Snowscape Trilogy (17 page)

I blinked in the sudden light as I could see
Nicor’s tall form now standing, basking in the full moon’s glow
behind him. He laughed wholeheartedly before speaking. “Now, I am
truly excited to see you have both made it out of this trouble
unscathed.” Tiling his head, he looked towards me. “I have to say
you being upside down is an intriguing notion.

“Nicor,” I answered back, not wasting any
more chances at sarcasm before my dying breath. “How did you get
out here so quickly? I didn’t know demons had wings.

One of his men walked into the van and cut
me not so gently down from the hanging rafter. Flinging me over his
shoulder like a toy, I was carried out and placed directly in front
of the now smirking demon lord.

He traced his hand across
my cheekbone, sending shivers of disgust through my blood. “Oh
Ambrosia. I have so many other uses for that sharp tongue of yours.
I have thought of nothing else for hours. But no, demons do not
generally get to keep their wings unless they have a special bond
with the higher ups.“ He shot a scathing glance to Samandiriel.
“But I
do
have a
helicopter.

Chapter 23

I dislike flying in a helicopter as much as
I would have imagined I would have. Although it was breathtakingly
beautiful to fly into the midnight sky of Philadelphia, I could not
keep my focus away from Samandiriel’s silent form. In fact I
couldn’t keep my focus on anything except Nicor’s unholy obsession
and the confusing pain that was sweeping through my heart.

After our quick pleasantries getting out of
the toppled van and into the rather posh helicopter owned by Robert
Cossack, CEO. Nicor did not try to expel any more words from me and
let me stew in my own brand of a foul mood. Maybe this marriage
could work out after all, I though to myself and laughed aloud
despite the circumstance. It earned a tensed up scowl from Nicor’s
right hand man, a smirk from the demon himself and a curious frown
from my former soul mate.

Now that I had fully regained all of my
memories of my former life, I could look more starkly at the
reality in front of me. The courses of my life current and past had
shaped me and although grateful was not the right descriptive of my
feelings, I could appreciate ever nuance of the relationships I had
had and how they had deviated a line of thinking and opened my mid
up to other possibilities. I was independent, not given to whim or
fancy. Thoughtful, observant, rarely succumbing to emotional
outburst, which is where my penchant for alcohol had come from.
With its help I would feel more in touch with my humanity than I
had in any other ways. In fact, other than the time I spent with
Nathaniel and this short time I had spent with Violet and
Samandiriel, I was hardly given to any emotion at all. Without
them: ether or both, I wouldn’t be human anymore. Just a shell.
Just a purpose.

Looking into Sam’s face I could see him
following my thoughts and I mused that I could see a small sad
smile as he starred back at me with the blue fire brimming in his
eyes. We had connected immediately and he had been able to sense my
thoughts from the very first moment we had met in this life. The
memories of the past week coursed through me as I could feel the
gentle vibration of the helicopter lowering itself onto the top of
a building. I sighed and contented myself with smiling back at him
wholeheartedly, trying to send all of the thoughts and feelings I
had experienced to him with just a simple look. I think he
understood me for the person I now was for the first time in this
new life that I led. I was Ambrosia no longer. Just Amy.

We landed and the spell was broken.

“Your Philly office, I presume?” Without
answering me Nicor slide the side door open and jumped out of the
powering down craft. I was pushed onto the pad and a careful grip
on my arm walked me into the rooftop entrance. I wasn’t jumping off
of any more buildings tonight. Luckily I could hear Sam’s footsteps
behind me as a different guard slammed the door shut, sending us
for the second time tonight into pitch-black darkness. This time I
wasn’t afraid.

Chapter 24

We walked silently to the elevator and Nicor
pressed the white PH button. “Nothing but the best,” I mumbled out.
Apparently my good mood did not translate well to the demon.

