Angel in Chains (13 page)

Aledyan wanted Yorin to suffer. He wanted to kill the warlock, slowly, but he knew he
couldn't. He shouldn't do much to him at all because he held the others imprisoned somewhere. They needed Yorin to find them, but that didn't mean Aledyan couldn't shake the warlock up a little. While under Adenar's control, Yorin and the other warlocks were unable to do anything at all.

A
ledyan studied Yorin and saw frustration in his eyes. He tried to move, but Adenar's powers kept him in place. When he realized it was pointless, he met Aledyan's gaze. It was the most pissed off gaze that he had ever seen.

“Kill me and you wi
ll never find the others,” Yorin snarled.

“Don't worry,” Aledyan answe
red. “I won't kill you, but you are going to wish for death long before I'm done with you.”

Aledyan had never in his life expe
rienced such anger before. It filled his whole body, and all he wanted to do was throw himself over Yorin to teach him a lesson he would never forget. Holding back was the most difficult thing he had ever done.

“You punch me once
, and I will order their deaths,” Yorin went on.

It was obvious that the warlock
tried to stay strong, but he couldn't hide his uncertainty in front of Aledyan.

“Tell me,” Aledyan started and pointed the
edge of his sword against Yorin's throat. “How are you going to do that once Adenar has taken your powers? Let me guess, warlock. Your powers are keeping you alive. Without them, you will slowly whither. They are as necessary to you as wings are for an angel.”

Yorin bit togethe
r his jaws and remained silent.

“Just
as I thought,” Aledyan said and lowered his sword while he looked at the other two.

Sim
on was furious, ready to explode. Anger was written all over his face. He pulled with his limbs all the time, trying to get free. It was obvious what he would do once he was free from Adenar's grasp, but Aledyan wouldn't allow it. Maybe he couldn't hurt Yorin, but Simon on the other hand, he was new, and Aledyan doubted he had any power over the other angels that Yorin held imprisoned.

Aledyan turned his gaze
toward Vincent. The warlock didn't fight and just gazed back at Aledyan. He couldn't tell what Vincent was thinking, at all. His face was emotionless, cold, as if he didn't worry at all.

But then he saw it, for just a split second, in the warlock
's eyes. It couldn't have been, could it? Had he really glimpsed a flicker of hope for a fleeting second?
It confused Aledyan. Why would the warlock feel hope in a moment like this? Maybe Inez was right, maybe there was more to him than Aledyan could see.

For a short second
, he met her gaze. She stood near Vorian with a tense posture. Her eyes were big, and her chest moved fast up and down. It was as if she just waited for all hell to break loose again.

“What do you want
to do with them?” Adenar asked.

Aledyan remained silent for a while. He needed time to think even if the answer was obvious. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, or more preci
sely, what he needed to do. He couldn't punish them all, but only one of them would pay, though not the right one. But Aledyan decided it was good enough.

“He will take my place,” Aledyan sai
d and looked straight at Simon.

Simon's chin dropped and a surprised look spread on the young warlock
's face. “You can't be serious!”

Aledyan's anger boiled up even more. “Watch me
.”

He didn't need to tell Adenar anything. The
angel knew exactly what do to. Aledyan remained where he stood and watched Adenar while he fulfilled Aledyan's revenge.

Adenar raised his hand.
Simon flew up in a straight posture with his feet barely touching the ground. Aledyan didn't know how it worked, but where ever there was magic, Adenar could control it. He could make any living creature with magical powers obey him, whether they wanted to or not. Simon was nothing more than a rag doll in Adenar's hands. If Adenar wanted to he could send Simon on a not so pleasant trip inside the cave, make him spin in the air and hit the walls, and there wouldn't be anything Simon could do about it. He was in the angel's control, at least it looked like it. Aledyan couldn't see any fatigue or insecurity in Adenar's eyes. His face was like carved in stone, showing no emotions.

Simon
pulled for all that he was worth, trying over and over again to set himself free from Adenar's grip, but in vain. He wasn't going anywhere.

Aledyan grinned.

