by Brindi Quinn
But Lusafael said nothing. He simply stared at me with eyes of darkness.
The Song of Salvation was coming to an end. I could feel it before any signs of the singing’s end became audibly apparent. I was dizzy from the high of using Nyte to such an extent, but even so, that heaviness of Salvation was too much for me to bear. It was crushing.
I made my jaw go slack and let the last of the echoing murmurs of the heavens release from my body.
HEAR MY SONG! UNTO THE WORLD THE GOLDEN SALVATION IS UNLEASHED!
In response, all of that power inside of me formed into a golden brick again. Just like when I’d received it, it was a tight concentration of song energy. I forced the energy into the shape of a lance and willed it out of my body. It obeyed by flying forth from my chest in a bright, shimmering blaze that lit the air like a miniature sun.
It was no longer in my body, so I was freed from its physical weight, but the mental strain of controlling something that powerful was still there. I struggled to hold it.
The lance hovered in the air in front of me; enormous; large enough to break through even the strongest of stone structures. The most powerful concentration of song energy ever.
I treated it like I would have treated any other mist splice. I focused my mind on the power. I molded to further; sharpened its point. However, since it was so much stronger than a normal mist splice, it was that much more difficult to wield. It was rebellious. The more I tried to force it under my control, the more it fought back.
But while the song was frustratingly defiant, it wasn’t the biggest problem. The biggest problem was what always ended up being the biggest problem. That damn warmth! Nyte’s spirit was in every part of me now, and it was extremely hard to concentrate on the task at hand.
Warmth?
“The Song, Aura! A little longer! Hold out a little longer!” Ardette’s voice was there in the midst of the golden warm mix of power.
But . . .
“JUST DO IT ALREADY, WOULD YOU?”
Do what, again? The warmth?
“THE SONG!”
Right. The song . . . The song? THE SONG!
The lance was lingering between the angel and us. The song had frozen at my loss of focus, but I again took control of it and continued to mold and strengthen and bridle. I was almost there. It was almost perfect.
Illuma was ranting and stomping and trying to get Lusafael’s attention, but Lusafael said nothing to her. He just stared at me and bore a smug smile. His silver lips were curled up at the edges, wholly pleased with themselves.
You’ll pay. The smugness sparked that old, ugly hatred. YOU’LL PAY! FOR DOING THIS TO ILLUMA, YOU’LL SUFFER!
With everything in me, I pushed the lance of Salvation at his chest.
He didn’t move from that spot, though, because he knew. He knew that in using the Song of Salvation to kill him, that an alternative would have take place. Either by Illuma’s hand, or by my own, the world would be brought back together. It’s what he’d wanted all along, and even if the golden lance now soaring toward his chest would keep him from exacting dominion over the new world, he still believed that my choice would bring about the end of the races. He still believed destruction would be wrought.
I let the despair I felt at the thought that he might be right fuel the lance even more. Shimmering, it pulsed into an even bigger force. Like the star from a shower, it burned with a clear shooting path.
Illuma saw what was about to happen – “NOOOOOO!” – and she threw herself in front of her pacted angel. I don’t know if this was an act of love, or if she was just concerned over the fact that once he died, she’d be susceptible to other means of demise.
Either way, the gold struck them both, pinning her against him for a brief moment before their bodies disappeared behind a blast of pure white light mixed with solid gold Song power. We’d done it. There was no way Lusafael would survive that blast.
But just when I thought it was all over, the fallen angel’s voice resounded from the center of the light.
“WESTERN MOON! HEAR MY PLEA! YOU MAY TAKE THE LIFE OF MY PACT-HOLDER! YOU MAY HAVE THE LIFE OF THE HEART OF HAVOC! ALL THAT I ASK IN RETURN IS THAT YOU GRANT HER PROTECTION FROM DEATH ON THIS NIGHT OF AD’AI! WHEN IT IS THROUGH, HER SOUL SHALL BE THE PAYMENT!”
