Angel City Demon

[K Man]

“For what?” Julian asked in honesty and upon seeing Ophelia’s stern face suddenly amended his statement. “Yes.”

Ophelia grabbed Julian’s wrist and held it tight. Julian noticed the strength the angel possessed as he tried to resist the grapple but could not despite his best attempts. Without word or warning, Ophelia took off across the neutral area between the two great walls of Angel City. Julian tried his best to keep up but relied mainly on the speed and strength of Ophelia as she pulled him along.

Julian heard the guards of the inner wall, a position he himself once held, yell out for the two demons crossing the field. The guards sounded confused and unsure of what action to take, as it wasn’t often that two demons broke across the ancient barriers of the city in heaven. Julian chuckled silently at the power of Ophelia’s disguise and its countless possibilities. The guards managed to perplex over the occurrence long enough to not take any action and allow Ophelia and Julian to reach the opposing outer wall of Angel City.

“Oh, where is it?” Ophelia suddenly stopped before the outer wall, releasing Julian’s hand and placing it on her chin.

“Where is what?”

Julian glanced over his shoulder and up to the guard towers that graced the inner wall, fearing a violent attack from the guards. They seemed to be mobilizing and turning one of the large cannons towards the duo by the wall. Normally the cannons pointed to the skies above heaven in hopes of burning rogue angels from the skies so it was taking the guards a considerable amount of time to readjust. Julian had operated those cannons once in his life and the heat he felt that day from the blast was enough to singe his normally fireproof skin. He feared the shot that was inevitably going to come. He looked to Ophelia who still had her hand on her chin in a nonchalant manner.

“A door out of here. I could’ve sworn one was somewhere around here.”

Julian never knew there was a door out of Angel City in the outer wall. In fact, he believed the wall had been constructed solid as to prevent entrance by the denizens of heaven. Julian voiced this opinion aloud to the still searching Ophelia.

“There is no door here Ophelia. It’s a solid wall. It was built that way.”

“No it’s not.” Ophelia huffed. “There are a dozen doors in this wall. We use them to get goods and weapons in and out of the city that can’t easily be flown in.”

Julian looked over his shoulder. The guards had managed to reposition to cannon to fire upon them. The guards were frantically lashing the cannon down so that it wouldn’t sail back into the city from the recoil when fired. Julian knew that, within seconds, a blast of flame and molten scrap would envelop them both. He took a step closer to the wall and began searching with Ophelia, despite that fact that he had no idea what one of these doors looked like or how it opened.

Ophelia took a step back and seemed agitated. She also looked over her shoulder to the imminent death from above that Julian noticed was seconds closer to firing.


“Oh forget it.” Ophelia grabbed Julian’s arm once again.

Ophelia spread her wings wide and crouched slightly before her pale, perfect legs thrust her into the air with Julian hanging on for dear life. The ground rushed away beneath the duo and just after he felt himself pulled into the air like a doll, Julian felt the heat from the cannon blast ignite the very spot where he just stood. The heat rolled over the dangling demon as he was pulled upwards and the molten slag from the blast splattered and burned his skin. The heat was washed away quickly as Ophelia continued to pull him upwards through the cold air into the skies of heaven.

Julian lifted his legs to avoid the ichor-tipped spikes atop the outer wall as the two sailed over it. Julian glanced back, squinting his eyes from the rush of air forced down by Ophelia’ swings. He saw the demons, manning the cannon atop the wall, scrambling to reposition the massive weapon in hopes of firing one more shot before the two were out of range. Julian smiled as he watched the empty land, technically part of heaven but unoccupied for its proximity to Angel City, pass by at an amazing rate. The wind whistled through his ears and the place Julian had so desperately wanted to visit came increasingly closer, much to the demons delight.

The cannon fired one last shot that fell drastically short of even threatening the flying angel with demon in tow and Julian could imagine the curses and swears from the operators. Ophelia lowered her speed and descended until Julian watched the land beneath pass by at a still alarming rate. Water streamed from his eyes and a smile spread from ear to ear. For the first time since his change of heart, he was happy.

Julian could get used to flying.

Ophelia slowed her pace and came to a hover over a small home on the outskirts of heaven. She gently dropped Julian to the ground and landed next to him, folding her platinum wings back behind her body. Julian noticed, that even after the daring escape and incredible flight to safety, Ophelia still maintained and air and grace about her that was awe-inspiring.

“Come on. I need to get you inside my house. I need to protect you…” Ophelia took several strides for the door.

Ophelia opened the door and stood aside to allow Julian to enter but paused when she saw that Julian still stood where she had dropped him, the smile still plastered across his face as though it were permanent.

“Julian!” Ophelia nearly yelled. “Get inside now!”

Julian snapped from his euphoric trance. He remembered brief bits of the previous command.

“Protect me? From what?” Julian asked as he strode inside.

“You think heaven will stand long for a demon in it, outside the confines of Angel City?”

Ophelia’s last words made Julian glance to the sky expecting a barrage of angels to rain upon him with vengeance.

Julian's fears weren’t unfounded…
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Zarni]

...

[Merovingian]

Why did the guards fire on demons leaving angel city? You would think they would sanction raids, or is it more of a cease fire period. Or did I gust miss part of the story in my enthrallment with the plot and miss that detail. Not that it matters all that much just curious.

[K Man]

VI.

“Get inside now! Go to the room on the left past the kitchen. Open the small chest under the bed, you will find a medallion, much like mine, put it on…quickly!!” Ophelia shoved Julian through the open door.

Julian found himself standing in a strange home and the door shut quickly behind him. He glanced out the windows to where Ophelia stood for a moment and then the urgency of her command set in. If what Julian had briefly caught a glimpse of was correct, an angel was seconds away from landing after a quick descent from the skies.

Julian had only a fleeting vision of the angel before a frantic Ophelia tossed him inside, but it was enough to get a good idea of the angel that was coming. The wings spread farther than any he had ever seen which usually meant a higher position of power and authority in heaven and… THAT sword! Julian at first thought it was two angels sharing one set of wings, but as it neared he could plainly see that it was a sword roughly the size of the angel itself strapped to its back. The blade must have been over six feet long and roughly two feet wide. Julian hoped he would never see that blade in action, especially if he was the target.

Julian was suddenly reminded of what he was shoved inside to do, ‘get the medallion from the chest under the bed in the room on the left past the kitchen.’ The demon silently praised his short-term memory and went streaking through the house past countless pieces of furniture and knick-knacks. He shot into the bedroom with the speed of one being chased by their worst nightmares and reached under the bed. His hands clasped around a small wooden box and he pulled it back into view. Throwing the lid open, Julian noticed it was full of strange objects.

