by Aron Lewes
Oh God. It's Jophiel. When I turn around, I see the winged Archangel soaring across the battlefield. He thoughtlessly knocks aside several battling soldiers as he advances on Taishi.
To my surprise, Taishi abandons our charge and accepts the challenge. “Taishi, don't!” I cry. “Just focus on Alroy! Jophiel can wait!”
Taishi ignores my plea. With his wings out, he races toward Jophiel, meeting him halfway. The first time their swords cross, a ring-like pulse erupts from their striking blades. As the ring expands, soldiers from both armies are knocked off their feet. Jophiel and Taishi have so much force behind their swings, they're affecting the battle around them.
“You had no right, Taishi!” the Archangel screams between swings. “You wanted to ruin me! You wanted Leigh to be disgusted by me!”
“So what if I did?” Taishi calmly replies. “Your behavior toward women is disgusting.”
“Is it? And what if I've changed?” Fire scurries along the edge of Jophiel's sword when he raises it. Every time he swings, the fire hisses and cracks.
“Changed? That's funny. If you've changed, why are you still saying you've been celibate for three-thousand years?” In the middle of his snarky reply, Taishi's sword sweeps forward. “I would believe you've been celibate for three minutes, though. Maybe.”
When the tip of Taishi's katana barely misses Jophiel's chin, it makes me gasp. I don't want to see blood on either of them. I wish they would stop!
“Oh? And you think you know everything about me, do you? Why? It isn't as if you're my friend and confidante!” Jophiel screams and lunges. When Taishi pivots out of range, I breathe a sigh of relief. “You know nothing about me! I've been without a woman for awhile, believe it or not... not that it's any of your business!”
I'm so focused on their duel, I forgot about our reason for being here. I turn around and check on Alroy. He's still on his feet, and I don't see any wounds.
While my back was turned, Jophiel gained the upper hand. His sword zips across Taishi's stomach, cutting him wide open. As soon as I see the blood on Taishi's shirt, a horrified squeak flies from my mouth.
It's difficult to watch, and it gets even harder. Jophiel slashes him again. This time, his sword lashes across Taishi's chest. My instructor's shirt is soaked in blood from two gaping wounds.
Taishi, despite his wounds, tries to swing his sword. His weak attack is easily blocked by Jophiel, who counters with a thrust. His fiery sword plunges into Taishi's stomach, carving deep. I'm so devastated by the sight of Taishi's many wounds, I almost lose my balance. Even though his wounds will heal, his pain is tearing out my heart.
When Taishi's katana slips from his fingers, Jophiel kicks him to the ground. The Archangel circles around him, grabs a fistful of Taishi's hair, yanks back his head, and slits his throat.
“Jophiel, stop!” I scream. “Stop! Stop! Please stop!”
Ignoring my plea, Jophiel shoves Taishi's face into a cesspool of mud and filth. Then he grabs one of Taishi's wings and rips it off. Another horrified scream spills through my lips as I watch the flying feathers.
Having thoroughly trounced his opponent, Jophiel rises and swaggers toward me. I feel ill. I can't even begin to express how much I hate him right now.
“Losing a wing is one of an angel's greatest disgraces, you know,” Jophiel nonchalantly informs me. I wish there was a way I could wipe away his smug, stupid grin. “Taishi isn't an angel yet, but I'm sure he'll feel the shame of it. Oh, and don't worry... it'll grow back. It might take a few days, but he'll get it back eventually.”
“Go away,” I croak at my former boyfriend. “Leave us alone. You're interfering with our mission! If I fail, it'll be your fault!”
“Ah, but you have the famed Taishi Nakamura on your team!” When Jophiel glances over his shoulder and sees Taishi facedown on the ground, he chuckles. “Although... he's not much to look at right now, is he?”
“You're an ass.” I should have chosen a stronger word. Ass is too nice.
“Aww. That's not nice, Leigh!” Jophiel exaggerates a pout. “I really did like you, you know. I had real feelings for you. But you chose to listen to Taishi and his slanderous tongue. I think you'll regret that later.”
“No. I won't. I really won't.”
“But I'm an excellent lover... or so I've been told.” When Jophiel winks at me, I have a strong urge to punch his face. “I'm sure I could've made you very happy.”
