Foreshadow (14 page)

The Darkness Beckons

The night is darkening ’round me,

The wild winds coldly blow;

But a tyrant spell has bound me,

And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending

Their bare boughs weighed with snow;

The storm is fast descending,

And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,

Wastes beyond wastes below;

But nothing drear can move me:

I will not, cannot go.

~Emily Brontë, “The Night is Darkening Around Me”

Somewhere, I dimly heard Logan calling my name. A dull roar echoed in my ears, and everything looked grey. I struggled against the haze, trying to focus on the sound of his wavering voice. It sounded almost as though he’d been crying. My consciousness broke the surface of the fog clouding my mind, and my eyelids fluttered open. At first I wondered why I lay sprawled on the ground. Tears were streaming down Logan’s face. What had happened?

The ground before me had been blackened, and the grass had died. Behind me, the grass still lived. It seemed as though something had struck an invisible barrier with force enough to be deflected. Logan crouched in front of me, half facing me, half turned toward the figure standing across from us.

My sight was still blurry. I sat up slowly, my head spinning. Something light and feathery brushed my cheek. At first I thought of ash from the burned ground. Then I noticed the feathery things caressing my cheek were actually feathers. I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Sure enough, there were feathers such a lustrous shade of grey—almost silver—hovering in the air near my face. Lots of feathers. I realized they were attached to a huge wing, which was attached to…Logan?

Hang on, I must be hallucinating!
Logan didn’t have wings! But there they were, securely attached to his back as if they had always been there. They seemed to grow out from between his shoulder blades—his shirt hung from him in tatters.

I stared at him in wonder. His emerald eyes bored into mine with a look of bewilderment. He then swung his head back toward the shape standing in front of us. I glanced up and started. I thought I might be delirious, because it seemed like Andrei had wings, too. Unlike Logan’s silvery-grey wings, Andrei’s were jet black like a raven’s.

I stared at Andrei in confusion. “What do you want? Why can’t you just leave us alone?”

His crystal eyes clouded as he stared down at us. “My sweet Rae, I told you nothing bad would happen to you as long as you were with me. But you’ve rejected me. You’ve chosen him. I can’t forgive your betrayal.”

I glared at him from where I lay propped up on the ground. “My relationship with Logan is none of your business!”

“Ah, but it is. I’ve made it my business. You’ve been my business since the day I met you. I told you, Rae, we’re supposed to be together. I’m not going to let him get in the way any longer.”

A dark fog eddied and swirled around Andrei’s body. Lightning crackled at his hands. He raised his arms and flung them forward. I cringed as the lightning surged toward us. I couldn’t move fast enough to get out of the way. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the shock.

To my amazement, I never felt it hit. Cautiously, I cracked one eye open. A bright golden light surrounded Logan and me. It acted like a shield, deflecting Andrei’s attack. It reminded me of the golden light in my dreams.
Has Logan been protecting me all along?

As I contemplated that idea, Andrei raised his arms for another burst of lightning. When it bounced off Logan’s shield, further burning the ground around us, Andrei tried a different approach. He slid a sword out of a sheath that suddenly appeared at his waist, and sprang into the air. I counted one, two beats of his gigantic midnight wings, and then he stood on the ground behind me.

Andrei reached down and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me up from the grass. I struggled and attempted to kick him, desperate to get loose from his grasp. He held his sword at my neck and I froze. The sharp blade bit into the soft area underneath my chin. The point punctured the skin, and I could feel a thin ribbon of blood snake its way down my throat and drip onto my new blouse.

Logan spun, horror filling his emerald eyes. “Let her go!” he screamed. He looked down at his palms. I could see golden light forming around them. A shudder wracked his body as he threw the full force at Andrei, directing the blow toward his wings. Andrei was thrown up and back, losing his grip on his sword and dropping me. My ankle twisted under me as I fell to the ground.

The jolt of the energy also threw Logan back, and he slumped to the ground as well. I screamed his name as I tried to run for him, stumbling painfully on my injured ankle. I never reached him. Andrei recovered and grabbed me from behind in mid-stride. Logan tried to scramble to his feet. He lunged for me just as Andrei locked his arms around me.

