Vanna

five - Battered And Broken

I woke to an unbearable cold, and my skin was ghostly white. My once white dress was now covered in dirt and grime. Dirt was caked under my nails, and I could feel dried tears on my face.

I shuttered as an eerie breeze drifted through the bars of my, birdcage like prison. Around me were other cages hanging by thick looped chains at various levels, and below was a raging river of lava.

I jumped up as the two men from the Light Paradox walked through the entrance of my prison.

“I ssshall enjoy thisss, Balban,” the shorter man said.

“I mussst agree. Thisss ssshall be a delight.”

I moved away from them until my back hit the edge of the cage. I was completely and utterly scared. I knew I wasn’t in Heaven anymore, perhaps I was in that unforgivable place Father had spoken of.

“There’sss nowhere you can go angel, asssept defeat.”

I stood frozen unable to utter a single word, let alone form a single coherent thought. My fingers wrapped around the bars behind me as if I could somehow bend them to forage my escape.

I flinched when the man named Balban touched my bare arm. His hand stung my bare skin with intense pain, and once his hand was removed from my arm an angry red handprint was left.

“Ple-”

I was cut off when the other man snapped his fingers and a strip of cloth was tied around my mouth to keep me from making any noise.

“We can’t have you making any noissse darling. We don’t want the bosss knowing you’re here do we?”

I knew he wasn’t expecting an answer, it was his way of gloating I suppose. I knew Father would come to find me. There wasn’t a place in the world I could be hidden from Father, right? There was a slight doubt in my mind, but I knew I was being ridiculous, of course, Father would find me.

“Abaddon, why don’t we sssee thisss presssiousss angelsss gold blood ssspill?”

Balban and Abaddon.

I would forever have their names etched into my mind. I would get my justice, and I knew Father would serve it for me.

My eyes squeezed shut and my cry was muffled as Balban’s nail drug down the side of my arm.

“That’sss quite odd, her blood isssn’t gold.”

I looked down at my arm and he was right. I knew angels blood was pure gold, but Father had never told me my blood was any different.

My blood was like an iridescent blue and it seemed to pulse with life. It was very enchanting and hypnotic.

I almost forgot where I was. I looked up and stepped back and pushed Abaddon away from me as he reached his long nails toward my face.

In a flash, my head collided with the ground and my vision grew dark spots. My cheek stung from a fresh slap from Balban. I blinked focusing on the bits of dirt on the floor.

Instinctively my hand touched my forehead, as I brought my fingers in front of my eyes, they were covered with my iridescent blue blood. My skin illuminated in a blue flash and my head stopped hurting, like my body repaired itself instantly. I reached my other hand to my forehead and I couldn’t feel the gash anymore, just wet blood left on my skin.

I looked up in worry as they both hunched over me. Their faces looked demonic in the dim light, and their eyes held nothing but pure aggression.  

“You ssshall not touch usss like that angel.”

In another snap, my wrists and ankles were bound by rope. I had no chance of running now.

“Now that’sss not proper posssture for an angel,” Balban proclaimed gripping my jaw in his hand.

I flinched again when a thick chain dropped from the top of the cage and slithered over to me like a serpent. Another muffled cry left my lips as the chain looped around my bound wrist and jerked me up onto my knees.

I could see angry red marks forming around my wrists from my restraints. I desired to rub them to soothe their shrieking aches.

Father, give me the strength to bear this and overcome. Give me the strength to withstand grow even stronger.

“I think we ssshould take a look at thossse presssiousss wingsss of yoursss,” Abaddon smiled placing his hands on my shoulders.

I shook my head and glared at them. If they wanted to bear witness to my wings I would have to be dead.

“That wasss the wrong anssswer sssweetie.”

Another scream was cut off by the fabric in my mouth.

“How about now,” Abaddon asked.

I took a deep breath in and shook my head refusing. My vision grew darker when he drug his nails along my skin between my shoulder blades; the most sensitive place on an angel.

Balban and Abaddon. I said their names over and over in my head as they continued to torture me.

Just before I completely passed out it dawned on me; the meanings of their names.

Balban was the demon of delusion and Abaddon meant destroyer and was referred to a lot as the angel destroyer. I remember reading that in a book.

Before I could pray once more, the room around me became completely dark and the pain subsided.