From Grace [Part Two- Lost Cats]

They found the body in the early hours of the day, when only the faintest of chilly lights were wafting over the bleak setting. The ravens were swirling around the scene in a flurry of black feathers and slashing beaks, pecking at the body's eyes and shredding her already torn dress.1

It was one of the protectors. She had been slaughtered, eyes wide open with shock and sudden realisation, blood still wet and trickling down her faded grey garments. Deep slashes scythed her face and throat and her stomach was a mass of entrails, looping out of her body like fat, bloody snakes. 2

She had been tied to the top of the bell tower by loose chains, leaving her free to hang limp and pathetic as a rag doll. Her wings had been supported so they still stood upright, as if she was ready to take flight at any moment. Through all of this, the sun still pierced her body, making her translucent in the cold light as if she wasn’t really there. 3

Sitting to one side of her at the top of that huge building were two cats, one the purest of white and one a scrawny ginger tomcat. They sat motionless, fur tickling their sides in the wafting breeze, eyes staring not at the spectacle beside them but out over the cliff, were a thunderstorm seemed to be stirring. Other cats were crowded around the bottom of the building, but none attempted to climb up to where the two were sat. Not nearer the action. The blood and the bells. 4

The scene, in any other setting, would have caused huge concern amongst everyone in the neighbouring areas. Here, however, it was just another death of someone no one even cared about; a reason to hate the demons even more, for surely it was them for killed the protector. No doubt about it. Demon. It had to be. 5

Several female angels were relaxing in the shade cast by the bell tower, giggling and murmuring to each other as if nothing had even happened. Everilde, hunter of demons and her entourage; Cyntrelle, whisper of the winds and Naveen, pure as snow. The most savage and vicious of the angels, Everilde, was lying on her stomach in the grace, silver hair swirling around her in the breeze. Her wings stuck out above her, white with streaks of silver to match her hair. Her gown was gold, and shone brightly against her pallid features. She was laughing, her thin lips pulled up into a sneer. She disliked the protectors just as much as everyone else and she certainly weren’t going to let it ruin her conversation with her friends. 6

Cyntrelle was sitting on a wall, swinging her legs and watching her slender blue dress crinkle and stretch. Pale blonde hair fell in swirls around her face and her eyes were downcast, leading any watcher to think she was unaware of her surroundings. Her ears however, were sharp and twitched if any sound shattered the backdrop. She knew better than most if someone was around. 7

Naveen was the one who drew the least attention. She was dressed in a simple white dress that fluttered around her bare feet. Her hair flowed in straight white lines to her back and her face was unremarkable apart for her look of distaste, etched subtly into the lines around her lips and brow. 8

A twig snapped on the grass behind them and Cyntrelle swung around off her seat, palms held out in front of her as twin streaks of twilight shot out towards the intruder. 9

A bitter laugh and a hand swept away the spell and bright blue eyes stared mockingly at the tense girl. The angel who stood there was none other than Shye, gift from Grace, charmer of cats and his lower angel Maslyn, the promising. 10

He grinned, pushing his red hair back away from his face as he strode towards them, shirt billowing, umber wings held high and proud. Maslyn followed two steps behind him, obviously cautious of approaching the girls. He was nothing to Everilde, being only a mere apprentice. Shye and Everilde were the two main angels, competing against each other constantly for the praise and love of Grace. The rest of the angels just had to live with what they had been granted and follow their leader’s commands. 11

“Already here, Everilde, hunter of demons? I presumed you would still be sleeping at this time, or preening in a closet somewhere,” Shye said as he approached her, hand held out to be shaken. 12

Everilde sighed, exchanging a look with Cyntrelle before standing, brushing herself off and shaking her hand with Shye’s briefly. “Shye, gift from Grace, charmer of cats, how nice of you to finally join us. We were beginning to think we would have to let the ravens eat her by the time you arrived.”13

Skye bowed gracefully to her and glanced upwards at the dead protector, “you do know you could have started whilst you were waiting?”14

“A little birdie,” Cyntrelle whispered, stalking up behind Maslyn and whispering in his ear, “told me you two were bringing unforgiven goods into Grace’s Queendom, and that’s while you were late.”15

