Lost Angel chapter 4:
Hild.
Getting on the road early the next morning, World of Elegance once again resident in my soul, I stopped by the local Mickey D's in order to load up on OJ and Egg Mc Muffins in order to quell the growling noise coming from my stomach brought about by my inability to score more than a drumstick and a wing from the 20 piece bucket of chicken we "shared" for dinner last night.
About a half hour east of Flagstaff is the town of Williams, home to Meteor Crater. Normally nothing more than a blip on the site seeing map. I visited it once when I was 18, discovered like everybody else it was just a big hole in the ground and never went back. For World of Elegance, however, this was a significant power locus combining the energies of earth and heaven into a powerful amalgam. So of course, she just had to stop and indulge.
"What about Urd?" I asked her. "I thought we were up against a time limit."
"You're right of course, but this place has a unique link to both worlds." She acknowledged. "The pull of Urd's soul on mine is fading. By stopping here it might, and I stress the word might, empower both hers and mine souls and it might, again might, buy her some more time and help me find her."
"She doesn't have that much time left now does she?"
"A few days at most, she is fading very fast." World of Elegance spoke sadly, "Tell me please, what would you do if you were me?"
Of course, I've never been in a situation like hers and having something of that magnitude dumped in your lap with no warning, I just didn't have any real answers for her. But the desperation in her voice and hopeful look in her eyes mandated that I say something so I went with my default position. "My grandfather told me that when in doubt you should always go with your first instinct." I answered her.
Satisfied with my answer she looked at me and asked, "I'm sorry for the extra burden I'm placing on you but could you please…"
Fortunately, it was rather cold this morning and there were only a few other cars in the parking lot. Once inside World of Elegance had me move to the highest point then she re-manifested and began to soar high up over the center of the crater. At first she flew in a grid pattern high above the ground so there was little chance of anyone spotting her. After that she began flying in a series of diminishing radius circles as if she was homing in on something seeming to have finally found it somewhere high in the sky, next thing I knew she was doing bombing runs on the various features of the landscape in full view of everybody, which had me in a panic until I realized that she was timing her dives to correspond with when no one was looking her way.
After a series of heart stopping high speed runs over the bottom of the crater where I fully expected her to smash into the rocks, she finally did a low pass over me, giving me the thumbs up before heading back to the parking lot. Relieved I headed back out to the van to find a fully dressed World of Elegance scarffing the last of my breakfast patiently waiting for me.
"What was with all the aerial acrobatics?" I asked her once we were back on the highway.
"Direct inductive coupling." She answered with no hesitation.
"So you were trying to absorb some of the residual power here by moving through a static field at high speed?"
"Exactly," she smiled at me, "my wings also serve as an organic inductor allowing me to absorb the energy from the environment. Same thing I did when I crashed to earth."
"Were you able to buy Urd some more time?" I asked her.
"I don't know for certain, but I can feel her pull more strongly now. That in and of itself makes me happy we decided to stop, so thank you."
"You're welcome," I told her sincerely.
The rest of the drive was made in relative silence with World of Elegance just staring out the window, an air of quite determination surrounding her. By the time we approached Albuquerque the sun was getting low in the sky and the road conditions began to deteriorate so we decided to stop for the night, promising ourselves we would get an early start the next morning.
000
Carmel Ca. is your typical coastal tourist trap town, complete with over priced shops and even more over priced realty. My ex-home had been several streets over from the main drag. The main street itself terminated in a small cul-de-sac sans parking lot that allowed access to the beach. Almost dead center of the parking lot and about 20 yards down from the high water line stood a small cypress tree that has probably been the subject of millions of photographs taken by tourist from all over the world. If you walk out on the beach and turn right opposite the direction of most of the tourist, then head uphill away from the ocean you will find several sand dunes that provide you with a small amount of seclusion as well as a spectacular view of the landscape.
I don't know why but for whatever reason that was where my dreams took me tonight. I had just settled into a really deep rim sleep when my nocturnal reverie was interrupted by a female voice behind me saying, "You know I've always dreamed of living in a home by the sea."
"Sea side homes aren't all they're cracked up to be." I responded to the alien voice. "No matter what time of year they're always cold and damp in the morning, the salt air from the sea corrodes the pipes and any steel fixtures. They are perpetually humid, you have to paint the outside at least every other year, the cost per square foot is outrageous and the taxes obscene."
"Still, if there was a way you would take it all back wouldn't you?" The owner of the voice asked as she finally walked into my field of view.
Gorgeous would be an understatement, she stood over six feet tall, her hair was Platinum and fell past her waist, her body was soft and supple, her bust large and so perfect that they seemed to defy gravity, her perfect skin a seductive shade of bronze.
Obviously naked, under her otherwise very revealing dress she was able to hide the important parts of her body while still allowing her to pose seductively for me.
"Hello Mr. Kendal." The gorgeous vision purred, "My name is Hild and I've been reviewing your case." She said while turning towards me her dress flowing in the breeze, never quite exposing those more important parts of her anatomy.
