But anyway, feedback on this please?
----------------------------------------------------------
When I woke up, the moonlight was replaced by the golden glow of the sun. Golden light flooded the entire room and my eyes fluttered open. I love gorgeous mornings like these, but I had clearly overslept a little.
“Tomorrow I want you to come to the library with me, alright?”
Right, Kendell wanted me to go to the library with him… My spirits soared as I thought about spending the day with him. I quickly bounced off the bed and ran to the bathroom, flinging my clothes off and turning on the water. The crystal pool quickly grew in the porcelain tub, the heat of the water warming the cool room. I smiled at the mirrors, already starting to cover themselves in steam. When I decided the tub was full enough, I turned the water off and slipped in. The hot water felt wonderful on my skin. Shreds of memory from last night flooded into my mind. The more I thought about Jacob, the more I was able to piece things together. I still hadn’t regained all of my memory to know Jacob’s business at the lake, but I knew that he was influencing people. My father was never so cold and distant. People seemed to be worshipping the ground Jacob walked on, but then again, he was a lord… His hatred for Kendell was astounding, and I was sure that they hadn’t even met before I realized Jacob was a demon.
So what was Kendell, then?
As time went by, my thoughts caused me to grow impatient. I finished my bath and hurried out of the tub, drying off and dressing as quickly as possible in a simple corset, shirt and pants again. I dashed towards the stairs, only to run into Katherine. Her face was creased with fear and worry.
“Katherine? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, Annabelle… Your father had raised a hand to Nichole and has been shut up in his study ever since. Lord Wraith hasn’t been seen at all since he was last with you…”
I stood shocked. My father, my loving, caring father, raised a hand to our oldest and most loyal maid? It was madness.
“Are you sure that’s what happened?”
“Absolutely, I saw it with my own eyes. Nichole was lucky, she fell to the ground and managed to get up with no broken bones. And do you know where Lord Wraith might be?”
“I haven’t a clue… And tell Nichole that I’m sorry for my father’s actions. I need to go.” My voice was monotone and hollow as I stepped around Katherine and continued down the hallway and down the stairs. Even more impatient now, I threw my boots on and started walking quickly out the door towards the library. Uneasiness rooted itself in my stomach as I thought of Nichole. My father would never even think of hurting someone, he was clearly disturbed in his mind. Thoughts of Jacob flooded my mind, causing me to run faster out of pure anger. The few people on the streets stared at me with awe as I hurried through the streets. The distance to travel was longer than I liked. I had to pass by the church, in which the priest watched me from the doorway, eyes filled with suspicion. I passed building after building, earning stares from every possible place in town. I knew Kendell was already at the library, because Mr. Calsworth had told me he spent almost every morning there. Little about Kendell was unknown to me, we had been practically inseparable upon becoming friends so many years ago. A hand grabbed my shoulder, a weak and dainty one.
“Annabelle, what on Earth are you doing walking the streets like that, again? Haven’t I made it clear that young ladies don’t wear pants, but skirts?” Larissa tightened her grip on my shoulder, her voice full of strained friendliness.
I swatted her hand away and continued down the road in silence. Her irritating voice floated back to my ears as I heard her stomp back over to me.
“Annabelle! Don’t ignore me you disgusting harlot-“
“Harlot? Woman, have you seen yourself? If anyone is a disgusting harlot here, it’s you. By the by, I’d suggest you stay away from Kendell, seeing as he hates your conceited face!” The words flew off my tongue as I spun on my heel to face her. Larissa’s mouth fell open and she scoffed, lifting her chin up.
“And you claim to be a lady! I’ll have you know that I’m the most pure soul in this town! God has always favored me with the love and adoration of everyone in town, and you must be jealous, with your one ‘friend’. Kendell is mine, and you’re just trying to steal him from me!”
“Didn’t the church ever tell you that greed was a sin? Kendell was never yours, and he never will be. Ugh, I don’t have time for your pig-nosed face,” with those last words, I continued on my way and ignored every other word to come out of Larissa’s wretched face. Her ignorance was the last thing I could tolerate at the moment. Why people like her had to exist, was a mystery to me. I climbed the wooden steps of the library and pushed the door open. The librarian, Mrs. Spencer, looked up at me and smiled,
“Hello, Ms. Drevensek. Mr. Inkcrest is waiting for you in the old storage room.”
I smiled back and nodded, walking to the back of the library to an old wooden door. Pushing it open, my smile grew bigger as I saw Kendell sitting in a tattered red chair reading a book. He looked up and smiled, then got up and walked towards me, kissing me on the forehead. For a moment I had forgotten what I wanted to tell him, until I saw the book in his hands. Spiritual Beings; Angels, Demons and Fairies. I had seen that book before, but the librarian would never let me near it. It was only to be read by a “special reader”. Kendell was this reader?
“Kendell, have you seen Lord Wraith?”
His smile fell into a suspicious frown, “No, why?”
“Because…” Surely if Kendell was reading that book about angels and demons, he would believe me, “Because he’s a demon and I think he’s influencing my father.”
“Wraith is a demon?” Kendell’s eyebrow shot up as he chuckled, “I think you were dreaming again.”
