A Fallen Angel

Prologue

The courtyard was buzzing with the sound of people whispering, shuffling from side to side while they looked around before their eyes landed at the center of the courtyard, which was cleared, except for the large marble desk in the middle, holding the seats for the elders.

Nine of them were sitting in a semi-circle, all facing the mass of mumbling and whispering people. The eyes of the elders were trained on the entrance towards the courtyard; the large marble arch in the form of two trees, only letting their eyes stray over the crowd when their silent whispers rose up into loud mumbling.

A scowl was clearly visible on the handsome face of the youngest elder; he didn’t want to be a part of this trial but his brothers gave him no choice in this matter. He had tried to reason with them, tried to show them that this was totally unnecessary…

He turned towards his older brother, who was positioned on the other side of the large marble table, and sent him a glare that would have left any normal human weak and trembling on his legs. It only caused his brother to sigh in a slightly irritated way.

“This has to happen Nathaniel. There’s no way out of this…situation.”

 

---Nathaniel’s POV---

 

I froze at the sound of my brother’s mental voice, echoing through my mind until it disappeared in whispers. My glare intensified, my eyes burning in my golden-haired brother with an intensity that no mortal could achieve.

The truth was that none of the people present were human. The wings that were sprouting out of their backs might be giving them away. I briefly scanned the room, looking over all those present before I slightly snorted with disgust. The normally relaxed and calm angels and Archangels were looking more and more like a disturbed beehive, the way they waved their hands through the air while the talked to each other and flapped their wings when tensions peaked.

“You know as well as I do that all this….” my eyes scanned the crowds again, “is the work of Marcus. He despises her because she isn’t a pureblood and you know it Gabriel.” I snarled mentally while a ripping sound snapped through the room, followed by an eerie silence.

I closed my eyes while focusing on my wings, which have ripped through the skin of my back when my emotions were out of control. The pure white wings, only tainted by a black tip, slowly folded and retracted, disappearing into my bare back. I kept my face blank while the bones cracked and moved under my skin before my wings were hidden from sight.

I glanced around before my eyes landed on one of the older elders: Marcus. The silver-haired angel was leaning on his elbows while his fingers intertwined in front of him. And from the small distance between us, I could see the smirk on Marcus’ face, hidden from sight for the other angels.

A hand fell down on my shoulder, causing me to look up at one of my friends, Zadkiël. His eyes were filled with sorrow but they still held a glimmer of hope. “Justice has to happen. I’ve sent word for her parents Nathaniel…but they might be too late.”  A muscle ticked in my jaw before I slowly nodded and looked back at the archway when we all heard three pair of feet approaching.