Dark Light

Exiting the Temple underground station, Cam and his brethren made their way along the River Thames, heading south.

Several groups of people—likely tourists, from their demeanour and appearance—loitered around the walkway along the river, enjoying the warm sunshine. Some were gathered by an ice cream van, others lazed about on a section of grass.

Balthiour pointed his chin ahead of them, towards the Waterloo Bridge.

“By the bridge, we will rendezvous with our brethren,” he said.

Cam shifted his position around a cluster of short Asian tourists. The group watched them as they passed, appearing to be fascinated at the large, muscled men that walked by.

Being out in public with Balthiour, Sablo, Leo, Zophiel and Suriel, was enough to turn anyone’s head, Cam knew. Meeting up with three more of their brethren would draw even more attention to themselves.

As if sensing Cam’s thoughts, Balthiour said, “Zophiel, Suriel, you two go on ahead and scout the building. Report anything unusual you find, and meet us inside once we’re all in.”

Zophiel’s bald head gleamed with sweat as he rolled up the sleeves of his white buttoned shirt, revealing his powerful forearms. Suriel tied her long blonde hair back with a band. They bid their brethren farewell and separated from the group, picking up their pace.

Cam watched their tall builds bob through the throng of people further ahead.

A young girl of three or four drew Cam’s attention. She ran beside them, holding a string with a balloon on the end, her pigtails flapping with her excited bounce. The innocence of youth always brought a smile to him.

All around him, he saw the good of mankind—in the dreamy eyes of the loved-up couple overlooking the river, or the parents who held an arm around each other as they watched their children play. They all reinforced his purpose, giving him a resolve and strength alongside the power of the sun.

Outside of a building opposite the entranceway to the bridge, three more of their brethren awaited. Cam was familiar with the two female angels, Kalaziel and Briatha, and the domineering frame and intimating stare of the bearded Rathaneal.

Balthiour greeted them with a nod, and they all turned and crossed onto the pavement on the side of the bridge.

“Nice day to be out with friends,” Kalaziel said as they crossed the bridge. Her short blonde hair fluttered in the open air.

“Nice day to kill some demons,” Sablo said in a cheery tone.

Cam gave him a sour look and then shook his head with a wry smile. “Relax in the park. Ride a bike. Kill some demons. Sure, things are just more fun in the sun,” he said, having to raise his voice over the rush of cars going by.

Balthiour frowned. “May I remind you all that you have important work to do today? And I hope I don’t have to remind you of the stakes involved.” He gave them a sidelong look. “If we survive this, I will buy us all ice creams later.”

Briatha playfully nudged her shoulder into Balthiour. “You’re the best Commanding Angel I ever have had, Bal.” She curled some stray hair over her ear. The rest of her brown hair had been tied back into a long tail that wavered in the wind.

“Okay that’s enough out of you,” Balthiour said, suppressing a smile. He nodded ahead, his expression hardening. “There, to the side of the bridge.”

He had pointed to a square building on their right that was several hundred feet past the bridge, along the river. Around five floors high, scaffolding and white tarp covered the building. The construction work reminded Cam of the equipment on the roof of the shopping centre, and the crane from which Alyssa had fallen. He shuddered as he repressed the memories, attempting to keep his focus on the present and not daring to think about earlier events.

“Rathanael,” Balthiour said. “Take Sablo and Briatha and circle the perimeter. Then come in from the west side.” They reached the end of the bridge and came to an intersection, where they waited to cross. “Leo, Camael, Kalaziel, and myself will take the higher ground and enter from the roof. We will reconvene inside, on the top floor. Keep a look out for Zophiel and Suriel.”

Cam regarded his brethren. He wanted to hug them all, or at least grasp their forearms and look them in the eye one last time, before they all found whatever awaited them in that building.

Rathanael nodded to them, his mouth pressed in a thin line under his thick, neatly trimmed white beard.

Sablo stepped to Cam.

“Be safe, dear friend,” he said in a low voice.

They looked at each other as if no one else was on the street. Their talk was only for them.

“Try not to get into too much trouble before we meet again on the inside.”

Cam gave him a weak smile. “And you look after yourself. No heroics. Okay?”

Sablo smiled, his blue eyes sparkling, though there was tension in his eyes. “No heroics. Unless you start. Then I will have to show off too.” He nodded reassuringly. “See you soon, brother.”

Moving passed Cam, Sablo crossed the road with Rathanael and Briatha.

Cam watched Sablo’s broad back, a disturbing feeling overcoming him. His chest tightened as he looked down the riverbank at the scaffolding-covered building a few streets away.

They crossed the street diagonally and walked towards a hotel near the corner.

“We can reach the roofs from here,” Balthiour said as he led them into the revolving doors of the hotel.

They made their way up to a back stairwell that led to the roof. When they reached the door at the top of the stairwell, a chill ran through Cam. Flashbacks of running up the stairs of the shopping centre and reaching the roof with Alyssa came back to him. A deep longing twisted his insides, an ache filled with regret.

The sun hit their faces as Balthiour opened the door. The sudden brightness shook Cam from his dark thoughts. They made their way to the end of the gravelly roof, past antennas and loud air vents that let out a hot, stifling smoke.

Reaching the edge of the roof, they all leapt across to the next building. Breaking into a jog, they traversed the next roof, hopping onto a higher level and then onto a jutting section of the roof. The warmth of the sun embraced them as they moved over the buildings, jumping from one to the other.

