The Boy Who Played With Stars

  “When was the last time you had one?”

  Alex shook his head. “Too long ago, before the fire sky.” He looked mournful. “Christopher was saying the other day that he had not had one in weeks either. I think it was that event, I think it knocked our farsight off.”

  “How?”

  “Remember I told you that it was never meant to have happened? It was not foretold. If it had been, The Elders would have sent us a warning.”

  “How good is their ability to see the future? I mean you once told me that your ability to see it was patchy and far between at the best of times and sometimes even wrong. Can they see any better than you can?”

  “Yes, most of them can,” he replied, folding his arms. “But none were as good as the guardian in the House of A Thousand Paper Swans. She truly was the best.”

  The thought that the woman who had spent eternity sitting alone in an old temple in Purgatory scribbling predictions on paper swans was gone made Hayley sad. “This might sound like a silly question but…”

  “Why don’t they bring her back?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Christopher said he’d asked them the same thing and they said something bull shitty like it was not God’s will,” she scoffed.

  “It figures. The Elders are the oldest of our race. They have many secrets. A friend went to them once to ask if they could bring his soul mate back and they said no, even though they had resurrected someone else’s four days before.”

  “Can’t you go above them? Can’t you ask…”

  “God?” Alex shook his head. “I’ve never met him.”

  Hayley dug cold hands into her pockets. “Really? You’re more than ninety million years old and you’ve never met him once?”

  “Well, He still has spoken to me many times.”

  “Wait, I’m confused. If you’ve talked to him, then why have you never asked why some are brought back and some aren’t?”

  Alex shrugged. “Usually there are more pressing concerns to discuss. It’s not like meeting your friends down the pub, Hayley. He tells me what he needs to say and that’s it.”

  Hayley stared out across the white and black city that sprawled out before them. “Still…” she said, thinking out loud. “I’m surprised that in ninety four million years you’ve never thought about asking.”

  “Hayley, when you’re an angel, you can try asking him but I doubt you’ll get an answer.” Another gust of wind rose and howled over them making Hayley shiver. “We should go back inside, it’s getting late.” He held his hand out to her. Hayley pressed a gloved mitt into it and he led her back across the few feet of snowy roof to the safety of the hatch.

  “What do we do now, then?” she asked as she climbed inside.

  “You’re going to your bed and I’m standing guard, as I always do. But I’m going to ask Christopher to go back and check out The House of Swans to see if he can find anything,” Alex replied as he climbed onto the short ladder after her.

  “He’s already gone,” she said, her voice echoing off the four concrete walls as they descended the narrow steps back inside. “The Elders asked him to go.”

  “He never told me.” Alex slammed the hatch shut.

  Hayley alighted on the ground. “Well he didn’t get a chance to, you were shouting at him.”

  Alex looked sad when he turned away from the ladder, and she knew he regretted it. Without further word, he took Hayley’s hand again and led her down the stairs.

  Chapter Three

  Alex stood beside Hayley’s bedroom door, his hands clasped around the hilt of his ancient blade. He held the sword before him, its tip resting against the laminated flooring. Despite its age, and seeing many bloody battles, its edge remained as keen as the day it was forged and its shine just as flawless. The design of the pommel and hilt were simple but beautiful nonetheless. It was a balance of white and black; an ivory winged cross guard, topped with a black leather-bound hilt. A white eagle with trailing tail feathers crested the dark ring of the pommel, with glorious wings spread wide.

  The old warrior had stood in the same spot for nigh on four hours; as still as the waters of a calm mill pond. He had made his wings visible, something he often did in the privacy of their home. Hayley’s home, he corrected himself. Although she insisted the new flat was as much his place as her own, he still could not quite bring himself to accept that. Alex knew where his real home was, deep in his heart. His true home was also Hayley’s but it would be a lifetime before they could go there…or so he hoped. He knew it was only a matter of time before his fallen brother, Gabriel, would make an attempt on Hayley’s life again. Alex feared what he may have become, what strength he might have gained.

  If Marli was to be believed and his brother had been responsible for the fire sky over Glasgow six weeks previously, then he had acquired great strength. Where would that have come from, though? he asked himself, for the hundredth time. He turned the question over and over in his mind, yet still no answer presented itself. How could he have escaped The Elders so easily? The last time he had met Gabriel his brother had been a shadow of his former self. He had lost his wings and most of his powers, although he had still possessed some abilities, like his abnormal strength and teleportation. But that would not have been enough, not against the oldest and strongest of our race. Maybe someone helped him escape, but who? His wings twitched behind him. The thought unsettled him. Not unless they restored his full strength when they resurrected him for the trial. But that would have been foolish. Why would they do that? He decided he would put the question to Christopher upon his return. He probably wouldn’t know, but it was worth asking anyway. If he has no answer, I will send for my father.

