Snowscape Trilogy Read online

  One of his men walked into the van and cut me not so gently down from the hanging rafter. Flinging me over his shoulder like a toy, I was carried out and placed directly in front of the now smirking demon lord.

  He traced his hand across my cheekbone, sending shivers of disgust through my blood. “Oh Ambrosia. I have so many other uses for that sharp tongue of yours. I have thought of nothing else for hours. But no, demons do not generally get to keep their wings unless they have a special bond with the higher ups.“ He shot a scathing glance to Samandiriel. “But I do have a helicopter.

  Chapter 23

  I dislike flying in a helicopter as much as I would have imagined I would have. Although it was breathtakingly beautiful to fly into the midnight sky of Philadelphia, I could not keep my focus away from Samandiriel’s silent form. In fact I couldn’t keep my focus on anything except Nicor’s unholy obsession and the confusing pain that was sweeping through my heart.

  After our quick pleasantries getting out of the toppled van and into the rather posh helicopter owned by Robert Cossack, CEO. Nicor did not try to expel any more words from me and let me stew in my own brand of a foul mood. Maybe this marriage could work out after all, I though to myself and laughed aloud despite the circumstance. It earned a tensed up scowl from Nicor’s right hand man, a smirk from the demon himself and a curious frown from my former soul mate.

  Now that I had fully regained all of my memories of my former life, I could look more starkly at the reality in front of me. The courses of my life current and past had shaped me and although grateful was not the right descriptive of my feelings, I could appreciate ever nuance of the relationships I had had and how they had deviated a line of thinking and opened my mid up to other possibilities. I was independent, not given to whim or fancy. Thoughtful, observant, rarely succumbing to emotional outburst, which is where my penchant for alcohol had come from. With its help I would feel more in touch with my humanity than I had in any other ways. In fact, other than the time I spent with Nathaniel and this short time I had spent with Violet and Samandiriel, I was hardly given to any emotion at all. Without them: ether or both, I wouldn’t be human anymore. Just a shell. Just a purpose.

  Looking into Sam’s face I could see him following my thoughts and I mused that I could see a small sad smile as he starred back at me with the blue fire brimming in his eyes. We had connected immediately and he had been able to sense my thoughts from the very first moment we had met in this life. The memories of the past week coursed through me as I could feel the gentle vibration of the helicopter lowering itself onto the top of a building. I sighed and contented myself with smiling back at him wholeheartedly, trying to send all of the thoughts and feelings I had experienced to him with just a simple look. I think he understood me for the person I now was for the first time in this new life that I led. I was Ambrosia no longer. Just Amy.

  We landed and the spell was broken.

  “Your Philly office, I presume?” Without answering me Nicor slide the side door open and jumped out of the powering down craft. I was pushed onto the pad and a careful grip on my arm walked me into the rooftop entrance. I wasn’t jumping off of any more buildings tonight. Luckily I could hear Sam’s footsteps behind me as a different guard slammed the door shut, sending us for the second time tonight into pitch-black darkness. This time I wasn’t afraid.

  Chapter 24

  We walked silently to the elevator and Nicor pressed the white PH button. “Nothing but the best,” I mumbled out. Apparently my good mood did not translate well to the demon.

  Nicor suddenly grabbed my hair and slammed me against the back of the elevator. Sam tensed up at my side against the weight of the demon’s guard, but knew that it was time for me to fight my own battles. “You will learn to curb that tongue or I will cut it out. You sarcasm is not lost on me and while it is amusing in small doses I find myself tiring of your attitude and of this chase this evening.” For the first time I saw a true sense of the demon that burned behind the fire filled eyes. The careful facade of a demon that had everything always under his control was momentarily lost and I felt the message given to me by Nathaniel loud and clear. A demon’s greatest enemy is usually his own. The elevator swam with the smell of sulphur.

