Within hours, all the reinforcements arrived. Our campground was inundated with a hundred and twenty Hybrids, male and female alike. Every single one of them was statuesque and attractive. But considering they were all descendants of angels, I doubted there was anything else they could be.
When I questioned Dorian about the number, he said we were all that was left, our numbers waning over the last few centuries. But he informed me that Raja’s ranks had dwindled as well, so we wouldn’t be too outnumbered on the battlefield.
That was good news, all things considered.
Everyone was staring at me and my wings. Even among the Hybrids, I was something of myth and legend, someone who shouldn’t exist.
I was a miracle with feathers.
And the fate of the world rested on my shoulders.
Night was falling, and we knew the battle could commence at any time. Sleeping bags, blankets, and tents littered our campground, making it difficult to navigate the site. More than one campfire sprung up, sending flames licking high into the air. I found it hard to believe that locals in the vicinity couldn’t see us, but Dorian assured me that Lillith’s spell over the area was strong and unbreakable.
It was oddly quiet, considering how many people were crammed into one campsite. Almost too quiet. No one spoke to me. It was as if they were all too afraid to approach the girl with wings, as if I were cursed. But it didn’t bother me. There were far too many people around for my taste as it was. I wished I were home alone in my trailer, reading Jane Austen or Suzanne Collins.
I could tell Lillith was just as uncomfortable with all of the extra bodies as I was. Without warning, she quickly opened up a portal and announced that she was heading out to guard the Fallen site, stepping through and closing it behind her before her brother could stop her.
For a moment, I wished I could have gone with her.
Since I didn’t require sleep, I volunteered to keep watch over the campsite. Dorian refused to allow me to take on the responsibility alone. I tried to argue with him, letting him know that he needed his rest before the impending battle.
But he was stubborn.
We found a clearing at the edge of the campsite that provided a good vantage point of our surroundings. He built a small fire, and together we sat silently watching over our flock of Hybrids while they slept.
“You don’t think they’d ambush us at night like this, do you?” I asked.
“Nah. Besides, we’d feel them coming anyway,” replied Dorian.
“Feel them?”
“You know what I’m talking about. When danger is near and you get that little tingly feeling in your gut?”
“Huh,” I grunted. “That’s a Hybrid thing? I thought that was just a girl with wings thing.”
“Nope. We all have it. Makes it really hard to sneak up on someone, which is good if you’re the prey. Not so good if you’re the predator.”
“I can imagine.”
I glanced down and caught sight of Sean as he stepped out of his tent and squinted at the sleeping bodies littering the campsite. He observed the scene with obvious utter annoyance, scratching his chin as he appeared to contemplate his next move. He began to tiptoe over the first Hybrid who’d decided to position herself directly in front of Sean’s tent flap. Then, he crept over a rather large Hybrid with shoulders as big as a barn, careful not to accidentally kick him in the side. Sean continued to step, hop, and steal his way over one body and then the next until he reached the edge of camp, disappearing behind a large rock formation to, what I could only assume, relieve himself.
Dorian had witnessed Sean’s midnight stroll as well. He snickered quietly to himself and rested his chin on his knees, which he’d just pulled in tight, wrapping his arms around his legs.
“He’s a character, your human.”
I shook my head and let out a loud sigh. “I really hate it when you call him that.”
“I know.” Dorian grinned. “That’s why I do it.”
I leaned over and bumped him hard in the shoulder with my elbow. He cried out in phony agony, playing it up with everything he had as he rubbed his injury. As he began to fall sideways, he reached out and gripped my arm, pulling me down with him. He grabbed me at the waist and squeezed, tickling me under my ribs. I tried not to squeal and wake the troops, but it grew increasingly difficult to keep from laughing. I managed to grasp his wrists, pull his hands away from my side, and then I rolled him onto his back. I sat on his stomach, pinning his hands on the ground above his head.
We both chuckled, trying to stay as quiet as we could. Our faces were only inches apart, but neither of us made an attempt to move. His eyes searched mine, and I felt my gut twist in a way that I’d never felt before.
I let go of his wrists and placed my hands on the ground on either side of his head. His hand reached up, his fingers pushing my bushy hair from my face. The urge to lean in and kiss him was strong, but under the circumstances, I didn’t think it would be appropriate.
No matter how badly I wanted to.
I sat back and rose to my feet, Dorian still lying on the ground between my legs. He put out his arm, and I reached down, grasped his hand, and pulled him up. We stood there, toe-to-toe, staring each other down, neither of us wanting to move.
Then, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. I jerked my head around, but it was only Sean carefully traipsing his way back across the sea of Hybrid bodies that lay between him and his tent.
Relieved, I directed my attention back to Dorian.