“Inez,” he said and reached out for her. “Don't be afraid. Come to me and let Adenar remove the chains from your wrists.”

She bit her lip and hesitated for a while before she nodded
, and found the strength she needed to move. It was obvious that she didn't want to be near the warlocks more than she needed to, but Aledyan was glad that she trusted him enough to approach him, or rather them.

“Don't worry. They can't do you
any harm,” he assured her.

He grabbed her hand
, and watched Adenar when he stepped forward. The dark angel didn't say anything. Instead he looked Inez over, but there was no interest in his eyes, just a determination that was all Adenar. Aledyan could barely remember seeing another facial expression on the angel's face.

“This won't hurt,” Adenar said when he grabbed Inez
's other hand.

Inez jumped, but stood still. She hugged Aledyan's hand hard, making his heart sing. She
searched for comfort in him, and he gladly gave it by hugging her hand back. Everything was still new to her, it had only been a few days since her life had changed. From believing that there was nothing else out there to being among angels and warlocks. And yet, here she stood, scared but brave enough to face the reality of her new world. He loved her for it, and always would.

It was quiet for what felt like minutes. Even the warlocks remained silent, which Aledyan hadn't expected. He realized
that he had barely paid them any attention during those minutes because he was focused on Adenar and Inez. He really wanted those damn chains off her wrists.

An uncomfortable chill went through his body
, and he turned his gaze at the warlocks.

Nothing.

They all kept looking at him, and Aledyan didn't like it. Then he heard something hit the ground with a loud sound, and he turned his gaze back. He looked down at Inez wrists.

The chains
were no more.

When the weight dropped from her wrists
, Inez stared at the chains that laid on the ground, and not being able to believe it. They were gone. She was free, and so was Aledyan. For a moment, she stood stunned, didn't know what to feel.

She looked up
at Adenar. He looked tired, but gave her a short smile followed by a nod. She smiled back with all the gratitude shining right through her. She wanted to give him a big hug, but something told her not to. He didn't seem like the type you hugged, or wanted to be hugged.

She didn't
know how he had done it. She hadn't felt anything, well almost, just a gentle chill against her skin during the entire process, but she couldn't tell for sure if the chill had been his doing or not. In the end, it didn't matter. After a short while the chains had dropped to the ground, just like that, as if they had become transparent and just slipped off her wrists. No key had been used to open them.

Adenar lowered his hands and took a step back, allowing Aledyan to come closer. When he did
, she threw herself into his arms, laughing and crying from relief. He held her tight, and she felt all his love in the embrace. He seemed to be the happiest man on earth, and she was definitely the happiest woman.

But they weren't safe yet
, and the celebration had to wait. All she wanted to do was keep on hugging and kissing Aledyan, but somehow she managed to control herself, and take a step back. She never stopped smiling though, and neither did Aledyan. Soon they'd have all the time in the world.

Aledyan opened his mouth to say something
when Inez noticed a movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw that it was the urn Yorin had brought with him the first time he had been here. She had forgotten about the urn, but now she looked straight at it. It was trembling.

“Simon, NOW!” Yorin yelled out.

From one second to the other the happy moment changed to chaos. Everything happened so fast that Inez barely kept up. One second she stood by Aledyan and stared at the trembling urn, and the next she was blinded by a bright light that appeared from nowhere. There was a loud humming sound followed by a blast wave that pushed her to the ground.

Someone landed right next to her
, and when she heard a lot of cursing she realized that the voice belonged to Adenar.

Her heart was beating fast and the shock from the unexpected turn of events made her feel unsafe again.
“Aledyan!” she yelled and looked around. She barely saw anything, only the stars in front of her eyes. It would take several minutes before they disappeared.

“I'm here,” sh
e heard him answer to her left.

She exhaled with relief
, and crawled on all four over to him, feeling her way forward with her hands. After just a few steps, her hands came in contact with his leg. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. His touch and presence made her feel safe again.

“I can barely see,” she said
and blinked, trying to clear her sight.

“Me neither
.”

“What the heck just happened?” Inez heard Vorian ask with an irritat
ed voice not far away from her.

