Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)

I had never imagined that I’d ever have to face our family’s terrible past again. After Noel died, I thought that her chapter in our lives was over.

Yet sitting in that living room, I had to face this cold reality. Not only was Noel still able to influence things using this curse, but she was also aiming for Raphael’s grandson. If she took him, she would have her ultimate revenge, not just on us, but on Raphael for the betrayal she’d always believed he’d committed against her.

“It’s really Noel? But she’s been dead since before I was born, and no one even talks about her.” Mia managed to say.

“I know. We never wanted to because we’d hoped to stop this curse when she died.” I confessed.

“What the hell happened to her Pop?” Sevee demanded, “I’ve seen her grave and it’s farther away from the other family there, and one time I hear that she’s committed suicide, and another time I’ve heard that she was sick. What gives with all of this? What happened to her?”

I looked down, knowing that there was no avoiding this now. Sevee had been suspecting that there was more to Noel’s story than we’d wanted to say, and we also owed it to them all to help them understand why this was happening now. Even if I wouldn’t get into all of the details, I wanted to be honest with them.

“It’s a very long story that I promise I’ll tell you, but first, we should get everyone here,” I told them.

Even though they were reluctant to wait, they did agree. It didn’t take long either for everyone to arrive at the house. Of course, they also knew what was going on, and seeing how urgent we’d been to get them there, they all knew that this was probably going to be bad.

“Alright, what’s going on Michael? You must know something more to ask all of us to be here.” Raphael reasoned as he stood near me.

“Do you know where Noah is? Where he might be going?” Anna asked me, looking hopeful as she stood with Raziel. She had been beside herself since they’d realized that Noah was missing.

I wasn’t even sure of where to begin with this, but did my best, “I think we’ve figured out enough to know where to start looking. Apparently, Noah has decided to head to the other side of the Veil, and he may be looking for someone. From what Sevee’s told me, Noah’s talked about seeing an Angel in his dreams, and this Angel’s been communicating things to him that seem to be connected to the curse that’s been following our family.”

“An Angel?” Raziel repeated, “You don’t think this is the demon that caused this curse, do you?”

“No. I saw a vision of her through what Sevee managed to imprint from him. It’s not a demon. It’s the spirit of our sister, Noel.” I confessed.

I noticed Raphael tense up slightly where he stood, although he was trying hard to hide any reaction. But I wasn’t a fool about his thoughts. If Noel was going after Noah, then it had to be for some sort of revenge against him.

“Hold up!” Anna spoke up before anyone else could, “You’re saying that your sister, the one who died when she was sixteen and before Raziel and Mia were born, is now after Noah? Why? Is it because of this curse?”

“It’s hard to say at this point.” Raphael offered, although the excuse was quiet and came out weaker than he normally would’ve sounded.

Anna became incredulous as she heard this, “Are you kidding?! You all knew about this curse the whole time, didn’t you?! That’s why she really died, isn’t it?!”

“Hey, now’s not the time for this...” Raziel started.

“Don’t even try that one, Raziel!” Anna retorted, “We’ve both seen what’s been happening to our son, and we know what’s happened to Sevee and Seraphina. It all started around the same time, and it’s all coming from a curse that they knew about way back when this girl died, so don’t try to defend them for not telling you or Mia what you always should’ve known about!”

We all knew that she was right. Anna wasn’t the type to bite her tongue when someone was out of line, and we had been for years. We simply never wanted to acknowledge this curse, and for that, we’d let it get far out of hand.

“Don’t you think it was for a good reason?!” Raziel snapped back. He wasn’t one to back down easily either, especially when he was equally as frustrated, “Like maybe this was a way to protect all of us?! It’s only gotten worse since we’ve admitted that it’s been happening!”

Mia quickly stood up, “Hey, stop it!” she ordered. She always had been the one who could get the two of them to stop arguing, “Maybe it wasn’t right not to tell us everything, but we know that our family always wants to protect us and our kids. This might have been the only way they knew how.”

“She’s right.” I acknowledged as I stood with her, “Not talking about what happened before with Noel and our parents felt like the only way to try to keep whatever this darkness was at bay, and it did seem like it was working for a while. But now we know it was still the wrong approach with what happened to Missy, and on top of that, now Noel’s spirit is trying to influence Noah. I’m sure that’s a big part of it because Noah’s recent feelings and actions have been extremely similar to hers.”

Anna looked pale as she heard this. Yes, she did know how Noel had died. Raziel and Mia knew that she’d killed herself, although we’d never disclosed how she’d been sick before it or the circumstances surrounding her suicide.

