The bird suddenly dove straight for them. Fiza scrambled to her feet, Elizabeth following suit, and Fiza started hurriedly grabbing their belongings and shoving them in their saddlebags.
The bird plummeted towards the ground. As it neared, Elizabeth realized it was not a bird at all, but a man.
A man with wings.
He had large, cream-coloured wings and stood beside their picnic blanket, surveying them with a skeptical eye.
It couldn’t be.
If her eyes didn’t deceive her, she was looking at an angel.
The man had blond hair swept out of his face and piercing blue eyes. Though he wore loose-fitting white robes, she could tell he was lithe and fit. His face wasperfect and ethereal. His skin glowed and was slightly blurred at the edges. Behind him, large-feathered wings spread out impressively.
“Hello, underlings of the dark one,” the angel purred.
“Hello, Ambriel,” muttered Fiza. “We are on the borders of our lands. We are not trespassing.”
“Oh, but youaretrespassing, little demon. You are not supposed to beinthe mortal realms.” The angel frowned and narrowed his eyes at her. “At all.”
Fiza’s lips thinned in anger, but she said nothing.
The handsome being turned his attention fully to her. “And who is this? You, I don’t know.”
“Er, hello,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “My name is Elizabeth.”
“Ambriel. At your service.” He bowed to her deeply.
“What are you?” she asked, not sure she believed her eyes. Hope fluttered in her chest. Could this being be her salvation? Her way out of this nightmare? A way out of her deal without breaking her contract with Caspian?
“One of the angels. We are the protectors of this land.”
She curtseyed and bit her lip, unsure if it was the proper way to greet an angel. Beside her, Fiza stood, frozen and straight-backed.
He touched a finger to Elizabeth’s chin, lifting her from her curtsey. Blue eyes as pale as ice stared at her.
“A human surrounded by creatures of the Underworld.” His voice was solemn yet calming. “Tread carefully, Elizabeth. If you need me, I will help you.”
Without further comment or explanation, he shot to the skies and left them staring.
Fiza hurried to pack their things, her fingers trembling in her haste. She threw their belongings into their saddlebags and clambered onto her horse. “We must leave here at once,” Fiza said, her expression serious.
Bewildered, Elizabeth mounted and followed her. When they were far away from the clearing, Fiza warned Elizabeth, “Be careful. Don’t trust an angel. Caspian would be livid if he knew Ambriel was talking to us. We must get back to the castle immediately.”
“Don’t trust angels?” Elizabeth asked weakly. She thought that angels were supposed to be good and help those in need.
“Yes, winged things that are full enough of themselves to think they are the guardians of this land.” Fiza’s tone was sharp.
“Oh,” Elizabeth whispered. Everything she had ever heard about angels said that they were kind and benevolent creatures. She couldn’t imagine that angels could be her enemy, even if she were currently living among demons.
“You should keep away from Ambriel. Caspian does not like him.”
Shocking, Elizabeth thought wryly. Caspian didn’t like anybody.
“If I see him again, I’ll bear it in mind,” she said with a smile, wondering if there was anything to her warning, or if demons and angels hated each other on principle.
Fiza returned her smile, and they began the trek back to the castle.
As they walked their horses, Elizabeth couldn’t help but wonder if living with demons had placed her on the wrong side of good and evil. Would she face consequences someday for turning her back on an angel and choosing to stand beside a demon?
