Page 3 of Wings of The Wraith
I straightened up and looked him over. “Everybody knows me. Who the fuck is it?”
“Something’s off about this guy. His eyes are gold like...”
“A sentinel?” My eyes widened.
Neo nodded.
I pushed past him and rushed out into the waiting area where we met clients.
A man as tall and muscular as me stood by the window, back turned to me as he focused on the rock formation outside. The first sun was setting, and it cast a glow over the largest moon. People thought Picchus worked like a planet, but it didn’t. It was more like a mass of wasteland that hung between the realms. A little like Kolai; neither here, nor there.
It was fine for the likes of me and mine. No one messed with us here, and we didn’t mess with anyone else we came across.
The place was like a hub for thieves, and like the average thief or big bad, we had a code of honor among us.
The man didn’t need to turn for me to know who he was.
This man had once been my brother in arms. My commander, my strength.
But that was a very long time ago, and he was part of a life I wanted no part of.
“Malachi,” I breathed.
Malachi turned to face me, eyes gold, skin with that ethereal appearance even though he’d toned it down to be here. His full presence would have most likely killed Zeek and Neo, and anyone in the back office that had demon blood.
“Hello brother.” He had the audacity to smile.
“Don’t fucking call me that. Brother? Really? Why are you here?”
He looked hurt.
I could have laughed. I really could have laughed and had to wonder if he looked that way too when I was being cast out of heaven.
He did nothing to stop it from happening. Nothing at all.
“We need you.” He turned fully, and I could see his armor under his raven cloak. The same dark color as his hair.
It was the only similarities we had as children when we were human. This man had been my brother when we were chosen to be sentinels and he’d been my brother in life, too.
And death. We died in the crusades, fighting the cause of Christ.
“Get out. Get the fuck out.” I balked. I didn’t normally lose my cool, but it had been awhile since I saw my brother, and last time was not good.
Last time was that God awful day I would never forget. The day when everything changed for me and I had to stand in front of all the Archangels and their Sentinel armies of Heaven to get my sentence.
As if I had done something wrong. It was to decide on whether I, the tainted sentinel should be allowed to remain amongst them.
As Archangel Gabriel, our head commander, literally cast me out, I’d looked to Malachi, my brother who stood before me now, and took in the look of disappointment on his face.
That disappointment was down to the fact that I decided to take on the demon by myself. That was it, and because of that he’d decided to leave me to the lions.
“We need you, Dante.” He said again in that calm demeanor, then his eyes changed to the blue color they were when we were human.
The brightness in his skin receded too, giving him a more human tone. Now he looked more like the man he’d been when I trusted him. When I had trusted him and agreed to go wherever he went because he was my brother.
“Don’t.” I shook my head.
“I have to. This is happening.” To my greatest shock he put out his right arm and I could see through it.
