I wake up in a cell, in some place where the whole place, even the very air, feels corrupted. I sit up and my vision spins, and I throw up in the corner of the cell. I am exhausted, despite the sleep I'd gotten, but as I drag myself over to a bedroll on the ground, my arms shake. I feel weak, and my body is screaming.
Fuck. I need my tonic. And I can't find Tiber, or his satchel, where he keeps the meds. I sob as I pull myself onto the bedroll, my stomach lurching as I sit. My back and wings feel like they're both numb and on fire. I raise my shaking hands to look at them. They're bloody, covered in soot and ash.
The very air is icy, and as I sit there, shivering hard, I wrap myself in my wings. Even my wings are cold. Even my wings hurt. But as I sit there, shivering and crying from pain, I hear the soft scuff of footsteps beyond my cell. I lift my head, watching in silence as a man and a strange woman step into my cell.
I stare at them, but don't say anything. I'm scared, very scared. But as the woman steps closer to me, she kneels before me. She has big, black horns atop her head, pointed ears and teeth, claws on her fingertips, her red eyes narrow at the man before she looks at me and smiles.
"Hello," she says. "My name is Lilith. What's yours?"
"H - Hayley."
She nods. "Well, Hayley, I think its time we spoke about your power. About who you are."
"What do you mean? I am just a .... a girl..."
The man behind Lilith snorts. "Just a girl? Right."
I stare at him, angered. "You kidnapped me. Why? What do you want from me?!"
"We want many things from you," he says. "But first and foremost, you are here and you need to be aware of why. Hayley, you are not a normal girl, and I think you know more about that than you admit. You are a powerful being, and I think if we are to mention your power, we should also mention your sheer will. You are not human, girl. No, what you are is something much more ancient and powerful."
"And who the fuck are you, anyway?" I growl.
"My name is Prince Drecca, the Harbinger of Chaos and Destruction. I am the one who brought you here. Who saved your life. So, Hayley .... tell me. Who the fuck are you?"
I narrow my eyes. "I am Hayley Moon, and I will not be scared of anything that is weaker than me."
Drecca laughs. "Of course, of course. But, Hayley Moon, it is not going to be an easy road ahead. But we, Lilith and I, can help you."
"Why? Why help me?" I ask. "You two are demons."
"Because you are one of the rarest creatures that exist in this world, or any other. A mix of a demon and an angel."
"What?" I ask. "No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are." Lilith stands up and offers me her hand. "We will find your truths, together, Hayley Moon. These will not be easy tasks, but we can go through them. Together."
I just nod. "Okay. We will do this, I guess."
I just wish I was doing this with Tiber and my friends. I wish I was .... that it was going to be something I could do with my family.