FIVE THE SEVEN ANGELS #2
He knows about my dreams too? How much of the conversation with Lily and Jack was he listening to back in the forest?
I shrug. ‘A few nights. But it’s the sa—’
‘Same one?’ he says, to my surprise. ‘Yeah. I’ve been there. It messes with your head, doesn’t it? Liam, those nightmares, they’re not just dreams. They’re glimpses into recent history.’
That book was right about the dream. They’re real. If that is true that would mean…
‘Katie Ford… is she…?’
‘Yes. What you saw happened. The girl is dead. Murdered at the hands of the Dark Friars. Now, you’re their target.’
‘Why me? Because I’m a Keeper?’
Tariq takes a deep breath, leaning forward in the chair. ‘Liam, there is so much you don’t know. The world here in Sarumbourne is… different. It’s not the place you think you know. Your Keeper visions are a sign that your life is about to change forever.’
I scoff. ‘Is this the part where you hand me a ring and send me off to some big mountain?’
Tariq rolls his eyes. ‘This is serious, Liam.’
‘None of this makes sense.’ I stand and begin pacing around his room.
‘Listen, Liam, I know it’s hard to believe, but trust me. I’ve seen firsthand what the Dark Friars are capable of; you need to be prepared. They will come for you again.’
My heartbeat quickens. ‘How do you even know all this?’
‘Because I’m a Keeper, just like you. I’ve spent the past four years of my life learning the secrets of this city.
I’ve encountered things beyond anything you can imagine.
I’ve evaded the Dark Friars many times. And now, I’m here to help you do the same.
I will protect you, Liam, until you’re able to defend yourself. ’
‘Protect me? From what? Why do these High Flyers want to—’
‘Dark Friars.’
‘Whatever. Why do they want to hurt me?’
‘Listen, Liam. You’re a Keeper, chosen to protect our city from the darkness beneath it. The Dark Friars aim to unleash that darkness, and they’ll stop at nothing, even if it means killing us. Or more specifically, you.’
‘Why just me? If you’re a Keeper too then—’
‘Because you have yet to explore and hone your abilities. They see your untapped potential as a weakness. But I’m not going to let that happen, okay? You’re not in this alone.’
If this is some sort of practical joke, then it’s a really thorough one. I sit back on Tariq’s bed, taking a breath. I was right, those nightmares weren’t just a figment of my imagination. But they’ve led me to something I never thought possible. If only Lily and Jack were with me now.
As if on cue, my phone illuminates and vibrates on the bed beside me.
It’s Lily. I swipe to answer.
‘Liam! You’re alive!’ Lily’s voice echoes through the phone.
Crap. A video call. I should really learn to check before swiping.
Lily is pacing in her bedroom, her ponytail swinging from side to side.
‘I’ve been in full panic-mode for the last two hours. I nearly messaged your mum.’
Tariq is observing me with intense curiosity from his armchair. I subtly shift my phone’s angle, keeping him hidden from view.
‘Yeah, sorry, it’s been a night. You wouldn’t believe—’
Tariq coughs, shaking his head. He puts a finger to his lips. It’s a gesture I find oddly alluring.
‘What’s going on? That’s not your room. Where are you? Is that a new T-shirt? What happened to your head?’
‘I… uh…’
How can I navigate this? Lily’s barrage of questions is typical, but clearly the truth is out of the question, if Tariq’s expression is anything to go by.
‘Wait. No bloody way!’ Lily shrieks. ‘You’re on a OneNight date, aren’t you?’
My eyes widen in surprise. ‘What?’
‘What?’ Tariq echoes, adjusting himself in his seat.
‘Oh my god,’ Lily continues. ‘This is the best news. No wonder you haven’t been answering my calls.’
Lily has been urging me to download the OneNight app for months, mostly because she didn’t want to be the only one using it.
She says it’s a dating app, but everyone knows it’s for hook-ups.
Jack used it for a day, failed to match with Lily, then deleted it.
My hesitation stems from my lack of experience with actually ‘hooking up’.
It’s all kinds of nerve-wracking. However, in this moment, it seems the perfect explanation.
‘Uh… yeah. Yes, that is what is happening,’ I respond.
