Chaser of Faith

Beythas, even this early in the morning, was buzzing with activity. I thanked whatever higher power I could for this. I wouldn’t have been able to blend in properly if it was just me walking through the city. I would need cover if I wanted to grab enough food for Nicholas and myself. When I had finally landed, I wasted no time in scouting my surroundings for busy shops offering food.

The first piece of food I had stolen was a piece of fruit whose name I did not know. I had been sneaky enough to steal in while the store owner was helping a customer. The stand was surrounded by people, and I was easily able to move past them all while quickly snatching whatever had been closest to me.

The guilt wasn’t as heavy as I had expected.

When I had finally made it a few yards away from the store without being caught, I was once again able to breathe. I hadn’t realized I had been shaking until I finally took in a deep breath. I gripped onto the piece of fruit tightly in my wide dress pocket, breathing steadily. I stood at the edge of an empty alley way and quickly devoured the fruit. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the sweet fruit touched my lips. I ate greedily and finished it in a few bites. I tossed the final scraps in one of the trash cans near the back of one of the shops in the alley.

I made sure to move to the other side of the city before stealing another piece of food.

There was a vendor selling loaves of bread- the same bread that the dark angel had given me in the woods after I had escaped from Adriel. Each loaf was covered in a sugary powder, making my mouth water. I observed for a few moments, waiting for the right time before I made my move. The owner went to where he kept his money to deal with a customer. Several other customers were near me, not paying attention to anyone else. I stole two loaves, shoving them into both my pockets, and moving slickly around for a moment, pretending to ponder buying something, before turning and leaving.

I felt a little more guilty after that.

I had to take another moment for myself before moving onto another store. My stomach turned with anxiety. While gnawing on my lip nervously, I accidentally bit so hard that I tasted a little blood. I finally stole myself away from my worries and tore off a piece of the bread to chew on. It was sweet and soft and I wanted to eat more, but I knew Nicholas needed it more than I did. I put it back into my pocket hesitantly.

I didn’t want to leave without at least one more piece of fruit for Nicholas. So, I found another fruit stand, carefully taking my time before grabbing something. As I was about to tuck it into my pocket with the bread, a hand slapped around my wrist.

“Nythiat! Glistov! Tiat!” I took in a deep breath, widening my eyes at the large Saniat in front of me. He was about a foot taller than me and his arms were as thick as tree trunks. His skin was yellow and his eyes were deep black, glaring at me.

“No, I- I’m sorry!” My heart was pounding in my chest as he shook my wrist violently.

“Sorry means nothing! You take my food, I take your hand.” He began to drag me into his store.

“No!” I shouted, trying to pry his hand off my arm. “I can pay you back!”

“Meaningless words.” I tried to slow us down by planting my feet firmly to the ground, straining against his strength. The people parted to let us through, staring with heavy judgement. Their gazes made my heart shrivel with guilt.

“Please! I can pay you back! I was just hungry! I was just hungry!”

“5 hass for that comm. 5 fingers for 5 hass,” he decided menacingly. His words chilled me down to my bones.

He threw my hand down onto a counter, holding me down tightly. He took a knife from behind the counter- it scraped the edge cooly, echoing the metallic shink as he raised it above my hand.

“No!” I roared, reaching for my sword at my hip.

Before the Saniat could stop me, I struck him across the back of his head with the handle of my sword. He grunted and fell against the counter with a thud. He bounced from the counter down to the floor, laying unconscious. I took a few steps back, afraid that he might move again.

I looked up to see at least a dozen people staring at me from the door of the shop. I backed up fearfully. I turned and sprinted to the back door, tearing it open and jumping down into the alley way. I took two steps, starting to flap my wings, and jumped up into the air. I began to fly back to the cottage with tears in my eyes and my adrenaline through the roof. I realized that I still held the comm tightly in my hand. My fingers had squished into its skin in two spots. I tucked it into my pocket as the wind whipped against my face, forcing the tears from my eyes. I let out a sob, wiping the tears away angrily.

Never again, I told myself. I could never steal again. Not from a store, not from Adriel, not from anyone.

Never again.

-*-

I made sure that my face was clear of tears or redness before I landed at the cottage. I didn’t want to admit what had happened, especially not to Nicholas. I was mortified and still trying to shake the fear I’d felt. It was something I’d never experienced before. I’d never been faced with such wrath before- such a real fear of pain.

I didn’t want to talk about it or have it linger over me.

When I landed at the cottage, Nicholas was right where I had left him. He was still slumped against the fence, wrapped in the cloak and asleep. Nothing had changed- there was no life in the cottage; no sign of Rahmiel or the others. My heart sank with the acceptance of the situation that Nicholas and I were now officially in.

What were we going to do?

I shuffled over to Nicholas, nudging him lightly with my hand. His sturdy shoulder barely moved, but his eyes opened slowly and easily.

“Hey, I’m back,” I greeted pathetically. He stared at me groggily. He looked at me through squinted eyes, looking from me to the side where the sun did not hit his face.

“I thought it’d be nice to wake up to the sun.” He took my cape away from his chest, letting it fall to his lap. “I was wrong.” I smiled lightly, reaching to my pockets for his food. I got onto my knees and tucked my legs underneath myself, keeping my attention to Nicholas.

“This was all I could manage to get away with. I’m sorry it’s not a lot, but it’ll keep you going for a little longer.” He eyed the food hungrily.

“We’ll go 50-50, Claire.” I shook my head.