  “But if you cut out my tongue, how will I kiss your ass?” I shot back to him. His hand swept across my cheek, cutting it deeply with his ring. I could feel the blood slowly trickle down my face and smiled, glancing quickly to Sam, whose struggle intensified against the guard. I pursed my lips and silently pleaded for him to stop. I couldn’t tell of the message was received because Nicor then turned me and slammed my chest against the side of the elevator pushing the breath out of my lungs from behind. “Is this how you fuck all of your girlfriends?” I asked. “I can’t imagine anyone would want to look you in the eye while it happened.” Luckily at that moment, the doors opened into a room full of demon guest: most of who had witnessed our first pairing of the evening and did not want to miss the possible escapades of the second one. Demons, like humans, will line up to see an accident that had just happened. I wonder if we get that penchant for suffering from them or from the angels? I was beginning to see the similarities between the races all too clearly nowadays.

  Nicor held onto my chin roughly but straightened his posture. I whispered in his ear, “Best not let the underlings see your inability to keep a human under thumb.”

  He wrapped his fingers in my hand and squeezed painfully, yanking me from the elevator and pulling me through the crowd and into a nearby bedroom. It was then I noticed we were in a grand hotel suite based on the crisp bed covers and the standard all American red number alarm clock. 2:36am screamed out at me. Twenty-four minutes to go before the greatest show on earth would be happening. The door slammed behind us cutting the room off of the mains seating area and we were alone. All alone with a demon: this had never led me to any good.

  I didn’t see his hand coming out at me again but I could certainly feel it hit my already bruised cheek. The force of his punch lifted me off of my feet and flung me against the bed frame. “You will be mine. I will have your power.” I could feel Sam’s struggling on the other side of the door, but could easily tell he was no match in his current state. Noting Sam’s emotion lead me to the realization I could feel all of the creatures on the other side of the door. I could feel each and every demon, but in among them were a few gently placed stars. One in particular I called out to mentally while Nicor thrashed me against the bed, ripping my dress off of my body. I smiled despite the impending attack and as Nicor once again swung out to me, I sent a command out telepathically.

  Blood gushing from my face, my cloths strewn about the ugly nylon carpeting I sat up against the bed, half clothed and held my pam against my cheek. “You can’t or I’ll die. You fuck me and I’ll turn to ash before any power is transferred to you.”

  He pulled me painfully onto the bed by my hair and licked his lips obscenely. I could see the edges of his snake like tongue captured between his teeth as he considered the truthfulness of my words. As one adept at lying he knew the signs and was not pleased that he could tell I spoke the truth. Nicor looked to the door and with a silent command I felt go out of him, one of Nicor’s bodyguard pushed Samandiriel through the door.

  Upon entering I could see Sam tense himself, ready to pounce in one last moment of heroism. He was ready to sacrifice himself for me if need be.

  2:45am.

  Don’t. I silently sent the message to him. I could see the slight look of surprised register on his face with the telepathic request before voluntarily backing down and standing close to the door.

  They both stood silently by the door, and when I spoke, I spoke to Nicor, but I looked to Sam. “You cannot have my power. There is not clause that will allow me to have even one moment of happiness or choice. God sent out that missive as a test to me and to me alone. I needed to choose to stay pure in order for me to come into its full strength and I would imagine keeping said power, I must
remain just as pure. God did not trust the girl he found thousands of years ago to put the fate of the humans above her own mortal love so he gave me obstacles: choices to make in this human life. One such is do I want to continue on being the sole human in charge of the entire world’s dreams or do I want to be loved? In making that choice I must be made to sacrifice. For that is the way of God, is it not? The simple truth is this, Nicor: if you defile me I will die and my power with it and you will have to wait another millennium for a dream weaver to be reborn.” Samandiriel’s’ eye widened as I spoke and as the words came to rest upon his ears I could see the truthfulness in them echoed back to me. Part of me had hoped that Nathaniel was wrong in this. But I had never known him to lie to me. Sam’s face confirmed that these facts were true. I could never love. Not as a mortal would anyway. I was something different now.

  Nicor looked to Sam for confirmation and could read the truthfulness in his eyes. “So she speaks the truth. There is no chance for me to gain any strength by this union?”

  He nodded back. “She speaks the truth. God will not allow her power to be shared by angel or demon.”

  Turning towards me, “Then we do not need to be wed. I will merely keep you as a slave. You will be subject to me every whim and desire and do as I see fit.” He grabbed my wrist a pulled me up so I stood facing him directly. His sulphur breath pushed itself into my face.