  Alexander’s thoughts returned to Hayley as he sensed her soul stir. It was slight, ever so slight, but it was enough to attract his attention. For half a heartbeat he felt the dormant conscience within her press against his own. He received no thoughts from her but he sensed her affection as her soul - her inner angel - brushed against his spirit before she was gone. That brought a smile to his face. In the weeks since he had returned Hayley’s soul to rest in her body, it had stirred several times. Her spirit could never wake for too long, else it would mean a painful, excruciating death for Hayley. The fire of the angel that slumbered within her was too strong for her flesh to handle, her conscience too vast for a human mind to withstand. But every time she had stirred recently had been brief, borne out of that understanding. Hayley’s inner angel would do no more than touch Alex’s spirit before retreating again; offering a soft kiss of affection. Alex knew she reached for him to make sure he was there, like a lover waking in the night and feeling for their partner before slipping off again. The thought made his heart flutter and his groin ache. He pushed the thought from his mind. I should not be thinking such things, not when Gabriel is on the loose. Yet his mind quickly wandered back to the woman of his dreams.

  The front door opening was a welcome distraction. Alexander looked, but did not react; it was only his brother - the good one - Christopher. Alex had sensed him when he materialised on the doorstep. Christopher could have just as easily appeared on the other side of the threshold, but Hayley had grown weary of him appearing without warning and giving her a fright - like he had done earlier in the day. So she had asked him to walk in through the door like a normal person would. Alex admired Christopher for respecting the new rule but he could not fathom why his brother would adhere to it this late at night. He would have known Hayley would not have likely been up. Christopher shut the door softly. He gave the keys a turn, locking it again. Alex had heard it click open when Christopher appeared on the door mat. Like himself, his brother could move many things with his mind; undoing locks was one of them.

  Christopher walked the short distance between them, his expression grim.

  “Brother,” Alex whispered, “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.”

  “It’s ok, Alexander, there’s no
need,” Christopher said, waving away his apology. “I am sorry I was gone for so long.”

  “Did you find anything at the old temple?”

  “It’s like I expected, there was nothing left but rubble. I did not find anything I had missed during my last visit, except…”

  “What is it?”

  His younger brother suddenly could not seem to speak. He looked away for a moment and swallowed hard. “I…I found a piece of paper, under one of the rocks.” He looked back to his brother. “It looked like a crushed paper swan.”

  “Did it say anything on it?”

  He hesitated again for a moment. “Yes…and it had my name on it.”

  Alex’s eyes widened. “What did it say?”

  “Alexander, please,” Chris said, shaking his head. “Please don’t ask me that. You know the rules of the house.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Christopher now is hardly the time. If that piece of paper can tell us anything that can help us find Gabriel…”

  “It doesn’t!” Christopher cut in, raising a hand to his brother. He looked about the hall, remembering how late it was. Lowering his voice, he leaned closer to his brother and whispered, “It tells me a snatch of my own future, but nothing about Gabriel, I promise you.”

  “What about Mark and the others who tried to kill Hayley, then? Does it say anything about anyone else wanting to hurt her?”

  “No, Alexander. It’s like I said, it’s only about my future. It does not mention you or Hayley.” He shuffled his feet about. “Now please, can we not talk about it anymore? You are beginning to make me feel uneasy.”

  Alex nodded. “Still, I’d approach its prophecy with caution, if I were you.”

  “That’s exactly what I intend to do,” Christopher agreed with a forced smile.

  “When you went to see The Elders, did they tell you how Gabriel escaped?”

  “They were not sure. Tully said he had gone to check on him in his cell and he was gone. They do not know how he got out. The bars were unbent and the lock was still sealed when Tully arrived.”

  This drew a suspicious look from Alex. “He couldn’t have just vanished, that’s impossible from the sky cells. That is where they were holding him, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Alex sighed in defeat. He scratched at the shadow of the beard that was forming along his jaw. “Someone must have helped him then,” he said, thinking out loud. “You didn’t think to ask about how much of his former strength they had restored to him during his resurrection, did you?”

  “No, I’m sorry, that question did not occur to me. But I seriously doubt they would have given him any strength at all. You’ve seen more trials than I have. You know they bring their souls back, but nothing else.”

  “Usually,” Alex said. “Someone sprung him from the cell or he was given his powers back. Either way you look at it, it all points to someone on the inside helping him.”

  Christopher looked nervous. “That crossed my mind as well but with no evidence I did not give the thought words.”

  “And quite wisely to,” Alex agreed. The Elders did not suffer such accusations. His thoughts wandered to Tully. Alexander knew the angel well. He was a friendly fellow with long grey hair and time for everyone. He pushed the suspicion from his mind. Just because he was the one who found the cell empty does not mean he is guilty. None of The Elders may have been involved at all. Alex looked back to his younger brother. “Did you see Father?”

  “No, he was away. But I left a message for him to visit us as soon as he could.”

  Alex scratched his stubble again. “Well, you know Dad. He might be a few hours or he might be a few decades, depending what he’s doing. What have they sent him off to do anyway?”

  Christopher shrugged. “None of the neighbours seemed to know, nor did the three Elders I spoke to.”

  “Great,” Alex said. He sheathed his blade and flexed his fingers. Standing with them wrapped around the hilt of his sword for several hours had begun to make them stiff. “And did The Elders have any answer as to why Mark and Francis wanted to kill Hayley? Did they know anything of this prophecy they spoke of?”

