Daystar (83 page)

Furcas took a step closer.
 
“Why?
 
What did you do that would need him to step in and intervene?”
 
His eyes flicked over Jegudiel’s body.
 
“You’ve done something else; I can see it in how you shake.”

Bean sat up in bed.
 
“Stop it, Daddy!
 
Leave him alone!”
 
She had dark circles under her eyes.
 
She was covered in bandages.

Furcas dropped Ariel’s head and knelt by her side.
 
“Why do you have need of bandages?!
 
What has he done to you?”

“He didn’t do this!
 
That bitch did.
 
They did not have a healer for me at the time I was injured; I had to be healed normally.
 
Gaea saw to me later though, I think I can take them off.”
 
She pulled one bloody bandage off and the skin underneath was healed.
 
She smiled.
 
“All better.”

Furcas wrapped her in a hug.
 
“Why were you not in the city?
 
How did Ariel get to you?”

“I had to find, Jegudiel!”

“It
is
his fault!”
 
Furcas snarled at Jegudiel over her shoulder.
 
“We said
no
.”

Bean pushed him back.
 
“I can make my own decisions, Dad.
 
Besides if I had not gone out, Gabriel and Gaea would have been overtaken!”

Furcas frowned.
 
“That is where Gabriel was?”

“He saved her life!
 
He sacrificed himself for Gaea!”

“He is dead?”
 
Furcas paled.
 
“Paimon will—I don’t know what he’ll do.”

Jegudiel spoke softly, “Not dead, but he is healing slowly.”

Furcas growled.
 
“Did I ask you to speak?”

Bean grabbed Furcas’ jaw and forced him to look at her.
 
“Let me show you what I did, I was a badass.”

Furcas smiled warmly at her.
 
“All right, darling, show away.”

Bean did not show him her battle near Gabriel’s side.
 
She showed him Ariel hurting her, attacking her, ripping her wings.
 
Furcas flinched, but could not pull away.
 
Bean forced him to see Jegudiel saving her, killing Ariel, rescuing her, staying by her side while she healed.
 
Bean let him go.
 
“There.”

Furcas grimaced.
 
His eyes flicked up to Jegudiel’s.
 
“You killed the bitch.”

“Yes.”

“You saved Bean.”
 
Furcas sat down on her cot and held her hand.
 
He sighed at his daughter.
 
“Do you still have those idiotic notions of love for him?”

“Yes!”
 
Bean nodded frantically.
 
“You cannot let Dad kill him!
 
Please, Daddy!
 
Please!”

Furcas looked at Jegudiel.
 
“Why do you not run now while I am occupied?”

Bean looked hysterical, but was too weak to get up.
 
“Daddy,
no!
”

Jegudiel set his jaw.
 
“I will not run.
 
I was terrible and what I did unforgivable.
 
If you both still seek my death then it is yours to give, but know that I will never do that to her again.
 
I was ill.”

Furcas curled his lip.
 
“I don’t give a fuck what you
were
, Jegudiel.”

“I—”

“I only care about what you are going to be.”
 
Furcas rubbed Bean’s hand.
 
He sighed.
 
“If you had done to Bean what Paimon had done to me, I would not hesitate in killing you myself.
 
Yet here I am in love with him, stupidly as Bean does for you.
 
I would be a hypocrite if I did not allow her to be with you if that is what she wishes.
 
I know I would have fought for Paimon if anyone had tried to split us, even then when he had hurt me dearly.
 
I loved him regardless, as I know Bean loves you.
 
I cannot stand between you.”

Bean gaped.
 
“You mean this?”

“I do yes.”
 
Furcas held up a finger.
 
“Paimon is not going to see it that way.”
 
He looked to Jegudiel.
 
“Paimon sees parts of himself in you, the bad parts, the abusive parts, the parts he wishes he could take back.
 
He does not want Bean subjected to what I have gone through.
 
Do you understand?
 
He wants to spare her that pain.”

Jegudiel nodded.
 
“Of course!
 
I would not.”

“Be
silent
.”
 
Furcas snapped his teeth.
 
“I can still be angry at you even if I no longer am able to kill you.”
 
He gazed at Bean.
 
“I will
attempt
to keep Paimon from killing him.”

Bean wrapped her arms around him.
 
“Thank you, Daddy!”

“Everyone is allowed one mistake.”
 
Furcas glared at Jegudiel.
 
“If you fuck up again I will come for
your
head.”

Jegudiel got to his knees.
 
“I would deserve it.
 
Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.”
 
Furcas patted Bean’s knee.
 
“This is going to land me in so much trouble.”

“I will make it up to you!”
 
Bean grabbed his hand and saw the ring.
 
“He asked you to marry him again!
 
You said yes!
 
Yay!”

Furcas smiled then narrowed his eyes at her.
 
“You
knew
he had that ring.”

She nodded.
 
“Yeah.”

Furcas sighed.
 
