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“No,” I say aloud.
Peliel ignores my outburst but lets me pivot in his arms so I can observe several darkened figures emerging from the darkness. They are dull against the velvet sky compared to him, and it’s almost strange to look upon mundane creatures again, without a light of their own.
Is that how he sees me?
“What will you do?”
He does not answer, and a glow dances over his skin again. It’s that fierce, burgeoning illumination that threatens to swallow me up, along with half of the desert. I throw a prayer up to whoever might listen that we find an amicable solution before Peliel erupts into violent action.
I’ve seen enough to know what he’s capable of.
One human clears the darkness, emerging in shades of blue and gray, brandishing a broken stick in his hand. “Monster!”
I can hear Peliel’s teeth grind together on a grin, and he straightens, keeping me under the shelter of a wing. “I thought I’d destroyed your ilk on the clifftop.”
Other shadows linger behind the bold human, but I cannot make them out.
Soot is smeared on his face, and his cheeks are hollow. Hate is set deep in the sockets of his eyes, and the potential of violence shakes in his limbs. He bares yellowed teeth when he speaks. “We were the ones you passed over. The blood of my brother, mydaughter,was good enough for you. Why not mine?”
“That can be rectified,” Peliel says simply. “You wish to see your daughter again?”
I see where this is going without needing to hear more. “Peliel,” I say in a rush, glancing frantically back at him. “They are like me.Please,don’t hurt them.”
His jaw is set, and I don’t think he’s heard me.
The human spares me a curious glance, his eyes flaring when he takes me in. “You’re disgusting,” he says to me, gripping his shoddy weapon in a fist. “Siding with thatcreature –”
“Enough!”
Peliel’s voice cuts through the air like a physical blow, and if I weren’t in the safety of his arms, I might have stumbled back like the human, who buckled to one knee. He is weak but angry, and I fear that there will be no peace if I do not act now.
I tear out of his arms to stand between them.
Peliel regards me with mild irritation, even as the human rises to his feet. He’s already glowing, and each breath is like taking in the heat of a campfire. I shoot him an apologetic look and turn to face the human. “I amsorryfor what has happened to you, but you must understand, we are but guests in his territory.”
I glance back at Peliel before continuing.
“I’m sure there’s a way we can come to a peaceful resolution.”
“Peace,” the human spits. “When he resurrects my daughter and her children and all those who lost their lives on the ridge, we will have peace.”
My blood runs cold, even with a blazing inferno at my back.
“You are just a brainwashed agent of this monster, girl. Stand aside!”
“I cannot!”
My voice surprises even me, but Peliel seems to gather himself first. “Arie,” he warns under his breath. “Stay behind me.”
Just as I’m about to protest, an arrow vaults from the darkness and buries itself in the sand by my feet. I stare down at the feathered end, confused even as I’m swept into the cave, the angry shouts of men filling the air.
Peliel lets out a blast of blistering heat, turning the sand to glass around him.
When the brightness cools, I see the man who led the attack, charred and choking on smoke roiling from his mouth. He’s dropped his weapon and is on hands and knees, unable to fill his burned lungs. Several other figures move to protect him, but ten more come charging at Peliel, weapons in hand.
I know he can take them.
I’ve seen what he can do. Maybe the time for peace really has passed, but I still have to hope.“You are nothing,”comes the thought as I watch Peliel clash with the humans in a brutal explosion of sparks.“You cannot even defend yourself. Look at you!”
