"So, she had a nightmare and woke up with that mark on her shoulder. That doesn't bode well at all." Will remarked.
It was an hour later, and we'd been in his room for most of that time. I was feeling the exhaustion creeping in on me, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep; not with the worry that something was going to come after me. So, there I sat, curled up on the futon with my legs against my chest as I listened to him and Chris talk.
Chris was sitting beside me, still upset over what had just happened, "No shit Sherlock, and here I thought I could keep blocking any of them from coming after her through the dreamscapes. This has to be a very powerful one if he can get past me." he stated.
"Well, we know that Jade has always been capable, but I've always thought that part of that was his blood connection. Maybe the more powerful Fallen can find loopholes in your ability." Will reasoned, looking puzzled as he stood near us with his fingers under his chin and eyes cast to the floor.
"I don't care what it is. Just make it stop. I've had enough of this already." I begged.
"Just keep yourself calm. We're going to figure out the best way to help you, so hang tight, okay?" Will responded.
I sighed in resignation, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed out." I apologized.
"Don't apologize. We get it, and we're stressed too because of all of this. But just trust us with everything. We'll figure it out." Chris promised me.
I felt a little better as he squeezed my hand. That same comfort was still there between us. It seemed like it had grown a lot in the little bit of time we'd been back together.
Will was still thinking everything over. His face was half in shadow from the dim light. With his dark hair, this actually gave him a kind of ominous look.
"Well, the best thing I can reason for now is that maybe we should take a look into who invaded her subconscious. That could be the first step to stopping them." he finally suggested.
"That would probably be the best plan of action, but how did you want to do that? Neither of us have the ability to look into the memories or dreamscapes of another." Chris reminded him.
"No, we don't. But I know that Jade and Saffron do."
"Absolutely not. All Jade's going to do is cause more trouble if we turn to him."
"I don't think it's a good idea to ask Saffron either. He's probably still mad at me." I admitted.
I felt a little defeated. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to confront Saffron like I had. I probably did need his help a bit more.
Will shook his head, looking frustrated. But just as quickly, an idea seemed to come to him.
"Well, if we can't get them to help us, then there is one more option."
"There is?" I asked, feeling hopeful.
"You've got another idea?" Chris added.
"Actually, it's the same, except that there's one more person here we've forgotten about with the ability to look into dreams and visions. Zane Hedel." Will answered.
That was right. Chris had told me before that Zane had an ability very similar to mine, and I'd even seen in my visions that he'd predicted my coming through it. If anyone could do anything aside from the full Fallen, it was Zane.
Chris agreed, "You're right. I did forget about him, but do you think he'd be able to help us with this now? We don't know if Israfel sealed that ability when he healed his mind."
"It's worth a shot, and if not, I think the next best bet would be to speak to Israfel. If all of that doesn't work, then you'll just have to swallow some pride and bring Jade in on this one." Will told him.
Chris frowned but didn't argue the point. He stayed on the subject of Zane.
"We'll just have to see, but right now, I think it might be better if I got Zane." he relented. He patted my head as he walked past me to the door, "Just stay in here. I'll be right back."
Will watched him walk out, "At least he's taking this objectively for the most part. I just wish he'd give up the fight and ask Jade for a little more help. We could use it right about now." he admitted.
"Do you really think that Jade would help us? He might like seeing me squirm." I pointed out.
I really did think that with everything that had happened between the two of us. Although Jade had this strange tendency to step in unexpectedly, I still didn't think he had any kind of empathy towards me, especially after what had happened to Chris before.
But Will disagreed, "I really don't think that's the case. While Jade is the type to hold a grudge, I don't see it here. Trust me, if Jade didn't think anything of you, you wouldn't be here now, and whether he admits it to Chris or not, I think he's starting to look at you like he sees him."
"I really don't think that could happen."
"You really wouldn't?"
"There's no reason for him to. Besides, he hates Saffron, and he didn't like that I was around Chris in the first place. He's probably just bringing me here because he's got something planned to get back at him." I reasoned.
Will sat beside me, "Maybe, but I wouldn't count on that. I also don't think it's that absurd that he'd actually have some strange fondness for you. If you think about it, your mother was one of the many incarnations of that soul he was after. That might count for something too." he reminded me.
