Dying for the Devil

17

I inhale a shuddering gasp. I taste the air, the stagnant remains of blood and dirt permeate the air. Another deep breath, and this time it's a little easier.

"Adeline" a soft voice speaks to me. I don't remember who the voice belongs to, only that it is both familiar and unfamiliar to me.

"You carried out the hardest task the old one has ever given. You had to find the place inside yourself where nothing was impossible. You had to choose between the good and bad parts of yourself to decide which was more important" her voice says softly, and a whisper of fingers trail themselves over my cheek.

"You stepped outside of your comfort zone and you flew my darling. You flew" she said again, brushing a kiss against my forehead.

"I will always watch over you filia lucem" she whispered. Daughter of light.

"Mother?" I called out to the fading voice. A soft touch against my heart, a moment of understanding between us.

She saved me. My mother. The healer. The angel.

The feeling of falling is rough, as I jolt into myself, my eyes snap open. Micah is there, and his tears trickle down his nose, landing in soft splotches against my shirt.

"There you are" he cries, his hands coming to brush the sides of my face. I realize then that I am crying too. He brushes my tears away, shifting slightly on his feet before standing up. Evie is there too, her red eyes dry from the lack of tears she has left, I'd imagine.

Micah helps me to my feet, sweeping his arms underneath me and tugging me against his chest.

"I did it for you" I whisper to him. His eyes meet mine, and glisten with understanding.

"I know cor dulce, I know" he whispers back. I feel the difference in myself. I feel lighter, not just in my body, but in my soul too. Micah leans his head against mine as he carries me across the field to the healers tents. Stepping inside, he shrugs away the prying eyes, calling on the closest healer to attend to me.

After a thorough inspection, I am released into Micah's care. We walk, hand in hand towards home.

"How is Gabriel?" I ask, cutting through the silence between us.

"He is alive, thanks to you" he replied before adding, "he is also very grumpy he missed out on your spectacular end" he grimaces as he says the words, and I laugh. After a moment, Micah smiles.

"Micah, what happened to my soul? How am I still... Alive?" I ask. We stop walking, and he turns to face me. His hands come up to the sides of my face. He offers me a soft smile.

"I am the archangel of life. I worked with your mother, and together we mended you. The way you were before your soul was taken. Every part of you, is completely you" he finishes, sweeping his thumb across my cheek. "I met your father too" he slips into conversation and I turn to gape at him.

"He loves you, and he asked me to tell you that he is with your mom. They're happy. And one day, you'll see them both again... But today was not that day" he finished.

We walk in silence for a little while longer before he speaks again.

"The old one has claimed that part of Lucifers' soul now, and he will never earn the right to get it back after what he's done here today", and a little part of me breaks inside. Not for Lucifer, but for all the losses he faced today. That we faced today.

"How many?" I ask, and Micah answers without hesitation.

"One hundred and twenty seven" he says, and I feel the weight in his words. Out of one thousand of us, we lost over ten percent. We lost over a hundred warriors today, but I know in my heart the darkness faced a much tougher battle, and lost more than a few creatures. We begin to walk again, and for the first time in my life, I feel free.

Truly free.

                                                                    **********

Returning to the apartment feels like a dream. I step inside, and feel the glow of sunshine through the glass windows. I smile to myself, turning to face Micah again. He wraps his arms around me, and kisses me slowly, like he has to savor every moment.

After a long, hot shower followed by a hot cup of lavender tea, we find ourselves back at base, heading towards the medical tents. We step inside, moving out of the way of a medic who is helping shift an injured warrior. My blood warms as I take in how many injured there are. Its almost too many to count.

I close in on the corner bed where Evie is sitting. Her head is slumped, and small snores escape from her mouth. I smile and quietly take the seat opposite her. Gabe lays still, shirtless and wrapped in a few bandages. He seems to be asleep, but as soon as I sit, his head snaps over and his eyes push open wide.

"Angel" he breathes as utter devastation falls across his face. I take his hand in mine, and hold it tightly. He feels cold, but his face is flush with color.

"You saved my life, again" he mumbles, tears bubbling in his eyes before he wipes them away.

"You can owe me" I reply softly, smiling at him. He returns the smile, and squeezes my hand. The love is so strong in this room, I can barely contain myself. A sharp inhale beside me brings my attention to Micah, who has his eyes locked on our hands.

"Don't be silly Micah, Gabriel's a married man now" I start to laugh but then I feel it.

The warm healing glow. I turn to face our intertwined hands, and my mouth goes slack. The glow is slowly spreading through Gabe, shifting over his cuts and bruises, healing his stitches across his heart.

"Your healing powers... They weren't from him or me. They are entirely your own" Micah utters in disbelief.

"Like my mother" I whisper, a smile tugging up once again on my face. After a few long moments, I double check Gabe again, as he insists he is better than fine. Evie still snores in the chair across from us. I stand up, kissing him quickly on the cheek and step past Micah. He follows, hot on my heels.

"Ady, you can't risk draining yourself so soon" he starts, but I hold a hand up to silence him.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect these people, just as they protected me" I reply, directing myself to one of the medics.

"Where are the more severely injured kept?" I ask her. She takes me in, eyes wide for a moment before pointing to the far end of the tent. I spend the next several hours there, easing the pain for some, and healing others completely. By the end, I feel the exhaustion sweep me under, as Micah, who waited with me all day, swoops in to catch me.

"You are a healer Ady, and you've just saved so many people" he whispers, placing a kiss against my forehead.

The heavy blackness drags me under and into a dreamless sleep.