A Dance Of Gods ✓

20. Surprises

Taylor

  "Of course, my lord." Xaphan bows his head, staring at the floor. Guilt washes over me again. I know bossing the fallen and demons around is Lucifer's job, but all I can think about is how harshly he yelled at him for him to switch personalities like that. I understand that he went through worse during the fall, but if I'd just kept my mouth shut or said I wanted nothing to do with him- maybe he wouldn't look so terrified. "Shall we?"

  I tense up. How much will he push me if I say I don't feel like training? Is it even a choice at this point?

  I nod, not sure of whether I can force words out or not. I only take Lucifer's arm because he's the closest, cringing when he notices my hand shake. I close my eyes, not wanting to deal with the rest of his reaction.

  "What's with you?" He asks. "Are you alright?"

  Of course not. Who the fuck would be okay right now?

"I am breathing, my stomach is full, and I'm hydrated." I shrug. "I am alive."

  "But are you okay?" His tone is stressed, almost in a sweet way. It would be sweet if I didn't know who he was. "Taylor look at me, please."

  "Can we just... can we get this over with?" I ignore him. He sighs, squeezing my arm tighter as the world spins. When Elrinora tells me to open them, I do- and we've ended up in the desert not too far from Area 51.

  I want to run, throw up, and cry all at once. The things I learned here were beyond intense, bordering on traumatic. I take several deep breaths, trying to steady myself, but it isn't enough.

  Lucifer touches my other arm and I flinch, hating myself for it- but he seems to get the message. He backs off before I can tell him not to touch me or to give me a second, then I remember we're not alone. I sidestep, feeling safer close to Elrinora for some reason.

  "One of the things that my-" Xaphan starts, gulping when Lucifer glares at him. "our bloodline is gifted with is... the ability to control flame. It is an extremely rare gift as I'm sure you're aware, but something you may or may not be able to pull off is the ability to set an area on fire while protecting a specific item. Your body repelling flames that haven't come directly out of it is a promising sign-"

  "My body does what?" I choke, trying to process everything.

  "In the fire it... oh nevermind." Xaphan rubs his temples. "We'll be here all day if I try to explain the specifics. Let's just focus on the physicals for now."

  Oh, you mean the things that make me feel lightheaded? WONDERFUL! LET'S DO THEM EVERY FUCKING DAY!!

  "You've done this subconsciously before-" Xaphan continues. "Think of the general area you want to set on fire, force that tingling you get to spread throughout your arms, and just... do it. If you feel comfortable enough, maybe try to repel flame from a bush the way your body does for itself."

  I'm not going to pretend to understand anything he said. Instead, I will just do so I can go home and go to sleep.

I watch as his face goes expressionless, focused on a patch of dry brush. Instantly, it catches on fire- the flames rising to an unnatural height for the amount of fuel they've been given. He waves his hands and the flames part to two sides, leaving a strip down the middle of blackened, smoky brush. Jesus Christ. They expect me to do THAT?

  I try to force myself out of my own head and remind myself of what I am: a human with the smallest dash of angel DNA. I am capable of doing this. I can....