The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human (11 page)

Well, not yet. What do you like about him? Is it his puppy eyes? Or his near endless stamina?

Thinking that I might as well just tell the book to distract myself from the pain in my arm and Narius’s weight, I explained, “Well, if you must know, you pervert... I like the way he smiles, and he seems, well… like someone who actually cares what happens to others. There isn't a single dull moment with him. I-I just feel happy when I'm with him.”

Even when you had him lick your boot for some twisted sexual fetish?

I glared at the book as it slapped my thighs every few steps. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Or should I just leave you here?"

The book cleared her throat. 
Well, I guess I need to push Mrs. where's-half-of-my-face out of Narius.

“Great. Then do it.”

I might be a little under-powered for this and—

“Let me guess, you need a bit of my magic like Narius’s feather to work?” I asked as blood from my arm dripped down and stained the floor, leaving behind a small trail of my draining strength.

Ha! I am not his feather. I can do just fine on my own, thank you very much. I just meant I won't be able to keep you company. Now go. I have to stop Narius from cheating on me. Get him out of here! I am counting on you.

The foreign presence in my mind disappeared, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.

Fear crept up inside me with the horny book’s absence. To make matters worse, my arms and legs grew heavy from the long haul. 
What am I doing carrying an angel? I just wanted a bit of gold. I should be a league away from this place.

Still I trudged on, and several minutes later, I somehow reached the bottom of the staircase without tripping and breaking my neck. Then I shoved opened the door that led to the hall of the temple.

Fire blazed, and a fresh wave of heat made the sweat on the back of my shirt stickier. The statues of angels still guarded the burning hall, littered with dead priests. My stomach lurched. I looked away and focused on the large hole where the front entrance had been blown open by the explosion. Through it, I saw the burning city outside. 
Almost there.

With Narius weighing down my arms, I limped toward the opening, each step making everything feel a little bit more numb than the last. Next to me, Narius's book glowed with a dull light and puffed out a steam of dark smoke every few moments.

Come on, Emily,
 I thought to myself. 
You can do this. Think about all of the treasure you could guilt Narius into giving you when you get out of here.

As I imagined all the money I could make, banners and drapes above us were alight with fire, dripping burning embers down on us and blackening Narius’s wings. 
I've got to keep going.

I gasped to fill my lungs with smoke-filled air and stumbled forward, past the statues of angels, averting my eyes from the dead. 
I think I can make it—

Something cracked behind me, louder than any whip-crack I ever heard. Next thing I knew, I was thrown off my feet and showered with small pieces of rubble.

My back crashed against a statue, and I felt my bones snap.

I lay with my cheek against the ground. Something wet trickled down into my eye, blurring my vision red. My body refused to move. I glanced at my bloody bolt-impaled arm as I lay on my deathbed while everything became warm and fuzzy. 
I’m going to die here. But at least it will be a comfortable one.

The thought felt comforting.

I felt my body give out. My eyes flicked shut. With the knowledge that I had done my best, I fell asleep.

Narius

A dull headache and a warm sensation against my wings stirred me awake. Pain plagued my face, like Emily had punched it several times.

I opened my eyes and saw hazy flames flickering. Warm air covered me like a soft blanket, making me feel safe and secure. Wanting nothing more than to rest a little longer, my eyelids started to close when Emily’s face came into focus.

She seemed to be at peace as well.

I smiled at her sleeping face. Everything felt right.

Except she was drenched in blood, some dripping down her face while a bolt impaled on her arm formed a small crimson pool around her.

She was hurt.

The sight brought me out of my slumber. I climbed to my feet and found her staff attached to my side.

Burning corpses surrounded us, giving the air a coppery smell. I couldn’t stay like this. Emily was hurt. I had to do something. 
What happened?

You don’t remember?
 the Codex asked.

All I remember is seeing the elf in the room—

Emily stirred and mumbled, her eyes unfocused and the light in them dimming. "My staff...?" She looked at me, and reached for her stick, but before she could get her hands on it, I lifted her in my arms and cradled her.

What is this? You are carrying her in your arms like a knight carrying a princess? I like where this is going. Quick. Heal her. It will make her very grateful. Grateful enough to—

Quiet.

The Codex grumbled, but obeyed.

