Skye's Arrival

I chuckle when surprise hits Gerrickson’s face. How does a brother-in-law not know how his brother and I met? I further relax into Rafi as I remember the story. “Koan was actually courting Esmeralda at the time. The Celestial King was thrilled, as was the Demon King. They’re already strong allies, but it would guarantee strong ties for another generation. Koan would visit Esmeralda regularly, and they would always stay inside the palace.

“One day, during training, Koan and Esmeralda were walking through our grounds. Esmeralda was showing off the soldiers that she were to inherit, and they were in a playful debate on which soldiers would win. Well, I happened to be training in the training ring that day. I had kicked my opponent in the sternum and launched him from the ring. My opponent went out of the ring and collided with the happy couple.

“I yelled I was sorry as I waved an apology. I ignored their staring and went to help my opponent up, apologizing to the three of them again, and dragged him back into the ring. I spent the rest of that visit hiding from Esmeralda. She already was upset with me for one reason or another, so I didn’t want to give her more of an opportunity to increase my already given punishment; which was cleaning the stables.

“When I was sneaking into my room, a hand had snagged my waist. I was spun around to look at the most gorgeous face I had ever seen. We both just stared at each other, unable to even breathe. I recognized him to be Esmeralda’s love interest almost immediately. Once that thought hit me, I dove into my room and locked the door.

“After several attempts to avoid him, I managed to get through his visit. The only time I wasn’t able to hide from him and Esmeralda was during our training sessions; and he was there for every single one of them. Towards the end of his visit he and Esmeralda would be fighting at every session. I started to pick up the cause of it. She wanted to get bledded, he didn’t and kept trying to tell her he met someone else.

“Several painful months later is when Koan returned; and I say painful because of Esmeralda’s fury over being rejected; and she took her anger out on me. Koan had gone to the Celestial King to request permission to court me. I was forced into seeing him after that, much to Esmeralda’s dismay. It wasn’t long after that, that we were bledded together. I was living in the Demon Realm and coming to the Celestial Kingdom every day for my duties.”

I hesitate, knowing the pain is going to start. “It was centuries of never ending happiness. Then a rift happened between the Demon King and the Celestial King. Koan and I were separated by a temporary block in the middle of the bridge. Everyday we’d meet at the end of the bridge and talk through the barrier, the same as many happy celestial and demon couples.

“After a few months, Koan began to grow angry. He started believing it was his father trying to keep us apart because he didn’t want to be with Esmeralda. In reality, it was because of Ada refusing Morgan’s attentions. She felt there was something off about him; and, well, the girl’s got good instincts. Only that was discovered at a much later date.

“Anyway, one day Koan missed our time together. The barrier was also unexpectedly gone. I crossed into the demon realm expecting for him to be walking up the bridge. He wasn’t there, and in fact, it was silent. When I went to the Demon King’s palace to investigate, I found several demon bodies strewn across the floor.

“The cause was horrifying. The Demon Queen was possessed by something truly horrible. A Celestial Demon that had gone rogue. She was in the process of trying to kill the Demon King, Koan was the one trying to protect him. Their servants were in chunks across the room.”

I close my eyes as I shake my head. Dawn squeezes my hand. She’s lived inside of me. She knows this pain. “I heard Koan apologizing to his mother, begging her to stop. He confessed he didn’t mean to do this, and he just wanted this to stop. The Demon Queen didn’t stop and Koan was forced to kill her. The Celestial Demon then tried to inhabit Koan.”

I hesitate before speaking. “I had no choice. I had to kill him. I destroyed Koan’s body, then vanquished the Celestial Demon.” I clench my fist around Dawn’s hand. “That moron tried to use a Celestial Demon on the Celestial King to force him to lower the barrier. Only his mother walked in during the ceremony, and it attached to her. If a Celestial Demon inhabits a demon, it’s immediate madness. For the Celestial Demon, and the demon it inhabits. They were designed to be crossed with a celestial body only.”

Dawn pats my hand, keeping up with Rafi’s pace. I take a breath before speaking. “Koan firmly believes that the reason for his mother’s death, is because of his father and the Celestial King. Now that he has a body, he wants to break the veil to be able to return to our worlds to get his revenge. The fact that he discovered I was given a Celestial Demon might have driven him over the edge.”

“So because he’s insane, he wants revenge for something that is entirely in his head?” Gerrickson demands.

“Pretty much,” I answer, feeling deeply embarrassed.

“Alright, my brother truly needs help.” Rafi looks down at me. “I never knew you were the one to kill him.”

I nod while I peak at Dawn. She’s never resented me for killing her friend, but I still feel bad about it. She believes that any Celestial Demon that agreed to betray the Celestials and Demons that way deserved death.

“So if Skye is a celestial, can she actually destroy demons?” Gerrickson asks.

“I can,” I jump in, answering for myself. “However, the stronger the demon the harder they are to kill, and sometimes require certain things to kill them.”

“So you can vanquish Koan?” Rafi asks. “How?”

“Easy. I need a pearl blade inscribed with runes from “The Telling.”

“That’s impossible,” Gerrickson chokes. “Only one exists, and it’s thought to be lost since the warrior…” He trails off. He looks at me. “You know where it is.” He accuses.

“Why yes, yes I do. It’s in the Celestial Kingdom, awaiting my replacement.” I answer, causing Rafi to groan.

“Why is that an issue?” Gerrickson demands.

“The only one who can touch it is Skye. Because Dawn is attached to her, she cannot enter the Celestial Kingdom.” Rafi explains.

“So what do we do?” Gerrickson nearly yells.

“Make a new one.” I answer, causing Dawn to start laughing.

“Dear, that’s impossible.” Dawn looks me over, checking to see if I bumped my head.

“No it’s not. It was created once, it can again.”

“And how do we do that?” Dawn asks, looking to me as if a mother would a child.

“How about by asking the person who knows every detail about it? The second person in history who ever wielded it. Me.” I give her a knowing smile as confusion spreads through her face. “Why yes my dear sister, I know how to make that blade, and it’s easily achievable.”

“How long have you been keeping that in?” Rafi demands from me. “You never told me you knew how to make the damn thing.”

“It never came up.” I say simply, earning a dirty look.

“So your plan was to make a new pearl blade this entire time?” Rafi demands.

“That was my next stop until someone literally picked me up.” I give him a pointed look. “Speaking of which, where are we going?”

“How far were you planning on letting me carry you, before asking me that?” Rafi demands. “I honestly thought you were coming back to camp with us.”

“Can’t a girl let a strong demon carry her down a steep mountainside?” I ask innocently.

Dawn starts laughing. “She’s got you there. Skye, now that we’re on level ground, where are we going?”

“Yeah, no.” Rafi says quickly. “It’s more like “we”, as in all of us. Skye is too weak to even put up a fight against anything over a lower demon. Dawn can’t protect you from everything without draining both of you.”

“He’s got a point.” Gerrickson inserts quickly. “Besides, I’d love to know how to create this blade. I can help with the runes.”

I shrug since I have to get it passed by Dawn anyway. We’re stuck together. Dawn sighs, “Fine. Skye, if you even think about expending your energy you don’t have, I’ll murder you myself.” In a wave she fades out. I notice Gerrickson watching the stone on my hand illuminate and then dull after she fully dissipates. I decide to ignore it.

I rest my head on Rafi, feeling drained the moment Dawn left us. “How much longer?” I yawn.

He chuckles. “A few hours. Rest and I’ll get you there. Gerrickson needs to create a shield for you anyway. It’ll be less distracting when you’re comatose.” I playfully hit his chest and drift to sleep, trying to manifest something pleasant to head my way.