A/N: Hi there! Hope you like the media for this chapter, it's underwater photography which inspired me to write a certain scene in this chapter! ;) Let me know what you think xx

'She truly is the Opal heir,' Iggy breathed, 'the city has welcomed her home.'

It was a strange, undeniable thing; I stared hard at the life that now grew from the ground, the wind that stirred the dead debris from their resting place. It was my doing. I could be in no doubt that I was not only an Angel, but one that had been from nobility.
Once the shock and dumbfounded silence had settled, Sakura suddenly grabbed my wrist and beckoned to the others to move.

'We have to get out of here!' She said urgently, 'Run!'

She began to charge, dragging me along the now-green field. Iggy scooped up Valkyrie into his arms, being careful to only touch her clothes, and Kirsten was trailing after them.

'Why? Why are we running?' Kirsten cried, but I had a feeling I knew the answer.

'I just reawakened a city that has been gone for eighteen years,' I said, jogging faster to keep up with Sakura's speed. She had such long legs that seemed to whirl as she ran, her footsteps light along the gravel. She carried her bow at the ready with grace and ease, like a huntress pacing through her forest. We were not so lucky; Iggy looked bright red, Kirsten was huffing, and my sword was hitting my thigh with every step. I was certain I would have more bruises from the journey than if I'd had an actual fight.

'She's just announced to the enemy that she's back!' Iggy hooted, and Sakura gave him a silencing glare.

'Our duty is to protect Lumina,' she said, calling out behind her. 'This is a grave situation. It is no laughing matter. Keep moving!'

'Do we need to move quite so quickly?' Kirsten looked exhausted. 'I'm offering to stay behind as bait if it means I can have a rest.'

'Fool! Do you think they will take kindly to this?' Sakura looked fierce for someone normally so quiet and demure. I think it was her urgency that kept the group running.

'They will know about Lumina sooner than you think,' Sakura said, 'possibly even already. If they catch us, we are all dead, no doubt about it. But if they catch one of us? They would wish that they had been killed. Traitors to this kingdom are never dealt with kindly.'

Kirsten's mouth snapped shut. She looked as if she were going to protest, but thankfully, didn't. Luckily there was no time to change her mind either, because Sakura had made it back to the wagon and was unsheathing a knife from her belt. We reached her only moments later, but she was already kneeling by the water's edge. I hadn't looked properly before, but the road the wagon was on forked because of a rocky cliff face, carving a jagged course behind the stream that followed around it.

Inside the wagon, a familiar head poked out from the door. Clae groggily blinked at us.

'Wher'd you go?' she said, her head lolling as she fell back into the wagon. The stare Kirsten gave her could have killed a casual passerby that happened to get in the crossfire.

We all jumped as Sakura, ignoring Clae's interruption, using the knife, sliced across her palm with a shallow cut without even flinching, and dripped the few drops of blood into the pool of water below.
We all watched as she stood back, and the blood that dissipated into the water, instead of disappearing, began to steam and smoke. The cloud rose from the water, and with curling tendrils carved an archway into the rockface, revealing a gated doorway. Sakura waded out into the water, her clothes swirling at her knees, and knocked upon the door.

'Open up! We are friends of Morwena!'

There was silence.

Sakura knocked again; louder, more urgently. She was furtively glancing around, desperately scanning the air.

'Please! We need your help!'

Iggy shivered; he had stepped into the water behind Sakura and was helping her to hammer on the door.

'What if there's nobody here?' I asked, frowning at the closed door. Only Sakura seemed to be anxious; she desperately continued to yell at the door.

'We have Lumina!' she cried, leaning against the door, 'We need to get inside or everything's over.'

Iggy patted her back awkwardly, passing us a bewildered stare.

'We should try somewhere else,' he suggested kindly, 'see if we can get out of here.'

'No,' Sakura said, 'it's definitely here. I left my brother here!'

Now none of us definitely knew what to say, but whoever was inside wasn't opening the door.

'We'll find him,' Iggy said soothingly as Sakura raked a hand through her hair, eyes wild. 'We'll find him as soon as we get awa--'

The sound of a loud screeching cry from behind us, making us all panic. Sakura grabbed my arm and threw me behind her, pressing me against the door.

