+1+
Isobel turns Seraphina onto her back, the Angel looks down at the blood blossoming through her bandages. Her eyes fall but she manages to slowly breath. She had just taken two bullet for a human. Angels who so hate humans.
“Sera, we are going to get you out of here.”, Isobel says trying to pick her up.
“No”, The Angel says sternly looking at Isobel and then me, ‘I’ll slow you down. Go now. I saved you for a reason, Isobel. You need each other”
Isobel shakes her head.
“Look at me. I’m a. . . a . . a daemon now. Why would you even take a bullet for me--”
The Angel holds my gaze.
“I told the Prince Angels have a good sense for things like this”, she choked out, “Don’t make me regret it. He needs you. Fate has seen to it.”
“Isobel”, I said calmly, “Go ahead. I’ll bring her.”
I knelt down and picked up the Angel. She made no attempts to help me, my legs nearly give out from her weight.
Isobel nods and quickly descended the steps. When her footsteps are gone the Angel hits me in the nose with her elbow and rolls out of my grasp.
Fine. If she wants to die here let it be.
“Angel”, I said. One question on the tip of my tongue. This one for Isobel.
“Where are your wings ?”, I ask.
She looked into my eyes confused by the question, She uses her last breath to answer it anyway.
“When we crossed into the human world they began to molt. We gathered the feathers, the sun began drying our skin till we. . .we dragged the heavy skeletal bones of our wings on our backs. It frighted the humans so we. . . cut them off.”
The cloaks were their feathers. How had the thought not occurred to me.
“Sleep in peace, Angel”, I whispered, “You have had a long life.”
“Demon”, her voice a fading whisper, “You know why I threw myself on Isobel Charter ?”
I held onto to her final words to Isobel.
“I told the Prince, Angels have a good sense for things like this.He needs you”
Love.
Angels have a good sense for love.
She saved Isobel because she was my true love. What a great and beautiful burden for Isobel and I to undertake.
“Love”, I said, “Because you know I will . . .love her.”
The Angel sat up weekly on her arms and nodded.
“Angel”
“Yes”
“I know you. You are the haughty Angel who blinded Ashe.. . you were going to kill me that day ”
“Yes”, she agrees, “. . . You stood ready to take your punishment for your father’s transgression. Your guilt, pure heart, honesty and nobility was plain on your face. You are nothing like the other Demons I’ve met.Father always told me Paris Prince would be our salvation. You would change things. When I think of that day. . . I will gladly lay down my life so you may find true love to accompany you to greatness."
“But. . .that Angel who tried to kill me . . . she hung herself. . .”
“She did. . . but she didn’t die. Not until now.”
She falls back down and her mouth tries to form words. It pained me to see her death dragged out like this. I think perhaps I should take her out of her misery.
She props herself up again and before falling she grabs onto my collar bringing me down.
“Devil take it”, she whispers.
Then she kisses me.
+2+
There is a hiss of steam as my hot lips touch her painfully cold mouth. Sparse condensation forms from our extreme temperatures meeting, my mouth becomes slick and slips from her lips and in an instant I press myself firmly to her.
Beneath us the ground shakes and trembles. The world is literally falling apart and for some reason it’s of little consequence.
I lift the Angel up my hands tightens on her back. Seraphina’s cold hands linger on the side of my face and stitches. She forces my mouth open and I gladly bear the tingle of pain from my scar at her aggressive touch.It was murder, it was sinning in church, it was sacrilege. A Demon entwined with an Angel.Yet I couldn’t pull away; my lips shiver from the cold, but I gently capture her lips one more time, warming her mouth and tongue. I shudder from the hiss of steam whenever my bare skin touches hers.
She protected me from Isaiah's creatures
She protected me from heartbreak.
My Guardian Angel
My lips are nearly frost bitten, a shaky breath comes out as her cold soft lips moves across my second smile.
Something painfully wrong stirs inside me as a final cold passionate kiss burns slowly between us.
We separate long enough for me to feel her breath on my cheek. I turn to face her bright blue eyes. For moment all we can do is look into each other’s eyes.
Don't lie
“I. ..I..”
She kisses me again to smother out my words. Words I will never say aloud for as long as I live.
The ground shakes again and our connection breaks .I lightly kiss her one more time, a hot tear sizzles on her cold lips.
“The apocalypse is near.”, Isaiah croaks.
My eyes catch Isaiah, still tied up in the corner. I had all but forgotten he was here. I pick up a small discarded dagger lying by his feet.
“What apocalypse, brother ?”
He has a smug look about him and keeps his eyes on the Angel wiping my tears from her lips.
