Heaven's Fallen

by Benjamin Medrano

  Kanae looked over and smiled gently as she nodded. “Of course you may, Isalla. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to, anymore. Considering what you’ve said about your relationship with Roselynn… I wondered if you were going to break things off entirely.”

  “I’m not sure about it, either. I’m confused, but I also… well, Roselynn didn’t contact me after we separated. I trust her, but I’m afraid she didn’t reply because she didn’t want to make her position even more precarious,” Isalla admitted nervously, starting to disrobe as well. She was worried about Roselynn’s reaction as well as Kanae’s, and she couldn’t honestly say who she liked more anymore. “At the same time, I don’t want to lose what I have simply because of something I might obtain. I like you, Kanae.”

  “Be that as it may, you do know that the chances of us having any sort of lasting relationship aren’t good, yes?” Kanae asked, arching an eyebrow as she gestured around herself. “You’ve seen what the hells are really like, now, or at least a tiny fragment of them, and I don’t think you’d be happy here in the long term. I like you, Isalla… I really do. But I also don’t want you to start living somewhere you hate just because you feel a sense of obligation to me.”

  Isalla paused, blinking at Kanae, then smiled, a hint of relief washing through her. She pulled off her underthings, then teased, “You could always come to the mortal world, you know.”

  “Possibly,” Kanae admitted, watching Isalla through lidded eyes. “That could be complicated. Still, it’s possible.”

  Isalla paused as she was about to slip into the water, blinking. Then she asked cautiously, “Are you serious? I was mostly joking.”

  “I know you were. That said, if I tell you what I promised to… I might have to leave anyway. I don’t know where I’d go in that case, not right now,” Kanae said, shrugging and smiling at Isalla. “I’m considering what I want to do. Unfortunately, a lot will depend on what state your friend is in, assuming we can get to her. It’s possible she’ll be gone by the time we get there, you know.”

  The thought sobered Isalla somewhat, and she felt her shoulders droop slightly as she finished slipping into the luminescent water. Part of Isalla was fascinated by how it glowed, though it felt no different than simple, warm water. A part of her mind wondered if the water might also be one of the quasi-real illusions, but she wasn’t going to worry about it much now. Instead, she ran her fingers through the water as she thought.

  “You’re right. I’m hoping you aren’t, but it’s a possibility, considering how long it’ll take us to get there,” Isalla finally admitted, looking up worriedly. “Is there any way to get there faster?”

  “A few ways, but they’re far more likely to draw people onto our trail. The land between here and the spire is incredibly rugged, and we’re going to have to circle the worst of a set of badlands,” Kanae said, shrugging unhappily. “Two weeks is a long time, I know. Estalia is bigger than a lot of its neighbors, which doesn’t help matters, and it’s almost impossible to build bridges across particularly large lava flows. That limits things more than they would above.”

  “Ah, and without a way to fly… that would cause problems, wouldn’t it?” Isalla said, sighing again. Even so, her mood improved a little. “There’s nothing to be done about that, though. We’ll just deal with what comes, right? And there’s no guarantee that Roselynn will even care about me anymore if we rescue her.”

  “You know her better than I do, but unless things have changed…” Kanae paused for a long moment, then smiled gently. “If things are like they were when I was there, if she had feelings for you, I can say with confidence that they wouldn’t have tried to destroy them. It isn’t how they work, since they want the person who comes to them to feel loved.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s reassuring,” Isalla said, flushing slightly, and slowly her gaze lowered. She couldn’t see much through the water, but what she did see caused her pulse to quicken. Kanae’s beauty had that effect on her… and when she thought about it, Bell might have had a point about the demoness’s confidence being attractive. After all, Roselynn had always been incredibly confident as well.

  As Isalla began to drift toward her, Kanae’s eyebrows rose, and the demoness smiled as she spoke. “I thought we were going to bathe, Isalla. Or perhaps you had something else in mind?”