Naveen spoke then, her voice emotionless and her eyes blank and staring, “you forget our place, Cyntrelle. It is in our best interests not to be throwing accusations at Grace’s little pet, however true they may or may not be. She will see him for what he is soon enough.” 16

“Be that as it may,” Shye smiled, turning back to face the bell tower, “a butchery has been held here this night, and we must somehow overwhelm our differences to find and slay whoever did it.”17

Everilde made an obvious scoffing sound and dropped back onto the ground, tugging a small white flower from the grass and twirling it in her fingers. “It’s just a protector. She wasn’t even a real angel.” 18

“What you fail to notice,” Shye sighed, “is that whatever did this did not trip any of the alarm spells that the protectors laid out. Something managed to get passed them without setting them off.” 19

The angel on the grass blushed but did not make any sign of having been defeated. She dropped the flower and stood again, holding out her hands to beckon her two lower angels to her side. Brushing passed Shye, she said acidic, “then why don’t you figure it out, show us how worthwhile you really are.” 20

They left, Cyntrelle stopping to blow Maslyn a kiss into the air before laughing at his discomfort and racing away after her companions. Somewhere over the cliff, something howled, a pitiful and longing sound, then abruptly broke off and did not start again. 21

Rain began to fall, trickling down onto the ground around them. Maslyn threw up his arms and cast a protection spell, and a sphere of shimmering light enfolded them where they stood, sheltering them from getting wet. Above them, the ravens squawked and ruffled their feathers. Even the cats slunk away in search of somewhere to wait out the nearing storm. All except the two cats aloft the roof, who sat still and steady, not leaving their position for anything. 22

“Don’t let them get to you,” Maslyn said hastily, “I know that you haven’t done anything against Grace’s laws. You’d never bring anything from the human world to our side. Grace’ll know that. I promise it with all the hope in the world.”23

Shye’s lip twitched as he drew his gaze away from the dead protector, “that means a lot to me, Maslyn. We should head back. There is nothing we can do. It’ll be chalked up to demons as it always is. Nykolas will get someone to remove us of the body.” 24

Maslyn nodded, looking towards the clefts along the cliffs where the ever watching forms of the remaining protectors sat, bodies gradually being swallowed up by the gushing clouds and rain. They moved to leave, when the white cat stood up on the roof and started to hiss, fur standing on end. She leapt down off of the roof, body flexing smoothly out as she streaked off into the darkness. The ravens stilled and the ginger cat slinked out of view. 25

Shye knew even before it happened that the alarms were about to go off, splintering the quiet rush of rain in two and throwing the alarm across the courtyards and marble buildings. A demon had crossed the boundaries into Grace’s territory. 26

He broke into a run; heading back the way he had come, wings soaring outwards as he lifted off into the sky. He could feel the cat’s presence ahead of him, the one who had sensed the demon even before the spells had done. She was bounding along the roofs, fur soaked and her tail lashing. 27

Other feline presences clashed against the white cat’s aura, cats hiding under gutters, cats stuck out in the rain, disheartened, untrusting, hateful, but nothing compared to the white cat’s power. He could almost taste it; bitterness rolled up into her small body, her whiskers twitching with the knowledge only she thought she had, the glory she held in it. He caught glimpses of her thoughts, it’s back...it’s not in same place as last time...dog, I can smell dog...Demon and dog.28

Finally she stopped in front of a tall building close by Grace’s temple, a place where angels came to pray when they didn’t have permission of Grace to join her in her temple. It was a decadent place even from the outside, the glass in the windows dusty and the cracks joined up by spider webs. Nothing as glorious as the temple, but what did angels need with glitter and colours? Angels were meant to follow orders to the word and if done correctly, they would have only a moment of time to themselves, no need for luxury. 29

Shye landed quietly behind the cat, who was now scratching at the door. She paused and turned with narrowed eyes to stare at him, and he felt her aura build with anger that she had been followed. Skye ignored her and reached out to push the heavy wooden door open. The cat shot inside and disappeared up the stairs. 30

He went inside and shut the door, scenting the air. It smelt of mould and dust. The scrabbling of rats was clear underneath the floorboards and the spiders skittered for cover as he began taking steps up the stairs. He whispered a few words under his breath and the shadows around him became light, moving with each step he took. 31

