Space Angels: find the Gift (complete)

ЄD0Ɲ: Ŧhe CiŦy ~ Chapter Fifty

50 – fool on the hill

When he'd heard the beat of Cylvah's wings and turned to see her eagle form take to the air, Jango got the feeling in his chest again. These Edon bodies filtered every single sense, converting them into a confusing array of emotions he had trouble dealing with. As a Cherub he was supposed to possess a higher consciousness and no need for petty feelings but it was not as fully formed as he would like. It would take many more missions to get to that stage and he couldn't shake off the fallout from these emotions. Unwavering feelings of loss and guilt were most dominant. Not just because of Ecad's death and the part he'd played in it but also because he'd just sent his fellow Cherub off on a recon mission simply because he didn't want her to discover he'd made another mistake: he'd lost Charlie – Ecad's precious Lǽran.

Cylvah was just too good. She knew all about Thrones, the Barons of Mayhem and their seven clans, and she'd even spotted Picky's burning thread before anyone else and had dealt with it ruthlessly. She would quickly realise he'd lost Charlie and nag him about it – or even tell Borak and the others.

Jango didn't need that. He had to find Charlie. A search of his clothing had turned up nothing. He went through his movements for the tenth time. He last had Ecad's Lǽran inside the O-zone. He and Cylvah had checked every micron in there in case they'd left something before Borak had closed it. Charlie must've jumped from Jango's pocket afterwards – somewhere between the moment they'd left the O-zone, and entered the landing zone's darkness, and where he now stood, half-naked and half-way down the hill. He'd retraced his steps using his Scintillas. They swept his every footfall to and from the house where he'd left the canis and every blade of grass he'd disturbed using the full frequency in his Multi-Sight spectrum. They found nothing.

"What am I going to do, narrator? Charlie could be anywhere."

"I am sure he is nearby. He would not have followed the canis – I believe it would be too painful – Ecad's bond with his Lǽran was very strong. He has shut himself down so that we Lǽrans cannot contact him or discover his location. He will turn up, Jango – when he is ready. It isn't easy for a Lǽran to desert its host. We are obligated to stay with them, until death if necessary, or until the end of the mission at least. But Ecad and Charlie were together for centuries. I believe that is different."

Jango started to feel guilt. On his first mission, he'd simply used his Lǽran as a tool and never really got to know it, and on this mission he'd threatened to replace his current Lǽran with Ecad's just before he discovered its disappearance. The little shell inside his head bore no grudge, but Jango began to understand that Lǽrans had feelings. It was a stupid idea to think a grief-stricken Charlie would suddenly forget about what happened to Ecad and join up with the person partly responsible for his death, or allow another Lǽran to step aside for him. The Lǽrans had a kind of code of respect for each other he didn't understand.

The females in the cadre seemed to be more aware of these things and would point them out, and cite his disrespectful attitude towards this planet and its species... how he believed everyone inferior. He wondered if that view needed rethinking after all that had happened. The Edons had Imps and demons in their midst and were being systematically tracked or killed as a part of some perverted plan Stygien had hatched – it wasn't their fault.

Jango hadn't really cared about the planet if he were honest. He'd always wanted to get this mission over with – just get the Gift and go. Why wasn't it that simple? Now he was stuck in the middle of Ecad's mysterious mission. And that was bigger and far more dangerous. Ecad had said it was a BOP – Bright One's Privilege – top secret, and what Borak had said in his debrief showed how big it was: a corrupted Virtue with traitorous Seraphim, Imps, Minions and Commanders running riot and summoning demons inside O-zones... The corruption could go all the way back to Kaelestia, especially as Deon's large knife had once belonged to a Power. That gave Jango an uneasy feeling.

Stygien had run riot here and was wiping out Cherubim who got in his way.

"But not this one," Jango growled to himself.

Maybe Cylvah was right: he should pay more attention to the Edon's history. Ecad had told him to check his archives for clues before he died. They actually had an Edon with them, although he was unconscious. If Benji woke up, maybe he could tell Jango what it was really like to be an Edon. Jango stared up the hill. Borak still sat cross-legged eyes closed, on the bench while Benji lay sleeping on the golden mat on the floor.

"Benji!" Jango exclaimed. "I leaned over him as I dragged him out of the O-zone. Charlie could've jumped onto him. Is that possible, Narrator?"

"It's possible. We Lǽrans will never actually bond with a non-Kaelestian but Charlie would be comfortable with Ecad's best Edon friend."

Jango grabbed his clothes and strode up the hill.

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