The Quo

  So the foundation and the team decided to find a town that was already hidden underground.

  That way they would only need to create Whirlwinds to hide the entrances. They take us to the city of Cree somewhere in Syria.

  “It’s modeled after the Lost City of Petra, in Jordan,” “Wiki” Jay informs us.

  “It’s amazing!” I reply, taking in the town that’s been carved inside a massive cliff. The opening of Cree is difficult to find even without the Whirlwind. You can only see the entrance after entering a narrow gorge and descending down three flights of stone steps.

  Cree is basically a city made out of sandstone. Its rich rust colors give the city a rich glow that makes you feel like you’re facing the sun. The rooms that are carved into the cliffs are small but contain clean beds and necessities.

  “They added railings on the steps for those without wings or powers. In other words, for the human who could easily trip and fall,” Jay says, teasing me.

  Cree has many exits but only one entrance. One of the exits leads out to a small beach that I would give anything to spend the night on. Cree isn’t the most lavish city to live in but it serves its purpose. It is a perfect hideout and can hold thousands of beings.

  The center of Cree, where you can see basically everything, is called the Great Hall. There you have the perfect view of everyone; including your ex-boyfriend as he goes around doing his ‘leader’ thing.

  I resist the urge to stand in the middle of the Great Hall and watch him. That is very ‘old’ Emmy and yes, also very creepy.

  The biggest room inside Cree has been dubbed the new Foundation Headquarters. That is where we meet and go over the plans yet again.

  When it’s actually time to go to the Yard and rescue the Angels, it’s hard not to feel the tension in the room. Rage is busy hating Wolf and Ameana is trying not to look at Wolf because she still feels guilty, or so I’m guessing.

  The Twins are okay but I’m not sure their healing powers will hold up. Marcus is focused and on high alert as usual. Jay is focused as well which is why he does not notice Miku stealing glances at him.

  As for me, I’m excited. I get to help free Angels. That doesn’t happen to a girl everyday. Marcus cautions me to be careful as does everyone else.

  It’s crazy that they should be worried at all because I literally just have to watch out for demons and let the team know when the coast is clear. How hard can that be?

  The Stadium is packed with Quo and demons. This is the same place I went to with the team when they were playing Runner Ball. Now it’s used to kill Angels.

  We follow the plan, line up along the sides, and wait for one of the Foundation’s inside sources to let us in. The crowd is loud and filled with joy. It doesn’t bother them that they came to watch Angels get murdered.

  My excitement begins to turn into nerves. I take some deep breaths and try to remind myself why I am here. After everything Angels have done for us, I want to return the favor. The team checks in on me and I assure them that I am fine.

  A man in a black-hooded sweatshirt comes along the entrance and lets us in. We sneak up to the top of the Stadium or the ‘Yard’ as they call it. I look down and for the first time, I witness with my own eyes the cruelty of the Sage.

  In the center of the field there stands a tall Quo with a voice that somehow reaches every corner of the stadium without the help of a microphone. He wears a red jacket and tie. He welcomes everyone to “Game Night in the Yard.” The crowd cheers.

  “I am Orson. And tonight you are in for the night of your lives. We are about to execute not five, not six, not eight, but ten thousand Angels!”

  The crowd cheers and howls with approval. Then Orson calls for his ‘helpers’ to bring in the entertainment. His helpers are demons. They drag out Angels by the hundreds. They tie them down by their wings and attach them to two different trucks, each going a different direction.

  Hundreds of Angels are literally being taken apart.

  The Angels scream and writhe in pain. That only makes the crowd cheer more. Soon the trucks pick up speed and the Angels watch in horror as their wings are torn from their bodies.

  Their silver blood gushes in the air like a geyser. I cover my mouth, mortified as a river of silver blood makes its way down the field. The screaming stops as more and more Angels give in to the pain and die.

