11. Scarlet
Chapter 11
Scarlet
J erking up in bed, her heart ached with how much it raced. Stretching her wings, it took a moment to recognise where she was. The little light that seeped from beneath the door showed that the walls surrounding her held no decorations, and the bedding tangled around her legs was plain. White. Everything was so bloody white, with little accents of gold.
Red spotted the sweat soaked sheets, sending chills over her skin. She reached over to touch the little smears, expecting them to be wet. But they were dry, hours old. Checking her body she found no cuts, nothing but the mark between her breasts, the skin still tender and sore. But it wasn’t bleeding.
A knock on her bedroom door, and Scar jerked the sheets up to cover her body.
“Yeah?” she called out, her voice croaky as if she’d spent hours screaming.
Aeron spoke sternly through the wood. “Cassiel’s requested your attendance.”
Pain shot through her head, the headache sudden and sharp. She couldn’t remember getting to bed, her last memory was of meeting Cassiel in his office. She’d been unable to give him an update on Lucifer, and to say he was disappointed was an understatement.
She didn’t think Cassiel would appreciate that the only thing she’d learnt about Lucifer was that he was a hedonistic slut.
Scarlet cleared her throat. “I’m coming.”
With her wings dragging, she moved to the en-suite, turning the tap to cold so she could splash her face. The small mirror had been uncovered, the towel in which she’d used neatly folded and placed on the side of the sink.
She wouldn’t have gone to bed without checking, would she?
Fuck, she thought, not wanting to look in the reflection and call her brother.
Gripping the edge of the sink tighter she squeezed her eyes closed, blindly reaching for the towel. Holding it in front of her face she covered her reflection once more.
“Five minutes!”
With her muscles still heavy, she quickly yanked on her closest clothes, and grabbed her weapons. Cassiel had delivered a new ‘uniform’ for her to wear whenever she was on active duty, and every single piece had been in various shades of white or beige.
It was like he wanted her to blend into the walls of the complex, or become a living symbol for purity. She’d learnt pretty quickly that humans held warped expectations for her kind. Supposedly superior beings because of religious ideologies tied to her wings, which clearly Cassiel was playing on.
No more than two minutes had passed before another knock rattled her door, and she opened it to find Aeron standing there with a sour expression. “The Council’s called a meeting,” he said, as if it was supposed to mean something significant to her. “Everyone, now.”
Ignoring how his eyes dropped to the pale fabric that was tight to her breast, she nodded. It was the first thing he’d said to her since the Vault, and that had been… she wasn’t sure.
Aeron’s lips thinned. “You look like shit. Cassiel mentioned you weren’t well. You feeling up to this?”
The personality shift caused her to blink at him stupidly. She wasn’t sure whether she was more surprised Aeron was showing some sort of concern, or that she’d slept for twenty hours. She rarely managed more than four on a good night. “Fine, thank you.”
“You sure? You’ve slept for close to sixteen hours.”
“I said I’m fine.” Feeling sick, another thing she had no recollection of. Other than the slight dizziness, which could be explained by sleeping for so long, she had no other ill-effects.
Was being marked by Lucifer taking its toll? She’d been fine since he’d first marked her, but then again they’d kept their distance.
Aeron’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t fuck this up, because I can’t help you if you’re incompetent.”
Scarlet not so subtly gave him the middle finger.
“Come on,” he said louder, turning towards Zaph who stood to the side with his arms crossed. “We’re expected.”
Just like Aeron, he wore overlapping leather straps on his bare torso, showing off Cassiel’s brand on his dark skin. A ridiculously large sword lay flush to his spine, and despite being half hidden beneath his deep red feathers, it looked as if she’d struggle to even lift it.
Zaph raised a brow when she frowned, trying to figure out how he removed the sword from the scabbard without slicing himself.
A strange golden cage decorated their shoulders, the metal shaped to the contours of each of the officers and disappearing to intertwine beneath their wings without obstructing.
“What’s with the gold?” she asked, the metal giving off a slight ethereal flow.
