
Richard has given
her a book that once belonged to Marcus.I don’t have
to tell you how dangerous some of those spells are,
especially in the wrong hands. After Marcus’s death,
Virgil took the book to make sure no one else would
have
access
to it. I’m convinced the only reason
Richard gave the book to the Cavanaugh’s, is because it
was written in a language unfamiliar to him.”
“I thought the book was destroyed when we
killed Marcus,” Paul said.
“Virgil kept it hidden. He didn’t want to
chance it getting in the wrong hands.
I can assure you
Claudia
Cavanaugh is more
than familiar with the
language, and will use those spells to wreak havoc on
the angel-bloods.
Richard has threatened to burn the
book if she
betrays
him.
We
need to make
sure
Mahlyssa and Shannon stay close to us.”
“Do you think the Cavanaugh’s will return for
Shannon?”
“They will try, but Shannon is Mahlyssa’s
daughter now. They may want retribution.They won’t
do anything without Richard’s permission, which is
why he needs to be out of the way.”
“What are you suggesting?” Adam asked.
“Things have a way of working themselves
out.
I need to make sure the right people are in the
right
places
when all
this
goes
down.
When the
Commission holds the hearing, Rita and Jessica will
also be there.”
“Why is that necessary?” Henry asked.
“You’ll find that out soon enough. The hearing
regarding Virgil’s death will have to be postponed. It’s
imperative
Meredith
passes
that
information
to
Richard.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to see
Andromeda.”
She
kissed her father
goodbye
and
walked around the school, where the children were
playing in the snow.
“I’m not sure I like this plan,” Henry said.
“Aura would never intentionally steer
us
towards danger.
We have to follow her instructions.
Are you prepared to do that Henry?” Paul asked.
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice; it just might not be
the right choice,” Paul said.
“I should return and tell Arthur our news. I’ll
let you know how the meeting goes.” Henry said his
goodbyes, before vanishing.
“Are you sure we can still trust him?” Joseph
asked.
“He has a great deal to lose if we can’t,” Adam
said.
Martin
could
see
the
children
hoisting
snowballs at each other.
Myra and Mahlyssa were
having as much fun as the little ones. “They don’t
appear to have any worries,” Martin laughed.
“Perhaps, that’s because we do most of the
worrying for them.”
Paul patted his friend on the
shoulder and the Guild returned to the valley.

Richard stopped to buy
flowers
before
he
returned to Desiree’s home.
He had every intention of
lavishing her with gifts, after hearing news of her
pregnancy.

Meredith was not as pleased.
“If anyone finds
out she’s pregnant with your child, they will banish her
forever.”

“I doubt they will find out.”
“Look at her Richard. It’s obvious she’s
pregnant. I don’t know why I didn’t notice before.
How can she testify in front of the Commission like
this?”
“Desiree can wear a loose fitting dress that will
hide her condition.When are you leaving for Utopia?”
“I was planning to leave this afternoon.
Are
you coming with me?”
“If they grant your request, I’ll be there for the
hearing, but I’m afraid I have other business to take
care of first.”
“Will you be staying here tonight?” Desiree
asked.
“My business shouldn’t take too long. Perhaps
we can have dinner when I return,” he said.
“Excellent. I’ll make sure the chef prepares
your favorite foods.”
“I have to go, but I should be back within the
hour.”
“What about Natalie? Is she safe?” Meredith
asked.
“Natalie will be at the Academy with Yvonne
and Yvette Devereaux.”
“Are you sure that’s wise? Joshua and Will are
planning to stay there.”
“I doubt they will be there long with all the
wedding preparations.”
“How can you speak to me of this Richard?
The thought of Joshua marrying that girl is almost
unbearable.”
“They aren’t married yet Mother. We’ll see if
they survive long enough to walk down the aisle,”
Richard grinned.
“Don’t be a fool.
That girl will protect him
with angel-fire.
You will need an army to take her
down.”
“Perhaps that’s exactly what I’ll have,” Richard
smirked.
Meredith probed further. “Have you been in
contact with Lucifer?”
“Lucifer rarely comes to this place, but he does
have
some
faithful
followers, whom
I
am
well
acquainted with.I’ve told you repeatedly not to worry.
Perhaps one day, you’ll listen to me.”
Richard kissed Desiree goodbye and left for
London.He would advise the Cavanaugh’s they would
be going to Aeden within the week.

After they finished lunch, Phillipe told the girls
it was time to return to the Academy. Even though they
weren’t happy about it, the girls obeyed their father and
followed him to his car. “We’re driving?” Monica
asked.

“We don’t want to draw any attention to
ourselves.
It will only take an hour to get there.
Besides, I enjoy driving every so often,” Phillipe said.

“I would suggest you get rid of that sour
expression on your face,” Yvette said to Monica.
“My sister is right. If you want to be accepted,
you need to be a little friendlier,” Yvonne said.
“I’ll do my best,” Monica said sarcastically.
The girls remained silent for the rest of the
trip. Yvonne and Yvette already disliked their cousin.
They hoped her stay at the Academy would be a short
one.