There was the medallion that did bear a striking resemblance to the one Ophelia wore, albeit it was a bit more demonic in design. There was also a bracelet, strikingly silver and laden with fine gems next to a small photograph of a group of angels. Finally there was an unopened letter that was sealed with a wax stamp initialed with an ‘X’.

Julian picked up the bracelet and felt its fine construction with his thumb and forefinger. The bracelet was small, too small for his own wrist, perhaps that of a child or someone else of very small stature. There were also small crimson flakes crusted in and among the jewels…blood. Julian could tell by the smell.

The photograph was of four angels, two older and larger and two younger. Julian noticed one of the older angels in the picture bore a resemblance to Ophelia, only much younger than she currently looked. The Ophelia in the picture also had a smile that seemed genuinely happy, which, Julian noted, he had not seen grace her face. Julian could not determine who the older male angel was, next to Ophelia in the picture, nor the two younger angels.

Julian heard the door to the house burst inward followed by Ophelia’s voice.

“…I’m telling you, there’s no one here, Achan.”

“We shall see.” A male voice responded, booming in Julian’s chest much like the voice of Marduk.

Julian quickly tossed the medallion Ophelia mentioned around his head and just as it fell upon his collarbone, the male voice rounded the corner to the bedroom door.

The figure filled the door from to edges of the frame and beyond. It was a male angel with broad chest, shoulders and, Julian noted, a dozen other body parts that seemed oversized. The face was even framed by raven hair that fell in straight lines and the facial features themselves were chiseled and defined. The angel wore armor of a dull gray, covered in an image of a rose with shining beams of light. The sword that Julian had noted earlier stuck both above the shoulders behind the angel, and below the waist to the side.

Julian immediately noticed the angel looked at him like another angel would. Apparently the medallion Ophelia so desperately wanted Julian to wear was the demon version of a disguise. Julian silently hoped his disguise would be sufficient to fool this large angel before him.

Achan, if Julian guessed his name correctly, spoke with his resonating voice again.

“Who are you?”

Julian looked to Ophelia who seemed both frustrated and nervous at the same time. Julian decided the truth was the best answer.

“Julian, and you?”

“I am Achan.” The angel stated as though all in heaven should know the name.

“Well, nice to meet you Achan.”

Achan rolled his eyes upwards accompanied with a condescending huff. He leaned the bulk of his upper body into the room and began to visually scan the bedroom. It was apparent he was searching for something or someone vigilantly. Upon finding nothing, Achan’s gaze met Julian’s again as he spoke.

“Have you seen anything strange lately angel? Like a demon hiding around here?”

Julian noted Achan’s skills of subtlety and tact left much to be desired.

“Nope. No demons hiding around here.” Julian answered truthfully, as the only demon in the room stood in plain sight…sort of.

“Well, Julian, should you see anything, alert myself or Ophelia immediately.”

Achan spoke Julian’s name with an emphasis that made the demon cringe. Julian decided to draw attention from a name that Achan had probably never heard in heaven before to more current events. Julian didn’t want Achan ‘sniffing him out’ because of his name.

“What’s going on? Should I be concerned?” Julian asked, already knowing the answer.

“Well…” Achan glanced to Ophelia as he began his report. “…we know a demon exited Angel City moments ago at a pace that suggested nothing less than flight or some other travel. We are concerned as no demon in existence has wings. Also, seconds ago, this demon disappeared from our radar suggesting powerful magic is protecting it. I would be concerned Julian, if I were you…the inquisitor Ammiel has been murdered although we have yet to locate his body. When we do and we find who killed him, they will be dealt with swiftly.”

[K Man]

Julian instinctively moved his marked leg behind the other to mask the mark of the murdered Ammiel from Achan. Julian hoped the disguise would mask the markings as well as it was masking his body.

“Ophelia has been assigned to find the murderer.” Achan resumed his report, taking little notice of Julian’s shift in stance. “She is normally very swift in dealing justice but she tells me the murderer is proving to be harder to find. If she cannot locate the demon, or group responsible, we will march on Angel City until they surrender the killer.”

Julian’s heart sank.

He knew this situation would become worse the more it was allowed to stagnate without resolution. Julian muttered the next statement with truth in his heart.

“I’m sure those responsible will be found and revenge will be had.”

“Indeed.” Achan stated with confidence.

The dark-haired angel took one more look around the bedroom before spinning on his heel and heading towards the door to exit the house. Ophelia followed Achan, speaking of the current situation and her next few moves but Julian lost their discussions as they left the house. He turned around and put everything back into the box, sans the medallion he wore and would most likely continue to wear, closed the lid and slid it under the bed.

Julian heard Ophelia close the door and walk slowly back to the bedroom. Julian turned and sat upon the soft bed, which he noted, smelled strongly of Ophelia, a scent Julian was beginning to enjoy. Ophelia graced the doorway of the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, fluttering her wings in relief.

“So…what was that about?” Julian asked, leaning back on one arm.

“Achan is responsible for making sure the citizens of heaven are not in danger.” Ophelia responded. “I expected that, just not that quickly. He’s a protector.”

Julian did notice it was mere seconds before Achan arrived after his escape from Angel City. Julian wondered what kind of power an angel had that could sense things that quickly and respond just as fast.

“Clever title.” Julian quirked.

“Mock it now, but you were seconds away from being split in twain…and there would have been nothing I could have done to stop him.” Ophelia’s tone suggested she might have actually been concerned for Julian.

“I noticed that. That sword was huge. Thanks by the way.” Julian tapped the medallion around his neck that just saved his life.

“You’re welcome.” Ophelia tilted her head. “You look strange as an angel.”

Julian tilted his head to match, wondering what the angel meant. Ophelia noticed and responded.

“Remember how I told you that if I change disguises, I would look like a demon until I chose to reveal myself to you?”

Julian nodded, indicating to her that he did recall that fact.

“Well, same concept here. I know what you look like, but you are wearing a disguise that is new to me, so until you choose to reveal your true self, you look like an angel. The only ones that can see you for your true self is another demon or yourself.”

Julian stood from the bed and took a step towards a mirror framed in a pale, ivory-painted wood. His face stared back at him, crimson and smooth as it had always been. Julian touched his face gently, wishing he could, for just a second, see himself as an angel that he so desired to be…even if it was only an illusion. Julian closed his eyes, not wanting to be faced with a desire he couldn’t fulfill.

“How do I reveal myself to you?” Julian asked with a sullen tone.

“Why? I think you look good as an angel…” Ophelia responded playfully.

“Because, it’s not who I am…and I want to be honest with you. An illusion isn’t honest.”