“No, no, no! He came in after you left and made me tell him about the nightmare. And he just looked so similar to the demon in my nightmares that I had to find out! So I dropped my rosary on him, and-and he burned! His eyes turned black and red and I remembered most of what happened up to the time I saw him at the lake. I’m absolutely sure I wasn’t dreaming that!” I stared straight into his eyes and hoped he’d believe me.
Kendell’s entire expression darkened and he looked away, sighing.
“Please believe me… My father hit our oldest maid today… He’d never raise a hand to anyone, I know this,” tears stung my eyes and threatened to fall. I was scared.
“He what?” Shock overtook Kendell’s features before they fell back into darkness.
I lowered my head, waiting for him to speak again. When I heard nothing but silence, I grew worried, until I felt his hand on my back.
“Annabelle… It’s time you knew. Your father isn’t really your father, and Wraith and I… We’re different. So are you.”
“Different?” I lifted my head to meet his icy blue eyes, the ones that sparkled with sadness despite the somewhat forced smile on his face. His hand slid up my back and into my hair, pulling me up as he leaned down to kiss me. Once again, a current of emotions connected us both, and for a few seconds I felt every sadness, fear, regret and longing he had.
Looking at me as he pulled away, Kendell whispered, “Yes, Wraith is a demon. And I’m an angel. And so are you.” Even thought he smiled, tears formed in his eyes.
Confusion swallowed me as I stared back at him silently, “You really expect me to believe that I’m an angel? And that you’re one?”
“I know it seems ridiculous, but…” Kendell stepped back, the sad smile still on his face. With a gasp, I watched a pair of brilliant, snow white wings sprout from his back. My mind screamed at me to run, but my body moved towards him, a hand stretching up to touch his wings. They were softer than the softest silk, and seemed to glow.
“If I’m an angel, and my parents aren’t really my parents, how did I end up with them?”
“How else?” Kendell gently took my hand in his, “You were given to them by Gabriel. Your mother was infertile and her prayers for a child rang through Heaven daily, so God granted her wishes. We had to hide you from Lucifer’s demons so you wouldn’t be assassinated, thus God disguised you as an infant. Gabriel delivered you to the Drevenseks under the condition that they let you join God’s army again when the time came.”
”Army…?” My voice was low as I took in the information.
“Wraith… He’s a demon sent to kill you. There’s a great war that’s about to take place between God and Lucifer, and we believe that you’re the angel to lead us to victory. That’s why you’ve been in hiding. Too many demons were after you, and still are.” Kendell pulled me to him and wrapped his wings around me. “The altar boy, the librarian and I have been put here to keep you safe, and we… We were destined to be together.”
What felt like an enormous pressure seemed to crash down on my shoulders. I pushed Kendell away and paced, “War? With Lucifer’s army? And you and I? We’re to be together?” Before he could speak, something else crossed my mind, “And why does Wraith claim to be my father’s friend, then?”
A long sigh escaped Kendell’s lips, “Wraith is a tricky one. For the past ten years he’s been searching for someone with your description. You stand apart from humans because you’re so powerful. He found connections and found your father, played with his memories so that he’d think of Wraith as a friend, and was able to find you. He watched you through your dreams every night, and I was able to keep him away just enough so he couldn’t hurt you. Wraith became too strong and decided he would see you in person, and it took all of my strength to keep him from killing you. You kept drawing him over and over again, he was all over your sketchbook. Why?”
The question caught me off guard, “Well, I thought he looked good enough to be in my sketchbook… When he wasn’t scaring me half to death. I enjoy drawing angels and demons…”
“Ah…” A strange glaze crossed Kendell’s eyes. He awkwardly cleared his throat, “Well, your wings will appear soon, if anything.”
“How soon?”
He grimaced, “I’d rather not say.”
“Kendell!” My voice grew stern as I shot a demanding look in his direction.
“Fine… Within three weeks…” He bent slightly, cowering at the rage he knew would come. And he was right to do so.
“Three weeks? Kendell Inkcrest, if that’s even your actual name! You could have told me any day what was going on, you could have told me at any time that there was a demon manipulating my father! But no, you keep it a damn secret to the point where one of my maids was hurt, to the point where-where a massive war is about to take place and I just found out, to the point where I have three weeks left of not having wings on my back!” I stamped my foot, my hands on my hips, “What is wrong with you? All this time, you’ve kept this bottled up? And if you’re an angel, why have you had sex before marriage? Especially if we’re supposed to be ‘together’?” Anger radiated off of me like heat from a fire.
“I-uh-well, this was my wrong-doing, I suppose. But I mean, it’s the first time in centuries since I’ve had a physical body, and one of a teenager no less-“
“Alright, alright… Just… Hush,” shakily, I wandered to the chair in the corner of the room and collapsed, “What is Mr. Calsworth, then?”
“Brainwashed human…”
“Ah.”
“I know this is a bit much to handle right now, I’m sorry. Uh, but if you go home, take this book with you,” Kendell awkwardly spoke as he handed me the book he was reading. I took it half-heartedly and sighed, rubbing my temple before standing and walking towards the door.
“A-Annabelle-?”
