Horns and Halos, page 19
Keeping the Fires Burning
Elijah sat by the fireside with the machete while watching Sia sleep. Her deep umber skin was glossy with a thin coat of sweat that glistened under the dying rays of the setting sun. He had long ago removed his shirt and used a clean corner of it to pat her forehead dry, but it was to no avail. Though she rested soundly, he worried that her illness would soon worsen. Once the sky turned dark, he covered her with a blanket and tended to the fire.
“She’s a rather troublesome thing, isn’t she?” Draki’s voice asked.
Standing to his feet and pointing the blade into the yawning abyss of the night, he frantically spun in a circle looking for the culprit. He shouted, “Who said that? Who’s there?”
A dark chuckle boomed through the camp. “Oh, please. Put the weapon down. You know very well who I am.”
Slowly, Elijah complied with the voice. “What do you want?”
“Just to chat, young man.”
Narrowing his eyes at the pitch-black surrounding him, Elijah said, “Show yourself.”
“First, promise that you will follow and listen to me.”
There was silence as the words were weighed. The fire popped, and Sia turned over with a light moan. Quieter than before, Elijah asked, “If I do, she’ll be safe?”
“Please, as if that is even a question. She is mine to protect. As long as she remains in this camp, she’ll be fine.”
“And me?”
Again, the laughter rose all around. “My, my. Aren’t you a smart one? Very well, since you are listening to me, I will ensure you are protected ... for now.”
With one final look to Sia, Elijah made up his mind. “I promise.”
“Stunning.”
A small, red cloud of smoke formed in the air and it grew, stretching and creeping out until it was the size of a man. But the man that came out of the smoke wasn’t dark and devious in appearance. He was like a person who had been made from the whitest moonlight and fixed with blazing, golden eyes. His smile was dashing as he stretched an arm out to the side and motioned with the sweep of his vision for Elijah to walk with him. Silently, the two strode away from camp.
In a clearing a few yards away, the devil stopped and turned to face the young man. “I am Draki. Don’t introduce yourself. I already know who you are.”
Elijah looked angry as he asked, “What do you want?”
“It’s nice to see that you don’t lack a spine, lad. However, I recommend that you remain polite. You won’t find me as kind when I’m upset,” Draki warned. The quiet settled in as the devil situated himself. “I’d be a blind fool if I acted like I didn’t know what you felt for Sia.”
Any attempt to hide his emotions was forgotten as the young man widened his eyes in surprise. Quickly, he tried to mask it and searched the surrounding barren land. “She’s very attractive,” he muttered.
Throwing his head back in laughter, Draki let unbridled mirth echo into the night. “My boy, you may find her beautiful, but the emotions that you have for her go further than her pretty face.”
Elijah blushed at that. “Is she supposed to be off limits or something?” he asked heatedly.
“Ha, quite the contrary.”
“What?”
“Did you think I had some claim on her? I promise you things that I want are far from the flesh.”
“You don’t ... have any ties to her romantically?”
“I’m a devil, boy. Not a lovesick human. I’ve no need for emotional ties in this world.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I didn’t want you to give up on her. That’s all.”
Shaking his head, Elijah said, “I don’t believe you.”
Sighing, Draki stepped closer as he spoke. “Honestly, she is on a time limit. Though I may not like all the stipulations that she put on our deal, I will adhere to them. One of the conditions is that I had to keep her best interests in mind. That is where you come in.”
“How so?’
“Let’s just say that you caring for her is a form of protection in itself.”
“You want me to be with her?”
“To put it quite simply, yes.”
“What does she want?”
The devil grinned. “I suppose if you give up you’ll never know the answer to that.”
“I’m not forcing her—”
“You won’t have to. She’s struggling with finding excuses on why you two can’t be together and failing as it is.”
“I still don’t understand why you are telling me this.”