  “No, they did not,” Christopher replied.

  “Figures,” Alex snorted.

  “I still find it worrying though. Mark, Francis, Marli. All three of them spoke of Hayley doing something terrible in the future. Mark and Francis never spoke to Marli before any of this as far as I’m aware, so surely they must have foretold it themselves or heard it from another.”

  Alex folded his arms. “Mark and Francis couldn’t see the future.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I only fought alongside Mark in umpteen wars and shared quarters with him for two hundred years, so I’m pretty sure. He never mentioned having that gift. I didn’t know Francis so well, but again, I fought in enough wars with him. One time after a victory in Greenford we were drinking to celebrate. I remember he said that if he had a genie he would wish to be able to see the future.”

  “I sometimes wish I could see the future as well as you can.”

  Alex shrugged. “I can hardly see anything and there have often been times when it has been very wrong.”

  Christopher had to smile. “It is typical, is it not? The one time we could really use it.”

  “I could say the same about your note.”

  The smile vanished from the younger angel’s face. “I already told you…”

  Alex held a palm up to him. “Chris, it was a joke.” He lowered his hand. “I take it then The Elders also can’t see this cataclysmic event that those three spoke of?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “No. They said the fire sky blinded them. It has changed a lot of things. A lot of people who died were not meant to and it has caused a ripple effect through billions of lives and destinies.” He sighed. “To be honest, when I asked them about it, they looked terrified. I have never seen them like that before.”

  “Then it looks like we’re on our own for now then. Either way, I can’t bring myself to believe what any of them said. Hayley doesn’t have it in her.”

  “Alex, Hayley is a human. Her slumbering soul is not the same person.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’m not suggesting anything. I don’t think Hayley would be capable of what any of them suggested. But she has your soul, remember? She also has your temper to go along with it.”

  Alex straightened and his wings twitched behind him. “I’ve never harmed anyone beyond those who deserved it.”

  “I know that you would never do such a thing now, brother, but there was that time in The War of the False Gods.”

  Alex’s voice caught in his throat. The truth of his brother’s words cut through him like a lightning bolt. No matter how much he tried to bury it, or how far he ran, the atrocity of that day still hung over him like an eternal shadow and would do so forever more.

  Chapter Four

  Hayley padded into the kitchen on sockless feet, rubbing at her right eye. She glimpsed Alex sitting at the table, looking sullen. His sword lay across it, free of its belt and scabbard.

  “What’s wrong?” Hayley asked.

  The angel’s gaze snapped up and a weary smile touched his lips. “Nothing,” he replied, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes. His skin was pale and his hair was a mess.

  “It doesn’t look like nothing,” she said, delving into the fridge. Taking the milk bottle in hand, Hayley slammed the door shut and turned back to her guardian. “Has something happened?”

  “No, no of course not,” he replied, sitting up in his chair. Alex’s long feathers shuffled as he rolled stiff shoulders and cracked his neck. “I was just thinking too much, that’s all.”

  Hayley pulled out a chair opposite him and sat down with a bowl of muesli. “Gabriel?” she asked.

  “Who else?”

  Hayley swallowed a mouthful of cereal. “Has Christopher come back yet?”

  “Yeah, he??
?s in the living room.”

  “I didn’t see him when I walked by.”

  That amused Alex. “Trust me, he’s there.”

  Hayley smiled as well. She glanced down at her breakfast, stirring the grains idly. “Did he find out anything?” She could tell by his expression that the news was not good.

  Alex sighed and folded his arms, sinking back into his chair. “A long story short, Hayley, The Elders brought Gabriel back from the dead to stand trial for his crimes and he somehow escaped his cell. It looks like someone helped him escape but we don’t know who.”

  Hayley dropped her spoon with a clank against the bowl. She gave Alex a hard look. “Your Elders brought him back?” she asked, having a double take.

  “Yes.”

  “Unbelievable! So exactly when did they plan on telling us this? Would they ever have if Christopher had not asked?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How did they manage to bring him back anyway? You’ve told me hundreds of times that these swords can kill everything.” She nodded at the naked blade that lay across the table.

  Alex sighed. “They do. But it’s like I told you yesterday, some of The Elders have abilities that I do not possess nor understand and they can bring our dead back. I don’t know how it works.”

  Hayley shook her head, staring in disbelief. “How can people who can bring the dead back to life and see the future possibly lose a prisoner? How fucking stupid do you need to be?”

  “Just because they have powers does not mean they have brains, if you want me to put it as crudely as you would.”

  “You got that right,” she said, pushing her bowl away. She made to leave.

  “You should finish your breakfast.”

  “I’m not hungry.” With that said, she left.

  ******

  Midnight had come and went, its hour leaving the world in silent passing. Hayley had long since retired to her bed, complaining of a headache and Christopher had gone to pay his nightly visit to Stacy and John Hughes. The angel had insisted on checking on them twice a day after they had refused the offer of shelter at Hayley’s, fearing Gabriel might target the mother and her son at any time. Alex himself believed they were in no danger: it was he and Hayley Gabriel wanted to destroy.