Finding Heathcliff

Fifty-Six

Avoiding the town of Vesper, the group of travellers entered the Starfall Forest as soon as they approached its eaves. It was safer to travel under the cover of the trees than across the open land, and it was also the faster route to Lord Acrux's fortress, Rigel and Izar agreed.

They reached the dark grey tower the day before the Black Night-- Astrid would have never realised that so much time had elapsed if it wasn't for Michael, who was hoping that some of the fallen angels who had not heard the news of his presence in Eurovea would appear, attracted by Astrid's still being outside of the untouchable castle. He meant to talk to as many of the fallen angels as he could gather before they would reach Starling, creating a small army that would help him free Polaris should the need be.

Astrid didn't like the idea at all, but Michael promised he wouldn't take the first step towards bloodshed; however, he wanted to be ready to defend them all. The archangel did not trust Arcturus, and Astrid couldn't blame him, she didn't know what her uncle would do upon seeing her, without Orion and accompanied by a group of angels, on his doorstep.

The first thing Astrid noticed on emerging from the forest into the small meadow where the tower-like stone fortress stood was the charred remains of Lord Acrux's windmill. The sight made Astrid feel sad, but she was not surprised. It was just as she had thought. Apparently, Lord Acrux and Lady Alioth did not escape suspicions about their lukewarm loyalty to the regent and had been warned, if not punished, like Rigel's parents.

Luckily the fortress itself seemed untouched, and the smile brightening Lady Alioth's face as she in person opened the massive wooden door for the visitors and pulled Astrid into a motherly embrace, not asking questions about her new entourage, and led her inside while her husband directed several valets to help the visitors with their horses and luggage, confirmed that nothing too awful had happened to them.

One look over Astrid's shoulder, as they walked along narrow corridors and wide staircases lit by electric lights, at Azrael who never left her out of sight nor reach, was enough for the woman to whisper a question in Astrid's ear.

"Do you wish to share a room with him, Astrid?"

Astrid nodded, feeling a blush spread over her cheeks, remembering how Lady Alioth hadn't asked her this when she had stayed here with Orion.

"What happened to your windmill?" Astrid enquired once the introductions had been performed, and the guests were seated at a long table in the dining room around a hastily prepared dinner. Astrid sat next to Azrael, holding his hand under the table, observing the middle-aged couple that was still recovering after finding out who their guests were.

"This is the second time one of our mills was destroyed since you left," Lady Alioth said, her eyes flickering between Michael and Azrael one more time, as if she was trying to imagine them in their angel form, before they settled on Astrid. She followed those words with a shrug of her shoulders and a deep sigh. "We have never shown as much loyalty to the regent as so many other noble families, and yet we took more liberties with the use of the forbidden technology..."

"I'm no one's man," Lord Acrux said, frowning, "my loyalty to the regent is an inherited thing, just like religion used to be a long time ago, I beg your pardon," he said, turning to Michael.

"We will follow you as our new queen, Astrid," Lady Alioth said quickly before Michael could say anything, "because we like you, and care about you, girl. But you'll never be able to make us interested in politics."

Astrid smiled at her. "Love is the most important and the most valuable thing you can give me," she whispered, not trusting her voice. She didn't know how she deserved so much affection from these people whom she hardly knew, but she felt the same way about them.

She reached out with her free hand to Alioth, who accepted it without hesitation, bringing it to her heart.

Azrael, who until this point did not entirely understand Astrid's resolve of taking upon herself the responsibility for the millions of souls living in Eurovea, now whispered in her mind. You are what they need and deserve, after all those years living under Arcturus' dominion. You'll be a wonderful queen.

Astrid laced her fingers tighter around his, appreciating his words, but avoided looking at him; the tears that gathered in her eyes at hearing Alioth's words would spill if she saw the profound love she knew she would find filling his seafoam irises, and she didn't want to cry now.

Lady Alioth accompanied Astrid to the bedroom she was supposed to share with Azrael herself, when Michael insisted on all the angels spending the night outside with him, trying to get in contact with as many fallen angels roaming the country this Black Night as they could.

Astrid was happy to at least wake up in his embrace, but not even Azrael's arm wrapped tightly around her waist could stop her tears from falling later, when she parted from Lady Alioth and her husband outside their fortress.

"I'll let you know what's happening as soon as I know myself," she promised, distracted by a pair of doves landing on Camael's shoulder the moment the first rays of sunshine added golden hues to the early morning's light.

"First think about yourself, girl," Lord Acrux said, pulling her into an awkward embrace. "Stay safe. We're not going anywhere."

Astrid returned his embrace, then turned to Lady Alioth, staring into the woman's eyes for a long moment before she wrapped her arms around her waist. They needed no words to understand each other.

To Astrid's surprise, several fallen angels joined their group as they entered the forest again, both male and female.

They all introduced themselves to her as the morning morphed into a new day and Astrid tried to remember their names, which became more difficult as they went on, nearing Starling, because their group kept growing bigger as their journey progressed.

But she didn't mind; the new fallen angels that joined them kept Michael distracted-- he seemed to have forgotten about Azrael as their group grew, and the couple had more time for each other.

By the time they reached the foot of the hill where Arcturus' castle stood, shining whitely under the sunshine as if it was imbued in angel magic like the White Tower of Oblivis, Azrael managed to teach her to shield her thoughts from every angel apart from himself, read the thoughts of the others, and showed her how to direct her anger to make her powers more useful and less dangerous.

The only thing neither he nor Michael accomplished was to make her hate Arcturus.

Despite knowing that he was a human of a very strong demon descent, who had brought her up as a part of some greater, dark scheme of his, Astrid couldn't hate him, and she dreaded the inevitable encounter that was so close she could almost picture it now, in which, she was sure, she would have to help the angels to bring down the man whom she had almost seen as a father as she grew up. But she would do it because the man she loved was his enemy, and so was her real father...

Astrid could still remember the times when she had felt that not having a choice was unfair and hard. Now she thought that having a choice was more difficult. There could not be a happily ever after for everyone in Astrid's story.