by Alexie Aaron
Waite had Murphy brought to him. Old Glass Eye tossed him in the captain’s quarters. Murphy got to his feet and waited in silence while Waite finished his evening meal.
“Go ahead, talk,” Waite said, wiping his lips on a linen napkin.
“Why are you still here? I heard the Peacock pulled anchor after the battle.”
“I’m a patient man. Eventually, your slut will come searching for you. I’m going to bed her if her quim isn’t too battered by Lucifer’s handling. She’ll make a fine wife if she behaves, or a ship’s whore if she doesn’t. If she doesn’t come for you before the full moon, I’m going to go for the diamond. We’ll be stronger while the moon is full. The museum has already lessened their guard. I’m hoping to waltz in and dance out with the biggest diamond I have ever laid my eyes on.”
“I can help you with the diamond. I know the museum well. I know where we can enter unobserved. I helped test the defenses.”
“What about your slut?”
“She lost my regard when she kissed Angelo,” Murphy lied. “He has wanted her since she started to show her gifts. She probably has a belly full of his child by now.”
“I heard tell another story, but I’m sorry that your respect for her has fallen again. I was looking forward to you watching me take her.”
“I will never understand why anyone would want to have an audience while mating with a woman,” Murphy said, scratching his head. “But to each their own. I prefer the lights off and a good fumbling under the sheets.”
“You were raised a prude,” Waite said. “Tell me about the yellow diamond.”
“It’s watched over by two ghosts…” Murphy told Waite enough to gain his trust but also held back enough to keep Waite from killing him. “When you’re ready, I’ll tell you the rest.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“I’d like you to set me free. Ted will lose interest in my farm when Mia doesn’t return. I will be able to do with it as I please without taking every idea to committee.”
“Wouldn’t you like to fumble with Mia before I spoil her?” Waite asked.
“Angelo has already done that.”
“Very well. You’ll be on a short tether. I have your axe. If you escape, I’ll dump it in Lake Superior. It’s so cold that the dead never rise.”
“Yes, Captain.”
~
Angelo walked into the meeting which was being held in the Field Museum’s board of directors’ room. He patted Ted on the back and congratulated him on the upcoming twins.
“Mia wants you to be Genevieve’s godfather. She says the soul of the child and you are like one and the same.”
Angelo smiled. “It would be an honor. I see PEEPs is here in full force. Quentin and Altair, that’s surprising. Who is watching over Mia?”
“Nicholai has moved my father in-law out of the aerie and into Cid’s old room upstairs. Once he heard Murphy was gone, he took it upon himself to take his place as Mia’s guard.”
“He’s the best there is, Ted.”
“He and Charles, together, are making me doubt every step I take.”
“Nonsense, you’ve more than proven yourself. Mia loves you.”
Baxter, who was talking to Bernard, saw that all the participants were at hand and cleared his voice. “Gentlemen, one of our own has been taken. According to my spies, Stephen Murphy is on a short leash on the Devil’s Pride. My spies also tell me the pirates of that ship are planning to rob this museum of the gems upstairs and everything else of value that they can carry out. Stephen, probably, is using his knowledge of how to enter the museum in order to keep himself alive. I believe he will be with them when they rob the place. According to my and Altair’s books on the GSD pirates, they are strongest during a full moon. That gives us a few days to prepare.”
“Are these the same pirates who helped out with the frost giants?” Altair asked.
“Yes, but they didn’t do it altruistically. Lucifer made them. I expect this didn’t go over well with Captain Waite,” Baxter answered.
“Mia said on Mackinaw Island that he was a good man,” Angelo said. “Maybe he can be reasoned with.”
Bernard raised his hand.
Burt realized this was where Mia got the hand raising from.
“Yes?” Baxter asked.
“May I answer Angelo?”
“Sure.”
“Henry Waite and I met thirty years ago. He sold me the illuminated manuscript for 100 gold pieces. He is only interested in the prize. In this case, he holds Stephen for two reasons: he wants to trap Mia on the ship, and he wants a way into this museum. He would consider it the pinnacle of his career as a pirate for him to sail away with Mia and the yellow diamond. He’s seen the manuscript. He knows her value.”
“I think it’s baser than that,” Quentin said.
“I agree,” Ted said. “Mia told me that the longer you are in the GSD, the more you lose your humanity. He may have been an alright guy months ago, but now he’s pure pirate and very dangerous.”
“How are you keeping Mia out of this?” Mike asked.
“Nicholai and Charles.”
“Do you really think they are up to the task?”
“No, but Mia knows she can’t enter the GSD pregnant,” Ted said.
“Why?” Angelo asked.
“I lied to her,” Baxter said. “I told her it would harm the babies.”
There was a room full of murmurs.
“Did you tell Nicholai this?” Angelo asked Baxter.
“No.”
“Well, let’s hope the subject doesn’t come up,” Angelo said. “I’ll send Victor over to talk to him as soon as he is available.”
~
Mia stood with Nicholai, waiting for Brian to get out of preschool. He was very aware of the stares he and Mia were getting from the other mothers. He had worn his civilian clothes, and he was starting to feel like a piece of meat.
