An Angel’s Road to Hell

Cassandra Pendragon

I actually felt much more agitated with my pants and shirts on the line than I had ever expected to. And that was only on the surface. Depending on how the next hours were going to go, I might just find out how much effort had gone into developing sophisticated lingerie on this little world of ours. Gods, she’d probably even take me shopping to add insult to injury. In a town filled with prostitutes and, until recently, pleasure slaves, mind you. Me and my damned oversized mouth.

Luckily it wasn’t midnight, just yet, but the sun had set quite a while ago and while I hadn’t spent much more time with the late Captain, it still felt like an hour or several had passed unnoticed. I hadn’t bothered with his corpse, the vultures, bipedal and flying ones, would take care of the problem without my intervention but still… There was just too much happening, most of which wouldn’t make for a thrilling tale but I had to run hither and to, breaking up minor scuffles between the former slaves, convincing Asra’s minions to count their blessings and rob his place, instead of causing even more trouble, making sure no one entered or rather fell into the pond and exchange a few hurried words with the handful of people I cared about, whenever I stumble over them.

And then, there was also my family, of course. At first I had been pretty glad that they hadn’t needed me, but once they had emerged from the ruin they had retreated to and started avoiding me like the plague, I had become suspicious. It didn’t take much to figure out that they had stumbled across something tied to me or my past, but, truth be told, I was just as prepared to leave it for the morrow as they were. Otherwise I might have taken a peek at Viyara’s memories since the dragoness had never bothered severing the link between us. Which probably meant she actually wanted me to, but I had no intention of sticking my head into yet another rabbit hole. Tomorrow, or maybe even the day after…

Petty complaints aside, for the moment, at least, I didn’t have much to gripe about. Most of the crowd had returned home, except for the slaves, of course, and I was enjoying a few minutes of tranquility, far enough away from the makeshift camp, that had started forming around the trees, to ignore the noise and the smell. I wasn’t alone, far from it, but the company I was keeping was actually making me feel much more at ease, even though they could be quite… boisterous, from time to time. Ahri, of course, hadn’t left my side but when we had finally settled down for a cup of tea on the banks of the pond, our friends had appeared out of the darkness, one by one. My mom and granny, I thought with a smile, had been the first, followed by Mordred and Reia. Soon Archy and Estrella had found their missing leader and since Layla had been with them, her mother hadn’t been far behind. Those four would have been enough to shatter the peace, but they were soon joined by Pete’s family and the ensuing, joyful laughter, as the kids had begun playing around and in the scintillating waters had drawn Aspera, Astra and Lyra in. Barely five minutes later our trio of fey had appeared as well, with Liz, Vanya and Will tagging along. Like I said, I wasn’t alone, by any stretch of the imagination. Only the dwarfs hadn’t joined us but judging from the gravelly voices, floating around a campfire not too far away, and the impressive number of casks, haphazardly placed around it, they were having their own private get together. With the former pirates, no less. Viyara and Aurelia were also missing but judging from the few glimpses I gained, whenever I focused on the dragoness, they were obviously quite happy to have a bit of time to themselves and wouldn’t join us, any time soon. Oh my, she truly had grown up fast.

“With the whole lot of them around I stand about as much chance of winning our bet as a pig stands of learning how to fly,” I complained whisper quiet to Ahri. Her tails snaked round my waist and her ears tickled my cheek as she leaned her head against my shoulder, the light of the stars reflected in her mesmerising eyes. With a content sigh she extended her long legs.

“I’d love to say I told you so, but… look, over there, behind the closest tree. Can you see them? It’s only a question of time before they find the courage to come closer. As much as I’d like to make you wear dresses for a few weeks, I don’t think you’ve much to fear. I must admit, I forgot about those two.” I curiously followed her line of sight and immediately saw what she had hinted at. Beneath the blossom laden branches two girls were shuffling on their feet, almost hidden behind the mighty trunk. For the fraction of a second I puzzled over their identities until a warm gust of wind carried their scent over to us. They were the two barmaids who had survived the massacre at Alassara’s place.

“Do you admit your loss, then,” I asked teasingly and wrapped my arms around her.

“Not quite,” she chuckled, her gaze raised to the sky. “It’s an hour to midnight, maybe a little less. Chances are they’ll still be struggling whether to come over or not when the time’s up. And you going over there won’t count. You’re not out of the woods, yet.”

“You don’t sound like you particularly care about losing, only winning. How come?” She wriggled around in my embrace and kissed my cheek.