He caught sight of the cat slipping into the upmost room, and paused. He could smell incense now, something perfumed and thick. Perhaps an angel was in here praying when the demon had entered. He couldn’t see why a demon would want to come to such a place, but he could not pretend to understand the creatures that shared the realm with them.32

Going into that room was what all his senses begged him not to, but he knew that Grace would be proud, perhaps even Everilde would accept him if he caught a demon red-handed. A sudden gust of wind blew in a shattered window behind him and swung the door slowly open, revealing- nothing. 33

He went inside, cautious, looking around for any sign of evil doings. In a corner with a window facing Grace’s temple, lay a small black mat. Beside it, the incense was burning, the scented smoke creating dark patterns against the light of the lightening. He could see neither the cat nor any other sign of life. 34

A torch had been hung over the doorway, burning light fluttering over the surfaces in the abnormally dark room. Bound sheaves of papers lay scattered around the floor and table, quivering as the breeze from an open window blew in. Out of the window, the night sky was plastered grey with rainclouds and no stars sparkled in the distance. 35

On the table lay a small black box, open with the lid tossed carelessly onto the floor. A growl behind him and he barely turned in time to dodge out of the way of a pair of huge black dogs that seemed made of smoke, their tails drifting all the way back to the incense. Their teeth glittered and their eyes were as empty and black as lumps of charcoal. As he moved out of the way of the dog, he caught sight of another blurred black shape soaring towards him, a knife held out in front of it. 36

The demon slammed into him, grinning malevolently, dark eyes cut from emerald stones. His canines were slightly pricked and his huge wings a shade that any a raven would be envious of. His clothes, if you could call them that, consisted of a ragged shirt and a cloth around his waist. His whole body reeked of filth and evil. 37

The knife slashed into the side of Shye’s neck before he could react, then with a yell of anger, Shye pressed his hand against the demon’s chest and flung him backwards with a flash of purple light that cut the remainder of his shirt to ribbons. Splayed on the floor, the demon laughed high and cold. Then he winked at the angel and the twin dogs vanished into the twirl of incense, “scare you, did I? I’m so sorry.” He giggled again, the sound twisted in his long throat. “Going to exterminate now, are you? So I won’t spoil your little city of peace and love.”38

“You murdered the protector,” Shye said, his voice breathy from the shock. “I know you did it.”39

The demon stood suddenly, knife hung limply at his side, “so what if I did? It’s not like you lot care a damn in hell about beings like her.”40

Skye didn’t respond and the demon nodded as if that explained it all. He brushed a spider out of his scruffy black hair and then breathed out a long sigh, “I’ve been waiting for you, you know. Don’t you remember me?”41

The angel shook his head, not believing a word of what the demon was saying. He was only trying to confuse him. The demon grinned and clapped his hands together like a gleeful child, then cocked his head to look at the box laid out on the table. “You want proof, don’t you? I brought you a little gift. Why don’t you take a look?”42

Shye hesitated, eyes flicking to the box again. The demon yawned and waved his hand over to it, “take a look, why don’t you? Oh wait, the knife, all gone,” he smiled, throwing it out the window and leaning back against the wall, humming something under his breath. “You won’t regret it, I promise you that.”43

Shye began sidestepping towards the box, his eyes still fixed on the demon in case it was a trick. He stood in front of the table and glanced down at the contents. 44

Lying in the box on a cushion of red velvet was a golden chain with a black lucky cat pendant on it. The cat’s eyes seemed to glow as the torchlight flitted over it, staring glassily at the ceiling. 45

Shye stared at it, unable to speak, his throat closing in on himself. He had seen this before, a long, long time ago. He picked it up, and then turned back to the demon with a sense of disbelief. The demon was by now perched a windowsill, smiling happily, “remember me now, don’t you? Oh, and one last thing...tell me, did it hurt when I killed you, Shye?”46

The demon fell backwards out of the window and disappeared into the night, leaving a stunned Shye behind it. Outside the window, a bell began to ring, shrieking through the air like the last scream torn from a dying man’s throat. Shye, startled, dropped the pendant onto the floor, and sat down, the cat’s eyes still open and gazing upwards as if dead.