Airel - Aaron Patterson [124]
Kreios grasped the Seer’s lone intact wing and wrenched it out entirely by the root. Stan fell to the floor, arching his back in unbearable pain, howling madly. The Seer was wild with unspeakable rage, spitting and howling furiously.
Kreios punched the top of his head, released him from his grip, and let the struggling demon fall, flapping impotently.
Stan could hear the wind rushing by, the flapping. As the body of the Seer impacted the earth, Stanley Alexander passed out, his body convulsing, then rigid. He could feel his mind straining to make sense of it all, but came up empty.
Is this the end? There was no answer.
Chapter V
Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, Present day
Kim had followed me through the dark tunnel in silence. It seemed we were both a little off; she was speechless for once. As for me, I had just fought a man who was not quite human and held my own.The huge house was utterly empty without anyone there. Kim gasped in surprise and wonder as I gave the tour: the great ballroom, the massive library, and my room. We didn’t even consider entering Michael’s room. It was too close to the wound, and the pain was still fresh.
Kim spent some time in my bathroom so that she could at least clean up and feel human again. It’s good that we were, along with all the other things we shared, really close to the same size. She looked much better in one of my favorite outfits, and aside from the bruises and her stiffness, she was herself again. Nothing a little Advil and time couldn’t cure.
One of the first things we discussed, once we had caught up, was when she could go home.
“Same as me,” I said, “whenever it’s safe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I was amazed at how much like Kreios I now sounded, and how much like me she sounded. Things were starting to make sense for me now that I understood some of the reasons why—but not for her so much. “We’ll talk with my… with Kreios when he gets… home.” Old words were hard to fit into new definitions. I was trying to roll with it, Kim style.
She changed the subject rather effortlessly. It’s one of the reasons she was my best friend. “You know, since you and Michael went missing I’ve been looking for you like a madwoman. Your parents called the police, but that seemed to make things worse—the detective that was in charge of your case was murdered! Everything changed after that. They’ve got everyone looking for you now. I was expecting to see your face on the milk carton soon.” We didn’t laugh very hard at the joke; it only made me think of how we would have to launch a massive cover-up if we were to survive for long.
Since Kreios wasn’t back yet and we were getting pretty hungry, I put together some dinner out of whatever was around. If there was ever a time when I wished for the modern conveniences (such as frozen pizza), it was then.
The sun was sliding behind the mountains when I heard something far off. Kim obviously didn’t hear it, and I wondered if I should be alarmed or get ready to defend the castle or something. I wished Kreios had showed me more. It was the sound of rushing wind, but faster, quieter. Kreios appeared seconds later, landing on the back porch, graceful and feather-soft. Kim and I stared through the big windows, awestruck. We were in the company of an angel.
“Whoa,” Kim muttered.
“I know—too bad I can’t do that.” Kim looked at me, her face scrunched.
Kreios opened the glass door and walked into the room. I ran to him, barely aware of what I was doing, and threw myself into his arms, asking if he was okay, if everything was alright. It sure seemed like there was nothing to worry about, the way he shone—but I couldn’t help being concerned. This angel in the room was my grandfather.
As I drew away and looked at him, I could hear his voice in my mind. “Airel. Do you understand