The Imperfections Of Fate

Chapter 20: An Angel on white wings

" What the fuc-." I begin.

" It's an angel." Damien breathes in awe from behind me, as the man before us spreads his stary white wings wide, grinning. I think I'm gonna pass out. The angel has golden, wavy hair, that flutters in the breeze and reaches down the length of his back. His eyes are also golden, reflecting my image in their mesmerizing depths. This can't be seriously happening.

" Greetings." The angel speaks. His voice is flowy and soft. But nonetheless proud and commanding. I gulp, trying to get my body back under control.

" Greetings," Damien beats me to it, stepping forward to address him, " We are in your debt for saving us."

The angel smirks, flutters his wings once, then tucks them neatly against his back.

" My name is Lael by the way. And you're welcome of course." He smiles. I find my voice at last.

" You...you're an angel?" My question is a rhetorical one, but he still answers.

" Yes, I thought that would have been obvious. Amare sent me to help you, Sanem."

" She did?" Why would she do that? Why would she only do that now, after all this time?

" Why?" Damien's firm hand lands on my shoulder. Lael watches the act, tilting his head to the side in contemplation.

" She saw that Sanem was in trouble, and asked Regis for an angel. She got me. So... Yeah," He shrugs, " Here I am."

I nod slowly, still trying to get over the fact that there is a freaking angel talking to me. Damien doesn't seem as phased as me. Well, he's met an angel before. Sariel. But that was a long time ago. And his clan did end up killing Sariel in the end.

" Amare is the one that wants you to save Elysium and Addirhia all by your lonesome, right?"

I refocus on Damien who has turned to me and is whispering quietly. It takes me a while to realize that he's smiling. Oh, a joke. Yeah...right. I'm still too preoccupied with the freaking angel to grin back.

" My mistress doesn't expect Sanem to do all of it on her own," Lael speaks up from in front of us, crossing his arms defensively. Still looking at me, Damien rolls his eyes. This time I smirk slightly.

" And could you guys stop grinning at each other? We have more pressing matters to attend to." Lael snaps. I'm the one to roll my eyes this time. But then my brain does move to the more 'pressing matters', as Lael put it.

" Could you find my friends?" I ask over Damien's shoulder. Lael smirks, and Damien turns to lift his eyebrows at him.

" I already know where they are," Lael twirls his finger absently in the air, " They are waiting for us by the big oak tree."

I frown.

" But oak trees don't grow in jungles."

Both Lael and Damien sigh, then speak in unison.

" They do in this one."

Oh, I see.

" Well," I shrug, " Guess we better-."

" You!"

We all flinch.

" Stop right there!"

My body locks and Damien's eyes turn dark. I would know that voice anywhere. Well, here it goes. I swing around to face " the voice", and wince.

Vadiem is pulling himself to his feet in amongst the pile of motionless Fae sprawled across the whole training ground. One side of his face is bloody and raw, his eye swollen shut. His black hair is matted to his scalp and his tattered cape hangs around his shoulders like a mark of death. I watch him sway on the spot for a second, then staggered one step in our direction.