I looked at him as we sat there, studying the man beside me. It was funny, but I don't think I'd really taken a lot of time to consider what I now knew about Will. I was still having a hard time even thinking about who his father really was.
In spite of myself, I had to ask about it, "So why wait to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Will asked as he sat back. He seemed relaxed enough, but it could've just been an act for my benefit too. Will seemed good at that when it suited him.
"To tell me that you're Lucifer's son. Chris and Zane said that they knew a long time ago, and you told them not to say anything to me. Why?" I clarified.
Will thought it over before answering, "Well, I could say that I had plenty of reasons, but I guess the simplest one was that I didn't want you to start judging me right away."
"Judging you?" I repeated.
"Just think about it. I'm sure the thought's crossed your mind when they told you the truth. I was born as the darkness to the light, if you want to put it in more poetic terms. Whether I chose to live this life or not, it's what I've been handed, and on top of that, I had to grow up knowing that I was feared and hated. They all wrote about me. They all claimed that I was coming, and they all claimed that I was going to plunge the world into darkness. To be honest with you, the whole thing has always sucked big time." Will explained.
"I could get that. It kind of sucks too when you first realize that your father is a Fallen Angel, and you're basically told that just being born makes you evil." I agreed.
"Yes. I'd imagine that all of us have thought that here and there." Will nodded. He looked towards the darkened windows, "It's odd though. The more time passes and the older I get, I find that I understand things that I never thought I would back then. That's why I want what's happening now. I want this whole redemption thing to work. Not only for me, but for the others who were born under this cursed existence. There are very few if any of the Shadow Wings who want to rule or cause harm. We just don't have a lot of choices under our fathers. If this whole thing works, then we'll finally be free."
Finally be free. His words rung like a bell in my mind; but even though they elated me, a piece of me felt a tiny bit of fear of them.
Will looked at me again, "Freedom is a scary thing, isn't it?" he noted quietly.
"You knew I felt that?" I asked.
"Trust me, I can sense just about anything from any like us. It's part of who I am." Will replied, "But back to the subject, I understand why you feel that bit of fear in the thought of freedom. We all feel it, including me, and the older we are, the harder it is to believe. That was part of Zane's problem when you first mentioned meeting with Kinsley Martell. After you've lived like we have for so long, it starts getting to you. You begin thinking that maybe there is no other way of life."
I thought about Zane's sister Ester as he said that. Her tragic death made terrible sense with those words.
"Hey Will, do you really think that Israfel did something to Zane to make him better mentally?" I asked absently.
"To be honest with you, I have no doubt. There's something very different about Israfel. I just wish I could put my finger on it." Will admitted.
"You didn't know Israfel before?"
Will shook his head, "No, but I can't say that I've met every Shadow Wing either. But like I said, there is something very different about him. It's made me want to keep a closer eye on him. He may have helped Zane, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to trust him completely."
"You really don't trust him?"
"After what happened before, I'm making sure to keep my guard up at all times. I won't let anyone be so badly hurt because of me ever again if I can help it." Will declared.
I'd always known that Will regretted what had happened. He regretted it very deeply. I felt kind of bad for him too. He had so much on his shoulders when it came to us, not to mention what he had to deal with when it came to his father. The whole world was probably against him from the day he was born.
I didn't get a lot of time to think about this before the door opened again. Chris came back in with Zane. It was kind of obvious that he'd woken Zane up. His ash-colored hair was a bit messy and his white shirt was wrinkled and baggy, along with his dark pants.
"It seems like everything's staying quiet for now, but it took me a bit to get this one up." Chris said, glaring slightly at Zane.
"You are one to talk. You never get up when someone wants you to unless it's a dire emergency." Zane complained, running a hand through his messed-up hair.
"Stop complaining. I told you that this was one." Chris shot back.
Will shook his head, standing up, "I'd take it that Chris told you what happened." he said, ignoring the glares between the two.
"Yes, he did tell me some of it, but it's very odd that something could get past Chris's added defense of her dream state. It may be a very powerful Fallen who's trying to make some kind of contact." Zane admitted. He crossed his arms as he thought it over.
"Which one would you think of off the bat?" Chris asked him.
"I don't know. There are quite a few of them that invade the dream realms, and some are better known than others. Perhaps it will give me a clue if I take a look." Zane responded. He came over and sat beside me.
"How are you going to do that?" I asked.