There was silence, and then –
“Very well.”
– a voice that was neither male nor female boomed across the sky. It was the voice of the western moon, and it had just made a deal with Lusafael.
“What?!” screamed Illuma. “Lusafael, what are you-”
“We have won. They shall have no other choice, for if they do not accomplish their goal, at the exact moment of ad’ai’s end, the Heart of Salvation shall perish, and your final act shall be to release your Song. We have won.”
“But I’ll be dead!”
“Your life means nothing.”
“But . . . but you’ll be dead!”
“I shall find a way back. I always do.”
There was a loud whoosh from the center of the gold-white light. The goldness was quickly separating itself from the white, moving to the outside of the blast’s resonance. It was there for just a moment before closing in. There was another whoosh, and just like that, the angel’s luminosity was snuffed out.
Lusafael was no more.
I’d just killed an angel. AN ANGEL! I hadn’t really expected to feel guilty about it, but I did. What repercussions would I suffer for doing something so heinous?! I didn’t want to think about it. I couldn’t think about it. So I let myself get lost in Nyte’s warmth.
The lingering gold cleared, and all that remained was my sister’s figure, lovely and frail, lying at the place her angel had stood.
The goldness was gone, but I was still sucking from Nyte. He’d endured so much until that point, but he knew it was over, so with me still in his arms, he slumped to his knees, pressed his lips to mine, and transferred even more spirit into my body.
I failed. I sobbed and pulled in a gulp. I’ve failed the world. I’m sorry, Creator. I’ve failed.
In the midst of that sorrowful, gluttonous oblivion, someone was untying the ropes around my hands and feet. That same someone tore the pendant from Nyte’s neck, freeing us both from its spell for what would be the last time.
The haze cleared and Ardette was standing over us.
“Nyte” he said, snapping in our faces. “Concentrate, would you? You’ve got to bind The Mystress before she rises from the Song’s blast. Lusafael’s gone and made a deal with that traitor of a moon, so we can’t kill her. Hmph. Apparently the witchy thing couldn’t resist a deal as good as taking her enemy’s daughter. Illuma’s going to die, but not until after ad’ai. Bind her, and do it right, before she tries to kill Aura. It isn’t too late for her to win, you know. . . . Hey!” He slapped at Nyte’s face. “Do you hear me?”
“I . . . I do.” Groggy, Nyte rose and rubbed his head. Normally, he would have passed out from the vampiristic draining I’d just given him, but the moon’s corra flow was almost as strong as it had been when we’d been directly in its presence at Célesteen. It was lower to the earth than ever before, and its energy freely streamed into both of us, keeping us from collapsing into unconsciousness from such a drain.
It was a good thing, too. We still had a lot to accomplish before the end of ad’ai.
Stumbling a bit, Nyte retrieved Illuma. He bound and carried her back to where Ardette and I waited. I was still in shock over the fact that we’d just defeated an evil angel. I was shocked that the Song of Salvation had been released from my body. I was shocked that it was all really happening and that we were under the light of a changing moon.
Nyte set Illuma at my feet. She really was still alive. I was relieved. In spite of everything, I was relieved.
“Now, my cherry pit,” said Ardette. “It’s time to show you. I’ve to show you what you’ve agreed to.”
“But . . . but . . .” I was a mumbling mess. “The others .
. .”
“They’re fine. Now that Lusafael’s dead, the fero are no longer under his control. They’re peaceful creatures by nature. They’ll most likely retreat or heel.”
But I realized then that I didn’t want to listen to him. The shock was lifting a bit, and I was mad at him for what had happened. I was mad at him for taking my choice away. He could read it, of course. Before I even said a word, he answered me.
“Be upset with me tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve no time for it now.”
I glanced up at my mother moon. There was no use arguing with something like that. It was true. We didn’t have time for anger. I fought to keep the petty thing at bay.