“What are you going to make me do? Unless you expect me to walk around in a gambeson in the sweltering heat, there really isn’t much that would make me uncomfortable. And I somehow don’t see you buying a chastity belt, either,” she added with a laugh.

“Who says I don’t already have one? I’m royalty, after all.”

“Yeah… unfortunately I know your wardrobe much more intimately than you do. I was your maid, after all. I have to admit, though, if you still had all your clothes from back then, you might manage to make me blush. Unfortunately you don’t and I know you’re much too self conscious and much too much of a prude to buy anything truly spicy. A shame, really, since I won’t have the same problem, if the two over there don’t find their spines within the next hour.”

“What about calling out or waving them over, would that count?” She puffed up her cheeks.

“No, I don’t think it would. But by all means, go ahead. I already have my eyes on a short and slinky summer dress I’ve seen the last time we were in town. Provided the shop still stands, that is. A month is a long time, though. I can’t wait until we get to the Emerald Island.”

“You don’t believe they’ll approach us, do you? Not anymore, at least. Why?”

“Listen. You can hear their heartbeat, if you concentrate. They’re much too nervous, at least for now. Let’s see how long it’s going to take them to get over it. Time’s ticking, after all.” I did as she had said and focused on my hearing. For a moment, the sensations were almost deafening, the distant flapping of wings a thundering drumbeat, the quiet scurrying off tiny feet in the grass a concert I could have danced to, but quickly enough I managed to focus on the explosive, roaring staccato their hearts thundered in their chests. I couldn’t listen for long, though, since the impact of a giant, falling close by, nearly ruptured my eardrums.

I hissed and pressed my hands against my ears, blinking away the stinging tears. A moment later I relaxed. It was no giant, but rather a lithe and dark haired kitsune. Her smile, though, wouldn’t have been out of place on a true monster, when it spotted its succulent pray hiding in the dark.

“Sera,” I grumbled, while the pain in my head slowly abated. “To what do we owe the pleasure?’

“Oh, nothing much,” she chuckled. “I just thought you two could do with a reminder of how acute my hearing is. Really, Cassandra? A prude? At least in that regard we aren’t very similar.” Damn it! The second conversation I was ever having with my grandmother and I was blushing from head to toe within a second. To make matters worse, she wasn’t even finished. With a coquettish grin she turned to the petrified vixen in my arms and added: “if you want me to give her some pointers, just say the word. Looks aren’t everything, after all, not even in the bedroom.”

“I…,” At least Ahri was looking almost as embarrassed as I felt but she managed to regain her composure quickly enough. No idea where she had learned that trick but from one heartbeat to the next the colour vanished from her cheeks and she even smiled slyly. “Oh, I think you misunderstood. When we’re alone she doesn’t lack imagination, nor confidence. It’s just… look at her, now. She has been parading around in front of our friends, butt naked, often enough, but she still acts her age, whenever anyone else is around.” Before I could muster any form of protest she kissed me passionately and added: “not that I’d want her to change. I think it’s rather adorable.”

“I…,” I spluttered, “I’m right here! If the two of you want to bind over pillow talk, please do so when I’m not around. I know I’m an immortal, but you still might just make my heart stop.”

“Oh my,” Sera said while she moved her tails into a more comfortable position and leaned back. “I think I see what you mean. Really, there isn’t much either of you could tell me that I haven’t tried… although, I’ve never really been that interested in women.”

“I really didn’t need to hear that,” I exclaimed exasperatedly. “Isn’t there anything else we can talk about? Please?”

“Sure and you’ve already mentioned it. I’d really like to know what exactly an immortal is, who you are, aside from my granddaughter and granddaughter in law, and why I’ve never even heard of creatures like you. If that’s nothing you want to share, we can, of course, always return to the topic at hand. Whichever you prefer, honey.”

“Heavens, no,’’ I quickly stated. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but please, let’s never again talk about the birds and the bees.” She laughed throatily.

“That’s what I thought. Well, then…I’m all ears.” I looked at Ahri, her expression mirroring mine, safe my still scarlet colouration. Had the old bat just tricked me? Probably. Not that it mattered. I had never planned on keeping her in the dark. Besides… the way I was flaunting my powers, pretty much everyone and their trusted pets could have figured out that I wasn’t your run of the mill kitsune, by now. Again, not that it mattered, much, considering we were most likely going to settle down in Free Land, but I’d have to be careful, once we reached the Emerald Island.

“Ask away, then,” I mumbled defeatedly. “What exactly would you like to know?”

