Finally, Michael pulled a backflip, and with a yelp, Siobhan lost her grip. Jack caught her, though only long enough for Michael to sink a few more yards before he was forced to let go and both of them plummeted.
Siobhan groaned as she landed on her back, and Jack tucked into a ball as he hit the ground and somersaulted before sprawling gracelessly onto his front. Even if he didn’t quite stick the landing, his own impact with the ground had looked rather less…well, impactful than Siobhan’s, and she couldn’t help but think that maybe she should get some more sparring practice in after everything was said and done.
Her attention was wrenched toward Gabriel and Raphael as one of them suddenly screamed, the noise like rocks grating together in the middle of a sandstorm. She wasn’t sure which of them it was until she saw Raphael slam front first into the ground, Gabriel using his back as a landing pad before hurling himself back into the air again. For a moment, Raphael didn’t move, twitching slightly, and then he heaved himself up onto his elbows, shoved himself to his feet, and launched himself into the air once again. Siobhan cringed as the two of them slammed into each other with an impact that could have cracked a mountain in two.
There was no time to appreciate it, though. Michael landed in a crouch, his wings flaring wide behind him. He surged forward, and Siobhan braced for the impact, until Jack lunged in front of her. Michael and Jack tumbled across the grass, and with an outraged, wordless shout, Siobhan threw herself into the fray. She crashed into Michael’s shoulder, and though the impact didn’t seem to especially bother him, it at least made him lose his balance for just long enough for Jack to haul himself out from under him and scramble away.
Siobhan offered him her hand and hauled him back to his feet, and they bolted. It wasn’t long before Michael cut them off once again, though, landing in front of them and turning sharply, his wings flaring out to knock them both onto the ground. They both tumbled in opposite directions, and his fist instead slammed into the ground where Siobhan’s throat had been a moment before. The grass was pulverized beneath his knuckles, the dirt denting inward.
Still on the ground, Jack latched onto Michael’s arm, his grip tightening like a vise. Siobhan hopped back to her feet and drove a fist into Michael’s ribs, throwing as much of her weight behind it as she could. She didn’t expect it to do much, but she was gratified to hear him grunt in discomfort.
Michael’s attention was snagged as Raphael looped past, flying low enough that he almost clipped the ends of Michael’s wings. A split second later, Gabriel swooped past, only to slam into Raphael a moment later, sending him crashing to the ground. Before Gabriel could avoid the worst of the crash, Raphael caught him by the ankle and dragged him to the ground like a fish on a line.
Siobhan’s attention snapped back to Michael while he was still distracted, and he stumbled to the side and pitched toward the ground as she punched him in the side of the neck.
It was only a moment of relief, though, before Michael was on his feet again. Like a dog after a bone, he lunged at her, his wings flapping once to propel him forward even faster than normal.
Siobhan was, for one of very few times in her life, glad that she was reasonably small, and she ducked under Michael’s strike. His second strike caught her by the shoulder, but she turned with the impact and squirmed away, skittering backward like a startled squirrel. Before he could attack for a third time, Jack darted in, hooking a leg around one of Michael’s and yanking it out from under him. He lost his balance for less than a heartbeat, more out of surprise than because of the weight behind the attack, but it was better than nothing, and at that point, ‘better than nothing’ was about as good as they could hope for at that point.
Siobhan much preferred principalities, where she could rely on tactics other than ‘trap their wings’ or ‘keep them busy.’ She rather preferred being on something like even footing.
Gabriel and Raphael grappled, their hands locked together. But where Gabriel had speed, his brothers seemed to rely more on brute force, and Gabriel was losing ground, inch by inch, until Raphael suddenly bore his weight forward and then hurled Gabriel like a softball.
Gabriel slammed into the dirt with the force of a cannonball, and Raphael turned his attention instead to Siobhan. He darted toward her, and with a noise like a growl, his arm shot forward, his fingers wrapping around Siobhan’s throat like a noose. With a sharp, jerky motion, he hauled her off the ground. His wings flared open behind him, and though he looked like he had no intentions on leaving the ground just then, it did a rather good job at making him look enormous.
She kicked at the air, her fingers hooked into claws as she tugged at Raphael’s wrist to no avail. Jack’s fist slammed into Raphael’s ribs, but there was no time for a second blow before Michael grabbed him by the arm and wrenched him aside with enough force that Siobhan was amazed Jack’s shoulder didn’t dislocate.
With a heave, Raphael threw her.
Siobhan landed with a grunt, a gasp, and then a wheeze, fighting fitfully to drag air into her lungs. She cringed and curled in on herself as Jack landed beside her a moment later. She knew, though, that if Jack was next to her, there was no one keeping Michael busy, and she looked up as his shadow fell over them.
There was a flurry of movement and the sound of feathers slicing through the air, and Gabriel landed in front of them, bending over them like a shield. With an outraged shout, Michael’s joined fists slammed into Gabriel’s back.