  Soon the Quo in the red jacket calls for his helpers to clear the field. That’s when I watch them drag Angel corpses through the field and hurl them over to the side. The Yard is really just a mass gravesite.

  The helpers bring in a whole new crop of Angels. They have so little soul life, they are almost grey. They are tied to each other like cattle. The thing that binds them is Samson string; there is no way any of them can get loose.

  The leader of this horror sideshow then calls for the crowd to welcome tonight’s special guests.

  My heart sinks at the thought. I look up and find a swarm of Fire Swans making their way from the sky down to the helpless Angels on the field. The crowd loves it.

  The Fire Swans attack all at once. They open their mouths and an ocean of fire engulfs the mass of Angels on the field. The fire is so intense the entire second crop of Angels explodes. It rains down, wings, fingers and eyes.

  The carnage makes the crowd stand on their feet. They fight each other to see who can get the best ‘leftover’ Angel body part.

  I try to stay focused but when a pinky finger lands on my foot, it’s all I can do not to vomit.

  When the helpers bring out the third round of Angels, I decide that I’m not going to watch. But then the sound of Angels being tortured is impossible to ignore.

  So I turn around and I regret it immediately. The ‘helpers’ have laid all the Angels down on the ground, tied them up, and set free a series of wild animals to feast on them.

  They are being eaten alive.

  Marcus sees my reaction and grabs me by my shoulders.

  “Hey, I need you to stay with me okay?”

  “They’re gonna be killed…” I plead with him.

  “There’s nothing we can do for them now. We have to stick to the plan, okay?”

  “So much blood…”

  “Emmy, if you can’t do this—”

  “—I’m good. I can do this,” I promise.

  “Good.”

  A few seconds later, we get the signal we’re waiting for: a Foundation member casts a tornado into the crowd. Quo go flying out of their seats and get sucked up into the funnel.

  Marcus tells me now is a good time to run to the gate, now that no one is paying attention. He’s right. No one notices a small human girl running towards one of the exits. When I get there I’m supposed to find Rage, who went in earlier to release the prisoners. I don’t see him but I’m guessing he has a lot of cells to open so it may take a few minutes.

  In the air, I can see Marcus fighting with a knife-happy Quo who has the power to multiply himself a dozen times. Every time Marcus gets the upper hand, one of the Quo’s doubles attacks him from behind.

  “Look out!” I yell at him. He ducks just in time. The blade comes so close it cuts into Marcus’s flesh. Although I’m sure it’s only a flesh wound, I look around to see who can help him. The rest of the Guardians and Wolf come along in the nick of time.

  They were able to kill the Quo, but not before he stabbed Rio in the neck. The blood runs out of him so quickly, he is already pale and passed out.

  Marcus calls on Miku to help. She rushes over and touches her fallen brother.

  Nothing happens.

  Marcus tells her to try again and this time to focus and put both hands on Rio. Miku does as she’s told.

  Nothing happens.

  We don’t have time to take in what’s going on with the Twins because a slew of demons descend on us and make it impossible. Wolf does his best to keep the demons at bay but he needs help.

  Jay Glides over to help while Marcus carries Rio over to the corner in an attempt to fi
nd some cover.

  Miku is right behind him. Once Rio is safely on the ground, Miku closes her eyes and tries again to save her twin.

  Nothing happens.

  Just as panic works its way into Miku’s eyes, Rio begins to glow from the inside. I’m weak with relief but that feeling doesn’t last long.

  Someone is throwing black power balls at me. I look up and find a female demon armed and ready to attack. Ameana says she can handle the demon.

  Marcus asks me where Rage is because the number of Quo and demons has doubled. He says it’s time to get the prisoners and go.

  “I’ve been waiting here but not one prisoner has come out!”

  “That’s because Rage betrayed us,” Wolf says from the sky.

  “No, I don’t think he did. I’m gonna go to the cell and check on him.”

  “Emmy, no!”

  I don’t listen to Marcus. I take off underground and head for Rage.

