by Alexie Aaron
“Thank you, that would be most welcome. As you know, the gargoyles’ cuisine leaves a lot to be desired.”
Orion went into the guestroom and over to the closet where Angelo’s servants stored his clothing. He approved of the drop railings which were a recent addition. He wouldn’t have to levitate to get to his clothes. He chose a casual outfit and went into the washroom where a stepstool was placed before the massive sink.
Angelo nodded to the housekeeper. “You can wet the tea. He should be but a few minutes.” He sat down and waited at the well-appointed table, picking up the publication that Father Santos’s secretary had sent over. He flipped through to the marked pages. There was Mia modeling some yoga outfits in a tasteful and yet arousing manner. He wished he could go back to the time when she was but a scrawny ill-kept thing. He would have taken her under his wing then. Maybe then she would just be one of many, instead of the one in his mind.
“Ah, I see you’ve taken up reading scandal sheets,” Orion observed, walking over to the table. He sat down on the chair Angelo kept there for him and raised it to a comfortable height.
“Your granddaughter,” Angelo said, handing him the weekly magazine, “has taken up hawking clothing.”
Orion looked at the pages and nodded. “Well, a girl’s gotta eat. I take it you don’t approve?”
“I’m not sure anymore what I think.”
“That’s not like you. You normally have your prejudices dictating your beliefs. Mia is a strange creature. I understand she’s flying now.”
“Where do you get your information?” Angelo asked, surprised. “You’ve been in the Dark Vault for days.”
“Where do you think I got the information? We are not the only ones who are interested in the development of Mia Cooper Martin.”
Orion’s use of Mia’s married name wasn’t accidental. This was his subtle way of reminding Angelo that Mia wasn’t available.
“Mia came to me herself to explain how Sariel ended up teaching her the basics, including some battle moves.”
“Mia came here?”
“Yesterday. She wanted me to know that it wasn’t a well thought out decision to have Sariel train her. He showed up when she was in peril, acting quite the knight.”
Orion smiled as his tea was brought and thanked the housekeeper, who in turn asked what he would like for breakfast. He gave her his order and added honey to his tea before addressing Angelo, “Since knight isn’t a word Mia would use, I take it you looked into her mind.”
“With permission. I also saw her fight for Ted and their reconciliation. And the reason Mia won’t be transforming into a full bird.”
“Now you have me intrigued.”
“Sariel has put one of his feathers inside of Mia. Its placement has altered her transformations, and it acts as a beacon.”
“Sariel has LoJacked my granddaughter,” Orion said, visibly impressed. “The man’s a genius.”
“He’s not a man,” Angelo insisted.
“It’s an expression,” Orion said.
“Mia didn’t know it was there.”
“I suppose you told her.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
“She wasn’t happy, but I told her of the benefits of the feather. It contains battle strategies and other information that will be useful to Mia when she figures out how to access them.”
“Tell me about her wings.”
“They aren’t our wings nor the wings of an angel. Mia has archangel wings.”
“That’s impossible. That doesn’t happen anymore. Did the feather cause this?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you knew. They are beautiful.”
“I would have to research further, but I think this is a singular occurrence. It could have something to do with the band of protection Sariel has around her ribcage. Maybe that combined with the feather…”
“She does have our tattoos though.”
“Mia let you see her transform?” Orion asked, puzzled. “I don’t understand. I thought she had chosen Ted as her mate.”
“I don’t think Mia knew that she had inadvertently started a mating ritual. I think, perhaps, you need to discuss a few things. Or should I send Judy to her?”
“Did you mate with her?”
“No. I warned her off. Besides, the Council of Women has taken away her ability to bear children for now.”
“Now that’s the first smart thing I’ve heard since I got here. I expect you know the reason why, but I doubt Mia does.”
“Nephilim. They can’t take the chance that Mia will be able resist or fight off Sariel if he chooses to take her,” Angelo said through his teeth.
“We must teach her how, without alarming her. Perhaps I should visit her. After all, I am her grandfather.”
“But not her only grandfather.”
“Émile has found her?”
“And claimed her and Brian,” Angelo added.
“Boy, you data-mined Mia, didn’t you?”
“She invited me in.”
“That was a mistake the first time. She must like you to let you in again. Look at the trouble you caused her.”
“It’s my weak human side,” Angelo admitted.
“If you are going to lead us when the time comes, you’ll have to learn to compartmentalize your feelings. We all yearn for those we can’t have, but most of us are able to set aside these desires.”
The housekeeper arrived with their breakfasts. Angelo watched the little birdman eat the vast quantities of food and realized this was where Mia got her appetite from. When they had finished, Orion nodded to Angelo. “We should go outside. I wouldn’t want what I have to tell you to be overheard.”
Angelo nodded and left the table, walking slowly in deference to his houseguest. When they had reached the shaded patio and sat down, Angelo asked, “What did you find in the Dark Vault library?”
“Cynosura.”
“As we suspected, but how?”