There was a meaty crack, and Siobhan flinched as Gabriel made a noise that could have cracked the sky as one of his wings spasmed and went limp. There was a second blow, and another wing went limp, the tip of it touching the ground at an awkward angle. But still, Gabriel refused to move.
Raphael was advancing on them, though, his expression twisted into a mask of fury. Whether or not Gabriel wanted to move, Siobhan was entirely certain the option was going to be taken out of his hands very soon.
*
Osamu looked around curiously, though there was remarkably little to see. Blackness stretched in every direction, though the ground beneath his feet gave like grass.
The farther he walked, the more his surroundings became real, until he found himself stepping from grass onto a cobblestone path, strolling idly through a garden, and following along the winding stone walkway.
It was like no garden Osamu had seen before, with plants and flowers from every continent. Regardless of the fact that half of them couldn’t have thrived in the same conditions as the other half, they all seemed to be doing perfectly well. It was organized in such a way to make it seem as if everything had its place, and yet nothing looked as if it had been deliberately planted anywhere. As if the entire garden had simply sprung up naturally, paths and all.
It was gorgeous. Everything was in full bloom, and it smelled exquisite in a way that no perfume or incense would ever be able to emulate.
Ahead of him, a tree grew at the center of the garden, a single apple dangling from the end of one branch. It was bright red, and it shined so brightly that he could see his reflection in it, even from several feet away.
His steps slowed as he stared at the apple. He knew it was what he needed; he was seeking the Apple of Eden. But for it to just be hanging right there, ripe for the plucking? It was too simple. There had to be something more to it than that.
Cautiously, he reached for the apple, but as soon as his fingers touched it, it melted away like so much wax.
A woman emerged from behind the tree, her broad hips swaying with each step and her arms folded over her ample chest. Her head was bald, and she wore not a single stitch of clothing. She also looked as if she was made entirely of mercury, shimmering and gleaming in the pale light. It made any of her facial features indistinct, and her eyes were nearly invisible. They looked as if they had been made from a fractured mirror, their reflective, refractive surfaces blending in nearly seamlessly with the molten surface of the rest of her face.
“Hello, Eve,” Osamu offered
mildly, inclining his head in greeting.
“Hello to you, as well,” she returned quietly, in an echoing voice like bells in the distance. Whether or not ‘Eve’ was truly her name, she evidently felt disinclined to confirm or deny, so Osamu was going to assume she didn’t mind the moniker.
“I’ve been waiting for one of you to show up here. I wonder, though…” She tipped her head to one side, the garden’s reflection against her face shifting. She brought one finger to her chin in thought. “None of the others got to keep their visitors. Will I get to keep you?”
“I don’t know what letting you keep me would entail, but I am quite certain it would be rather unpleasant for me,” Osamu observed, his tone polite. “Besides, I have somewhere to be and people I am supposed to be helping. Letting you keep me sounds rather counterproductive, if I’m allowed to have my say on the matter.”
Eve laughed gently, one hand rising to cover her mouth. Even so, it was unsettling, as the inside of her mouth blended seamlessly with the rest of her body. “I don’t think it would be unpleasant at all,” she assured him, and she spread her hands out to her sides, her gesture encompassing the entire garden as a whole. “I think it would be an honor to feed my garden.”
“I’m sure it would be,” he returned pleasantly, “but even so, I’ve places I need to be.”
“Saving the boy and the girl and her pet angel, or do you mean the broader scope?” she wondered, tapping at her lip with one finger. “It’s an important distinction, don’t you think?”
“Ideally, both,” he answered blandly. “While the world as a whole is my priority for what I would hope are…obvious reasons, I see no reason to let Jack and Siobhan die. They’ve done nothing but help us, and frequently, to their own detriment. And even the archangel has proven his loyalty, to Siobhan if not to the rest of us.”
“And you think the rest of the world is worth saving?” Eve wondered, though her words sounded skeptical. “They can offer little to the likes of you and your ilk, don’t you think?” From what he could see of her features, she was pouting slightly. “Or is this all just to keep yourself from meeting your end with the rest of the world?” She tittered quietly. “There are easier ways to spare your own life, you know.”
“Because of course, if I want to help, it could only be for my own benefit,” Osamu remarked blandly. “You’ve a very narrow view of the world,” he stated pleasantly. “Has anyone ever told you that?” He shrugged, dropping the matter before she could even respond. “But no. My concern is for the people of the mortal world. Perhaps they don’t look like much right now, but with the proper influence, they could become extraordinary.”
“And you think you are the one who should provide that influence?” Eve wondered mildly, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Arrogant, is that not?”
Osamu rolled his eyes. “I never said that influencing them wouldn’t be a group effort,” he pointed out. “And there is no one saying that ‘influence’ is a bad thing by default.”
“But who is to say you will do it properly?” she asked, her hands settling on her hips as she shifted her weight to one side.
“Who’s to say we’ll do it improperly?” he challenged. “Who’s to say it will be worse than simply killing them all for no reason?” His eyebrows rose expectantly. “I don’t know what your thoughts on the matter are, but I’m rather of the opinion that most things are preferable to genocide.”