“Because I’m fulfilling part of my deal with her by doing so. If she keeps this up it’s going to push you away, and that is only going to end horribly for her. I’m merely giving you a pep talk man-to-man. Don’t give up on her. She deserves a guy like you in a world like this.”
Chapter 20:
Seeing Double
I woke up to the sound of whispers. My head was pounding, and my face felt swollen. I held my brow, and instantly a cold sweat drenched my palm. Grimacing at the unwelcomed feeling, I peered through one eye to the top of the tall boulder I was lying next to. There were two forms there, watching me while I slowly woke up. I instantly went still. As my vision came to and focused on them, I could make out their finer details despite the surrounding shadows.
The first was thin with hair down to the top of his shoulders and that held soft waves to the blond strands. His full lips looked like they were permanently stuck in a pout, and his soft blue eyes looked like they were full of unspoken sadness. He wore a billowy, white, button-up shirt with frilled sleeves that belled out. His pants were black leather and looked as though they had been painted on him. The outfit suited his lithe-framed body. The firelight danced over his smooth, glass-like skin as he looked down at me with an intense stare.
“She’s too pretty,” he almost whined.
The second figure replied in a voice that felt like sandpaper over my skin. It was rough, slow, and disturbed things deep inside me. “If you like her beauty, take it.”
This one had blue eyes like the one next to him, but his azure gaze was colder and it complimented his short blond hair. Unlike the thin and dainty being at his side, this one was bulky and large. A scar dragged down over his left eye, making the iris a milkier white than the one in the right socket. The scar itself was ugly and pronounced and disrupted the chiseled features surrounding it. He wore a red t-shirt and a pair of deep blue jeans. His arms alone looked like they could snuff out my life. Everything about him was beefy, and not an inch of skin went without muscle.
I tried to reach around me, looking for my machete, but I came up empty-handed. A quick glance at the campsite told me that Elijah wasn’t there. It didn’t take me long to presume that he had probably left to get something and took the blade with him for protection. Maybe he went to the bathroom, or ... my gaze drifted back to the two perched on the rock next to me.
“Looking for something?” The larger male asked with a narrowed gaze.
“Hopefully, it isn’t a weapon,” the thinner one muttered. “That would be rude.”
I swallowed hard and went very still. “What do you two want?” I knew they were devils. They had to be wandering ones.
“We were passing through and you looked most peaceful and elegant. I told Midas that I wanted to watch you sleep.” His stare burrowed into me in an unpleasant way. “I really do like her eyes, Midas. They remind me of the river.”
I didn’t like the way he said that.
“Her eyes, eh?” Midas watched me as he seemed to weigh something over in his mind. “I suppose I can get them for you.” He leaped down from the rock and landed next to me, but I didn’t hear him hit the ground. My heart clawed up my throat as he loomed over me with his hands slowly reaching out toward my face.
“No need, Midas,” the thin male expressed.
Midas stopped in mid-action. “Are you sure, Cain? I can get them for you if you want them.”
Cain sighed. “No. They look better on her ...” he gave me a look and smiled, but the curve of his lips came across as sinister rather than kind, “... for now.”
My eyes widened in fear. I wanted to instinctively hold my hands over my eyes. Should I thank him for letting me keep them? Was there any real etiquette with a devil, or did you just pick what you wanted to say carefully so they wouldn’t devour you out of sheer anger? Hopefully, they didn’t see me as too weak to defend myself.
“Shouldn’t you be thanking me?” Cain asked with aggression lining every word spoken.
“You can’t expect much of her. She is only human, after all,” Midas grumbled.
I never thought I was going to have to thank someone for letting me keep what was already mine. My foggy brain stumbled for a reply. “Uh ...”
Scoffing, Cain pointed his nose in the air as he said, “Of course, you would have horrible manners. I don’t know why I expected more of you. It really is such a shame that you have those beautiful eyes. They are quite remarkable.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Ha. You’re welcome,” Cain mumbled, flipping his soft curls behind his shoulder.
