Fledgling: Book 1 (Afterlife) (23 page)

Cindy let her breath out, and colour starts to rise on her face. I watched intensely, waiting to see if she would look our way. She did not. I can only assume that the lack of eye contact was to do with her still being angry with us. My heart sinks. I don’t like it when my friends are angry with me. I can only hope she will forgive me soon.
 

With hands clasped in front of the waist, Archangel Gabriel begins to speak. “After a lot of convincing on my behalf and a fairly large push from Archangel Michael, you three have the mission.”

“Yes!” Ben and Cindy exclaim together.
 

I couldn’t help raising my eyebrows. “Archangel Michael vouched for us?”

“My dear, despite your shortcomings, you will be surprised how much faith your leader has in you.” Raising a hand with a pointed finger to head height in a warning, Archangel Gabriel continues sternly, “Do not, let me repeat, do not get complacent in this knowledge. He will punish you if your rebellion continues.” The hand drops back to the front. The voice drops back to a normal tone. “He has seen your potential, as have the others, but as you are not under their direct training, they do not have as much tolerance for your shortcomings.” I watch as the crystal spring eyes turn almost to stone. “Archangel Michael has placed a lot of faith in you. Do not fail him.”

I swallow. It is never my intention to be a rebel, I just follow my heart and at times it leads in an unapproved direction. I make the only promise that I know I can make. “I’ll do my best.”

Looking a little satisfied with my answer, Archangel Gabriel continues. “The reason they chose you for this, is because of your last mission. Did you notice anything different about it?”

“Other than working together?” Ben asks.

“Yes.”

“Well, the attackers were off somehow. They kept coming back to attack us even after they had been seriously injured,” I say.
 

“True. Why do you think this is?” the Archangel asks.

“They felt evil,” Cindy adds. “Much more than any other perpetrator I have dealt with before.”

Archangel Gabriel claps their hands together lightly. “Yes, well done. A very strong demon possessed them, stronger than any of the others you have dealt with before.”

We have dealt with demons before?” Ben asks.

“Yes, in every perpetrator.”

“Why haven’t we been told this?” I ask.
 

“Because you have not been required to fight the demon. You have been too immature. Before now, inserting a conscience is the only capability you had for fighting demons until you became stronger. Your last mission stemmed from a stronger demon, and when you inserted the conscience you forced it out as well as injured it slightly. This hindered its ability to fight strongly. He was also fighting in the war against the archangels, the one that Archangel Michael was involved in when I gave you the mission.” The archangel paused to let the information sink in. “This means, when you injured him, it helped the archangels win the war enough for Michael and some of the archangels to take a quick break. You should be very proud of yourselves, your leader is. It is why he has stood by you to go on this mission. You have proven you are stronger than he has trained you to be.”

“So what is our mission?” Ben asked.
 

“Ah, yes, the mission. We need to get you started quickly. One of the fledglings has not come back from a mission and —”

“What?” Cindy blurts out.
 

“Yes, my dear.” Archangel Gabriel turns to her. “As we said, this may be a dangerous mission, we do not know. The person they were supposed to protect is still in danger. It is not a good sign for the safety of the fledgling.“

“Who is the missing fledgling?” Ben asks.

“It is one from your group.”

A loud gasp from Cindy interrupts the archangel briefly.

Archangel Gabriel continues, “Which is the reason we need the three of you to go together. Being Michael’s trainees, you are trained well to fight, and if one does not return, then we need to send more of you to find them.”

“So who is it that is missing?” I ask again.
 

"It is so hard to explain seeing you don’t have names. Ironic isn’t it. You are forbidden names until you graduate, yet if we need to say who you are to others we have no words to describe you.”

“Which is why we have been making up our own,” Ben says. “What are the colourings of the fledgling?”

A smirk rises on Archangel Gabriel’s face. “The main colour is orange. Orange wings and orange clothes.”

“Orange, really?” Devastation fills Cindy’s voice. “He was a really good fighter, confident too, and always stuck to the rules.”

Archangel Gabriel indicates to Cindy with a hand. “There you have it. It is . . . Orange.”

I didn’t know what to say. I have not been that close to Orange, but I was sure that he was very capable of looking after himself in dangerous situations. I don’t want anything to happen to any of us, yet I am itching to go. I stare expectantly at Archangel Gabriel.
 

“Well, let’s get started,” Ben says.

“Right, good,” the archangel answers. “First we need you to take care of the victim. We are certain that they are still in danger. It may lead you to . . . Orange.” The name tumbles out awkwardly and the blonde eyebrows push together. “Anyhow, I cannot give you the bean as it has been taken by . . . Orange. No wonder you wanted to give each other real names,” Archangel Gabriel says looking at me then Ben. The brow creases again. “Back to the mission. Because there is no bean I will give each of you the mission inserted by me.”
 

Moving in front of Ben, the archangel places a hand over his exposed navel. A flash of light leaves the hand into his stomach. The muscles in Ben’s toned abdomen tighten briefly then relax shortly afterwards. Turning to Cindy, the angel executes the same process. I watch as her face tenses for a split second then relax. I am next in line. To have the mission hand-delivered, it didn’t look to be as comfortable as swallowing the bean. I brace myself as Archangel Gabriel’s hand rests on my abdomen. A small jolt strikes my stomach. It is uncomfortable, bordering on painful, but subsides quickly.

Next destination — Somalia.