“Fine,” I said. I shook out my head in an attempt to take control of my emotions. “Can we do it here?”
He nodded. “And we must be swift. I’ve a lot to show you before ad’ai is through.”
Chapter 21: The Heart
“This is the only way to show her?” said Nyte, fists tight and teeth showing.
“It is. And I must do it before the end of ad’ai, so I suggest you let me work.”
Sorry, Nyte.
Ardette was sitting facing me. “I’ll take good care of you,” he told me. “Now, then. Open your mouth. Like this.”
He let his lips part slightly.
I opened wide and stuck out my tongue. “Ahhhhh.”
“Not like that.” Ardette shook his head and sighed, feigning disappointment. “You’re far too immature. I suppose the only way is to kiss you . . . . Unless you’ve had a change of heart? Let’s try again, shall we? Like this.”
Eyes slitted, I obeyed, for fear of being forced into another corruptive kiss.
“Good.” Ardette smiled darkly and leaned in.
I pulled away.
“Tsk. Tsk. See, this is why I wanted to show you while your lives were still converging. It’s no good at all if you won’t be willing.”
“It is not for you to feel pleasure in, Daem.” Nyte was leaning against a tree, sorely watching it all unfold.
“You can leave at any time, you know.”
“Someone must remain to be certain you do not defile her.”
“And I suppose that ‘someone’ MUST be you? Fantastic. See how possessive your boy is, my pit?”
“Shut up. Just get it over with.”
“As you wish.”
I parted my lips for him, and he leaned in close again. He tipped my chin upwards, tilted his head, and neared his mouth to mine so that it was almost touching. It was only a near kiss, but my chest reacted.
Be quiet down there, I ordered the small something.
It wouldn’t listen, but at least it was a manageable size again. Ardette looked at me through his eyelashes before closing them altogether.
“On with it, Daem.” Nyte’s teeth were as tight as his fists. “We must finish this before Ad’ai’s end.”
Ardette’s ignored Nyte.
Go on, already. Quit dragging this out. It’s painful enough as it is.
A moment later, I got my wish. From Ardette’s mouth to mine, a stream of black shadow poured between us. It was thick and cool and tasted like his kiss. I liked it. Probably more than I should have. It was his essence. I was taking him in. He was quickly filling up my body, and very soon, I’d be able to see the other method for splitting the land. I’d also be able to see what had happened between Ardette and me. Our forgotten past. I’d learn everything.
The shadow filled me up, starting with my chest and saving my eyes for last. From the bottom up, blackness clouded my view. Nyte could see it too.
“Her eyes!”
So I shut them to bring him comfort.
When the shadow had taken over the whole of the back of my eyes, my head grew foggy, and I was taken in. It was like the other time I’d had my memory searched. Only, this time it was a little different. This time, it was another’s memory I was swallowing.
Grey mountains, donned with the dense clouds of heaven, stretched across the vast, late day horizon. The air was fresh and hinted with the taste of pine. I drew it in. No matter how many times I felt its passage through my nose, I never became used to the feeling of existing in this form. There was something indescribable about being composed of matter. There was something indescribable about feeling with flesh.
I stood aside a small wooden house that had no windows. Next to it was a stout and sturdy fence. My husband was there, feeding the pair of zebron he had acquired on his last journey.
I approached him.
“Husband, nightfall will sneak up on you again.”
He did not turn from his work. “Will you go to see him today?” he asked.
“I will,” I responded.
“You do not . . . You will not be fooled by him, will you? You will not let him affect you?”
“Of course I will not.”
My husband released the large breath he had drawn in. “That is good. I would go to see him myself, but he refuses to cleanse without you. It is becoming bothersome.”
“You do not need to worry. I will be fine.”
“Regardless, he has his eye on you. I think it is because of what you once were. Even though your people quarrel, he is drawn to you.”
“My people?” I stared into the indigo sky. “I am not an angel any longer. You speak as though I still am.”
