+1+

The snowfire apples are killing people

What drew attention to the Angels would eventually draw attention to us.  How could they be so careless ?

I barely had time to slip back downstairs to my room to shower and change before there was a knock on the door.  On the other side was a young Angel dressed formally in her white sheath dress and feather cloak.

“The Angel Mother waits for you,”, This Angel was polite but wary. She was very young and probably had no memory of Homeland.

“I’m aware”, I moved past her.

“I am Ariel”

I recognized her name as the Angel who slept in the bed next to The Angel Seraphina.

The young Angel lead me across a stone pathway to the second mansion in the circle of buildings that made up Queen Anne’s College.

“Is it true, Brother”, Ariel asked from her two steps ahead of me, “You are the Demon whom was bore from Lucifer The Demon King ?.The Smiling Prince ?”

“Is that not obvious ?.”, It came out more as a question.

The curious young Angel stopped and faced me, she smiled as if finally understanding a joke.

“It is true. You are always smiling.”

“Yes.”

Apparently I was the joke.

The second mansion featured an open layout, the first floor  filled with Angels painting landscapes, reading novels, reciting poetry and learning to dance.  They spoke loosely with one another and some even laughed.It was the height of feminine frivolity. Was this truly how they spend their years ?

High on the second floor was The Angel Mother’s dwelling. It was a glass enclosed suite where The Angel Mother could look over and watch her darling Angels below.I ascended the steps and into the open doors of her suite. Everything was painted in white and gold. Paintings of flora, seas and Parisian streets covered the walls.The Angel Mother sat in a high back gilded chair set to one side like a throne. Her long white chiffon dress touched the floor. Her feathered cloak went down just as long.

She was much younger than Father, just 18 when she became The Angel Mother. Beyond her pensive expression I knew she could be vengeful.

“Where is Seraphina ?”, The Angel Mother asked eyeing Ariel.

“She said she is. . .I mean . .uh. . . not well this week”, Ariel stammered her eyes nervously regarding me.

“She was fine this morning-”, The Angel Mother began.

“Yes”, Ariel explaind, “She was. You see Mother she is. . . um--”

“Bleeding”, I finished because her stammering was getting on my nerves.

Ariel stood with her mouth open, not quite able to recover. The Angel Mother moved her hand and waved Ariel off.

The Angel Mother then motioned for me to sit in the chair next to her. I felt like a child testing out his father’s cloak.

“Oh, Demon child",  she said, “Your eyes are so dark. Is the world truly that cruell to your kind ?”

“Mother--”

“Anne”, she said, “You may call me Anne.”

“Anne, what is this about the snowfire apples killing humans?”

The Angels mother’s eyes darkened and she formed her words carefully.

“I received these death papers in the mail---”

“Coroner reports”, I corrected her. Though I knew it was out of place for me to correct her.

“Yes. From an anonymous source. 56 humans have been found dead in the city limits, each shown to have had items containing snowfire apples in their systems.”

So it was true.

“How could this happen ?”

“ I do not know. The orchard is very well protected. The formula is just a simple cross pollination of ancient angelfruit seeds and green apples.The humans love our snowfires.They have an aphrodisiac effect on them, you know. Makes them happier and giddy.  I do not know why this is happening.”

She let the coroner reports fall to the floor.

“You introduced Homeland agriculture into the human world. Did you not think that might be risky ? Father always reminds us that this is not our world to be effecting.”

“I see that now.”, she was serene, “ I’m afraid if the humans catch on to the deaths . .  consequences could be dire. They could trace it back to me. To us. We Angels have no where else to go if we must flee in the night.”

She rose from her throne gracefully standing near the glass wall overlooking the Angels below.

“Demon, this may not be Homeland or the new land we seek but Queen Anne’s is our home. We built it and I can not bare to make my Angels leave.”

She peered down at her Angels below.

“What do you want from me ?”, I asked joining her by the window.

“I want you to discreetly find out why this is happening. Before humans begin asking questions.”

“Why should I involve myself in Angel affairs ?”

“ If you can bring me who is responsible for tampering my apples, I  will officially recognize you as Father--no--Prince of The Demons.”

A rush of cold air moved through me.

Prince

After all these years I was perhaps one step close to being the leader my real father had been. I could lead my people to a land of our own. I could do it.

“Yes, Mother.”

“Be humble in your acceptance, Demon Child.”

Reluctantly I stood in front of The Angel Mother and knelt down to her, I reached for her cold slim hand adorned with diamonds and gold.

“Yes, Mother”, I vowed, “ I will find who is responsible.”

“My Dear Prince”, she said moving her hand through my hair, “I only hope we can make a bright modern future for our kind?”