“Oh well. In my opinion, it's not a huge loss. It's--”
All of a sudden, Taishi leaps from the ground, claims his katana, and runs toward Jophiel. I barely have a chance to react before he thrusts his katana into Jophiel's back, pushing it all the way through him. When the blade's silver tip emerges in the center of Jophiel's chest, I gasp.
Taishi removes his sword and stabs him again. And again. Every time the katana rips into Jophiel's body, there's a sickening squelching noise. Jophiel's face is so pained, I almost feel sorry for him.
Taishi stabs Jophiel a half-dozen times before he finally pulls back his blade. A split second later, his katana sweeps upward, shearing off half of Jophiel's left wing.
Jophiel's wounds heal within seconds—but his wing doesn't.
“You would disgrace me, Taishi Nakamura?” Jophiel roars. “Was your first beating not enough?”
Taishi fires back at him. “Was your beating not enough? Or should I stab you a few more times?”
“You can't attack a man from behind and call it a beating!” Jophiel throws back his head and cackles loudly. “It was such a cowardly attack. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
When both men raise their blades, I throw myself between them. “I'm so tired of this!” I scream. “I'm tired! It needs to stop!”
Taishi does lower his blade, but it's not my desperation that stops him. I follow his gaze to Alroy O'Brien. Our charge is gripping his stomach, and his face is twisted by an agonized grimace.
Slick, red blood is coursing through his fingers.
Oh no.
I watch in silent horror as two bloodstained soldiers drag my human charge into a mass grave. And they're dragging him by his arms, which makes it harder to watch. If he was conscious, I'm sure it would be painful.
He's not dead yet. If Alroy was dead, his spirit would be hovering beside his body, staring at his corpse. We still have hope.
“Why don't they check him for a pulse?” I ask Taishi. When Alroy's bloody body tumbles into the overcrowded grave and lands on a pile of corpses, we both wince.
“Unfortunately, I don't think they care,” Taishi says. “He's not moving and he's barely breathing, so they made an incorrect assumption.”
“What are we going to do?”
My question is answered by a grinning Jophiel. “You wait for him to die.”
The Archangel playboy is still hanging around, even though he's not wanted. It's been several minutes since their duel ended, so they're both fully healed, except for their wings. I wish the same could be said for Alroy. If he lives another hour, I'll be surprised.
When I turn to Jophiel, my nose is twisted by a sneer. “Can you just leave? Please? I thought you weren't supposed to interfere with a student's mission. Well... you really interfered today! If not for you, Alroy wouldn't be dying.”
“You seemed alright with me interfering when it was to your benefit, Leigh. In fact, you practically begged me to heal your dying cowboy.”
God, he's such a jerk. How did I not recognize that sooner? Maybe I was just blinded by Jophiel's good looks?
“And before you ask...” the Archangel continues, “I won't be healing this man.” Jophiel flicks a finger at Alroy, who's lying facedown in the reeking ditch.
“Even though his injury was your fault?” I shriek at Jophiel. “If you didn't show up and distract Taishi, none of this would've happened!”
“Is that so? You assume a lot, Miss Riley,” Jophiel haughtily replies. “Could Taishi have defended him if I hadn't shown up? Who knows. But you can't assume this is my fa
ult.”
I wish there was an easy way to wipe the grin from Jophiel's face. He looks so smug right now, I seriously want to punch him. I wonder if there would be repercussions for punching an Archangel? “Why are you still here?” I hiss. “Seriously? Can't you go away and bother someone else?”
“I'm not leaving because I'm curious. I want to find out if your charge is dead.”
A groan from Alroy lets us know he's still alive. His face is deathly pale, and his clothes are caked in blood. Obviously, his leather armor didn't help much.
Jophiel starts rambling yet again. “You know, Nakamura, I'm surprised you sliced off my wing. Stabbing me is bad enough... but you disgraced me. You disgraced an Archangel. You realize you'll be punished for that, right?”
I turn to Taishi, expecting him to say something, but his lips are tight and his jaw is set. He's not giving Jophiel the satisfaction of a reply.
