Callina Sienna

"She's doing what?" I thundered, sending the messenger in front of thethree thrones scurrying backwards. 

"She's, uh, off scouting for supplies, my lord," he stammered. 

"You're sure it's Miss Sienna doing such a reckless thing?" 

"Ce-certain, my lords." 

Michael turned to me, his eyes almost glowing. "See? Your Seraphimisn't quite so perfect." 

Gabriel sighed and muttered something under his breath, probably alongthe lines of "Not another pointless petty argument that destroys thethrone hall for Mirssake brothers please shut up this is the thirdtime today." He waved a hand at the messenger to dismiss him beforeMichael and I could get started again. 

I turned a withering glare on my brother the second the door slammed."As if your two Powers are doing anything to help this along! I didn'tsee them go in to fight a Master Vampire." 

"As I've said before, neither did Miss Sienna, brother. She had noclue. And, as well, she had to be saved by my Powers!" 

"The one useful thing they've done so far! Mostly they just bicker!" 

"Much as you two do," Gabriel muttered, not lifting his eyes from thescroll in front of him. Our arguments had become a frequentoccurrence. 

Michael ignored him. "They weren't bickering when they had to rescueher - again - from that demonic feline earlier! And you weren'tprotesting!" 

"Oh, yes, your angels are very helpful at the last minute! But you canbet your wings they won't be able to help Miss Sienna if she gets introuble now!" 

"And what do you expect to do about it? Miss Sienna is probablyalready in trouble - there's always a delay because we have to rely onmessengers on foot to bring us news of their whereabouts.""

You don't have to," Gabriel called, still reading his scrolls. "Youcould always ask me. Seeing as I am the Archangel of Truth and have aworking knowledge of literally everything going on in Aimsir from nowuntil always. But if you so choose not to." 

"Michael, I know you won't agree with this, but I'm going down. MissSienna is out cavorting with. . . with humans and you expect me tostand by. Well, I shall not." 

Michael scoffed. "Don't expect me to let you go down alone." He stoodand unfurled his admittedly impressive wings. "I have just as much aninterest in getting at least one of the angels - even if it is aSeraphim - to the tree as you do." 

"Fine. I won't stop you." I folded my arms before calling to Gabriel,"We're leaving. You should stay here and hold down the fort." 

"Don't worry. I have no intention of doing anything as stupid asfollowing you two. Maybe for once there won't be tremendousthunderstorms late into the night and I'll actually get some workdone." 

And so Michael and I found ourselves down at the edge of demonterritory, approaching the edge of the first human settlement as thesun rose. While the small city of Pelam wasn't particularly known forits early risers, there was still some activity to be had in themornings. 

Most, however, didn't involve large arguments and knives. 

Michael and I alighted outside the main square and he, show-off,turned invisible. As a Seraphim, I didn't have that power, so I waitedimpatiently for my lovely older brother to grab my arm and make medisappear. 

The situation was clear the second Michael and I approached, due tothe fact that one of the humans was yelling something along the linesof "Get out of here, you nasty angel! We don't like magical beingsaround here. Not after that group of stragglers that came through awhile ago." 

"Please, sir, I just need supplies," the immediately familiar red-headbegged. "My friends and I have run out, and we're almost starving." 

"That's what they said to!" a young woman protested shrilly from herdoorway. "That fairy, and that demon, and even another angel, workingwith them! Before they attacked us! 

"The only thing was, they weren't expecting us to fight back," anolder man said, his deep voice slow and measured, so Miss Sienna couldhear every implication he was making. 

Someone hooted from the back of the crowd, a young man, from the soundof it. "Sent 'em runnin' with they tails between they legs, dinnitwe?"

 Miss Sienna backed up slowly. "I-I don't want a fight! All I need isfood, and maybe a dress, if you can spare one." She plucked at theragged hem of her dress hesitantly. "All I'm asking is for help.Please." 

"Well, we're not giving it to you, sweetheart." The man who had beenyelling before was now speaking in a slow, quiet tone. "So get out ofhere before we force you to." 

"We must do something, brother," I hissed to Michael, "before thingsget violent."

"Hush, Raphael," he murmured, not taking his eyes off the scene. "Itmust play out. We cannot get involved."

"Well then, we won't."

I shrugged his hand off and stride, fully visible into the square. Ittook a second for the petty humans to notice me, but when they did,all attention was turned off of Miss Sienna.

"And I suppose you're one of those friends she needs supplies for?"someone called. "Identify yourself!"

"There was once a time when all humans knew me by sight," I said, myvoice echoing through the suddenly-silent square, "for I am one that can smote you with a wave of my hand."

