Snowscape Trilogy (14 page)

Despite the blood and the pain, I had seen
him smile at me. That perfect, beautiful smile that had once made
the sun rise in the morning and was my moon on a cloudless night.
His blond curls were matted with blood and I could see the edges of
his torn wings peaking out from behind his torso. His piercing blue
flaming eyes starred at me and I could see the willingness of hope
lie within them. The audacity of the situation punched me to the
core and I started laughing; a deep belly laugh bordering on the
edge of hysteria. How had I ever forgotten my angel? My
husband?

Nicor raised one eyebrow in question but did
not relent on the grip he had as he pulled me up against his hard,
cold body. “What, pray tell, is so amusing Miss Ross?”

Ignoring him I smiled as hopefully as I could
muster to Samandiriel and briefly glanced at the ring adorning
Nicor’s middle finger on the hand that now gripped my arm. He
answered me with the faintest of nods.

“I will mate you, Nicor. But first you will
release Samandiriel.”

“No.” he answered simply, his pretext of
niceties falling away. “I will release him as the first rays of
sunrise hit the horizon. Until them, he is my insurance policy
against you running away.”

“Fine. But your men will stop beating him
this instant. Clean his wounds and a change his cloths.

His laugh echoed out suddenly. “And here I
had thought there would be hours of bargaining. Of course, Miss
Ross. I would not think to present him at our wedding such as he
is.” With a flick of his hand, the two demons dropped Sam to the
floor. His body hitting the hard wood, made me jump and catch my
breath. It took every once of strength not to run to his side, but
I knew the cards I now had in my hand. Memories now returned, and I
recalled that I was a player in the political world of demons and
angels and yes, of gods.

Seeing Sam collapsed in a heap I turned
towards Nicor. “May I check on him?” He backed up and motioned for
me to go ahead. The demons loomed close as I kneeled down next to
the fallen angel. His injuries that had looked severe when he had
entered the room were now worse the closer I became to them. There
was a deep gash on his temple and because his shirt was ripped I
could see clearly that his ribs were broken. Handfuls of hair had
been ripped out and his legs were twisted in an unsightly way. I
placed my hand over his and as I reached to wipe the blood from his
face, my wrist was grabbed from behind and Nicor pulled me to my
feet.

“See, he is alive. But do not think yourself
to be more cunning than I. We must prepare for the ceremony my
betrothed. Come. He will be taken care of by my men.” As Nicor
pulled me out of the room, I could see Samandiriel wincing as Frank
pulled him up by his shoulder. His eyes widened suddenly as he felt
the warm gold band I had slipped into his palm. I smiled slightly
to him, nodded and walked out the door into the waiting
elevator

Chapter 18

Unsurprisingly, Nicor was prepared for the
eventuality of our marriage. Despite already being on the topmost
penthouse floor, we rode the gold and mirror adorned lift up two
more flights until we reached a beautiful patio overlooking the
majestic sprawl of New York skyline. In another time and place I
would have loved to curl up with a warm cup of tea and a book on a
rooftop like this. There was a complete bar, fireplace and an
inlaid table with soft cushioned chairs. This was the perfect place
for a dream wedding. And indeed the invitations had been sent early
as there were at least a hundred blue-eyed demons starring at me as
we entered. It was that moment I realized I was still wearing the
old sweats and button down I had dug out of Violet’s hamper in
Edgewood. Could that really have only been three days ago when all
of this started? The silence that had followed my arrival turned
into a hushed din of the wedding goers eagerly trying to look as me
as we walked passed hurriedly.

Nicor’s fingers dug themselves into my arm
and any hopes of struggling were misplaced as he walked me through
the crowd of people. As if sensing my thoughts he said, “I do not
think your Samandiriel would appreciate missing the festivities
because he was too injured to attend. Come you must change. I will
not marry you with his scent on you such as it were.”

“I just don’t like crowds.” I mumbled
back.

As we walked in past all manner of guest, and
demons I could feel the warm evening air swirl about my face. Every
fiber of my being screamed to run. To jump. Anything to get off of
this roof. Nicor led me to a small bathroom on the opposite end of
the rooftop deck and shoved me in before he walked through and
locked the door behind himself.