“Are you sure you want her to keep them?” Midas asked. “You could put them in a jar.”
“I changed my mind,” Cain said.
“Please leave,” I said quietly. Instantly, my hand balled up on the ground and squeezed the sand in my palm like I could make water come out of the grains in my grasp.
“What a nasty little thing you are,” Cain said with a snarky laugh. He slipped from the boulder and drifted down like he was a human-sized feather and gently landed on the shoulder of Midas. Perched on the larger male, his eyes followed me as I slowly rose up from my bedding. “You’re a brave girl to try and tell me where to go,” Cain growled.
“Or stupid,” Midas snarled quietly.
Waving the thought away, Cain tilted his head up smugly as he said, “And here I thought she was going to be someone worthy enough to take to our village. We’ve collected so many pretty things over the years.” He sighed as his eyes rolled over my body. “I think she would dull our collection now that I’ve gotten a closer look.”
“Then you should have your eyes inspected,” Draki replied as he stirred the fire. The flames rose and lit up the area, making his stark white appearance more like a haunting image as the orange light swayed over his robes and hair. “She is a treasure to me. Are you saying that I have bad taste?”
Both of the devils gasped. Cain jumped off of the larger devil with wide eyes of surprise. Once on his feet, Midas protectively pushed Cain to stand behind him as he eyed over Draki and tried to gauge his next move. “You want this human?”
The twig was tossed into the pit and the fire consumed it with ease. “Oh, please, like you didn’t smell me on her. I’d love to hear your reasoning for why you thought it would be wise to pester what belongs to me. Are you that incapable of controlling your desires and urges that you have to steal from other devils now?”
“We were only curious,” Midas said confidently.
“Perhaps you were, but ... what of Cain? Was he really curious, or was he here to try his hand in attempting to take something that doesn’t belong to him?”
From behind the protection of Midas’ mammoth body, Cain looked to Draki through narrowed slits. His pout looked angrier, and his expression dripped with vile emotions as he took in every perfect inch of the devil that belonged to me. “I wouldn’t dream of taking something you’ve staked claim to, my lord.”
“Good, then. Leave,” Draki ordered, and his eyes told the two that they were to leave in the direction he had silently chosen.
Slipping past the two devils on the defense, Elijah tapped me on the leg and mouthed, Are you okay?
I nodded in reply.
In a huff, Cain kicked at the dirt and stormed off into the night mumbling things under his breath. Midas bowed to Draki as he said, “Forgive our intrusion.” Right after, he disappeared from sight as he rushed to catch up with the other angry devil.
“Are they going to come back?” I asked as I watched until the shadows swallowed up their fading silhouettes.
“Not if they know what’s good for them,” Draki snapped under his breath.
Elijah crawled closer and placed his wrist over my forehead. “Hold still. I want to see if your fever has gone down any.” There was a moment of silence as he checked to see if it had eased up. “You still feel pretty hot. You need to get some more rest,” he informed.
Honestly, all the excitement had almost made me forget about how crappy I felt. Almost. As I turned to look at him and lie about feeling fine, the world spun, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I swallowed the lie and mumbled, “Yeah. I think you’re right.” There wasn’t a point in denying it. As the words left me, a new wave of sickness overcame me.
Elijah must have seen it because he helped me lie back down after wiping the sweat from my brow. “Come on. You don’t need to push yourself so hard, Sia. Lay down already.”
I didn’t want to fight it anymore. Momma always told me rest was best. Meemaw would always agree with her, and—on the nights that I was really bad—daddy would always check my fever, wipe my brow, and make sure I was covered up throughout the night. Maybe it was the fever, or maybe it was the sudden sleep spell that hit me, but it felt like I was back home for a moment. Surrounded by people that loved and cared for me. Even though the blankets harbored tiny rocks and bits of sand and the fire crackled loudly, I could close my eyes and feel like I was there again. In no time at all, I was fast asleep.
