Blood of Dragons (20 page)

Adriel startles at my appearance.  She is so jumpy lately.  “Raziel, it is an honor.”

“Really, you’re that nice to him?  You never talk to me like that.”

Her eyes narrow into slits.  “Perhaps we should have a more private conversation,” she says just above a whisper.  Putting her hand lightly on my arm, we are back in the orchard.  I suspect we are quite a bit deeper into it than we were before.

“Xandra, is that you?” Adriel asks.  She must know that Raziel and I temporarily switched back.

“Yes, who else would be this surly?”

She laughs her pretty laugh.  “You do have a point.  It is rare to find someone who is as surly as I am.  Perhaps that is why I like you so much.  What happened?  The last I knew, Raziel had returned to his body.”

“Yeah, the last I knew he had, too.  I could feel Raziel pulling on my soul but I thought we would be able to avoid switching again.”

She nods.  “As was he.”

My brows scrunch slightly.  “He was?  How do you know that?”

Adriel smiles.  “Because I helped put his soul back into his body when it was trying to escape.”  Now it’s her turn to scowl a bit.  “By the way, what did you say to Belial to make him so suspicious?”

Wow, that was a broad tangent from the conversation we were having.  And I’m even more confused now.  “Who’s Belial?”

She shakes her head and laughs.  “Amazing how you can get into so much trouble without even knowing who you are talking to.  Belial has black hair and a demeanor to match.”

“Ah.  Yeah, I remember him.  He was a real jerk.  What is he the Angel of?”

“He is the Archangel of Ruin and Darkness.”  A flash of disgust passes through her eyes on its way to her tongue.  I’m pretty sure she’d like a tongue scraper about now.

What she said doesn’t make any sense at all.  “Okay.  Then I don’t understand why he’s here.  How can he be in the garden of serenity if he’s the exact opposite of that?”  

Adriel shrugs in discomfort.  “The plan requires all beings to make a choice somewhere between light and dark.  Just as some Angels steer beings by whispering ideas of goodness in their ears, there must be someone like Belial to whisper darkness in their ears.  There would be no balance and no freewill if that was not the case.”

Hmm.  I wonder how many times Belial has whispered something in my ear?  I’ve done some pretty iffy things since I found out that I have magic.  I like to think that I’m still on the path of light, though.

“So, he gets to walk around amongst the rest of the Angels spreading his venom?”

Adriel nods. “Basically.”

I really need to start studying up on this stuff.  “Do you guys have a manual?  A Who’s Who in the Angel world?”

“Considering that you would be the only one who needed it, no.”

I give her my best pleading eyes.  Well, Raziel’s best pleading eyes.  “Will you make me one?”

She raises her brows to her hairline.  “Or you could come and visit when you’re back in your own body and I could introduce you around.  That seems a more personal way to do it.”

I’m not looking for personal.  I’m looking for a reference book.  Kind of like doing a leaf identification project.  If the Angel in question has black hair, turn to page fifty-four.  If he has black hair and makes your skin crawl, turn to page seventy-four.  Pictures would be nice, too.

“Xandra, you really must stop all of this mumbling.  Has it done anything to help you?  Ever?”

I can’t help it.  I stick my tongue out at her.  “Sometimes, yes.”  I can’t think of any of those times but still.

Adriel laughs.  “You have no idea how strange it is to see Raziel stick his tongue out like that.”

“Yeah, I’m guessing he’s a little more reserved than that.”

She shrugs.  “Most of the time.  But he can be really nice.”

She’s blushing again.  I’m going to ignore it.  I’m sure every female Angel would tear off their wings if he indicated that would help win his affection.  Okay, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration.  I have more faith in the self-esteem of the female Angels to believe they would do that.

“What should I do about this Belial guy?”

Adriel gives me a sour look.  “He is not a
guy
.  He is an Archangel.  You really must get the terminology correct.”

I roll my eyes.  “Fine, when I’m back in my own body I’ll register for a Grammar and Other Species Identification Class.” 

Ignoring my bad choice of humor, she says, “You know, Raziel did not seem to mind that you got under Belial’s skin.  My best advice is to just be you when you are around him.  That will shake him up more than anything.”

I don’t think that was a compliment.  “Gee, thanks.  Glad to know that my personality is so annoying I can drive even
evil
Angels crazy.”

Adriel chuckles.  “Consider it a gift.”

Moving on.  “What does Raziel do with his time?” 

“Honestly, I am not sure.  As I said, Archangels do not usually spend time with lower Angels.”

“Then they’re missing out.”

She smiles shyly.  “I would like to think so.”

“Now that I’ve made you feel all warm and fuzzy, will you help me figure out how I’m supposed to spend my time?”

There goes her smile.  “Fine.”

Chapter 24 – Raziel

“Ready to face the day?” Garren asks Kallen and me.

