Chosen Book 1: Chosen Angels by Kathryn Tracy - HTML preview

Chapter 16

 Our wait for the Reciliux to arrive wasn’t long. The  man was dragged underground to a secret bunker to be  questioned. The Reciliux’s methods were harsh and he would most likely not survive but we had our own questions that  needed answers so we followed after them in the shadow of the Reciliux.  Carmen beckoned to one of the guards watching over  the unconscious man, “I want to speak with Gonzo.”

 The guard bowed before Carmen, “Master Gonzo is  away on other matters. In his stead is Master Tio,” she replied.

 “You will inform us the moment he wakes. We want to  interrogate the prisoner as well,” Carmen told the guard.

 “For someone who hates politics and doesn’t wish to  inherit her family’s company you make a pretty good leader,” I told her, “You are so bossy,” I picked on her.

 Carmen replied by sticking her tongue out at me. Just as  we were all about to lose our patience we heard a storm of feet approaching from the left corridor. At least ten bodies headed towards us. In the lead was a female with blue scaly skin and small white horns protruding from her forehead.

 “You must be Tio,” addressed Carmen.

 “It’s Master Tio, but yes,” the fierce woman replied in a  surprisingly high pitched voice. “Is our guest still sleeping?”  Tio asked the guard.

 “Yes,” she replied.

 Tio smirked, “Then let’s wake him up shall we?” she  nodded at us to enter the interrogation chamber. “I have to warn you that this room prevents anyone from using their powers, that includes you three,” she informed us after we entered.

 “Way to give a heads up,” Adam muttered under his  Breath.

 The man sat in a metal chair in the middle of the room.  He was strapped to it by his wrists, ankles, and neck. We  watched as Tio slapped him continuously until the man awoke.

 “Who do you work for!” demanded Tio.

 “You can’t make me talk,” the man answered.

 “He said he was sent by the God of Wind,” said Adam.

 Tio stopped her slapping and turned to Adam, “The God  of Wind?” Adam nodded. Tio rolled her eyes, “He is lying, the God of Wind is dead, has been for centuries,” she told us.

 The man looked at Tio, “You are a demon and yet you  continue to serve humans? You are a disgrace to our race. You will die with them.”

 “Is that a threat?” she slapped him.

 “Who do you work for?” Adam questioned him.

 “I work toward the destruction of your infernal species. I work for the superiority of demon kind and I work for the one who promises us salvation!” he screamed.

 “So the one claiming to be the God of Wind wants to destroy all humans and open the demon portal?” asked Tio.

 “All hail the God of Wind,” the man began to laugh  Psychotically.

 “Maybe he’s finally lost it?” I suggested.

 “One…two…three. Three angels,” the man looked from  one of us to the other. “Where is the fourth I wonder?” he started to laugh some more.  My insides went cold and I shared a glance with  Carmen. We had left Liz by herself unguarded!  “You cannot defeat the God of Wind. You should join  our cause while you still can,” the man instructed Tio.  “Tough talk for one strapped to a chair,” she slapped  Him.

 “What have you done with Illusionist!” I demanded,  slamming my fist into the table. The man broke into a wide grin, “Your fourth Angel is gone,” he shook his head, “Tsk tsk, perhaps you should have taken better care of your loved ones.  You wouldn’t want another mishap with your brother now  would you?” I was about to lunge at him when Adam grabbed  me around the waist and pulled me out of the room, followed by Carmen. “Your Illusionist is dead!” he yelled after us.

 “Master Tio, inform us of any new information as soon  as possible,” Carmen ordered as we were leaving the room.  Tears stung my eyes but I pushed them back, “This is all  my fault,” I told them. “When I left to fight the fire all I could think about was how Liz was abandoning us. It never occurred to me that I had left her alone,” I hung my head in shame. I had failed Liz. As we ran out of the underground bunker to the surface all I could think about was the day we had first met. I could see it in my mind’s eye as clear as day. It was only a year ago that I had befriended Liz. At the time, I was just fifteen and she was fourteen. She had been sitting at a park bench crying. I had seen her for at least an hour before deciding to go over to her. When I sat down she hadn’t even noticed me but eventually I got her to stop crying. That day I promised to protect her. I promised that Adam, Carmen, and I would be her family and I meant every word. She was my younger sister and I had left her without thinking of the consequences. For all I knew she could be hurt somewhere…or worse. “Your Illusionist is dead!”  echoed in my subconscious.

 Adam grabbed my hand, “This isn’t your fault. He is  probably lying anyway. I’m sure she is fine,” he tried to  reassure me. I hoped he was right.

 When we finally made it back to the yacht the party had  ended. Only Ulrica and Dane remained; Liz was nowhere to be found. Ulrica and Dane looked upset and wouldn’t look us in the eyes.

 “What’s wrong? Have you seen Liz?” I asked in Urgency.

 “After you all left something happened,” said Dane, his  voice had a thick Australian accent. Finally he managed to look us in the eyes, “A sea creature took Liz underwater. We were unable to locate the body. Ow,” Ulrica had punched his arm.  Her,” she corrected him.

 “Right we were unable to find her body,” Dane told us.

