by RJ Seymour
The demon was different. He was no longer a giant, but a man only a head taller than she was. He was young, strong, and confident as he stood in front of the angel. Dark smoke emitted from behind the demon, as black as a starless night, the evil spread from his shoulder blades and opened like wings from his white three-piece suit with matching jacket, pants, and vest. His perfectly chiseled face with dark eyes and hair gazed down at her, his hands clasped at his waist as he awaited his answer.
Dale crept to the side, trying to leave as much between him and them as he could. The demon did not notice, his patience soon ending as the angel before him refused to respond.
"Will you defy me even now?" The demon opened his hands before clasping them behind his back. "After everything I have shown you, and even after watching you fight for your life, you deny my power?"
He could see the desperation behind his angel's eyes. Her face was strong, her lips a straight line of resistance, but she hesitated. Was she the last of her kind? Dale didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. The weapon in his hand shook like the leaves of a tree. Terror gave wind to his retreat as he found his way behind them, the former entrance the clearest path to the burning forest and the escape he desperately wanted.
"Come now, sister. Your last chance, what will it be?"
Dale had turned to run. Heeding her advice, he was going to make it to the path that lead him back to his village. She had saved him if he stayed he would die. He knew she did not want that, she wouldn't have protected him if she didn't care. But why did his heart and soul scream at his first step away from the charred forest oasis? There was nothing he could do; this was his only choice.
"Do what you will, I will not join you, and you will fail!" His angel's voice screamed.
A high pitched wail was muffled only a moment after it started as Dale closed his eyes to hold his tears as he began to run. Fear and anger burned within him as he pumped his legs as fast as he could. Eyes opened, there was no time for hesitation, no allowance for second thought, as he charged the demon with his father's sword, held high over his head.
Sounds he didn't know he could make rolled from within him as each step brought him closer to the demon who held his Angel by the throat with one arm. Dale's mind was gone, the horror of her limp body drove him mad as he pushed as hard as he could. If he died, it did not matter. She was all that mattered now, he had taken her from him, and he would not escape this forest.
Within two steps, the demon's empty hand darted out, open and lined with Dale's throat as he ran right into its iron-like grip. Pain burned down the skin of his throat, and his chest burned as he could no longer breathe. Dale pounded on the arm that now lifted him from the ground; his weapon dropped as he struggled to push the darkness that closed in on his vision.
"What is this here?" The demon asked a look of amusement on his face. "A human this deep in the forest? I should have known she'd eventually fall from grace though you do seem a bit young for her. Pity, I always knew her tastes were a bit eccentric."
The demon tilted his head to the side, his eyes curious as Dale's arms weakened, his kicks no stronger than a toddler's.
"Tell me, boy. Is there anything special about you? Why don't you speak?"
Dale could feel his face burn as the tears ran down his cheeks. The fire scorched his insides as he no longer had the ability to fight, his arms and legs numb as his vision narrowed to a sliver.
"Weak, Father's imperfect children. We were supposed to worship you and bless you with gifts from the heavens. Look at you now, pathetic." The demon spit as he lifted Dale higher, the red fire behind his eyes flared with intensity. "I will make an example of you boy, just before I wipe the rest of your village from the face of this earth!"
Thunder bellowed out of the demon's throat as his back arched, and Dale fell to the ground. Air laced with smoke and ash raced into his lungs as he coughed and struggled to stay awake. Light burst from the inside of the demon's jacket where the end of a dagger ripped through his vest. White light cracked through its skin as it struggled to turn, its power and strength failing as he continued to scream.
Dale backed away as the demon's eyes burst into the same white power that his angel possessed. The look of the demon's face a mix of anger and shock as he gazed upon her beauty before he exploded and sent Dale tumbling backward.
No strength remained in Dale's arms and legs. It took all he had to look up from the ground, his mouth full of ash and dirt as his vision blurred. She was walking toward him, all womanly curves and white silk dress. He knew her; he knew what she was. Warmth filled his blood as she approached, and he could feel himself smile as his eyes closed.
* * *
"Feeling any better?" His angel asked.
Dale looked over at her, her soft golden hair waved in the breeze as they looked down at his village below. He was feeling like a new man, his injuries gone and a confidence he had never known gave him strength. Three days’ time had passed as he recovered in the small oasis. It had given her enough time to restore the balance that protected the clearing and the last bit of life within the forest.
She had trusted him with his father's weapon after informing him what it was. An angelic weapon, forged in the fires of Purgatory itself, she could not understand how he had gained possession of it. He had offered it to her, especially after they found Learnie, his serpent body torn by the explosion and scattered against the wall that had remained.
"You keep it. There is a reason you found it, maybe one day it will lead you to who your father was."
Dale thought on that while he stood next to her. Her strength somehow bled into him. He was different now. Stronger, and for once he felt he had a purpose. Humans had a struggle ahead of them. A fight he wasn't sure they could win unless someone, somewhere led them against the fallen angels and the demons that stalked what remained of humanity.
"Will I ever see you again?" He asked as he watched her from the corner of his eyes.
She smiled though she did not look at him.
"I will always be out here, just on the edge where your strength ends, and your beliefs begin." She paused as she looked up at the sky above, cloudless but with a blue that rang of hope. "Keep your faith, Dale. It served you well before, and it will serve you again when you need it most."
He smiled at that. Pride washed over him as he put his hands in his pockets and looked over his home. He would be going back with a story only he would believe. His journey had just started, but he would not forget her. His angel on the edge of his beliefs.
About the Author
Born in Northern New York, R.J. spent a lot of his time growing up reading books. According to his mother (who use to tell this story to everyone), he started reading at two when she would find him sitting on the living room couch reading magazines. Of course, the magazines were upside down, but when you're two who's counting?
At a young age, RJ found most of his inspiration for writing from the works of authors like Tolkien and Terry Brooks. Many authors can now be found in his bookcase to include Michael J Sullivan, Mark Lawrence, Karen Traviss, and Joe Abercrombie to name a few. Reading and writing has always gone hand in hand for RJ.
Currently, R.J. is hard at work finishing up his second book. His debut novel "Dark Choices" will be released in hardcover early November 2015.
@WorldsbyRoh
www.goodreads.com/RJ_Seymour
[email protected]
Other Book Furnace Titles
Goodbye Daddy
Dark Choices (Oct. 2015)
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