I was feeling a bit nervous now. While I'd been around Zane a lot and felt like I knew pretty well, he'd never talk about doing something like looking into my mind before.
"Don't worry. It's very quick and painless. I'm just going to look into your memories and see what you saw. It won't take but a few seconds, and you won't feel a thing." Zane promised.
"Go ahead. It's probably the quickest way to get some answers." Chris added, crossing his arms as he leaned against the nearby wall. He looked a bit grumpy now. I wondered if it was because he was tired or if he was mad that he couldn't do anything more to help me.
I agreed, letting Zane gently hold the sides of my head.
"Just close your eyes and stay still." he instructed.
I did as I was told and felt him press his forehead against mine. Almost instantly, I could see the whole dream play out again. I felt Zane let me go as it ended and opened my eyes to see him shaking his head.
"This isn't good. It was definitely another Fallen." he told them.
"Could you see which one it was?" Will asked him.
"I couldn't see them clearly. However, I did hear them speak, and I can tell you that the voice sounded familiar. I just need some time to do a bit of research to help me place it." Zane responded.
"How long do you think it's going to take?" Chris asked.
"A day, possibly two. I do have an advantage in being here now, considering Jade's keeping some of the dark volumes in the library with names in them. I'm sure that once I run across the right name, I'll be able to put a face with it." Zane explained.
"What do we do now? What if he comes back for me?" I asked him.
"You don't need to worry about that."
All four of us looked over to see Jade standing by the window. He'd apparently been listening from the shadows.
Chris stepped over beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "You were listening to all of it?" he guessed.
"Of course I was. I sensed it when her dream was invaded, considering this place is my territory." Jade responded.
"Can't say I'm surprised." Will muttered.
"Do you know which one it was? It would save me the time in figuring it out." Zane asked, making sure to hold my hands. Like Chris, he was going to make sure that I stayed safe.
"No. He thought ahead to keep his presence hidden from me enough to conceal his identity. However, I don't take kindly to the idea of one coming into my territory and trying to take one that's currently under my watch, and beings that her father at present is not in the state to add any more protection, it seems that it's going to fall to me to calm this fiasco." Jade answered.
He walked over and stood in front of me. There was a rather smug look in his eyes. It was almost like he was pleased with this turn of events.
"What are you going to do about this?" I asked.
"There's a simple way to take care of it for now, but I will need your permission to do it." Jade responded.
Chris glared at him, "To do what?" he asked suspiciously.
Jade smiled at him, "It's very easy; I'll combine some of my blood in that Heretic Stone for the time being. That will extend my powers to protect her from invasion." he explained.
Chris didn't look very happy to hear that, but it seemed like he didn't have much of an argument against it.
"You'd really do all of that to protect her?" he mumbled.
"I wouldn't call it that. Think of it more as a favor for you. After all, it seems like you sulk unbearably whenever you cannot have her around." Jade retorted.
"Are you sure you can do that? I would think that Saffron would stop you." Zane noted.
"Normally yes, but at this time, he's in no position to fight with me, and he certainly should know that he cannot fight off another powerful Fallen in his state. He's not that much of a fool. So, it's up to the little girl here. You can take my offer and have some peace of mind or hope that this other doesn't return to finish what he's started." Jade went on. He looked directly into my eyes as he finished speaking.
I hated having no real choice in this matter. I think every one of us in that room knew that everything Jade said was true. Saffron didn't have half of his power at this time for the wounds inflicted on him, both from Lucifer and me. He couldn't even keep up the strength of the Heretic Stone to drive things off. The only salvation I could have for protection in my dream state was Jade. How horrible was that?
"Fine. I'll agree to it, but only because I don't have any other choice." I finally told him.
"Very well. I didn't expect you to be any kind of happy over it. Your temperament is too much like Christoff's anymore." Jade commented, kneeling in front of me.
As I watched, he held up his right hand and poked his index fingernail into the middle of his palm, drawing out a medium sized drop of black blood. Then he reached over with his other hand and took my pendant, pressing the bloodied palm into the stone. It immediately lit up with dancing red lights deep inside of it. I felt an odd surge go through me as I watched them, and once they died down and faded away, so that that feeling.
Jade smiled as he let the stone go, his hand showing no sign of the blood or small wound having ever been there, "Perfect. As easy fix."
