by Bonnie Lamer
Moving on. “What does Raziel do with his time?”
“Honestly, I am not sure. As I said, Archangels do not usually spend time with lower Angels.”
“Then they’re missing out.”
She smiles shyly. “I would like to think so.”
“Now that I’ve made you feel all warm and fuzzy, will you help me figure out how I’m supposed to spend my time?”
There goes her smile. “Fine.”
Chapter 24 – Raziel
“Ready to face the day?” Garren asks Kallen and me.
“I am ready to find Tabitha, yes,” Kallen says evenly.
Ignoring him and his surliness, Garren turns to me. “The breeding grounds are not a pretty sight. Are you sure that you are up for this young Fairy?”
That comment makes Kallen smirk. At least it is better than the scowl he has been wearing. “I believe I am of a strong enough mind.”
“It is not your mind I am worried about. I am worried about you losing your scone all over the place.”
How does a female being abide this type of treatment? “I can guarantee you that I have seen worse. When you have personally decimated entire realms and sifted through the rubble for souls worthy of being saved, then I believe we may have a conversation regarding who has the strongest stomach. In the meantime, please take my word for it that you will not be seeing my scone again today.”
Isla snickers which earns her a condemning look from Garren. That makes her laugh outright. “Garren, I am afraid you are outmatched in this situation. I suggest you refrain from making any type of misogynistic comments for the remainder of our stay.”
“I am not a misogynist,” he growls.
“No? I was led to believe that you are perfectly willing to believe only the immoral in regards to females.”
Garren throws down his leather sack and points a finger at Isla. “It has been a lifetime since that ONE instance and I have paid for it every day since! I made a mistake. But I will not have you continuing to behave as if I have made that same mistake many times over. You are such a stubborn, obstinate and hard woman; it is hard to remember the sweet young Fairy that I fell in love with so long ago ever lived inside that body!”
Garren has moved into the shocked and speechless Isla’s personal space in a rather aggressive manner and is shaking her by the shoulders. Each movement is making me angry – both at Isla for not responding and at Garren for believing this is acceptable behavior. I am finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my ‘observe only’ philosophy.
Kallen, who is barely restraining his own temper and magic, leans over to me and says, “Grandmother would be angry if I step in to fight her battle. But, if you truly want to behave as Xandra, this is when she would normally toss him a few hundred feet.”
Fantastic idea. Pulling magic while Isla is still in a stunned silence, I direct it at Garren. It hits him so hard that he doubles over as he is flung backwards into a tree about twenty yards away. The sickening smack of bones breaking tells me that I may have been a bit heavy handed with Xandra’s magic. On the upside, Isla snaps out of her shock rather quickly now as she covers the distance between us and Garren.
Kallen and I follow her at a slower pace, neither of us exuding pity or remorse. When we reach him, Garren is a rather concerning shade of gray. Isla drops to her knees next to him and gingerly reaches out a hand to lift his face from his chest. “Garren, open your eyes. Where are you hurt?”
Between gasps of pain, he says, “What. The hell. Do you care?”
Isla drops her hand and tries to hide her smile. “I knew a few broken bones could not stop that foul mouth of yours.”
Kneeling on the other side of him, I say, “Garren, I am going to heal you now. It will be painful at first as your bones and tissue knit back together.”
“Are you implying,” he gasps, “it does not hurt now?”
The Fairy does have a point. Believing his question to be rhetorical, I lay my hands on him and as gently as I can, I steer Xandra’s magic through him. I have to focus more than I ever have to make sure that I do not harm him while I am healing him. His occasional flinch tells me when I need to pull back a little. It takes longer than it would have with my magic, but it’s still only a few minutes before he is completely healed. He’s a bit pale but he is not dead. For that he should be thankful because I am not usually this forgiving. I am finding myself growing tired of wearing this façade, hiding who I am.
Kallen and Isla help Garren to his feet. He is a little unsteady from the shock of being injured and instantly healed. Leaning back against the tree for support, he meets my eyes. “Who the hell are you?”
“That is a story for another day,” I say evenly.
Pushing away from the tree so he can be closer to me, using his height in an attempt to intimidate me, he jabs a finger into my chest. His magic is boiling over, looking for a target. The man is a complete and utter fool for proceeding with this course of action when I am already unhappy with him. Isla attempts to calm him but he is oblivious to her warnings. “You break nearly every bone in my body and all I get is ‘that is a story for another day?’ You either tell me who the hell you are or you can find your own way through this realm.”
“Garren, you do not know what you are doing,” Kallen warns him but it is too late.
A threat from a mortal to an Archangel. I am not accustomed to being spoken to in such a way by another Archangel let alone a Fairy. What is more concerning is the fact that he is touching this body without permission. His finger will leave bruises, marring its perfection. These things are unacceptable. In my peripheral vision, I see that Kallen feels the same way but now this is my battle. With more control than I have exhibited thus far, I pull Xandra’s magic and I use it to push Garren back against the tree. His neck is straining as a magical hand puts pressure on his throat. A call to the heavens brings lightning to the ground around us as the clouds become dark and heavy.