“Aww, are you giving me the silent treatment? That's a shame.,” Jophiel says. “You're going to break my heart, Nakamura!”
Jophiel's snide laughter is probably one of the most annoying, cringe-inducing sounds I've ever heard. I hate him so much.
Okay, maybe hate is too strong. But I intensely, intensely, intensely dislike Archangel Jophiel.
“The silent treatment is almost as petulant as the reply I was expecting,” Jophiel continues. “I was expecting something along the lines of...” Jophiel raises his voice a few octaves, as if to suggest my instructor is a whiner—which is totally not true. “But you ripped off my wing first, Jophiel! I was retaliating!”
I really wish he would stop talking. I know Taishi wishes he would stop talking. But we have no such luck.
“But there's a massive difference between disgracing an Archangel and disgracing a common spirit like you. Disgracing an Archangel is forbidden, Taishi. Under any circumstances.” Jophiel pauses to drag a hand through his golden hair. I used to like that hair. Now I can't stand the sight of it. “You'll never join our ranks, Taishi Nakamura. You'll never be an Archangel. I'll make sure it never happens.”
Taishi isn't defending himself, so I cry out, “That's not fair!”
“Taishi knows the rules, Miss Riley. He knows he made a mistake,” Jophiel says. “Until now, his record was impeccable. This ugly incident will go on his record... and he'll never be allowed to join us.”
It's all my fault.
Taishi's dream is shattered because of me.
He'll never be an Archangel because I didn't keep my stupid mouth shut.
As the realization sinks in, I feel horrible.
“Anyhow...” Jophiel continues with a sigh. “I think I'll take my leave, if that's alright with you?”
“Oh, it's more than alright!” I exclaim. “Seriously, get out of here!” It might be disrespectful to yell at an Archangel, but at this point, I really don't care. If Taishi's going down, I'll go down with him.
When Jophiel finally disappears into the sky, I heave a sigh of relief. I can't stand the sound of his voice anymore. Jophiel has ruined British accents for me.
“Taishi...” I whisper. “Why didn't you say anything to him? He said some terrible stuff. Why did you stand there and not saying anything back?”
“Because he was trying to goad me,” Taishi replies. “I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under my skin. He wanted me to be angry... to be upset. But I didn't let him win.” Taishi's gaze drops to the bloodstained grass at our feet. “I wish I'd been that sensible when he challenged me to a duel. If I was smart, I would have stayed my blade, endured Jophiel's blows, and not hit back.”
“That wouldn't have been good! You should be allowed to defend yourself!”I exclaim. “Anyway... are you mad? Your dream of becoming an Archangel might be over. If it wasn't for me and my big mouth, you wouldn't--”
Taishi interrupts me. “Let's talk about this later, Riley-chan. For now, we should focus on getting Alroy out of this grave.”
As I watch Taishi descend into the gut-churning pit of corpses, I really hope he doesn't expect me to follow. I don't think I'd have the fortitude to climb on top of bodies.
“I'm going to attempt to heal him,” Taishi tells me as he leans over Alroy. “It won't be a miracle healing, but it might be enough to get him conscious again.”
“Okay.” I watch in silence as Taishi presses his palms against Alroy's forehead. Soft, white light emanates from his fingers and pours into Alroy's scalp. A few seconds later, our charge awakens with a gasp.
“He needs stitches,” Taishi says. As he hops out of the mass grave, my eyes are drawn to the bottom of his jeans. They're covered in blood that isn't his.
“He needs a miracle,” I add with a sigh. “Taishi... I don't know if we'll succeed this time. The situation looks pretty dire.”
My fears are confirmed by Alroy, who can barely hoist himself over the grave's edge. As soon as he reaches the grass, he rolls on his back and heaves a sob.
As if that wasn't depressing enough, I grab my quartz crystal and listen to his thoughts.
I'll never see you again, Eleanor. I'll never... wife's beautiful face. If I knew I would never hug Aisling again, I would have held her so much tighter.”
Even though it's my last mission, I still have questions. “Hey, shouldn't his thoughts be in Gaelic?”
“No... not if you're holding a crystal. The quartz will translate a charge's thoughts into a language you can understand.”