Chris looked at him squarely as he stood up, "You know, you're doing a lot here to keep her close to us now. Are you trying to steal her from Saffron?" he asked point blank.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jade scoffed, walking back to the door, "For now, just make sure to get some rest. There will be no more trouble tonight."
"He plans as well as Saffron it seems." Will commented as the door was closed.
"Yes, but he wasn't the one who appeared in that nightmare. I can tell you that much. Now whether he was involved is another story." Zane added.
"I doubt it. Jade doesn't do things in a roundabout way like that, and this probably is part of him getting back at Saffron. But right now, I really don't care. It's two in the morning and we all need some rest." Chris told them as he helped me up.
Zane stood up and stretched too, "Yes, most definitely. Sleeps sounds wonderful, wouldn't you say Ariana?"
"Yeah, it does." I agreed.
"Good enough for me. Then let's get some rest and we'll finish dealing with this in the morning." Will told us. He looked tired too. Maybe it had hit him now that the letdown had come.
Saying our goodnights, Chris, Zane and I walked out into the hallway. But Zane stopped us when we got to our door.
"You know Chris, I think we should take extra caution with all of this." he suggested quietly.
"Are you getting worried about Will again?" Chris responded.
Zane shook his head, "No. It's not Will that I'm particularly worried about. To be perfectly honest with you, I'm finding it a little ironic that another Fallen would suddenly aim for Ariana. My concern is perhaps it's stemming from another here, possibly Lennox or Israfel." he explained.
"You do realize that you're the one who brought Israfel here. Didn't you think about that before?" Chris asked him.
"I did. I admit that I don't know that much about him, and he doesn't speak much about himself, so it could be possible. But I'm more concerned about Lennox Basilisk being here. We all know his reputation among our kind. Allowing him to be close to us could invite a lot of trouble." Zane went on, his tone turning serious.
"Reputation? What does he mean?" I asked Chris.
Chris ignored me, "That's not something to talk too much about right now, and I'm making sure to handle things with him. But if you really have to know, it was Will's idea to let him tag along here. He apparently sees some use in him for something or another. My guess would be his reading abilities. Lennox has us all topped with that one."
"Is that so?" Zane mused, "Sounds like Will may be planning more than he's let on."
"Maybe, but let's just leave it for now. We're all tired and not thinking straight. We'll talk more in the morning." Chris told him.
"Very well. Goodnight, Ariana, Chris." Zane nodded.
As soon as Chris and I were in our room and alone, I had to have my say.
"Okay, spill it. What's this whole thing with Lennox having a reputation?" I demanded.
"It's nothing you need to worry about. Zane's just thinking too much into things. That's all." Chris answered. He was acting unconcerned, as usual.
I wasn't buying it, "Don't give me that! You're hiding things from me again!" I accused.
"Stop that! You're just upset because of everything that's happened today." Chris shot back.
"It's not about everything that's happened today." I argued, "It seems like ever since you found me, you've been avoiding telling me about certain things. You wouldn't even tell me that Jade was your father until you had to. It's not fair!"
I think Chris was getting the message hearing that. I saw the startled look cross into his eyes, though he remained stubborn about all of it.
"Look, it's not like I'm not telling you things because I'm trying to keep you in the dark about everything. I just want to keep you protected!" he protested.
"If you want to protect me, then stop hiding things from me dammit!"
My words cut through the air like a knife, and I saw Chris step back. I had the distinct feeling that he hadn't considered that one. Maybe his idea of protecting me was wrong after all.
"I'm not trying to hide things, but I get it. Maybe we don't tell you everything that we probably should. Maybe we've been overprotective, but there are things that may be better if they come in time too." he reasoned.
I took a deep breath to compose myself, "Okay. I'll give you that one. But seriously, tell me the truth. Why is Zane so worried about Lennox all at once? There has to be a good reason for it. From everything I've seen, Zane isn't the type to worry about the other Shadow Wings." I reasoned.
Chris rubbed his left temple with two fingers, "No, he usually doesn't. I'll give you that one. But I'm not sure that he's completely right with this either. Even though he can be a lot of things, Lennox tends to be a pushover when it comes to plotting against others like him. He generally isn't that well liked because most know about who his father is, and the ones born to that Fallen have particular troubles in causing harm to those around them, at times even through no fault of their own. It may just be the curse of their existence." he explained.