He launched himself from the ground, still gripping me. His wings beat slowly as he held me in midair. “Raena
will
be mine,” Andrei taunted Logan, who still lay on the ground. “If you want her, you will have to come fight me for her. Goodbye, Logan.” He began to fly away, holding me clutched to his chest.

Logan flung himself into the air and attempted to follow, but Andrei flew too fast, and Logan didn’t seem used to his new wings. Logan disappeared in the distance as Andrei escaped.

I screamed and screamed as Andrei and I streaked across the sky. I remained still, though, afraid to struggle since we were so high. If he dropped me, I would die when I hit the ground. I prayed Logan would be able to find me soon.

Andrei flew on for quite some time. We landed in the backyard of a large grey house. He put me down and I collapsed to my knees. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet. He dragged me over to a set of French doors, which opened with a click. “Where are we?” I demanded.

“My place,” he said shortly as he pulled me into the house and threw the doors shut.

“I thought you lived near the UC?”

He laughed. “Not exactly.”

He hurried me through the house and hauled me into a room. He pushed me down into a wooden chair and tied me to it with thick coils of rope.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked as I struggled against him.

“You know why, Rae. You’re supposed to be with me. I
will
have my way!” He opened the door of what I had thought would be a closet. Instead, I saw a shimmering, dark void. Andrei began to chant in a low murmur, and the void started to pulse and ripple. I thought I heard a humming coming from it.

As he muttered what sounded like nonsense, he picked up a mortar and pestle. He opened several drawers and poured some things into the mortar and began to crush them. A sweet odor filled the air. He sprinkled his mixture in front of the doorway and smeared it on the doorjamb.

His confusing chant ended, and he came over and untied me. “Time to go,” he announced.

“Go where?”

“To the Shadow Imperium,” he told me matter-of-factly as he dragged me through the void.

Logan

The next day, I went to class as though everything were normal. Seeing Raena’s empty seat beside me in every class felt like a fresh stab to my already mangled heart.

Mrs. Cortesi, our Chemistry teacher, questioned me as to Raena’s whereabouts. She must have noticed the way Rae and I had been hanging out together, and I supposed she assumed I would know why Raena wasn’t in school. I couldn’t think of a good enough excuse, so I told her I didn’t know. She looked at me skeptically and turned her attention to the rest of the class.

I should have lied and said she was sick.

After Andrei had disappeared with Raena, I had flown around for hours, looking for anything that might give me any clue to where he had taken her. I hadn’t found a thing. I’d gone back to the park, landing in the cover of trees, hoping no one would see me. Wings would definitely stand out in a crowd. It had taken me awhile to figure out how to retract them so they wouldn’t be noticed. It had hurt, but they’d finally disappeared.

I had tried my best to twist and turn so I could look at my back. As far as I could tell, it looked like the wings never existed. I had sent up a brief prayer they wouldn’t pop out and surprise anyone, but I hoped I would be able to bring them back when I needed them.

I had then walked across the street to the hotel, dodging traffic. By that time, night had fallen. I’d tried to avoid the hotel staff as I ducked inside and up to our room. I hadn’t wanted any questions about my appearance. It had been blatantly obvious something had happened, and I hadn’t wanted to talk about it just then. As I’d waited for the elevator, I’d checked my reflection and cringed. My new clothing had been completely torn up.

When I’d reached the room, I had collapsed on the couch, my head in my hands. I had no idea where to look for Raena. I wanted to rage—I wanted to throw things. I knew none of it would do me any good. I’d stood up and moved aimlessly around the suite. I’d changed out of my tattered shirt, and then packed up all of our things, placing them back in the shipping boxes.

I had then called down to the front desk, asking for help to load the boxes into my car. When the porter had left, I’d headed down to the front desk to check out.

“I trust you enjoyed your stay?” the concierge asked.

“Absolutely,” I half lied, giving the man a strained smile. I had enjoyed my stay until a psycho had stolen my Raena away from me.

I’d gone out to my car, feeling dazed. I’d been distracted on the way home, but I’d still somehow arrived safely. Once I’d gotten inside, I’d called to my mom to say I’d made it home, then went to my room. I ignored my mom’s questions about the previous two days…

A voice broke into my wandering thoughts. “Mr. Conner! Are you paying attention?”

