Heaven and Hell

TEN

A D V I C E

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LUCIUS CAUGHT UP to Fabian rather easily. In the latter's defence, it was not that he was slow. It was just that he hadn't been flying that fast, careful to reduce his speed so that the angel of light could keep up. The dark-haired angel turned to look behind him every once in a while, making sure that the angel of light in which he had recruited help from was still following him closely. He was.

"Fabian, is it?" Lucius asked when he finally caught up, wings needing to flap twice as fast just to reach Fabian's side. "I do not think that we have interacted much prior to this encounter."

Fabian's lips curled into a grimace, nose wrinkling in distaste. "No, we have not. I do not venture outside the boundaries of the North Garden much. I am perfectly happy with where I am."

His companion had said those words with such a pointed look that it made Lucius grow suspicious. He then wondered if Fabian had been observant enough to have seen, to know that the former had actually left the grounds of Heaven in pursuit of some great adventure in Paradise.

Narrowing his eyes a little too dramatically, Lucius pursed his lips. "I don't suppose that there is a hidden meaning in there, right?"

It might have been a trick of the light but Lucius thought he saw Fabian smile. The latter's lips quirked into a brief smirk, one that seemed to hold knowledge far beyond anything Lucius could ever imagine. Before Lucius could confirm it, however, it was gone.

"It means whatever you want it to mean, Lucius," Fabian instead said enigmatically. "Just heed my warning. Not all angels are forgiving and even fewer would choose to turn an eye away when they can report you to the superiors."

"We were taught not to gossip."

"Yes, but we were also taught to speak the truth and never withhold information when it needs to be given. In this case, information that would lead to another's punishment matters a grave lot, if I remember correctly," Fabian countered.

"True," Lucius conceded with a shrug. "But I would like to think that I can trust my friends, my family. I can trust you, right Fabian?"

Silence elongated between the two angels, the void only filled with brief sounds of their wings flapping. It seemed like forever before Fabian finally spoke and allowed Lucius to let out a breath of air he did not know that he had been holding in.

"Of course," nodded Fabian. "What are friends for?"

Lucius couldn't help himself but grin but it wasn't long before curiosity overwhelmed him. He bit his lip, darting his eyes at Fabian suspiciously.

"How did you know, by the way?" Asked Lucius, voice wary and high on alert. He was careful not to provide too many details just in case he had misread the situation and Fabian had in fact been talking about an entirely different case.

Fabian simply shrugged, shoulders lifting only to drop as he pouted slightly, almost in a mocking manner.

"You did not choose a good place to head to, Lucius. The secret passageway is a place right behind the North Garden. It is a path that we, the angels of the North Garden, were supposed to guard. I happened to be on patrol when I saw you dart down there with a certain other night angel."

At his words, a single drop of perspiration began to trickle down the sides of Lucius's head. Hastily, he lifted his arm to wipe at the droplet, his throat suddenly dry, feeling as though a bag of sand had just been shoved down both his throat and windpipe. He couldn't breathe.