Chapter 42
Choosing Sides
The next morning, she went for a ride through the forest trails and saw a familiar figure lounging on a gnarled tree root. The angel lifted his hand in welcome.
Grinning, she spurred her horse into a trot. “Ambriel!”
“Mind if I join you?” he inquired.
She nodded, and they tried to walk side by side, but he struggled with his wings in the narrow trail. The angel smiled. “The forest trail is a little tight for two. Meet me at the lagoon?”
“Where?”
He inclined his head. “About twenty minutes ahead of you. Go straight over the brook. I’ll find us food.”
She smiled in return. “That sounds lovely.”
When she arrived at a lagoon in the middle of the forest, Ambriel was waiting.
The water lay still and green, reflecting the surface of the pine trees. She was surprised that after exploring the trails around the castle, she’d never come across this place before.
Ambriel sat on a large rock with a basket at his feet. She was pleasantly surprised when he took out a lunch of bread, cheeses, and fruit.
“Where did you get all this?” she asked, tying her horse to a nearby tree and joining him.
His expression warmed in answer.
“Thank you. It’s very kind of you,” she said, grinning broadly.
He nodded at the food. “Eat.”
She selected a plump fig. It was sweet like honey.
“Elizabeth—”
“Yes?” she asked, turning to look at him and covering her mouth still full of fig.
Ambriel had a sweep of blond hair and the palest blue eyes she had ever seen. His square jaw was clean-shaven, and his nose was long and slender. He looked like the fair side to Caspian’s dark coin. She glanced at the snowy white wings tucked behind him.
“I hope you come into your power swiftly,” Ambriel said, looking off into the distance. “I have the sense that we do not have the luxury of time.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
His wings flexed behind him as his shoulders shifted.
“The war of men approaches. I must find the amulet before it’s too late.
” He gave a long exhale. “I worry that when war comes, my angel brothers and sisters will look to me for guidance, and I will not be able to offer it.” He paused and smiled.
“Forgive me, these are my troubles, not yours.”
Elizabeth hesitated. Guilt ate at her. “Er. I’m sure you’ll find it.”
Hopefully, someone else will help, and I’ll never have to be a part of any of this. This was a war for demons, angels, and witches to sort out—not me.
Ambriel nodded, smoothing his white robes over his lap. “Perhaps I just needed to find you,” the angel said, smiling warmly. “Maybe you’ll happen upon it by accident and find the amulet hidden in the forest on one of your rides, then all our problems will be over.”
Elizabeth took another fig and forced a laugh. “I hardly think we’re going to find the amulet just lying on the forest floor, but I appreciate the optimism.”
“You would know best, lady from the prophecy,” Ambriel said, inclining his head to her.
She laughed again, genuinely this time. “I don’t think so.” She smeared a bit of soft cheese on a piece of bread and took a bite. “I hope you find the portal, but sometimes, I feel like the prophecy might have been mistaken. Surely there’s someone else better suited.”
Ambriel leaned forward, his eyes sincere. “You are stronger than you know.”
Elizabeth looked away. “Er. Right.”
Silence stretched between them.
She had a couple more pieces of bread and cheese while Ambriel gazed out at the lagoon, seemingly uninterested in the food he’d brought. He seemed content to say nothing and sat cross-legged on the rock.
“I have hardly a drop of magic,” she found herself saying. “If your prophecy did choose me, I fear it made the worst choice possible.”
Ambriel frowned and turned towards her, tilting his head. “But I saw your magic. It is no meager gift,” he said. She scoffed at that. He added more seriously, “Truly. I can teach you more about your magic, if you wish.”
She sighed. “I already have a teacher, it’s just—my magic just doesn’t seem to want to work.” She paused. “Or I have very little of it to begin with.”
Ambriel smiled. “Then, when you leave the demon’s castle, I will mentor you. Magic is something that I know, and I will help you if I can.”
She had another fig, tearing the green skin to expose its pink flesh.
It tasted like berries and honey on her tongue.
It was nice to hear the angel speak of her magic as if it were something grand, something worthwhile.
Ambriel’s teaching methods would be a welcome break from Nasera’s snarky comments, at any rate. “I’d like that.”
Ambriel leaned in. He smelled of fresh linen and rainwater. “We will help each other. I will teach you more about the history of our world and of magic, and you can help me look for the amulet—if that is agreeable to you.”
