3 weeks after Moloch's death...
Anastasia stretched, her muscles ached deliciously from their vigorous lovemaking. She could feel his seed, sticky between her thighs. In the three weeks since Moloch's death, they had barely left the comfort of the bed, she'd lost count how many times he had taken her. As immortals they never grew tired, didn't have to eat and all had been peaceful throughout Sleepy Hollow.
She lazily drew circles on his chest, her left leg draped over his waist. She smiled, it had been so long since she last felt this contented.
'What are you thinking about' he asked.
'You' she leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his lips.
'What do you feel?…when you kiss or touch my face'.
In all honesty, she was surprised it had taken this long for him to ask. But she figured with Moloch and then their three weeks of almost continuous lovemaking that he hadn't really had chance to ponder on it.
'I just feel you. Angels don't need physical bodies to use their senses'.
'But how?'
'The fact that you can see, hear and speak to me without your head is acceptable but the fact that I can touch you is too far-fetched' she laughed softly, bringing her index finger to rest on his forehead 'that's the remnants of your human ideology, my love'.
'Why can I not feel you?'
'Maybe because you don't believe you can. I know you're still having trouble believing you're an Archangel'.
'You healed the bird and the witness. Is there a way you could heal my memories?'
She shook her head 'I'm afraid not. I tried it once, at the fall of the Assyrian empire. It didn't work'.
'Did I…' he swallowed thickly 'did I ever hurt you?'
'No. You barely even noticed my presence. It was like something was blocking you from seeing me until I told Franklin how to imprison you and I was able to plant my memories into your mind'.
1781
Benjamin Franklin was a brilliant man, a genius, a pioneer in science and invention. Even if he did say so himself.
Sadly however, even he did not know all the answers.
And the answer to this particularly question kept eluding him.
How to kill the Horseman of Death?
A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie.
It was a little early for the sisterhood to be inquiring about any results. They had promised him twenty-four hours, it had scarcely been six since they had agreed upon the conditions of the arrangement.
Upon opening the door he found himself pleasantly surprised.
'Hello Benjamin'.
'Good morrow, my lady'.
'Please, Benjamin. I've asked you not to call me that'.
He chuckled as he moved aside to allow her into the room.
'How may I be of service, Phanuel?'
He knew he was one of few with the privilege of knowing her true identity.
They had met when he was a young man. At twenty-five years old, she had enlisted his and the freemasons help to uncover the whereabouts of a mythical weapon. They had traveled to Arizona, to the deepest part of the Grand Canyon, where embedded in the rock were a systematic of tunnels.
Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in finding the sword but had instead encountered a creature of Native-American legend, a Skin-walker. The beast had caught them off guard and quickly disposed of his fellow masons, until it was just the two of them left.
He, dare he say, heroically stood between her and the beast, firing a single silver round straight into its skull. Regrettably, the beast had also managed to deliver one final blow, sinking its teeth deep into his neck before turning into ash.
He remembers the pain, his breathing becoming more laboured, his body growing ever colder and weaker as his blood poured from his severed wound.
But more importantly he remembers her, kneeling beside him.
The purest light he had ever seen emanated from her. Her presence was one full of love and compassion. Warmth and a lulling calmness spread within him as her hand rested on his injury.
'It is not your time yet, Benjamin. You still have so much to do'.
And with that, life once again surged throughout his entire being.
He reached up to feel nothing. No blood, no scars, no bumps, not even a slight tenderness to his flesh.
'What are you?' He asked not out of fear but from awe.
They had been close friends ever since.
'Actually it was I who was going to ask you the same thing. I hear you have acquired the Horseman of Death'.
'Yes. He was decapitated this morning by Ichabod Crane. He seems to be in some kind of stasis whilst his body heals itself. And now I've been charged with finding a way to destroy him, I don't suppose you might know how?'
'I do not. But I do have a way to imprison him, for a time'.
'For a time?' He questioned.
'All prisons can be broken out of, given enough time'.
He crook his head, considering his options. It would mean that those in the future would have to deal with the horseman's wrath, the destruction of the apocalypse. But perhaps, by then, they would have the tools and technology to win.