Finally, they came to the edge of the building next to the one under construction. Cam surveyed the building, the white tarp billowing in the wind and revealing glimpses of the empty rooms within. Rows of wooden boards made up the majority of the flat roof, with sections of gravel where piles of metal pipes and beams were laid out.

“Anyone see anything?” Kalaziel asked beside Cam. Her dark blue eyes narrowed as she studied the building.

After a moment of silence, Leo said, “Looks clear.”

Cam noted Balthiour’s deep frown and his dark, sunken brows. Their Commanding Angel remained silent for some time, before he nodded to them and stepped back.

“Let us go,” Balthiour said, taking several more steps away from the edge.

They all followed him back. Cam gauged the distance to the next building to be around thirty feet, with a good fifty-foot drop to the street below. He increased his breaths and prepared himself for the jump. It would be a stretch, even for their enhanced strength.

They lined up beside each other.

“Go,” Balthiour said, breaking into a sprint.

Cam followed along with the others, pushing himself forward. He reached the edge and leapt, soaring into the air with his brethren. He spread his arms as he flew, relishing the moment of freedom, exposed to the sun without any earthly connections.

They hit the roof and rolled to their feet. Cam mastered his breathing as he gathered himself. Their feet thudded on the wooden boards as they ran, and he hoped they weren’t making too much noise and giving away their presence.

Balthiour pointed to a corner of the building, away from the main street. Reaching the edge, they saw the constructed scaffolding outside the glassless window frames that were covered with billowing tarp. At Balthiour’s gesture they hopped off the roof and onto the scaffolding.

The thick tarp rustled as Cam pushed two sections aside, looking into the building, and jumped down a few feet to the ground. Beside him, his brethren chose different window frames and made their way inside.

A barren, dust-strewn floor covered the left side of the building, with an empty space on the right side where the ground was unfinished. The lower levels could be seen beyond the hole, though Cam could not see much more without getting closer. Rows of window frames ran along the walls on all sides, a soft wind whispering through the gaps of the rustling tarp. A heady smell of dirt and soil filled the warm air, which Cam found stifling.

Cam strained to hear any sounds below them; any indication they were not alone. His thoughts shifted to Sablo and the others, wondering where they were, and if they were currently fighting for their lives somewhere. He shuddered at the thought of his brethren being hurt.

While Leo and Kalaziel surveyed the left side, Balthiour moved towards the hole in the right corner.

The tarp by one of the windows rustled and shifted, sounding louder in the quiet area.

Cam spun towards the sound and looked up. Tension left him and his shoulders sagged as he saw the familiar shapes of Zophiel and Suriel standing in one of the window frames.

“You could knock, next time,” Kalaziel hissed at them. She had clearly been shaken by their sudden presence.

The new arrivals dropped down to the ground.

“But then we would’ve missed the looks on your faces,” Suriel said, adjusting the band that tied her long hair back.

Zophiel smoothed his shirt, wiping away patches of dirt as he grinned at them. “Perimeter is clear,” he said. “No sightings of anyone, human or otherwise. The building is a ghost.”

Balthiour frowned thoughtfully. He nodded and then stepped to the edge of the floor. Turning back to the Zophiel and Suriel, he said, “You two stay up here and keep a look out. The rest of us go down.”

With that, he hopped off the edge and dropped several feet.

Looking down at the floor below, Cam judged the distance to be around fourteen feet. It looked similar to their current level—dust and mounds of dirt covering the grey-green floor. Rocky pillars reached up into empty air, where they would have connected to the upper floor if the ground was there.

Cam jumped down alongside Kalaziel and Leo, and quickly scanned the area. More rows of pillars ran along the length of the floor, these ones connecting to the level above. Sections of concrete walls had been erected in some areas, while most of the floor was an open, empty space. More window frames lined the walls, letting in a dull light through the white tarp on the outside.

Cam’s pulse increased as he looked around the quiet floor. It was too quiet. Too easy so far. Unless they’d made a mistake…

He made eye contact with Balthiour, hoping to read their leader and see his thoughts on their situation. He thought he detected a dejected, melancholic look in Bal’s dark eyes. The look gave Cam pause.

A shrill scream tore through the air.

Cam spun, looking up towards the source of the cry.

Suriel convulsed, streams of bright light expelling from her chest. Through the light, a dark claw protruded from her chest, exposed up to the wrist. Suriel’s head dropped and her arms fell by her sides, her scream dying along with her body. Besides her, Zophiel ignited his light sword, but the creature behind Suriel jerked away and darted out of view, leaving her limp body to drop to the floor below.

She landed with a heavy thud near Cam, sending up wafts of dust. His stomach twisted at the sight, his face contorting with horror.

“No!” Kalaziel cried, her wide eyes frozen as she looked upon Suriel’s lifeless body.

Flashes of lights burst throughout the area as the angels ignited their light swords.

Rumbling movement could be heard around them, heavy footfalls and scrambling patters. The sounds grew louder, building up as throaty growls began to echo through the building.

Zophiel remained on the upper level, scanning the higher ground.

The tarp by the windows on Cam’s left side burst inwards as a large, hulking demon hurled itself into the building. A second demon followed it, as did a third from another window.

Shifting movement came from the far side of the floor, and Cam turned to see several demons darting through the pillars. More shapes dropped from above, human forms transforming into long limbed demons as they fell.

One thought remained in Cam’s mind—they had walked into a trap.