It was as if it was all a dream; she awakened to find herself in a bed inside a small cottage, a fireplace beside her. Atrinayu Traeyul opened her eyes and looked about her surroundings, confused.
“Where am I?” she asked, seeing the man in the chair from what seemed like her dream. His name was Deunan Taros, a nobleman who lived outside his family’s royal city. He found Atrinayu lying in the field outside his home and brought her back to hide her from his colleagues.
“My cabin, at the moment, Atrinayu…” Deunan replied, rising to his feet. “How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling his long hair back into a low ponytail.
“I don’t know…how am I supposed to feel? I do not feel anything; no pain…nothing at all…” she replied, amazed the sentence that came from her very own mouth.
“It’s normal to say that, Atrinayu,” he said, as if he could sense her puzzlement. “You have nothing to be bewildered or bemused about; what you have just told me is completely normal.” Deunan walked to the bed and sat down on the side where she was, grinning with assurance.
“What about you? Why do you think that what happened to me is normal? Am I supposed to die and come back?” He nodded slowly and pulled the collar of his shirt aside to reveal a tattoo. It was a silhouette of a small creature with angelic wings on each side.
“You have it, too, Atrinayu…” he said after a long silence. Atrinayu stared at the tattoo and looked to his eyes.
“I do?” she asked sitting up.
“Yes,” he answered, rising to his feet. He walked around the bed and to a window, looking out at the winter night. Atrinayu had noticed it was nightfall, her eyes widening. “If you’re planning on leaving, I suggest you do it now, while you’re better…” Atrinayu shook her head.
“I’m not going anywhere, not without you, Calix…”
“Please…do not ever call me by that name…” he interrupted, hanging his head. “I am not an ‘Angelus’…anymore…”
“An ‘Angelus’…what is an ‘Angelus’?”
“It’s what you are, Atrinayu...but you might have known them as the ‘Antediluvians’,” Deunan replied, his head still down. Atrinayu climbed out of bed and staggered towards him, turning him to her.
“Why do we call ourselves ‘Angelus’? Why can’t we be the Antediluvians?”
“The reason is because of what happened to you sister…after she died one-hundred years back, you disappeared. I and the others, the names you were calling, looked for you for two centuries…two centuries, Atrinayu…wondering if your brother killed you, too. We all gave up looking for you, and continued to live under Atrum’s rule.” He paused and touched her face, grinning. “That is why we call ourselves the ‘Angelus’, to hide our true race from your brother, to live without the fear of Atrum killing us off for affiliating with you.” Atrinayu stepped back and staggered back to bed, sitting down on the side she slept on.
“I do not see why you should be afraid of him…Atrum is a spoiled child inside; he wants nothing but power…he is what the humae call a ‘sadist’. Torture, power, and fear have always been his playmates. He hurt Korinthia in ways that I could never comprehend; in ways only a normal woman would have given in to him, let him have what he wanted from her, anytime he wanted.” She clenched her trembling fist and looked down at it, upset. “And I promised her never to kill again…how can I keep that promise? Atrum is the only one I want to kill but my path continues to be blocked by others who want him or me dead. How can I promise not to kill when I always leave bodies in my wake?” Silence befell the both of them and she loosened her fist, lifting her head up to look at Deunan. “As I said before, I am not leaving without you, Calix.” Deunan turned back to the window and nodded, not saying anything. Atrinayu climbed back under the covers and placed her hands in her lap, thinking. “Deunan?”
“Yes, Atrinayu?” he answered finally, turning his head back to her.
“Did you love me? Even when I when I left you for your brother, Viktor?” she asked, turning on her side. Deunan turned fully to her and nodded.
