Fallen

Chapter 4

Theo and I, after a few mugs of hot chocolate at my house in an attempt to calm our rattled nerves, walked back out to the side streets where his grandma picked him up. We made up some simple story about taking a walk and getting lost along the way; his granny gave us a long lecture about improving our senses of direction since we were about to start driving. Theo waved at me through the passenger-side window as his car travelled up the street, and I waved even after he turned the corner. Then I made my way back along my trail and flew home.

My little house was quiet and solemn. It was a place where guardians came to stay sometimes between assignments. It appeared deserted from the outside; and inside it was impossibly spartan. The whole place had only enough material possessions for survival- there was no accounting for comfort or style.

I went to sleep under the white blankets on my brass bed. The covers were heavy enough to ward away the autumn chill, and I was happy very briefly before I reminded myself that I wasn't here to be happy.

When I awoke, it was to someone shaking my shoulders violently. I was very unused to being roused in such a manner, and no one was supposed to be in my house. I regret to say that I may have backhanded my shaker out of pure adrenaline-fueled terror. When he (for it was a man) cried out in protest and let go of me, I realized that I recognized the voice.

"Zachary! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry..." I jumped out of bed in my t-shirt and shorts and ran towards him. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, it just stings a little," he said, working his jaw from side to side.

"What are you doing here, Zachary?! You should be with Theo!"

"I know, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have left him if it weren't absolutely essential."

"Zach, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

He took a deep breath and steadied himself on a wall. "It's about your assignment. Your last one."

I started. "My redhead? What happened to her?"

His head hung low. "After you fell, there was no one to watch her, so the big guy had to pick a new guardian. He... He chose Jonas."

My eyes narrowed. That coward. "Why him?"

"Who knows? Maybe He saw something the rest of us didn't. Whatever it was, Jonas wasn't cut out for the job. Earlier tonight," he gulped and looked at me like I might slap him again, "that girl and her family left town on a train to go visit some old aunt. And..." he still glanced warily at me.

"Spit it out, kid. We haven't got all night"

"Kavor pursued her." he said very softly.

I took a deep breath. Kavor was a mighty and ancient demon. He was a member of the Devil's personal guard, and consequently, the same one I had taken so long to beat off the night before Jonas had delivered that deadly insult to me.

"How did Jonas handle him?"

"He didn't. He put up a fight, but Kavor took him out in minutes. He's wounded in a bad way. And the girl is unprotected."

"WHAT?!" I thundered in a voice that was much more audible than his. Zachary cowered away from my fury.

"I came to get you to stay with Theodore, so I can go do something about that."

"No," I said in a commanding tone, "you stay with Theo. Don't breathe a word of this to him. I'll take care of Kavor."

"Adira, it's-"

"Save it," I said. "Very few guardians have ever dealt with Kavor. Even fewer have ever beaten him before the sun can come finish him off. I've fought him before. I need you taking care of Theo. He's more important than both of us know."