Flashes of images returned to her mind, those that have been haunting her since the night before. She lifted the blade again and aimed for Caelum’s head, knowing that he would be able to evade it. They are coming back, she feared. Her eyes shut tight, hoping the images would get out of her mind. But they didn’t.
“I do not want to remember!” she yelled, pulling the blade and stabbing it again.
Caelum lifted his elbow to counter her attack. Her arm bounced off his and he pushed her aside. Ariel regained her balance immediately and grabbed at Caelum’s shirt. She forced him around to face her, lifting the blade up again. He kicked her ankle, making her stumble forward, and they both landed hard on the ground with Ariel on top.
Ariel lifted herself up and quickly placed the blade to Caelum’s throat. She didn’t bury it in his skin. She held the blade, barely touching his skin. The shaking of her hand became more violent; the tears escaped her eyes. “It is your fault,” she whispered.
Her memories were returning. Images flashed before her eyes and voices whispered in her ears from invisible lips. The first time she’d committed a sin against Heaven, she was imprisoned for centuries as punishment. The memories of her dark days were starting to resurface.
“I cannot return to Heaven like this.” Her voice cracked. She lifted the blade in her hand over her head, her free hand pinning Caelum’s shoulders. He looked at her with calm and curious eyes. Hesitation stayed her hand, and she struggled to bring down the blade on the demon that was causing everything that had been happening to her.
Just kill him, she ordered herself. But her hand wouldn’t move.
“Oh...” a female voice came from the other side of the room. “Did I come at a bad time?”
Ariel turned to see a blonde woman, her hand playfully covering her lips. She wasn’t a human. She was a demon.
“Lili,” Caelum called to the demon. “You like to appear at such inconvenient times.”
“So I see,” Lili said. “This is your angel friend, huh?”
“Go away,” Ariel warned her, her eyes glaring at the female demon.
“Hmmm…” Lili placed her hands on her waist. “Out of the three of us here, which do you think doesn’t belong?”
Ariel lowered her blade and moved away from Caelum. She rose slowly without taking her eyes off Lili. With loud steps, Lili walked towards them, a sweet smile on her face. “As much as I like to see fights, which I really do, I’d rather you not off my toy over here. I prefer to have him a little longer, you know.”
“Glad to know what you think of me,” Caelum commented, but neither of the females in the room were interested in hearing his jokes at the moment. He watched them lock eyes with each other and couldn’t push away the unnecessary thoughts in his mind. What have I done to deserve this? His smile was wicked.
Ariel made the first move. She sped towards Lili with her blade aimed to strike. But Lili was also quick. In one move, she threw two knives in Ariel’s direction, halting her attack. Ariel defended herself, swinging her blade to deflect the knives. They bounced off the silver blade. When Ariel looked up, Lili was no longer there.
“What—” Ariel began, but a movement behind her made her turn. Lili smiled at her before landing a strong kick to her stomach. Ariel flew back, crashing through the window and falling. Shattered glass rained down with her, and she spread her wings before she met the ground. Ariel shifted her position and landed on her feet. She looked up to see Lili climbing up onto the windowsill. The female demon jumped and landed gracefully in front of her.
“No offense, cutie, but I just have a strong hatred for angels,” Lili announced before pivoting her body, elbow aimed at Ariel. The angel blocked the strike with her arm and swung her blade up to hit Lili. Lili dodged the blade and sneered at her. “You won’t get me that easy.”
Lili crouched down and slid under Ariel’s hand. She wheeled around and grabbed Ariel’s arm before kicking the angel in the back. Ariel stumbled forward, but she folded her arm to lock Lili’s hand, pulling her down. Lili crashed to the ground but was quickly on her feet again. She kicked backwards, and Ariel backed away to avoid it.
“Well, look at you, so feisty,” Lili taunted her. “Finally, you angels grew some balls, huh?”
Ariel charged at her again, swinging and stabbing with her blade that Lili easily evaded. Ariel stepped back then sliced at Lili’s feet. Lili jumped over her. She locked Ariel’s neck with her arm and pulled her back, forcing Ariel to bend her knees.
