by Diana Estell
One quick hug later, Frosty was back to guarding her room. Dagon thanked the noble cat for watching over Mary by patting its head. Even though Dagon was here now, Frosty’s protection was still appreciated.
Curiously, Mary glanced at Dagon’s t-shirt. The orange letters were slightly covered by his blazer. Mary opened his blazer just wide enough to read it. Dagon liked this, though it made him nervous. His heart raced.
“Do you think I have my groove on?”
“We’ll have to go dancing again for me to find that out,” she giggled.
“I would love that. I bought the t-shirt back in the 70’s at a concert in this city.”
“Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“I’m not sure, I’ve been around since the 50s.”
“You don’t look old enough. How old are you?”
He never answered her question but led her downstairs. Nonchalantly, he stretched his hand up and swept some of the webs down. Now he had a sticky mess on his hand. He tried to shake them off, but they wouldn’t budge.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes … fine, luv, just fine,” said Dagon through a forced smile. He shook his hand more violently.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You seem nervous.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I’m nervous. Very nervous.” He shook his hand again.
“You should have told me that the first time. I’m kind of nervous, too. We can be nervous together.”
Dagon liked the word “together” though he wondered if she was nervous about being stuck with a man who had a shaking problem. Thankfully, she led him the rest of the way downstairs.
Dagon wiped the couch and sat down with a dust-releasing plop. He paid more attention to the dust than to Mary. Making up for it, he told her how beautiful she looked. The toes of her bare feet curled in, and her cheeks blushed.
The dust settled, and Dagon began to tell her about himself in a very basic way. He told Mary that he bathes, not because he needs to, but because it relaxes him, and he has no need to brush his teeth. Dagon barely started when he saw Mary gasp. He wasn’t quite sure why she reacted in that way, but he wondered. Does she think that I have bad breath? Do I need breath mints?
“If this is too much for you to take on, you can show me what I need to do.”
“Well … um … ok…um what do you like to do for fun?”
So far so good.
“Listen to rock music and … um … what do you like to do?” Dagon twisted and wrung his hands.
“I like to read and practice ballet, though, I don’t dance as much anymore.”
“You are a great dancer. How did you learn?”
Mary blushed. “Thank you. I took lessons since I was four, until I was eighteen. Many instructors told me I was a prodigy…whatever.” Mary brushed this last part off. “Catherine took lessons, but not as long. It just wasn’t her thing. I guess like baths, dancing has always relaxed me.”
Dagon adjusted his collar, causing a blazer sleeve to ride up his arm.
“Dagon, woah, that’s a bad cut on your arm. I’m going to clean it for you.”
“What? No thanks, baby. It’s almost healed. It’s fine … just leave it.”
Mary shot up from the couch. “I am not going to leave it. It looks like it may be infected. I’ll treat it in my bathroom.” She held out her hand, which Dagon reluctantly took.
Back upstairs they went. Seeing more cobwebs, he fought the urge to remove them.
“You can sit there.” Mary pointed to the toilet.
“You want me to sit … there?”
“Yes, now sit.” She nudged him down on the toilet seat. “First, let’s take off your blazer.”
“No, Mary! Please, no, just leave it. Please?”
“It’s ok, I took a class in first aid.”
Mary helped him take his blazer off.
“Honey, it must be cleaned. I will take care of you.”
Dagon sat quietly as he waited for the pain of rejection to come. She would see his scars and wounds and be thoroughly repulsed. If this is what living in the light is about … I think I may pass.
Mary got down under the sink and pulled out a first aid kit. Dagon peered through the vanity and saw an awfully disorganized mess. Now he was worried that whatever she would use on him would be expired or tainted.
He tensed with the fear of rejection and old, expired medicine, for everything in the house reeked of expired dust.
Mary brushed aside the dark hair on his arms, showing some old scars and five fresh wounds. She seemed focused on her task, and she smiled at him.
“How did you get so many cuts?”
“They’re dagger accidents.” It was partially true.
“You need to be more careful. Some of these old scars look really deep.”
She rubbed his scars tenderly, which made him flinch.
“Did that hurt?”
“No. Sorry, luv. I am just not used to anyone helping me.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
She opened the first aid kit, and to his surprise, the kit was neat, and the expirations, current. She took out a brown bottle. “This might sting a little, I’m sorry.”
This much kindness tore through Dagon as Mary applied some bubbling liquid with a stick that had cotton on both ends. He didn’t want to show how much this frothing liquid stung. Her kindness sunk in, making the sting melt away. He was guilty for his part in the doom of humanity. Yet here she was, soothing and cleaning his wounds. The kindness would probably end once he took her down his dark memory lane.
“Can I have a cigarette, luv?”
“I’m almost done.”
She finished wrapping his arms in gauze and carefully avoided catching his hair with the tape. She put the first aid kit back under the sink and tenderly helped him back into his blazer.
Dagon brushed a stray hair from her face. Mary placed a hand over his and leaned into his palm.
“Thank you, luv.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Please try not to get hurt again.”
“I’ll try.”
