Universal Warrior: Before Red Morning Page 6

blow to the head she’d taken just before Jayden had knocked their father down, grabbed Bethany, and ran. Her arm had become blue and mangled. She needed help fast.

  The interior of the crown as like a small, roofless tunnel. It was forty feet long and equally deep. It was enough to accommodate someone living there, albeit uncomfortably. Some Angels took it upon themselves to leave seed and grain for birds and Pegasus that would pass by during trans-Atherean flights. “This is creepy.” Darryl said immediately upon landing, wrinkling his nose. The gray-stone construction of the Atherean Skyway did make for eerie surroundings, especially at the dead of night. The smell of hay and manure certainly didn’t help. Jayden didn’t seem to mind. “You sure someone lives here?” Jayce asked, meek as always as he followed his brothers. “Yes, I’m sure.” Jayden replied, exasperated, “Let’s just hurry up and get inside.”

  Jayden approached a door that was barely visible against the wall and knocked three times. When no one answered, he pounded harder, careful not to drop Bethany, who was beginning to awaken. “Grace? Are you there? It’s me.”

  “Just a moment!” An elderly woman’s voice replied. Shuffling could be heard coming from within the apartment, and moments later, the door opened.

  Darryl and Jayce immediately saw what Jayden meant; Grace had to be several centuries old. A small, hunched woman with gray hair going white, worn skin, thin lips and emerald eyes looked upon the children with horror, and then turned angrily towards Jayden. “What is this? I told you to come alone!” Her voice was thick with a proper accent that gave her origin as somewhere in the Northwestern region of Heaven. Even as Jayden opened his mouth, Grace’s eyes wandered down to Bethany and she gasped, cupping her hands to her mouth. “Grace, I…” Jayden began. She quickly stepped aside and ushered them all in. “None of that now. Quickly, come in. Forgive me.”

  Jayden stepped inside first. The apartment was a long, single-room rectangle. There was a plain bed on the far wall with its blankets scattered as Grace been roused suddenly. A simple wooden nightstand with a small burning candle was to the left of the bed. A few feet from that was a heavy black cast-iron cauldron that hovered, suspended by chain, over blackened hay. The left side of the room was completely for the Pegasus. A row of five lay roused from slumber, housed in individual stables. A couple of them whinnied curiously.

  The small woman placed her arms under Jayden’s, speaking as she took the child from him. “Quickly, give her to me.” She effortlessly took Bethany and leaned back, carrying the girl to bed. When Grace set her down, Bethany immediately turned over onto her right side and appeared to go to sleep.

  Again, Grace gasped when she observed Bethany’s swollen, mangled arm. “What could’ve done this?” She asked, horrified.

  “Dad.” Jayden replied matter-of-factly, and Grace whirled, shocked. “Your father did this, Jayden?”

  Jayden nodded.

  Grace shook her head angrily. “What sort of father does this to their own children?”

  “I’m sorry for bringing them here…” Jayden began, “Dad was really angry tonight. I’ve never seen him like that.”

  “Oh, hush now.” Grace replied quickly, rising, “You don’t have to apologize to me; I’ve been patching you up and feeding you for so long that I feel like you’re one of my own now. The same can go for your family.”

  Jayden smiled, wishing it were so. “Thank you.” Jayden stepped aside to reveal his identical, albeit shyer twin. “This is my brother, Jayce.”

  Grace laughed and smiled, extending loving hands towards the boy. Jayce’s eyes were down; his hands were clasped behind his back. “Oh, Amen be praised. He made two of you.” She joked. Jayce smiled meekly. “I’m actually a few moments younger than my brother, ma’am.”

  “Oh, of course you are. Amen bless you…” Grace pulled Jayce close and embraced him. Jayden smiled as his younger brother looked at him oddly, and then wrapped his arms around the older Angel.

  After a moment, Grace pulled away and smiled upon Jayce before looking up and left to the burly, dark-skinned Angel. “And you must be Darryl.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Darryl greeted pleasantly in a deep voice. “Thank you for taking us in.”

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure.” Grace replied as she accepted Darryl’s hand, “Please forgive my initial surprise, dear. Jayden has never brought family before. Now…” She turned back to Bethany, who slept soundly on the bed. “…what exactly happened here?”

  “Dad.” Jayden replied. He had taken a seat beside Bethany on the bed, “Bethany got in the way when he was yelling at mom. Dad jerked her by the arm and threw her into the wall.”