With the Codex quietened, I looked for an escape route. My eyes watered from the smoke. I shook my wings, shedding the soot off them, and squinted to see better. Everywhere the flames whipped up the wind, making it difficult to see, but by a stroke of luck I glimpsed the entrance to the temple. It had been blown wide open as if a dragon had tried to crawl through.

Avoiding the large bodies of fire, I started towards the exit just as an explosion shook the ground again.

A thunderous crack roared from above, and large chunks of masonry rained down.

I slammed my back against a nearby statue and narrowly avoided the falling stones. A massive block fell off a column and landed on the body of a young, freckled priest. His chest exploded from the impact, blood bursting out in a red mist as bits of bone and flesh splattered onto Emily's clothes and my armor.

Sick to my stomach, I turned to the entrance and saw a huge statue of archangel Heliose fall against our only way out.

It crushed several bodies and kicked up a cloud of dust. Once the air cleared, the entrance was sealed by a mound of bloody rubble. Mangled body parts stuck out here and there, and the top of the pile was on fire. I looked for a way out. There was nothing. No doors or windows.

For once in my life, my clever mind failed me, and I stood there dumbfounded. I was trapped.

What are you doing? Fly! We have to go now!

But… but there is no way out.

Really? No way? Smash the glass!

I looked up and through the thick smoke, where the beautiful glass portraits of Arudi’s flock smiled down on me. It looked thin enough. Flapping my wings as hard as I could, I rose into the air.

A falling piece of brick dropped right past my wing and scratched my feathers. Another struck my arm and bounced off. The pain made me wince, but I kept rising, driven by fear for myself and Emily. 
I brought her into this by letting her follow me. I can do this!

Asking for forgiveness from the Lord of Order for what I was about to do, I covered Emily with my wings at the last second and slammed into the glass painting of archangel Ghaster. The glass cracked, and we crashed through the deceased archangel's face, pieces of glass sticking in my wings.

Fresh air cooled my skin and filled my lungs, but my wings felt like they had paper cuts in a thousand places. Still, fearing that a piece of glass might have lodged itself into my wings, I hesitated, and we plummeted towards the ground. Left with no other choice, I shook off my cowardice. I spread my wings and felt the wind slam into them as we rose. Thankfully, the glass that should have pierced my wings vanished into the wind as I flew hard and fast from the temple.

Moments later, a huge explosion shoved me forward, threatening to make me lose my balance and push me to the ground. I looked back.

The temple sagged inward, the entire building slowly crumbling. The tall spire that contained Varian's office sank into the ruin as fire erupted from within, mirroring the destruction taking place in the city.

Knowing that it was too late for me to help anyone, I flew away, disturbed by all of the destruction. 
Do you think people made it out?

Not enough.

The thought of so many deaths troubled me. In silence, I distanced us from the carnage, and by the time I had flown above the outskirts of the ruined city, Emily’s breathing had grown labored and irregular.

I couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Focusing my magic, I healed the wound in her arm, stopping the bleeding and restoring a bit of her strength.

I continued to heal her, letting my magic wash over her. The blood covering her face vanished, and so did her wounds. When I had finished, Emily stirred awake.

Her blue eyes peered into mine, and feeling uneasy from her gaze, I studied the empty air before me.

“Narius,” she whispered, brushing my cheek with her good hand. “I’m going to slap you silly as soon as I get my strength back.”

“What?”

She glanced at her healed arm. “What kind of an idiot heals a wound with the arrow still stuck in there?”

I flinched, and my wings faltered briefly. “I… I was going to take it out later. I couldn't heal you completely while flying. There wasn’t enough time—”

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Idiot.”

Heat rushed to my face. “Well… maybe going after the priest wasn’t the smartest idea. I am sorry.” I coughed a few times and concentrated on flying. “But at least we know who to find.”

Emily remained silent, and as I continued to fly, the light from the city dimmed, and the air felt cool again.

Then Emily smiled, looking up at the night sky filled with gems that had been absent while we were in the city. “It's beautiful.” Her face glowed under the full moon, and an odd feeling of happiness mixed with anxiety crept into my mind.

I needed to tell her how I felt.

Narius, you don’t even realize what you have in your hands, do you?

I glanced at the Codex. 
Emily?

