Zeriel led him inside the empty building that was furnished with only a few benches and tables. The same blue fire burned in braziers lining the walls to provide light. "That's why I don't come here. There's always something . . . wrong."
From one of the hallways, a bald angel whose white wings were speckled with orange emerged and waved. "Hello, Zeriel."
"Uh . . . is that another angel?" Jaylen asked.
"Yes. While uncommon, angels can live in The Veil."
The dark-skinned angel smiled as he shook hands with Zeriel. "I never thought I would see you in a place like this, Zeriel. And who is this boy? Your paladin? He's awfully young. My son is around here somewhere. They're about the same age, I think."
"Son?" Jaylen turned to Zeriel. "Angels can reproduce?"
"Under very weird and tricky circumstances. It's a complicated process that I can't explain to you. That's how there are more angels when paladins don't become angels. Like me."
He was too confused. "Like you? Like you what?"
"I was never a paladin." Zeriel said. "My father's name is Carvael. He's one of the gatekeepers in Heaven."
"Wow. So you're from an influential family?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"And who is your mother?" Jaylen asked.
"It . . . it doesn't work that way. Care to try to explain this so a human can understand it, Andre?"
The angel tapped his fingers on his lips as he thought. "Hmm . . . okay. So you've met Gavin and you know what incubi do, right?"
"Yes."
"Sometimes a succubus will make a deal with Sola in order to take genetic material from an angel. That genetic material is then implanted into Sola by an incubus who takes it from the succubus. If things line up right, then the following year, an angel will be born from Sola herself."
"So Sola is Zeriel's mother?" Jaylen asked, growing even more confused than he thought was possible.
"If you can call that kind of weird demon-assisted impregnation motherhood, then yes. It's a way to make sure there are always more angels, even when no worthy souls are brought to Heaven."
"I see."
"Gavin is one of those incubi who help with that." Andre said. "That's the primary reason why he lives here and in the human world. It's easier to hear Sola's call when she needs him here than in Hell."
Gavin? Jaylen's mouth fell open. "Whoa, whoa, wait. Let me get this straight. So Gavin mates with Sola?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Why don't the angels simply mate with Sola?" Jaylen asked.
Andre shrugged his shoulders. "Because they aren't compatible. Sola is formless. Sure, she is depicted as a woman in statues and paintings, but she is ultimately formless. Incubi are able to morph and change their sexual organs to fit anything."
"Oh . . . that's . . . concerning." There was one other concerning thing. "You know Gavin, right? What's with the mask he wears? Does he ever take it off?"
"Nope."
"But why does he wear it?"
"No one knows."
Andre winked at Jaylen. "Well, I have some more research to work on. Go ahead and go get comfortable. I will talk to Gavin and see if we can get a plan going for whatever you may need during your stay here. You look absolutely exhausted, paladin."
Jaylen put his hand over his heart and bowed. "My name is Jaylen. It's a pleasure to meet another Holy Angel, as always."
* * *
After a bath in a strange glass bathtub with water that was perfumed with jasmine blossoms and some kind of tea leaves, Jaylen stretched out on the bed in the guest room. He was wearing some loose-fitting cotton pants and a long blue silk tunic that Gavin had given him. It was comfortable enough. The room was tiny, but enough room for Jaylen and Zeriel to share. Angels don't need much room anyway.
Zeriel sat at the only table in the room and poured steaming tea into a black glass teacup. "So, what was the high priest saying about the Divinity Trial? Scarring of the soles of your feet? You never told me anything about that."
Jaylen unlaced his right boot and slid it off. He pulled off his sock and held out his foot for Zeriel to see the deep jagged gashes that were still not fully scarred over. The area was blotchy with black bruises.
"Why?" Zeriel asked. "Why would they do that?"
"To make us more inclined to have our angels carry us over long distances."
"I would have carried you anyway."
"Apparently some paladins were too leery of their angels to trust them completely, especially when they were afraid of heights. Didn't my father have the scars as well?" Jaylen asked.