  I enter the cell area and find all the guards down. Although some are still alive, they are no longer a threat. There are hundreds and hundreds of cells. We are surrounded by Angel prisoners eagerly waiting to be set free.

  “What’s the problem?” I ask Rage.

  He turns and hurls a fire ball at me.

  Please don’t let me die by Rage’s hand.

  It’s too late. I don’t duck in time.

  It’s only a few seconds later that I realize the Fire Ball was not aimed at me. Rage was aiming at the now dead demon that tried to attack me from behind.

  “Wow, thanks.”

  “Whatever,” he says, clearly not familiar with gratitude.

  “Why haven’t you opened the cells and let them out?” I ask.

  “Because there is only one key that controls all the cells. The lock is a pattern on the wall. To open the cells we need to find the key, which would be the exact pattern.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen this kind of lock before. Tony Tone makes them.”

  “Well, he’s not here to help.”

  “Have you looked everywhere?”

  “No, I just waited for it to float up and greet me,” Rage counters.

  I roll my eyes and look around the room. Rage is right. There is no pattern printed anywhere.

  The second pattern has to be here somewhere. It’s the only way the Guards could get the cells toopen and close.

  The ground shakes as the battle rages on above us. The prisoners tell us to hurry as footsteps approach. Rage and I exchange a quick look and we both agree we don’t want to be trapped here with an army of Quo and demons.

  We scour the area but still we can’t find it.

  “We have to go!” Rage shouts over the sound of destruction from above.

  “No, we have to set them free,” I reply, trying desperately to look for the pattern.

  Without warning, a hail of power balls comes barreling down on us. Rage and I duck just in time. There is no time to think, there are six demons blocking the exit. The Angels plead for us to go without them. Rage says he can take care of the six but I better hurry.

  “Damn it! Where is it?” I call out in frustration.

  “I told you; I can’t find the pattern on anything!” Rage says as he blasts yet another demon that has tried to block the exit.

  “That’s it! Maybe it’s not on any ‘thing,’ maybe it’s on ‘someone.’” As Rage battles the ever-growing mob of Quo and demons, I look for patterns on the guards. I spot a reddish mark on the Guard a few feet away from me.

  I pull up his shirt sleeve and find the pattern we’re looking for. Luckily the guard is still alive.

  “Hey, you need to go and open the cell.”

  He laughs. “The Foundation says you winged beings hate hurting people. They think you’re ‘good’ and don’t like to harm anyone. Well, if that’s true you have a big problem.” He signals for me to look at his feet. He has tied himself up with Samson string. Only his hands can untie it.

  There is no way to get him to walk up to the pattern and match it. I think about calling Rage but he’s got his hands full with demons. I’m on my own.

  I look down at the pattern on his arm. That’s the only thing that stands between life and death for thousands of Angels.

  “Untie yourself and set them free,” I demand.

  He laughs again.

  “The thing is, if you hurt me, it means the Sage was right; Angels are evil. But if the Foundation is right, then you can’t do anything to me.”

  I look around from something sharp but there isn’t anything.

  “Untie yourself and set them free,” I order again.

  “Screw you.”

  “You’re right. Angels don’t like inflicting pain but…I’m no Angel.” I take a deep breath and bite into his arm. He screams like he’s being set on fire. I don’t let go until I have a chunk of his flesh between my teeth.

  He’s on the floor bleeding and shaking violently. I spit out the chunk of flesh with the pattern, match it to the pattern on the wall, and suddenly the cells open up.

  Rage is no longer fighting alone; although the Angels are weak, they manage to get the upper hand. All of the demons have been killed. I spit out the blood from the Guard’s flesh and look on proudly as thousands of free Angels take to the sky.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

  TEAMMATES

  It turns out when you take a chunk out of someone’s flesh, you get a lot of nicknames. As we head back to the Whirlwind I’m being called Hannibal, Dahmer, all sorts of crazy things. But Jay says he’s not going to make fun of me. In fact, he says he respects me now more than ever. He says my actions were ‘gangsta.’

