SERAPHIN

Chapter Three

Laylah's eyes widened as she stared at the piece of paper. She somewhat understood why the king had accused her of the kidnapping, but the king was also being unreasonable.

"Well?" the demanding tone of the king made her head jerk up, and she glared at him, suddenly furious.

"Well what? If you really think I have anything to do with her disappearance, Your Majesty, then I'm sorry to say, you're cracked."

A collective gasp rose up from the crowd of people, and the king's face turned a puce-like color as he took a threatening step forward in her direction. Queen Evangeline held up a hand for silence, and was obeyed immediately.

"Laylah Allocen, you have been my daughter's friend for thirteen years, and along the way, you have gained my complete trust. I believe you haven't done anything, but to prove that to the King, you must find out the real culprit," the queen spoke in her soft voice, her eyes looking right at Laylah, "you are a clever girl, always have been. And I trust you will find our Ariel and bring her to safety. We have, of course, sent out search parties as well."

Laylah's face was blank, but the fire that ignited within her made the huge black wings unfurl from her back. Gasps reverberated around the room once more, and the queen paled slightly. The room was utterly silent as she said:

"I'll show you, Your Highness."

And with that, she spun around and marched out, head held high, wings fluttering agitatedly.

****

As her eyes adjusted to the sudden gloom of the streets, she felt her wings folding again, and breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this. She wandered slightly,not wanting to go home immediately, her mind whirring with possibilities.

Who could be Black Wings?

There were a thousand possibilities. Black wings. There were a lot of seraphin who had black wings - outcasts. In fact, she remembered her father mentioning a certain group of outlaws called...

She shook her head, trying to remember. Her father had specifically mentioned a name - a name she couldn't quite recall. Sighing, she gave up; when the time came, she would remember. It was no use fretting over it at the moment. Since home was not an option right then, Laylah headed towards the cabin in the woods. This cabin had been there since forever - it had been her refuge when she needed to get away from people, her home away from home.
As the wooden door creaked open, a slight sense of trepidation and foreboding washed pver her, sending chills down her spine. She felt the small hair at the back of her neck as a feeling of being watched overtook her.

"Don't be stupid," she reprimanded herself aloud, "no one can possibly be around and about at this time and place."

Shaking her head once more, she switched on the lights, sighing in relief as light flooded the small but cosy room. She looked around, allowing a smile to curve her lips up - it had been so long since she'd last come here. The one-room cabin consisted of a worn-out but comfortable couch, a small wooden cupboard beside a mini fridge and a fireplace beside the couch, the only source of heat in the room. Her writing desk stood beside the couch and a microwave rested atop the wooden cupboard. It sometimes amazed Laylah how advanced yet old-fashioned the seraphin could be. She sighed, flopping down on the couch. She was sleepy, her mind exhausted. But after thirty minutes of rolling over and over, she gave up. She walked into the kitchen, made herself a strong cup of coffee, grabbed a writng pad and pen, and took a seat on the couch again. 

She had to figure out who the kidnappers were. She had to try and recall that name. As she sipped her coffee, her mind wandered. She wondered why the Queen would assign her to look for her precious daughter. Something just didn't fit. The King shouldn't have accused her of the kidnapping...unless- unless it was a diversion!

Laylah got up from the couch, not caring that the pad and pen cluttered to the floor. Excitement overtook her as she paced the length of the room, occasionally sipping from the cup. The King was not stupid, he had his reasons. This accusation would buy Ariel some time. The real kidnappers might just become a tad more negligent, more relaxed. This, she realized, meant that the King was afraid. He would never risk his position and his reputation, unless there were no other choice.

'But there is!' Laylah smiled to herself as she finally recalled the damned name: The Globus Furvus. She remembered her father saying that they were recruiting more and more of the youth. A dangerous smile lighted her face as Laylah Allocen drained her coffee, 'Globus Furvus here I come!'