“Yes,” he confirmed. “However, that Seal of yours has my energy imprinted on it. How do you think they found you the last time?” I followed the direction pointed by his long, pale finger, and my eyes fell upon the blue velvet ribbon wrapped around my wrist. The Seal, the mark of our Contract.
“Then ... then they can come after me?” I whispered, shivering. The idea alone terrified me more than I could tell.
Once more, sanity threatened to escape through my fingers. I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal with that as well. I thought if I had to go through that again, I’d rather just go mad, right there and then. After all, if I were to lose my mind, I’d at least be able to face everything else with a smile on my lips.
“Mariane!” My name in his voice brought me back to reality, silencing the disconnected thoughts running amok in my mind. “You have nothing to fear. And I know that my word isn’t worth much outside our Contract, but I promise you that no harm will come to you, or to the ones around you.”
I was stunned. For a moment, his words echoed in my mind, overtaking the voices of my increasing madness and, unbeknownst to me, I believed in him. A strange calm washed over me, an unmoving certainty that covered the frightening gaps that usually ended up filled with fear and despair. I nodded and he smiled, content with my response, and his smile made me certain he would fulfill his promise, no matter the cost.
Lea was anxiously waiting for us at home and, following me apprehensively with his silver gaze, waited until I went upstairs to make him a report on the state of things. I didn’t mind it ... I couldn’t mind it. Doing so would simply throw me into another spiral of madness. Besides, I was safe. He would protect me, there was nothing to worry about. So I decided to proceed like I would any other afternoon, and chose a book from my bookshelf before returning downstairs.
I stopped by the living room door and quickly tried to ascertain the mood through their expressions. But, apparently, everything was as it should be, and I wouldn’t have guessed otherwise, if not for Lea, perched on one of his legs, sitting too quiet for his usual chatty self. On any other day, he would already be jumping up and down at my feet, asking me about the title of the new book I’d chosen to read them. Now, his silver eyes remained serious, watching me with too much intent, as if fearing I could suddenly fall to pieces or have some hysterical fit.
I walked towards the dining table, pulling a chair, and sat down for my daily reading session. Taking a deep breath, I opened the book to the first page, and raised my voice to read the chapter’s title.
I read all afternoon and only stopped when light became too dim to go on. I marked the page where I’d stopped and closed the book, asking myself if, like the day before, today I’d be able to advance two more steps. Maybe if I kept my mind wrapped in that dream-like state. I raised my head, ready to give it a try, but my will faltered instantly as soon as I saw him standing.
“You still want to do it?” he asked me, his voice sounding much more serious than before, as if suddenly that subject had become of utter importance to him, and I nodded, knowing my voice would never obey me even if I tried to give him a proper answer. I needed to do this, I reminded myself. I needed to free Steph from his domain. “Then today we shall reverse our parts. I will come to you.” He announced and just picturing it made my heart race.
“But ... you said ...” I tried, my voice quavering.
“I know what I said! And it will be the same. I won’t exert any kind of influence over your will. The only difference is that it will be me doing the walking.”
I sat in silence for a moment, pondering his offer. If it would really be the same, then it meant that all I had to do was endure it, and Steph would be free! Besides, the main reasons why I never seemed to be able to reach him were my two stubborn feet, always refusing to walk forward. If all I had to do was sit still the task seemed much easier and I was confident I’d be able to pull it off on the first attempt. After all, how hard could it be? I straightened my back and raised my head.
“Fine,” I agreed and Lea stepped back, watching us uneasily from a distance.
