On Broken Wings

Chapter 24

Cassius

In a tangle of limbs, me and Lucifer lay resting on the bed. We talked through the night between bits of dreamless sleep, not daring to ease the warm contact of our skin, the touch alone enough to calm our anxieties. My hands wandered the plain of his flesh. I traced the curve of muscle down his back and the bold, swirling lines of the tattoo that kept his wings in place when not in use. He hummed in pleasure and nuzzled my neck.

"How did you do it?" I asked.

"Hm?"

I drew imaginary runes on his shoulder. "Defeat the Sins. How?"

I could feel him tense as if the topic was uncomfortable for him to speak of. "Actche, her centaurs, and the rest of my warriors held the Sin's and their clay golem puppets as I went after Satan. We fought in the woods, away from everyone else, and he nearly killed me. He almost did, Cassius, and I almost let him. But then I saw you."

"Me?"

"I do not know how it happened, but you appeared in my vision. You roused me from unconsciousness right as Satan was delivering the killing blow. We fought some more." He took a steady breath in, out. "Then Michael arrived."

Shock filled me. For Seraph Michael to descend from the Holy Lands, the situation had to be so dire in order for him to even consider helping, especially with his ill relationship with Lucifer.

"I prayed for him to help, if not me, then for those poor souls being slaughtered for no reason. He came down from the heavens with other angels and put Satan to an end. After that, I left them to deal with the remaining enemies. There was only one thing on my mind then." He paused, a painful expression rippling across his face. "You. I felt it the moment you slipped from me; it was like a thread had snapped between us. I knew you had already passed, yet I still rushed back, hoping for a different outcome. But you laid there unmoving, gone from the world."

"You went through a lot," I said, cradling his face in my hands. "You deserve a long, fulfilling rest, my love."

"We both do," he replied. "We have done enough to last ourselves with more than a few lifetimes of rest."

"Only if I get to live those lifetimes with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

***

"Are you sure you feel well enough for this?" Lucifer stressed, bracing my elbow tightly in his hand.

We walked along the cobbled path at a snail's pace, me with a sleek wood cane in one hand and Lucifer's support in the other. Though my legs felt leaden and wobbly like a newborn fawn, I pushed ahead with sheer determination, the need to see the village overpowering the trembling of my muscles. We have not heard from them since the attack, and though I know that they are safe, I still felt the need to see them with my own eyes.

The forest around us was peaceful with gently swaying trees. "I need the fresh air. Besides, how else will I get stronger? Certainly not by lying in bed all day."

Lucifer signed, and I knew I had won. "I sent word ahead. They should meet us at the end of the path soon."

"Who?" I asked, taking extra caution around loose stones in the ground.

"Sana."

I broke into a smile. I had not seen the physician since the day I had passed out in the centaur's village near the Garden of Eden. "Then, let's hurry."

As quickly as I could, I hobbled down the path with support from the cane and Lucifer. The trees grew thinner and less dense as we moved along, and soon we were standing in the tree line of the forest, just at the edge of the village. Angels bustled about here and there, some carrying broken wood pillars from ruined houses, others passing out food and water. A pair of laughing children ran past, their wings open and streaming behind them; black spots still marred the white feathers, and I was astonished as one jumped to the air, wings flapping, and managed to glide before plummeting back down to the earth, where she landed with a thud.