Private one on one thread

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Landing down beside the demon’s dead body, Skylar picked it up as if it were as light as a young angel and throw the body over his shoulder. Skylar had to admit that it was kind of disgusting allowing the dead demon’s body to touch him like this but it was the only way that he could move the body without leaving a trail of blood.

Peering up at the ledge then where Cassiel and the young angel were, Skylar couldn’t help but smile knowing that Cassiel had his back if something were to happen. It made Skylar feel like all the deaths of his fellow angels were not in vain because if it weren’t for them then Skylar would probably have been killed along with his fellow angels and brother Aiden. Shuddering slightly at the thought, Skylar quickly shook his head then and disappeared through the doorway knowing where exactly he wanted to place the dead demon’s body.

When he and Cassiel had made their mad dash for freedom just a few hours earlier, Skylar noticed that there was a door that seemed to have lead to a special chamber that held nothing but lava. Assuming that that was where the demons disposed of the bodies of their fellow demons when they were killed, Skylar thought nothing of it until he had to dispose of a dead demon without drawing any attention. Quietly as possible, Sklyar paused a moment to peer into the room to make sure that it was empty before he went in to throw the body of the demon into the boiling hot lava.

Before he threw the body in however, Skylar noticed the arrow still sticking in the demon’s chest and thought that the arrow could be reused again and not be thrown away so carelessly when he knew they were going to need all the supplies they could get. Reaching out to yank the arrow out of the demon, Skylar winced slightly when the arrow was removed and he had accidently managed to cut himself on the arrow’s sharp point. ”Damn it!” he muttered looking down at the huge cut in the middle of his right palm. Muttering under his breath, Skylar ripped off a strip of the demon’s shirt then and used it to wrap up his bleeding hand.

With the arrow then securely in his left hand then, Skylar then quickly disposed of the demon’s body and turned around then to return to Cassiel and the young angel. Five minutes later then, Skylar finally made it back to the entrance of the cave then where the ledge was and looked around to make sure that there were no demons around before he started to flap his wings then and made his way back up to where Cassiel was still waiting. Reaching out and offering the fallen angel the extra arrow, Skylar gave him a tired smile. ”Here. I figure that an extra arrow wouldn’t hurt.”

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel


After what seemed like forever, Cassiel was relieved to see Skylar return. He was holding an arrow and his hand was bandaged. When Skylar handed Cassiel the arrow, he smiled and put it in the quiver with the rest of them. They would need to keep an eye out for more arrows when they were looking for demons to lure into their trap. He frowned however when he noticed Skylar’s hand.

“You’re hurt.” Cassiel was concerned. Compared to what they had suffered through before, it seemed like a small thing but it still bothered him to see Skylar injured. An injury to the hand would make fighting or digging difficult. They had little to take care of even the smallest injuries. But Cassiel doubted they would find much in the way of medical supplies on their raids against the demons. The demons made no great efforts to help their own wounded comrades and merely left those too injured from fighting to die.

This happened more often than one would think even in a relatively peaceful place. When the demons became bored of tormenting their slaves, they would often fight amongst themselves for amusement. As they scavenged more supplies from the demons, they would find many weapons, but likely little else of use.

Cassiel didn’t grudge the use of the holy water on the other angel though. He would have died without it and they were trying to save as many angels as they could. He looked at the sleeping angel. It made Cassiel feel happy to know that even if he didn’t know it yet, this angel was now safer than he had been since he had been captured. He looked back at Skylar. “Do you know this one? He seems to be a recent capture like yourself. “

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar blinked in slight confusion when Cassiel noticed that he had hurt himself. ”I did?” he asked in slight confusion before looking down at his injured hand then and realizing what the other male was talking about. ”Oh that? I got careless removing the arrow from that demon’s chest and cut myself really good but I’m fine. It actually doesn’t hurt.” he said with a small smile.