- Chapter Twenty-One -

Mogadishu, Somalia — not exactly the safest city for humans. Invisible, we land with soft thuds on the dirt-ridden street. Looking around, I cannot see any sign of the living. Crumpled remains of buildings frame both sides of the dirt street. Some are bulleted with deep gashes striking the walls, and others have walls missing, if not completely crumpled to the ground. The sun is blaring, and I can feel the heat beating on my skin. Gazing further, I notice there are very few trees, and the ones that are still standing are shredded and torn, clinging on to life for a better day.
 

The devastation is depressing. I look at Cindy and Ben. Their faces are the splitting image of how I feel. How can people live here? We walk through the street taking in the destruction.

Growing up in a family without much money, I didn’t get to travel before my human life finished. Sure, Australia has its crime — it is nothing like this. The scenery is so disheartening that I am finding it hard to continue walking down the street. A jolt in my stomach reminds me of my mission and Innocent. I press forward.
 

We continue toward, what looks like, the middle of the city. The only way we make this judgement is by the density of buildings growing thicker. Gunfire sounds up ahead. Prickles run up my back. My thoughts go out to the poor people at the receiving end.
 

Being in places like this reinforces the need for more angels. At present, there are not enough to protect everyone. We pass an open courtyard. Voices travel out to us, and our heads turn in that direction. It is full of women and children. The women are covered from head to toe in burkas, with only slits in their clothing for eyes, or a slightly larger gap showing the top half of their face. Even in this heat their hair is still covered. My eyes travel down to the children. I stop. My feet will not move. They are skin and bone. Clearly there is not enough food here to feed the citizens of the city.
 

A woman is wailing at the top of her voice. She is standing and rocking back and forth. Noticing that she is holding something in her arms, I let my vision travel down to the package. Wet wells form in my eyes. She is holding a small figure, dark skin exposed to the sun, the flesh taunt against bones. It is literally skin and bone, and it does not move. The world is getting darker. The healer in me wants to run over and see if I can heal their pain and hunger and restore their bodies.
 

Ben must have seen my expression because he grabs my hand and clasps it in the middle of both his hands. I look into his eyes. The deep blue ocean is almost spilling over the sides with compassion. He shakes his head. “We are not here for this. It’s hard, I know.” He reaches over and wipes my face gently, catching the tear that has spilled over the edge.
 

“We should be stationed here permanently until this devastation is gone,” I say.
 

“And I wish we could. But we have our mission first. For some reason it is deemed more urgent.”
 

As usual he is my stabiliser. I peer over his shoulder and see that Cindy has been looking in our direction. On her face is a mixture of emotions. I can see by the squint in the corner of her eye that she has not quite forgiven us yet, but there is also sadness. I am sure it has seeded from looking at the people suffering and not being able to help them.

“Come on,” she says. We pick up our speed toward the pull to our Innocent. “Let's get this mission over with and see if we can get some archangels in here later. This place just doesn’t feel right.” She visibly shivers. “It feels pure evil like there are demons here — many of them. We haven’t been trained to fight demons.”

“What do you mean it feels like demons?” I ask.

“Can’t you feel them?” Her golden brown eyes open wide.
 

I shake my head. “I only feel compassion for these people, nothing else.”

She looks at Ben. “You feel it don’t you?”

“Compassion, yes. Not demons,” he says.

“Seriously? You don’t feel it. It’s like the feeling from our mission under the bridge but stronger, like there is so much more of them.”

He shrugs holding his palms up. “I didn’t feel anything different then either. I could see the reactions were different — more intense, nothing else.”

Her eyebrows rise as far as possible. “Well let me tell you this place reeks of demons, and I’m shaking in my boots. How are we supposed to fight these if we come across them. We haven’t had any training.”
 

“Cin—” I begin but cut it short from the piercing glare she just gave me. I sigh then continue. “Have faith in yourself. You are a very talented fledgling. You have proved it by sensing demons.”

“But Archangel Gabriel said that Archangel Michael can see your special capabilities, not mine,” she snaps while crossing her arms across her chest.
 

“I believe he was talking about all of us,” Ben says. “Just have faith in your abilities.”

“Just follow your heart and instincts,” I say.

“Yeah, a lot of good that does you. You’re breaking the rules at every turn,” she spits.

More gunfire bursts ahead. “Come on. Let’s hurry it up.” Ben says. “I am getting a bad feeling about the well-being of our Innocent.”

I had to agree. My stomach was beginning to twist into knots. I spread my wings and lift off the ground. “Let’s fly. For some reason, Orange has missed the time slot for the rescue. It could be the final chance to rescue our Innocent.”

Ben and Cindy lift off the ground, and we follow the pull in our stomachs with a more rapid pace. The devastation of the place does not look any better from above the city. Many roofs are no longer flat, rather they are caved in on the side or middle exposing the building to the harsh weather.
 

We have not flown for long when I have the overwhelming pull from a building in front of us. I point to the building. “That one,” I say.

Ben and Cindy nod.
 

It is a couple of storeys high. I zone in and prepare to land on the second level balcony that surprisingly, is still unbroken. Landing with the softest of thuds I peer into the adjoining room. I can’t see anyone. I take a step inside. The place is boarding on a dump. The furniture is ragged, and the windows smashed. There is evidence that the building has seen better days. Ben and Cindy land behind and follow me indoors. A bloodcurdling scream fills my ears. I quickly look at Ben. Before he dashes into the room, I catch a glimpse of his face covered with concern. I rush forward following him and hear Cindy not far behind. The doorway leading on to the next room is open. Still invisible, we enter the room. The sight that captures my eye throws my stomach up to my throat.
 

A Caucasian man is in the middle of the room. He is tied to a chair and surrounded by four dark-skinned men. His long, dark brown pants are torn, and his light blue T-shirt is bloodied. Each of the men surrounding him appears to be local within the area.