Angelblood - Retribution

Conspiracy

After eating and some, almost one-sided, small talk Culsu sits at the fireplace. The woman she came with has not spoken a single word. Only Gabriel and herself were exchanging pleasantries. She still does not trust the man nor the other two who remained at the entrance of the camp. To guard them and to make sure they will not be disturbed, she guesses. The place the tents rest is a small plateau almost at the border of the cliffs. Culsu could not enjoy the scenery. She was and still is, highly alerted and her eyes remain on Gabriel's sword almost all the time. In the worst case, she would try to open a gate and drag the ambassador with her into safety.

The ambassador. Culsu sighs to herself. If she would have known who she was escorting she would have thought twice on the things she said. Once again, her mind slips to that man, Narash. Something is going on. Something that is going further than bringing Naamah together with the female angel. She thought it was meant to spy on the angels and their plans for the future. Culsu knew that something is special about that black winged woman but could not grasp the true meaning. Meeting with Gabriel and the revelation of the ambassador make her worry now. This is far beyond the usual pranks the demons run against the angels to keep them busy or to gain intelligence on their actions.

Gabriel and the ambassador left a few minutes ago and walked into one of the tents to speak in private. He asked Culsu to wait outside and after a reassuring nod of the other woman, she agreed to remain at the fireplace. Since then her mind could not stop running wild. Her eyes are locked on the flames enjoying their dance for a moment then they wander over to the other two angels who stand with their backs toward the camp and by this toward her. Slowly she gets up and places the small brown cup made of clay on the table. She had some water earlier along with some of the fruits. Culsu turns around and walks over to the border of the cliff to take in the view beyond. The stars and the almost full moon tint their surroundings in a greyish hue. Only the fire behind her offers some warmth in the way of colors. As she reaches the rim of the cliff she begins to tremble. Below her, she can see fires and tents. Hundreds of thousands of them. An army is camping down there, maybe 100 meters below the plateau. Instinctively she backs off. The main force of the angels. The celestial army. And they are at the very borders of Abaddon. This is an invasion force and not an army to secure the line of scrimmage. She turns and walks over to the tent that the other two disappeared into. As she enters she sees them both sitting at a table and working through several scrolls of parchment.

"You are going to attack our lands!" She spurts out at the angel.

Gabriel turns to her while the ambassador keeps reading for a moment longer then leans back in her chair and looks at Culsu with her black eyes. He shakes his head at the intruder.

"Please," he replies, "it is quite the reverse. I requested this meeting to prevent an invasion." He steps toward the gatekeeper but she backs off from him.

"Stay away from me. You angels cannot be trusted!"

"M'lady." He steps closer again and offers his hand with its palm upward. "Please trust me that I am here to prevent the harm and destruction I was ordered to bring over your land. Why should I request a meeting with your ambassador if I would want to invade? By this, I would reveal our force and give warning to your people and would be losing my advantage of surprise."

"Do not touch me!" She snaps at the angel. "I do not want to be part of your schemes and deception..." She wants to continue but is cut short. "You already are, Culsu." The woman in the chair says and the silver-haired woman stares at her baffled.

"You are mute. Why can you speak?!"

"No one ever said I was mute. It was your own assumption that made you fool yourself. Now sit with us, please." She says with a very soft voice. The sound of it alone creates a feeling of warmth and peace. She gestures toward a chair next to herself as an invitation to join her.