Aurora still felt her beloved’s gentle tug coming from inside the right flower bud that opened so agonizingly slow while all around, the winter landscape appeared to have frozen still. There was complete and utter silence except for the noises in their immediate surroundings. Lady Mellia’s gasp that indicated surprise, perhaps even suspense, Selene and Aurora’s uneasiness that made them move back and forth on the crunchy, soggy underground and of course, the slight creaking noise of the buds.
One by one, the rose-colored petals unfurled in the dim light of the withered, slightly fog-ridden former glade, revealing a total of six overlapping layers and with every passing second, Aurora grew more restless and when she finally caught a glimpse of the right bud’s content, she charged over right away, calling out to Arakiel in an extremely worried tone.
A little later, Selene did the same for Ezekiel.
With just two flaps of her wings, Aurora arrived long before the petals had fully opened, but she could already make out her nude Monarch-to-be who knelt down in the center of the bud.
His skin seemed anemic, almost bloodless and he didn’t appear to answer her call just yet.
Even worse, he appeared to hug something – or rather, someone – who was still concealed by these damned petals.
Aurora’s feet maltreated the ground beneath her and she was about ready to just fly up and into the petal when her eyes at last espied the other kneeling person inside the over-sized flower.
It was, unexpectedly, a nude petite woman with spotlessly smooth skin and lean arms that curled far too intimately around Aurora’s Lord. A curtain of blonde hair that had a clear but soft rose-colored tinge reached all the way down to the emerald-green floral surface, hiding the rest of her body.
Both definitely embraced one another in an affectionate way which made Aurora very irritated, perhaps even jealous, definitely upset.
Neither burned in any color, but they also didn’t move and she had to look very closely to notice Arakiel’s slightly moving upper body.
He was breathing and she assumed that the being resting her head on his shoulders did as well, but neither moved – and kept doing so until the bud had blossomed in full some minutes later.
Anticipation was killing Aurora, not literally, but it had certainly put her patience beyond its intended limit, causing her to be in an even worse state of mind than the previous days.
And then, a slight jolt went through the two bodies.
She held her breath while her eyes narrowed as the woman began to slowly move, loosening her embrace around Aurora’s Lord.
The head followed, receded and the nude frame began to kneel upright, her hair falling over the slim, petite curvature, softly parted by a pair of small pointed ears. In her current position, she was smaller than Arakiel and perhaps even smaller than Aurora, if only a little.
But then the being opened her eyelids. That which lay behind immediately looked past Arakiel towards Aurora, who found herself unable to look away.
A pair of thoroughly iridescent rose-colored eyes with a few golden speckles and no pupils looked her over, evaluated her, sized her up.
The left corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly into a mocking grin and the seelie got up while Arakiel remained kneeling. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all thus far.
Upright, her blonde rose-tinged hair went all the way down to her ankles and she was perhaps one-sixty tall at most and she looked downright wispy… as though she slightest breeze could twist her.
And yet Aurora felt danger exuding from that being; real, immediate danger.
It opened its thin lips and at first, no sound escaped.
The being’s eyes suddenly turned to the side and then downwards, causing a frown to tarnish her otherwise soft, fine features that Aurora had to assess as beautiful. They rivaled Lady Mellia’s complexsion.
From one moment to another, her silhouette began to glow in a soft rose-colored light and in an instant, over a dozen sigils of the same color and essence formed, only to dissolve and as they did, a slice of wind cut her hair at shoulder-length while streaks of thick, heavy fog began to coil around her body, covering her most intimate spots in what Aurora might interpret as a suggestive, even provoking manner.
At the same time, Arkaiel’s body began to glow in the same light as the immortal’s aura and as it did, some color flooded back into his skin and he began to groan in a feeble voice while his overall posture barely changed.
Aurora wanted to say something, do something – but she found herself captivated by the seelie’s graceful, almost enchanting nature and these truly soft, supple…
But then her soul suddenly flared out of her body, shrouding her in protective gold and through it, her mind cleared and she began to perceive the creature wearing fog-like a dress not as enchanting, but as predatory.
Aurora’s body instinctively tensed up, her wings unfurling and just about ready to vault her away.
The seelie gently, affectionately stroked Arakiel’s cheeks while she turned towards Aurora in full.
“Ahh… little golden one,” the being muttered in a soft, ethereal voice that still held faint traces of rasping that marred its melody. “I am honored that you came to witness me return to a more suitable form.”