They picked up right where they had left off, in the awkward string of questions and answers. Mary showed Dagon how to operate the shower, amazing him. He let the trickling water run onto his hands. Mary protected his bandages from getting wet.
“You can’t get these wet for a few days. I will have to change the dressings tomorrow.”
Of course this meant that she wanted to see him again, and Dagon was glad. Somehow, he had to get Mary’s agreement, and he tried to think of how to ask her. He really wanted to keep her out of it, but that was impossible.
Mary showed him a toothbrush. Yes, it was a brush, but not for hair. Mary’s kindness and patience were remarkable. He had revealed some strange things, and to her credit, she didn’t make him feel badly about it.
Hand in hand they went back downstairs. He noticed less dirt and more of Mary, though the house still needed a good deep cleaning. Back on the couch, Dagon started explaining more of his basics.
“I have never drunk alcohol or used drugs. By and large, I use profanity sparingly. It says very little of the intellectual capacity of the one using such words. However, every so often, periodically, on occasion, and from time to time, a harmless word might just, you know, slip out.”
Mary put her hand to her mouth.
“But this is not a habit by any stretch.”
Mary just blinked several times. “Which word would you use?”
“You’ll know it when you hear it.” Dagon winked, offering no hint.
“What is your last name?”
“I don’t have a last name.”
“How could you not have a last name? For example, mine is Fauston. Mary Elizabeth Fauston. Everyone has one.”
“Maybe, but I don’t.”
“How? Why not?” She leaned forward, her eyes focused on his face.
Dagon sat back, his shoulders slumped. “Because I was created
and not born, I have never had parents.”
Mary wobbled, almost falling off the couch.
“Are you all right?” Dagon asked.
“What kind of question is that? No, I’m not all right. Are you human? What am I saying?”
She said exactly what he expected.
“Can I just show you the rest?”
Mary nodded.
“I promise it won’t hurt. Just relax, okay? Trust me, luv.”
Before Mary could think of a response, Dagon placed one finger on her temple. She shook. Dagon felt anxious, too, for he was concerned about everything that he wanted to show her.
Like watching a movie, Mary saw everything. She watched his ceremony in the Golden Land. She saw Dagon’s sword, but it looked even bigger than the one earlier in her dream. It looked to be as tall as Dagon, though she watched him with mind-bending speed slash the sword through the air and thrust it high above his head. How could he do that? His arms didn't appear very muscular. Her composure gave away nothing as she watched the next part. She saw a beautiful blonde woman put the black stone ring on his finger, a cunning expression on her face. Okay, I’m making a note to ask him about her.
Mary saw a woman and a man gazing at a white tree. They glowed with innocence about them. Crystal vials of brilliant flames adorned the tree, hanging from its branches. The woman gazed at the flames, drawing her closer. She took a vial and gave it to Dagon, who then handed it to the woman of cunning beauty, the blonde who had given him the ring. The innocent pair hid, and a bridge appeared in the sky. Wailing and screaming came from somewhere. Her heart raced faster than the scene.
Dagon and the cunning woman laughed and to her shock, Mary recognized herself on the bridge, despite a slightly blurry face but with the same eyes. Dagon’s laughter faded away as he looked tenderly at the woman on the bridge. His expression changed to pain as veins formed within his body and the innocent pair begin walking away with their heads hanging in sorrow. They had lost their innocent glow. Forlorn, Dagon left with the spiteful woman, and his white garments turned gray. His hood split, and then she saw him fly as a dragon. Time moved quickly forward in a blur. Somewhere, there was a dark, cold, stifling place. She watched his memories of finding her, following her for a week, protecting her, and finally she watched him on her doorstep, shaking tulips behind his back.
Just like that, the images became blurry again, as he removed his finger from her temple.
Dagon was in fact a Seraph, and with a few exceptions, he was all man. Yes, all man.
“Was the partial transformation painful?”
“Yes, very.”
“You said you never had a girlfriend. Who’s the blonde woman? Is she your wife?”
“Her name is Savila and no, no! Definitely and emphatically not!”
“What was I watching?”
“The first scene you watched was my investiture as guardian and knighthood. At that time, Savila, the then Guardian of Wisdom, had the ceremonial honor to place the ring of investiture on my finger. Before my hood was removed, my name—”
“Beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking,” said Mary.
“Before my hood was removed, my name and title were announced. I am ‘Dagon, Guardian of Light and Guardian of the First Land’ and—”
“What is the First Land?”
“Mary, you’re sweet,” said Dagon with a sigh. Every question he answered opened numerous questions. “The First Land is the home of the pair that you saw gazing at the white tree with the vials of flames. The woman was Andrana and the man was her bonded mate. This bond is stronger than an earthly bond, but it is like unto a marital bond. Savila was invested before the time of my creation as ‘Savila, Guardian of Wisdom and Guardian of the First Land.’ The First Land was our post of guardianship. Savila opened my mind to power, and I began to hate the humans.”
Mary chewed on her lower lip. “You hate humans? But I’m human.”
“Maybe hate is too strong of a word. Jealous maybe. Savila told me humans would be powerful and more highly valued than Seraphs, and since we were created first, this infuriated me. As a whole, the human race is not bad, though I’ve seen some really rotten examples and some okay ones. I’ve met one exceptionally beautiful human recently, though.”
