The Devil's Assistant (Watty Awards Finalist 2011)

Devil's Assistant [23]

 Don't panic this is only part one of the chapter. I've been abit awol in writing lately, life gets in the way and I have tones of stuff that I had to catch up on. I will write and upload the second half of the chapter tomorrow so don't start hating me yet. I just got a comment that my writing is getting a bit crap lately, it was said in politer terms I think but hey you can't please everyone. Hope you enjoy the very short chappy, pt. 2 will be done tomorrow. x

Chapter 23

For a moment I just stood there not knowing what to do or say. Out of everyone he thinks Phil is behind all of this. No, it couldn’t be him. He took care of Danny and I, he was nothing but kind, heck he was like the dad I never had. For that short space of time I got to know him, there was nothing to suggest that he could do this, that he was capable of this.

“It must be a mistake.” I stated strongly earning me a look from Lucius that showed just how deluded he thought I was.

“Savannah, I know you like to think the best in most people, but I think you forget just what I am, what Phil is.” Pushing up to his feet, Lucius stepped closer to me, invading my personal space as he lifted his hand to brush hair away from my eyes. “Look at me and I mean really look at me.” Doing as he asked, my breath was stolen from my lips as I looked into his eyes that were lit with an internal fire, the colour more otherworldly than anything I had seen before, even the horns and tail seemed like an everyday occurrence in comparison to the raw power radiating from his icy blue irises. A pair of black wings stuck proudly from his back curling around so that they cocooned the two of us in a feathery shell.

Reaching up a hand I stroked my hand slowly down the beautiful feathers, smiling when Lucius eyes fluttered shut and a sigh escaped his lips. I marvelled and the threads of red and gold that were interwoven with the black yet even up close I could not pinpoint their exact location, it was like those holograms where you could only see the picture in certain light or from certain angles. One of the feathers came loose and I soon saw why, like golden edged book pages, the tips of each individual strand on the feather was tipped with either black or gold, that on its own was insignificant but mixed with other feathers it looked as if the bright colours had been woven through the darkness, giving the wings their own majesty.

“Vannah, if you want to keep your clothes on then please stop that,” Lucius’ voice was strained as if he was barely restraining himself from doing something and as I took my gaze from his feathers that I was still running my fingers softly over and looked directly into his eyes I could tell why. The raw power behind that stare was debilitating, it made my knees weak and my entire body ached to step closer to him, further into his embrace but good sense made me do the opposite.

“Thank you,” he choked as he folded away his wings, studiously ignoring the knowing stares we were earning from the others. Clearing his throat Lucius looked anywhere but at me, obviously not recovered enough to maintain eye contact. “The point I was trying to make is we are not human, we are not bound by your laws, and we can be sneaky, deceitful and downright evil if we want to be. Phil is no different, his name comes from Mephistopheles, he’s an arch demon and has spent a long time in the underworld and as such, he is neither untainted nor a pure soul like you seem to think he is. The face you saw was only a mask that allows him to blend into the human world.”

Getting closer to him once again I stared straight at his face until he reluctantly met my gaze. “What and this face,” I started reaching up and slapping his cheek none too lightly, “this one that you wear, is that a mask too or is that the real you because from your words you’re saying I know nothing about you.” Lucius opened and closed his mouth a few times unsure what to say but I was only just beginning and his attempt to talk only riled me up more. “I’d like to think that the man I entrusted to be around my son is worth my trust and attention, but if you are only going to state that there is no good in you or your kind then let me know now before I further endanger my family because let me tell you this Lucius Satani, don’t ever think you are worth more. If you so much as look wrongly at my son you will wish you were never born, I may not be an all-powerful being but I am something much worse, I am a mother and one thing you should know is you never piss off a mother-EVER- got it?” My voice had risen so loud that I was shouting at such high decibels that Donalbain and his men had kindly retreated leaving me and Lucius to our less than civil debate. To make it worse was that half of it was me just spilling out things that I had wanted to say for a while yet others were merely triggered by his new found honesty that he was basically lying to my face day in and day out. He might only be trying to scare me off of Phil but his words worked both ways, for everything he has said and done there a million things that he has done behind my back and I can’t help but wonder how much I really know about him.

Lucius dropped his head to his chest and gave a defeated head shake. “Savannah, no matter how much you want to, you will never truly understand, there are things outside of human comprehension and the inner workings of a demon are one of them. Phil is one of my most trusted arches, he’s been there through everything with me and is more like a father figure but that does not mean I trust him implicitly. That is not something I ever off any demon and nor will it ever be. Their nature is too unpredictable to make the sacrifice worth it. Nothing can be tempted more by sin than those who embody and create it.”

Scowling up at him I tried not to show that his words were getting to me. I knew from the start that there were things I couldn’t ever know and understand, the very moment I became part of this world I knew it but that didn’t stop me wanting the knowledge. And to believe that Phil was responsible and that he had played a part in the fire? No I couldn’t accept it. There had to be a reason and until I saw proof that he was a part of this conspiracy then I would swear by his innocence.

“I understand but until I see for myself if he is guilty.”  I stepped away from him and gave him my back, what I’m sure he took as an insult but I was too tired to car. I stopped for a moment and stared at him over my shoulder making sure to meet his gaze straight on. “As they say, innocent until proven guilty.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, I waltzed towards the warriors who were being kind enough to pretend that they hadn’t heard our entire conversation, not that anyone within the entire archives could have missed my voice at those decibels.

“So what do we do now?” I questioned when no one said anything, all of them pretending to be interested in the walls which although interesting, would not hold their attention span for that amount of time.

“We’re going to scout the rest of the archives and get you suited and booted for battle and then we will be headed to the rendezvous point. We have just received warning that they might possibly know the location of the key so we’re going to have to get there before they do.” Donalbain shook his flaming head and sighed. “I’m sorry Savannah but no matter what happens over the next few days, you are definitely going to have to fight and there’s a good chance that none of us will live to see the aftermath.”

Gulping I nodded my head, opening and closing my mouth as I tried to articulate a response but all thought was lost on me. With a resigned sigh I gestured to the door. “After you I suppose.”