Guarding Grace

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 Walking the hallways, Grace noticed the tapestries that hung on the wall. Bodies being tortured, their pain evident on their faces. Each tapestry became progressively more vile and bloody, she shifted her eyes to the floor. Unable to comprehend the pain and wanting to take the pain away from the woven bodies in the tapestry. Nikothoe stopped in front of a large wooden door, "This is your room." She pushed the heavy door open, leading Grace inside. Grace marveled at the luxurious furniture around the room. She ran her fingertips along the dresser as she walked deeper into the room, no violent tapestries in here. She smiled softly, a tapestry depicting her grandmother in full armor hung near the canopy bed. Azael's silver hair flitting on the breeze, determination in her eyes and sword held high in victory. Grace thought about her grandmother, the lessons she had taught her and the way she never gave up on her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about her grandmother's last hours, pain racking her body with every cough. How small and frail she had looked in the end, as if her soul had been sucked from her leaving nothing but a shell.

Grace looked to the large windows, a shadow fell over them. Grace stepped back and found herself bumping into Nikothoe, "What was that?" She pointed to the window, Nikothoe tilted her head and shushed her. "Death bringing more souls."

Grace slowly walked to the window, wanting to see Death. As she gazed out the window, the shadow passed over again, landing in the courtyard below. She craned her neck to see the being that cast such a large shadow. The shadow folded into itself, soon a masculine figure emerged from the shadow. Long dark hair framing a pale face, that face turned to her window and a wide smile appeared- teeth sparkling in the amber light.

Grace watched as her uncle walked out into the courtyard to greet the figure. He held his arm out and the figure clasped forearms with Gabriel. They both walked inside. Grace turned to Nikothoe, "That was Death?" Nikothoe, who had been standing next to her looking out the window nodded, "One of them."

Grace took a step back from the window, "One of them?" Nikothoe smiled and went to the wardrobe, "Yes, Death is a species, not a single person. You should change for supper. His lordship will want you there." Pulling out a simple black dress, Nikothoe handed it to Grace, "This will do nicely."

Grace took the dress and held it up to her, black velvet with red trimming, she began to undress to change into the opulent dress. "Why will he want me there?" Nikothoe, "Pride, the true Cambion, his sister's granddaughter. You don't know how highly you are thought of here."

The harpy walked out of the room as Grace put the dress on. Grace followed Nikothoe out of the room and down the hall to the dining area. Seated in the dining hall was her uncle and the dark figure from the courtyard. As Grace walked into the room, her uncle stood, and the figure turned to look at her. Grace's steps faltered seeing his eyes. The color of the bluest sky. A deep contrast to the darkness of the rest of him.

Her uncle reached out a hand, "Grace, come and meet Mabuz. One of the ambassadors from Death." Grace took her uncle's hand and looked to Mabuz, thinking she should show some sign of respect, she attempted a clumsy curtsy. Mabuz chuckled, "Formalities are to be dispensed with. I know who you are- Grace of Ba'al and AMphrael. Though I do not know why you are here, in this realm." He looked to her uncle, "It is never safe for the living to be in the land of the dead. Who brought her here?"

Grace watched her uncle as he smiled a tight smile, "She brought herself, I do not know where she came from or how she got here. Only that my sister's kin is here. She will be treated with the utmost respect."

Mabuz nodded, "Of course she will, and when He comes down? Will you hide her away from his sight?" Gabriel's smile faltered, "He hasn't come to this realm in millenia- not since He installed me here as ruler." The toothy smile of Mabuz showed again, "There is a first time for everything."

Grace sat down in the chair that an imp had been holding out for her. Uncertainty evident on her face. She glanced down at the table setting, expecting to see a magnificent setting but instead saw simple obsidian dinnerware. She looked to her uncle, waiting to see what would be offered as the meal. Trying to remember what divine beings ate, the stories of her grandmother coming back to her.

The gods feasted on the prayers and the hopes of the living mortals. The angels, they ate the ambrosia of the clouds and drank the starlight. But the demons, the demons feasted on something much more powerful- fear and anger.

Grace wondered if she'd be able to eat the clouds and drink the starlight. A plate was placed before her, a soft pasta with a rich creamy sauce. Confusion rang through her- this was not what her grandmother had described. She gingerly took a bite and found the past melting in her mouth the way the cotton candy at the fair did. She smiled, pasta made of clouds. A small goblet of a pale yellow liquid was placed in front of her, she closed her eyes as she took a sip. Bubbles tickled her throat as she swallowed the tart cold liquid. Liquid starlight.

She opened her eyes and found Mabuz watching her, no food in front of him. She swallowed quickly and found herself wanting to ask him why he was not eating. But before she could open her mouth to ask her uncle interrupted her, "MAbuz, tell me any news. THe souls of the defeated? Have they been found?"

The dark man shook his head and placed a small box on the table, "We cannot find them, their souls are hidden even from us. I personally have searched far and wide- every realm I could think of. Nothing, not even a trace." Grace stared straight ahead as she digested her meal and his words. Every realm? Her head whipped to her uncle, "The bridge! Can they be on the bridge? When we were walking, we came across my mother's ashes. If they fled, they could have fled to the bridge." Not knowing who the defeated were, only knowing (though she didn't know how she knew) that finding these souls was the most important to her uncle. The thoughts of her grandmother pushed their way to the forefront of her mind. But these thoughts, these memories were not hers. They were not her memories of her grandmother. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to see these memories. A dark winged figure walking towards her, hood covering his face. "You have to run, even fallen you cannot be here. If you are found out, they will rend you. Run!"

Grace found herself running down a darkened hallway- no not hallway, path- The bridge! Fighting with all her might to turn herself around, but failing. She ran towards an emerald green doorway, flinging herself through it and hearing the snapping of jaws and the tearing of claws as she entered.

Grace opened her eyes and stared at her uncle, "Emerald green door? I don't understand. From the bridge, an emerald door." Gabriel watched his niece with concern, Mabuz had moved to sitting next to her, "How long have you been able to see the memories?" Grace looked at him confused. "I don't know. Sometimes I am thrown into them, but they have always been my own memories. Until now." she ended in a whisper.

Mabuz nodded and looked to Gabriel, "She could be the key to finding them." Gabriel looked to his niece and then back to his friend, "I cannot send her back. Not to them."

Grace started as she looked at her uncle, she had not once thought of Hunter, Regan, or Ryder since entering this castle. She hung her head in shame as she berated herself for so easily forgetting them.