His first steps were slow and he took them at a constant rhythm, allowing me enough time to prepare for the next one. This too was ridiculous, I thought, watching as he took another step forward as if walking barefoot over broken glass. Nevertheless, and as sure as the sun rose every day, the effects of his proximity started taking over my body. First the trembling of my hands, which I quickly held together on my lap, then the arms and legs. My stomach knotted over itself, making me queasy. By then my heart was beating like a raving drum, hurting my chest and sending painful, rhythmic waves to my temples. I fought to keep my breathing under control, since it was the thing I could better command, and stopped myself from averting my gaze from his feet, which stepped closer to me. When he reached more or less the same point I had reached the day before, my body was shaking uncontrollably and the only thing I could hear was the frantic beating of my own heart. I felt so sick that I was sure I’d throw up if my stomach had anything in it. Had I been standing, I’d never be able to go on. Two steps later chaos fell over me like a dark, heavy mantle. My thoughts crumbled, which made me forget to breathe, making me gasp for air. My chest burnt, as if fire was melting my lungs. I bent over, trying to hold my disintegrating body together, pain shooting through my veins with each heartbeat, and bit down on my lip to keep from screaming. Running away from there as fast as possible was all I could think of. Another step and my vision blurred, making me blink furiously. I didn’t want to lose his feet from sight! The fear of not knowing where he stood was much worse than the one I felt from his closeness. Still I couldn’t see, and the feeling of something wet streaming down my cheeks caught me by surprise.
Gabriel, too, as he stopped where he stood, no more than two steps away from me. And I took a trembling hand to my face, feeling it deadly cold against the fever burning my skin. Tears.
Somehow, the fact that I was crying without even being aware of it, especially for me who never cried when she should, left me even more alarmed. And the next thing I knew, I was out of my chair, frantically rubbing my eyes as if those small drops could burn me.
Still, like in the supermarket, they kept coming, stealing my sight over and over again, no matter how many times I dried them. And then I saw him through my tearful eyes, in between my shaking hands, and his pained expression stole my already labored breath away. I was running out of that room even before I could think, too lost to know where I was going, and stumbled on the first step of the stairs, falling helplessly.
I sat there, on the ground, gasping for air, rubbing my skin hard every time I felt a new tear rolling down my face. I didn’t want to cry! I didn’t even feel like it! And still they kept coming, warm and wet.
The thud of something falling startled me, silencing part of the madness running free in my head. I noticed I had already started to recover, slowly reacquiring domain over my breathing. And I knew he’d probably gotten angry, losing his patience and most certainly breaking something in the process. I, too, felt angry! I pulled myself together, holding on to the rail in order to hoist myself off the ground. Frustrated and annoyed at my useless self, I clamped my hands together, trying to make them stop trembling.
I should have gone straight to my room then. Yet, I found myself leaning against the wall, silently dragging my feet towards the door, just to see just how angry he’d been. I held my breath for a moment as I peered inside, afraid of what I might find and, for a split second, everything looked the same, all the furniture in its rightful place. And then I saw him, sitting on the floor right beside my now empty chair, his back against the table leg, motionless like a statue but looking more like a giant, perfect doll that someone had just left there. Lea, sitting on his lap, was hugging him tightly, his small arms wrapped around his neck.
“Everything’s going to be all right, Master,” I heard his gentle voice whisper, filled with a deep, dark pain. The statue moved, raising a white long hand
with which he covered his blankly staring eyes.
“You saw it too, Lea.” I heard his velvet voice and the anguish marking that beautiful sound was so deep that I felt as if a hole had been opened in my chest. “As soon as I get too close, her Soul starts breaking into pieces.”
Silent tears slid down his perfect, marble skin, and Lea cried with him, lifting his head from Gabriel’s chest as he softly licked his motionless face.
I ran from that vision, cringing against the wall, wishing I could simply disappear. The thread around my heart grew so tight that I could feel it cutting into me, making me bleed inside. The pain was so strong, so overwhelming that it dragged me away from myself. And I searched franticly in despair for something, anything that could save me. Michael’s name came to me like a faraway light at the end of a dark, never-ending tunnel. I needed to see him! To feel him! To listened to the sound of his voice! I needed him just as badly as I needed to breathe, so that he could wrap me in his warmth and save me from the edge of the precipice where I now stood. I needed him so he could lead me back! Lead me back to my world! A world where dark beautiful monsters couldn’t exist!
