Ways of the Heart - FICTION

#$%#@ #$&*!@ is going to die.

Die ugly.

Whoa!

You play words like a symphony Always a pleasure to read your work, Sooner

*cries*

Part VI

The three devils beat him with savagery, and held him firmly and helplessly against it. He couldn't dodge the blows and he couldn't fight back. But every moment he was trapped there, Cad'strum would get further away with Sadb and the chances of him saving her went down. He had to act. He had to, while he still had a chance to fight.

They became more careless with him, more concerned with hurting him than with holding him. And he let them believe he was already too hurt to fight back. He slumped against their grip, he coughed and choked and cried out with each blow, and waited for the right moment.

His left shoulder had been badly injured in a brutal battle a few centuries earlier, a wound that had never really healed back as it should. Every time a blow rocked his body back, every time he flinched back, it twinged that shoulder more and more. And though he knew the risk he was taking, he thought that shoulder might just be the key. He just had to endure what they were doing, just had to make them believe he was beaten and cowed until the opportunity to break free came.

Ira'tus gave him that chance. "I want my turn!" he demanded. Ruadh let his head drop forward, gasping for breath and letting out an occasional choked moan.

Atru'vum scowled and looked away. "We can't kill him, Ira'tus." he reminded.

"Just take him!" Ira'tus demanded.

Ruadh waited, more alert and ready than he appeared. He slumped forward against the arms holding him, even while his heart raged at him to find a way to go after Sadb. Atru'vum moved to his right and bent down to grasp Ruadh's wrist. Ira'tus took his foot from Ruadh's knee and lifted Ruadh up. "On your feet, 'blessed one,'" he commanded. "I want you standing for this."

Ruadh snarled as they pulled up on his arms, putting more strain on his tortured shoulders. They were worried about his upper body, maintaining control of his arms and wrists. They should have been worried about his feet, but they expected his feet to be moving, they were, after all, trying to make him stand.

He complied, clumsy and weak. He pushed with his right leg, lifting himself up and - just as Ira'tus pulled his hand away - Ruadh "stumbled" hard into Trist'us. He'd hoped to catch the devil by surprise, but he was not so fortunate. He twisted and leaned, smashing his head into Trist'us's nose and mouth. The devil's face crunched satisfyingly against Ruadh's forehead, but he still managed to yank hard on Ruadh's arm to try to maintain control, and that weak shoulder popped out.

Ruadh screamed with both rage and pain and pivoted to take out Ira'tus's knee. As painful as it was, the dislocation freed him to move. His foot smashed into the joint and Ira'tus's leg bent backwards and crunched. The devil stumbled back, roaring and slammed into the wall.

For a moment none of the devils had their hands on Ruadh. He took that moment to revert to his true form. Moments later an enraged angel stood in that small room, bleeding and battered, but glowing with his power. With his wings held high, he reached out to Atru'vum and pulled energy out of the devil to heal himself. His left arm popped back into place, but Ruadh was too badly injured to heal himself fully that way.

Ira'tus pushed himself off the wall, "You self-righteous *******!" he screamed. "You deserve to suffer for what you did to us!"

"Still want your turn, Ira'tus?" Ruadh growled, and slashed with his natural crystal weapons. He sliced through the devil's face leaving tatters of shredded blue skin behind. When the devil flinched back, Ruadh turned and raced for the door.

He nearly made it. If he could have darted through that door, they would never have caught him. But he was already too injured and could not move fast enough. He didn't know which one managed to grapple him to the floor, but once he was down, they never gave him the chance to get back up. With each passing moment, as it became more and more clear that he couldn't get free, his despair grew. He didn't need to imagine what a devil could do to a human woman. He'd seen it, and more than once. The thought of his sweet Sadb hurt that way caused him far more pain than the thorough and savage beating that left him bleeding on the floor ever could.

In the end, Ruadh lay on the floor of Sadb's home, struggling to breath, struggling to move.

---

Servitude in the world of demons and devils tended to be a depressingly permanent situation, usually lasting until the servant tried to break free and then ending with tragic consequences for the loser. Or, the master could recognize the growing strength of his servant and choose to end the relationship – which still occasionally ended tragically.

Na'rul was learning another facet of her servitude – that she was a commodity. “Cad'strum! No! Not to her!” She would normally not have dared to even speak to him when cold rage froze his eyes that way, but she couldn't bear even the thought of being handed over to Ciara.

“You betrayed me, faithless creature! I trusted you to carry out a very simple task, and you turned on me. Unfortunately for us both, I wagered on your fidelity and lost"

His eyes grew more cold, and then he cursed and raised his hand to strike her. Na'rul steeled herself for the blow, but refused to cower. She'd taken enough blows that day to her pride, dignity, and heart to flinch before a physical blow. His palm slammed into her cheek with even more force than she'd anticipated. Her head snapped around and back and she staggered. Her hand darted to the corner of her mouth and found blood. Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her fist over her own blood.

"No, Cad'strum," was all she said, and then she threw everything she had at him. Fire rained down on him, flew at him from her palms. She spat fire at him, flung it at him. For a few moments, she thought she had a chance, that surprise would be enough to win her freedom. The hateful demoness stood back watching with interest but did not interfere, and Cad'strum himself was staggering back before the force of her attack. He roared angrily, and then charged through her fire at her. His first blow, a rock hard fist to her jaw, rocked her but didn't break her concentration. She danced back, just starting to strain for the energy to keep fighting. She thought she was more agile than he, but his strength was intimidating. He closed on her again and his second punch knocked her from her feet. She shook off the confusion with nothing more than force of will and tumbled away.

"You little simpleton," he sneered. He stalked her, he must have been aware that she had burned through her energy too quickly. She reached for the fire but it wasn't there. She backed away, circling, but he kept coming. "You were my favorite, you know. I preferred you above your brothers."

"Those cursed bastards are not my brothers!" she spat back.

