Broken Wings [Completed!]

Chapter 2

"What — what was that?" Remy breathed, blinking rapidly as if she didn't quite believe what had just happened.

They'd both slipped into a narrow alleyway after most of the police force had arrived. Evira was now second-guessing that decision. It smelt of sewage; garbage had been dumped against the walls, some bags overfilled so that litter was seeping out of it. Evira leaned against the brick wall, arms crossed over her chest. "Maybe it really is April Fool's Day -"

"You're not helping."

Evira had never seen anything quite like it before — something so diabolical crawling around and snatches people's souls. It couldn't be a Hellion who had beaten them to collecting Sophia's soul — Hellions were granted the gift of looking the same after their death. They didn't have the horns or sharp teeth humans described them with.

She fixed her icy blue eyes to Remy's dark ones. "I've never seen it before —" A sibling of the lightning she felt before struck at her forearm. Instantly, she shot upright, half expecting to catch sight of another one of those devilish creatures.

"Are you alright?" Remy asked. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

"D-did you not feel that?"

Remy shook her head. "Feel what?" She seemed worried now, placing her hands on Evira's forehead to check her temperature.

Evira swatted her hand away. "I'm fine," she insisted. Looking at Remy's troubled face again, she said, "it wasn't anything. Trust me."

Remy gave a long inhale. "Last time you said that you fell unconscious five minutes later." That was true. She'd been bitten by a vampire in one of their battles. Even a beginner in studying the Underwolders would know a vampire's bite injects poison into their skin.

Instead, she gave a smirk. She'd learnt that it was better to act in a jokey manner to quickly divert Remy's attention elsewhere. "Was it a very dramatic moment?" To exaggerate the point, she waved her hands in the air. "Did everyone drop to their knees and start crying and praying for my health?"

"That's not going to work on me, Ev —"

Around them, the air started to shiver. Evira grabbed for her axe so quickly it looked like it had just magically leapt into her grasp. "Who's there?" she demanded, voice rasp.

The alley lit up like the flick of a torchlight. Evira had to squint to make out who it was — she could only see a curtain of brown curls and a whimper before the figure fell forwards. Rushing forwards, Evira ignored Remy's cry of protest.

She wondered where the girl had come from — there didn't seem to be any other entrances, but only a solid, flat wall that punctuated the end of the alley. "Hey, wake up, wake up," Evira muttered as she turned the girl around. She didn't look any more than fourteen. There was no blood — only bruises and scratch marks. On her chest, above her heart but under her collarbone, was the number '1098' engraved with what seemed like a knife. But the scar had faded, and the number was now a white mark.

With a more scrutinising glance, she recognised that all her fingers had been crushed. They jabbed out at random points, like the branches on trees during winter.

The brown haired sat up bolt-right, and Evira pushed back with a gasp. There were holes for her eyes; they weren't like Evira's, which had only left a scar. It was hard to keep her face steady.

"Humans — traitors — not what you think —" Her voice screamed for water.

Remy brushed her fringe out of her face. "Shh, it's alright."

"No — no, I —" she stopped, her eyes glassy. Then she fell backwards, and Evira was too surprised, too bewildered to catch her fall.

Evira looked into the portal Remy had created, the colour as rich as the blue in the deep sea. It seemed almost magical. "We need to get back. Tell Katarina everything." Remy urged, gripping Evira's hands as she stepped inside, and then they were falling.