Callina had an odd smile upon her face as she curtsied. "Archangel,"she murmured demurely, though there was a spark in her eyes that hadn't been there when she left Mir.

"As the good Seraphim rightfully said," I boomed, "I am the Archangel Raphael, Teacher of the Seraphim, Healer of Man, and Ruler of Mir. It was I who sent this angel to you, for you humans are in need. Do you not realize the crops around you dying, your ill are not recovering,your animals have fled?"

There was a slight murmur of assent from the crowd, who fell silent as I spoke again.

"This is because the World Tree of Myth is dying. Are you so ignorant that you would ignore the signs? The World Tree will die if you do not let this angel save you. Callina Sienna, a healer beyond capacity, is the only thing standing between you and destruction, and yet you deny her food! Supplies!"

"P-please, Ar-archangel," a young woman stepped out from the crowd stammering, "w-we did not know. There have been others who wished to rob us. It was for our- our own protection that we denied her. Please,sir, we-"

"Amelie, protesting's no use. Just give her the food and be done with it!" another voice yelled.

"O-of course, Kelly. My master, my leige, the owner and proctor of the town, whom everyone loves and adores, I shall obey your every command." The young man nodded solemnly, accepting this responsibility. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at humans and their silly traditions. Callina caught my eye and smiled slightly.Amelie brought out a heap of food from inside a small, brightly painted house and handed it over to Kelly, who had a quick whispered discussion with her before approaching Callina.

"My lady, as master, liege, owner, and proctor of the town, whom everyone loves and adores, I give you these supplies and our well wishes in your journey to save the World Tree of Myth. Our hearts are with you, my lady. If you so wish, I can gather a militia to protect you and your companions in your quest."

"That shall not be needed, owner and proctor of town." She had a slight edge to her voice, like she was trying not to explode into laughter. "I thank you for the generous offer and the supplies. I must be on my way - it is almost dawn."

She curstied slightly to the villagers, then again to me. "Your assistance, Archangel, is greatly gratituded."

The young 'owner and proctor of town' had been whispering to his villagers, and he turned back around so they could all bow in unison to me and Callina. "Your visit, angels, has opened the minds and hearts of this town. We shall live differently after your guidance."

I nodded solemnly. "As it should be. On your way, humans, and do not forget your promise!"

With that, Michael grabbed my hand and I disappeared, leaving the villagers in quiet groups. With one wing-stroke, Michael and I were off, flying back over Aimsir towards Mir.

As we returned to the temple and entered the throne room, Gabriel sighed. "I was hoping you would be gone longer. What's so funny?" he asked sharply, noticing Michael's laughter. It was hard not to, what with him almost on the ground, collapsing from laughing so hard.

"The humans are. . . so. . . petty!" he gasped. Even I had to smile."Owner and. . . proctor. . . of the town!"

"We met some humans," I explained to Gabriel's questioning glance."There was some ridiculous improvisation on their part, but they have supplies now."

"Hmm. Does this mean that you two won't argue again? And I can  possibly actually study?"

"No," Michael said, reclaiming his seat on his opulent throne. "First of all, why did you have to go and interfere? And secondly, you know  my Powers would have gotten the job done much faster, with no violence from the humans!"

Gabriel sighed and, with a rueful smile, opened another dusty book tothe sounds of my counter-argument.

"If I hadn't, your angels would be starving by now! And there certainly would be no violence from the humans, but there would be plenty from the Powers!"

I relaxed into my own throne as Michael started off again and smiled slightly. Everything was back to normal, and Miss Sienna was even further along on her quest to the tree. The World Tree would be healed in no time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elora Reed

"Well what do you suppose we do? Ask some magical creature about the tree?" I hear a girl, who I'm guessing is around her teenage years, say. She didn't sound very evil with her sweet voice and her perky, upbeat tone. Ever since this special mission has started, all I hear about these days is "The tree this" and "The tree that" It was one of the most annoying moments of my entire life. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed some way to get vampires or demons back in the running and on the right track. When Belle and I gave Willow that cape, we were hoping that it would give her an advantage over many of the others. It was a great gift and watching Willow very closely disguised as a regular human on the streets of Srok Khmer and Asmir, I know that she has used it well. One feature of the cape was warding off Angels and Werekind, but there was one thing we didn't tell Willow about the cape. It can help separate alliances that were against her with one little flick. The friends that were supposed to always be there for each other, start to antagonize and annoy one another.

"Why do you have to be so negative, Seraphina? Did all of this start because of Amoris?" another asks. I turn my head around to see what is about to unfold when I recognise some angels I've seen before in an alleyway with Willow. They seem to be missing one of their friends, the shape shifter.