"I suppose they are not anymore, at any rate," he said sadly, then charged her again. She tried to roll away, but she'd backed herself into a corner and he trapped her. She found the strength for one last blast, then he was on her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her out. No amount of clawing or kicking would dislodge his grip. He twisted his hand to turn her face to him, then drew back his other fist.

"Do NOT damage my property, Cad'strum." Ciara snapped suddenly.

"Your property?" Cad'strum scoffed.

"She is mine."

"For one century.”

“One century, and then she'll be returned to you at your request.” The demoness agreed with a smile. “Come to me, my pretty one.”

"NO!" Na'rul denied furiously, but Cad'strum shook his head and passed the bonds of compulsion to Ciara. Na'rul flinched, but stubbornly refused to cry out at the sensation of the magical bonds sinking into her mind and will. When it was over, she shook her head, but the compulsion to obey was complete. She had no choice but to comply, slinking slowly to Ciara and standing by her new mistress's side with her head down and her black hair falling about her face to hide her fury.

Ciara reached out with her slender clawed fingers and began to twirl Na'rul's hair. “Let me offer a bit more assistance, Cad'strum.”

“And what will be your price this time?” Cad'strum asked suspiciously.

Ciara smiled indulgently. “Your good will, Cad'strum. And perhaps I am as anxious to see this angel brought down as you."

"What affront did he do to you?" Cad'strum said with a suspicious frown.

She waved her hand in an airy gesture. "Him? Nothing. He is one of the blessed ones. That is enough for me to want him to suffer."

Cad'strum nodded understanding. "What do you suggest then?"

"Two things. First... Ruadh will not rest until he finds his Sadb." Ciara paused and smiled, but Na'rul refused to give either the satisfaction of her reaction. "I will come back to that, though. Once you are ready, I will go to Ruadh and offer to send him here to you. I will lead him to believe I want him to kill you. Once he is here, you will, of course, beat him again. Between that, and the other thing he will see here, he will be further enraged."

"What other thing will he see?" Cad'strum asked, intrigued.

Ciara trailed the back of her hand along Na'rul's cheek and lifted her chin with one clawed finger. She smiled indulgently and wiped away Na'rul's hot tears with a knuckle. Na'rul angrily pulled away, but Ciara gripped her jaw.

"There is still the matter of punishing this one."

Cad'strum raised a brow. "I thought her punishment was you."

"Cad'strum, please. You lost possession of her in a wager. That was between you and I." Ciara turned an indulgent gaze on Na'rul, and Na'rul felt a knot of dread beginning to twist in her gut. "Let me see Ruadh's love, my lovely one."

Na'rul's eyes flicked to Cad'strum, but, really, he didn't matter anymore. She concentrated a moment. Her features shifted and her color faded. She felt suddenly weaker and more vulnerable standing there as the pale red-headed human while Ciara still held her jaw.

"Is she not pretty?" Ciara purred.

"Yes. She's a very lovely human. I designed her to be. Make your point!"

Before Ciara could continue, Na'rul's former colleagues under Cad'strum, Ira'tus, Trist'us, and Atru'vum returned. Na'rul's eyes widened at the damage to all three. Atru'vum was bruised, Trist'us's entire face was swollen and discolored, and Ira'tus... Ira'tus who had been an exceptionally handsome example of a devil, limped in only with the help of an improvised crutch and his face was sliced open. Na'rul began to laugh.

"What happened!" Cad'strum demanded. "Did he escape?"

"He fought back, Cad'strum," Atru'vum answered. "He fought hard to get free. But we left him as you ordered. Unconscious and bleeding."

"He fought for you, my little pet," Ciara murmured. "Now.... for our treacherous little devil here. Turn into her into a display for Ruadh. Let him see her corpse."

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What a tangled web of disaster.

Both Ruadh and Na'Rul place the other's well-being above their own. No matter what their actual natures, that's love. Nicely written !

Part VII

Na'rul's eyes flicked with disbelief to Ciara. She couldn't be serious!

"I do not want her dead, Ciara!"
"A devil could easily survive what would kill a human. It will no doubt be uncomfortable for her, but she will not die."

"No!" Na'rul protested. "You demon cow! No!"

Ciara ignored Na'rul as if she weren't there. "Then, when I send Ruadh here, it will be his attempt to save his love. But instead, he will see her... he will see that she is dead."

"I say again, I do not want her dead," but to Na'rul's horror, he sounded thoughtful. As if he were actually considering the demon's idea.

"She is a devil, Cad'strum. Not a fragile human. She'll survive it. And Ruadh will... go mad at the sight of her."

Unable to speak, Na'rul waited, filled with shock as Cad'strum considered the idea. "I think... Ciara... that you.... are correct. That would be devastating to him."

Atru'vum spoke abruptly, "Cad'strum! Are you... seriously considering this? To one of our own?"

"She betrayed me. She is not one of mine anymore." His gaze switched to Na'rul. "How ironic, Na'rul. You fell in love and were cast down. And now you have fallen in love again. And another angel will be cast down. There must be great power in your love, Na'rul." He paused, his face thoughtful, his anger dark and cold. He turned his dark eyes away from Na'rul. "I think her body will be exactly the right last touch."

"Cad'strum? Is this really what you want?" Atru'vum asked, reluctance clear in his voice.

"I want Ruadh to hurt." he answered simply. "Seeing his love dead... knowing he failed to protect her..."

Ciara turned Na'rul to face her. "You... will hold this form until I instruct you otherwise. I will send Ruadh here after you've had time to set the scene."

As Ciara turned away, Na'rul turned her furious gaze on Cad'strum. "He's going to kill you! His furious face will be the very last thing you see! And it will be for me!"

---

Ruadh was struggling awake. He was lost in his own pain and couldn't find his way back. He knew he urgently needed to wake, but wasn't sure why. He dragged himself upward through the darkness and pain, the confusion, the growing fear. Something was very very wrong, and he kept seeing a pair of bright blue eyes watching him, urging him awake.

