(no subject)

[tijan13.livejournal.com]

I'm looking for some help with this one.
Summary: Gray can see, hear, feel, and smell demons. He knows when they're coming and why they're coming. He knows what they want, him. So the messengers were sent to protect the seven year old. The question is if he actually needs their protection? Or maybe he's supposed to protect all of them?

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

 

 

“He’s a child,” Silkura stated, looking down from their perch high on a cliff. Her bare feet easily gripped the stone and her lithe body leaned forward, as if ready to jump to the 300 hundred feet below them. She turned, causing her silver hair to wrap around her toned waist and looked at the man beside her. “I’m supposed to protect him? I’m supposed to protect a child? My powers are great. They should be used to protect someone like you.”

Doron took a deep breath. Grasping his staff, a withered piece of oak tree that stood three heads above him, he said patiently, “He will know more about you than you know yourself. Do not think you’re above this boy.” He watched her as she seemed to lean further out, ready to tackle the challenge already. Silkura was a force to be reckoned with, but he had much else to do. He wished he could send her away, but knew she needed to be told a little more. Folding his brown robe around him, he moved right beside her. An inch shorter, with nondescript features, Doron knew his appearance never mattered. He was there to pass information and intercede if needed. No one was supposed to remember how he looked if they had the rare occasion to see him. 

Her lips curled upwards, disapprovingly.

Doron continued, “I do not need your protection. I can destroy you with a thought. You need not forget this.”

She stared steadfastly below them. “What is this sport they play? They are uncoordinated. I find it irritating. Half of them don’t follow the ball. They just stand there and run with no direction.”

“The sport is called soccer here. Humans play it and you would do best to nurture your humanity…while you still have it.” Doron swept his brown robe tighter against him and breathed deeply. He’d been a messenger for too long. “You are to protect him and him above everyone else. He will be traveling to live with an aunt. There are others there that will see you or hear you. He is a special child and he comes from a special family. There will also be someone there that you will find fascinating.” He watched her as he spoke. He wanted to see if she heard his warning.

“I have no romantic interests, Doron. I’m surprised you are not aware of this.”

Closing his eyes, he sighed in disappointment. She had not heard what he said, but her surprise obsession would be even more overwhelming because of this. He knew this mission wasn’t just for Grey. Silkura was being trained as well. She was being prepared for something she wasn’t aware of, but it didn’t matter. She would do what she would need to do. It was in her ancestry. “I want to prepare you for your journey. You have done missions for us before, but none of them can compare to this one. I want you to know that you will be tempted.”

Silkura turned and met his gaze with her bright blue ones. A mortal would’ve been blinded from the intensity. It made her eyes sparkle, shining light from them. Doron didn’t look away. He merely waved a hand over her eyes and the blinding light dulled. She mused, “I have never been tempted in my hundred and seven years. I have the discipline of a young marathon runner and the will power of a saint. I was born from one. I cannot imagine a situation where I would be tempted. Will you tell me? That would help.”

Doron smiled. “You are a still a child in my eyes. You are to learn from this mission.”

Annoyance flashed in her eyes as she looked back at the soccer game. “You are treating me as a human.”

“You are a human.”

“I am half human. I find it irritating that you forget this.” 

“I find it irritating you forget who I am. You will bide your tongue.”

Silkura closed her mouth, swept her arms around her and tucked her hands into her white pants. She enjoyed having pockets on her pants. She felt human when she stood like this. Her white loose shirt flapped behind her from the wind, entangling with her silver hair.

Doron took a deep breath, though he didn’t need oxygen, and shook his head again. Silkura tired the highest Messenger. “There will be other soldiers where you are going. You won’t be alone.” Knowing he had said what he needed, Doron smiled politely and raised his two fingers. Silkura looked over, saw what he was about to do and groaned. Doron snapped his fingers and she vanished just as quickly. Immediately, the air was lighter. Silkura meant well, but sometimes her arrogance and narrow-mindedness was hard to handle. This day was one of those days, especially when it was the day everything was being set in motion. Turning, he watched from his perch as a lone car made its trek up the mountain and parked at the school.

Arriving at LakeCrest Academy, Maya stared in wonderment at the richness of her nephew’s school. She remembered how she grew up, most of the time on the streets and some of the time with friends until she managed to keep her own place. She’d always felt uncomfortable around the wealthy; even though she knew they’d never be able to tell now. Purposely dressed in custom tailored jeans and a white argyle sweater, Maya still hoped she wouldn’t be forced to mingle with the mothers. Her light brown hair was swept into an elegant braid and her thin frame competed with the skinniest of those surgically enhanced. Still, she only dressed how she did so the petty wouldn’t whisper behind Gray’s back. She didn’t have to deal with his peers or the parents of his peers on a regular basis. That was Cherry’s job, Gray’s mother. Maya was just there to take her nephew for the holidays while Cherry and her husband spent them in Europe.

