A Devil with an Angel's Heart

Chapter 34, Part 3

||Kate

You'd been inside your tent for a while, trying to eat something. The exorcism had sucked out most of your magic. So, despite not being hungry at all your forced down some magic restoring fruit from hell. You knew you should rest, too, but... you couldn't no matter how hard you tried. This entire ordeal of the fire and its victims had felt like years but it had merely been a few hours. You'd lost track of time though. Your watch had been lost in the fire and was now buried beneath a pile of debris and ashes. A small price you had willingly given to save Toby. It still hurt like someone stabbed you in the heart a hundred times whenever you thought about the poor malnourished boy who'd been exploited, used and abused his whole life.
You shook your head.
"Not now.", you told yourself. You couldn't crumble now, not yet. Later, when all this was over. When you were back home, back in the House of Lamentation with Lucifer and the others or Jotaro, then you could fall.
But not here.
Not now.

You took a deep breath to steady yourself. Since you couldn't sleep anyway, you might as well make your rounds. The brisk night air of the desert whipped across your face the moment you stepped foot outside your tent. Now that the heat from the fire was gone, it had gotten quiet cold and the hairs on your arm stood on end. You rubbed your arms, before going off, to where the survivors were sleeping.
The air was filled with quiet snores. You quietly weaved your way through a mess of arms and legs, careful not to wake anybody, or worse, step on them. You let your gaze wander across the wide area illuminated by the moon. The light was dimmed from time to time as clouds covered the moon. Slowly you made your way through the ruins and to some extent still smoking remains of the buildings. By now all bodies had been cleared out and had it not been for the last traces of smoke and the fresh stench of burned flesh and death, one would mean this village had burned down many years ago. Something touched your foot and you jerked it back in surprise. There, barely visible in the darkness, covered in soot and dirt lay something awfully familiar.
"What are you doing here?", you asked in your mind.
You bent down and picked up what you'd found, dusted it off and inspected it, fingers gliding across the fabric, feeling the shape and rough edges, familiar badges. Jotaro's hat looked worse for wear but it had survived this crazy inferno somehow.
"Guess, you're just as stubborn as your owner.", you smiled gently before carefully storing it away in your pocket, feeling the reassuring weight and shape on the inside of your coat. It felt good to have a piece of him with you- it put you at ease somewhat. You once again looked around, letting your gaze wander across the horizon. No enemy had been spotted so far. Sooner or later Alastair would return or rather- he'd come for you. He knew you already had more than enough evidence to take action and have him punished in accordance to Hell's law. That's why he'd been hiding like the cowardly bastard that he was. There had been no need for him to burn down this village. He'd known you'd come after him from the very beginning....This was a warning. "Don't come after me", he was saying, "or people are gonna die." That bastard knew exactly to strike where it hurt you most. Especially after that incident all that time ago....You didn't want to think about it, but the memories came back anyway and with them came the terrible feeling of guilt, a sense of regret and the need to take responsibility. All this had been your fault in a way and you hated the feeling that you were feeling like you were helping these people out of a sense of obligation in hopes of somewhat making up for it- of merely helping them out of guilt. You loathed the possibility and it weighed heavily on you, especially since you were in no position to make any mistakes. If you did, well, you just had to look around to see what could happen. You swallowed hard, then turned around on the spot and briskly walked back to the camp. The village was beyond saving but at least most of the residents were still alive. Taking care of the wounded was the top priority at the moment. So, that's where you would start.

||Avdol

He watched from a distance as Kate slowly made her way through the sleeping survivors. Like a ancient, silent guardian she watched over them and overlooked the area, scanning the horizon for any hint of the enemy, sword strapped to her back, her beloved whip at her waist. Gracefully, she stepped over the people, calmly sleeping on the ground, arms and feet tangled, without ever leaving her path. She walked in one straight line. One of the children stirred in it's mother's arms, sat up and rubbed its eyes. For a moment Kate froze, stopping in her tracks before gently patting the child's head. Then she continued on her way. She was such a gentle soul. Anyone who said otherwise was a fool. Sure, she appeared to be a lunatic and a savage sometimes, but she would burn down the world to protect those she considered her own. Avdol sighed. Kate had chosen a very difficult path. She had a extremely kind heart and she chose the demons, a highly misunderstood species, hated by many. There'd been humans that called her a traitor of her race. Her heart had been scarred and wounded many times over and she was still out there, caring. What was it people said? The kindest hearts suffered the greatest pain, something like that. But, why had she looked so guilty before? Avdol had seen it, too, as she had barged into the dining hall and rushed right past him. She didn't think this was her fault, did she? Did she think this happened because she sent Jack the Ripper to drive him out? She knew a cornered rat would bite, that's why she told Jack to find him not to attack or kill the bastard!
"She should rest.", Joseph joined Avdol.
"Knowing her, she probably couldn't.", answered the Egyptian.
"It's troubling. We need her fully energised."
This time Avdol remained quiet and simply observed as Kate expanded her rounds towards the ruins of the village. In the distance she was hard to make out, her black outfit melting into the shadows. From time to time, when the moonlight fell just right she could be spotted, though it was only for a second, one could easily think she was a reflection of the light or something.
Avdol returned to the others. They'd gathered around the food that had been prepared for them. The adults had waited till the children had had their fill before eating themselves. Now, the children were peacefully sleeping. Hopefully, they were not to shocked or traumatized by the most recent events. Everyone had done their best to shield them from the cruel sight and kept them behind the scenes as much as possible.
Avdol sat down in his previous spot next to Jotaro and quietly briefed the teen about his girlfriend's whereabouts.