The Taking (7 page)

“Ben! Ben!” Despite my freedom, panic rises as the echo of my voice, and the sound of my shoes rushing through the hallway greet me. “Ben!”

“Aurora?” I hear his voice.
Where did it come from? Was that stress I heard?
 

“Ben!” I call again. What is the monster of an angel doing to Ben for training? Anger is mixing with the dread. “Ben!” I call again after I didn’t receive an answer. I am spinning around in circles wondering which way is the best to proceed with my search. “Ben!” We are many levels under the ground. There are no windows that I can find, and there are corridors heading in all different directions.
 

Something catches my eye, and I stop my circling. Before me is the wrinkly face of Zacharias. He raises an almost hairless eyebrow, and a smirk is plastered firmly on his face. Anger gathers within me.
 

“What have you done with Ben?” My teeth are clenched together as I try hard not to scream, but my voice is boarding on hysterical.
 

He huffs half a laugh, and I launch myself at him.
Stupid move.
I am instantly flying backward to the other end of the corridor. All it took was a flick of the hand. I should know by now that you can never win a fight through rage against an experienced opponent.
 

As I slam to the floor, he says, “I was wondering when you were going to get yourself out of there. Are you finished?”

Standing, I grit my teeth and say, “Where’s Ben? I can hear him. What are you doing to him?” My arms cross over my chest.

“Finally,” he says. I think I see relief cross his face. My brow puckers as I stare at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You are finally learning to use your gifts. It has been nearly a week and you dumb fledglings have sat in your rooms wasting precious training time.”

“Well, that is a stupid waste of time on your behalf. Why wouldn’t you take us out and teach us? After all, you are the trainer.” I spit. “Now where is Ben? He sounds distressed.”

That annoying smirk spreads across his face again, and he shakes his head. His drooping skin almost tightens with excitement over my demands.
What kind of sick guy is this?
I grit my teeth.
This guy is seriously getting on my nerves.
 

“He is not the one distressed. He can hear your stress as you call him.”

“Rubbish,” I spit. “Where is he? I want to see him now.”
 

“I’m not stopping you. I have never stopped you. Go find him.” He waves his hand dismissively. “You can hear him, go find him.” He turns his back to me to leave.
 

The bubbling anger is pushing its way to the surface. “Where are you going? Archangel Michael left us here because you agreed to train us, yet you haven’t lifted a finger to help and have wasted our time by locking us away like prisoners. We are supposed to be training, and I know you have done something to Ben.” I snap as I take a few steps forward.
 

“Are you not concerned for the dippy one?” he sneers. “Only interested in the male?”

Halting, I need to tread carefully. I don't know how much influence he has with the archangels, and I cannot have this arrogant being knowing about Ben and I. “I am also worried about Cindy. It would pay to learn her name. But I can only hear Ben, and he is distressed.”

His green eyes constrict as he glares at me. “Like I said, go find him if you can hear him.”

I do not know the pull this earthbound angel has over us, but his mannerism has gone too far. “I demand that you take me to him.”

His eyebrows rise. He takes a step forward; the silver in his hair gleams in the light from the lit torch in the corridor. His face sets in a strange firmness as he speaks slowly and distinctly. “You may think I have been wasting your time, but in fact you have been wasting your own time.” He steps forward slowly to the place that my feet are set. “I placed you in there so you could work out how to use your powers under stress.” He has almost reached me. “Have you not wondered why you cannot work out which direction the voice is coming from? Shouldn’t you be able to follow the voice if you hear it?”
 

Standing in front of me, his nose almost touches mine. I am dying to take a step back, but I hold my ground. His hand reaches up, and I flinch. He taps me on the temple.
 

“His voice is sounding in here. It is why you cannot find the direction. Your male colleague has the natural gift of the archangels and can speak within your mind. Being so close to him, I thought you would have been able to work that out.” His voice is charged with scorn, and his mouth has returned to the thin vertical line.

I frown as I process the information.
 

“Why don’t you ask him where he is?” He turns and leaves me standing alone in the corridor, the swish of his monk gown echoes after him.
 

Not knowing where to start, I face the other direction. I don’t know how I am supposed to find him when I can’t speak in his head. Besides, if he is locked in a room somewhere, how would he know which way to direct me? I am longing to find some fresh air away from this musty smell of damp rocks, but I need to find Ben and Cindy. Clearly Zacharias is not going to help us. I wander down the corridor until I find a door.
 

“Ben, Cindy?” I yell through the closed entrance.
 

No answer. These rock doors are thick, and I am not sure how much sound they will muffle out, even to angel hearing. So I do not want to take the risk and pass by a door that they will be behind. I place my hand on the rock, just like I did before, and I will it to open. Nothing happens.
 

“Aurora?” I hear Ben’s voice again.
 

“Where are you?” I ask him out loud. I wonder if maybe I spoke the words he might hear me.
 

“Aurora?” his voice says again.
 

Judging by his tone he did not hear me. I focus on the door again, and it does not open. I move on — I have so many other doors to check. If I do not find them by yelling through the doors, then I will work on opening them. I am at the next door.

“Cindy, Ben?” I yell. Still no response, so I move on.
 

“Cindy, Ben?” I project through the door only to be greeted with silence again.
 

I sigh as I look at all the doors in front of me. I hope this is not going to take me the rest of the month to find them. I reach the next door, and I smile. There is some colourful language going on inside. I did not expect to hear that in a monastery, but it is music to my ears. Cindy is on the other side hurling all manner of curse words at Zacharias. I step up to the door and without saying anything I lay my palms against the rock door surface. I am about to try to send the pulse into the rock to try to move it when I hear a change in her voice.
 