The last part came out as more of a question. Her cold hands skimmed over my cheek and rested on my eyes. I slowly rose but her hand remained on my face, tracing my smile and them my eyes again.

“Don’t fail me Prince, you do have such lovely eyes. I would hate for you to lose them.”

+2+

Outside the air felt fresh and I was in a hurry to gather my things and begin my ascent into Princehood.

Something whipped by me and in a blur I felt a sting in my foot. I looked down to find a slim gold dagger in the side of my left shoe. It just missed my toes.

Ariel was written on the blade.

I pulled it out of the my shoe fighting the urge to curse.

On the balcony of the dining hall stood The Angel Seraphina.

Inside the dining hall was empty. All the chairs and tables where pushed against the wall. Seraphina slowly descended the stairs leading to the balcony. Her eyes were fierce, her hands empty.

“I see Angels aren’t above stealing”, I threw the blade at her feet., “Angels are only permitted blades for protection, if you recall.”

“Filthy Demons”, she hissed, “How can Anne trust you.”

She had a thick accent when she was angry.

“Tell me, Angel, does your Mother know about what you are doing  to yourself? I'm sure she won't take kindly."

"She does not."

"Then why"

Her lips tightened and she slowly bent down to pick up Ariel’s dagger .

“Demon, you know nothing about Angel women.”

“Except for what I’ve seen.”

She slipped the dagger into her waistband. Her body, including her wound from earlier was tightly bound.

“We lived for our warriors and in return they protected us. When you Demons killed our men you took our reason to live."

All our lives Angel women understand that our only purpose is to bear the next generation of warriors and to serve those already at war. It may sound archaic now, but it is our heritage and I respect it. As girls we are taught to hunt, cook and sew. How to entertain returned warriors with music and art.

Mother tries so hard to keep those traditions alive, but the world is changing and our men are not coming back. She refuses to allow us to fight or defend ourselves. Relying on you Demons for protection. It disgust me. So when Hmjeu visited,  I begged The Demon Father to teach me to fight”

“Father would never--”

“He did. He understood. He spent years teaching me.  I can not stand by watching the centuries go by trapped under the rule of Mother.  I begged The Demon Father to let me enter the Demon Brotherhood and he agreed. He said he would create a story for me and bought me the medicine and promised to pay for my surgery so I could escape this life.”

"Is that who you want to be ?"

"I feel not attachment to this body or any gender."

The Angel sat while I took in her words. The fact that Father was planning on using such methods to bring her into the Brotherhood did not sit well with me.

“That is not something I can not allow. It is deceitful.”, I told her right out.

The Angel dropped slowly to her knees her head bowed to my leg in supplication.

“I  beg you, Prince. Help me and I will help you find the saboteur . I know all there is about the snowfire apples. It may be a dangerous  path you seek and I can protect you. I will help you get your Princehood if you promise me a place in the Brotherhood. . . I can not live like this. . .trapped in this cycle. . . century after century.”

My calm demeanor hid the disgust I felt at Father teaching our  enemy how to hold a dagger and fight. An Angel who had more regard for blood than family. That would never do in the brotherhood.

“Dear, Angel. You will always be an Angel. You can never overcome your heritage. . .”

This Angel would learn her place. . . in time. Right now I had nowhere to start and needed all the help I could afford.

On shaky legs she stood, a hand plastered to where she had been stabbed. Her eyes not daring to meet mine.

“Now, Angel. Where do we start ?”

She looked up, registering that I was accepting her help.

For the first time an emotion tinted her voice. desperation to please.

“The snowfire apple orchard is on campus. Distributors pick them up from the Angel Mother herself. The contamination, whatever it is, happens here on campus during growth.”

I brushed past the Angel and to the upstairs balcony looking over the small campus. I could see the two main mansions and study hall. . . but no apple orchard. Where did they keep them ?

“The gate”, I said.

The Angel joined me on the balcony.

“What ?”, she said.

“The gate has a break in it, it’s how that human got in today. I think someone has been sneaking into Queen Anne's. Where are the security cameras ?”

“Cameras ?”, she repeated confused. Though I’m sure she knew what a camera was.

“Images ? Something keeping an eye on the grounds.”

She looked confused and I realized the extent of the Angel's security was their golden gates.

“We have nothing like that”, Seraphina said, “The . . . human girl”

“The human is inconsequential.”

“No, The human has been photographing the campus for months now. Daily. She . . .may have captured something on her camera.”

I folded my arms and looked up from the campus to the busy streets of Brooklyn. I turned and walked out of the building. The Angel at my heels.

“What next, Brother ?”, she asked.

“We find Isobel Charter.”