'Get down!' Sakura hissed, 'Hide!'

'Hide?' Kirsten's voice went up a notch in her terror. 'There's a wagon that isn't hiding!'

'Never mind that,' Iggy said, grabbing her hand. Kirsten and Iggy, still holding Valkyrie, clutched at each other; Kirsten's eyes were huge, and she eyed the thing overhead with apprehension. An angel, dressed in black, circulated above the city. Red wings, unfurled out in a glide, held the angel aloft on the air.

'Red wings?' I whispered, turning to stare at the others.

Iggy nodded. 'The King's Watchers. By daytime, they are angels, but by night...'

He shivered visibly, and I realised that I had come before one of the Watchers before; all contorted limbs of it. I felt repulsed, and shrank further against the rock.

'That's why they have a curfew here,' Sakura said darkly.

'What do we do?' I whispered. 'It will know about Opal.'

'Yes,' said Sakura gravely, 'now we hope whoever is inside answers this damn...door!'

She kicked at it desperately.

'Did Morwena never give you a password?' I asked, staring at the engravings along the door. Patterns of moons and stars, rusted metal, marked its borders.

Sakura looked at me as though I'd announced I was pregnant. She looked amazed and immediately whipped around to the door, saying, 'De fumo in flammam! De fum--'

The door gave a groan, and flew open.

'Quick!' Sakura cried, launching me from my spot by the wall and throwing me bodily into the passageway. Behind me came Valkyrie, and then Sakura was pulling down a ramp from who knows where, and pulling it to the sand. Steering Sonata the horse hurriedly, the wagon ascended next, followed closely by Iggy and Kirsten. Finally, the group of us lay in a terrified heap as Sakura pulled the doors shut.

She breathed out, sliding down the closed door.

'Just something Morwena said before she left,' she said with a shrug, 'I didn't realise what it was until now.'

Clae popped her head out again.

'Where did the light go?' she said, frowning at the darkness. I suddenly noticed that although it was darker than outside, it wasn't pitch black. Tiny orbs, posing as lanterns, bobbed along the ceilings, casting orange glows over us all.

'What are they?' I gasped, immediately on my feet again and reaching for them. My fingers brushed them as the height of the passageway wasn't particularly high, and I felt only a queer sensation as my fingers pressed against the golden orbs, making them wobble away.

'If that impresses you, you'll be amazed at this place,' Sakura laughed, 'it's home to a special group of people. They have hidden this hideout here for many years, and retreated here after the Red Solstice...along with my brother.'

Her eyes fell to the floor.

'Shall we go meet them?' I asked her gently, extending a hand to help her up. Her gaze met mine steadily and a smile reached her face.

'Yes!'

We led the horse and the wagon, with Clae inside it, through the passageway. Sonata was an extremely trusting horse, but only if it was Sakura leading her. When I neared her, the horse scooted from my shyly.

So I went ahead, carrying a sleepy Valkyrie on my back. Iggy and Kirsten walked behind me, holding each other. The tunnel led out into a cavern, and my mouth opened in surprise.

An underground system of spiraling stairs around the outside, with a central hub at the bottom filled with angels, was carved into the rock. Passageways, similar to the one we had arrived down, weaved away from this centre, and all roads seemingly led to here.

In the middle, below us, a hive of sizzling food, dancing and music burst through our ears. It was a wonder I hadn't recognised the sound of shouting and cheering earlier. I hadn't anticipated such noise, such vibrant colour.

The environment itself was scarce; wooden benches and tables, covered in woven fabrics, and painted tapestries were about the only decoration. But the angels were extremely bright; shades of orange burst from wings in all shapes and sizes, some like the yellow sunset, others like a burnt peach. They were all so social; I spotted tables of them eating and chatting earnestly, whilst a group of men and women were raucously having a debate. Children played together, screaming wildly.

'It's so...loud!' I said, feeling like I'd rather face the Watcher outside than the din in here. Sakura gave me a knowing smile.

