“She brings back memories. Ones I’ve spent centuries trying to leave behind,” Kanae whispered, her mood growing still worse as she remembered some of the events of the war, and of the times even before that. There had been angels throughout her life, and she’d interacted with them more than she’d admitted to Isalla. That was part of the problem.
A flicker of light from one of the branches up above caught her attention, distracting Kanae. “Hm? What’s…”
About twenty feet up one of the trees was something made of metal, and Kanae took a few steps back and to the side to get a better look at it. As she got a better angle, Kanae’s lips pursed as she saw that a sword had been driven into the tree, and the blade was sticking out the opposite side of the trunk. The interesting thing was how the blade gleamed, and the gold cross guard shaped like bird wings. Even more intriguing to Kanae, it looked like the sword matched Isalla’s sheath, and her sword had been missing when she found Isalla.
“Interesting. Her enemies must have thrown it through the portal as well… and the mountain threw it over here,” Kanae said, a smile playing across her lips. “At least it answers the question of where it was. I suppose I’d best retrieve it… even if I need to leave it in the bushes until I’m on my way back. Isalla will probably want her sword back.”
Approaching the tree, Kanae set down her basket and shrugged off her backpack, judging the best way to get up to the sword. The branches were thick enough to support her weight, and the tree didn’t look diseased, though that might not last after the sword had pierced the trunk. It might be worth coming out and felling the tree later, in fact, but Kanae shrugged. That was a subject for later.
She jumped upward, grabbing onto one of the branches about halfway to her goal, then swung slightly to plant a foot on another branch. From there, it was a relatively quick climb up to the sword, and Kanae paused as she saw the sword from closer range, her opinion of it improving.
Several runes carved into the mithral blade showed that it was enchanted reasonably well, and it didn’t take her much work to decipher them. Isalla’s sword was enchanted to be sharper and strike more truly, though it wasn’t heavily enchanted in either regard. If it were Kanae, she’d have tried to get something better, but she had no idea just how high of a position Isalla had possessed before her unfortunate encounter with her enemies.
“First, let’s get this dislodged,” Kanae murmured, adjusting her feet and wrapping her tail around the tree’s trunk as a brace.
Kanae couldn’t put all her strength into pulling the sword out, not without risking going flying out of the tree, and that would be quite painful. Instead, she had to carefully control her strength as she slowly wiggled the blade back and forth, working it out of the tree bit by bit. The sword was being stubborn, and as it began coming loose, Kanae realized why as she saw the congealed sap along the blade.
Eventually, she got past the worst of the sap, though, and as the blade narrowed it got still easier. Finally pulling the sword free, Kanae let out a soft sigh, examining the sword again. It was too obviously of angelic manufacture to show openly, except maybe as a trophy on a wall or the like. The only exception would be for the rare fallen angels, or even for the ashborn. Hells knew that Kanae had seen stranger things in her time.
“Alright, down we go,” Kanae murmured, uncurling her tail from the trunk, gauging the distance, then jumping downward through the red leaves of the trees.
She hit the ground and rolled to break her fall, reducing the pain of the impact to almost nothing before springing to her feet, smiling as she did so. She hadn’t done that in a while, and it was oddly refreshing… though it did mean she had dirt and leaves all over her clothing and hair.
Setting down the sword, Kanae began brushing herself off, sending bits of detritus back to the ground. After a moment, she noticed that there were also bits of bark on her tail, which prompted a little more time spent cleaning off. Only once she was done did Kanae look at the sword again. It was just a bit too distinct, and she debated on where to hide it, before finally simply finding a bush and burying it beneath some leaves.
“There we go. Now to go take care of errands and get back home,” Kanae murmured, moving to pick up her things and to get moving.
The remainder of the trip didn’t take too long, no more than a quarter of an hour, and then Kanae came into sight of Odrak’s home. The cyclops lived in a rather large cave, but the front of it had been walled over with stone blocks that Odrak had quarried himself, and it was excellently constructed. Kanae didn’t find that surprising, as in her experience the only ones who rivaled dwarves at forging and building fortifications were cyclops. More to the point, though, she also saw that the subject of her trip was already outside.