My head snapped up. I looked around, startled. “Yes, Mrs. Cortesi! I’m sorry.”

She shook her head at me and went on with her lecture.

Tristan cornered me on the way out of World Religions. “Where’s Raena?” he demanded.

I stood in the hallway unmoving, not speaking.

“Look, Rae’s family hasn’t heard from her since yesterday. We all know you were the last one with her. What did you do with her?”

I lost it. “I didn’t do anything with her! I don’t know where she is.” I shoved past Tristan into the hall.

“If you’ve hurt her, everyone will find out! You’ll pay!” Tristan hollered after me. I did I best to ignore how everyone stopped and stared as Tristan continued to yell.

At lunchtime, I took off. I couldn’t join Tanis and Rae’s other friends, and I didn’t want to sit alone somewhere where they could find and interrogate me. I couldn’t face their questions. Also, I didn’t think I could stand to be in another class without Rae. I didn’t want to sit there, her empty desk haunting me, mocking my blatant failure.

“Logan, is that you?” my mom called as I walked into our house.

“Yeah, Mom.”

She came into the hall. “What are you doing home so early? Are you sick?”

“No.”

Her brows knit in confusion and she frowned. “Did something happen at school?”

“Not exactly,” I evaded. “Look, I don’t really want to talk about it right now. I’m going to go upstairs.”

She moved to stand between me and the staircase. “Why don’t you tell me about it? Maybe I can help.”

Great.
She was going to pick now to be overprotective. I sighed. Obviously, I wasn’t going to get past her without some sort of explanation. I told her what had happened, leaving out the wings and the flying parts. She looked horrified, and moved to the phone to call the police.

“The police have already been called, but they don’t know that Andrei took Rae.”

“You should have told me right away. You know, I worked for the police department before you came into our lives. I still have connections there.”

“I know, Mom.” I had heard her talk about working at the police department a million times. I didn’t think the police would help against Andrei though. “Can we at least wait until I tell Raena’s foster parents what happened? I know I should have called them yesterday, but I just couldn’t figure out how to explain my failure. They trusted me with her safety. I failed them and I failed her!”

“You didn’t fail. You’re going to have to tell them. Soon,” my mom told me gravely.

“I know, Mom. I just don’t know what to say.”

“Let’s go see them. I know if someone were going to tell me you had been kidnapped, I would prefer to hear it in person. Do you know where they live?”

“Yes, but they’re not there. Andrei knows where they live—he broke into the house trying to get us. Raena’s family is staying at the Hilton in Santa Cruz for now.”

“Okay.” She grabbed her purse. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

I hung back. “Mom, I don’t know what to tell them.”

“Just tell them the truth, honey. They need to hear it.”

That was just the problem. I couldn’t tell them the
whole
truth. How could I tell them their daughter’s almost-boyfriend—not to mention ex-sort-of-boyfriend—were some sort of weird, winged creatures with strange powers? I didn’t even know if I should tell my mom, let alone Raena’s family. I hadn’t even stopped long enough to try to figure it out myself.

Am I even human?
I could make some sort of shield to deflect Andrei’s attacks. I also seemed to be able to command some sort of force that, even though it didn’t seem to hurt Andrei, could at least stun him. Did I have other powers I hadn’t yet become aware of? Could there be a way to strengthen them to help Raena?

As I sat in the car with my mom, headed toward the hotel in Santa Cruz, I racked my brain. How could I find out where Andrei had taken Raena?

I still hadn’t come up with any solutions or explanations by the time we reached the hotel. I got out of the car, mentally rehearsing what I planned to tell Genevra and Shane. My mom followed me into the lobby, where I asked the concierge to call up to the Devilles’ room. He conferred with someone on the phone for a few minutes. When he hung up, he told us the room number and sent us up.

When we reached the room, Shane answered the door. I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “I’m surprised you’re not at work!”

Shane laughed. “I took a few days off because I didn’t want to leave Genevra and Tanis alone with such a dangerous man on the loose. Why don’t you come in?”

My mom and I sat down in the living area of the suite as Shane called Genevra out of their room. I stared at the wall. I still hadn’t figured out what to say. Tanis came out of the opposite bedroom.

“Mom, meet the Devilles—Shane, Genevra, and Tanis. Everyone, this is my mother, Laurie Conner.”

