Fee's Writings
An Angel's Touch: Chapter Seven
Warnings: Strong Language, Strong Violence
Warnings: Strong Language, Strong Violence
"Bastard, what the fuck were you thinking?"
Thud.
Sae blinked rapidly as the connection of a fist to the side of his head sent him sprawling, seeing stars. He had barely got back, but somehow his younger brother knew what he'd done. Helping an angel was a deadly sin down here, and he wasn't going to get off lightly just because his persecutor was his own blood relative. He held a hand to his head and came away with blood on his fingers. Maz was nursing his knuckles, but a broken hand wasn't going to stop him from righting this wrong.
Before Sae could get up, he landed a blow on his solar plexus, causing the dark haired male to curl up sharply, groaning quietly in pain. Drawing in hitching breaths that he struggled to exhale he coughed dryly, glaring up at Mazgoturthakal through already dishevelled curls. "What do you hope to gain by this?" he choked out, grunting as his words earned him another kick, this time on the side of his ribcage causing him to roll over, shuddering. He tasted blood, and spat, staining the ground scarlet.
"You see, Sae, there is a certain order of things here."
I won't cry out. I won't scream. I won't let him have that.
"We stay down here," Another kick that set his nerves alight, but he managed to hold back any noise he might have made. In the back of his mind he knew that that was perhaps the worst way to go, since any lack of response would only spur Maz on further, but he was stubborn, and more than that, he was right.
"They stay up there." Dots danced before his eyes as a foot contacted his temple, and a searing pain followed by a trickle of warm... something down the side of his head announced that first blood had been drawn.
"We do not help each other."
I won't scream. I won't cry out. I won't scream. He won't make me scream.
He felt fingers on his back, trailing up between his shoulder blades, then a sudden weight indicated that somehow Maz had forced his wings out. Like angels, demons could hide their wings if they so wished - it helped with getting about and the like - but for this to happen... what was Maz thinking?
He winced as a foot was placed on one of his wings, then the realisation hit him like a five-tonne sledgehammer and he started, attempting to get up only to be wrenched back down again as a bolt of pain shot through him from the pressure on the delicate membrane of his left wing.
"Ow..." he mumbled under his breath, watching Maz as he crouched down next to him, the weight bringing tears to sting his eyes.
I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't-
"Oh, GOD!!" His voice rang out sharply, agonised, as Maz took hold of the strong arch of his wing, and pulled sharply, tearing a hole through the highly sensitive skin. Sae's breath came suddenly ragged, his body on fire with pain, but still he hadn't screamed. He forced his eyes open and watched Maz through a haze as the other demon shifted his weight to a different spot. Feebly, he tried to push him away, failing. He couldn't even reach him.
"Do you understand yet, Sae?"
No reply. His silence earned him another kick to the ribs that winded him for several minutes, reducing him to a shuddering, wheezing, coughing mess curled up on the ground. His temple was still bleeding, wetting his hair and sticking it together in bloodied clumps.
"No..." he whispered.
"I'm sorry, what?" Maz leaned closer to him, threatening to rip another hole in his already brutally damaged wing.
"NO!" Sae snarled viciously, partially rising then collapsing with a half-choked cry as with a air-splitting snap his own brother broke the bone support of his wing in half.
Gathering his shattered mind back together, he panted harshly between each word that he spoke. "I... don't see... why... I shouldn't... help... our... sister..."
"Sirae is not our sister." Maz spat, finally leaving Sae for a moment as he paced. The elder demon pulled himself up slightly, almost seeming to cower against a nearby wall, attempting to level his breathing. His body throbbed with pain, but that was dimming as the chemicals in his bloodstream flowed to his brain and numbed the wounds.
"She ceased to be our sister when she failed to join the rebellion."
"She was stronger than either of us." Sae stated resolutely. Maz had disappeared from his line of sight, but a sharp stab at the base of his spine that had him arching forwards, tearing at other wounds and forcing a cry past crimson-stained lips indicated precisely where he was.
"Hnng..." His teeth clenched, eyes closing tightly as he fought the urge to black out.
I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't scream.
He felt a hand at his throat, and then he was being dragged to his feet, slammed back against the wall. He spasmed, twitching and shuddering violently, gasping, trying desperately to draw air into his protesting lungs. He should have expected it - the low blow to his crotch that froze the scream in his throat and drained all remaining strength from his body. He crumpled to the floor as soon as he was released, curling up once again, trembling.
"You're a disappointment to me, Sae." Maz muttered, perhaps thinking that his brother couldn't hear him. "If I'd have known you were this soft-hearted I would never have persuaded you to join us."
Soft breath tickled his ear, and his brother's voice came quietly. "Do me a favour... die here."
