Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)

Seraphina’s words echoed in my head that night as I sat on my bed and looked over the music sheets that I’d been vainly trying to work on. While she had always told me before that she loved me, what she had said this time didn’t just feel like family love. I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe, just maybe, she also loved me more than she should have. The thought was both elating and troubling.

I was so wrapped up in these thoughts that I’d forgotten about all of the strange stuff that had been happening since the night before. I hadn’t thought at all about it as I got up to my room, just going ahead and trying to immerse myself in working on my music. I wanted to write something that might mirror my conflicted feelings. It might help me if I did.

But as I was writing down notes, a sudden sliding sound caught my attention. I looked up to see that the cover over my piano keys had been moved. I looked at it for a minute, wondering if I’d forgotten to put it back the last time that I’d played. It was possible with how distracted I'd been lately.

I slowly got up and went over there, standing beside the piano for a minute before pulling the cover back over the keys. Oh well. Everyone gets forgetful here and there.

But as I thought this, I suddenly heard something drop onto my floor. I turned back to my bed to see my notebook lying there beside it. Everything immediately came back to me as I quickly stepped over there and picked it up. Flipping through the pages, I finally found where my notes for the day had been, along with the ominous message written over them.

I took a few minutes to study this message. No, I didn’t recognize the handwriting, and I had no idea how it had appeared there. I hadn’t even looked away from my notebook for a minute.

The sharp pain raked through my back again as I thought about this, and I dropped the book and bent over, holding my shoulders tightly. This pain was worse than when I’d lost my wing, and I couldn’t even move for a few minutes. But just as suddenly, it disappeared.

I managed to sit down on my bed, taking some deep breaths to calm myself down. I didn’t get what was happening to me. Pulling off my shirt, I checked my remaining wing again for any signs of black but saw nothing. The feathers looked completely normal.

The sound of knocking at my door brought me back to reality, and I quickly pulled my wing back in and put my shirt on before responding to it.

“Yeah?”

I made sure to kick the notebook back under my bed as I spoke. Better to be safe than sorry.

My mother opened the door and looked in on me, “Hey Noah. Mind if I come in?”

I forced a smile to make sure that she didn’t suspect anything.

“Sure. Something up?” I asked her.

“No. I just wanted to see you.” Mom responded as she came in and stood near me. The smile on her face told me that she had something happy on her mind.

“By the way, what’s Dad been up to? I haven’t seen him all day.” I noted.

“He’s been working on some stuff with your grandfather, so he’s been pretty busy today. I, on the other hand, decided to make it an afternoon for myself, and I saw something that I just had to get for you.” Mom answered.

“Really? What is it?”

Mom pulled out a palm-sized box from behind her back and handed it to me, “I know I don’t usually do this, but I saw this and thought it looked like something that would fit you really well.”

Now she had me curious. While she did tend to buy me things here and there that caught her eye, they usually weren’t pieces of jewelry. My Dad had gotten me a silver cross right after I’d lost my wing, but that was a special thing he'd wanted to do for me.

I had to admit that I was pleasantly surprised as I opened that box. There was a very unique-looking pendant inside of it that was held by a black cord. It looked like a silver pair of wings. I really liked it right away.

“This is amazing Mom. Where did you find it?” I asked her.

“A little jewelry shop in town. They had some pretty unique pieces, and when I saw that, I thought it would look great on you.” Mom answered.

I took the pendant out and slipped it around my neck, “It’s awesome. Thanks, Mom.”

Mom sat down beside me, giving me a quick hug, “I was hoping to find something to make you feel better too. I know that you’ve been having a hard time lately.” she admitted.

My guilt was returning. I had been worrying her a lot, and I still hadn’t apologized for the night before.

“Yeah, I have been, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you last night. I’m sorry for acting like I did.” I told her.

“It’s okay. I know you weren’t feeling good, so I know you didn’t mean it.”

Yes, it was just like my mother to forgive me this easily. She did the same with Dad. No matter what we did, she always forgave us, even though she might have blown up at us first.