“I see you have the same fetish as your father-", Isaiah begins
I throw the dagger and instead of hitting him it cuts the length of fabric his arm is tied with. The pulley system reacts and he is pulled up into the air. I look up as he grabs onto one of the beams, climbing hand over hand out the top of the cavern.
"Damn you coward.", I shout at him, "Fuck---"
The ground shakes violently again. It's going to falI. I scramble for any recognizable daggers I see and place them on my person. I take the gun and drop it on the Angel's chest.
“I believe that is yours”, I say
Before she can respond I drag the Angel to the stairs. I know there is a chance that we may not make it out. I know if we do make it to the top that doesn’t mean she will survive.
“No”, she protest with a pain filled grunt, “Leave me.”
“Shut up, I’m trying to save your life.”
The stairwell continues to shake and I fall back down a few steps. She falls against me and I forcefully pull her up a few more steps.
Her eyes are closed and her body is slumped against the railing. It takes all my strength to make it up the next few steps.I brace myself as the stairs rattle, I can feel the blood from her wound soaking my shirt and stagger over the last few steps.I can see the light of the entrance above us. I hear someone shout my name and two Brothers come down and take Seraphina. I follow behind, the brightness of the dawn burning my eyes.
Brother Damien runs over to tend to me and I shove him away.
“The Angel”, Is all I say and he hesitantly retreats to her side.
I’m caught off guard as Isobel throws her arms around me. I can hardly believe less than 8 hours ago I cried over her dead body.
“You idiot”, she says, “I thought you were going to do something stupid.”
“Never”, I say as the others gather around their new Prince.
I know I must look heroic to them, perhaps like I’ve earned my title when I have in fact done the complete opposite.
My heart lightens as Jona makes his way over to me.
Ahead of me I see a few Brothers tying up the daemons who managed to escape the cave.. An uneasy feeling of victory tints their expressions. Soon they will all be looking to me for what comes next.
My future is undeniably laid out for me in that moment and I am ready to embrace it.
++3+
The young daemons who make it our of the cavern alive surrender and take asylum with the Brotherhood. We know nothing about what they are.
One thing is certain.
They aren’t human.
They aren’t alive.
We couldn’t just send them home, not that many had home to go to anyway. For now we could satiate their bloodlust with blood donations. . . but Brother’s won't agree to this forever.
Perhaps in time we can cure them. I know I only decide this because of Isobel.
It is later confirmed that some daemons ran away with Isaiah. In the weeks that follow They don’t make their presence known, but if they attack a Brother they are fair game to be judged.
I make my way up the stairs of St. Lilith’s and run into Ashe in the hallway. He is nursing a broken arm. I take a moment to stop and tie his bowtie
“Well, well, well, Prince”, he says in a jovial tone, “I never thought I’d see two women in your bed. . . well a woman and an Angel.”
At first I don’t realize he is making a joke, my expression is careful not to change. Then I remember who I’m talking to.
“You forget, Ashe. It’s not my bed anymore.”
He pats me on the shoulder and calls out to find Jona.
I lean against the dormitory doors, the room is empty with most of the Brothers making last minute adjustments on the grounds.
In the two weeks since the attack I had yet to step foot in what had been my bedroom for nearly 100 years. Instead I’d found myself secluded in Father’s chambers. Going through his things. . . getting to know him all over again.At the far end of the room two beds (one of which is mine) have been pushed together and fitted with soft white bedding. A makeshift curtain is pulled over that side of the room. Though now it’s set aside.
Isobel sits on the bed, even from a distance I can see the unusually dull pallor of her skin. Her head turns a little and I know she can sense me, my blood called to her now.Isobel squeezes out the wet rag in her hands and runs it over the Angel’s face and arms. She sets aside the basin of hot water and gets up to join me.
“Is she ready ?”, I ask.
“Almost, Damien wants to--”
“Brother Damien”, I remind her, “It’s uh, more respectful.”
“Right”, She kisses me and I smile at the way she wears the chipped collar pin now, it gleams brightly over collarless jacket and small black dress she is wearing., “It’s going to be okay.”
“Yes, it will”
Isobel stops and reaches up to kiss me again.
“Now that I'm a daemon don’t feel warm to me anymore”, she says and heads downstairs.
I do my best to help her, and any of the other daemons seeking refuge with us keep in the Brother’s good graces
I approach the far end of the room and stop at the foot of the bed. The Angel turns her head and sits up. She manages to half bow to me.
“Prince”, she says.
