As always, thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying!
On to the story!
She knelt before him, head bent out of formality and eyes cast downward to stare firmly at the cave's cobbled floor.
"And you're certain it was him?"
Her father's deep voice sounded in her ears, ever-threatening, like a looming nimbus cloud.
"Yes. Completely certain. I saw him myself this time. With my own eyes."
She could sense his eyes burning into the back of her neck, forcing her into her quantum-locked state. Rigid beneath his stare, she felt the cruel nip of vulnerability begin to gnaw at the fringes of her nerves.
At least this time, she could be somewhat partially sure that he wouldn't strike her.
After all, she had brought him the information that he wanted. It didn't matter if he evoked their telepathic connection and forcibly sifted through her memories as he had so many times before: she was telling the truth.
She had definitely seen him this time and there was no mistaking that it was him either.
Karida internally frowned, recalling her older brother's smug smile and allowing it to inspire the usual burning hatred that it tended to. Seeing the traitor once more was painful enough but as far as she was concerned, being made leader of the faction assembled to return him to face punishment was a welcome mark of respect and one that she was proud to bear.
Iblis had tried to harm the one who had given him flesh.
Who had given him life.
He had tried to forcibly take over the tribe in an act of selfish treachery.
How dare he?
It was their great father, the Archangel Nathaniel who was to decide who lived and who died. It was his blessing and his plight and none were to challenge this.
How dare her brother attempt to upset the very foundations upon which their society was built?
Karida had long ago resolved to prove herself a daughter whom her father could place his trust in. Aiding him in the recapture and eventual execution of her brother would be the very thing to solidify her position as one of his most loyal subjects.
One who was worthy to share his almighty flesh and his almighty blood.
"And you say that your ranks have observed him in a state of weakness?"
"Yes."
Her quantum lock faded briefly, affording her a few moments stretch her wings- but her feathers had only barely dusted the floor when her father's eyes returned to her crouched form.
"It would only make sense that we begin our assault before he has the chance to regain any kind of health. Angel Karida, take your Searchers and-."
"Did he still have that human with him? The female one?"
Another Angel's voice cut out across her father's- this one slightly silkier, slightly softer but no less imposing in tone.
Karida recognised it instantly and wished she had the freedom to frown outwardly when she felt the intensity of a second stare fall upon her back.
The wretch didn't even have the decency to cover her eyes- or at the very least to avert them- in the great Archangel's presence.
"Karida. Answer."
Her father's voice sank in timbre but rose in volume, signalling agitation.
"Yes," she forced herself to reply, trying to pretend that she was directing the answer towards her beloved sire and not the wandering letch that had practically invaded- no, infested- their tribe. "He was with the human female. He…he…" Karida's response stilted itself as she recalled the putrid scenes that she had witnessed during her reconnaissance and desperately tried to prevent herself from becoming physically sick. "He is rarely out of its company…and even when it strays from his gaze, he seeks it out."
"He talks to it often, doesn't he?" the lone Weeping Angel inferred, a lightness in her voice suggesting that she was amused. "Calls it by its given name? Plays with it? Treats it almost like a cherub?"
A ripple of laughter descended around the circle, unseen seraphs voicing their mirthful scorn.
Karida wasn't certain whether or not the offending Angel's own delight stemmed solely from Iblis' shameful attachment.
She wouldn't have put it past the arrogant crone to take amusement in the fact that Karida was forced to remain prostrated on the ground beneath her gaze.
Under ordinary circumstances, Karida would not entertain the idea of bowing to Angel Ariel.
Karida hated Ariel.
The rest of the clan had taken some kind of sympathy towards her upon hearing about the untimely and devastating massacre of her own tribe at the hands of Iblis and his human cling-ons.
Karida did not lack empathy- she merely did not like the assumptive, ignorant manner in which Ariel had so gracelessly assimilated herself into their tribe.
True, she had a shared goal with them; they were all united by their desire to seek out and punish Iblis for his crimes against their species…but Ariel's ambitious, outspoken nature irritated Karida.
She was far too bossy, far too vocal and at times, seemed to see it fit to offer her opinion when it was not asked for nor desired.
And Karida especially loathed the manner in which Ariel spoke to her father.
It disgusted her more than anything else.
The almost childlike lack of respect or formality was one thing but the flirtation? It was enough to make Karida want to tear off her own endo-flesh, use it to bind her wings and throw herself into the nearest ravine that she could find.
Her mother had once or twice spoken of the overt sexuality of some of the more liberal earth-bounds of their species- particularly the ones who travelled far from their own hunting grounds.
Karida had never felt so reviled in her entire existence having witnessed this grossly inappropriate behaviour first-hand.