Exactly. A girl in your arms, and on a beautiful night. Now, you just need to find a patch of grass, and you can enjoy Emily’s “company.” Or, if you don’t like the grass, that maple tree looks quite suitable for our purpose. I'm sure you could make her put her hands against the tree, have her bend over, and then ram—

I shook my head, unable to understand what she was asking me to do. With my attention focused back on Emily, I whispered, “When I first came down here, I thought all humans were ignorant and violent. I really didn’t want to come down here. But… maybe I was wrong. Humans are a little different than what I had imagined. And for once, I was wrong.”

She raised an eyebrow. “For once?”

I ignored her snide comment. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Emily held her breath. "Oh." Her heart hammered away at my chest, and I enjoyed the warmth of her body against mine.

“So, will you stay with me?” I blurted out.

Emily hid her face, studying the gems embedded in the sky, the tips of her ears red. “To find the book?”

“Yes, I need to find the book carrier,” I said, relieved yet disappointed by her answer for some reason.

Emily pursed her lips, and the beating of my wings filled the silence.

Knowing what the silence meant, my heart sank. I prepared myself to descend to the ground and let her go.

“Yes.”

My wings skipped a beat, and we dipped a little towards the ground before I regained control.

Emily looked at me, her face crimson. “O-of course I would like to get paid for my efforts! The bounty on Mafis is all mine, and I want to throw that bastard in jail for shooting me! You get the book, and I get the gold.”

I smiled as a gentle breeze brushed against me and warmed my heart. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Emily looked away as her long dark hair fluttered against the wind. “And, j-just to show you how right you were in choosing me, I think I know where we can find the other half of that book.”

"Where?"

"I didn't know what it was at the time, but I saw the other half of that book back in the capital city as a grand prize in the arena. In fact, that's the reason why I accepted the contract to find Pannaxx, so I could sell the page I'd get. There are a lot of interested buyers and some are already collecting the stray pages."

I opened my mouth to ask her just what an arena was, but Emily snuggled herself deeper into my arms. The smell of mint drifted from her body.

“But first… could we stay like this a bit longer?” she asked.

I nodded. Together, we gazed at the warm summer sky above, filled with the bright landscape of heaven.

Narius

We flew over the Great Forest, the wind blowing against my wings, and the sun shining off my armor.

Emily snored away as I cradled her in my arms. She nestled against me, the bolt in her arm now removed and the skin healed.

Her face was at peace, and I could not stop myself from glancing at her. 
She looks so beautiful. How can I thank her for what she did?

Why don't you kiss her?
 the Codex asked.

Why would I do that?

Because it will feel really good, for both of you. Also, if a girl does something nice for you, you kiss her on the mouth. It's the only way. The O-N-L-Y way.

But wouldn't that feel weird?

The Codex giggled. 
Not at all. If you do it once, you'll never go back. It's like learning how to walk. One lip at a time.

So I just put my lips against hers?

Oh, yes. And if you get comfortable, then you should also stick your tongue in her mouth.

I glanced at Emily's red, petite lips. 
If it makes her happy, then I guess I should.
 After a moment to collect my thoughts, I shifted my hold on Emily and inched my head towards her, ready to make her feel good.

The movement of my body stirred her awake. Her blue eyes blinked open and her face turned crimson as she looked into my eyes. "You're too close! Wh-what are you doing?"

"Trying to kiss you."

"Kiss me?"

"Don’t you want me to stick my tongue into you?"

"What?"

"Well, you saved me in the temple... and I want to thank you."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you thought you'd do this by kissing me."

I bobbed my head.

Emily smiled and the tension in her body disappeared. “That’s just creepy—"

Now’s your chance! Kiss her! If you don’t, she will be mad.

I obeyed and moved my lips toward Emily.

Her hands pushed against my cheeks and shoved me back. "N-No! Not yet! I mean, I can see that you can't resist my charms. B-but this is my first kiss. I-I want it to be perfect—"

Lies. Everything is a ruse to encourage you. Kiss her now!

I leaned over to kiss her. “It doesn’t need to be perfect.”

Emily squirmed and thrashed her arms at my face. "No! Not like this! I'm not ready! I want to be under a beautiful maple tree at sundown! I also want to be wearing a silk dress and for a herd of unicorns to be nearby when I kiss you! Then I want—"

She didn’t want me to thank her yet, so I pulled back and tried to hold onto her before she fell out of my arms and plummeted to the sea of green below. "Calm down, Emily. I won't do it. Just don't move too much. It’s dangerous—"

Emily’s pupils dilated with fear, and she somehow wiggled her arm free and punched me on my chin.