"The curse of their existence?" I repeated.
"Come on. Let's lay down and I'll try to explain it to you while we rest." Chris offered.
I reluctantly followed him to the bed and laid down under the sheets beside him. Turning to face each other in the darkness, I felt a certain nostalgia. This was a lot like when we'd first met. I could feel the smile cross my face at those memories.
Chris laid back against the pillows, glancing up at the ceiling as if he was thinking over what he needed to say.
"You know, I really do feel like I could kill Zane for all of this." he grumbled after a few minutes of silence.
"Don't start blaming Zane. You know I would've heard it eventually, and it's not like you didn't have to tell me sooner or later." I reminded him.
"I guess you're right." Chris agreed, a smile crossing his face, "Where to begin then? I guess the best place would be with Lennox himself."
"Seems like it to me." I agreed.
Chris nodded to himself as he spoke, "Well, to start off, Lennox isn't really that old for a Shadow Wing. He's the last child that was born to his Fallen father, and I'd venture to say if I remember correctly, he's around two hundred years now. Anyhow, the children under his father have always tended to have a bad reputation. There were one or two of them that were actually eliminated by other Shadow Wings due to the troubles they caused. I personally don't know that much about all of that, considering I didn't witness any of it and only heard about it through the friend of a friend way, but I can tell you that as far as I know, Lennox is the last remaining of those children now. He's also no strange to controversy."
"Who is his father?" I asked him. I was certain that he must have known by the way he spoke of him.
"His father is similar to Zane's from what I know, although I've never met this particular Fallen in person. His name is Belial."
"Belial."
That name had a certain doom quality to it in my mind. I wondered if it was because I could sense it with that Fallen who had tried to attack me in my dream. Were they right to suspect Lennox of involvement with that?
"They call him the King of the Worthless within the tiers of Hell. That seemed to extend to his children as well. Lennox is always desperately trying to make himself look better than he actually is by driving down those around him. Even when he doesn't mean to, he's often doing it out of force of habit. I think that's part of the reason he targeted you so quickly when you were first brought here. It was easy for him to intimidate you when you didn't know him and had been through so much already. On top of it, you're also a female Shadow Wing. To the ones like him, that makes you a natural target for manipulation." Chris continued.
"I guess I could get that. Girls still get bad treatment from time to time just because of who we are." I surmised.
"Not really. Female Shadow Wings are pretty rare. Along with you, there have only been maybe twenty or so in the last five hundred years, at least according to what Jade's bothered to tell me. He was pretty surprised when Saffron chose to make you female. Most Fallen prefer males for obvious reasons." Chris admitted.
"Because they're stronger." I guessed.
This was kind of amusing to me. I could recall very well when Mama was teaching me history and about how the rulers in medieval times used to only want boys. Boys were supposed to be stronger, be leaders. Girls were worth nothing more than marrying off to a wealthy family for status. Again, the mortal and spiritual worlds didn't seem so far apart.
Chris laughed, "Maybe, but that's not always the case. Some of the female Shadow Wings have been known to be strong too, and looking at you and what's locked inside of you, I think you're probably stronger than some of the males. In the end, it all comes down to the bloodline, and trust me, Saffron is a hell of a lot stronger than they like giving him credit for. Even Jade admits that."
I looked down at the stone that hung around my neck as he said that, thinking about what Jade had done. I still didn't get it. What was Jade trying to accomplish with helping me? It couldn't have only been to make Saffron mad, and I couldn't see him helping me just because he wanted to win Chris over. No, there was a much deeper motive behind all of Jade's actions. I wished I could catch at least a glimpse of what it could be.
I was brought out of those thoughts by Chris pulling me against him and kissing me between the eyes, "Don't worry so much about all of this. I promised that I'd protect you however I could, and I'm going to keep that promise. I won't let what happened with Judiel repeat itself." he whispered.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I am glad to be back with you. I really did miss you." I admitted, closing my eyes and enjoying the closeness.
"It's okay. I get why you were upset. But let's relax now. Nothing's going to happen to you. We'll make sure of that."
I was half tempted to tell him that he shouldn't make promises that he might not be able to keep, but that familiar kiss that followed his words erased all thoughts from my mind. I'd found my home there in his arms, and I never wanted to leave it.