"What about my case?" I asked her.
"Your divorce settlement was anything but equitable, just scanning the files it's obvious that you've been treated most unfairly."
"You're preaching to the choir," I answered her, "but I'm flat broke so there's nothing I can do about it."
"Well…" she began, facing me, "If you're willing to make a deal I might be able to help."
"What kind of deal?"
"It's a sort of an I scratch your back and you scratch mine kind of deal." She said seductively.
"Okay and what do you want from me."
"You are currently in possession of a very valuable commodity, one very hard to come by in my neck of the woods. If you are willing to make a deal then I'm sure I can make it worth your while."
"Just exactly what are you offering?"
"God you are dense," Hild snorted, "I'll spell it out for you then. I'll help you get your old life back, your company, and your house, everything including your wife crawling on her hands and knees begging for your forgiveness if you allow me to take possession of that Angel currently living in your soul. There is one caveat though; you must allow me to take possession of the Angel immediately while we go through the process of recovering your life."
"Doesn't World of Elegance get a say in any of this?"
"Angel's are just chattel, obedient to those powerful enough to bend them to their will." Hild scoffed.
"Nonetheless it still seems pretty cowardly to me, throwing her out in the cold all alone not even having the balls to look her in the eye while I'm doing so." I answered Hild, "Somehow I really can't see me doing to World of Elegance the same thing that was done to me. I just don't think I can do that to her for no reason."
"Well then," she said, allowing her dress to slip down a little exposing more of her ample cleavage, "I'll sweeten the deal for you."
"How so?"
"Well… once she leaves, and she will leave you sooner of later, you will feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness… I'll…help you fill this void, I'll… even share my body with yours… as often as you wish." She spoke haltingly.
"Let me get this straight, you are going to help me get back everything my ex wife took from me while humiliating her in the process and satisfy my carnal desires whenever I ask?"
"Even better than that," she purred, "I'll show you a world of pleasure that you never knew existed. All you have to do is say yes to my offer."
"Tell me, would you even be making this offer if it weren't for World of Elegance already being there?"
"Good fortune attracts more good fortune. It was Elegance's good fortune that you saved her from freezing to death in the snow. Now it's time for… me to repay that debt by granting you your own 'good fortune.'"
"At the expense of Elegance's misfortune that is." I said.
"World of Elegance is an Angel who has become separated from her host. Your kindness to her so far has benefitted all of us immeasurably but now it is time for you to step aside and let her make it on her own. If you do this for us then I promise," Hild spoke as she sidled up next to me, "I will make it worth your while."
"Well… that certainly is a powerful inducement," I answered her sincerely, while trying not to become aroused by her close proximity, "but… no. I'm keeping my word to Elegance."
"You might think of yourself as being selfish if you accept my offer," Hild continued to press on, "but think of the others, the people who worked shoulder to shoulder with you. All of them shared your dream, don't they deserve better than being cast aside. I'm offering you a chance to do right by them, to start anew. Isn't that more important than the fate of one individual."
Hild had a good argument I had to admit, but it had one glaring flaw. She didn't care about me; it was World of Elegance she was trying to get at. I was just the tool she meant to use in order to get to her and for some reason that just pissed me off! Besides, how could I question the wisdom of God's treatment of her and then turn around and do essentially the same thing to her the next evening.
"No means no." I told Hild. "I will keep my word to World of Elegance."
"It's your loss then! But mark my words, if Urd is harmed by your actions then I will make you suffer like no mortal has ever suffered before." Hild spoke angrily before disappearing in a flash of light so bright it woke me up.
Upon waking I discovered that instead of being in my soul World of Elegance was laying next to me wide awake, the furious look on her face enough to turn a man to stone had the lights not been off.
Now personally I would have thought that she would have considered my dreamscape off limits but she apparently thought otherwise. Busted, I did what all men do when faced with incontrovertible evidence of their infidelity. I tried bluffing.
"What's up?" I asked innocently.
"Oh, don't you even think of going there!" She seethed, "There is not a single thought in your head that I'm not privy too."
"That doesn't seem like a very fair relationship to me. You get to read my mind, but I have to guess what's going on with you."
"Don't change the subject!" She screamed. "I already know what you did."
"If that's the case why are you still here?"
"I wasn't about ready to give the bitch the satisfaction. And I really, really wanted to see that dumb ass expression that you have on your face right now when I confronted you."
Epiphanies, you got to love them. Especially when they happen quickly enough for you to take advantage of your new insight. My latest epiphany told me that World of Elegance was only privy to what was transpiring in my mental realm when resident in my soul. Sometime during my mental deliberations with Hild she had exited my dreamscape and was not aware of the fact that Hild had been unsuccessful in her attempt to buy her off me.
"Elegance, I told her no and sent her packing."
"What…" World of Elegance looked at me shocked, placing her hand on my heart to verify that my soul was indeed empty before she continued. "You said no! No, to getting your life back. No to having the CEO of Hel at your beck and call 24-7. My God, am I living inside a mental defective? What the hell is wrong with you!"
