Light in Torment: An Annora Park Novel: Book Three

Chapter Seventeen: Decapitated and Disarmed

I was gently placed on Walker's couch and summarily treated like an invalid.  I know that Tread made me weak, but, come on, not THAT weak.
   "You don't need to treat me like a baby," I grumbled.
   "Of course sweet girl, here have some coffee and cake."
   "I know what you're doing, Walker Sergei Romanoff..." I took a sip of coffee and a big bite of cake once I'd put the coffee down on the little side table.
   "What am I doing, except feed you cake.  Cake, may I add, that you love."
   "You're managing me."
   "Never." Walker laughed.
   "Enough of this banter." Branuel snipes, probably because he doesn't understand what we're talking about.
   "Banter?" I glare at him, "I can give you banter.  This here is nothing."
   "No, please my midnight queen.  I apologize if my speech came out rude.  I did not mean it to be so."
   Yeah he had, but I'd let it slide for now.  "Okay, apology accepted."
   "Are you strong enough to explain a few things to us, amour." Chamuel asks.
   I sigh.  "I've been ready since I put down on this stupid couch, no offense Walker, yes, I'm ready."
  "Then I will breech the subject first," Chamuel says and I wonder if they had to play rock, paper, scissors, shoot to see who would go first.  Now that would be something to see.  "What is going on during your Treads?  You begin as usual and then you begin to bleed, the bleeding gets worse the longer you remain in the Tread."
   "Well at least I don't get headaches anymore," I say with a smile aimed at Walker, a smile he doesn't return.
   "We will not leave here without an answer." Chamuel says firmly.
   I swallow.  Now what to say.  Death wants you for a plaything and is trying to pull me under to the dark where even my immortality won't save me from his presence. 
Yeah.  Don't think that would work.
   I settled for, "Death speaks to me."
   Chamuel's eyes narrow and he stands up and begins to pace.  Walker and the rest swear heartily, even Terrenel.  "You've been able to tap even stronger to death now that you assumed all your forms," Chamuel says finally.  "Death is piggybacking, is that the right word," when my nod he continues, "...your Treads to reach you.  For even he cannot cross over to life.  So he grabs you when you're most vulnerable.  I know he is harming you, I can see that now.  But know this, amour, he cannot pull you into the Dark without your express permission.  You are safe as long as you do not accept anything he offers."
   I nod.  Like I'd accept anything from death the psychotic nut job.  He took nut job to a whole 'nother level.  I mean all my men well, with the exclusion of Chamuel and Terrenel (sometimes) were all borderline crazy with psychopathic tendencies, but they didn't scare me the way Death did.  The way he spoke to me, like it was inevitable I'd be with him.  I shiver.
   "Now that we've touched upon this..." Chamuel says, only to be cut off by Terrenel.
   "We've touched on nothing.  How do we keep Death from hounding her?" Terrenel asks.  "What do we do for her?  I cannot bear her bleeding."
   "Frankly I don't mind the blood," Both Walker and Branuel say at the exact time and glare at each other.
   "Yes, you do,  you were concerned when you saw her bleeding so much as well, Romanoff."
   "Because she was hurting.  Yes it pained me to to know she was in pain.  The blood itself didn't bother me.  Never does."
   "I too find her beautiful bathed in blood."
   I drop my head and shake it.  My psychopaths.  "Listen more important matters to discuss than who likes blood and who doesn't, here." I wave my hand.  Oh, when had I finished my cake.  I forlornly look at my empty plate before Walker disappears and reappears with another slice of cake.  I lick my lips and offer him a small smile of thanks.
   "You saw something, something big at the last seen." Branuel says.
   I nod.  "I saw half of his face.  The rest was shrouded in that horrifically bright light.  It's like when we, down at the precinct, interrogate a suspect. They shine a light on their suspect and suddenly you're illuminated. The suspect begins to sweat and realize, if we're lucky, that we mean business."
   "Why wouldn't you mean business?" Terrenel asks, head cocked to the side.
   "Torture is much easier." Branuel says looking all to calm having just made that statement.
   I scrunch up my nose and give a wry smile,  "Well human police frown upon the method of torture to get suspects to talk."
   "But why?" Even Terrenel looks confused.
   "Yes, why, sweet girl?" Walker asks a large smile on his face.  He knows this.  He's just reveling in how uncomfortable I was.  I shoot him the evilest look I can manage.  I can't believe I'm having the torture talk with my guys.
   "...for when I meet this Shasharra, I most certainly won't waste time talking to him.  No, my dungeons are quite suitable for this fiend."  Branuel says breezily.
   "My people, my kill." Terrenel speaks quiet but with deadly calm.  "And my dungeons are just as equipped."
   Branuel laughs.  "If it pleases you to think so.  Branuel sighs.  "Humans are so strange.  All this talking they do to their criminals.  Torture and death is much easier, and so much more effective."
   "Well..." I sigh,  "You can do what you want with your people.  But humans, on the Earth Realm would not take kindly to find you torturing any of our suspects.  But as this is a Fairy matter, if you get him back to Fairy I'm certain you could do what you wished with him." Stupid Annora, giving them a loophole.  Maybe subconsciously I wanted this monster stopped and held accountable in a less dignified way than he would find on Earth.
   "You are right.  You hold such righteous anger right now, my amour.  Be careful that it doesn't take you over.  The Heavenly Host can only survive if they are just in their kills."
   "And what does HE think of all the death I've dealt out?"
   "He made you and the fates formed your path...I believe you are just what HE expected when HE created you.  You are glorious like this." And Chamuel strokes one wing and I gasp.  I hadn't even realized I'd let them out.  I let my boys oooh and ahhh for a awhile and endure the tickling when they touched my wing buds.  Then I turn to Chamuel.
   "Can we go flying?"
   "Yes." Chamuel says smiling.
   "We shall join you," Branuel and Terrenel say at the same time.  And I laugh at the looks they give one another.  I look toward Walker who holds out his arms.
   "No way is someone hauling me up in the air.  I'll just watch.  No pressure or anything, sweet girl."