The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 21 - The Rune of Horror

Chapter 21 – The Rune of Horror

The angel stared at me with huge golden eyes and I felt like all my emotions were reflected in them. It was as if I could see into the deepest corners of my soul.

Only a hiss, which raised the hairs on the back of my neck, drew my attention back to the present. The angel was still trapped in the rune circle. For some reason I can't explain, he couldn't free himself. Shouldn't an angel be able to do that?

The blond Shadowhunter had raised himself to his full height in front of the angel and a spiteful laugh erupted in his throat. His laughter was the only sound that filled the cave. Even the beings held behind bars remained so silent that one could hear every faint sound of breathing. Their silence screamed the severity of this crime. If even an angel wasn't safe from this man, was anyone really safe?

My gaze was fixed on the angel. He met my gaze with his golden impenetrable eyes. I couldn't see any emotion in them. As if he didn't care that he was locked up here. His demeanor still filled me with such awe that I could barely manage a reproachful look. Like the Shadowhunter, the angel had positioned himself imperiously and next to him the blond man seemed tiny. However, unlike the Shadowhunter, the angel had not drawn his sword. It rested in the golden scabbard on his weapon belt. To this day I had always wondered why angels even carried weapons. I had thought them invincible beings.

"Ithuriel," the Shadowhunter spoke, raising his head to look the angel in the face. There wasn't a hint of megalomania in his eyes, as if he actually meant all of this seriously. "You probably didn't foresee this turn of events. But I need heavenly help."

The angel, whose name appeared to be Ithuriel, looked down at the Shadowhunter without really paying attention. His demeanor oozed arrogance. For a moment, Ithuriel and the Shadowhunter looked so alike that I was speechless. Nothing about Ithuriel's appearance gave the impression that he would dwell on the Shadowhunter any time soon.

"I will need your blood," the Shadowhunter continued, then looked at the seraph blade in his hand, the angel's blood still clinging to the tip. "You don't have to worry, it's in good hands with me. It will be of great benefit to me and my people." This way of speaking sounded so familiar that I wrapped my arms around my body in a shivering gesture. It was like a premonition far away that you didn't know exactly why you had it.

The angel jerked its head to the side and stared straight into my eyes again. This time I took the step towards him, and I managed to break free for just a moment from the invisible bonds that had restrained my legs. But then I heard his voice in my head and stopped dead in my tracks.

Clarissa. I made my presence felt in your mind a little while ago. I'm calling you because I need your help.

A gasp ran through my body, and I almost fell forward. I jerked my head up and breathed for air. My throat didn't want to make a sound, it felt like it was constricted. I had no choice but to nod. The image of an abandoned hallway popped into my mind's eye, and I knew Ithuriel sent this to me. It took me a few moments to realize that this was the New York Institute. Then the scenery became more familiar to me. The only picture of the angel on the wall. The caption that had been written beneath it in curly letters: Ithuriel. The angel had already called me once and now he needed my help.

I stopped. "Help for what?" I quickly peered over to the warlock closest to me. But he didn't seem to have heard anything, nor did the Shadowhunter who was still a few meters away from Ithuriel. Both seemed to be in a trance, as if the angel had stopped time.

You are in my memory, none of this is really happening right now. It happened eighteen years ago. The Shadowhunter, look him in the face. You don't recognize him because I veiled him with magic glamour. Ithuriel pointed his finger at the blonde Shadowhunter, and I followed his gaze. As I watched his face, something suddenly shimmered in the air as the angel dissolved the glamour. My heart jumped. Your mother told you the story. This is your father, Clarissa, and he's about to make a fatal mistake.