Eve tittered quietly. “A fair point,” she agreed. “But your point still revolves around wanting to manipulate the world for your own ends.”
“You came to that conclusion on your own,” Osamu pointed out. “There is a difference between influencing and manipulating, and even manipulation can be done for benign reasons. I will not claim that my goals are entirely altruistic—lying here will get me nowhere—but on the whole, I want the best for the world, both for my people and the rest.”
“You want to see them grow,” Eve guessed, sounding thoughtful.
“I want to see what they can become with a little coaxing,” he confirmed. “They’ve grown much already, and they increase their ability to grow further, more and more each year. Each day, even.” He smiled faintly. “I’ve not been awake for long, but I’ve been astounded by everything I’ve seen.”
“An ant farmer, then,” Eve supplied thoughtfully, with no small amount of amusement laced through her tone. She hummed quietly, the sound gentle and lilting.
Osamu shrugged, his palms out casually, unoffended by the comparison. “An ant farmer must still take care of his ant farm,” he pointed out. “He will give his charges what they need to thrive, and then simply let them exist as they will, unless he must intervene to save them. It’s an apt comparison, I suppose.” And when done properly, an ant farmer could even be fond of his charges, even if only from a distance. Though he supposed it wasn’t an exact comparison, as he had the luxury of interaction.
“And that wouldn’t seem like a waste of resources?” she wondered, tapping her lip with one finger again. It felt as if someone had given her a vague understanding of how humans and body language functioned but offered none of the nuance. “If all you plan on doing is observing, then wouldn’t that be more entertaining if they had to fight? If they had to struggle? That would turn it into quite the proper show, would it not?”
“For a short while, until there were none left to fight. Besides, they make their own struggles without any outside interference,” he pointed out.
“Which is not a compelling reason to help them,” Eve added instantly. “They are simple creatures.”
“If they are simple, then I am simple,” he stated simply. “I was one of them, once. They are short-lived, but that does not automatically make them simple. They have the potential to do incredible things with the proper guidance.”
Eve nodded along understandingly. “And it will be easier, I suppose, to turn them into the proper helpers if they’re properly cared for,” she offered agreeably. “I do appreciate foresight.”
She got a quiet scoff in return. “I don’t want slaves or servants,” Osamu sighed, exasperation seeping through his tone, finally straining his near ever-present calm. “I merely wish to see what they will become if they’re given the chance. Heaven would rather rip that chance away from them out of…what, fear? Annoyance? They’ve hardly even said.”
“Or perhaps you weren’t listening to them,” Eve suggested mildly.
“I doubt I would find any evidence compelling enough to excuse worldwide genocide,” Osamu deadpanned in return.
There was a brief laugh and a quiet hum. “You truly wish them no ill will,” Eve observed, her voice calm but faintly bemused. “You’re fond of them.”
“You say that as if it’s so shocking,” Osamu scoffed. “I am old, not cruel. Now, have you come to a verdict or not? The longer I am here, the less likely it is that I’ll return to find my companions in something resembling one piece.”
She laughed gently and reached out, cupping his cheek with one hand for a moment. “Fair enough,” she agreed lightly. “I suppose I have made my decision.”
Rather than elaborating on that point, Eve’s form shattered into countless pieces, the shards melting as they fell and seeping into the ground. Rapidly, the apple regrew, as red and shining as before, though the red skin melted away like blood, revealing a silver shell beneath it. Osamu reached for it, finding that it fit neatly into his palm as he closed his fingers around it. With a small tug, he plucked it from the branch, and he was left holding not a silver apple, but a polished silver orb that seemed as light as air. It hovered a few centimeters over his hand, until he cupped it in both hands. And just like that, the knowledge of what it was for and what it could let him do flooded his mind.
The garden shattered and fell apart around him, and light engulfed him. Once again, he found himself standing on a rural road, though it was much less quiet than when he had arrived before.
Gabriel, Siobhan, and Jack were not where he had left them,
but they were easily spotted, just a stone’s throw in the distance, albeit uncomfortably close to the town. It took hardly any time at all for him to get there.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Michael pound at Gabriel’s back, as Raphael dragged Jack out from underneath the impromptu shield that Gabriel had turned himself into. Gabriel snapped two wings out to the side, smashing Raphael in the face with them and giving Jack a moment to scrabble away. His other two wings draped awkwardly off to the side, though.
With a slow sigh, Osamu lifted the Apple, and his eyes gleamed silver. “Enough of that.”
Michael and Raphael froze in place for a moment, and then their expressions went blank and they began to slowly, mechanically back away.
“Go keep each other occupied,” Osamu sighed, and just like that, Raphael rounded on Michael, and the two launched themselves at each other. They scuffled across the grass for a moment before they took to the skies, fighting like the bitterest enemies.
The Vampire's Bond 2 (The Bonded Series) Page 13