“I didn’t feel good, but it’s still not an excuse for acting like that,” I responded.

As usual, she ignored me, instead, catching sight of the music sheets on my bed.

“Oh, are you working on something new?” she asked me.

“I was just drafting for now. I had something in mind, so I wanted to write it down.” I explained.

“Really? I’d love to hear it soon. You always write such beautiful music, Noah. You have such a talent for it. You really should think about getting into doing it professionally.” Mom suggested.

I knew that I probably would have that option in the next few years. I would look the right age. But I still worried about what would come in the next ten or twenty years. All Nephilim had their clocks stop. What would that mean if I was a famous musician?

But I didn’t let that on to my mother, only sticking to the subject.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I told her.

“Alright.” Mom stood up again, “Hey, I’m gonna go downstairs and finish those design plans I’ve been working on. Just call me if you need anything, okay?”

“I’m fine Mom, but I promise I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

I really can’t say that I had any feelings of foreboding as she walked out of my room. She seemed very happy, just like she always was. Sitting back on my bed, I let out a long breath and decided to get back to writing my music. Reaching up, I held the pendant that now hung from my neck. What an awesome gift. I’d be wearing it often, just like the cross.

The rest of the evening ended up going by without any issues. I spent most of it working on the musical piece I had in my head and sat downstairs while I did that. I guess you could say that I wanted more time with my mom, and it did make her happy. My dad was the same way when he came home, hanging out with us down there until it got late. That was when we all decided to call it a night.

Heading back into my room, I changed and crawled into the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. My evening with my parents had felt nice, and I hoped it meant that I’d have a peaceful night’s sleep.

But again, I was wrong.

I woke up and nearly screamed as I saw a vision of a woman hanging at the foot of my bed. She was staring at me with dead blue eyes, and her long hair was tangled around her shoulders as she slowly swung from the noose around her neck, which looked like it had been made from a cord. I could make out every detail of her, even her open burgundy robe which was draped over her white satin nightgown. I stared in horror for a moment, but when I managed to blink, she was gone.

I sat perfectly still, doing my best to tell myself that it was only a waking nightmare, but the tears still came, and I had to put my head in my hands as a muffled sob escaped me. Maybe I did need help with all of this. I felt like I was starting to slowly lose my mind.

After a few minutes of crying, I finally pulled myself together and got up, throwing on some clothes and making my way to the bathroom to wash my face. Then I headed downstairs, knowing that there was no way I was getting back to sleep tonight. At least, not in my room.

That vision was still vivid in my mind as I sat in the den room by the bay window and looked out at the night sky. I didn’t think that waking nightmares could be that clear, or last that long. But the oddest part to me was that it felt like I should’ve known this woman. I just didn’t know from where.

As I sat there thinking about this, something strange caught my eye. A figure was coming out of the woods near our house. I straightened up a little more, looking closer. The figure was of a young girl. She was very pretty with long light blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress with a dark cape over her shoulders. But the thing I noticed the most was that she had rainbow-colored wings that remained me of a dragonfly’s.

I was sure then that she must’ve been a Faerie, but I didn’t get why she’d be out there so late, and near our house nonetheless. It made me curious enough to get up and head out there to see what she was up to.

The made sure to close the front door as quietly as I could, then headed out to the woods. The Faerie girl immediately sensed me, looking startled as she turned to face me. But that expression quickly changed to a friendly smile.

“Oh, it seems I have attracted a bit of attention.” she giggled, showing no signs of fear toward me. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad sign.

“You do realize that you’re trespassing, don’t you? This area is part of my family’s home.” I informed her.

The Faerie immediately held up her hands, “Oh! I am so, so sorry! I did not mean to intrude or anything of the sort. I was simply looking for a special flower for my niece. I understand that it would be suspicious of me to be out here so late, but this flower only blooms at night, so I could not find it any other way. I did not mean to infringe on anyone’s territory.” she apologized.