Odrak was a twelve-foot-tall, muscular man, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles, even though he was obviously growing old. He had a fringe of white hair around his head, and the cyclops was wearing simple furs as he examined one of the dozen fruit trees in front of his home with a single, discerning eye. A cyclops-sized battleaxe was near at hand, and Kanae knew from experience that Odrak knew how to use it.
“Why, is that Kanae? To what do I owe this surprise?” Odrak asked, looking up and smiling broadly at her. “I haven’t seen you in, oh… two months?”
“Don’t give me that, old man. You know as well as I do why I’m here,” Kanae retorted, increasing her pace as she grinned at the cyclops. “The mayor sends his regards, as per normal.”
“Ha, the youngster needs to learn not to pry too much. Some of us like our privacy,” the cyclops said, his chuckle a deep rumble. He did give Kanae a pointed look as he added, “And here you are, calling me an old man? You’ve been living here for longer than I’ve been alive, Kanae.”
“Yes, but my body has the good sense not to age. Yours seems to think that since everyone else does it, it should age, too,” Kanae replied with a derisive sniff. “Hells know where it got that idea from, but someone has to try to keep it from going too far.”
Odrak laughed at that, grinning broadly in return. “Is that so? Well, I suppose we’d best try to keep it in line. I’ll admit that my knee has been giving me a few complaints, so having you look at it might not be a bad idea.”
“Is that so? Well, let’s have a look at it, then. We can’t have it giving you problems,” Kanae replied calmly, smiling back at the elderly cyclops. “Where would you like to take care of this?”
“Why don’t you come inside and relax? I’ll put on a pot of tea, then you can work your magic,” Odrak suggested.
“It’s hardly magic,” Kanae disagreed but gestured for the house. “Lead the way, then.”
The cyclops began leading the way to his home, and as he did so, Kanae followed. She imagined that this wouldn’t take too long, but she could be wrong.
As she approached the spot where she’d left the sword, Kanae paused, something about the silence making her uneasy. She glanced around and frowned as she didn’t see anything immediately, which was worrisome. Most dangers in the forest tended to be on the obvious side of things, except for the plants which would lay in wait. The creatures that were patient were much more dangerous than she liked to deal with.
She glanced down at the basket of apples that Odrak had given her, debating for a moment, then carefully set it down. She hadn’t expected the gift, but suspected that it’d make Isalla happy, since the angel wasn’t used to the limited variety of food Kanae tended to eat. But first she had to get the food back to the house.
Nothing happened as Kanae set the basket down, then unsheathed her sword. Then she slowly stepped forward, her muscles coiling as the sense of danger grew stronger. She trusted her instincts, and her gaze drifted back and forth, then rose to look at the trees, then down at the ground. There wasn’t any sign of an avian, which was good, and she didn’t see the slight distortions of one of the rare chameleons that lived in the region, either. It might be—
As her boot came down on the ground, Kanae s
aw the dirt shiver and she had a split second to realize that the earth had recently risen before something almost exploded out of the earth at her. Kanae instantly dodged to the side, swearing under her breath.
“Crawlers. I hate crawlers,” Kanae hissed, her sword lashing out to cut into the thick, worm-like creature’s side. It’s blunt, beak-like mouth snapped shut around the spot where Kanae had been standing, even as her sword left a wound on its side that dripped nearly black blood.
Kanae quickly danced backward as she felt the ground shiver, and the next moment five long, whip-like tendrils exploded from the ground as the crawler lashed out with its tails. The poisonous barbs punched through the bushes and into one of the trees, and Kanae sighed unhappily as she cut one of the tails off, leaving it oozing more black blood.
“This will take some killing,” Kanae muttered, glaring balefully at the crawler as it began retreating underground, hissing in anger.