And he had nothing else to suggest, this was the best they had.
'Very well. How?'
'Fashion a mortsafe from the wood of an apple tree, inlay the inside with silver and secure it with iron chains'.
He raised his eyebrows. Those were such simple ingredients, he expected it to be much harder.
'And that will hold him?'
She nodded.
'I shall inform the sisterhood of the radiant heart immediately. Thank you, my lady' he smiled coyly.
'You told them how to entombed me?' he sounded more shocked than angry.
'I needed you free of Moloch's influence. Even when you were human, your choices were being manipulated by him'.
He didn't respond, he just stared at her, trying to process the information.
'I know it's a lot to take in, my love. But all that I did, I did for you. For us. So that we might be together again'.
'I know, darling'.
Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing him call her that. He began calling her that a few days after they had first made love and had kissed her tears away.
He hooked his hand underneath her knee, bringing her to straddle his hips, his hard length sliding through her slick folds.
His hands smoothly stroked the length of her thighs, up to the sides of her breasts and back down to their final resting place on her hips.
The wet sounds made by the excessive amount of seed coming out of her echoed in the room. She moaned as the head of his shaft moved against her very sensitive nub.
She reached down, guiding him inside her. Placing her palms on his chest for balance, she slowly rocked over him.
'Anastasia' the raw need in his voice made her muscles clench around him.
Her pace grew faster, impaling herself on him over and over again.
She finally came, her walls pulsating around him, pulling the orgasm out of him, spilling his seed deep into her cervix.
She rested languidly on his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. It was thrumming at a rapid rate.
They were walking through the woods, hand in hand, in comfortable silence.
She would ask him, every couple of days, to accompany her on a walk.
Even though all he wanted was to stay in bed with her, to keep her naked and under him.
But he found himself not being able to say 'no' to her.
Although admittedly there had been a several occasions he couldn't wait till they returned to the coach house and had taken her underneath the stars. Not that she had complained.
They reached the meadow where they first met, the moonlight covered the land in a eerily white glow.
'They're so beautiful' she announced, looking up at the night sky.
She had told him, during an intermission from their lovemaking, that she had never seen the stars before coming to Earth. The Garden of Eden was in continuous daylight and even after ten thousand years, she still found them as breathtaking as she had the first time she saw them.
'They pale in comparison to you'. He leaned down to kiss her hard on the lips.
They were both interrupted by the snapping of twigs. He unsheathe his axe with lightning speed, ready to defend Anastasia.
The two witnesses emerged from the darkness of the tree line. Carrying what looked like the sword of Methuselah.
How did they have that?
Had the Horseman of War returned?
'Abraham, if you could accompany us back to the tunnels'.
'And why would I do that?' He snarled.
'If you haven't noticed we have the sword of Methuselah, which means we give the orders and you follow them' Abbie warned.
The nerve of these two idiots astounded him.
They really thought they had the power to threaten him.
He felt Anastasia grab his arm, holding him back.
'We'll go with you'.
Was she serious?
He gritted his teeth, looking back and forth between Anastasia and the witnesses.
They definitely should have stayed in bed.
'So, now that you have Azrael in chains, what exactly are you planning on doing with him?' Anastasia asked as she observed Katrina using her magic to bind the horseman through the two-way mirror in the observation room. He would occasionally pull against the chains, as if he was testing their strength.
'We brought him here to keep the citizens of Sleepy Hollow safe'. Abbie said.
'He hasn't killed anyone in three weeks'.
'Yeah, we noticed that. What exactly have you two been doing?'
'He is my husband'. Anastasia shrugged.
Ichabod and Abbie stood there dumbfounded. It took a moment but they both eventually got the hint.
'You and the headless horseman? Well that's a mental image I could have lived without'.
'Now, the only way we can all work together is with honesty. For instance, that sword of Methuselah is a fake'.
'You knew?'
Anastasia nodded 'I could smell Katrina's magic embedded in it'.
'You could of informed Abraham. Why did you let us bring you both here?' Ichabod finally spoke up.