Before I could even think twice about it, I was out the door and running. I could feel the freezing air against my skin, but not even the cold stopped me from running. The path was poorly lit, the shadows of the night creeping from every corner, but I didn’t need to see to know where I was going. Michael’s name filled my head, and his name brought light, peace, and warmth. I knew that all I needed was to set my eyes on him to be delivered from darkness.
“Mari! Where are you going?” an urgent voice asked, pulling me back, making me stop, and it took me several minutes to recognize his childish face.
“Let go!” I ordered, trying to get free, tugging at his little hand, but he still didn’t release me.
“Where are you going?” he insisted, sounding as worried as he looked and I pushed his hand hard. Still, he didn’t even budge, his grip too strong for a child his size.
“Let go of me!”
“I can’t! It’s too dangerous!”
“I can’t stay! I can’t! Let me go!” I shouted and forgot to breathe, and had to gasp for air in the process.
“Is it because of what happened? It’s fine. Tomorrow …”
“You don’t understand!” I challenged him in despair. What could I do to make him release me? “If I stay ... I’ll... I’ll...” I’ll cease to exist ... and won’t be myself anymore.
My urgent, pleading voice fell into silence. I was suddenly too tired. How had I ever believed that I could be saved? What was I thinking? Going to Michael! What then? And tell him what? Explain how? And how could that possibly save me? And what about tomorrow? And the day after?
Lea’s hand on mine brought me from my dark musing and I looked down at him in utter defeat. He smiled, although all child-like brightness was gone from him, and tilted his head to the side, speaking too softly, too carefully for his usual self.
“Let’s go home. It’s not safe out here,” he told me and I took a hand to my face, touching my own cheeks, my skin, my eyelids. No tears. Now that I really wanted to cry, my eyes remained as dry as a desert. And so I followed his small footsteps, all will to do anything else gone from me.
Lea took me up to my room, as if I didn’t know my own house, and made me sit on my bed. His small hands ran gently through my tousled hair, tucking a few lost strands behind my ear. I didn’t move. In truth I could hardly feel him.
“Everything will be fine, Mari. Just rest for a bit, OK?” he told me in his adult-like tone. “Will you be OK?” I nodded, knowing that if I didn’t he would never leave me alone. Lea walked to the door, still looking back worriedly, before exiting and closing it behind him.
I lay down exactly as I was, unable to bother with things like changing. Foolishly enough I thought I should probably go and make dinner, but my body disagreed and didn’t move. To my relief my mind was basically blank. And, as I closed my eyes, the silence and darkness that surrounded me were like a blessing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I woke up with what sounded like a loud, metallic blast that left me sitting up, eyes wide open, in less than a second. The silence that ensued allowed me to half relax, as I looked around my room, hardly remembering how I’d gotten there.
The window blinds were still open, the light on my desk still on. Through the window I could see it was night time and I immediately looked for the alarm clock — three in the morning.
I took a deep breath, running a hand across my face and knew I was feeling better. My head didn’t hurt anymore, and my thoughts were clear and objective once again.
Thinking I’d probably dreamed that loud noise, I slid from my bed and got up, deciding I should probably get changed before going back to sleep. I took off my boots, and my all too frilly skirt, and was about to put on my pajama pants when a new blast reverberated through the walls, making the ground under my feet shake. I clung tightly to my bed, too startled to even breathe and, this time around, the post-blast silence didn’t last so long. I cringed as the floor under my feet shook again, as if a cannon ball had been fired against the house, and the windows started vibrating, threatening to shatter.
I dashed out of my room without a thought, almost falling down the stairs, having to stop midway to allow another quake to pass.
“Lea!” I called, stumbling the rest of the way, and went straight for the living room, certain that something was way too wrong and that that couldn’t be an ordinary earthquake.