Julian hoped Ophelia could sense the truth in his tone. Julian wanted Ophelia to like him, but as a handsome demon, not as an illusionary angel.

“Just feel it Julian. I can’t explain it better than that. Focus and wish me to see you for what you are.” Ophelia’s words betrayed her despondence at no longer seeing Julian as something pleasing.

Julian turned away from the mirror and looked towards Ophelia, feeling in his heart that she could see him for who he was…not what he was. The illusion must have faded as Ophelia’s face turned from one of delight and pleasantry, to one of slight disgust and meager complacency. Julian didn’t care, this was who he was and he wouldn’t have it any other way. The demon stepped away from the mirror without a second glance and moved towards the exit of the bedroom. Ophelia stepped aside and Julian noticed that the angel took care to ensure no part of their body would even brush together.

Julian sighed and made his way back into the living room of the house. He slumped onto the couch and leaned backwards. He thrust is legs out before him, taking notice of Ammiels’ mark. Julian wondered what benefit Ammiels’ mark would provide him, if any at all. Ophelia entered the room and sat down on a chair opposing the couch. Julian glanced up and spoke softly, feeling defeated egotistically. It wasn’t often that a handsome demon like himself was seen as somewhat repulsive by one of the opposite sex.

“So what now? I assume I’m safe for a while”

“You are…for now.” Ophelia responded. “As for what to do, why don’t we start from the beginning?”

“I only have a name.” Julian muttered.

“I know, Esienyl. That was the name Ammiel spoke before dying right?”

Julian remembered Ophelia’s ability to ‘see’ the past as it happened through another’s eyes. He nodded meekly before asking a question.

“Who is he?” Julian questioned.

“Well…” Ophelia seemed to pause as though mentally wrestling with herself. “…he’s the closest thing we have to a king. He is our leader and commander…an ancient angel, existing since the word first spoke.”

Julian raised his eyebrows. This was certainly not a piece of information he expected.

“Why would Ammiel say his name? Do you think he’s responsible?” Julian sat up, feeling himself drawn into the mystery.

“Absolutely not!” Ophelia seemed to take offense to even the mention of such an idea. “He is perfect. Every angel in heaven aspires to be like him. Myself included.”

Julian sat back worried that he may have said the wrong thing, which, lately, was becoming a habit. Julian quickly tried to change the subject.

“What about something with a name that ends or has ‘of Echoes’ in it? What do you know about that?”

“The Council of Echoes. They are a group of eight angels, very powerful and old as well, that oversees certain things that are decreed by Esienyl. It can be anything our leader demands. From political situations in hell, on earth or even in heaven to directing troops when needed in times of war and developing or enforcing laws, the Council of Echoes handles countless tasks.” Ophelia slumped back in her chair. “I don’t know how they would connected either.”

Julian sensed the defeat in the air. The only pieces of information they had led them to dead ends of powerful seats of heavens rulers. It seemed as though both Julian and Ophelia knew that any inquisition of the two clues would result in dire consequences for the questioners. Not wanting to let the situation be too disheartening, Julian decided to change the subject…a decision he would later regret.

“Who are the angels in that picture? The one in the box under your bed?”

Ophelia stood instantly, shooting her wings outward in a flash. Julian nearly fell off the couch fearing an attack. Ophelia seemed to flare with anger and hatred.

“Don’t bring that up again!”

Ophelia withdrew her wings and deflated slightly which allowed Julian to resume normal breathing. She seemed to be pained at the mention, but unable to berate Julian, as Ophelia was the one that sent him to open the box in the first place. She turned and headed quickly for the door. Without a word, Ophelia slammed the door behind her and Julian could hear her flop onto the bed within.

The light outside was beginning to fade slightly, although the sun never set in heaven, something that always bothered the demons, it was seen as a universal sign to rest and recuperate. Julian took to opportunity to do just that, falling asleep quickly.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[K Man]

VII.

Julians’ eyes cracked open ever slightly as the light of heaven returned to its brilliant shine. The demon had become somewhat accustomed to the only slightly lower light levels for sleep, a drastic change from hell where it becomes slightly lighter during periods of rest. Aside from that, all of hell is drastically dark. As the thoughts of the darkness of his home plane crept into his mind, Julian became aware of a dark shadow moving over his face. Ophelia had risen early and apparently stood over him.

“Listen Julian, about the box…” Ophelia sounded as though her night had not been restful.

“I know.” Julian rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I’m not to mention it again.”

“No…” Ophelia seemed to struggle for her words. “…I’m sorry for being so angry about it. It’s a part of my past I’d like to forget. Too much pain in those memories and when someone brings it up, I get angry.”

Julian sat up, and stretched his arms out. He noticed that once again he felt refreshed, stronger and full of energy. It was probably a side effect of Ammiels’ mark.

Before the recently awakened demon, on a small wooden tray, was a breakfast consisting of a glass of water, some toast and a slice of fruit. Apparently the angel had been up for quite sometime. Ophelia moved from behind the couch to the chair sitting opposite Julian.

“I didn’t know what demons eat. I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s fine. We eat pretty much anything.” Julian stated politely as he reached for the water.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Julian asked his next question bluntly.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Ophelia seemed shocked at the question, as though she had never heard one like it before. She sat with mouth gaping slightly as Julian put down his glass of water and sat back, expecting another outburst. When nothing came of it, he shrugged.

“What?”

“It’s just that no one has asked me to ‘talk about it’. No angel anyway…” Ophelia sat back, trying to overcome her shock. “…whenever it gets mentioned, they just pat me on the back and offer words of comfort saying I should remember the dead and respect them.”

Julian reached for the toast and consumed it greedily, ignoring his normal taste for butter or some other flavoring.

“Well it can’t be good to keep it all inside of you. Demons let their emotions flood outward…of course they are normally lust, hate and anger but it’s still healthier than keeping them inside. So talk” Julian said between bites, enjoying this conversation since it hadn’t devolved into insults or threats yet.

“Well…” Ophelia seemed hesitant to continue. “…you said you saw the picture with the four angels right? I’m the one in the upper left of the picture. The one next to me is…or rather was my mate, Ximon and the other two were our children, Gabrielle and Haakon.”

“Nice names.” Julian interjected.

“Thanks. You must have also noticed the medallion on your neck wasn’t made in heaven or for an angel right?”

Julian nodded.

“That came from a demon named Tiras…” Ophelia trailed off, tears beginning to well up in her blue eyes.

Julian fondled the medallion around his neck. He began to piece the puzzle together mentally and before the silent Ophelia spoke again, he made his assumptions known.

“Did Tiras kill them, Ophelia?”

“No…” Ophelia looked up, a single tear running down her cheek. “…I did.”

