Take Flight Part 23
“Stop them!” Sayer gasped when a hand grabbed his ankle,
yanking him down. “There’s more than one!”
None of the men answered him.
Sayer strained his wings, flapping hard, but couldn’t break
free of the iron grip on his ankle.
Rittenhauser heaved them downward. Sayer held Birch closer
and protected his head as they tumbled to the floor. He landed on his back with
a thud. Birch cried out when Sayer couldn’t prevent his legs from being jarred.
“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”
The man who’d captured Birch stood over them, his feet
spread wide. He pointed his shotgun at Sayer’s face. “I’ll do it, demon.”
He was insane. “I’m not a demon!” Sayer protested. His
instincts screamed for him to use his magic, but he was too weak still.
“What do think I am? An idiot? Your filthy tricks won’t fool
me.” The remaining light flickered. Sayer strained his eyes, careful not to
move his head. The sprites were dancing near the bulbs. He had to stall. The
other fae would contain the humans. Birch’s boss was something… different.
“Why harm Birch? I know you said you saw me, when we were
kids.”
“He drew you to our town. I’ve seen it happen. He draws you
demons like a moth to a flame. He is no innocent! My father warned me of your
kind so I could be a soldier in the war against evil.” Spit flew from his lips
as Rittenhauser raged. A fire smoldered in his eyes. “I am Grigori! I can sense
your filth. I know when your evil comes creeping out of the shadows to taint
mortal men. But not here! Not in my town!”
The priest gasped and began mumbling.
Sayer had never heard of any being called a Grigori, but
Birch’s boss was definitely not a mortal. It explained why he could see the
fae, and why the cross had such an effect on the balance of power in the fae
realm.
There might still be hope to hide the fae from the human
realm for a while longer, at least until they could recover from the damage
this being did to them.
A loud boom echoed off the high stone ceiling. “Mitch, stop!”
A huge man, easily seven and a half feet tall, ducked through the open doors.
How had he gotten by Croll? “My son, you are mistaken about these folk.”
Rittenhauser shook his head violently. “No, Father. I saw
them; I feel it!” He gestured wildly with the fun. “Tell me you can’t feel that
taint all around us. You taught me how to sense demons and their effect on men.
This is my purpose, my calling. I will eradicate the evil on behalf of the
Lord. They deserve to die.”
The barrel of the gun he was staring down shook. Sayer
desperately hoped the incensed man wouldn’t pull the trigger.
“There are many folk on this Earth beyond mortal men and demon-kind.
I only told you after you came across a demon as a child to help you
understand. I never intended for you to become a Scourge.”
“They wouldn’t have me! Said I was delusional. But I saw him
turn into smoke. He flew! He has wings!”
Birch trembled in his arms. Sayer could smell his blood and
feel his pain. He had to get away from the church and get his beloved to
Haverlseen. “I am Lord of the Fae. We are magical beings, but we are not
demons. We are not evil.”
“No! Your kind all lie. You’re trying to trick me into letting
you go, but I won’t.”
“Mitch, my son”—the man’s voice was closer, almost directly
behind Sayer—“he speaks the truth. There are many realms on Earth and many
creatures who have no affiliation with demon kind. I am sorry that I left your
education so lacking. I wanted to keep you from this war.”
The tip of the man’s shotgun began to lower. “B-but… you
said… You said to be vigilant against evil around me.”
The man reached over them with one long arm. He gently
closed his hand over the barrel, plucking it from Rittenhauser’s limp hands. The
older man no longer looked at Birch and Sayer; he stared at his father. He
shook his head.
“I-I don’t understand.”
“That’s okay, I’ll help you. We’re going to let these folk
go, and they’ll free your… friends.”
Sayer took the first deep breath he’d allowed himself since
he found out Birch had been captured. The insane man who’d grabbed him looked
like a lost child. All his rage seemed to have disappeared with the arrival of
his father.
“What are you?” Sayer asked.
“I am a Grigori.”
There was that word again.
“I don’t know what that is, but you clearly know what I am.”
“My kind are rare. We were angels once, but now we live
among humans and cannot ascend to the heavens.” The giant man sighed. “I am
very sorry my son hurt your people. I know it means little to redress the
balance, but he did not know he was doing wrong.”
“He poisoned my people and shot my beloved. An apology is
not enough.”
Sayer curled Birch into his arms more securely and carefully
rose to his feet. “I don’t have time to deal with this. I must see to my
beloved. I will release his men, but not their weapons.”
“When you have settled things, you can find me through the
father over there. He can contact me with a time and place. I’m sure you have
questions for me.”
Sayer nodded sharply.
He rose into the air. “Let’s go.”
The fae who had followed Sayer into the church to rescue
Birch followed him out the open doors.
Very interesting chapter! That answered alot about his boss. Who is Rittenhaus speaking of when he says they rejected him....and in their defense, he is quite delusional, huh! lol Is Rittenhaus just the child of a Grigori or does that make him one? I know he id'd himself as one. How does his dad know about them, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI am dying to see Birch better and I kinda hope we get more of their life together as they re-establish peace in their realm.
I sense more stories in this world. The rationale for why Birch's boss was so determined to harm the fae is a nice surprise. People can be misguided rather than evil.
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