“Nice.” Alroy is still sobbing, and I feel awful for him, so I crouch beside him and whisper, “It's okay. We'll get you back to your wife and daughter... somehow.”
I know he can't hear me, but for some reason, he stops crying.
Of course, my promise is pretty empty.
This time, success might be beyond our grasp.
We've been following our charge for a little over a mile, and according to Taishi, he has seven miles to go. Unfortunately, there's a sprawling expanse of forest between Alroy O'Brien and the wife and daughter he desperately wants to reach.
I don't think he's going to make it. Judging from the crease on Taishi's brow, he's thinking the same thing. Alroy's lost a ton of blood. He can barely stand, let alone, stagger forward. After every quarter mile or so, he topples to the ground. Crimson, bloodstained leaves are pasted to his shirt when he finally stands again.
I wish we could find someone to help him, but according to Taishi, there's no one around for miles. Alroy is on his own. Sheer willpower carries him forward, despite his many stumbles and falls.
After a long period of silence, I make a heart-wrenching observation. “Alroy must really love his wife and daughter.”
Taishi nods at my comment. “Yes. He must.”
Even if he makes it all the way home, Alroy isn't going to live. There's a stink emanating from his wound. Every now and then, when the wind is blowing, I catch a whiff of it. Taishi said it's probably the start of an infection. If the blood loss doesn't kill him, the infection eventually will.
Alroy needed stitches. If they hadn't given up on him—if they hadn't tossed him into a congested grave—he might have lived. Now he definitely won't.
As we walk alongside our charge, I whisper, “This is my fault, Taishi. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry.”
“Why are you so eager to blame yourself, Riley-chan?”
“Well... I mean... if I hadn't told Jophiel what you said to me, he wouldn't have challenged you to the duel. I'm the one who started the chain of events that led to this, so...” I frown at Alroy's agonized face. “When he dies, it'll be my fault.”
“I disagree,” Taishi defends me against my own self-loathing. “It's my fault. My duel with Jophiel was the definition of arrogance. Under no circumstances should I have turned my back on Alroy.”
“Maybe we should blame it on Jophiel.” Tears shimmer in my eyes as I observe Alroy's struggle. Most of the time, I have no idea how he's still on his feet. I wish there was something I could do for him. When he was in the mass grav
e, Taishi healed him and got him on his feet. I wish I could do that. But I can't. I'm useless.
After a short pause, Taishi replies, “I like that idea. Let's blame Jophiel.”
An hour later, Alroy has six miles to go.
Another hour and a half later, he's traveled three miles, and there are five miles ahead of him. I have no idea how he's made it this far. The sun is setting, but he keeps going. No hardship can make him yield. The pain doesn't stop him. The darkness doesn't stop him. Nothing can stop Alroy O'Brien's mission to return to his wife and child. I'm really impressed by his inner strength. If I was in his shoes, I think I would have accepted death as soon as I saw my gaping wound.
All of a sudden, Alroy stops walking and drops his pants. I spin around and clap a hand over my eyes, but not before I get a glimpse of his butt. Yikes.
“What is he doing?” I whimper the question to Taishi. “Is he peeing?”
“Yes, but...”
“But what?” When Taishi hesitates, I start imagining something terrible. Like, what if there's blood in his urine? “What is it?”
“He's drinking it,” Taishi tells me. “He's drinking his own urine.”
“Oh god!” I groan. It never occurred to me that Alroy might be parched. “W-well... tell me when he's done, okay?”
“Do I have to?” asks a chuckling Taishi. “I don't want to watch this any more than you do, Riley-chan.”
I keep my eyes closed and pray for a quick end to the awkward moment. Finally, Taishi tells me it's done, so I open my eyes and heave a sigh.
When we start walking again, Alroy is moving slower than ever. He's definitely getting worse instead of better.
“When will you be able to give him another boost of energy?” I ask. “He needs you to lay a hand on his forehead again. He needs another spiritual second wind.”
Taishi's answer is depressing. “I might be able to do it in another hour or so... assuming he can hold out that long.”
As we shuffle forward, I look for a distraction. A bird in a tree. A bug in the grass. The stars in the sky. I need something to distract me from Alroy and the terrible state he's in. It's completely and totally heartbreaking.