Julian could feel his jaw drop open. He knew Ophelia could become the essence of wrath when she wanted to, but he couldn’t have imagined this. He sat silent and waited for her to continue.

“I was tricked into it by Tiras. He was part of an assignment. I was supposed to follow him and uncover his plans for a major assault from Angel City into heaven, but I know now he was onto me the whole time and knew I was an angel in disguise. One night, Tiras and I left Angel City and came here, all part of the investigation and sanctioned by Achan himself.”

Ophelia took a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. Julian waited patiently and eagerly for the story to go on.

“We get into the outskirts of heaven and Tiras suddenly darts towards my home and bursts through the door. I didn’t know what to do or how he knew where I lived so I followed cautiously, expecting a trap. I enter and he has both of my children held in one massive arm and a sword across their throats. Tiras demands that I allow show him the openings to Angel City and allow his small army to enter heaven. Apparently he had that night planned all along and was playing me as a pawn in his game. He was as wicked as he was smart and ruthless.”

Julian sat calmly, even ignoring the small fruit slice despite the best arguments of his stomach. Ophelia choked on her tears and continued.

“He continued to demand me to open the doors and to let his demon army through. Ximon stood next to me, yelling for me to open the doors for him and for Tiras to release our children. I wouldn’t Julian…I couldn’t. My duty was to heaven and its citizens, I couldn’t let an army in to slaughter everyone so I stood helpless. Tiras had a plan in the event that I wouldn’t cooperate…he knew Ximon carried powerful weapons and he planned to use them against me and make me open the doors if the threat of my children’s death wasn’t enough. Tiras called to Ximon, who was in tears and demanded his weapons. Ximon reached behind his back and grabbed his weapon. I could not have Tiras win, so I lunged for him.”

[K Man]

Julian was truly engrossed in the tale. His heart felt weighted down by the sorrow of the tale and he could almost see the scene in his mind.

“Ximon saw me lunge and moved between my blade and the children. My sword pushed through him and beyond, driven by my ambition to succeed in protecting heaven and killing this demon that had bested me and played me for a pawn.”

Julian flinched as he knew what was coming next.

“I pushed so hard that the blade went through my Ximon, through my children and into the chest of Tiras…all of them died instantly and painfully…”

It was with that last statement, Ophelia bursts into audible sobs and placed her face into her hands. Every ounce of Julians’ being wanted to rise and offer consolation to Ophelia, but just as he contemplated doing so, Ophelia sat upright and stiffened her posture.

“Achan praised me for my vigilance to duty that night.” Ophelia continued, the stream of tears beginning to slow. “Praised me! After everyone left that night with parting, meager words of consolation, I was forced to police the bodies of my own family. I saved the bracelet of my daughter Gabrielle, an unopened letter from my Ximon, the disguise Tiras was wearing that night and one photograph. The rest I destroyed as I tried to forget.”

Julian watched Ophelia regain her strength and composure. He could tell there was more to the feelings behind the story, but he decided not to press his luck. He considered it extremely fortunate to have gotten this out the normally volatile Ophelia.

“Unopened letter?” Julian questioned the earlier reference.

“Yes, unopened. Ximon would often write letters and seal them, telling me when to open them. They would contain words of encouragement and things I needed to hear at just the right time.”

“Well, when did he say would be the right time for that letter?”

“He said to open it when I had changed…” Ophelia sighed.

“Changed?” Julian raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know what it meant then. I still don’t know what it means now. Ximon was pretty enigmatic.”

“I guess.” Julian responded.

The two sat in relative silence until Julian remembered his etiquette. He had just broken through an ageless barrier between his race and angels, probably the first one to do so. He looked Ophelia straight in the eyes and spoke his next words with complete sincerity.

“I don’t think you should hold it against yourself, you did what you felt was necessary. If anything, I would blame Tiras for their deaths, not you and, thank you, Ophelia, for speaking with me. Hopefully it helped.”

“It did Julian, thank you.”

A pleasant smile was exchanged between both the demon and the angel in the room.

Julian felt one step closer to no longer feeling like a demon, having had his first sincere conversation that didn’t end with a deceitful revelation or in insults between parties. He leaned back and thought about what to do next. He turned his leg to see the marking of Ammiel and traced the mark with his nail, admiring the intricacy of its design.

“Well, what do you think we should do next?” Julian asked.

“We can’t investigate anyone here, not the Council of Echoes or Esienyl anyways. Both are too powerful to get close to and we would most likely be killed for even suggesting they had a hand in Ammiels’ death.”

Julian nodded, agreeing to everything Ophelia just said. As soon as she said those last words, Ophelia shot a single finger skyward to indicate she had an idea. She looked over to Julian with a coy smile, apparently forgetting her recent admission of mental anguish.

“How long has it been since you’ve been below?” Ophelia asked with almost a perky tone.

“To hell? At least a millennia…and I really don’t want to head back.”

“No, not hell…a little higher than that.” Ophelia smiled.

“To earth?” Julian asked, guessing he was getting closer to the answer.

Ophelia nodded and Julian rolled his eyes.

“I haven’t been there since the Salem witch trials. I was Sarah Goods’ babysitter. Why do you want to go there?”

“Because…” Ophelia stood and motioned for Julian to follow. “…humans are free willed and amazingly devoid of control from angels or demons, heaven or hell. They are only strongly influenced but they can still act on their own. We can ask the right people with the right connections. They might know something or have heard something. Besides it will get us out of heaven where we risk being exposed and we don’t have to go to hell.”

Julian groaned aloud.

“Come on Ophelia, you’re not serious. Once you’re down there it takes years for the smell to come out of your clothes.”

“Oh, quit being such a baby.” Ophelia muttered over her should as she leaned over and began rummaging through a nearby drawer.

Julian knew what she was looking for. A key. The kind of key that frequently opens portals to the small planet of earth, which Julian thought was more cramped and smellier than the limitless confines of heaven or hell. Ophelia found the key and held upwards with a smile.

As Ophelia made the necessary sigils in the air for the key to work and the portal to open, Julian silently cursed this as a ‘very bad idea’.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Zarni]

ooh, background info, plot twists, character development and insights...
sad moments, a few more hintings of a slightly more comical tone in parts...

like it...

[K Man]

{Hopefully Everyone is still enjoying this...}
__________________________________________________________________________________________

VIII.

Julian felt his body shift from dimension to dimension, from plane to plane…from heaven to earth.

After he stepped through the portal made by Ophelia, he tried to hold his breath as long as he could but eventually his lungs forced him to draw in the air he had always hated tasting.

“Ugh…it smells worse than I remember.” Julian spit on the ground as though the taste would somehow leave his body.

