She Speaks to Angels (16 page)

“
The demons are the first to lose power. They begin to lose their gifts. But the Angelfire has felt the shift of power too. We aren’t as strong as we once were, because of what you know.”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...” I reacted with chills.

“
Not your fault,” Kian said short and plainly. “But now you know the truth.”

“
And the more humans who know the truth,” Krysta warned, “the weaker we all become, demon and angel, and the more dangerous life will become for those humans.”

I hadn’t seen this side of Krysta, the one of serious concern for my well-being. It startled me.

“
Well, if all this is true...then shouldn’t I just leave now? Why show me more? Why reveal more to me by answering my questions? Won’t more knowledge simply cause all of you to become weaker?”

Shaking his head, Sammael answered with a pondering expression. His eyes searched somewhere behind me, as if I didn’t stand in front of him. “No, you see, the only knowledge that really matters in the shift of power is the one that reveals our existence. Second to that knowledge is the awareness of who the angels and demons are.

We all lost power when you realized angels existed in this city. And I don’t mean just considered the possibility, but possessed real knowledge in that regard, eye-witness accounts, physical details and facts. When you found the black feather on the roof, Dameon felt a surge of power leave him. When you brought Tommy’s books and papers to your house and weeded through them, we all felt a shift. When you saw Kian in the reflection of the Kindle. When you saw Kian and Dameon outside your window fighting in angel form. All of these instances weakened the supernatural life, weakened Kian and Dameon, because they drew you closer to the knowing of angel-demon existence, to knowing who Kian and Dameon really are.

But in your room when you saw Dameon become his Dark Angel form, his identity had been revealed, and he lost even more power. He fought hard to kill you and wouldn’t have left until the deed was done if Kian hadn’t of been there.”

“
So, now because Kian saved me and I know what he is, what all of you are....you all have lost power too?” I sounded defeated.

“
Yes.” Sammael answered with kind eyes, even though I had brought so much mayhem to their secret world.

“
If I had just left it alone!” I shook my head, angry at myself. “Why couldn’t I have just let the cops handle Tommy’s death?”

“
Don’t beat yourself up.” Kian defended me like a hero on a horse.

“
Yes, go ahead.” Krysta encouraged my volatile emotional state. “It is nosy humans like you who get us all into trouble.”

“
Don’t say that, Krysta!” Nathaniel spoke up for the first time in the crimson room. Looking around I noticed the walls had the same coloring as the tiled floor, and as empty as the first room, with exception of the bookcase behind me. “Ali didn’t mean any harm.” His squared shoulders stood firm, like a soldier as he met with Krysta head to head.

“
And yet, here we are. Weaker everyday,” Krysta fumed. “Millennium High sure has its share of trouble makers.” Krysta glared at me.

“
You mean more than Tommy and me?” I thought back to the sporadic suicides over the years which Millennium High had become known for.

“
Yes, Ali.” Krysta rolled her eyes and reminded me of Molly. Hot-tempered. “Every year it seems that someone pokes his head into none-of-his-business affairs.”

“
Enough. “Sammael yanked Krysta from behind as she drew closer to me with each word. “Let Kian and Ali work this out between themselves.”

“
Fine.” Krysta stomped her foot as she gritted her teeth before she spun around and marched out of the room through a mahogany door in the back.

“
I’m apologizing for Krysta’s behavior.” Sammael took my elbow and guided me to the bookcase. “She is easily aggravated.”

I wanted to say something smart-ass about Krysta, but then remembered that her family had been murdered, leaving her alone to the adoption agency. Probably explained a lot of her hostility. “Has she always lived with you, Sammael?” I cocked my head toward him as we walked forward.

“
Yes, for as long as she can remember, anyway.”

“
The adoption center must love you. Always picking up strays,” I joked.

“
Well, two strays in Washington state and one in New York. The agencies are state-wide, not national...so they wouldn’t even be aware I have three children.”

“
Still, you must be considered some kind of hero.” We stepped in front of the bookcase.

“
Perhaps, but I don’t communicate enough with the human world to know.” Waving his fingers over the binding of the books on the shelves, he changed the subject.

“
Take what you need to learn what you can. Now that you know we exist, we need you on our side, working with us, to help defeat Dameon and the others.”

“
The others?” I jumped backward, my face contorting into something fearful, I’m sure.

“
Yes, there are more demons than merely Dameon. But let Kian explain all this to you. I have got to get going.”

“
All right.” I said slowly as I watched his back draw further away from me; his slippers padded on the tile softly before he left through the same mahogany door. When the door clicked closed, the room grew quiet, and Nathaniel fidgeted before turning to Kian.

“
I’ll leave you two alone and check on Krysta.”

When Nathaniel disappeared, Kian rubbed his fingers over a book in black binding. As he pulled the book from the shelf, I could see that the cover had chalk-white sketches of ugly looking creatures. Demons, I imagined. “There are all sorts of demons. The most prevalent in New York are the Dark Angels. I imagine they use this form because most people associate angels with goodness, so if ever discovered, they can more easily hide their true intentions.”

“
What are their intentions?” I squirmed.

“
The more chaos and evil they create, the more power the darkness possesses.”

“
So, they try to cause harm?” I needed details.

“
They can’t cause harm themselves or they lose power. They must influence humans to cause harm.”

“
But how?”

“
By retaining human form and being a negative influence. By influencing dreams, or whispering into the ears of humans about what they want done.”

“
Then why did Dameon try to kill me? Wouldn’t he have lost power by causing a human harm?”

“
Yes, but not as much power as he would have gained.” Kian flipped to the back of the book and showed me a set of rules outlined in black and white. “There are primarily eight rules angels and demons must live by.”

Rule 1) If an angel or demon physically harms a human, he loses ‘Gift Power’.