From the side, Aurora heard the very same voice with with even more rasp say a different sentence. It issued a command. “Ezekiel, my Knight. Get up!”
Aurora looked to the left side where the second bud had revealed another seelie that looked exactly like the one that had just addressed her, only that this one hadn’t cut its hair or chosen to hide its body so far.
At that one’s feet, Ezekiel also looked utterly drained of blood and strength, although whatever enchantment the fae had put on him seemed to rapidly change that as he rose to a standing position in a sluggish-but-steady manner.
Suddenly, several rustling noises appeared all around – but mainly from below – Aurora.
Her body cried out immediate and excessive danger as her abundant soul began to flare up in flames of gold. Thick, emerald-green vines rushed out from beneath the dead undergrowth and although her fire singed and destroyed some, others were coated in a sort of watery membrane.
Loud hisses resounded from every angle as fire met water while thick, slimy tentacle-like tendrils coiled around her wrists, ankles and even wings, nipping her attempt at evasion right in the bud.
Around her, white steam formed in abundance as her soul kept trying to free her, yet whenever a part of protective water evaporated, more rushed to take its place.
Aurora struggled with body and soul, she cried out in surprise, anger and a growing sense of fear. Even through the constant hissing, she heard a low, amused chuckle coming right from the front, behind the veil of soft white fog.
But then another vine reached out to her, going straight for her throat. It coiled around with an increasingly tight grip and as breath left her, terror rose in its stead. The emotion rapidly spread throughout her and as it did, her will to resist and fight got smothered just like she was about to.
Her soul, sensing her lack of will, retreated back into her body. The hissing sounds stopped and soon enough, her body stopped struggling against its bindings.
A strong gust of air hit her right afterwards, dispersing all the steam in one go.
The seelie hadn’t moved at all from her spot, just like Arakiel still knelt on the ground in front of her. The other immortal’s lips curled to a mocking smile and just when Aurora’s mind tried another push against the dread, the seelie snapped with her fingers, causing the vines to constrict just a little tighter.
They began to hurt her.
Her vision turned blurry.
Aurora’s eyes bulged as her body winced and she instinctively tried to curl up, which was impossible. But the seelie noticed and loosened the bindings just a smidgen, enough to stop hurting her.
Terror having fully taken hold of Aurora, she gave up while wishing for Arakiel to come and rescue her.
The seelie’s rose-colored eyes with golden speckles glared triumphantly. Aurora averted her eyes to the right, unable to bear the shame.
“How easily you break, little golden one,” the seelie commented with a sneer. “It’s hard to fathom how I was possibly afraid of you.”
Aurora’s mouth instinctively opened in an attempt to refute her words, to give them some form of perspective – but no sound escaped.
“Yes,” the seelie muttered with some approval. “Fear suits you nicely, little spawn of the Great Betrayer.”
The immortal then brought her left hand’s single pointing finger to Aurora’s field of view.
“Do you recall?” The seelie asked with a chuckle and when the finger came closer, a sense of panic added to the fear.
“N-no…!” Aurora croaked, her throat protesting violently against any movement given how close it was to getting crushed. “T-touch…!”
“Good,” the seelie responded approvingly as she put her finger against Aurora’s chin, causing her frame to flinch while her mind went into a state of shock.
The fae being slowly turned her head to the left, towards the others.
“Out of you two, I prefer the silver one.” The seelie went on to comment while Aurora’s eyes unwillingly beheld a disrobed Selene kneeling in front of Ezekiel while the other seelie playfully ran her hands across the blonde Ascendant’s clearly aroused nude body.
His amethyst eyes looked down at the silver seraphim with a mixture of possessive desire and contempt.
Lady Mellia, having pulled back her wide, white hood, quietly walked into the space right in-between the two seelie. Her gaze appeared distant and it was highly likely she had fallen under the seelies’ spell again.
“She’s honest about her lack of will,” the fae went on as she turned Aurora’s face fully towards her. While the seelie was a little smaller than Aurora, the delicate features of her countenance paired with the soft eyes appeared downright amiciable.
The contrast only made it worse, furthering her current state of mind.
“You, on the other hand, pretend to be something that you’re not.” The immortal concluded with a dose of disdain, right after which she chuckled heartily. “Almost had me fooled, too.”
Aurora barely registered the words, much less their meaning. Her entire body trembled at the utter defilement that just took place. She still couldn’t believe that it actually happened right now, she didn’t want to believe it… but the seelie touched her, defiled her… just like that.