“Armour,” Kit said, coming up behind them. He turned, showing how it shaped around the wing anchors without affecting the integrity of his movement. “We haven’t got anything small enough for you.”
She’d seen similar things back in Aetherna at the academy, but nothing so intricate. It was like a spiderweb, expanding across his skin to thicken against the spine. Celestrials believed their wings were the most important part of their body, because if the wings were to be damaged beyond repair, or even severed, you’d become Fallen.
“Nahal and Zaph, you’ll be flying the perimeter of the building,” Aeron barked, heading towards the door. “Scarlet, you’ll be stationed inside with Kit and myself.”
Grabbing as much of her hair as she could, she quickly tied it away from her face while chasing after him. None of the men spoke, not even when they met Cassiel on the roof, or when they took to the sky.
It wasn’t a long flight, the air cool but refreshing against her muscles. Her wings felt like they needed a good stretch, and before long she was landing beside Cassiel, Aeron and Kit. The others remained in the sky above, circling above the cloud layer.
“Keep your distance within the chamber, but remain vigilant,” Cassiel said, straightening the cuffs on his dress-shirt as he quickly walked inside the nondescript building. Scarlet wasn’t sure what to expect from the place where the most powerful people in Europe meet, but a generic hall on the outskirts of the city wasn’t it. She was almost disappointed.
“This is… different,” she muttered when Cassiel went over to greet the other Councilmembers. They all stood in the centre of the large room, individual spotlights highlighting each throne within a perfect circle. Six in total.
“It’s a surreptitious meeting,” Kit said, hand resting on the gun on his hip. “They’re worried about Gideon’s intentions.”
“What gave it away?” Aeron grunted, taking his position against the wall beside him. “The fact he’s asked all five of us to attend? Or the armed guards we had to walk past to get inside?”
Following their lead she pressed herself against the wall, making sure she could easily see Cassiel.
Aeron flipped his knife in the air, catching it on the hilt. “Everyone’s brought an entourage.”
“Is that not normal?” Scar followed his line of sight.
There were a few other people within the room, but other than the Councilmembers, everyone placed themselves to the shadowed edges. The air was thick, growing with each additional Councilmember that entered. Gideon’s threat was clearly causing tension.
It was Kit that answered. “No. The Council rule with fear, so their chambers are usually private but for a handful of trusted advisors.”
“Careful not to get caught with that mouth,” Aeron warned.
“I don’t have to like them to be professional.” A smirk teased his lips as he reached into a pocket and brought out his small copper ball to roll between his fingers. “Nothing but figureheads anyway. They don’t hold any real power.”
The Council were still yet to take their seats, their heads dipped, and their voices hushed. Other than the thrones, there was no other furniture. A handful of people stood just beyond the shadows, the spotlights barely reaching wall to wall. Some were alone, while others clearly were familiar enough to become a group.
A man with long, light brown hair watched her from the corner of his eye, arms crossed a few feet away. He forcibly relaxed himself against the wall, standing alone. Something flashed behind his dark blue irises when she glanced over, and for a split second it wasn’t a man watching her, but an animal. Scarlet hadn’t had much interaction with shifters, only knowing that they were one soul that shared two bodies. She’d once read a shifter explain that they were one person with two distinct halves, with one side more instinctive and primal than the other. The human, and the animal.
Back in Aetherna there was no diversity, just celestrials.
“Haven’t seen many female angels,” the man commented quietly.
Scarlet didn’t bother correcting him, shooting him a warning look when he moved closer.
“You with Cassiel?” he asked, his attention now entirely on her.
Scarlet looked over to the Council, finding they were still standing. Aeron and Kit smirked beside her, but didn’t comment.
“I’m with Xavier,” he continued, nodding towards the man with the facial scar that blinded his eye. He wore a grin, his teeth sharp as he laughed at the others arguing over something she couldn’t hear. What looked to be black stripes rippled across his skin, disappearing as quickly as they came. The Councilman for the shifters.
“Is he your Alpha?” she asked, curious about the hierarchy within shifter packs. They weren’t too different to the ranks of celestials, except they praised dominance rather than knowledge.