She is wearing a white blouse borrowed from Isobel and I scold myself for noticing it’s the first time I’ve seen her without her chest bound. I place a box on her lap and fold my arms.Isobel had spent the past two weeks caring for the Angel, in lieu of even Brother Damien’s hesitation to touch an Angel. In the beginning Isobel did it because Seraphina had risked her life to save hers. Now I think they had become somewhat friends.
Seraphina opens the box and runs her hands over the downy feathers of her cloak. If one were to look close enough they would see the stitch work done to repair the rips. She runs her hand down to her shining collar pin still attached to the cloak. It was the hardest thing I'd ever sewn.
Underneath the cloak are her blades engraved with her name.
“Mother is here”, Is all I say.
The Angel stands and I pull the curtain around to conceal us. My eyes asking and saying so many things that should remain unmentionable.
“Foolish Prince”, she says
“Haughty Angel”, I say and realize she doesn’t know my nickname for the unknown Angel who had blinded my best friend.
“Why did you kiss me”, I ask in a whisper
“Because I was dying. Why did you kiss me back ?”, She sounds angry
“You were dying.”
“Then why did you not let me die?”, she is getting frustrated
“Because. . you were dying ?”
“You were not supposed to save me.”, she says again, “Isobel Charter is your Fate. You are more the Prince that Father made you out to be when you are with her. I would gladly lay down my life for the girl who can make the smiling prince truly smile.”
I bow my head.
She is so close I can feel the cold rising off of her. I placed my hand on her chilled cheeks and tilt her head down. Oh, this would never do. It couldn’t. I would not let it.
“Thank you for saving Isobel”, I say my eyes on her lips.
I wrap the cloak over her shoulders taking the time to carefully pin it in place.
"Paris--"
"Yes"
" . . . it's nothing."
I turn away not wanting to hear what she might say next. Not wanting to look at how she was able to internalize every emotion I wore so plainly on my face.
+++
I take a walk around St. Lilith’s grounds. Nodding to each Brother I pass, I take in the setting knowing what was my home is now my home. I had to run the business, keep my brothers in check, the daemons were solely my responsibility.Inside I had removed the painting of The Demon Family and replaced it with the photos of all the Demon brothers.
I opened the door to Father’s suite, The Angel mother stood at one end admiring a glass globe.The Angel Seraphina stood next to her, with her ankles and wrist crossed and her eyes downcast.
“Anne”, I greeted her
“Paris”, she regarded me, “Paris, when you came to me I was absolute in my belief that you could deal with this awful mess without the help of Angels. Yet, you tresspassed in Angel territory and caused severe damage to one of our greatest and most valuable assests. You have given sanctuary to unknowable creatures and literally broke the foundation Queen Anne’s stand on.
I am inspired by your gaul, Prince.I expect nothing but great things from you in the future. You have done a great service to our kind, My Prince.”
“Thank you”, I say and bowed to her.
She turns to the Angel
“Searphina. you went against my expressed orders to leave the snowfire matter to the the Demons. You broke curfews, lied and fraternized with demon and humans. Helped them break into our land and even attempted to kill a human without permission. It is only because you killed the Demon Isaiah that I am not punishing you with death.”
The Angel was still, not knowing I had lied about her killing Isaiah to put The Angel Mother on her side.
“Searphina, you will be punished for your transgressions. You will become a servant to your sisters and lose your tongue and hair. After 100 years of service you will be an Archangel again, without your eyes.”
“Yes, Mother”, she bows.
I stand up tall and remember the promise I made to Seraphina when we began this. That I would give her a place in the Brotherhood. Perhaps I could still do at least that.
“Anne”, I said, “I made a promise to this Angel. I ask, no I am telling you that she has asked and I have accepted her request to---”
“Participate in this afternoons service”, The Angel finished, “Before I began my punishment. Father and I spent many years together.”
I looked at her confused, her tense expression begging me to go along with it. Was she choosing not to join the Brotherhood and live out her punishment ?
“Very well’, the Angel mother said.
Mother walked out, her dress and train of feathers following her.
“Seraphina, why did you--”
“Paris, I see the change you are making to the Brotherhood. I want to do the same for my Sisters. I can not just runaway. I am an Angel and I am proud of that.”
“You wanted out, it’s what Father wanted for you.”
“Father wanted me to do what would make me happy. I”m not abandoning my Sisters, not when things could change.”
“Sera--
“I am an lower angel now. You are The Demon Prince. Let us not forget that. This is good-bye, Prince.”
+4+
From the balcony I take in the grandeur of my Brothers. They stand in uniform order with their dark eyes looking up at me. They all look handsome in their black suits and ties.
