Demon Heart

Chapter 2.1~The Herald At Dinner

EVABELLE

After a very rushed shower, Evabelle slipped into bed. It was just an afternoon nap. Evabelle had never really taken any before, but since the kind, allegedly dead Anahalian man started speaking to her in dreams, it was hard for her not to stay away.

She opened her eyes in the same room she had first appeared in. It was small and empty, all except for the staircase that lead up to the wall where he always waited. When she reached the top, the golden wings rustled as he turned to face her.

"You seem rather anxious." He smiled.

"I-I just," Evabelle struggled for just a moment. "I want to learn more and understand. You said you were going to show me Jovis, a-and teach me about Anahalian culture. You also mentioned...you...you would show me the past." Evabelle spoke quickly at first, but then she began to decrease in volume, closing into a whisper. "You would show me my... memories."

The late king of the Anahalians tilted his head a bit. "I'm not going to show you your memories." He replied. "Those will come on their own with your own willpower. I plan on showing you other memories, mostly my own, so that you will understand things and, yes, learn from them." He folded his arms. "And you mentioned that a few have returned already."

Evabelle nodded. It was true. A few hazy memories that had been circling around in Evabelle's head had surfaced. So far they hadn't been much. There was one where she was standing on another part of the wall to the castle, watching others fly through golden hoops, which Evabelle now remembered their name as eternity rings. In fact, she had had played the game with her own father, the man that stood before her now. Another memory was one of her sitting on a stool in a small classroom, learning basics of math and science with her tutor, a plump Anahalian woman by the name of Chari. Even in Jovis, they had school, although since Evabelle was the princess she had had her own personal teacher.

Evabelle rocked back and forth, watching the angelic man before her. Zion Angel was his name. Evabelle felt rather stupid that she had never asked the others what his name was. He had to tell her himself. So far, over the past two weeks, the two of them had just talked. Zion wanted to know about Evabelle and what she had done for the past nine years. Evabelle wanted to know how in the world he was talking to her, and after that, she wanted to know him and his wife.

An ancient spell, Zion had explained, was how he could speak with her. To communicate from distances, Anahalians would perform the spell on one of their munera, grind in up into a powder, put it in a drink, and have another drink it. Then when the one who drank from the cup, fell asleep, the Anahalian who's feather was in the cup, could control the dream so that the two could speak to one another when they wished.

Zion went on to say that obviously the spell that he had done to talk with Evabelle was a little more complicated. He told her that he knew he was going to die, so he set into motion a plan. Zion took one of his feathers and, as he put it, made a familiar.

"But familiars are made by witches and warlocks!" Evabelle had protested. "They're illegal, and besides you can only do it with living things."

Zion had nodded and chuckled a little. "Yes," he replied. "I say that, because it's the easiest way of putting it. I took a fragment of my soul and placed it within the munera, and then preformed the dream spell. Then I gave it to Kayne to have you drink when the time was right." Her father continued on to say that when Kayne had put memories in her subconscious, he also moved the part that had Zion's soul there as well. He couldn't manipulate Evabelle's dreams to him until Evabelle decided she wanted her memories back. She had to come to him first.