Slowly walking over then and taking a seat beside the sleeping angel, Skylar took a seat then and leaned his back against the cool cave wall. Hearing Cassiel’s question then of if he knew the sleeping angel, Skylar blinked as if he were just coming out of a slight trance. ”Huh? What?” he asked feeling slightly light headed all of the sudden. Shrugging it off as mild fatigue though, Skylar turned his attention back to the sleeping angel then and slowly nodded his head then when Cassiel’s question finally dawned on him. ”Oh yeah. I do know him actually. His name is Loreto and he recently joined us. He’s even younger than I am actually.”

Closing his eyes then, Skylar couldn’t help but wince slightly as he tugged at the collar around his neck as he felt it suddenly get awfully warm. ”Hey Cassiel…is it hot in here or is it just me?” he muttered softly as he slowly opened his eyes then and stared over at Cassiel with glazed eyes. It was like his body was suddenly being dipped in lava and his arms and legs were starting to feel as heavy as lead.

What the hell was the matter with him? He was fine after disposing the demon’s body and now he was feeling like s**t. Shaking his head at the thought, Skylar slowly brought his knees up to his chest then and wrapped his arms around his knees. Resting his chin on his knees then, Skylar shuddered slightly feeling completely exhausted. ”If it’s alright with…you Cassiel…I think I’m…going to take a quick nap…alright?” he asked feeling his eyelids slowly starting to drift close.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



As he spoke with Skylar Cassiel could tell that something was wrong, very wrong. He seemed confused and disoriented and spoke about feeling warm. Cassiel became frightened. It was like Skylar was fading in front of him. He went to Skylar's side, and when he closed his eyes, he felt his forehead. He was hot to the touch. He had a fever, he was very ill, or poisoned. Skylar said that he had cut himself on the arrow as he removed it from the demon.

Skylar had gotten ill so fast that it was probably not an illness but the effects of a poison. Cassiel would not be surprised if the demons were using poisoned arrows to hunt them. Even if an arrow only scratched them, it would still be effective. Cassiel hoped that it was merely designed to weaken and stun them. The demons might want to recapture them so they could enjoy the process of slowly torturing them to death. He had never known them to take a quick definitive method when a slow and painful one was available.

Cassiel looked through the bag that Skylar had brought with him when they fled. There were many things but nothing that looked like it would stop the effects of poison. The holy water might have done the trick but they had used it up on Loreto.

Cassiel felt so helpless. He could not even leave this ledge to try and find something else to help Skylar, he was trapped and if the effects of the poison were lethal, he had to sit and watch Skylar die. He felt the confidence he had been feeling ebb away, leaving only despair. It did not matter what they did. When Loreto woke, Cassiel resolved that they would stay here until the demons moved on, and then he would try and get Loreto back to the angel's camp. If what Skylar had said had been accurate, the armies of heaven would not be that far away and Cassiel did not want another angel to chasing impossible dreams.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar was barely aware of the hand on his forehead and he struggled desperately to stay awake. There was no way in hell that he was going to die in a place like. Even though he had never been poisoned before, Skylar knew that that was what was probably making him so sick so fast. How could he have been so stupid? Skylar knew that he should have been more careful when he was removing the arrow and now he was suffering the consequences.

Knowing that he had used the rest of the holy water on Loreto, Skylar feared that there was nothing that could help him now before it dawned on him. The canteen. It was filled with water and if he had enough strength left in him all Skylar had to do was bless the water and then it should revert to holy water. Eyes slowly opening at the thought, Skylar looked around weakly trying to find the canteen needing to bless the water before he didn't have the strength to. After a minute of looking around in a daze, Skylar noticed the canteen of water about a foot away from him and he reached out with a shaking hand trying desperately to reach the water.

However, the effort itself was no easy task on him and fingers just brushing the canteen, Skylar slumped forward then and wincing slightly at the pain. Sweat drenching his forehead from the effort, Skylar turned his attention over to Cassiel then and gave him a desperate look.