“It’s not so bad…” Ophelia wrinkled her nose. “…after a while you won’t even notice it.”

“Yeah, but everyone else will…” Julian muttered.

The demon stood and took a look at his surroundings. A lot had happened on earth since he was last here, well over two hundred years ago. Buildings as tall as arch demons towers jutted into the sky dotted with countless windows gracing their sides. Fast moving vehicles that presumably took the place of horse carriages from the past, zipped down paved avenues puttering exhaust into the already dirty air. Julian also took note that, at first glance, there seemed to be at least four times as many people than his last visit.

They walked down the street, talking to each other, themselves, into small plastic and metal devices or simply didn’t talk to anyone. Some exchanged greetings, some exchanged gestures of affection and others exchanged insults and crude comments. Their clothes seemed different as well, more revealing and visually flirtatious than their historical counterparts. Julian began to wonder how the course of human history had led the people of earth to their current state.

“What is this place called?” Julian questioned, taking note of an elderly woman trying to cross an avenue of vehicles that didn’t seem to regard her presence.

“Umm…I believe it’s called, New Yolk.”

Ophelia paused for a second, then shook her head.

“No. New York, it’s called New York.”

“What’s so new about it?” Julian quipped, looking at the buildings around that seemed to be at least half a century old, if not older.

“Would you stay focused. We’re not here for a geography lesson.”

“What did you have in mind now that we’re here?” Julian sidestepped and unusually obese woman that was trying to walk and shove a circular pastry in her mouth at the same time.

Julian was both thankful and frustrated that the people of earth could not see him, at least if they didn’t believe in him or rather where he came from. He could tell it was the same for Ophelia who dodged a man in a suit talking into one of the small devices. Julian watched the obese woman with the pastry walk by and he was reminded of his lack of food for the day.

“I thought we could find a believer and start there. Maybe ask them if they have heard anything through their channels.”

Julian listened to Ophelia describe her plan as strode over to a cart on a corner that smelled of processed meat. He reached in, past the vendor and grabbed a few of the silver foil packages from inside. Opening them, he was pleased to see a piece of meat conveniently wrapped in a breaded material. The ingenuity of man never ceased to amaze the demon.

As Julian shoved one of the packaged meals into his mouth and then thought about what Ophelia just mentioned and questions flooded into his mind. He spoke between bites as he chewed the meat and bread, which, to him, tasted like a mixture of four animals.

“By believer, you mean one of yours or one of mine?” Julian asked, referring to the humans that either believed in heaven, hell or a combination of both.

Julian knew it was usually preferred for a demon to deal with one that believed solely in hell and its powers, while the opposite was true for an angel. When dealing with a human that believed solely in your home plane and its powers, it was much easier to sway them without the threat of competition. However, it was not unheard of to find a human that believed in both.

“Well, one of mine I guess…and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try one of yours?” Ophelia seemed to speak her sentence like a request for permission rather than a command.

Julian shrugged and nodded, as his mouth was too full of the meat and bread packages he was quickly beginning to enjoy to argue. Julian thought that combining four types of meat in a convenient size and package was probably the best idea man has had to date. He followed the lithe figure of Ophelia as she tucked her wings back as tight as they would go and began to weave between the people that plugged the sidewalk like a slow drain.

Julian glanced back to notice the vendor at the cart he recently pilfered had begun an argument with a customer over some missing ‘Hot Dogs’. The customer denied, the vendor accused and Julian enjoyed being the only one that knew the truth.

Hot Dogs…

Julian even liked the name.

***

Julian stopped before the building Ophelia stood in front of and groaned as he looked skyward.

“What is it with angels? You’re so predictable.”

Ophelia looked up to see what had Julian so perturbed. The building was gracefully, or so Ophelia thought, with spires that reached into the air and surrounded a tower with a large bell housed in the belfry. Several crosses, stained with time and pollution, hung at intervals around the walls signifying to all on earth that this was a church.

“I’m sorry…” Ophelia began her retort. “…that our believers are easily identified and don’t have to hide in dark corners or in sewers.”

[K Man]

“Actually, you’d be surprised how many of our believers are found in these places to.”

Julian slapped the outside of the wall with his hand, smiling at his comeback. Ophelia rolled her eyes, in a much more tolerant and playful manner Julian noted, and pushed the double doors to the building open. Julian followed closely in her tracks.

Inside, Julian immediately took note of the colors that shone brightly through the decorative windows. Reds, greens, blues and a multitude of other colors danced and played on his skin as he walked down a large aisle of benches for worship. A very large, piped instrument sat behind an altar at the end of the aisle. Julian followed Ophelia as she continued to stride towards the altar.

Julian took note of two people in the room, an older man and a young boy, perhaps no more than a decade in age. The older man wore robes of great significance, decorated in streams of gold and red with dangling tassels draped about his neck. The young boy was much less decorated, wearing only a simple white robe that hung loosely on his small body. The older man looked up from a large book he was studying behind the altar and spoke words that boomed throughout the room.

“Welcome friends, our service isn’t for a few more days but…”

The man stopped his speech cold as a puzzled look came over his face.

Ophelia spread out her wings, nearly clipping Julian in the nose. Ophelia turned her head to the side and held out her hands for a repose that seemed nothing less than graceful and divine. Julian admired the view of the angel Ophelia and smiled at her attempt to impress a man that most likely would be impressed at just the sight of an angel, let alone one trying to look 'extra' graceful.

“Cameron…” The older man wiped the puzzled look from his face and turned his head towards the little boy near the front pew. “…would you go and lock the doors for the day? I’m tired of the wind blowing them open like that. I’ll be in back working on the books if you need me.”

The old man spun, lifted his large book from the altar and exited the room through a small door in the back, all without casting a second glance towards the ultimate example of grace that stood in his church. Julian looked to the small boy that he hadn’t looked at since they duo first entered the room.

The little boy stood, with mouth dropped open and wide eyes to match.

“Easy to spot a believer huh?” Julian snorted.

“Be quiet!” Ophelia spat over her shoulder at the mocking demon.

“I didn’t say anything!”

The little boy lowered his blond-haired head, probably upset that the first words to be heard by his ears from an angel was a command to be silent.

Ophelia gave Julian another glance and lowered herself to one knee as to not seem so imposing to the young child. Julian decided he had better keep his mouth clamped for although Ophelia could hear him, apparently the boy could not and it would frustrate Ophelia to carry two conversations. Julian felt relieved that the boy didn’t believe in hell and couldn’t hear him or see him.

“Come here. Cameron? Is that your name?” Ophelia called to the young boy.