“A Cynosura nurseryman raised and planted the witch tree. I imagine there are many more scattered around this continent waiting to be activated. I saw what it did to Mia before you came to the rescue. It was good to see the two of you battling together by the way.”
Angelo didn’t react to the comment. He was concentrating on the problem at hand. “It’s another sign that they need to be destroyed before they start the culling of the human race.”
“Oh, Angelo, they have been doing so for quite some time. It has been mistaken for politics. With every step towards human rights that is taken, they have taken away three steps in other areas. They have started to cull the emerging societies of Africa and Asia by funding terrorists. Only the strong will survive, and they will soon find themselves either signing allegiance to the Cynosura or be themselves culled. This is why the angels are recruiting. They have seen it emerging. We have been too involved in our own survival to see the big picture.”
“While we have been balancing good and evil, they have been building their empire.”
“So the abundance of demon activity is because…”
“There are more of them. The offspring of the daughters of the Cynosura and demons grow faster.”
“No human survives a demon birth,” Angelo said.
“Apparently, it matters not with the fathers of the unfortunate women. This demon incursion has been going on since time began. I have demon blood, a lot of the present population of this planet has a creature somewhere in their family tree.”
“When the great fell, there still was compassion. The demons were given the underworld. Why couldn’t they be satisfied?”
“I expect it’s the nature of the beast. We too have a few black marks on our wings, Angelo, as do Sariel and his brothers. It is impossible to be around humans without picking up a few of their weaknesses.”
“Why is Sariel so interested in Mia? She thinks she called him with the Gris Gris bag when she fought the soul eater.”
“It’s possible this got his att
ention, but he can’t be controlled by magic. He does have a weakness though; his peripheral vision was damaged in the last Great War. He needs a shield maiden to watch his back. He has chosen Mia, and I fear, Angelo, she has accepted.”
“I saw her pledge. It was made under duress, and Sariel himself was insulted by the bargain Mia made. She pledged her sword to him if he got her safely to Ted in time to talk to him before he ruined his life. Sariel said, ‘I don’t need to be bribed to do the right thing.’”
“Makes it kind of hard to hate him, doesn’t it, Angelo?” Orion prodded. “Can you let go of your wants and needs and see the creature for what he is? He is a great healer and warrior. It would behoove you not to make an enemy of him. Not over Mia. She has chosen a human, one who the Council has the greatest faith in. You played a game with her, and you lost.”
“Don’t you think that I would take back that moment in time if I could? She was so raw, uncultured and vulnerable. It was my narcissism that could not see her for who she really was.”
“She has never been tarnished in Ted’s eyes. You all but put her into his arms after you healed her. The unbalancing of her emotional memories brought on a keen insight. Her eyes were opened to this man, possibly the only man who could totally understand her and not be upset by all that she can and will do. Sure, the man has vanities and weaknesses. We all do. But she loved him enough to fight for him when she could have had anyone, and I mean anyone.”
“That is one consolation.”
“So no more talk about the Cooper curse.”
“Oh that. I was right. Mia was bound to the farmer since she was a teen. She broke the curse and is now free to love her husband.”
“Mia broke the curse? My god, not even her grandmother could figure out how to do so.”
“Was Fredericka bound to you?”
“No, but I to her.”
“Who was she bound to?” Angelo asked.
“She wouldn’t say. He gave her a boy child and then took him away from her. I found her devastated and nursed her back to health.”
“You mean Mia has an uncle somewhere?”
“I imagine so, but there is no way to trace him since Fredericka wouldn’t acknowledge who his father was. She didn’t want me to kill him. Although, I suspect that man would have been an adversary in battle.”
“You’re not Beverly’s father, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Who is?” Angelo asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. I have a few possible candidates in mind.”
“It seems that Mia’s grandmother wasn’t a one-man woman, or even a one-birdman woman.”
“No, I suspect that was the curse working. Mia, now, is free to embrace monogamy if she wants to,” Orion said pointedly. “I pray that she does.”
“Ouch, that hurts.”
“I really don’t understand your fascination with my granddaughter. She is hardly your type, Angelo. I thought you and the Countess…”
“A mere convenience for both of us.”
“How European.”
“Your granddaughter puts her all into every challenge she is faced with. She ignores the proper route and finds her own way, and in most cases, it’s better. I’ve learned from her, and I would love to teach her more. With our combined knowledge, we could be such a force. Evil would shirk away before it raises its ugly head to challenge us.”
“Quite a speech, but I’m not swayed. I know it’s her animal urges you want part of. Angelo, I forbid you from mating with my granddaughter.”
“She can’t conceive.”
“That is beside the point!” Orion argued. “She is very happy with her life with the human. Do not tempt her away from his bed. I expect more grandchildren from that pair.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you? When did you become so provincial?”
“When I held my granddaughter’s hand while her husband healed the breach in her mind, Ted was very aware that Murphy was fighting for her too. I saw something I’ve rarely seen in a human before.”
“What?”
“I saw the ultimate courage. The ultimate sacrifice. He’s what they call a hero. Complicated sure, but all we heroes are.”
