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"They haven't grown old," she whispered, "and neither has Sara." She swallowed, and another solitary tear rolled quietly down her cheek.
"Lucifer had found his great love again among humans, but this did not go undetected by the gods. They sent their henchmen down to earth as soon as they found out. They tracked down every single one of us." Her voice sounded bitter.
"Heartlessly and cruelly, they captured us and tied us to poles in the village square with magic shackles. Then they rounded up all the people. I could see them, my family. The children had huddled close to Sara. There was fear in their big eyes. Only my brave Sara faced them undaunted. Didn't do them the favor of kneeling down out of fear." Zuri stared grimly into the void, almost as if she were back in that village square thousands of years ago.
"Then the immortals lit a fire around the humans, trapping them further and further. I will never forget the screams. The first ones tried desperately to run through the flames to freedom. But no one could help them as they ran, dying like living torches, through the village in search of water, pursued by the cruel laughter of the gods, until they finally lay dead. Forced to watch as our families were killed, we hung from the poles crying, screaming, and pleading, completely powerless. Once the circle of fire had become so tight that there was no way out, the screams of death reached us through the transparent wall of flames. Some angels vomited, others fainted. The horror was so great it tore us apart to see our families die. Then I spotted Sara. Our eyes interlocked. There was so much love in hers. Love and pain. Not caused by the flames but by the time together that had been taken from us. The children were in her arms. My brave, clever Sara had smuggled a knife with her and slit the children's wrists as soon as the circle of fire had enclosed them. They all slowly fell asleep in her arms and were already on their way to the realm of the dead when the fire reached their bodies. My great love, she just sat in the middle of the flames, our children pressed against her, her eyes fixed on me. She moved her lips only once, not to scream, but to say goodbye to me. Then the flames devoured her."
By now, her face was streaming with tears, and I could no longer hold back my sadness either. It was so cruel what had been done to her, the other angels, and their families. So inhumane.
"When it..." she stammered, gasping for breath. "When it finally became quiet on the village square after what felt like hours of screaming, we didn't get the chance to say goodbye to the dead or to bury them according to tradition. I hardly noticed when my shackles were removed, but I couldn't take my eyes off the remains of my family. I owed them that. Not to look away. Then, the leader came into the village with Lucifer and his great love. While we were kept surrounded, Lucifer's wife was also set ablaze in front of him. But she was as brave as my Sara. Not a scream escaped her throat; she died quietly, and Luze died with her inside him, just as we had done ourselves shortly before. I had hoped that the gods would now punish us by taking away our immortality and killing us. But that wouldn't have been cruel enough for them. Instead, they banished us all to the underworld together with Lucifer. Many of us could not cope with the grief of being alone, and many eventually sought out secluded places in the solitude of the underworld to eke out their existence there, hoping for an end. Some, however, stayed with Luze. This included Sam, Aza, and me. While the others slowly found their way back to life, never forgetting but able to give what had happened a place in their hearts, I was unable to do so. I was broken by the loss, by the grief, by the absence of my soulmate and my family. The loneliness drew me further and further into a darkness that would not let me go. Despite his pain, Luze never left me alone, day or night. He looked after me, picked me up, and helped me step by step back into the light. I would have wasted away without him."
Her eyes were empty now; all the tears had been shed, and the memories brought back the darkness she had once willingly plunged into. I could feel her fighting against it because it also threatened to swallow me up. To drag me into the depths of my soul I never wanted to enter.
CHAPTER 23
Thank you for sharing that with me," I whispered sadly, wiping the last tears from my face with the back of my hand. Zuri nodded but gave me a shaky smile.
"Have you all experienced this cruelty?" I asked. Again, there was a silent nod.
Lost in thought, we sat beside each other in this corner of the garden and were silent. Sam, Aza, Zuri, and Tanael had all been through terrible things. Sam, with his charming banter. Aza is so insecure about herself and shy but has a heart of gold. Zuri, with her loving smile, who made me feel liked just the way I am. Tanael. Although we had our differences, and I couldn't forgive him for things like Alex's death, he didn't deserve such a fate. Whoever this woman was, he couldn't give up out of love; he deserved to be with her. The same applied to Zuri and Sara.
It really broke my heart to imagine what it must have been like to watch the ones you love being burned alive in front of you. In my world, this fate had befallen many people in the last five years. It was as cruel then as it is now.
"Now you understand why Luze and I have such a close relationship. It's not because we're a couple, but because we've been through hard times together and sometimes still are." She looked at me urgently from the side. "He's like a brother to me. Apart from that, my heart beats for women. So, you'll never come between us." A grin spread across her face.
"Thank you," I said, taking the angel in my arms. She had shared her most incredible pain with me. It took a while for her to relax in the embrace. When we separated again, she seemed to be feeling better. Thankfully.
"What are you going to do about Lucifer now?" Zuri asked me curiously.
"Nothing at all," I replied, wanting to sound determined. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work, and my voice held a slight tremor. "I know he likes to flirt with me, but that's all there is. Like you said, he's lost the love of his life, and it's not me." I couldn't hide the disappointment that resonated in these words. I needed to understand where it came from. I knew what my goal was. And it wasn't Tanael.
"Give him time," Zuri begged me, but I shook my head. I would never get involved with the angel. Perhaps I suspected that if everything went wrong, I would end up just as devastated as Zuri. I was destined for such an end, as fickle as the God of First Light was towards me. I had seen him coolly push me aside often enough, always in those moments when my heart had offered in and given him a piece of itself. It had hurt so terribly to be rejected by him.
Besides, there were more important things in which to invest my energy. I planned to let Tanael fight the last battle against our enemy alone, no matter how it ended.
So, I straightened my shoulders and stood up.
"Come on, let's go back. The meeting with the Amazons will start soon," I said, trying to distract from the topic. Zuri gave me an understanding smile, and we returned to the villa together.
To my amazement, everyone was already gathered in the large entrance hall. Even my brothers and my father were there. Had they been invited to accompany us into the magical world?
"Oh, there are the ladies," Tanael mocked. I noticed his grim face, as they had apparently been waiting for us for some time. But then his gaze fell on Zuri, and his eyes flashed with tenderness and compassion.
He immediately approached her. "Are you all right, Zuri darling?" he asked anxiously, pulling her into a loving embrace that, for the first time, didn't make my heart ache.
"Everything's fine." Smiling, she looked at him. "Myrina and I, we talked." I immediately felt his attention shift to me. Warmth radiated from his golden irises, as did the pain that his own memories had awakened in him.
He turned towards me, uncertain and almost cautious.
"Is everything all right with you too?" He watched me, looking for the slightest movement in my face, patiently waiting for an answer. I nodded. But then the feelings building up in me while listening to Zuri's stories took hold of me, and I shook my head in denial. I wasn't feeling well.
He placed his hand gently on my cheek, and his thumb stroked my skin tenderly.
"Myrina, you are an incredibly empathetic, compassionate woman, and the story you heard is so cruel. I understand that it has affected you more than you might have expected." His words were whispered balm for my soul. "Look around you. We survived it. It was a hard time, but we got through it. We can be happy again, laugh, and enjoy life despite the pain. So, don't feel sorry for us, but help us to hold on to happiness."
There was a pleading in his words I couldn't shake off. I nodded and smiled at him as everything inside me pushed deeper into the palm of his hand on my cheek.
I hastily took a step back and cleared my throat briefly. "We should go now. The Amazons are probably already waiting."
