The Rise of the Fallen (The Angelic Wars Book 2) (31 page)

He looked from face to
face, finishing with Alysa who was now sitting up and watching him
intently.

“
Okay, this is what
happened. See, there's this shortcut that angels can use, called the
Angel's Road, right? Anyway...”

“
...and now Beatrice
and George are in Luxembourg and I guess we just have to wait to hear
any news,” Chris finished.

He had told them
everything and remarkably no one had interrupted, not even Alysa.
When he was done, he lay back feeling both tired and pleased. He
didn't know if telling them was something the judge would approve of,
but it felt right to him.

“
Wow. That was
just...wow,” Alysa said. “A giant? Really? And the
safe-house was invaded?” She looked at Anabelle. “This is
really bad, isn't it?”

“
Obviously it's bad,
dear,” Anabelle replied with a touch of sarcasm. “But
Chris didn't say it was a giant. He said it was the sound of
footsteps. There is a difference, you know.”

“
Difference?”
Patrick looked at her quizzically. “What difference? If
something is so large that it can make the ground shake, then by
definition it's a giant, isn't it?”

“
You'd better get
out of the sun soon, Patty,” she told him with a smile. “Your
nose is getting suspiciously red.”

“
Oh damn,” the
red-headed boy said. “I forget sometimes.”

He got up and moved into
the shade of a nearby tree. He leaned against it and watched from the
shadows.

“
The difference is
that we are probably talking about some immensely powerful creature,
not a giant,” Anabelle said patiently. “Don't you think
that if a gigantic figure had been seen in Luxembourg, that it would
be on all the news shows by now? I watched the world news this
morning, like I do every day.” She looked at Chris. “Apparently
there was a mild earthquake in that city yesterday, while at the same
time storm clouds blackened the sky. It was passed off as a local
phenomena.” She shrugged. “I barely paid any attention to
it until you brought it up.”

“
Huh. Isn't it
amazing how people can explain weird stuff so easily?” Chris
asked. “And you're right about that whole giant thing. I never
actually saw anything solid. Just a shape in the distance. And that
massive voice. It could have been anything.”

“
Exactly. I'm more
disturbed by the assault on the safe-house. What happened to the
people there? And the Angelics? I'm not sure how many there were in
residence, but the loss of even one would be a major blow to us.”
Her voice was colored with concern.

Alysa was chewing her gum
furiously and staring hard at her toes where they poked out of her
sandals.

“
So, we have to sit
here and wait for word from Bea and George,” she said slowly,
thinking it through. The others exchanged amused glances but stayed
quiet.

“
But what about the
other five houses?” She looked to Anabelle, which Alysa seemed
to do whenever she needed to confirm something. The other girl just
looked at her curiously. “The Nest is gone, Valiant is safe,
for now, and Luxembourg is a mystery. But there are those other
safe-houses. Shouldn't someone check on them?”

Before anyone else could
answer, Chris spoke up.

“
The judge says he
sent some people to check on them a couple of days ago.” Then
he frowned. “But I think he should have heard something by now.
If those scouts, whoever they are, were intercepted, then it's
probably smarter not to send anyone else.”

Francis had moved to the
grass and sat with his back against the stone bench. He was shaking
his head before Chris finished speaking.

“
That's a mistake,
my friend.” He held up his hand as Chris began to speak. “No,
now hear me out. At this moment, the only Angelics that we know for
sure are alive and safe are us.” He looked from face to face.
“Six of us. That's all. Now I know that Sariel is powerful,
once he gets his sword reforged, if he ever does. But there is no
damned way that we will defeat the Fallen with just us. Not possible.
We need to know who's left.”

Francis' quiet certainty
seemed to disturb them all.

Chris rolled on to his
side and rested on one elbow. Put that way, their chances of stopping
Hell's forces seemed laughable. He looked at his new friends, hoping
to hear some new ideas from them. But everyone was deep in thought as
well. And then they all sat up or twitched as a phone rang shrilly.
It was Chris'.

He groped into his pocket
in surprise. Who would be calling him?

“
Hello?” he
said as he answered the cell.

“
Good morning,
Christopher. It's Judge Hawkes,” the voice on the other end
said.

“
Oh, good morning,
sir,” he answered. He looked at Anabelle and silently mouthed
'the judge' to her. She nodded with a little smile.

“
Could you tell me
where you are at the moment?” the judge asked.

“
Um, yes sir. I'm in
the garden with the other kids. You know, Anabelle and the others?”

The man sounded amused.
“Yes, I am acquainted with them. I wonder if you could join me
in the Infirmary, please. Ask your friends for directions.”

“
Yeah, sure.”
Chris replied, puzzled. “Are you okay, sir?”

“
I am well, thank
you. I'll explain things when you arrive. Please don't dawdle.”

“
I won't. Be there
as soon as I can, sir.”

“
Excellent,”
the judge said and hung up.

Chris clicked the phone
off and slipped in back in his pocket. He looked at the curious faces
of his friends.

“
He wants me in the
Infirmary,” he told them and shrugged. “I didn't even
know you had one of those here.”

“
The Infirmary?”
Francis sat up and stared at Chris. “Why there?”

“
No idea.”
Chris stood up slowly. “Do you guys have a doctor here?”

“
Once or twice a
week, Doctor Nelson drops in, mostly to make sure that the drug
cabinet is stocked properly and things are in order. It's rare that
we need her services. Tony is our medic now and seems pretty good at
patching up normal bumps and bruises.”

Francis got up as he was
speaking and looked at the rest of the group.

“
I'll take Chris
there directly. It's easy to get lost in this place and the Infirmary
is tucked away from the rest of the living quarters.”

