The Devil in the Black Suit

At First Sight

Chapter Two

At First Sight

My wings start moving before I'm even aware of it and I am forty, maybe fifty feet in the air. Master Dionysia has her palms outstretched before her and is channeling energy from her halo to create a shield around the rest of the students as the demons swoop in to attack. The shield, what looks like a translucent gold bubble encircling my class, blocks out sound but I can see the chaos raging from within. The twins, Isis and Dansis, have their opalescent wings wrapped around their bodies so that all I can see is the top of their heads. Sathi, a tall boy with skin the color of starfruit, is trying to break his way out of the shield like I have. In fact, the only two who are not panicking are Kaz and Leyo. Leyo is gripping Master Dionysia's shoulder, trying to get her attention, while Kaz is pointing up past the shield toward me.

It takes no more than a moment for the demons to reach the shield, but soon they realize they can't pass through it. Instead, they unsheathe swords from their hips and try to hack away at Master Dionysia's work. The swords are like nothing I've ever seen before. Curved and silver as a crescent moon. We train to fight with daggers, but not until our second year. I am completely and utterly defenseless.

Kaz and Leyo finally succeed in gaining Master Dionysia's attention and she looks up at me with eyes as ferocious as a wolf's. However, once she spots me, so do the demons and I see that hard glare has turned into desperation. One fledgling, not even a full year through school, facing against two demons who look like they have several years on me. The gravity of the situation hits me square in the chest like a gale force gust.

But all hope is not lost. Not yet. At least, that's what my wings seem to think, because they've started to flutter before I know it. Looking toward the sky above, I find the densest cloud I can see and shoot straight into it, praying to the Creator that it is thick enough to conceal me. In those moments, I struggle to listen for the demons approaching, but my heart is in my ears and beating too loudly for me to hear anything.

Then suddenly a thick cord wraps around my waist, just underneath the base of my wings, and I am pulled backward. At least, I think it is a cord. I try to yank it off of me but it stings and my hand comes back bloody. It is not a cord after all. It is the demon's tail, dotted with tiny barbs like the stem of a rose.

"What is your name, angel?" the demon says, his voice deep and silky. Too calm for someone who is about to commit murder.

Pivoting my head, I try to get a look at my captor, but I can't see but a half inch in front of me for the cloud cover. "Ri-Riya," I stammer. The demon takes both my wings in one hand and pinches them together, straining the muscles at the roots and effectively immobilizing me. For some reason my thoughts turn to the wing stretching exercises we do at the beginning of each class, as if the stress from my current situation has caused my mind to run to a comforting thought.

"Riya," the demon echoes. Slowly, as if testing the name on his tongue. "What a pleasure. They call me James."

His politeness does nothing to quell my anxiety, and despite myself I shudder in fear. Am I going to die like today? Will I ever see my friends and family again? Will I never see my dream of becoming a fly-scout realized?

James's free hand strokes through my feathers. Softly, as if he's never felt such a thing before. There is a sharp sting as he plucks one of my feathers out, and even from behind me I can hear him sniff it.

"You know what I must do, don't you, angel?" he says. His fingers creep up along my side and are at my throat in seconds, closing tight. Breath escapes me, and I claw at my throat to no avail. Everything turns black, then comes back all twisted. Like the skyscape is spinning around me, when I know it is still.