And Arakiel?
He just knelt over there in an unmoving fashion!
That man was supposed to…
The seelie then began to softly hold her entire cheek as her lips formed to a smile. “Hush now, little golden one. Don’t fight it. You are meant to be a meek, servile dove; Not an aerial predator.”
Aurora felt a foreign influence enter her mind, trying to overtake her, trying to not only cloud her mind, but to thoroughly take hold of her.
To make, to turn her into a doll.
Into nothing but a puppet on strings.
Aurora’s very being reared up in defiance and through it, her soul rushed out once more, aiming to purge the foreign influence and wherever her gold went, it cleansed and purified the rose that sought to tame her, sought to take her free will by force.
The seelie recoiled and cried out. “Ow!”
Her expression darkened almost immediately. “You little naughty girl!” She exclaimed angrily.
“Is there a problem, my lovely twin?” An ethereally melodious voice asked from the side. The two immortals truly sounded completely alike.
“No, there isn’t,” the fae in front of Aurora declined almost sullenly, but then a cruel smirk formed. “Just an ignorant dove that hasn’t learned her place yet.”
From one moment to another, she closed the distance and began to feel up Aurora’s breasts, giving them a firm and demeaning squeeze.
At the same time, the vines around her neck loosened just a little.
“NO!” Aurora cried out as panic made an even firmer push throughout her. “STOP!”
The seelie had known her reaction, which only added to the humiliation.
“What has you so riled up, little golden one?” The seelie inquired in a mocking tone followed by a deviousily playful chuckle. “We’re practically sisters, sharing a champion.”
“Please, stop!” Aurora plead in a quivering, almost whimpering voice.
She didn’t want this, didn’t want any of this.
Her frantic mind began to run wild.
Why had Arakiel entrusted her with this power!?
Why did he put trust into her when she could only fail at every turn!?
She was nothing! Nothing at all – she was even worse than Selene, just like the seelie had said!
“Such a cute bundle of vainglory…” the immortal commented, concluded, stated and she was right.
Aurora had no ground to stand on. She was less than nothing!
“I want to tease and bully you, but I think I’ll leave it at this…”
The next moment, Aurora felt wet lips on her own and when she realized what was happening, her mind broke again, except there was no Arakiel to cling to this time.
Despair claimed her in an instant and with it, any strength or will that had remained.
The seelie held her up, forced their kiss as she continued to defile her with touches and caresses that brought her no joy or delight, only shame and humiliation.
She couldn’t take it. Her mind wasn’t able to endure it.
Aurora fled into an illusion, her only remaining refuge, for her thoughts were free whereas everything else was not.
Her body began to respond to the seelie’s stimulation, but the quiet part of her mind was drowned out by her illusion which she gave herself over in full – again.
Her beloved Arakiel that did all of this, yet why was she crying?
It didn’t make any sense.
At some further point in time, Aurora collapsed onto the ground as her beloved let go of her.
Above her, a melodious, ethereal voice spoke up after a content sigh. “That’s a captivating body you have there, little seraphim. You should cherish it.”
Tears flowed freely and Aurora began to weep, to wail and cry at the injustice of it all.
She barely took note of whatever followed, nor of the fact that she was no longer bound.
Her wings began to shield her as she curled into a ball, unable to stomach it any longer.
Where was her beloved?
Why wasn’t he holding her right now?
Why didn’t he shield her?
Wasn’t he supposed to…
No, no – she was the one that had failed him. He had put his trust into her to safeguard his little sister – and they had failed spectacularly.
Where was her Monarch-to-be – the one whom she had bound her soul to?
In the depths of her failing mind, a wish formed, the kind of wish that longed for reciprocation, for an answer.
Inside her, a fading fire sparked anew, if only for a brief moment.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
* * *
An exceedingly painful jolt rushed throughout Arakiel’s drained body, causing him to jerk up and about. His mind remained clouded in pink haze, but his auditory senses relayed a weeping and whimpering that utterly wrenched his gut. It caused his chest to tighten and his soul to cry out in indignation and anger – anger at himself for the most part.
He wrestled control back for his senses. His sight unveiled a deeply green surface, one that appeared almost cellular in its structure. It led to something that looked like gradient pink.
The nose perceived something iron, something slightly acidic and other notes he couldn’t quite attribute to something.
