Swan Song - The Infernal Devices

Chapter Eight

EVELYN'S SUBCONSCIOUS

the vietnam institute gardens
evelyn doyoung

The period of unconsciousness was very short. It lasted but a few seconds. When Evelyn awoke, she lay in a bed of soft grass. It was still dark outside and the sky above her was completely clear and cloudless. It was warmer here.

She sat up slowly, her head spinning. It was the Hanoi Institute gardens, that was for definite. She pulled her hair away from her face, and glanced around. Yes, this was it. Whatever spell Magnus Bane has used had worked, then. What a bastard, putting her to sleep before she had the chance to properly interrogate him. As soon as she was out of whatever this was, well... Evelyn would be unlikely to overpower him. Clearly, by this example, he was too capable.

Evelyn pulled herself into standing, brushing the creases from her lovely dress. The garden was so breathtakingly wonderful as it had always been. And now it was very quiet too. She felt nervous, so she focused on the low tinkling of one of the garden's multiple fountains. There were powdery-blue orchids growing against it's stone, that weren't there before she had left. It made her feel strange, to think her home had changed even in the few days she'd been away from it. Though, Evelyn supposed, this was not the real Hanoi Institute, it was simply a fragment of her imagination. Nevertheless, she took the stem between her fingers and pulled. It came away easily, and she held the soft flower gently in her palm.

"Evelyn Doyoung. You dare come here of your own accord."

The voice was like ringing music, so clear and pure it almost hurt. It wasn't just anger in its tone, it was the cold, intimidating fury. And Evelyn would recognise it anywhere.

"Gabriel," she said tentatively, and added with a nervous sort of laugh, "Don't pretend you aren't glad to see me."

She turned. The boy in front of her was difficult to look at, not because he was ugly, but the exact opposite. He was so blinding beautiful. His face perfectly formed, carved glass really, and was framed by curls of golden hair. His lean body and faultless beauty presented him to be barely older than Evelyn herself, but his deep and pitiless brown eyes suggested something beyond age and time. These eyes were horribly merciless, and nothing on the boy's showed nothing but frozen contempt.

This, however, was no boy. From his back sprouted the most lovely wings. They were huge and pearled with feathers, folded neatly against his shoulder blades. This was Gabriel, an Angel, and one of Raziel's closest. Perhaps unfortunately for her, he was Evelyn's most frequent visitor. Whether this was out of like or dislike, Evelyn was clueless. Gabriel was rather morbid at the best of times. Maybe with reason.

"I could kill you, Doyoung. Right where you stand. Raziel is not pleased," he said, stalking from within shadowy trees.

Evelyn sighed and sat against the edge of the fountain. She pulled at the orchid in her hand, her face rested but she was fighting the urge to fidget with agitation.

"I've done nothing to break any 'rules', Gabriel," she said, "This is just... unconventional, I suppose.

"How did you do it?"

"I summoned you. With a ritual, and Marks and everything," Evelyn quickly lied, thought that sounded rather stupid as she said it. She had absolutely no idea how to summon an Angel, but Evelyn did not want to implement Magnus in one's murder plans. It seemed to work though, as Gabriel didn't question it. Maybe the idea wasn't so impossible as she thought.