Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (44 page)

It took me a few seconds to realize I’d survived, that I was still breathing, although I already suffered from the symptoms that indicated Gabriel’s presence. Fearing what might await me, I untangled my arms and slowly raised my head. I was promptly frozen to the ground where I stood.

Black, soft feathers floated lazily through the air, slowly falling everywhere. Not knowing exactly what I was staring at, I saw Gabriel standing in the middle of the wreckage, all that was left of my living room. He held something long in one of his pale hands that looked very much like a spear. As my gaze followed the black handle from which dark ribbons softly dangled, I noticed the menacing blade, shaped like a crescent moon. Its shiny silver point was firmly pressed against someone else’s neck, and his cold smile sent shivers down my spine. Panicking, I understood that the other presence I could feel belonged to the one he was now threatening, and I quickly ran my urgent, frightened eyes over him.

The first thing I noticed immediately were the other’s long, black feathered wings that closed against his body, reaching knee length. He wore a white shirt left open over his chest, and his dark-red hair was short, except for the bangs that fell over his forehead and down his face, partially covering his right eye. I also noticed the bright golden sword he held, so bright that it almost looked like it emitted a light of its own. And I nervously squeezed my hands together when I saw that the tip of the blade was pointing directly at the chest of a much younger boy.

Completely naked, the youth stood with his back to me, his tousled black hair reaching the base of his neck. He was tall, but lean and, due to his frail appearance, I wouldn’t have given him more than fifteen. He held his slender arm stretched at his side, his skin as pale as Gabriel’s, the muscles thin but well toned. His hand, however, was hardly Human, his fingers ending in sharp, long claws that he kept pressed against another boy’s chest.

Much shorter than the other three, his hair was fair, his green eyes staring blankly into nothingness. Contrary to the rest, he didn’t even seem to have noticed the sharp claws that threatened him, his expression empty and distant.

“What are you doing here?” His whisper, always so clear to me, broke my stunned contemplation of the picture before me and my eyes ran towards him, towards his hard, marble face. That question, more than a question, had sounded like a threat, and the air around us became heavier with his menacing presence, making my heart beat wildly, in spite of the distance between us.

“Tell your cat to retract his claws,” the one with the black wings demanded and only then did it occur to me; if not for the black color of his wings, he would have looked like an angel, straight from the mythical images that so frequently appeared in religious books and churches.

“What are you doing here?”

I shuddered when he raised his voice, repeating the question a word at a time, but the black angel stood unwavering, even though Gabriel’s spear threatened to cut his throat with the slightest movement of his pale hand.

“Your cat!”

The unmoving statue turned towards the naked boy and I clung harder to the doorjamb as I noticed the red glow in his dark eyes. Over time I’d learned that when his eyes took on that color it usually meant that he was furious, and that I should keep my distance for as long as possible.

“Suileabhan!” His voice, even murmured, echoed all over the room just like when he used to called me by my name. And all it took was that one word. The naked youth lowered his arm obediently, releasing the other boy from his dangerous claws. The black angel smiled, apparently more at ease, and also lowered his sword.

“Much better. And is this any way to welcome me, Izrail?” The word echoed in my mind. Was that his real name? I saw him clench his teeth, his face pure, hard stone, and he held his blade even closer to the black angel’s throat.

“It’s the last time I ask you. What are you doing here?” he demanded one more time, his eyes burning with that frightening red glow, and I couldn’t help wonder how the black angel was able to face that terrifying look without even flinching.

“I understand that, right now, you don’t trust anyone. It’s what I call good sense. But really! Just think for a moment. Certainly you do not believe I would have brought Jonathan with me, had I come to kill you.”

He seemed to consider for an instant, and then stepped back, pieces of wood crackling under his feet, as he slightly lowered his spear, although he made sure to keep it at an angle to quickly raise it if needed.

The black angel smiled again, making his sword disappear in a beautiful rain of bright small particles. Seeming amused, he looked around him appreciatively, and I noticed for the first time that his eyes were dark-red, almost black, perfectly matching the color of his hair. He also seemed to notice me, which made me recoil against the doorframe and, with a wide smile, he took a step in my direction.

“And what’s this? I thought you had decided against the use of
Mediums
!” he stated, sounding intrigued, almost as if he were seeing something rare, and his path was immediately cut off by the boy with the black hair standing promptly in his way.

“Stay where you are,” Gabriel commanded in that indifferent tone that still wouldn’t allow disobedience. The black angel seemed to rethink his path, deciding to do as he’d been told. “Lea, take her upstairs and then check the barrier. And change shapes. You know what will happen if you don’t.” The words flew from his perfect mouth in a straightforward way, and the boy, who’d moved to stand between me and the black angel, obeyed him immediately.

I raised my head to look up at him, my heart beating too fast against my chest, and was faced with two silver eyes that gently smiled at me. It was impossible not to recognize him, although he now looked much older. His red collar with its golden bell still surrounded his neck.

Bending over me, Lea held me by the arms and lifted me from the ground. I tried to stand on my trembling legs and allowed his big, warm hands to lead me out of the room.

I made him stop by the stairs and had to look up to face his much taller stature. His young face was breathtaking, maybe even more beautiful than Gabriel’s, and I felt lost, for a moment. But then he looked away, his perfect face twitching into a grimace, and I could easily recognize him once again.

“Lea.”

“I’m really sorry, Mari, for all of this, but everything is going to be all right,” he assured me, forcing a smile, and his deep, warm voice made my heart skip a beat.

“It’s really you,” I mused, still trying to accept it, and his pale skin blushed lightly as he became aware of his appearance.