She felt heat rush to her face.
“I'm going to continue, luv. Andrana and her mate had come to the tree often. Savila opened my eyes and Andrana’s. Then I placed words in her mind, whispers of power. Andrana plucked a vial from the tree—”
“Why did she do this?”
“Because I asked her to.”
“She passed the vial to her mate and then to me, and I in turn gave it to Savila. Savila seeks complete domination and permanent death for humanity. At that time, I did as well, but Savila is the one who was bound to blood. Once the pair’s minds opened, their blood became bound to Savila, as is mine. Savila showed me the bridge and then blew it up by closing her hand. The people on the bridge fell to their doom. Everything changed for me when I saw you. Your eyes made me sorry for what I had done, and so I hid your image deep in my heart to protect you from Savila. The no-longer-innocent pair, Savila, and I were all cast out of the First Land and into a new land. This new land is called the Second Land, or Earth.”
“Dagon, my mind is hurting …”
“I told you it wouldn’t hurt and yet it did,” he whispered, his eyes cast down. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oh no, that’s not what I meant.” She leaned down closer to his face. “My mind is hurting from everything you told me, that’s all.”
“What do you mean, ‘that’s all’? I don’t want you hurting at all.”
“Let’s see … how to explain …” Mary looked toward the ceiling. “It’s like this, because everything you told me is new, there’s just a lot to learn, that’s all. Does that help?”
“Yes, I see, so it’s overwhelming?”
“Yes, I guess that makes sense.”
“So … I didn’t hurt you?” He placed his hand on her forehead.
“No, you didn’t,” Mary said, holding his hand.
“I’m glad, very glad.”
She smiled and put her hands on her lap. “What did the vials do? Why did she take one? Vials seem harmless.”
Dagon raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “The vials have a powerful flame, which gives the one who plucks it knowledge of good and evil. We were forbidden to take one from the tree. When she took the vial from the tree, her bonded mate also took hold of it, and his mind opened. This was the beginning of all evil, Mary, and I am so sorry.”
“No, definitely not harmless,” she said.
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Their deceptively simple remarks, lightened the moment, causing them both to laugh.
“I did not mean to brush over what you said about being sorry.”
“That’s ok, we needed laughter about now.”
“Yes,” she said in a whisper. Now what. “Can you turn into a dragon?”
“No, I can’t. It’s my coat that transforms into a dragon. I’m sorry … it’s creepy, I know.”
“I don’t know why, but that doesn’t scare me. I’m more curious than anything.”
He looked relieved.
“Can you show my mind more about how your dragon looks? Where did you go after you flew off in the image you showed me?”
“No, I will not show you this, it would profit nothing. I will not take a chance for fear that you would be scared.”
“How old are you?”
“How old do you think I look?” He grinned, posing.
“I think that you look around twenty.”
“Really? That’s nice. So, I look twenty and you are ...” Dagon’s reflection off glass from a china cabinet showed him raising his eyebrows slowly, while tilting his chin.
“Twenty-one.”
“Perfect,” is all Dagon said while he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror.
“Well, how old are you?”
“Mary, does it matter?”
“No, it’s just …”
“The truth is, I really don’t know. In the scenes you just watched, the world was newly created, before my creation.”
“You would have to be over a million years old. Is that even possible?”
“Yes, give or take a day. Baby, do I look over a million years old?” Dagon posed again with his chin in the air, offering his profile for examination.
“Give or take a day? No, but—”
“Well, there we are.”
“What do you mean?”
“In my homeland, time does not exist. It is said that one day is like a thousand of your human years, and a thousand of your years is like one of our days. So, another way of looking at it is that you are older than me. But that’s splitting hairs, isn’t it?”
“What? Oh, never mind. But when you said that you were only gone for two seconds … did you mean two seconds or was that an exaggeration?”
“In my world, Mary, it was really two seconds. But it seemed like forever.”
“Whether you call it seconds or weeks, why were you gone at all?”
“Mary, I couldn’t leave. I am … sort of between homes at the moment ... in a hotel of sorts. I do have a home, but I’m waiting on some loose ends to clear up.”
Dagon said no more, got up, and went into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator without even asking. Dagon just nodded his head when Mary explained to him the reason why her refrigerator was so sparse, for she mainly ate at the restaurant when she worked. In an odd sense of familiarity, he set the table and made them sandwiches. He devoured every crumb.
After Dagon washed the dishes and put them away, it began to rain outside. They sat back on the couch, listening to the rain. Dagon would have given anything to know Mary’s thoughts. Was she thinking of him or the bizarre things he told her? On second thought, maybe ignorance was bliss.
Mary looked antsy, her toes curled in as her body stiffened.
“Are you all right? I don’t think it’s going to storm. Besides, I’m here for you.”
Whether from what he said or from something else, her toes and body relaxed.
“I’m all right. Even as a child I was frightened by storms. I still am, but I’m all right.” She smiled and held his hand again. “It’s nice not to be alone now.”