“Are you saying that Noah might end up killing himself?” she asked, her tone much meeker than before.

“Hey, don’t even think that. We both know Noah’s stronger than that.” Raziel assured her as he hugged her.

Gabrielle looked over at Raphael, “You know they’re right. We can’t keep denying what happened, and we can’t let it happen again.” she informed him quietly.

“Yes, I know.” Raphael sighed. He stood up a little straighter, “Listen, we are sorry that we didn’t tell you three everything, but right now, it’s a moot point. We need to find Noah before she does, or there is the danger of him ending up like her. It wasn’t just that Noel took her own life. Her wings were already killing her because they had turned black and become toxic, although we don’t know the reasons behind that. It very well could’ve been from things that darkness made her do. But we’re going to do everything we can for Noah not to have the same fate, especially me.”

I don’t think that Raziel and Anna were that keen on believing us, but they did accept Raphael’s promise. Maybe a large part of that was that they knew he had always been protective of them and Noah, and he’d do anything he could to keep them safe.

As for me, I decided to move on with this. We were running out of time.

“Okay. Let’s start with this. Raziel, Sean, were you able to track Noah anymore around the gateway?” I asked.

“Only to it, so we believe that he did go through the gateway and is somewhere within the Veil now,” Sean answered.

“Just as we thought. She must have told him to meet her there somewhere, maybe even at one of the portals.” I surmised.

“It would make sense.” Sean agreed, crossing his arms and nodding his head, “But it could be an issue for us to find him there too. Most creatures on that side would avoid Nephilim because they don’t want any trouble that they might attract, so it could be hard finding leads to track him down.”

“What about talking to the ruler there? You said his name’s Jekia, right?” Raziel suggested.

“Yes, but that could take more time than we have. It’s not always easy even gaining an audience with one like Jekia, and he could be anywhere within his lands depending on what’s going on during this time.” Sean admitted.

Raphael was also thinking all of this over, “We could start out trying to follow Imprints for now. Sometimes I can pick up on the fainter ones better than Raziel can. Maybe we could also find some information while we do so.” he suggested.

Sean nodded, “That sounds like a start, and if any Foxes are roaming out there, there’s a chance I could get one to talk to me about whether they’ve seen or heard anything. There’s even a chance that they might know something about Noel’s spirit with those portals opening. She very well may have slipped out into the Veil with one of them, and it would be noticeable.”

“Are you sure about all of that? I mean, if she’s there, then what might happen if you run into her?” Mia asked us.

“We would just have to handle it if it happened, even if we don’t know how yet,” I admitted.

No, I wasn’t sure of how we’d handle such a thing if it were to happen, but I saw no other choices here. The memory of that vision of Noel flashed through my mind again, and I internally shivered. I hated remembering my baby sister as she’d died, and she looked the same as that horrible night.

“There’s no choice here, Mom. Noah’s going end up getting extremely sick if we don’t, not to mention that she-witch could take him too.” Sevee reminded Mia.

“Hey,” Raziel looked at Raphael, “you said that Noel’s wings made her sick and that they turned black. How did that happen?”

“As I said, we’re not sure. We believe that it may have been from what this dark curse did to her soul, but we don’t have any real evidence to prove it.” Raphael answered.

Sean took a step towards the nearby doorway, “Then I guess it’s settled. We’ll get ready to go shortly and I’ll see if I can contact Musket before we do.”

Raziel looked at his father, “Hey, do you mind if we talk outside for a minute?” he requested.

“That’s fine.” Raphael agreed.

Gabrielle let out a long breath as they left the room, sitting down in the nearby chair and rubbing her face.

“I can’t believe this. Noel’s still not at peace,” she whispered. She looked like she was holding back tears now.

“It’ll be okay Gabby. We’ll figure this out, and maybe this time we can help her.” I reassured her.

Mia moved a little closer to me and Gabrielle, “I know this might be hard, but seriously, what happened back then with Noel? You said that it had something to do with this demon’s curse on our family. Was that really why Noel got sick and why she took her own life?” she asked us.

“We think that was part of it, but there are still a lot of questions we’ve never been able to answer,” I admitted. As much as I hated talking about all of this, I forced myself to continue, “We always knew that something wasn’t right, but none of us understood until after what happened to her. When we were growing up, our parents used to fight very frequently, and it seemed like for no reason at all. During those fights, it was like they became someone else too. Their eyes would look darker, and the room they were in would turn cold. This lasted for years, until the day that Noel was kidnapped.”

Mia was easily putting the pieces together, “It was all this curse, and it moved to her, didn’t it?”

