Angels of the North

I was running through the woods begging not to be caught. I had to get to the wall that separated the world of men from the world of angels. I had to get Melissa as far away from Caius as possible. Just as she killed my sister, she can kill her own child. The hatred that lay in him was beyond my comprehension. What was wrong with them?

Melissa was sleeping in my arms, and I was running as fast as my legs could hold. All I wanted was to get out of this hell faster. I wanted her to have a chance I didn't have.

I was watching with my own mind all the events of that evening. My parents were lying dead in their bloody clothes, my sister's body mutilated. That scene was sinister and made me sick. I wanted to leave the house where I grew up, but at that moment a whimper turned me off. At first I thought it was. Maybe I'm delirious because of the pain. I had lost my whole family in one night. But I couldn't shed a tear. I had to be strong. The whistling sounded louder and louder. I go into my sister's bedroom and find Melissa under a blanket. As I looked at the little girl's face, she studied me with those blue eyes like the sapphires that all the duchesses of Herondale have. At that moment I understand that in fact she is the only family I still have and I could not leave her to fate.

I knew this was going to happen. The previous night's vision had shown me four coffins. I had warned them, but they would not listen to me. However, Melissa escaped. I hated the king for taking everything from me, for taking revenge in the most cruel way. She did it because I refused to become the priestess of the Northern Kingdom and to control myself just like a puppet. They knew what I was capable of, and that's why they wanted to keep me under their watch. I turned down his offer and thus brought misfortune upon my family. But that very evening I felt the need to walk through the woods. And so I saved my skin, and left them in the cold clutches of death.

I was cursing myself for my carelessness and incompetence, but now all that mattered was that Melissa would not have the same fate. I had known from the moment I walked out the door that I had made a huge mistake by running away with the sole heiress of the Northern Kingdom. Although the monarch normally has absolute power in the Kingdom of Angels, which is divided into four Kingdoms, the Archangels control each movement.

Although I had a somewhat quiet childhood, I had the power of clairvoyance as a child. Although it doesn't seem like much, the pain is unbearable. I was one of the strongest women in my family. Born into a royal family, I have always been treated with respect and admiration. But still, I can't say I was happy. Because of the beatings my mother received from my father, my brother Alexander left home when I was six years old. My sister and I begged him not to leave us, but he did.

I had reached the wall when I heard the footsteps of the guards behind me. I took my talisman off my neck and placed it next to the wall and chanted. The wall began to sway until it split in two. I crossed to the other side just as the guards caught up with me, but the wall closed blocking their path and how only the strongest can open it would take them some time.

I didn't know where I was going, but Melissa's life was in my hands and I had to take care of her, I had to be her mother and father.1

Six years had passed since my flight from the Kingdom, and to my delight no one had found me, but I knew it would not be so long. I was returning home when the pain of a vision hit me in the back of the head. I leaned against a wall because I was going to faint. I saw the uniforms of the kingdom: the seal with the serpent and the wolf with the coiled tails. When my vision disappeared, I felt dizzy and weak, but I couldn't afford to faint, not when I knew Melissa was in danger. I ran home, and the closer I got, the tighter my stomach tightened in fear.

And the vision came true. Ten guards were lined up in my living room, and the captain was holding Melissa by the shoulders. I stopped in the doorway, feeling the magic begin to make its presence felt. I gathered all my strength. A ball of bright blue fire came out of my hands and I threw it at one of the guards. The others turned away in fright, watching in horror as the fire engulfed the man's clothes, and in less than two seconds I turned him to ashes.

"Leave Melissa alone, or you'll all suffer!" I said growling.

- Duchess Victoria of Herondale, by order of the king you must come with us otherwise the girl dies!

I watched in horror as one of the guards pulled out a knife and put it around Melissa's neck. Then I knew they were at their mercy. I couldn't fight them all because I felt weak, so the only thing I could do was go back to the place that destroyed me. The road to the magic wall was not as long as I expected. But still, the insistent gaze of the guards did not give me peace. They were accusing and annoyed looks. None of them inspires fear, only hatred. Melissa studied each one with her big, curious eyes.