“It is a strange thing, is it not?” he said, facing me at last. “To have been an angel? Maybe that is also why I have become drawn to you.”
“The time of the angels to walk the land has come to a close. They are to dwell in a new land. Célesteen. Those of us who are to remain here have been made Sapian. I am no longer an angel. You should not think of me as such.”
“But you still possess the art of song, do you not? Everyone knows that song is the sacred gift of the angels.”
“No. Song is now a gift of the Sapes. That is what has been decided. I am not an angel. I am a Sape. Speak no more of it.”
“Very well. If that is your will.”
“I shall go to him now.”
My husband turned back to the zebron. “Remember all that we have discussed, and understand why you must be careful around him. He is dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself.”
My husband sighed again and scratched his horn. “Very well. Take this to him.” He handed me the flask of tears at his feet.
I accepted it.
I left my husband and followed the path that led deep into the side of the mountain. The air was cold. Even bundled in bunnaly fur, I was chilled. Snow would be capping these mounts soon. When that happened, the air would grow even colder. My husband assured that, at that time, I would also get to experience another new emotion: awe. ‘Awe’ was the correct response to ‘majesty’. I grew anxious for that day.
I entered the tunnel that led to his chamber. It was dim, but I did not mind. Dimness was something I had grown to like. Spending time with him had made me this way.
He was not to be found. I searched the ceiling, but he was not in any of his corners.
“Dragon?” I called. “I am here.”
I stood in silence until a man stepped forth from behind the cavern’s entrance. The man’s presence startled me. That was why Dragon could not be found. He had taken that false form.
“You have taken on the appearance of a keeper again?” I asked, and I shook my head. Such an action deserved reprimand.
He smiled mockingly. “I ventured you might like it. You enjoy it on your husband, do you not?”
“Race is not a suit of skin that you can play with. You are to maintain your true form.”
“If I maintain my true form, I will crush you, Angel.” He reached for my cheek.
I pulled away. “You must refrain! I only come because you will not cleanse with anyone else!”
“And I will not cleanse with anyone else, only because you come.”
“You tire me.”
“It is one of my favorite things to do.”
�
�If you do not behave, I will no longer come.” I handed him the flask. “Drink. Cleanse yourself.”
He studied the vial. “Are these your tears?” he asked.
“What difference does it make?”
“I like the taste of you best.”
I sighed. He would not drink it otherwise “Yes,” I said. “They are mine.”
He touched my cheek again. “Has your husband caused need for this many tears?”
“How do you know that they are not tears of joy?”
He took a sip from the flask. “They taste like sorrow. They taste like an angel’s beautiful sorrow.” He stared at me before speaking again, “You are mine, you know. You are my angel.”
“I am not yours.” I pulled away from him. “I am my husband’s.”
“I do not enjoy when you say things that are ludicrous. You know that an angel cannot be satisfied by a mere Daem.”
“You are correct. An angel cannot. I, however, am no longer an angel. I am a woman, and a woman can be very much satisfied by a mere Daem.”
“I do not believe you. Angels’ hearts are much too complex to be satisfied by the love of this world. You cannot hope to fool me. I know because neither can the hearts of dragons.”
I would never let him know that he was speaking the truth.
“Why do you like me?” I asked.
“I do not like you. I love you.”
“Why do you love me? Our people wage war. They do terrible things to each other. You are one of the last of your kind still able to hold a material form. Why do you not hate me?”
“You are a kind angel. I hate only certain angels. I do not hate you.”
He stepped before me, tucked his hands below my bunnaly robe, and returned the flask to my back pocket. It was something that I should not have enjoyed, but I did. Flesh also had its disadvantages.
He continued, “I can taste it in your tears, you know. You are not content with this life. You do not like being Sapian.”
He moved his hands to my waist.
“Angel . . .”
I shook my head. “I am meant to take the role of a Sape. I cannot engage with you. I cannot allow you to affect me. I love my husband.”