Dark Deceit

by Imani L Hawkins

"Tyrin. The water is freezing. Think you could help us out with this?" Daniel called, waving his hands in the air.

  Tyrin offered the two a smile before excusing himself.

  "Come with me. Lydian found a way to make wine from the grapes we've harvested. I'll pour you a drink."

  Aria grabbed Myleah's hand, tugging her toward the fire.

  Twenty-Six

  "Oh come on! You have to be over that 'I hate being around other people' thing now." Aria pouted, an action that made her look far younger than she was.

  Myleah rolled her eyes, looking away from Aria. A century had passed since she'd first accepted Aria's invitation to mingle with the others, but she still found herself doing all she could to avoid them. She didn't fit in. It was obvious in the way they carried on conversations, oblivious to her presence. Like Gemma, she'd been the outcast of every gathering. While the rest swam in the lake, told stories by the campfire, or snuck off for private rendezvous, she'd sat in an uncomfortable silence with Gemma until Tyrin took pity on her and stole her away to another one of their training sessions.

  "Have you ever thought, for one second, Gemma and I might enjoy being alone?"

  Aria gawked at the statement. "I know you aren't comparing your situation to Gemma's."

  "I don't see how we're any different. Gemma prefers to be left alone, and so do I. I don't see a problem with that."

  An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Aria's demeanor shifted from playful to serious, her brows knitting together as if she were in deep thought.

  "Am I missing something?" Myleah asked, concerned she'd said something wrong.

  Aria pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit it. Whatever inner war she was having manifested in her actions as she murmured words so low Myleah couldn't make out any of them. Myleah crossed her arms over her chest to keep herself from grasping Aria's shoulders and shaking it out of her.

  "You do realize Gemma has a different reason for keeping herself distant, right?"

  Myleah had no clue, but she hoped Aria would spill it before the day was over. Aria glanced around as if trying to gauge their surroundings. Whatever it was had to be a carefully guarded secret because she'd heard nothing about Gemma before, at least nothing that would make her think there was something wrong with the girl.

  Aria let out a huff of air before saying, "Gemma has sight but its different than yours. Where you see things people are hiding, she sees death."

  "Death?" It wouldn't be the first time she'd been surprised by one of their powers but she didn't understand what that had to do with Gemma keeping her distance.

  "Ours. She can see our deaths." Aria explained. "She knows how each one of us will die, though she doesn't know when or where. She doesn't even know who will cause the deaths, but she can see them. For her, being around us, knowing we'll die is extremely difficult for her She's terrified of getting close to anyone she knows she'll lose eventually."

  Myleah considered her words, her mind flitting back toward that night at the lake. Gemma had kept her distance, always keeping herself far enough away no one thought to include her in conversation, though they'd tried. They'd tried to urge her closer, asking her questions about herself or seeking her opinion on certain matters they thought would interest her. As always, she'd delivered the shortest answer, maybe one or two words before turning her attention elsewhere. Myleah had always thought her shy, but if Aria was right, that would explain Gemma's strange behavior - the way her eyes would gloss over, the pained expression that would seize her but for a moment before her expression went blank.

  "She told you?"

  "She didn't have to. I asked Tyrin to take a peek inside her to see what would bring her out of her shell. Whatever he saw there terrified him. He refused to speak about it at, but he did let me know why she was so distant." Aria shifted her gaze downward before muttering, "I wonder if he saw something about me. I can't help but think that's why he won't tell me what he saw."

  "Or perhaps he didn't want you hurting over something you can't change. I imagine it could have been anyone and would you really want to carry that weight?"

  Aria shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose not."

  "Neither would I," Myleah agreed.

  They walked toward Aria's hut, with Aria prattling off a list of reasons Myleah should accept her invitation. The girl was relentless, refusing to give it a rest until Myleah agreed. And she did. She gave her agreement begrudgingly, hoping she'd find a way to back out at the last minutes.