Yet all that failed when his hearing at last caught clear snippets of other people – of a soft chuckle, a low grunt and a girl’s weeping.
The latter caused his mind to short-circuit – again.
Arakiel called upon the golden fire inside him, called upon Aurora’s soul which he drew in with as much urgency as he could muster.
He jolted upright and swirled around, towards the source. He perceived Aurora, curled up into a ball, her ruffled, disheveled wings desperately trying to shield her from some outside force. Beneath, he saw her trembling in terror, saw her crying.
Arakiel quietly took on her aspect, yet the streaks of gold that he drew from her went right past a small, petite woman that wore fog for clothes. He ever so vaguely recalled this one amid the haze. Or rather, he recalled a voice and he believed without the shadow of a doubt that it belonged to this girl alight in soft pink light.
His right hand formed a fire sigil that he dragged along and just as he reached the woman, she suddenly swirled around, her surprisingly large eyes wide while her lips wore to a triumphant grin.
At the same time, he saw a few dispersing motes of rose color.
From one moment to the next, he felt something bury into his gut with enough force that he was flung upwards while a jet of water stifled his emerging flame before it could fully form.
The woman jumped up almost playfully, with the ease of an ethereal being. Unfortunately, while the way she wove her sigil appeared almost innocent, its effect was not.
Far from it.
A new force of condensed air hit him from above and he was flung into the uneven, spiky brown ground like a wet rag doll.
The impact robbed him of most his breath and several protrusions cut him painfully, yet his will persisted and as such, Aurora’s fire continued to heed his call.
He flared up even more, refusing to back down.
Through it, Arakiel clawed himself up, but the woman in the soft light was there next to him, chuckling lightly. “You broke free, my little mortal,” she stated with what might be a bit of surprise. If anything, it seemed to delight her.
He reached for more, thirsted for more of Aurora’s soul and met no resistance.
It filled him to the brim and his expression reflected his grim determination.
Still kneeling, he barked at the woman, his entire focus on her and only her. “What did you do?!”
The admittedly beautiful creature with the big rose-colored irises without pupils and the pointy ears lightly tilted her head as she presented her pointing and middle finger to him.
A thin strand of some sticky, translucent fluid connected between them while behind, her deliciously red lips formed to a lascivious smile. “I had some fun with your dove, my little mortal knight.”
Hitherto unknown rage surged in an instant. He snapped.
Arakiel’s hands curled to claws as he charged at the woman with nothing but undiluted hatred, venting his anger with the loudest, wildest scream he could muster. Aurora’s soul reciprocated the feeling, forming raw outbursts in kind – crude runes that lacked any finesse.
Several little pink runes formed in response, but his claws reached the woman’s petite shoulders. He dug into them and through his momentum, made them both trip and fall.
A little too late did he realize the grin on her lips and as they fell, she easily flipped them around, making him take the brunt of the fall.
Arakiel barely took note of the cutting pain, but when the predator atop him pressed her delicate arm with a surprising amount of force against his neck, he realized that he was one push away from dying.
“Such a virile display, my little mortal,” the creature commented in a playful, downright mischievous manner that lacked any of the seriousness that this event demanded.
A part deep inside his mind told him to not try and struggle lest the creature kill him, but he wouldn’t even entertain the notion. He struggled with everything he had.
If she killed him, then at least he died trying.
It was just that some outside force pushed his limbs into the ground and all his struggles were ultimately in vain.
His mind formed the floating golden sigils, but he could not reach them. The runes of golden fire just floated above his skin, yet they might as well have been on the other side of the plane.
“It’s almost cute, your impotent flailing,” the immortal atop him noted as her face came closer and a pungent scent of roses and vanilla washed over him.
“Do you like the scent?” The woman whispered directly in his ear, her voice so disgustingly sonorous. “Half is mine, half what I took from your little dove.”
Another rush of anger.
His entire body tensed up even if more if that was somehow possible.
Anger, hatred, rage – it all boiled inside him. He wanted to unleash it, tried to – but the woman held him down with such an ease, it baffled his mind. It didn’t want to accept it.
How could such a feeble body be stronger than him, filled to the brim with Aurora’s fire!?
“She’s tried to be oh so brave, but she’s just a softie, you know. A delectable snack,” the creature went on in an affectionate tone, each word jabbing a dagger into his mind and heart. “You raised her well, my little mortal.”
She lightly lessened the pressure of his throat.
“YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!” He roared, screamed at the top of his lungs. “I WILL–”
His voice got cut short when she nearly crushed his throat’s protrusion while one of her hands wandered down to his manhood.
“Make me pay with this, my little mortal?” The woman teased as she softly stroked it. “It is quite sizable… it will certainly seed me well and true.”
Arakiel was about ready to burst, his mind growing to the edge of what it could tolerate. Seething hatred flowed through him but when the woman began to tease him while playfully revealing a part of her wondrously shapely breasts, a second strain entered the equation.
“Yes…” the woman whipsered in a tone that made his mind go crazy. With every word, the voice softened, becoming a velvety blanket, a fog that wafted through the ears right into his mind, where it lingered on. “I can sense it. Hatred is such a strong emotion, is it not?”
His mind wouldn’t accept defeat. He would not be shamed again, would not be humiliated again.
He refused to.
But while his mind and were strong, his flesh failed him.
The being above him chuckled and he wanted to strangle her, make her beg for mercy. Now that would be music in his ears.
“Even now, you struggle for dominance – as you should, little male.” The approval sounded so genuine, which only made it worse.
Once again, she closed in on him while softly drawing her tongue over his beard while her free hand tickled him, teased him down there in the nether region. “My little knight, Do you hate me yet? I am Nyanna, an immortal seelie that got her way with your little dove.”
Arakiel glared at her, glared into those eyes and the longer he looked, the more he stared, the truer his desire formed as the second strain mixed with the first.
“She whimpered so delightful, tensed up so lovably. I just had to take a bite.” The seelie Nyanna went on to say, her voice sounding as if she reminisced something truly outstanding.
It should prove to be her undoing.
Her grip loosened for but a moment, but it was enough of a lapse that his limbs came free.
Arakiel took a hold of her and rolled to the side. While the sigils he touched were quenched by more of her fire, she failed to push him back this time and the physical struggle that ensued was one he ended up winning, for he was driven by rightful vengeance and when he pressed her neck against the ground, a smidgen of fear hushed across her face.
“I will break you, Nyanna!” He growled as his free hand began to roughly feel up her firm breasts. “I will make you beg for mercy!”
She struggled for a response and although she tried, she couldn’t shake him off.
“Don’t… kill… me…” she gasped in a terrified voice which only spurred him further.
“So that you can just move to another one of your vessels!?” He roared as his mind underwent all kinds of scenarios. “No, no, no.” He responded and chuckled darkly. “I won’t let you off so easily, immortal scum!”
His knee split her legs and as she began to fathom what he intended to do, she tensed up, which only made him more furious.
“I will train you, domesticate you, tame you until you’re my little seelie!” He promised in a dark, foreboding voice which made him feel oh so mighty and powerful. “But first, I will put you in place!”
He didn’t hold back at all, giving the seelie no time to respond.
Arakiel cared not for his surroundings.
Neither cold, the soggy brown underground or the fading light – none of that mattered even a little bit.
What mattered was to hurt Nyanna, to demean her, to humiliate her.
He took satisfaction from her tense body, her increasingly weak attempts to fight back and her eventual moans that only fueled him to further and more powerful actions.
What use did he have for weeping somwhere in the back or lustful moans from the side?
None of that helped him in putting Nyanna in place, right at this feet.
He was meant to own her, to possess her – this beautiful but cruel creature. Only he could domesticate her so that she wouldn’t bring more misfortune and suffering to her surroundings.
There was only her and him – the defeated and the victor. The one who received, and the one who gave.
He gave her a lot, for he had a lot to repay.
Arakiel didn’t even fully realize that the seelie eventually stopped trembling, that she stopped to whimper and instead spurred him on with little comments that only flared him up even further.
He didn’t even notice until the end why he was glowing in a soft pink light beneath his golden fiery aura and as he was about to pull out, the seelie suddenly clawed into him and another fight ensued.
Given her pathetically weak frame, he won it handily – of course. And he made her pay for this insolence and she quickly submitted once more when he held nothing back.
But he wasn’t done yet – his thirst not satiated in the slightest.
He took the seelie again, but in another position, one that allowed him to see his sister standing there in the open, her gaze far away.
Outraged, his possessive desire for vengeance only furthered and over there, Ezekiel was busy teaching Selene and the seelie’s sister just how powerful a mortal could become.
His partner-in-crime might struggle, but he would come out on top at the end – of this, Arakiel’s addled mind had no doubt.