He heard a door open and then a woman gasp. The door slammed again and footsteps rushed to him. “Ruadh! Oh no! What happened here? Where is Sadb?!”

The presence of a human gave him the urgency to wake. He couldn't be unconscious and helpless with a human in the room. He tried to push himself up but only succeeded in rolling onto his back. His eyes opened, and he saw the woman Marah crouched next to him.

"Sadb..." he breathed out, and then he remembered. "They took her!"

"What happened?" Marah asked, "She didn't come to work at the Hart - and you didn't show either - we thought you were together," Marah blushed at the suggestion. "But... no. I came to check on her. What happened?"

He pushed up and grasped at Marah with one hand, “Help me, I need to stand.”

Marah glanced at his hand and her eyes widened. Ruadh was no longer disguised as a human. Whether she could tell he was an angel in his condition, he didn't know. But he was clearly not human. She bit at her lip, then stood, grasped his hand, and helped pull him up. He held on to her tightly until his feet settled under him and he was sure of his balance.

"What.... are you?" she asked finally.

He stretched his body, reaching with his arms, standing on first one leg, then the other, twisting side to side, and finally stretching his wings out. He was hurt, and hurt badly, but he healed faster than a human would. He could travel. "Marah," he said finally, "I am the one who is going to find Sadb and punish the ones who took her. I'm going to find her."

“Be careful, Ruadh,” she urged. “I don't know if I really understand the forces at work here, but... be careful.”

Ruadh said nothing at all in response, he merely limped out the door and made his way into the darkness.

---

Ciara smiled, delighted with her progress with Ruadh. She moved into the darkness herself, dropping her own disguise of Marah and appearing as her true form. She wrapped a cloak about herself, hiding her near nakedness – that would not be the best way to approach an angel.

He was so badly injured she easily moved ahead of him on the path. He was, of course, headed for the shrine. He would hope to recharge his energies and heal some of his injuries. She waited for him just outside - no need to offend his angelic sensibilities by entering the shrine.

She heard him coming before she saw him. He was stumbling and lurching along the path, and there was a sort of low animal keening. If she had human emotions, she was certain he would have stirred them with the depth of his grief and rage.

“Ruadh... “ she called and stepped out into the path. As soon as he stopped, she raised her hands to show she meant no harm to him. “Peace to you, angel. I had no hand in harming your love, there is no need for us to fight each other at this moment.”

His colorless eyes blazed with fury, but he was so badly hurt. He wanted to attack her, for the mere fact of her existence, but he held himself back. He needed his strength for his chosen battle.

“Out of my way, demon *****, I do not have time for you” he snarled.

“Foolish angel...” she purred. “We have a common goal, a common enemy. We both wish Cad'strum dead. I lack the strength to do it. You lack the knowledge of how to find him”

He shuddered, wracked with pain, and considered her words. “You know where I can find Sadb?”

“I know where you can find Cad'strum,” she answered. “I can send you to him. And your Sadb should still be with him.”

He swayed and shook his head. “I know your type, I know you can twist words and meanings, but rarely lie. Say plain and clearly what you are offering and what you want from me?”

“I will open a portal that will take you to Cad'strum.” She shrugged. “I will leave that portal open so you can exit his realm as well. I want you to kill him. As this will benefit us both, I ask for nothing more from you at this time.”

Ruadh blinked and considered her words. She knew he was seriously injured and wracked with urgency and grief, but she had spoken truth. The fact that there was no chance this beaten and wounded angel could even hurt Cad'strum didn't factor into it. She'd spoken the truth. She kept her face blank, but her magical senses could taste his power. And she wanted him. Already her power grew now that had access to Na'rul's power. Once she claimed the soon-to-be-fallen angel, she would become a major power. Cad'strum would be dead, and she.... she would be free.

"Send me to him, demon," Ruadh growled. "And do not betray me. I have enough rage to avenge myself on you as well."

"I will send you to the heart of his lair. You might land right in his lap. Be ready."

"I am more than ready."

No amount of control could hide the smile that spread across her lips. She began her spell casting, noting that he turned away with distaste clear on his face. She didn't really need nearly that much casting and chanting to open the portal, she needed it to alert Cad'strum.

When she was finished, a portal glowing red and black swirled before them. Ruadh stood in front of it, but turned to fix his colorless angel's eyes on her. "Promise me this portal is not a trap, demon. Say it plainly."

She smiled. "Neither death nor captivity wait for you on the other side of this portal, blessed.You have my word on that." She gestured. "Your enemy and your love are through there."

With determination hardening his angel's face, Ruadh stepped through the portal.

---

Ruadh had just a moment to question whether he should trust a demon as he travel the magic portal, then he stumbled as his feet hit the stone floor of Cad'strum's lair. The hard landing jarred his injuries and he grit his teeth over a groan of pain. His shoulder throbbed and his arm ached. He limped forward a few steps, feeling every bruise and cut. For the first time, he really wondered if it had been his wisest course to accept the demon's offers.

However, true to her word, Ciara left the glowing portal open behind him. He still had a way out. He had arrived near the corner of a stone hallway just curving away to his left. Behind him, the corridor stretched away, lined with doorways and curtained arches. But he face a corner just a few steps away, lit by a flickering torch. He had just a moment to recognize the movement of the shadows toward him before Cad'strum and Atru'vum swung into sight.

"Cad'strum!" the other devil called. "Here... it is done."

Time slowed, moving forward a heartbeat at a time. Cad'strum was still more than half-hidden around the corner, glancing behind toward Atru'vum. Ruadh could see his lips quirked in a smile. The angel's eyes spotted a fine spray of blood over a brocade sleeve. Cad'strum took another step, and Ruadh's head lowered. He could now see what Cad'strum had taken from Atru'vum. Draped over the long, clawed fingers of one hand, Cad'strum held Sadb's lapis blue teardrop pendant with the red flaw in the center, the pretty blue ribbon stained nearly black. The sight of it, the image of that pendant in Cad'strum's hands was more than he could stand.