  Isalla wrapped her arms around Kanae and kissed her, enjoying the faintly sweet taste of the demoness and the warmth of her body against Isalla’s own. Kanae returned the kiss passionately, her arms wrapping around Isalla, and for several long moments they held the kiss. Finally, Isalla pulled away, her breathing coming more quickly now, and she smiled, licking her lips as she murmured, “That was the plan… but plans change.”

  “Very well,” Kanae replied, and then she pulled Isalla back into another kiss, her hands starting to explore.

  Isalla, for her part, just enjoyed the attention, allowing her mind to drift to more pleasant thoughts.

  The visit was fascinating for Isalla, when they finally got out of the room. Not everyone in the building came to dinner, but enough arrived at one point or another that it was truly eye-opening for her.

  Beyond the handful of men and women she’d seen before, she met a beautiful lady cyclops, a rare male dryad, a nymph, two medusas, and a minotaur. The group was eclectic, but all of them were surprisingly intelligent, and nearly half of them knew Kanae from previous visits, while the others seemed to have heard of her at some point during their time here. Isalla had also learned that Bell was the adoptive mother of seven young dragons who’d recently struck out on their own. From what she could tell, Bell had purchased their eggs from some hunters who’d killed a dragon and raised the dragons herself.

  Opira had come in about halfway through dinner, and she’d found a seat next to Kanae, though she’d replaced the chair there with one that looked heavier and sturdier. The ensuing conversation had been eye-opening, as Opira started talking to Kanae about what the meaning of being alive truly was.

  The woman was interesting, and Isalla had found herself oddly fascinated by the conversation, as Kanae revealed that she thought that anyone or anything that could think for themselves was alive, while those who deliberately chose not to make decisions for themselves were somewhat wasting their lives.

  Opira didn’t seem to disagree, at least not on the broad scale of things, but she did think that many people considered her and her brother not to be alive, since they weren’t flesh and blood. Not much came of the conversation, as it was more of philosophizing, but it was fascinating. Eventually they’d finished dinner, and after a good deal of chatting, during which many of Bell’s employees had teased Isalla into blushing frequently, they’d headed for bed.

  “Kanae?” Isalla asked, pulling back the covers to slip into bed. She was thinking about the conversation from before, trying to decide why Opira had wanted to talk about it.

  “Yes?” Kanae asked, finishing brushing out her hair and looking up at Isalla curiously, a faint smile on her face.

  “Why is Opira so curious about the meaning of being alive? It didn’t feel like she was trying to actually learn anything from you,” Isalla said, pulling the sheet up over her. She had to admit, the silk sheets were nicer than most she’d had throughout her life.

  “Ah, an interesting question. I’m not entirely certain, but I think she’s trying to figure out a new form of life magic,” Kanae mused, tilting her head as she set the brush aside.

  “Really? Isn’t creating a new form of magic incredibly difficult?” Isalla asked, her eyes widening in shock.

  “Yes, but she has time. Even if you and I are immortal, we’re far more fragile than she is. I doubt we’d have the time to create a new type of magic properly, but if she’s patient enough…” Kanae replied with a shrug. Then she slid into bed beside Isalla and embraced her.

  “True, I guess. I really ought to learn some magic…” Isalla murmured, rolling into Kanae and letting her eyes drift most of the way shut. The smell of
flowers and Kanae was comforting, as was the presence of her being so nearby. After a moment, she murmured, “We’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

  “That’s right. Rest well, Isalla,” Kanae murmured, and gave her a gentle kiss.

  Ever so slowly, Isalla drifted off. Even if she was slightly warm, it was too comfortable for her to think of pulling away.

  Chapter 34

  The journey after Silken Veils was just as torturously circuitous as Kanae had said it would be, and the trip was incredible. While much of the hells was rocky, and metal tools were abundant, there were still forests and rivers, and even farmland here and there, though that was often guarded as heavily as important passes were in the mortal world.

  They were mostly attacked by wildlife, often twice a day or more, but they were also occasionally attacked by bandits or other demons. Isalla had been startled and anxious the first few times, but slowly she began to settle down, feeling like she was getting used to what was happening around her. Even better, the exercise of their journey coupled with practicing with Kanae allowed her to recover her strength far faster than she’d been recovering in Kanae’s home.

