Faith Heights

Chapter 54

Four angels stood stagnant on the gravel outside the cabin. They weren't looking directly at the lodge, but rather the space around it, their faces furrowed in concentration. 

"Can they see us?" I whispered.

Nick shook his head, although he looked unsure. "They shouldn't be able to hear us, either. But I'm not sure how many angels Lucas built the ward to protect against."

We crept over to the window near the door, and I clutched Nick's hands in a deathly vice. Three angels began walking in different directions across the gravel, studying the area. They could sense there was something here, something protected. But I had to pray that the wards would stop them from crossing the threshold. Otherwise, there was nowhere left to hide.

I looked up at Nick. He was trying to hide it, but his expression revealed a fear equal to my own. His grey eyes were wide with panic, and his breath was coming out quickly. I wasn't as worried about what would happen to me, as I was to him. Lucas had said that they wanted me captured, which suggested they weren't trying to kill me- at least not straight away. But Nick was a demon, practically their sworn enemy. I needed to get him out of here. Safe. But we were out of options. Out of time.

Nick cursed under his breath. "How can there be so many? They never congregate like this..."

As if the sky heard him, two more figures drifted down from the height of the forest, taking stance with the others. They brought their heads together in conversation, before glancing back up at the cabin. It was as if they knew something was there, but couldn't quite make out exactly what. Either way, they didn't look like they were leaving any time soon.

A moment later, two of them – a man and a woman – stepped forward, almost to the veranda. They raised their hands in front of them, and a sudden bright, white light began to emanate from their palms. It was the same light that Lucas had used to heal Jackson, which told me that whatever they were about to do, it would be powerful. Incredibly so.

Nick tightened his grip on my hand. "We have to leave the cabin."

I turned to him. "What? We can't! There's no way we can get into the forest without-"

"Lucas wouldn't have been able to cast a ward strong enough to protect against this many. They're going to break through it any moment now. And we'll have a better chance of escaping if we can fight out in the open rather than in here." He explained, surprisingly calm.

I nodded tersely, and led him slowly out the front door. There weren't any other exits, but until the ward was broken, I had to pray that they still couldn't see us.

It seemed to work- at first. The cabin door swung open with a loud scrape, but the angels didn't give any indication that they'd heard. Nick slinked to the left of the veranda, still squeezing my hand. This side of the cabin was slightly closer to the forest, and we'd have a better chance of losing them in the trees than out in the open. Unfortunately, that side of the forest led back towards the school, where there were probably more angels waiting.

Nick's thoughts seemed to follow the same path, and he led me back towards the cabin's door. Each of the angels had their hands raised together in unison, and I thought I could – ever so slightly – make out a faint, ivory coloured barrier in the air separating us from them. It was growing weaker, though, closer to the transparency of the air. 

"Should I run and grab a knife from the kitchen?" I asked, feeling my heart thud in my chest.

Nick chuckled humourlessly. "It'll do you no good. You'd have a better chance of making it through the forest on foot than you would of fighting and successfully hurting one of them."

The logical part of my brain knew he was right. I'd have a fractionally better chance of survival if I ran while the angels fought Nick, distracted. I couldn't fight these beings, no matter how painfully I wanted to. They were angels.

But I knew I couldn't leave. My magic wouldn't cause any harm, and I mightn't be the most physically competent, but I couldn't simply run. I needed to help. I wanted to be a protector, not the protected. 

Nick seemed to sense where my mind was headed. He turned to me, grasping my shoulders. "Lila, you need to leave. There's no way you can beat them."

I tried to match the vehemence in his gaze. "I'm not leaving. Even if I stay and merely distract one of them, it's better than nothing. I'm not losing you like this."

Nick's eyes softened at my words. Without saying anything, Nick leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine in a short, fevered kiss.

"We'll get through this," He promised. 

I almost believed him.

Nick moved to stand just beyond the veranda's edge, where he'd have more manoeuvrability. I dashed back inside and grabbed a knife, even if it only served to lessen my own feeling of helplessness.

One of the angels seemed to lock eyes with me, signalling that they'd managed to finally break the barrier. The angel's face was blank, but there was a hint of pity in his dark eyes, as if he regretted what he had to do next.

But that regret wasn't strong enough to let us go free.

I clutched the knife tighter, stepping away from Nick as his focus was drawn to the two figures slowly closing in on him.

Just as they broke through the ward's border, I heard a familiar rustling in the wind. The angels seemed distracted by it, too, and looked up to where the sound was emerging from. A moment later, Lucas appeared over the trees, momentarily blocking the sun before landing to the edge of our stand-off.

Without a word, Lucas' boots crunched against the gravel as he made his way over to Nick. The angels didn't speak, but at least three of them threw him astonished, pained looks. When the angels first appeared outside the cabin, I'd speculated that maybe Lucas finally chose a side, and had told them of our location. But Lucas' face was filled with pure determination, and it put any doubts in my mind to rest, making room for more fear.

All at once, the angels swarmed toward us through the air. I let out a small grunt as the man before me pounced, like a cat on prey, and I barely managed to scramble out of the way. I waved the knife in front of me, but the angel glanced down at it with a quirk of his lips, as if my attempts were nothing more than entertaining child's play. Yet I didn't care if he saw me as nothing more than an amusement. I wasn't naïve enough to think I could best him. 

But with Lucas and Nick having to face four others, I could at least provide the best distraction possible.

***

Next post will be the final chapter for Faith Heights! I'll warn you now, I have a trilogy planned, so don't hate me too much for where I take you in the last chapter... ;)