by JK Ensley
Daichi’s eyes widened, then his heated gaze bore into the ethereal bringer of all their pain.
“Aye, Valencia, sweetest of sisters.” Vittorio chuckled out his words. “Ye’ve nae had the pleasure of meeting Tenshi an’ Daichi.” He inclined his head toward each as he spoke. “This would be fair Jenevier’s lad, here. An’ that viciously snarling one there, would be her heavenly Blessing an’ eternally bonded mate.”
The bruised she-Guardian’s horror was obvious. She tightened her grasp upon Drostan. When Daichi spoke, it made her blood run cold within her veins.
“Yes. It appears your wicked little plan didn’t work out exactly as you had thought, Guardian witch. We yet live.” He smiled threateningly. “Seems the only ones unlucky enough to die because of your blackest betrayal was Mikage, Musashi, and your own dear brother.”
The wind was forced from Valencia’s lungs. She staggered. “Nooo… Not Varick…”
At the sound of his name, Jenevier went stiff, rigid in Finnean’s arms.
“Oh bloody hell. Here we go again.”
At Finnean’s words, everyone turned back to the embracing couple. Jenevier was trying to pull away.
“Can someone please tell me who in the holy hell this Varick is?” Finnean asked. “She loses her bloody mind whenever that damnable name is given breath.”
Her body jerked and contorted.
“Mama! Mama, what’s wrong?”
She heard Tenshi’s pleading cry. It brought even more tiny flashes of her lost life ripping through her head.
Falling to her knees, Jenevier covered her ears, futilely trying to block out the cacophony of strange sounds and voices now dancing through her increasingly muddled mind.
She felt Finnean’s strong arms tighten around her. She called out to him, tried to go back to him. But this relentless internal war denied her as it waged mercilessly on. The sensation was maddening, like trying to work out a puzzle when most of the pieces were missing.
Reality slipped and shifted. She could hear Finnean’s worried words. Then… silence. His whispers returned, and then silence again overtook her.
Chapter 21
Nilakanta
(nye-lah-KHAN-tah)
Sweet lavender swayed gently with the warm breeze, brushing lightly against her bare legs.
She wore a beautiful red dress, split to the thigh, with a full flowing skirt. The light fabric lifted and danced playfully with the gentle wind. The vibrant color was a stark contrast against her milky flesh. She touched the delicate fabric and remembered a silver-haired warrior she loved gifting it to her. But nothing about the memory was clear enough to produce names, places, or the occasion.
Inhaling the soothing aroma of the endless flowering field, she held out her arms and smiled. Love and warmth enveloped her.
This… this is home, she thought. This is where I belong.
“Are you a Shikabane? Is this why you never returned to me?”
She looked for the owner of the ancient, melodic voice, and found herself face to face with a giant Dragon. His beautiful scales glistened in the sunlight, setting her mind upon the rarest of sapphires.
“Am I a what?” Her voice floated about her upon the air, as if it carried no weight of its own.
“A Shikabane,” the majestic creature repeated. “A body… minus its soul.”
Minus a soul? Do I not have a soul? she thought.
“Was the pain and guilt too great a thing to bear? Was I not enough for you? Was our magical bond not strong enough to give you the will to go on?”
She only stared at the talking winged giant. Alas, his beautiful words didn’t feel like the puzzle pieces she was looking for. She felt nothing but confusion. But she certainly loved his dreamlike voice.
I could listen to him for ages and never tire, she happily thought.
“Perhaps you are not all demon. There may yet be time to save you, little Naga. It’s obvious you are lost. You and I are bonded eternally. I forbid you from dying and going to a place I cannot follow. Listen to me well, Empress. Take my words to heart and let this seed of wisdom take root within you. Now, tiny Angel, come back to Jinn. Come back home to me.”
She stood silent, staring. The wind blew her skirts about her. There was no other movement in the great purple expanse, save the swaying blossoms. Maiden and Dragon stood face to face. Magic coursed between them, old magic. Ancient, forgotten magic.