On a hook next to an outdoor sauna hung a
simple blue summer dress. I had expected something grimmer or more
traditional. “Are you going to watch me change?”

“Yes.” He said simply, but stayed next to the
door.

I turned away from him and undresses as
quickly as possible but taking careful measures to avoid him seeing
anymore than necessary. He did not speak, but simple watched after
me out of the corner of his eye. Had it been any human I would have
feel degraded, but Nicor just made me feel as though I was a jewel
he was appraising looking for flaws. For this small measure of
non-human modesty I was grateful. This was a business arrangement
to him. Nothing more.

As I was washing my face off in the sink
there was a knock on the door. “It is done, Sir”.

“She has been dispatched?” Nicor answered,
his eyes not leaving my body.

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. We did not want that little
trollop ruining our big day. Although, I simply cannot wait to tell
Samandiriel of the news. Listen to me,“ He stepped towards me and
whispered in my ear “I’m as giddy as a school child. So many
millennia old and a simple human custom is all it takes to make me
feel as a toddler with a lolly. Perhaps I will get married again
after you’re dispatched and your power has been siphoned out
sufficiently and added to my own.” The look of disgust was clear
upon my face. “You did not simply think we would begin a marriage
of convenience, did you now? Of course, that is why your two
suitors have been vying for your… prize. As your lawful mate they
will own you. Biblical law. And as such, your power would be
theirs. Now really Miss Ross you should study up on your bible now
that you are reentering this game.“ I nodded, still at a loss for
words. “Samandiriel may truly love you still. However he is a demon
now, and as such he is subject to certain… proclivities. Nathaniel
wants your power, for certain. I have known him a long time and he
would give anything to make you his. He gave up his place as master
of all earthen demons just to become your snowscape tutor.” He let
his hand drift across my breast. “You are very beautiful, though.
You soul holds a majesty not seen among ordinary humans. Maybe I
will keep you around for a few thousand years first before
dispatching you completely.”

Frank cleared his throat and knocked again.
“Sir, they are ready.”

“Wonderful! Has our guest of honor arrived
yet?” Nicor opened the door and allowed me to step barefoot over
the sill before he quickly closed the gap between us and placed his
arm around my waist, holding me tight against his torso. As general
rule demons talk too much and they’re bragging often led way to
revelations that they would prefer not spoken. Although this new
revelation of Nicor’s did nothing but make me firm up my escape
plan, foolhardy as it was.

The generic ting of the elevator caught the
attention of all the rooftop witnesses. The elevators doors opened
and Samandiriel confidently walked out. Still streaked with dried
blood, he held a firm stance now and clearly someone had washed the
blood out of his eyes, which burned with a new blue-fired intensity
that was no longer hidden behind his glasses. Despite his injuries
he walked proudly towards us as the angel I had first encountered
and I could see that they had given him a clean shirt and a new
pair of pants as requested. I looked to Nicor, who was appraising
my reaction, and I nodded in acquiescence. It was then that I
noticed Sam’s arms were bound in a rope of blue ice tied so tightly
that the skin beneath was cut. My heart wept at his injuries and as
our eyes met, I had to look away before the tears started to erupt.
I could not get through this if I was broken. And dammit, Nicor
would not be siphoning anything off of me.

“Samandiriel! I am so happy you can join us.
I have news that simply cannot wait to be told. You good friend,
Violet, had unfortunately been not willing to join us on this happy
occasion. We had to terminate her from the guest list as well as
from this earth.” Nicor laughed abrasively and I could see Sam
tense in reaction to the news, but did not react. 

“You killed her?” I blurted out.

He nodded once. “Although untouched by the
passage of time, even she could not withstand a demons killing
blow.”

“How?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter,“ Sam answered back taking
a moment to look deeply into my eyes. He had received my message
and knew that Violet’s death would just be a distraction for me
now.

Holding myself together by a single thread I
pulled Nicor towards me. “Come. Lets get this over with,” I said as
I headed toward the makeshift alter that had been set up on the
west side of the roof.