  Marcus is not as happy with me. I did after all disobey his orders. I keep waiting for him to scold me but he doesn’t. I guess he is trying to have as little contact with me as possible. That’s great.

  That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

  Yup, I’m totally cool with Marcus ignoring me or whatever.

  The team takes turns interrogating me about the bite. I tell them it wasn’t really planned and that I just couldn’t stand the thought of another game day.

  Miku is kind enough to get me mouthwash. I rinse with it about four hundred times. I still need to do it like another three hundred times to fully get the taste of blood out of my mouth.

  When I think back to that moment, it gives me chills. I can’t believe I did that. Still, I’m glad it helped free the Angels; that’s what is really important.

  We guide the former prisoners from the Whirlwind entrance into the city of Cree. Once inside we help get them situated. On my way back from helping, I spot Rage and Wolf walking off together.

  I know it can’t be good. I look into the Mind Tracker the team gave to me. I can see and hear everything the two of them are saying.

  “What the hell is it?” Rage asks.

  “Maybe you love her.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So if you really do, then she’s in for a lifetime of nothing.”

  “No, she’ll have me.”

  “And what is it you can give her? Do you have a soul she can share in? No. Do you have a place she can go to and feel safe? No. Because other demons hate you and the Angels will never accept you. You don’t even have a Rah. That means she’ll never truly be yours. If you love her why are you condemning her to life with you; a life with nothing?” Rage is angry. His nostrils flare and his face darkens. But under that, he’s pensive. Some of what Wolf said has gotten through to him. Wolf doesn’t wait for Rage to reply. He looks over at Ameana and then takes off into the sky.

  Rage pulls out his cell and makes a call.

  “Yeah, it’s me…Did you get it?...I don’t care how hard it is…I need a Rah…I don’t care what you have to do, just get it done!”

  As soon as the team is alone, Marcus blows up at the Twins. He’s so loud, most of the residence of Cree can hear him. The fact that Rio survived may have been a great relief to us, but he is furious with the way things went down.

  “You
could have killed Rio!” Marcus barks at Miku.

  “I know,” she says softly.

  “It took him fifteen minutes to heal. Do you get that?”

  “Yes, Marcus, I get it.”

  “Obviously you don’t. Look, we all have our own personal things going on, but I won’t allow this team to lose a member simply because you two refuse to work on your issues.”

  “I have nothing to say. She’s the one working hard to cover her feelings. I can barely read her.”

  “I’m allowed to have my own thoughts, Rio. Stop trying to control me.”

  “I don’t give a damn what the issue is with you two. Just go upstairs and fix it. Now!” he orders.

  The Twins follow their leader’s orders and head up the stairs. Marcus turns around and we’re certain he’s going to bark at the rest of us but instead he calmly addresses Jay.

  “Tony Tone has a dealer friend; he sent me some pics of his new inventory. I saw one I thought you’d like. It took three Ports to it here. ”

  We follow Marcus’s gaze. It leads us to a silver sheet that covers a big cargo. Jay Glides over to it.

  The rest of us follow. And true to his word, Marcus had arranged for Jay to get a new car.

  Jay slides the cover off. The top of the car is a sleek black and the bottom is an eye-catching royal blue.

  “Yo son! This is…yo son!” Jay shouts at the top of his lungs. He can’t stop grinning. He also can’t stop jumping and pumping his fist in the air.

  Jay then runs back to the car and thanks Omnis for allowing him to behold such a magnificent machine. Even I had to admire the car. But again, that’s all it is to me, a car. Jay on the other hand looked like a kid who entered a candy shop and was told to go wild.

  I swear he’s about to lose it. He just keeps walking around the car with his hand over his mouth.

  His eyes bulge out of his head. If he could cry, he would.