Just Checking Up! Part Sixty-Two: Burning a Bridge!

Rip:

Silks toiled over files with her friends, Cal sticking himself to my side. The Elementals hovered closely behind her, Dollzy tripping into me snapping me out of my zone-out session. Soaking in Silks’ burgundy leather frilly dress, her matching boots swung out of the slits of her dress with every swing of her feet. Fussing with my simple black t-shirt and ripped gray jeans, a voice called out to me from the woods. Cal picked up on it, Silks not seeming to acknowledge it in the slightest. Then again something seemed off about it. Probably should check it out.

Rushing out the door, Cal skidded to my side. Silver scales shimmered in the orange moonlight, Frice fluttering up to my palms. Happy to feel her presence, Cal pet my little dragon pal. Snuggling into his palm, a wave of energy cemented us into some alternate version of my forest. Who the hell was closing in on us? 

“Having fun without me?” Kaw joked blithely while appearing out of nowhere in a new black suit and cloak, his claws scratching at his scales. “Come now, the team is back together.” Glacia scurried up his arm, a blast of cold air hitting my cheeks the second she curled around my neck. Scratching behind her ears, today might lead to more physical clues. Sniffing the air, the sheer amount of dragon magic would kill Silks in a matter of seconds. 

“Seems we have a special type of angel here. Where is the dragon magic coming fr-” He began to query, an onslaught of black angelic arrows whistled past us. Horror rounded our eyes, tattered black angelic feathers fluttered about. Boots crunched onto the ground behind us, a ruffle of cloaks sent chills up my spine. 

“Where is this precious Silks!” An icy female voice demanded vehemently, our heels spinning to reveal a five foot eight dark angel with silver eyes. Her silky inky waves floated up in a moment of unfiltered rage, a fine silky cloak shifted to reveal a bit of silver armor. Cocking her head to the left, a snarl twitched on her pink lips. 

“Three demons and a dragon is my damn greeting. What is with this fucking wall?” She hissed under her breath, her hand waving the others home. “Get some rest, my dear friends. These sins are going to be notches in my belt. Are you going to defend that wife of yours or what, your majesty? May I point out the waste of this dragon magic bomb! Do you know how long it took to gather enough to make the few that we have?” Zooming away, only she remained. Pissed off by her cockiness, that would have set off my darling Silks. Summoning my carved hilts, iced laced silver and black flames roared into curved dual blades.  

“Normally I would say pride cometh before the fall but you already fell.” I shot back with a defiant smirk, a stronger rage searing to life in her features. “Like Hell I will let your eyes lay upon my dear queen’s, Nice to see that fantasy is alive and strong in the shadows.” Kaw nudged my shoulder to shut me down, her free feathers sharpening into metal. Twisting them into swords, a gust of musty air blew my hair back. 

“Is your bite as sharp as your swing, young king?” She taunted me intensely, indignity calming the fury in her tone. “I have been alive far longer than you. Do you think your magic and that little book is going to save you? Magic can only go so far, you twit.” Passing Frice to Kaw, his protest fell on deaf ears. A raise of my hand prevented Cal from joining in, disbelief slipping into my defiant expression.  

“What does age have to do with anything?” I returned stiffly, ice building around my beat up boots. “Bias plagues that dim mind of yours. Come get me.” Charging at me instead of responding, sparks and ash danced into the air with every violent clash. Spinning out of the way, her last swing had me skidding back into a tree trunk. Ducking to avoid the next blow, the tips of her blades jammed into the crumbling bark. Flipping over her blades, towering trees full of branches became my way to distract her while she struggled with her weapons. Leaping from branch to branch, she had to have a weakness. A weakened base around her wings captured my attention, a devilish grin danced across my lips. Leaves rustled every footfall towards her, a push off the branch landed me above her head. Snatching her wings, flames traveled down the feathers to the base. Wiggling in protest, a kick off her back granted me the space I required. Kaw shouted out a spell, a blinding ball of flames stunned her long enough for my blades to slice through the soft base of her wings. 

Howling out in pain, sounds of bonds breaking shattered my soul. Clear rejection weakened her resolution, her head drooping forward. Torching the rest of the wings, her weapons crumbled to ash. 

“Are you willing to answer some questions?” Silks questioned underneath her mask as she entered the area, her boots crunching to a stop in front of her. “Jesus Christ, they really ditched you in a heartbeat. Are you okay?” Surprise rounded her eyes, Silks beginning to examine her for any wounds. Lashing out at her, Silks jammed her knee into her stomach. Sinking to her knees, wild sobs wracked the angel. Please don't toy with her too much, I begged inside my panicking mind.

“Do you have a name or do I have to give you one? You are coming back home, right?” She offered sincerely, Cal protests resulting in one of Silks’ silencing death glare. “One time offer. Join us and find joy. Don’t join us, get the fuck out of my town! I didn’t get poisoned or kidnapped a million times over for you to fuck up my one piece of serenity!” Befuddled by the switch of her tone, neither of us knew what to do. Passionate truth stained her cheeks, the tears dripping off of her mask. 