Read my stories!

Sooner! Your post got cut short.

*waits impatiently for the violence*

*cries and sniffles*

Sooner, your writing captures and transport me... and makes me feel.

*wipes eyes*

[Short post this time, and I don't think I'll post again until after Christmas. This is a sad story, and it doesn't get any happier... So, I don't want sadness for Christmas. - Sooner]

Part VIII

Ruadh's jaw dropped open. His wings, the feathers still broken and bloody, mantled over his back, and his eyes and hands began to glow with his power. He roared, a furious, grief-stricken denial that reverberated off the stone walls. He took one lunging step forward and his knee crumpled under him. He stumbled into the stone wall beside him, pushed upright, and charged, never once taking his eyes from his enemy. Cad'strum tried to sidestep, but Ruadh still managed to crash into him, driving them both back into the wall behind them. They grappled, pushing each other back, slamming one after the other into the stone. It seemed to go on forever, but in reality lasted just a few seconds before Cad'strum trapped Ruadh in corner, with torchlight flickering down over both of them. Ruadh pushed with all his remaining strength, but Cad'strum had him pinned and Ruadh couldn't break free.

"Go back, Atru'vum. I have this situation in hand," Cad'strum ordered, then spoke again, disdain dripping from each word. "You've come for her then, have you, oh most glorious angel?" Cad'strum asked.

"If you've harmed her I SWEAR that I will see you dead," Ruadh spat.

Cad'strum tossed back his head and laughed. "You are worse than a fool, Ruadh. Of COURSE I've harmed her. That was the point of my taking her, after all."

The angel's face twisted with grief and rage, transforming the handsome, even features into something ugly. "You should have come for me and left her out of it."

"You should have walked away instead of having me cast down. And you brought her into this when you allowed her to become special to you."

Ruadh narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth as if to speak. Instead he simultaneously stomped his foot hard on Cad'strum's instep and slammed his forehead into Cad'strum's face. As his enemy reeled back, Ruadh reached up and snatched Sadb's pendant away.

Cad'strum backed away. "How did you find your way here so quickly?" he asked as he wiped a drip of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm not the only one who wants to see you dead!" Ruadh yelled and then lumbered after Cad'strum.

The devil was fit and healthy and unencumbered by injuries. He easily evaded Ruadh's clumsy attacks. Their power was enough to knock chips from the stone walls, but Ruadh was just too injured, too exhausted to out fight Cad'strum. And when it was clear to all that Ruadh could not win, Cad'strum stepped behind the angel and grappled his arms back, breaking a few more feathers from the angel's battered wings.

"Keep the pendant, Ruadh." Cad'strum whispered. The devil drove Ruadh forward around the corner. "Keep it, and remember her."

Ruadh fought to get free, but he was held tight. He was suddenly certain that he did not want to see what was around that corner. He pushed and twisted, but nothing prevented Cad'strum from pushing him step by step around the corner. At first he couldn't even comprehend what he seeing. Blood - that he understand, and a heavy wooden table broken into splintered chunks of wood. So much blood.... And Cad'strum's three minions, Atru'vum, Ira'tus, and Trist'us watching with gleaming eyes from where they stood near a piece of art on the wall.

Cad'strum sank a hand into Ruadh's hair and turned his head to face the wall. "See what your actions have wrought?" He hissed. "See what has happened?"

And still Ruadh was slow to recognize what he saw, even with his face turned towards it. He began to shake his head in denial when Ira'tus reached out and lifted a strand of something golden red and twirled it through his fingers. And that's when Ruadh finally recognized that he was staring at what was left of Sadb. "No no no..." he whispered. His struggles had stopped. He stood still and stunned.

She was pinned to the wall, her head hung forward and her beautiful strawberry blonde hair covered most of her face. But he could still see one blue eye open - vacant and staring. Cuts and bruises to her hands and arms showed she'd fought back, but she was still... so broken. Pieces of the legs of the table had been rammed into her, one through her shoulder, one through the left side of her belly, with such force they had cracked the wall behind her. Blood soaked the remains of her simple white shirt and long skirt, and pooled beneath her motionless toes. His eyes flicked over Sadb's body, cataloging each cut, bruise, and burn, his mind filled with thoughts of what her last few hours of life must have been like. The image was a soul-deep wound to the angel.

"She's done, blessed," Cad'strum whispered. "Your love is broken and gone from you. And YOU have brought this about." The devil flung Ruadh down to sprawl on the stone. "Now get out of my home!"

Ruadh pushed himself up, unable to take his eyes from Sadb's ruined body. He barely noticed or resisted when Ira'tus and Trist'um dragged him away and tossed him back through Ciara's portal to land, defeated and grieving, in the chilled autumn leaves beside the road.

---

Cad'strum waiting until Ruadh was gone and the portal vanished behind him. Then his lips curled in a fang baring smile. The angel would be mad with grief and anger. Ciara had been a very useful ally. He knew she was still hoping to avoid being bound to him, but her aide and counsel had just confirmed to him that she would be a very valuable servant. Once he was finished with Ruadh, once the angel was not just dead, but defeated, then he would turn his attention to Ciara.

He returned to the spot where Na'rul hung pinned to the wall. Ciara emerged from hiding and leaned back against a pillar, displaying her body to best advantage, even when draped in the full cloak. "You did well, Na'rul," he said, his satisfaction clear in his smile and voice.

His former servant, still wearing the damaged form of the human, lifted her head and glared at him. The wooden table legs that held her pinned to wall kept her from drawing a full breath so she could only whisper back, "Get me down, you motherless *****."

"Yes, Cad'strum," Ciara murmured and slunk across the floor like a cat looking for a place to nap. "I'd like to take my servant home now. She needs care in order to recover from this ordeal."