“Goodbye, Kendell. If you must talk to me, please do it later this evening. You know quite well where I live. I just need a bit of time to comprehend what I’ve just seen and heard.” My chin held a bit higher than usual, I stormed out of the library. Mrs. Spencer gave me a sympathetic look as I walked by, and I softened my expression before slamming the door on the way out.
What is wrong with that damn boy? Or angel, I should say. I wasn’t sure if I was smart or stupid for believing all of this, but then again, how could I not?
He had wings, for Christ’s sake!
Or were my eyes just playing tricks on me? Was that it? Well, his story somewhat made sense… My mother and father have black hair, and I have white hair. What kind of human has white hair? I’d have thought I was a demon or something, the way people look at me. And my dreams? The man that looks like Wraith? My father acting strangely? It can’t be coincidence.
I trudged along the dirt roads, kicking pebbles across the ground. The book in my hands, old and worn out, was making me painfully aware that I wasn’t living some kind of fairytale. In fact, it might as well be a horror story. Being attacked by demons is terrifying enough, but now I’m an angel to fight in a war?
The thoughts kept circling my mind over and over again, a tumble of the same images and questions. And every time they came, I thought of a different answer. I was walking aimlessly, and so slowly, that I had barely walked a block in what seemed like forever. Home was the last place I wanted to be, I didn’t want to see my father in his crazed state. The thought took effect as I stopped at a crossroad, the decision to return home or take the road to my left into the forest hovering over me.
Of course, I took the road to my left.
I could see it on the horizon, the green of the tree leaves. The sun’s rays were unbearable at this point, as I had been walking in the sun for some time now. As my discomfort grew, I quickened my pace towards the sanctuary of the forest shade. Sunlight didn’t exactly burn me, despite my extremely pale skin, and I don’t recall ever having any form of burn. People frowned at my pale skin, I myself not liking how easily I could see my veins through it. It was a reminder that every day, little more than a knife to my skin could free the red liquid inside them and end my existence. Ugh, look how easily my mind wanders.
The first line of trees in the forest grew more visible, I was almost there. The distance between the forest and I was short, so I ran the rest of the way. As soon as the shade covered me, I slowed and felt the familiar peace I often got here. A smile lazily spread on my face as I wandered into the forest. Only small rays of sunlight made it through the leaves and small shrubs and leaves brushed my legs as I walked by. The forest was the perfect place to clear any mind.
A few bugs floated by, the sound of birds echoing through the trees. I walked through the forest until I came by a small stream. Something moved in the water, and I noticed a loach drifting in the current. It seemed to look up at me before quickly dashing up the stream. Hopping over the stream, I continued into the brush, glad that I wore long pants. Thorny vines grabbed at my legs and some even grew tall enough to reach my hands. I winced as a thorn scraped my knuckle, relieved when it ended and I entered a small grove. A large headstone stood in the middle of it, the sun shining down on it through the break in the trees. Vines covered the stone to the point where it was near impossibly to see the words.
My mother’s grave.
“Hello, mother.”
The wind swirled through the trees, leaves rustling and the grass swaying. The violets planted at her headstone seemed to reach up more towards the sunlight. I smiled and wandered to the headstone, sliding down its side to sit in the grass.
“Mother, I’ve heard some strange things today…”
--------Chapter 8--------
Words and rants flew out of my mouth like the breaths it took to make them, and I was quickly finished explaining everything.
“I mean, how can one person, one single soul, turn everything around like this? Everything was fine and wonderful, and Wraith, some demon out to kill me, comes along and turns everything upside down. And Kendell, an angel? He defies every stereotype of an angel I’ve ever heard of! By God, you’d think I’d be mad and I was just seeing things, that’s how absolutely ridiculous this story sounds,” I sighed heavily and stared at the book Kendell gave me, “Others would think I’m mad for talking to a headstone…”
I dropped the book and hugged my knees to my chest, “I want to scream. I always asked for a more exciting life, but I meant some kind of harmless adventure. Now I’m going to war, some demon wants to kill me and my best friend is who I’m supposed to be with? I can’t do any of that! I’m just me. I’m weak and useless, I always was and I always will be.”
A violent gust of wind blew into the grove, causing my hair to fly into my face. When I moved it away, the book was in front of me and was opened to the chapter about angels. One single line caught my eye,
“The angels are undoubtedly powerful, even if one were to feel as if they weren’t.”
Slowly, a ghost of a smile crossed my face and I whispered, “Thank you, Mother.”
The wind, more gentle this time, came and ran through my hair again. I sighed, staring at the open book in front of me, before giving in and picking it up. The pages were yellow with age and rather brittle. How old was this book? I was about to start reading about angels, but Wraith floated back into my mind and my curiosity got the better of me. I flipped to the section about demons and stared at the first paragraph, my brows scrunching in concentration.
“Demons are nothing more than fallen angels, ones that turned against God to join Lucifer. Whether or not they feel regret for their actions, depends entirely on the demon. Some feel nothing and enjoy tormenting and killing humans, others are reluctant to carry out the demands they’ve been given and wish to return to Heaven. Once they fall, they lose their pure heart. In physical form, their blood is black with death and agony, it no longer runs through their veins as there is no heart to carry it. They feel emotion through their tainted soul, mostly negative emotions. They have complexions whiter than most humans from lack of warm blood. Their eyes are commonly red, or brownish red, occasionally white, their hair black as the darkness itself. They have wings like a dragon’s, but can hide them with effort. When angry, their eyes glow with a silvery white light.”
