Chapter 15.2
Squinting into the darkness, Aza tried to make out Lucis's shape. She jogged across the littered floor. "Lucis? Lucis are you alright?"
Aza had nearly reached the back of the way, where an old half wall separated the buildings from the one's behind it, when she heard the harsh ragged breaths. More large crates lay in pieces, but it was from them that something large started to rise.
"Lucis!" Aza gasped and ran forward as she caught a glimpse of the shuddering wing and the shoulder straining to push the young man up, but he slipped and fell hard to his hands and knees and slumped to the side. Aza's heart thrummed in her chest as she landed beside him. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, more she did not want to see, came into view. Lucis's arm was coated in blood, along with a wound in his side. His blonde hair was matted with red that seeped down his face and around his ear. But his wing was soaked through and appeared to be spasming. His whole body was shaking, and Aza remembered Evabelle mentioning how their wings held their power, but could also be their greatest weakness. They were like a second/third heart that made them powerful, but to rip one off was to pull one's heart out.
Aza's hands went to the boy's back and found that the wing itself was still strongly tethered to him, but deep claw marks had left it a scarlet mangled mess. There was a point near the crest where the blood was darkest. She couldn't tell if it was just the lack of lighting, but it looked less red and more black, as though part of his feathers had swapped themselves with Del's. Aza had a terrible feeling that the wing was punctured all the way through.
Evabelle had also said that Anahalian wings, though they could be killed by tearing them off or injuring them enough, it was not an easy thing to do. Their wings were stronger than most appendages. They could really take a beating before true damage showed. They could fall from great heights landing on them and they'd be only a little bruised and heal fairly quick. Werewolf claws and vampire fangs could barely scratch them because under all the fluffy feathers there was a deceptively thick hide of skin. The only ones who could really injure an Anahalian's wing was another Anahalian because they knew the weak spots...but as Aza scrutinized Lucis's own powerful wings she couldn't help but think of when he had first been injured by the Annihilator in the bell-tower. That injury held nothing to this one, but it had been only one single monster, and it had still gotten him pretty good. Aza swallowed. Whatever these things were made of, they could tear through the practically indestructible wings like they were papier-mâché.
Aza let out a breath. "You know there's this think called, 'falling with style', which is I think the best way to do it. I've obviously mastered the technique, but yours could use a little work." She gave a forced chuckle as she continued her examination in the gloom. Lucis didn't say anything to her comment, and her nerves had minor seizure.
She saw part of the upper arc of the bone appeared to be split like it had broken in two. As her fingers reached up and just brushed against it, Lucis's whole body arched back and writhed as he started to scream, but he quickly bit down on his tongue, drowning the cry, but causing blood to trickle from his mouth as he fell forward again in a shivery, gasping heap.
Aza's whole body froze. What the heck was that? That had been agony, but he just nearly bit his tongue in half to swallow it down. "Lucis?" Aza's own voice shook.
She didn't expect a reply, but a faint whisper slid past him mouth. "A-Aza?"
"Oh my gosh!" Aza bowed her head. "Please stay with me!" She grabbed his hand between hers and held it against her forehead, rocking forward.
"Are you okay?" Lucis wheezed.
Aza choked. "Are you kidding me?! I'm fine!"
Lucis's fingers briefly tightened on her hands. "Good," His voice faded out.
"NO!" Aza shook her head. "No you cannot do this to me!" She released Lucis's hand and leapt to her feet. She whirled around and made as if to run back out to the street for help. She needed help, but she couldn't go out there to a bunch of people who would probably take one look at Lucis and call animal control or something stupid.
Aza decided that she was going to demand they all get cell phones the next time she saw Calandra. Either that, or Aza required some magic communication powers. She pressed her hands to the side of her head and winced as she hit her lump so instead she pressed them to her eyes. "What do I do?" She whispered.