- It has a gray aura. I think he's upset. She told me, leaning over my ear.

And of course he was right. I wasn't sure what Melissa had, but at the moment she could see the auras just like me. And yet I prayed every day that he would not inherit me. For if he had the gift of clairvoyance then we would have been the greatest danger to Caius. The clairvoyants are few and they are usually called priestesses. Priestesses have the gift of foretelling everything from the birth of a child to the fall of the kingdom. And at the same time they could communicate with the spirits beyond and see them, and they could control all five elements.

After coming into the human world, my magic increased every year and so I came to control the elements, but my basic element is the spirit. Angels consider him a lost element because more than two centuries have passed since the death of the last priestess who was killed in cold blood because she foretold the destruction of the Western Kingdom by demons. And right after her death, the third magical war broke out in which the most powerful cherubim and archangels died. The kingdom was rebuilt from the ground up, but the horror of that time has hardly been forgotten. Priests who did not obey kings were always killed. And I know I would have the same fate if I objected, and that would lead to Melissa's death. I love my niece so much that I swear to the Lord that I will not allow her to be taken away from me!

I was torn from my thoughts by the guards who opened the wall. I took Melissa in my arms and stepped into the Kingdom. At that moment I could feel the magic floating in the air. It was a comforting feeling because I grew up surrounded by that magic. We walked on the king's path until we came to huge gates that we knew too well. I had been there years ago at parties and royal dinners with my parents.

I entered the gate and I felt the shivers pass me by. A dark aura reigned over the castle as if it had been cursed. The castle was a massive gothic building, and if you didn't know it you could easily get lost.

In the throne room, Caius and the twelve archangels were waiting for us, watching our every move. Caius was tall, with dark blue eyes that now looked at me with hatred. He was blond and strong enough for a king, but his wickedness was evident in every move. Before anyone could say anything, Caius's voice was loud and clear:

"Duchess Victoria of Herondale, you are charged with murder!"

Christian

Cursed be they all! Why did Lord Christian Laurens have to take part in this damn council? I'm not like them, and my brother knows that, and he forced me to come. I knew Archangels were crazy, but that's too much. From what I understand from Marcus, six years ago, a woman fled the kingdom with the bastard of King Caius. But what should I care? I was looking around bored when the doors of the room slammed against the wall, and I was about to drown when I saw the angel enter.

A young woman in an immaculate white dress, with blue eyes that froze her blood in her veins, and her raven-black hair falling in waves on her back. Were these crazy? They could not accuse beauty of murder angel! It was loud! And only then did I notice the little girl hiding behind the brunette. She was no older than six, her hair was curly and blond, and her big blue eyes were exactly like her. Both were extremely beautiful.

-Crime? Victoria asked and started laughing.

-Duchess, can you tell me what's so funny? said Thomas, one of the Archangels.

-Can you please tell me who I killed?

God, he had great self-control. He measured us all as if he could read our souls. When our eyes met we had a strange feeling of ... deja-vu!

-Your family! Caius thundered angrily.

-How could I kill my own family? And why? Can you even hear what you're saying?

We all looked at her in amazement because she was right. Why would she, who is part of the most respected royal family, do such a thing? I don't know why, but something has nothing to do with this girl.

- Stop the victim, Caius! Victory's sharp tone was heard. You sent your assassins that night to destroy my family, and why? Because you didn't want people to find out about Melissa.

I was shocked by the brunette's courage, but Caius drove her crazy.

-Damn disgusting! How dare you? Caius shouted angrily and rose from the throne.

I didn't stop to think twice when I grabbed her hand because she wanted to hit it. The little girl whimpered scared and clung even better to Victoria's dress. She stepped back, looking sharply at the king.

-Have you seen? She asked, looking at the archangels. If he could raise his hand against me then why wouldn't he kill an entire family?

-Damn you ... -

Quiet! Thomas thundered, glaring at Caius. Is this your majesty's daughter?

Point to Melissa.

-Yes.

-Lie! The king shouted.