Chapter 21:
Fever Dreams
Throughout the night, I tossed and turned. I rarely stayed comfortable for long. I was hot. I was cold. I was drenched in so much sweat I could have rung the water out of the blankets. Every time I turned over, the world felt like it was swaying from side to side. I hadn’t felt like that since I was little. I would constantly touch the ground to tell myself that everything wasn’t spinning, but it didn’t help for long. The fire was both a blessing and a curse as its flames lapped and curled around the wood it ate. The heat was desired one minute and despised the next. The occasional breeze was no different. I smacked my lips and felt them dryer than the dirt around me. I tried to flop around and find my water canteen but would fall asleep before I could. It felt like this went on for hours, though I wasn’t sure.
Time felt like an illusion. I felt someone lift my head, I felt cool water touch my lips, and I heard his icy voice as he said, “This isn’t the kind of suffering I want to watch you go through.” And then—feeling a slight reprieve from my torment—I fell asleep again. Only, my dreams were less kind than what my fever was putting me through in the waking world.
The world looked more desolate than I remembered it to be. The entirety of the surrounding stretch of desert and sky were washed in dull hues of sandy yellow, making everything feel dingy and worn. Like a filter of aged filth had been plastered to my eyes. I could taste the heat in the air, and as the wind picked up, dirt struck my cheeks, and I had to cover my face to keep my vision free of the flying sand. Once the strong breeze died down, I lowered my arm and tried to understand where I was. Everything felt familiar and, yet, very strange.
In the distance, I could hear people talking and I saw my village, but the surrounding wall was no longer standing. It had been removed. I could see momma and daddy and meemaw standing outside our house. Frantic to feel their arms around me once more, I ran toward them. However, my legs didn’t know how to move right. I kept falling and no matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t run. Opening my mouth, I tried to call out for them as I crawled on the ground. My throat felt tight and my voice couldn’t produce more than a whisper. Tears of frustration welled in my eyes.
“Please, hear me! Momma! Daddy! Meemaw!” But it wasn’t loud enough. It was hardly louder than the wind. The sun was setting, and everyone was waving goodnight as they turned to go to their respective homes. My hand stretched out to them as they turned and went inside. I don’t know why, but watching the action broke me. I didn’t want them to go inside the house. There was a danger that was riding on the coattails of the setting sun. There was a darkness that was hidden within the encroaching night.
“Stop. Come back,” I begged.
They didn’t listen to me, though. The door shut. The sun’s rays were no longer touching our little village. Suddenly, there was a scream from deep within the collection of homes. A woman ran between the buildings and then was tackled to the ground by a group of hungry grunts. I covered my mouth as the tears spilled down. My eyes darted from the vision of the woman being devoured alive. Without warning, the thatched roofs were covered in hungry flames that were spreading faster than what I thought fire could move. My heart was in chaos, my mouth was unhinged in horror, and my ears were hearing a symphony of destruction. Every noise and vision was drenched with terror. The air was drowning in drawn-out howls, the wild popping of the spreading fires and blazing embers, and the tormented screams of the villagers.
My attention was seized by the shifting shadows that surrounded the place I had grown up in. Around it were people that I had met along my journey and they were linked—hand in hand—with one another as they joyfully danced in a circle around my burning house. Inside, I could hear my family cry and scream in distress. All the while, those standing outside cackled and skipped about merrily.
“Stop!” I shouted, coming to my feet and trying to run to them. I could save them if I could get there fast enough. I know I could.
Penelope turned around. She was broken away from the circling dancers, and her eyes were full of rage as she spoke to me with an intense heat lacing each word she spoke. “This is all your fault! They were safe until you broke them free. The devil was keeping them safe. You destroyed this village. You’ll destroy us all. Stop trying to save us!”
I felt like I had been slapped. “No. You’re wrong!” But I could hear the doubt in my own voice.
