Deathsong

Prologue: Deathsong's Recurrence

The sounds of a newborn baby filled the sterile hospital room, accompanied by nearly silent health machines. Then came the laughter of a new mother.

"Welcome to the world, my dearest Deisara! You will grow into a fine woman indeed," the mother said with black hair falling onto the baby girl's face.

The baby paused and sneezed, then looked up at the mother. Her eyes a gorgeous sky blue and her mothers an emerald green. The mother's brow furrowed as a single white shimmery feather fell in front of her. She had left the window open intentionally after her birth just for his use at the midnight hour.

"Delerth, she will not be coming with me will she?" The mother asked. "I am afraid not, Ledhan." A man said as he came into the view of the mother. He leaned over Ledhan and kissed her forehead. There was a bundle in his arms.

"I will take care of her in heaven, but I would like for you to see her at least once." He said, unraveling the bundle to reveal a twin to the baby girl the Ledhan held in her arms as well, only this girl had tiny-almost transparent-wings on her back.

"What shall we name her?" The angel asked. They weren't expecting twins, so they only came up with one name.

Ledhan fretted for a moment. "Calypso." She whispered and the angel chuckled.

"That is a perfect name for a soon-to-be strong angel." He said, but that didn't comfort Ledhan as tears fell down her face.

"Why did she have to die?" She whimpered.

Marren knew she would never understand that the child had not died-that she just had been born an angel. The knowledge was far above her capabilities to understand the more supernatural fabric of her world. She should be lucky, for she had Deisara, and that was a universal law that Marren and Ledhan had broken when they fell in love and Ledhan conceived the two children. She was lucky Raja didn't kill Deisara and actually let Calypso into heaven, but she was always a rebel.

"I have to leave. Goodbye, my forever love..." Marren said, and he took flight with the baby angel to the heavens as his long red hair trailed behind him. Ledhan cradled the baby in her bed.

"My dear Deisara, I will always protect you. No matter what." Her breath hitched, as shadows encased her room and she hunkered over her now-sleeping child. Blue eyes stared ominously and morosely at her from the corner of the room as a feeling of dread and pain washed over her.

Later that day when Marren was in his barracks upon the clouds of heaven, a woman with green hair that fell to her calves came in dressed in a white dress walking around the barren-yet-comforting confines in which her "brother" lived.

"Raja," Marren said, acknowledging her then turning his attention to Calypso.

White light came as wisps from Raja's hands and turned black and hard in the shape of an instrument. "Dear Calypso, I give you your greatest gift from the leader of the Guard." She said as she handed the instrument which instantly grew to the size of her hand.

"Why a flute, Raja?" Marren asked.

Raja fluttered her emerald wings in nervousness. "Marren, you know, being a daughter of the Sanke clan I can sometimes see the future, she will need the flute. But gifting her the needed instrument wasn't the only thing on my agenda for coming to your barracks. There is an anticipated attack on Ledhan from a group of fallen angels. Some of mine have gone, but you are my best fighter, and will fight for a plausible cause-they need your guidance."

Shock seeped into Marren's eyes as the words Raja said sunk in."Ledhan!"He said and began to get up, but just as he went to pass Raja, she stopped him.

"Marren, I love you as my brother"- she said, her voice revealing a choking battle inside her, a single tear came from her eye as she started to speak again. "Goodbye Marren, I only tell you this because you deserve it. You will never see Calypso again, nor Ledhan, nor the daughter you lied to me about, Deisara. Nor me. You will be killed today. I will care for the young Calypso. Now go with courage." Raja said before picking up the baby and flying away from the dazed Marren. She flew to a cavern deep in the sea and sealed it. It took a lot of her energy, but it was made where only blood could break the cage. Therefore protecting the earth for as long as blood didn't touch the cavern. She flew with all her might to the where two angels dived down to meet her to take her back to her barracks, she fell into a sleep that lasted many hours.

Finally, when she woke, she was told that the angels killed Ledhan and Marren, and nobody knew where their daughter was. She shooed them away and sat on her futon rubbing her temples as a strange light floated into her room. An angel now? Here? The sphere floated in front of her and as she touched it she saw images of the daughter that Marren had lied to her about, Deisara.

Suddenly the sphere transformed into a boy that looked to be the age of five. He had black hair that was held up by a white ribbon. His wings were blood red with eyes of burgundy to match. "Tell me your name little one."

Raja said in a soft tone. The boy turned to her. "Alamir. Alamir Kenso." He said. His wing held the crest of the Guardian Angels.

Raja produced a globe of light in her hand that reflected a picture of Deisara. "This"- she said pointing to the child "-Is Deisara. You are a guardian angel that needs to protect her. Will you face death to help her survive?" She asked him, the initiation question of every guardian angel big or small.

"Yes, Ma'am." He said standing straight and looking her dead in the eye from his small height.

Raja smirked. She had not read him wrong after all. Raja touched her palm to his forehead and a green beam flew from her hand to deep within the boys head. Suddenly, Raja visualized that she was doing this to Deisara too. After she was done, she saw that the connection had been sealed. "Now you can communicate with the human. She is an orphan. Lead her on the right path." Raja said before flying to the higher gates of the guard where the Archangels worked.

Alamir flew out and down to earth to see the crying baby in a box hidden under some shrubs by the hospital. He picked her up and folded his wings. Rocking her until she fell asleep and then put her back in the box and set her upon a widow's doorstep. He hid and watched as the woman, feeble yet nimble in age with blue eyes but hair as dark as night, took her in graciously and sat down. He already felt that she was a target, with the negative energy that he felt followed her through the ground. He decided to Have Raja train him for a while, thinking that as she was an infant, she may be unguarded a few hours of the day.

Raja agreed happily and trained Alamir. Now in the world stood two taboo-angels named Calypso and Deisara. Nobody but Raja knew of their heritage. And now, the Deathsong had finally begun. Raja shivered as she trained Alamir when she heard the shrill of a flute, ghostly and hauntingly play in the back of her mind and somehow making the leaves of the trees in their training grounds sway. She knew it wasn't Calypso yet, but soon it would be.

Editorial credit: Alveonacy