"Water...I need to...bless the...the water." he said hoping that the other male would realize what he needed to do. If Cassiel could at least hand him the canteen then Skylar was certain that he could bless the water before passing out. With that thought in mind, Skylar smiled slightly as he closed his eyes then, fingers just inches away from the canteen. However, before Cassiel could get him the requested water, Skylar felt his body go limp then as his body could no longer handle the strain of staying conscious. Body slumping to the floor, Skylar tried desperately to at least keep his breathing nice and even so as not to put anymore strain on his body than absolutely necessary.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel has been lost in his own desperate thoughts. It was interrupted when he heard a noise. There were demons down below. His attention was drawn away from Skylar and down. They had bows and were looking upward. He hoped that he and Skyar were far enough from the ledge that they could not been seen. The demons walked around the cavern. Sometimes they looked up, but mostly they were looking around.

“Those angels have to be around somewhere” one of them said.

“I doubt it.” the other replied. “they probably took off for the main gates hours ago. “ The demons looked around some more.

Cassiel silent reached for the bow. If the demons found their hiding spot, he had to kill them both. Even though he had no way of removing their bodies, they were less likely to be found if the demons were dead and unable to report what they had seen. The demons moved off slowly into another room. Cassiel watched the direction they had gone carefully. He felt movement beside him.

Skylar was reaching towards a canteen. Cassiel heard him speaking weakly, asking for water. Of course. An unfallen angel could bless any water and made it holy. It wouldn't be a strong as the water blessed in heaven but it would be able to heal unfallen angels well enough and purify a body of poison. Cassiel grabbed the canteen and handed it Skylar. He felt Skyar go limp before he could hand it to him . Cassiel's heart sank If only he had thought of this sooner but now might be too late.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar was so out of it that he hadn't noticed Cassiel grab the canteen and hand it to him. His eyes were squeezed shut in obvious pain and was on the verge of passing out to the point where he wouldn't be sure if he would ever wake up. However, there was a voice nagging him in the back of his mind telling him that he had to be strong, that he had to open his eyes. Sadly though, those words were not enough to bring Skylar out of it and his wings twitched slightly indicating that he was still alive but barely.

From where he had been laying down beside the two angels, Loreto could hear everything that was going on between the two angels that had rescued him. Slowly opening his eyes then, Loreto turned his head slightly to the side and frowned at what he had seen. One of his rescuers was laying limp and unmoving on the ground while the other one seemed to be reaching for a bow, no doubt for the demons he could hear below them.

Waiting patiently until he was certain that the demons were gone before he moved, Loreto slowly sat up then and looked over to where the angel called Cassiel was handing the unconscious angel a canteen full of water no doubt for him to bless it. Frowning slightly, Loreto knew that there was no time to waste and crawling over to where the two angels were and gently took the canteen out of Cassiel's hand.


Since he was an unfallen angel, Loreto knew that he could bless the water just as well as the other angel could have done and that's exactly what he did. Blessing the water without a second thought, Loreto looked over at Cassiel then and frowned slightly as he motioned for the other angel to hold Skylar up so that he could help him drink the holy water. "Quickly, help him to sit up. The sooner he drinks the holy water the better his chances are."

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel was surprised when he felt the canteen being lifted out of his hands. He looked up to see Loreto and as the angel blessed the water, his expression became one of gratitude. “thank you.” He knew they didn't have much time and held Skylar up so Loreto could help him drink. He hoped that it would be in time.

As much as both Skylar and Loreto filled Cassiel had both given Cassiel a feeling of hope he had not had in years, their presence was also a constant reminder of his own lack. He could no longer do things that they both found effortless. Even when Skylar's need had been desperate, he had no power to heal him, or restore him the way Loreto did. Now that there were two unfallen angels, Skylar might finally understand how truly broken Cassiel was.

Cassiel could only hold back their attempts to escape this terrible place and sooner or later, get them both killed or worse. He had almost lost Skylar with his foolish attempts to lead him. He didn't want that to happen again. If something happened to either Skylar or Loreto he could never forgive himself. He had been a fool to think he could be anything but a burden.

Once Loreto had given Skylar the holy water, Cassiel propped him up against the wall, waiting for the holy water to take effect, hoping he had gotten it in time. He closed his eyes. If he thought it would do any good at all,he would have prayed.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Watching as the holy water was poured down Skylar's throat, Loreto's eyes wandered to the angel that was holding Skylar's unconscious form and a soft smile slowly spread across his face. Cassiel was the angel who had saved him from being thrown into the pit of dead angel bodies and for that, Loreto would be forever grateful.

