Page 11 of Dark Symmetry

5

ABIGOR

“Yikes. No wonder Julian fell over like a sack of potatoes.” I shifted so I could see the full expanse of her wings.

“The word I’ve heard is terrifying,” she said dryly.

It was true—they were terrifying. They were also strangely beautiful, not that I would ever admit that to her. Stretched out beyond her shoulder blades, the full span easily equaled the height of a full-grown man. The feathers were white at first glance, but when I looked closer, I saw that they shimmered in an array of iridescent hues. Interspersed among the feathers were hundreds upon hundreds of eyes, their irises the same bright blue-green as Lilin’s own. Feathers shifted around them as they blinked out of turn, their gazes looking somehow at and through me at the same time. I had to repress the urge to reach out and touch a feather.

“And you can use those to see…what, emotions?”

She nodded. “In a way. Emotions…afterimages. Not thoughts, but…whatever is below the surface, in a man’s heart.” Abruptly the wings faded and disappeared as she hid them away again, then tossed me a knowing glance. “Or a demon’s.”

I scoffed. “Oh yeah? What am I feeling then?”

She eyed me. “Smug. A little curious.” Her grin widened. “And you like my wings.”

I snorted. “Hardly. I’m just glad I’m not the only one giving humans nightmares. You—”

I broke off as her eyes drifted out of focus. I shot out a hand, bracing her before she fell. “I just made it worse, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have asked you to show me.”

She seemed to recover herself and I let go. “Is there anything I can do? You want…a cup of tea, maybe?”

That surprised a laugh out of her. “We’re a demon and an angel, forbidden from contact but joined together on a quest to save a village from dark magic, and you’re asking me if I want a cup of tea.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, grimacing. “That’s—”

“Yes,” she cut in, her voice much softer. “Actually, I would love a cup of tea.”

I grinned, relaxing. “Well, I may not know how to save a village from dark magic, but tea I can do. Be right back.”

I pushed to my feet and walked back to the house. I found a chipped pottery mug in the cupboard, and added a scoop of the tea leaves I found in an adjoining cabinet. A bucket of water from the well was sitting on the countertop, and I helped myself before returning to join Lilin at the water’s edge.

She tipped her head. “Cold tea?”

“Hardly.” I conjured a fireball in one hand, holding it under the base of the mug until the water inside began to roil and bubble.

“Well, that’s a neat trick,” Lilin said, accepting the steaming mug.

I grinned. “I’m full of neat tricks.”

“That’s not all you’re full of,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

“Hey, now,” I objected. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we just had an entire conversation without murdering each other or destryoing anything around us. Let’s not ruin the moment.”

“Huh,” she said, glancing around. “I guess you’re right.” She took a sip of tea. “Maybe they should relax the old proscription on angels and demons.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said. “Remember Pompeii.”

I meant it in jest, but her expression turned sober. “Yes. The sooner we find Julian and fix this, the sooner we can stop tempting fate.”

We sat in silence, gazing at the rippling water, until Lilin finished the last of her tea.

“Can you walk?” I asked.

She nodded and let me pull her to her feet. As we walked back toward Julian’s cottage, she turned to me. “You should go,” she said.

I stared at her. “What?”

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