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Angel
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 Created on 11-21-07
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- "My soul, there is a countryFar beyond the stars,Where stands a wing’ed sentryAll skillful in the wars:There, above noise and danger,Sweet peace sits crown’d with smiles,And One born in a manger Commands the beauteous files." -
the poemis by Henry Vauhgen
Angel
Dear reader,
I never saw the threat that grew in the world but I knew it was there. Even though I didn’t understand it or see it I knew it was there, and I was afraid of it. I was often ridiculed for it but now I know the truth and nothing can change that. My name is Kate, and I am afraid of the dark. But I’m not really ashamed of it, because I know that I have good reason. Ever since I was a little kid something in the idea of darkness and shadow scared me. I refused to go out alone at night then and I still do now. In the dark I hear things and see things, most of which is probably just my imagination but as for some things I’m just not sure. It’s a strange power the dark has, to make us imagine what we fear most or to suddenly think of the worst moments of our lives. I was often afraid growing up but that never really stopped me. At times I almost seemed to thrive off my fear to give me the energy to do what needed to be done. That could’ve been the very reason why I was chosen, but then again who knows. My future is a confusing one, and my present is just as elusive, but my past is very much a story, which is what I am about to tell you.
Chapter 1
I lived in a small town called Canton, one just big enough to have a Wal-Mart yet small enough that the newly elected high school student body president could make the front page of the local paper. There was a two screen movie theater, McDonalds, and a couple of bowling alleys, and the town was completely surrounded by cornfields, because incase you didn’t know I lived in the corn state also known as Illinois. You pronounce Illinois just likes it’s spelled, except for the “s” at the end, which is silent. Any way I lived at the north end of town, a block away from the high school, in view of a cornfield (imagine that), several baseball diamonds, the Canton purple and gold water tower, and a church whose field abuts my back yard. That is where the exciting and or terrifying part of my story began, there in my back yard.
I stood at the edge of the yard watching my dog, Annabelle, run about the field looking for the perfect place to pee. To my right were two rows of pine trees planted to mark the churches property line, ending at my yard. The two rows were spaced about five feet apart and went from my yard all the way to the edge of the block. Normally this meant nothing to me but tonight something caught my attention. My eyes drifted from my frantically pacing dog to the space between the rows of trees. As I gaze down the center, it seemed that all became darker, especially at the end of the tree rows. I attributed it to the fact that the sun was setting but something inside me became unsettled.“ Annabelle!” I yelled trying to sound threatening. “ Hurry up!” And as usual the dog ignored me. “ Stupid dog.” I muttered. Suddenly it got cold, like an ice cube down your back cold, which made absolutely no sense because it was July. I began to rub my arms to try and keep warm and went out into the field to drag my dog back to the house. But I didn’t have to. Annabelle paused, and looked around as I began approaching. She in a jolt of energy ran full speed, almost knocking me over, and went toward the house, where in she began cowering by the back door. I turned round and headed back to house but then I realized how dark it had just become. The sun was completely gone and a thick smog of cloud and fog began covering the earth and sky. My heart raced as I tried to calmly walk back to the house. I knew that if I started running that I would never be able retain a sane and calm mind. I crossed the property line and was back in my yard.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. I heard the sounds of strange footfalls from down the row of trees. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.It heard it again only this time louder, and louder meant closer.I was frozen to the spot. I could only stare into the darkness and fog that filled the center of the row of trees, waiting to see what approached. I realized soon that it was the sound of a horse, and it was only yards away. My whole body shook from fear and cold and I knew that whatever this was, it was not good. I was right. Out into view came a great black horse, obviously strong though it’s bones stuck out giving it a dead, skeletal look. Its eyes shone a pale purple, and it looked purely evil. But not so evil as it’s rider. The rider was definitely a male, and he had one great bulbous eye glowing pale purple like the horse’s and was dressed head to toe in black. It’s skin was gray and ashy and he was completely baled. Just by the very presence of the rider I knew it was evil. To put it lightly, I was afraid.