 “And what are you doing now! Just standing here! We  have to look for her!” I glared at them.

 Ulrica grabbed my arm, “The smell of blood is thick,”  she still couldn’t look at me. Was the boat spinning? I felt so dizzy. I started to shake but Ulrica held to me fast. “I’m so sorry Emma,” there was sorrow in her voice.

 I pushed her away, “You’re wrong.” I felt sick. Adam  and Carmen’s faces were wet with tears they let them fall freely not caring who saw and not bothering to wipe them away. We looked pathetic. The three most powerful heroes mankind has ever seen were sobbing uncontrollably.

 “They are unfit for battle. What are we supposed to do?”  I overheard Dane ask Ulrica.

 “We fight no matter what; they can stay here,” she  informed him.

 A wave of nausea had left me and I stood up, “Wait,  what battle?” I asked her. She looked unwilling to tell me. I wiped my face, “I lost it for a minute but it won’t happen again,” I was determined. Adam and Carmen had recovered too.

 The yacht was a mess of debris. When we had landed I assumed it was from the party but now looking closer I saw the remnants of a fight. “Were there any other casualties?” I asked them.

 “No,” said Dane.

 “Tell us about this battle you are so worried about,”  ordered Carmen, her attitude was harsher than ever.

 “Just before you arrived Gonzo sent us a message,”  began Ulrica. “Gonzo has been receiving intelligence for  months from a spy working with someone claiming to be the  God of Wind.”

 “Gonzo has known about this for months!” interrupted  Adam.

 “Yes, and his spy has informed us that the God of Wind  has been reorganizing the demon community and looks to be  planning an invasion,” continued Dane.

 “How big of an invasion?” asked Carmen. I was afraid to find out.

 “He has an army the size of New Jersey. The good news is we know where and when he plans to strike,” said Ulrica.

 “And that is?” asked Adam.

 “Two days from now,” answered Ulrica.

 “Two days! Two days! How are we supposed to be prepared to take on an army in two days? That is not enough time,” Adam was freaking out and I didn’t blame him.

 “Gonzo has already sent this message to all of the Reciliux,” said Dane.

 “Two days is not enough time but it’s not impossible,”

 reassured Carmen. “We have Ulrica’s pack along with two others; we have the ninja clan, and the witches’ coven, not to mention the Reciliux. These are all very powerful fighters and if the God of Wind underestimates us we will have that on our side,” said Carmen.

 “You really believe we can do this?” I asked her.

 She looked at me, “I believe we have to try.”

 The next two days were spent in a flurry of activity. All delegations were made and strategies proposed. It was hard to believe how quickly word had spread and how many were willing to fight on our side. As long as all this hard work could be kept under wraps then we may be able to put the God of  Wind on the offensive but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. The Chosen Angels had been put in charge of one thousand soldiers while Tio, Gonzo, Ulrica, and several other factions would lead others to attack the God of Wind from various directions. With this battle, the God of Wind would be rearing his ugly head and making himself vulnerable. He would no longer be able to hide from us. We had ten hours before the invasion. The enemy’s plan was to create a small portal so that they could rapidly take over Atlantic City. They planned to use the ocean as a boundary and head inland; because of this we stationed troops underwater to attack them from behind. The Chosen Angel’s troops were to attack from below, with them as a distraction we would attack from above. Adam and I were to keep the demons at bay while Carmen and five other witches attempted to close the portal. It was a good plan, if we could reach the portal in time. I couldn’t sit still. The intensity of this battle weighed on everyone’s mind and in a few minutes we were to be placed at our designated stations.

 I saw Ulrica, she was too far for me to hear what she was saying but she looked to be giving a last minute speech to her pack. Ulrica and her pack’s usual fighting apparel was mere fur but for a battle such as this they had upgraded to, well it was still fur but more of it. They had completely transformed into wolves, except for Ulrica who kept her human form. When she was done talking I waved her over. I wanted to wish her good luck and to be safe. I smiled when she got close enough to hear me, “Hey Ulrica,” She looked at the ground as if considering something when she looked up she looked more sure of herself.

 Was she mad at me? I wondered. She pushed me against the wall and just as I was about to fight back she kissed me. I was so stunned I couldn’t move. She took my hand and placed it against her heart which pounded like a hammer beneath my  touch. Her sapphire eyes urged me to listen. “I have lived a very long time but my heart has never beat this fast for anyone,” she let go and turned to join her pack who were already heading out, not even giving me a chance to respond. My face was still flushed. What the hell had just happened?

 “That was hot,” said Adam coming up beside me.

 “Perve,” I scoffed.

 Adam placed his hand in mine. It gave me comfort; in

 return I squeezed it tightly. With Adam by my side I could conquer the world. With him I was safe. I held onto those  feelings as we were about to head out with the other soldiers.

 Carmen joined us and the three of us stood together knowing that we were merely prolonging the inevitable.

 “We have to try,” I told them.

 “For them,” continued Carmen, indicating the city and the families below us.

 It was hard to believe that only a few months earlier our  biggest concern was getting our homework in on time. My  voice lowered to a whisper. Saying these words so softly as if to stop time itself, remembering that moment and those words  forever, “Angels, time to fly.”