“That’s what we believe. Noel was broken when she was brought home after the horrible things that man did to her, and I think it left her wide open for that demon’s power to take over her life. As we said, there is something she and Noah have in common right now. She became very close to Raphael during that time, and before she died, she believed that she was in love with him. I think that Noah’s started to believe that with Seraphina because he’s been influenced to, just like her.” I explained to her.

“So, he was right.” Sevee scoffed as he sat back and crossed his arms, “It’s always been connected to that she-devil.”

“Please Sevee, please don’t call Noel that,” Gabrielle begged. She was still looking down, and her voice remained soft as she tried in vain to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks, “She was my twin sister, and before all of that happened, I thought I’d always have her with me. She was my best friend, like the other half of me. Then she lost her mind from all of that, and she died, and Mama died too, maybe because of her. It’s been so long, but it all still hurts like it just happened, and now she’s not even able to rest in peace.”

Sevee looked remorseful as he heard this, “Sorry Aunt Gabby. I didn’t mean it like that.” he apologized.

“We do get it Sevee, so it’s alright,” I told him.

Seraphina handed the baby to her brother, then came over and laid her head on Gabrielle’s lap. I wondered if she was also lamenting things now, or perhaps feared the same kind of heartbreak. After all, she and Sevee had been close to Noah from the day they were all born. Even though they were cousins, they acted a lot like siblings.

Sevee watched this scene for a moment, then slowly stood up.

“Hey, I’m going with you,” he announced.

All of us were surprised when we heard this. Mia immediately turned to face him, looking very concerned.

“Why?” she asked him.

“I can’t just sit here while this is going on. Besides, Noah did everything he could to help me with the stuff with Missy, and he lost a wing for it. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror ever again if I didn’t help him when he needed it too.” Sevee told her. He gently handed her Sage, “Can you, Sera, and Aunt Gabby keep an eye on Sage while I’m gone? Maybe Anna can help too. It might help her stay calm if she’s focusing on him.”

“Are you sure about this Sevee?” I double-checked. It hadn’t been that long since the events with Lenore, and I knew that going back to the other side might end up being hard on him for those painful memories.

“I’ll be fine. As I said, I owe Noah this one. Besides, it’ll help me blow off some steam with all this stuff too, and what better way than tracking him down and knocking some sense into him?” Sevee responded, giving us that same cocky smile.

Seraphina made a small sound in her throat, then got up and went over to him. She pointed at him, then at the floor, like she was demanding for him to stay.

Sevee shook his head, “You know I have to do this Sera, and I promise I’ll come back with him. Just help Mom take care of the baby for me, okay? I promise I’ll come back safe, and so will he.” he promised her.

Seraphina shook her head and bit her lip, then hugged him tightly. Even though she was upset, she knew that she couldn’t change his mind.

Mia looked up at me as she cradled Sage, “Please be careful Dad, you, and everyone. We don’t want to lose anybody else.” she begged.

I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, “Just relax. We’ll all come back soon and make sure that none of us are hurt. I promise.”

“You’d better keep it,” Mia warned me.

I smiled at her, “You know I always do.”

But as Sevee and I got to the foyer, Gabrielle was suddenly stopping me by grabbing my arm. I turned and she was immediately hugging me tightly.

“Please keep your promise Michael, you, and Raphael. I don’t want to be the only one left,” she begged softly.

That was hard to hear, but I did my best to suck up the pain within me as I hugged her back.

“We will. We swore a long time ago that we’d never leave you, and we’ll always mean it.” I reminded her.

Gabrielle wiped her eyes again as she pulled back, nodding her head.

“Alright. I’ll see you soon.” she reluctantly agreed.

“Aunt Gabby’s really shaken up,” Sevee noted as she went back to the living room and we stepped outside.

“Well, as we said, it was a lot of tragedy back then, and your aunt is living with a lot of bad memories from it, maybe even a little more than us,” I admitted.

“Did she see Noel die?” Sevee asked me.

I shook my head, “No. Raphael and I did. But she did find our mother after she hung herself in her bathroom.”

“Damn...” Sevee whispered as he looked away.

Raphael was waiting outside near the cars with Sean and Raziel. They had already sent Anna into the house to be with the others.

“Hey, we should get moving. It’ll be dark in another four hours, and that means it will be the same in the Veil.” he reminded us.

Raziel immediately noticed Sevee with me, “You’re coming too?”

“Yeah. I can’t just sit here and wait.” Sevee admitted.

“Are you sure about this?” Raziel asked us.