'I have need of your help. And so does Azrael, though he may not know or admit to it. I once spoke of a possibility to revert Azrael back to his angelic self, he would of never come here willingly, so…' she shrugged 'seemed as good a chance as any'.
'You may use the archives. If there is an answer to your mystery, it will be in there'. Ichabod offered.
Anastasia caught the 'are you serious' expression Abbie gave him.
'Thank you, Ichabod.'
'It is done' Katrina announced.
Anastasia nodded in acknowledgment before walking into the cell that now contained her beloved horseman.
'The witnesses and I will research a solution…'
'They'll no doubt be searching for a way to kill the unkillable'.
'A way to separate yourself from the horseman and return you to an Archangel'.
'I am the horseman and the horseman is me'.
'You were somehow transformed after your death but all transformations can be reversed'.
'Even if it were possible, they wouldn't consider it after all I have done to them'.
'Maybe if you tried to find some common ground with Ichabod. You were close as brothers once, perhaps if you just spoke with him'.
'There's nothing I want to say or hear from him'.
'You don't have to decide anything now. Just think on what I've said, that is all I ask'.
Week 1
She had already searched through half the archives and she had yet to find any kind of clue to their predicament. In the back of her mind she knew her efforts would be fruitless, how can you research something that's never been done before?
But she refused to give in.
She loved him far too much to ever give up on him.
The door gave its signature squeak, alerting her that someone had just entered the room. She turned to find Abbie's younger sister standing there.
'Hello Jenny' she smiled.
'You must be the angel, Anastasia?'
'I must be. Come, sit' she gestured to the chair next to her.
'I brought you a coffee' Jenny offered as she sat next to Anastasia 'I don't know if angels drink coffee or in general' Jenny started second guessing herself.
'That's very kind of you. Thank you'. She took the offered Starbucks cup, bringing it up to her lips and taking a mouthful of the hot, bitter liquid.
'Do all angels eat and drink?'
Anastasia smiled, she was use to the mortals bombarding her with questions once they found out who she really was, their curiosity knew no bounds.
'No, we don't need substance to maintain our bodies. But occasionally I like to, especially now I'm living in age where Ben and Jerry's is a thing'.
'And the conch piercing?' Jenny asked, pointing to the thin silver loop that encircled the angels left ear 'Isn't it a sin to get any type of piercing?'
'Technically, but my Father tends to give humans a little bit of leeway for that kind of stuff. If he punished every human for every little thing they did, no one would get into Heaven. And I went through a brief rebellious stage which is best left in the past'.
She remembers telling Azrael what she had done and his only reaction was to burst out laughing.
They were lying on their sides, facing each other. Their faces mere inches of one another, sharing the same pillow. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
'Where did you get this?' He asked, tracing the shell of her left ear.
'In South America about two thousand years ago, it hurt like hell. I only keep it as penance'.
'Penance? For what?'
'I may have, only for a day, dabbled in alcohol and drugs'. She said hesitantly.
After eight thousand years on Earth, she found herself to be deep in depression after several failed attempts to reach Azrael and anger towards her Father for not doing anything to help her.
She decided to rebel.
Perhaps, at long last, that would get her Father's attention.
It hadn't.
'Is that it?' He asked, trying to hide his grin.
'No. Because my body heals itself faster than humans these substances had no affect on me. So I participated in…' she took a deep breath 'Gambling. I would bet that I could drink more alcohol than my challenger, knowing full well I would win. So not only did I do all that, I also cheated at it. And I may have gotten this piercing in amongst all that somewhere'.
She couldn't meet his gaze.
What must he think of her?
It was so uncouth and barbaric for an angel to behave in such a way.
He stared at her before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter.
'It's not funny, Azrael. I even swindled an old man out of his shoes, I returned them the next day but I still feel ashamed by it'. She tried to keep her tone serious but found herself giggling along with him.
'Believe me, my darling. Next to me, you'll always look like a saint'.
'May I ask you a personal question?'
Anastasia nodded.
