We Are The Archangels

Chapter XII - Aeras

<>------<>Aeras<>------<>

Stupid Midnight and his so called responsibilities.

Smash. I knocked the dummy’s helmet across the arena in a cloud of dust.

Stupid Father with his Earth mission.

Slash. The dummy’s arms came off and went flying, hay everywhere.

Stupid unknown enemy and her world domination.

Slink. I racked my sword across the dummy’s midsection and watched as the top half cluttered to the ground.

I panted heavily and glared at my opponent, daring it to stand up, put itself together and continue that fight like everything else that was doomed to go wrong in my messed up life.

‘What did the dummy ever do to you?’ Midnight asked.

I hadn’t even realized he’d come up behind me. He did have a habit of sneaking through the shadows. Gritting my teeth, I wiped my brow beneath my hood but didn’t face him.

‘It existed,’ I snapped. ‘That seems enough for the monsters to go by.’

‘We’re not monsters. And you’re scaring the little kids.’

I glanced over to the stands. A few weren’t paying attention to my brother and I, instead enjoying a well-deserved break from our training. But most eyed me carefully, like I could go from collected, trained soldier to insane, murderous madman in a matter of seconds.

‘Are you okay?’ Midnight pried, laying a hand on my should which I instantly shook off.

‘I’m fine,’ I sheathed my sword in one smooth movement and walked away.

‘No, you’re not,’ my brother ran after me. ‘Aeras, what’s going on?’

‘Why are we even here?’ I yelled, spinning on the spot to glare at him. ‘What are we even doing here?’

‘Keep it down,’ Midnight hissed at me with a glance over at the campers, a few of whom were beginning to glance our way. ‘They might hear you.’

‘To hell if they hear me,’ I dismissed angrily. ‘I don’t even care.’

‘Aeras,’ he snapped in a low tone. ‘Stop this, you’re being foolish.’

I sighed, ‘I don’t know, Midnight. This sickness is spreading, we know where to find the cure but we don’t know who has it, an unknown enemy is rising against us, the campers won’t be ready; we’re headed for wrack and ruin. And you’re calling me foolish?’

Midnight shook his head, ‘We have to focus on the things we do know.’

‘So we know the gods are sick,’ I counted off on my metal clad fingers. ‘We know the sickness is spreading, we know Ewan can’t heal them, we know that Nero and possibly you will have to return to Tartarus-’

‘And you accuse me of being a ray of sunshine,’ my brother said sarcastically. ‘Seriously, Aeras, thing of the positives.’

I blinked, ‘And they would be?’

‘Well, uh,’ Midnight suddenly seemed unsure and I bit back an I told you sosmirk. ‘We know the campers trust us to train and protect them.’

‘And,’ I egged.

‘And,’ his hands began tapping against his elbows as he crossed his arms. ‘And, we know that Eden could discover something useful.’