“I was gifted with your life just as you were with mine, when our souls joined on that most glorious of days,” the Dragon continued. “If your soul has been stolen, then you have lost what we share. It is my duty, my responsibility, and my deepest desire, to protect and defend you, Milady. The only way I know to do that now, is to restore some of what you have lost… in hopes you will become my Kagi Naga once more.”
Kagi Naga… The words were soothing to her ears, warmed her blackened heart.
“You were created by the Almighty from a piece of a Guardian and God’s own breath, placed within a woman and raised as a human. You were cursed by a Prince, trained as a warrior, and blessed with the tools of death.”
Her snowflake eyes remained fixed with his golden ones. She swayed slightly, yet did not speak.
“You were banished for your sins, little Naga, and spent years as a void in a distant land. You were thoughtlessly abandoned in hell, destroyed by a lie, and blended with a fallen Angel. Yet, in all that, your remarkably cursed life was far from finished with you. It seems Fate chose you as her favorite plaything, Little Fire.”
She unconsciously blinked as she continued to hold his magical gaze, a tiny ribbon of light passing from him, entering her.
“You were kidnapped by a greater demon, mated with the Prince of Hell, and healed your two best friends. When your belly began to swell from your union, you married your Guardian, were stolen by an Emperor, and died in childbirth.”
I have a child? The thought was terrifying, yet heavenly.
“You were abused by the Emperor, rescued by a Shinobi, and saved by the Angel of this realm. And the best part of it all… you bonded with me.”
If Dragons could smile… Wait, I think he is.
She felt playful giggles building inside her.
“And then you, tiny little Kagi Naga, you became my Guardian. Is that not the funniest thing you’ve ever heard?”
She felt his warm laughter rolling through her.
“…Nilakanta,” she whispered.
He inclined his majestic head. “Yes. I am your Dragon, Milady.”
Her brow furrowed. “But… what happened to me?”
“That, I do not know.”
She heard him sigh wearily in her mind.
He looked up to the soft, wispy clouds. “There was a great war, a heavenly war, started by the spawns of hell. It spread like a rotting disease throughout the universe, infecting nearly every race. Jinn was not spared this rancid plague.”
“I can almost remember a war.” Absently, her hand went to her hip, and then her shoulder. “I can almost remember…” Her words fell to a whisper.
“Their names are Amatiste and Iole Máni. They are part of you.”
“Who?”
“Your blades, Milady. You stand before me now minus those priceless blessings. You need them, Kagi Naga. They hold great magic for you.”
“I’ve lost them.” Her words were a melancholy confession of painful regret.
“Fear not, little one. When you remember who you are, they will find you.” He continued, “Now, you were the only warrior graced with the ability to stop the great war. And that was because it was waged in your name.”
“In my name?”
“Yes, Milady. Your dark Angel husband, father of your little Tenshi, believed you dead and set about to destroy all life. You stopped him. On the very spot you now stand. You halted the darkest force in the universe and bound him back to the pits of hell.”
The Dragon fell silent, leaving his confusing words ringing about in her head.
&
nbsp; “Don’t stop now, Nilakanta. Tell me what happened next.”
“Alas, little one, I cannot. You left this realm to see to the loved ones of your dead Guardian husband.” He growled and then snorted hot, dry air. “I should never have let you go. Or… I should have placed you upon my back and seen you safely through your trials.”
“My husband?” She looked down at her tattooed hand. “When Drostan hit me in the head, I regained chunks and snippets of this past year. I did not recall a dead husband.”
The magical beast closed his eyes. A giant tear dripped from the tip of his snout. Jenevier followed its solitary path to the ground and beheld the most beautiful man she could ever remember seeing, lying still amongst the lovely purple blooms.
A tightness gripped her racing heart. Unintentionally, she moved to stand over the silent, ethereal man.
“…He is glorious,” she whispered.