"Get her down," he instructed, and his servants obeyed. Na'rul crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, but when Atru'vum offered her his hand, she batted it away angrily. Slowly, bit by bit, she forced herself to her feet. She couldn't straighten, and her right arm hung limp at her side, but she stood.

"My pretty little pet," Ciara said, stroking her knuckles along Na'rul's jaw. "Sadb is dead and gone, and there is no more need for this likeness." As Na'rul changed back to her natural form, gritting her teeth over any pain caused by the change, Ciara went on, "Really, we did him a kindness. He will no longer worry for a woman who never existed. Come with me, Na'rul. We'll get you cleaned up and see about healing those wounds."

Na'rul ignored Ciara for the moment. She was herself again, black eyes and hair, leathery wings, short horns, and a barbed tail. Her eyes were narrow slits and she cocked her head at Cad'strum. "He will kill you," she promised. "I hope I am there to see it. He'll kill you for me."

Cad'strum laughed. "You think he would ever have touched you with anything but violence if he saw your true form? He doesn't care a bit for you, treacherous *****. He loves a woman who never existed. He never loved you."

She laughed and the sound was bitter and brittle. "Whomever it was he loved, Cad'strum, he HATES you."

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I'm speechless.

Wow.

poor angel and demon, star crossed lovers they are.

*shakes head sadly* Love has so much power.... so does grief.

The heartache Ruadh must feel... and Na'Rul.

Part IX

Ruadh stood at the center of his brother and sister Principalities and made his case. He understood now how foolish he'd truly been going after Cad'strum. Injured and grieving, he had jumped too eagerly at the false chance to save Sadb. He knew he had the strength of an angel, but that would never be enough to let him best four devils. He needed the help of the host if he would have vengeance for Sadb.

Silence was his response. His heart sank as he looked over the faces around him. Disapproval, disbelief, anger, and, worst of all, sadness and disappointment on the face of Chlaiomh, his mentor and friend.

One brother stepped forward, "You accepted help from a demon?"

A sister followed, "You loved a human woman?"

A brother with his face dark with anger, "You come to us seeking vengeance? You dare to ask us for vengeance after you admit to such reckless actions?"

Chlaiomh waved his hand in a gesture quieting the gathered Principalities. "My brother, perhaps if the woman still lived... if she was still in danger, we would have every reason - no, an obligation - to try to save her. But she is gone and "vengeance" is a very poor reason to rally the host."

Before Ruadh could say another word, another Principality stridently called out, "I say we should be discussing whether Ruadh is fit to remain among us at all!"

Ruadh turned, shocked, but Chlaiomh shouted down the gathering. "Ruadh is one of our best! It is only through his honesty that we are aware of these faults, and that alone is enough to make him fit to remain among us!"

Ruadh smiled gratefully as Chlaiomh turned his gaze upon those brothers and sisters with complaints. One by one they stepped back into the crowd. "Thank you, my brothers and sisters for the understanding. And know that a great wrong will be avenged and an even greater evil ended when we move in and eliminate Cad'strum and his minions."

Chlaiomh raise his hands for silence at the protest that arose, but turned his face, his concerned and compassionate face, to Ruadh. "We are not moving on Cad'strum, Ruadh. You tread perilously close to the edge of violating the rules that govern our existence. I argue that we not cast you out, and I make that argument because you truly are one of our best. But your relationship with the human woman was wrong and you should never have come to us with your selfish desire for vengeance." He shook his head. "No more excursions among the humans, Ruadh. You should come home and rest among the angels when you are not completing your duties. That will keep you from further trouble." Chlaiomh raised his voice to the assembled angels. "Is that agreeable to all? We will pursue no further disciplinary action as long as Ruadh agrees that he no longer walk among the humans unless his duties require it?"

Ruadh was struck silent. His heart was numb, but bolt of ice and lightning shot through his belly. He was stunned that not only would his brothers and sisters not help him, they would punish him. He glanced down at his left hand still clutching Sadb's pendant. The knuckles still bruised and cut from his fight but he curled his fingers into a fist over the blue teardrop. He squeezed it until the knuckles turned white and his nails bit into his palm. He raised his eyes to scan the crowd as the chatter died down, looking upon those he had truly thought of as brothers, as sisters. Until today.

Chlaiomh raised his hands for silence and then asked again, "Are we agreed?"

The Principalities replied back, "Agreed!"

"Ruadh? Are we agreed?" Chlaiomh asked.

Ruadh stared at the pristine white marble under his feet, so perfect and pure. He raised his head, his gaze traveling over the assembled Principalities, each of them so exalted and pristine. The home of the angels was beautiful and full of peace, serene, quiet. Colorless eyes, exactly like his own, watched him as he stood in their center, each face glorious and full of stern power. And he realized that he was not truly one of them any longer. This beautiful place was no longer his home. He wanted Sadb. And if he couldn't have her, he would see her avenged.

"We are NOT agreed!" Ruadh roared. "One of our charges, a sweet and good human woman suffered and died for the sole purpose of causing pain to one of your brothers! I will not let that injustice go unpunished! And shame to EACH of you for turning your back on her!"

"Ruadh," Chlaiomh asked, his face sad. "What would you have us do now? You defy us."

"Summon the host," Ruadh said. "I will state my case before ALL our brethren."

"Ruadh, are you sure? I am afraid for you if-"

"SUMMON THE HOST!" Ruadh roared. "Sadb will not wait any longer for justice!"

Chlaiomh turned away from him, and sent out the call. Within minutes the lesser Angels arrived, and then the Archangels. The wait was even longer for the second sphere, the Virtues, Dominions, and Powers. They took their positions above the Principalities, Angels and Archangles, murmuring to each other, and staring down on Ruadh. The first sphere took even longer to arrive, but then one by one the Oraphim arrived, the Cherubim and finally the Seraphim. The first sphere gathered high above, too exalted to mingle with the lower spheres. But now the full host was assembled and staring down on Ruadh, waiting for him to speak.