"I decided that I didn't really want my old life back that badly." I told her happily, "But in truth I was tempted, sorely tempted."
Epiphanies, not really worth much if they happen after the fact, "CEO of hell?" I asked her in awe, as her words finally worked their way past my internal processing delay.
"Not hell, Hel." Elegance corrected me, "Mother is the current ruler of all Demon kind."
"Mother! She is your mother!"
"Well technically Hild is Urd's mother, but yes she is."
"What would Urd's mother want with you? Aren't the two of you supposedly part of some greater whole?"
"It's complicated, but years ago before we became as one Urd turned her back on the world of Demon kind and embraced the world of Heaven. Mother, Hild, never lived that down and there has been friction between them ever since. Hild has already tried stealing me once, had you actually sold me to her I would have had no choice but to return with her to the Demon realm. Once there I can flat guarantee that she would have used me as leverage to force Urd to switch loyalties. However, for some reason I get the feeling that there is more happening here than meets the eye.
"How so?" I asked her.
"Don't get me wrong here, a roll in the hey with Hild is something to die for, and I don't mean that metaphorically, but she is the ruler of all Demon kind and she has an entire entourage just waiting in the wings looking to curry favor with her by doing just that. The fact that she offered herself and not someone else tells me that she needs to keep this on the QT. Face it, she really didn't have to make you an offer at all! In all honesty, she could have just sent her personal assassination squad to punch your ticket and take me by force.
To say that I found Elegance's explanation disconcerting was a bit of an understatement. While I still fully intended to keep my word I had been hoping that we could stay under the radar of whoever it was who had precipitated this incident in the first place. This I was just realizing was going to be a rather difficult thing to accomplish seeing as how I was now on a first name basis with the Mistress of darkness!"
"Elegance, could you please, please tell me just what the hell or Hel is going on!" I pleaded.
"Very well," she began, "Urd's mother, our mother, the lady who you were just conversing with in your dreams name is Hild and she is the current ruler of the Infernal Realm. She is the most potent demon in the known universe. Years ago for some unknown reason she and the Almighty one decided that it would be a good idea to have a child between them, Urd. When Urd got older, because she was the product of both light and darkness she was given a choice, join with the forces of Heaven or join the forces of darkness. Now Urd coveted a white winged Angel like her younger sister Belldandy possessed and chose the light that she might have one too. But she was deceiving herself, for even though she was given an Angel's egg from the same tree as her sister it took the form of her soul and I am that result.
"Not white, not dark," she continued, her eyes tearing up as she did so, "not even a blend. Just this horrible discolored monstrosity you see before you!
"I don't see you that way and I don't think others like me would see you that way either." I told her soothingly.
"That's because you're an idiot!" she told me without humor, "When Urd saw me for the first time all she could see was a freak, one so horrifying that she ordered me back inside her soul and to never show myself again!"
"I'm serious," I told her, "While I'd be lying if I told you I didn't find your appearance odd I still think you are quite beautiful."
"You're sweet," she told me sadly, "but false nobility from a true Knight such as yourself is unbecoming. I'll tell you what, next time Hild comes calling go ahead and sell me to her. You deserve better than this." She finished with a sweeping motion of her hands indicating herself.
Dumbfounded and at a complete loss for words I decided to call it a night and took her hands in mine and I kissed her on the forehead. "Let's get some rest," I told her, "things always look better in the morning."
With that said I lay back down on the bed and waited for her to put me under so she could reenter my soul. As she spooned up against me her hands started to play about my body in places where they shouldn't have been. When I turned on my back to caution her she jumped up and sat down on my chest pinning me to the bed.
Now at best she weighs maybe 125 pounds, however, as I discovered, wings are a tremendous advantage when it comes to wrestling matches of this sort. Even so, I probably could have stopped her had my heart really been in it. But the mischievous grin that had replaced the grim expression on her face earlier told me that I was much better off just letting her have her way. Or at least that's how I justified it to myself.
Nevertheless I did manage to ask, "Do they even do things like this in Heaven?"
World of Elegance sat up straight her arms akimbo, looking me directly in the eyes as I admired her naked form she asked. "Is this not the body of a woman?"
"It is." I answered her back.
"And don't men and women who care for each other engage in such behavior?"
"Sometimes," I grudgingly admitted, "on occasion."
Leaning over until her lips were brushing mine she whispered softly, "Isn't it time for you to shut up?"
I did.
Not much more of what transpired that night needs to be written in this journal, suffice it to say that for the first time in years I finally found peace and World of Elegance found her God… several times.
It was as we still lay intertwined after we were finished, I felt a gentle warmth in my heart that slowly expanded until it filled my whole being. As the feeling expanded inside me I felt World of Elegance become insubstantial in my arms finally fading away into nothingness.
"And that," I heard her speak in my mind, "is how you open your soul to another."
It wasn't until the next morning when I noticed the pinkish color of the shower water running from my body that I realized just how wonderful a gift I had been given.