Cameron looked up from his solemn stance and began to walk slowly towards the angel before him. The child shook his head to confirm Ophelias’ questions and spoke the reply as well, adding some questions of his own.

“Yes, I’m Cameron. Are you an angel?”

“Yes I am, my name is Ophelia.”

“Why are you here? Am I going to die?” Cameron stopped, seemingly unsure of whether or not he should walk into his apparent imminent death.

Julian chuckled and Ophelia shot him a glance over her shoulder.

“No Cameron, you’re not going to die…well not right now anyway. I’m here to ask you a few questions? Would that be alright?”

Cameron relaxed a bit when he discovered he wasn’t going to die right then and there, and continued to walk towards Ophelia until he stood inches from her. The young boy gently reached out and ran a single finger along her platinum wings ending with a touching her face. Julian moved to a nearby pew and sat down, being careful to not touch the boy scare him with a touch from an invisible source. Ophelia smiled sweetly and continued.

“Cameron, do you pray a lot?”

“Everyday, just like I’m supposed to.” The boy responded, still touching Ophelias’ wings trying to disbelieve them.

“Do you ever hear voices in your head? Like someone talking back to you when you ask questions?”

Julian knew what Ophelia was trying to do, but felt it would be in vain with such a young boy. Humans had the ability to connect, briefly, to either heaven or hell mentally and open conversations with angels or demons, or overhear their conversations. Humans called it praying or worshipping. Whatever the term, Julian knew that any information the young boy may have overheard would be beyond his ability to comprehend or relate effectively. Julian leaned back and the combination of four meats called ‘Hot Dogs’ suddenly disagreed with his full stomach.

As tasty as they were, Julians’ body still had to adjust to them and in that adjusting, he belched loudly.

“Would you quit interrupting?” Ophelia whispered, slightly annoyed.

“I’m not.” Cameron retorted.

“I know Cameron, I was talking to…someone else.”

“What smells like hot dogs?” Cameron asked as he sniffed the air around him.

Julian clamped his hands over his mouth and moved down the bench, releasing his laughter when he was a bit farther from Ophelias’ ears. After regaining his composure, he began to slowly move backs towards the angel and the boy.

“Cameron…” Ophelia tried to regain control of the situation. “…did you ever hear any voice mention the name Ammiel? Or Esienyl?”

“Um…no.” Cameron spoke after a moment of thinking.

“How about The Council of Echoes?”

“Nope.” Cameron smiled.

“How about The Octet? Or Julian?” Ophelia dug for anything.

“Nope.” Cameron was beginning to enjoy this as evident with his broadening smile.

The older man from poked his head through a cracked door and shot a scornful look at Cameron.

“Who are you talking to Cameron?”

“An angel named Ophelia.” Cameron responded with all honesty.

The older man rolled his eyes and returned to the back room, shutting the door audibly behind him. Julian looked to Ophelia.

“He doesn’t know anything Ophelia, probably just asks for new toys or more desert when he prays. You’re wasting your time. What would a ten year old know about the cover-up of a murder in heaven?”

Ophelia sighed.

“You have a better idea?”

“You said we could try one of mine…” Julians’ smile was nothing less than wry.

Julian leapt to his feet and began to swiftly move down the aisle to the outside of the church. Ophelia looked down at the young boy and saw him staring back with a confused look.

“I have to go now Cameron. I have to prove an idiot wrong…”

Ophelia stood and left the young Cameron, wide eyed and confused, in the aisle of a church to chase after Julian, shaking her head.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Merovingian]

True believers I like it.

[Japic]

/me taps foot impatiently.

Well? I'm waiting. You can't just leave us hanging when Julians about to walk in on a D&D session. I've herad they're all devil worshipers, so naturally they'd belive in him.

[K Man]

Yeah I know man...I didn't mean to leave anyone hanging, I'm working on it.

Perhaps early next week or tommorrow.

Sorry...

[Merovingian]

Tomorrow unhhh I want it now, ;D why do you think I keep showing up to these silly boards any way?

[Zarni]

it just keeps getting better! more light hearted as well, which i like.

i should post another chapter or two of my story...

[K Man]

{Thanks to everyone for supporting me thus far, it means a lot.}

i should post another chapter or two of my story...

{No need to wait for me Zarni...post away. This board is for everyone.}
__________________________________________________________________________________________

IX.

Julian felt Ophelia nearly collide with him as she came trotting down the steps after him.

She wasn’t expecting him to be stopped at the base of the steps just outside the church, but there the demon stood, nose thrust into the air sniffing deeply.

“What are you doing?” Ophelia questioned, looking up and down the street for any indication of why Julian had stopped.

“Trying to find a believer…” Julian muttered over his shoulder as he began to slowly step into the busy street before him.

Julian took several steps onto the pavement, narrowly avoiding the vehicles as they passed by at dangerous velocity. He stopped several times to regain the direction of his scent, forcing Ophelia to hold her breath in anticipation of an unwary driver striking the invisible demon. When Julian stepped onto the cement of the sidewalk on the far side of the busy street, Ophelia sighed with relief. She spread her wings and gently flew to where Julian stood, still sniffing around like an animal on the scent of a prey.

“You think you can find a believer by smell?”

“Of course…” Julian answered without looking up or acknowledging Ophelia. “…it’s certain combination of smells. Very distinct.”

Julians eyes suddenly widened as though forcibly struck with the trail of his prey. He turned and headed into a dirty, decrepit building that sat across the street from the church. It was several stories tall, with grimy windows dotting the face and an array of aged metal platforms and stairs clinging desperately to the brickwork with rusty bolts. The building looked as though it might house more earth vermin than people, but Julian looked determined as he began to nearly run down the yellowed hallway with Ophelia trying to keep up.

Julian stopped before a door, painted red and coated with a mixture of odd, unidentifiable stains across its surface. The broken brass number for the address hung upside down, but one could still make out the designation as ‘7’. Julian turned and jammed a thumb towards the door.

“I bet, that when I open this door, the man inside can see me just fine. And I can tell you now he’ll be of more use than a ten year old.”

“How could you possibly know all that?” Ophelia huffed, slightly jealous that her first believer turned out be useless to their cause.

“I told you, a mixture of smells.”

Ophelia rolled her eyes, signifying contempt for Julians words.

“A mixture of smells? You think someone that either is or believes in evil and demons has a smell that you can detect?”

“Sure…” Julian responded. “…I’ve even heard that dogs down here can smell it. It’s usually a combination of incense, ritual components or whatever else they think they can summon us with.”

“Usually?” Ophelia questioned.

“Yeah, sometimes it’s other smells from sources best left unmentioned. Whatever the source, you can still pick it up in the air as someone that believes in hell over heaven.”