Shane shook my mother’s hand, but Genevra just stared at me. “Logan, where’s Raena?”

I gulped and took a deep breath. I couldn’t think of a way to sugarcoat it. “There was an…altercation. Andrei somehow found out where we were staying. He showed up at the hotel. He’s taken Raena.”

They all seemed stunned. Genevra jumped up. “We have to call the police!”

I didn’t think it would help, but I agreed with her anyway. I couldn’t give away Andrei’s secret without revealing my own. Obviously we were both more than human. I didn’t even think the police would be able to find Andrei, but I guessed I should let them do what they thought they could. In the meantime, I needed to find a way to deal with Andrei on my own.

While Genevra placed a panicked call to the police department, the rest of us sat in silence. “Shane, Tanis, and I need to have a family conference to decide what to do next,” Genevra announced after she hung up the phone.

My mother and I stood. “I’m sorry for letting you down,” I told them as we left.

We drove home in silence. “I need to go for a drive and clear my head,” I told my mom when we arrived at our house. She consented, and I headed out once more, this time in my own car.

We live in a small town right next to Capitola, so there wasn’t too far to drive. I found myself unconsciously heading in the direction of Raena’s house. I couldn’t bear to turn down her street, knowing she wouldn’t be there. I briefly considered going to see the psychic Raena had mentioned, and seeing if she could help me find her. Instead, I drove toward the middle school and stopped in the middle of the street. Across from the school stood a church.

I had never been much of a praying man, but now seemed like as good as a time as any to start. I pulled into the lot and parked my car. When I reached the door, I hesitated. I felt strange going into a church just because I needed something. Still, I had to try. I hoped prayer would work.

The doors were unlocked. When I stepped through them, the enormity of the interior struck me. I had never seen such a huge church. There were tons of benches—I think they were called pews—all facing a huge stage area. There were awesome stained glass windows, which colored the light streaming through them.

Feeling a little unsure, I sat in the back row.
Am I supposed to kneel? Should I go up front?
I stayed there for a while and closed my eyes. I don’t know how long I sat, trying to think. Just when I realized that I didn’t really know how to pray, a hand on my shoulder startled me. My eyes popped open, and I turned to see who had touched me.

A man stood beside me. He seemed to be in his forties and wore a priest’s robes. “So sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I felt as though I needed to come talk to you.”

I had been hoping the priest would be busy so I could think in peace. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be left alone. I needed to come up with a way to find Andrei and get Raena back. How could this priest help? What could he possibly have to say?

“My name is Father Matthias. I know this may sound strange, but I’ve seen you before. I had a vision about you. It’s absolutely imperative I talk to you.”

“What do you mean? You had a vision about me?”

“Yes. You have incredible powers, young man. You have an amazing strength of spirit. Only you have the power to save her.”

I jumped up. “What did you just say?”

“You have the power to save her,” the priest told me. “You’re the only one who can. You must search for her in the Shadow Imperium.”

“What’s the Shadow Imperium?”

“It’s where he’s taken her. You have to go there. You have to defeat him.”

This man is making no sense,
I thought.
He’s either crazy, or he’s been hitting the Communion wine a little too hard. How does he know about Raena? How does he know about my powers? What’s the Shadow Imperium?

“Father…Matthias, right? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t have any powers. You must have me confused with someone else.”

“No, I saw you clearly in my vision,” he insisted. “You had wings, huge silver wings. You glowed with a glorious golden light. I saw her, lost in the Shadow Imperium, imprisoned by a man with blond hair and wings as black as midnight. You must go there. You must save her, or all is lost.”

How does he know this?
“I don’t understand.”

“Young man, you are an angel. A divine creature created with a divine purpose—to save her. You’re meant to guard her. You are the one with the power to destroy the devils, lest they destroy the earth and everything we hold dear.”

I opened my mouth to tell the priest he was crazy, but apparently he hadn’t finished yet.

“Back before the Fall of Man,” he continued, “some angels also fell. After the Great War in Heaven, some angels were cast out. They were thrown to earth. Some of these fallen angels seduced humans. Their offspring were called nephilim. However, I do not believe you are one of these. You are something more, though definitely an angel.”

“I always knew there was something weird about me,” I muttered under my breath.

