Fallen Angels

“It’s not fair,” Allora murmured as she stared out the window at the grim scene below her. The spectacle didn’t look like much—just a dark carriage riding down the broad driveway of her home. It was a very large vehicle, true, unusually huge, eight horses pulled it. Even so, she was surprised that it could contain him. It saddened her, this revelation. A silent tear dripped down her face.1

She was aware that her mother would no doubt want to speak with her. The fact that she was going to ignore this knowledge did not bother her in the least. Her mother could wait as long as she wanted. Allora knew that she hadn’t been “fraternizing with the enemy,” as her parents called it, and if they didn’t want to believe the truth…well, that was their problem, not hers.2

She pulled the shudders closed as the carriage disappeared into the palpable, impenetrable fog that had seeped into the air over the course of the past few hours. It was as if the heavens were mourning with her. However, that was a laughable notion—no one who valued their life would have the courage to mourn with Allora. She was alone in her own bubble of misery, cut off from the only world she knew.3

The callous part of her—she had no doubt inherited that fraction from her mother—wanted to thrust the blame on him. It was his fault, wasn’t it? He had, after all, attacked her on that fateful day. It seemed like so long ago, when in reality, it had been but a year. That reckless attack had led to their friendship…and thus, when he was in trouble, she had helped him, as was customary for a friend to do. She had had no choice in the matter.4

But the majority of her heart knew that it was not entirely his fault. It was both of theirs. It wasn’t fair to give him all of the blame, when most of it belonged to her by right.5

She thought back to that night now. It had once been a happy memory; but, with the discovery, it had turned sour. Now, it was dubbed melancholy in her mind. She did not like to reflect on it, but sometimes it was a consolation. Now was one of those rare times.6

Even then, Allora had known that she shouldn’t have taken the supposed shortcut home. It was a dark night, and the tall, looming buildings that lined the alleyway did not add light to the situation. Just the opposite—the buildings painted ominous shadows in the dark, causing Allora to imagine movements and whispers where there were none. She felt shivers playing through her veins, but resolutely ignored them. If she didn’t take this shortcut, she would be late. Besides, she was getting too old to be sporting fears of the dark.7

The uneasy feeling persisted as she made her way through the shady alley. Her senses told her that she was being watched and that she should get out as fast as possible. Just to prove her senses wrong, she walked at a leisurely pace toward the far end of the alley, her eyes on her feet.8

That’s when he attacked her.9

It started with her uncomfortable, precognitive feeling peaking. So intense was this suspicion that she was forced to stop in her tracks, standing bewildered, wondering what had caused the strange burst of emotion. It was a mystery until she felt the shadowy touch on her shoulder.10

She yelped in surprise as he descended upon her. He jumped on her back, making her knees buckle under his immense weight. She held back the scream of fright and pain that was building in his throat; the last thing she wanted to show him was her weakness. She fought back desperately, punching, hitting, biting. She knew what he was, she knew what he could do, and she knew why he had assaulted her. He was misled in his attack; if she didn’t get this point across to him very soon, she would be dead.11

Realizing that her retaliation was not helping her case, Allora quickly stopped defending herself. The shadowy being stopped his onslaught for a moment in confusion. She was breathing hard, and she could hear that her attacker was as well. She took the opportunity to pant, “Please stop. I’m not going to hurt you.”12

She did not expect him to comply; in fact, just the opposite. However, it was not long before she felt his weight leave her back, giving her legs a much-needed rest. As she sighed in relief, there was a rustling and in a moment, a boy was sitting in front of her. He was more of a young man, really, with silvery, shaggy hair that almost covered his dark eyes but stopped just in time to let him keep his eyesight. His expression was a serious and wise one, one that had seen much more than his age suggested. In his eyes was a pained expression that bordered on angst.13

None of these features caught Allora’s attention. What she couldn’t stop staring at were the huge, dark, ever-moving wings that sprouted from his back. They fluttered a little though the young man remained still, making soft rustling noises.14

The boy was glaring at her from under his visor of hair. She dragged her eyes away from his wings to his face, meeting his gaze with a fierce stare of her own.15

“Well?” he inquired as she sat down opposite him. “You said you were different. Explain.”16

“I said I wasn’t going to hurt you,” Allora corrected. “And I won’t, as long as you don’t hurt me.”17

“So, are you on our side?” he raised an eyebrow.18

“I didn’t say that. I’m…neutral.” She grinned. “I can’t say as much for my family.”19