Ophelia once again huffed and rolled her eyes as the demon spoke. Julian realized it was becoming a habit for the angel to either mock or ignore his expertise and advice. Deciding he would prove her wrong, Julian knocked loudly on the door.

After a few minutes, in which a loud thud was heard followed by a string of curses, the door was cracked open but a few inches as the inhabitant glared into the hallway. It was a man, perhaps in his late third decade of earth life, scruffy and unshaven. A poor example for a beard clung to his chin and neck, more like a pack of dark spiders than a facial feature, and he wore a shirt that had been worn through in several spots and sported the logo of some band that Julian couldn’t make out. As the eyes of the man darted up and down, visually absorbing the figure before him that he could obviously see, Julian decided to add to the effect with a wicked smile that framed his pointed teeth nicely.

The man began to stammer as he spoke.

“I knew it man, I KNEW it!”

The man apparently had stumbled upon a bit of wisdom that neither angel nor demon could decipher. Luckily, the man continued to elaborate.

“I knew all those séances and rituals would work. Finally, I get to meet someone from below. That’s awesome!”

Julian looked over to where Ophelia stood, her arms across her chest in a pout. The demon smiled triumphantly and nodded, knowing he was right about his believer. Julian looked back to the dirty, overweight man, gently pushing the red door open as he spoke.

“That’s right, it worked. May I come in? I have some items I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Of course, come on in.” The man managed to respond.

As the door flew open, Julian stepped inside and immediately wrinkled his nose, becoming overpowered by the stench. Ophelia managed to slip inside behind, unnoticed and disbelieved as the man closed the door behind what he thought was the only visitor. Julian moved to the center of the main room and took a look around.

It was a small, possibly three room dwelling. The main room had two small exits that led to places unknown, and if the main room was any indication of the condition the rest of the place was in, Julian did not want to know. There were posters of a band all around, mounted at twisted angles and mismatched positions, most likely of the same band as the worn shirt. A filthy couch that stunk of rotted food and spilled alcohol rested against one wall, flanked by two equally filthy sitting chairs. A scratched and broken table rested before the couch, littered with various magazines of half or fully naked women and empty junk food bags. A small framework stand held a television with what appeared to be foil twisted into antennas and an assortment of movies on disc. Julian decided to get right to the point.

[K Man]

“You seem like a man well…versed in the ways of ‘below’.” Julian decided to use the mans term for hell. “…tell me…”

The man speaking cut off Julian almost instantly.

“I want to be rich. And I want lots of girls, like in the magazines there.”

The man pointed with a grubby finger to the pornography on the table. Julian looked down quizzically and carried that look back up as he responded.

“What?”

“I want to be powerful too, like a president or something.” The man continued as though uninterrupted. “I want to have control over people…”

“What are you talking about?” Julian asked as her heard Ophelia begin to snicker behind him.

“You know…” The man gestured as though the knowledge he was about to impart was common. “…in exchange for my soul. I want all of those things in exchange for my soul.”

Julian slapped his forehead.

He wanted to prove to Ophelia that he could be of use in the investigation and instead he stood before one of the believers that actually thought his soul was valuable. Most demons that traded for them made the deals simply for the sake of being evil, keeping the soul as a paperweight or as decoration. Julian had always though that humans were arrogant in thinking they were the most valuable things they possessed, intangible as it was to them.

“Well, better start making things happen.” Ophelia burst into laughter behind Julian.

“Listen…” Julian ignored Ophelia and hung his last word, indicating he was looking for a name from the man.

“Ted. My friends call me ‘Grip’.”

“Ted.” Julian decided he definitely wasn’t a friend of ‘Grip’ and thought of an idea quickly. “I’ll give you all those things and more if you help me out with something. Does the name Ammiel mean anything to you?”

“Who?” Ted raised his eyebrows.

“Ammiel?” Julian continued in case it didn’t trigger a memory. “Or what about ‘The Octet’? Esienyl? Any names at all?”

“What was the last one?” Ted scratched his head as he asked.

“Esienyl.”

Julian breathed a sigh of relief, this was turning out to be more beneficial than the little boy in the church moments ago. He hoped Ophelia would praise him when the information came out.

“I think the last one…yeah I remember that name. I think.” Ted finally answered.

“Really?”

Julian was shocked as Ophelia must have been. He heard her stiffen her posture behind him. Perhaps something would be uncovered here.

“You think? Could you try to be more specific?” Julian felt on the verge of something.

Ted reached down to the table and grabbed a small metal tin that Julian hadn’t noticed before. The demons mind began to race with thoughts of what the small artifact could be. A charm allowing communication or divination of events in hell or something else that would help in the investigation? Ted opened the tin and withdrew a small roll of paper that had been stuffed with a green, leafy substance. Julian smelled a peculiar smell he could not place in memory.

Ted then placed the roll to his lips and lit the other end with a lighter produced from his pocket. Ted withdrew a large breath through the roll and seemed to hold it in for a minute, before releasing the smoke slowly through his nostrils like wispy snakes. Julian coughed slightly as the smoke hit his sensitive nose. Everyone in the room stood for a moment in silence as Ted withdrew several more puffs from the strange roll, holding each and then releasing it. Julian decided to move forward, or rather return to the point the conversation stopped at.

“Ted? What do you know about Esienyl?”

Ted seemed to focus his now dilated eyes on Julian.

“Sounds good. I could sure go for some oatmeal.”

“No, Esienyl. You said you knew something.” Julian spat with frustration.

“I said it sounded good man. You know, you should really stay out of the sun. Maybe you wouldn’t get so burned.”

Ted pointed to the hairless, crimson dome of Julians head and then began to laugh hysterically as though his joke was funny enough to last through the ages as a timeless classic. Julian shook his head, deciding he was through dealing with this particular believer and headed for the door. Ophelia followed, holding her gut from the recent, minutes long session of laughter. As Julian pulled the door open, Ted managed to regain his composure and looked at the demon through his eyes that still could not focus properly.

“Hey! Where are you going? What about my money…and my women?”

Ted nearly collapsed as he reached for a magazine from the table to illustrate just what he was looking for in a soul mate. Julian just ignored him and moved into the hallway, pulling the red door shut behind him. As he strode outside, Ophelia finished laughing and finally spoke in short words as she gained her breath.

“That…was…entertaining…thanks.”

[K Man]

“Yeah…well at least he was entertaining and not ten.” Julian retorted as he made his way to the busy sidewalk outside.

“Hey, Cameron was a good kid. I couldn’t help his age.” Ophelia wiped the tears from her eyes, somewhat hurt at the demons retort.