"Why do you keep asking that? I 'm fine. I'm as well as I could ever be. Now can we just get on to finding that dang tree."

"Fine, but before we do, we need to work some things out." says an Angel with curly red hair that falls to just about her hip bone. " I think that Seraphina either needs to tell us what's wrong or..."

"Or what." the angel with blue-tips snaps back. There's a long pause before anyone else tries to speak again. During this time, I try to think up an idea that could potentially harm these three girls on this trip and set them back a few paces behind the others. As soon as I am about to put my plan into action, The silence is broken by the one with long, wavy, brown hair that falls just to her middle back.

"We... uhhh... we might need to go our separate ways from you. Callie and I would stay together while you go and find a cure for the tree on your own." she says in the weakest voice I've ever heard.

"Fine. I guess I'll do just that." Seraphina says and she storms away from the girls. I use this moment to enact my plan. I quickly change into the guider of the angel power Cherubim , Gabriel, and I flounce over to the girls.

"Hello there. I can see that you are fellow angels." I say to the girls, "My name is-"

"Gabreil, the guider of the Cherubim order." they both say in unison as they drop to the floor.

"Yes, I am. How can I help you?"

"No one alive to this day as seen the World Tree. What can we do to save it?" The tallest out of the two angels ask

"You must follow this map. It will show you the way to the cure, the corpse lily. It's one of the rarest and the dangerous flowers in the world. It lies in the deepest part of Demon territory but no one has set foot there in years"

"Couldn't we just use my healing powers to cure the tree. I've been practicing and I'm getting better and better. if I could get a little tim-"

"NO!" I say, making it sound like a command more than I mean to, " I mean, your powers will not be strong enough to cure this tree. It needs something stronger and the lily is the only thing that can work.

"Thank you so much. On behalf of me and my friends, I thank you with all of my heart."

"Wait. Before you go there is one thing you need to know. The lillies are guarded by a sweet creature who goes by the name of Cat Sith. He's a tabby cat who might look like he's a big hassle, but he's really just a big old softy." I was making up the lies as I went, knowing that they would believe an angel who can't tell a lie. "He runs up to 80 miles per hour and his claws can sever metal and any type of armor with one quick swipe, but very rarely does he use the skills because all he really wants is a friend. If he does get out of hand though, you can always tie him up with his special chain in the corner. It was created by one of the demon tribes to keep him under control when he does act out. Do you think you and your companion will be up for the task?" I give them a devious smile, but quickly change when I remember my position.

"Elora. I don't think we should trust him. I have a funny feeling like this. What kind of tabby cat can run up to 80 miles per hour?"

"It's fine Callie. Why would the guider of The Cherubim lie to us?" Elora asks

"Great, so it's settled. You two will get the cure from Cat Sith and save the tree." I hand them the map that I created just moments before, "If you leave now and follow this map exactly, you can get to the cave by morning."

"On behalf of me and my friend," Elora says as she pulls Callina's arm and links it into her's, "I thank you greatly for your help. Is there anything we can do to repay you?" I think long and hard about the question. I don't want to ask for something too extravagant, for they might think that I'm not who I say I am but I also don't want to ask for too little.

"I ask for nothing in return. Please, just go and find the cure." As soon as they leave, Belle comes over to me and speaks.

"Wow. You did really well out there Jeera. How could you keep it together so well?" My dear Belle asks, the ruler of

"All for the good of evil, my dear Belle. All for the good of evil."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seraphina Ayres

I can't believe they got away. So many people I could have killed, and only a few were caught, their blood soaking into the earth. How did I, Cat Sith, fail? They took my lilies, and the survivors might think they're safe now, but I've decided to tip the scales. I'm going after them.

I get up and stretch from my nap, and soon I'm loping through the woods surrounding my flowers. I can smell someone not too far away, an angel perhaps. I follow the scent till I'm out of the forest, and now the real fun can begin.

The trail I caught is much stronger now, and I keep on tracking it. I'm positive it's an angel. I'm hoping it was that one with the blue hair; she thought I was asleep, but I let them take a lily. I knew they couldn't be too far away once they got it, and now I get to play my favorite game: murder.

Soon I get close enough to find the blue haired angel, a werekind, a demon, and a fae talking to some humans. For a second I could've sworn they had another demon with them before, but then I remember his body is now on my lilies. Whoops. I peer behind a bush to wait for my attack, listening to them argue.

"Look, we've had a rough few days, and we're really only asking for some supplies," the angel says.