Chapter 19

The stage was a simple wooden platform that
had been hastily crated into a centerpiece. Already standing there
was a demon dressed in his most formal priestly garb. My mind
unraveled at the possibility of it, but the mere fact of a demon
priest did not somehow surprise me. I stood opposite Nicor as
Samandiriel was brought to stand close by me.

The priest started speaking in ancient Latin
as my mind raced over the different escape options I was given.
They were few and mostly haphazard, but I refused to stand by and
just let myself be cursed to death and supplication. There was a
small glint in the corner of my eye that brought me out of the
negative reverie. I looked down and could see that Sam was now
wearing the wedding ring I had left in his palm. His hands were
bigger than mine and he had placed it on his pinkie finger and was
now turning it in the last dying rays of sunlight. I longed to look
up into his perfect beauty, but I knew the demons were watching us
carefully for any signs of communication.

Nicor said the words ”I do so vow” as a plan
formed itself sharply in my mind. The priest looked towards me next
and after a few lines of Latin and he paused clearly expecting the
same response.

Instead I spoke, “Undo his shackles.”
Unsurprisingly, Nicor appraising the situation carefully was
hesitant to answer. He was clearly close to getting what he so
desperately wanted, but age had taught him caution. It had also
given way to pride. “Why?” he asked.

“I know full well that you have no intentions
of releasing him as sworn. I will not bind myself to you without
Samandiriel at least being given a chance to fight back. You will
not slaughter him like a lamb on my wedding day.”

Nicor pursed his lips with a hint of a smile.
“Perhaps I will keep you around longer.” With a wave of his hand
the rope fell from Sam’s arms and hit the ground with a shattered
clash. His arms still held the marks of their tautness and it
reminded me of the very marks Nathaniel had left on my wrist what
seemed like eons ago, but was mere days. Nathaniel had taught me
the power of my ability. Every human was mine to control. One such
as Nicor would not subjugate me. I would rather die.

In a flash of inspiration, I looked Sam in
the eye, pushed away from Nicor and before the demon could catch
me, I used every once of my remaining strength to throw myself off
of the rooftop as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the
horizon.

Chapter 20

My body was shaking with exhausting and
emotional overload. I could feel my eyes water and my knees begin
to buckle into themselves. The impending explosion of my full power
coming into being was not helping as my body raced towards the
earth. I could feel every molecule of air swirling around my head
and the blood begin to drip off of my face. I closed my eyes and
waited, vaguely wondering why I was bleeding as the ground rushed
up to meet me as I fell to the city street. Despite the shaking my
body endured I was at peace for what seemed like the first time in
my life. I felt whole, complete and encompassed in a sense of
freedom and purpose. I may well die, but it would be the first time
I had done something on my terms.

I sensed his nearness before I could feel it
and within seconds I was cradled in Samandiriel’s strong arms as he
flew me away from the shattered tower. My senses reeled in his
scent and his caress. My angel, how had I forgotten the love we had
once shared? How had I looked into his flaming blue eyes and not
rushed in? The answer was clear. His eyes had not burned before. He
looked out to me in a pearl iris. He was a different man then. And
I was a different woman. I took one more moment to appreciate his
beauty and smile at the rhythmic beat of his wings before tumbling
into the darkness and passing out.

I awoke in the middle of a warm snowstorm.
The wind rushed around my face in cold, sharp contrast to the
warmth that now radiated my body. I raised my hand and the snow
stopped suddenly. I held out my palm and the remaining particles
fluttering about and landed in a soft pile that I molded into a
ball and threw as hard as I could into the air above. It all seemed
so effortless right now. The snow began to drift down again and I
knew it was not of my doing.

I felt him there behind me, rubbing his hands
up and down my naked forearms. It was then that I realized I was
still wearing the wedding dress Nicor provided. Simple, elegant and
designed for a summer elopement, I changed it to something more
palatable to my mood. I wore it when Sam and I ran off to the
wooded area behind my families home. We had not a priest or a
witness, but Sam had brought two rings and there we kneeled, not
before God, but before each other and promised one another our
souls for all eternity. It was on that soft bed of clovers that we
consummated our love.