Elvirund | ✔️

Chapter Fifteen

Leaning against a tree waiting for me was Calphys, as I had expected. The field was empty, the long yellow grass swaying in the wind, and the sky was clear. Yet despite the warm feeling of summer, the space between us was cold, unforgiving. I could die here.

"Say what you want and be done with it. I have business to attend to." I hardly raised my voice, knowing they could hear me just fine.

"You just got here. What's the rush?"

"We both know each other's identities. We both know you're here to bring me back to the Elders. If you're going to do it, then do it now."

"Unfortunately, it's not that easy. See, I have orders to follow."

"And since when you were one to follow orders? Last I remember you were slaughtering the very Council that you are now licking the shoes of." I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms. "Or did you have some bigger genocide planned?"

Calphys sighed and turned towards me, and I braced myself. One hand clenched at my side, ready to grab a knife if needed. There was no threat to their stance but I couldn't afford to be less than cautious.

"It's not like that. I have a possible three hundred year reduction off my cell time, and I don't want to mess this up."

Of course. Ulterior motives were usually either painfully obvious or buried in webs of lies. I should have known that from personal experience.

"And so you're being their little guard dog so you can graduate from training school early?"

"Don't say it like that. This is entirely for personal benefit."

"Of course it is."

"I'm not giving you extra time to be free, I'm giving myself extra time to make sure the First Elder is satisfied."

A disgruntled hiss left Calphys' lips and I nearly smirked but for the chill that ran down my spine. The grass waved around my feet and I ground one heel into the dirt. This was child's play, at best.

"You better start making it less obvious then."

With that I began walking back to the clinic building. I should have anticipated it when Calphys came after me and dug their nails into my arm, but it still caught me off guard. I whipped one arm around, the knife gripped tightly at their neck and drawing deep mahogany blood.

"Listen, Calphys. You killed my father in that fire, and regardless of my tense family relations that was still very uncalled for."

My footsteps thumped loudly on the cracked pavement as I stormed my way back to the clinic. I wasn't letting a measly Brimmed angel ruin my retribution just yet. I had a good two hundred and eighty some odd years left to go before I could even think about being admitted back home. Nothing would stop that from coming to fruition.

"Aurelia, what's going on?"

"We have to discuss some things. Can we talk privately?"

"Are you going to give me an adequate explanation?"

"Yes. Just find a room."

Bright ire spilled from my pores, danced fiery circles in my veins. I had to make a conscious effort to keep it contained. Once released my anger could flatten the entire rest of the city that I hadn't already destroyed.

"Alright, spill."

I sat down on the floor and sighed deeply before beginning. This was no time to let anger dictate my words.

"When an angel commits a crime, there are different levels of punishment. The highest usually sends that angel into the deepest dungeons. I would have been locked in a cell for a thousand years, but Raphael intervened and cut my sentence to three hundred years here."