“So you are different,” he insisted. “Most of them are for the…others.”20

Allora quickly went over the facts of the war in her mind. The details were not something she enjoyed going over, but she did nonetheless.21

She wasn’t exactly sure when it had started. Long before she was born. The battle was waging between the angels of Light and those of Dark. She didn’t know why or how the battle had started, but Earth had somehow become the battlefield. The soldiers did not pay much mind to the planet’s residents; they tried not to disturb their lives, but when there was a war on, the adrenaline of fighting caused people—and Angels—to forget that there was another and more vulnerable species on the planet. The lives of people on Earth had been thrown into chaos. Now, all they could do was take refuge in the last few safe places, and even those were dwindling.22

Because it effected their lives so, the humans had taken to knowing the facts about the battle around them. They had done their research, they knew which side they were on. For most, that meant the side of Light. After all, Dark symbolized all things evil and undesirable, while Light represented the good and beautiful things of the world. Naturally, the people would side with Light.23

Allora wasn’t so ready to follow the norm. Though her parents were strongly opposed to Dark—and that meant something, as her parents were some of the only human officials left on Earth—she didn’t know if she wanted to follow their beliefs.24

“I suppose I am,” she replied to the mysterious boy.25

He cocked his head curiously. “And why are you different, do you think?”26

“Because…” she cast about for the right words. “Because I believe that, while Light signifies good, it can also blind you to the truth.”27

He nodded his approval. “Good answer.” His face became serious once more. “And who are you, little human?”28

Allora debated, and came to the conclusion that there was some information that would give away nothing important. So she replied, “My name is Allora. My parents are…powerful. I’m fourteen years old, and all I know is war.”29

“That was a lovely answer in which you revealed next to nothing about yourself.”30

Allora grinned mischievously. “That was my intention.” After the Angel boy had laughed softly, she continued, “And what about you?”31

His laughter was gone immediately, to be replaced with a look of deep suspicion. Tentatively, he answered, “My name is Zerophyne. I don’t know who my parents are, or if they are powerful. I’m not a soldier, I’m more of a…stowaway. I needed to get away from my home, but I didn’t come to fight.” He shrugged. “I guess I’m neutral, too.”32

And so it had begun, their unlikely friendship. Over the course of the next year, they had grown close in their nightly visits—Allora had sensibly kept the news of her new friend from her parents.33

Much of Zerophyne’s past remained a mystery—in fact, Allora never learned much else in addition to the tidbit he’d given her at their first meeting. This only bothered her for a short time; over the months she began to trust him despite her knowledge of his background. What did it matter, anyway? He was her best friend.34

And then, it had all changed.35

Allora was momentarily pulled out of her reverie by an uncomfortable wetness on her hands. She realized that the damp had been there for a while now, she had just failed to notice it. She opened her eyes now and looked down at her hands, which were still clutching the windowsill, though she had pulled the shudders closed before diving into her memories. Her hands, which had turned a pale white from gripping the sill, were covered in a salty water, as was the sill around it. It took a moment for Allora to make the connection between the wetness and the puffy feeling in her eyes. The damp was, of course, tears that she had shed all throughout her trip down memory lane.36

The tears did not surprise Allora in the least. In fact, she had expected many more. So, making no move to clean up the mess, she slid her lids back over her eyes and delved back into her thoughts.37

They took her back to the moment when Zerophyne had come to her with urgent news. He had looked more frightened than she had ever seen him; although she didn’t think she had ever detected an ounce of fear in his perfectly-composed features. No, never. So his emotions seeped into her; an icy fear trickled into her veins.38

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly, skipping a greeting. There was no time.39

“They found me,” he whispered. “They know I’m here. They know who I am.” Her expression must have betrayed her confusion; he continued, “I came disguised as a soldier, though I never intended to fight. I never did. But they must have kept records or something…there are posters all over town. I’m most wanted.” 40

“But…how?”41

“That’s exactly it…I don’t know!” He was frantic. She wished there was something she could do to comfort him, but she was in shock herself. Why was this happening now? Everything was so perfect…42

Zerophyne was talking in a rapidly-paced voice that Allora was having a hard time keeping up with. He paced the cramped space feverishly, making vehement hand gestures. 43

From what she could understand from his speech, she discovered that he had had to abandon his place of dwelling, and was in need of a place to stay.44

There was no doubt in her mind; it was an obvious solution to his problem, and as his friend it was her duty and pleasure to offer it to him. It was dangerous—not just for him, but for her as well. That didn’t matter. “Stay with me,” she offered.45