“You know, there’s this one thing that I haven’t done in a while,” Lili whispered against Ariel’s ear. The demon lifted her other hand and placed her thumb against the center of Ariel’s forehead.
Ariel could see nothing but black. She still felt Lili behind her, but her body could not move to fend her off, frozen in place.
Then, the screaming began. Agonizing screams of young voices tore through Ariel’s ears, begging and crying. The screams sounded of children and infants, wailing in pain. She gasped, wanting to scream as well, but no sound came from her. She was as cold as ice and could feel the terror of the tortured who screamed all around her. Ariel fought it; it was an illusion. The angel struggled out of it, focusing on the real world she knew she was in. Then, a laugh mixed with the screams. It was Lili.
Ariel felt her muscles contract and finally could move. She reached over her head and grabbed for Lili’s shirt. She pulled the demon over her and threw her off. Lili rolled back to her feet and laughed. “I can still do that! Interesting…”
“How- how can you inject illusions in my mind?” Ariel asked. Angels and demons could only cause illusions in the minds of mortals, but not to their own or each other.
“What can I say? I’m a little special,” Lili claimed. “I got some extra tricks up my sleeves. Including this!” Lili stretched out her hand and a dark shadow extended towards Ariel. She only had to shift her position to avoid it, but the shadow sliced through the fabric of her sleeve.
It has form? Ariel recoiled when Lili pulled the dark substance back.
“How do you like it?” Lili laughed and stretched out both her arms towards Ariel. Two black whip-like things sped towards Ariel. The angel dodged them, but Lili kept slicing them in her direction. Ariel gripped her blade and sliced it upward, cutting one of the whips before spreading her wings and taking flight.
Before she was far off the ground, something wrapped around her ankle and she was yanked back to the ground. She heard Lili laugh as she crashed, hitting a wall. “You think you can get away from me?”
The black thing on her ankle tightened its grip. Ariel sliced it with her blade before standing up. Lili stood before her, the black tentacles moving around from behind her like wisps of thick black smoke. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “I’m starting to like you. Maybe you can be one of my toys.”
“That will not happen,” Ariel told her.
“Too bad. It’s not really up to you,” Lili giggled. The tentacles behind her hardened into sharp spikes and flew towards Ariel. The angel readied her blade to deflect the dark things when something from above moved. Ariel dared not to remove her eyes from Lili, and soon a tall figure stood between them.
Caelum landed between the angel and demon. He stretched out his arms as if to welcome the black spikes with an embrace. Lili let out a small gasp. The spikes halted in their assault, one sharp tip barely an inch from Caelum’s nose. He smiled, knowing well that Lili would not harm him. “You girls should really stop fighting over me,” he said. “There’s plenty of Caelum to go around for both of you.”
“Oh, dear. You know I’m rather selfish, right?” Lili said with a childish pout, pulling away her strange weapons.
“I know,” Caelum agreed. “But you can’t have me if you’re not willing to share.”
Lili’s pout deepened. She cocked her head to the side to see Ariel over Caelum’s shoulder. “You hear that, dear? Are you willing to share with me?”
“Enough of your gam
es,” the angel demanded. “I’m done playing your cruel games, demons.”
“I’m sorry, Ariel,” Caelum said, his tone catching her off guard. He looked over his shoulder at her with a sincere gaze and a shy smile, an expression she had never expected to see on his face. “I guess my fun little act caused you trouble, huh?”
Ariel didn’t say anything, only cast her eyes down. She couldn’t understand why her anger had melted away upon his apology. If Our God forgives… Ariel thought. She inhaled deeply before looking at the demon in front of her. She didn’t want to forgive, and she didn’t trust the sincerity of his apology. But their squabble had gone long enough. And she hated to admit that she was losing the battle and was outnumbered.
“Your actions have caused more trouble than you think. You have caused disorder around you and have pulled me into your sins,” Ariel said. Then, she sighed and looked away. “But I have no right to deny forgiveness when it is asked.”
