Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) (17 page)

Danyel started walking, and as soon as h
e hit the tunnel, he disappeared in a blur, leaving Samuel and I in the dark, alone.

Everything
suddenly seemed to get so dark and eerie.

Sadness ov
erwhelmed me. I had assumed Kade was going to be with me throughout this entire journey, but he was gone. Just like that. And almost every ounce of my hope went along with him.

Samuel and I
still had a ways to go, and if the guards of the next levels were anything like the one we’d just encountered, we were in serious trouble!

I mean, w
e’d barely made it past the first level, and had already lost half of our team. This suit had better kick in some major super powers other than a dang cooling system. The invisibility thing was pretty awesome, but I needed extra super powers and some kick ass abilities to help Samuel.

Danyel had told me that
this suit could help me. But, how? Was there some kind of special power button that I didn’t know about?

I sighed
and then remembered when we were in the forest. I really didn’t have to do anything, but when I became afraid and needed it most, it did make me invisible. Maybe that was it. Maybe it worked off of my fear. That was the part I didn’t understand and probably never would. It was Angelic magic.

J
ust in case nothing else worked, I figured that I should shoot a quick prayer to God. A God I’d never known, a God I’d never met, and a God I’d only heard of in church, or on special occasions. But he was Kade’s God, and once upon a time, Samuel, Danyel, and even Lucifer’s. They believed in him, so I guess I should too.

I just hoped
that he could hear me, and wondered if my frail words could even escape this evil place and travel the long distance up to his ears, wherever he was.

But
even if they did make it to him, would he do anything? Would he help us?

It was worth a shot.

I said a quick prayer, a prayer that simply asked God to protect Danyel and Kade on their journey, and to give Samuel and I the strength and whatever else we needed to get out of Hell safely. That was it, followed with an
Amen
. I figured there wasn’t much more I could say.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Samuel said, holding out his hand to me.

“Yes,” I answered, taking hold of it. 

“
Alright, Emma. We are going to be entering the second level soon. I don’t want you to be afraid, but I want you to be aware of some very important details. I need you to keep your eyes on me at all times, and do
not
let them wander,” he urged. “Coming up, there will be things that you should not look upon, especially because you are not yet dead.”

“That sounds completely
horrifying,” I exhaled. I didn’t know if my heart could take much more.  

“This next level is filled with
soul snatchers, or ghouls. They feed off of the living and suck their souls right from their bodies, so keep your eyes focused on me…at all times. If you should ever look away, call for me immediately. And whatever you do…NEVER touch them. They will paralyze you with a single touch, and with that touch they will taste your essence. Once this happens, they will stop at nothing to steal your body and suck your soul from it, so it will remain with them for all eternity.”

“Soul snatchers?
Ghouls?” Okay, that was definitely
not
painting a pretty picture in my head right now. Actually, that statement just scared the bejesus outta me. I started to envision zombie like creatures hovering in the air, skin hanging off, mangled faces, and bulging eyes. Shivers ran up and down and all-around my spine. Yep. This level was gonna frickin’ suck!

“Emma.” He stopped
and steadied my head in his hands. “Do you understand what I just explained to you?”

“Yes. Can’t you just blindfold me and carry me through?” I asked, still horrified, envisioning his words. I seriously wanted to be blindfolded.

Samuel laughed.
“I wish I could, but my arms need to be free in case I need to protect us. Just keep focused and keep your eyes forward. They won’t even notice you unless you make eye contact with them. It’s the eye contact that is the connection, and that’s why you need to keep them on me, always. As long as you do that, you will be fine.”

I sighed
and started to doubt myself. I loved to watch scary movies, and tried to cover my eyes during the scary parts, but I HAD to peek. I had to see what was coming, and what was going to happen, even if it was scary and they were going to die.

T
his time I couldn’t peek, because if I did those scary soul snatcher ghouls would come and suck my soul and take my body. Yep. I hated Hell. Every stinkin’ part of it.

“Let’s get going,
sweetheart,” Samuel said kindly. “We’ll do this together.”

Chapter 9

Level 2:

M
y pulse started to race thinking about the horrors of this level. I was already having a difficult time trying to breathe in Hell’s thick, smelly air.

“Tell
me about your parents,” Samuel asked. “Tell me what they were like. I’d really like to know more about them.”

That question threw me, but for a second
as I thought back, it took my mind off of everything around us. All the events that happened over these past few days, really kept me from thinking about them. The parents that raised me, and loved me like I was their own. The only ones I’d ever known my whole life. The ones that were ripped away from me in an instant. I missed them. I missed them horribly.

A
s soon as he mentioned them, a flood of overwhelming emotion rushed through every part of me, awakening the wonderful memories, and also the horrors of their death. I couldn’t speak. Emotions kept the words down in my throat. I didn’t know what to say or where to begin. All I knew, from what I could remember up until the day they died, was that I loved them and they loved me.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. I
was just trying to distract you, and thought that if your mind was on something familiar, or on the ones that you loved, maybe it would help. But, if it will cause you too much pain, let’s think about something else,” he said.

“No, I t
hink that’s a good idea.”

“Good then. T
he next gate is coming up.”