'If all angels are siblings, wouldn't that mean that you and the horseman, who's your husband is also your brother?'
'Yes. In the same respect that all humans are siblings, we all share the same Father'.
'Well, there goes my dating life'. Jenny said sarcastically.
Anastasia entered the observation room. She jumped slightly at the sudden loud sound of chains snapping.
'The last thing I want is your pity. If your job securing the bars to my cage is done, leave me'.
She watched as Katrina stormed out the side cell door.
'What was that about?' She asked, coming to stand in front of him.
He huffed in frustration.
'Nothing, the witch offered her services to help find a way to separate myself from the horseman'.
Anastasia found it odd Katrina would go to him instead of herself but quickly dismissed it.
'It's okay to admit that you need help, Azrael'.
'I don't need her help and certainly not Ichabod's' he said sharply.
She traveled the short distance between them, placing her lips softly on his. She physically felt his body begin to relax as he deepened the kiss.
She sighs into the kiss, her hands come to hold the back of his head, her fingers tangling themselves through his hair.
'If I wasn't chained up right now' he growled against her lips.
'I know, my love. Soon, I promise'.
'Have you discovered anything of use?'
'No. Maybe if I could find out how you actually became the horseman, I could figure out how to turn you back'.
'Well, you know I died. What happens to angels when they die?'
She shrugged her shoulders 'I'm not sure. Father told me your essence was still on Earth so death may continue but your consciousness and physical body was gone'.
'Has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps he is the one who did this to me'.
Anastasia looked at him as if he had just suggested stealing candy from a child.
'I don't believe he would do such a thing'.
'You don't believe or you don't want to believe?' Abraham said, emphasis on the want.
'Okay, let's pretend for a moment that he did, he certainly has the power to do so. Why? You were already his Archangel of Death, he instructed you to collect the souls of those who had come to the end of their life. If he wanted you to do so on a much larger, apocalyptic scale, you would of done so. The only true difference between the Archangel and the horseman is…' she furrowed her eyebrows.
'Is what?'
'You're more vulnerable. As an Archangel you were invincible, there was no known weapon that could kill you. Except, that is, when Moloch found one. But as a demon, you're far more weaker, easier to destroy if you stray from your purpose'.
'The evidence seems to be piling up, my darling'.
'This is not evidence, we're just surmising'.
'Is there anyone else with the capability?'
She shook her head lightly, chewing her bottom lip in thought.
'Lucifer, maybe. And it's a big maybe but he's locked away in Hell. The only thing he can do is influence, whisper in the ears of men to commit sin but he no longer has any real power on Earth or in Heaven'.
'You sound sad' he stated.
'He was our older brother, I miss him very much'.
'What happened to him?'
She stood in silence for a moment. She hadn't spoken about Lucifer since the argument she had had with their Father. She contemplated whether she should or not. Even though she was no longer in Heaven, no longer with her family, her Father's demand of forbidding the mentioning of Lucifer still sat heavy in her mind.
But Azrael had the right to know what happened to him.
They were brothers after all.
'He fell in love with a human. It was forbidden, Father didn't want our blood to crossover with humans and despite the endless amount of warnings, Lucifer wedded her. And she became with child. And his lieutenants also found human partners, bearing them children'.
'The Nephilim?'
'Yes, the Nephilim. A gigantic creature of immense power. But they were mindless, they had no empathy, no compassion. They would have destroyed everything our Father had created. So he commanded the Archangels, including yourself, to kill them'.
'Typical. He sounds more a dictator than a father, he treats his children appallingly. First he refuses to heal me, then he takes your wings and banishes you from Heaven. He's just a malevolent, oppressing bast…'
'Wait, my love. What did you just say?' she interrupted, sudden having a light-bulb moment.
'I said he's a dictator'.
'No, you said heal' she closed her eyes, inclining her head 'I'm so stupid. What if this isn't about me healing you but about you healing yourself'.
He narrowed his eyes, slowly shaking his head. Not quite understanding what she was trying to say.
'Your head'. She said as though the answer was obvious.
'My head?'