“No, I ate already. This is yours.” I layed it all onto the cape in his lap.

“You sure?” He asked cautiously, almost afraid that I would accept his offer. I continued to shake my head.

“It’s yours.” He picked up a loaf of bread and broke it in half, taking in a deep breath to smell how fresh it was.

“Thank you,” he said before shoving half the loaf into his mouth. I smiled in spite of my growling stomach. I resumed my earlier position next to him against the fence. I watched him longingly as he ate. After he finished one loaf, he paused for a moment. He tore the last loaf in half and offered it to me, wordlessly. I let out a breath, feeling my mouth water again. I reached out a shaking hand and took it. The soft powder stuck to my fingers. I laid my head against his shoulder and began to slowly eat the bread.

We sat in silence, eating peacefully. I didn’t want to bombard Nicholas with questions about titans or gods, or angels, or vampires. I didn’t have the heart to break our brief moment of peace. This was the first time I felt such peace in so long- I couldn’t give it up just yet.

He finished his food quickly, whereas I savored mine.

“Do you know what this is called?” I asked, referring to the bread. “And the fruit. What was that?”

“The fruit is called a grye, and the bread is called hiiev.” I nodded thoughtfully.

“I’m glad I found you in those woods, Nicholas.” He was silent in return, which made me blush with embarrassment. “I just mean thanks for being a good friend.” I lifted my head up to give him a warm smile, taking my head away from his shoulder. He was already looking at me.

“You do remember that I nearly killed you, right?” His clear blue eyes seemed solemn. I shrugged.

“It wasn’t your fault. And, you didn’t kill me. I’m fine. And now, so are you.” He continued to stare at me. I nodded once, trying to reassure him. “So what’s our next plan?” He shrugged, shaking his head and putting a hand to his face to rub his tired eyes.

“We just gotta keep going,” Nicholas said quietly.

“Synéchise,” I added fondly. He looked at me with a confused smile.

“What does that mean?” I looked down at the ground, remembering my mom and my grandmother.

“My mom used to say it to me. Her mom used to say it to us. It’s Greek. Means ‘keep going.’ ‘Carry on.’”

“See-nay-keys?” I nodded, appreciating hearing him say it back to me. “So your family’s Greek?”

“Half of my family. My mom is first generation in America. My dad… I think he was German. Or Russian? I don’t really know. My mom never talked much about him. I never talked to her about him. I kind of regret that now, I guess.” He shared a sympathetic look with me as I fought through my clumsy, emotional words. I didn’t plan on getting so touchy. I had to look away and down at the ground to struggle with what I wanted to tell him.

“He was killed trying to save my mom from a burglar in the house,” I continued, attempting to clarify. “I was a baby. I never got to really meet him, but I have made-up memories of him. I know what I would want him be today- who he could have been for me.” I swallowed in an attempt to clear my throat. “And my mom went missing a while back. So now, those memories are all I’ll ever have of him.” I shook my head quickly. “I should have asked more questions.” I looked at him with a comical smile. “Synéchise.”

Nicholas wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. He put his cheek on the top of my head. I stared at the ground, trying to steal my mind away from the sad thoughts. I couldn’t put my hands anywhere other than my lap for fear of touching his bare skin. We sat like this for minutes, which turned into what felt like hours. I don’t think either of us had the heart to move.

I was somewhat embarrassed when I heard shuffling noises approaching us on the dirt path. I was aware that we probably looked homeless- like beggars, but I couldn’t be bothered to move. It wasn’t like I wanted to look them in the eye anyway.

The shuffling stopped a few feet away from us. Nicholas lifted his head and looked in their direction.

“I thought I was going crazy,” the man said in awe. I lifted my own head towards him and saw Remy standing in front of us. He was very clean and proper- as if he had somewhere important to be. I struggled to stand- my wings and my arms getting tangled in the fence and my cloak.

“Remy!” I exclaimed. He stared, stunned, as I jumped towards him and wrapped him in a hug. “I thought you were gone! I thought everyone was gone!” He returned the hug cautiously.

“You… what happened?” He asked, dumbfounded. “What happened to you two?” I heard Nicholas shuffling towards us slowly.

“It’s sort of a long story. Please tell me you can let us in.” I let go of Remy, stepping back to see his face. His mouth hung open and his eyes flicked back and forth between Nicholas and I.

“Uh… Yeah, of course.” He paused for a moment, not moving. “Pelle omnia falsa. Custodi in mente. Praeveni raptu. Spiritus meus ne abscondas.” After speaking so quietly and so quickly, he stopped abruptly. He just stared at us, waiting. I looked back at Nicholas, who seemed confused.

“What does that mean?” I asked carefully. Remy licked his lips anxiously and started walking towards the house.

“I thought I was going crazy.” I looked back in the direction that he had come from. He was coming from Beythas. I felt a pang of nervousness, remembering my encounter in the city that morning, but moved to follow Remy quickly. “I just needed to make sure you weren’t an illusion.”

“Was that Latin?” I asked him. He nodded, not answering me.

“You’ve been gone for almost a month,” Remy said quietly. I widened my eyes, not expecting that. “What happened to you?” He stopped at the gate, turning to look at me.

“It’s a long story. Can I tell you over a cup of tea? And a big dinner?” I smiled pathetically at him. He gave me a small smile in return.

“Please come in, Claire. Please come in, Nicholas.” Remy held the gate open for us, and walked through without a problem.

It felt good to be back.