Fallen Angel

Chapter 75: Brannon

Whatever that thing was, it was in the ring of fire with my father and Emily. I guess it was nothing that could harm her considering that my father dragged it into the circle. But still, I wanted to know what it was.

After a while the flames began to lower, slowly subsiding into the black. Warily I looked over the edge of the lounge and saw what looked like a hardened surface, though it was still black.

"Brannon? What are you doing?"

I looked up and saw my father, Emily was in his arms and unconscious.

"There was something down there."

"In the floorboards?"

The fire had gone and we were back in his office, in front of me was a bewildered man.

"No, we were in the abyss and there was something down there."

He offered a wry smile as he moved closer.

"A changeover can be experienced in many ways. I guess you saw it from the exterior and having never gone through the situation, you would have been filled with uncertainty which will resonate loudly in how you perceive the situation and where you are. I can assure you that we did not leave this room. Now, come along, we have to get Emily somewhere cool."

My father turned to the door, it opened with his will.

"Why are we walking?"

"Because it is best that the demons understand the sacrifice that Emily has made for you. They need to see that she has suffered like they have, it will create empathy and help them accept her as one of us and not the enemy."

I stood from the lounge and followed after him. As we entered the reception area, Nolia stood from her seat and stared at Emily.

"My lord, did her changeover go well?"

"It did Nolia, she suffered a lot of pain but she was strong and held on."

Nolia offered a pained smile as she looked at me. Demons understood pain, they were created in a way that wasn't so different to what Emily would have suffered. Though for Emily, it was harder because she was becoming a creature that was elevated above the demons.

As we stepped out into the warmth of the underworld, I smiled when I saw a flower pop up through the autumn leaves. My father grumbled something about hell and flowers but carried on regardless.

Demons watched as we passed through the black trees, they tipped their heads with respect. Even the witches seemed to be subdued today.

"Do you see that Brannon? They understand the sacrifice that she has made. This is beneficial for her, she needs to be able to walk among the demons and feel like she is one of them. They need to see her as a part of this family and not the spy that they fear her to be."

He glanced at me, looking a little cautious.

"I will know if she betrays me Brannon and if that happens then you would not want to stand in my way. I will not have a double crosser in my world."

"She won't."

He nodded, almost as if he knew she wouldn't. I guess it was one of those necessary warnings so that I knew that he wasn't prepared to back down, should something happen. But it wouldn't and I knew that because she had given away any chance of returning to heaven. She had given away everything for me and it wasn't something that was done easily.

"How long will she be out for?"

"Depends on how well she fights the fever."

We were approaching the castle. I could see Cerberus and the wolf running around the inner court yard, playing and chasing each other. It was good to see that my efforts hadn't been wasted.

"It would be wise to keep her as cool as possible. Not cold but cool. The chapel will do sufficiently. It is in a spot that has the shade of the castle and is always has a lower temperature than the rest of the place."

I nodded as I struggled to keep up with him. It was odd that we had a chapel here, considering that we never practiced any form of religion. But there were times when I'd see my father walking through the doors and not venture out for some time. As to what he was doing in there, I couldn't say. I'd tried to follow him and found the inner doors locked.

I'd also asked my mother and she shrugged at me, not overly worried about it. It was curious, the devil had built a church and went into it on a not so regular basis. There was no priest, I doubted it had ever had one in it either. It probably hadn't been blessed and I doubted that a service had been carried out.

Its purpose was a mystery, much like my father really. The building itself was small but that didn't matter seeing as hardly anyone went in there. There were a few seats, there was an altar, there was even a crucifix on the back wall. What I found truly curious was that the crucifix was not alone, many symbols of the world's religions adorned the walls of the interior. It was a curious thing and I wondered if it had something to do with what he was rather than who he was. Because the devil had no reason to associate with a church but an angel did.

The large wood doors opened and the candles in the inner sanctum lit up. As we walked down the aisle, more candles lit up. They were a low flame, enough to light the area and nothing else.

"Why do you have this here?"

"Because I can." My father offered.

That wasn't the answer that I wanted. I wanted a reason but I could imagine that he would say he didn't need a reason to do things.

He laid Emily out on the altar, carefully placing her onto the great stone slab. A bowl of water appeared beside her head, my father gestured to it with a soft, reassuring smile.

"Moisten it and keep her head cool. It above anything else is the most important. Her mind is raging at the moment; the changeover is not entirely complete. She must continue on and you must tend to her. She needs you Brannon, keep her cool while she fights the fever in her mind."