'Yes. If you were to reconnect your head to your body, your muscle tissue, skin, organs would all regenerate. Including your hippocampus where your memories are stored. There's a possibility that you could remember everything'.
'There's only one problem, my darling. An undead creature, quite literally, rode off into the fog with it'.
'That which is lost can always be found, my love'.
'Promise me you won't tell the witnesses. They'll try to stop you if they find out you're searching for my skull'.
Anastasia didn't like the thought of being dishonest but at the same time she wholeheartedly agreed with him.
'Okay' she nodded, sealing her promise with a lingering kiss.
Week 2
'Excuse my intrusion, Anastasia'.
She turned to her right, she had been looking at the last few remaining books on the shelves. And now she found Ichabod standing there.
'I wonder if these may be of use to you. Washington's bible and Benjamin Franklin's diary'. Holding them out to her.
'That's very thoughtful of you, Ichabod. Thank you'. She smiled, accepting the offered books.
'May I enquire you about something?' he asked, resting his hands comfortably behind his back.
'Of course'.
'You say my son is still alive, do you think it's possible to change him back?'
'If I find something that works on Azrael, I don't see why it wouldn't on Henry'.
'Besides Katrina, you're the only one who doesn't think me injudicious in my pursuit to save my son'.
'We never give up on the ones we love, even when all those around us think us foolish for not doing so'.
Ichabod chuckles warmly, showing a toothy grin.
'Abraham, an Archangel. Will wonders never cease'.
'Is it so hard to believe?'
'It's hard to believe he's your husband, when only a month ago he was pursuing my wife, let alone the fact he's a Heavenly being'.
Anastasia chuckled 'I sometimes forget that this is all new to him, to the people who knew him when he was human'.
'I thought, perhaps it may be prudent if I were to speak to him'.
She placed a gentle hand on his upper arm.
'You're a good man, Ichabod. And I am truly grateful for your kindness but alas Azrael is not ready to listen. I'm afraid your words would only fall on deaf ears'.
Week 3
She was sitting in the cell, looking through one dusty book or manuscript after another, some of them she had read more than twice. It had been three weeks of research and still she had nothing to show for her efforts.
She was starting to wish for some kind of divine intervention but knew her Father would never get involved in what he would consider a trivial matter even if it did concern two of his children.
She let out a huff of frustration. Looking over to Azrael from her desk that she had brought in so she could keep him company whilst she worked.
He was staring at the floor.
To say he looked fed up would be putting it mildly.
In all honesty, she hadn't expected him to be locked up here for such a long time. But the witnesses had come no further to trusting him. It didn't help that he still refused to speak with Ichabod.
She rose from her chair and walked up to him.
'My love, I don't like you being chained here anymore than you do but maybe if you just spoke with…'
'I said no, Anastasia' his voice was stern but not raised.
'You know, you may have lost your memories but you certainly didn't lose your stubbornness'. She stood on the tips of her toes, kissing him soothingly, the metal restraint around his torso making it slightly awkward.
'How much longer must I be bound here?'
'Not long. There's a couple of books I want to go over again and if I find nothing, I'll let you out'.
'I'm not sure the witnesses will like that'.
'It's a good thing I don't need their permission'.
He hummed in arousement, smirking as he raised an eyebrow.
He loved it when his virtuous angel spoke like that.
'I need to go back up to the archives. I'll be back soon, my love'. She kissed him 'I love you'. She whispered against his lips.
'I love you' he whispered back.
Anastasia, Ichabod and Katrina were discussing various spells and enchantments. All of which seemed useless for what they wanted to achieve.
She brought her hand to her temple, rubbing in small circles, she wasn't prone to headaches but she knew if she had been mortal, she would definitely be suffering one now.
She was relived to see Abbie walk through the door. In fact, if a purple, three-headed tiger had walked through the the door she would have been thankful. Anything for a moments reprieve.
But it was who followed Abbie who caught her attention.
She had to do a double take, she was so astounded.
'Orion?'
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
It had been so long since she had seen a member of her family. Besides Azrael, of course.
'Sister'.
'What are you doing here?'
