by A. Catherine
Heather’s car continued nearing it, getting closer by the second. It noticed her and the hair on its head began to shed off and its bones and joints bent in unnatural ways.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t human.
In-fact, I vaguely recognized it from an old drawing in one of the realm histories I was forced to study when I was young. The slitted eyes and needle teeth gave it away.
A vetala.
I haven’t seen one beyond historical texts in my lessons...because they were supposed to be locked up tight.
How was it here?
Heather was gawking at it, not fully knowing what she was looking at, and also not realizing that she was still driving towards it.
The vetala grinned an unnaturally wide smile as it eyed its oncoming prey.
“Shit,” I swore aloud.
What? What’s going on? I barely registered Gabriel’s distant response to the alarm simmering in my body.
I ignored him and broke past the film separating the Ethereal veil from the mortal veil. Heather screamed when I appeared out of nowhere in her car. I held out my hand and closed my fist, forcing the brakes to squeeze down the wheels, bringing the car to a hard stop, just a few feet away from the vetala.
Heather’s gasp was more like a choke, and then she was breathing in shallow heaps. The vetala snarled and jutted towards the car.
“Oh my god, what-what is that?!” she sputtered, clearly sinking into shock of what was happening right in front of her eyes.
The vetala gripped the hood of the car with its bony hands and ripped it clean off. Heather held her breath or forgot to breathe altogether—not fully registering that it was all indeed real. The vetala let out a nasty cry, eyeing at me with liquid menace.
I pressed my palms against the windshield and with a jerk of force it went flying towards the creature, sending it back until it slammed a good thirty feet away against the pavement, covered in the now shattered glass.
I climbed out through the open cavity of the windshield and stared back at the shell-shocked mortal still sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Stay here.” An order to be followed.
I jumped off the remains of the car and ran straight for the vetala, still trying to get up from the initial blow.
When it spotted me coming towards it, it moved—shielding as much as it could from the incoming blow. I hit the creature with my bare fist, it only grazed it and used it to help propel it over my body, landing behind my back.
Nimble little bastard.
What is happening? Gabriel forced hard enough to squeeze past my barriers.
I growled back at him. Not now, featherbrain.
Once it landed it instantly jogged back towards the car—towards Heather. Heather watched in horror as this deformed version of what she first thought was human woman was quickly closing in on her—ready to make a tasty meal out of her flesh.
She was frozen in her spot, unable to fully decide what she should do.
I grunted in frustration. I could use my powers to incinerate it immediately, but honestly, what I had in mind felt like more fun.
I was a skilled fighter, and these weren’t difficult to kill if you knew where to aim. I whipped out one of my throwing karambit daggers from my jacket and with the flick of my wrist I sent it flying after the vetala.
Forged in the Hades’ pit, its sharp blade made its mark faster than a bullet, piercing the vetala’s back, stopping it in its tracks just a few feet from the vehicle.
The vetala cried out as the spelled dagger did its Infernal job and began to burn its skin. Welts and blisters formed and then were gone as its entire body erupted in a momentary flame before disappearing into a puff of ash.
Leaving only the dagger behind on the pavement, the sigils dimming from their use.
I had already been walking towards the creature while it burned. I bent down to pick up the dagger and wiped its blade against my pants to clean off any remaining residue before stowing it back in its hilt underneath my jacket.
I loosened a deep sigh, looking at the mortified young woman.
That was definitely more than she was supposed to witness. Feathers was gonna kill me.
However, vetala’s out in the open were not a good sign, especially since they were supposed to be thoroughly imprisoned for all eternity.
Approaching the car, I opened the drivers' side door, reached in, and unclicked her seatbelt. She stared at me in horror and confusion but didn’t resist. I grabbed her forearm to help pull her out of the car.
“Come on, we need to get you home.” She stumbled out of the car and followed me. I held on to her arm to keep her steady.
“What-what just happened?” I ignored her and just kept leading her down the block until we reached her apartment complex.
Her questions, though stuttered and breathless, didn’t yield as we worked our way up the apartment complex stairs.
“What was that thing? My car! My car is ruined, and just sitting in the street! I need to call the police! But—what would they say, they’d think I’m crazy!” Her breath coming in short burst of gasps, hardly taking in enough oxygen to speak.
If she kept this up, she’d soon faint.
I rolled my eyes and kept going. “Don’t worry about your car, I slipped it between realms. No one will see it or mess with it.”
Heather’s voice got louder as we neared the third floor, echoing off the hallway walls.
“I’m sorry, where? How did you—you killed that thing?! You have to tell me what’s going on! What did I just witness?”