“They used the urn
. They are gone,” Adenar said. Inez heard him move around, and for a short second she caught a glimpse of him.

“You can see?” she asked.

“Yes,” Adenar answered. “Their magic doesn't work on me.”

She heard him move again, but this time
toward her and Aledyan. She jumped from surprise when she spotted him suddenly in front of her.

“Just relax,” Adenar said and placed his hand against her eyes.

Inez held her breath, not really knowing why. It was obvious he only wanted to help, but she assumed it was the pressure from the last few days that made her tense. She experienced that cold chill again, but this time against her eyes. It felt like one of the gentle breezes when autumn started to turn into winter, telling you it wasn't long before the snow would fall.

The chill lasted just a few seconds. It disappeared when Adenar removed his hand. She stared into his dark eyes
, and he gave her a short smile.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered and gave him a mesmerized look. She could barely believe the power this angel contained. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” he grinned, apparently pleased with her reaction before he turned to Aledyan. “Come here, warrior. I think you want to be able to see you
r sweetheart.”

“You have no idea,” Aledyan said before Adenar placed his hand
against Aledyan's eyes.

“Hey, don't forget about me,” Vorian pointed out.

He stood nearby with an empty gaze, staring at nothing, as if he was blind. Inez couldn't help but wonder if he got hit the worst. She had at least been able to see a little, and her sight would have eventually returned even without Adenar's help. Vorian, on the other hand, seemed to need the angel's help badly.

“You nag too much,” Adenar said.

“Nag? Since when do I nag? I just want my eyes fixed.”

“You forgot to say please,” Adenar said without removing his hand from Aledyan's eyes. A wicked smile played on his face, almost as if he
enjoyed Vorian's discomfort. Inez wondered what their story was.

"Oh come on!” Vorian protested.

Adenar started to laugh, but there was a seriousness on his face that told Inez that he really expected Vorian to say please.

“I wi
ll let it pass this time,” Adenar said once he finished laughing. “We have to get out of the cave soon.”

It was then that Inez
's mind caught up with her, and she looked around to try to understand what had happened. It had all gone so fast, and the bright light had surprised her big time. The warlocks were really gone, and she had no idea how. Hadn't Adenar had them under control?

Aledyan looked around as well. He didn't seem pleased. The revenge
he had waited for had slipped through his fingers. Now he wouldn't get it, but the important thing was that they were alive. Inez hoped that he saw that too.

“What did you see?” Aledyan asked Adenar wh
ile he moved on over to Vorian.

“The urn was filled with magic.” Adenar placed his hand against Vorian's eyes. “Simon was the only one facing the urn. That made it easier for him to use the magic, calling it to him. My guess is
that he has teleporting abilities, and was, therefore, able to get them all away from here.”

“In other words, this is not over,” Vorian said.

“Far from it,” Aledyan said. “Yorin is keeping several of our friends in captivity somewhere, and now he also has Cerin.”

“We must find them, and fast.”

“Yes, but first we must get out of here.”

A half minute later Vorian's eyes w
ere taken care of, and they all headed for the cave's exit. Aledyan held Inez hand in his. She noticed that he didn't look back once.

When the exit came closer
, she remembered something Aledyan had told her. He had said that she wouldn't be able to see him once they were both outside the cave. That made her heart race. Was this the end for them? She slowed down and stopped just before exiting the cave. Aledyan looked at her and saw her worry.

“Don't be afraid. I'm not going anywhere.”

“How can I know that for sure? Maybe you will just disappear right in front of my eyes once I step out. I don't want that.”

He smiled, seemed happy
over her words.

“You are a part of my world now, you are aware of me
, and we are a part of each other. Our bond makes sure of that. Remember that I told you that.”

She swallowed and nodded.

The sun was shining. It was a bright and beautiful summer day. It had been just a few days since she had made the decision to go hiking. That decision had changed her life forever. If she had known the things she knew now a few days ago, would she had done it? Inez nodded to herself and realized that the answer was “yes”.

For him.

Inez looked into his encouraging eyes.

Then s
he exited the cave.