"I guess I should be thanking you for saving my life Cassiel. Had it not been for you, I would still be lying in that horrible place surrounded by my fallen comrads." Loreto said as he gently pulled away the canteen from Skylar's lips then when he was certain that the other male had drank enough of the water to ward off the poison as well as give the male some of his strength then. Strength that Loreto had a feeling needed to be shared with Cassiel who seemed to be doubting his abilities to lead.

There had been a reason that Skylar was willing to follow Cassiel and it was because he had faith the fallen angel would lead them to freedom. As Loreto waited patiently to see if the holy water had worked or not, he looked back over at Cassiel and frowned slightly. "What's the matter Cassiel? Don't tell me that you feel responsible for this?"

From where he was leaning against the wall, Skylar groaned slightly then as he slowly returned to the conscious world. The pain in his hand was still there but yet one simple word escaped Skylar's lips as he struggled to open his eyes. "Ca...Cassiel?"

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



When Loreto thanked him for saving him, Cassiel smiled sadly. He didn't feel he had done anything different from what any other angel would do, and until Loreto was truly free, he had done nothing but buy him a bit more time.

Cassiel looked back to Skylar. He was still unconscious and Cassiel was not certain the holy water had been given to him in enough time. He heard what Loreto said and that was exactly how he felt. He couldn't answer him. Loreto didn't understand. If Skylar died, then as leader, Cassiel would be responsible in some way. His plan had been too reckless and he had been to ambitious in trying to save more angels when he should have just encouraged Skylar to leave. It was too much.

If Skylar survived, Cassiel didn't think he could go through another close call like this again. It would be even harder to keep two angels safe and Cassiel couldn't bear to lose any more. When he had been leader, a good and competent leader, how many angels had he sent to their deaths or worse? How many had ended up in a place like this, cursing him for abandoning him? He might have been able to do that before but not now.

Skylar spoke, calling his name. “Skylar. I”m here.” He gently touched Cassiel's shoulder. “Loreto saved you. “

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Feeling the hand on his shoulder, Skylar slowly opened his eyes then and looked over at the fallen angel with a small smile on his face. He was embarrassed for being so careless with the arrow and promised himself that next time; he wouldn't be so stupid.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so careless. I should have known that the arrows were poisoned and handled them with care. Please don't...please don't let this accident rattle you. I'm fine now and as soon as I can stand; I'm going back down there to continue our plan." he said giving Cassiel a look of determination. He had a feeling that him nearly being killed may have rattled Cassiel but Skylar had to show him that things like this happened all the time. It was war after all like Cassiel had said and in war, casualties happened.

Sitting beside the two angels, Loreto smiled a little as he looked over at Cassiel and frowned slightly when he read the fallen angel's mind. Just because he was young didn't mean that he didn't have any special abilities such as reading minds and healing other angels fallen or unfallen. Leaning over then, Loreto whispered quietly into Cassiel's ear so that Skylar couldn't hear him otherwise the other angel might have yelled at him:

"Cassiel...you can't let this incident affect you. Skylar realized what he had done wrong and he won't make the same mistake twice. Do not go doubting your abilities because of this incident. Skylar still has faith in your ability to lead and so should you."

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel heard what both of them said but shook his head. “Skylar, what happened to you as a mistake any of us could have made. It isn't something you should blame yourself for too much and it isn't that exactly that makes me doubt my abilities as a leader now. It's my reaction. The thought of losing you was more than I could take. You were dying Skylar and I couldn't do a thing to help you. I was worse than useless. I can't go through that again. We can't keep doing this.

Both of you are far to valuable to waste on trying to do something that is impossible. We can't save everyone, no matter how we might want to. The two of you should leave, together you can evade the demons and make it past the gates. You can find the armies of heaven and if you do, then you can bring them back here to rescue the remaining angels.