“Are they always so vicious?” he asked.
“They are jealous that, once again, Crazy Cooper is being escorted by a handsome desirable man.”
“I’m older than the buildings in this town,” Nicholai protested.
“To their eyes, you look like you’re in your mid-forties. They probably think you’re my latest lover or john. That woman, whose tongue is wagging faster than I can eat a plate of baked beans, has convinced most of the moms I’m a high-end prostitute.”
“How do you deal with all of this?”
“I pretend I can’t read their minds, hear them, or feel their cold stares. I just hope the kids in school aren’t picking up on their mothers’ aversion to me and taking it out on Brian.”
“You know, there is a school that Brian may fit better in. Ralph told me and Charles about it. Charles says he’ll pay for it.”
“But it’s in Chicago, and I do think he should try to fit into this community. Soon, Ed will move in, and there will be more and more children like him to play with.”
“Promise me, if he starts to get bullied, you’ll think about it.”
“Yes, Nicholai, I promise.”
“Have you noticed his back? Lazar said, last time he bathed Brian, he had marks on his back, so I took a look at them.”
Mia turned and stared up at Nicholai. “Tell me.”
“I don’t want to get his hopes up, but he’s either been painting them on, which he could possibly do - he is talented enough - or his tattoos are emerging.”
“But you told us he didn’t have wings.”
“You didn’t until late in life. Why not Brian?”
Brian came out of the school with the other children. He stopped and said hello to Noah’s mother before he ran and jumped into Nicholai’s arms.
Mia thought that, one day, he would be jumping in the air and flying away. Would he look back? Would he miss his crazy mother?
“Excuse me, Mrs. Martin,” a familiar woman’s voice broke through Mia’s thoughts.
She turned to see Ester, Acalan Cabello’s guardian
angel, standing there.
“Is Acalan in trouble?” Mia asked, her stomach clenching.
“I assure you he is doing well. I’m supposed to deliver this to you,” she said and handed Mia an envelope.
Mia opened it and saw, penned in a wide bold hand: Please, let me explain. M.
Mia took a pen from her purse and scratched out a reply: I can’t leave here. If you would like to visit me at my home, you would be welcomed. Mia. She tucked it in the envelope, sealed it, and handed it back to Ester.
Ester grabbed her hand and said, “Believe me, we guardians did not want to leave.”
“I understand,” Mia said, turned, and ran to catch up with Nicholai and Brian.
Ester watched Mia and turned to walk back to the art store where she would leave from to deliver the reply.
“Excuse me, was that a summons?” Lisa Lane-Cordoba called out.
Ester stared at the woman and read her intention in seconds. She walked over and said, “This is none of your business.”
“She’s a whore, isn’t she?”
“Who?”
“Mia Cooper.”
“That is Mia Martin, and she is a respected mother and philanthropist.”
The other mothers looked dumbfounded.
“Who’s that man with her?”
“Her bodyguard. If you were as important as Mia Martin, you would need a bodyguard too. She is respected by some very significant people, but there are always those small-minded individuals who let petty jealousies get in their way. If you will excuse me, I have an important document to deliver.”
Lisa turned to dispute what the woman had told her, but the other mothers had collected their children and walked away.
~
Mia was reading in the aerie while Brian and Varden napped under the watchful eye of Lazar. Nicholai sat watching Mia as if she would disappear into thin air at any moment. She looked up and smiled shyly.
“Do I have something on my face?”
“No. I’m sorry, I was staring again.”
“If I knew what you were staring at, maybe I wouldn’t be so embarrassed.”
“I’m trying to reconcile the woman who almost bested me in frost-giant death count with the gentle lady sitting before me.”
Mia blushed deep red. “You only see me different because you know I have two babies growing inside of me.”
Nicholai’s smile disappeared. He got to his feet and spread his wings and drew his sword. “I sense angels.”
“How many?”
“Two.”
“I think Michael and Sariel have come to call.”
There was a tap on the front door of the aerie. Nicholai walked over and opened it. Mia stood nervously inside.
Sariel entered and moved quickly, checking the building out for other beings before calling out. “You may enter, Michael.” He then set his sword down at Mia’s feet and knelt.
Michael walked in and stood staring at Mia.
“Thank you for coming here to see me. I’m grounded,” she said.
Michael’s lips twisted.
“So Nicholai isn’t here to protect you from me?”
“Murphy’s gone. There are still Cynosura threatening. We are doing the best we can to bring the world back into balance, but there will always be zealots, some of whom have been masquerading as my friends and family. Nicholai’s presence here gives me peace. But if you threaten me, he will end you or I will,” Mia warned.
“I came only for a conversation. Shall we sit?”
“Can I offer you some refreshment?”
“No thank you.”
Mia walked over to the couch and sat down. Michael withdrew his wings and sat near her.
“I feel I need to explain my actions. Please listen to all I have to say before you pronounce judgement.”
“K.”