“So we can be friends again?” Caelum asked with teasing hopefulness.
“I am no friend to a demon,” Ariel snapped.
“That’s too bad then,” Lili walked over to Caelum and placed her arm under his. “Guess I’ll be keeping you for myself after all.” She smiled, looking up at Caelum. But the demon in her arms kept his eyes focused on the angel. Lili’s smile faded as she saw the odd concern in his face for her. Curiosity filled the female demon as she watched the two. Her eyes narrowed with jealous intent.
Caelum removed his arm from Lili’s grip and pocketed his hands. “Have you found any leads to your fallen angel, then?” he asked Ariel. The angel looked at him bewildered, as if what he asked was something not to be spoken of.
“No, I have not.”
An idea came to Caelum, one that would benefit him twofold. “I spoke to a witch. She told me the fallen angel you seek is gathering a large group of monsters, even recruiting entire clans of them to prepare for war.”
“I already assumed as much,” Ariel replied.
“That could mean that nearly all the Earthly monsters are part of this fallen angel’s group. If we must track him down, we need to find a monster who can point us in the right direction. Just so happens,” he dropped an arm around Lili’s shoulder, “another specialty of this little demon here is tracking down things.”
“Little?” Lili repeated the word. “If you have forgotten, I am far older than you. You should show some respect.”
“Sure thing, granny,” Caelum patted her on the back.
“What are you saying, demon?” Ariel asked.
“I will help you track down the fallen angel and capture it,” Caelum said. “As my way to repay you for what I’ve done. Also, to help you regain the honor of passing through the gates again.”
“Honor.” Lili snorted.
“What’s in it for you?” Ariel narrowed her eyes. A demon helping her without anything in return was something she refused to believe.
“Spending more time with you?” Caelum teased. Seeing that it did not amuse his audience, he added, “Curiosity, really. And I have nothing else to do. This group of monsters may be fun to deal with. Plus, I want to know if Hell really is up to something.”
“Um, hello?” Lili butted in. She pointed to herself and said, “Someone who doesn’t understand what’s going on over here. What is this fallen angel drama?”
“Oh,” Caelum said. “I’ll explain it to you later, dear. For now, I need a monster delivered to us.”
“And I’m doing this favor, why? Unlike you, I do have things to do, souls to torture, standard demon stuff. Plus, I still hold an IOU from you,” Lili said with a frown.
“Then how about a monster to torture?” Caelum suggested. “Pick one of your choice. I don’t really need a specific one, just one that may know a thing or two. We do the boring talks, and you do all the torture and whatever you want.”
“While that does sound appealing…” Lili thought for a moment.
“Torture?” Ariel said the word with disgust. “Is that really necessary?”
“You see, you can’t really get what you want in this world without getting yourself dirty,” Lili pointed out to her. “Trust me, I’ve been here longer than you.”
“That does not mean that your methods are right.”
“Don’t get all righteous on me, princess,” Lili said.
“Now, now ladies. Don’t pull the claws out just yet.” Caelum stood between them. “We have to do this, Ariel. If you really want to bring back your honor, we can capture the fallen angel together. I am offering my services as my repentance for the disadvantage I’ve caused you.”
“I can fulfill my task by myself,” Ariel announced. “I do not need your help.”
“Really? And where has that gotten you so far?” Lili taunted her, and Caelum shot her a glare.
“Ariel.” Caelum said her name as sincerely as he could. He moved over to her and lowered his voice. “I know you do not trust me, much less Lili. But you cannot fight alone. You will not call for help from Heaven because you are still having doubts, aren’t you?”
“Do not speak as if you know me,” Ariel threatened.
“But I do.” Caelum smiled. “I know you are a faithful and short-tempered angel who is likely to go into battle alone to prove herself. Isn’t that why you’re here? To prove yourself?”
Ariel wanted to ask how he could know that, but she remembered her slip of tongue moments ago. She looked away bitterly.
