Angelblood - Retribution

Lady Myriel

It took about 30 minutes for Semangelof to ride up the hill. He did not rush and was stopping several times to greet villagers, asking how they are on this sunny day. The mood seems calm these days but the angel knows that this is just the surface and beneath it, something is boiling up. Bringing this demon to the village was not a good move. It only adds up to the sour feeling the villagers have about that female angel. It was an excellent idea to leave the village and settle further outside after what happened between her and Lady Myriel but maybe leaving Argas completely would have been a better choice. He shrugs to himself.

"Semangelof!"

He hears a well-known voice coming from above the gate. A woman in a rich blue gown stands on the wall and looks down on him. Her long raven hair flows in the wind and joins the long skirt in its moves. Some of her strands are woven in a manner the northern women wore their hair on earth centuries ago. Her heritage is inevitable. The white fur collar over her shoulders that decorates the dress and her pale freckled skin add even more to that impression. She is shorter in height and may look fragile physically but her aura and the way she presents herself instantly make people forget their first possible thought of her being weak.

"Semangelof!" The woman's voice echoes once again through the valley. Argas Village was named after the fiefdom itself and is meant to be the capital of the small land which is in the south of Canaan. The realm of the angels. At the southern border of Canaan, the Wastelands separate their realm from Abaddon. The land of the demons. A vast and harsh place the rumors say. Pandemonium, their capital, is charted in the center of a stone desert surrounded by high black mountains and only one narrow chasm that leads to the city which makes it very easy to defend.

He looks up the wall and nods at her politely. These days humans are allowed to run fiefdoms and become nobles because the angels have too many other obligations. One of them is to fight in the Wastelands the ever-raging war against the demons. Still, the law demands at least one angel to be at the court of each fiefdom to watch over the landlord. These angels are called Sentinels. Semangelof is one of them and meant to keep an eye on Lady Myriel. Nevertheless, she is the ruler of this land and by this deserves respect. Even from an angel.

"You will meet me in the hall!" She exclaims as she finally gets his attention and looks up to her. The man nods in reply and guides his horse through the gate then dismounts the animal. He hands the reins to a servant of the house.

"Just water and some oats."

The young man nods at the angel and departs as he is leading the horse to the stables. Semangelof takes a deep breath. He already knows this tone in Lady Myriel's voice. Something is wrong and she needs someone to vent. Better him than any of the poor maidens he thinks to himself and walks through the wide yard of the castle toward the main building. The small metal plates at the tip of his heavy boots make a clicking sound on the cobblestone pavement. His wide wings are hidden from sight. All angels make them disappear until they are needed or are used to demonstrate their superiority. Else they tend to hinder them while moving through the crowds or through narrow places. Only the branding of their symbol on the side of their neck makes them easy to identify in daily life.

He enters the main building and rushes through the small entrance hall just to take two steps at once in haste to reach the second floor. Two guards stand left and right of the heavy wooden door that blocks his path.

"Lady Myriel is expecting me." He says not waiting for a reply. It is meant just as a notification to the guards who seem not to be much interested. Semangelof is used to roaming this castle freely and without any restrictions besides the private chambers of the Lady. He leans against the massive doors and pushes them open. The sound of the metal hinges grinding on each other fills the hall. A long table is placed in the center along with two candelabras and several bowls of fruits.The left and right wall are intersected by colorful windows and at the end of the room a big fireplace gives warmth to the surrounding on cold winter days. Two smaller doors lead to other sections of the building. Myriel is standing at the opposite end of the table next to one of the chairs. Her hand rests on the high wooden back of the seat. Red velvet covers all the chairs and gives them a beautiful look. A servant kneels to the feet of the woman and collects fruits from the ground. The shards of a former bowl are scattered all over the ground.

"Leave us!" She snaps at the young woman who does not linger but departs with haste.

Myriel kicks the closest apple with her foot out of the way.

"I heard you met with her again." She begins and does not seem to be very pleased. Angry would be a better word to describe her mood perhaps.

"Whom?" Semangelof asks with an innocent tone in his voice but it is clear whom she is talking about.

"Stop playing silly games with me Sem! I am not one of those worthless maidens you can fool with your mask of kindness and concern to get them to join you in your bed." She growls and moves toward him rapidly. Her fist slams hard on the table and the sound echos through the hall. "I am no idiot so stop treating me like one!"

"You get out of line M'lady." He replies with a very calm voice.

"Do not lecture me Semangelof!" She glares at him and seems furious.

"I am the Sentinel of this fiefdom..." He begins but is interrupted. "And I am the ruler of this fiefdom! Know your position angel!" She reaches out and with a swift move her palm lands on his cheek with a loud slap. His head jerks to the side and remains there for a moment then he turns it back to look at her. He takes a deep breath.

"I told you to stay away from her and I expect you to obey my orders as everyone else in my land." Her hand returns to the table where it lays flat on the wood.

"You are the ruler of this land Lady Myriel but you are not my superior. I respect..." Once again he is interrupted by her. "I give a damn to your respect. I demand your obedience. Either in fear or in loyalty. Do you understand me?!"

"I do not fear anything or anyone." He replies coldly.

"Then obey in loyalty to your landlord or leave this court instantly and be replaced by someone who can do so!"

He thinks for a moment then nods to her. "I shall stay and do as you wish M'lady."

"Then I demand that you stay away from that woman. That freak of an angel who had the insolence to bring a demon to my land." Her voice raises in anger even more and turns into a furious rage. "How does she dare to taint my land with such a beast?!" She turns away from Semangelof and walks slowly toward the fireplace.

Finally, without looking at him, she says with a very soft an poisoning voice: "I want this demon dead."

"We can not simply kill this beast. It is against the law." The angel replies.

"Then find a way. This demon has to... disappear." She picks up the poker and moves some of the wooden logs in the fireplace. There is no fire burning but moving them around seems to calm her down in some meditative way.

Semangelof nods after a while. "As you wish M'lady. Is there anything else?"

"Not right now, but we have to discuss something soon. Until then get us rid of that creature." She replies and keeps poking in the cold ashes. "And send the maid back in when you leave."

Without a word, he dips his head once more then turns and leaves the hall. He holds the heavy door open as he sees the maiden in tears standing outside. "She is asking for you." He says to her. The young woman swallows and hurries to pass him on her way back into the hall but no matter how much she tries to hide it with her hand and hair the angel still notices the bruise in her face. He closes the door behind her and moves down the stairs. This situation is getting critical faster than he expected and obviously being watched by Myriel he hardly can contact his friend without getting into trouble himself and then possibly being replaced by another Sentinel who will not care at all about that woman or who might even be hostile toward her. He has to plan his moves carefully from now on.

As he leaves the main building he sees a small boy chasing a ball through the court and smiles. He gestures him to come closer and kneels down to look him into the eyes.

"Ey dere." The boy says and smiles.

"Hi... Can you run for your mother and let her know that I need to talk to her Virgo?"