The Taking (9 page)

I watch as Ben’s face almost turns sad, but he does as instructed and slides them back into their leather cover.

“Keep looking around, you may find more than one weapon that attracts you,” Zacharias says.
 

I continue through the weapons display. My hands have touched many weapons yet not one has beckoned me. Cindy is slightly ahead of me and turns the corner to the next stretch. Ben follows while running his hands over other armoury pieces; his eyes gleaming. Keeping a close eye on everything we touch, Zacharias follows explaining the details about any tool that we ask about. Before I manage to follow Cindy around the corner, I hear clanging of metal up ahead. When I catch up with her, she is holding golden circular pieces of metal that are hollow in the middle. It has a decorative pattern of a cog with deeper gold outline in place and a blue stone within each cog trimming.
 

“What are these?” she asks while threading one over her hand and wearing it like a bracelet. “They are very pretty for a weapon.” She looks at me, and her eyes are beaming.
 

Zacharias progresses around the corner just as I turn to look for him. He takes one look at Cindy and says, “Figures. You would choose something pretty.”

Cindy ignores his comment. “What are they?”
 

“They are Chakram. They originate from India.”
 

I watch Cindy as she spins them around in a circle with her pointer finger, each rotation increasing the speed.

He cringes. “I wouldn’t be handling them like that."
 

 
“Why not?” she asks. “It feels natural.” She continues to spin them.
 

Still gritting his teeth, Zacharias says, “Please, just hold them still and I will explain.”

She sighs and stops the spinning motion.
 

“It feels natural because it is the technique used to throw them. They would sling them around by the finger then let them fly.” He has reached her, and he picks one up. Running a finger along the edge, he says, “The edges are very sharp, and when thrown they can take someone’s limb off completely.”

Cindy’s pale face turns a lighter shade. “Oh.”
 

“These, along with the rest of the weapons here,” he waves his hand to display the room, “have been blessed with angelic powers. It means they can also take the limb off a demon."

She gazes at the remaining weapons on the desk and then decides to pick them up, placing them on her arm over her wrist. There were a couple of larger Chakram rings, and she threads them over her head, wearing them like a necklace. I have to smile as she wears them like jewellery. They suit her and go well with her golden yellow clothes and hair.
 

The gold in her eyes is sparkling as she looks around. She catches my smile. “What are you smiling at?”

“You.” I chuckle. “You look like you have been let loose in a jewellery store.”

She smiles broadly. “Well, it’s your turn now. What are you going to choose?” she asks looking around as if to help.
 

I continue running my hands over the weapons. “Nothing has jumped out at me yet.”

“There must be something. Even with all your natural gifts, there must be some kind of weapon you need,” Cindy says.

I shrug as I continue making my way through the hidden room. I can hear Ben and Zacharias following behind as Cindy and Ben continue touching the different weapons packed from ceiling to floor. I do not hear them call out with a new weapon, so I assume that no others have jumped out at them. I reach the corner and follow the room’s lead. When I have almost finished searching the mystery room, I spot something hanging in the top far corner. The gleam catches my eye, and I can’t stop staring.
 

In a gold sheath and decorated with small plates, lies a petite gold handled dagger. My eyes do not let it leave my sight as I make my way over to touch it. It is almost as though I am hypnotised by this item. After bumping into several benches, I reach the wall and pull it down for a better look. A buzzing feeling is flowing through my arms as my hand strokes over the weapon. A strange, joyous sensation has overtaken my body. I gaze in awe at the golden handle and plates. Embedded flowers decorate the gold, with stones centring the flowers.
 

Seeing flowers on a weapon for some reason does not strike me as odd. Perhaps it was made for a female. As I marvel over the dagger, running the blade across my hand and feeling the sharpness of its edge, Zacharias approaches to see what it is that I hold.
 

His eyes gaze over the weapon. “That is a Roman Pugio dagger; small but deadly especially when charmed with angelic powers.”
 

I look up at him unable to hide the excitement I feel when I think I see a cloud pass over his face.
 

“Do any other weapons attract you?” He glances over the room.
 

I shake my head.
 

He frowns. “All your powers are motivated by touch, which means up close contact. It is also a weapon requiring close contact. It would serve you well to have a weapon that also works from a distance.”

“Then I will just have to learn how to throw it.” Not letting the weapon leave my side I continue searching and touching the remaining weapons. I shake my head. “Nothing grabs me.”

His eyes cloud. After a quick look around the weapons room he says, “All right then. Let’s leave the armoury room and close it. It is time to start physical training.”
 

Ben breathes out a loud sigh, and I notice a look of relief on his face. Being couped up has taken its toll on his enthusiasm. It is time for some action.
 

- Chapter Eight -

A week has past since we chose our weapons. After sitting in the rooms for days, the extensive physical training is a welcome relief to our bodies. Seeing we do not need sleep; our training has been non-stop. Zacharias brought in several large wooden trunks shaped in the form of a human body. My skills with the dagger are improving yet I know I need more practice before I perfect it.
 

Standing at the opposite end of the room from the figure, I position my feet firm and balanced. Holding the dagger at its tip, I focus on the heart of the wooden form. I bring my hand back and fling it forward, sending the dagger flying. A groan of frustration fills my ears. Searching for the owner, I am confronted with Zacharias’ crumpled face. It is screwed up so tight I can only just see the green of his eyes. As I look at my target I realise that I have hit the shoulder again. I moan with frustration.
 