“I will help you, Ariel. And I swear, no more tricks.” He held up his hands for her. Ariel studied the demon intently, trying to see the lies behind his words. But no matter how hard she pried, Caelum seemed to be genuine in his intention of assisting her.
She considered her options. Ariel hated to admit that what he said was true. She was having her doubts, though she’d suppressed them as much as she could. And a large group of monsters with a fallen angel on their side may be far too much for her to handle. Having been caged for so long in Heaven had put her at a disadvantage, her skills rusty with disuse. However, she couldn’t bring herself to fully place her trust in two demons.
Is this my fate? Ariel asked herself.
She finally agreed. “Fine. Though I have no love or trust for your kind…”
“The feeling is mutual,” Lili added dryly.
“I will accept your assistance,” Ariel concluded, looking from Caelum to Lili. As soon as the words left her, she felt as though she would regret her decision.
“Very well, then.” Caelum beamed at her. The cogs were now turning in his favor. With Lili and Ariel helping him in his task for the King of Hell, his chances of success grew.
Chapter Fourteen: The Sinner’s Task
Night fell silently. The angel and the demon watched the ripples of water that distorted the reflection of the moon above. There was an obvious distance between them, physically as well as emotionally. Ariel preferred to keep herself planted against the wall of the warehouse despite Caelum’s invitation to join him near the water. Her shoulders were tensed, her expression stoic. She kept her arms folded over her chest. The wind blew her hair and coat; Caelum couldn’t help but remember the dream of the dark haired figure and the lock of hair in between the pages of the notebook.
Is it just a coincidence? Caelum wondered. Coincidence didn’t suit his tastes, though. Fate was something more interesting. If fate was responsible for bringing us together… Caelum smiled at the idea.
“She’s taking a while,” Ariel spoke, breaking the icy silence.
“She’s in the process of capturing a monster alive,” Caelum reminded her. “Trust me when I say Lili will be finding it more difficult than you think.”
“And you are certain she will not betray us?”
“Quite,” Caelum replied. “Admittedly, I don’t trust my own kind either. Rather, I don’t trust anyone but myself. But I trust that if given the right push and pull, anyone can be relied upon to do what you want.”
Ariel grunted. “You are a manip
ulator.” Caelum bowed his head, proud. She let out a heavy sigh, still uncertain of her decision. An angel of Heaven allying with two demons to torture information out of an Earthly monster. She hated the thought, but she was tied to this option.
Forgive me, she prayed in silence. In the few days since her release from her cage, too many events had transpired. The prophet, the monsters, the demon, and the memories threatening to haunt her. All of them led her to the choice she’d made. Ariel felt like a pawn on a chessboard being placed in such inconvenient scenarios and forced to choose an option of which she was so unsure about. She eyed the demon who had resorted to tossing rocks into the water out of boredom.
What is it with you, Caelum? Ariel wondered. The demon had meddled with her tasks since her first day on Earth, but that wasn’t what bothered her about him. It was the odd feeling of familiarity, familiarity that triggered her memories.
“Caelum,” Ariel called quietly.
The demon looked up, glee in his eyes. “That is the second time you’ve called me by my name.” He smiled at her.
Ariel sighed in frustration. “Never mind.”
“What?” Caelum asked, intending to pry whatever the angel wanted to say out of her. But before he could walk up to her, thick black smoke materialized at the corner of his eyes. Caelum turned to see Lili beaming, a bluish-white rope in her hand. Caelum followed the rope to its end and saw the bald, thin figure with opaque eyes staring and black tattoos marking his pale blue skin.
“So,” Lili said. “Who ordered a monster?”
Caelum identified the monster as a djinn, an Earth-bound spirit that lured mortals with their deepest desires only to prey on their nightmares and fear. Caelum helped Lili take the djinn inside the back kitchen of the local restaurant, Devil’s Kitchen.
“Honestly, you have no talent for naming things,” Caelum complained to Lili when they had settled in. “Then again, there is that saying about hiding a leaf in a forest…”
The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set) Page 14