He didn’t wait for an invitation to sit. “A curse of my grandfather’s,” he said, pulling up a chair. “One I have...evolved out of.”
“Whatever.” She turned away and placed her head in her arms. “I’m not going back with you.”
He reached out to touch her, but she slapped his hand away. His face became riddled with confusion, and she countered with a cold glare.
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you get?”
Before he could open his mouth, fear, adrenaline, and probably whatever was in the rainbow drink, surged forth. Val pushed the table over and vaulted the patio railing.
Five minutes later, Vladimir was nowhere in sight. Even still, Val continued to wind through golden streets and alleyways. It was a stupid plan, she was well aware of that. She had no idea where she was going or how long until she even reached the city border. But the planning part didn’t matter. That bestial instinct had slid into the driver’s seat. A clawed foot pressed on the gas and Val found her body driven faster.
She rounded a corner and nearly barreled into a group of women. Val dodged at the last minute by kicking off the nearest wall and sailing over. She swore again, but this time a somber realization broke through the frenzy. Her speed wouldn’t have been possible if she was still human.
Val skidded to a stop, forcing herself—her thinking, careful, rational self—back to the surface. She flexed her fingers and counted to ten, eyes clenched shut. When she was positive that she was in control, she opened them. A gigantic lake stretched before her with the opposite shore only a green streak. Angels lounged on all sides, under umbrellas or spread out on blankets. Some ate, some laughed; no one seemed to notice her. Or perhaps, they just didn’t care enough to make a spectacle.
Something hit the back of her leg and she jumped back, raising her arm to strike. She looked down, and blinked, confused at the sight of a little girl holding a glass sphere. After a moment, Val realized that the sphere appeared to have some kind of lens.
“Are you here to see Marian?”
Still dazed, Val turned to the water to see an enormous horned sea serpent leap from the water. Red and blue scales shimmered in the sun before disappearing back beneath the surface. Some of the angels smiled, then returned to talking. Others had never glanced up to begin with.
The child ran off to wherever she’d come from and Val stumbled back, muddled and disoriented.
Monai
A Guaraní sea monster falsely believed to have been a deity. Captured by Castiel in 1403 a.d., it has been domesticated to live in Le Ciel. The natives have taken to calling it “Marian.”
Val clutched her chest, unprepared for the vision the Mark threw upon her. And with that vision, came the manic fear that blazed her insides reset. It was a weight crashing back down from all sides. She was a monster and murderer in-in... Heaven of all places! A monster running from a vampire who worked for an angel, who also wanted her to kill everyone on earth. She grabbed her head and squeezed. Her temples pounded but she didn’t wake up.
“Are you okay?” She looked up to see a concerned couple standing in front of her. Before she could process a reply, she saw a dark shape slowly rise from a shadowed portion of the street behind them.
Val shoved past angels and took off again, pushing herself faster than she had before. There had to be somewhere out of the city she could go. Somewhere he couldn’t find her.
Careening past a group exiting a café, Val vaulted several tables and their patrons, then skidded back to control. Warmth spread through her chest. She figured adrenaline must have jumped the Mark into helping.
Left
Nearly crashing on her face, Val changed direction, and sped down another alleyway.
Right
Right
Without hesitation, Val followed her internal directions until she reached what appeared to be a dead end between buildings.
Up
A strange sensation in her hands brought her gaze down. Fingernails extended to black claws and the surrounding skin wrinkled and greyed. A shiver racked her spine, followed by the thick taste of blood that made it hard to swallow. She stared at her hands and could remember screaming. Not hers, but someone else’s. A lot of someones.
Gritting her teeth, she looked over her shoulder. Vladimir’s shadow wasn’t looming behind, and when she focused her hearing, the closest person was at least a block away. Another strong pulse from her chest brought her back to the wall. Pressing her hand to the brick, she pulled back and dug her claws into the stone. One hand after another, she scaled her way to the top until she was standing on the roof’s ledge.