‘OMG, where is he? Can I say hi?’
Tariq shakes his head.
‘Uh… sorry… he’s uh… naked,’ I say, flustered.
He throws up his arms. I offer him a nervous smile as a half-hearted apology.
‘Oh wow. Well, when you’re done…’ She pauses, giving me a mischievous wink. ‘I want all the details.’
I chuckle nervously, my cheeks burning up. ‘Sure. I’ll fill you in later. Bye, Lily.’
I quickly end the call, hoping to escape any further awkwardness.
‘So, decided to go with the old classic “he’s naked” excuse then, huh?’ Tariq says.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I begin. ‘I know, that was bad. But technically, you were naked at one point.’
Tariq looks over at the mirror on the bedside table. ‘That was meant for checking your wound, you know?’
He smirks, and I blush more.
‘You know what didn’t help, all the…’ I try to mimic the arm gestures he made during the call. ‘What was that all about?’
‘Keepers need to keep their identities hidden as much as possible,’ Tariq says, returning to a serious tone.
‘What? Why?’
‘It’s just how it is. It’s too dangerous for Regulars to get mixed up in it all. They don’t have the powers to protect themselves like we do.’
‘Powers? Are we talking Avengers-level powers?’
Tariq leans forward in his chair. ‘We’re not superheroes, Liam. And this isn’t some Tolkien fantasy realm. The Keepers are something more… Nathaniel will explain this better.’
‘Nathaniel?’
‘He’s our guide, our mentor. He is also our liaison to the Guild.’
I stare blankly. I’m struggling to keep up.
‘The puppeteers, pulling all the strings behind the scenes in this city. I guess you could think of them as our employers.’
‘Keepers get paid?’ I ask, my voice a little more high-pitched.
Tariq laughs. ‘No salary. But they do grant us certain… allowances.’
A noise from outside the room makes me jump, my arm thrusts outward, and the protruding bedpost snaps free from the frame, clattering on the floor.
‘Tariq, I’m so so—’
He hushes me and heads for the door. I go to follow but he holds up his hand, gesturing for me to stay where I am.
Another noise. A floorboard creaking.
My stomach sinks. Is it those men? Have they found me?
Tariq edges closer to the door, his hand forming a tight fist as if he is concealing something between his fingers.
He yanks open the door, but then relaxes. I lean around the bedpost. It’s a man stumbling around the hallway. He looks lost.
‘Can I help you, sir?’ Tariq says.
‘Ah, yes, lad, sorry. Need a slash.’
‘The customer toilets are on the ground floor, opposite the stairs,’ Tariq says, politely.
The man gives Tariq a thumbs up before disappearing down the corridor. Tariq closes the door with a sigh.
‘Do you always get strangers just wandering up here?’ I ask.
‘It happens more often than you’d think. Living above a bar has its quirks,’ he says, picking up the broken bedpost from the floor.
‘I am so sorry about that. I don’t know what happened,’ I say.
‘You’re just coming into your abilities, forget about it. I was a hot mess when I first got mine.’
‘What exactly is it I can do? Because really, I just seem to break things.’
Tariq laughs. ‘Well, judging from recent incidents, not to mention outrunning those Dark Friars back at the college earlier, I am going to go out on a limb and say you’re the Auctus Keeper.
Which means you’re gifted with enhanced physical traits – strength, speed, reflexes, and heightened senses too. ’
Wow. I got the party-package of powers it seems. That certainly explains the vending machine stunt, not to mention catching my phone in the shower and taking out that boy with a football. But I can definitely say my eyesight isn’t any better.
‘I don’t have all that,’ I say.
‘Not yet, but you will. Some abilities come more naturally than others, but all that will be taught through training,’ he says, checking my clothes by the fire.
Training? There’s actual work involved? Kill me now.
‘We should probably get you home before your head explodes,’ he says, bundling my T-shirt and jeans into a carrier bag. ‘You can keep the sweats and the T-shirt, by the way.’
‘You’re escorting me home?’
‘Of course. The Dark Friars could still be out there looking for you. Besides, I’m a bit of a night owl.’
We leave the Seven Angels the way we came in. Luckily for us, the rain has finally stopped.