He stopped dead in his tracks, turning his head toward her. His expression was pained, as usual, but there seemed to be an added layer of it at that moment. “I couldn’t put you in that danger.”46

“Yes, you can,” Allora insisted. “You can stay in that old abandoned shack in the forest. I don’t even know why it’s there, but I can bring you food and water everyday. It won’t be too hard, and since no one ever goes out there, so my parents won’t find you. Your enemies won’t, either; they wouldn’t think to look there.”47

It took some convincing, but eventually he gave in.48

Yet another silent tear slid from Allora’s eyes, adding just another drop to the lake that was accumulating on the sill. She ignored it, lost in the myriad of “what ifs” and “If only’s” that she was mentally drowning in. If only she had not offered him the house—she could still find somewhere for him to hide, but why had it been there?49

It had been stupid to hide him on her land. Of course it had. Someone was bound to find him—that much was obvious to her now, too late.50

The plan had worked for a good month. Zerophyne had excessive practice at staying eerily silent; Allora had imagined it impossible for anyone to ever discover her friend and secret.51

But then the impossible had suddenly revealed itself to be just the opposite. Zerophyne was prone to spending much time outside his little shack—Allora had seen no danger in this, as his acute hearing would warn him of any soul approaching from at least a mile away. Humans, he said, were very loud beings. He would have sufficient warning.52

And then came that fateful day. Allora hadn’t gotten the news until much later, when her father had dragged her outside to observe him in his captured, caged state. He claimed that he was showing her this to her to show her what terrible and dangerous creatures Dark Angels were, but it had had an adverse effect on her. Instead of agreeing with her father, she had clung to the iron bars of his cage, crying out in internal pain, while Zerophyne quietly comforted her and reminded her of the trouble she would be in if she didn’t stop. She ignored his warnings, and continued expressing her pain. As they dumped Zerophyne’s cage into the huge carriage, he whispered one last goodbye, and she wiped away her tears, her father and his guards began to piece together the truth: Allora and Zerophyne—or, as they referred to him, “the Parasite”—had some sort of connection.53

Despite their best efforts to capture and interrogate her, Allora managed to slip through their slimy grasp. She took refuge behind the locked door of her room, where she now sat in front of her closed window, covered in her own tears.54

She was out of thoughts now. As she sat in her own personal bubble of idle pain, her mind cast about frantically for a new surge of depressing thoughts to distract it from the frightening nothingness that loomed on the horizon.55

Her mind settled on a subject that was slightly less painful than its alternatives. Thinking about him gave her an uncomfortable, guilty pang deep in her stomach, but this topic was more optimistic.56

She began planning his rescue.57

It was not a question, this said rescue. She had gotten him into this; hopefully, she could get him out of it, too. She was fairly certain she knew where he was headed—she had overheard her father and one of his trusted guards discussing it. Her friend would be handed over to the Angels of Light, as a token of her family’s loyalty to that side. They didn’t seem to understand that this sacrifice was a living being; he wasn’t human, therefore he didn’t matter to them.58

Through the blinding anger that suddenly threatened to topple her already-unstable emotion tower, she tried her best to clean her fallen tears. In her hurried state, she did not do a very good job, but didn’t pause to fix her sloppiness. The nearest camp of Angels was not far; if she didn’t hurry, she would be too late—again.59

From the depths of her spacious closet she dragged an ancient, sinister cloak that had mysteriously appeared there; she couldn’t recall ever seeing it before. She undid the braid in which her long dark hair was usually tied; the style was her mother’s doing, and she wanted nothing that would signify who her mother was. She wanted nothing to do with her parents.60

With the cloak draped over her and the hood up, she looked unrecognizable. That made her smile, a little. Somehow, she had always known this day would come. The day that she broke away from her over-protective parents and their ideas; she had always disagreed with them. Now she was leaving them.61

Allora’s hand was hovering over the doorknob when an unexpected thought sprouted in her head. She hadn’t thought of it since it had happened; it had touched her, but she had been far too preoccupied to give it much thought over the past month or so. Now, however, she thought it may come in handy, so she dug it out from the clutter under her bed, where she had very wisely hidden it.62

