Risen: Beginning of a Legacy

Chapter Twenty Three: Evangeline

As winter gave way to spring and the memories from the attack at the start of term faded; assignments, summons, and rituals filled the days. It was a mild February afternoon when the thought came to Evangeline.
     Sat with Morgana in the great library in Angelus, they worked quietly on an assignment. Evangeline spluttered out a sound as the idea hit her.
     'Let's have a bonfire.' she exclaimed immediately as the thought struck her.
     'What?' Morgana uttered much more quietly.
Evangeline repeated herself in quieter tones as other candidates glanced towards their table.
     'Oh come on let's, we haven't had a chance to hang out as a big group since the Celestial.'
     'Evangeline, we have only just started being allowed to travel between your library and ours for studying purposes. There is no way we are gonna be freed for a jaunt.' Morgana pointed out.
She stretched out a hand to pat Evangeline in the most patronising way she could manage.
     'Come on, this weekend is our free one. Most of the students are going home for the long weekend. Even some of our Angyali tutors are leaving.' Evangeline rebuffed.
     'So?'
     'So, there must be a Master or two you can persuade to allow you one evening, just a few hours!' Evangeline pleaded.
Morgana met the puppy dog look Evangeline shot her.
     'Maybe, just maybe I have a connection, a man on the inside as it were.' she said eventually.
     The grin on her face told Evangeline that the deal was already done, and the bonfire was going to happen. Evangeline gave Morgana a quick hug across the desk, and clapped happily knowing the weekend had picked up in an instant.
     The pair settled back into their projects as an Angelus tutor rounded their table, glancing over the work. Evangeline re-read a rather complex section of her textbook; Morgana mouthed her own notes to herself as she too evaluated what they'd done. The four playnes and their sub divides, were a slowly unfurling jumble. Evangeline looked back down at her notes and recited them quietly.
     'Elysium playne. It holds two realms, Sanctuary of the Citadel and the Eternal Hall.'
Morgana nodded at each point Evangeline explained, checking it matched her own notes. She nodded for Evangeline to continue and the Angelus tutor moved on. 'Okay, now. The Earth playne; three realms, Earth as mortals know it. The Territories; the cities where members of the Three Alliances live, guarding the fractures to which Heh-el playnes can be entered. And the third realm; the Angyali Valleys. The training grounds of candidates.' Evangeline recited.
     'And the main Territories are?''Here in the UK. Russia, Japan... Australia.' she paused and then, 'Ooh and southeast region of USA!' Evangeline enthused, mentally high fiving herself.
     Morgana smiled and gave her a double thumbs up. Evangeline grinned, she was finally fitting it all into place, it had taken time to understand the layers of her new world, vaster than she had ever believed before.
     'Then we have Iremia Playne. One realm united in serenity. For all souls to find peace.' Morgana stated, 'entrance to this place occurs after passing through the Eternal Hall and especially important for our kind, the Vitae Sentaku.'
     Evangeline sighed; she had, momentarily, forgotten about 'Vitae Sentaku'. Although she was impressed at Morgana knowing the formal term for the 'Life Choice' offered to each righteous dead upon their entrance to Eternal Hall. Evangeline jotted a star next to Vitae Sentaku, she didn't want to explore into that too much yet, and instead powered into the final set of notes.
     'And finally, Heh-el playne. Seven realms governed by Horde and their Master. His realms are known thus; Limbosi, The Khaos, Celestial Isle, The Labyrinth, Silence Glade, Outlands and the UnderRealm... '
Evangeline finished listing Satan's realms and as the last word left her mouth, she felt a brisk, icy blast of wind curl through the library. Her shoulders jolted as a shiver ran through her. She looked over at Morgana who also motioned her feeling the chill.
     'And none of them are to be entered lightly.' Morgana concluded.
     'You got that right.' Evangeline confirmed.
As another chill crept over their backs, Morgana put her pen down.
     'Big bonfire?' she asked.
The two of them glanced out the narrow windows and watched the wind pick up and swirl, creating a mosaic of flying leaves.
     'Absolutely. I'm wiped; wanna call it a day?' Evangeline replied, making a note of her page and closing over the textbook.
     'Sure. I'll ring you; I'm thinking Saturday night. Most of the students and tutors will have gone. And my inside man will have enough time Friday to persuade.' Morgana planned, packing her books into a rucksack.
     'Cool. I'll talk to the others and we'll figure out which Angelus tutor to approach.'
     'Good luck with that. Those elder angyali are rather intimidating.' Morgana teased, lowering her voice as one of said elders passed their area again.
     Evangeline smiled. Morgana was so fearless it was fun to see her nervous smile as the Angelus tutor present watched the two of them leave. Together, they made their way to the main doors of the keep. Once on the steps, Evangeline stopped.
     'When we make this happen, remind me to demand a cool person high five from you.' she said.
She watched as Morgana checked her bag before leaving. The girl nodded and saluted Evangeline's words, 'travel safe.'
     'Always do my friend, always do.' Morgana promised.
She stretched, then slinging her bag onto her back properly, took off into the evening, her jog getting faster as she moved across the courtyard and out onto the path leading to Warriod.
     Evangeline stood on the steps watching until the weather seemed to turn and a cruel wind cut through her jumper. She touched the insignia over her chest. There was a coldness in the air that didn't seem to connect to the crisp temperature.
     She paused a moment more and looked about, then turned her gaze to the sky. Nothing looked out of place.
     But Evangeline had learned long ago to not always trust her eyes.
     Something was making her instincts flare.
Voices interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to the now. Students were making their way into dinner. She turned her back on the growing dusk, Evangeline shivered once more before putting her instincts into a box and shutting it over tight.
     Tonight's meal was calling to her tummy. Nothing was going to put off her enjoyment of the evening's dinner delight.