I lifted my head back up and frowned. Demons could feel without a heart? But they could only feel negative emotion? This book was practically speaking in riddles. I shook my head and continued to read the chapter.
“In Hell, a demon has no need for a physical body. They become their true selves, often wispy bodies of black scales and completely red and black eyes. They have claws and fangs like a dragon, along with their wings. Even a spaded tail, all black. Their shoulders can be silver, occasionally, as this is a sign of great spiritual power. Demons who aren’t strong enough to gain a physical form are typical causes of possession, while most demons merely use it for amusement or gathering information. Holy items burn their physical body and reduce them to their spiritual form. They are weak in this form on Earth, for the Earth’s power is too great for spirits to handle. The only way a demon can be killed is by being bathed in holy light.
The chapter continued on like that, several chapters after it about the different kinds of demons. Detailed pictures of each type of demon’s physical form and spiritual form started each page. I flipped through the pages, seeing demons from all different lands. Some were oriental, others European. I saw demons that looked like old, senile men, and seeing demons that looked like… Wraith…
The picture of one demon, called an archdemon, fit Wraith perfectly. As I suspected from the title, they were the opposite of an archangel. The pictures were of a man, strong, beautiful and pale like Wraith, and a black scaled demon with silver shoulders. Oh my.
“Archdemons are demons of great power and social standing among other demons. There are truly millions of demons in the depths of Hell, but archdemons look over them all. They obey Lucifer, taking commands from him and ordering the rest of the demons. They are commonly used as spies and war generals, finding ways to plot against God and defeat Him. Never have they been successful, and so long as the archangels stand strong, never shall they become successful. An archdemon feels no pain. They can radiate such fierce negative energy through their demonic aura that humans can’t tolerate without a fierce mood change.
This book was fascinating, at least…
To think Wraith was an archdemon sent shivers down my spine. He had to be, there was no other demon that fit his profile so well.
But that meant he was… So strong… He could kill us all whenever he wanted to.
The thought made me want to cry. I couldn’t read this book anymore, not for a while at least. I closed it and scrambled up off the ground, dusting off my pants. Looking at my mother’s grave, I whispered,
“Goodbye, Mother.”
I hurried out of the grove as I clutched the book to my chest. I think I spent around an hour reading about demons and flipping through the different kinds. Later I would read about angels. Later. I shivered as I made my way back to my home and neared the lake. It seemed perfectly still and comforting, but the fragment of memory I had about Wraith and the lake made it seem sinister. No amount of sunlight or cheerful bird chirps could ever change that. It was like a gorgeous cobra waiting to strike. I quickened my pace even more, staring at the lake as I walked as though it would swallow me. Suddenly I crashed into something hard and fell over, the book flying from my arms. The worst feeling of hatred bore into my skull to the point where I thought I was going to be ill. I dared to look up and froze as a pair of bloodshot, brownish red eyes burned into mine.
Wraith towered over me, his face contorted into the ugliest scowl I’d ever seen. He looked like he hadn’t slept for a month, although he had been fine just last night. The circles under his eyes were so dark against his pale skin that he seemed ill. His lips were pale like the rest of him and his face bony, the skin seemingly stretched over it, only adding to the effect. His hair, always so sleek and magnificent, was dull and disheveled. Everything I had found beautiful about him was contorted into bone crushing tension and negativity.
“You disgusting thing.”
The voice was no longer human, a mere raspy hiss. Even so, it sounded intrigued, like I was a piece of rare meat, and trying to mask the wonder with a disgusted tone.
“Do you know what kind of torture you’ve put me through?” Wraith advanced, uneven lumbering steps replacing his former graceful stride. I shuffled backwards on hands and feet to get away, my efforts in vain as his bony hand grabbed my shirt and pulled me to his face.
“Do you?!”
“N-no!” I squealed.
“I’ve had to go through practically this entire damned continent searching for your pitiful self. Countless scars put on my back when I failed to find you. Countless threats on my existence, because you’re the thing to defeat my Lord’s army,” Wraith dropped my shirt and before I could fall to the ground he grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling me off the ground by it.
“This. This white hair. You’re the only one to walk the humans with this white hair. Why was it so hard to find you, then? When you clearly stood out so well?” I let out a yelp as he shook me by my hair and almost ripped it out, “I know why. That pathetic excuse of an angel, the one you call Inkcrest. He did everything he could to keep me away, didn’t he?” A hollow chuckle escaped Wraith’s lips, “And now here I am. With you in my hands, squirming like the vermin you are.”
I tried desperately to free myself from his grasp, kicking and clawing at his hands. All he did was chuckle again, that sick, hollow chuckle that made my skin crawl. I was panicking to the point where I could barely see his face, or anything else.
“Kendell!” The screech left my throat before I could process anything. “Kendell!” My screeches turned to sobs and Wraith slammed my head into a nearby tree.
“Shut up, filth.”