With more baritone in Xandra’s voice than there has ever been, I say to him, “You will not approach me in such a way again. Who I am is not your concern. You are simply a tool and nothing more. The only use you have in this realm is to attempt to use your history of nonaggression to help resolve the situation peacefully. If you fail, you will have the wrath of the heavens upon your head. You will find yourself unwelcome in any realm and your existence will be meaningless.” As Garren absorbs my words, he has stopped struggling against my magic. Instead, he is shielding his eyes from the white glow that has surrounded me now that Xandra’s wings have answered my call. “It has been a long time since I have made anyone bow before me, Garren. I take no pleasure in such things. But know this. If you touch me again, I will make you grovel at my feet as I decide your fate.”
“Ah, the smell of Angel in the morning. What a wonderful dessert you will be.”
Dropping Garren to the ground, leaving him to gasp for the oxygen that has been deprived him in the last few moments, I turn to the Dragon scout I knew was approaching. “I am too lean for your tastes and not a passive target. It is in your best interest to leave us to our business and find your rest for the day.”
The brilliant dragon of yellow and green hues laughs. “My appetite is not so grand as to require fatty sustenance at this time, nor am I ready to find my rest as you say. I have supped on several large goblins this past evening and a bony thing like you would top things off nicely.”
“I am not in the mood, Hattock. Find your fun elsewhere.”
The Dragon is taken aback that I know his name. “It seems I am indeed at the disadvantage here. I am not privy to your name yet mine rolls off your tongue like the sixth toe of a mealy goblin.” His reptilian lips curl back to show his sharp front teeth.
Kallen reaches out to stop me as I walk towards Hattock but I shake his hand off my shoulder. “You are Hattock, scout for King Myles. You dream of one day sitting at court where your family once had honor but your father ripped that destiny away when he attempted to det
hrone the current King. You are stuck in a life of servitude, protecting those who should be your peers. You are currently considering killing us so you can lay our dead bodies before the Royal Court to prove your loyalty to the throne.” This last part is a guess but the look in his eyes tells me I am correct.
Coming down from his back haunches, Hattock is now on all four paws. His nostrils are flaring as he reins in his temper for the moment. “A mortal dares to speak to me like this?” I suddenly have a case of déjà vu from a few minutes ago. Only then, I was the aggressor.
“You are mortal as well, Hattock. Do not forget that. You are also outmatched here. You would be wise to leave us now and announce our presence to the Royal Court. You will still get the credit for finding us and your scales will still be intact.”
I made sure that I was at least ten feet from him so when he spews his fire, I am not even singed. “You seem eager to die, humanoid.”
“My eagerness is from impatience, not a death wish. You would find me hard to kill.”
Kallen’s hand is back on my shoulder. I wonder if Xandra responds positively to him when he does this. For me, it is simply annoying. “Our intent was a peaceful audience before the Court. You are making that impossible. Why are behaving like this?”
Behaving like this? A good question. I am appalled at the way Xandra would have been treated in this situation. That, and I am tired of not behaving like an Archangel. I do not bow down to Dragons. Nor any other species. “I am behaving according to my station in the great plan of the universe,” I say to Kallen, ignoring Hattock’s heavy breathing a few yards away.
“And you do this by being an ass?” Kallen asks. “Your station in the universe means nothing to the rest of us. Our goal is to rescue Tabitha, not stroke your ego.”
Hattock has sat back on his haunches now as he takes in the heated exchange between Kallen and myself. “I see that my services are not needed. I simply need to wait here a little longer and you will kill each other.”
At the same instant, Kallen and I both pull magic and send it towards Hattock. Following my lead from earlier, Kallen’s magic finds the soft spot at the juncture of Hattock’s right haunch while mine finds its way to the left. Being a bit smarter than Licius was earlier, Hattock unfurls his great wings and takes to the air. He will nurse his wounds in private. Which buys us time. He will not go before the court injured.
Isla’s face is stony as she says, “If you two are quite finished, we could move on to what we are actually here for – rescuing Tabitha.”
Chapter 25 – Xandra
“Where do we start?” I ask Adriel.
Before she can say anything, I feel my wings twitch. It’s an odd sensation. “Why are they doing that? It’s like my wings are humming.”
Adriel chuckles. “Your wings are communicating with you.”
But I don’t speak wing. “What are they saying?”
She shrugs. “They are your wings. You must listen to them.”
Fine. I close my eyes and see if I can figure out what they’re saying to me. It only takes a second for me to get an image in my head. Two Angels are arguing. One is the Angel I met when I first got stuck in Raziel’s body. The whiny one. “Um, is breaking up Angel fights part of my job?” I ask Adriel.
She laughs. “Yes. Archangels keep the peace. An area I am sure you will excel.”
