Gehenna. The realm of Dark Angels. I never believed it existed, but then again, look where I am now. The guards lead me through dark cobblestone streets, quiet and empty. A huge castle looms above me, dark and gothic, the exact opposite of the Phoena palace. Everything here is damp and clouded over with a purplish tinge. A sense of sadness looms around, making me feel hollow and incredibly lonely.
I've long since quieted down, and the guards have bound my arms in front of me as opposed to dragging me along the cobblestones. We enter the castle and I am led to what appears to be a throne room.
Cloaked in elegant reds and purples, the throne room in gorgeous and haunting. Windows, tall and Victorian, frame the walls, and a black velvet carpet runs along the ground.
At the end of the carpet, in an ebony throne, sits a woman who I can only assume is the Queen.
The Queen of Gehenna.
Dressed in blacks and purples, she looms over me. Her dress flows around her like a mist, and I'm not entirely sure that it is even on her. Her every action is amplified in waves by the dress, and the movement reminds me of a coursing river or a broiling sea. The guards forced me to my knees in front of her. I try to mould my expression of fear into that of defiance.
She starts speaking, voice loud and booming, stopping my heart in my chest, "Over a century ago, a girl arrived in Eagleais." She seems to be speaking to no one in particular, words echoing all around the room, but I know they're directed at me. "She was young, beautiful, and utterly, totally, distraught. She was screaming, crying, begging for someone to listen to her, for someone to help her. She had said she'd been murdered.
"But the people of the Blue simply ignored her. They went about their day, avoiding this distressed woman like the plague. They wouldn't help her," She sneers, "They refused to. That's where we came in. That's why we tried to help her. We brought her here, to our realm of Gehenna, to try to save her." She stands and begins to pace slowly, like a tiger. "But she was beyond repair." Suddenly, she turns to me, eyes flashing. They're eerily purple, dark like the night. A wave of fear flows through me, and I flinch. "She wouldn't listen. We tried, we all did. But it was too much for her. She threw herself onto the blade of an axe." The matter of fact tone she uses surprised me- she had sounded so passionate earlier. "And so she went on, to the life after this one, never to be seen again."
"Why are you telling me this?" I say after finally finding my voice again. "What does it matter?"
She sweeps down towards me with frightening speed and grace, and I can see that up close her eyes have specks of red running through them, dark as blood. Her wings were different than the other Dark Angels, having veins of blood red through them instead of purple. "You're lucky, Clarisa." I had thought her voice was terrifying before, but hearing her say my name with the certainty of death petrifies me. "You live in Phoena; the Royal city. You arrived at the stairs, you grew up in a palace. You had people there for you." She glares at me, hatred obvious in her eyes, "Amelia did not."
"Amelia? That was her name?" I ask, somehow capable of forming a coherent sentence.
"It was." She sweeps away from me, and I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "You're a princess from The Blue; She was a commoner from England. You adjusted to your second life with luxury; She threw herself onto an axe before she got the chance. You had friends and family to protect you; She. Had. Nothing." She smiles, and it reminds me of a shark. "You'll never understand the hardships of the real world until you come here, Clarisa." She sighs, sitting back down on her throne. "Then again, you won't be here for long, either."
"What do you mean?" I demand, hairs rising on the back of my neck.
She ignores me. "The void is our lee line. It connects us all. We draw power from it to stay hidden, and The Blue uses it to conceal itself from Earth. It's an urban legend that falling into it will kill you; it'll only send you somewhere much, much worse. It'll allow you to see loved ones again but at a price. You'll never be whole. You're a spirit in their world, and unless you return to The Blue, you'll stay down there, forever."
"What are you saying..." I trail off, realization hitting me. The notes. The sign. The carvings.
V EARTH V
Above the void. Go down and...
THEY BOTH FELL
Fell... If I can assume that Kyle and Kalie make up 'both' then that means...
"Earth" I gasp, understanding. "Down there, below the void, is... is Earth."
"Well done." She congratulates me as if I was a child. "Shame you'll never live to see it, though..."
Determination runs through me, along with a surge of adrenaline. My heart rate speeds and everything seems to slow.
"Not if I can help it," I growl, then spring into action.
I stand quickly, knocking my head against a guard's in the process. It hurts, but the adrenaline keeps me going. I spread my wings, hitting the other guard, and take to the air. I look around for an exit and find no other option than the windows.
I am definitely going to regret this later.
Crashing through the window, I feel arrows following me. I look down at my still tied hands; there's no way I can escape like this. I land quickly to pick up a shard of glass that fell when I broke the window, using it to cut my bonds. Flying back up, I look for a cliff. Any cliff.
I find what I'm looking for, flying over before I'm caught. I don't have to worry about arrows, they can't fatally harm me as my weakness is water. Standing at the edge, I look down into the dark void. The silence is ghostly, and I can't wait to decide whether I regret my decision or not. There's a clamour behind me, and I know they're getting closer.
I take a breath.
Close my eyes.
And jump.
The wind rushes through my hair, and for the first time in weeks, I feel free.
If you're alive, Kyle, I'll find you.
If you're not, I'll die trying.
YOU ARE READING
Golden Wings
Fantasy[CURRENTLY BEING H E A V I L Y REVISED AS A NEAR COMPLETE DIFFERENT STORY] "Over a millennia ago, before the portals to the Earth were sealed off, the Angels and their darker brethren went to war. The Dark Angels had gone down to the realm of Earth...