“K-Kendell…!” Something warm trickled down the side of my head. Blood? “Kendell… Kendell, help me…” As if he could even hear me…
“Enough!” Wraith dragged me to the lake and threw me in, the cold water shocking me as it dragged me under. I stupidly tried to inhale, my lungs filling with the cold water. I tried to cough it out as I broke the surface, spluttering and trying to grab on to something, anything despite the fact that I was still in the shallow part of the lake. Wraith lifted a hand and I was dragged under again, the water crushing me with a realization;
I was going to die.
Tree roots had wrapped around my ankles and were dragging me further and further to the bottom of the lake. I had skipped the paragraph explaining some demon powers. Well, no need to read it now… If I got out of this mess alive. A voice, silky and seductive, Wraith’s more human voice, vibrated through my ears and in my mind,
“Just let go, Princess… It will be over much sooner if you stop struggling…”
“What if I don’t want to let go?!” I mentally shot back, still clawing at the lake floor.
“Then you’ll be making this job more difficult than it’s already been. I don’t appreciate you being a spoiled brat, and I won’t tolerate it much longer.”
“You’re already killing me, what difference does it make?!”
There was silence before he growled, “JUST DIE ALREADY!”
“Not yet!” My effort to stay strong was in vain, the last of what breath I had taken were floating away from my mouth. I could feel my lungs crumpling from the lack of oxygen.
“Damn it, you insufferable creat-“
He was cut off and the tree roots unraveled from my ankles. I desperately tried to swim upwards, practically crawling up the lake bottom. I was still so close to the lake shore, but my vision blurred when I was around a foot from the lake’s surface. A hand reached in and pulled me out, and I sharply inhaled.
“Annabelle!” The familiar, friendly voice made me fight to keep my eyes open.
“K-Kendell…?”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” He crushed me in his arms, causing me to cough violently. I honestly don’t even know how I held my breath that long. It seemed like a lifetime. My clothes were cold and clung to my skin, my hair dripping with lake water. He loosened his grip on me so I could see his face, which was riddled with worry. Kendell’s wings glowed softly in the sunlight. All of a sudden, Kendell was ripped away from me and Wraith held him by his shirt collar. I let out a whimper, for the side of Wraith’s head had been burned, leaving only half a head of hair and charred skin and bone. His other eye was sunken into his head so much that it was barely visible, and the rest of his skin seemed to sag.
“WRETCH!” The growl didn’t sound like anything from a human, or even an animal. Just a pure demonic growl overflowing with hatred. Two giant dark wings sprouted from his back as he tossed Kendell through two trees. Yes, through. I was frozen, I didn’t know what to do. Kendell groaned,
“Annabelle, get out of here!”
“But-but-”
“Now!”
I turned on my heels and started to run, catching a glimpse of the book on the ground. My brain was swirling with terror as I plucked it off the ground and continued running. There was a loud crash that echoed through the trees and I dared to look back. I cried out as I saw Wraith crashing through trees, flying after me. His face was like from the first dream he spoke, eyes glowing like ghastly orbs and jaw stretched, revealing razor like teeth. My feet became heavy and I struggled to keep running, but he soon caught me. Lifting me up into the air, he bit deeply into my shoulder. I yelped as the blood soaked my shirt and his teeth secured themselves into my shoulder. I could hear him gulping down my blood, he drank relentlessly. A burning pain shot all the way down my body. My vision blurred. He was taking too much. I felt cold.
Cold…
So cold…
A shout barely made its way to my ears. More shouting. It was nothing but noise to me. I felt Wraith jolt and take his fangs out of my shoulder.
Then I was falling.
The leaf covered ground never touched me, instead I fell into a pair of strong arms. I couldn’t see clearly enough to see who caught me, but I knew it was Kendell.
“Annabelle! Annabelle, don’t die on me!”
“Oh yes, Princess… That would be most unfortunate for your friend…” The demonic rasp was gone from Wraith’s voice and it sounded human again… Strong and smooth, like I was used to, but with an arrogant, sarcastic edge. The sound made me want to slip my eyes shut and fall asleep, but when I tried, Kendell shook me.
“Don’t fall asleep right now!”
“Give it up, Anzeleaz. Just let her die and be done with this struggle.”
Anzeleaz…? Who was that?
There was no response, just a blinding light. I could feel my skin stretching and tingling, my sight and consciousness returning until I could register the dastardly situation I was in. My head snapped towards Wraith and I was shocked to see that his former disheveled appearance was gone, replaced with the clean, regal features he always carried. A triumphant smirk graced his face as he pushed a stray strand of hair out of his face.
The book was still in my hand somehow. I thought I would have surely dropped it, being drained of my blood as I just was.
“You’re a bastard, Atael.”
“What? You know that an angel’s blood alone does healing wonders for beings like me. And it was certainly needed after the fool’s rosary stunt,” he spat out the last few words.
Kendell put me down and hissed, “I can only stall. Get out of here.”
I stared into his icy eyes, seeing the anger and terror in them before gripping the book tighter and dashing off into the trees. A slice and the sound of liquid splattering against the leaves echoed around the forest. There was a strange shuffling sound behind me that almost blended with the sound of my footsteps, only it was horribly uneven. I continued to tear across the forest until I saw the beginning of the field. I wanted to cry tears of joy. There was a dragging sound and crashes, more splattering and a lengthy howl of pain. I made it into the field and kept running despite my burning thighs, in fact, I think I ran faster if possible. Never once did I turn back despite the screams and howls, the sounds of flesh ripping, or blood splattering the ground. Never once did I turn back, despite every nerve telling me to run back there and help Kendell. Never once did I turn back, until I burst into the small wooden door that led into my house.