* * *
Ameron had been obviously shaken when the two had left and he had finally rejoined Natalie. They had walked in silence, and the chill in the air seemed to be affecting the male, though Natalie couldn't be sure if it was simply the shock of seeing people that he knew. In small sentences he had explained to her who they were. Sirae was an angel, apparently. Luckily Natalie had known the word 'caelestis' thanks to Sae or she would have never understood that small part. Sae, as she already knew, was a demon. Somehow, hearing it from Ameron's mouth made it more believable. What he didn't tell her, however, was why they had come to find him, or even if it had been him they were looking for.
In fact, he had been very private about the whole thing, which wasn't unusual, really, when she thought about it.
She let him back into the house and followed him in, closing the door and locking it. Suzie trotted in, lay down in the middle of the floor, and panted cheerfully. Natalie looked to Ameron as he sat down, a thoughtful frown on his face.
How am I supposed to do this... I have no idea what I'm doing... I-
"Ameron, are you hungry?"
He looked up sharply, as if someone had just set a gun off above his head, then calmed and sighed, nodding slightly. "A little."
"Okiedokie." Natalie smiled and then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ameron to think. He sat back, chewing his thumbnail. Somehow, seeing Sirae had helped him to feel slightly more settled. He knew he wasn't alone, no matter what happened, and he had Natalie...
Yeah. He had Natalie.
He took some solace in that fact, and found that it comforted him somewhat to have a friend an ally in such a strange place. Playing with a stray thread on the cuff of the shirt he was wearing he watched a spider crawl across the ceiling, then dropped his gaze, glancing towards the door as he heard the 'click' of the oven being turned on, and it barely alarmed him as it used to.
Suzie licked his hand and he glanced down, patting her head absently. The dog had known what he was. She always had. He often found himself wondering how so simple a creature could have that knowledge, but it didn't matter.
I suppose, if it doesnt work out... I'll think of something... I have to...
But he couldn't worry about it. If he only had a limited time left he didn't want to spend it worrying himself to death over something that he couldn't change. If he was destined to return home, then he would, and if not, then he would have to stay here without complaint.
Ameron may not have been young in human terms - several thousand years - but in Angelic terms he was still a child, and how he had ended up in the Upper Choirs had been a miracle as far as he was concerned. Maz had only caught him because he had been unused to the size of his wings - they grew larger with each level - and he had taken the opportunity of a cloudy night to test them out.
Ah, the folly of youth. He sighed. It couldn't he helped now.
* * *
"Sae..."
Pain... God, there was so much pain.
"Sae?"
"Nn..."
"Sae, you lazy bastard, wake the fuck up."
Eyes snapped open, meeting the cynical dark gaze of the last person he would have expected to come to his aid. "Chmal..." The name came from between cracked lips, made hoarse by a sore, dry throat.
"That's my name. Here, drink this."
A cup was held to his lips and with some difficulty he swallowed the cool liquid that spilled into his mouth. Licking his lips he coughed and cleared his throat, taking in his surroundings.
"What...?"
"Hey, I'm not saying I agree with what you did." Chmaldrorincae said, rising to his feet and walking over to a nearby table, coming back with a large bowl of hot water and some dressings. He dumped the bandages on the end of the bed and perched beside Sae, dampening a cloth in the water and starting to clean the blood off his face. "But I don't agree with Maz, either, and I'm more disposed to help you than I am to help him."
"Tha-"
"Don't thank me. Like I said, I'm not doing this for you."
Sae was silent for a long while, whimpering and wincing every so often as the various cuts, bruises and gashes were tended to. His left wing felt strange, numb, as if it were only half there, and when he tiredly looked over to it he was almost revolted to see the state it was in. Noticing the look, Chmal nodded a little. "Yeah... You're in a bit of a mess, Sae."
"So it would seem..." He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken such a beating. He didn't think he ever had.
His shirt was off, he noticed then, and at the same time realised that his chest was black and blue, with visible outlines from where Maz's feet had contacted him. He drew in a soft, hissing breath and closed his eyes briefly. "Jeeeez..." he muttered under his breath.
When Chmaldrorincae started on his mangled wing, the pain started afresh and he almost cried out again, stiffening and shaking. In an uncharacteristic gesture of kindness, Chmal touched his arm reassuringly, then twined his fingers into Sae's for as long as he could spare that hand. His other wing flexed restlessly, and only when Chmal had to set the broken bone did he finally scream, nails digging into his palms as he pressed against the knee that Chmal had placed on his chest to stop him arching up.
He almost passed out, but managed to retain consciousness enough for the other demon to finish and leave, closing the door. Saes harsh breathing cut the air for a little while, before he finally slept, or perhaps slipped into unconsciousness it was difficult to tell.