“
Okay then,”
Anabelle said, with a puzzled look on her face. “Let us know
what's going on when you get a chance.”

“
Will do,”
Chris replied and looked at Francis. “He told me to get there
quickly.”

“
Gotcha.” The
teen waved at the others. “Follow me, Chris.”

Everyone said goodbye and
Chris walked quickly after Francis who was already hurrying away. He
caught up as they reached the grassy edge of the garden next to the
castle.

“
So no one's sick
right now?” he asked the other teen.

“
Well, I heard that
one of our staff is down with the flu, but he's resting in his rooms.
Contagious, you know. But the Infirmary is empty. Why his lordship
wants you there is anyone's guess.”

They walked on in silence,
both of them nodding to the staff at the front door as they entered.

Chris tried to mark the
path to the Infirmary in his mind, but was bewildered by the several
abrupt turns and course changes that Francis made on their journey.
He chuckled once as he caught a glimpse of Chris' expression.

“
Don't worry. Once
you're here for a few more weeks, it won't seem so maze-like.
Hopefully you won't have to visit the medical ward too often.”

“
Yeah, I hope not
too,” Chris answered, a bit out of breath. Francis was walking
very quickly.

A few minutes later, they
opened a large, bright white wooden door. 'Infirmary' was painted in
bold, black, (and rather ominous to Chris) letters on the front of
it. His nose was assaulted by medicinal smells of disinfectant and
alcohol as he entered.

The room they stood in was
a generic waiting room. Chairs lined the walls, with a few tables
covered with magazines in between. There was a large desk with an
old-fashioned telephone and a computer on it across the room. A young
man was typing steadily on a keyboard as they walked in and glanced
up when they reached the desk.

“
Ah, Francis. Good
morning,” he said in a pleasant voice. “I was told to
expect Mr. Wright there, but no one mentioned that you'd be
accompanying him.”

“
Morning, Tom. No, I
suppose not. I was with Chris when his lordship called and decided it
would be quicker if I brought him myself.”

Tom nodded. “Excellent
thought. This place is rather off the beaten track, if you're new to
Valiant.” He looked up at Chris and smiled in a friendly
manner. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Wright. Tom's the name. I
work reception here.”

He stood up and shook
hands with Chris.

“
Nice to meet you,”
Chris replied absently as he looked around. “Judge Hawkes said
he'd meet me here. Has he arrived yet?”

Tom sat down again and
nodded once.

“
Oh yes. Lord Hawkes
is in the back. One moment please.”

The young man picked up
the phone and punched in some numbers, while Chris and Francis
exchanged slightly confused looks.

“
Your lordship? Tom
here. Mr. Wright has arrived. Francis brought him in.”

Chris watched as Tom
listened on the phone intently.

“
Yes, m'lord. Of
course. I'll tell them.”

He hung up the phone and
looked at the two teens.

“
His lordship will
be out momentarily, Mr. Wright. Francis, he says that you don't have
to wait. You can go about your business.”

The teen frowned at that
obvious dismissal.

“
Are you sure? I'd
be happy to wait for Chris and take him back when he's done here.”

“
No, his lordship
was quite specific,” Tom said, suddenly serious. “He
wants to see Mr. Wright alone, I believe. So off you go,” and
he waved Francis toward the door.

“
All right then,”
the boy said. “Chris, if you need help getting back, my cell
number is two-three-two. Call me if you need to.”

Chris smiled. “Thanks,
I will. Sorry you're being shown the door.”

The other teen just
shrugged good-naturedly.

“
Lord Hawkes word is
law, my friend. We'll talk later.”

And with that, Francis
left, closing the door firmly behind him.

Chris turned at looked at
Tom, who had resumed his typing.

“
So what's going
on?” he asked a bit nervously. Why had Francis been dismissed?

Tom spared him a quick
glance, but kept typing.

“
Not for me to say,”
he answered. “I'm just the receptionist.” And he said no
more.

Chris stood in front of
the desk for a few minutes and then, getting a bit uncomfortable just
watching Tom type, he went and sat down next to a table and grabbed a
magazine at random. He smiled as he looked at the date. Even here,
the magazines were years old. Typical doctor's office.

He was reading about some
celebrity cheating on her husband with a rock singer, when he heard
someone clear their throat and looked up to see Judge Hawkes standing
next to the reception desk.

Chris tossed the magazine
on to the table and stood up quickly.

“
Good morning again,
Christopher,” the judge said. He wasn't smiling.

“
Morning, sir,”
Chris answered as he approached. “Um, what's going on?”

Judge Hawkes glanced at
Tom, who studiously avoided looking up at them, and motioned for
Chris to follow him.

“
There have been
developments overnight,” the man replied. They walked slowly
down a hallway with white walls and a tiled floor.

Several closed doors could
be seen, each with a bronze plaque on it. Chris noted their names.
'Laboratory.' 'Medical Supply.' And one that made him shiver a bit.
'Surgery.'

The judge stopped about
halfway down the hall and turned to look at Chris intently.

“
Tell me, is Sariel
with you at the moment?”

Surprised by the question,
Chris shook his head. “No sir. He's off trying to find out what
that thing was that we met on the Angel's Road.”

“
Yes, I see.”
The man's tone was thoughtful. “If you needed him, would he
come?”

Chris suddenly felt
anxious. “Yeah, I think so. He has the last few times I've
called him. Why, sir? What's going on?”

Judge Hawkes' expression
was grave.

“
It's best that I
show you. Come along,” he said and began walking again.

It's Bea and George, Chris
thought suddenly. Has to be. Something's happened. Something bad.

They stopped at the last
door in the hallway and the judge knocked on it gently.