His fingers reached out and entwined themselves with my own. He crouched low and sat down near the fire he’d built earlier. He tugged on my arm and coerced me to join him in the dirt. I sat and leaned over, placing my head on his shoulders. He shivered from the night air. I stretched out my wings and wrapped them around the two of us in an effort to keep him warm, and then I settled down for the night.
* * * *
Morning came. I watched as the sun began to peek out over the horizon, the light barely touching the sky before its rays reached out like fingers, crawling along the rocky terrain. The Badlands took on an orange glow as the sunrise gradually began to stir the masses.
The Hybrids all woke at once as if someone had stirred them simultaneously. I watched in amazement as they rose to their feet in unison and began rolling up their blankets and sleeping bags. It was like watching a choreographed dance as they finished gathering their belongings and placed them near Lillith’s tent in an orderly fashion. None of them spoke. The silence was eerie until I remembered they had other ways to communicate.
I cleared my thoughts and opened my mind. In an instant, I was connected to a jumble of voices in my head, each vying for attention. I closed my eyes and concentrated, the way Dorian had taught me. After a few moments, I was able to filter out various conversations and concentrate on one at a time, like opening and closing doors in a long hallway.
One was between a young girl with long braids who had only recently discovered that she was a Hybrid and a tall, blonde boy who was showing her the proper way to hold her sword. She was clearly frightened; it wasn’t difficult to tell, even without being able to hear her thoughts. She hadn’t, yet, been able to learn everything she needed to in order to defend herself and knew the impending battle could be her last.
I concentrated again and honed in on a group of guys who were sparring together. And they weren’t messing around. Each came at the other as if they were already at war, swinging the full force of their weapons at one another. But when one boy grazed the arm of another with the edge of his sword, their scuffle quickly came to an end as another jumped in to tend to his wounds.
Laughter began to fill my head, so I focused and tried to locate its source. I glanced around and realized it was coming from another small group of guys not far from where Dorian and I stood. Their gazes were all fixed on me and my wings. But as I wondered what they found so funny, I quickly realized their laughter wasn’t directed at something they thought was humorous. Instead, they all found me attractive, or hot as they stated so eloquently. Upon seeing my stare was fixed on them and realizing I was able to hear their thoughts, they suddenly became intensely curious about the rocks beneath their feet. They even went so far as to crouch down and pick up various specimens, pretending to care about shape and size.
“You’re famous,” I heard Dorian say aloud.
“And you’re awake,” I replied.
“Sorry. I fell asleep on you, didn’t I?”
“It’s okay. It was probably best you got some rest anyway.”
“So, from the reaction out there, the general consensus is you’re easy on the eyes.”
“I heard,” I said, trying to stop myself from feeling embarrassed. “You’d think they’d have more important things on their mind.”
Dorian laughed aloud, clearly finding my words amusing. He pulled his legs in and pushed himself up off the ground, rising to his full height. His arms stretched above him as his hands reached for the sky, releasing a kind of gasp as he lowered them to his side.
His eyes landed on me as he continued to smile.
“True. But I can’t blame them. You’re a welcome distraction from the reality that’s about to happen. And you are hot.” Dorian winked and held out his hand for me to grasp. I reached up and took it, allowing him to help me up off the dirt.
Our hands didn’t immediately part, and we enjoyed the warmth of each other’s touch for just a moment longer. That feeling in my stomach returned. But it quickly passed as I remembered that he only had days left and that was if he even survived the impending war.
I tried to put it out of my mind. It didn’t do me any good to dwell on the negative. There was enough negative.
My eyes canvassed the area again. Amongst the sparring and battle drills, I watched as Sean and Sam exited their tent, completely taken aback by their surroundings. Strangely enough, Sam didn’t appear intimidated by the towering Hybrids or the sound of weapons clashing against one another. Instead, he seemed fascinated by the commotion.
Sean, on the other hand, seemed distracted by the towering female Hybrids. The look of complete elation on his face told me he was a rather large child in a giant candy store, and the candy was stacked.
My amusement was short-lived. Lillith, back from the site, stormed out of her tent, her gaze laser-focused on me as she marched in our direction.
I leaned in toward Dorian, my eyes never wavering from Lillith.
“What do you think she wants?” I asked out of the side of my mouth, a bit frightened by the determined look in her eyes.
“No idea. But she looks serious,” Dorian replied.
As Lillith drew closer, I could see that her posture was rigid. Her back was straight, and her shoulders were squared. The angle of her chin was aimed in my direction, and it was clear she had something on her mind and that it had something to do with me.
Finally reaching our ledge, her eyes narrowed as she skidded to a stop in front of us.
“What’s the plan then?” she barked.
Her outburst startled me, causing me to slide behind Dorian for cover.
“The plan?” Dorian echoed.
