Forever Entranced ~Book Two Of The Soul Bound Series

Chapter Nine ~ A Leap Of Faith

All I could do was stand there in disbelief as Envy rocked back and forth in agony on the grassy earth of Heaven. Preston had knelt beside him, his hand slowly extending towards his fellow sin. He attempted to place it on Envy's shoulder in a comforting, brotherly way, but Eric swatted it away, "Don't touch me!" He snarled, his eyes rabid with an inner torment, his black wings lying behind him, sad and useless.

"Envy," Greyson's wings fell behind him in defeat as he hung his head.

I turned around at the sound of heavy footsteps running towards us and Illius, West closely behind him, pushed through the brush and trees. They came to a stop a few feet away from Envy, Illius' brows knitted together as he took in the grief stricken sin.

"What happened?" West asked as he tucked his guns into his belt, his hands covered in white, angel blood. My eyes met his and I slowly shook my head, my heart clenching, "What? What is it?" Worry drew into his voice, his feathers ruffling with anxiety.

"Envy's wings are paralyzed," Preston explained, his voice scarcely more than a whisper.

I watched the shock pass over the brother's faces and we all stood there, watching Eric as he battled with the emotions welling inside of himself. There was silence, we grieved for the loss of Envy's wings, for the piece of Eric that had just died. I silently wondered if he would ever be the same again, or if he had just lost a part of himself that could never be recovered.

~*~

Morana whipped around, facing her sins, her chest rising and falling with an overwhelming pain as she gasped for breath. She had aligned with the Darklings and they had given her the power to connect with the sins, but with this connection came the occasional burst of emotions from one of them and she knew her Envy suffered. She let out a scream that shook the very core of the ice hanging above them and sunk to her knees. Her mouth gaping open in a silent sob as she bent over, her hands flying to her back where her wings had unknowingly sprouted and now laid around her.

Luis rushed to her side, "Morana, what's wrong?" Panic showed on his face as he took her clenched fists in his own hands.

She gasped, choking on her breaths, "Envy," She panted, "He has lost himself."

The sins that stood in line below her throne, shifted, their eyes casting to the ground as they mourned their brother. Wrath stepped forward, his fiery orange hair falling in front of his eyes as he bowed his head, kneeling, "My queen," He began, raising his blazing eyes towards Morana, "I beg you, let us go to Envy. Let us bring him home, allow us to heal him."

She pushed aside the crippling pain, her senses returning and she stood, shaking off Luis' hands. Her amethyst orbs landing on Wrath as she considered his proposal, "Then go, bring him home."

Wrath stood, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, "Thank you, my queen." He spun around on his heel to face the rest of the sins, "Move out. Today, we assist our brother." They strode towards the icy, entry way, determination welling in their bosoms.

~*~

The ground beneath me was cold and wet as I sat on it, leaning against a tree. We had waited in silence as Envy broke inside. He now sat still, his head hung, his normally neatly placed, black hair falling in front of his face, hiding his eyes from sight. He had been like this for the past ten minutes. I jumped as his head snapped up, his eyes dark, his face expressionless. He forced his legs to work as he stood, his broken wings dragging behind him as he moved forward, stepping past us as he moved deep into the forest.

We scrambled to our feet and quickly followed after him. The sound of the flowing river becoming fuller as we drew near. I could now see the rushing, clear waters, the sun reflecting off of it like a mirror. Several boats dotted the surface, rocking back and forth with the baby waves. Eric came to a complete stop and flipped around to face us, his wings rustling as they limply drew across the ground, "We'll stay in the brush, out of view from the canoes. Follow the river like Ava's aunt said." He shifted his jaw, his hands clenching into fists as he continued moving, staying on with the twist and turns of the river, putting distance between us and the enormous kingdom of Heaven.