  "I'll send Tyrin to collect you," Aria said before disappearing into her hut.

  Myleah cursed. Sending Tyrin was the only sure way to ensure Myleah's attendance and Aria used it against her every time.

  ~*~

  Myleah sat at the fire, watching as the breeze swept through the flames, causing them to dance. With the other's gone having taken to the air in a drunken haze, she was left alone to her thoughts and the sound of the crackling fire. Mesmerized, she glided her fingers through the flame testing the heat. Were it not for the icy tendrils that wrapped themselves around her hands, she would have burned herself. She had Tyrin's training to thank for that. He'd pushed her to explore her powers, to push them to their limits time and time again until they took on a life of their own.

  She thought back on their first training session. Tyrin lacked the gentle nature his parents had but he made up for it in dedication. He refused to see her fail.

  "You're much stronger than this, Myleah," he'd stated every time she'd allow one of his fiery attacks to hit her. He balled up his fist, pushing enough fire into it to make it glow. A swift strike to her chest and she was off her feet, her body soaring through the air. "Dammit, concentrate!"

  She released her wings before her back hit the tree behind her. Suspended in air, she reached for her powers, calling them out. She'd managed to send an icy blast at him but it wasn't enough. It evaporated into a thin mist before it connected.

  Tyrin slumped his shoulders, shaking his head.

  His disappointment was something she'd grown accustomed to the first few years of training, but as time pressed on, she was beginning to find her footing. Her powers grew and matured and, for once, she was beginning to feel comfortable. If only she could find a purpose for her powers. Besides using them to keep people cool during the summer, she'd rarely found a use for them. Tyrin had taught her to use her powers as a weapon, but with no threats around her, she saw no use for that.

  With nobody watching her, she reached for her powers allowing the icy tendrils to stretch past her fingers and create a cylinder wall around the fire. The wall of ice began to melt where the fire touched it. She concentrated on strengthening the wall, pouring enough cold into it it could withstand the heat. It took a little work, but before she knew it, the wall was holding its own, fighting against the fire. The tendrils looked at the flames, as if taunting them. It was a beautiful display of fire versus ice, just as it had been between Tyrin and herself. He lashed out at her, his fiery whip against her icy daggers. In the beginning, he'd always managed to get the best of her, but as time carried on she'd begun to think herself is equal.

  "Is it your plan to snuff out the fire?" Tyrin's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  Myleah glanced behind her, her eyes starting the tree line in search of him. "Where are you?"

  He didn't immediately answer, but she could feel his presence there, lurking within the shadows. A hint of malice touched her thoughts, and she knew what to expect. He pierced the cold around her like a lance, coming for her. She jumped out of the way, summoning a wall of ice in front of her to block the attack. As he stepped from the shadows, she tossed her own lance of ice, aiming for his chest. She knew what he would do and wasn't surprised when he stepped to the side, his eyes following the lance as it pierced the tree behind him. The distraction gave her enough time to rush down welding her dagger. When she got within a few feet of him, she slid her foot forward, tripping him. He fell to the side, and before he could write himself she
was on top of him her dagger pressed his neck.

  He smiled up at her. "You're getting pretty good at this."

  "I try."

  She moved to stand, but he rolled her onto her back, shifting his weight on top of her. She tried to push him off of her but he wouldn't budge. He grabbed her hands pinning her to the ground. It was a move Myleah always hated. It made her feel vulnerable, weak, and at his mercy. She struggled against him.

  He laughed at her attempt, in a way that was more playful than menacing. "You do realize you could use your eyes to remove me from you, right? It isn't always about brute strength."

  "Wouldn't that be cheating?"

  "In a fight for survival there's no such thing as cheating. You must use what you have against all opponents. I thought I taught you better than that."

  Tyrin pushed himself off of her, standing to his feet before offering her his hand. She swatted it away and stood to her feet. She hadn't expected a lesson that evening, and she definitely didn't want one.