“He’ll be fine. Sevee knows how to think on his feet very well, and we can keep an eye on him if we need to.” Sean reassured him.

I did feel like I had a bone to pick with Sean over some of this, but I bit my tongue for now. I could always confront him later about keeping what he knew from me. What was happening at this moment was far too important.

Raphael and I took his car while Sean, Raziel, and Sevee rode in the Jeep down to the area of the trails where we’d find the gateway. While Raphael and I didn’t say any more to each other, I could sense his apprehension with all of this. We both knew what was at stake, especially if Noel got to Noah first.

For all we knew, we may have already been too late.

The woods were very quiet as we came to the trails and got out of the cars. A slight breeze was blowing, and clouds were beginning to filter the sunlight. It took about ten minutes of walking through the maze of trees away from the paths before we finally got to the hidden gateway, a pulsing vortex sitting among the trees and underbrush. Stepping through it felt like going through a charge of static electricity, and instantly, we were in the forest of the other world.

I admit that this world set on the other side of reality was very vivid and interesting, and I had thought this from the very first time that I’d been able to set foot in it with Raphael. It mirrored our mortal world in many ways, yet things that had never been human called it home.

Raphael and I had found this particular entrance after we’d both gotten our wings. We had been exploring the paths and stumbled onto this gateway, and from the moment we’d realized what it was, we’d made it our mission to learn everything we could about it. While we hadn’t gone very far into it at first, we had gotten to a point of knowing a decent distance around it now. This, coupled with having Sean, who often came to this side, gave us at least somewhat of a comfort level in searching for Noah now.

But more than that, Raphael had wanted to learn more about this world from the beginning to understand more about our family and where we’d come from. Were there truly other Nephilim who existed? We heard rumors as we went along within the Veil that there were. Not only were there supposed to be two other families like ours, but there were also Nephilim that had been born to the Fallen.

Yet sadly, we’d never been able to locate any of them or learn much more about them. Either they had never formally been seen, or the ones who knew about them were keeping tight-lipped for whatever reason.

The five of us walked the dirt path through that forest mostly in silence, with Raphael following the traces of Imprint that Noah had left. It was still there, although it was becoming fainter and fainter. This proved that we were several hours behind him, which worried me. That felt like way too long.

Finally, we came to the edge of this forest, spying a small tavern that had been built there. It was an older-looking two-story building, reminding me much of the pictures I had seen in England of their countryside inns and taverns.

“It seems like Noah’s Imprint did go into there. I doubt he stayed, but it’s worth a shot to see if anything in there saw where he went.” Raphael told us.

“There’s a possibility that at least one will talk to us. I can see what I can do with the owner also. The ones who run these places usually notice everything that happens there.” Sean added.

“Guess we’ll leave a lot of the talking to you then.” Raziel surmised.

“It may be to our benefit, considering the ones on this side do tend to fear Nephilim to an extent.” Sean reminded him.

The place we entered felt like stepping back in time. The building was made of wood and stone, with large windows and wooden beams that crisscrossed the ceiling. There was a dining area as we stepped in, with a bar several feet away to our left. There weren’t many creatures in there, just a few Gnomes and Faerie types sitting at the tables having meals.

The one standing behind the bar was eyeing us as soon as we entered. It seemed that she was a Hag, one of the fabled witches that are often whispered about in legends and local lore. She was an ancient-looking creature, with a sharp nose and face filled with wrinkles. Her eyes were slanted upwards instead of sideways, the irises red. Her blazing white hair was very long and unkept, falling around her and more than likely reaching the floor.

Sean glanced at me, “I’ll talk to her. She more than likely is the owner of this place.” he said quietly.

“Mind if I come over with you?” Sevee requested.

“It’s fine, but please don’t say anything unless I tell you.” Sean requested.

Raphael, Raziel, and I stood back near the wall as the two walked over to the bar. Sean leaned against it; his expression neutral as he faced the Hag.

“Good afternoon. You have quite a lovely place here.” he complimented her.

The Hag chuckled, not moving from where she stood, “Ah, so two Foxes have suddenly come to visit my tavern. You may save your compliments. I am well aware of what I create.” she informed him.

“I would imagine so.” Sean agreed.

“Tell me,” the Hag continued, “what would bring ones like you here? You are half-human, and that boy there has a mix of something within him too. Also, you bring Nephilim with you. What business would such creatures as you have with my little abode?”

“It’s nothing that should be too out of the way for you to answer. We’ve simply been looking for one of our own and thought that he might have come by here. Have you seen any other Nephilim in the recent hours?” Sean inquired.

