by K. D. Peters
“You and Jade said something about knowing that there was a spy with us. I guess you knew it was Will all along, huh?” I said.
“Well, not exactly.” Saffron admitted. “We really didn’t know who it was at the time, because we couldn’t pinpoint him. To be completely honest, which I never really am except on these rare occasions, we suspected Zane more than Wilhelm. But we couldn’t catch him until just before, and even then, we had to stay out of it because of the orders given. Jade began to get a little on edge about that, and even threatened to make Christoff disappear again. But I convinced him not to do such. It wouldn’t be worth it, especially with the attachment that the boy felt towards you. The rift would only be driven deeper between the two if he took him away from the girl he came to love so dearly. Looking back at that now, I admit that I feel rather stupid myself. Perhaps I should’ve just let him go, considering all that's happened.”
I looked down at hearing those words. “I don’t think he would’ve gone anywhere. He wasn’t the type to just run away.” I told him. But then, I also considered his words. Orders given. “So who ordered Will to do that anyways? And why couldn’t you or Jade have stopped it?” I continued.
Saffron just smiled. “Who else? Lucifer himself.” He replied.
I just sat there and stared at him for a moment. “Wait a minute. Are you saying Lucifer as in the devil Lucifer?” I said, although I shivered slightly as I did.
“Well, it’s whatever name you’ve come to know him as. He does seem to have many anymore. After all, men tend to do that with the things they cannot understand. But yes, his original and true name is indeed Lucifer. He’s the ruler of the Abyss and all its surrounding territories in the underworld, and was the original Seraph to fall and create them.” Saffron replied.
Well, maybe I should’ve expected that one somewhere along the lines. But I still felt a little bit more than shocked. “So why did he give those orders to Will? Isn’t Chris supposed to be the most powerful or something?” I asked him.
“Indeed, he is one of the most powerful. But that other boy’s been fooling you apparently. I was sure just by looking into those eyes that you’d understand that one. They have quite a connection. But it’s not worth getting into right now. So we can leave it for you to ponder.” Saffron said.
“So, is that the reason you saved Will? Because he has that connection to the ruler?” I said. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t want to say Lucifer’s name out loud again. I didn’t want it to invite trouble, like Zane had once claimed it could with Astaroth. Better safe than sorry. I sure as hell wasn’t ready to see the ruler of Hell yet. Everything that had already happened had been more than enough.
“Why indeed. Well, part of it had just been personal choice. After all, I know where Wilhelm Marcos, as he likes to call himself now, comes from. And I know too that he’s the strongest of the Shadow Wings left in the world. But also, I know what he ended up doing back there. He protected you, even when it was about to cost him his life. That was something that he’s certainly never done for any before. And for that much, I can offer a life for a life. But it’s also granted that he keeps allegiance to you, and does whatever you or I ask of him.” Saffron explained.
Servitude. I can’t say I was that surprised to hear that one. But also, as he stated that, I again thought of Chris and what Will had said about him. If Will really was a lot more then I'd taken him for, then maybe he knew things that we didn't. “Hey Saffron, can I ask you something?” I said.
“Yes. What is it?” Saffron replied.
I took a deep breath before continuing. “Do you really think that Chris is dead now?”
For a long moment, everything was quiet. All I could hear was the sound of the bullfrogs croaking in the far off distance. But finally, Saffron spoke again. “If you’d like my opinion, then I suppose I can give it. And all bets aside, this is what I believe. I know what Christoff’s injuries were, and I know that most Fallen Children would not have survived such. However, that boy is not like most of them. He’s not even like most of those so called Pure Winged Nephilims. I do not believe that he would be so easily killed.” he told me.
“But you said that you thought he was. What changed your mind?” I asked him. It seemed very strange to me that he’d suddenly change his mind on the subject. They all must have known something that I didn’t.