Zacharias stands close, scrutinising me. “What are you doing? It is imperative that you get your target right.”
 

Biting my tongue, I collect my dagger from the target and return to where I started. Focusing on the on the chest of my target, I cross my fingers and throw the dagger. A thud sounds when it hits the form. As I uncross my fingers, a hiss escapes my nose. It has landed on the arm. Even though this would hurt my enemy, I have missed the heart again.

“You are not getting any better.” Zacharias stomps beside me in a short pace with his arms clasped firmly behind his back. “It could be the difference between winning the battle or losing it.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.” I snap. He spins around and glares at me, but I don’t care. Approaching my mannequin, I grab my dagger. He has been breathing down my neck more than the others for the last week. I don’t know why he is so adamant that I learn to throw the dagger anyway. He is not keen on me having to fight with my hands, yet I have always fought well with my hands.
 

Needing a break after I grab my dagger I stand to the side and stretch while I watch Ben and Cindy practice. Ben is practicing the motions that Zacharias has shown him. He takes his butterfly swords from their sheath, strapped to his body between his shoulder blades where his wings attach. His muscles dance as he pulls them out of the sheath for the millionth time and begins the next practice of his sequence. He has almost mastered the art as his body flows smoothly, occasionally connecting with his wooden target, slicing deep cuts into the figure. He looks so graceful, and I am finding it hard to divert my eyes away from watching him.
 

After a while of staring, Zacharias looks in my direction. Catching his change of movement, I look away from Ben just in time. “You shouldn’t be taking a break, you need more practice.”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll get back to it in a minute.” I sheath my dagger. I have just realised I have been fiddling with the decorative handle. It hangs comfortably on the outside of my right thigh.
 

He turns back to look at Ben, “You’re slowly getting better. Keep practicing.”
 

Ben pauses for a moment and looks at me.
Is that a compliment he just paid me?
His voice sounds in my head.

I shrug. I wish I could talk back to him rather than communicate in body language.
 

He goes back to practicing his routine. His eyes catch me watching, and his voice continues in my head.
You can look at me with those bedroom eyes all you want.
 

My face is heating up. In mortification, I shake my head and I turn away, watching him smirk in the corner of my vision. He has unmistakably worked out how to speak in my head, and I’m sure it was not how the archangels intended him to use his gift.
 

My eyes follow the thud sound that comes from the furthest corner of the large stone room. Glimmers of golden and yellow flicker under the torch flames as Cindy grabs another Chakram from around her wrist and spins it on her pointer finger. She lets it fly in the direction of the wooden dummy, and it hits it in the hip.
 

“Hopeless,” Zacharias says. “You are too random with your targets.”

Cindy glowers at him and silently reaches for another Chakram off her arm.
 

I study her dummy and notice that it is missing both arms and the head. I find this impressive but clearly our trainer doesn’t.
 

She stands to the side and spins the circle around and sets it free in the direction of the dummy. It embeds deep in the shoulder.
 

A grumble sounds from the earthbound angel.
 

With a few Chakram still hanging around her neck and on her wrists Cindy places her hands on her hips and looks at Zacharias. “What?” she snaps.
 

He indicates the dummy. “You’re so sloppy.”

Her lips pucker tightly together, and her eyes shrink with the muscles constricting around them. “I am not sloppy,” she huffs with her tone defiant. She flicks a hand at the target. “Can you not see the missing limbs, including the head?”
 

“Do you think I am blind? Yes, I see them. They are only hits of chance.” His tone is condescending.

“Then if they are all to chance,” Cindy snaps. “Why don’t you stand in front of the target for a bit of motivation and then we will see how much of it is chance.”

I hear a rumble forming in Zacharias’ throat. “How does Michael train you insolent beings? He should have beaten the living daylights out of you before training to learn some respect.”

“Archangel Michael doesn’t need to beat it out of us; he has earned our respect as any good leader does.” Cindy's head wobbles as she spits out the words.
 

I cannot read past Zacharias' fixed wrinkles, but I am shocked by Cindy’s blatant attitude to our current trainer. I thought my attitude was not the best, but she is taking it to another level. I understand why she is upset with him especially after the way he seems to have had it in for her from the start. But she is the rule follower, not the breaker.
 

Cindy looks at Ben. “Oh, get out of my head would you. He has been nothing but a rude and arrogant know-it-all ever since we walked in here.”

From Cindy’s reaction, Ben must have been trying to talk her back into the Cindy we know.
 

Zacharias turns away from Cindy. “I do not have to train you, human.”

She waves a backward arm at him. “See, there you go again, calling us human as though it is a lower being than you. Here you are earthbound, you know, stuck on Earth with the
humans
yet you speak of them as if they are below you.” The hand is back on her hip. “Oh, and by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, we are no longer human. We are angels with better wings than you.”

His eyes turn a deeper shade of green. He does not turn to look at her but says softly yet clear enough for me to hear. “Get out.”
 

A chill runs down my spine as I feel my face turn cold.
 

“What?” Cindy says, her face still mad.

“I said, get out!” This time it was much louder.
 

“Fine,” Cindy says as she stomps over to the target grabbing the rest of the Chakram still imbedded in the wood. She leans in his direction from the distance and says, “With pleasure.” She stomps through the door.