We reached her door and I, with only a sliver of power, willed the lock to flip and opened the door.
“Wait a minute, I locked that! What the hell! How do you even know where I live?!”
Did she ever shut up?
After getting her inside, I locked the door behind me. Then went to the windows and peered outside the curtains to check if anything else was near.
Heather began pinching herself, and pulling her hair, slapping her face to try to wake up.
“This is so insane! I must be dreaming. That’s it. This is just another horrible dream, I need to wake up! Oh, I’m going mad, I truly belong in a nuthouse now. Oh god, I’m gonna pass out.”
Once I knew the surrounding area was secure, I grabbed her hands, stopping her.
“No, unfortunately, this time you’re not dreaming, and you’re not insane.”
We both glanced at my hands holding hers, I released them in an instant as if I were shocked and put distance between us. I continued monitoring the apartment perimeter.
Heather must have noticed how easy it was for me to move around, as if I had been there before.
She and I locked eyes for a moment, and without thinking my gaze flicked to the bedroom door and then back to her. She saw the recognition in my face and then it spread across her face as well. Her cheeks turning a deep shade of pink.
“It was you! I knew it! I don’t know how I knew that, but it was you—in my dream! It was real!” Panic started to set in. “But how is that possible?”
I threw up my hands and tried to calm her.
“Trust me, the answer to that question would take too long to explain. Plus it might fry your brain, so.” I shrugged.
Her face pinched. “Fry my—”
Suddenly the whole room filled with a blinding light.
A strong arm held my throat, and a strong invisible force pinned my entire body back against the wall. Gabriel stood in front of me in all his glory, wings and all.
And he was furious. If it wasn’t for the lethal glare he seared into my face, I might’ve been turned on.
“Are you out of your mind? You had one job. Observe and protect. I get here and you’ve revealed yourself and your powers to the mortal?! Do you realize how reckless this is! I could smite you right here, right now. Heaven would thank me for it.” His voice echoed against the walls, amplified.
Clearly Gabriel hadn’t realized that Heather could see him an
d all his glory.
Well, not ALL his glory. An amused demon’s voice chuckled in the back of my head. Seere must’ve sensed the sudden distress and chaos and tuned in.
I could get out of this, easily. But the force of power…trying it might not end well for the mortal not far behind him, especially inside such a tight space.
So instead, I leveled an equally lethal glower at him, my smoke unfurling just enough to push his arm back so I could choke out.
“I’m reckless, huh? Turn around buzzard brain.”
Gabriel’s face that was filled with fury only a moment ago shifted. My comment registered, and he blinked with stunning cognizance.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Heather staring at us in what I could only discern as a mix of awe and horror, completely frozen in place.
Her skin was paler than death as she looked upon the archangel in her apartment. His wings completely engulfed the small room and his golden light of grace lit up the otherwise dark room like a hot summer day.
Gabriel instantly dropped his grip on me and turned his entire body around. Within a split second he retreated his wings back into himself and the light surrounding him dimmed to a more tolerant level.
I coughed. “Busted. Now who’s the idiot,” I muttered from behind him, sitting on the floor, exhausted.
Gabriel ignored me, instead slowing started to inch closer to Heather.
She stumbled backwards. “I, uh….um…you….him…..what….oh Jesus…” Heather stuttered.
I watched her skin pale and knew that she wasn’t going to stay conscious for much longer.
Probably for the best. Seere giggled.
I shushed her internally. Hush, beasty.
“Heather, it’s okay. Everything is fine, I can explain—”
But even as Gabriel was finishing his sentence Heather’s eyelids dropped and her body collapsed.
Gabriel barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. She was out. I’m honestly amazed she lasted as long as she did.
“Way to go, Lancelot,” I grunted.
Gabriel glared at me but proceeded to carry Heather to her bedroom, gently lowering her unconscious body on top of the comforter, gently resting her head on the pillow.
He placed his palm on her forehead, a soft light appeared beneath his palm and seeped into her head.
A small spell most likely, to ward off nightmares.
Gabriel left the room, closing the door behind him and turning to me, his least favorite person in the universe.
“That should let her rest for a little while dreamlessly. Now, you have some explaining to do. Tell me what happened,” Gabriel said.
I stood, shaking off the leftover bruising left behind by the brute, they would heal soon enough. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the wall.
“What? But all that foreplay got me in the mood.” I pouted playfully.
I could see that he was trying not to lose control again. And it only made me want to push him farther towards that breaking point.
I’d certainly like to see that.