I turned back to close the door, and the one glimpse of the outside I saw was covered in blood, feathers and claw marks.
One more shriek rang through the air as I locked the door.
And there was silence as I dropped to my knees, and cried.
------Chapter 9------
I sat there on the ground for what seemed like an eternity, just sobbing with my face in my hands. Anything could have just happened. I don’t know how I’m still alive. And with the scene I just saw, I don’t know if Kendell or Wraith is alive, either.
“What? You know that an angel’s blood alone does healing wonders for beings like me.”
I was already an angel? Had I always been? Apparently so… I finally decided to collect myself and get off the ground. Sitting here crying like a coward was a waste of time. Brushing myself off, I straightened out my soaked clothes as much as possible and groaned at the ripped up, blood soaked part of my shirt. How was I going to explain this? I decided to just remove my shirt and continued through the house in my corset. When I pulled it off, I made sure to bundle it so no one could see the stains. I ran my hand through my wet, tangled hair, only to discover dried blood on my head. Oh, right… Wraith slammed me into a tree… I used my shirt to get the blood off and continued walking. Small puddles were left through the hall. The house was so quiet as I walked back up the stairs that I thought everyone had disappeared.
No one had disappeared, of course… But they looked as if they wanted to. Everyone, old or young, was solemn and quiet. I was confused and spotted Katherine.
“Katherine, why is everyone so-“
“Shh!” She raised a hand to her lips angrily and spoke in harsh whispers. “Don’t speak! If he hears…”
“Huh?”
“Your father!”
“Now what?” I tried my best to stay quiet, but I couldn’t hold back a groan.
“Shh! He said that if he was disturbed, he’d permanently deal with the cause! And why are you all wet?”
“It’s a long story, but really?” My father was getting worse. “And where is he…?”
“S-still in the study… Good Lord, you aren’t considering going to see him, are you?” Katherine’s expression was full of fear and worry.
“I’m not considering it, I’m going to do it. I know why he is the way he is, just stay here and keep watch over the others.”
Katherine hesitated before shakily nodding and scurrying away. I looked at the book in my hands and flipped through the table of contents as I walked. I found what I was looking for and flipped to the page about demon possessions.
“Demon possessions are serious problems for humans. Demons are much more powerful than them and can easily overtake human souls by finding a single shred of darkness in them. Possession varies by demon strength, and the most common possession is when a demon uses a human as their puppet to control into doing their bidding. However, there is possession caused by a demon’s anger and causes a human to become corrupted.”
Yes, yes, that’s great. I flipped through the book to find something of better use.
“The only way to end a puppeteer demon possession is by forcing the demon to say its name and then use the name to force the demon out of the human’s body. A demon name holds great power in terms of exorcising a demon puppeteer. However, possessions caused by a demon being too close to a human or a demon’s anger radiating on them can only be cured if the victim wears holy objects. Granted, this is difficult because the object will burn terribly as it eradicates the negative energy surrounding the human.”
And there is my solution. Clearly Wraith wasn’t in need of a puppet, so the possession is from him poisoning my father. Fantastic. I closed the book and walked past the study to my room for my rosary.
“You’re a bastard, Atael.”
Kendell called Wraith Atael… It seems that would be Wraith’s real name, then. Not a difficult thing to figure out. Demons and angels usually had names like that, but for some reason I didn’t want to use that name. It didn’t fit like Wraith did.
“Give it up, Anzeleaz.”
He was talking to Kendell, so that must be Kendell’s real name. It was the same thing with him, I could never see him as anyone else but Kendell. I don’t know why they needed different names, though. Anyway, I went into my room and found my rosary and put it in my pocket, tossed my shirt in the corner along with the book, changed into a dry corset and pants, then trudged back to the study. The door was closed but I didn’t bother to knock, simply pushing the door open and walking in.
The room was a mess of papers and books, my father’s figure hunched over in his now tattered red chair. His hair was a mess, his skin was sickly pale and covered in age lines, his eyes were sunken in and heavy bags hung underneath them, his clothes were wrinkled and worn out, and he looked at me with such a scowl that I barely recognized him.
“How dare you enter here without my permission, in such disgusting attire, no less,” his voice was low and full of disdain.
“I never needed permission before.”
“That’s because I spoiled you, you stupid brat!” His words stung, but I pushed it aside and assured myself it was just because of Wraith.
“Believe what you will. Now tell me what’s been troubling you lately.”
“Lately? More like always. I hate all of you. All of you!” The pure anger laced in his voice made me actually want to believe him, but this wasn’t my father. You could always tell when he was truthful or not through his eyes, and he made it known that he loved me and the house staff. I kept repeating in my mind that there was nothing to worry about.
“Is that so?”
“Yes! What would you know, I hated you the most! I don’t know why I call you my child, you’re a freak! A disgrace to mankind! You’re obviously some kind of witch, with green eyes and white hair. You know what, I should burn you right here!” My father looked for a candle of some kind, only to find nothing. I rolled my eyes and walked right up to him, staring him straight in his now dull brown eyes.
