Free Fledgling: Book 1 (Afterlife) by Katrina Cope

As he watches me closely, Blue digs his fingers in deeper again.  
    I am about to open my mouth to speak when I hear the call, “Fledglings.” Our leader is here. We cannot see him, but we can still hear his call within our minds. We begin our way to the meeting place.  
    We see him as soon as we turn the corner. Standing in the centre of our grassy meeting spot is the great warrior — our trainer and guide, who trained us to be the toughest of the new angels. He waits with his hands on his hips, defining his bulging muscles. He looks tough in the skirt of his roman warrior uniform. His feet are shoulder width apart as he examines the new angels in front of him with his piercing blue eyes. His no-nonsense demeanour is rather intimidating, even when you haven’t done anything wrong. Considering he is the head of all the angels, and the greatest warrior since the beginning of time, the intimidation is understandable.  
    I am starting to feel nervous again. After seeing him, my confidence is wavering in being able to pull off the deception. My concern for Blue heightens. He shouldn’t have become involved. It was my battle, and he volunteered to become implicated. I glance at him as he walks beside me toward our meeting spot. His face is a blank canvas. If he feels concern, he is not showing it. I cannot read any emotion.  
    Turning my head away, I look back at our leader. His eyes are studying me. I try to hold an honest stare, but I am not sure I am pulling it off. He turns and assesses the gathering few as we line up and wait.  
    “Right,” the archangel says. “Let us begin.”
    He walks up to the first in line. It is Yellow. From my side vision, I can see she looks completely relaxed, but I know that she would not need to worry. From our conversation before, I know her mind is on the straight and narrow, not willing to divert from our training. Archangel Michael places a finger on her forehead and it lights up. After a moment, he pulls his finger away.  
    “Good work Fledgling. You have served well.” He produces the cloud in his hands and pulls out the shining bean. She smiles and takes it between her thumb and pointer finger, and places it in her mouth. I watch as she swallows. I am half jealous that she can follow the angel law without remorse, but at the same time I am happy for her. She has earned it.  
    When she has swallowed, Archangel Michael says, “Go young one. I believe your mission is of an urgent matter.”
    Yellow nods once and disappears, teleporting to wherever she is going. With Yellow gone, it is Blue’s turn. The flutter of wings fills my stomach. Our leader stands in front of him. With his legs firmly apart, he places a finger on Blue’s forehead. I sneak a sideways glance. Blue still doesn’t hold any emotion on his face. I wonder if he is stressing right now, or if he is redirecting the probing light, avoiding the unwanted areas. I feel faint and realise that I have not been breathing. I take some breaths trying to calm my stomach. After a few moments, that seem to take forever, Archangel Michael removes his finger.  
    He says, “Good work Fledgling. You have served well.” He turns and looks at me. “But, we have some issues to discuss.”
    I try to swallow the large lump that has suddenly appeared in my throat. It doesn’t go away. Turning my head, I look at Blue. His eyes have turned the deepest shade as he looks at me. He shakes his head and his face shows deep concern. Great. That is not helping me relax.  
    The leader of the Archangels stands in front of me. He is forever in fighting stance, standing balanced and strong even when not fighting. His eyes are piercing as he looks into mine. Is that disappointment I see in those sapphires? He raises his hand and touches his index finger to my forehead. I feel the light as it spreads into my mind. I don’t know what went on with Blue, but I am not going down without a fight. I am going to do my best in redirecting the