It’s eye bore into mine and I found that I was motionless despite my fear that bid me to run.The rider then kicked his steed into a gallop and charged at me. He drew out a long black blade that had the remnants of blood cast all over it. My mind screamed at me to get away, but I couldn’t. I tried to force myself into motion but my body refused to obey. The Rider was now upon me, and he held his sword ready for attack. I was going to die.“ Move!” cried a voice, from somewhere, at the time I couldn’t really tell.As those words were spoken I felt as if invisible chains had fallen from me. I threw my self out of the rider’s path at the last second, for truly seconds was all I had. His blade missed my by mere inches, as I hit the ground with a thud.The rider breathed in sounding annoyed and dismounted without making a sound.“Crap!” I thoughtI was on the ground as he came towards me slowly watching me, ready for any move I could possibly make.I knew that I was pretty much dead at that point. He came closer and I cowered and looked away. If I was going to be sliced to pieces by an evil swordsman I at least was not going to watch it happen.The seconds grew into hours and the rider’s approach was closer, I could tell that without seeing. I could feel him. But suddenly I could feel something else too. There was more than just the Rider and I. I opened my eyes just in time to see a tall, shinning figure come running up behind the Rider. It was a young man with a long white shinning sword. He carried light around him in a way like the Rider emanated with darkness. The young man brought down his blade upon the Rider but it was parried with ease. So began their battle. The light fighting the darkness.
I sat there on the ground, watching this battle take place. I felt totally helpless and I wanted to run away, but something held me there. I couldn’t just leave a total stranger to fight for me like this. It could’ve just been my resiliency to being the damsel in distress, but I couldn’t just sit back and watch because I knew that this was not only the strange young man’s battle, but it was my battle as well.
The young man fought against the dark rider fearlessly, but the darkness seemed to have the upper hand. The rider was in its own element, shrouded by shadow and fog. The rider faded in and out of the shadows effortlessly and my rescuer could only parry the enemy’s attacks. Then the young man drew out, in addition to his sword, a small silver dagger and as the rider came at him, he cut into the rider’s flesh.The rider let out an ear-shattering scream, loud enough to weaken my whole body. I put my hands over my ears but the scream echoed on in my head. I thought that my head was going to explode. The Rider pulled out the dagger from its flesh and cast it aside. He thrust his sword into the young man’s shoulder, and let a cruel smirk spread across his lips as the young man cried out in pain.
At the sound of the young man’s cry my heart almost seemed to shatter, and I wanted so desperately to help him. I knew that if I didn’t he would die by the rider’s sword, all to save me.In a wave of unexpected courage I stood and took up the discarded dagger that had been thrown aside. The Rider was about to strike the young man again, when I began to run. Before the rider could turn I stabbed the dagger into the back of the rider piercing the spot where I thought the heart would be.
Again the rider let out an ear-splitting cry but this time it was even worse. Instantly my fingers slipped from the dagger and I fell straight to the ground. I squeezed my hands tightly over my ears but again nothing helped to filter out the cries of the dark rider. Pain seared through my brain and my vision became foggy. I forced myself to look up. I saw hazy outline of the rider fallen onto his knees but I could barely keep my eyes open. I wondered how long it was going to take for this thing to shut up and die. I had no idea how much longer I could last.
I let out a gasp of surprise. I felt two hands gently grasp my shoulders and a warm breath whispered into my ear.“ You need to move back.” Said the young man kindly, his voice somehow dulling the noise the rider’s cries. “ I’ll try,” Was all I could get out.Slowly with the help of the young man I moved away from the now wounded rider until I could barely see the enemy in the dark fog. “ What is happening to the rider?” I asked.The young man looked gravely at me and said, “ He’s dying.”Suddenly I felt just awful; I was going to be the means of this creature’s death. I was the reason the rider was in so much pain. He was evil and had tried to kill me but still, I felt really bad. The urge to cry came upon me and though I fought hard against it, a tear came rolling down my cheek.“ Don’t feel sad, Kate.” Said the young man as if reading my thoughts. “ You have fulfilled his purpose.” I didn’t understand what he meant at the time but I did not have the time to question it.
A strange wind began pulling towards the rider, sucking in all the fog and darkness, and it was pulling me in as well. The cries of the rider had yet to cease and now I was being pulled to the one who sought to end life. I was already weak and had nothing else to hold on to except the young man. So that is what I did. I clung to him for dear life, though my grip was not strong enough. It was the strength of the young man that kept me from pull of the rider’s last will.The Rider had disappeared in a sphere of darkness that echoed with the deathly cries that sapped my strength. I still felt a little guilty for stabbing the rider but I couldn’t help thinking, “ Why won’t this thing just die?”“ Only a little longer, okay.” Said the young man gripping me tighter. A surge of energy pulsed out the dark sphere and shook the earth. I watched the rider emerge from the sphere sword in had ready to fight. I wondered what would happen next but in the end, it was not for my eyes to see. “ Turn away and close your eyes.” Said the young man pulling my head into his shoulder. “ You‘re not ready to see this part yet.”I wanted to look so badly at first but then the feeling of the world all around me changed. The earth shook again more violently than before, and I could smell ash and sulfur along with a strong scent of fresh blood. I heard a loud crack as though something was split in two and a chorus of screams matching the rider’s filled the air. A terrible wind began blowing all around, I could feel heat, like heat from a great fire, and the screams continued to sound coming from every direction at once.I was more afraid than I had ever been before. I began to tremble and tears gushed out of my eyes. “ GO NOW!” Cried the young man suddenly.” THIS BATTLE HAS BEEN WON!”At this the cries were cut short and a great light flashed. In an instant all went quiet and the world around me felt like it had when I first woke up that morning.