Thud.
Sae blinked rapidly as the connection of a fist to the side of his head sent him sprawling, seeing stars. He had barely got back, but somehow his younger brother knew what he'd done. Helping an angel was a deadly sin down here, and he wasn't going to get off lightly just because his persecutor was his own blood relative. He held a hand to his head and came away with blood on his fingers. Maz was nursing his knuckles, but a broken hand wasn't going to stop him from righting this wrong.
Before Sae could get up, he landed a blow on his solar plexus, causing the dark haired male to curl up sharply, groaning quietly in pain. Drawing in hitching breaths that he struggled to exhale he coughed dryly, glaring up at Mazgoturthakal through already dishevelled curls. "What do you hope to gain by this?" he choked out, grunting as his words earned him another kick, this time on the side of his ribcage causing him to roll over, shuddering. He tasted blood, and spat, staining the ground scarlet.
"You see, Sae, there is a certain order of things here."
I won't cry out. I won't scream. I won't let him have that.
"We stay down here," Another kick that set his nerves alight, but he managed to hold back any noise he might have made. In the back of his mind he knew that that was perhaps the worst way to go, since any lack of response would only spur Maz on further, but he was stubborn, and more than that, he was right.
"They stay up there." Dots danced before his eyes as a foot contacted his temple, and a searing pain followed by a trickle of warm... something down the side of his head announced that first blood had been drawn.
"We do not help each other."
I won't scream. I won't cry out. I won't scream. He won't make me scream.
He felt fingers on his back, trailing up between his shoulder blades, then a sudden weight indicated that somehow Maz had forced his wings out. Like angels, demons could hide their wings if they so wished - it helped with getting about and the like - but for this to happen... what was Maz thinking?
He winced as a foot was placed on one of his wings, then the realisation hit him like a five-tonne sledgehammer and he started, attempting to get up only to be wrenched back down again as a bolt of pain shot through him from the pressure on the delicate membrane of his left wing.
"Ow..." he mumbled under his breath, watching Maz as he crouched down next to him, the weight bringing tears to sting his eyes.
I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't-
"Oh, GOD!!" His voice rang out sharply, agonised, as Maz took hold of the strong arch of his wing, and pulled sharply, tearing a hole through the highly sensitive skin. Sae's breath came suddenly ragged, his body on fire with pain, but still he hadn't screamed. He forced his eyes open and watched Maz through a haze as the other demon shifted his weight to a different spot. Feebly, he tried to push him away, failing. He couldn't even reach him.
"Do you understand yet, Sae?"
No reply. His silence earned him another kick to the ribs that winded him for several minutes, reducing him to a shuddering, wheezing, coughing mess curled up on the ground. His temple was still bleeding, wetting his hair and sticking it together in bloodied clumps.
"No..." he whispered.
"I'm sorry, what?" Maz leaned closer to him, threatening to rip another hole in his already brutally damaged wing.
"NO!" Sae snarled viciously, partially rising then collapsing with a half-choked cry as with a air-splitting snap his own brother broke the bone support of his wing in half.
Gathering his shattered mind back together, he panted harshly between each word that he spoke. "I... don't see... why... I shouldn't... help... our... sister..."
"Sirae is not our sister." Maz spat, finally leaving Sae for a moment as he paced. The elder demon pulled himself up slightly, almost seeming to cower against a nearby wall, attempting to level his breathing. His body throbbed with pain, but that was dimming as the chemicals in his bloodstream flowed to his brain and numbed the wounds.
"She ceased to be our sister when she failed to join the rebellion."
"She was stronger than either of us." Sae stated resolutely. Maz had disappeared from his line of sight, but a sharp stab at the base of his spine that had him arching forwards, tearing at other wounds and forcing a cry past crimson-stained lips indicated precisely where he was.
"Hnng..." His teeth clenched, eyes closing tightly as he fought the urge to black out.
I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't scream.
He felt a hand at his throat, and then he was being dragged to his feet, slammed back against the wall. He spasmed, twitching and shuddering violently, gasping, trying desperately to draw air into his protesting lungs. He should have expected it - the low blow to his crotch that froze the scream in his throat and drained all remaining strength from his body. He crumpled to the floor as soon as he was released, curling up once again, trembling.
"You're a disappointment to me, Sae." Maz muttered, perhaps thinking that his brother couldn't hear him. "If I'd have known you were this soft-hearted I would never have persuaded you to join us."
Soft breath tickled his ear, and his brother's voice came quietly. "Do me a favour... die here."
