Michael (The Airel Saga, Book 2) - By Aaron Patterson Page 0,31
smile, “And the way she fights I’m guessing she…is you. Airel, right?”
“Yeah, she’s me,” I said, blowing a wisp of hair out of my face.
“And who did you say sent you again?” Michael said.
“El,” she said, her tone pat.
“And who did you think we were?” I asked. “I’m still a little confused about that.”
“That’s okay, dearie. I’ll explain it for you,” she replied. “It’s simple. I thought you were the baddies.”
Kim snickered.
“Laugh it up, red,” I said to her. “Thanks for getting my back.”
“Shut up, Airel,” Kim said. “You knew it was stupid to walk in there. I didn’t have to tell you that for you to know it.”
“Just whatever,” I said. Great. Now I’m the peanut gallery.
“Look, you guys,” Ellie said. “Your little family quarrel is out of hand now. It’s not just your problem anymore. We—the Fallen—would like to avoid all-out war.” She looked at Michael, then glanced to Kim. “You’re Michael?” she asked him, looking back.
“Yes.”
“Well, aren’t you guys just the motley crew. A half-breed Immortal, an exiled member of the Brotherhood, and…” she turned to Kim. “…and I’m not quite sure what you are. Or why you’re here.”
Kim looked like a cornered three year old. “You know a lot about us…” Her face was white and drenched with fear.
“How about you leave her alone,” I said, bringing the tip of the blade up again.
“How about you make me,” Ellie responded, whipping out a dagger from under her baggy hoodie and turning back to me.
“Ladies, please,” Michael said. “We don’t have time for this nonsense. Can we just stop insulting each other and try to get on the same page here? Please? If you really want to avoid the fight Kreios is out there trying to pick, we have got to get past this little scuffle quickly.”
Ellie’s face was beautifully sinister, and I believe if she could have, she would have growled at me.
I scowled back at her, then looked down at her sword in my hand. “Think fast,” I said, twirling the grips of the sword around in my hand. I flipped it down and around and tossed it end over end, right at her head.
She caught it directly in front of her face, one-handed by the grips, and smiled at me.
“I’ve got my own in the car, so don’t mess with me,” I said.
“You, young lady, need to get over yourself,” she said.
“Precisely,” She said, and I rolled my eyes and turned away from Ellie, but only slightly. I wasn’t sure I could trust her yet.
Michael caught my eye and I knew he felt for me. “We’re all looking for Kreios. We should work together.” His gaze on me intensified. “Just like Ellie was trying to say.”
“It’s true,” she added, heaping hot coals on me.
“I’m sorry, okay? It takes me a while to make friends.” I kicked a brick, making it plop over. “Especially after I get attacked for no reason.”
“Airel, please accept my apology. As I said, I didn’t know it was you.”
I looked Ellie in the eyes. I decided to trust her. For now. But she didn’t need to know that.
“Ellie,” Michael said, “we were hoping to find some clue as to where he’s headed.”
She laughed. “What! You think he was going to leave you a note or something?”
Kim giggled but turned serious when she looked at me.
“No,” Michael said. “I’m a tracker. I don’t need much. Just thought maybe you’d found something.”
“Not yet. I’m still looking for clues myself. I’m still too far behind, unfortunately, to make much of what I have. I’ve been going round to suspicious looking sites and taking notes. What happened, how many were killed, stuff like that. Intel.”
“Can’t God see what’s going on and just stop it?” Kim asked.
“Sure. But El has his ways and I don’t question. I just do as I’m told.” Ellie looked away off to the distance, her eyes illuminating a depth of experience that I knew I lacked. It made me jealous. “I really need to be on my way...”
“The cops are after us,” I blurted out.
“Are you bragging?” she asked.
“No. Just…it’s probably a good idea for you to clear on out,” I said.
The wind was still gusting, but it was drier because the rain wasn’t coming down with it.
Michael shook his head. “No. We should work together. We’ll be better equipped to find him, and more quickly, if we go after him together.”
“You want me to take orders from you, demon boy?” Ellie said.