Golden wings

Chapter 22 - Arrive

He was following calmly; his bag swayed a little on his back, in between his wings. His amber eyes could not avoid looking at the decaying trees that surrounded them, ones he remembered well. For some strange reason, he felt unnerved. And he could not pinpoint why, he couldn't explain why he felt a shiver each time he looked at the black forest. He didn't know why he felt this way, because there was no apparent danger this time.

This time, he was safe. He was sure he was.

He looked ahead again, to look at Uriel. The demon was walking surely and calmly, without showing anxiety for the dark path, or the crooked and deformed forest. This time, he did not fear, he felt no dread at Uriel's side. Even more, he felt better with his presence.

Alexis blinked and stopped thinking, because Uriel looked back at him. He gave him a smile and spoke to him with a friendly tone, while he pointed with a nail to the distance.

"We are almost there. I know it seems like we will never get there, but it will only take a little while, I promise."

It had taken them two days to get into this dark forest, which was Uriel's territory. They would have arrived in just a day if they had run or flied, but Uriel had wanted to take his time, in order to show Alexis the way between his clearing and the manor. He wanted to show him clearly the roads, so he could leave if he decided to. He made clear he could change his mind about this, whenever he wished.

Alexis returned the smile and nodded a little. He hurried a little more, to keep up with the strong steps of his demon. He did not doubt in Uriel's word; he trusted they would arrive soon, that this long and dark path in the forest would soon end.

It took another hour; it seemed short, compared with the many others that had gone by before. Uriel smiled with relief and familiarity, because he saw the outlines of his manor in the distance, at last. It was right there, past the tall trees, at the end of the small road. Even if Alexis had been here before, now he could really admire it. The last time he had been too worried about getting away to pay much mind to it all.

The building was very tall; and even if it seemed big from the outside, he knew it was bigger inside, with many halls, rooms, and a lower ground floor. It was a huge manor, in the middle of nowhere. Its appearance was welcoming and old, something that did not match with the decaying forest that surrounded it.

Alexis was curious, so he asked, while they crossed the open gate of the manor's courtyard.

"Did you build it?"

Uriel seemed to ponder for a moment, to then nod slowly. By the time he answered him, they were already at the doors. He spoke without looking at his amber eyes, limiting himself to walk up the steps of the entrance.

"Most of it. I had some help, but yes, I did. It has been a long time since."

While Alexis stepped up the steps, he looked all around him, at every section of the courtyard. He still could see burns on the outside wall, surely for that fiery outburst that Uriel had. Though, it seemed like they had been cleaned up; as much as possible anyway.

Uriel huffed and pushed the big heavy doors, each with a claw. He let the light get into the big dark hall, while his shadow loomed on the stony floor inside. He smiled politely and shyly when he stepped to a side, to let his guest step in. Alexis seemed to hesitate for a moment, surely remembering unpleasant things about this place. However, he got in after a brief intake of breath, because he reminded himself that he had no reason to be paranoid. If Uriel had wanted to hurt him, he could have done so before; they had left that clearing behind, they had walked alone through small roads, through the forests, and they had to make camp and rest sometimes. Uriel had no reason to wait for so long or fake, just like him.