Chapter 19

Here come the champions, here come the champions…

Can you tell I'm hyper? Plus, I was watching the movie You Again and it was hilarious but touching but hilarious. Anyways… two chapters in one day, again! Because I had this idea of what was going to happen and I needed to get it out!

R&R!

Max

"Little rose," Lucifer comes to wish me goodnight. I stick my left arm in behind my back so that he can't see that the Holding Band is missing, "Tomorrow we will begin the propagandas. Get your rest."

I flop onto my bed, not sure what to anticipate. Jeb promised he'd come for me tonight but he's a demon, he's not exactly trustworthy. I lie on my bed, blinking at the ceiling, waiting and waiting for what seemed like nothing.

Finally, there was a light scratching sound at my door, "Max, wake up."

I let out a shaky breath and pull on a cloak over myself to hide my wings and face. I join Jeb in the hall and closed the door as lightly as I could behind me."Let's get this over with, princess," he starts to walk off to the right. I scowl at his back then rush to catch up to him.

Fang

"I call upon Aurelia, Watcher Angel of the 17th District," I intone, feeling ridiculous and formal. For Max, I say to myself.

There's a silence and then a humming noise that seemed to resound from the earth and the sky. In a flash of gold, Aurelia appeared, hovering in the air, her blond hair floating around her as if she was underwater. It was just like her, too, to make such an entrance. She was my Watcher; she was the one who gave me the assignment of Andrea Furnilla.

Her blue eyes are annoyed as she looks at me, "What do you need, Nicholas?"

The Earthborns snicker at my given name. I give them a look and they stopped laughing.

"We need passage into Hell," I tell her, gesturing to the Flock.

She drops to the ground and faces me, her blue eyes wide open.

"Hell?" she echoes in shock, "Why would you ever need to go there?"

I exhale impatiently, "We've already been there."

Aurelia makes a face of disgust, "That's forbidden, Nicholas! How on earth did you get there anyways?"

"We were captured. The treaty is broken, ma'am. We were ambushed and captured by demons and brought to Hell. Satan is planning a war."

"We need to inform the Lord, now!" she cries in alarm, taking the Flock by the hands in a tight circle. I know what she's doing; she's bringing us to Heaven.

I pull away from the circle, "No, ma'am, listen! WE can't leave yet. We need to find a portal to Hell!"

Aurelia looks at me like I've lost my mind. "Why?"

"We have a friend in there, Maximum Ride, and she stayed behind so we could escape."

"How did that happen?" I find the question strange but something in her tone makes her seem fearful. Of what?

"She agreed to something Satan offered. I'm not sure what and I'm not sure how."

Aurelia looks sad and remorseful, "Then there's nothing we can do, Nicholas. She made a deal and she can't break it."

"No!" I shout, startling her, not sure where all this emotion came from, "Whether she made a deal or no, I have to try. Please," I beg, hating myself for every word. I'm Fang. I don't beg, not ever. What is Max doing to me? "I need a portal."

Aurelia frowns and a look of realization dawns on her. "Alright," she says kindly, sensing something, "However, the only portal I know of is in Heaven. I'll take the Earthborns with us to serve witness to the Lord and I'll show you the portal. What about your ward?"

"Andrea, that's right." I can't think of anything to do.

"Here's what I'll do," Aurelia offers, "I can send two other guardians to protect the emperor and his wife."

"Thank you," I say, joining the circle again.

Aurelia smiles and then we're gone.

Max

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" I question Jeb for the fourteenth time since we started, "You aren't planning to turn me in are you?"

Jeb glares at me, "Do you think I want you here?"

"Does that mean you're going to kill me?" I counter.

"Maybe," Jeb smirks. I pull the cloak tighter around me. I wince a little when the material of my armor rustles against the cloak. Yes, I was taking it with me. I loved my armor. It slid over my skin like water, the fabric was some sort of metal but felt like cotton, it was flexible and it offered me protection.

"We will win the War," Jeb says matter-of-factly. It scares me how sure he sounds, "And we do not need an angel to win it."

"I didn't know demons played fair."

"We don't," he smiles, a genuine one, "It's just a matter of pride, and that's what makes us demons."

Fang

"This is it, then?" I stand before a door I've never seen before, not in all my visits back to Heaven. The Flock was bearing witness to the Lord, and Dylan was ordered back to his duties. I stood alone. For Max, I thought.

"Step through. I'm not sure where it'll bring you, Nicholas, be careful .It could place you in the middle of a training ground, or an armory, or a Torture Cell, or even in front of Satan himself," Aurelia says behind me.

She's trying to scare me and I just stare back at her indifferently. I was going to get Max out of there.

"I suppose I can't stop you then?"

"No." I square my shoulders and pull the handle.

Max

We pass by the armory door. I turn to Jeb, "Wait here. I have something I need to do."

He glowers but turns away. I ease the door open. "You lazy cowards!" I scream into the room, mimicking Satan, delighting in the way my voice echoed. I wish Gazzy was here and his way of mimicry that could sound exactly like the original. "These weapons are wrong, all wrong! Change them at once! The battle axes are too sharp and gaudy, the swords are too shiny. Change them all! You call this battle gear? We are fighting a war, not acting in a play!"

With that, I ran from the room, giggling like an idiot.

"What did you do?" Jeb asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," I hold back another round of laughter.

He leads me to an empty room with a giant pit rising from the floor. "There you go, princess."

I study it, "You aren't trying to trick me?"

He shakes his head.

"This won't kill me?"

He shakes his head again.

I take a deep breath and prepare myself. That moment, the doors burst open. I brace myself to fight but I recognize the black hair and black wings.

"Fang! What are you doing here?" I run into him, throwing my arms around him. Not waiting for him to answer, I crushed my lips against his. He was still at first, and then he kissed me back, desperately, hungrily, holding me tighter against him. His soft lips molded to mine.

We separated after awhile, both panting hard, our heartbeats drumming in unison between us. "I needed to get you out of here," he says. I kiss him again. Forget being an angel, I needed Fang. "Don't you dare do that again," he goes on, "You have no idea what I've been through when you were gone."

"I won't leave, never," I rest my head on his chest.

"Ahem," Jeb clears his throat. I'd forgotten he was there.

Fang hisses and crouches down defensively in front of me. "Fang!" I pull him back, "It's okay. He's trying to help me. He brought me to this portal."

"Max," he turns his head back at me, "I know that you haven't been in Heaven much, but you aren't naïve. This is Jeb. This is Lucifer's right-hand!"

"I know that Fang!" I shout back at him, "But he's helped me."

Fang eases up a little, "Fine," he spits, "But I don't trust him."

"You don't need to, angel. Now are you leaving or not, princess?" Jeb gestures to the pit.

I take Fang's hand. He looks at me, nervously, "Ready?"

I nod.

We jump.

Okay, Faxness at the very end. Happy? Okay so my last thank you didn't work out much, the characters didn't show up. 33 days until my vacation! I'm so excited and scared and nervous! Love, hate? Reviews? Hvala! (Slovenian)