“You could just call it intuition, although it’s a bit more than that for me. Trust me, I’ve known Christoff since he was born, and I know the same connection I have to Jade. And, aside from all of that, I believe that if he was dead, Jade would be hunting us all down right now for revenge. I am not the only one who’s devoted to my offspring and having them live on in this world.” Saffron explained.
Well, he had a point there. Jade probably would’ve killed me by now if Chris had died. He’d already threatened it, not to mention broken a lot of my bones when Chris was so badly hurt there. An eye for an eye perhaps? I found myself leaning towards that thought.
At that time, I heard footsteps walking over to us. Turning, I stared in shock at the woman coming over to us. “Mama?” I said.
“There you are Mabel. I was beginning to think you’d gone off on me again.” Saffron said as she walked over to stand beside him. She looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen her. Obviously, Saffron had told the truth about not harming her. Instead, it seemed that he’d brought her there with us.
“No. I was just taking care some cleaning in the kitchen.” Mama answered. She looked relieved as she smiled over at me. “I’m glad to see that you’ve been safe Ariana. Even though he’s been telling me that, I’ve still been worried.”
“When did you get here?” I had to ask. I didn’t recall seeing her at all before this.
“I brought her down here right after I got out of the Abyss. It was my original plan to keep her close just in case. After all, a full witch like herself is worth having around for a while longer. And beings she’s become very attached to you, it was the least I could do for her in her time left to let her see what you’ve become.” Saffron told me.
Mama nodded. “Yes. I had so many wonderful years with you. You’ll always be my daughter, no matter where you came from. But I have to admit that I have been a little bit concerned. You’ve been so hurt and upset since he brought you back here.” she said.
“I’m okay now. And I’m glad to see you’re okay too.” I told her. I really meant that last part. Even though this woman had been raising me under Saffron’s orders, she’d still been my mother. No matter how odd or overbearing she’d been, she’d protected me and taken good care of me. Only now, I could understand just why she’d had to do all of what she did.
“By the way Mabel, how is Wilhelm fairing now? He should be able to move about more, shouldn’t he?” Saffron added.
“Yes. He was earlier. But he’s laid back down. I’m surprised myself. I didn’t think that he’d survive like he did.” Mama admitted.
“That is the resilience of superior Fallen blood.” Saffron said. He then glanced over to the nearby window. “It seems I’m being summoned, so I need to cut this short. Mabel, I expect you to make sure that Ariana remains comfortable here until I return. And alert me at once if Jade make his presence known.”
Mama agreed, and we watched him stand and disappear in a flash of black shadows. Mama let out the breath she’d apparently been holding once he was gone. “Honestly, all of this for one boy. There are plenty of others he could’ve chosen to take care of you. One perfectly good one right here. That other one’s son should’ve been the last choice.” she said quietly.
“So you knew who Chris was when I told you.” I said, standing myself back up. I had suspected as much back then, but knew I would’ve never gotten a straight answer. At the time, she’d been far too worried about what Saffron might do if she broke the rules he’d set in place.
“I had a feeling about it, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything. It would’ve ruined his p
lans from what he kept telling me. I never I liked it though. Especially when you just disappeared with him. Fallen or not, he wasn’t there to take care of you all of that time. I knew what was better then.” Mama admitted.
“You don’t have to worry about Chris now you know. Nothing else can happen now if he’s really dead.” I said. I knew what she was probably thinking, but I wasn’t about to tell her the truth. That night would always be my wonderful little secret.
“I doubt that he is. I wouldn’t be that lucky. But enough of that. We should get you back inside before it starts getting cold out here. This fog hanging around does that at times here in Baton Rouge.” Mama said.
I nodded, following her inside. Coming in though, we were greeted by Zane. It seemed that he had finished what he’d been doing, and was putting away his supplies in one of the closets. “Well, good morning. I’m glad to see you’re finally up.” he said happily.
