Underground Angels

Chapter Forty-Three || Cave Living

Chapter Forty-Three

Cave Living

It was eerie to see a dream right before your eyes, hear sounds that had echoed in your mind for days be heard by others. Noel was nervously tapping the railing of the boat, gaze on the horizon. The Pyriphlegethon could have drifted from her dreams and into the Underworld, it was so similar.

On the other end of the deck Lola and Paul were talking animatedly, and the happiness in Lola's face was breathtaking. Noel had never seen her smiling like that, as if she was not worried about anything at all. Stephan was inspecting the boat, trying to figure out how it ran without a captain. Constantine was checking and then double-checking their stuff. He then rechecked it again.

Noel was thinking about Gabriel.

For months – six long, frustrating months – she had no idea where he was exactly, what he was thinking. Six months since he had kissed her at the boarding house. Six months since she had told him about the pills and they had slid down a frozen creek. Six months since Gabriel had tilted her chin up, leaned down to kiss her.

And now he was so close Noel could almost feel it. Well, Grandma Ethel said she probably could – it was a Seer thing. Just another aspect of weird, mythical life Noel had yet to get used to.

"Noel!"

Turning, she saw Constantine beckoning her over. "Paul says its about to get rough, come inside the cabin."

With a last glance at the shore, Noel hurried over. Paul, looking more alive with every minute spent with Lola, was frowning at a monitor. "Something's up," he said, poking some buttons. "I'm gonna go close to the shore to be safe."

Noel shivered, even though heat was radiating from the Pyriphlegethon. The boat had begun to rock violently, and she grabbed onto Stephan's arm. "When all this is over I am never stepping on one of these ever again."

Stephan let out a nervous laugh, petting her hair. "It'll be fine."

"Actually." Paul cleared his throat. "It won't be."

"What d'you mean?" Stephan asked, voice rather shrill.

Paul looked very concerned. In the short time Noel had known him, he'd always had a calm and collected mask on. This worried her greatly. "Something is messing with the river, we have to get off. I'm getting the boat as close as possible, but it doesn't look good." They all peered out at the dangerous, fiery waves. It smelled lime blood. Noel's stomach twisted nervously as she heard the familiar screech of nightingales and connotes.

"These are bad." She reminded them, pointing to the sky. "I think Gabriel is sending the, but I'm not sure if he knows we're here."

Stephan gulped as Lola stared at the birds, as if her stink eye would convince them to mean something else. "Don't the ones that sound bad –"

"Connotes."

"–mean something bad?"

"War and bloodshed." Said Noel miserably.

"Sounds lovel-" Lola began to say, but at that moment the boat was hit by a vicious wave.

"Get down!" Paul shouted, large drops of sizzling blood melting through the glass windows. The boat was pushed over the jagged rocks, piercing through the deck. They were all thrown onto the windows as the boat was turned on its side, rock going through one side to the next.

"Come on!" Constantine shouted, gesturing to them. Lola and her cousin kicked the glass (somehow still intact) and jumped through to the sandy beach below. The sand was hot to the touch, and they all scrambled to further up the bank. Away from the edge the sand was lovely and warm, as if they were at a beach at the end of a long, sunny day.

"Is everyone okay?" Constantine asked, doing a head count. Stephan was kissing the hot sand, declaring he refused to ever go on a boat again. Not after all their bad-boat-luck.

"Ouch." Lola was grimacing, inspecting several burns on her arms. "That water was hot."

"Not water." Noel was looking over her own selection of burns. "Blood."

Lola gaped, looking at her brother for confirmation.

"She's right." Sighed Paul. "That's why the air smells metallic."

"Let's rest here for a little while." Suggested Constantine. "Who knows when we'll get another chance."

Noel did not want to rest. She wanted to walk towards the spiralling turrets in the sky, just like they had in her dream. She knew Gabriel was in there, wrapped in chains. Suddenly, a spec of a person appeared in her sight. It grew closer, limping; somehow, Noel knew not to be afraid.

"Shit." Stephan jumped up. "Should we hide?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah, there's some boulders over here –"

"No." Noel sat very still, only her lips moving. Her gaze stayed fixed on the approaching figure. "It's okay."

"How do you know?" Paul tapped his fingers against his thigh, jittery.

Lola grabbed his fingers. "She knows."

Noel's heart beat fast as the spec's features became clear. It couldn't be...

"Grandpa?" struggling to her feet, the sound of blood rushing in her ears almost drowned his words out.

"Ellie." He sighed, and she ran to him, sand sucking at her feet.

"You're here." Burying her face in his neck, Noel breathed deeply. He still smelled like sandalwood and cologne. "Somehow I knew you would be."

"Of course you knew," George Bennet grinned and wiped his granddaughter's tears away with his thumb. "You take after your grandma, after all."

***

Grandpa George lived in a cave. He took the teenagers there, hurrying quite quickly for an old and very dead man. The cave was sandstone and warm, with lanterns hung from the ceilings and old furniture crowded into nooks.

"Cozy." Stephan said upon entering. "I like what you've done with the place."

George seemed to appreciate Stephan's wit because he treated his burns second last. "I thought this might come in handy," he told Noel as they sat in front of a fire. The others were passed out on various mattresses tucked into ledges of stone. He dabbed the wounds carefully, then dipped the cloth in the calming goo once more. "You haven't said much Noel."

Long shadows drifted into the cave from the towering stones outside, and Noel considered their stretching forms. "I'm sorry." She studied his twisted, chapped hands. "I just...it's a lot."

His touch became so gentle Noel barely felt it. "It is a lot."

Noel did not want to admit it, but if she could tell anyone what she was truly thinking, it was Grandpa George. "I don't know if I can do it, Grandpa – I'm not a hero."

Grandpa George's features softened. "You are Ellie, your Grandma always knew. That's why I taught you how to shoot, so you could do more than just see the future. You are smart, you are brave."

"I guess."

"And Gabriel is depending on you." He pointed out.

"I know." Said Noel miserably. "That's what I'm afraid of."

A/N: I am so sorry for this prolonged absence. I blame summer school, then regular school. No excuses should be tolerated though. Also, sorry this is rushed. Getting back into it.

Question: What do you think lies in store for Noel and the rest at Hades residence?

Rose