“Archangels are governed by God. In his absence, we each take an area of his responsibility. When it became apparent that the earth may be destroyed by Surtr, we voted on whether we would stay and fight or leave for the young planets we are nurturing. The vote was to leave. I, like Sariel, voted to stay, but we feared that this would create a division in the angels and chaos similar to the fall would occur. Altair broke ranks, but since he was still not welcomed back by all, his defection did not cause a problem.”
“It saddens me for your race to not know the value of Altair. He saved me from being broken by Lucifer. He fought beside birdmen and demons who would have been happy to turn and slay him, but he won them over with his honor.”
“I was happy he stayed. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I didn’t know you would be in danger from my fallen brother. I thought that Gabriel and Sariel had made you strong enough to withstand whatever Lucifer threw at you, but I neglected to think of Mia the woman.”
“He almost destroyed me. If not for a few true friends, I would not have survived.”
“But you are free of him.”
“Am I? I’m not sure. Once upon a time, I embraced stardust and it chose to leave me. And then I embraced evil and it stayed,” Mia said, tapping her temple. “Dark thoughts come easier than kind ones. I have to fight not to be angry, and smiles no longer decorate my face as they once did.”
Michael made a quick move towards Mia. She rolled off the couch, snagging Sariel’s sword, and took up a protective stance.
Michael didn’t draw his sword. He looked at Mia with such sadness. Anger and hurt radiated off Mia. She turned and handed Sariel his sword. She produced Handsome and handed it to Nicholai. “I don’t trust myself.”
“I can ask them to leave,” Nicholai said.
Mia turned and looked back at Michael.
“I swear I will make it up to you, Mia. Please forgive me. Please let me help you.”
She looked at the mighty general who was pleading with her. She wasn’t sure she liked seeing him so vulnerable. His eyes were melting the small piece of Niflheim ice that she thought would never leave her heart after her mother died.
“Please give us some privacy. I don’t think I’ll need your mighty sword tonight.”
Nicholai and Sariel quietly left the aerie. They looked at each other outside, not trusting their voices, questioning what they had just seen.
“It’s private,” Nicholai managed.
“She never left his mind,” Sariel said. “I know there has never been a physical bond between the two. He doesn’t think of her that way. But when we left, for the briefest moment, I could swear it was as if his heart was ripped from his chest.”
Mia, not trusting herself, kept a distance between her and the archangel. She walked over and ran her finger over Altair’s bottles, still amused that his collection was free of dust. She turned and started, “In order to save my life, I had to exorcise the grace from my very cells. It hurt more than the demon leaving. Every shard of grace that left, scarred me as it was torn away. Twice, you have been the cause of incredible pain and emotional terror. Tell me why I should open up and let you back in my life?”
“I’m not asking you to return to the fold,” Michael explained. “I’m here to ask for your forgiveness. I have put you in jeopardy with my attachment to you.”
“He’s a crazy bastard, but all my pain, degradation, and defilement had nothing to do with Mia Cooper Martin; it had everything to do with you and him. I fear the two of you will never reconcile. All I ask is that you keep me and mine from being pawns in your game.”
“I’ve never used you against him.”
“You’re right. I won’t confuse the conversation with how you have used me, but I don’t believe you have weaponized me against your brother unless…” Mia squinted one eye and studied Michael. “You hoped he’d open up to me so you could gather information you could use to hurt him. That’s why you’re really here!” Mia walked past him and started up the stairs.
“Sleep, Mia.”
Mia turned around. “Nice try. I never belonged to you. Azrael has confirmed that. I no longer have a
ngel DNA, so I don’t fall under your protection nor your realm. I have no quarrel with Sariel and the others. I will respect your office, but I will not let you control, fix, heal, touch, or speak to me privately again. If you need me, send an emissary, and I will decide if I will come. No more snatching me in the night, ripping off my wings, turning me into a monster,” Mia said, pulling off her shoes and extending her talons. Her wings ripped through her clothing.
Nicholai rushed in. “Mia!”
Mia looked over at him. He saw the intense color of her eyes. She was screaming inside, but only he could hear her.
“Please leave,” Nicholai asked.
Michael did so. He stopped at the door to see Nicholai catch Mia as she let go of her anger and let the intense hurt of his betrayal fill her.
“What have I done?” he asked Sariel who opened the door.
Sariel knew better than to speak his mind. Altair would have listed Michael’s crimes chapter and verse, but he was no Altair.
Michael shot into the sky
Sariel followed him.
Chapter Thirty-six
Nicholai held Mia until she got control of her emotions.
“Do you want me to call Ted? Baxter?”
Mia patted his hand. “No, I’ve had a bad month, that’s all.”
“Mia, do you really feel that being a birdman is so monstrous?” he asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.
“No, but these aren’t birdman talons and claws. They are something else.”
“I bet you feel like Wolverine with those indestructible claws.”
“I’m a mess. But I can’t do anything about it until after I deliver these charming little ladies,” she said, patting her abdomen.
“Mia, would you be insulted if I sent you some help?”
“I have Lazar.”
“He’s a very capable asylum manager, but I know of a birdwoman who raised Victor and Varden. Her name is Nanny Berta. She and I are old friends. She’s looking for a purpose. I think helping you to acclimate your brood with the world would be just what she’s looking for.”