'I was imprisoned in Purgatory, in the forest near Valley Forge'.
'You were the angel George Washington claimed he saw. His men thought he had lost his mind'. Katrina interjected the family reunion.
'You're a witch'.
'She's my wife'. Ichabod softly guided both her and Abbie to the corner of the room, leaving the two angelic siblings to catch up.
'Orion has a way to kill the horseman'.
Ichabod released a sigh of…disappointment?
'Don't get excited all at once' Abbie said sarcastically.
'Anastasia still believes there's a way to free Abraham from the horseman'.
'Which she has yet to find'.
'I believe I can incorporate my magic to find a solution' Katrina said.
'The horseman killed Corbin, a whole cell of masons. How long before he puts anyone of us in the ground?'
'I faced a mighty foe on the field of battle. He came at me with an axe that glowed with the fires of hell I fought my best but he got the upper hand'.
'An axe. This enemy was the Horseman of Death'. Anastasia said, putting the pieces together.
'Your prisoner. He beat me and his master, Moloch, chained me in Purgatory. But I'm free again and soon my enemy will taste the edge of my blade'. Orion declared, anger and vengeance filling his voice.
'All Anastasia asks is that we try'.
'What if she fails? What if deep down Abraham doesn't want to revert back to what he was before the horseman? And he kills someone, that's on us'.
Ichabod opened his mouth to argue back but found he had no words.
'I'll tell her myself if you won't'. She walked back to where the two angelic beings had been conversing, closely followed by Ichabod and Katrina. 'Where's Anastasia?'
'My sister took leave a moment ago'.
One good thing about being an immortal, his body never tired or grew sore. Unfortunately he had also found out that immortality does not cure boredom. At least when Anastasia was in the room, he could look at her. Even when she was busy reading and she didn't speak to him, he would imagine all the things he was going to do to her once he was freed.
It may not have been particularly gentlemanly of him to do so but he couldn't help it.
His heart would then begin to race, his blood rushing southwards and he swore he had caught the corner of her lips curl into a smile more than once. Like she knew exactly what he had been thinking about.
But whilst he was here by himself, he kept his eyes on a stone slab he had stared at a thousand times before. There was nothing special about this slab but it was as good as any.
That was until the doors unexpectedly burst opened, Anastasia was moving with urgent haste towards him.
'What I suggested a couple of weeks ago, to turn you back into your angelic self, would you allow me to try it?'
'Why the sudden rush, Anastasia?'
'I need you to answer now'.
She placed a hand on his chest, he looked down briefly to where she was touching him. It was like a jolt of anxiety exploded through his body.
Looking back in her eyes, he saw concern and worry staring back at him.
'If it was possible, to return to my true self again. Then yes, of course'.
'You must promise me that you will cease from killing innocents whilst I look for a solution'.
'If you hold to your word, my darling, I will hold to mine. I will not take a live whilst you seek a way to return me to my former self'.
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her agreement.
'An angel has come, our brother, Orion. I fear he means to do you harm'.
He scowled.
Why did it seem that there was always something that threatened to take him away from her, something trying to create a wedge between them?
Everyone came piling into the cell but it was too late. The chains laid discarded on the floor and the horseman was gone.
'You let him go? I believed you were worthy allies, I was wrong' Orion snarled, storming off back into the tunnels.
'Orion would of killed Azrael. Which has been your intention all this time'. Anastasia accused, standing where the horseman had once stood.
'We were yet to make that decision'. Ichabod held up his hand in defence.
'It's crazy because we're talking about a murderous monster'.
'And if Abraham was one of your friends, you would not condemn him to death so easily?' Katrina sided with Anastasia.
'August Corbin was my friend and the horseman murdered him in front of me. He is death personified. Orion wants to cleanse the world of evil, to create a peaceful existence for everyone'.
'Do not be so quick to trust my brother. He is a soldier without a war'.
'Please, all of you. There is no need for tempers to flare'.
'Are you kidding me? When we waver in our duty, monsters get loose and people die. We are not jailers, we are not reformers. We are soldiers and I think we all know what the stakes are here. I can't believe you let them talk you into this'.