Just to be safe, she backed away from the basket of apples and where the angelic sword was hidden. She didn’t want them getting caught in the mess. Fortunately, she was fast enough to avoid the attacks of crawlers, and they weren’t very intelligent, just vicious and voracious.
Kanae adjusted her baskets, debating just how to handle them and the sword as she stood in front of the door. Eventually she sighed and set the sword down, leaning it against the frame so she could pull out the key she needed. She was tired and annoyed after the fight with the crawler, but at least she’d killed the beast, and managed to avoid getting more than a few drops of its poisonous blood on her skin. Fortunately, she was effectively immune to its poison.
Finally retrieving the key, Kanae unlocked the door and slipped it back into its pouch, then picked up the sword again. Opening the door, Kanae felt a faint warmth as Isalla spoke.
“Welcome back, Kanae!” the angel called out, sounding like she was out of breath and in her room, likely from exercising.
“Thank you, Isalla. I have some fruit, and something to show you,” Kanae replied, closing the door behind her. She’d have to make certain to lock it a bit later, but her hands were full at the moment.
“Oh? What might…” Isalla asked, stepping out of her room, and then the blonde angel’s eyes went wide as she saw the sword. Her lips were slightly parted for a long moment, and then she asked hesitantly, “Is that… is that my sword?”
“If you say it is, yes. I was going out to Odrak’s, and I found this buried in a tree twenty feet off the ground. It looked like it would fit the sheath I found on you, so I thought I’d see if it was yours,” Kanae replied calmly. She pondered for a moment before adding, “If it is yours, we’re going to have to hide it until you leave, much like the rest of your things.”
“Heavens… I thought… well, I thought I’d never see it again,” Isalla said, her eyes almost reverent, and she stepped over to take the sword from Kanae’s hand. Kanae released the weapon as Isalla did so, and the angel nearly dropped the sword, gasping as she murmured, “Heavier than I remembered, but yes… this is my sword. Thank you so much, Kanae! This was a… a gift from a friend. Losing it would be terrible.”
“Indeed? Well, I’m glad I was asked to go look in on Odrak, then. Someone else might’ve seen it instead,” Kanae replied, smiling at Isalla’s reaction and moving over to set the baskets on the table. “As I said, we will have to hide it, but once you leave, you can take it with you.”
“Of course. That’s fine… perfectly fine. I just don’t want to lose it again,” Isalla agreed.
“Now, Odrak also gave me some of his apples. They’re a species native to the hells, and as I recall, their flavor is a bit different than those from the mortal world. Something along the lines of apple cider, though a bit spicier,” Kanae said, looking over the red-skinned apples and taking off her backpack. “I was thinking of making a couple of pies, and having the rest with breakfast for the next few—”
The sound of quick footsteps made Kanae stiffen, but no pain lanced through her body, like she was half-expecting. Instead, one of Isalla’s arms wrapped around Kanae and held her as tight as the angel could manage, her body pressing against Kanae’s back. Kanae relaxed after a moment, glancing over her shoulder, but was barely able to see the angel’s hair as Isalla pressed her face into the back of Kanae’s neck.
“Thank you,” Isalla whispered.
“You’re welcome,” Kanae replied simply. She waited for a few moments, then asked, “What do you think of my idea?”
“It sounds lovely to me,” Isalla said, not moving. “But… could we just wait a bit? I’m just…”
“As you like, Isalla,” Kanae replied patiently, her smile growing gentler as she stood there. “As you like.”
Chapter 15
Roselynn woke slowly, much more slowly than she was used to, but for some reason it didn’t worry her. It was as though waking up gradually while sitting in a chair was normal, and the faint fog shrouding her thoughts didn’t bother her either.
The angel didn’t recognize where she was, but that didn’t bother Roselynn as she looked around the room. Directly in front of her was a vanity with a large mirror at its back, the mirror perfectly placed to show Roselynn to herself, while dozens of jars and tools laid on the vanity’s surface. Roselynn didn’t recognize most of the tools, but she did recognize several paintbrushes, the hairbrushes and combs, and the nail clippers and files. There were also a pair of candles filling the room with the gentle scent of vanilla.