"My brothers and sisters, my elders, I am here before you to demand justice for one of those we protect. A human woman whose only real fault was love. For that love she was taken by a devil who was once one of us, and put to an ugly death. She was kind and sweet and she cared for me. She was killed in order to cause me pain. I was too late to save her, but I would ask the aid of my brothers and sisters to see justice done. Help me right this wrong." Silence was his only response. "Help me, my brethren!" he pleaded.

The silence grew, became palpable and oppressive. All eyes turned to the angels of the first sphere, waiting for their response. The faint chiming of their voices carried throughout the chamber. Ruadh waited, his jaw clenched over his need to say more. His nails bit into his palms as he clenched his fists. It was all he could do to stand and wait.

A ball of light, too bright to look upon, rose out of the first sphere. It was one of the seraphim, but which, he couldn't say. He could just barely see the agitated motion of all three pairs of wings as it hovered over him.

"Ruadh... these are grave charges," it sang, its pure bell tones ringing throughout the chamber. "But I commend you for bringing them to our attention." It dropped lower, and even Ruadh was forced to glance away from its brilliance. "You loved this human?"

"I did," Ruadh answered.

Bells and chimes erupted above him, and a cold knot began to form in Ruadh's gut. "There are laws that govern our behavior, Ruadh, for the protection of ourselves as well as our charges. Was it not you who stood here and condemned the one now known as Cad'strum, as well as his followers, for his arrogance and ambition not so very long ago? And now you have presumed to trample those laws. Perhaps your honesty was an attempt to evade punishment for what you have done. You should have shown better judgement than to allow yourself to develop feelings for this mortal, and you certainly should not have laid your hands on her.You indulged desires you should never have felt in the first place! You show dangerous signs of being corrupted by your time among the humans. Your desire for this woman, your indulgance in their food and wine, your fury at your enemy, your accepting aid from a demon, and now your presumption to come before the entire host and demand vengeance? We all regret the harm that came to your human, but perhaps what you feel now will serve as a reminder that our rules exist for a reason. You have been, until now, an example to the lower angels. You will one day be great among us, Ruadh, but for now.... Chlaiomh had the right of it. You will spend a few centuries in meditation and consideration of why things are as they are and stay away from the temptations of human interaction."

Ruadh bowed his head, struggling to accept the judgment of the host, to accept that it was over. His eyes stared down at the pristine white marble, but in his mind he saw splashes of bright red blood. He looked down at his own hands, big and strong, and pictured instead long slender fingers, bruised, scraped and cut while fighting back. And he opened his palm to reveal Sadb's pretty lapis teardop pendant, the blue ribbon still stained dark with her blood. His face darkened, but he knew, in that moment, that if Sadb were there, she would urge him to accept the judgment and to find a way to regain peace. He nodded his head once. For her, for Sadb, he would go on.

He lifted his face to the glowing seraphim overhead. His heart was filled with grief, but he would go on. His duties would, once again, be enough. He lifted his hands and let the pendant drop to dangle from his fingers, but before he could speak, the pendant vanished and reappeared high overhead, suspended for all to see.

"A memento of your human?" the seraphim asked.

A stone fist gripped Ruadh's heart. "Return that to me!" he demanded.

Disapproval darkened the seraphim's glow and Ruadh could see all six of its wings agitated beating.

"You seem to need help forgetting, angel, rather than clinging to a memory of a dead woman you should never have known."

The pendant burst into a brilliant flare, a bright flash that burned hot and fast. The last traces of blood stained ribbon charred to ash and fell around him.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruadh screamed. It was as if he'd watched the last spark of Sadb's existence burn away with the pendant. "No! DAMN you all! For my entire existence I have done everything you've asked of me, every task, no matter how arduous, every test, I have gone where you ordered and done whatever you needed done. I have never asked for anything from the host, nothing! I have expected no reward, craved no recognition. I have followed my duties even to the point of turning against my brothers and seeing them cast out! You yourself call me one of the best of us! But when I come to you, when I ask for your aid... the one time I ask something of my brothers, you turn me down, you punish me, and then you take from me the only possession I value - the only thing I have left to care about - you would destroy it before me eyes! After my service - service you yourselves commend me for, after I stood before you and condemned four of my brothers- after all that I have never asked for favor before today. I have done nothing but what the host needed of me until today. And TODAY you dare to punish ME! You PRESUME to DENY me?!" He lifted up, his wings attacking the air, his body arrowing up until he hovered next to the seraphim, surrounded by the angels of the first sphere. Their angry protests chimed around him. "Know this... I WILL have vengeance for my Sadb. And if I can't it find among my exalted brothers and sisters, I will seek it elsewhere!"

Ruadh turned away, his mind already looking ahead to his vengeance. He ignored the rising chatter behind him as unimportant. Of course there would be consequences, but he would deal with them after he finished with Sadb's killers. He was already so focused on his vengeance that he was unaware of Chlaiomh approaching until his friend and mentor placed a hand on Ruadh's shoulder.

"Ruadh, stop," Chlaiomh whispered urgently. "do not do this! You do not know how close you are to being cast out entirely. Go back, quickly! Apologize for your outburst and accept the judgment of the host. Quickly, my brother, before it is too late!"

"You are no brother of mine, Chlaiomh!" Ruadh swung around, furious, and landed a clumsy punch on Chlaiomh's jaw, managing at the very last moment to retract his crystalline weapons so only his fist struck.

Chlaiomh took a startled step back, and then moved in, grabbing Ruadh's shoulders. "Brother, I beg you... stop before it is too late!"

"Take your hands from me or you will lose them!" Ruadh roared.

"Ruadh! They will cast you out! Please! Control yourself, stop this!" Chlaiomh tightened his grip on Ruadh's shoulders and shook him, but it was the last straw for Ruadh. His fist swung again and this time the razor sharp crystal weapons were fully exposed. Two hits, one to the face and one to the chest, and Chlaiomh was bleeding and coughing. He released Ruadh and stepped back, but other members of the host were there by then and Ruadh was overwhelmed.