-What is your height? Don't you recognize your own daughter? Victoria's tone remains calm despite Caius's screams.

I had never seen a woman so self-possessed.

-Prove it! said another archangel.

Melissa came out from behind Victoria, showing them all the sign on her shoulder. It was the sign of the Dragomir family. A dragon spitting flames. Although Melissa was a member of the Herondale family, the sign was always inherited from her father.

Nobody said anything more. Caius looked at the girl's sign in shock, and Victoria smiled contentedly. But it was the kind of smile that would freeze fire.

-I say accuse Caius of murder. He's the most capable of killing, but it wouldn't be the first time. The brunette said sharply, then took Melissa's hand out of the throne room, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Everyone was watching Victoria, and although I could hear the whispers of the archangels who were skeptical or shocked, one thing I could say for sure: I was none of this, I was fascinated. It was raining heavily outside, but even so, I dared to go to the cemetery. My footsteps could be heard on the smooth stone road, and it was so dark that it was night. The cemetery was exactly as I remembered. In front of the gate were two marble griffins and I always had the feeling that I was being watched at every step. Here the wind was blowing harder and I could feel the agitated spirits screaming in the air but I never understood what I was saying. Some were crying, others were screaming in pain, but I had learned to ignore them. As I walked down the narrow path I heard a baby crying. I stopped walking and my stomach trembled with fear. It didn't take me long to realize that the baby was actually dead. Tears welled up in my eyes just thinking about what might have happened to him. I swallowed the lump in my throat and moved on. I've always hated cemeteries.

My parents' mausoleum was the same as last time. Not even the dried flowers had been cleaned. I stroked the black marble cap and felt tears streaming down my cheeks. I missed them so much. I always have the impression that he will come out of the coffin, he will take my hand and we will be a family again. But I was hoping in vain. My family is gone. And I couldn't help but blame myself for that. If I had managed to specialize in one element, this would not have happened now. Maybe things would have been different. But I will still make them proud of me. I know I can do it. I swore I would protect Melissa, and I would. But God is my witness that on that cursed day I swore on my parents' grave that I would avenge them. I wasn't going to let their deaths be in vain,

That afternoon when I arrived at the palace, I started training Melissa how to invoke the light. I felt a presence before I saw it. It was Marcus, the head of the archangels. I saw out of the corner of my eye how Melissa shuddered as if slapped. I knew she was scared, but I had to talk to her so she wouldn't react like that.

"Duchess Victoria, I have come to tell you that by order of the king you must always have a guard with you."

- A guard?

I couldn't believe what I was hearing!

-For protection, ma'am.

Or as a spy!

"Very well then, Lord Marcus." Who is?

-My brother. Christian Laurens.

Marcus glanced at Melissa and then left. I turned my attention to my dear niece and shuddered when I saw her staring blankly. I knew that look too well. The irises and pupils were completely white. He had a vision.4

Christian

I was sitting in the library looking at the walls and thinking about yesterday's beautiful brunette. What was that girl hiding? I could swear he was hiding something. My thoughts were interrupted by Marcus. He threw his boots on the floor and sat down next to me.

-You know you have to do something too, don't you?

-No, I answered bored.

-You don't want to take part in the councils, you don't want to help me with the registers, you don't want to do anything but haunt these hallways!

-Marcus, say what you want.

-Well, brothers, I just found you a job!

-Here you go?

That was not possible!

-Before you refuse, I'll tell you that whether you accept Caius' order or not. You will be the guardian of the Duchess of Herondale. P

-I don't do that!

-Well, since you jumped to defend her yesterday, I think you're the best fit.

-No way! I screamed angrily.

-Tell this to Caius and see if you can keep your head on your shoulders!

-You're all crazy! I screamed out of my mind.

The truth was, I didn't want to deal with a spoiled duchess. I knew what these girls were capable of, but I was intrigued by her. Plus the king only wanted me to be the spy. I had done this for Caius before, but after the last incident I swore I would never do it again. And until I realized it, I accepted. I wanted to meet Victoria, but I didn't understand why.