I can't go with you. I have no place amongst the armies of heaven any more and I'll just slow you both down and end up getting us all killed. I will stay here and fight the best I can. I've got the bow and enough arrows to kill a lot of demons before my supplies run out. It's the best I can do. “

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar and Loreto frowned slightly when they heard what Cassiel was saying. Skylar felt absolutely terrible that he was the reason Cassiel was now having second thoughts about leading them. Wasn't Cassiel the one who said that this was war? So surely he knew that something like this could have happened. For a moment, both of the unfallen angels were silent before Skylar and Loreto turned to look at one another. For a moment, the two simply stared at one another before Loreto slowly nodded his head as if Skylar had said something out loud.

Slowly standing up then, Loreto dusted himself off then and looked from Cassiel to Skylar, who was giving the younger angel a small nod of his head. "I understand Skylar. If what you say is true then expect to look for your army by early tomorrow morning. By then, do what you can to free as many of the other angels as possible." Looking over at Cassiel then, Loreto gave him a bow of respect.

"Thank you once again for saving me Cassiel. I hope that one day, I can return the favor." With those words then, Loreto then flapped his wings and in the blink of an eye took off towards the main entrance after receiving a warning of being careful from Skylar. Watching the young angel leave for a moment then, Skylar slowly turned his attention back to Cassiel then and gave him a small smirk. "Please, you really don't think that I'm going to leave you down here to take on the demons do you?"

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel looked at Skylar hopelessly. “You should have left with Loreto.” He said sadly. “You still have a purpose and place in heaven. I thought for a while that I did, that I could go back to the way I was, even if I could not return to heaven, but I was just fooling myself and you. I don’t want to drag you down with me. You have a future. You have done more for the armies of heaven than I ever did.”

Cassiel looked out at the cavern. It was pointless to argue. Skylar was stubborn and nothing he could say would change how he felt. Cassiel could not convince him that he was not the angel Skylar believed him to be.

Cassiel looked down. An expression of amazement filled his face. “No.. it can’t be..” He saw a winged figure cross the cavern and start to deliberately and gracefully climb to their position. “Dumah!”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Dumah



Dumah had been a slave for three hundred and sixty two years, nine months, forty-two days and eleven hours. In all that time, Dumah had never raised a hand towards his captors, at least until moments ago. It had been relatively easy therefore to overcome the two weaker demons sent to bring him from his cell. Dumah had noticed a change in the demons recently. They had become more fearful, more violent and less willing to tolerate resistance of any kind. Dumah had reasoned that his own silent resistance would no longer be tolerated and it was time to make his long planned escape.

Dumah had never fought back, or outwardly resisted the rough treatment of the demons as other angels had, but despite this had remained unbroken. In all the years, he had also never cried out or outwardly reacted with fear, or anger at anything done to him. Demons found this in turns infuriating, and eventually maddening that their torments were met with a wall of silent indifference. It was not that Dumah did not feel pain like other angels, but being slightly empathic, he had sensed the reaction the demons wanted from him and being steadfastly stubborn had never given it to them. He had endured silently because he firm believed his being in this place was for a purpose which in the fullness of time would be revealed to him.

When the demons took his most recent cellmate Loreto and did not return him, Dumah took it as sign that his purpose was finally at hand. Dumah grieved the loss of the young angel. Loreto’s unique gifts had made communication easier and gave him the chance to try and comfort the young angel to have the strength to face his fate. As painful as this loss had been, Dumah accepted it was necessary, never doubting that it served God’s final purpose.

Dumah had been preparing for at least a century. Some time around then one of his wings had been broken at the tip and rather than heal a useless wing, Dumah had snapped the bone off cleanly at the broken spot. It had made his wings a little uneven but also provided materials for a weapon. Since then, he had carefully carved the bone on the loose flagstones and bars of his cell until it became very sharp. Concealing it in his hand, he had quickly dispatched the demons who came for him.

He had noticed, like Cassiel the cavern with ledges and felt they would be an excellent hiding place. Finding some digging picks while hiding in the supplies, he had found the means to reach them. He waited until the way was clear and then darted across the hall. Using the picks, he began to carefully climb the soft stone wall to the ledge above, unaware of those already sheltering there.

Silence is argument carried out by other means

.