Freshly mowed lawns surrounded brightly colored gardens. Quaint pathways made of white brick led through an archway and around a giant fountain. Guzzling water flew out of a giant goldfish’s mouth, splattering the pathway around it and small explosions of light filled the air. As she moved past the archway, her eyes looked upwards. They continued going up as she saw how tall the buildings stood. It seemed as if they touched the clouds. Each of them had tips at the top that reminded Maya of a castle. She looked for gargoyles or statues of angels poised around the tips, but saw none. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or not, for perhaps the angels would come alive.

Hearing screams from children, Maya breathed more easily. They would soon leave and the eerie atmosphere surrounding the school wouldn’t matter. Moving through another archway, Grey’s soccer field set at the bottom of a valley. Cliffs surrounded it with snow-tipped mountains behind them.

She saw the crowd by the field and knew most mothers would congregate at the bottom, on the sideline. She had no interest in socializing and instead, chose to circle the valley until she found a resting spot near some trees. She enjoyed feeling the cold breeze against her cheeks and pulled her snug sweater tight around her. Doron appeared next to her and murmured, “Careful, child. You’ll get frostbit if you stay too long in the wind.”

Jumping, Maya yelped and laughed in relief. She’d recognize Doron’s voice anywhere. “I’m glad I’m sure of my sanity levels otherwise I’d think I’m going crazy, hearing voices.”

Doron smiled and touched her arm. Instantly, Maya saw him and threw herself into his arms for a hug. “It’s good to see you again, Maya. It’s been too long, Maya of the Dove.”

“Oh goodness. I haven’t heard the name forever,” Maya laughed, although she felt a tingle of pain. Someone she loved dearly had given her that name. “Abby told me that I’d see you when I got here. Something is in motion. The messengers are talking of nothing else.”

“And how is Abigail of the Northside? I’ve missed hearing her voice. It can calm the most spirited messenger. I haven’t had the time to visit her or reach out.”

            Maya smiled, feeling warmth. Abby had that power on many species, human or not. “She’s good. She’s happy. Over the moon that we get Gray for the holidays. She’s home right now cooking a feast for us tonight. She wants everyone to celebrate Gray’s homecoming…to our home, at least.”

            Touched, Doron murmured, “Gray will need that. He already knows something’s coming.”

            Sobering, Maya asked, “Can you tell me what it is?”

            He wanted to. He wanted badly, but he couldn’t. Everything wouldn’t work out how it was supposed to. “In due time. For now, tell me what’s Jace been up to?” He watched her sharply and looked inside as she answered his question. Doron knew that things were not the best between the couple. They’d endured more than most humans and still fought beside each other, but he knew their real struggles were still to come. He knew Maya would be fine, but Jace was the undecided factor. One of the fiercest mortals Doron had ever encountered, Jace still needed to conquer something that neither of them saw as a real test.

            “Jace is…” she hesitated. “Jace is busy with his work. He had to help a friend of his.”

            “Ah yes. Rafe. She’s quite feisty too.” Doron knew that Rafe had been the excuse. That girl would always be in trouble and she’d always land on her feet solidly. It was in her DNA. Jace knew that. Maya knew that. Neither of those two looked at the real reason why they let themselves believe his absence was because of Rafe. This would be one of their hardest battles.

Suddenly, a rumbling started to shake the ground. Maya felt the quakes and reached out to further steady herself. She grabbed Doron’s arm tighter and immediately the sky turned black as a dark cloud was gathering over the game. Gasping, Maya let go and the sun shone brightly again. It was like night and day in the blink of an eye. The ground no longer shook and she asked Doron, “What happened?”

            He extended his arm once again. “Take hold. You can see through my eyes.”

            When she did, the black cloud now floated on top of the children. “The kids! They’re going to get hurt.”

            “Look again.”

            Maya did. Focusing on the cloud, she saw the silhouettes of the kids running after the ball. Listening, she heard their laughter and shouts. They were carefree as they played their game.

            “Now let go, Maya,” Doron instructed.
            She did and everything was normal, with no dark cloud. She looked at Doron. “They can’t see it, can they?”

            “They didn’t even feel the first quake.”

            Maya watched her nephew as he ran around like the rest, not a care in the world. She saw him pause once and move sideways, avoiding something that wasn’t there. Taking Doron’s arm again, she saw the dark cloud had formed into one tight ball, rotating on itself furiously. A growling sound emanated from it. Then the rumbling started again, causing the ground to shake more fervently than the first quake. Maya looked up, as did Doron, and a dark shadow covered everyone. An angel flew over them with his golden wings spread out. Maya saw that it was a soldier. They were bigger than others, standing twelve feet tall at times and muscularly built. Instead of a brown robe that Doron wore, the soldier was simply clothed in a white robe cut over his arms and ending just above his knees. He wore a white sash at his waist that held a bow and a sword. The arrows were strapped in a leather holder across his back.     