Resting upon her knees, Jenevier timidly reached out to stroke his gold and silver locks. Tears she did not realize she was shedding fell softly upon his cold cheeks.
“Is the loss of him what killed you?” Nilakanta whispered. “Is the great regret you hold over the guilt of his death what made you a Shikabane?”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t know how to. When her trembling fingers laced through his heavenly tresses, a bolt of bitter lightning pierced her through and through.
Jenevier woke on the cold stone floor, her screams still echoing in her ears, bouncing off the high palace walls. “Varick,” was all she could say, and she yelled the precious name over and over through her blinding tears.
She gasped for air, her blurry world slowly coming back into focus. Her mournful black eyes were met with the most enchanting steel blue ones she had ever seen.
Daichi sat astride her, a dagger in his hand. She could hear Finnean yelling in the background, struggling with an unseen captor. She hadn’t fully registered the confusing scene within her addled mind before the blade came down, painfully piercing her broken heart.
“Nooo,” she screamed as she pulled her legs up and kicked the perfect Angel across the room, slamming him against the cold wall.
Wearily, she staggered to her feet, grimacing as she pulled the colorful seraph blade from her chest. The spot around the wound was a bright, shattered crimson. Yet not a single drop of blood spilled forth.
“No, Daichi.” Her voice was pained, labored. “I don’t want this.” The dagger trembled in her snow white hand. “She is gone. Just… let her go.”
“Naga, you know not what it is you—”
She cut his words off with a tear-filled scream. “Her time is past, Daichi. Let… her… go!”
“How can you even ask this of me?” he yelled back.
Jenevier dropped her head for a moment, raggedly inhaling, calming herself. “Because… I am so sick and tired of… shattering.” Cold tears dripped onto her scarred chest. “I refuse to carry the weight of her. The weight of her pain, of her mistakes, the enormous weight of her guilt. Please. Just… let… her… go.”
Tenshi’s pitiful sniffs drew her attention, pulled at her torn heart. Her baby was crying. She couldn’t bear it.
Standing toe to toe with him, looking up at the handsome Angel she had given birth to, she smiled before she spoke. “Can you ever forgive me?”
When Tenshi opened his eyes, he saw his tiny mother with her arms stretched up to him. “Oh, Mama.” He scooped her up, hugging her tightly.
She rested her head softly against his broad chest. “I tried to hurt you, my beautiful son. Can you ever forgive me?”
“You never have to ask that of me, Mama. No matter what, I will always forgive you. You are my everything, Mama.”
“I know, my son. I know. And you are my everything. Never forget that.” She touched the tip of her nose to his.
“What’s happened, Naga? Has your memory returned somehow, minus your essence?”
She turned to look at the questioning Angel. “No, Munenori. I do not recall the whole of it. Yet… my Dragon filled in some of the gaps.” She gently smiled at him. “Nilakanta spoke the words, but not all the ghosts from my past returned to me. I know what I know… and that is enough.”
“That is most certainly not enough,” Daichi roared.
Tenshi lowered her to the ground. She walked over to the heavenly Blessing she knew she didn’t deserve, and placed her hands in his.
“You, my perfect Blessing, are the hardest part of this whole thing.”
“Hardest part of what?” he asked fearfully.
She sighed wearily before she spoke. “I unbind you, Daichi. I remove the heavy shackles holding you to me. I unbind your will, return it to you. Go. Make a new path in this universe. Find a new, more worthy cause. Strike out into your glorious future, unfettered. You are no longer beholden to me, beautiful Angel.”
He staggered back, wounded by her ghastly words, clutching his splitting heart. Tears flowed freely down both their faces. Yet neither spoke another word concerning it.
Jenevier released Daichi’s hands and turned toward Finnean. “And you, valiant knight. The pain I have wrought in your life is an unforgiveable thing. I will pay bitterly for the harm I have caused you and my loving father.”
