24. Xeros

24

XEROS

" W hat—?"

I open my eyes, feeling a sharp pain radiating through my chest. Above me is a long and tangled stretch of rope, connected to the ceiling by a metal hook.

Fuzzy shapes and outlines barely portray the room to my blurred vision, and my right leg is lifted and bound.

Have I been abducted?

It's possible somebody decided they might try their luck and imprison me in the hopes of acquiring power or wishes. I doubt many people understand what I am.

The shapes become more solid as my eyes constrict, and I see the floral decorations on the wall, realizing I'm back in Evangeline's home.

Briefly, I feel at peace, confident that I'm safe from the battle. But there's a loud, constant noise to my right and just below me that irritates me.

Thinking I might be trapped in Evangeline's home with a wild animal, I grip my leg and free it. Any wounds I might have sustained on my leg have healed, due to our superior healing capabilities. But if I'm devoured here while I'm weak, it will all be for naught.

I roll on my torso, expecting to find that perhaps, I've been locked in here with a monster. The logic of trapping me in here with a monster makes sense as some form of torture.

Evangeline sleeps on the floor beside the bed, sitting propped up against one of the legs. I can see the puddle her drool has formed on her shirt.

I hate to admit it. But seeing the fierce Evangeline in such a helpless, vulnerable position melts my heart.

And slowly, it comes back to me.

I remember the battle, and how I was overtaken in its final moments. I remember the cold feeling of their claws driving through my torso.

I forgot my vulnerabilities. And at that moment, I made an error.

How dare they take advantage of a lapse in judgment like that? I should bring my vanquishers back to life just to kill them again.

I look at my bare chest, noticing the white cloth stained bright red, and realize that I'm still weak. I will have to take care not to worsen my condition.

I consider waking up Evangeline, letting her know that I'm okay. But the more soundly she sleeps, and the louder she snores, the more certain I become that she needs to rest.

These series of ropes appear to have been fashioned in an effort to lift me into the bed. My heart swells with pride.

Perhaps she's even more capable than I gave her credit for.

I pull on the rope bound to the hook on the ceiling, and immediately, it unravels and falls to the floor.

I guess it served its purpose if it got me into bed, I think, glad it didn't send me careening to the floor.

I push against the bed and leverage my weight, attempting to bring myself to my feet. Perhaps, in some feeble bid for my safety, Evangeline would be telling me to rest right now, but she would be wrong.

My feet touch the floor, and immediately, a sharp pain shoots upward through my leg, the pressure alone straining my left knee.

Briefly, as I watch her sleep, feeling a slight smile cross over my face, I consider staying here for my own safety. It would be nice to wake her up, bringing her up to the bed so that I can take solace in her warmth.

But I will sleep far better knowing that this forsaken settlement is safe from the invasion. Not necessarily out of concern for their safety, but for my own effectiveness as a warrior.

Limping, I approach the front door, watching behind me with every step. Evangeline will not know that I'm gone. By the time she awakens, I will be back with food.

The door creaks open slowly, and I wedge myself through the threshold, feeling a dull pain in my wings as they scrape against the wood. Looking out at the dark settlement, it seems empty but intact, which tells me that we were successful after all.

Occasionally as I limp forward, seeing the settlement in an entirely new light, I notice a curtain drawing open, revealing a frightened child or an angry villager. Torchlight flickers against the walls of houses, showing me my winged shadow.

In the dreamscape, they often failed to show me my shadow. It was one of the constant reminders that my world wasn't real.

I try not to let their late-night gazes disturb me. How can they possibly understand my species, in spite of many of their claims of solidarity?

But it is disruptive. And without Evangeline's presence, the gazes are much more frequent, reflecting their clear mistrust.

A surge of relief fills me as I see the gate in the distance, marking where I can find a much less complicated and unsettling relationship. The food I'll bring home for Evangeline won't betray or belittle me. At least the creatures in the wilderness are honest about their fear, and scramble at the sight of me.

I don't long for their acceptance in quite the same way.

A fountain sputters behind me.

The wind roars.

And I hear the clashing of metal, as it scrapes against the pavement and whips through the air.

I turn suddenly and notice two shadows, vibrating wildly with the wind-swept dance of torchlight. In the light, they climb the walls, appearing larger than even my own.