"You being here will cause trouble for us. You must leave. We want no part in whatever you're doing," a female human replies.

"Hey, we're trying to save everyone, including you, lady. So if you want some of your best chances of survival to leave right now, fine. But I'd advise you to help us. We aren't the bad guys." That angel sure is bossy.

The human ponders this for a second, and reluctantly lets the four of them in. I thought about waiting it out, but then a better idea comes to mind. To those humans, I'm just a normal cat, not Cat Sith. I could get inside easily, and then that angel and her friends are all mine.

I come out from behind my hiding place, and make my way towards the small wooden house they're inside. I scratch on the door, cry for them, meow as loud as possible. It's truly the best performance of my life. I can hear someone walk to the door, and they open it and say, "Oh, look, a cat."

Before I can even make a move, the door is slammed in my face. I hiss at them. Inside I hear, "Don't open that door without asking us first. We don't know what is out there right now, and we just escaped death by a cat, so excuse us for being a little paranoid."

That angel will be the death of me.

"A cat?" the human asks.

"It's a long story," the angel replies.

I make my way back to my home. I could continue to hunt them, but people could still be after my lilies. Besides, this isn't the last time I'll see that angel. She won't even see me coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Margaret Cleo

I was supposed to meet her in the forest, but I had never been good with directions.

She had always jokingly told me to keep a map in my pocket, but I hadn't ever listened.

Just as the tales of a dangerous cat killing anyone who wandered into its part of the woods had never seemed like a real threat.

Until its claws raked into my head, my back, peeling layers of flesh away from bone, leaching strength from years of working in the store.

Until it let its jaws snap over my neck, crushing the air away.

And then I was floating.

My mother had been the best with all the mythology, and she said that sometimes angels could help humans have out-of-body experiences.

But this was different.

My mother always spoke of the loving glow towards the dead that the angels had, as long as they were not avenging angels.

But she also knew the way the Cat Sith used its prey.

Their body's became the perfect environment for the magical flowers.

Death and tragedy followed magic- my father used to say, although he would still smile at the way my sister would giggle at the tales of magic and love, and run around looking for fairies.

Real fairies were neither small nor friendly, unless you were very lucky -or useful to them.

But we let her be happy and safe in our small village.

Just like I thought I was.

Although technically I did leave the confines of the village, but we all thought the cat sith was in a forest far, far away, not right out our back door.

But no one ever found my body, realized the threat was very, very real.

I had to tell them, protect my family, protect her.

~~~~~~~

How do you know when your consciousness is fading?

I only knew that I had been gone because I suddenly wasn't.

"There it is!" A breathy female voice said. They were....whispering.

I felt a pulling sensation, and then I felt some intangible part of me slam into something small, and then suddenly large enough to fit me. I fit it now.

What was going on?

I couldn't open my eyes, and this made me scream in panic, but then I realized I made no noise, felt no pain- nothing except being tightly squeezed around my middle.

My father used to talk about how his friend who had been blinded in a childhood accident learned to feel the things around him, both with his hands and with his head.

It was like how I imagined that would be.

"It's coming!" Another female hissed, and I heard a male utter a bellow- as if he too had been horribly scratched.

As I paid attention to my surroundings, everything came into focus.

I could feel each of their life-forces, like an aura, a glow.

My mother had been friendly with the local seer of stars, and those were words she had used.... but I was something different now.

"Give me the flower." The male voice growled.

"Calm down, Cestil." The first whispering voice pushed me over to the fiery red glow.

I don't know how I knew the color, but it just made sense. Wait.... I was a flower?

I was smushed into a pocket or bag perhaps, and then there was a roar.

The yellow-y fire of the first girl exploded into something larger, denser, more powerful.

"She changed against her will this time, so we're in danger!" the woman muttered to herself.

I heard the yowl of the deadly cat sith, and then the roar of what was clearly a were creature.

Oh, this had become quite interesting.

Running, they were running. Leaping over logs and through the forest saplings and crunching the sticks and leaves and needles, and fresh scents and air wafted into whatever I was in.

What was the anatomy of a flower again?

The roars became impossibly loud, and I wondered if flowers could tremble in fear.

Then, I felt it, another strange pull, but it felt necessary. As in, it was imperative that I complete a task.

The glow of the demon, the strange red hue, it had a sharper point of color, and I felt mesmerized by the feeling it emitted.

Pain.

And then I knew what I had to do- I had to fix it.

~~~~~~

When I came to a consciousness (if you could call it that), there was an argument taking place.

"Should we heal her? She did save us. This thing healed me!" The demon was speaking.

"I still think that was a waste of its power! We need it to control the world tree, Cestil." The woman spat.