Gabriel’s menacing presence filled the air, making it heavy and hard to breathe. But, as I stumbled inside the room, I couldn’t find anyone
“Lea!” I called again, looking around urgently, making sure my eyes touched every dark corner, but nothing. “What’s going on?”
I spun on my heels, quickly thinking to look in the kitchen, and darted towards the door. I’d just reached it when a new blast, this time coming from somewhere much closer, made me stagger, and I had to cling to the doorframe to stop myself from falling. I turned back immediately, certain that the sound had come from there, and the ground shook again, the glass of the windows and cupboards shattering into small pieces. The air screeched, making my hair stand on edge, reminding me of the night I’d unknowingly evoked a real demon, and became so heavy that I had to pant in order to get some oxygen all the way to my lungs. A cold, sharp wind filled the room, breaking the table in pieces, effortlessly launching chairs and other objects through the air, smashing them against the walls. I crouched near the doorway, covering my head with my arms, afraid I might end up crushed under something or dragged through the air like my couch. A new deafening sound made me recoil instinctively, the sound of the walls cracking filling my ears and then, suddenly, silence.
It took me a few seconds to realize I’d survived, that I was still breathing, although I already suffered from the symptoms that indicated Gabriel’s presence. Fearing what might await me, I untangled my arms and slowly raised my head. I was promptly frozen to the ground where I stood.
Black, soft feathers floated lazily through the air, slowly falling everywhere. Not knowing exactly what I was staring at, I saw Gabriel standing in the middle of the wreckage, all that was left of my living room. He held something long in one of his pale hands that looked very much like a spear. As my gaze followed the black handle from which dark ribbons softly dangled, I noticed the menacing blade, shaped like a crescent moon. Its shiny silver point was firmly pressed against someone else’s neck, and his cold smile sent shivers down my spine. Panicking, I understood that the other presence I could feel belonged to the one he was now threatening, and I quickly ran my urgent, frightened eyes over him.
The first thing I noticed immediately were the other’s long, black feathered wings that closed against his body, reaching knee length. He wore a white shirt left open over his chest, and his dark-red hair was short, except for the bangs that fell over his forehead and down his face, partially co
vering his right eye. I also noticed the bright golden sword he held, so bright that it almost looked like it emitted a light of its own. And I nervously squeezed my hands together when I saw that the tip of the blade was pointing directly at the chest of a much younger boy.
Completely naked, the youth stood with his back to me, his tousled black hair reaching the base of his neck. He was tall, but lean and, due to his frail appearance, I wouldn’t have given him more than fifteen. He held his slender arm stretched at his side, his skin as pale as Gabriel’s, the muscles thin but well toned. His hand, however, was hardly Human, his fingers ending in sharp, long claws that he kept pressed against another boy’s chest.
Much shorter than the other three, his hair was fair, his green eyes staring blankly into nothingness. Contrary to the rest, he didn’t even seem to have noticed the sharp claws that threatened him, his expression empty and distant.
“What are you doing here?” His whisper, always so clear to me, broke my stunned contemplation of the picture before me and my eyes ran towards him, towards his hard, marble face. That question, more than a question, had sounded like a threat, and the air around us became heavier with his menacing presence, making my heart beat wildly, in spite of the distance between us.
“Tell your cat to retract his claws,” the one with the black wings demanded and only then did it occur to me; if not for the black color of his wings, he would have looked like an angel, straight from the mythical images that so frequently appeared in religious books and churches.
“What are you doing here?”
I shuddered when he raised his voice, repeating the question a word at a time, but the black angel stood unwavering, even though Gabriel’s spear threatened to cut his throat with the slightest movement of his pale hand.
“Your cat!”
The unmoving statue turned towards the naked boy and I clung harder to the doorjamb as I noticed the red glow in his dark eyes. Over time I’d learned that when his eyes took on that color it usually meant that he was furious, and that I should keep my distance for as long as possible.
Blood of the Pure (Gaea) Page 36