There was no outer wall, gate, or any real separation. It was like the city’s construction had come to a jagged halt. Golden streets and buildings gave way to lush grass. Mountainous rock and trees surrounded the green’s perimeter to form a semicircle. Ironically, scaling the building had been unnecessary; looking down, it was clear the street over would have taken her to the same place.
Directly centered across the grass was a wide cave opening. It looked like part of the hillock had collapsed on itself. Vegetation transitioned to dried earth and trailed a path deep underground. She didn’t need further magic direction to know that that was where she needed to be.
Val dropped to the ground and winced as pain exploded through her now-shattered kneecap, down her leg, then back up her spine. The bone sewed itself back together quickly enough, but she was shuffling for several minutes before her natural gait returned. It was now apparent why Crystal had explicitly forbidden “superhero landings.”
Struggling to her feet, she made her way to the earthy mound. It now seemed ominous and domineering on ground level. Leg injury withstanding, she crossed the field and peered down into the mouth of the cave.
Glittering specks lined the walls of crumbling earth. As she half-expected, the specks, upon further investigation, turned out to be runes. Unlike before, however, these didn’t translate. Instead, staring only warranted a tingle shooting down her body and a metallic taste in her mouth. Common sense said to turn back, but she couldn’t. Her feet moved on their own accord, and the sun was snuffed out behind.
Val was unsure how long the stony path stretched, much less how long she’d been groping her way in the dark. It’d been a constant downhill journey with few turns or alterations. Further still, the darkness fought her night vision. Everything was placed in an unnatural shadowed haze.
She’d been walking too long and the silence was driving her crazy. Panic rattled against her skull. Maybe she had missed a turn. Maybe, this was a random hole that led nowhere. Maybe this was a trap. A hundred other alternatives blossomed forward and nearly made her turn back.
Nearly. As she pressed deeper into the earth, light began to trickle into the shadows like stars. White runes flared defiantly over the path from ethereal posts. Val was almost disappointed by the lack of stalactites, but filed it away for the best. While she would probably survive, there was always the fear that she’d be impaled passing underway.
The path was, as she guessed, no wider than two arm spans. With the new illumination, however, she could see it was widening. As the runes grew more frequent and luminescent, the Mark in her chest began to stir. No vision or direction came, but she felt a distinct connection with the symbols. The magic throbbing around her was the same as the magic in her chest.
She missed a slight ledge and tripped. When she straightened, the stony passage had broadened out to a proper cave. Fluorescent runes of white, purple, green, blue, red, black, and orange bathed the air in an opalescent light.
Val didn’t know how long she stared. The mural in front of her was like the six others beside it. Each detailed to the impression of being animate. This particular mural displayed a creature, much like the one that had turned her. It poised on a pile of human carcasses. Blood gushed from the heap like streams down a hillside. Val gulped. Even without the purple rune or the “V” beneath the image, it was obvious. It was a painting of he
r.
“Didn’t expect you to find this place so soon.”
Val barely noticed Vladimir step beside her. Her eyes wandered around the cave to the other paintings:
VI- A pale horned figure in a long robe. He stood alone on a boat. He faced away from the shore where several people stood with their backs turned.
VII- A child in an oversized crown. Behind him was the image of a dragon and wolf intertwined. The beasts were spiraled in a double helix until the two heads met at the top in a snarling glare.
Stepping away from Vladimir, Val examined the first three paintings. To her left was a woman on fire. Beside it, the Gemini constellation. Painted overtop the stars were two stick figures in chains with what looked like white blood covering their hands. Number two was an angel with red hair bowing before a throne.
Val scrunched her brow as she stared at where the first painting should have been. In place of an image was simply the roman numeral I.
“I asked Michael about that one,” Vladimir said, securing his hands in his pockets as he stepped forward. “The first curse could have been any of the sins. My grandfather’s character molded him into Lust. Because he began the curse, no prophetic image.”
Val turned away from the murals. “What’s the point of all this,” she muttered.