It was a staff. Not just any staff, a Dark Staff. Zerophyne had given it to her. It possessed a magic taken directly from the deepest, darkest places in the Universe, though, as she had learned, that was not a bad thing. He had entrusted her with it, though he’d warned her that, if used in the wrong hands, it could be highly dangerous. She understood this; she didn’t think she would misuse it. She wasn’t exactly sure what it did, but the serious tone of her friend’s voice when he told her about it suggested that it was very powerful. When she laid her hand on its sturdy gold surface she could feel a crackling electricity emitting from it. Immediately, she could tell that he hadn’t been exaggerating when he dubbed the staff powerful. She didn’t dare touch the red stone that adorned the top for fear of the electric energy might blow her hand off.63

She held the staff tightly, already feeling less like a depressed fifteen-year-old and more like a strong, dark…Angel. She wondered if this was how Zerophyne felt all the time.64

I wish I knew what this did, she thought, examining the staff, basking in its power.65

Then something very peculiar happened. As soon as the thought had crossed her mind, she suddenly had knowledge that hadn’t been there a moment before. Suddenly, she was enlightened to what the staff’s power was. This was a Wish Staff; it did just as its title suggested—it granted wishes. All one had to do would think it, and it would happen.66

Immediately, she considered simply wishing herself to Zerophyne. For a moment, it seemed like a good idea. Easy and quick.67

But it lasted only for a second. Then she knew that she had to be courageous, not cowardly. For him. If she simply used the Staff, it would signify to both of them that maybe he didn’t mean so much to her after all—that was the last thing she wanted, as in her heart she knew it was untrue.68

So she shunned any fragments of her cowardly thoughts that may remain, walked back over to the door and turned the knob firmly. Before re-shutting it, she pulled the spacious hood of her cloak over her head. The door closed with a satisfying click.69

Allora peered over the edge of the banister at the top of the grand staircase that snaked downstairs. She could see guards and people who looked extremely important roaming the foyer. She supposed the fact that she had been in the company of a Dark Angel must have gotten out. That information did not particularly bother her—what did it matter to her whether anyone knew? Let the whole world know. She was proud of her friendship with Zerophyne.70

She looked at the Staff in her hand, then glanced quickly down at the small crowd congregated in her house. They had made no move to signal that they had noticed her standing here in the shadows at the top of the stairs. Her gaze traveled back to the Staff, and she kept them there as she mentally commanded, I wish I were invisible.71

She seemed to feel herself become invisible. It was a very odd feeling—a weightless feeling. When she looked down, she could still see her body, but as she made her way down the stairs and wove through the serious-faced people, she was ignored entirely. This made her smile—all her life she had been pampered like a child, and now no one was paying an ounce of attention to her.72

She didn’t care if anyone noticed how the front door mysteriously opened and then closed of its own accord—though she doubted any of her parents’ self-centered friends would have enough space in their mind to notice anything that wasn’t them. By the time they found her parents and alerted them to the strange habits of their oak door, she would be far away.73

Once safe outside, the first thing Allora noticed was that the sky was dark. It would have been inky black out if it were not for the moon, which appeared as a giant white light and illuminated all below it. She was surprised that she had been reminiscing for so long—it had been late afternoon when they had taken Zerophyne away.74

She was still invisible, so she didn’t bother to find a hiding spot as she closed her eyes and used the Staff. She ordered it to show her where her friend was—not take her to him, just show her where he was. Just taking a look was not cheating, she decided.75

Allora was suddenly flying high above the tree tops, the cold wind blowing in her face. The sky was still dark, but now, the moon was hiding behind the trees so the blackness was more intense. She was floating above a dirt road lined with beautiful gardens; she was sure they looked astounding in the sunlight, but at the moment she hardly noticed them. Riding along the road was a huge, dark carriage traversing at an uncanny speed. She recognized it immediately—it was the same vehicle in which Zerophyne was being held prisoner.76

But there was something wrong. They were traveling in the wrong direction to be heading toward the Light Angels’ outcrop—she had been so sure that was where he was destined to end up. Where else could they be taking him?77

Then, suddenly, it came to her. She had once overheard her father saying that the Light Angels’ capital was not far—about a week’s journey. At the time, she had wondered why, if they loved the Angels so much, he hadn’t gone to visit them and claim their allegiance. She had pondered over this for some time, and it was because of the extensive contemplation that the event had stuck in her mind. Only recently had she come up with a plausible theory—because her father was afraid.78

This experience flailed about in her mind for a bit until it finally connected with another memory—one of a map she had seen once. It was a military map, showing secret alcoves and spaces in which soldiers could hide out. She remembered seeing the route to Light’s capital marked in red, with X’s peppering the line, marking these alcoves. She had been very small, and no one gathered around the table housing the map noticed her standing there. They had been discussing the marked route, and one of the men mentioned a hideout in which they could spend the night, along a dirt road which he proceeded to describe. His description, which she had made a not to remember in perfect detail, matched the road over which she was now hovering. She smiled inwardly; if she dug far enough down into her memory, she could remember how to get there.79

