Essence of the Angels (The Starlight Chronicles #2)

Chapter Twenty Five

Valarie's POV

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Klaus, Tenpan, Ruforth, Cosmia and Eriz had all sprouted wings—and I didn't know what a city angel was, but something told me it wasn't good. Along with Sadie, they all proceeded to close in on us.

Lucy threw up her Starlight shield around us instantly, giving us some time to think.

"We have to get out of here," I said to Devian. "We have to reach Shade!"

Devian was scanning the crowd, only half listening to me. "The other Court Leaders haven't transformed," he muttered back to me. I realized he was right. In fact, they looked just as shocked as we were, staring at their coleaders in horror. I noticed Stellena and Xanthias readying their fighting stance, and Luana was hastily making her way towards the two. On the other side of the room, Nico and Benjamin were pushing through the crowd, trying to reach us.

"Do you think maybe they're . . . legit?" I murmured back. Devian didn't answer—I didn't think he was sure himself.

I spotted Chrissy and Kyra, still in the crowd. Chrissy seemed to already be analyzing the situation, and she was speaking to Kyra hurriedly. Perhaps we still stood a chance of getting out of this.

"We need to find another way out of here," I insisted, but there were no windows in these walls. Only doors, and all of them were sealed now.

Lucy turned sharply to face me. "Keep trying the door—"

Her expression became pained suddenly, and she gasped loudly, clutching her chest. Jason stared wide eyed at her, his arm going to her shoulders.

"What is it?" I asked, panic seizing me as she took ragged breaths.

"Something's wrong," she gasped, tugging frantically at her dress. She pulled away the material, to reveal a strange white mark blossoming on her skin. It seemed to be coming from where she'd been stabbed earlier—tiny white veins were crawling in every direction.

She stumbled, clutching Jason's shoulders, before completely collapsing. Her shield shattered around us.

The angels were closing in on us now. I summoned a ball of fire and hurled it at them. It burned over the crowd, but Eriz used his gravity power to repel it upwards towards the ceiling. Before it could set the building alight, Stellena sent sparks of ice up to freeze it.

The jagged ice came plummeting down at us once more, and Benjamin threw out his hand. Time slowed down, and innocent people had a chance to avoid its path of doom.

As the Court Leaders began to fight each other, we heard voices on our right. "Quickly!"

Our gazes turned, and I saw Scarlet and Luana gesturing rapidly to us. "Come with us—we need to get you out of here," they insisted. Jason scooped Lucy into his arms. Then, we all scrambled to follow them, not worrying if we were followed. We could deal with that later.

"What's happening to her?" I asked Jason, as we raced through across the courtroom. The white coloring seemed tinged with red splotches, and it was spreading fast.

"I don't know," Jason replied, his tone emotionless.

"Did you know about the angels?" Devian demanded at the two Court Leaders, changing the topic. They shook their heads.

"Of course not!" Scarlet replied. "It doesn't surprise me that Titania had another layer to her deceptive plan though. We should have seen this coming!"