“Thanks for not spoiling it.”
 
He stood up and stretched.
 
“I am going to take watch with your brother, Jegudiel.”
 
He frowned.
 
“I am going to get beaten for this.
 
I had better get some best dad of the year mug or something.
 
You
owe
me.”
 
He glared at Jegudiel as he lifted the tent flap.
 
“You are infinitely lucky.”
 
He stepped outside.

Jegudiel collapsed.
 
Bean pulled him into bed and hugged him.
 
“See!”

He hugged her.
 
“I think I am going to pass out.”

“Not yet!
 
That was the easy half.”
 
Bean smiled.
 
“Okay, get these bandages off.
 
Dad has to see me totally healed and safe.”
 
She looked towards her clothes.
 
“And dressed.”

***

Lucifel and Lucifer melded in the flames.
 
Distinctions gone, they were one force.
 
Only their personalities were separate, maintaining an artificial division between them.
 
Lucifel struggled to become wholly separate again, but Lucifer would not let him go.
 
The flame surged and roiled, moving in uneven bursts.

Lucifel strained.
 
“All right!
 
You have proven we are equals.
 
Let me go!
 
I cannot harm you any longer.”

Lucifer laughed.
 
“You think that is what this is about?
 
Me
harming
you.”

“You want revenge; you want to make me suffer.
 
I understand, you may cast me out.
 
Take my throne.
 
Take your woman!
 
Do not consume me!”

“That has already occurred, we are one.”

“No!
 
I remain Lucifel!
 
I am
separate!
”

“But I am Lucifer, I am
not
separate.”

“How then can you remain?”
 
The fire stabbed at everything around it, sending Helion and Whitney towards the black flame.

Lucifer spoke with confidence, “My distinctions, myself, these are not just internal validations.
 
I am not me solely by the force of my will alone.
 
I am in the very fiber of this place, this Heaven that
I
made, the universe that
I
made, the children that I have, the angels that are mine.
 
They speak my name, but no one knows yours!
 
They have only ever seen
my
light!”

“No!
 
I, I have—”

“You have
no one!
 
You have never loved, never truly known another and so no one knows you!”

Lucifel struggled.
 
“I am my own by my will, my thoughts!”

“You are nothing by my will, my thoughts!”

“I validate myself, I am Lucifel!
 
I exist!”

“I do not see you; I do not hear your voice in anything but this.”

“My angels—they validate me!”

“They sing
my
songs.”

“My Archangels—”

“Are dead or have turned to me.”

“Heaven is—”

“Mine,
my
creation!”
 
Lucifer smiled.
 
“Everything made here is mine, and nothing is yours.
 
You have nothing, you
are
nothing
.”
 
The fire pressed towards the black throne.
 
Helion and Whitney dove out of the way.
 
Lucifer willed them to near it as Lucifel struggled to get away.

“What are you doing?”

“Joining us with her.”

“Why?!
 
You will kill us both!”

Lucifer smiled.
 
“Only you see that as a bad thing.”

“No!”
 
Lucifel gazed out at what was around them.
 
“No, they see us as separate!”
 
He stared at Helion.
 
“They know us as two, and so we remain two!”

Whitney shook her head.
 
“I see one only.
 
I see
Lucifer
.”

Lucifer grinned.
 
“Shall we ask them all?”

***

Paimon flew around the new sun, torn between going back to Earth or staying in space.
 
He wanted to see Bean.
 
He had heard she lived, but Gabriel would be there.
 
He did not know how he felt about his brother.
 
He scratched his head, wondering what Furcas was doing.

A melody reached his ears.
 
He stopped in his flight and cocked his head to listen.
 
He heard an argument, but the voices were the same, indistinguishable.
 
Paimon frowned.
 
“Lucifer?”

***

Andy and Belial flew hand in hand through empty space.
 
She had managed to strip herself of spikes and thorns to be soft once more.
 
Andy pulled her into a kiss.
 
“You were marvelous today.”

Belial hugged him.
 
“You too!”

Andy drew her in.
 
“Let’s go back to our stream.”
 
She purred.
 
He ran his hands through her feathers.
 
Belial gasped.
 
Andy flinched.
 
“Ow.”

Belial blushed.
 
“Sorry!”
 
She retracted the blade that had grown out from her wrist.
 
“I just got all happy—”

Andy kissed her cheek.
 
“It was an accident, see all healed!”
 
His chest showed no mark besides dried blood.

Belial looked past his shoulder.
 
“Andes, something follows us!”

Andy whipped his head around.
 
A distant star tracked them through the sky.
 
Andy grinned.
 
“Lucifer’s back!”

Belial waved.
 
“Lucifer, come fly with us!”

Andy rolled his eyes.
 
“He wants Dahlia no doubt.”
 
The star flickered out and they were left alone in space.

***

Berith held Apple against him and looked into the darkness of pre-dawn.
 
His chest rumbled with laughter as Apple spoke softly into his ear.