* * *
Ameron had been obviously shaken when the two had left and he had finally rejoined Natalie. They had walked in silence, and the chill in the air seemed to be affecting the male, though Natalie couldn't be sure if it was simply the shock of seeing people that he knew. In small sentences he had explained to her who they were. Sirae was an angel, apparently. Luckily Natalie had known the word 'caelestis' thanks to Sae or she would have never understood that small part. Sae, as she already knew, was a demon. Somehow, hearing it from Ameron's mouth made it more believable. What he didn't tell her, however, was why they had come to find him, or even if it had been him they were looking for.
In fact, he had been very private about the whole thing, which wasn't unusual, really, when she thought about it.
She let him back into the house and followed him in, closing the door and locking it. Suzie trotted in, lay down in the middle of the floor, and panted cheerfully. Natalie looked to Ameron as he sat down, a thoughtful frown on his face.
How am I supposed to do this... I have no idea what I'm doing... I-
"Ameron, are you hungry?"
He looked up sharply, as if someone had just set a gun off above his head, then calmed and sighed, nodding slightly. "A little."
"Okiedokie." Natalie smiled and then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ameron to think. He sat back, chewing his thumbnail. Somehow, seeing Sirae had helped him to feel slightly more settled. He knew he wasn't alone, no matter what happened, and he had Natalie...
Yeah. He had Natalie.
He took some solace in that fact, and found that it comforted him somewhat to have a friend an ally in such a strange place. Playing with a stray thread on the cuff of the shirt he was wearing he watched a spider crawl across the ceiling, then dropped his gaze, glancing towards the door as he heard the 'click' of the oven being turned on, and it barely alarmed him as it used to.
Suzie licked his hand and he glanced down, patting her head absently. The dog had known what he was. She always had. He often found himself wondering how so simple a creature could have that knowledge, but it didn't matter.
I suppose, if it doesnt work out... I'll think of something... I have to...
But he couldn't worry about it. If he only had a limited time left he didn't want to spend it worrying himself to death over something that he couldn't change. If he was destined to return home, then he would, and if not, then he would have to stay here without complaint.
Ameron may not have been young in human terms - several thousand years - but in Angelic terms he was still a child, and how he had ended up in the Upper Choirs had been a miracle as far as he was concerned. Maz had only caught him because he had been unused to the size of his wings - they grew larger with each level - and he had taken the opportunity of a cloudy night to test them out.
Ah, the folly of youth. He sighed. It couldn't he helped now.
* * *
"Sae..."
Pain... God, there was so much pain.
"Sae?"
"Nn..."
"Sae, you lazy bastard, wake the fuck up."
Eyes snapped open, meeting the cynical dark gaze of the last person he would have expected to come to his aid. "Chmal..." The name came from between cracked lips, made hoarse by a sore, dry throat.
"That's my name. Here, drink this."
A cup was held to his lips and with some difficulty he swallowed the cool liquid that spilled into his mouth. Licking his lips he coughed and cleared his throat, taking in his surroundings.
"What...?"
"Hey, I'm not saying I agree with what you did." Chmaldrorincae said, rising to his feet and walking over to a nearby table, coming back with a large bowl of hot water and some dressings. He dumped the bandages on the end of the bed and perched beside Sae, dampening a cloth in the water and starting to clean the blood off his face. "But I don't agree with Maz, either, and I'm more disposed to help you than I am to help him."
"Tha-"
"Don't thank me. Like I said, I'm not doing this for you."
Sae was silent for a long while, whimpering and wincing every so often as the various cuts, bruises and gashes were tended to. His left wing felt strange, numb, as if it were only half there, and when he tiredly looked over to it he was almost revolted to see the state it was in. Noticing the look, Chmal nodded a little. "Yeah... You're in a bit of a mess, Sae."
"So it would seem..." He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken such a beating. He didn't think he ever had.
His shirt was off, he noticed then, and at the same time realised that his chest was black and blue, with visible outlines from where Maz's feet had contacted him. He drew in a soft, hissing breath and closed his eyes briefly. "Jeeeez..." he muttered under his breath.
When Chmaldrorincae started on his mangled wing, the pain started afresh and he almost cried out again, stiffening and shaking. In an uncharacteristic gesture of kindness, Chmal touched his arm reassuringly, then twined his fingers into Sae's for as long as he could spare that hand. His other wing flexed restlessly, and only when Chmal had to set the broken bone did he finally scream, nails digging into his palms as he pressed against the knee that Chmal had placed on his chest to stop him arching up.
He almost passed out, but managed to retain consciousness enough for the other demon to finish and leave, closing the door. Saes harsh breathing cut the air for a little while, before he finally slept, or perhaps slipped into unconsciousness it was difficult to tell.