“Okay,” I breathed, and everything i
nside of me started to tremble.

“
Some of the Fallen refer to this level as the Gate of Lost Souls,” he said, in a funny voice. 

My pulse started to race, but as I thought about it, there wasn’t anything else that I could think of that would take my mind off of the
now
, like my parents. They would have wanted me to get through this. They taught me how to be strong.

I tried to envision
them in my mind. Picture their beautiful faces smiling at me. Remember the smell of my mother’s hair, and my father’s cologne. Thinking of them holding each of my hands, walking me through this terrifying Gate of Lost Souls.

“Remember to keep your eyes on me
at all times, Emma,” Samuel reiterated.

“I will,” I breathed, and my heart
started to beat a little faster. Trails of sweat dripped from my brow.

We
started into the dark tunnel, which was the next gate, but there nothing but darkness. I didn’t hear any noises or moving around, and for a second, thought this level was going to be easy. As we came out of the tunnel, into an area where there was some light, I kept my eyes on Samuel, who was a few feet in front of me. If I reached out, I could have touched him.

I
just started to relax when there was movement from the corner of my eye. I suddenly felt heat on my chest, and as I glanced down, the Bloodstone was glowing bright red. Evil was near. I fought not to turn my head and look, and it was killing me. It appeared to look like a white mist, but I wasn’t sure. I just kept my eyes glued to Samuel.

Stay
focused. Keep your eyes ahead. Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. If you look…you die, or get your soul sucked from your body.
I had to remind myself over and over again.

“So, tell me about your mother.
Her name was Victoria right? She and Alaine were half-sisters, so she must have been a wonderful person.”

The thought of her made me
smile, even in the midst of this terror.

“Yes. She was
beautiful, and the best mom anyone could have ever asked for. She was always there for me, and I never questioned her love. She and my dad gave me no clue that I was adopted. I did always wonder about my eye color, because theirs were green and blue, and mine were brown. Now I know why. Alaine looks a lot like her, and reminds me so much of her.”

There was more and more movement on either side of us
. I felt helpless, as if hundreds of evil eyes were glaring at us, watching our every move.

I wanted to look. It was my
natural reaction, and it took everything in me to keep from doing so. Things were hovering to the sides of us. Soul Snatchers. It was the fear of what they could do which kept my eyes steeled on Samuel.

“And your father…his name was Christian, right?
What was he like?” he asked. I paused for a moment. “You’re doing fine, Emma. Just keep moving. With every step, we’re getting closer.”

Closer
? Yeah right…and straight to the next gate where another horror waited for us. I took in another deep breath, filled with hot air. This place sucked.

“M
-my father,” I stuttered. I was having a hard time trying to think straight.

Focus. I tried to f
ocus on Kade. Alaine. The other Guardians. Courtney. Caleb. We were doing this for all of them. To save them. I took in another deep breath.

“My father was really
cool. If there were ever an argument between me and my mother, he’d take my side. He was always there for me. Whenever I was sick, he’d always check up on me, and sneak me snacks. If I ever needed anything, he’d run right out and get it. He was a great dad. A really awesome dad.” A tear escaped my eye, and trickled down my cheek.

“I saw them once
, from a distance. I think it was on your fifth birthday. They had thrown a party for you in their back yard. You were so beautiful, Emma, even at that young age, and I could tell that they truly loved and adored you.”

“Victoria and Christian
were Alaine’s only choice to be your parents, and she knew that you would be safe with them. When Alaine was born, she was secretly whisked away, as you were, so no one knew who her real birth parents were. Well, very few immortals knew, but none in the mortal world. Not even her adopted parents knew. Alaine didn’t find out about her mother and half-sister, until she turned eighteen. She sought them out after she went away to college, and found out that her mother was dying. She had cancer, and only lived a few weeks after Alaine met her. It was devastating, but having Victoria in her life made things a little better.

“
When she asked Christian and Victoria if they would take you, they immediately agreed, but Alaine also knew that she would not be able to be a part of watching you grow. If she did, she would be risking your lives.   

“
It killed her to have to give you up. The night you were born she held you in her arms and didn’t want to let you go. She was devastated when they took you away. I tried to comfort her, but she closed herself off, not only to me, but to everyone else. It took her a very long time to accept that giving you away and letting you live a normal life, was the best thing for you, and the only way you would be safe and live a normal life.

“
I’m glad she’s had the chance see you again and spend some time with you, but sad that it had to be this way. I’m sorry for the loss of Victoria and Christian, but it is my hope we return to Alaine safely. She really is a remarkable woman with a huge heart, and an abundance of love to give to you,” he said with a smile.

Wow. That was quite a story. I was learning more about Alaine and my parents every day. Things I never knew. Things that were kept from me my entire seventeen years.

Samuel turned back to me. His face was glowing, and his brown eyes gleaming. He was very handsome, my father, and I was glad that I had this time to spend with him. Even if we didn’t make it through the five levels, at least I had a chance to put some of the missing pieces of my life together. I could see how much he and Alaine cared for me.  

The sounds
around us were growing louder and louder. Horrifying screams of pain and terror were so loud that it was as if they were right next to me. I wanted to close my eyes and disappear from this nightmare, but I continued to push on.