A thought flitted through her mind, and she slowly lowered her hands and looked up into the quiet street. Part of her denied this to be her only option, but that part was too small to linger on. Aza spun around and raced back to Lucis's side.
"Lucis? Lucis, I need you to respond, okay. I have an idea." She touched his uninjured shoulder and shook him gently.
He let out a soft groan.
"Are you conscious?"
Lucis grit his teeth. "If I wasn't I probably wouldn't respond." It sounded like it took him a lot of effort just to say that little sentence.
Aza breathed out. "Okay good. Now, you don't have to talk anymore. I know a place I can take you for now. I know someone who might be able to help you." Aza cut off for a moment and shook her head, looking down, almost laughing at this whole dumb thing. She took a deep breath and looked back up. "I know I just said might, but that's the kind of sitch we're in."
Lucis gave a small shaky nod.
"Okay, so we are going to have to go out there." Aza pointed back into the roadway. "I can help carry you out, but you're going to have to tuck your wings in, and I'll have to wipe off most the blood on you."
Lucis gave a pathetic scoff. "You carry me?"
"Yes, now shut up and do what I say." Aza crossed her arms.
Lucis opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it, either thinking better of it or he just didn't have the strength. He pulled in his mostly good wing (it too had a few faint gashes). But just moving the other caused a sharp intake of breath and his whole body to convulse inward. He shook his head. "Can't," was all he managed.
Aza wiped sweat from her forehead, thinking fast. "Okay, hold on," She got to her feet again. "I'll be right back." Then she raced out of the dark alley and ran as fast as she could, cutting over a gate and hedge, between several more buildings until she reached the street with the restaurants where the pasta place was and the dumpster that she had landed in.
She once again had to put her hands over the rim of the containment and push off to leap up and look inside the thing. No more rotten food had been dumped in, thankfully, and the giant fuzzy quilt was still in there. Taking a deep breath, which she instantly regretted as the glorious stale smells engrossed her again, she flipped herself over the side and landed inside the trashcan again.
'Dumpster diving' was another thing off the old kick the bucket checklist.
After shaking out the gross, still semi-damp blanket and folding it under her arm, Aza raced back to Lucis. She staggered back into the dark littered corner and doubled over panting and massaging the tight pain her chest. Her entire body was sore, and now she was running all over town. She blinked several times and straightened up. "Lucis? You still with me? I brought this blanket we can use to cover you."
At first there was no reply, and the pain in her chest worsened, but then Lucis's faint response echoed out. "Blanket?"
Aza breathed out. "Yep, big and fluffy to cover big and fluffy." Then she rushed over and used the clean side of it to mop up the blood on his face and dabbing at it in his hair. He didn't wince or make any sign that she was touching an injury. "Okay, I'm going to put this over the wing," She warned him. Lucis didn't say anything, so Aza lifted it high and draped it over the golden-haired man. He grunted as the thick wool landed on him, and his frame tensed, but he slowly settled.
Aza nodded. "Okay, now put your arm around me."
Lucis pushed his head up and squinted at her.
Aza sighed. "I know I don't have superhuman strength and I'm on the smaller side. And you ain't now no pipsqueak." Lucis grimaced. "But I'm stronger than I look. And you are obviously going to have to help me as much as you can."
Lucis closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. Then he nodded and lifted the good arm and Aza guided it over her shoulders. Then she stood and slowly pulled at Lucis, who sluggishly lifted one foot and then the other and actually managed to shakily stand before he stumbled and nearly dragged Aza down on top of him, but he recovered.
"Okay, good," Aza encouraged, not sure if it was for him or for her at that point. "Now, just one step in front of the other."
The process was excruciatingly slow. Aza knew that Lucis was giving everything he had, but Aza still felt like she was dragging a two ton meat sack with a pair of wings.
They eased their way out alley, with Aza stretching out her neck and checking to see if the coast was clear. Then she made sure the blanket was covering all the injuries and was keeping the wing semi-down, before turning Lucis and heading toward the main road.