  Darryl and Jayce grew angry. Grace scoffed as she shook her head, once again taking the girl’s arm in her own. It was blue, limp, and bloated. “Well, some Angels never need to be parents, and I think this has gone on far enough. First of all, I believe I have just the thing right here…”

  She reached above the bed to a row of herbs kept in various jars, neatly lined up on homemade shelves. Grace took a larger jar of green and brown grindings and opened them; Jayce and Darryl immediately winced, the former covering his nose. “What is that?” He asked.

  Jayden, having experienced the medicine many times before, smiled. He was the only Angel besides Grace who was not repulsed by the smell. “Trust me. It’s better you don’t know.” His eyes wandered over to the silent stables. Jayce followed his line of sight and wretched, shaking his head. “Oh, please be joking…”

  “Nothing wasted.” Grace murmured as she rubbed the grindings along Bethany’s arm. Both Jayce and Darryl were amazed as the bruising literally vanished beneath the rub, her arm returning to normal size. “Now, when she wakes up, it’s probably better if you don’t speak of this.” Grace said softly, replacing the bottle. Jayden chuckled. “Don’t worry; if I told her, I’d never hear the end of it.” He wandered over to the stables and peered over the waist-high door to the only black-and-white spotted creature within. It acknowledged him by raising its head, neighing, and blinking its large black eyes at him. “Hello, Zaine.” Jayden smiled.

  Darryl moved to stand beside him and peered in at the Pegasus, which shied away. “Wow.” He mused, “You know, I’ve never seen a real-life Pegasus before.” Jayce had wandered over to the first stall and cautiously peered in; he backed away immediately when the Pegasus within got to its feet and took two curious steps towards the boy. Realizing that he had frightened the boy, the Pegasus stepped back and bowed its head, candlelight dancing across its golden horn.

  “You mustn’t fret, dear.” Grace said upon realizing the boy’s apprehension, “They’re really quite gentle. You have to go a long way to provoke them.”

  Jayce took two steps towards the winged horse, extending his hand. The Pegasus replied by taking a small step towards him and raising his head. Before long, Jayce was stroking the creature’s nose gently. The Pegasus leaned into the boy’s hand. “How have they been holding up?” Jayden asked, leaning on the stall.

  Grace sighed and said; “Not very well, I’m afraid. That’s why I called you here tonight, Jayden. I have to leave.”

  Jayden, Jayce, and Darryl all looked at Grace, surprised. “What?” Jayden asked, “Leave? Where are you going?”

  Grace sighed and smiled a sad smile, cocking her head, “Oh, dear boy, don’t be sad. You’ll still be able to come see me. It’s just that…” She shook her head and her next words burst from her like water through a dam. “…it’s not safe for them here anymore, Jayden.”

  Jayden scowled, shaking his head. “I don’t get it. What’s wrong with them?”

  “I can no longer let them out, Jayden. These, the ones you see here, are the last of their kind.”

  Darryl reared back and Jayce blanched. “What?” Jayden asked as Jayce counted up the five Pegasus occupying their stalls. “I have to leave this place, Jayden. Tonight.” Grace announced. “And I need you to escort me.”

  Jayden looked up as thunder boomed overhead,
outside the apartment. “Looks like we just missed the storm.” He mused.

  “Good, good.” Grace nodded, “We’ll be harder to track in the rain.”

  Darryl frowned. “You mean you wanna leave tonight?” He pointed to the ground as he spoke the last word. “The rain’s coming down pretty hard, ma’am. Are you sure…” He trailed off as he absorbed Grace’s glare. “Young man, I assure you that I am up for the journey if you are.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Darryl replied meekly, lowering his head to the ground. Jayce gave him a playful shove and chuckled.

  Grace patted the bed beside Bethany, who grunted as she sat up. “Sit, child, sit.” She ushered Jayden, “We haven’t much time and there is much you should know.”

  Apprehensive, Jayden sat down.

  “Jayden,” Grace began hesitantly, “I am not from Heaven. Nor am I from Asgard, Mount Olympus, or any of the other recognized territories in the four dimensions.”

  The Zeneca children scowled. Darryl came off of the wall.

  “Before you ask the obvious,” Grace continued, raising her hand, “I can’t tell you where I am from. I was bound to secrecy like the other survivors. What I will tell you is that the Great Chronicles are vastly incomplete. Almost no one knows what happened back then, and those that do agree that it’s best left to history.”

  Jayden hesitated a moment