And when he let the immortal have a second round of mortal supremacy, she dropped onto the floor, holding her belly while her flawless body shivered with sweat and the occasional bruise that had remained as a testament to the indomitable will of any true Kalanite.
He crawled over to her, intending to make her go through the same humiliation she undoubtedly put Aurora through – at which point the seelie suddenly began to chuckle and laugh out loud.
“What’s so funny, slave!?” He roared as he reached for the shock of her blonde hair.
“Beautiful!” Nyanna exclaimed in an ecstatic tone that lacked any fear and held no servility at all.
A new set of sigils formed around her, causing her to float into a standing position while a dress of fine naturally white thread started weave around her body in record-time while he was thrown back by a gust of air.
“Such a vigorous, dominant mate you are!” The seelie exclaimed while lovingly stroking her lower belly with one hand as the other put a finger to her mischievous grin. “I was right to offer you such beautiful maiden flesh!”
A new sense of danger set in, one that slowly pushed back the possessive delirium he had found himself in not too long ago.
His eyes narrowed as he looked the seelie over once more.
Her playful smirk had returned in an instant and she didn’t look disturbed at all. Quite the opposite, she appeared downright satisfied and that caused a new spark of hatred to flare up inside him.
Especially more so as it slowly dawned upon him that he had been played like a fiddle.
Nyanna’s hand began to rub across her womb as her smile widened with genuine appreciation. “Such a beautiful gift you’ve given me, my proud mortal knight!”
“… what?”
“This child I conceived will be filled to the brim with power,” Nyanna disclosed full of affection, adding. “Yours and mine…”
“You…!” Arakiel growled as he still couldn’t quite understand what exactly had happened just now.
“I will remember you fondly when I raise it, my dear Knight.” Nyanna went on to rave. “A child conceived with such strong emotions and our bloodlines… it is bound to become a special font of power…”
The seelie’s lips formed to a sneer as she suddenly moved right in front of his face, far too fast for him to make out her movements. The next words were but a whisper, but they cut him deeper than anything else. “I will enjoy draining it.”
He lashed out at her, but she retreated back while chuckling mischievously while calling out excitedly “You were wonderful, my dear little Ascendant! Truly momentous, magnificent even! I will keep this flesh pure in your honor!”
“Nyanna!” He yelled lividly.
“Yes… my love?” The seelie fluted so mockingly that his possessive desire flared up again.
At the same time, however, his mind slowly returned to a more rational state, actively beginning to fight against the taunts and everything else. It wasn’t nearly where it should be, but it was conscious enough about their difference in strength.
This immortal was completely out of his league – and there were two of them.
“I will not forget this!” He vowed, swore. “I will make you pay!”
A genuine, affectionate smile hushed across her face. “I hope so, my little dominant Knight. Keep that flame of possessive hatred alight – it is the strongest possible impetus and you have the potential to make me conceive even better, even more powerful life.”
“You sicken me,” Arakiel spat out while over there, Ezekiel began to suffer a similar fate than him as he slowly got out of his induced stupor. His realization was only starting, however.
“And you fascinate me, little mortal that treads on the edge of our worlds – when next we meet, will you be immortal already?” Nyanna asked with genuine curiosity while leaves, berries and flower petals began to adorn her hair and dress, growing from seemingly thin air. She took on the look of a downright gorgeous forest fae and he briefly wondered whether this was her ‘true’ form.
“What do you mean!?” He ended up demanding to know anyway.
“Who knows? I certainly don’t!” She teased jokingly, her voice having playful and light vibes in it. She spoke as if they were young lovers, not what had just happened between them.
The fae then turned around to the side, where Alanna had just finished dressing in the same fashion, only that her extremely long hair had been tied into a braid that she let fall over the front of her slim shoulder.
The two grinned at one another and then approached Mellia, who still hadn’t moved from her spit in the middle, still staring dazedly into some seemingly random direction.
In the back, Ezekiel stared at a heavily breathing Selene that hugged his feet, or maybe he was staring at his outstretched palms.
Either way, he looked to be in shock.
A terrible premonition overcame Arakiel as the two immortals approached his little sister.
“Stop!” He called out, his mind still reeling from what had happened just now. “What are you doing!?”
He felt increasingly stupid for asking the question, but he just couldn’t keep up.
Again, it was Nyanna that turned to him as she affectionately held out her slender, delicate hand towards his sister. “This one offended us – so we’re teaching her some manners.”