“And I never stopped loving you, Atrinayu…but I felt intimidated when he told me how you felt about him and that’s why I never returned to you…”
“Oh…” she said softly and closed her eyes. “Deunan?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry…”
“I forgive you,” he replied and headed towards the bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. She dozed off and he watched intently as she slept, grinning slightly. He kissed her forehead and petted her head before looking at her one last time. “And I love you always,” he whispered and headed out the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
“Where am I?” she asked, seeing the man in the chair from what seemed like her dream. His name was Deunan Taros, a nobleman who lived outside his family’s royal city. He found Atrinayu lying in the field outside his home and brought her back to hide her from his colleagues.
“My cabin, at the moment, Atrinayu…” Deunan replied, rising to his feet. “How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling his long hair back into a low ponytail.
“I don’t know…how am I supposed to feel? I do not feel anything; no pain…nothing at all…” she replied, amazed the sentence that came from her very own mouth.
“It’s normal to say that, Atrinayu,” he said, as if he could sense her puzzlement. “You have nothing to be bewildered or bemused about; what you have just told me is completely normal.” Deunan walked to the bed and sat down on the side where she was, grinning with assurance.
“What about you? Why do you think that what happened to me is normal? Am I supposed to die and come back?” He nodded slowly and pulled the collar of his shirt aside to reveal a tattoo. It was a silhouette of a small creature with angelic wings on each side.
“You have it, too, Atrinayu…” he said after a long silence. Atrinayu stared at the tattoo and looked to his eyes.
“I do?” she asked sitting up.
“Yes,” he answered, rising to his feet. He walked around the bed and to a window, looking out at the winter night. Atrinayu had noticed it was nightfall, her eyes widening. “If you’re planning on leaving, I suggest you do it now, while you’re better…” Atrinayu shook her head.
“I’m not going anywhere, not without you, Calix…”
“Please…do not ever call me by that name…” he interrupted, hanging his head. “I am not an ‘Angelus’…anymore…”
“An ‘Angelus’…what is an ‘Angelus’?”
“It’s what you are, Atrinayu...but you might have known them as the ‘Antediluvians’,” Deunan replied, his head still down. Atrinayu climbed out of bed and staggered towards him, turning him to her.
“Why do we call ourselves ‘Angelus’? Why can’t we be the Antediluvians?”
“The reason is because of what happened to you sister…after she died one-hundred years back, you disappeared. I and the others, the names you were calling, looked for you for two centuries…two centuries, Atrinayu…wondering if your brother killed you, too. We all gave up looking for you, and continued to live under Atrum’s rule.” He paused and touched her face, grinning. “That is why we call ourselves the ‘Angelus’, to hide our true race from your brother, to live without the fear of Atrum killing us off for affiliating with you.” Atrinayu stepped back and staggered back to bed, sitting down on the side she slept on.
“I do not see why you should be afraid of him…Atrum is a spoiled child inside; he wants nothing but power…he is what the humae call a ‘sadist’. Torture, power, and fear have always been his playmates. He hurt Korinthia in ways that I could never comprehend; in ways only a normal woman would have given in to him, let him have what he wanted from her, anytime he wanted.” She clenched her trembling fist and looked down at it, upset. “And I promised her never to kill again…how can I keep that promise? Atrum is the only one I want to kill but my path continues to be blocked by others who want him or me dead. How can I promise not to kill when I always leave bodies in my wake?” Silence befell the both of them and she loosened her fist, lifting her head up to look at Deunan. “As I said before, I am not leaving without you, Calix.” Deunan turned back to the window and nodded, not saying anything. Atrinayu climbed back under the covers and placed her hands in her lap, thinking. “Deunan?”
“Yes, Atrinayu?” he answered finally, turning his head back to her.
“Did you love me? Even when I when I left you for your brother, Viktor?” she asked, turning on her side. Deunan turned fully to her and nodded.
“And I never stopped loving you, Atrinayu…but I felt intimidated when he told me how you felt about him and that’s why I never returned to you…”
“Oh…” she said softly and closed her eyes. “Deunan?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry…”
“I forgive you,” he replied and headed towards the bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. She dozed off and he watched intently as she slept, grinning slightly. He kissed her forehead and petted her head before looking at her one last time. “And I love you always,” he whispered and headed out the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
