Half Breed

Chapter 1

It was cold. Winter was coming into play quickly, that he could tell. Needles of ice spread up Vegeir's arms and his sienna hair was swept around by the wind. While even under a wool lined coat, goosebumps had risen as soon as he'd stepped outside.

    God, how he'd disliked winter. Even more so, the creatures who brought it every year. It was Tyr who'd put the Nephilim in charge of protecting his precious Entrée. 'We're nothing but pets,'Vegeir thought.

     He paced around outside just before the tree line. It was morning, the sun not very high yet and the little bit of sunlight cast dark shadows in the trees. They looked ominous from where he stood; their branches like hanging arms with hands ready to snatch someone up and hollows that looked like a shark's eyes.

     He imagined Riminya's dark brown hair blending in with the endless browns of the trees. He could almost see her eyes when he closed his.

     He'd meant to have her bound and have the book burned. His sister, Ariana, though, had had other plans. She'd sensed quickly what Riminya was and unlocked her door and the window. Ariana had always had this notion that the nations should be unified. "To be one" she always said.

     Vegeir felt his chest tighten with annoyance. He furrowed his dark eyebrows, glaring out into the trees. Out of the silence, church bells rang out. Deep gongs that echoed far into the trees. One, two, three, four. . .

     The church bells were a signal to assemble at the 'town hall'. Or as everyone seemed to like to call it, The Heart.

Vegeir walked quickly from the backyard to the street. It wasn't far to The Heart; a block at most.

      He ran over the passed events in his head as he walked, blocking out the sense of other people walking close to him or even his surroundings. He pictured Riminya's rage filled expression and it flashed in his mind; her eyes changing colors before throwing the vase at him without moving her hands.

      Vegier's eyebrows creased, creating lines on his forehead.

      The half-angel glanced up. Smooth stone steps loomed up in front of him, their edges cracked and worn down with years of use. The stone in the steps themselves, though, seemed to glitter in the sunlight. Large white pillars soared upwards to an overhang which shielded from rain or snow in the corresponding seasons. An iron gating fenced in a porch like area to the left and right of the stairs where some cold looking people stood talking amongst themselves. They stared at him as he mounted the steps. There was only a single, wooden door that separated him from a vast auditorium like space.

      Shoving his freezing hands into the coat pockets, he moved the door open with his shoulder.  

      The smell hit him first. It always did. It was always a mildew smell accompanied by something that seemed to correspond to the seasons. Summer, it was sweat and heavy incents of lavender. Spring, it was flowers and what he thought was cherry blossoms. Fall, of course, came the sickly sweet smell of pine sap. And, now, winter brought the scent of ash that filled the air from the fire place that crackled directly opposite of where he stood.

     Vegeir moved down the pew like seats positioned to face a raised portion of floor meant to act like a stage. His dark eyes scanned the familiar surroundings. There were four chairs placed in the center of the stage and a podium say in the very front. The fireplace crackled behind the chairs and four large windows let in light from the east through the few trees outside. The walls were a yellowed cream that reflected light to made it look brighter.

    He sighed and fell into a seat towards the back. These were just hard, wooden pews that hurt your back no matter how young you were. Everyone loathed them.

   For all being half-angel, people sure seemed picky.

   People poured in one after the other. He recognized most of the faces, but others were vague and didn't call back any memories or names. It wasn't long before the whole room came to smell of bodies that warmed the room even more. The smell started to blend with the ashy scent, even overtake it.

     Out from the corner of his eye, Vegeir caught sight of four robed figures striding out from the left of the stage. Their hoods were up, casting dark shadows onto their faces to where it was indistinguishable whether male or female. Their robes reflected the eastern light and came off with a golden tone, even then, the beings themselves seemed to give off their own orange-golden haze. One by one, they sat down in the amber colored, wooden chairs.

     Everyone sensed their presence and hushed down until a pin drop could be heard. The fire crackling behind the four seemed to be like gunshots ringing out into the silent room.

     The first in line shed his hood revealing stark blonde hair and strikingly blue eyes. His face was incredibly thin, sickly looking. He held his hands in from him, covered by the material he wore. With a deep tone, he began to speak. "Word has spread through Dragon military of a beast we thought was extinct. It's sheer existence can cause chaos throughout our Order." He paused, his red tongue wetting his lips quickly. "Ladies and Gentlemen, a demon walks the earth." 

     Immediately the room plunged into incoherent words being flung about, shouted and whispered. Fear and surprise cascading through everyone; all but Vegeir. His dark eyes merely darted around to the people around him, and he scoffed at them. 

     Vegeir saw the man from before, with the blonde locks, quirk up an eyebrow, and everyone fell silent. An unheard command noticed by everyone. "We are safe for now. We know she's on the move, though. We've been told that the Dragon Elites have been sent out to track her."