CENTURIES AGO - PART VII

WITH A SIGH DELILAH leaned back in her chair, almost done with the stacks of paperwork in front of her. Niccolo had found productive ways to spend his time as well, by burning things in the garden. He had a strange sort of fire blazing in him, the kind which only hurt those he wanted it to. She had seen him burn himself with it, scorching his own skin away, many years ago, when he had lost control of his power in a vision. These days his visions were less intense, which Delilah was thankful for. Nothing big needed to happen, not when it would hurt Niccolo to see it years before. He couldn't stop them from coming true anyway, because fate didn't allow anyone's intervention in her plans.

"What if you changed the future by accident?" Delilah had asked once," simply because you knew it?"

"There's no way," Niccolo had replied with a resolute shake of his head," all the death I see, I can't prevent any of it. The higher the stakes, the higher the price. You can only pay for life with life."

She knew that principle all too well from her own line of work, the souls slipping like grains of sand through her hand. Even now, she could feel them pass and come to life, as if the air in her lungs was theirs to share. That's why she was just fine living a simple life, doing paperwork, spinning her souls and laughing with Helio and Nico. There was no need for anything complex, this, this sun-soaked house made out of windows and laughter was enough.

"Let's go out," Niccolo said, interrupting her thoughts.

She glanced up at him and then back at her pile of paperwork again, before deciding the first option sounded way more fun. Wasn't one of the perks of immortality having ages to finish up your work? Really, she had to take advantage of it more. Niccolo grinned as she walked over to him, the flowers he had been burning blooming vividly again with one wave of her hand.

"They were prettier ablaze," he commented.

"It looked ominous," Delilah disagreed.

Niccolo smiled as he made a portal with a snap of his fingers. "I like ominous things."

She stepped through the portal without any hesitation, because if she knew one thing for sure, it was that Niccolo would never hurt her. It was no wonder she, Niccolo and Helio had grown so close, the gap of love none of them had received growing up suddenly filling with warmth now. Delilah wondered how far in Vox Dei Helio had progressed by now, closing her eyes briefly to send him a good luck message only he would be able to see.

"Look! I've been wanting to come here for a while."

At the sound of Niccolo's voice she opened her eyes again, glancing around at the beach they were on. The sand was a creamy white, sunlight blushing the waves golden as the sky drowned in blue. All around them people were walking around in bathing suits and sunglasses, none of them staring at the strangers in elaborate costumes who had appeared out of nowhere. Delilah had always loved their invisibility magic.

"Why here?" she asked Niccolo, her friend already wandering off excitedly.

"I don't know," he replied," I caught a conversation once in my temple where they said a beach was a place of great fun. I - It doesn't matter, let's have fun."

At times like these he looked so innocent, his red hair not ablaze in this light, reminding her more of autumn-stained scarlet leaves laying down their head to rest on the earth. This was the Niccolo underneath all his walls, underneath the arrogant, uncaring facade he usually had. It was rare that she saw him like this, but she was glad that he was starting to trust her and Helio more and more.

"Let's look around then," she beamed at him, following along," now, do you want to get in the water or first look around the shops?"

"I don't think I would do well with water," he said, sparks flying off his fingers to illustrate his point," I'd evaporate this sea when my emotions start blazing."

"Shops it is," she said," I want to get something new."

"This is the human world," Niccolo said," I don't think we can get much here. Everything is probably either made out of poor quality or broken."

"I thought you liked broken things," she said.

"I do," Niccolo smiled," so let's go."

They stepped through the sand to get on solid ground again, walking around the market set up right beside the beach. Delilah removed their invisibility magic and they glanced at the trinkets being sold, Niccolo practically buying each one to add to his collection of broken things.

"Do you think Fama is here again to photograph me?" he asked, glancing around," if so, I want my items to be in view, so all the gods can discuss how great my taste is."

"You're holding a clamshell bell," Delilah said.

"Precisely my point."

"Soulweaver? Is it you?"