I make a face at her. “Sarcasm is not helpful at the moment.”
She shrugs. “No, but it is fun. If it helps, most of the Archangels are not happy with this part of their job. They do not like playing referee to petty spats that have gotten out of hand. Who is fighting?”
My turn to shrug. “I don’t know who one is. I met her when I first came here in Raziel’s body. She’s an Angel of Death and she’s really whiny.”
Adriel rolls her eyes. “That will be Verchiel. Who is she arguing with?”
I sigh. “Belial. Want to come with me?”
“I would not miss this for the world,” she says with a grin. I give her another dirty look but I put my hand on her arm and let my wings bring me where they want me to go.
We end up standing behind Belial as he grills Verchiel for information. “What is Raziel’s sudden interest in Angels of Death?”
“I…I do not know. I have only had a br – brief conversation with Raziel. About something unimportant,” Verchiel hurries to add.
“Belial,” I say causing him to start and then turn around. “Why the sudden interest in my business?”
“Raziel, you seem to turn up everywhere I go. Perhaps a better question is – why are you following me about?”
I wonder if everyone feels like a bird just pooped on them when this guy speaks. He makes me want to check my hair for gunk. “Since you seem to spend your day harassing lower Angels, I am seriously considering tethering myself to you until you learn to play nice with others.” At that thought, my skin is seriously trying to pry itself away from my body so it can run for the hills. Though I haven’t really seen any hills around here.
Huh. I think I just made Belial feel the same way. He just visibly shuddered. Jerk. “There is something you are not sharing with the rest of us, Raziel. Since you are not forthcoming with the information, I find I have to garner the information from other sources.”
I snort and shake my head. “So you think this whiny little Angel of Death who can only think about how much she hates her job has personal insight into my inner workings?” That was a confusing run on sentence. It takes him a minute to work through it.
Belial shrugs. “You are found in the company of Angels of Death quite a bit of late. It seems there must be insight to be gathered from a select few.” He looks pointedly at Adriel. “Do not forget Raziel, I am also an Archangel and can do as I please amongst the lower Angels.”
Wow. I really hope that’s not true. A quick glance at Adriel assures me that it is. Turning my eyes back to Belial, I say, “You are to leave Adriel…and this one,” I forgot her name already, “alone.”
An evil cackle falls out of his mouth like a dead baby bird kicked out of a crowded nest. Eew, that was a bit too graphic in my mind. “Raziel, you have no power over me,” he says.
Yeah, I was afraid of that. I wish there was something I could do to get this guy off my trail. Something that doesn’t involve a violent rush of pain in my head because another stupid door in this brain opened up. Ow. There are so many swear words I want to say right now but I’m putting all of my effort into remaining calm on the outside. The way one of Belial’s eyebrows goes up, I’m failing miserably.
“Raziel…”
I put a hand up to stop him from saying anything else. “Sshhh.”
“Sh?” Incredulity is swimming around in that one word. I guess he’s not used to be shushed.
Before I can bring my fingers to my lips to hold them closed, I say, “I invoke the Rite of the Fiery Pit.”
Adriel and Verchiel both inhale so quickly and so deeply that I’m afraid their lungs are going to pop like balloons. I’m not really concerned about their reactions, though. I’m concerned about Belial’s. There’s actual, almost tangible, fear in his eyes.
Visibly shaking himself back to the moment, Belial says, “On what grounds do you invoke this Rite?”
Oh man. The pain was just starting to go away and now it’s starting all over again. Stupid brain that knows everything. I barely move my jaw as I say, “On the grounds that you are willfully abusing your power as an Archangel to generate fear amongst the lower Angels.” Sure, that sounds good.
Adriel puts her hand on my arm. “Raziel, perhaps we should review the Rite before this goes any farther. It would be a shame for either of you to spend the next thousand years in a fiery pit.”
I’ve just discovered that gulping can be more satisfying when you have an Adam’s apple. “Adriel, you make an excellent point.”
During this little exchange, Belial has been watching me closely. Which means I’m pretty sure that he sees the fear sailing merr
ily around in my eyes. His own fear has dissolved into thoughtfulness. I gulp again.
His too beautiful for a bad guy lips slide into an easy smile. “My first thought Raziel was that you already know what will happen if I say yes. But I am not sure that is the case. There are cracks in your confidence which is very strange. You seem concerned that the victory may not be yours which puts us on a level playing field. Not to mention this may well prove that even you do not know everything. What would happen to the Great Plan if that happens I wonder.
Fear. Chaos. Havoc wreaked in every realm by angry Angels. The usual for when a Great Plan is proven to be a lie.
“I believe I will accept your challenge.”
Great. Yippee. I’m jumping for joy. This sucks. “When and where?” I ask instead of groveling at his feet to let me take all of this back. “And I hope you enjoy heat,” I add trying to sound confident. Instead, I sound like I’m ready to sing tenor in an opera.
