Fallen Angel

Chapter 33: Brannon

Rising through the land wasn't an ideal option, it was already cold enough and we didn't need to add to it. Also, we had to deal with the almost frozen over vampire who was shivering so hard his teeth were chattering. The fire was roaring and Luca was sitting by it until we were ready to leave, which he was insistent that he was coming with us.

So instead of the preferred method of sinking into the land to move to the next location, we moved on land. We had to go wider because of footprints that would be left in the snow, regardless of whether we ghosted or not, they would be there as a blindingly bright beacon of our arrival.

Gripping Luca's shoulder as we approached the back door of the cabin, I tried to push some warmth through him to help him. My father was a few steps ahead of us, the door opened as he drew closer. In the darkness of the cabin I realised that we were too late, whoever had been here was gone. As to how long they've been gone, well it wasn't that long. The embers in the fire place indicated that it might have only been a matter of minutes.

With a heavy sigh my father appeared, letting go of Luca we both appeared and began to search.

"Nothing that would indicate that anyone's been here aside from the warm fire place."

The cabin wasn't large, it consisted of two bedrooms, a bathroom and an open living area. Luca sat by the fire place as my father searched one room. I went into the other, finding an old wood dressing table with a broken mirror. On the table was the shards of the mirror and a pottery mug that looked like it had been made by hand. Picking up the piece that was the handle, I turned and looked at the room.

It had been thrown in anger, that was obvious. My heart began to pound harder as I let the handle fall back to the table and moved away. Beside the bed was marks on the wall, scratched into the wood like someone was counting the days. Pulling back the bed sheet and blankets, I found a length of bright red hair. One little strand that said she had been here.

"Bottle red." My father said, picking up the hair. "Cherry red if I'm not mistaken, the colour favoured by Emily."

I sank to my knees in front of the bed, my hand running over the sheet as everything began to crumble around me.

"She was being held against her will, there was a deus angel here as well."

"We took too long."

"No, we were detected. We've only just missed them which meant that something alerted the angel to our presence."

He turned and walked out of the room, I stood and chased after him. Pushing open the front door, he looked at the house that we had been staying in.

"But what? Surely he would have detected us when we first arrived?"

"Not necessarily, the thermal coating is only over this house and does not extend any further than the fence line."

I looked at the house and saw nothing that made it stand out from the two either side of it or any of the ones in this street. They were spread a reasonable distance from each other, all little cabins that were coated in snow.

"How?"

My father looked around the land and smiled as he looked at the cabin, with a slight gesture to the lone wolf that stood at the end of it, he told the creature that it was safe to approach. The wolf was a magnificent specimen, the silvery white coat was thick and almost blended him to the land completely.

He whined as my father ran his hand over its head, dark eyes looked up at him.

"This is your answer Brannon. All creatures are more sensitive to the deities and angels but none more so than the wolf. They are like a spirit guide to those who need them and they will hang around if they feel that their presence is required. You needed help so this fellow was hanging around, ready to be there for you. Lower to eye level and thank him for it Brannon, an affinity with the animals will be beneficial, I promise."

Doing as he suggested, I lowered to the wolf and looked into his dark eyes.

"Thank you. Do you know where they went?"

The wolf whined again, turning his head to look up at my father.

"If you know something then you should show us in the best way that you can." He said in the calmest tone I'd ever heard.

It lifted its back legs and walked to the side of the house, turning its head back and waiting.

"Well, I think we're off on an adventure. Luca, time to freeze your fangs off."

Luca groaned as he trudged his way out to the front door.

"I could send you home if you'd prefer."

"Nah, I'm sure I'll be fine."

He closed the door and looked at the wolf.

"Seriously?"

"Yes Luca, if you had read any of the text books given to you in your spirituality classes, you would know about animal guides."

And with that my father turned and walked behind the wolf. Luca and I followed, lumping our way through the thick snow.

"I don't think I can feel my legs anymore."

My father stopped and lifted Luca out of the snow by the scruff of his jacket and setting him on top of the thick white powder. Slowly he began to sink back into it, with a huff my father rolled his eyes.

Taking a step to the side of the wolf, my father began to carve a path through the snow so that we could walk on the ground and not become stuck.

"Onward boys, time waits for no one."

As we began to walk the snow behind us returned to what it had once been, leaving no trace except for one set of wolf paw prints.