They got a few glances in their direction, but no one stopped or said anything, and Aza was grateful as she wasn't sure she could respond since ninety-eight percent of her energy was rather occupied at that moment.
At the corner, Aza stopped and nearly fell as Lucis stumbled again. The momentum had kept him relatively steady. "Okay, okay," She grunted, easing one of her arms away from holding Lucis and then stretched it up and out toward the oncoming lights of a bright yellow car with a light on top.
The taxi pulled over and the driver peered at the two of them through his unrolled window. "Is he okay?" He nodded his head at Lucis.
Aza smiled. "Yeah, my brother's just had a little too much fun tonight. Ever since he turned twenty-one, he enjoys knocking em' back." She shook her head. Her knees were starting to shake, as Lucis's weight seemed to increase. "I just need to get him back home."
"That can turn into a nasty habit, you know." The driver shook his head. Then he jerked it back, gesturing for them to get in.
Aza struggled to sound normal and not out of breath. "Yes, sir. Our parents are trying to get a handle on it."
Getting into the car was a fight unto itself. Easing Lucis down without falling or bumping anything, nearly caused Aza to pull another one of her twisted muscles. But she managed to tuck him inside and turn him to the left so the wing wouldn't brush the back of the seats. She buckled him in and leaned forward to tell the driver the address.
"What's with his back?" The driver, or Leo, according to the name plate, stared at his rearview mirror back at Lucis, who was quivering and giving raw shuddery breaths. He was obviously staring at the bulge from the blanket.
Aza blinked. "Right, yeah. He's got a...a bone growth that we're planning on removing. The surgery is not going to be fun. We think that's why he's kind of gone off the deep end. He really hates needles and doctors."
The guy's eyes went to her, and he raised his eyebrows. "Yikes, that thing is pretty big. I can only imagine."
Aza nodded and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Then she told Leo where to go.
It was a fairly hushed trip, but it also wasn't that far. Aza kept looking over Lucis's pale face, with faint trails of cold sweat rolling down it. His breath was shallow and uneven. Aza didn't want to lift the blanket up now that there was more light, afraid of seeing anything more.
"Is he cold or something? He knows it's summer right?" Leo broke in again.
Aza looked back at the driver. "Yeah, I had to dump some water on him to get him going, and yeah he gets cold easily."
Leo shook his head. "No kid should have to take care of a good for nothing brother like that. How old are you anyway?"
Aza gave a huff. "I'm older than I look." Then she opened the door as the taxi pulled over.
Now was going to be the fun part; getting Lucis out of the car, into the building, and up the stupid stairs. Aza inwardly prepped herself as she reached out and began to tug Lucis out of the vehicle. His eyes fluttered a moment, and she saw the glazed blue that didn't quite seem to see her. But then he began to help and pushed himself up and out. Lucis strained to take as much of his own mass as he could, but Aza could feel his whole body trembling against her aching spine. Her own muscles quivered as she still took a large portion of his weight.
The two of them slowly turned towards the old apartment building, but then Leo's voice called out from the cab. "Do you need any help?"
Aza replied without turning. "No, I've got him."
"Alright," Leo didn't sound so sure. "But you still owe me, you know."
Aza closed her eyes, what little adrenaline still left in her, fading fast. Lucis had spent the last of their money on the food and the table that Del had broken. She craned her neck to look back at him. "My brother spent all his money, and I forgot my wallet. If you'll just give me a minute, I'll come back with the money."
Leo's eyebrows went up again. "You know if you leave me sitting here, your fare just goes up."
Aza nodded, and turned started toward the tall, somewhat shabby building. Once inside, Aza stared up, hauntingly at the steps. The lights were out, and with them made out of the old rustic wood, the place could be described as eerie, however that was not what was filling Aza with dread. She turned her head to Lucis's, feeling the tattered breaths against her cheek.