Her essence seemed intoxicating, powerful- probably a fairy, since they were known to have power over flowers.

"Let's just get her to wake up, I'm sure she won't want to be healed, the martyr she is." The woman's voice held disgust that her words didn't.

The demon huffed, and I wondered mildly how I could hear, although words and sounds were vibrations, and flowers could feel those.

Were all flowers people? Or just the healing, magic flowers guarded by the cat sith?

Besides, hadn't this flower been grown in my dead body?

It was literally over my dead body.

"Greta! Wake up." The man was bending over her yellow flaming consciousness, and I felt him slapping her face gently, trying to get her up.

"What? What did I do?" the panic was evident in her voice.

"Saved us from the Cat Sith." the demon laughed.

He seemed oddly good natured for how deep and dark his essence was.

The bloodiest shade of red I had ever seen.

Perhaps he liked this girl better than most.

"Which is why you're still alive, little girl. Now get up, we're going to get some supplies for the rest of the journey." Apparently the fairy didn't feel the same way.

~~~~~

The entire walk they argued.

I wondered if they were going to my village. 

"We shouldn't incite them anymore."

"We will, unless you want to starve. And I don't intend on doing that whether or not you come with me." I imagined the glares on their faces, what an interesting bunch this is.

~~~

"Can you please point us in the direction of the local grocer?" the girl, Greta, asked.

"Just down this road here, it's on the left, big sign." It was the gentle lulling tones of Lily's- her- brother! My heart- or rather the bit of intelligence in the flower I was inhabiting- yearned towards her, but I needed to see my mother and my father and sister!

The feet carrying me were going towards their store, so I knew I would see them first.

They would never know it was me, they would be in danger from the evil Cat Sith!

The group of three trudged on, and I wondered if I could get them to do anything.

I decided to try the one carrying me first.

I prodded at the spot that I had healed, and the demon flinched, so I could at least provoke him.

What if I made it necessary for the fairy to scratch her head?

I pushed and she did it. If I wanted Greta to say hello?

"Hell--" She stopped herself, confused.

Yes!!

"Hello, how can I help you?" The bell tones of my sweet little sister reached me.

I reached towards the demon, and had him pull me out of his pocket.

The fairy hissed in a breath angrily.

"Shannan, it is me, Brannan!" I pushed the thought as hard as I could towards the pale purple glow she had. (Don't ask me why my mother wanted our names to rhyme, it was cruel in my opinion.)

She froze, probably cocking her head at me, I was so aware of how she used to act when she was perplexed.

"What?"

"Would we be able to get some food, perhaps lodging for the night afterwards?"

The tavern was owned by my mother's sister next door.

"The Cat Sith is real, it killed me! That's why I've been gone. You must show me to Mother!" I felt as though I was screaming internally, except it was to her.

"I love you, and mom and dad, and I am so sorry! I know we fought the last day, and I wish you were safe. Shannan, I'm so sorry! Tell Lily I love her, Beware of the woods to the north.... I think it was North!" I babbled, but this was my one and only chance. These people were going to use me for who knows what.

"I'll make a deal with you, if you help us, we will bring this flower back to you after we have completed our trial, so long as we live. Will this work?" Greta spoke, and I wondered if they had all heard me.

I could feel the hope radiating off them as my sister ran to get my parents.

My parents would probably want to believe, but if anyone other than a were creature, a fairy, and a demon had told them, they never would have.

Maybe they still wouldn't.

"Shannan, what is going on?" My little sister was pulling my mother along, and she had the same color aura as my sister, except hers ached. I sent my voice, my magic towards her.

"I'm sorry, I should have gotten done the chores you asked me to... but I was sneaking out to see Lily. I wanted to marry her. You were right, I should have been a proper young man. I love you Ishta." I called her the nickname I'd had for her forever.

She knew, you could tell. There was an easing and she leaped forward.

"Brannan! My baby boy!"

"Mother, their demands! And the danger Brannan spoke of, we must tell Lily!" Shannan muttered to her. I could sense it, hear her easily, even though the travelers probably couldn't.

"Lily has been married for three years, we cannot disrupt her life when she has moved on..." My mother fretted.

How long had I been dead? I felt the sinking in my chest. What did I hope for? I was dead, and there was a remnant of me in a flower.

"We will help you. Please come inside." My mother helped them, they helped her, but I would be gone so soon.

"I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you." I chanted.

They needed to know.

The trio moved on, and I would do what I could for this world tree they were so concerned about. But I loved my family more than anything, and I needed them to know.

At least I could help a few people before I was gone for good.