"He wasn't a very open man. We didn't talk like you and I do. It's a nice change. Doran gave orders and I obeyed. I was able to offer very little in the way of advice or guidance because he was so set in his ways." Zeriel grimaced as he examined the raw cuts in Jaylen's foot. "Doesn't this hurt?"
Jaylen winced as Zeriel poked him. "Very much."
"It looks like you're still bleeding occasionally. You could have told me."
"I didn't want to feel weak. There was already so much wrong with me." Jaylen pulled his foot away from Zeriel and leaned back on the pillows as he stared up at the ceiling. "Why didn't you kill me?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"In The Cleansing. You could have killed me and saved yourself the trouble. You should have."
Zeriel stood up and leaned over him. "Do you want to die, Jaylen?"
"I don't know. Is that bad? To not be certain if you want to continue living? Earlier, when I was faced with my death, I was terrified. But looking back at it all, I have to wonder if things would have been better for everyone if you had done what the high priest told you. He was right, you know? When I became a paladin, I swore that I would die in The Cleansing if I was alive during that time. I knew going in that the next one would be soon, but I didn't back down from it." Jaylen covered his eyes with his arm. "I'm a coward."
"Answer me something, if you will."
"What do you want to know that you don't know already?"
"Since you essentially turned your back on the Holy Order, will you still be bound by your vows? Are you still a paladin?"
Jaylen sat up and placed his fist over his heart. "I am a paladin until the day I die. I will uphold every virtue in my daily life as if I was still dedicated to the clergy. I have no anger for them. They were doing what they needed to do. Face it, Zeriel. If I hadn't been marked by Gavin, then I would be dead right now and the sun would be back. Everyone would be much happier. You would have done the same thing as every other angel there. You would have killed me and you would be on your way back to Heaven. Instead, you are still enslaved here to me."
Zeriel took Jaylen's hand and brought it to his lips. "I am an eager and willing servant."
Chapter 13
Zeriel turned in front of the mirror in the bathroom of Gavin's house. He couldn't see much in the light from this strange blue fire. While he could take the chance and hope he got everything, he decided to play it safe. There had to be a merchant or something nearby where he could get what he needed without having to leave The Veil. He pulled on his coat and boots then opened the window into the night, or what could be called night in this mysterious land.
"Where are you going at this time of night, Zeriel?"
He turned around to see Gavin leaning in the doorway with a smirk on his face and a spark in his orange eyes behind his mask. "Do you know of a merchant?"
"You have the correct currency for The Veil, don't you?"
Zeriel glanced at his sleeping Master. "Yes."
"Then there is an elf who runs a shop on the other side of the forest. It's not far, especially not for an angel. He'll have magical goods as well as human world ones."
"I can't believe I'm about to ask an incubus to watch over my sleeping paladin, but would you? I won't be gone long."
Gavin went to the bed and traced his fingertip across Jaylen's pale pink lips. "Don't worry, angel. Your pure l
ittle boy will still be pure when you get back. What fun would it be for me if you just gave him to me? I like a little bit of a hunt."
"You make me sick." Zeriel jumped through the window and spread his wings as he flew across the dense black forest. As he flew, a million possibilities raced through his mind. Was he doing the right thing? Would Jaylen be safe here? What were their next steps in the plan? Did he even have a plan? Zeriel wasn't usually like this. He knew it, too. Did saying his father's name earlier really have that much of an effect on him? He shook his head in an attempt to get those thoughts out of his head. Carvael was an issue for another day . . . or maybe never. Sometimes those things should never be talked about.
Down along the tree line of the twisted black forest, a low rectangular black glass building stood surrounded by glowing blue fire. Zeriel landed outside and glanced around, just to make even more sure that nothing strange was going on . . . well, nothing stranger than what was normal for The Veil at least.
Zeriel stepped through the purple curtain and into the expansive shop. Shelves lined the walls, all covered with lines of vials and boxes. Crates and bins were stacked from the floor to the ceiling with various objects. Some of them were glowing in different colors or making gurgling noises.