Well, she did seem pretty sincere about this, and her body language showed no indication that she was lying. Still, I decided to play a bit of a trump card here, just to be safe.

“Yeah, I guess I could understand that. However, I should tell you that you’re on Renaldi territory here. This whole area belongs to our Nephilim family.”

Now the Faerie looked startled, “The Renaldis?” she repeated. Then a realization seemed to dawn on her, “Oh yes! I do recall hearing of your family. Lord Jekia speaks very highly of the Renaldis, and I had heard that one of them recently was seen in the Veil. I believe they called him Noah.”

“Yeah. That would be me.” I confirmed.

“My, you are as beautiful as they claimed. Well, handsome would fit a boy better, would it not?” the Faerie beamed.

A tired sigh escaped me. She was only trying to be nice, but I didn’t feel like being stared at all night.

“And you’re supposed to be?” I inquired.

“I am sorry again. I have been rude. My name is Corinna.” the Faerie introduced herself.

“Corinna. Cool name.” I commented.

“I thank you for liking it.” Corinna happily responded.

“Anyway,” I continued, “What flower are you looking for out here? I might be able to help you find it.”

“That would be very kind of you, although I am not sure if this flower exists. My niece was telling me that it’s called a Midnight Lily, and it only blooms at night. I have been looking around this area for a few nights now because it was supposed to be around here, but cannot find a sign of it. I am beginning to believe that I am on a wild goose chase.” Corinna explained.

Who was I to let her suffer? Besides, she was looking for this for a kid. The least I could do was help her out.

“You know, my father’s cousin has a husband who grows all different kinds of plants, and I remember him showing me once where flowers like that would bloom. It’s not that far from here, and I could give you one.” I offered.

Corinna looked a bit reserved, “I would like that, but it would not be stealing it, would it?”

“Not at all. Think of it as a gift of goodwill from me.”

“O-okay.”

The two of us walked further into the woods, and I used memory to find the small area that Sean had shown me before. These flowers were pretty exclusive to these areas, and not the easiest to spot because they often grew within the underbrush. After a few minutes of scanning there, I finally found one, and easily dug it out to hand to her.

Corinna was practically jumping for joy as I did, a beautiful smile now on her face.

“Oh, how beautiful! Panini will be so happy when she sees it!” she chimed.

I had to admit that this Faerie did seem likable. I was half tempted to ask her to visit with me again but stopped myself. Maybe another time. I could always find a way to contact her later, especially with everything still going on.

“I hope she likes it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to meet her too one day.” I suggested.

Corinna nodded, “I hope so, and thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I don’t mind helping, especially for a kid.”

Corinna took the small canvas bag from the belt around her dress, gently placing the flower inside of it, “The soil in here will keep it alive and well until I get home. I thank you so kindly for all this again, Noah. I hope we can see each other another time and speak more.”

“I’d like that. Just be careful getting back. It is the middle of the night here.” I reminded her.

“Of course.” I was surprised as she gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. But when she pulled back, she gave me a funny look, “Not to pry, but have you been feeling alright Noah?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why ask?” I lied.

Corinna shook her head, “I guess it is nothing, but I wish to say that if you ever need any help, but do not hesitate to ask for me on the other side. My Faerie sect is well known, and I would listen and do what I could to help with whatever you need.” she offered.

It was obvious that she sensed that something more was going on with me. I could tell by the way she looked at me and spoke. But she wasn’t going to pry either, which I appreciated.

“Thanks for that, and maybe I will take you up on the offer one day, but I’m fine for now. Besides, it is seriously late here, and things can prowl out here at night, so you should get back and stay safe.” I reiterated to her.

“Alright. Just remember our door is always open for you and your family.” Corinna relented. She then flew upwards, rainbow sparkles coming off of her wings, “Talk to you soon, Noah!”

I waved back to her and watched her fly off, leaving a trail of those sparkles behind her that slowly dropped to the ground. A long breath escaped me as I glanced at my watch in the light of the full moon.

Three a.m.