“The plan. You have all our people here, and you’re just standing here playing footsie with my brother. What do you plan to say to rally the troops? Or are you just going to continue to sit here and gawk at them?” Lillith took an offensive stance, her hands gripping her hips.
“Rally the troops?” I asked.
“Seriously?” Lillith snapped. “They’re all here for you. They all arrived to help you defeat Azazel and Raja. Every single one of them has eyed your wings, wondering what you’re capable of and whether you’re worth following into battle, and you’re just going to stand here? Isn’t this the time you should be going all William Wallace on them and motivate their virtues?”
Dorian reached back and grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly as he turned his head slightly to glance at me.
“I think what my psychotic sister is so eloquently trying to say is this: it would probably be a good idea to talk to everyone, to convince them that we are on the winning side.”
“Convince them? Just how in the hell am I supposed to do that? You can’t make people believe they’re going to win, especially when the odds aren’t in their favor. You can only get them to understand that what they’re fighting for is honorable and righteous.”
Lillith’s eyes remained staring at me. It was clear by her steely observation that she didn’t care what I said, just as long as I said something.
“Then say something, and make it sound righteous,” she sneered.
My patience with Lillith had worn thin. I knew she didn’t like me and didn’t approve of my relationship with her brother. But with time running out in her limited lifespan, one would think she’d want to be remembered as someone who was pleasant and well-liked.
Not a spiteful bitch.
“Maybe this is a stupid question, especially considering who I’m talking to. But why are you acting like this?” I said, waving my hands around in her face. “You wake up on the wrong side of the portal?”
Lillith jerked her head back in disgust, trying to avoid having my hands come in contact with her.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she scoffed.
“Oh please. You came marching over here acting as if I’d just crapped in your favorite pair of boots,” I replied, violently throwing my hands in the air.
“Whatever.” Lillith stormed off, leaving Dorian and I to wonder what had just happened.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“Not a clue,” he replied.
“She’s your sister.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
“What has her so riled up, ya think?”
“With Lil? Who knows. She’s probably still bent out of shape about Sean yesterday. Or she’s reeling from the fact that Rami is here.”
“Rami?”
“Yup. Only guy to ever get under her skin.”
“I thought you said that she’s never been in love or had a boyfriend.”
Dorian’s face scrunched up in deep thought, and he ran his fingers through his hair. “Define boyfriend. They had a fling? But it didn’t end well.”
“Ooh. So Rami ran off and broke her heart?”
“No. Lil decided that love was an undignified human emotion and ended it with him.”
“So, she broke his heart?” I asked.
“He acted like it was no big deal, but it bothered him. I’m not sure you noticed, but Rami is a bit of a character. For some reason, he’s always had a thing for Lil. God knows why. And regardless of what she says, I’m not sure my sister ever really got over him. She tells herself that avoiding human emotion for the sake of her destiny was the right thing to do. But I know she misses him. He’s probably the reason she didn’t want me to call for reinforcements. She knew he’d be one of them.”
For the first time since I’d met her, I felt sorry for Lillith. I knew what it was like to live a lonely existence; one without companionship or love. And even though she had her brother to keep her company, it was far from the kind of companionship I was certain she craved. She had somehow convinced herself that love was just folly, something that weighed you down and kept you from fulfilling your purpose in life. She was focused on the end goal and the end of her life.
But from what Dorian had told me, he never saw life the way his sister did. His focus wasn’t on the end or even his destiny. Those things were important and vital to who he was, but they weren’t everything. The journey and the people he met along the way was what gave his life meaning. And the way he felt about me, I knew it gave him a reason to keep pushing ahead even though he knew the end was near.
And I came to realize what I had been missing during my centuries on Earth.
Sean had shown me friendship.
Dorian had shown me love.
“You ready?” Dorian asked, startling me.
“For?”
“Your speech.”
“I can’t give a speech.”
“Sure you can.”
“I could barely talk to you when I first met you without coming across like a complete moron. Now you want me to talk to over a hundred strangers and get them to follow me into battle? You’re crazy.”
“And you’re lacking in self-confidence. You forget they’re all in awe of you. You’re a tall, beautiful girl with wings who has presence. They’ll follow you. That isn’t even an option for them. All they need from you right now is a sign that you’re ready to lead.”
“I’m not a leader. Hell, up until a few days ago, the most people I’d ever been around at one time in the past century was Sean. And I wouldn’t be able to lead him down a hill even if he was wearing skates. I don’t think I can do what you’re asking.”
Dorian looked thoughtful for a moment, clearly mulling over my insecure musings. He placed his hands on either side of my face and leaned in, kissing me softly on the lips.
“You can do anything,” he said simply.
I doubted his confidence in me, but what I didn’t doubt was him.
With the sun rising directly behind me, I raised my arms in an effort to get everyone’s attention.
“Hello? Excuse me. Can I get your attention?” I waited a few seconds for everyone to cease what they were doing and focus on me.
