The Runaway

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

"That's it take him over to the bed," I said, as Artemis helped carry Adam into my room. 

   For such a slight person Artemis was very strong. He laid Adam down, making Adam grimace in pain. His wounds were healing...but slowly. 

  Was this also part of the punishment? A delayed healing process? Before when he was wounded it had healed up in seconds. Yet now it was taking much longer.

  "Why isn't he healing already?" I asked desperately. 

  Artemis had been curiously looking around my room up to this point. He opened a book I had left on the desk; Sense and Sensibility and spoke without turning in my direction. 

  "A harsher punishment. Normally we heal almost instantaneously but when we disobey God to a high degree he prevents us from healing as quickly," he glanced at Adam. "He's in a lot of pain. It's going to take a while for him to heal. Right now his body is as weak as a human's." 

  Isn't there anything we can do?"

  Artemis sighed, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. He walked over to the bed where Adam was drifing in and out of consciousness. He leaned closer to Adam, scruntinising his face. He nodded to himself and looked over at me. 

  "He's weak. He may be an Angel but right now he is in a human body. His Spirit has attatched itself to that body and only can be removed by God himself. If that body is no longer usable; if it gets too damaged then his soul will be expelled from it and die."

 "I don't understand." I said shaking my head, wondering what the hell was happening. 

  Artemis sighed heavily for a second time; clearly exasperated at my failiure to grasp the situation. "Every soul is born into a human body. When that body dies, the soul is released from it and travels onto its next destination; Heaven or Hell. But an Angel, is a soul who was specifically chosen to carry out God's work. Most of the time the Angel, exists only in Spirit form and watches over the human charge given to him by God. But Adam is a different case. Twice he has been given a new body to inhabit. As the body is not truly his, any damage inflicted on the body is done to his soul. Up to now any small injury has healed easily, due to the nature of our regenerative abilities. Even we without matter can be injured. But because he disobeyed God to a higher degree, the damage inflicted was much worse and is taking longer to heal. If Adam does not heal quickly enough and the body dies...his Soul will die too."

  I looked at Artemis with horrified eyes. "So these injuries...his Soul is damaged too? Can't we do something? Isn't there a way to make him heal faster?"

  Artemis stared at Adam thoughtfully. "There is something I can do for him. We Spirit's are made of life energy, which when transferred to others allows them to heal faster. I could give Adam some of my energy to accelerate his healing process, but it will decrease my own power as a Grim Reaper."

  I looked at him in confusion. "What are you saying?"

  He straightened and looked at me gently. "If I give Adam some of my life energy I will require a price."

A price? What could  a Grim Reaper want? A shiny new scythe? 

  "Name it," I replied, holding his gaze. Adam needed to get better; I needed him. 

  "Bring me the Scythe of Light that is my price to give part of my life energy to your Guardian Angel."

  Eh? He actually wanted a new Scythe? The Scythe of Light? What the hell was he talking about?