Divinity

Chapter 3

My hands were shaking badly by the time we landed. I had kept my eyes squeezed shut the entire duration of the journey, but that didn't stop me from knowing. I could feel the wind in my hair, and the way we bobbed up and down each time Andrew beat his huge wings.

It was somewhat comforting, to be in Andrew's arms. I did feel safe there, and I knew he would not drop me. He was steady and unwavering, but just being up there, high in the sky where the air was thinner, where I had to take deeper breaths to feel comfortable, reminded me of just how much durability I had lost. I would not survive a fall of such a height anymore.

It was a fluke that I had survived initially, perhaps my angel side hadn't completely disappeared until after I hit the ground.

"You can let go now." Andrew said reassuringly, his fingers gently tracing my hand, which was clenched tightly around his arm.

I took a deep breath and forced my fingers to unwind, releasing his arm from my grip. "Sorry." I apologised, reluctantly taking a step away from him.

The tremors were still shaking my entire body, but it felt good to be back down on the ground, where there was some kind of solid rock beneath my feet.

"Maybe you should sit down for a minute?" Andrew suggested, looking at me with concern. I thought back to the moment I met him, how overwhelmed I had been by his intimidating aura. Maybe that was just a front.

"No, no it's okay. I'm fine." I assured him, half trying to convince myself as well. "Where are we?"

"The mountain," He explained. "The cave is up ahead, we should get inside soon. Out of sight."

"They're looking for me?" I asked, nervously. The sky was starting to get dark – the sooner we were hidden the better. I could no longer see in the dark, but all of the angels could.

He nodded, frowning. "As far as they're concerned, you're human now, and you know too much about us. They don't know if you survived the fall, but if you did, they'll find a way to silence you."

"By killing me?" I guessed. Judging by his lack of response, I figured I had hit the nail on the head. "I would never tell anyone."

"They can't know that." He sighed, shaking his head. "Both the angels and the fallen are concerned about their secrecy, we just need to hide you, until they forget."

"And how long will that take?" A few months, a year, perhaps?

Andrew hesitated before replying, "Longer than your lifetime, I suspect."

"Oh."

"They won't find you." He said fiercely, "We can hide you, we have their three best searchers on our side."

"But... I'm going to have to hide for the rest of my life?" I frowned, was that what my life would be reduced to?

"I'm sorry Emilia... we don't have a choice." He seemed sad, his eyes suddenly worn and tired as though they were holding a heavy burden. "Let's get inside."

I followed him reluctantly, trudging uphill after him. Andrew's footsteps were so light compared to mine, quieter than a falling feather. It made me feel clumsy – I had lost the stealth that came easily to angels. That put me at a disadvantage now more than ever – it would be almost impossible to hide from an angel, with their acute senses, they didn't miss a thing.

"Here we are." Andrew said, gesturing vaguely at a narrow tunnel that had formed within the rock – just wide enough for me to pass through. It was completely pitch-black inside – I turned to look at Andrew in horror, did he really expect me to go in there?