A tall man with dark grey skin was working at a triangular stone table in the back corner where a puff of green smoke rose and lingered in the air above his head. Once he turned around and Zeriel saw the foot-long pointed ears, he knew exactly what this man was. An elf.
The elf coughed a few times and waved his hand in the air to disperse the cloud of green smoke. "Ugh. Forgive me. I've been trying for days to get that potion right, but nothing is working. Oh? An angel? I don't get many angelic customers down here."
"I'm sure, but it's kind of an emergency."
The elf sat down and picked up a thin pipe from the counter then took a long drag from it. He sighed and blew a yellow smoke ring into the air. "What can I get for you?"
"I was told that you deal in human world goods."
The elf leaned back in his chair and placed his feet up on the counter. "That depends."
"On what?"
"If you can give me the correct answers to my questions. Who sent you here?" The elf asked.
"The incubus."
The elf raised an eyebrow curiously. "There are many incubi here in The Veil."
Zeriel rolled his eyes. "Gavin the incubus."
"Ah. I see. What are you looking for?"
"Do you have any paint?" Zeriel asked, unintentionally whispering it.
"Paint? What could a Holy Angel need with paint? What are you trying to paint?"
"It's personal. Do you have any that is waterproof?"
"No, I don't. That stuff is rare and expensive."
"I know."
The elf went over to the cabinets and began rummaging through things. "Hmm . . . what color do you need?"
"White. The brightest white you have."
"The darkness of The Veil getting to you?" The elf laughed. "Not used to our black buildings yet?"
"Something like that."
"Why wouldn't you go back into the human world to get what you need?" The elf asked.
"I'm here with my paladin. He would miss me being gone. He's asleep right now."
"Ah. Here we are. One can of the whitest white I've got." He placed the metal can on the counter and held out his hand. "That will be three locks of hair."
"Three?"
"Yes. And don't try to trick me by giving angel hair. It's not the same and you know it."
Zeriel reached in his pocket then pulled out a handful of Jaylen's blond locks. "Here."
The elf held them to his nose and breathed deeply. "Oh, it smells wonderful. Royalty?"
"The Duke of Ilyan. It's from my paladin."
"And a virgin, if I'm not mistaken. This is the good quality stuff, angel."
Zeriel watched the elf in disgust. "I know. That's why I have to keep his physical body safe while we're here. I don't want any scavengers trying to rip him apart."
"There you go. One can of bright white paint. Anything else I can help you with? Some potions, perhaps?"
"Not today. Do you have a bag or something? It's kind of a . . . a surprise."
The elf laughed dryly in his airy voice as he slid the can of paint into a canvas bag and handed it to Zeriel. "You know, the longer I look at you, the more familiar you seem to me. Have we met before? My name is Sulstair."
"No, I'm sure we haven't. I've never been to The Veil before."
"Wait. You're that archangel, aren't you? The one with the keys to heaven? Sola's chosen angel? The one who defends and protects children? That's you, isn't it?"
Zeriel groaned a bit. "That's Carvael, my father."
"Ah. Good looks run in the family. Do angels have families? Either way, tell your father that I hate him, would you?"
He turned to the door. "You and me both."
"One more thing, angel."
"What do you want?" Zeriel asked.
"You missed a spot."
* * *
"Get out of bed, you lazy angel."
Zeriel opened his eyes as the fog drifted from him. He felt refreshed but still as if he wasn't completely there. What happened? He glanced over at Jaylen who was still bundled up in the blankets. He looked up at Gavin. "What's going on? What happened to the last few hours?"
Gavin jumped up onto the table to sit. "Interesting. You were asleep."
"Asleep? Angels don't sleep. Tell me what kind of strange spell you put on me, demon. I demand it!"
"You demand it? I don't follow anyone's demands, angel."
"My name is Zeriel."
Gavin giggled. "Oh, I see what you did there!"