The man stiffened, a slight growl vibrating through his chest.
“He’s more like Xavier’s jester,” Aeron said with a dark chuckle.
“His pet wolf,” Kit added. “Isn’t that right, Rex?”
Rex’s eyes glowed brighter, a feral edge to his features that made her want to grab her blades. Lips parting, he went to reply before the lights dimmed, and everyone’s attention shifted to the centre where the Council had finally taken their seats.
Scarlet stood straighter, listening in on the earthen politics that she’d never once concerned herself over. There were celestrials that inherited the knowledge of history, and it was their job to observe, and write down every significant event that happens within all the realms.
They’d sit for hours, studying everything unfolding in the watching waters. The library contained everything that had ever happened, and sometimes predictions of what was to come. When her brother was first discovered, she’d gone to read from the handwritten books, only to find her brother’s murder wasn’t significant enough to be mentioned.
Her inherited knowledge didn’t include history, but she’d researched who the Council were considering Cassiel was a member.
Valentina, with her child-like appearance and porcelain skin was the first to speak. She was the voice for the vampires. “We’re all aware of the reason behind the meeting. Gideon’s little show has caused some concern, and it won’t be long before the press gag order is ignored, and continent-wide panic will ensue.”
“This past week has seen an increase of Daemonic activity,” Edwards, the Councilman and Archdruid for Druids said, his posture anxious as he leant forward in his seat. “Magic signatures have been felt across the realm. New York, Hong Kong and as far as Sydney.”
The tall woman who stood for the witches spoke next. “Where’s the strongest?”
Scarlet was frustrated with how sluggish her brain was, finally remembering her name was Ivy.
Edwards pursed his lips, dipping his head slightly before replying. “London.”
“Why here? Why not anywhere else in the world?”
“Because we have the greatest Ley lines,” Edwards answered. “The veins may run across the world, but London is the strongest to Stonehenge and other ancient sites. It’s possible he’s found a way to use them as sources of power. It’s why Daemonic activity is the strongest across the British Isles.”
Xavier spreads his legs obscenely, claws scratching at the throne’s wooden armrest. Cassiel sat to his direct right, not hiding his displeasure at the other Councilman. “Gideon seems to be combining magic not done since creation,” he said, turning back towards the circle.
Edwards shook his head, a frown marring his brows. “Chaos magic.”
“Impossible,” the Councilman for the Fae said. “It would destroy him long before he managed to become a problem. Chaos cannot be contained.”
“And yet, Lilianna there is no other explanation for the power spikes seen across the globe. Other continents have already shown concern.”
“Other continents can go fuck themselves,” Xavier growled. “What of those Guardians, Eddy?”
Edwards’ skin flushed, his eyes narrowing on the shifter. “They don’t answer to me,” he replied stiffly.
Xavier smirked. “Yet they’re the only ones who have fought someone as strong as Gideon and won. Well, them and War. But I don’t think she’s as powerful now as she once was.” Xavier’s eyes slanted towards Rex, who had stiffened to stone.
“The only reason the Guardians were able to defeat Hadriel and his bride was because he was still bound to the Nether. Something Gideon broke free from,” Edwards added with a grunt.
“Which would make it more difficult.” Cassiel straightened in his throne, the only chair to have a back fit for wings. “The Guardians are nothing but trained soldiers, and we should use them as such. But, due to shared animosity with Councilman –”
A loud screech, followed by a flash of light.
Momentarily blinded, Scarlet palmed her left dagger and looked up, only to find the entire roof of the hall had been ripped off.
“Sir,” she shouted, racing towards Cassiel. “We need to get you to safety.”
Cassiel didn’t acknowledge her, his eyes pinned above her head.
Aeron moved to his other side, with Kit coming at his back. “Sir, the building’s been compromised. We need to –”
A thump, Cassiel watching with utter calm as someone dropped from the sky to land perfectly in the centre of the Council.
“So,” the man said, great skeletal wings sprouting from his back. “Where was my invite?”