Allora opened her eyes, still smiling and clutching her Staff. She knew the way now. She could be there in no time.80

With the thought of one simple wish, she was flying just as she had been in her vision. As she soared away, higher and higher, from her former home, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of the wind on her face. She loved the feel of it—cold, sharp, but at the same time blissful and peaceful.81

A less pleasant feeling stabbed its way through the weightlessness. She didn’t like this new feeling, and was sad that she recognized it—its name was loneliness. She had not experienced it in extreme before, but the wave that crashed into her now threatened to topple her from her high altitude. She had come to the realization that, for the time being, she was utterly alone. She would see Zerophyne soon, but at this moment, she had no one.82

As if reading her mind, the Staff answered her unspoken wish. A loud cawing forced her to open her eyes and glance behind her; that was where the sound came from. She gasped at the sight of three huge, red-eyed, ominous black birds beating their wings and keeping up with her quite nicely. A scream built in her throat, but the knowledge that the Staff provided a moment later killed it. These birds were not evil—no, just the opposite. They were the answer to her cry. Her companions in her loneliness.83

It was surprisingly easy to find the carriage with the Staff subtly guiding her. It was traveling at a very slow pace compared to her speed. They were still on the same road they had been when she had seen them.84

She had only been following them for a little while when they stopped. She landed, as did her new raven familiars, and waited silently as they exited their dark vehicle. She swallowed the cry that rose within her as they dragged out a forlorn, winged silhouette. He was chained and looked rugged and sad, though all Allora could see was his shadow.85

The were painstakingly slow. She was impatient; she needed to save him. She couldn’t leave him in their slimy clutches any longer.86

Using the Staff, she looked through the eyes of one of Zerophyne’s guards to track their progress. They were making their way through a dark, dirty hallway. The owner of her eyes found this place repugnant, not somewhere he wanted to spend the night; especially not in the presence of a Dark Angel, though he would be far away from the room where the humans slept. Who knew if the chains would contain him? The creature could break them in the night and kill them all in their sleep.87

An angry unlike anything she had ever felt before ripped through Allora. She hadn’t even been aware that fury at this level had existed. Her strong emotion touched the consciousness of the soldier she was possessing, and he stumbled under the weight of the blazing anger that suddenly engulfed him. It didn’t last for long; the moment Allora realized what had happened she withdrew her emotion, though she kept her hold on him. As the man dismissed the stumble as his own clumsiness, Allora considered making him inflict some sort of physical pain upon himself as punishment for his derogatory thoughts about her friend. Then her thoughts took a turn in his favor; if she forced him to hurt himself, she would be no better than them.88

For the next hour or so, she watched through her minion as the men chained her friend to the wall of the dirtiest, grimiest room possible. She watched as they left him, strangely silent and complacent, and prepared to sleep in a room that laid many twisting hallways from Zerophyne’s current prison. She watched through her soldier as each of his comrades drifted out of consciousness, breathing a sigh of relief as each man did so. He stayed awake longer than the others, plagued by an anxious case of insomnia, fretting about the Angel in the other room. Again, the anger threatened to topple Allora, but she mastered her emotion faster this time. The man was oblivious to her feelings this time. She tried to sooth him telepathically, and was surprised when her method worked. A moment later, he was slipping away. As he did so, she let him go.89

Her eyes fluttered open. She was still sitting on the side of the road where she had plopped down to stalk her friend. Her birds were still beside her, their red eyes now closed in rest, though she knew they weren’t asleep. As she came out of her trance, their eyes opened as well, and she involuntarily shivered at the sight of the scarlet. She shook off her uneasiness; they were her friends.90

Allora knew that she had to go into the tunnels now, and that they couldn’t come with her. She stared into their unblinking eyes, wondering how to convey this to them. 91

Finally, she began speaking. “Er…I have to go save my friend now. He’s underground, and…well, you can’t come, really. So…I want you to stay here, okay? Don’t go anywhere.”92

The birds dipped their heads in acknowledgement. They met her eyes one more time before taking flight to the trees. She smiled.93

The hallway was darker than it had been in the guard’s mind. Even with the blue light that now topped her Staff, she couldn’t see very far ahead of her. However, the Staff was guiding her by way of things other than its feeble light, so she did not get lost on her way to the room.94