Aura suspected Rita already knew about her
plan, judging from the way she kept looking at her.
She needed to warn her not to expose Natalie, even if
she recognized her. “We need to be patient if we’re
going to bring Richard down too,” she said silently to
her.

Patience was not one of Rita’s virtues, but
knowing Richard killed Will’s parents, gave her a
reason to follow her sister’s instructions.
If anyone
deserved to die, it was him.
Though Rita was in no
way as powerful as Aura was with the sight, her visions
were becoming stronger by the day too.

After an hour, the little ones decided they had
enough of playing in the snow.
“Come on Lana, we having ice cream,” Mia
said.
“Didn’t
you already
have
ice
cream
with
lunch?” Aidan asked.
“Yeah, but I hungry ice cream again.
Playing
hard work Aidan.”
Aura shook her head. “There’s an ice cream
parlor not far from here.When we’ve finished we can
come back so I can speak with Andromeda.”
Mia then yelled for the other kids. “Come on,
we going ice cream.”
Aidan stared at the two year old. “Ice cream
and chocolate milk; she certainly isn’t picky is she?”
“No, but you don’t want to see her if we forget
the chocolate syrup,” Aura said, before walking away.
Aura
watched as
Shannon was
enjoying
a
conversation with Mahlyssa
and Myra.
She
knew
Claudia would try to take her back, to appease Richard.
She almost felt sorry for Colin.If it hadn’t been for his
wife, he never would have lost his daughter in the first
place.
Aura
wondered if Colin knew
how
much
danger he was in. Claudia’s alliance with Richard
would almost certainly backfire; especially when they
came for Shannon. Aura would never allow her to take
the child.
She was an angel-blood now.
She was
family and she was one of her little ones.

Richard arrived in London before eight o’clock
in the evening.
He found Claudia sitting in the living
room. Colin was in his workshop.

“Have you decided to send us to Aeden now?”
she asked Richard.
“Soon,” he said. “I need to take care of a few
things first and then I’ll let you know. It shouldn’t be
more than a day or two.
Have you spoken to your
husband?”
“I mentioned it. He’ll be ready when the time
comes.”
“And if he’s not?”
“Then I’ll be making the trip alone; if you
catch my meaning.”
Richard knew exactly what she meant.
He
wouldn’t interfere. He needed to surround himself with
those who would be loyal, not just now, but in the
future. If Colin wasn’t one of them, he would be
disposable.
“Would you like some refreshments?” Claudia
asked.
“No, I have plans for dinner.
I wanted to
remind you of our agreement. I trust the book is in safe
keeping?”
“It’s perfectly safe,” Claudia replied.
“Good, I would hate to destroy something so
valuable.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be available
when you return.”
“Well, until we meet again.”
He
stared at
Claudia before he left. “It won’t be in your best interest
to betray me.”
“I understand,” Claudia said. “Enjoy your
dinner.”
“Oh, I intend to,” he said, as he walked out the
door.
“Was that Richard?” Colin asked.
“Yes, he wanted to be sure we would help him
when the time is right.”
“I think it’s a bad idea to go against Mahlyssa.
She’s still a powerful Enchantor.”
“With the book in our possession, we will be
just as powerful.”
“I doubt Mahlyssa needs the book. I’m sure
her father taught her everything and then some.”
“Mahlyssa stopped using the dark arts years
ago.She may not even remember the ancient spells.”
“Has the book been helpful?”
“There are some things I’m unfamiliar with,
but I can interpret most of Marcus’s writings.”
“If you challenge Mahlyssa, it will not go well
for you.”
“If we challenge her; have you forgotten we are
in this together?”
“I want no parts of this Claudia.I’ve told you
that repeatedly.”
“If you betray me now, Richard will not be
forgiving,” Claudia reminded him.
“And if you try to take Shannon, Mahlyssa will
not be forgiving.”
“Richard is more powerful than Mahlyssa.”
“If that were true, why did he
require her
help?”
“Just because he doesn’t know all the dark
spells, doesn’t mean he is powerless.
Have
you
forgotten he is a descendant of Lucifer?”
“All the more reason we should avoid him,”
Colin said with disdain.
“Don’t you want to see your daughter again?”
“I told you, she is no longer our daughter. She
belongs to Mahlyssa now.”
“She is my daughter!” Claudia hissed. “I have a
right to her.”
“You never wanted her Claudia, ever.
The
angelbloods won’t take your side in this. Richard may
have some power, but have you forgotten why he came
to us in the first place?
One of them marked his
daughter with angel-fire.
I
doubt
Richard is
in
possession of a weapon that could compare to that.”
“Damn the Angel-bloods!
I will
bring our
daughter home.I’m doing this for you Colin.”
“Perhaps you’re doing this to preserve a place
with Richard. He’s more dangerous than you know.
We have everything we need.
You yourself said we
could have
another child.
We
should forget
this
nonsense and move on with our lives.”
“It’s too late,” Claudia fumed. “I have the
book and if we
betray
him, there
will
be
severe
consequences; possibly death.”
“Death might be a welcome peace,” Colin said,
as he walked away.