Vladimir stepped back to block the exit, but Val only rolled her eyes and sat down. He raised an eyebrow, but when it was clear she wasn’t going to flee, he sat beside her.
“Well, to fix the world, I guess,” he said with a shrug.
“The ends don’t justify the means,” Val said bitterly.
Vladimir chuckled to himself, then nostalgically looked back at the murals. He twisted around and pointed to the opposite wall. “Look at that one.”
Val turned and tried to make sense of what she was looking at. Taking up the entire wall was the depiction of an island. The buildings and structures were strikingly similar to what she’d seen of Le Ciel. Along with stick figure denizens were domineering characters with enormous wings. These figures flew above the island.
Val squinted to make out the finer details when a loud crack made her jump back. Large fissures spidered across the mural and the angels faded from the stone. Seconds later, it was back to normal. Then it cracked and changed again.
“Kadia was built as a middle ground between Le Ciel and Earth,“ Vladimir said softly. “In the old world, the Annwn and Earth Proper were one. The Kadians were intercessors between angels, humans, and the mirage.”
Val watched the mural crack and reform. Her eyes narrowed on the empty space created when the angels disappeared. “What happened to them?”
“Humanity was already on the decline from war, corruption, famine and plagues. Then demons and gods set up theocracies that demanded human sacrifice. Kadia wasn’t immune and fell into the occult as well. The angels didn’t intervene. When they realized their mistake, they divided the Annwn from Earth Proper and cut Kadia from the rest of existence. By that point, whatever demonic deals they made overtook the island. Legend says it was eaten from the inside out."
“E- eaten by what?” The horrible mural eyed her from behind. The painting of her—of Gluttony. Vladimir didn’t answer.
The loop on the wall continued. The island broke apart again and again until Val finally looked away. Turning around, she gazed over the seven paintings.
Jaw set, she swallowed and stared ahead at the stone. “So,” she stated, voice practically gravel. “The angels saw things going south, ignored it until the last minute, and now want to kill everyone as a ‘do over’?”
He nodded. “That’s about right.”
“Can you not hear how irresponsible that it is? You made a mistake! You neglected humans and now you just want to kill us off? If angels are supposed to be in charge, then it should be up to them to fix it!”
“This is fixing it, Val!” Vladimir halfheartedly punched the ground and let out a frustrated sigh. “There is no way to ‘repair’ the morality of a planet, or to enchant away millennia of death and disease. This is as close to perfection as we can get.”
“Who said we wanted perfect?” Val spat. “Some of us just want to live.”
Vladimir was silent a moment before meeting her eyes again. The constantly swirling tattoos danced in the darkness. They swam over his arms and stretched towards his neck. Val stifled the urge to look away; his black irises dared her to, but she kept his gaze. “Apologies,” he said finally. He exhaled and the shadows retreated to his forearms. “I forgot. Humans emote before logical processing. You don’t quite understand yet.”
Val shot upright and glared. “Don’t patronize me. What don’t I understand? You people want to commit global genocide! I don’t want anything to do with you, I just want to go home!”
“Okay.”
She coughed, not sure she’d heard him right. “Okay?”
“Mmhmm.”
She looked him over, waiting for a sly grin or smirk. There was none.
“But Michael said—”
Vladimir gave a dismissive wave. “I know what Michael said. He won’t care. By the time we’re done, you’ll be begging to come back.”
“I can promise you that I won’t, but—” Val caught the fifth painting in the corner of her eye and faltered. All the resolve and anger she’d been building drained away with the color in her face. It didn’t matter how she felt or what he said—nothing had changed. “I forgot,” she whispered. “I can’t go back. I’m cursed, remember? I’m a danger to everyone.”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?” She shot upright. Had she missed something? All everyone had been saying since she woke up was that she was a monster that would kill everyone—it was even cast onto stone in a prophetic cave painting. But Vladimir had spoken so matter-of-factly, without a trace of sarcasm or chicanery. Longing outpowered skepticism and she grabbed his arm, the first hints of hope glinting in her eyes.