“Everything,” came the immediate reply. “But for now… how much control do you have?” And there she went, surprising me again. Wily, clever… she really was more than just a pretty face.

“That’s not easy to answer,” I explained haltingly. “I’m no danger to myself or others, neither of us is, our abilities don’t suddenly manifest. But… both of us are still unbelievably far away from what are going to become, from maturity. From what I’ve heard, this usually takes hundreds of years. We’ve come pretty far, already, though. Keep in mind, I’m only seven.” She nodded slowly. After a moment’s pause and a deep breath she continued:

“I’ve never really seen you cast a spell. Sure, what you’ve done was impressive, at least the power you used was, but the actual magic? That’s something most beginners can accomplish, on a much, much smaller scale, of course. Same with your voice. It… conveys what you are, its an expression of yourself, but it’s not really… controlled, filled with intent. I know you have more power than I can imagine but can you actually use it?” I shook my head sadly, my eyes glued to a shimmering dragonfly buzzing across the pond. Its carapace glowed a soft blue whenever it darted from one mosquito to the next, hunting the flying pests. They had appeared, once the sun had set, even though this place had been a market, barely a day ago. Luckily they didn’t seem overly interested in us and stuck to Pete and his orphans. Maybe it was the magic in our blood or something else, but for whatever reason none of the rest had to fight against the bloodsucking army. I wouldn’t complain, but seeing our vamps being harassed by their miniature kin would have been hilariously ironic. Or I was simply blessed with a very strange kind of humour. Hopefully the stinging vermin wouldn’t turn out to be the first to transform. A supercharged mosquito, or several thousand for that matter, would surely make for a horrendous neighbourhood.

“Yes and no,” I finally said. “I’m… you’ve been right, before. I really am a novice, in some ways. My magic actively changes me, which means I’m quite skilful with anything I can… feel, but I don’t know much about what I’m actually doing. Hmm… thinking of me as untrained with a ungodly amount of power at my disposal isn’t such a bad metaphor. Maybe it’s not even a metaphor.”

“Would you like me to change that?” I shared a quick glance with Ahri and she replied for the both of us.

“We’ve been puzzling about how to train for a while, now. It’s… usually training takes time, much time. A sparse commodity,” she added wistfully. “I just don’t see us studying books in the morning and practicing spells in the afternoon for days on end.” Sera only shrugged.

“I don’t think that’s necessary. Spells are… oh well, maybe it’d be for the best to start at the beginning. Look, I assume you know that magic is just a fancy word for manipulating energies most people can’t even perceive. Power, on the other hand, usually refers to the amount of energy you actually have at your disposal.” Her expression changed as she adopted a pose, quite similar to how Mephisto always looked when he was beginning a lecture. “Now, whatever you yourself can… produce, for want of a better word, is directly linked to your mind, your will. You can form it, change it, manipulate it with your thoughts and wishes alone. Whether it stems from your astral body, your life or your soul, that part is basically just about knowing how to marshal the power into a specific pattern, a spell. It becomes more interesting, once you try and use the energies already present in the world.” She paused and ordered her thoughts.

“Power is constantly leaking through your skin, generating an aura. If you actively push more of it into your surroundings, your aura grows. Your own energies carry your intent over to everything they touch and thus allow you to control forces which actually aren’t yours. Once that’s happened, you can use them just in the same way you use your own energies. Now, the more power you have to begin with, the easier this obviously becomes, but your intent, your will, is just as important. Think of it as tug of war. Your energy is the mass you can bring to bear but the actual strength also comes from your movements, your ability to convert that mass into force. That’s where your mind, your knowledge and will, come into play. Let’s look at an example.” She frowned and raised her hand, where a tiny, red hot spark ignited.

“That’s me, channeling a bit of my own mana into a confined space. I converted the pure mana into fire, thus producing an ember. Now, watch.” Her frowned deepened and tiny motes of light manifested around the glowing orb, lazily travelling towards it until it grew to the size of a fist. “Now I’ve allowed my intent to leak out, attracting matching energies. For most, the path to mastering magic mainly circles around maximising the power within you and the control over external energies. From what I’ve seen, that’s not something the two of you have to worry about. For you, it’s mainly about learning how to actually change the energies at your command into whatever form you wish. And that’s where spells or spell forms matter. They’re… shortcuts, allowing you to bypass gaps in your knowledge. If you actually understand the change you want to facilitate, you don’t need them. But that’s true mastery, something rarely achieved.”