“You’d actually consider burning a thing you’ve spent years raising?”
“You’re damn right, I would! I never wanted you… Maybe I should have just sold you to Jacob and be rid of you forever!”
“Yes, that’s what you should have done,” sarcasm dripped from my voice as I sat on the desk, in which my father tried to shoo my away. I ignored him and put on a curious face, “Where is Lord Wraith, anyway? Have you seen him lately?”
“I bet I know why you want to know, you prostitute… And he left last night for a drink and hasn’t come back. You probably had something to do with that, didn’t you?!”
I raised an eyebrow, not amused with his first accusation, but unable to deny the truth in the second. A lie formed in my mind anyway as I spoke, “I assure you I have no interest in that… man, and I haven’t had anything to do with this disappearance.” I got up from the desk and hovered behind his chair, slipping the rosary out of my pocket.
“Don’t lie to me, brat! You must have offended him in some way. My wife should have taught you some damn manners before she died…”
That was enough. I dropped the rosary on him, making sure that it ended up around his neck. As soon as it made contact with him, a loud sizzling filled the air. He tried desperately to rip it off, but I jumped on him and held it there. The sizzling continued, louder and louder until I saw my father’s face actually start to form horrible blisters. His skin began to crack and his eyes sunk in even further. I thought he was dying, but fought the urge to pull the rosary off. If I did, he’d never get better. I heard bones pop and crack as his eyes smoldered, a strange black mist rising from them and swirling in the center of the room.
The door flew open and Katherine stood there, staring in shock. She looked like she was about to faint as she took in the smoke and my father’s condition.
“Katherine, don’t just stand there! Get the holy water!”
She sat frozen before nodding and dashing back out. A raspy, choked hiss escaped my father’s throat as he clawed at my hands.
“Get it off! Get. It. Off. Now!”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Damn it, girl! Can’t you see you’re killing the one who raised you?”
“I’m not killing you, I’m helping you.”
“Like hell, you are! Let me go!” He clawed my hands so much that he cut them, blood dripping all over his desk and shirt. My face contorted in pain as the cuts burned, but I didn’t let go. The mist continued to rise from his eyes and pool in the center of the room, and that’s when I noticed it was taking shape. It formed slowly into what looked like feet, then started to build up into some other shape… A coat?
The struggle continued for another very long few minutes and I prayed for Katherine to find the holy water and get back here. Now the black shape was slightly longer and narrowing in. Another moment passed and Katherine finally burst into the door, the bottle opened.
“W-what do I do with it?”
“Pour it on him! And don’t touch that black shape, whatever you do!”
Katherine timidly scurried inside, staying as far from the black shape as she could. She gasped as she got a closer look at the mess of a man before me. Her hands were shaky as she tipped the bottle and poured half of it on his head. A piercing wail left his throat and steam floated in the air as if Katherine had dumped acid on him. The black mist traveled faster from his eyes and started to build into a man, the arms and chest forming. Katherine covered her mouth with her free hand and stared in horror. Just a little longer. Eventually, the mist gathered up to the neck and built the face and the long, dark hair.
Katherine murmured, “It looks like…”
“Wraith…” I finished for her as the figure stood there. Its jaws stretched and a wild howl left its throat. My father went limp and I took the rosary from his throat, flinging it into the figure. Another howl, one of pain echoed against the walls and I took the holy water from Katherine, emptying it on the figure. The water sucked all the mist into it and seemed to evaporate, leaving my rosary to fall to the ground.
“Oh my God… Oh my God…” Katherine grabbed the desk for support.
I stumbled over to the rosary and plucked it off the ground, grimacing as my hands bled a bit more from the movement. Placing it around my father’s neck, I pulled him up and Katherine quickly bent to help. Slowly, we carried him from the study to his bedroom. Once we had finished laying him on the bed, Katherine took hold of my wrists and examined my hands.
“The cuts aren’t deep, but let’s get you bandaged anyway.”
She was still shaking as she led me to the bandages and took out the supplies, cleaning my wounds and wrapping them in white bandage. I winced at the sting. She stared at the gash on my head and cleaned that as well. Thanking her, I sat there as a million thoughts floated through my mind, each one present for no longer than a second. I needed time to process everything that just happened. It was too strange to be possible, the normal people would tell me so. They would tell me that I was just dreaming, or they’d lock me up in the asylum, or they’d assume that I was possessed and try to exorcise me. The normal ones would tell me just how wrong I am, and make me believe them.
But why should I care about what the humans say…
Surely they can’t be right about this.
Not this time.
I know what I saw, I know what I did, I know what I’m going to be, or, already am, I know about the people around me, and I know what I’m supposed to do. No one else currently matters, neither does their opinion or anything else. I just have to keep telling myself that. And maybe after a while, I’ll believe it. Katherine coughed,
“What just happened, Miss- Annabelle…?”
I sighed, debating on whether or not I should tell her, “Alright. You can’t tell anyone, not a word. If someone found out, well… It wouldn’t be good at all. Understood?”
She nodded and stared at me wide eyed.