A bright flash of light blanketed my view before turning everything dark.

When my vision returned, my chin was touching my chest. I straightened my neck and looked around. We were plummeting. Emily screamed as she fell next to me. Below us, the white currents of a rushing river neared at an alarming speed. I hugged the terrified human and flapped my wings as hard as I could to slow down.

It wasn't enough, and we plunged into the river.

Narius

"Narius," a voice called out.

Too tired to respond, I ignored it.

Perhaps annoyed by my rejection, a pair of icy hands removed my armor, grabbed the side of my face and pulled on my jaw, opening my mouth.

Then they started to press down on my chest in a steady rhythm. I coughed and replaced the water in my lungs with fresh air.

After a few dozen painful pumps, Death lay his head against my chest and listened to my heart.

He lifted his head. His icy hands traced my chest before stopping on my cheeks. I felt his breath brush against my lips as he prepared to devour them. Terrified, I threw my fist towards where I thought his face was.

Death screamed like a girl.

Satisfied by my heroic effort, I raised my heavy eyelids, and found Emily on her back clutching the side of her face as she lay on the bed of gravel. She groaned and nursed her cheek.

As my wits returned to me, I realized what I had done. I reached out and touched her cheek.

Upon contact, she visibly relaxed as the warm light covered her as my power worked to dull and eventually erase both her pain and her wound.

Once the task was accomplished, my concentration fell apart, and I spewed out the remaining water from my lungs onto the patch of gravel.

Emily patted me on the back, her chilly hand against my shirt, before helping me to sit up. With her help, I continued to cough and wiped the water off my face. But, when I turned towards Emily to thank her, I noticed that she was drenched as well, her transparent white blouse clinging to her skin and revealing my feathered necklace resting between an additional layer of white clothing. For some reason I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Well, isn't this a nice surprise,
 the Codex said, water sliding off her protective barrier. 
You should get her clothes off before she catches a cold, then warm her body with yours.

Before I could recommend the Codex's logical plan to Emily, she inched closer and mumbled with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry." Then she slapped me. "But what the hell were you thinking?"

Her hand stung, but just being so close to her made me feel happy, if also a little dizzy.

I placed my hand over my cheek. 
What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way?

Well, it is really quite simple. If you focus on her breasts, you will understand.

I stared at the wet clothes clinging tightly to her skin, but felt even more anxious instead.

Emily sniffed and wiped her tears away. "Narius? Why are you so quiet? Are you feeling okay?" she asked. Then, with concern written over her face, she glanced back at me. Upon looking at my eyes, she stared down at her shirt.

Emily let out a yelp then covered her breasts. She glowered up at me. Our eyes met, and her face became crimson. “Pervert.”

“I am?”

"You are blushing."

“You must be mistaken. Angels… angels don't blush." To prove my point, I moved my head forward and closer to her chest, pushing down the unnatural desire to squeeze her in my arms. "See, nothing."

Emily grabbed me by the neck and shook me, forcing me to take in all her glory from top to bottom. “You almost died! Do you know how worried I was? How are you enjoying this? This isn't a game, you stupid, dumb, idiotic, horny angel!”

"Enjoying what?” I asked as my head swayed. Annoyed that she thought I had a fun time drowning, I frowned. “I would rather be in my comfortable corner of the library reading a book. And once I find the Grimoire, I will be doing just that. Far from this place. Alone."

Emily shoved me to the ground. Without another word, she turned her back on me and stared at the trees. For a while, neither of us spoke, leaving the rushing waters of the river to fill the void.

Oddly enough, I couldn't help but stare at the small of her back through her wet clothes. I wanted to say I was sorry, but the words failed me. She looked so pretty. I picked up my dripping armor and shook my head. 
No. I am too smart to be tricked by whatever she is trying to do.

As I donned my armor, Emily grumbled unintelligible words.

She summoned and hugged an orb of light radiating with warmth that expelled the water from her clothes by turning it into steam. Once her clothes were dry, she turned around to sneer at me. "Let's go, angel. We don't have all day. You have a quest to finish so that you can nap in your lofty library."