I needed to get back now. Not only was it incredibly late, but I was starting to get cold out there in just my light jacket.

But as I began to walk back, I stopped as I heard what sounded like a small chuckle. It seemed to float in the air around me. I spun around but saw nothing except for the darkened woods. Yet that cold feeling was creeping up my spine again. Something was there with me. Something I couldn’t see.

My mind reeled as I realized that this chuckle sounded a lot like the voice that I’d heard in the library when those weird things started happening.

Wait a minute. The stuff in the library, the nightmare, the pains in my back.

Could it be…?

All at once, intense pain shot up my leg and through my body, centering where my wings were. I screamed as it did, and my stomach lurched in response to it. But just as quickly, I felt like I was fading out of consciousness, everything going dark before my eyes.

Then, something even stranger happened.

I opened my eyes again, and I was now in another house. Only, it didn’t feel like it was me there. It was like I was someone else, and I was seeing things through their eyes.

I walked through a house that I didn’t recognize. It was a beautiful, spacious place with nice-looking furniture that seemed to be an older style. The walls were painted white, and there was white carpeting on the floors. My pace was quick and steady, heading up the set of stairs and passing by what looked like family pictures that I couldn’t quite make out. Yet, in a flash of one, I swore I saw a family portrait. It was of a man and woman with four young children; two boys and two girls.

What is this? I thought. What am I seeing?

The person I was experiencing this as finally got to the top of the stairs, then turned right and continued down the hall with several doors to rooms that were closed. The one I stopped at was at the end of the hall. I opened it, and there was a woman in there, sitting on the bed. The vision turned black and white as she looked at me. A gasp escaped me as I saw her face.

She was the same woman that I had seen hanging at the foot of my bed!

But before the vision could go on, it all faded to darkness again. It was deep, almost suffocating, like being surrounded by hellish cold.

Then, I woke up in my bed.

It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight that was trying to come through my curtains. As they did, I realized that Seraphina was sitting in the chair beside my bed, holding my hand. She looked relieved as she saw that I was awake.

“Noah, thank goodness!” she breathed, “How are you feeling?”

“What happened?” I managed to ask her. My voice came out in a husky whisper, as though I’d been yelling for a long time.

“You passed out outside last night. We were really lucky that Daddy happened to hear you out there when he was coming back from a late-night run.” Seraphina explained.

“He heard me out there?”

Seraphina nodded, “Yes. He heard you before you passed out. He said that you were yelling at something, then you passed out right as he found you. He said that he doesn’t know what happened to you, but he was really worried that you might’ve been attacked, so he brought you back home and woke up your dad, and they called everyone else. Raphael and Michael looked around after Gabrielle started taking care of you, but they couldn’t find any sign of what attacked you. Can you remember anything about what happened last night?”

I was doing my best to process what she’d just told me. No, I didn’t remember confronting or seeing anything out there that attacked me. All I could remember was hearing that laugh and then feeling terrible pain, followed by that weird nightmare.

I managed to sit up a little, feeling pain in my left arm as I did. I looked at it and was shocked to see that it was bruised pretty badly. It was like something had smashed it against something hard, and it was very painful. Was this why they all thought I’d been attacked, because I’d been hurt, and Sean heard me yelling out there?

“I don’t remember much of anything.” I reiterated as Seraphina helped me to stay sitting up, “If something did come after me, I can’t remember what it was.”

“Well, Daddy did say that it was very strange. You should be careful with your arm too. You’re very lucky that it wasn’t broken too badly. At least that’s what Gabrielle told us. You must have fallen or been thrown down pretty hard.” Seraphina informed me.

“Did your dad say what I was yelling out there?” I asked her.

Seraphina chewed her lip, hesitating before forcing herself to answer me.

“Well, he wasn’t all that sure. He said it was like you were fighting with something when he heard you, and he heard you yelling at them to get out before he found you, but you’d passed out by the time he got there.”

This was sounding really, really bad for me. Now they all knew that something was very wrong with me, especially since they couldn’t find any sign of what had attacked me. I just hoped that I’d have enough time to think of something good to explain all of this away when the real questions started.

