Present Day - Gifford Pinchot National Forest, USA
Hala, the realm the dark angels had claimed as their own. It was a place very few had travelled to and even less had returned from. No one was even sure what it looked like. That was were Yon-Rogg was. No one knew how the dark angels got there, but the only way for others to do so was to activate a transportation portal.
With green chalk, Carol drew a large eight-pointed star on the ground. She then drew two-ringed circles around it, filling them with various other symbols that looked like broken stars. She had decided to build the portal in a forest far from any human settlement. She didn't want any unsuspecting humans to wander upon it. Curious pixies - winged creatures that resembled hand-sized humans with pointed ears and blueish skin - watched from the branches and shrubbery. They whispered their cautions, their translucent wings fluttering frantically.
Carol paid them no mind as she finished her drawing. She dusted her hands then rummaged through the rucksack she had brought. It was filled with weapons, potions, food, bottles of water, medicines, bandages and useful knick-knacks she had collected.
Despite her heavy itinerary, she felt woefully underprepared. She had no powers. No wings. No backup. She was going into uncharted enemy territory. And as a fallen, she could die now. Her chances of pulling this off were slim, but she had to try. If she didn't then the Dark Angels would succeed in overthrowing the heavens. No angel would be left alive. The humans would suffer. The demons - loathe them though she did - would perish. The very order and balance of nature would forever be changed.
And it would all be her fault.
If she hadn't let Yon-Rogg deceive her... if she hadn't trusted him...
Carol clenched her eyes shut, battling against the onslaught of emotions he stirred inside of her. Hate, hurt, anger, love. A torrent of unkind emotions that would not give her a moment's peace.
Carol found what she was looking for. It was a bracelet made of a black feather and several blue beads that shimmered with stardust. It had been a gift from Yon-Rogg, made from one of his feathers. It had been their version of an engagement ring, something to act as a token of their affections. Although angels did not marry, she and Yon had liked the sentiment of it. The idea of pledging oneself to another.
Carol gripped it tightly.
She wished she could go back in time and undo the day they began. The day she had allowed friendship to take seed between them. From that day he had become so rooted in her heart that no amount of clawing would ever remove him. He was a stubborn weed she could not kill.
She hated him as much as she loved him.
The Atlantic Ocean -1602
Salt from the sea air tinged her lips and clung to her skin. Strands of gold which had fallen from her bun glided about her face in the breeze, her skirts ruffling against her legs. Carol watched the foamy waves idly, her fingers drumming off the ship's railings. She was bored, fed up with ship duty she had been assigned to. It was a miserable responsibility. It didn't help that she wasn't the biggest lover of the sea nor the ships that sailed it. She couldn't even go for a quick fly in the sky. It was too easy to lose track of the ship she was tasked with guarding.
"You haven't been avoiding me, have you?"
Carol glanced to her side, noticing Yon-Rog had appeared, his arms resting on the bannister. She had to admit, seventeenth-century clothing suited him. He was wearing a black poet shirt and light grey vest with star studs. His hair was longer than the last time she had seen him, reaching his shoulders and tied back into a ponytail. There was some light stubble growing on his cheeks and around his mouth. It gave him a bit of a roguish pirate vibe that she couldn't help but like.
"What makes you say that?" Carol asked.
"I haven't seen you since Dunbar."
"I've been... busy. In heaven," she said slowly. The truth was she had been grounded, the flight taken from her wings to prevent her from leaving heaven. It had been her punishment for interfering and saving Emily. Her only saving grace was that Yon-Rogg's involvement had remained unknown. "Were you looking for me?"
"No, I was beginning to wonder if another angry mob managed to take you out."
Carol rolled her eyes, her cheeks blushing at the reminder of the incident.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"Ship duty. The voyage will be long and rife with hardships, the people onboard need guidance and-"
"Protection," Yon said it was enough mockery to let her know what he thought of an angel's protection. "If you protected them how you wanted to most will survive this journey. Protect them as your kinds rules dictate then most will perish. There's an aura of death clinging to this ship."
"That could be a few things. The rats carrying various diseases below deck. The steadily dwindling food supplies. The Kraken that's been trailing this ship for the last twenty miles."