  "Did I upset you?" Tyrin walked over toward the fire seating himself on the ground before it.

  Myleah followed him seating herself beside him. "Not at all. I guess I just have a hard time understanding why you constantly training me for fight. We have soldiers for that."

  He looked at her thoughtfully, his eyes skimming her face. "And what would you do of the soldiers weren't around? You need to learn to defend yourself at all times."

  "From what? The way I see it, the only thing I have to fear is animals or humans, and I doubt a human could take me in a fight with or without training."

  Tyrin shook his head as he always did when he disagreed with her. "Humans are a lot more resourceful than you believe. They grow stronger every year. They fight in numbers against huge threats. One day you may find yourself in a position you might be easily overwhelmed by them."

  Myleah scoffed at that. She couldn't think of any position she'd began wearing him and would be able to get the better of her. Not that it mattered. The fallen had made a point to stay as far away from humans as possible. They built their camp north of the mountains that separated them from the humans villages, far enough away it would be difficult for any human to venture near. Still, she wondered if Tyrin might be right. There was no telling how long their creator would keep them on earth. The humans numbers multiplied by the years, but the Fallen's numbers would always remain the same.

  "Have you ever got into a fight with humans?" Myleah asked.

  Tyrin gave her a tight knot, but he didn't elaborate. His pained expression told her not to push, and she didn't. Instead, she plucked a rock from the ground and tossed it into the fire. "I imagine one day when were forced to interact with them, the have no reason to attack us."

  Tyrin turned toward her, taking her hands in his. Their eyes met and Myleah could see she'd, once again, said something wrong. "Humans don't need a reason. They fear anything they don't understand an attack without mercy. The best we could do is stay completely away from them for as long as were able."

  "What weren't the Originals allowed to live among them?"

  Before the fall, Myleah had heard stories of Originals interacting with humans. Some had even befriended humans or entered into relationships with them. Those frowned on, they had the freedom to do so, something the Fallen would never be able to do. At least that's what they thought. Still, she couldn't help but feel she was missing something. Tyrin had never spoken against the humans as the others have. He'd always shied away from expressing any discontent with them. Why then was he so intent on training her to battle them?

  As if in answer to her unspoken question, he said, "as long as we were able to hide our true nature were accepted amongst the humans when my parents and I first came to Earth. Aria hadn't been born yet. We settled in the village, living with them for decades, until they began to grow suspicious. Will everyone around us aged, we never did. They could see we were stronger, faster, and more gifted than they. It terrified them. It made them wonder if one day we were to grow discontent with them, if we might wage a war against him, slaughtering their families and their children. It was that unfounded fear, that brought them to our door, carrying every weapon they could find."

  Myleah listened intently as he spoke. It was the first time she'd ever opened up to her about his past, and she found herself wishing she do so more often.

  "My father wanted to fight. He wanted to defend the home we built with our bare hands. My mother refused. Instead she urged us to leave the village and start over new somewhere else. At first, I didn't understand why the humans reacted that way. We've never done anything to them. But my mother understood. She knew how easily frightened they were, as she knew to battle the humans would be to battle God's chosen."

  Myleah certainly understood how Isha could feel that way about the humans. After all they've been tossed out of heaven for believing humans unworthy of the creators love and devotion.

  "So you ran left everything behind?"

  "My parents did but I refused. I stayed and fought. It was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. Taking on one or two at a time was easy, but entire villages strongman almost overwhelmed me. That coupled with my inability to kill them almost claimed my life. There may come a time when you have to fight against them, and nobody will be there to help you. My hope is that I taught you enough you'd be able to make it out alive. I couldn't imagine this well without you in it."

  His word stunned her. Never before had he spoken to her so affectionately. She squeezed his hands in hers, gazing into his eyes. Deep within those green orbs was an emotion she couldn't quite place, but she knew at that moment he cared for her. Probably more than he should have. And she had to admit, she'd often found herself thinking about what it would be like to be closer to him.