Nicor suddenly grabbed my hair and slammed
me against the back of the elevator. Sam tensed up at my side
against the weight of the demon’s guard, but knew that it was time
for me to fight my own battles. “You will learn to curb that tongue
or I will cut it out. You sarcasm is not lost on me and while it is
amusing in small doses I find myself tiring of your attitude and of
this chase this evening.” For the first time I saw a true sense of
the demon that burned behind the fire filled eyes. The careful
facade of a demon that had everything always under his control was
momentarily lost and I felt the message given to me by Nathaniel
loud and clear. A demon’s greatest enemy is usually his own. The
elevator swam with the smell of sulphur.

“But if you cut out my tongue, how will I
kiss your ass?” I shot back to him. His hand swept across my cheek,
cutting it deeply with his ring. I could feel the blood slowly
trickle down my face and smiled, glancing quickly to Sam, whose
struggle intensified against the guard. I pursed my lips and
silently pleaded for him to stop. I couldn’t tell of the message
was received because Nicor then turned me and slammed my chest
against the side of the elevator pushing the breath out of my lungs
from behind. “Is this how you fuck all of your girlfriends?” I
asked. “I can’t imagine anyone would want to look you in the eye
while it happened.” Luckily at that moment, the doors opened into a
room full of demon guest: most of who had witnessed our first
pairing of the evening and did not want to miss the possible
escapades of the second one. Demons, like humans, will line up to
see an accident that had just happened. I wonder if we get that
penchant for suffering from them or from the angels? I was
beginning to see the similarities between the races all too clearly
nowadays.

Nicor held onto my chin roughly but
straightened his posture. I whispered in his ear, “Best not let the
underlings see your inability to keep a human under thumb.”

He wrapped his fingers in my hand and
squeezed painfully, yanking me from the elevator and pulling me
through the crowd and into a nearby bedroom. It was then I noticed
we were in a grand hotel suite based on the crisp bed covers and
the standard all American red number alarm clock. 2:36am screamed
out at me. Twenty-four minutes to go before the greatest show on
earth would be happening. The door slammed behind us cutting the
room off of the mains seating area and we were alone. All alone
with a demon: this had never led me to any good.

I didn’t see his hand coming out at me again
but I could certainly feel it hit my already bruised cheek. The
force of his punch lifted me off of my feet and flung me against
the bed frame. “You will be mine. I will have your power.” I could
feel Sam’s struggling on the other side of the door, but could
easily tell he was no match in his current state. Noting Sam’s
emotion lead me to the realization I could feel all of the
creatures on the other side of the door. I could feel each and
every demon, but in among them were a few gently placed stars. One
in particular I called out to mentally while Nicor thrashed me
against the bed, ripping my dress off of my body. I smiled despite
the impending attack and as Nicor once again swung out to me, I
sent a command out telepathically.

Blood gushing from my face, my cloths strewn
about the ugly nylon carpeting I sat up against the bed, half
clothed and held my pam against my cheek. “You can’t or I’ll die.
You fuck me and I’ll turn to ash before any power is transferred to
you.”

He pulled me painfully onto the bed by my
hair and licked his lips obscenely. I could see the edges of his
snake like tongue captured between his teeth as he considered the
truthfulness of my words. As one adept at lying he knew the signs
and was not pleased that he could tell I spoke the truth. Nicor
looked to the door and with a silent command I felt go out of him,
one of Nicor’s bodyguard pushed Samandiriel through the door.

Upon entering I could see Sam tense himself,
ready to pounce in one last moment of heroism. He was ready to
sacrifice himself for me if need be.

2:45am.

Don’t
. I silently sent the message to him. I could see the slight
look of surprised register on his face with the telepathic request
before voluntarily backing down and standing close to the
door.

