House of Ravens (The Nightfall Chronicles Book 2) (2 page)

"Yes."

"What will you do about Jax? According to my sympathy settings, I'm rather fond of him."

It's always been Jax and me against the world. Now… I look down at the note and then squeeze my hand together, collapsing the airplane into a ball. "I'll do what is right, no matter the cost."

***

Summer hasn't yet given way to Fall, and I enjoy the warmth on my face as we walk through the zoo. I stuff my jacket into my backpack and then lick the chocolate tip of my ice-cream cone before it melts under the hot September sun.

Before coming to the zoo, we finished all of our school supply shopping and had everything delivered back to Castle V via special courier. I didn't even know we could do that, but Corinne seems to know all the ropes.

Now we stand in the middle of Nova Vetus Sanctum, a zoo for animals that are a blend of new genes and old.

We already saw the monkeys with wings, the insect labyrinth that will forever haunt my nightmares, and the zebra chameleons that can change their look based on environment. Genetic modification of animals is only allowed by approval of the Hospitallers and hasn't made its way into mainstream society like Eden Fashionables. After what I've seen today, that's probably a good thing.

We walk into a dark stone building, more like a cave, and the temperature drops. Everything is dark as we make our way to the next exhibit.

Corinne smiles at me and licks strawberry ice cream as a bit of it dribbles down her chin. She wipes it away. "We don't have zoos like this in Sapientia. The one in London tries, but New York really has the best."

"Montana is lacking in exciting zoos as well," I say. "It's pretty much lacking in anything exciting." I'm surprised I can speak of my home without pain infecting my voice.

We sit on a bench in front of a small lake that glows with the fluorescent light of its occupants.

As we watch, a giant fish with glowing multi-colored scales jumps up from the pool and eats one of the glowing bugs that swarm at the surface.

Water splashes onto us, and we both shriek and move back, laughing.

I look down at my ice cream, now dripping with fishiness. "This wasn't exactly the flavor I was going for."

We drop our ice creams in a trash bin and keep walking. Corinne pulls her large dark sunglasses onto her nose as we leave the cave.

"You're from Sapientia?" I ask, going back to what she'd said earlier.

"Yes."

"That explains the accent. That used to be England, right? Until it was divided up into smaller kingdoms."

"Yes."

"I've been trying to read up on world politics before classes start at Castle V. It's a lot. So many new countries in the last twenty years. New rulers who are really old, part of the original Orders. It must have been so strange having to hide their lineage and live in secret, royal but not royal, until they could claim their lands again."

She shrugs. "I guess. Hey, do you want to go see the new exhibit they have here? Giant lizards with traits from dinosaurs. I heard it's amazing."

"Sure." Not a fan of politics. Got it.

We walk for a bit, admiring the huge mushroom and giant hybrid trees that dot the landscape and create a fantasy feel. As we get closer to the exhibit Corinne wants to see, a man we noticed a few times around the zoo looks over to us, his eyes focused on Corinne.

He walks over, picking up his pace as he gets closer. "Hey, are you—?"

"Is there a problem?" Corinne snaps at him in a tone I didn't think this petite girl could muster.

The man backs away, hands in the air. "No. No, sorry." He rushes off, and I stare at my new roommate.

"What was that about?"

Corinne shrugs. "I often get mistaken for someone I'm not." There's something sad in her eyes, and I wonder what secrets she carries. We all have them it seems.

"Let's go see the lizards." She grabs my hand and pulls me forward, and I follow without further comment. Who am I to pry when I have secrets I would never be able to share with her?

There's a long line to see the genetically modified lizards, and by the time we make our way to the front, I understand why.

They're magnificent and gruesome; beautiful and divine. It's like seeing a piece of pre-historic history come to life. Dinosaurs. Smaller, more tame, but essentially the same.

"This is incredible," I say.

A small creature with big eyes catches my attention. It sits by some stones in the corner of the exhibit surrounded by water and trees. It looks… lonely.

"It's like playing god, though, isn't it?" I ask.

Corinne looks at me, a slight frown on her lips. "What do you mean?"

"These animals were created for a profit," I say. "Their whole lives have been controlled. They are experiments we keep for money and amusements."

"They aren't just that," she argues. "These animals helped initiate some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs for Hospitallers. When Zenith abilities became mainstream, we had to find ways to control them. These animals served as early experiments, yes, but to help protect humanity. They helped us discover how to modify genetics. Those modified animals, and their offspring, were eventually sent to these zoos to give them a peaceful life."

I've heard stories about these discoveries. How they gave humans an edge in the Nephilim War by endowing elite Knights with unnatural strength and speed.

"We shouldn't have been doing these experiments to begin with," I say. "Zenith abilities are a natural evolutionary shift in humans, an awakening of the Angel blood we were all born with. The Orders shouldn't be experimenting on animals or humans. Zeniths should be left alone."

"Even if they are natural, which isn't proven," Corinne says, "they're dangerous in the wrong hands. They give a select group of humans abilities that could destroy all of humanity. The Orders want to understand Zenith abilities so they can be controlled. Given or taken away, like weapon control, to keep people safe."

I think about her words and watch the dinosaur-lizards as live animals are dropped into their habitat.

The dinosaurs savagely tear into the animal sacrifice, blood splattering on the protective glass that separates us from the carnage. The small one that watched me earlier makes off with the bulk of the meat. With a bloody mouth it looks at me again—with knowing eyes.