“No, wait! We had a deal!” Arakiel screamed as once again, genuine fear took hold of him.
This earlier rush only made the grim reality all the worse. He wasn’t some powerful entity, some indomitable spirit of mortal will.
He was a toy, an impotent toy for these beings.
But he would not let that break him. He couldn’t allow it!
Mellia fell forward a second later, right into the seelie sisters’ arms.
Nyanna turned to him, chuckling. “Arakiel, Arakiel… we are seelie. We are beings of twilight, attracted to neither dark nor light – what need do we have for deals and rules?”
“Don’t take her away!” He shouted as he approached them on uneasy knees. “Whatever offense she committed, we can surely talk it out!”
Both chuckled at first, and then laughed out loud. In the end, Nyanna addressed him once again. This time, she sounded both condescending and conciliatory at the same time. “My dear mortal Ascendant, father of our unborn – I will tell you this because I truly look forward to seeing you again once you’ve matured,” the seelie prefaced and then made her point in a calm manner.
The immortal seemed able to switch her emotions at will and she always sounded so genuine.
“We are taking this seedbed because she is useful in fostering our power. Whatever morality you intend to bring up, keep it; it is not worth the breath you waste in uttering it. If you seek to bargain with us, with me… then become powerful, powerful enough that I respect you because right now, I just adore you. You and your little dove are cute little toys that I can play with to gain some entertainment, toys I can use to further my power.”
The seelie stopped for a moment while she took the Spatial Ring off of Mellia’s hand.
She threw it towards Arakiel, who caught it with surprise and disbelief. He didn’t understand her actions one bit.
“I like your will, Ascendant – your desire to dominate. It will serve you well,” Nyanna went on and added with a smile. “And I think you’re very handsome, which is good. I would’ve killed you otherwise.”
“Tell Ezekiel that he’s on the right track,” Alanna told him, wearing another smile. “We will eagerly await the day you find us. Take it as an incentive. All your potential is meaningless if you don’t make something of it.”
“You’re just casually telling me this while abducting my little sister?” Arakiel muttered in disbelief, having painfully realized that he couldn’t stand up to them.
He had been a fool, trying to barter with immortals. And now Mellia was paying the price.
“You should thank her, my little mortal,” Nyanna went on and before he could respond, she laid out the matter. “She bade us to help you conquer this plane and right now… we’re inclined to do just that.”
Alanna slightly cocked her head and suddenly burst out laughing. “The akh who seeks to use you, the foolish northman and our decrepit, raving Cahir – they’re all quite frankly out of your league.”
“But it’d be a shame for you to fail here,” Nyanna went on as she and her sister began to seemingly ponder on something.
A brief pause, and then their eyes lit up as if they just had another idea. They nodded at one another before Nyanna spoke up once more.
“Call it a whim, if you will – but we will travel with you for the time being. If anyone seeks to oppose you… we will wash her or him away.”
Arakiel shook his head fervently. “You seek to shame me even further!?”
Nyanna’s smile took a slight crack. “No,” she answered flat-out, sounding genuinely disappointed. “I am teaching you to seize opportunities by any means.”
“I don’t…!” He began, but the seelie interrupted him once more.
“Don’t be a fool, Arakiel.” Nyanna interrupted in a lecturing manner. “It is my token of affection for you because I do find you quite cute at the moment. Do not spurn me now.”
“Can I… can I think about it?” He asked with a heavy heart because deep inside of his mind, a notion wanted to accept their offer however crazy it seemed.
“We will meet at Seelerest,” the two seelie affirmed in unison and from one moment to another, three sigils of rose-colored pink light formed and when they dissolved, the seelie and Mellia were gone.
He briefly heard soft footsteps, but they moved so swiftly that they were gone in a moment while Arakiel just stood there, unsure what to do.
His body refused to give out, refused to fall on his knees – but he was stunned. He reeled, hurt.
And then, he became aware of a piece of white noise that had been there all the time, but now that silence set in once again, it was deafening.
A whimper, a soft weeping.
Finding new strength, he turned around and charged towards Aurora whose wings slowly receded as she looked up to him, her golden eyes red from having cried so much.
Her body still trembled and her gaze plead him to help her, but when he reached out in order to touch her, to embrace her, to somehow help her, she began to scream at the top of her lungs.
“DON’T TOUCH ME!”
Inside him, something cracked.
* * *