As I was thinking this, I heard the door to my room open. I saw Gabrielle coming in. She must’ve been checking on me and looked surprised to see me awake.

“Hey, Noah. Are you feeling any better?” she asked as she came over to the side of my bed with Seraphina.

“I’m okay now. Just a little sore.” I lied.

Gabrielle went ahead and checked my vitals, “You really scared us. When Raziel called me, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. You’re lucky though. Whatever this was, it only bruised up your arm. What in the world happened out there?” she continued.

I shook my head, “I don’t remember anything.” I lied again.

“What in the world were you doing out there so late? You know how dangerous it can be to be out there at that hour on your own.” Gabrielle scolded me.

“I was helping someone,” I told her.

“Helping someone? Whoever would’ve been out there that late?” Seraphina asked.

“It was a Faerie woman. She was out there looking for a certain kind of flower for her niece, so I offered to help her out when I saw her by the woods. She told me her name was Corinna. Anyway, I helped her find the flower, and then watched her leave and was heading back inside when whatever this was happened.” I explained.

“Corinna?” Gabrielle thought for a moment, “Oh yeah. I do remember hearing Sean mention her name before. She’s part of a Faerie sect that he knows. But I’m surprised that she’d be out there so late by herself.”

“From what I just heard, she snuck out.”

We looked over to see Sevee standing in the doorway with his arms crossed as he leaned back against the frame.

“Sounds like you’ve already found out about all of this,” I noted.

“Actually, Dad did.” Sean confirmed, “He caught the scent of a Faerie in that area right after he found you, and he contacted her sect leader because he recognized it as her. Long story short, they talked to her, and she told them everything, then they had to break the terrible news about your little incident. She’s asking us to tell you how sorry she is, and she never meant for you to get hurt.”

“And I’ll bet you wouldn’t help matters with that one,” I grumbled.

“Of course I would. I’d tell her straight out that the whole thing was your dumbness for staying out there so long.” Sevee responded.

“Go to Hell, Sevee!” I snapped.

Gabrielle let out a frustrated sigh, “That’s enough!” she ordered, “Go on now Sevee. He needs to rest now.”

Sevee flashed us a sly smile, then slipped away from the room. He frowned as I looked down, still angry. He was goading me on purpose. Rotten bastard.

“Noah…” Seraphina chided me.

“Sorry. Guess you read that one.” I muttered.

“It’s okay. I get it. You and Sevee always do like to push each other’s buttons, even when something like this happens.” Seraphina relented.

I watched her as she spoke, noting that she seemed to be holding back on something. But she wasn’t going to say what it was out loud. Maybe she was even afraid to.

Gabrielle finally stood up, excusing herself and going back to the doorway. I saw her take out her phone there and make a call. She spoke quietly as she stood just outside of my room, but I could sense that she was talking to Michael. I could make out fragments of the conversation, but couldn’t exactly tell what they were talking about. Yet there was no mistaking the apprehension in her voice. It was like she was very fearful about something.

After a few minutes of talking, she hung up and came back in with me and Seraphina again.

“Well, I can’t find anything wrong with you, so I really can’t say what in the world happened to you out there or what might’ve attacked you. The only mark on you is that bruise, and that was from your fall,” she told me.

So, she didn’t see the star cut into my thigh, or at least, she wasn’t telling me that she did. Now I was very suspicious, but I decided to wait to say anything. I didn't want to do it in front of Seraphina.

“Yeah. Maybe I was just overtired and not paying enough attention to what was around me. I’m sorry I worried everybody.” I apologized.

“I get it, but you should take your time to rest today so that you can recover. It’s going to take a little longer for that arm to heal completely because of how badly you hurt it.” Gabrielle warned me.

I agreed without hesitation. If anything, this would at least give me some time to regroup and figure out how to handle this. I wasn’t a fool about it. Something more sinister was going on here. I just needed time now to figure out what it was, and how to stop it.