'I did not. I recognised a slither of the man I once knew before Anastasia told me about her plan' he turned to face Katrina. 'Though it was deeply unfair of you to use our marriage as leverage'.
Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows. She had not been aware Katrina had spoken to Ichabod about this matter.
'What you have to understand is, not…'
'No you must understand. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss it. Please help me to make this right. We must find Abraham and bring him here, if Anastasia can help him, you and I need to know and if not. Then we cross that difficult bridge'.
'Okay, fine. The horseman can't bear daylight, he'll go to ground before sunrise'.
He reached the coach house. He wanted to be far from Anastasia, he was sure she was not a target for the angel but he did not want her in the crossfire. That was the only reason why he had agreed to leave without her, he knew that the witnesses would not try to harm her and she was safe.
He held his axe firmly.
The arrogance of the witnesses meant they had left his weapons in the same room as him.
Did they honestly believe that he would not eventually get out?
He sensed something spinning through the air right at him, turning sharply, he deflected it with his blade, watching as the angel caught his weapon.
They charged at each other, swinging their blades at one another with full force.
Orion kneed him in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards before he quickly ducked down as Orion's weapon came hurtling towards him once again. It missed and crashed through the brick wall of the building.
The angel had no choice now but to run at him, hoping to overpower the horseman with his bare hands.
But Abraham was both faster and stronger as he dodged Orion's attack and encircled his axe and arms around the angels throat, bringing him to his knees.
What was he doing?
There were much faster and easier ways for him to destroy this angel.
Was he even trying to kill him or was he just trying to subdue him?
Even he couldn't say at this point.
He had promised Anastasia that he would not take a life and whilst Orion wasn't particularly innocent, he knew she would be upset if he killed someone she considered to be family.
But before he could think on it any further, a sudden sharp pain entered his back and he was rapidly being drained of his energy. He had no choice but to let go of Orion as he fell to his knees, he didn't even have enough strength to hold onto his weapon.
'Do you feel that? My blade gathers your power for my use. Your death will burn bright, cauterising this festering wound. Turn this area into a smouldering crater. End the evil that escaped Purgatory'. Orion taunted.
He fell to his hands. Even the intensity of the sunlight was nothing compared to this weapon, he couldn't even think straight as his muscles grew weaker.
He was killed by a lowly angel in his previous life now it seemed he was cursed to be killed by another.
And then it was gone.
Ichabod had used his axe to dislodge and destroy the halo.
His power instantly rushed through his entire body like adrenaline. He stood up, reaching behind him to retrieve his axe from his former friend. He stormed towards Orion, taking big strides across the hallway.
He kicked him hard in the chest. Bringing up his axe which was glowing as a warning and watched with satisfaction when Orion turned tail and ran.
Now it was Ichabod's turn.
He spun and charged towards him.
He had reached the end of his tether.
They may have saved him but considering they had put him in that situation in the first place he felt no need to be grateful.
First his former friend stole his fiancée, then he took his head and now he had dared to chain him and keep him from Anastasia.
Enough was enough.
His axe glowed with his fury.
'Azrael, don't'. Anastasia pleaded as she entered the coach house.
He chose to ignore her, grabbing the front of Ichabod's shirt and raised his axe, ready to attack.
'If you strike me down now, the chance will be lost. The chance to prove to your wife there's still an Archangel somewhere deep down'.
Abraham clenched his jaw, breathing heavily through his nose. He considered what Ichabod had said and unfortunately found him to be right.
He roughly shoved him back.
'I will let you try to return me to the angel I once was' he turned back to Ichabod, threateningly invading his personal space. 'But in the interim I am no man's prisoner. Leave this place. NOW!'
They both scurried out, leaving both he and Anastasia alone.
He dropped his axe, it fell to the floor with a heavy thud, rushing towards her.
He kissed her fiercely. With no chains to hold him back, he lifted her, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips as he held her against the wall.
He now had three weeks to make up for.
And if any fool tried to interrupt him from making love to her, they would not escape with their head.