They both stood silently by the door, and
when I spoke, I spoke to Nicor, but I looked to Sam. “You cannot
have my power. There is not clause that will allow me to have even
one moment of happiness or choice. God sent out that missive as a
test to me and to me alone. I needed to choose to stay pure in
order for me to come into its full strength and I would imagine
keeping said power, I must remain just as pure. God did not trust
the girl he found thousands of years ago to put the fate of the
humans above her own mortal love so he gave me obstacles: choices
to make in this human life. One such is do I want to continue on
being the sole human in charge of the entire world’s dreams or do I
want to be loved? In making that choice I must be made to
sacrifice. For that is the way of God, is it not? The simple truth
is this, Nicor: if you defile me I will die and my power with it
and you will have to wait another millennium for a dream weaver to
be reborn.” Samandiriel’s’ eye widened as I spoke and as the words
came to rest upon his ears I could see the truthfulness in them
echoed back to me. Part of me had hoped that Nathaniel was wrong in
this. But I had never known him to lie to me. Sam’s face confirmed
that these facts were true. I could never love. Not as a mortal
would anyway. I was something different now.

Nicor looked to Sam for confirmation and
could read the truthfulness in his eyes. “So she speaks the truth.
There is no chance for me to gain any strength by this union?”

He nodded back. “She speaks the truth. God
will not allow her power to be shared by angel or demon.”

Turning towards me, “Then we do not need to
be wed. I will merely keep you as a slave. You will be subject to
me every whim and desire and do as I see fit.” He grabbed my wrist
a pulled me up so I stood facing him directly. His sulphur breath
pushed itself into my face.

“I will not.” I shot back at him. Steady in
my resolve and patient in my plan.

“You will. Or every time you disobey me I
will puck a feather out of Samandiriel’s broken wings. And once
they are bare and gone I will start with his fingers and then move
to his toes until all that is left of your angel is a waste of a
man. And the I will start on you.”

I smiled back at him and the unexpected
reaction caught him off guard. I twisted my arm out of his grasp
and stood tall against his presence. “He is not an angel,” I
answered back simply.

Looking to the guard near the door, Nicor
glanced at Sam, standing proudly against the frame, despite his
beaten appearance. “He is nothing any longer. He has no side and no
allies.”

I smiled. “I think you’re wrong about that.”
It was then that Samandiriel, cut loose of his bonds and armed by a
human named Craig Ainsworth of the Demigorgon clan who now stood at
guard against the door, flew at Nicor, knife in hand and cut the
demon’s throat on this the eve of his second wedding.

Covered in blood, Sam threw down the stained
knife and grabbed my hand. Ignoring the sticky warmth I entwined my
fingers with his and looked to Craig still lost in the sleepy
stooper that I had commanded of him while still on the helicopter.
Looking down I could see Craig had forgotten to put on shoes and
now stood barefoot on the hotel rug. Looking down I realized I was
barefoot as well and still wearing the dreadful blue wedding dress.
I quickly grabbed a pair of standard issue hotel slippers that
would conveniently be charged to Nicor’s bill and handed them to
Craig. “Thank you. Put these on. Now leave out through the bathroom
door. You will take the bus home and go back into your bed and
dream of nothing else for the night. Tomorrow you will wake up
refreshed and declare yourself unaligned with the Demigorgon clan.”
He nodded once and turned and left.

Samandiriel starred at me mouth-gapping open
in surprise and pride. Looking quickly to the clock I saw that it
was now 2:54am. “Almost time,” I said to myself. “We need to get
out of here.” Looking to the balcony. “Do you think you can get us
down to the street?” He nodded, still at a loss for words. “Good. I
have a ride waiting.” The questions danced upon his face, but he
kept his query to himself.

We walked quickly out to the balcony and he
looked down. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He still held my hand
tightly, the warmth of Nicor’s blood now cooling against me. I
nodded, now suddenly full of the restrained terror and exhaustion.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and he cradled me against his
torso. I could hear his ragged breaths and feel his heart pound
against his flesh as he lifted me up and stood on the balcony
railing.

Looking down to me he said, “You spoke to
me. In my mind just as God used to. How did you do that?”

I grinned and ear splitting grin. “I have
absolutely no idea. I guess it comes with this master of the
snowscape gig.”

He grinned back at me and for a fleeting
second it reminded me of the face of the angel I had once fallen in
love with and had given everything up for. “I’m glad that it
did.”

The moment his feet leapt up and his wings
spread behind him, I could feel the wind rush up and the street
below us come cashing towards us closer and I whispered gently into
the night to no one in particular, “I love you.”