'You can see why I left here with Morwena,' she said with a grin, 'and my brother chose to stay. The Exchangers are a loud lot.'

'They're all Exchangers?' I said, looking around; all I could see were orange wings. My own black ones gave a timid flutter, making the muscles on my back ache. They were so difficult to control...

'Yes,' Sakura told us, and she gestured for us to descend. 'I'll let them explain, since I don't know a lot. I left. I'm no Exchanger, and they tend to stick together.'

As Sonata gave a loud whinny, several of the angels glanced up to see us making our way down the slopes. Then, as they called out, more and more looked, until there was a whispering room, staring at us. I blushed red, because I was leading the way, and as I reached the bottom step I desperately wished that I could double back and allow Sakura to go first.

But that is not what they expect, I told myself firmly.

We all stood at the bottom of the stairs, and the two sides looked on at each other. Curiously, I stared around me with open wonder; their clothing was unlike any I had seen before. Bright, clashing colours with unneccessary adornments and chains ladened their bodies, the women and the men dressing exactly the same, in long, shapeless material.

'My name is Lumina,' I called, hoping my voice did not betray my fear. What if they turned on us? What if they weren't the allies we hoped for?

When nobody answered, I carried on, 'We have come from Morwena, who believes you are our allies. We seek your aid.'

There was a murmuring noise, when the angels seemed to debate upon this. Finally, a stir within the crowd ejected an old man, striding across the cavern towards us.

'Dear Princess, is that you?' he called, 'Goodness, you look just like your mother.'

The man was extremely old; his body heaved as he walked, and his cane he used to walk clattered loudly in the quiet. His hair was white and long, like magicians we'd seen in pictures. His wings were the largest I'd ever seen; they trailed behind him like a bride's train, the feathers rustling as he moved. He stood before me, stooped but still taller than I was. He took my hand, and, to my surprise, he bent his head over it.

'Princess,' he cried, 'Princess Lumina! Welcome back!'

And a tumultous applause burst out across the cavern; whooping, screaming and jumping. Angels thumped their hands and feet. I could feel a blush sweeping across my face and neck; they were applauding me! I hadn't done anything!

'Your mother was well respected amongst us, my lady,' the old man told me, 'she was a close friend and a wonderful woman. The least we can do is aid her daughter...but come, come! I must call the council!'

He summoned one of the younger angels to guide us, another to steer away the horse and the wagon, still containing Clae, and another to collect our bags. We were surrounded by a flurry of helpers, ushering us towards one of the tunnels.

As we walked, we were told that the old angel was the oldest of the Exchangers, and was therefore the leader of the Council. But despite being the elder, the group had elected four other angels as their Council that had to vote a majority on such events as these. We were told that the Council had to be consulted before we could decide what was to be done.

'I'm sorry for the discomfort, Princess,' the elder angel apologised to me, bowing his head again. 'I will meet with you again shortly. You will be able to rest soon, once the council have convened.'

And that was how we came to be sitting in a comfortable room, watching the five councillors debate what was the best course of action. There was the elderly angel, whose name was apparently Walsh, and then two more males, and two women. Luckily, not one of them seemed to object to us staying, which made it an extremely easy debate; within ten minutes, the councillors had turned to us and talked to us about our journey. Kirsten chattered eagerly and Iggy explained the Opal city, but I sat with Valkyrie watching the group with interest.

They brought food for us; warm rolls of bread filled with meats and vegetables. I ate hungrily, and even Valkyrie woke up to chomp through the offered delicacies with vigour. After our meal, we were brought warm mugs of tea. In the comfortable armchairs - something that was a lavish decoration from what I had seen earlier - it was easy to doze off.

--

I awoke with a jolt to a voice announcing loudly, 'Esteemed councillors, there's a wounded angel outside! I think he's dying!'

Valkyrie was curled on my lap, snoring gently. She did not stir, but I was instantly awake, alerted to danger. I scooped my hands around the girl and stood, putting her back on the armchair to sleep.