She smiled warmly. “That sounds perfect.”
“How are you doing with your plot to finance yourself a home?”
“Not too bad. I’ve just about reached my goal,” she said, pleased that he’d remembered.
Ambriel nodded. “Good. I’ve helped you from afar. I’ve already tried to help your investments and ease your path. Before she saw you, I warmed the dressmaker to the idea of buying new styles of gowns. I can continue to help you in this regard.”
Elizabeth whipped her head towards him, surprised.
She had assumed it was her own cunning and careful planning that had eased her path, but apparently it had been the angel.
It had taken time and effort. For every person who wanted to buy from her, several told her off for even asking.
Apparently, her sense of accomplishment had been misplaced.
Quietly, she said, “Thank you. I had no idea you’d helped with that.”
Ambriel inclined his head to her.
“The amulet…” she began, and Ambriel leaned forward in interest. “What exactly does it do? How does it tie into the portals? Is it a key of sorts that makes the portal work?”
Ambriel was silent for a moment. “I will tell you everything in due time. For now, yes, you can think of it like a key.” He paused and said cryptically, “One leads to the other.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“It is my goal to find the portal long before war comes to our doorstep.”
She cleared her throat. “So, this—er—amulet, what happens if you can’t find it? Surely there’s another way to prevent a war?”
It would be silly if the only way to prevent a catastrophic event was by finding a piece of jewellery.
Ambriel looked down, and the mirth dropped off his face. “Destroying the portals is our only hope. If we do not, the witches have foretold that demons will flood these lands, and the world of men will fall.”
Her heart sank.
Thinking she already knew the answer but needing to be sure, she asked, “And what happens to all the demons, if you find both portals and destroy them?”
Calmly, Ambriel said, “All demons would be banished from this realm and sent back to the Seven Hells whence they came. Never to return.”
She winced.
She didn’t want to stop Caspian or Fiza from staying in their world.
Asmodeus wasn’t bad either, as far as demons went.
And she liked Iago. But the rest of them …
she thought of the demon who had chased her across the field.
Then she thought of the dressmaker and the young women who had gone missing all over the kingdom.
Perhaps it was for the best if they were all banished.
Maybe she could wait to see if war came to their doorstep before doing anything—give herself a little longer with Caspian before fate inevitably came to call.
She stared at the green lagoon, her thoughts a jumbling mess.
Gently, Ambriel said, “You’ve become friends with them.”
She pressed her lips together, unable to admit it out loud.
“Perhaps this is why it is you. Not someone who hates them, but someone who was able to see the good in even creatures of evil,” Ambriel mused. “The hand of fate is never idly placed.”
“I—I would never choose demons over humans, I just—” She shrugged. “They’re not as bad as I once thought. Not all of them.”
She hesitated. “But I agree, it’s probably best if they were in the Underworld, where they belonged.”
“It gladdens me to hear it,” Ambriel said. “Another woman was found murdered in the woods last night. Near Oswald this time.”
“No,” she whispered, horrified.
He nodded gravely. “Sooner or later, you will have to choose which side you will stand on.” He paused. “I will not tell you which to choose. The choice must be yours, and yours alone.”
“I—of course, I stand with humans.”
Ambriel nodded calmly.
Silence stretched between them for a time.
“When do you plan to leave the demon?”
She realized that her three months were nearly over. Only a couple of weeks remained.
So soon.
“Er.”
“You hesitate.”
She looked to Ambriel and took strength in the fact that an angel wasn’t going to judge her, no matter what she said.
“The demon isn’t a good person, but he isn’t a bad person either.
If I leave him alone, I’m worried he will lose whatever shred of humanity he’s recovered since I’ve arrived, and I’ll feel guilty about it. ”
“Elizabeth, you cannot put a demon’s life above yours.”
“I would never do that.” Her words were serious; she had never considered sacrificing her own happiness. She only toyed with the idea of staying a few weeks after she had to, just to linger for a while.
Ambriel spoke gently. “I would not tell you to do anything you do not want to, but I must caution you that when your mortal life has ended, and you pass into the void, there will come a judgement day. And on that day, if you have spent any time with a demon—well—every day that passes with him doesn’t help your odds, is all I’m going to say. ”
Horrified, she looked away.