Rule 2) If an angel or demon is intimate with a human, he loses ‘Wing Power’.

Rule 3) If an angel or demon is discovered by a human, he loses ‘Essence Power’.

Rule 4) If an angel leader or demon leader is discovered by a human, the entire flock loses Essence.

Rule 5) If an angel leader or demon leader is killed, the entire flock under him will lose all power.

Rule 6) If an angel is dying, he may transpose his wings to a human, giving his Essence and Gifts.

Rule 7) If a demon kills humans, forfeiting his Gifts, he will develop fangs.

Rule 8) If a demon is intimate with humans, forfeiting his Wings, he will develop fur.

“
What do those powers mean?” I squeezed my forehead in confusion.

“
Gift Powers are abilities all angels and demons possess. Dameon has the ability to create fire from his hands. When he tried to harm you, some of that ability dissipated. He took a great risk trying to kill you. By failing, he exposed himself to a human and lost some of his essence, and in turn, he also lost some of his gift. But if he had succeeded, he would have only lost some of his ability to create fire. He would have regained the Essence Power he had lost each time you stepped closer to our discovery.”

“
What is Essence Power?” I sat on the floor with my legs crossed, taking all this in. It felt like it would take weeks, but I only had today. I had to return to school tomorrow.

“
It is like our lifeline. Without it, we would cease being angel or demon. Every time a human takes some our Essence Power away we weaken.” He sat across from me.

“
So, by me knowing what you are...I am killing you?” Wrinkles formed crevices on my forehead.

“
I’m not dead, am I?” Kian gleamed as if everything would somehow be fine. “I’m just weaker than I was, say a month ago.” He chuckled. “And not just me, but Dameon, too. The playing field is still even. Besides, human awareness doesn’t kill us per se, just our supernatural form. I would simply become mortal.”

“
So, if enough humans ever found out about this...this supernatural world...” My shoulders rolled forward as I hunched and grabbed my temple, trying to keep the facts straight.

“
Yes, we would all cease to exist....as angels.” He rubbed his fingers together and waved them into the air. “Current angels would become like dust...it’s possible more wouldn’t even be born.”

“
So what can I do to help?” I rolled my shoulders back and took in a deep breath. The lighting of the crimson room felt heavy on me.

“
Dameon is the Dark Angel of Destruction, and like other Dark Angels or demons he reports to a leader...the same as we report to Sammael, the angel of souls.”

“
Who?” Or perhaps I should have said
what.

“
Azrael.” Kian flipped the book open to angel-demon pictures with descriptions and names. “His name means Angel of Death.” Kian’s long forefinger pointed to the name Azrael in the book. The sketched image was only that of a mere man with dark, elongated wings stretching from one side of the page to the other. His red eyes and the ominous fog that surrounded him denoted him evil.

“
So, Dameon follows his orders?”

“
Pretty much. If we destroy Azrael, then the entire Dark Angel population would cease to have power. We will essentially have won this war in Manhattan.”

“
Then why don’t you?”

“
Because finding him is nearly impossible. It’s the reason Sammael also hides from the human world, from the demon world. If a demon ever killed Sammael, all of us under him would be rendered powerless.”

“
How do you mean?”

“
We would lose our gifts, our wings, our essence. We would cease to exist as angels and become mere humans.”

I tried to imagine Kian, Krysta, and Nathaniel as mere high school students at Millennium High. How different my life would be now if Tommy’s death had been a simple suicide, if there is anything simple about suicide, and if I didn’t have a demon hunting me down, a demon I once thought I loved, thought I would sleep with. OMG! I grabbed my chest as I felt a sharp pain stab my heart.

“
You still haven’t explained to me how I can help.”

“
Well, the demon world knows of you and knows you’re the reason Dameon is weaker. Dameon will try to kill you again, Ali.” My hands hugged my throat.

“
Don’t worry...everything will be fine.” Kian tried to be encouraging, but I could tell he didn’t even fully believe it. “We can use this to our advantage.”

“
How?” I shrugged.

“
By using you as bait...as something they want. We can set a trap that will draw Dameon out and wound him enough to aim him straight back to Azrael.”

“
Won’t Dameon just show up at the school? Why not take him there?” I reasoned.

“
Took much exposure. He wouldn’t risk it, and we wouldn’t risk it. Too many human eyes.”

I glanced at my watch. “It’s getting late. Mom is going to worry about where I am. I should be getting back. I will see you at school?” I stood and dusted off my jeans.

“
Your life is in danger, Ali. Don’t you get it? You can’t just go back home. Dameon will be looking for you there.” Kian nearly bit his tongue.

“
What! I can’t go back home? Mom would go crazy with worry! I would go crazy living inside this building all day! I’m going home.” I spun away from him.

“
No, you can’t, Ali.” Kian grabbed my shoulder as I turned to the oak door to flee across the hardwood floors and down the iron winding stairwell.

“
I’m going.” I had never said anything more sincerely. I couldn’t do that to Mom. Make her worry about me constantly. She had enough on her mind since Dad’s death.

“
Then I’m going with you. I will have to keep watch on you wherever you go.”

“
Then you’d better pack your school bags, because I’m hitting Millennium High tomorrow.”

“
Don’t you see this is a death wish?”

“
You said yourself that the school has too many human eyes. Dameon wouldn’t try anything there. That would be angel-demon-suicide. Besides, I need to see my friends and get an education. I do have a future to look out for, you know. And Mom would never let me just stay home and skip.

“
All right.” Kian’s red cheeks had faded. “You’re right. You have to live your life. But you must never -NEVER- be alone. I must be with you every minute of every day, or you might just die. Dameon will be waiting for that one moment, that one chance to end your life, to take back the power you took from him.