Angelo looked at Orion and had to acknowledge defeat for now. Mia would never be his if Orion had anything to say about it. But he wasn’t her only grandfather. The great artist Émile Neyer could possibly sway Mia when the time came to put away the human life and become what she was bred to be.
“I don’t like that smirk on your face,” Orion observed.
“Gentlemen don’t smirk.”
“Like I said, smirk.”
~
Mia sat at the shore’s edge and watched Ted and Brian build sandcastles. Brian was more interested in putting the wet sand in his mouth, but that didn’t dampen Ted’s enthusiasm. Mia watched her tall husband lay in the sand to get Brian’s eye view of things.
“I think you’re right. We have no defense on the backside of the fortress. Water wench, we need more water.”
Mia rose and dutifully brought the water. Mentally, the water would have been better used dumped on the builder, but Mia sensed that now was not the time for such mutiny. Ted already had agreed to look into the old house with her and Mark. He actually seemed excited about the prospect. Mia sensed that the lack of stimuli from computers and tinkering had been hard on her husband, but he would never tell her that. That’s how he rolled.
“I love you, Ted,” Mia said impulsively.
“Ah, Brian, the fair maiden is trying to distract us builders. Maybe we should reconsider putting in an aerie.”
Mia laughed. “I’m going in for a swim. Would you boys like to join me?”
“Not with war approaching. We have an outer perimeter fence to build,” Ted said.
“Okay,” Mia replied and walked into the warm lake water. “It’s wonderful.” She dove into the water, pushed hard with her arms and legs and surfaced quite far from shore. She swam back a few yards and began to do a couple of laps, turning when her peripheral vision acknowledged that she was a few cottages down. After her initial burst of energy, she turned and floated on her back. She gazed at the sky. A few fair-weather clouds floated by, causing little disruption in the sunshine.
She heard the soft lap of a paddle and turned over to see the Native American paddling towards her. She prepared herself to flee but saw the intent look on the brave’s face. He wanted to talk to her. She treaded water and waited for him to draw alongside.
“You can see me,” he said in very good English.
“You can speak to me,” she responded.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Find me, and release my remains to the sky.”
“After all this time, you will be hard to find, unless you can show me,” Mia said. “But I will do as you ask.”
“When the moon is full, I’ll be stronger then.”
Mia calculated the days and nodded. “I will be here.”
Mia watched as the brave paddled away and disappeared in the glare of the water. She swam to shore.
Ted watched as his Ice Queen emerged from the water. Mia’s newfound strength and confidence had made her more beautiful than before. Ted knew that she was unaware of this change. To Mia, she was, well, Mia, a little bit clumsy and more interested in others than to spend time primping in front of the mirror. He liked this about her and marveled at how unaffected she was by all the attention she had been getting. Modeling had been a way to gain a much needed wardrobe and a paycheck to help them to make ends meet and to cover Ted’s materials. Mia never asked how much they cost, just how fast could they get them. She made sure they fed Brian’s college fund. Each day, the child grew more and more aware of the world. Mia and Ted could see that he would always be searching for knowledge.
He held open the beach towel and wrapped her up in it. “I love you, Mia.”
“I guess I won’t be getting my aerie,” she said, looking down
at the pointed tops of the castle.
“Would you be happy with the builder and son?” he asked.
“Yes. It fills my heart to have such talented men at my beck and call.”
Ted laughed. “Mia, I’ve been thinking about Brian.”
Mia saw the seriousness of his face and tilted her head and gave Ted her undivided attention.
“I think, when the time comes, Orion should take Brian under his wing.”
Mia was floored.
“Wait, before you say anything. We can give Brian the best education the western world has available, but this will not be enough for him. His ability to learn far surpasses mine and, I suspect, Cid’s. It’s only his body that is holding him back.”
“He is a human child, Ted. No amount of birdman can change that. When Brian has completed all the avenues of classical education, I will consent to a trip to the Great Library. But I want him to play, Ted. I want his imagination to soar, not be bound to the structures of education all the time.”
“I agree with you. I just want the best for our son. Orion can give him that.”
“You can give him more,” Mia said, toweling off. “Your childhood was blessed. You had a father who gave you the freedom to discover who you were.”
“He thought I was gay until you showed up,” Ted said.
“Well, he accepted you that way, didn’t he?”
“Yes, most annoyingly.”
Mia gazed over at her son dozing in the stroller. “I think we have time, but if you want to approach Orion, I won’t stand in your way. You know this means more feathers.”
“Good thing I’m not allergic. I noticed you made friends with the ripple of water.”
“You have sharp eyes,” Mia said and told him about the conversation. “It seems that I can’t get away from work.”
“Between that and your promise to Mark, you’re going to have your hands full. How about we see if Audrey and Cid want to join us?”
“Where would we put them?”
“Audrey can bunk in with Brian, and Cid can sleep in a tent, or maybe you could use a favor owed and get an RV.”
“You ask Cid, and I’ll make a call.”
“Murphy’s going to want to come,” Ted said.