Yon-Rogg peered into the water, catching a glimpse of the titanic creature lurking far below. A glint of a yellow eye. The flash of a tentacle. Kraken's were nasty creatures, bigger than the largest of ships, with tentacles long enough to ensnare and sink them. The ship's figurehead - a beautiful, wooden mermaid with soulless black eyes - had warned her of its approach. It sang a song the humans could not hear, a desolate sorrowful hymn, pleading with the creature to stay away. Seldom did such pleas work.
"As long as you're here it won't strike," Yon-Rogg said. "At least until the storm arrives and capsizes the ship, then it'll eat everyone."
"Storm?" Carol blinked, looking out at the calm seas. "What storm?"
"It's headed this way from the East. It'll be here shortly."
"How can you tell?"
"Tell me where you really where the past few decades and I'll consider," when he saw her false look of confusion he rolled his eyes, giving her a dry look. "I'm a demon. I can tell when people lie, especially when they are as bad a liar as you."
"I'm not a bad liar," Carol scoffed, offended. Though should she be? Angels weren't meant to lie, it was against the virtue of being honest.
"So you did lie," Yon-Rogg said triumphantly.
Carol's mouth dropped open in protest but she bit her tongue, more humoured at being caught out than angry. "I was grounded. Happy?"
"Not in the slightest," Yon-Rogg said, his smile weaning. "What will you do now that you know there is a storm coming?"
"What can I do?" Carol said quietly. "I can't carry everyone to safety, even with your help. We're a days travel from land in all directions. All the crew can do is buckle down and... pray."
"And when praying fails you'll be there to help them to the afterlife."
Carol nodded, unable to speak the painful truth. Centuries of existence and it was a truth she still could not stomach or reconcile with. There were things in life that would happen no matter how hard she tried. Other times there would be nothing she could do but stand by helplessly as the inevitable occurred.
Carol moved from the railings and headed to the upper levels of the ship.
It did not take long for the Captain to arrive on deck, a telescope in hand. He scanned the horizons, stilling when he came to the East. He gasped and began shouting orders. Sure enough, there was a storm rising in the distance. The deck erupted with chaos as men poured outside, hurrying about their tasks, barking out instructions to each other. The sails were risen and tied to the masts. The canons were secured with extra rope. Anything not bolted down - cannon balls, barrels of water, rope, nets - were taken inside. It was a frenzy, the fear escalating as the sky darkened and the wind blew harder, the thunderous clouds steadily gaining on the ship.
Yon-Rogg placed a hand on Carol's arm, gesturing to the captain's cabin doors. There was a small ledge there where they could shelter under. Around them, fat raindrops splattered. They stood close together, their wings folded around their bodies to shield them from the wind and rain. Before long the ship was rocking violently, the wind and sea so loud barely anything else could be heard. Huge waves crashed on deck, knocking men down like skittles. The masts creaked under the wind's assault.
"They're not going to survive this storm," Carol shouted.
"They will," Yon-Rogg yelled back.
Carol looked at him in bewilderment. "How?"
"Just wait."
Carol bit her lip, watching as the men struggled to keep control of their ship. Below deck, she could hear the prayers of the passengers and feel their panic. Up above them, the sky was like a swirling vortex of black and grey. The eye of the storm.
Yon-Rogg raised his hand and with a snap of his fingers, there was calm. The rain stopped. The wind died down to a breeze. The waves calmed to a gentle lull. Patches of sunlight broke through the clouds. Carol shoved her wet locks aside, staring with her mouth open at the dramatic change.
"You... you can control the weather?" Carol gasped. "Can all dark angels do that?"
"Is this you gathering intel for the heavens?"
"Maybe. Don't pretend you aren't doing the same."
The men stumbled to their feet, looking around in amazement. They began cheering, their Captain shouting that the heavens had watched over them. Carol felt a swell of guilt, knowing that had not been true.
That night, under the gleaming moon, the crew and passengers threw a party to celebrate braving the storm. Lanterns were alight with flames, music strumming through the air as the musicians played their instrument. Though they could not hear it, the figurehead on the bow sang a sweet melody of joy. An area of the deck had been cleared for a dance floor, men and women dancing in merriment, while those on the side clapped in beat to the music. Men toasted their drinks towards the skies.
Carol sat on the railings of the ship, swinging her legs. Yon-Rogg was beside her, his shoulder brushing her as he leaned back against the bannister.
"They think angels saved them," Carol said quietly.