“I am ready to find Tabitha, yes,” Kallen says evenly.

Ignoring him and his surliness, Garren turns to me.  “The breeding grounds are not a pretty sight.  Are you sure that you are up for this young Fairy?”

That comment makes Kallen smirk.  At least it is better than the scowl he has been wearing.  “I believe I am of a strong enough mind.”

“It is not your mind I am worried about.  I am worried about you losing your scone all over the place.”

How does a female being abide this type of treatment?  “I can guarantee you that I have seen worse.  When you have personally decimated entire realms and sifted through the rubble for souls worthy of being saved, then I believe we may have a conversation regarding who has the strongest stomach.  In the meantime, please take my word for it that you will not be seeing my scone again today.”

Isla snickers which earns her a condemning look from Garren.  That makes her laugh outright.  “Garren, I am afraid you are outmatched in this situation.  I suggest you refrain from making any type of misogynistic comments for the remainder of our stay.”

“I am not a misogynist,” he growls.

“No?  I was led to believe that you are perfectly willing to believe only the immoral in regards to females.”

Garren throws down his leather sack and points a finger at Isla.  “It has been a lifetime since that ONE instance and I have paid for it every day since!  I made a mistake.  But I will not have you continuing to behave as if I have made that same mistake many times over.  You are such a stubborn, obstinate and hard woman; it is hard to remember the sweet young Fairy that I fell in love with so long ago ever lived inside that body!”

Garren has moved into the shocked and speechless Isla’s personal space in a rather aggressive manner and is shaking her by the shoulders.  Each movement is making me angry – both at Isla for not responding and at Garren for believing this is acceptable behavior.  I am finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my ‘observe only’ philosophy. 

Kallen, who is barely restraining his own temper and magic, leans over to me and says, “Grandmother would be angry if I step in to fight her battle.  But, if you truly want to behave as Xandra, this is when she would normally toss him a few hundred feet.” 

Fantastic idea.  Pulling magic while Isla is still in a stunned silence, I direct it at Garren.  It hits him so hard that he doubles over as he is flung backwards into a tree about twenty yards away.  The sickening smack of bones breaking tells me that I may have been a bit heavy handed with Xandra’s magic.  On the upside, Isla snaps out of her shock rather quickly now as she covers the distance between us and Garren.

Kallen and I follow her at a slower pace, neither of us exuding pity or remorse.  When we reach him, Garren is a rather concerning shade of gray.  Isla drops to her knees next to him and gingerly reaches out a hand to lift his face from his chest.  “Garren, open your eyes.  Where are you hurt?”

Between gasps of pain, he says, “What.  The hell.  Do you care?”

Isla drops her hand and tries to hide her smile.  “I knew a few broken bones could not stop that foul mouth of yours.”

Kneeling on the other side of him, I say, “Garren, I am going to heal you now.  It will be painful at first as your bones and tissue knit back together.”

“Are you implying,” he gasps, “it does not hurt now?”

The Fairy does have a point.  Believing his question to be rhetorical, I lay my hands on him and as gently as I can, I steer Xandra’s magic through him.  I have to focus more than I ever have to make sure that I do not harm him while I am healing him.  His occasional flinch tells me when I need to pull back a little.  It takes longer than it would have with my magic, but it’s still only a few minutes before he is completely healed.  He’s a bit pale but he is not dead.  For that he should be thankful because I am not usually this forgiving.  I am finding myself growing tired of wearing this façade, hiding who I am.

Kallen and Isla help Garren to his feet.  He is a little unsteady from the shock of being injured and instantly healed.  Leaning back against the tree for support, he meets my eyes.  “Who the hell are you?”

“That is a story for another day,” I say evenly.

Pushing away from the tree so he can be closer to me, using his height in an attempt to intimidate me, he jabs a finger into my chest.  His magic is boiling over, looking for a target.  The man is a complete and utter fool for proceeding with this course of action when I am already unhappy with him.  Isla attempts to calm him but he is oblivious to her warnings.  “You break nearly every bone in my body and all I get is ‘that is a story for another day?’  You either tell me who the hell you are or you can find your own way through this realm.”

“Garren, you do not know what you are doing,” Kallen warns him but it is too late.

A threat from a mortal to an Archangel.  I am not accustomed to being spoken to in such a way by another Archangel let alone a Fairy.  What is more concerning is the fact that he is touching this body without permission.  His finger will leave bruises, marring its perfection.  These things are unacceptable.  In my peripheral vision, I see that Kallen feels the same way but now this is my battle.  With more control than I have exhibited thus far, I pull Xandra’s magic and I use it to push Garren back against the tree.  His neck is straining as a magical hand puts pressure on his throat.  A call to the heavens brings lightning to the ground around us as the clouds become dark and heavy.