It was funny for me to stand there and look at him then. For the first time ever, I really found myself taking him in. And for the first time, I noticed something a little bit different about him. Though he was smiling and seemed happy, his eyes didn’t look that way at all. In fact, they looked almost sad. I couldn’t help but wonder now if he’d just been acting for my benefit in all of this time. Maybe what had happened to us had really affected him a lot deeper than he wanted to ever admit.
Still, I forced myself to smile back at him. I felt like it was better not to let on my own feelings about that yet. Maybe I could talk to him later about it. “Good morning.” I replied, trying to sound more upbeat. I had to admit that I liked having this familiar feeling now. And I really felt like I needed it too.
Mama shook her head as she looked at him though. “I swear, you haven’t changed at all in these last forty years, have you?” she commented.
“It’s the gift and curse of what we are. Our clocks simply stop after we get our wings and change.” Zane told her.
I found myself looking back up at Mama with a little bit of surprise. “You knew Zane before?” I asked her.
“Yes. We met when I was a little girl. He actually taught a few classes in my school. Although I wouldn’t have imagined then that he was a Fallen Child. I have to say that I was a bit surprised when I came here and realized that he was the same person.” Mama replied.
“I am what they like to call an unlikely Shadow Wing. But I am just as strong as the others. Looking harmless is a bonus when it comes to all of this.” Zane said. I’ll be the first to admit that he sounded like my father with that one. That was kind of scary.
“I suppose.” Mama said, coughing a little.
“Why don’t you come with me now Ariana? I wanted to show you around the house some. You don’t mind if I steal her for a while, do you Mabel?” Zane said, looking back over at her as he took my hand and pulled me close beside him.
“No, not at all.” Mama breathed, turning and walking back towards the kitchen again. I didn’t miss that she looked a little more pale now. Not to mention that she also was breathing a little bit harder.
“Is she okay?” I asked Zane softly as I watched her leave us.
Zane shook his head, leading us back up the nearby stairs. “I’m afraid not. Unfortunately, beings she’s used up her usefulness to Saffron, she’s beginning to succumb to her original illness. Saffron only stopped it for the time to make sure that you’d be taken care of. But at least he’s allowing her to come here and be with you until that time comes. It’s been an unexpected bit of mercy from one like him, although I look for him to keep her suffering for a while, just to outweigh that.” he explained quietly.
So she really was sick after all. That explained some things from the past. In a way, it made me feel a little bit guilty for doubting her sanity before. And it was so sad for me to think that she was dying now, all because I was grown and changed. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too slow and painful like Zane seemed to be thinking. I couldn’t bear the thought of that one. Not with everything else that had already happened. “So what were you painting out there anyways?” I asked, trying to change the subject as we walked down the hall.
“Just some scenery. This is a beautiful plantation home after all. But more to the point, I’m glad to see you're up and about again. I was starting to worry that you may never come back to us.” Zane admitted.
“I’m sorry. I guess I really was losing it for a while.” I apologized.
“Don’t worry too much about it. I think Will and I can understand that all too well. We’re still pretty torn up over what’s happened with Christoff. It’s been hard for us to think that we may never see him again.” Zane said.
“You know, Saffron seems to think that he might still be alive.” I told him.
“It’s quite possible, given the circumstances. But things are far too fragile right now for him to return anywhere near us. I’m a little worried that he may never be able to, considering all of the powers involved as of this time.” Zane replied.
“I guess you’re right. Maybe there is no choice but for me to accept that now.” I agreed. I couldn't help but feel very sad as I did though. I wasn't sure if I could ever get myself over Chris. And yet, I may have to, if I'd truly lost him forever.
Zane stopped and turned to face me again. To my surprise, he gently touched my cheek. “I am glad to see you moving about again. I’ve been pretty worried myself. And I know how hard this all has been on you. I just wish there was more I could do to help you.” He admitted.