            Suddenly, the black ball exploded and formed a loose outline of a man with glowing eyes. The angel swooped to one end of the field while the demon stood at the other.

            “Gray!” A ball was kicked to him and he stopped it mid field. Cradling it between his feet, Gray glanced between the angel and demon.

            “Pass it!” A mother yelled from the side.

            Grey kicked it and ran after to help his teammate. He ignored the angel and demon. Maya knew that he trusted the angel to protect him and she wondered how many times this happened on a daily basis.

            Growling, the demon flew to grab Grey. Jumping in front of him, the angel smacked the demon back. It flew off the field and bounced against a cliff. It was back in the blink of an eye and this time evaded the angel’s grasp. Swooping around, it reached for Gray one more time. Doron lifted his staff and a beam of light blinded the demon for a second. It gave the soldier enough time to hurl the demon away once more. This time the angel followed until Maya could no longer see them. Loud crashes were heard and then silence filled the air. In the next second, a rumbling, louder than before, told of their approach. They flew back and determination gleamed from the demon’s beady eyes as he flew towards Grey until veering right, escaping the angel’s reach. Gray ignored the battle and continued running after the soccer ball. As it was kicked to the left, Gray ran to the left. The demon followed suit, only to be pulled back and blocked by the angel again and again. The battle raged on as Gray kept playing.

Doron watched Maya as she watched the battle on the soccer field. ‘She sees more than a mere mortal does, but she won’t allow herself to know all that she sees.’ Doron thought with regret. She hadn’t even noticed that she saw him without touching his arm. He knew she’d never allow herself to become her fullest potential. She was too scared, as if she feared her own power. He gripped his staff tighter and leaned forward as a burst of wind rushed through the valley. It swooped upwards and flew past them, climbing higher to wind around the mountain top. He knew that meant the change had arrived. Everything was set to begin.

            Maya looked over, startled, and saw Doron watching her. “What is it?”

            “When you take Gray back to your home, we will begin training.”

            “What does this mean?”

            “It is time for Gray to know his power. I cannot tell you any more than that. I have sent someone to protect Gray. She is already at your home, waiting.” A look of remorse flashed over his face.

            Maya swallowed tightly and a sense of dread filled her.

            Doron laughed. “Don’t worry, Maya of the Dove. Tell that nephew of yours I will be seeing him shortly, very shortly. Don’t be afraid of the sentries I have posted at your home and don’t trust every angel you see.”

            “What?” Maya turned around, but he had already disappeared.

 

 

~~~~~~~~

           

 

 “It’s cold out,” Gray announced, standing in the parking lot. A few cars remained, but most everyone had left for their holidays. Dense forest stared back at Gray from the other side of the parking lot, giving their isolation an eerie feeling. Small bits of cloud rolled over the asphalt, making the highly imaginative feel as if ghosts kept them company. Some dancing, some laughing, and others glaring before the fog transformed and nothing floated over the ground.

            The tall warrior stood beside the seven year old. He didn’t say anything at first, but then said, “My body does not feel as yours does. We are made for battle in any realm. Your body would explode in any other except this one.”

            Gray frowned. “I usually worry if I’m going to lose my toes.”

            The warrior, ten feet tall, looked down. “Yes. They are quite small. I am surprised you still have them.”

            “You could squish them easily, Lombda,” Gray laughed, taking the giant’s hand in his.

            “I will be careful. I am here to protect you. I would never want to harm you,” Lombda promised, heartfelt. He stared at his little mission and knew it was true. He could easily hurt Gray since the child could feel him. A normal human wouldn’t have even known he was there, but Gray was different. His spirit existed in their realm as well as his own, making him vulnerable to careless harm that Lombda normally didn’t concern himself with. He took note to make sure he would never squish the little one’s toes. He knew they were important to humans.

            “Too bad I can’t fly with you. We could already be home. Aunt Maya is taking a long time talking to my mom.”

            “I have heard about Maya of the Dove. She was at the Battle of the Cave.”      

            “So were you.”

            Lomda smiled. “As were you.”

            Gray sighed, “Are you sure we can’t fly? Aunt Maya wouldn’t mind.”

            “I am unable to keep you warm. Others are built with that ability. I am only intended for battle. I apologize Gary the Small One.”

            “It’s okay. I wish I could fly though. Someday I will.”

            Lombda frowned and then gently patted Gary on the head.