"I have a thought," Ariel continued. "Regarding how to make Iblis' pain as long-lived and effectively harrowing as possible."
"Go on," the Archangel Nathaniel prompted her, sounding intrigued.
At least one of them still had to be looking at her, for she was still incapable of movement but silently and vainly, Karida protested her father's indulgence of the stranger's whims.
"No. Stop listening to her. Stop talking to her in such a manner."
"Well, the question rises- do we wish to merely execute Archangel Iblis and shed our wings of his existence, or do we wish to make him suffer? To truly feel all of the internal and external pain that we have felt?" Ariel's voice was smooth and perfectly cold - like the most elegantly shaped of natural bedrock.
"The latter certainly sounds far more satisfying. What did you have in mind Angel Ariel?"
Karida tried her hardest to ignore the note of piqued curiosity in her father's voice.
"What do I have in mind? A plan that requires us to wait a little longer. To watch him a little longer, particularly in his interactions with the human." Karida could hear the smirk on Ariel's face. "During his time among my sisters, I noted some strange behaviour on his part. If my suspicions are confirmed, his torment may be far more entertaining than we had initially presumed…"
"Father," Karida quickly interjected. "If I may propose an alternative strategy; to wait any longer to apprehend Iblis now that we have him located, quarantined and weakened is significantly contrary to our aims. If we allow him time to regain health…"
"That is enough, Karida-…"
"If Iblis grows in strength again, it will more difficult to subdue him and more of our ranks will be at risk of injury-…"
"Karida-…"
"It seems vain and unnecessary to restrain our efforts simply in order to make his eventual execution a more amusing occasion."
"Karida. Silence."
The young Angel heeded to her father's will, her voice dying from where it rose- withering like a sapling with shallow roots, burned to death in the midday sun.
"Peace upon her little wings," Ariel simpered, her voice sweet at the core but patronising at the fringes. "Your daughter is so very outspoken for her age, Archangel Nathaniel."
"Just like her mother," Nathaniel responded, his voice neither warm nor cold but in that strange, hollow precipice in between that cast a feeling of dread over his daughter. "Her mother was my favourite mate. Her first three offspring were disappointing though." He growled. "A weakling, a dissenter and a deviant. I had hoped that Karida would be the one to correct this unsettling pattern."
Ariel laughed slightly and the Archangel's daughter wished that he would look away to afford her the opportunity to scowl.
"There is still hope for her yet," the outsider commented with a smirk. "No need to lose hope."
Karida swallowed back a seething growl: she could feel Ariel's eyes leave her body and she was willing to bet that the lecherous creature's eyes were now fixated on her father.
"You are dismissed, daughter," Nathaniel commanded, surrendering his gaze and allowing his daughter to move once more. "We will speak more of this in the morrow, after the sinking of the sun."
"Father, I-…"
"After the sinking of the sun, Karida," he repeated, sharply and harshly. "You are dismissed."
Obediently, she drew herself to stand, feeling a great weight descend over her as she retreated back into the dark. She had made a mental note to ask her father about their scheduled hunt but was now swiftly deciding against this proposition.
Karida briefly lifted a hand to massage the back of her neck, using her claws to alleviate the pressure from her tightened skin. The area was still quite painful following the strike that her father had dealt her earlier in the week.
She moved slowly past the roughly carved stone archway that marked the opening to the private sanctum that her father occupied. It was one of the deepest and secluded areas in the cave-system. The stone labyrinth afforded its occupants so very little privacy as it was, despite their small numbers.
Karida's mood was slightly lifted when she sensed Ariel passing her in the dark: at least the raging harlot wasn't going to be spending any more time alone with her father.
Nausea swept over her, prompting her to slow her gait and giving time for Ariel to utter a whimsical and irritating: "Give your mother my good wishes and blessings…"
She responded with a growl and moved away, heading back down one of the southern tunnels, making for the small river that ran through the caves- a solitary estuary of a nearby mountain river.
Agitation creeping over her, she briefly stopped to throw a punch into a nearby stalactite- the hard, calcite splintering into slithers and startling some nearby cherubs.
The children shrieked and squealed, scurrying away into the blackness from which they came, the fluttering of their wings vaguely audible even as they vanished away into their tunnels.
Hunger was making them more hyperactive than usual.
"Little beasts," Karida muttered to herself, continuing to the banks of the river.
They needed to hunt properly. The younger ones needed to be taught to hunt properly. A few extra victims here and there weren't sustaining anyone.
The group needed to take a formal hunt however Nathaniel had ordered that no one was to leave the forest unless they were part of the group who were sent to gather information about Iblis.