“Aurora?” she calls out.
 

I don’t say anything as I concentrate on that pulse again.
 

“Aurora,” she calls out again. “I can feel you. You are really clear so you must be on the other side of this door.”

She has definitely caught me. “Yes, it is me. It is good to hear your voice.”

“You have no idea.”

Actually, I do, but I am not about to argue this through the door.
 

“Clearly pig head is not with you because his vibe is a lot weaker at the moment.”

“No, he is not here. I am going to need you to be quiet for a little while because it still takes all of my attention while trying to open these doors.”

“You can open the doors?” Her voice slightly rises.

“Sometimes. That’s why I need you to be quiet.”

“I wish I could open these doors.”
 

“Cindy.” My voice is tense.

“Okay. Okay.”

I am grateful when she falls silent. Concentrating on the rising of the pulse within I feel it stirring inside. When the brewing feels complete, I push it to the door. Nothing happens.
How did I manage to open it before?
I try a few more times until finally the door slides back.
 

Cindy greets me with her hands on her hips. One of her golden blonde eyebrows raised. “Now, aren’t you impressive.”

“Only sometimes,” I mutter. “I would be happier if I could do it all the time.”

She walks into the corridor, and the stone closes behind her. “I can’t believe we have been locked up for days. Does the arrogant angel know you are out?”
 

“Yes, I already ran into him. He won’t help us as it is part of our so-called training to get ourselves out.”

Cindy shakes her head. “Really? That’s what he calls training?”
 

I nod.
 

“What about Ben? I have been hearing his voice whispering in my head.”

“Me too. But I can’t find him by him just talking to me, and I can’t answer. Zacharias mentioned something about Ben hearing my distress when I called him, and I thought he was in danger. I don’t know how that would be when I am not near him; I can’t speak in minds. I am glad I found you first then you can use your skills to sense him.”

“Let’s go then.” Cindy walks further down the corridor, and I follow.
 

We pass several doors, and I am thankful I don’t have to stop at each one trying to see if they are behind it.
 

“Aurora.” I hear Ben’s voice. Now that I hear it again knowing he can speak mentally, I realise it is obvious that it sounds in my head. I am annoyed with myself for not realising this when I heard his whispering voice while he was standing in front of me.
 

“Is Ben talking to you now?” I ask Cindy.

She shakes her head.
 

“He just called me.”

“He is not far away. His sense is getting stronger.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. Cindy places her arm around my waist and a half hug. “We’ll get through this training and show Zacharias we are better than he gives us credit for.”

“I know.” I give her a half smile. “I just hate being locked up and not doing anything useful. I feel as though we have wasted so much time. Surely we could have learnt more a lot quicker if he had guided us.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” After passing a couple more doors, she lets go of my waist and points to a door. “That one.”

I hesitantly cast her a side-glance. My heart is beating loudly in my chest. I realise how much I have missed him after being unable to see him, and I am surprised that it is making me nervous. Hearing his voice was nice, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him or being able to talk to him.
 

“Thanks,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. I selfishly wish she wasn’t here. I stand in front of the door and wait for the right sensation to gather inside of me and then I release it into the rock. Instantly the door slides back, and no one is more surprised than I am.
 

“Wow! You’re getting better at that,” Cindy exclaims.
 

My eyes look inside the open door to see the welcoming colour of royal blue standing just inside the entrance. As I stand speechless, his eyes find mine and the surprise turns to relief when he sees us standing in the corridor.
 

Cindy reaches in and pulls him out of the room into the corridor. “Boy, it is so great to see you.” She embraces him unreservedly, and I watch as he returns the friendly hug towering over her.
 

“It is definitely good to see you two,” he says as he looks past her golden yellow wings at me. His mouth does not move as the words enter my head. “I missed you.”
 

I can’t help smiling, and he reaches out his long arm to grab me and pull me into the embrace. His warm skin presses against my face as I hear his heartbeat pound through his sturdy chest. Instantly, all anxiousness disappears.
 

Cindy pushes back to look him in the eye. “Why didn’t you tell us that you could speak inside our heads?” She crosses her arms playfully as she pouts her full lips.
 

A smirk forms on his face. “But I did tell Aurora. I have been speaking to her even before we were locked away. Wasn’t I?” He gazes at me, and the conversations that I thought were in my imagination flood back to me. I can feel my cheeks warming, and I look away trying to hide the flush.
 

“I didn’t realise you were actually talking to me.” I defend myself.

“You didn’t tell me,” Cindy moaned, her pale Caucasian face crinkled into a frown. “I swear you two are holding information from me on a regular basis. “

Glad for a diversion, I look at her and raise an eyebrow. “Well, you did make it clear that you didn’t want anything to do with any of our mischiefs.”

At first her face held a stunned look then it softened. “True. With all the intensive training, we have been doing, I have forgotten how much trouble you two can get into.” She grabbed a gold pin off the neckline of her yellow bodysuit and pinned her golden blonde hair tying that stray strand away from her face.
 

Remembering the panic I had heard earlier in Ben’s voice before I broke out of my confinement, I ask Ben. “I thought I heard dread in your voice when you were calling out to me. Was something upsetting you?”

His face broke into a frown. “I thought it was you who was in trouble.”

I am shocked. “Why?”

He reaches down and grabs the charm I gave him that hangs from a metal ring at the waist of his pants. “Your angel was flashing.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. It all makes sense now. “And I thought I was breaking out to help you.”

“You did. I love the freedom.” A cheeky grin crosses his face.
 

I shake my head. “Come on. We have a cranky trainer to meet.”

- Chapter Seven -