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“Maybe a minor injury. What about you?”
He nodded. “I have some.”
“Enough to kill Medrion?”
His jaw clenched. “We shall find out.” He gestured ahead with a tilt of his chin. “There,” he said, “I see movement.”
“Movement? Is it another one of those stalking things?”
“I am not sure. Come, we can use these buildings as cover.”
Abaddon moved off the crumbling path we were following and headed for the side of a hollowed-out building. The wall had collapsed, as had the building itself, but we were able to take cover behind the rubble to keep from being seen.
Up ahead, the path continued into what looked like a dilapidated street. There was debris everywhere, fallen chunks of buildings, bits of broken gold, and glass. But there was also a light; it looked weak, blue-grey in color, and gave off a feeling of cold loneliness that I couldn’t really explain. Shapes and shadows occasionally blocked the light—likely the movement Abaddon had seen—but I couldn’t identify their source.
“That cannot be Medrion,” said Abaddon.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “That light is too… sad.”
“Sad?”
“Don’t you feel it?”
Abaddon shook his head. “You seem to be more attuned to this place than I am. I can’t say I envy it.”
“It’s probably because I was here not long ago. I have to admit, it’s distracting.”
“There,” Abaddon pointed, when we had moved in a little closer. “Do you see that?”
I had. A sheet or tarp had suddenly come loose and was billowing frantically with the wind. I quickly realized that the entire broken street was lined with them, tied to the pillars and tumbled buildings, and, sat behind them…people.
There were still humans here.
I made a move to go to them, urged on by the squeezing of my heart, but Abaddon grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. “You will be seen,” he hissed.
When I turned to look at him, my eyes were glistening. “Abaddon… we have to.”
He scanned my eyes and clenched his jaw, grimacing as he considered our options. Finally, he sighed, “Very well. But only because I do not see another way through this area.”
I nodded. “Good enough for me.”
“Sarakiel,” he said, holding my gaze. “We do not know what has happened to these humans since the Fall. If they are hostile, I need you to promise that you will not try to help them.”
“I… I don’t know if I can keep that promise but I’ll try.”
Before he could say another word, I emerged from behind our cover and started walking down the street. Abaddon followed at a distance; if there were truly people up ahead, the last thing they needed to see was Abaddon with his leather wings and horns.
They needed to see an angel—a Lightbringer.
That meant I was up first.
There were so many more people here than I had anticipated. An entire village lay before me, like some kind of shanty town. They had set up tents and tarps, made of clothes that had been roped or sewn together, to protect them from the winds. The fires we’d seen from the distance burned an unnaturalblueand gave off only a meagre amount of heat.
And the people…
The people…
They were lying in their tents, propped up against buildings, or sitting with their heads in their hands. I had expected to be swarmed as I arrived, but I was barely even noticed. Those who did look at me, did so with vacant eyes, like they weren’t really seeing me. There were others who stared up at the sky, their jaws slackened, their cheeks sullen and grey.
