The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human (20 page)

I gulped down the drink and, oddly enough, began to enjoy the taste. My stomach warmed, and it felt like I was taking a pleasant bath. "There is no way to save her? Can I help you somehow? I can do anything you want.”

Heliose smiled and handed me the bottle instead of filling my cup. "I appreciate your concern, but I am very close to solving this problem. All I have to do is find the bastard responsible and land a dozen arrows in his face until he stops moving. The problem is reaching him. Now drink.”

Thirsty for more and happy to oblige an archangel, I drank from the bottle, savoring the fire flowing down my throat. In the blink of an eye, I drained the bottle.

It slipped from my fingers and shattered on the floor.

I coughed and giggled. The world became brighter. Everything seemed perfect. Even the chair I sat in appeared to be a trustworthy friend. I caressed it gently, wanting to whisper how good it felt to be on top of it, while the archangel and his two twin brothers laughed at me.

Laying my head against the table that looked like a giant chocolate, I slurred, “Hey, arch…angel there ish a female thing I need to go rescue.”

“Just half a bottle and you are already in your happy place?”

"Find Emily," I muttered as I licked the table. It tasted like chocolate.

“I have her under control.”

"Really? Can... I... go shee... her?”

“Sure, as soon as the drink kicks in. But, for now, take a look for yourself.” He waved his hand, and a small mirror about the size of my hand appeared on top of the table. Within it, I saw Emily sleeping inside a hall, tied to a chair.

I reached for the mirror and rubbed my face against the glass. “Hehe. You’re sho pretty.”

Emily

The faint salty smell of the ocean crept into my nose and with it came images of me forcing Narius onto the ground.

I cringed, unable to believe I had licked him, and moved my hand to rub my face. Except that a binding of some sort held my hand in place. Opening my eyes, I found myself tied to a chair by metal clamps.

I was inside a large abandoned hall. All around me, moss engulfed the ancient building, illuminated by a trickle of light that seeped through the tiny cracks on the ceiling. 
What is this place? Where's Narius? I hope he's not hurt.

The hall was a part of a temple, indicated by a shattered statue of an angel only a few steps away from me and a weathered stained glass window depicting a scantily-dressed male angel, probably from Lady Tristina's flock. Off in the distance, sunshine illuminated a corner at the end of the building, most likely from an open door or a window.

I glanced at my shackles. 
Right. I can get out of this. I have all my limbs. I just need to focus. That idiot could be eating something off the ground, or meeting strangers who want to use him for a slave. Or he could already be selling his body for food!
 The image of naked Narius down on his knees being exploited came to mind. 
No! I have to get out of here now!

I gripped the chair in an attempt to control my breathing. 
Stop! Calm down. Narius is fine. He's probably doing better than me.
 I exhaled and tugged at my seat, but the bonds refused to break.

Annoyed, I reached for my magic when the sound of coins clattering against the stony floor echoed through the ruined hall.

I craned my neck to the side and caught sight of gnomes lying on top of a round table, playing cards.

They drank milk and shoved my chocolate into their faces as they fearlessly used my precious money for their childish card game. The gnomes sprinkled the golden coins everywhere, dirtying them with their brown-stained hands. Next to the merry band of thieves was my baggage, including my staff. The latter leaned against the edge of the table, begging me to destroy the sticky-fingered gnomes.

I concentrated the magic in my hands to freeze my bonds. But before I could release it, two figures, one tall and the other short, emerged from around the lighted corner of the hallway, their footsteps echoing towards me. The taller figure was Mafis, still dressed in the ragged black robes that made him look like a beggar. The squatter figure beside him was a grey-bearded gnome wearing a red cone as a hat. He appeared about as threatening as Narius.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me," Mafis said to the gnome.

I closed my eyes and stopped the spell, hoping the two would walk by me, thinking that I was asleep.

They halted right in front of me instead.

"What are friends for?" the gnome said, then lowered his tone. "But are you sure about this? It sounds a little too risky."

"It is, but this is my last shot for a happy ending."

"Don't be a fool. Ask your tall friends to help you. Or, you could hire us longer. I know I shouldn't do this, but I can give you an employer's discount and take off three percent."

The elf exhaled with a shake of his head. "No. As much as I need the help, I cannot risk the lives of elves or gnomes. That angel nearly killed you and your subordinate. Besides, from this point onwards, it wouldn't matter how many bows I have on my side. All that matters is my own willpower."

"Well, you stubborn bastard, I hope you get through this in one piece."

"So do I. Now, I have business with the human here. Could you take your friends and return home?"

"So eager to get rid of me?"

"It's for your own safety."

"Like this human girl is going to threaten anyone." A sharp kick against my shin made my leg jerk out.

I cursed as my eyes popped open.

The gnome smile. "Stop pretending to be asleep."

"How did you know?" I asked.

"You aren't drooling."

I winced. "That's ridiculous."

The gnome laughed and gave a dismissive wave to Mafis. "Right. I will be on my way, then. Contact me for any other problems you may have. Remember: we work cheap, and no hidden charges."

Mafis clasped the gnome's hand and shook it. "Good bye, Shovelface. Stay out of trouble."

Shovelface scratched his head and shouted at the card-playing gnomes. "We're leaving! Stop touching the human's junk!"

The gnomes responded by dropping everything in their hands, including my coins, much to my relief. They grumbled and slung their tiny bags over their shoulders. Before long, the last of them had left the hall, laughing and yelling like they were going on a picnic.

Once the hall was silent, I returned my gaze to Mafis. Our eyes met, and the silver-eyed elf glared at me.