Her words seemed encouraging, yet I felt sad and angry at the same time. Not knowing how I should act, I clenched my fist and hid my pain. "Fine. Just what I wanted to hear."

Emily humphed and stomped towards the forest. “Stupid angel.”

I jogged after her, trying to catch up. But just when I had almost reached her, a pigeon swooped down from the sky and dropped a cylinder the size of my index finger towards her.

The cylinder smashed against Emily’s brow, and the human cried out and fell on the grass. Alarmed, I rushed to help, but Emily glared at me to stay away. Groaning, she dusted her skirt off and staggered to her feet, rubbing her head.

Emily glowered at me once more, but, upon noticing the cylinder, she brightened and uncorked the lid. She reached inside and pulled out a small parchment. Her smile withered, replaced with an annoyed look.

I stepped towards her to see what she was reading. “A bird carrying a message? How did it find you, anyway?”

Too focused on reading, Emily didn't answer. Disappointed that she would ignore me for a piece of paper, I snuck up behind her and peeked.

"'Emily!” I said, reading the contents out loud. “Without your gentle presence within the capital, life feels chaotic. Every day, I yearn for your kind and peaceful presence.'"

She turned around to block my view and growled, "This is private. Go away."

I covered my mouth and sniggered. "Peaceful? You?"

Emily fumed, the sides of the parchment crunching as she tightened her grip.

This isn't something to laugh about, Narius,
 Codex said. 
You have a rival. Someone wants to mate with her. Take that paper and see what it says!

I don't know that seems a bit rude.

Don't you want to read what it says?

A little...

Then go on. When was I ever wrong about this kind of stuff? Read it!

Emily groaned. "Enough of this nonsense." She spun and tapped her staff against my chest, frosting that part of the cuirass with every knock. "You know, I'm the most peaceful person you will ever meet. And there is no way that I'm going to let you read another word from—"

I snatched the page from her hands and hopped into the air, flapping my wings to hover over her head.

"Hey!" Emily jumped after me to snatch the page back, only to reach the tip of my boot before falling back down.

Free from her interruption, I read the letter to her.

"…Emily, I hope your quest goes well. However, in light of recent rumors, I worry about your safety. There have been many strange tales. For one, I've heard that a dragon is offering his services to fishing villages. And, if that wasn’t odd enough, there is supposedly an angel enslaved by an evil enchantress who uses her body to fuel her spells. Emily, I pray that you will keep yourself safe. The sorceress must be incredibly evil and powerful if she managed to bend an angel’s will and order him to wreak havoc—"

Ice sprouted from the edge of the paper and quickly took over the parchment. Startled by the sudden cold, I dropped it, and it shattered into tiny fragments upon hitting the ground.

Below, Emily stared up at me with a furious look on her face. She gripped her staff tightly, and it glowed white with magic.

“Junk mail,” she murmured, twirling her hair and looking away.

I tilted my head. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

“Who sent this to you then?”

Emily winced. “None of your business, and I said it was junk mail. Everyone gets it.” She clenched her fist and glared at me. "Let's go, Narius. No more questions. It would be rude of me to slow you down when all you want to do is go back to your worm-infested books."

I felt a twitch in my face and a pang of guilt in my belly. Still, unwilling to show any weakness, I smiled. “Fine.” Dropping back down onto the ground, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. "Hold on tight."

She broke away from my arms. "No! We are walking from now on."

"Why?”

“Because every time I let you carry me, it ends in disaster.”

Images of her puking on the ground, crash-landing in front of the dragon, and the recent drowning popped into my mind. I grimaced at the memory of my failure. “But every second we delay is another chance for that elf to summon the Demon.”

Emily stuck her tongue out at me. "Then we better start walking. Or…” She searched through her pouches, trying to find something amidst the clutter she carried. "If you are that worried about being late, I'll buy a horse and..." Her eyes widened. “What happened to my coin purse? And the one from Varian?”

I shrugged. “Must have fallen off during the flight.“

Blood drained from her face. "What? How are we going to afford anything? I need that money for the guild! You idiotic..."

Not appreciating the tone she was using, I let my eyes wander and noticed a cloud of smoke wafting out from the forest.

"…What are we going to do for money? How are we going to eat? Don’t say Manna. I’d rather roast your wings than eat any more of…"

A delightful aroma caught my nose, and I walked towards the smell coming from the direction of the smoky pillar.