  That wasn’t to say the journey was pleasant, though. The nearest she’d come to death was when an ogre had burst out of the woods and hit her with its club, fortunately lightly since it’d been bellowing something about wanting women. Kanae had managed to attack while it’d been distracted and quickly cut the creature down before coming to Isalla’s aid. They kept their distance from the lava rivers, since Isalla didn’t have the resistance to their fumes that many of the natives possessed.

  They passed through two more cities as well, each of them different, though generally calmer than Silken Veils had been. That hadn’t stopped one noblewoman, a statuesque demoness with a ridged forehead, long black horns, and four arms that ended in almost needle-like fingernails from asking if Isalla was for sale. Isalla had been about to retort angrily, but Kanae had silenced her with a look, then politely told the noblewoman that Isalla was a free woman, and as such could make her own decisions.

  The woman had then turned her attention on Isalla, promising her a life of luxury and pleasure if she entered the noble’s service. Taking her cues from Kanae, Isalla had calmed herself and politely declined, falling back on the same sort of training she’d used to speak to mortal lords she particularly disliked. The demoness had been disappointed, but she’d also accepted the result and gone on her way. Afterward, Kanae had explained that the laws of Estalia required such, and if the woman had tried to force the issue, she’d likely lose her nobility and all her wealth. That didn’t mean they should be rude, since a noble could easily make their lives difficult, but it gave a measure of safety to travelers.

  Isalla had hoped to meet more friends of Kanae’s along the way, but she’d been disappointed. While friends would help shed some light on Kanae’s odd attitudes, she hadn’t spoken of any others or met any after leaving Silken Veils, and Isalla had noticed how, in some of the towns, Kanae didn’t allow her sword to be more than a pace away, even when in a private room.

  At last they were getting close to their goal, though, and Isalla knew she was growing more worried with every passing day.

  “And there it is. The Spire of Confession, retreat of Estalia’s faithful,” Kanae said, pausing atop the ridgeline, and with an uncharacteristic note of tension in her voice.

  Isalla stopped atop the hill as well and looked in the direction Kanae indicated, breathing deeply. She was much more fit than she had been, but even so, she couldn’t seem to quite match Kanae’s pace easily, even though the other woman was wearing armor.

  At the top of another ridge in the distance was a structure, so distant that the haze of smoke-like fog almost hid it. While it was distant, Isalla’s sight was good enough to pick out a few details, and what she could see startled her. The spire was enormous, with multiple wider sections to it, and she’d consider it more of a castle or citadel in most places, yet it truly was a spire. The massive structure extended upward and upward, and she had to wonder how tall it was. She doubted that it had more than thirty floors, but even that was staggering to her. The problem was that it was so hard to judge the building’s scale.

  “That is much bigger than I expected,” Isalla said after a moment, frowning. “I think we’d have trouble even finding her if we were to somehow get inside.”

  “It is. I’m not entirely sure why it’s so big… possibly to be a major fortress in the case of an invasion, but I don’t know. I just know that it’s one of the most dangerous places in Estalia,” Kanae replied, shaking her head slowly. “I’d prefer to try delving down to the sixth or seventh tier of the Fungal Abyss over trying to go in there again. My chances would be better of getting out intact.”

  Isalla winced, looking at Kanae in some worry. After a moment, she asked, hiding her concern about moving forward on her own, “Are you sure you want to be here, Kanae? If you’re that worried about everything that’s going on…”

  “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, Isalla. If I leave this to you, we’ll be in even more trouble,” Kanae said, her hesitation vanishing as she smiled at Isalla warmly. “No, we’re not going anywhere near the spire itself. There’s a town that ships them supplies regularly, and that’s where we’re going. If anyone goes to the capital, they’ll go through there, and they hear all the rumors. We can gather information there and wait if necessary.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous? If we’re staying in the area, I’d think that people might get suspicious of us,” Isalla said, growing more worried despite Kanae’s assurances.