  “I will not.” I shot back at him. Steady in my resolve and patient in my plan.

  “You will. Or every time you disobey me I will puck a feather out of Samandiriel’s broken wings. And once they are bare and gone I will start with his fingers and then move to his toes until all that is left of your angel is a waste of a man. And the I will start on you.”

  I smiled back at him and the unexpected reaction caught him off guard. I twisted my arm out of his grasp and stood tall against his presence. “He is not an angel,” I answered back simply.

  Looking to the guard near the door, Nicor glanced at Sam, standing proudly against the frame, despite his beaten appearance. “He is nothing any longer. He has no side and no allies.”

  I smiled. “I think you’re wrong about that.” It was then that Samandiriel, cut loose of his bonds and armed by a human named Craig Ainsworth of the Demigorgon clan who now stood at guard against the door, flew at Nicor, knife in hand and cut the demon’s throat on this the eve of his second wedding.

  Covered in blood, Sam threw down the stained knife and grabbed my hand. Ignoring the sticky warmth I entwined my fingers with his and looked to Craig still lost in the sleepy stooper that I had commanded of him while still on the helicopter. Looking down I could see Craig had forgotten to put on shoes and now stood barefoot on the hotel rug. Looking down I realized I was barefoot as well and still wearing the dreadful blue wedding dress. I quickly grabbed a pair of standard issue hotel slippers that would conveniently be charged to Nicor’s bill and handed them to Craig. “Thank you. Put these on. Now leave out through the bathroom door. You will take the bus home and go back into your bed and dream of nothing else for the night. Tomorrow you will wake up refreshed and declare yourself unaligned with the Demigorgon clan.” He nodded once and turned and left.

  Samandiriel starred at me mouth-gapping open in surprise and pride. Looking quickly to the clock I saw that it was now 2:54am. “Almost time,” I said to myself. “We need to get out of here.” Looking to the balcony. “Do you think you can get us down to the street?” He nodded, still at a loss for words. “Good. I have a ride waiting.” The questions danced upon his face, but he kept his query to himself.

  We walked quickly out to the balcony and he looked down. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He still held my hand tightly, the warmth of Nicor’s blood now cooling against me. I nodded, now suddenly full of the restrained terror and exhaustion. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he cradled me against his torso. I could hear his ragged breaths and feel his heart pound against his flesh as he lifted me up and stood on the balcony railing.

  Looking down to me he said, “You spoke to me. In my mind just as God used to. How did you do that?”

  I grinned and ear splitting grin. “I have absolutely no idea. I guess it comes with this master of the snowscape gig.”

  He grinned back at me and for a fleeting second it reminded me of the face of the angel I had once fallen in love with and had given everything up for. “I’m glad that it did.”

  The moment his feet leapt up and his wings spread behind him, I could feel the wind rush up and the street below us come cashing towards us closer and I whispered gently into the night to no one in particular, “I love you.”

  Epilogue

  God

  Samandiriel was ecstatic to find that the car Amy had procured below the Tower Hotel was chauffeured by Violet. Sporting a bright red jeep wrangler, she picked them up quietly from the adjoining alley and they rushed as quickly as they could out of Philadelphia’s city limits. Violet gushed about her harrowing tale of escape out of Nicor’s clutches and the sudden appearance of Amy in her dream. Three am came and went without any more visible fanfare. Amy felt her emotions tie in easily with the power and stay that way.

  Amy found that she was able to pass between the snowscape and the awaken world without effort and after some practice was able to easily sway her human counterparts into any tasks she seemed fit. Always her decisions came with much ponderance of fact, and consequence to the human and to their surrounding loved ones.

  Nathaniel stayed quietly on the dream side of her life, and although she now often came to him for advice, she was careful to avoid his touch at all cost.

  Likewise, she carefully avoided Samandiriel’s. But she stayed with him and Violet and Nathaniel at all times. There are always demons to consider when making the choices of fate for all mankind.

  Her soul has done many things and she has been many things, but most importantly she has been loved. She has loved. She has learned but there are so many more lessons to be learned.

  Among the most important: all contracts are made to be broken.

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