Ebony Wings

27

~Ali~

Ethan grunts as his feet hit the hard ground. Lunging forward, we all race for the hole.

"It's dusty down here!" He shouts, his parched voice spinning in the air. He coughs heavily a few times. "I'm just going to try and clear it up a little down here!"

Wondering what he means, my questioning is followed by the familiar whooshing of air as he releases his wings. An almost imperceivable glow climbs the dust motes causing the space above the hole to become hazy with his ethereal light. 

The sound of his beating wings echoes around the cavernous room, a plume of dust gushing towards us as Ethan's wings beat the air clean. We are forced to take a step backwards and I bury my nose into the crook of my elbow, closing my eyes against the dust storm around us. When the air begins to settle and the floor around our feet turns murky with dirt, his wings are sheathed and we teeter on the edge once again, looking down.

It takes me a moment of squinting to faintly make out his muddy outline moving around in the gloom. Relying less on my poor eyesight, I try to hone in on my hearing to visualise his movements. Pinning my hair behind my ear and holding my breath, I focus on what sounds are surfacing.

Shuffling feet.

Rasping breath.

Rolling rocks.

Shattering glass.

Shattering glass?

"Ethan?" I call apprehensively into the dark pit.

When he doesn't reply, Jack voices his attempt. "ETHAN!" 

Unexpectedly, an arm - Ethan's arm - punches up from the darkness and I bite down my scream. Then I have to swallow a second scream, but this one is from disbelief. Looking back and forth between Jack and Jaz just to make sure what I am seeing is real, I focus back on Ethan's hand because in his fist is a leather bound book. 

"Shut up!" Jaz squeals, looking around as if making sure she isn't the only one seeing this, too. 

"I can't believe it. I mean, I can, but I also can't." My tummy flutters at the sight, my mind woozy. There is no mistaking that this is The Book of Angels, not when simply the sight of it sets my body aflame.

Jack grins triumphantly and snags the book from Ethan's grasp so he can clamber back out of the crevice. There is a victorious grin on Ethan's dusty lips and it is the second most beautiful sight of today, save for the lifesaving book in Jack's grasp.

"Is it heavy?" Jaz asks, stepping towards The Book in a trance of awe. Jack eyes her proximity to him and hugs the pages away from her reaching hands.

Ethan softly grabs her shoulders, pulling her backwards. "Why don't we keep a nice distance from the book? It's not that we don't trust you," he adds quickly, "we just don't want any accidents to happen and for the book to combust. If the whole book disappears, then so does every angel." That means Ethan and Jack, too.  

"Oh right, yeah," she mumbles embarrassed and pulls backwards. "Human and guilty," she chuckles, holding up a fleeting hand. A hand that could cost this planet more than just the deaths of the Fallen. 

"What now?" I pipe up, eager to move forwards, tunnel vision on ending this mission.

Ethan takes The Book from Jack, turning it over in his hands. "I guess we open it."