"One did. If you hadn't been here neither would I."
"So you admit you were looking for me," Carol's voice turned sly.
Yon-Rogg restrained a smile. Carefully, he said, "I... wouldn't have landed here had I not noticed a familiar face."
He pushed himself away from the railing, placing one hand on his chest and giving her a light bow. He offered her his gloved hand.
"Care for a dance?"
"You're not serious?" Carol said. The look on his face told her otherwise. "Wait, you are?"
"Why not? There are no rules saying we can't. Oh, is that why you don't want to?"
He looked at her, his eyes holding a challenge she could not ignore. She hopped down from the railing and took his hand, letting him lead her to an empty part of the dancefloor.
"I didn't take you for much of a dancer," Carol commented.
"Well, when there are beautiful partners to dance with, who can resist?"
Carol laughed and purposely stood on his toe. He winced, giving her a scowl. She smiled sweetly.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, the other holding his hand. Yon-Rogg gently rested his free hand against her waist. Carol couldn't help but be acutely aware of all the places he touched, it was very rare she was this close to anyone. They kept a respectable distance from their bodies, twirling around to the lively music. Neither of them knew how to dance as humans did, they merely moved their bodies as they wished, twirling in circles. Carol found herself enjoying it, perhaps a little too much. She contained her smile and looked away from Yon-Rogg, towards the dancing humans.
"Will the dark angels be angry with you for interfering with the humans?" Carol asked.
"No. We're not like the angels or the other demons. We don't believe that humans should be left to defend themselves. We have powers. We should use them to protect those too weak to defend themselves," Yon-Rogg explained. "Considering you're not saying anything and your history of rule-breaking, I'd wager you agree."
"The rules are there for a reason," it sounded lame to her own ears and held no conviction. She was defending the angel's ways as that was what she was supposed to do. "Without them, it would be chaos."
"I agree. We need rules to keep order but clearly if people are allowed to suffer and those with the powers to do something are punished for considering it, then something needs to change."
She did not like how much sense he was making or how much she agreed. It was something she had thought about often, something she was routinely punished for. She wanted to help people and she could but the heavens were holding her back. It wasn't right.
"Do you interfere with humans often?"
"As much as you do," Yon-Rogg said, smiling approvingly.
Carol's heart fluttered proudly then ached a little. No one ever praised her for breaking the rules to help the humans. That it was a demon to do so first was...
"I'm surprised your fellow demons haven't tried to stop you from interfering," Carol remarked.
"There's little they could do," Yon-Rogg said derisively. Again she wondered how powerful these demons were to have so little care of what their brethren thought.
Yon-Rogg turned his attention to her golden wings. "You're the only angel I've ever seen with golden wings."
"It's a rare wing colour."
"They're beautiful," Yon-Rogg said quietly, the words sounding like he hadn't meant to say them.
"Thank you," Carol lightly.
When his eyes returned to her she couldn't help but realise how close they had gotten, Yon-Rogg having pulled her closer. They weren't dancing now, their feet staying in the same place, bodies pressed together too closely to sway. Carol cleared her throat and looked away, moving her hand from his shoulder to his chest, gently pushing him away.
"I need to go," Yon-Rogg said, glancing up at the moon. "Can I see you again?"
Carol's heart thudded harder in her chest. It was a bad idea, a very bad idea. She shouldn't be engaging in any friendliness with a demon. It wasn't allowed and it was dangerous as demons were tricksters and master manipulators.
But there was something about Yon-Rogg that she liked. He was charming in a subtle way and she enjoyed his humour and rebuttals to hers. She enjoyed seeing him fight against his desire to laugh and found herself wanting to make him laugh without reserve. His opinions on the order of things made her feel validated and less alone in the decisions she had made. She knew she shouldn't trust him, but he had had ample opportunities now to attack her and he hadn't. He had also helped the humans.
She decided to take a risk, to be bold and adventurous. She was tired of being alone.
"Name a place and time."
Present Day - Gifford Pinchot National Forest, USA
Carol took out a purple vial that the locating demon had given her. She poured it over the bracelet, watching as it gleamed red. If the spell worked, then it should allow her to track down Yon once she was in his realm. All she had to do now was get there.
She stood in the centre of the star and chanted the ancient spell she had been given. The circle glowed blue before she was engulfed in light, vanishing from the circle.