Finnean ran to her, locked his arms around her. “I won’t let you go. There’s no reason for it. Your life is here, wee lamb. Stay with me. Take your rightful place at my side. Stand with your father. Give him the strength he lacks. Bless him with the loving family he never had. He needs you, Gealach. I need you.”
She hugged him back and lightly kissed his tear-stained cheek. “I am so sorry, dearest Finnean. I hope… one day you can find it in your noble heart to forgive me.”
She stepped out of his trembling embrace and turned toward the door. Her departing steps were confident, determined.
“I’m going home now,” was all she said.
Chapter 22
Uriel
(YUR-ee-ull)
There was no air, no sound. Nothing moved. The calm stillness of space was eerily comforting.
I suppose I don’t actually have to breathe to live. But it’s a queer thing—not filling one’s lungs, she thought.
Kneeling down, she rubbed her hand across the dusty ground.
“Does it feel as you thought it would, Naga?”
She looked up to behold a man, glowing and ageless, but perfectly normal in every other way.
“No, Milord. I always thought the moon would feel like powder.”
He chuckled softly. “You are the strangest creature I have ever known. No matter what I suspect you will do, you shock me in ways I couldn’t possibly fathom.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Apologies, Milord. I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage. You seem to know me quite well. Yet, I’ve not been blessed with the same knowledge. Or have I? Mayhap I’ve forgotten.”
“No, Naga. You have not forgotten, for we have never actually met.” He smiled and knelt down in front of her. “We have never had the pleasure of speaking face to face. I know you well because you fascinate me. I watch you.” He extended his hand. “I am Uriel.”
She shook his forearm instead of his proffered hand. “Hello, Uriel, Angel of God. I’m not worthy your fascination.”
“Oh, but you are, Naga.” He raised one eyebrow. “How did you know I was an Angel?”
She snorted out a laugh. “I may be soulless, but I am most definitely not witless. You are standing on the surface of the baby moon of Jinn. It wasn’t a huge stretch.”
He smiled. “I suppose not.” He touched a finger to her forehead, and then her single black curl. “You are wrong and you are right,” he whispered.
“About what?”
“About many things.”
She rolled her eyes. He laughed at the gesture.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, little one.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “Munenori told me you had a nasty habit of doing that.”
“Hmm, I didn’t know.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I’ll probably learn something new about her every day.”
“About her? You speak as if you are two different beings.”
“Uriel, Brother, I am several different beings.”
He chuckled. “I’m certain it must feel that way to you.”
“What brings you here?” she asked. “Are you going to try to change my mind?”
“As I told you before, you fascinate me.” He locked his arms around his bent knees and stared at her face adoringly. “And, I won’t try to change your mind because I have no idea what it is you plan to do. I am here because I’m curious. I want to watch you.”
He paused. She looked up when his words didn’t continue.
“And?” She prodded what he had left unsaid.
“And… my blade called to me. I came for it.”
“This?” She held up the dagger. “This is your blade?”
“It is.” He nodded. “Now, what exactly were you going to do with it?”
She stared at the lovely blended colors, sparkling and pulsing fluidly within the wavy blade. “I’m absolutely suffocating under the weight of her sorrow.”
“That’s not her sorrow alone, Naga. You cannot escape who you were, who you are, and who you will one day be. Life is magical like that.”
She smiled then. “Magical… I’ve always loved that word. I like the way it feels on my tongue.”
His golden eyes were transfixed on her innocent smile. “Yes… the most unusual creature I’ve ever seen.”
His whispered thoughts earned him a sideways glance and a well-practiced smirk.
“Unusual, huh? I believe I’ve heard that somewhere before. Unusual, strange, different, weird, foreign.”
“Enchanting, lovely, ethereal, beautiful, spellbinding… magical,” he added.
She huffed at his words. “I think I prefer your original description. Unusual is a rather good summation.”
“Yes, little Naga. I agree.”
The silence of infinite space returned. She was once more lost in spackled remembrances.