“Yes, but I’ll change in a minute, as soon as I help you up the stairs.”

“I didn’t know you could ... grow like this.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, lowering his head, his tussled hair sliding over his forehead in soft, wavy strands.

“I’m fine,” I said, even though I wasn’t all that sure, and he gave me a worried look. “Really, I’m fine,” I repeated, trying to reassure him, and stole a fleeting gaze towards the opened door. “That one ... he’s a
Mazzikin
, isn’t he?” He nodded and I tried to sort out my thoughts. “Did he come ... to kill him?” My voice faltered, the words burning my throat.

“I don’t think so. We kind of know him, more or less,” he said in an attempt to erase my fears. I nodded, but still didn’t completely understand.

“You can go. You have other things to do, right? I’ll be fine, really,” I insisted, stepping away from his reach, showing him I could stand without his help.

“You sure?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll just go upstairs and try to get some sleep. I’ll sort out the rest tomorrow. And you have that barrier to check.”

Lea nodded, agreeing with my plan.

“You’ll really be OK.”

“I will.”

“Then I’ll be back in a minute!” I nodded once again, making myself smile up at him, knowing how much that expression made him more at ease, and his lean body started to glow, diminishing in size until he was nothing but a small, black ball of fur.

The kitten gave me a last look, to make sure I was still standing, and then nimbly jumped and ran towards the kitchen, the soft chime of his bell echoing in the distance, until it was suddenly gone.

Silence surrounded me and I climbed the first few steps. Maybe if I could reach my room and sleep away the rest of the night, everything would be back to normal when morning came. That way I could easily explain what I’d just seen as a very strange, very real nightmare and, once I woke up, I could go to school as if nothing had happened.

However, the crackle of wooden pieces and the distant murmur of voices made me look back.

There I was, trying to run away from reality yet once again. As if doing so would solve anything! The truth was that my living room had been completely destroyed. And that, even if tomorrow everything were to be back to its original place, as had happened with my bedroom, nothing could change what had really happened.

So I went back down, leaning against the wall for support, flattening my wavering body against it by the door, as I tried to listen to what was going on inside.

I heard what sounded like footsteps over broken pieces of wood and shattered glass, and dared lean forward to take a peek.

“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here,” Gabriel was insisting, following the black angel with his burning gaze as he curiously strolled around the destroyed room, apparently unconcerned.

“Isn’t that what I should be asking you? Have you lost your mind? Or have you suddenly been overcome by an imminent death wish?” the angel asked, the irony heavy in his voice, and Gabriel’s burning gaze glowed bright red.

“Do not test my patience, Sigweardiel.”

Even I shuddered at the way he said that name, and the black angel froze, his face suddenly livid.

“Why do you think I came?” the intruder asked. “To warn you, of course! I’m not crazy enough to break through your barrier without having a good reason. But honestly, Izrail! What were you thinking? Staying in the same place for so long! I’ve been watching over the limits of this protection of yours for over a week! And then, as if this weren’t enough, you just happily go for a walk outside? It was just a matter of time!”

Gabriel looked even less pleased with this news than he had been with this stranger’s sudden intrusion.

“Who?”

“Your younger Brother. I followed him from the coast of Africa. In the beginning he was alone, but as it turned out, he met someone on this side of the ocean. I don’t really know who. You have to get out of here as soon as possible!”

Gabriel finally seemed to think it was safe to get rid of his evil-looking weapon, and the spear unexpectedly crumbled, transforming into soft, black ash that lazily floated towards the ground.

“I can’t,” he simply replied and the black angel stared back at him.

“You can’t? What do you mean, you can’t?”

“I can’t!” he reaffirmed, giving it a final tone, and the black angel seemed to ponder for a moment.

“Is it because of that Human?” he finally guessed, although his skeptic tone said he didn’t believe it for a second, and his dark eyes grew wide as minutes went by and there was no answer. “I see. Well, if she’s your
Medium
, just bring her with you!” My heart jumped, certain that I’d just become the subject of their conversation.

“She is not my
Medium
! I refuse to use something like
Mediums
,” he calmly stated, seeming immune to the urgency sprawled all over the
Mazzikin
’s face.

“And? Even if she isn’t! If she’s the one keeping you here, just bring her along!”

“I accepted a Contract. I can’t leave.”

The room was silent for a long moment and I found myself holding my breath, fearing I might have been discovered.

“A Contract! You’re joking! Right? You? The one who never wants to have anything to do with the Humans? And now of all times! You can’t be serious!”

“That’s exactly how it is. She is the one who broke the Seal,” he explained to justify the Contract binding us together, and the black angel seemed deeply displeased.

“That much I gathered! You think I didn’t see it? I used to be an
Iaidon
, Izrail! And I still haven’t lost my sight! Unlike you, who needs proofs like those, all I have to do is look,” he added, indicating Gabriel’s pale hand, and he turned it to look at it, the red burns still marking his pale skin. “As I see it, she shines enough to light the whole room! That’s why I thought you made her your
Medium
. Which, let’s admit, would be the smartest thing to do in your current situation. But no! Oh no! You went and accepted a Contract! Why? If you could just have taken whatever you wanted, as soon as you realized what she is, and be done with it?”

Gabriel averted his gaze and my heart almost stopped. That was the question I so many times had tried to ask him and he’d always refused to reply. The same that Lea had always awkwardly told me he had no authorization to talk about. The real reason behind that Contract, and what exactly he wanted from me.

“Now that I think about it, it’s all your fault,” Gabriel told him and the black angel seemed speechless.