After a few moments I let my voice break the silence. “ Is it over?” I whispered my voice a little shaky. “ Yes,” replied the young man. “ You can open your eyes now.”I pulled away letting my eyes open. The world was just as it ought to have been. The night sky was clear revealing a million shining stars and the cresant moon hung high above make the night a little brighter. The young man and I both stood up with some ground between us and I was, for the first time, able to see my rescuer in full.He was tall, with a lean yet strong build. The place where he had been stabbed was completely healed, with no blood stains or anything, and all that was left was a small slit in his shirt where the sword had broke through. His clothes seemed somewhat old fashioned like out of a period movie. His hair was a strange shade of white, an almost silvery-white shade. But most peculiar of all was the color of his eyes. The strange light that came out from him was nothing compared to the light that emanated from his eyes, which shone like the stars in the sky and were the same shine of silvery-white as his hair. As alien as he was to me I couldn’t help feeling that I knew him. I had never met him but he seemed so familiar to me, like he’d been around for my entire life. It was so strange a felling but everything about him just felt familiar. I knew that I could trust him and I knew that he was good.
“ Who are you?” I asked, my voice gaining some of its former composure. “ Kyan,” He replied. It was such an odd name but it suited him. “ What was that thing that attacked me?” I asked. “ And why did you save me?”“ That was one of the dark one’s scouts, he was sent to test you and eliminate you if he could. As for why I saved you,” He paused. “ It was my purpose to save you.”I blushed a little at his answer to the second question but his first answer brought on only more questions.“ Dark one,” I said very much confused and a little frightened. “ What did I do to tick him off so badly? Don’t tell me that more will be coming”Oddly enough Kyan smiled a little, a smile that almost erased my apprehensions completely. “ They attacked you because your purpose is intertwined with theirs, as well as my own.” Kyan took a few steps filling the space between us and put his hands on my shoulder. “ More will come but not tonight. This battle has been won. Do not be afraid.” Kyan spoke these words and his shining eyes bore into mine. “ Thank you for saving me.”He smiled again but then his expression turned grave and serious and he took a step back. “ Be on guard and stand ready to hold your ground.” He said. “ I must leave you. After I go take up the dagger you used to kill the rider and keep with you.”“ I will,” was all I could say. A desperate feeling rose in me, and I couldn’t hold it back. “ Do you have to leave.” The thought of Kyan, my rescuer, going away made me feel vulnerable and exposed.“ Do not be afraid.” He said his expression softening a bit. “ I have never far.”Lost in the expression of his star lit eyes I watched him take a few steps backward. “ Remember.” He said over his shoulder as he turned his back to me. “ Be on guard and don’t be afraid. I will contact you soon.”
I still didn’t want him to go but I knew he must. And what happened next will always haunt my mind as the most beautiful thing I have ever seen on this earth.Kyan took two great leaping steps building up speed and then he threw himself up into the air. A pair of creamy silver-white wings came out from his back knocking all the breath out of my lungs. Those wings spanned about seven feet in length and propelled him up into the sky. I stood on the ground watching him soar above expecting him to fly off into the distance among the stars. To my great surprise he landed atop the water tower. His light still was visible from where I stood and now I finally understood why he was so familiar. He had been atop that tower the whole time. He’d had seen me and I unknowingly had seen him many times over my entire life.
I laughed aloud thinking about how when I was a child I was sure there was a man up there waiting for the right moment to come down. My mom said it was simply a light to warn low flying planes of a high structure. Who knew I would end up being right.With that smile still on my face I turned to go back inside my house. The yard though it had just minuets ago been a battle ground looked as it always had, except for the shining dagger that stuck out of the ground on just across the church’s property line. I retrieved the dagger feeling again a little vulnerable, but still safe knowing that Kyan was watching over me. I hid the dagger as I entered my house, and after putting the dig in the garage I went up into my room. I originally thought that I would never be able to sleep with all that happened that night, but I was wrong. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was asleep. But Kyan’s dagger was within reach, and I knew that I someday soon I was going to need it.
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