I shiver. "Some things can't be controlled."

***

After the zoo, with its haunting philosophical conundrums, we make our way back into the heart of the city to attend Nox
Aeterna. I have no idea what to expect and can't remember the last time I went to the theater.

The sun sets, and the cool of twilight feels refreshing against my sun-kissed skin.

"The show will be starting soon," Corinne says, walking faster.

The lights of the city turn on and a giant white cathedral on the corner gongs its bell at the hour. I stop to admire the beauty of the steeple and architecture as the hum of the bell rings through the city.

"Do you attend often?" Corinne asks, stopping beside me.

"No." I never did. I remember once, long ago, my parents taking me to the Mandatory Preaching at the church back home.

Jax sat close to me, our legs pressed together in the uncomfortable pew as a man at the front droned on and on about the bloodsuckers here to steal our souls and bring an end to the world.

Jax poked an elbow into my ribs. "His
voice
is the end of the world."

I couldn't stop giggling, and my father hushed us both with a stern warning, but I could see in his eyes that he heard and thought it was funny. He wouldn't be there either if he'd had the option.

I reached for one of the tiny pencils on the back of the pew next to the hymnal and Bible, grabbed a prayer card and wrote,
If the world was ending today, what would you want to do?
I handed Jax the note.

He read it and smiled, then wrote back.

Spend the day with you.

—Friends to the end

I felt a swelling of something I didn't understand. It was warm and filled my chest. I wrote back.

—Friends to the end

Corinne pats my back, pulling me into the present and away from old memories. "Want to go in?" she asks.

"No, we'll miss our show." I turn from the Cathedral—and the memories—and walk away.

***

Corinne picks up our tickets from Will Call as I hang back and observe the crowds. I'm definitely underdressed. This crowd favors Eden Fashionables and formal attire. Even Corinne, who dressed semi-casual, looks at place here with her touches of modern-chic style.

I glance down at my slacks, blouse and tattered backpack. The only jewelry I wear is my Initiate ring and a long chain around my neck with my father's Token of Strife. Not exactly party wear. I could have probably bought something while we were out shopping. I'm not used to having money. I'm grateful for the loaned scarf, which upgrades my ensemble to something a little classier.

Corinne comes back holding two tickets. "Let's go."

I follow her into a grand hall where they serve wine and champagne in tall, sculpted crystal flutes and offer hors d'oeuvres on tiny golden plates. This isn't a regular theatrical production.

Inquisition Guards stand inconspicuously around the theater, protecting the exits and entrances as we enter. The audience sits in a circle around an arena stage. It's centered in the middle of the auditorium and surrounded by water lit up by colorful lights.

"Which seats do we have?" I ask.

Corinne points to the boxed seat section located slightly above and directly next to the stage. It's a private room with luxurious velvet chairs and small tables laden with food and drink. A place usually reserved for the very elite.

"Wow. This must have been really expensive. Let me pay you back."

She waves a small hand at me as I follow her to the seats. "Don't worry about it, really. I got the tickets from a friend."

"Wow! Thank them for me."

She nods, grinning.

An Inquisition Officer guards the entrance to the boxed seats, and lets us through without incident when Corinne shows our tickets. I sink into a plush chair beside her as the lights go down and the show begins.

In the center, mist rises to fill the empty stage as a haunting melody in a minor chord fills the auditorium. The mist dissipates to reveal a throne carved from dark stone, floating in the air. A woman sits upon it wearing a crown of yellow and white gold, large wings glowing behind her.

The Twilight Queen.

To her left and right two men hover in the air with their own golden wings. Their golden armor shines under the lights of the stage.

"I wonder how they make the wings look so real," I say. Because they do. They look like mine or Zorin's. It's almost creepy. They could be Nephilim.

"Zeniths and special effects," she whispers back. "It's cool, isn't it?"

Below the Queen, the stage moves soundlessly as three old men and a woman approach the throne.

"Who approaches the Twilight Queen?" asks one of the guards.

One of the men in the group steps forward. "Varian of the Knights Templar."

Another speaks. "Titus of the Teutonic Knights."

The third man addresses the Queen. "Victus of the Inquisition."

And finally the woman speaks. "Marian of the Knights Hospitaller."

Varian continues speaking. "Our alliance grows frail, Queen Seraphina. There have been men turned against their will. Babes stolen to be nothing more than food. You must uphold your oaths."

The Queen speaks from her floating throne. "I have punished those who have transgressed, and new policies are being put in place so that this does not occur again."

Varian bows his head a fraction. "Then our alliance holds."

"Our alliance holds," the Queen agrees.

The stage grows darker and thunder claps overhead as a voice off stage calls out, "No!"

The theater fills with white smoke, and lightning flashes through the auditorium. A man flies above us, emerging from the mist, his wings like shadows. He wears a white mask.

Nyx, the leader of the Nephilim during the war.

As he flies overhead, audience members cry out, shrinking from the sight of him.

"You have been deceived," he says to the representatives of the Four Orders. "There will be no alliance."

Seraphina rises from her throne, her body floating in the air above them. "Be silent."

Nyx does not back down. "No. Too long have we tempered ourselves. Too long have we allowed a lesser race to rule."

Seraphina's guards charge forward, but Nyx disarms them instantly with a sword black as night. He moves for the Four Knights as other Nephilim, clocked in black, join him from around the auditorium, flying over us all like avenging dark angels.