  Kanae startled Isalla by laughing and shaking her head. “Suspicious? No, no… they won’t even blink. See, some residents of the spire regularly visit the town, and are rather promiscuous. Still other people who’ve attended the spire end up… interested in employment. Considering that, they almost constantly have visitors who’re waiting in the hopes of finding someone from the spire to take with them.”

  “Oh.” Isalla’s eyes went wide, and she hesitated for a long moment, then asked, “I… is that common? Considering Roselynn…”

  “I don’t know exactly how common it is, but I know it happens. Some of the nobility do hope that the people who visit the spire end up… malleable. And some of them are,” Kanae said, continuing down the path slowly. “If they want your friend, though… they’re going to be fighting an uphill battle at best. Her lineage is legendary in the hells, and I sincerely doubt that Queen Estalia would give her up to any of her nobles unless that was what she truly wished for. I believe that’s unlikely.”

  “She’s legendary?” Isalla asked, her eyes going wide in shock as she followed the rocky path, choosing her steps carefully. “I knew her family was famous, but…”

  “Wielders of Ember have been at the forefront of the war against the hells for millennia, and the sword has powerful magical flames that can burn demons who normally don’t fear fire and has served as a rallying beacon on the battlefield,” Kanae explained, her voice soft. “I’ve seen it myself before, twice, though I never was near Ember myself. Perhaps it… well, in any case, often they could turn the tide of the battle merely by their presence, even if the individual wielding Ember wasn’t particularly strong. Someone like that always turns into a legend, Isalla… though perhaps as an object of fear on our side of the battlefield. The Flame of Ember may not be as renowned as the mortal gods or archangels, but that doesn’t change the fact that her captivity will cause a lot of consternation among the hells, and spark many to wish to acquire her if they can.”

  “I didn’t think of her from that perspective. We don’t know how we’re regarded on the other side, I suppose…” Isalla said hesitantly, considering the idea with a little surprise, though it slowly faded. She’d heard some legends of Roselynn’s ancestors, but her lover had tried not to talk about them. Probably because of the weight of their reputation and how it led to heightened expectations for Roselynn. After a minute, Isalla
nodded. “I suppose that makes sense, though. I knew she came from a famous family, and that they were important, but it didn’t make much of a difference to me. So, it’ll be a big deal down here?”

  “Quite. That’s why, if we succeed, things are going to be… interesting,” Kanae said and smiled thinly. “Fortunately, I have a few ways to help her pass unnoticed. If we succeed.”

  “I really don’t want to think about failing, but you’re right,” Isalla admitted, her heartbeat quickening slightly from nervousness. It did make her feel better that Kanae was thinking about what to do if they succeeded.

  “Indeed. Come on, just another day and we’ll be to the town… or we can try to push for a couple more hours tonight if you’d prefer,” Kanae said, smiling warmly at Isalla. “I’m more concerned about your endurance than my own.”

  “In that case, let’s push onward. I’d feel happier in a town, and I think I can handle pushing it. My endurance has been recovering pretty quickly after all this hiking,” Isalla replied with a smile of her own, one fueled by relief that the end of their journey was so close. Or at least this leg of it.

  “I’m glad to hear that. In that case, let’s pick up the pace. The quicker we cover ground, the sooner we’ll be there,” Kanae said, turning back to the path.

  Rose surfaced from the water quickly, letting out the breath she’d been holding, then inhaled deeply. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face so she could see more easily. The bathing pool was deeper than it needed to be, and was large enough for someone to swim laps, if short ones. She’d taken advantage of that to stay in shape over the past weeks, and she was feeling better than she had in years.

  The angel still missed Queen Estalia and dreamed of her, but the ache wasn’t quite as bad as it’d been in the immediate aftermath of the succubus queen’s departure. Fortunately, Anna, Coral, and Tina had helped her get over the sense of loss, and things had slowly come into balance once more. It also helped that Rose loved her newfound sense of freedom. Certainly, she was being kept in the spire for the time being, but that would come to an end soon, and she’d be able to choose her own path.