                                                                                   *

     'It's official. Paella is the Best. Meal. Ever!' Zeru informed the dorm.
     As the six of them sank down into various perches in their living area, murmurings of agreement sounded; ones of contently fed candidates.
     'I read something you might find interesting on ancestry this afternoon.' Brianna offered up as a conversation starter.
The look she gave Evangeline; the gaze nervous but determined, made Evangeline sit forward in her chair. The group of them closing in on their wallflower, for a rare glimpse at the smart, talented observer in their ensemble.
     'Let's hear this.' Evangeline encouraged.
     'As we've been learning, the core Elysium Conclave, although they have many forms to allow for polytheism religions around the world, is in fact a council of only thirteen immortals.' she began.
     'And it is possible to call on whichever God or Goddess suits your most current needs, despite their many names in Earths many religions and myths.' Tien added.
     'Yes, we've finally all understood that.' DeeDee chipped in.
She gave Evangeline a weary shove of her shoulder as she spoke. Evangeline bumped her back as she rolled her eye; she couldn't help it. As Evangeline has said when she struggled with the immortals' essay during the first week back, she pretty much classed herself as an atheist when it came to religion.
     Now she had to embrace a new world of mythology and religion, literally learn several lifetimes of history, tradition and knowledge, including the actual existence of Gods and Goddesses. It was going to take her, at least, a little while.
     'Exactly, but what I was reading explained that those with a direct flesh and blood link to one of the Elysium Conclave,' Brianna paused and bit her lip, unsure if she should hold back the knowledge she was about to share, 'a descendant of such lineage would,' she paused and re-evaluated her words, 'could, eventually, perform Anima Intra Caelo.'
     Evangeline blinked. Was she meant to understand that Latin? As pride hit her in the chest, for grasping that it was Latin Brianna had spoken, DeeDee and Tien gasped. The glow of pride faded, perhaps it was a Latin phrase she'd regret learning.
     'Is Anima Intra... Caelo, bad?' she asked anyway.
     'In most basic terms, it's the ability to shift your soul to Elysium, without dying. Caelo is essentially Latin for heaven. Or Elysium as we know it,' Brianna explained 'there's a reason that mortals can't enter Elysium in corporal form. It's two realms are reserved for Immortals, ArcAngyali and the Garritis Mortuos-- '
Evangeline held up a hand and shot Tien a pointed look.
     'Righteous dead.' Tien clarified.
     'And you think one day I might be able to do this because--?' Evangeline questioned.
     'It's so rare now for an Angelus, or even a Warrior or Demi God candidate to have one Fated in their close ancestry and it's been centuries since offspring were only one generation separated from the immortals, Evangeline.' Brianna paused and Evangeline felt everyone in the room shift their gaze to her, 'and you, you're the result of two Fated.' Brianna finished.
She shrugged and Evangeline let her shoulders slump. As all five of them continued to look at Evangeline, she was transported back, to several nights before when she had chosen to let them all in. Truly, let them in.

'Guys, can we have a quick dorm meeting?' Evangeline called out.
Her voice betrayed her nerves and shook a touch as she asked her question. Her friends all appeared from their bedrooms, joining DeeDee on the sofa.
    'What's up?' Orion asked.
Evangeline twisted her hands between each other before she managed to sit down on the bean bag in front of them. The five of them were patient and she felt soothed by their simple act of waiting.
     'Over Christmas, I found out about my family tree.' Evangeline began, she picked at her nails, resisting the urge to bite at them.
     'You can trust us.' Tien offered.
     'Of course she can, but equally don't feel like you must tell us, if you don't want to.' Zeru added as the silence continued.
     Evangeline felt her eyes grow hot, and sting, she was a novice in this kind of unconditional friendship. But she had made the decision to tell them, and she wasn't one to back out of the choices she made.
     'My uncle told me not to share this, but... ' she paused then meeting DeeDee's unwavering gaze she pushed on, 'I am so new to all this, I think I need your help in understanding what it could mean.'
     'We're listening, ' Brianna said.
Orion slid off the couch and squeezed Evangeline's fidgeting hand. Evangeline took a breath and squeezed his hand back.
     'My grandparents, well, my father's parents are; one of the Thirteen Immortals, and ArcAngelus Michael.' she admitted in a rush.
     'Holy shit.' Zeru spluttered.
     'Wow...' Brianna and Tien said together.
     'Ruddy Heh-el'
Evangeline scrunched up her face, impatience getting the better of her.
     'Those outbursts are less than helpful. I'm freaking out over here!'
     'Rightly so.' Tien teased.
Evangeline wanted to throw something at her, but she just tightened her hands and waited for them to absorb the information.
     'I knew it was a huge game changer, damn it all.' she said when the silence got too much and DeeDee plonked down on her other side and tugged Evangeline into a hug.
     'We kinda knew YOU were a game changer, no one keeps a regular candidate hidden from our world without very good reason.' DeeDee pointed out.
The rest of their dorm nodded to her words and in each set of eyes, their acceptance of her didn't shift and Evangeline felt warmth fill her chest.
     'My mum's folks are a Valkyrie and a human guy... does that taper the holy shit-ness.?' she asked.
Orion and Brianna recovered first, glancing at each other before Brianna spoke.
     'My grandfather was a Valkyrie bloodline second generation. It's not the most mellow of ancestry.' Brianna paused and gave a small smile, 'let me and Orion do some research, okay? Don't feel caged by this development just yet.'
The girl's quiet but steady voice was soothing to Evangeline's racing mind.
     'We all have our bloodlines to face, and live up to.' Zeru said, 'we'll manage it by working together.' he finished.