She stooped where the water ran and dipped her hands into the cold liquid.
The temperature barely penetrated her strong epidermal hide but it was a pleasant sensation, all the same. Occasionally, she would wonder about actually consuming the substance and what that would feel like.
"Daughter?"
She heard her mother's call and moved towards it, customarily covering her eyes.
"Yes, mother. It is I." Karida came upon her mother's form and settled down beside her, head turned to afford them both the luxury of movement. She ran her hand along her mother's arm, something inside of her sinking when she felt the wrinkles and crevices that had formed in her withering skin.
Her mother was young: these afflictions were an unnecessary result of hunger.
The older Angel must have sensed the younger's discomfort because she stretched out a wing to lightly curl around her daughter's slender body.
"Was it an eventful audience with Nathaniel?"
"…somewhat."
Her mother's name was Althea.
She was one of the ones who had been born in the Sanctuary- the place where the very Lonely Assassins were birthed.
Their home dimension.
The Archangel Nathaniel had chosen her as a mate specifically because of her heritage, her strength and her hardiness.
Since he had taken her as his own, she had been his favourite partner.
Althea was still quite youthful even by the standards of their race, but her appearance would not have suggested such a thing.
Decades of hardship and starvation had drastically eroded her mother's outwards appearance.
Despite this, Karida often found herself admiring the fact that her mother never once lost her steel-like will or her fierce determination.
Or her concern towards her children.
"Did he address the matter of the hunt?"
Karida clenched her right hand into a fist, her claws digging into her palms. "No."
Althea gave a small sigh of exasperation. "I did not think that he would." She stretched her wings out a little. "I imagine he chose to remain on the subject of your brother?"
"Yes," Karida said sharply, barely suppressing a snarl of distaste. She did not approve of her mother's continued acknowledgement that Iblis was still one of their blood.
Briefly, the young Angel entertained the idea of telling her mother about Ariel's continued interference- and continued audience with Nathaniel- but a second sigh from Althea's lips immediately banished the idea from her daughter's mind entirely.
There were some things that her mother did not need to hear: she was under enough anxiety as it was, even if she didn't quite show it.
"Your brother was always a deviant…troublesome…detached…wandering…" Althea murmured wistfully, placing her hand over her daughter's. "In some ways, I blame myself for the manner in which he grew. Perhaps if I had not isolated him so early-…"
Karida gripped her mother's knuckles. "No. Do not place the blame upon yourself. Iblis is a blight upon our race…" Her face scrunched in disgust. "He is vicious, deceitful, disrespectful individual who needs to be wiped from existence for once and for all." She relaxed her hand, stroking her mother's hand, her voice softening. "He attempts to murder our dear Nathaniel- my sire, your mate. He betrays you, betrays us all." She lifted one wing, comfortingly brushing it against her mother's side. "Understand, mother. Please do not view your own decisions so harshly. You did what was right. It is as the Archangel Nathaniel has told us: some are simply born defective and born evil and no force will change them."
Althea was silent for a moment and Karida could sense that her eye-line was directed downwards and away.
The mother's voice suddenly sounded from darkness, slightly withered but quite firm in her questioning. "You have seen your brother recently. What of him? How is he?"
"Physically weak. He looks unfed."
Karida took her hand away, her mood largely souring.
"Has Nathaniel ordered an attack against him?"
Her mother remained stationery, making no attempt to restore physical contact with her daughter.
"No. We are to lie in wait."
"…I see."
There was another brief silence between the two of them before Althea spoke again.
"And he was…still with the human? That is what the others have been saying…"
Karida grimaced, starting to feel ill but resolving to answer anyway- deciding that if conversation was the bare minimum comfort that she could offer her mother, she was content to do so. "Yes."
"Can you…describe the human to me?"
"…they all look the same. It's hard to think of any particularly defining features that it bore."
"Regardless, would you try, daughter?"
The young Angel sighed. "Very well. It was female. That much was evident. It was also…scrawny, had very pale flesh…it was almost sickly looking…and its hair was white too. White and slightly yellowing…" Karida gave a snarl of derision. "Like it was decaying on her scalp…"
Althea was silent for a moment, prompting her daughter to add: "Why is the human's appearance of concern to you, mother?"
"It is not."
She sensed her mother rise and move away, seeking to stretch her limbs in the dark.
Karida knew her mother well enough to understand that the older female was not trying to be rude: she merely liked a sufficient amount of space to think.
She also knew Althea well enough to know when her mother was lying.
A super, super short chapter in comparison to my usual stuff but consider this more of a taste-test for what's to come.
As always, thank you so much for reading.
You have all my hugs.