I smirked, Such a bloodthirsty little demon.
Her answering laugh faded into the vaults of my mind as I took a deep sigh and made myself comfortable on the couch before giving in to Gabriel’s less-than-gracious patience.
I said, “The Nessus prison is open.”
ELEVEN
Iaoel
THE MORTAL REALM CONTAINED multiple outposts and embassy-type locations specifically for supernatural use.
They eliminate the amount of traffic and travel between realms. Some of them are specific to divisions of heaven. In Siberia there is an outpost for scribes called Metalius. In a remote location, scribes can receive and transmit records of mortal and supernatural alike without being disturbed.
Reapers have an outpost in South America called Crepúsculo, but they nicknamed it Reapers Creek. A place for Reapers to take a break and meet with other Reapers outside of the headquarters at the Gates. It’s also conveniently located near one of the biggest passageways into Purgatory.
Iaoel had only been there a few times during their early training years, but now as an Angel of Sight, they didn’t find themselves crossing over into those areas often. Seere had never been there but had heard about it through the grape vine.
Hidden underneath the dense rainforests of Brazil, dark stones made up old, worn structures that looked like they housed a civilization thousands of years ago. But really, the civilization was only a front, covering the hub of supernatural travelers.
The churning ash of Seere’s winnow signature circled them as they landed on the lower platform of the haunting ruins. The ash swirled upwards from the ground, revealing Seere and Iaoel back to their solid forms, in the mortal realm.
Seere was out of breath. Her powers, or lack thereof, left her winnow abilities scarce. Traveling such a distance took more time, and a lot of energy.
Seere looked around, seeing no Reapers. “Anybody home?” she asked.
Iaoel crouched down to the ground and pressed their palm to it.
“We have to be in the Ethereal realm to see them.” Iaoel closed their eyes and focused on their ethereal soul, and when they opened their eyes the colors of the forest were heightened, slightly brighter, with more saturation. A sign that they were in the parallel Ethereal realm.
Every supernatural being had their own way of shifting from the mortal realm to the Ethereal and back. Most of the lower-class demons had to use their demon names to shift and remain stable, angels could shift much smoother and maintain stability with their angelic grace.
Seere had followed suit by tracing her demon name that was tattooed on her arm. When winnowing, she wouldn’t need to do this to move from one place to another, but to be in the Ethereal realm stable she would need to anchor. Her demonic name was tattooed into her bones, serving as that anchor.
Stronger beings such as archangels and of course Kaleus could winnow without using as much focus or anchoring.
Now that they were in the Ethereal realm, they could see multiple angels, primarily Reapers conversing with one another along the pathways and steps leading up to the passageway. Beside the stone pathway, a small creek weaved through rocks and plant life, giving the place its nickname.
“I’m a little disappointed. I was expecting there to be massage circles, yoga sessions, and buffet-style feasts,” Seere said while they walked further up the pathway, passing Reapers.
Some noticing the presence of a demon in their otherwise secluded location.
“Why were you expecting that?” Iaoel asked.
“Well, I mean, it’s like a getaway for Reapers right? That’s what I heard at least. I just assumed it was going to include some stress-relieving activities.” Seere winked at a pair of Reapers watching them closely, clearly not fond of her presence.
“So, this is supposed to be like a vacation retreat? Do we angels seem that stressed to you?” Iaoel chuckled, nodding towards any Reapers they noticed to reassure them that the demon’s presence wasn’t a threat.
“Yeah! You all look like you’re holding the world in your hands and don’t even get me started on the whole work-pyramid thing. I get that there has to be structure for things to run properly, but it’s so excessive, if anything it just sets itself up for failure.”
The two of them reached the staircase, leading up to the entrance of the passageway and began to climb.
“What are we doing here again?” Seere asked impatiently. Iaoel shook their head, ignoring her question.
Iaoel turned and looked back at the scattered Reapers.
“The crowd is a lot smaller than it usually is, Azrael must be keeping them busy,” they regarded, turning back to continue up the steps.
“You say that like you spend a lot of time here,” Seere responded.
Iaoel shrugged. “Not much anymore, but during my training years we’d come here to unwind after a difficult training examination. This may be named after Reapers, but
the young trainees use it the most,” they explained.
Seere smiled, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Oh, so really this place is where the angels party, let off steam,” she said. “Maybe demons should join, we could liven up the place.”
“I don’t see why not. They’re not banned from being here, but demons aren’t the most welcome. Imagine the fights that might stir from angel and demon mingling. It would destroy a lot of this place’s peace,” Iaoel stated.