“Obviously.” Julian answered, indicating Cameron could be nothing less to have interacted with Ophelia.

Both angel and demon stood on the busy sidewalk, gently dodging those ignorant to their presence in silence for quite some time. It was Julian that finally broke that silence.

“Any more ideas?”

Julian thought about adding ‘brilliant’ to ideas, but decided against it as no one was at fault for the useless believers they had recently come across. That and Julian did not want to make Ophelia feel any more defeated than he was sure she did.

“Not really.” Ophelia responded, sounding as defeated as originally estimated.

Julian looked around, and spotted a nice small section of the city that was devoid of concrete and buildings. It was full of greenery and shrubs with the occasional human jogging or otherwise exercising along dirt paths. He motioned over to the area and started walking, deciding the two could use some time for reflection and perhaps some brain storming. Ophelia nodded and silently followed, side-stepping a young male human on a bike that darted past.

As the two made their way into the green area, ‘Washington Square Park’ as a sign indicated, Julian began to think of how to lift the spirits of the despondent angel next to him. The usual idea of demon revelry would be out for obvious reasons and for the first time, Julian was devoid of witty remarks or conversation sparking topics. He thought that perhaps he could try to delve deeper into who Ophelia was, her history and her personality, by bringing up some ideas for things to do but also found those ideas absent from his mind.

Julian finally settled on just keeping quiet as they walked through the park side by side.

As they passed a bench, Julian heard the rustling of papers as a young man changed pages of the periodical he was reading. Julian noticed the headlines on the front page and began to read them in hopes of finding something to talk about. It was then that Julian noticed the man had lowered the paper to his lap and now stared the demon directly in the eyes. Ophelia stopped and looked to see what had grabbed Julians attention and also found herself stared at by the young man in the suit on the bench.

“Now there’s something you don’t see everyday…are you two lost?”

Julian and Ophelia both felt their mouths drop open as the man addressed them simultaneously.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Wizard]

This is good stuff...I hadn't read it till today. I like it.

[K Man]

{Official Wiz seal of approval...awesome. }
__________________________________________________________________________________________

X.

“You can see us…both of us?” Julian finally managed to stammer out a response.

“Yes, I can.”

Julian had heard of true believers like this, but to his knowledge, they were a rarity. The fact that this young human could see both angel and demon before him had Julian simply in awe. Several seconds of silence passed before the angel finally decided to move the conversation forward.

“I’m Ophelia and this is Julian.”

Ophelia extended her graceful hand forward for a shake, a common way for humans to greet one another. She had always believed in the old earth adage, ‘When in Rome’.

“I’m doctor Nathan Peterson. Pleasure to meet you both.”

Nathan took her hand and gently placed a kiss upon the back of Ophelias hand. Julian took the doctors hand the moment it was free and gave it a generous shake.

“So, what brings you two here…and most importantly, together?” It was obvious to the doctor that the duo before him was not of very common traveling companions.

Nathan shuffled to the far end of the small park bench to politely make room for Ophelia to sit. She folded her wings tightly behind her and moved to the seat, taking a welcomed rest. Julian stood before them both, still moving his eyes up and down the human before him as though he would suddenly disappear like an illusion.

Julian could tell the young doctor carried himself with confidence, his shoulders always straight and manner always polite. Julian guessed that this human was probably very bright, having obtained a desirable human position early in his life. Nathan wore a freshly pressed gray suit, very finely crafted and had his eyes framed by small, trendy spectacles. Nathan folded the paper up and placed it lightly on the ground before him.

“We’re here trying to find a lead on a murder. We’re working together because Julian was wrongfully labeled as the murderer and I decided to help.” Ophelia stated as she noticed Julian wasn’t of much help in this conversation.

“A murder…such a tragic event when it happens.” Nathan adjusted his glasses, looking Julian over with the same scrutiny he was receiving. “Who was the victim?”

“An angel.”

Ophelias words were spoken coldly, to prevent the flow of emotion she felt inside. Just as Julian was about to add to the recent statement with a name of the victim, Nathan once again shocked both angel and demon with a response.

“Ammiel?”

“How on earth could you know that?” Julian managed to respond much faster this time.

Nathan pointed to the emblazoned mark in the flesh of Julians leg, placed there by the Arch-demon Marduk. Turning his leg slightly to get a better view of the mark, Julian looked back to the doctor before him.

“You recognize the mark?”

“Yes. I’ve seen it on Ammiel. Ophelia said you were wrongfully accused of the murder. I saw the mark and knew that when an angel is killed, demons bear their marks as trophies. You don’t have any other marks, so I assumed he was the victim.” Nathan stated with a slight tinge of sorrow.

Julian could sense a loss from the human by the sudden change in disposition. He decided to probe a bit further into the history of Ammiel and doctor Peterson with a question.

“You knew Ammiel?”

“We were very close friends.” Nathan slouched back on the bench, preparing for a story. “I had met him years ago when I had just started my job at community general, the hospital in my hometown, and I was working as an emergency room surgeon. A young child was brought in with several gun shot wounds to the chest and countless knife wounds to the neck, limbs and face. I began to do what I could for the child, but I knew it was hopeless. He was only eight years old and had turned a sickly pale color from the loss of blood… he looked like a dogs chew toy he was so torn up.”

Julian thought about Cameron, the boy from the church he met hours ago. He hoped that Cameron would never fall victim to something like the boy in the story he was hearing.

“I stepped back from the operating table, distraught and I began to think to myself, ‘only demons could be cruel enough to do this’. As I wrestled mentally with the capacity to understand the evil of the act this child must have endured, I noticed a figure standing in the corner of the room.”

Julian held his breath in anticipation of the next part.

“It was a demon I could have sworn wasn’t there moments ago.” Nathan continued, removing his glasses as he recalled the events. “I nearly fell over backwards, my staff looking at me like I had gone mad from the stress of my new position. I saw the demon, with dark skin that rippled more like a formed mass of blood than a figure. His horns nearly scraped the ceiling above the table and his fingers ended in horribly sharp talons. I knew then and there that demons existed and were abound on earth. He stared at me with burning eyes of yellow and snarled with wicked black teeth. I thought my life was going to end right there with that little boys.”

“And then?” Julian questioned, becoming engrossed in the history like a small human child at bedtime.

“I noticed the demon seemed to be restrained, as though he couldn’t move under his own power and that he seemed to ‘float’ several inches above the floor. I became even more puzzled as my staff members called my attention back to the operating table and the boys condition. It had stabilized, or rather it had actually improved and it appeared that he was going to pull through. I went from believing in fear and evil, to witnessing a miracle of good. I began to think to myself, ‘this boys angel must be looking out for him’.”