“Phylox Wings is my name.” The dark angel sniffled brokenly, a tremble claiming her body. “What would differentiate you from your enemy! Everyone makes deals with us and tosses the leader the moment they fail to keep working in the shadows!” Bringing her black eye close to those silver windows of endless trauma, Phylox’s breath hitched. 

“See this, an evil Elemental is attached to my soul. She has freedom and is thriving in ways I never thought possible. Dark magic is always evil. I happen to believe it can be used for good.” Silks pointed out warmly, her friendly smile melting the iciness in Phylox’s aura. “Let me give you something back. Please be patient with me. You might have to learn to fly again.” Plopping down behind her, her palms hovered over her the nub that used to be her wings. Mumbling a spell underneath her breath, more angelic energy seemed to be heading our way. 

“Cover us if you can.” Silks requested serenely, onyx lightning casting shadows on her features as her slender hands began to craft some wings. “Frice can hang by me if she must. A reward must be dangling over her head. Don’t worry, we will prot-” Taking off with the skeleton of her wings, several bombs hit the dirt. Panic rounded our eyes, concentrated dragon magic began to form a deadly fog. Sprinting after her, more of those blasted feathers drifted like snow. Chasing after her, Cal and Kaw struggled to keep up. A quiet fear woke up tears that I didn’t want to shed, the thought of her disappearing or dying on me threatening to paralyze me. Creating circles of silver ice over her, arrows bounced off with vigor. Kaw released a wave of his stunning flames into the sky. The tips of the trees crackled to life with flames, chanting from his heaving chest strengthening them. Preventing them from getting any closer, a different spell from Cal sealed off what Kaw had accomplished. 

“Go on and keep her alive!” They shouted together, both of them holding their hands up to keep up their temporary dome. “Silks needs you more than ever. Worry not about us!” Thanking them silently, a nod passed between us. Crunching up to a terrifying scene, three cloaked dark angels dangled Phylox in the air by her ankle. Speaking some sort of odd language, Silks pleaded to trade places. Phylox shook her head wildly, sorrow splashing onto several pairs of worn boots. 

“Guys, don’t listen to her. Do me in!” She blurted out desperately, orange fire lilies blooming around her. Crackling up their legs, onyx lightning danced among the petals. Staring them dead in the eyes, one could imagine that big grin spreading ear to ear. What did she have planned? Blocking another array of arrows with a wall of ice, her genuine smile met mine. Trust, trust had to exist between us. Inky drops poured from underneath our mask, dragon magic damage showing its wings. 

“Blossom and cook!” She bellowed proudly, the fire lilies devouring their bodies. Dropping Phylox into her quaking arms, a blast of lightning and flames announced their bodies bursting into bloody chunks. Working fast to form her wings, the individual feathers stole my breath away. Shimmering away, Silks began to sway. Catching them before she fell, inky blackness dyed her veins. 

“Why would she go this far to help me out?” Phylox wept dejectedly, both of us looking seconds from losing it. Orchid called out in the distance, her voice sounding like Heaven. Hopping to her feet, Phylox scooped up Silks. Standing awkwardly in front of me, her wings clicked a few times. Parting her lips to speak several times. 

“Do you trust me?” She choked out painfully, mixed emotions flashing in her eyes. “I can take her high out of this danger zone. Please trust me. Sorry for coming in so hot.” Nodding my head once, Phylox shot into the sky clumsily, time slowing down as I booked it back towards my home. Cal and Kaw caught up to me, both of them looking like Hell. Guilt ate at me, Dollzy and the others crying out in the distance woke up my worst fears. Skidding into our side of things, a blast of energy obliterated that dimension into a flurry of ash. Choosing to ignore it, a tainted silence hung in the house. Rushing up to the room, a locked door wasn’t a good sign. Bells rang out, a panicking Phylox cowered behind me. Narrowing my eyes in her direction, a golden light shut down any frustration. Dying down to reveal a tall female angel, her ivory cloak swayed with every step towards us. Golden curls bounced, golden angel feathers hovered inches from my face. Golden lips curled into a gentle smile, the matching eyes glinting with malice in the direction of Phylox.  

“Get away from my new friend!” This random angel demanded impatiently, her wings straightening out. “Are you trying to kill her, you sneaky snake!” Pinning Phylox to the closest wall, cracks spread from behind her head. Clearing my throat, all sets of eyes whipped in my direction. Rolling my eyes, a deep breath consisting of disappointment slipped off of my tongue. 

“Release Phylox and explain who the f-” I ordered briskly, her brushing past us pissed me off before I could finish the sentence. Aiding the shivering Phylox to her feet, an annoyed Orchid stumbled out of the room. Clicking announced even her getting locked out, her fists banging wildly on the door with an accompaniment of curse words. Giving up after five minutes, the angel stepped out of the room while clapping her hands together. 

