SWNOVELS Chapter 14: Lesson One
Angel’s POV
Angel forgot to breathe and as the demon effortlessly lowered into the middle of the couch, she gasped an inhale. She flicked eyes across the room to see Castiel hunched over papers between two pointing angels and bit her bottom lip with nerves. She was on her own. She looked back to Taala and even seated he was still taller than her. “Yes, um, likewise sir. What- what can I get you?”
He shook his head and patted the couch seat beside him in silent answer. She placed the tray on a corner table and obediently curled with legs under her against the couch arm. He stared her over, a small smirk on one side of thin lips. She tried to clear the lump from her throat and asked “Mr Klaar, may I ask how y-you know my name?”
He nodded once. “It’s Taala, and my dear, your name is on everyone’s lips. Forked tongues included. I wanted to come and formally introduce myself to the fearless soul serving for the angels.” God his deep voice was other-worldly, spoken with almost an echo at every word.
“I am f-far from fearless sir. You’re quite.. Terrifying you know?” He nodded once again, the smirk never changing. He offered nothing so she spoke again. “I’m repaying a, um, a debt. So my volunteering here is only temporary.” She felt she needed to try and add distance between herself and the Choir for Castiel’s protection.
He nodded once again. “I suppose Castiel is a fair boss. I’ve never known him to join the common working man though, nor to employ anyone besides angels in his do-gooding. You must be something special.”
Angel looked to Castiel’s group, still quietly arguing over the papers. “Yes I guess he had to get his hands dirty when Gabriel.. um, fell ill.”
He raised an eyebrow as his crimson eyes flicked around her. “Angel, a little education? I’ll caution you on lying to me. Demons know when untruths are spoken.” Angel squirmed in her seat, but he continued. “Besides, I know the next full moon will have 3 less howlers at it. Shame as I know Marco would have made an excellent demon under the house of wrath.”
Angel knew her expression did nothing to hide her confusion. Thinking through numerous questions she wanted to ask, she found there was a common thread through all. “Sir, may I ask for a favour?” He nodded once and his smirk morphed to a smile. “Will.. Will you teach me about demons?”
He laughed, the sound truly echoing in his throat. “Oh my dear, I would sincerely love a student. But there must be something else in it for me. Favours require an exchange.”
Angel thought. “A lesson a day in exchange for a tall stein and bag of jerky?” She was hopeful her meager offering was enough.
Taala laughed again and stroked his chin. “Since I do so like your spirit my dear... Yes, I’m agreed. When would you like your first lesson?”
Angel glanced around the bar. Besides Castiel’s table there were only a pair of cats scarfing jerky strips and a couple vampires whispering sweet nothings to each other. She was owed her pay from yesterday and it was quiet… “Now?”
Taala smiled and nodded once. Angel stood quickly to grab her tray of dusty bottles and headed to the bar. She filled the tallest stein they had with beer and snagged a bag from the drawer. Returning to Taala, she placed the items on the table far opposite her. For any normal length arm it would be out of reach for someone sat in the middle of the couch, but Taala gripped the handle easily. She sat again on the couch facing him, with one leg tucked under and the other draped off the side. She felt a surge of excitement mixed with fear of what she would learn from the unlikely teacher.
“Well, I suppose to start, I will explain the houses of sin. Every demon serves under the Sinister Sisters, Mistresses of each torture city that doomed souls are sorted into based on the way they lived their lives. Most demons have one house to live under. Others like myself can juggle the quota of multiple heads.” He took a drink. “Mistress Aeron runs wrath and Mistress Portia gluttony. Many lycan souls in this city would flow to those two houses. Miss Aergia supports sloth and has an affinity for cats. Terrible Twins Raven and Invidia are fueled by greed and envy. These are easy favours to fulfill with the vampires.” He drank again. “Mistress Narcissa controls the prideful in sulfur city. And Lady Desirae claims immoral immortality over the house of lust.”
Angel sat with Taala in silence for some time, rolling names around in her head to memorize them. “Which house do you serve sir?” She asked quietly.
“I serve for wrath, gluttony and lust my dear.”
Angel nodded slowly, looking to her hands. She wasn’t sure how long Taala would sit in a lesson and his drink was almost finished. “How, how does one become a demon? How did you?”
Angel watched his face change slightly, but only briefly. Guilt? Pain? He looked off out the window as he responded. “There are 3 ways. One is a redemption of the soul in a way, through the Second Chance division. For those truly remorseful of their single mighty action of sin, the house Mistress may deem them worthy to return on Earth and serve her, instead of torture for eternity. It is twisted though as it may make them repeat their single sin through others, and often these do not make good servants. A second way is a deathbed turning. A soul can use their last breath to call out to the Mistress they wish to serve. She may accept and turn them to a demon then.” He tipped the beer back and swallowed the last of it. Looking to Angel, he finished the lesson: “The final way, and my way, is a fall from Grace. An angel who succumbs to a Cardinal sin and loses favour with the almighty. We are forced to serve in the house we fell to and have no option to simply endure perpetual torture instead. If we don’t serve, we disappear. Any demon who does not perform adequately for their house faces this too.”
Angel felt her mouth ajar and tried to quickly shut it. Taala nodded once and rose, scooping the jerky bag under his cloak. Hand on the door he looked back to her with an unreadable expression. “Until tomorrow, my dear Angel.”
Angel sat staring after the door for many minutes. Demons now just seemed like tormented souls faced with either an eternity of torture or non-existence. And anyone who sinned was at risk of becoming one... Even herself. Was Taala what Castiel would become if he stayed with her?
When she finally pulled herself partly from her thoughts, she saw Castiel behind the bar staring her way with an unconcealed look of worry.