A woman I faintly recognize looks out her window before closing the curtain.

"Let's show this fella what happens when monsters come into our town!"

A malicious laugh sounds nearby, and I find my senses weakened, my mind unable to track the source of the noise as my vision goes blurry once more.

The sounds of metal grow louder.

And I suddenly double over in pain, feeling something very sharp and heavy collide with my wing.

Blood decorates the pavement in front of me, a long metal chain clanging against the cobble street.

"Don't fuck around too much, Timm," a male voice says from somewhere behind me. "Even weakened, he could kill us both."

I hear a throaty, high-pitched chuckle.

"Ain't nothing he can do to us in that state," another male voice replies. "Let's clip this fucker's wings. Really teach him a lesson."

My mind is flowing with panic.

Just kill them both.

The thought creeps through my head, but I stifle it, as I watch the chain pulling back toward its wielder.

I want to look him in the eyes.

Turning around, I follow the chain back to its source, seeing a small, haggard man whose beady eyes barely register me.

Is this really what I risked my life to defend?

The pain in my wing is excruciating.

"A beautiful little lady like Evangeline shacking up with an abomination like you," the first man says, readying his chain and aiming for my other wing. "It's not natural. You need to stop hypnotizing our women."

I watch the chain swirl through the air.

I'm nowhere near equipped to take to the skies right now. My other powers are dormant, my strength still not back with me.

Even if I could fly away from this, who's to say these men wouldn't just endanger Evangeline?

The man lets loose the chain, and it hurtles toward me.

I could simply step out of the way, but I'd much rather send a message.

I cannot kill Evangeline's friends.

Against a shooting pain that careens through my chest and up to my arms, shoulders, and wings, I raise my hand and I catch the chain.

The man's eyes widen for a moment before he stills himself, trying to cling to his bravado.

I pull on the chain, and before he knows what's happening, he's pulled forward, his face planting into the road.

That's when I see the firelight decorating a metal blade, his friend wielding it menacingly against me.

As the other man pushes himself up against the rocks, a few small cuts on his forehead and cheek leaking blood, the friend's intimidating gaze fails to conceal his terror.

"What are you going to do, stab me with that?" I ask him.

He clears his throat and spits on the ground.

"If I have to," he says. "If you won't get the fuck out of our village, I will."

A deluded smile forms on his face, his yellowing teeth mostly cracked.

"Jerren, maybe we should go home," the other man says, wiping blood from his face.

This elicits a laugh.

"This whole operation was your idea, Timm."

Timm struggles to bring himself to his feet.

"No, I'm not leaving. Not until this fucker gets the message."

He approaches me with the knife.

I could easily outrun him. The trouble is that I can't guarantee he won't try this again, or that Evangeline won't be hurt in the crossfire.

Beneath his failed attempts at intimidation and all of his intolerance, I can sense that they're both trembling.

Let's send them home.

Digging deep within myself, I find my power, or what remains of it during my recovery.

The flames turn bright blue, matching my eyes. A chill takes the air, as the wind roars far more aggressively.

Jerren pauses in his tracks, the knife still drawn.

"What you both seem to be forgetting is that I saved you both."

I scowl at them as they breathe deeply, their breath visible in the freezing air.

"I saved you both, and I can take you both out of this world, if I want," I say. "So maybe you should treat me with the respect I've earned."

"I told you you shouldn't have gotten cocky," Jerren yells.

"You're the one with the knife!"

A maniacal laughter fills the air, and the pain in my chest intensifies. My voice terrifies even me at that moment.

I'm not the monster they think I am. But maybe if I can convince them otherwise, they'll leave me in peace.

"Run home, Jerren and Timm," I yell over the raging wind. "Rest assured that I didn't know your names before today, but I'll remember them now. And if you set another toe out of line, I'll hunt you both."

At first, I wonder if they receive the message. Both of them look sideways at the other, neither wanting to retreat first.

Then Timm doubles back and starts running in the opposite direction, followed by Jerren.

I smile to myself, though I doubt Evangeline would approve.

Then I limp forward to the gate, blood dripping with every step. I still need to find a late dinner for Evangeline. Hopefully, I can still sneak back before she notices I left.

I'm unsure what their intention was, but my wing should recover fine. I just need to bear the pain for the moment.