“Orchid, do you want my blood or not?” She inquired sternly, Orchid stiffening into a fighting position. “Settle down before you bust a vein. I am Blessia, God’s secretary. Silks’ inhaled a shit ton of dragon magic and was two seconds from passing away. Something of a night for you, King Rip? Not that I want to know any of the new information before cutting her down after all of her bullshit, is she playing ball on your side of the court? Phylox, I mean?” Straightening my back, Phylox scurried to the shadows. 

“What of it? Silks chose her, so deal with it. You hired her, such issues come with the contract.” I returned honestly with a touch of sarcasm. “You made your bed, so lay in it.” Running her fingers through her hair, the others gathered behind me. Soaking the found family feeling of us, a serene feeling washed over the space. 

“Jesus Christ, take a chill pill.” She breathed playfully, her hand picking up Orchid’s hand. “Collect some of my blood to mix into her tea. I can’t stop here every time to reverse the damage. Death is not an option for my darling friend. Lord knows what would happen if I had nothing to look forward to after all this madness is over.” Offering her palm to her, Orchid relented by motioning for her to follow her into the kitchen. Trotting after her, the others passed knowing looks between each other. Excusing themselves with polite introductions, only the two of us remained. Massaging my forehead, angels couldn’t enter any room without a damn show. Crouching down to Phylox, her panic attack had her clutching her chest. Wetness dampened her cheeks, clammy sweat beading on her brow.

“Never mind that rude angel. You are more than welcome in these halls. I fail to see why Silks would give you the gift of flight if she didn’t like you.” I comforted her with a shadow of my real smile, her lips curling into the saddest smile. “Silks finds the light in our deepest shadows, her lantern shining brighter than all of ours. Do you want to see her?” Offering her my hand, her calloused fingers curled around mine. Helping to her feet, her breathing steadied. Guiding her into the bedroom, the sight of her cuddling with our kiddos warmed up my soul. Inviting Phylox over, the older kids made room for her. 

“Sorry about the unplanned tension with Blessia. Being knocked out doesn’t exactly permit me to explain myself.” She chirped cheerfully, her free hand holding the frightened dark angel’s. “Sorry for pushing for those blasted answers. Dollzy will be your roomy. Don’t worry, she won’t bite. Is that fair for you?” Nodding her head silently, both of them smiled at each other. Chatting about her wings, apprehension melted into something of a cozy friendship. Blessia let herself in, a tainted quietness poisoned the room. Seconds from hiding away, Silks held Phylox down via all of her strength and a stern expression. 

“Keep it civil until the two of you can get along. I have faith in her. As should you. Past sins should be water under the bridge.” Silks commanded boldly, her motherly tone shining through. “Isn’t it nice to have a former insider? Besides, the rules didn’t exactly say that I couldn’t adopt any of them.” Mulling over her statement, Blessia exhaled in defeat. Leaning against the closest wall, her wrapped palm captured my attention. So the mean angel does care about the queen of Hell. What a plot twist in this little old universe!

“Fine, your wish is my command. Genius lies in those who can find the loopholes. Orchid offered me tea but I could not drink it. Send my kindest disregard to her.” She spoke politely, a twinkle shimmering in her eyes. “Boy, did they do a number on you. Are you okay, dear?” Addressing Phylox specifically, shock widened the poor shaken angel’s eyes. Blessia approached her cautiously, her fingers tracing the metal wings.  

“What a work of art!” She mused in pure wonder, her eyes darting over to Silks. “Darling, can dark elemental magic always be this stunning? Do you mind if I send a couple of my pals to you? They are missing a few feathers and things.” Smiling softly to herself, Silks seemed to be right at home in such a moment. Agreeing to help out came without a second thought, the tension melted away with ease. Only my queen could bring dark and light together. Dollzy poked her head in, Phylox perking up. A bond formed between them, a winged doll tattoo glowing to life on their right shoulders. Grinning blissfully to myself, both angels excused themselves with graceful bows. Leaving me to my family, a tuckered out Silks tracked me kicking off my boots. Climbing into bed, our foreheads pressed together. Our breaths became one, her lips hovering over mine. Orange moonlight painted her face just right, her beauty knowing no bounds. Kissing my lips tenderly, scarlet flushed our cheeks. Time slowed down, every cell in me not wanting this moment to end. Family often grounded me, the negative emotions from that day dissolving for the shortest bit of time. Releasing me from her spell, a tiny apology escaped her lips. Soaking in the glow of her bliss, our hearts almost beat once more. Soaking in the joy of her presence, the fact she was alive made all our strife worth it. That one week sans Silks tortured me to my core, my mate bond hearing her screams bouncing around my brain. Shaking off that nightmare, everyday next to her now seemed like a bigger blessing. Glancing out the window to the stars, one small request haunted me. Please protect us in our mission for you, Mr. Big Guy Upstairs.