SWORDS AND ROSES

CHAPTER 5:

Seriously this girl had some issues I mean it. Never in my life I had ever given up my chair to someone but now I'm getting kicked out of the room by a teenage girl that too. If my fellow brothers could see me know I would literally choose to self-combust and die. AND It's never so easy to deal with demons. They're worse chimera's. Kill one, another one will be on your tracks.

I walked down the street and turned down the block. Wherever I went everyone stared at me. It is not good to attract attention when you are on a sensitive case.

"Mommy why is that man wearing a suit?"

I turn around to see a woman trying to drag her daughter away mouthing apologies. I realized that my suit was something this small town sorry almost small town wouldn't see daily. I quickly turned myself invisible. Another thing I would have to sort out as soon as possible. And Diana was a whole different matter altogether.

I turned right. Right ahead of me I could see a playground. There were swings and slides and kids off all ages screaming their lungs out. Their harrowed and tried parents stood at the edges to stay out of the way of these kids. There were many old trees near the southern end of the playground. I made my way to the trees. The kids or their parents couldn't see me as it is.

The biggest of the lot was an old elm tree. As I stood under its shady boughs I placed my forehead against the trunk. The trunk of the tree was covered with moss and was kind of sticky but being an angel meant that I was in sync with everything. This tree had witnessed so much. Birthdays, proposals quite days of reading, first kisses, new ideas, new loves, love of a family, new friendships.....

Not only that I could feel the birds chirping in branches, the cicadas in the grass nearby, a squirrel suddenly out of nowhere came out and jumped into my arms. It snuggled against me. Huh. Weird. There was no sound at all. Humans were a noisy lot and dead quite meant always danger.

A scream pierced the air. The lady who had pulled her daughter away from me was screaming at a man in a blue hoodie and black jeans. She picked up the equally shocked little girl and ran away. All the other parents repeated the same thing. The blue hooded man lifted his head staring at me.

"Hello Michael."

OH NO. Its Azrael.

Azrael is a fallen angel well a knight of hell, right now. He choose to fall and he also had some Vedanta against me. Now he was here probably to kick my ass or he was the tracker behind Diana. Any way this was not good. He must be one of the knights of hell but I too as an archangel. I had power even though a considerable amount of it was confined by the bracelet.

"Azrael" I said through gritted teeth.

"Aww... brother. How you doing? Leave that aside? Why do I feel that you are weaker than usual?"

"Get going, Azrael. Or else I will not hesitate to personally kick you back into your place."

"Aww. I would love to but then I have a young girl to get rid of." Azrael pulled out his sword. While I pulled out my knife.

"Really Michael. You think you could get rid of me so easily. You don't even have all your powers."

"I know but I don't need my powers to beat you"

Azrael jumped at me with his sword. I parried his attach with my knife. It was a furious battle that we were quickly engaged in. He came at me slashing and stabbing and I tried my best to counter him, occasionally adding a jab or two. Knifes are good for fights at close hand but when your opponent is an experienced swordsman then the story is all different.