Eliora

Truth in Fiction.

Truth.

My visions have always been flashes or dreams of torment, never have I ever thought to consider them truth, or my truth.

An image of a flying man came to me suddenly. A man with tears tracking down his face, hair, long, and flowing in the wind, his wings flapping wildly behind himself. The image came and went.

I'd never thought my visions a gift either. Not all my visions were horrific, some like the one I'd had just the second before, were slow and dreamy, but all of them were meaningless crap I couldn't make sense out of, Rarely had my visions ever related to something in real life. 

So when Kalypso appeared as a vision in the wood, and then I saw him at Kingston, I thought it a way to tell me something, but even then, I still wouldn't have considered my visions truth.

I knew what he meant by saying I knew the truth. I'd started seeing those strange visions about angels a few weeks shy of meeting the siblings. I hadn't thought anything of seeing the Eliora siblings in my visions, I hadn't even thought those visions, just dreams that sometimes meshed with elements of a vision I'd had once, and yes I was aware of how stupidly mental that sounded.

Ezequiel was quiet. He wasn't looking at me, his gaze focused toward the water. My eyes followed every blink of his eyelids and the way his black hair flowed with the cool wind.  His arms rested on his raised knees, the tattoos on his skin upon closer inspection looked like symbols and words written in languages I didn't understand. 

One line in particular was drawn horizontally across his left arm, from his inner wrist to his elbow.  I couldn't read what it said, but the penmanship it was written with was so delicate and beautiful and somewhat familiar. I looked away, my eyes trailing up his arm to his shoulder then to his face and I was met with his icy blue orbs staring right back at me.

I couldn't look away, but I found I didn't want to either. His eyes were so hypnotizing and lovely and fucking blue that I might have trembled, but I had some, if not a bit of self respect, left after that whole crying display earlier.

An image of white feathered wings, appeared before me. They flapped up and down, they were large and so white and so beautiful, their roots connected to the back of a man, lovely olive skin on display. He leaned to the right, controlling the wings as he dodged trees and birds, they led him past a cluster of trees, to the open sea, his raven hair blowing in every which way. His expression serious and jaw clenched, he flew forward using the strong current of wind as momentum to catch speed.

The image was gone before I knew it and the Raven haired man was seated before me, jaw clenched and expression serious, yet open and patient, his eyes searching mine.

"Angel." I whispered. What I'd seen in my vision was an angel, what was before me was a man, beautiful, yes, ethereal, yes, but still a man.

"I wouldn't call myself an angel, far from it actually." There was no humour in his words and he spoke with a frown. 

I looked at him. "What?"

"What you just saw. Well, what I let you see." He sighed. "You can see into people's minds, memories."

I shook my head, "I don't understand."

A crease appeared on his forehead. "You don't have to understand. It will take time."

"Understand?" I scoffed. "I'm still not sure I believe you or not."

"Why?"

"Why?" He shrugged. I huffed. "You realize how incredibly stupid this all sounds?"

"Yes, but one that has visions about all sorts of things should be inclined to believe angels and demons exist." Right.

"You said you weren't an angel."

"I'm not."

"What are you then?"

"We're are fallen angels. Yes angels technically, but also...not angels."

I laughed humourlessly. "This is ridiculous." I blew out a breath of air, and looked him in the eye again, only cause I couldn't help it. "The fallen aren't real. It's a made up story from our fictional history lessons."

"You should know there is some truth in fiction."

I wish I knew what to believe, what to think. I almost felt like I wanted to believe him, he looked like he wanted me to believe him.

"If you are who you say you are," Which I seriously doubted. "what do you want?"

He didn't miss a beat before replying. "We are looking for one of ours, an angel we lost in battle, Theo."

I nodded, sighing. Then I turned to face the lake. I needed a moment to process all of it. As much information as I'd just been given, I still felt it not enough, there was no information to back up his claims and I would be fucking dumb to believe everything he just said way too easily, Ezequiel had a point though, as bizarre as my world has been, I would be inclined to believe that angels and demons existed, but in what world would angels and demons exist and end up entangled in my life. As special as he claimed I was, I wasn't that special.

"What does this all have to do with me?" I asked once I'd gathered enough energy for speech.

He parted his lips to answer, but was interrupted when someone called out his name.

We turned towards the cluster of wood, Hanny was running towards us, looking frantic. Ezequiel was on his feet fast and I scrambled to follow him. We met Hanniel halfway. His breathing was laboured and his cheeks pink.

"What is it?" Ezequiel asked, standing tall, his stoic mask locked in place.

Hanniel answered frantically. "The school's under attack." He breathed and Ezequiel's jaw clenched. I was sure my confusion was written plain as bread on my face.

Ezequiel nodded, and started marching toward the tree line. Hanniel was on his heels. "Is Vanna ready to transport?"

Hanniel nodded as he followed. "She'll be ready to go as soon as we get there."

"Any casualties?"

"No, but Lisreli said they were in desperate need for help." His brother nodded and I rushed after them before they could disappear in the wood.

"Wait."

Ezequiel didn't pause as he answered. "We'll finish this conversation later, Raven this is serious."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm aware and I want to come with you." He stopped abruptly and I almost tripped as I collided with his back. Hanny helped me upright.

Ezequiel's face was stone cold. "What?"

"I want to come with you." I said, looking into his eyes. He parted his lips and I spoke up before he could refuse. "No, I am coming with you."