Chasing Angels In The Dark

Chapter 12, Part 1: Antarctica

And as we wind on down the road

Our shadows taller than our soul

There walks a lady we all know

Who shines white light and wants to show

How everything still turns to gold

And if you listen very hard

The tune will come to you at last

When all are one, and one is all

To be a rock and not to roll

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Antarctica, present day

July in the southern hemisphere is the middle of winter. And here they were, wandering in the middle of Antarctica, in the middle of winter.

It was a freezing hell, ruled by perpetual darkness, capable of killing Diletta in minutes. She was glued to Michael's body, engulfed in angelic heat, clutching his muscular torso for dear life, as his strong arms and his powerful wings shielded her from the snowstorm and the heart-stopping temperature. Michael was adamant about his instructions before they left Hawaii.

"You leave my arms, you die."

Diletta had no intention to disobey.

The fact that the angels had a base in a place such as Antarctica didn't come as a surprise. The continent belongs to no nation and is inhospitable to humans; a perfect destination for angel hide-outs. What did come as a surprise was that Michael hadn't fully recovered. That was why, back in Hawaii, she stood like a doll in his hands while he dressed her with multiple layers of clothing, commanding her not to slip from his embrace no matter what.

"Why don't we just materialize inside the establishment?"

"That's my intention, but I'm still disoriented. I might fall off a few miles."

Unfortunately, he did. And he was now crossing the frozen kingdom of the Antarctic Plateau on foot with her in his arms. Diletta was enveloped in Michael's fierce embrace, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, breathing in the smell of cinnamon. Perhaps she was dreaming of more wintery scents due to circumstances.

While still in Hawaii, she also wondered why Michael didn't use telepathy to communicate with his siblings. When she voiced that question, she was stunned to learn that telepathic communication was one of the hardest things to do.

"To cause someone or something to blow to pieces is easy, Diletta. All I have to do is manipulate matter to my will. But to penetrate someone's mind, to manipulate my spirit along with someone else's, takes significant effort."

Angelic Abilities 101.

But those few necessary words were the only ones exchanged between them before leaving the beautiful - and warm - island after her late-night breakdown.

To say things were awkward between them was an understatement.

As Michael moved effortlessly despite the storm, Diletta struggled with a different kind of storm - one that threatened to consume both her body and mind; the onslaught of realization, that came crashing over her in the middle of the night while she slept.

Since the war began, Diletta hadn't been spared a minute to think; trying to survive certain death, trying not to starve, searching for places to take shelter, finding the Faithful, meeting Remiel, going to Dulce, freeing the archangel. The speed with which her rollercoaster life had sprinted up and down didn't allow for a moment of peace. She didn't process things. She just went with the flow on autopilot.