“My father was possessed by a demon. Well, a demon’s anger, to be exact. It happens when a demon is upset and too close to a human for a long period of time.”
“Wait, but it looked like Lord Wraith!” Her eyes flashed as she worked out the situation, and then she gasped in disbelief, “Wraith is-“
“A demon, yes. And not just any demon, an archdemon. He’s insanely powerful. If you see him, try not to say anything or anger him. You don’t want to end up like my father. Although I doubt he’ll come by again…”
“But how? He seems human enough! Shouldn’t we tell Father Patterson-“
“God, no! He can’t do anything against an archdemon, Wraith is too strong. And besides, if word got out that a demon like that was in town, do you know what kind of chaos there would be? That and Larissa would probably find a way to run my father and I out of town. I’m only telling you because you happened to witness an… Interesting scene. I trust you to stay quiet.”
“O-oh, yes, Annabelle… Will Master Drevensek be okay…?”
“More than okay. He was merely tainted by negative energy. I’m sure he’ll be his kind self again in a few days. And be careful if Wraith does come back. Don’t even make eye contact with him, just to be safe.”
“Alright… I have other housework to attend to… Please be safe, Annabelle!” Face pale and grim, Katherine wandered away on unsteady feet, obviously caught up with what she’d just heard. She had every right to be scared.
Every right.
I slowly walked to my room as I thought of every possible thing that could be done. In three weeks, I’d have wings. The thought kept coming back, no matter how hard I tried to think of other, more important things. A wave of exhaustion hit me, to the point where I could barely keep steady on my feet. As I reached my door, I shakily turned the handle and sighed heavily. When I looked inside, my eyebrows shot up my forehead.
Kendell sat there looking just as exhausted as I felt. Head hung and shoulders hunched, his shirt was covered in blood, but he didn’t have any visible wounds, only faint scars. His skin was deathly pale and his wings looked mangled.
Kendell picked up his head and gave me a weak smile. The dark circles under his eyes shocked me. It looked like he hadn’t slept in ages!
“What happened to you?!” I all but screamed at him.
He winced and motioned for me to sit down. Once I had, he coughed, “I told you, I had to distract Wraith to let you get away.”
“Wraith? You mean-“
“Don’t say his name…”
“Why not?” My brows furrowed in confusion.
“Didn’t you read more of the book?”
“No… I kind of skimmed it, mostly…”
Kendell sighed, “Saying a demon’s name draws it to you. I think the last thing you want is to see him again. But, saying its name will also give you slight power over it, no matter how powerful the demon is.”
“Why did you need different names…?”
“Do you really think I can walk around the human world with a name like Anzeleaz and not raise even the slightest bit of suspicion? Humans are scared of what they don’t understand and don’t take kindly to what they aren’t used to. I thought you knew that.”
“Oh, right,” was all I could say as I blinked at him. I kept my eye on him, letting it travel over his wrinkled clothes, his faint scars, his translucent skin. I felt horrible for letting this happen.
“I’m sorry for getting you in this mess…” Kendell looked at the floor sadly.
“Are you joking? Look at you! You’re in a far worse condition than I am.”
“This is nothing,” he took my hands and I could actually see tears form in his eyes, “This is less than nothing… What happened to your hands?”
My gaze dropped to the floor, “I-I read more of the book… And decided I’d try to get my father back to normal…”
There was silence and I felt Kendell grow tense. When I dragged my eyes up to meet his, I almost laughed at his shocked expression.
“What do you mean you tried to get him back to normal? You didn’t-“
“Exorcise him, so to speak? I did, actually, and it went better than I expected. Although, he didn’t like it very much…” I held up my bandaged hands and gave a sheepish half smile.
He didn’t say anything, just gave me a remorseful look and dropped his gaze on his hands. A troubled expression crossed his face and he blurted out, “You almost died!”
“Yes, and…?” I tried to maintain a straight face despite the pang of fear that gripped me from the truth he spoke.
“It was my fault-“
I slapped him.
“No. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Wraith’s. That stupid bastard was the one who had to try and kill me, and you’re the one that saved me. Don’t go blaming yourself, there’s nothing you could have done that would have prevented Wraith from attempting to kill me again.”
Dazed, Kendell shook his head and stared at me fiercely, “I could have made you stay with me, or kept you on watch or something. This could have been prevented. I thought I was going to lose you, Annabelle. I never want to have to think that again.”
I cupped his cheek with my hand, “Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it? There’s nothing you can do, that will make my life any more risk free. Especially now that I’m evidently going to war? You can try to keep me safe until then all you want, but if Wraith is truly that much of an arrogant ass, then he won’t stop trying to get to me no matter what you do. You could have God himself stand between him and me, and he wouldn’t stop.”
Those beautiful ice blue eyes stared into mine, searching for something. Finally, he spoke, “I’m going to teach you how to defend yourself.”
But make sure that that part is in there. The second thing is when you post your novel you should post a certain amount of chapters as you are doing now but just label in your post the beginning of each chapter. Instead of them just being big pieces of writing. Also you should go through all the posted novel chapters and do the same, that may be a reason why not many people are reading this novel. Because man this is great stuff, people tend to be threated my large clumps of writing.
Gender:
Points: 274
Reviews: 20