I noticed Kirsten was still talking to one of the male councillors, whilst Iggy was making his way through another dish of food. Sakura, like me, had jumped up at the hint of death, and was on high alert. Walsh rose from his chair with great dignity, and stared down the young girl who had delivered the message.

'And who is it, child? If they do not have the password, the doors will not let them in.'

'He may have the password but he is too weak to speak! I fear he will drown.'

'He could be an enemy. We shall have the council debate this.'

'It will be too late,' the girl warned him respectfully, 'he's losing a lot of blood. There's a savage storm out there, and a wind like nothing I've ever seen. Nearly blew the lookout post away.'

Walsh seemed to think about this with more concern, but some sort of alarm was ringing at the back of my mind. Hearing of a wind storm only made me think of him, and suddenly I was clutched in an awful feeling.

'Where is the door?' I demanded to the young girl; she flinched in shock, but managed to nod.

'Follow me,' was all she said, and she took of jogging through the hallway. Sakura followed, leaving Walsh and the other councillor behind. I glanced back as I left the room, knowing that it was against these people's rules to go against a council decision. But before I got away, I caught a glimpse of Walsh, and he was smiling.

Too confused to debate the meaning, I cast aside the smile and followed the girl. It was minutes before the winding, dark tunnels led us back into the main light of the cavern. I realised that it was lit with hundreds of glowing orbs floating high above.

I pushed the curiosity away, and kept my gaze on the guide ahead of me. Back we raced up the slopes around the walls, and into the cooler air of the tunnel to the outside. I sprinted to the double doors ahead and, shouting the password from earlier, they flew open at my touch.

I looked straight down, into the water, where a figure lay submerged there.

I jumped out, hit immediately by a blazing torrent of soaking rain, and angry, swirling waters of an overflowing river. I jumped in, feeling my feet nearly swept away from me in the force of the water. A desperate wind howled at the rest of my body, telling me to hurry.

I'm hurrying, I promised it senselessly. Talking to the wind? I was going crazy!

The water levels had risen from the storm, and was now up to my waist. It tugged easily at me as I plunged my head below the water to grab the figure within. My heart hammered as I opened my eyes underwater, and I felt a stream of bubbles burst from my mouth in shock as I saw the figure that lay there.

Long, white hair curled around him in tendrils, reaching towards me. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping, but I could see dark cuts down the side of his face, bleeding into the water. His wings, silver and long, were swept out, as were his arms, as if he were beckoning me into an embrace.

A cold and deadly embrace! I reminded myself furiously as I reached for him. My hands swept his, and my heart clenched at how cold his fingers were. I pulled him out of the water, gasping for strength and breaths. From behind me, Sakura was also holding me, helping me. And for a brief moment, the angel's eyes flickered open from where I held him in my arms, the wind whirling around us in relief and urgency, his face close to mine.

Fabian's eyes flickered, and I saw recognition there. Rain and water ran down his face and across his blue, wet lips as he tried to form words.

'It's okay,' I said, resting my face against his to keep the heat. I realised that I felt this awful rush of warmth come all over me. What on Angelica! Was I ill? Was it the effects of the cold water?

Somehow, it didn't feel like it.

'It's okay, you're safe now,' I promised him as Sakura pulled him out of the water and into the safety of the passage. I heaved myself from the water, soaked to the bone, and pulled the doors closed behind me.

Sakura dumped Fabian next to me like she didn't know what to do with a man. The look of terror on her face was enough to make me smile weakly.

'That girl went to get help,' she offered as I helped Fabian, who lay semi-conscious on the ground.

'What happened?' I asked him gently, sweeping his hair out of his face. He's grown it longer again. It's now down to his elbows. How long it feels since I saw him last!

But Fabian didn't seem able to speak properly yet; his eyes fluttered again, and a pained expression came across his face.

Finally, he managed to breathe a few words before he slipped unconscious again.

'They know about you.'

Dundunduuun! Hallo! What did you think of the new place Lumina is in now, and the return of Fabian? What do you think has happened?

Thank you so much for reading!!! Things are really starting to get moving now ;) If you can spare the time, please press the star button to give me a vote :D It helps my story move up the ranks and get more great readers like yourselves.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

Larissa xx