“Sorry, son, what did you say?” Father Matthias asked.

“Nothing, nothing. Go on.” I felt it best to humor the man. I doubted his words, although it would explain the wings and the weird golden light I seemed to be able to produce.

“Have you noticed your powers developing?” he asked. “Angels are rumored to have incredible powers. Can you appear and disappear at will? Are you able to read people’s minds? Can you make people see things that aren’t there, or not see things that are there?”

I sighed. Maybe I should trust this guy, even if he did seem a little nuts. He was a priest after all.
Aren’t priests supposed to take some vow saying they can’t reveal what people tell them in confidence, or something like that?

“No, nothing like that. But I did suddenly find wings sprouting from my back yesterday,” I admitted. “Also, there’s some sort of golden force field made of light I seem to be able to control.”

Father Matthias seemed very excited by all this. Ecstatic, even. “Wings? Could, um, could I see them?”

“Well, I somehow retracted them into my body, and I haven’t figured out how to get them back out. But when I find out, yeah. I guess you can see them.”

His face fell a little. “Will you describe them?”

“Sure. Why not? Well, they’re huge and I guess they kind of look like eagle wings. Oh yeah, and the feathers are grey, almost silver, just like you said.”

“Hmm, I was always told angels have white wings. Maybe I was wrong.”

“So, I’m
not
an angel?” I felt sort of disappointed. It would have been nice to have some sort of explanation.

Father Matthias laughed. “No, no. I mean, maybe I was wrong that angels always have white wings. No, you’re an angel. A guardian angel, to be exact. I have no doubt about it. Now, we just have to figure out what your other powers are. Tell me more about this golden shield.”

“Well, I don’t know much about it. It can deflect energy, and I can throw the light.”

“What do you mean you can throw it?” the priest asked.

“I can somehow gather the light—energy—whatever it is, around my hands. I threw it at the guy who kidnapped my girlfriend, and it knocked him away. I wasn’t fast enough though. He got away with her. I tried to chase him, but I couldn’t catch him. I flew around for hours…” My voice cracked and I stopped, embarrassed. Would I start crying in front of this priest? I wasn’t one of those macho guys who thought only girls cried, but I didn’t want to cry in front of a stranger. I just hated the fact that I hadn’t been able to protect Raena.
I told her I loved her,
then
I just let her be taken by Andrei!
I railed at myself.

I took a deep breath, trying to put a curb on my anger. I didn’t think it would help me. Father Matthias looked at me sympathetically. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

“It’s okay. I just—I couldn’t protect her! You say I’m an angel, but what good does it do if I can’t protect the girl I love? What good are my so-called powers if I can’t save her?”

“I’ve told you where she is. The Shadow Imperium. You must go there to save her.”

“But how do I get there?” I asked, exasperated. I had the feeling this man might have more answers than he let on, and he was starting to make me mad. Why couldn’t he just tell me what I need to know? Every moment Raena spent trapped with Andrei was another moment her life would be in danger. Didn’t he understand?

“I don’t know,” Father Mathias admitted. “But I can help you figure it out.” He checked his watch. “I have to say Mass in less than thirty minutes. You are more than welcome to stay if you like. Afterward, we can do some research. If you don’t want to stay, you can come back later tonight or even tomorrow. I understand it’s urgent, but you have to remember, it may take some time to figure out how to get to the Shadow Imperium.”

I stood up, trying to swallow my rising anger. If this priest had answers, I needed to stay on his good side and not lash out at him. Getting angry wouldn’t do me—or Raena—any good. “Thanks for the invite, Father, but I think I’ll have to decline your invitation for Mass this time. I will go home and try to do some research myself. I will, however, take you up on your offer to meet afterward. I get the feeling I may need your help.” I held out my hand for him to shake. “I’m Logan, by the way.”

The priest grasped my hand firmly. “Don’t worry, Logan. We will find your girl. We will figure out your powers. We will find a way for you to defeat the devils. Somehow, we will find answers to your questions. Come by in about two hours.” He started to turn. “Don’t worry, son. It will all be okay.”

I remained standing alone in the church for a few minutes, trying to absorb everything Father Matthias had just told me. At last, I took a deep breath, crossed myself for good measure, and walked out of the church.