His irises slid over to her. Then he pulled out his injured arm from the blanket and rested it on the railing and began to pull, taking some of the burden off of Aza.
"Your arm?" Aza whispered as not to wake anyone. "The blood," She took a step up, glancing over at the wood and saw that there were no red streaks. The blood on his hand was dry and caked to it. Even with Lucis using the banister, they had to recover on each step before moving to the next. Aza was now supremely grateful that their destination was only one flight up.
They finally reached the very familiar hallway and turned down to the very first door on the left. It was then that Lucis pulled away completely from Aza, who tensed in surprise, but he merely fell gently against the wall to the side of the door, leaning heavily on it to keep himself upright. He wasn't crumpling to the floor, which Aza took as a good sign. But his head bowed low as he pressed that against the wall as well. His hair was practically soaked with sweat and blood, falling almost in front of his closed eyes. The cords in his neck were tight and she imagined that tension went all the way down. The blanket covering his wings was shuddering again.
Aza shook herself and knocked on the door. They waited a moment before Aza hit it a little harder. Then she started to pound on it. "Don't you dare be gone," Aza hissed under her breath. "Don't you dare do this to me now,"
Then she heard the scuffling from inside, and a strange sense of relief washed over her as she let out a breath and hitched herself against the door frame. Her limbs almost collapsing on her, themselves.
The chain bolt slid unlocked and the knob clicked before it turned, and the door creaked open revealing a tall gangly man with wild curly brown hair and glasses that hung a little crookedly on his skinny nose. He wore rumpled jeans and a shirt that was only partway tucked in.
Gray eyes blinked several times, staring down at Aza as if he didn't recognize the last living relative in his family. Light slowly dawned on the horizon as his eyes widened. "Aza?"
Aza sighed with an exhausted nod. "Hey, Matt," Another tremor quaked through Lucis, making the man open the door a little wider and stare as the big quilt slipped off of Lucis's shoulders completely, revealing the enormous bloody, feathered angel wing.
Aza took one look at her uncle's dropped jaw and saucer-shaped eyes and couldn't help herself. "I found him by my old school. Can I keep him?"
~(A/N: HEY-O!! Hey-ey-ey-o! Daylight come and I wan' go home --- (I know those are the wrong lyrics...) --- How is everyone?? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know if anything feels off with timing or anything else.
So tell me what are your thoughts on Raoul?
Do you think Lucis is going to make it??
How do you feel about seeing Aza's uncle again? This is the first time you'll be reading direct contact with the guy and our favorite blonde firecracker... Also, I could not find a good picture to fit for Matthew Kendall, so sorry for the weird Robert Downey Jr. pic :P
WHERE'S DEL?!?!
What do you think is going to happen next?
Sorry there's lots of questions, I just LOVE any thought or piece of input that you might have!!
From the last Challenge no one really answered what mbti they thought the characters would be, which is totally fine - that one was kind of weird. But I still thought I'd give you guys the results I got from several different sources online.
Evabelle: INFJ
Aza: ENFP
Lucis: ENFJ
Del: ISTP
Calandra: ISTJ
Kai: INFJ/ISFJ
Faux: ESFP
ME: INFP
For those who actually know what those random letters mean, let me know what you think! Do you think those types fit the characters?
***This Chapter's CHALLENGE TIME***
If you could only choose ONE character out of all the ones you've met in the two books, who would you choose to save??? That means if every single person from Angel Wings and Demon Heart were dying, and you only had the magic potion enough to heal only one individual, who would you choose??????......Mwhahaha! I'm so evil and I know it!! >:D
Thanks for being so awesome guys! If you guys didn't see my message I posted on my board, I've been on a writing high for the past week or so. That means I have more chapters that are almost ready to go up! So I think next weekend I will put up chapter 16, and hopefully, chapter 17 will be up the weekend after!!! YAY!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME!!!!!!!!!! <3)~
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