But they didn’t. It was as if they didn’t see or hear me.
“Um, can everyone just stop what they’re doing for a second?”
Again, every Hybrid continued sparring, talking, or whatever else they were doing, ignoring me completely.
I glanced back at Dorian and shot him a look of needed support.
He shrugged and smirked, as if he knew something I didn’t.
My head turned, and I again found myself trying to address a group of people that either didn’t or wouldn’t hear me. They all milled around, seemingly oblivious.
I yelled again, but no one turned to look at me.
“Am I too far away?” I asked Dorian, glancing back. “Can they not hear me?”
“They can always hear you,” he replied, pointing to his temple. “Remember?”
I had a sudden moment of clarity and opened my mind. The doorway to their thoughts opened up and voices began flooding in, everyone talking at once.
My eyes remained closed as I concentrated.
“Can you all hear me?” I said inside my head, hoping the others were listening.
I opened my eyes and saw that a few had begun to look in my direction.
“Listen up!” I grew a bit more forceful, becoming irritated that I was being ignored, but my attempt garnered only a few more listening ears.
I felt my chest tighten, anger building at their complete disregard. My pulse quickened, and my hands started to shake. If they were going to ignore me, then I would need to force them to listen. My wings spread out from behind me, spanning wide, tip to feathered tip. I leapt high into the air and caught a slight current, allowing me to fly over the crowd of Hybrids who were all too busy to notice me.
I’d caught their attention, but I wasn’t done. My wings straightened out behind me and pushed forward with as much as they could muster, sending a burst of air current to the Hybrids below, blowing a few of them off of their feet.
I beat my wings fiercely again and again. The dirt around their feet swirled up as if tiny cyclones of dust were taking over the Badlands. My frustration level rose and fueled my wrath.
They may have ignored me before, but the Hybrids were about to listen. I opened up my thoughts and reached out to every single person below me.
“Listen up! I have something to say, and if you plan on getting out of this alive, then I suggest you pay attention. Now!” My words were loud and forceful, and it worked. Each and every Hybrid froze as I lowered myself to the ground. I landed at the center of the campground, my wings still stretched out behind me, forcing everyone to take a few steps back.
All stares remained fixed on me.
I finally had their undivided attention, so I shut out my thoughts from them and began to speak aloud.
“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Skyy, and I am one of you. A Hybrid. And from what I’ve been told, I’ve been given the monumental task of leading you into battle. To tell you the truth, I’d rather be anywhere but here. But, like you, I have an obligation to finish what our ancestors started.
“I’m not going to sugar-coat any of this for you. Some of you are going to die. Azazel’s army is fierce. They’re powerful and skilled. They’re strong and fast and will keep coming at you unless you stop them. But death isn’t the end, not really. By fighting for humanity and to keep the Fallen buried in their earthly tomb, you have left a legacy of righteousness and truth.
“We aren’t just fighting to keep the mortals of this world safe from extinction. We’re fighting so that we no longer have to fight. If we defeat Azazel and Raja and kill them both, then you’re all free to live out your lives in peace. Do I know what lies ahead if we succeed? No. But at least I will finally know my purpose in this life.
“For too long I lived without knowing who I was or why I was here. I worried about my purpose. I was worried that I would live forever, never truly understanding what it was like to be a part of something greater. My wings made me special, but they also made me a prisoner in this world. I’ve stayed hidden from human eyes, afraid they’d see me as a freak or something to be studied, poked, and prodded like some kind of lab animal. But I now know that not all humans are selfish and malicious. Some are amazing.”
My eyes searched the crowd until I found Sam and Sean, who stood side-by-side, their gazes fixated on me. They both smiled meekly, letting me know they were ready to fight by my side.
“And it’s those humans who deserve our protection. While it’s true that there’s a lot of evil and hatred in this world, there are just as many good people who deserve a chance to make this place something amazing. We owe it to them to give them that chance. Every single one of you has a human mother. This connects you, and it makes you part human. So as we march into battle, as you raise your swords and fight with me, for Shamsiel, for the mortals of this world, remember this: By fighting this fight, you have already won.”
I’d said what I needed to say and stood back and waited to see how the Hybrids would react.
They didn’t move. They didn’t blink. They just continued to stare me down, blank faces merely studying me.
And then as if a dam opened up, they all raised their weapons into the air and began to chant all at once.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo!” they cried out in unison, growing louder with each grunt.
I turned and located Dorian and Lillith near the back of the crowd. Lillith’s face was unmoved, looking as stern as ever. But something in her eyes told me she approved of what I’d said.
Dorian smiled and held his Chakram in the air as he joined in with the others.
The Hybrids continued chanting, motivating one another, pumping each up other up for the battle ahead.
It’s a good day to die, I said to myself.