He walked over to the abandoned table where coins, chocolate, and the rest of my stuff sat idly, fetched a chair, and dragged it behind him. He placed the wooden chair between me and the table and sat down.

Silence rolled in, and I waited while his eyes drifted over me, making me feel uncomfortable. 
Relax. If I was brought here alive, then it means he won't kill me, at least not yet.

"So, what now?" I asked. 
And while you are at it, blurt out where you are keeping Narius.

"I want you to do something for me."

"No."

He said nothing more, his silver eyes tarnishing in frustration.

Irritated, I asked, "Isn't this the part where you torture me? Or are you just going to ogle me?"

The elf waved his hand. "None of that nonsense. I was told that you must help me voluntarily."

"That's not going to happen." I let out a long breath. "And sending those gnomes away was a mistake."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

Annoyed, I concentrated my magic, froze the bonds, then cracked them into pieces. I rose from my prison and stretched my arms.

The elf didn't bat an eye, and I became intrigued. "All right. Why are you doing this?"

"To save my daughter."

Remembering what Varian and the elf had discussed about his deceased daughter prior to the former's death, I raised my eyebrow at his odd statement. 
But then again, he could just as easily have another daughter.
 Satisfied by my own answer, I kicked a small piece of rubble to stretch my limbs and watched the stone strike the fallen statue's face.

I glanced at my staff. I would need it if I wanted to cast anything larger than a snowball. Unfortunately, the lazy elf was blocking my path, and I doubted he'd stay still and watch me if I went for it. "If you need the money to buy healing potions or pay some sort of ransom, there are easier ways than trying to summon a demon."

"Money?" The elf squinted. "No, I am doing this to resurrect my daughter."

"Resurrect?" 
Is that even possible?

"It's a long story."

I settled back into the chair, readying my magic, while pretending to lower my guard. "Well, go on. We've got the time. After that, you're going to tell me where you stowed Narius. And because I am such a generous soul, if you can convince me, then I will help you." 
By collecting your bounty and delivering you to a nice cozy dungeon.

Mafis gave me a sad smile, his eyes wary. "Then we have a deal." Clearing his throat, he leaned against the chair. "It all began nine years ago..."

Mafis—nine years ago

“Mafis!” Filia's shrill young voice shouted at me, her little fingers tugging at my robe, pulling me out of my nap. I pretended to be ignorant of her calls, but the strength of her hands started to rip apart the living plants that formed the fabric of my robe.

I glanced down from a low-hanging branch of the tree I had been napping on and saw Filia, her pointy ears perked up. Stretching my arms, I yawned and rose from the comfortable wooden branch. I searched for any signs of trouble, but the only threat was the lush green vegetation basking in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. “That’s 'Daddy' to you.”

Filia jumped up and down, the summer sun glistening against her silver hair. “Daddy! Let’s go see the humans!”

“Humans? They are back already? That was a fast four days." I rubbed my stomach. "Forget about 'em. They’re just traders here to buy some wine. Why don’t we visit the gnome village and watch them play their war games?”

She shook her head. "I don't wanna."

I scratched my chin and flashed her my dashing smile. “Let me guess. You want to see that trader’s boy again?"

She nodded ferociously, her silvery eyes shining with hope. "He promised to bring me a flower.”

I raised my eyebrow and drifted my gaze to the batch of lilies, daises, and other pollinating plants, waving at us from a clearing with the aid of the wind. “Really? A flower?”

“But he said it was pretty and he said we should do something special under a tree.”

“I bet it’s special. That little degenerate,” I whispered, wondering how I could step in and make sure that the human didn’t break Filia’s gentle heart. After brushing off the leaves that clung to my clothes, I dropped to the ground. Elaborate plans for scaring off the human boy began forming in my mind. One such plan involved a rose stem inserted into the boy's pants and having the little human scratch his crotch at crucial moments. 
No, too much effort. I'll just ask Shovelface to shoot a bolt there.
With the pleasant image in mind, I smirked and grabbed Filia’s tiny hand. Then we skipped to the village, passing birds that chirped at us like we had gone mad.

As we neared the outskirts of the village, the giant branches of the Mother Tree swayed with the wind, and yellow leaves the size of a small doe rustled, providing a nice cool shade for the animals of the forest.

The same wind brushed my hair and I caught an odd scent of a creature I had never smelt before. It smelled ancient, yet still full of life somehow. I stopped in my tracks. Something wasn’t right. Off in the distance, I could not see any of the familiar faces of traders trying to haggle. Instead, the humans carried weapons, and their faces were covered by white cotton masks, designed to protect the wearer from the plague. To further my confusion, all of the villagers had been herded into the middle of the clearing in front of the Mother Tree.

Filia, unaware of the disturbing scene, climbed on top of me and forced me to give her a piggyback ride. ”Forward!” she shouted.

I took a hesitant step towards the tree, hoping that I was mistaken. 
Maybe the humans are going to give us yet another arrogant argument to try to get us to leave our land.

In the distance, two human soldiers eyed us, talking to one another. “I know you don't feel right about this,” one of them whispered, “but damn it all, we've got to do this, for Arehan. Or do you want to see your wife and kids on the road somewhere, starving and looking for a new home?”

I pretended not to hear their softly-spoken words and changed my direction.

“Why are we going back to the house, Daddy?” Filia asked.

“No reason to stay since the love of your life is not here today.”

She pulled on my hair. “He’s not—"

A heavy hand grabbed my arm from behind and stopped me.