The rest of the room was interesting enough to hold Roselynn’s attention for at least a few moments. There was a door in one wall, the dark wood polished and bearing a carving that looked vaguely like an angel’s wings to her, though there was something odd about them, not the least of which was how the carving was painted gold. The floor was covered by a thick, warm carpet with white, gold, and silver patterns that drew Roselynn’s eyes along their curves and whorls. It was a pleasing pattern, and it took her a long minute before she looked at the walls and ceiling.
A dozen sconces along the walls contained crystals that produced a warm light not unlike that of the sun, and they were set into gold-veined white marble, complete with periodic pillars, and crimson curtains helped soften the imposing sight. The ceiling wasn’t much different, though it was shallowly vaulted above her head. But without anything there to hold her attention, Roselynn’s gaze drifted back to the mirror to examine herself.
The chair she was in was the same dark wood as the door, though it was exquisitely carved and comfortable, allowing her wings to rest easily, and the back and seat had soft cushions to make it easier to sit in. The only strange thing were the padded metal braces on the arms holding down her wrists, and the two holding her ankles to the legs. The true oddity was Roselynn herself, though.
In contrast to the beautiful room, Roselynn looked like she didn’t belong there. She wore a simple white shift and skirt, revealing her arms and legs, with the dozens of faded white scars across them. Her face was slightly heart-shaped and pretty enough, despite the scars she bore there as well. Roselynn’s eyes were a pale blue, and shadows surrounded them, while her lips looked thin to her gaze. Even her curly hair, so reminiscent of flames, was disheveled. It was a strange contrast, and Roselynn studied herself for a minute, that fog still over her thoughts.
“What are you doing here, Roselynn? You don’t belong here,” she murmured to herself, idly tugging at the band holding her right hand. It was quite secure, though, and after a moment she gave up. She didn’t feel like doing much of anything anyway.
“Ah, you’ve awakened!” A woman’s cheerful voice broke the quiet of the room. “How do you feel? You were injured when you arrived, so I’ve been quite concerned.”
The woman who stepped through the door matched the beauty of the surroundings, and despite herself, Roselynn found herself unable to look away from her. The angel had beautiful white wings, though the gold rings through the upper joint where the wings folded startled her, considering how painful it woul
d be to get a piercing like that. Her hair was like spun gold that fell to the middle of her back in a glittering wave, and she had a beautiful, wide smile with ruby lips and bright blue eyes that reminded Roselynn of her beloved Isalla. The woman was wearing a flattering white dress that revealed a generous amount of cleavage, and a white corset helped accentuate her narrow waist, its surface covered in golden patterns. The woman wore gold bracelets as well, but Roselynn found her gaze drawn to the delicate-looking tattoo on her upper chest. It looked like a black cross emerging from her cleavage, but with a budding rose atop it. The entire tattoo was only an inch or two tall, but it felt like Roselynn should recognize it.
“I… I’m not sure. I feel like I’m well enough,” Roselynn replied, her throat slightly dry, and she licked her lips and swallowed before continuing. “Where am I? My mind feels… foggy.”
“You’re at the Spire of Confession, dear. You were injured in an attack by demons and were brought to us to help you recover. As for your mind, that would be from the medicine we’ve been giving you,” the angel said, approaching quickly and setting a gentle hand on Roselynn’s shoulder. “You sustained an immense shock, and it’s designed to blunt that and help you recover. We’ll wean you off it over the next week, though.”
“Oh. That… makes sense. I vaguely remember demons… one ambushed me,” Roselynn said, trying to remember the attack, but it was mostly a blur. She didn’t remember ever hearing about the Spire of Confession, but there were plenty of places she’d never been to. “What about Ember?”
“Your sword is safe,” the angel replied quickly, stepping in front of Roselynn and smiling as she continued. “Now, my name is Anna. What’s yours? To be sure you’re truly back with us.”
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