The Envy of Angels

Chapter 7

The next morning, I stormed into Chairman Ness' office.

He disconnected from the Sanctum, focusing back to reality. "Mr. Herald, how may I help you?" When he saw the feather, his weathered features grew stern.

I tossed it onto his desk, where it lay pale against the gleaming black enamel. "Someone--something--broke into my apartment last night, and left this. I want to know why."

He pointed to the guest chair. "Sit. I'll tell you what I know of such a token."

I collapsed into the chair and threw my head back. "I feel like I'm being watched, everywhere I go. Have I angered the Seraphim?"

"No, you've enchanted one of them," he said. "Perhaps more than one. A plume is a gift of adoration."

"I don't want things sneaking into my home, following me about. If that was a Seraph last night, it attacked me."

"I'm afraid there's nothing to stop it," the chairman said, tone sympathetic. "No mortal knows the whims of angels."

I buried my face in my hands. "I barely slept last night. Is there anything I can do?"

"The Seraphim themselves have your answer." He exhaled, pipe smoke coiling from his nose and mouth.

"How do I reach them?"

"Only the High Pontiff and Pastor Lee have successfully communed in the past decade." He tapped the pipe into a serrated bronze ashtray. "But, since you've attracted an Archangel, you may stand a chance. The communion terminal lies within the Visitor's Center, at the base of the Temple."

I thanked him and departed. Soon after, I boarded a commuter shuttle at the downtown terminal. The Visitor's Center was a busy facility near the Temple gates. Stepping off the shuttle, I went inside. I passed workers and administrators, their eyes glazed over, voices chattering through the Sanctum. Many elite citizens sported banded 'face visors for convenience. Ushers waved and grinned to all who entered.

I claimed the private communion booth and settled into the leather chair. A slot for my 'face nexus rotated open on the console, and a pleasant female voice spoke.

"Welcome, friend. Please insert your interface."

I placed my device.

"Priority access granted for Mr. Tristan Herald, Bearer Of Beatific Song."

My vision faded to a grayish haze as if a daydream stole my mind. The familiar spark of entrance greeted me, and I soon hovered between synthetic paradise and the everyday world. Everything here was connected, each channel converging toward the central core. I willed my avatar forward and downward, into the heart of the network.

Ribbons of light pulsed about me. I surrendered to the flow of information, like floating down a lazy river. Memories of playing with my grandfather on Steelbend's canals brought a smile to my simulated lips.

Strange voices echoed in kaleidoscopic forms. "Sala, pashsa..."

Fragile apparitions caressed me, blank faces shifting within a vast plane.

I intoned a message, using the gestured language of the Sanctum. "Blessed Seraphim, hear me."

The reply surged in a wave of icons. "Beloved." They tugged in multiple directions, as if I were a coveted toy between children.

"What do you want?" My question hummed forth.

Serpentine laughter pulsated upon mirrored patterns of light and data. I hovered closer and saw the horrifying truth. The Seraphim composed a single consciousness, many parts of a whole. They stared into my depths and flayed all of my secrets into view.

"Mine," their voice said.

Thousands of needles pierced me. They probed, nothing hidden. My desire for fame was revealed first. This they loved, swaying in approval. However, their joy faded when Annabel's image brightened the inner recesses of the Sanctum. She held the largest portion of my heart, and they didn't like it.

Their displeasure surged through my physical body as well as my avatar. I writhed, digging my fingers into the cushioned armrests. In the Sanctum, countless wings encircled me like a forest of clouds. Pointed fingers ripped at me, virtual blood oozed, and gaunt black wings extended from my avatar's shoulders.

"I don't want this. Let me go!" I snatched my nexus device loose, disrupting the connection, and stumbled across the bare tile floor. Sweat dripped, my throat grating. I dashed from the communion chamber, leaving the plume and 'face nexus behind.

Where could I run? I had no family anymore. My parents disowned me when I left Steelbend. I ran back to the apartment and tore through my belongings. Clothing and vanities soon cluttered the parlor. So many things borrowed or gifted, empty trinkets. I tossed whatever I needed most onto the floor. Packing everything into the bag I'd brought to Hosanna, I left at sunset.

Fog cloaked the strand. I paced among the barnacled rocks, too restless to play music. Please let her arrive.

Hooves drummed in the distance, and she emerged from a gray bank of mist. Fidelius slid to a frantic stop, arching his neck against the reins.

"Tristan!" Her voice was shrill. She hurled herself into my embrace. Our lips met in a trembling kiss.

"I'm here to say goodbye," I said. "I'm leaving tonight."

"Why?"

I removed my fedora, gripping the brim in both hands as I searched for an explanation. "The Seraphim won't leave me alone. They feed on human emotions, and apparently I'm the main course."

"What?" The wind lashed strands of her hair against her paling cheeks. "They feed on our emotions? How can such a terrible thing be true? The Seraphim are our protectors."

"I used to believe they were." I breathed a deep sigh. "But last night, I discovered the truth. Your brother told me he feeds the Seraphim every week with the rapture of his congregation. When I got home, an angel attacked me and left me a feather. I've been told it's a sign of affection, but it felt more like being violated. I won't stay and be their slave."

"I believe you." She clutched my fingers. "But where will you go?"

"As far as I can get from the Kingdom."

"They'll follow you," she said. "When you're 'faced, they can track you anywhere."

I looked at the sea, grasping for slim hope. "There's a rumor, a place my grandfather told me about. A rogue settlement far to the north called Penance. Sinners and blasphemers, all of them. They live outside of the Sanctum there and defy the Seraphim's rule. Maybe it's just a story, but I'm going to find out. It may be my only chance."

The hushed roar of wind and waves drowned all but her plea. "Take me with you."

I gulped, recalling the angels' hatred of her. "I wish I could. It's too dangerous."

Tears wore hot trails down her face. "Please don't leave me. I can't stay here, with my brother controlling me, and without you. I love you."

Her plea shattered my heart. I wanted to protect her, to always see her smile. "My beautiful Annabel Lee. It's funny. I've known you only a week, but I love you, too."

"I'm coming with you," she said. "They can't stop me, and neither can you."

I hung my head. "The northbound train leaves at dawn. Meet me at the station by then."

She agreed with another kiss, and galloped home.