The Hag grunted, leaning a bit closer to him, “And what would be in it for me to tell you such information? I may have, or I may not. I am not entitled to answer such a thing, especially to a half breed.” she warned him.

Raphael let out a frustrated sigh, “I figured as much. No Hag will give information willingly without proper payment.” he stated quietly.

“What would that be?” Raziel asked him.

“It depends on what they like. Gold, jewels, even flesh, and blood.” I answered.

Sean wasn’t giving in, nor was he showing any signs of fear toward her. Neither was Sevee. Both stood their ground.

“You do realize that we know he was here at some point. Nephilim know how to follow traces of their own, and all we need is the direction that he went.” Sean pressed quietly.

“And if I do not give the information? What will you do?” the Hag challenged.

“Guess that depends,” Sevee answered.

“That is true.” Sean nodded, “He and I are Foxes, and even if I am a half-breed as they all call me, I still carry Alpha status here. Don’t make me pull that card on you.”

“There is no need for such things.”

We all looked to the right as we heard the familiar voice, and the Hag immediately froze where she stood. She looked frightened now. Of course, one couldn’t blame her reaction, or the startled reactions of the others there as they quickly stood up and bowed at the one who now stood there.

It was the ruler of the Northern Lands, the Luna Dog Jekia.

The Hag pulled out of her shocked state and hurried around the bar, her backward feet shuffling on the floor behind her before she knelt. Jekia quietly walked over to her as she did.

“Lord Jekia! I apologize! I did not know you would be visiting us!” she groveled.

“I do like to pop in on these places from time to time, although I would not call this one such a social call as it is a matter of duty,” Jekia informed her. He looked over at us, “It would appear we meet again, although not under much better circumstances. Am I to understand that you are looking for one of yours in this area?”

“We are. It’s a bit of a story right now, but we must find him. We believe that he might have come through here from the Imprints we followed.” Raphael explained to him.

“I see.” Jekia nodded. He looked back at the Hag, “I realize that you have your terms for information Aggie, but this one is under my orders. Tell me if a young Nephilim came through here, and if so, where he went.”

The Hag immediately complied, “Yes, sire. There was a young Nephilim who came in here nearly two hours ago. He was striking in appearance. His hair was white and his eyes a blue like ice. He did not say much, only waiting for a storm to pass, and his eyes were very set and cold. He left heading to the East.”

“That sounds like Noah,” Sean confirmed.

Jekia nodded, “I see. Let us take our leave then.”

There was nothing more said as we stepped out of that building with Jekia. I noticed from the corner of my eye how the others scurried to their feet and went back to what they were doing. All of this left little doubt of how they revered Jekia. They may have also feared crossing him too.

“I would take it that you have already received word of Noah’s presence around here,” I noted as we stood outside.

“I confess that nothing truly escapes me, even if it might take some extra time to get to me. For my part, it was Emelio who informed me that there was a sighting of a Nephilim in this area. Such a thing is unusual, so I had to check on it myself.” Jekia explained.

“Yes, and we’re sorry to trouble you with this, but we must find him. He’s come here looking for someone who could end up getting him killed.” Sean told him.

“Is that so?” Jekia responded.

“Unfortunately it has to do with the curse that we discussed before. We had one of our sisters who died from that curse, and it’s her spirit that’s calling Noah to her now. We’re afraid that with the portals open, she’ll be able to get to him.” Raphael told him.

“Please, if you could help us find him, I’ll find a way to repay you,” Raziel added. He looked desperate now, even if he was trying to hide it.

Jekia studied him, “You are that boy’s father, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am,” Raziel confirmed.

“I figured as much with your desperation here, but I could not blame you for such a thing. For that much, I’m willing to help you as I can. As it stands, this time of year does bring about different troubles because of what can escape those portals, not to mention that he’s requesting for me to help with this issue for now.” Jekia admitted.

“He?” I repeated.

Sevee immediately caught onto what he was implying, “You’re talking about that Angel, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Jekia confirmed.

“You know him?” Raphael probed.

“I know him from times past, as I’ve come to know many of them through my position in this world. But I confess that I would certainly not turn down any of his requests when it comes to his family. His affection towards all of you mirrors what I feel towards my own, and I find it irresistibly admirable.” Jekia explained. He glanced around us before continuing, “But enough of such for now. We must make haste to the East. The last thing we need is for her to make any more contact with him.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go.” I agreed.

While all of this did feel like a bit of good fortune in such a bad situation, I had to wonder what was coming next. Noah was under Noel’s control to make it this far. What would happen if she got to him before we did?

I believe we were all afraid to learn that answer.