A Demon With Wings

Ten

I can't bear to see her arms flailing about as she falls. Instead, I watch her shadow as she falls, and prepare myself to catch her.

As it turns out, I don't need to. She spreads her wings and flies. She somersaults yet again, and rolls forwards as she comes in for a swift landing. She's okay.

God, why didn't I think of that!

"Y'okay?" I ask.

Trixie ignores me, and grabs at my pocket.

"Hey!" I shout.

Ignore. Ignore.

She's holding a match, and she's lighting a stick with it. As I watch her, she's grabbed the crossbow from me, and she's shot the flaming stick at the drakon.

It hit the drakon's wing. I don't know whether she missed or was it intentional.

A few more tries, and I start throwing sticks as well. Finally, the drakon falls to the ground.

Trixie charges once more, and this time, I follow, khopesh raised. She slashes at the drakon. He tries to resist by breathing fire, but all he can get is a few puffs of smoke.

Trixie leaps onto his head and thrusts a dagger into the drakon's eye, blinding him. She does the same to the other, while I slash and stab, trying to saw it's head off.

Finally, the drakon's head drops, and his eyelids slide closed. His struggle dies down, and he lies down his head to embrace his death.

"Rest in peace," I whisper to his resting corpse. "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

I don't know why, but my eyes are stinging and watery. Maybe it's the ash and smoke in the air.

Or maybe because you had taken an innocent life, the little voice at the back of my head said.

The drakon didn't deserve to die. He was simply playing a pawn for the wrong side. And he paid so dearly for a mistake he didn't even realize until it was too late.

Trixie, however, is ecstatic. "Come on, Orson! Drakon hunt!"

Her tone sounds like a three-year old talking about the treasure hunt at her birthday party.

My shitty brain is too loaded to argue, and I trudge silently behind her as we walk on.

If only Kevin were here. Sure, he is softspoken, but he had a way with words. Goodie I could express my feelings a lá story. Even jerkass Angel might listen.

We don't talk at all throughout the journey.

I realize I hate Trixie, not only because she's a psychopath, but also because I can't talk to her about anything.

I hate my life.

After crossing a huge part of the forest and a river, we decide to find something to eat, for I had left the Sugar Plums with Goodie and Kev.

We dig around, and pretty soon, we get a feast of some sort. We also get into a fight with somebody from the Golden team afterwards. Since it is two against one, we win easily. We take his supplies, and Trixie asks him if he knows where Evangeline is.

The boy shakes his head.

I let Trixie torture him for information, partly because I don't want to cross Trixie, partly because I'm too lazy to do so myself, and mostly...well, I'm worried about Angel.

I try to busy myself as Trixie does her dirty work, but it's impossible. His screams haunt me so much, we've had to muffle them. I can't help but feel bad. I'll kill monsters if I have to, but fellows are a huge no-no.

Trixie, on the other hand, is thrilled.

I'm glad I had lunch. His agonizing voice would make me loose my appetite.

I don't know why. I just can't take his life. We're on the same side, against Satan. 'Heartless', they call me, but I won't kill an ally.

At night, I volunteer night watch. As soon as Trixie's asleep, I sneak up to the boy of the Golden Team.

I ask him, "Do you know where Evangeline is?"

He looks at me with a scared expression, and nods his head.

"Are you sure?" I ask again.

He looks at me fearfully.

I look at him, and take in what Trixie has done to him fully. He's bound, and badly hurt.

Shit. How do I only notice now?

I manage to get him some water to cleanse his wounds. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. She's a monster," I nod at Trixie. "But I'm just a framed angel. My name is Orson. What's yours."

"J...J..."

"Go on."

"J...Jason."

I'm not Kevin, or Evangeline, but I manage to get him to talk. He says that several members of the Golden Team are holding Evangeline hostage, because bait reasons. He doesn't give me directions, though, and when I ask, he says that his teammates would kill him if he spoke.

Bigot. Lunatic. Coward. Paranoiac. Whore.

I cut him free. "Consider that payment," I snap at him. "Go before I change my mind."

I think he says 'thanks' as he disappears into the woods.

And once again, I'm met with silence.