---

Cad'strum watched from deep within the luxury of his enormous stone lair, the success of another stage of his plan played out on a curtain of smoke. He indulged himself in a bottle of fine wine and laughed as he watched Ruadh fight against the judgment of the host. Oh, Ruadh did not go quietly. He did not accept his fate, no. He fought every step, every moment, his every breath expended in furious denouncement.

Cad'strum sipped his wine. All that was left now, to finish his revenge, was to kill Ruadh.

---

In another lair, cramped and sparsely decorated, Ciara watched Ruadh as well in her flawless crystal. Na'rul huddled nearby, curled into an unhappy ball with her knees clutched to her chest, her tail curled around her ankles, and her membranous wings wrapped tightly around her body. Ciara smiled, admiring Ruadh's rage. He fought to the last, his voice a furious roar denouncing his brethren. They dragged him to the precipice and cast him out. And even while suffering an angel's most dreaded punishment, his screams were a roar of protest, not despair or fear. Even as he plummeted down, he was reaching back up, clawing at the sky, screaming out defiance. Ciara let out a low, satisfied chuckle as his pristine white feathers turned a dull, matte, onyx black.

She smiled indulgently at Na'rul. "Come to me, my pretty one. it is not every day that you see an angel fall."

Na'rul obeyed with obvious reluctance, but still didn't look up at the crystal sphere. Ciara rested her hand on Na'rul's shiny black hair and continued watching Ruadh. "But, I suppose you saw enough when you fell yourself." Na'rul's only response was to tighten her arms around her knees and duck her head.

"Do not worry, Na'rul. Cad'strum wants to take his life. But it is not my plan for Ruadh to die. He will live and be stronger than anyone could ever imagine." Ciara glanced down at Na'rul. The devil's black eyes were shiny and full of anguish. "I am going to save him."

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Here at the very crucial "tipping point," where Ruadh makes his deciding "mistake" to send him irretrievably down the path to become Conall, you gave us an intricate dance of characters so we could see what you see.

That's skill

A perfect demonstration on the POWER of Love. What a beautiful and sorrowful demonstration of it; but very well written Soonerpie.

I compare this story to that of Anakin Skywalker. However, instead of the rapid transition from hero to villain that we were unmercifully exposed to, this one is far more gradual. And in my opinion, all that much better for it.

Ruadh doesn't suddenly decide to be evil: he is enticed (by Sadb/Na'rul's persona), seduced (by Ciara's magic), traumatized (beaten by the devils), and then emotionally traumatized (seeing Sadb's brutalized form). But all that doesn't break him; it moves him to the tipping point and sets up the fall. Finally, just as he is looking over the precipice, and he turns his back on the brink (he was ready to accept the judgement of his peers), a final act (the destruction of the momento) causes him to choose to jump off the cliff with defiance.

But even this doesn't make him fully villainous... it only frees him of his responsibilities and allows him to follow his heart as a vigilante motivated by an untrue fabricated event and driven by vengeance, unencumbered by the rules of the Host.

The tale is masterfully twisted and tragic... and it isn't done yet.

Part X

Exhausted and numb, Ruadh pushed open the door to Sadb's small home. How long had it been since he'd happily run through this door with a living and vibrant Sadb? A little more than a day? He didn't even know what day it was.

The destruction hit him and sent him reeling again. His own blood stained the floor in several places. Pretty decorations, ribbons, dried flowers, bits of lace, were scattered about and had been crushed or stained with blood.

He stood in the room where his entire existence had changed so very suddenly and put it all aside. He summoned the last of his strength to walk the few steps to her narrow bed. One of her simple white shirts hung from a hook on the wall. He gathered it up and clutched it to his chest before collapsing into it the bed. He was surrounded by her scent and he chose to take comfort in it. He drew up the blankets around himself and fell into an exhausted sleep. And if the fallen angel wept as he drifted away, even he was too tired to know.

---

Ruadh was dreaming. A part of him knew it for a dream, but that same part knew the pain that waited outside the dream, so it stayed quiet. He held Sadb tight against his body, her warmth pressed back into him. They lay spooned together on their sides, his arms around her, her head back against his chest. He breathed in her scent, smiling a sleepy and happy smile. He stroked the silken skin over her shoulder and she let out a contended sigh. They were warm and safe and happy together, and he didn't ever want to wake up. After a moment, she twisted her head back, her bright blue eyes met his and she smiled. "Ruadh..." she breathed, her voice husky with sleep.

"My Sadb," he answered, smiling, and lifted his head to kiss her.

That was when a noise broke into his reverie. The creak of a hinge cut through the quiet of the small house and Ruadh's eyes popped open. Instead of his love, he clutched a pillow in his arms. A wave of fury and despair washed over him, but he didn't give in to it. Instead, he relaxed and closed his eyes to slits, waiting to see who or what had just snuck into Sadb's house. A hooded figure moved smoothly and silently into the room, slowly and softly, like a hunting cat, watching him.

He was ready to move, either to leap to the attack or roll aside. He watched through his eyelashes as it crept closer and closer and then suddenly he could see under the hood. Red skin, horns... it was a demon. No... it was the demon from the road. The one who had opened the portal for him. And now she stood watching him, a small smile on her wide lips, and a variety of expressions passing over her unguarded face showed that she was thinking intensely as she approached him. But about what.... he couldn't tell.

---

Ciara moved carefully into the dark room, watching Ruadh sleep. He would be hers, she was determined. She would have to tread very carefully. He would not be at his best, and that gave her the best opportunity to bind him. Cad'strum's plan had knocked him off balance, but Ciara's meddling with it... that would have Ruadh confused and ready to act before he thought everything through.

