Bloody Angel Book 1

Into the Forest

(Tw: mention of blood. Brief description of injuries)

The trio sped walked down an empty corridor, their footfalls echoing loudly off the marble floor. He recognized this hall from the large arched windows on the left; it led to the atrium which in turn opened to the winding gardens nearest the forest. The shorter Ghoul finally stopped his pushing, moving ahead to lead them out into the evening, vibrating with an excitable energy.

Stepping into the chilled evening spring air Copia shivered, rubbing at his arms as his hair was tousled by a soft breeze. He looked to the taller of the pair. "Tell me what this is about, Swiss."

"Aether had us patrol the grounds in case something was amiss after this morning."

"And we can say with certainty that we found something," the shorter Ghoul piped up as he bounded forward several paces before stopping to impatiently wait for them.

Copia looked between the two with another confused gaze before shaking his head at the vague response as they led him deeper into the forest. Eventually they veered off the main trail heading towards a darker, denser section of tall trees. He stumbled a few times over the uneven terrain, cursing in Italian under his breath with each stumble before he regained his footing. The fading light made it hard to navigate safely, yet around him the two Ghouls maneuvered with an ease that he was slightly jealous of.

"Where are we going?" Copia asked yet again after several long moments, brushing his fingers back through his hair to move the unruly stands out of his face before rubbing at his left temple. His eye was beginning to twinge in pain again. He knew the grounds of the Ministry were vast, but he never realized just how so and the farther they walked the more his legs ached and lungs burned from exertion. His leather shoes were not meant for hiking.

"It's not too much farther now, Boss," Swiss replied, pointing to the distance. "I see Aether and the others up ahead."

Even with squinted eyes Copia couldn't see quite as far as the Ghouls enhanced sight could reach, but he saw enough to notice shadowed forms waiting between wide trunks.

Dew sped ahead when they came up to the small group and jumped to bump shoulder to shoulder with Mountain, who lightly shoved him back. Copia, after giving a soft laugh at the act, stepped up to Aether and looked around with a gasp as his smile quickly fell as he took in his surroundings. In front of the gathered group was a large clearing that stretched in a wide circle, and it would have been a beautiful sight if in full bloom, however currently it was anything but.

Browned lifeless grass lay blown flat between raised ridges of earth rippling up in increasingly tilled waves from a craterous center. The trees bordering the clearing stood seared and gouged on the sides turned closest to the destruction. It was where the lightning struck, that much was obvious. Copia could think of no other explanation for the scene they faced. The feeling of the area alone showed it was no natural event but rather that of an immense release of magical energy. The thick air still trembled with latent power, overcoming all other senses to both Ghoul and human. It was a pleasant yet also uncomfortable feeling and it caused him to shudder.

"When we found this we knew it wasn't natural, so I sent those two to get you," Aether said as he looked around the area once more before turning his eyes to the Cardinal next to him, his usually calm and thoughtful eyes tinged with worry. "I've never seen anything like this."

"None of us have," Cumulus, the short Ghoulette piped up, rising gracefully from her crouched position to stand on the other side of Aether, eyes still focused on the destruction before them. Copia steps cautiously over the rippled earth before crouching to examine the area, the Ghouls chattering amongst themselves as they try to rationalize the scene before them.