At the doorway, she could tell that it was the correct room. She listened intently, but could hear nothing. What if he had escaped? What if he was looking for her?95

She shook her head of her fretting. He couldn’t have escaped; contrary to the men’s superstitions, he did not possess super strength. She stepped into the room and shined her light about.96

It did not take long to find him. He looked terrible, hardly recognizable. His silvery hair was more of a dull gray, and covered most of his face, as his head was bowed. Chains bound him all over, two binding his wings together; Allora imagined that this must be extremely painful for him. He was covered in grime from head to toe, adding to his disheveled look. Though she knew he wouldn’t appreciate it, Allora pitied him.97

Zerophyne’s head raised as she entered the room with her light. His dark eyes were sad and brooding, as they usually were, but the sadness was a little more evident now. He squinted in the faint light that emitted from Allora’s Staff. He smiled, surprising her. Zerophyne never smiled.98

“Hello,” he greeted her. “I thought you would come.”99

“What have they done to you?” she inquired, horrified.100

“They tied me up,” he stated.101

She walked slowly over to him and promptly commanded the Staff to undo the chains. It took a moment to follow the wish; the chains were heavy. But, eventually, Zerophyne was sprawled on the ground below her. Any traces of his smile were gone now; his face was serious once more. He got up, cracking his joints.102

His piercing gaze bored into her. “Please,” he said. “Tell me if this is a dream.”103

“It’s not.” Allora replied. To prove it, she pinched him.104

He winced. “Good,” he said. “I needed that.”105

“Come on.” She started out of the room, suddenly finding the stagnant air of the dirty space unbearably repulsive. She could hear him behind her; he was quiet as ever, but somehow she could detect him now, as she had not been able to before. He was beside her in a second, both of them walking at a rapid clip to be out of the underground world as soon as possible.106

“So, I see you used my Staff.” She could tell that Zerophyne was pleased.107

“Yes, I did. It’s changed me, I think. I feel…more powerful. It’s not a bad thing, though. I feel good. Is this how you feel all the time?”108

“All the time.”109

“Wow.”110

They were silent for the rest of their short journey to the doorway outside. As she breathed her first breath of fresh air, Allora smiled in the darkness. She realized that daytime could never compare to night. Not in a million years.111

Zerophyne was enjoying the night, too. His eyes were closed and his head was inclined toward the heavens. With his black wings fluttering, he looked serene and, as Allora thought, just as an Angel should look.112

As if sensing her gaze, his eyes opened, and he turned to her with a pained expression. “You should go now,” he told her.113

“What?” Her face was blank.114

“You can’t stay with me,” he explained. “I’ve put you through enough. It’s too dangerous for you. I can’t lose you.”115

She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “No! I just rescued you from certain death, and now you’re just leaving me?”116

A flicker of a smile hovered in his eyes, but his face remained the same. “I’m glad you did. Thank you, I will be forever grateful. But you just can’t. My life is too dangerous for a human.”117

“No! I won’t let you! You think that after this, you can just send me back home? I can’t stay there anymore! They hate you there. I can’t live with that, and I can’t live without you. I’d rather kill myself, and if you leave me, that’s what I’ll do.” Had she really just said that?118

He looked shocked. “You mean that? You would really kill yourself?”119

“Yes,” she replied. “I said, I can’t live without you, and I don’t plan to.”120

Now he actually smiled; not the delirious grin he had sported in his prison, but a real, dazzling, angelic smile. Allora had to force herself not to smile back.121

“You really love me, don’t you?” he asked.122

“Yes,” she repeated. She realized that it was true.123

He considered for a moment, then turned his back to her. 124

“Hop on,” he instructed.125

“What?”126

“Get on my back.” He sighed, mocking exasperation. “Flying with that Staff is risky. Flying with me is not. Come on, they’ll be awake soon.”127

So Allora clamored onto his back, a little clumsily. As the took flight, there was a cawing behind them, and they both looked back to see three huge, black, red-eyed birds following.128

Allora closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the cold wind on her face. She would not miss her old life. Everything she could ever want was right here.129

If someone had looked up at the moon that night, they could have seen a strange sight. For just a moment, a black shadow passed across the huge orb, and a loud birdcall could be heard. Any humans who witnessed this would have dismissed it as nothing, oblivious to its nature.130

The shadow, the fallen angels and their colossus familiars, were quickly enveloped in the darkness.131