At rest, his face was peaceful. He lay with his arms wrapped protectively around a pillow. His body, mostly hidden under the blankets, was big and powerful and even in his human form, his unearthly power was apparent. She was overwhelmed by the desire to possess that strength, but she pushed it back. One misstep, one wrong word, and it would be denied her forever. But if she could succeed... if she could add his power to that she was already pulling from Na'rul, then Ciara would rise in the ranks and become a major player. Add to that having such imposing minions as Ruadh and Na'rul bound to do her bidding and she would begin to climb the ranks of the truly powerful diabolic forces.

She eased herself even closer, studying his face. As an angel, he had been beautiful. In his human form, he was still remarkably handsome and she wondered if that were vanity on his part or if he'd simply added enough imperfection to his appearance to pass for human without considering how attractive that made him. It didn't matter to Ciara, she was not interested in pursuing him for his handsome face. All she wanted from the fallen angel was his power... and his servitude.

She rehearsed in her mind what she would say, how she would lure him into her trap, how she would use his grief and his need for revenge against him. The deal must be struck honestly, or it would not stand. But nothing prevented her from allowing him to believe what she wanted him to believe.

Another step closer and his power was palpable. She reached her hand toward him, her fingers reaching out as if she could grasp the power and hold it.

And then he spoke, "If your hand touches me, demon," he growled. "I will keep it." His eyes popped open, the vivid blue blazing. He sat up, glaring. "Step back, and then tell me why you dared to bring yourself here."

Ciara took a large slow step back, both hands lifted to show her peaceful intentions, but she noted that even as he sat up, he kept one hand resting on the pillow he'd been clutching. Na'rul had been correct, he would be focused on vengeance for his love. She would play to that. But first... to lay out her web.

"I come here to propose that we ally ourselves." She raised her hand when he started to object. "Hear me, fallen. First, I tell you my name. You know there is power in that, but I want you to know that I am being truthful with you. I am Ciara." She nodded her head at him, and waited.

He pursed his lips and studied her face. Finally he nodded. "Go on. I'm listening."

"Cad'strum is our enemy. Neither of us is powerful enough to take him on alone-"

"I am NOT walking into a devil's lair with a demon at my back!" he spat suddenly. "I'm not a fool."

"I will not be going in with you, Ruadh. In body, at any rate. I would like to explain something to you, and it seems it would be especially important for you to hear this, since you are likely to become one of us soon." A dark look washed over his face. Oh... he doesn't like that idea at all, she thought with a carefully hidden smile. "Our common enemy, Cad'strum, desires me as one of his bound servants, and he is strong enough to win that fight. The only reason he hasn't forced the issue so far is what the fight will cost him - he knows how strongly I will resist him, and how much energy he will have to expend. So he will wait, until he finds me weakened or unaware, and then he will take my will from me. "

She began to pace slowly around the room, "That is what Cad'strum intends for me, Ruadh - to make me a servant." She shook her head. "That is why I want him dead. I know that when he does make his move, he will win, so I need him dead before then. I can't attack him directly because he is stronger than I, and he would, in the end succeed in binding me to his will. You, however, he doesn't want to bind. He wants to kill you. And he expects that he'll be able to do so. He knows how strong you are and he believes that when you find him, when you fight, he will be able to toy with you, hurt you, and humiliate you before he kills you."

Ruadh nodded, but his face was still skeptical. "So you can't go in after him, and I can't defeat him alone. What is it you suggest?"

And here it was... the moment when her plans could crumble into dust if she was not perfect. "I have a spell that I would give you. This spell allows me to... give my power to you. Your strength, supported by my magic, will make you far more powerful than Cad'strum expects. You will defeat him, and his minions. You will have your vengeance on the devils who hurt your love."

His hand stretched itself out over the pillow beside him, but his face twisted. "A demon's magic, working through me... I do not like it," he grumbled.

She waved her hand, a graceful throwing away gesture, "The spell that allows my magic to work through you will last only until the last of them is dead, Ruadh. You have my word on that. But...." She glanced down, then back up, shyly, through her lashes. "I would ask a favor from you, in the future."

"Is that the cost then, of your help? This favor? What sort of favor, Ciara?" His eyes held hers, his suspicion clear on his face.

"A future favor..." She smiled. "You are strong, and powerful, and I might have need of one such as yourself in the future. I do not know what that favor might be..." She could see the refusal forming in his eyes, "If I ask you to do something you find too reprehensible, you may refuse, and I will have the favor for another time? And when you do me that favor, our deal will be done."

Once again, he considered and thought, working over her words, "Is this a trap, Ciara?" he asked suddenly.

"Trap?" she repeated, trying to find a way to answer him truthfully that would not ruin everything, but then he went on.

"Are you and Cad'strum plotting against me? Are you sending me to him so he can kill me, or worse?"

She laughed, immanently relieved. That question she could answer with simple and plain truth. "We have worked together in the past, since it suited me to do so. Cad'strum does not know we are talking, and this is not a plan that he and I are working towards. I want him dead, Ruadh. I want him dead, and my only regret is that I can't be there, that I can't do it myself." She paused, then made her final play, rousing his need for vengeance. "I want to feel Cad'strum's blood on my claws, Ruadh. I want to see the life run out of him. I want to hurt him, as he hurt your love. I want his life, but I cannot take it. Do this for me, Ruadh. Do this for your Sadb, and for yourself. Kill Cad'strum. Kill him!"

He paused, and she knew he was looking for the trick, he was carefully considering her every word. But he wanted his vengeance too badly. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he stroked that pillow next to his hip. His desire for revenge would overwhelm his caution, she already knew it. And, indeed, after just a few moments, he looked back up at her, his eyes dark. "Give me your spell and tell me how to find him.

"I have it ready," she answered and handed him a simple leather pouch, small enough that he could close his entire fist around it. Simple tanned leather tied closed with a leather thong. Inside were two perfect crystals. One contained the spell that would allow her to give him her power, and, exactly as promised, it would end as soon as the devils were dead. But while the first was working, the second spell, the one she hadn't told him about, would be working as well. And that one... well, that one... was something else entirely.

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