Whatever happened to Zeriel, whether he was or was not indeed sleeping, he tried to forget about it. "What do you want, Gavin?"
"You have a visitor from the human world. He has been drinking all of my alcohol."
"Axaniel?" Zeriel asked. "Is it an angel?"
"Yes, a bald one with a nasty scar across his eye."
"That's him!"
"Yes . . . you should tell your friend to stop flirting with my woman. It's unnecessary and frankly quite disturbing to watch."
Zeriel stretched his wings out after having them pressed up against his body for so long in bed. "Your woman? You mean like your mate or something?"
"Oh, is that what humans say? No, no. Um, my daughter."
"You have a demon daughter?"
He tapped his fingers on the table. "Part demon . . . mostly demon . . . but that doesn't matter. I have many children, being an incubus and all, but she is my favorite. And as my favorite, I don't want any angels trying to seduce her."
"You're an incubus and you're worried about someone getting seduced?"
"If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not exactly your typical incubus. I'm not like the really bad demons. I don't actively try to ruin people's lives and steal their souls."
"Why is that?" Zeriel asked, becoming more and more curious about this unusual demon. "Surely there's a story there."
"I'd really not like to talk about that right now. Besides, you should meet with your friend. It seemed urgent."
Axaniel stepped into the doorway. "I'm right here. I didn't touch your daughter, Gavin."
"Good. Well then, I'll leave you two alone. Oh, and Jaylen won't be waking up anytime soon. After you left to go to the store, I gave him a potion to keep him asleep. He looked like he could use some extra rest."
Zeriel called out to him. "Gavin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Gavin smiled as he left the room.
Zeriel watched his angelic friend closely. "You look like something serious has happened in Ilyan."
"Because something serious has happened, Zeriel." Axaniel sipped from a glass bottle of what looked to be ale. "You can't just run away and forget that The Cleansing was interrupted. Do you realize the consequences of this?"
"Be
lieve me, I know."
"King Talyn has summoned Jaylen to the castle. He promised that no one would try to touch him while he's there. You should take him up on his offer. This may be Jaylen's only chance to explain himself."
"You say that like you think Jaylen has done something wrong."
"Zeriel . . . your paladin has been marked by a demon. You helped him escape The Cleansing. Now all of Vilyron is out for his blood. They need the sun back. You can't stand between them and fulfilling a time-honored tradition."
"Isn't that all it is, Axa? A tradition?" Zeriel asked. "Traditions are broken and made new all the time. Why can't we change things? Haven't enough men died for this?"
"That's Sola's place to decide things like that, not mine. I would be careful what I said, if I were you. You are already on probation. Don't forget that part."
Zeriel looked over at Jaylen who had reached out his hand to him in his sleep. "I can't give Jaylen up."
"You were warned countless times about becoming too attached to your paladin."
"I know, but I can't help it. Look at him, Axa. He needs me. He's so young."
"Or is this just your way to rebel against your father's wishes?" Axaniel asked sternly.
"An angel rebelling against an archangel? How scandalous."
"Be serious for a minute, Zeriel."
Zeriel slammed his fist against the wall. "I am being serious! You know as well as I do that Sola could bring back the sun right now if she wished. The paladins have nothing to do with it. The Cleansing was a way to control the masses back when their faith was still shaky. There's no need for mass murders anymore."
"How dare you call The Cleansing murder!"
"Sacrifices are murder." He took Jaylen's hand and squeezed it gently. "You can argue with me all you want, but I've seen it happen far too many times to call it anything else. Those innocent men were slaughtered like animals."
"Do you think it pleased me to kill my paladin yesterday? No. We were friends. But that's just what humans do. They die. We are there to make sure the right ones die in the right ways. That's it. Jaylen already vowed to do this." Axaniel picked up one of Zeriel's feathers that had fallen to the floor and examined it. "Look at this. How many feathers are you going to lose before you finally figure out how serious your transgressions are? At this rate, I'm surprised you're not a Fallen."
Angel of Darkness Books 1-5 Page 9