  "I suppose it will be the same as it's always been," she said, looking away from him. "I don't think I add anything particularly interesting and I'm sure this will will be much better off with one less Fallen to worry about."

  She grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. "While I understand your desire to be left alone, I will not tolerate you doubting yourself like that. You may not believe this, but your presence here means a lot to a lot of people, including me."

  Myleah wanted to ask what he meant by that but those sharp screams of Aria filled the air around them. Myleah jumped at the sound how eyes scanning the surroundings. Aria's voice whispered into her head, by the lake. Without thought, she released her wings and took to the air with Tyrin close behind.

  She flew a purpose, barreling through branches and limbs, ignoring them as they cut and scratched at her. When she arrived at the lake, she saw aria crouched on the ground her face buried in her hands. Landing beside her, she reached for, laying a hand on her shoulder. She hoped to soothe the sobs quaking the girls body.

  "What happened?" Tyrin demanded, landing beside Myleah.

  Are you pointing finger toward the lake, refusing to look up. Tyrin stalked toward the lake, his eyes searching the area. Curious, Myleah followed him, leaving Aria and Jasper's care. She'd nearly knocked Tyrin over when he came to an abrupt stop in front of her. Coming to his side, she looked around until she saw will cause him to stop so abruptly. Laying before them, just where the water met sand, laid the crumpled body of a man. Bloodied feathers surrounded the man, his tattoo swirled viciously across his chest.

  Tyrin stepped toward the man cautiously. But Myleah was frozen where she stood. The position of the man's body told her he'd fallen from a great height she couldn't see how until her eyes scanned his back. Just beneath the shoulder blade a bone protruded, the edges jagged as if sawed by a sharp rock. It didn't take long for her to realize it was the broken remains of his wings. She gasped when the realization hit her.

  "Tyrin, his wings," was all she could say.

  She saw when Tyrin noticed the same thing. His muscles bunched she could see an orange glow coming from his hand. He looked around, searching for a threat, but Myleah knew there was n
one. Had anyone been near, they would've felt their presence. But something must've caused injury.

  She reached out with her mind, pushing through the man's barriers in an effort to see what happened to. Flashes of images bombarded her as she shuffled through them, searching for the one that made sense. In it, she saw a brief conversation between him and someone she'd never seen before. She forced the scene to push forward quickly, until she saw what she'd been looking for. Devastated, she pulled from the man's mind, her eyes flitting toward Tyrin. He met her gaze and she knew at that instant she'd seen the same thing she had.

  "We need to get him to my mother," Tyrin said, gathering the man in his arms and taking flight.

  Twenty-Seven

  "This is disgusting. I can't see why an angel would do this to themselves. He is reduced himself to nothing more than a mere human." Lydian tossed her hands in the air. "What good is he now?"

  Isha flashed a warning glance toward Lydian, but the warning went ignored. Lydian let out a string of curses loudly enough even Myleah cringed. Her disgust toward the man's actions was evident as she refused to hide her feelings on the matter.

  "I'm sure the something more to this," Isha offered.

  But Myleah could see even Isha didn't believe her words. How could she? The evidence of what the man had done to himself was clear before them, resting on the table while his body healed. The man would survive, of this Myleah will certain, but from what Laurence had said, he never recovered his wings. While every other part of the Fallen's body could heal, once they lost their wings they cannot be recovered.

  "I just don't get why he do this to himself," Aria cried, sniffling. "What did he think would happen?"

  "He probably thought he'd die from the injury, which at this point probably would've been the best."

  Myleah wasn't the only one tossing an annoyed glare at the woman. Lydian always had a way of making the people around her feel uncomfortable. And that day will be no different. Myleah watched as the woman glared down at the man on the table wondering how someone was such beauty could be so ugly. She'd always admired Lydian's looks - her blonde hair so light and almost looked white against pale skin and sharp blue eyes. She was truly a vision standing before the man was an almost regal stature. But it was her words that showed the true demon within the woman.