I found myself staring into those green eyes as I stood there. And once again, I could see what seemed like a lot of sadness there. It was odd for me to see that with him. Zane just never seemed like the type to be this way. “Did I really scare you that much?” I had to ask.
“Well, quite a bit more then I like to admit to. I was beginning to think that perhaps I would end up completely alone again. And more than that, I really didn’t want to see anything more happen to you. I feel bad enough that I wasn’t able to do more to help.” Zane explained.
“But you did help. You stayed with me, even when I kept trying to make you leave. And I’m grateful for that.” I said, hugging him.
For a moment, we just stood there like that. It was funny how comforting this embrace felt to me. But deep inside, I felt a strange worry too. Something really seemed off about Zane now. I just hoped I could help him with whatever it was.
After a moment, I heard him speak again. “Thank you for this. I’m glad you’re still with me now.” He said. And with that, he gently pulled away. As I watched, he looked back at the door we were standing in front of. As he quietly opened it, I peeked inside.
The room itself was darkened with all of the curtains drawn, but I could see Will lying there in the bed. I didn’t think that he was sleeping though. Instead, he seemed to be trying to make himself a little bit more comfortable. Again, I pictured the bandages around his chest. Now that I thought about it, it had seemed like he had been in a lot of pain earlier. And he’d looked awful pale. “Is he going to be okay?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“He’s getting better, although he’s going to have a longer recovery. It’s a miracle that he survived at all. That wound gashed open one of the outer chambers of his heart. But somehow, Saffron was able to save him from bleeding to death. The recovery’s been painful though. I was a bit surprised that he was even able to get moving around this morning like he was. But it seems like he was also determined to apologize to you himself. I was a bit surprised, but I can’t say much to that. After all, he did owe you one.” Zane explained.
“It was really that bad?” I whispered. I really hadn’t considered how bad it may have been before. But hearing that, I understood that Will was truly lucky to be alive. Again though, I thought of what Saffron had said. Will had a connection to Lucifer. He’d been under orders to do what he’d done. Apparently, this all had something to do with them getting to Judiel and those other angels. But why did he choose Will? What made him so superior?
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br /> Zane nodded at my words, gently putting an arm around my waist and leading us into the room and closing the door quietly. The room was indeed a bit darker than the rest of the house, but we could still see perfectly. I sat myself down on the side of the bed by Will as Zane quietly walked to the other side and lifted the blanket and back of his shirt to check his bandages. “Everything looks in order still. All you need for now is to rest.” he said quietly.
“Is this much pain really divine justice?” Will said breathlessly, glancing up at him.
“Like I said before, it very well could be. Just be glad that we’re actually taking care of you.” Zane replied. His voice sounded a little bit colder now. But in a way, it didn’t surprise me. I had the distinct feeling that Zane was still blaming Will for all of this as well. As much as he apparently didn’t want to lose him, he couldn’t quite get over what had happened because of his orders.
“Regeneration shouldn’t be this painful. I should’ve figured out something for that. Maybe I’ll work on that once I’m better. I need to get out of that fashion industry anyways. It’s far too much work anymore.” Will complained softly, closing his eyes again.
“What do you mean?” I asked, not following him.
“It’s another thing that Will’s always dabbled in. He’s been studying medicine for over a hundred years now.” Zane told me as he took a seat in the chair beside us.
“Really? So you didn’t just work in the fashion world?” I said.
“That’s just been a fun hobby. But like I said, it’s been getting old lately. My real passion has always been science. It’s just so interesting to me. Being able to dissect things, seeing how they work. Creation itself. We defy every single thing that science and nature knows to be true, yet we’re living, breathing beings. Even death itself defies it. I want to be able to explain it all, even though I know it’s not possible and he keeps telling me that it’s pointless for me to even think so much about it all. So I started with myself back then, and seeing my own regeneration. It’s always been fascinating. Too bad I can’t watch my own heart repair itself.” Will said, chuckling slightly even though it was obviously painful for him to do so.