Delilah's gaze snapped to the right, mild annoyance rising in her throat at a deity recognizing her. They always either treated her with immense fear or exaggerated flattery to get her to do something for them. She didn't care for either of those reactions. When she saw the person in front of her however she frowned, confused at her absolute lack of recognition. Normally she knew all the gods' faces, especially after all those years at Vox Dei, and last she remembered there hadn't been a new divine power born in the last five centuries.

"Who are you?" she asked, Niccolo immediately tensing beside her.

He wasn't a god, she realized then, even if he dressed the part. Extravagant golden jewelry decorated his fingers and ears, jet black hair cropped short and eyes the color of smoke, the same color of his velvet cloak. So he wasn't an important deity, because she would've known him then, nor did he seem to hold much divine power at all. The only explanation then could be...

She didn't finish her thought as she walked up to him, tugging at the strings of his cloak to make it fall off his shoulders. When his wings appeared she wasn't surprised, though it had been a long time since she had last seen a guardian angel. They were low-ranked and too many in numbers to be able to attend Vox Dei. At least, they had been, many years ago when they still thought the humans were worth guarding. Guardian angels got their powers from the strength of the Earth, seeing as she was the mother of life here, and nowadays she didn't have much strength left to give. Those who hadn't died had given up protecting the ones killing her mother, living on Earth as ordinary humans.

"You still have your wings," Delilah noted," who are you guarding?"

"No one," the angel said, almost sorrowful as he grazed the feathers of his wings, a blue shine on them," but it seems I'm an anomaly. Every one of us lost their wings as a blessing of Mother Earth when we gave up the ones we were sworn to protect, but it seems she has only cursed me with wings I have no use for anymore."

"Why call it a curse?" Delilah said," you can fly, relish in your divinity."

"What use do I have for it?" he replied," I've flown for so long and all my divine purpose has done is make me weaker and lose sight of protecting myself. Now all I want to do is live among the humans and build my own life, instead of making it revolve around another, but it's hard to do so when I have to stay focused on concealing my wings with magic all the time."

"Why call out to me then?" Delilah asked, curious," if you are so done with divinity."

"You're -" he began, pausing for a moment. He shook his head, as if changing his mind about what he wanted to say, his voice lighter when he spoke again. "You're quite the celebrity, it was hard not to."

"Lilah, let's go," Niccolo said, grabbing her wrist," I don't trust any deity without power. All that means is they have so much more to gain by tricking you."

"Isn't the saying supposed to be the other way around?" the angel said," powerful people have more to lose, especially if they remain deaf to the ones below them out of arrogance."

Niccolo smiled as he stopped in front of the angel, looking tempted to burn his wings off.

"Yet I've been arrogant my whole life and I've never lost any power."

"You're the oracle," the angel said softly," you'll always be the exception to everything. To death, to life. You can't interfere in your own visions and yet you're forced to suffer from them still, it's a curse more than anything, really."

"You're calling me cursed?" Niccolo said, raising an eyebrow," me, the Holy One? You know I could have ripped your tongue out for those words?"

"I would accept that punishment," the angel said, bowing his head in respect.

Niccolo seemed to have lost interest, tugging gently at Delilah in a silent question to get away. She knew he didn't like the deities and she understood why. Where Helio had dutifully listened as everyone stacked burden after burden on his shoulders, Niccolo had cracked early under his visions. It was a curse indeed, to have a child witness death so young, so vividly, and then have everyone around him fight for the information so they could use it. Useless information, he would call it, because nothing could change the course of his visions once they had been set in motion.

You can only pay for life with life.

All Delilah wished for was that he was happy.

So she turned around, following him even if the strange guardian angel interested her. It couldn't be a coincidence, their meeting, especially not with that look the angel carried in his eyes, the one Niccolo had often as well. The one which told her that he knew exactly how this was all going to play out, even if the thought broke his heart.

"Just out of curiosity," she said over her shoulder when they had walked several feet away from him," what is your name, angel?"

He smiled at her, that same look in his eyes.

"It's Roshan, Soulweaver."