On the other side of the yard the Angels stand with their ankles crossed, in their right hands they hold white handkerchiefs. Their white cloaks seem to flutter in unison
I place the stone urn on the balcony’s edge and open the lid. I place a hand out and feel the wind is starting to pick up.
Now or never.
I turn behind me and motion for Seraphina to join me outside. She is by Mother’s side with her eyes down. The Angel Mother gives her permission to go.
Her cloak is fastened tight around her shoulders and flutters as she steps onto the balcony. I take her hand and place it over the urn. Our yes meet for a second then I turn toward the mourners.
“May Father find peace in the winds and water. May Father find his way back. . . home.”
The wind picks up and we tilt the urn, Father’s ashes catch the wind. Seraphina’s eyes search out the wind trying to find a piece of him somewhere in the sky.
She turns back to join The Angel Mother. I hold on to her arm before she turns away
“I--Thank you.”, I say
“Thank you”, she whispers.
Seraphina takes her place behind The Angel Mother. Isobel is standing next to Mother, her eyes set on me.
I face the Angels and Demons. The Brothers had given up all pretense as tears rolled down. Jona holds on tightly to Ashe who infact can’t cry.
I spread my arms against the balcony and cry. Openly and brazenly. The Angel’s bring their handkerchiefs to their mouths. Hot tears spill into my mouth and I still didn’t look away.
I watch from above as Ariel’s hand trembles as she walks over to Brother Lysander and gives him her handkerchief. He seems confused but takes it. Ariel looks up at me as she goes back to her spot.
Behind me the Angel Mother’s expression is taught and stricken.
I feel the weight of Isobel’s arm on my shoulder. Her presence stilling and comforting me.
“I’m sorry”, I said to her, “I”m sorry I did this to you, Isobel”
“No, this isn’t your fault. Don’t ever blame yourself.”
This was my time and realized I wanted the next 1000 years to be different. I wanted them to be spent with her. One way or another.
I watched my Brothers for a few moments longer, then turned back to kiss Isobel. I pulled close lifting her a little off the ground.
Just like that I chose her.
If I was going to face the uncertain future I realized I wanted Isobel by my side and I wanted the whole world, or at least my whole world to know it.
The Brother’s tears dry and their sobs turn into hollers and cat calls, I feel Isobel smile against my lips.
Over her shoulder Seraphina contorts her face into a smile, a single tear runs down cheek.
+5+
The Brothers feast for the first time in a while. The Angels and Demons don’t mix at the repast. Not a single word is passed between the two except for a compliment on the food.
The Angel’s depart early at the haste of their Mother. Seraphina stays late to gather her items.
When I see her again, for what will be the last time for 100 years, she is descending the stairs.
“Stay for a drink ?”, I offer. Turning back to where Isobel an Ashe are doing shots.
“I would be honored but I must return, Prince.”
She bows and it makes me uncomfortable.
“Will we see you again ?”
“When my 100 years are servitude are done.”
“Sera-”
“It’s forgotten.”
I can’t forget
I can’t ever forget
She bows to me again and makes her way to the door. She opens it and in an instant falls to her knees. Her hand goes to her chest, at first I think it is her injuries.
“Seraphina ?”, I call.
Everyone gets up from the table and looks up.
I go to the door and realize what has stunned her. We have a visitor.
The Angel at the door studies me and then goes back to Seraphina who is in a fever on the floor. Seraphina is rambling in our native tongue.
I marvel at the feathers and wingspan of this Angel at the door.
The Angel laughs at Seraphina’s inability to speak and reaches for her.
Then he smiles.
The apocalypse is here.
+++
1695, Yorkshire
“The fine wine, the pleasant conversations. You are certainly hospitable today, Hmeju”
“Do I have reason not to be Anne ?”
The Angel Mother lowers her eyes and smiles politely.
“Well, I did just brutally punish one of your precious Demon Boys.”
“Dare I say you’ve sent a chill through the rest, Anne.”
She sets her wine down and regards the Demon before her.
“You should have let Seraphina hang herself, Hmeju. Why on this Earth did you save her ? It would have solved our little problem."
“I think it not a problem.”, The Demon Father decided.
“I do. I hope I am wrong.” The Angel Mother said dismissively, "It would be dangerous to our way of life."
“I thought”, The Demon Father remembered her words, “Angels had good sense about these things.”
“We do. No good can come of this. You must know this.”
“Destiny and Fate are against us, Anne. You said it yourself; The Prince and Seraphina are destined for one another.
“This will never be.” The Angel Mother stood deciding she had overstayed her welcome.
“Why so confident ?”
“I know one day Seraphina will see it too . . . and she will do anything to stop it.”