“The Mark.” He pointed to her chest. “It suppresses the curse to an extent. If you wanna eat another old man, feel free. You just don’t have to.”
“What?!” Val stood up and quickly started pacing the cave, hand to forehead. Could something like that be true? If it was, shouldn’t she have known? But then again, Vladimir had screwed up the Mark. Plus, everyone had been too preoccupied.
“I have no reason to lie,” Vladimir interjected, bringing her to a halt. “It would be very inconvenient for Michael’s whole ‘cleanse the world with fire’ if his seven most valuable assets couldn’t curb their… desires to focus on orders.”
“Okay… That’s good to know,” she said slowly. “Thank you. But…” She clenched her fist. Tears stabbed at the corners of her eyes, but she held her ground. “I’m not going back.”
At this, Vladimir seemed genuinely shocked. The shadows on his skin slammed still and he stared her over intensely. “Excuse me?”
Val huffed out a breath and stomped up to the man—the monster— so they were inches apart.
“I don’t know what you’re playing, but it doesn’t matter.” His face had relaxed, curiosity replacing surprise. He sized her up like she was no more than a pouting child, but she held her ground. “As long as this is in my chest,” she placed a hand over the Mark. “You people own me. I’ll find a way out on my own. Take me back to the castle.”
Chapter 18
“This is unacceptable!” Paris exclaimed as Castor’s body trudged through the snow. “The man has legions of angels on his belt, but nooo, he sends us to get a stupid book. I know I sound like Zadkiel right now, but seriously, what the hell?”
“Polli…” Castor sighed, “the ‘stupid book’ is related to Kairos. Michael needed people he can trust to do this.”
“Then how come it’s only us three?! He sends the vampire and the ghoul on vacation, and where do you think our highness’ favorite little soldier is? Probably laying on his ass somewhere, fast asleep. I swear, if Zadkiel isn’t really Sloth, then I don’t even—”
/>
“Can you two shut up for like two seconds?!” Avia snapped. Steam wisped around her body in smoky tendrils. “I don’t know how you two could even live in the same house, much less the same head. You’re giving me a migraine!”
“I’m sorry. She’s right, Cas,” Paris said softly. “Michael put her in our care and we’ve been fighting for hours.”
“Apologies, Avia,” Castor said. “Enough about us. There have been a lot of recent changes. How are you doing?”
“Cold,” she said flatly, then continued marching ahead. Michael had given her a fur lined coat from Le Ciel’s armory. They were soft and flexible, yet the exterior felt like solid stone. Supposedly, they were enchanted with runes to preserve heat, but they weren’t doing anything against the South Pole’s icy gales. Internal complaints continued to stack in her mind, but she was interrupted by the crunch of ice under feet. She cringed when Castor finally fell into step beside her.
“We understand, it’s a lot to take in,” he started. “Pollux and I became Envy several hundred years ago and we’re still getting the hang of things. Living in Le Ciel, doing these missions, killing demons… it’s much different than living among the stars.”
“Oh, killing demons is the best,” Paris said wistfully.
“It really is,” Castor said. “One time, Zadkiel and I were in Amsterdam and—"
“Stop!” Avia stomped in front of him—them— it, whatever they were, eyes ablaze. With clenched fists, she raised herself on her toes to meet his eyes. “Stop. I don’t need you two trying to be my friends. What I need is to get out of this fucking hellscape. I’ve lived in South America and Florida for the past seven years—I don’t do cold. And I don’t hike either, but look where your brilliant directions brought us. When we get back, I would love to discuss killing demons. God, I need to kill something. But right now, I just need you two to shut. The hell. Up.”
Before he could respond, Avia fumed off, snow melting in her wake. She’d thought the adventure would be exciting. On the contrary, it had only yielded the twins’ incessant arguing and attempts at small talk. Furthermore, they’d been trekking through flurries for hours and were seemingly no closer to their destination.
When We Were Still Human Page 18
