The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human (29 page)

I clutched my stomach and groaned.

The prince exploited my moment of weakness and got to his feet. Grabbing his blade, he smiled and jabbed it into the small gap between the armored plates on my right shoulder. The pain made me twitch as more blood spurted out over my already blood-covered armor. “You know, there is a reason I keep women alive: they aren't threats. They're always too scared to do anything.”

I spat blood in his face, and he struck my cheek with the flat of his blade, shoving my head into the sand.

Maybe it’s time to give up, Narius,
 Codex whispered. 
Live to fight another day. You've lost too much blood. We can have our revenge later.

I clenched my good hand into a fist. 
Don’t tell me what I already know! I just need to do something different.

"But I suppose there should be exceptions," Kale said. "This is the end of the road. I really wanted to convince you to please me every night, but I suppose I will just fuck you here. Then track that girl... Emily... and play with her until I get bored." He sighed. "It is a little cruder than I would normally do things..." He wagged his finger. "But wouldn’t it be funny? She will be so shocked that I violated you that she won't even resist when I take her—"

Desperation muddled my mind. "No! You will have to have your way with me first!" With all my strength, I staggered at him with my bare hands. To my surprise, he lowered his weapon.

I didn’t question his odd behavior; instead, I wrapped my hands around his waist, forcing him to take a few steps back. He pressed his leg between mine and placed his left hand underneath my thigh. "I knew you couldn't resist a strong man like me. Now, take off your armor and pleasure me."

I wanted to say something back, but even speaking took too much effort.

As I stood still to gather my strength, the prince unfastened his belt and lowered his pants.

I pressed myself against the human, my blood soaking his clothes. My broken hand complained at the act, but unwilling to give up, I flapped my wings. They screamed at me with each beat and felt like they were about to tear themselves off.

I panted for breath and my vision reddened the higher we rose.

Kale laughed. "So what are we going to do now? Enjoy ourselves in the sky? You know, if you try this hard in bed, I'll give you half of my estate. Now, tell me: do you want to strip first, or get straight to it?"

I didn’t answer and kept straining upwards.

The smile on Kale's face vanished, and he frowned. The prince looked towards the ground, watching it grow smaller by the moment. Panic blossomed on the human’s face. He struck my side, but the blade bounced off my armor. Still, the blow felt like a shelf of books had fallen on me, and I gritted my teeth as I flew higher.

"Let go of me this instant!" he screamed, his eyes betraying his fear for the first time.

After one last look at the ground, I obeyed and dropped the garbage in my hands.

Kale screamed and dwindled from my sight.

Moments later, my wings lost their strength. Gravity wrapped her hands around me and pulled me to the ground.

I plummeted, but flared my wings at the last moment, slowing my fall. Sand crunched under my boots. I stumbled a few times. Warm blood dripped from me and soaked the sand below while the prince lay unmoving in front of me, his legs bent in an unnatural way and his pants clinging to his ankles.

I fell to my knees. Everything went in and out of focus.

In the distance, a pale-faced Emily looked down on me from a balcony, her eyes glowing red. 
Red? Must be the blood.

I smiled at her, and then fell face-first onto the sand. People were shouting, but I couldn't understand their words. The small grains felt so warm against my cheek, and I closed my eyes, just to rest a little...

Narius

I awoke in a bed feeling as if I had been buried under a mountain of books. Bloodstained bandages covered my torso. Bookshelves lined the walls right up to a window that brought in the afternoon sun while stuffed animals eyed me with friendly smiles.

I was in Emily's room.

“Shh… It's just the two of us, Narius,” Emily said from somewhere left of me. “I've waited such a long time for this.”

I tilted my head towards Emily's voice and saw her slumped forward in a chair. Her eyes were closed and her cheek pressed against the Codex on the nightstand as if it was a pillow. Next to her head, a spoon bathed inside a bowl of red goo, its handle sticking out for air.

A trickle of drool escaped her mouth, which was twisted in a sheepish grin. "You can draw me anytime, with or without my clothes, you naughty angel," she mumbled in her sleep.

Pain shot through me as I sat up. I grimaced and waited for the discomfort to subside.

“Narius, step out of the bath,” Emily said, licking her lips. “Hehe… You look good without your clothes.” Her cheeks turned crimson, and she clutched at her blouse. “Don’t look at me like that. They’ll grow.”

I reached out and touched the Codex. 
What do you think you are doing?

Relax, I am just getting to the good parts. You’ll thank me when she wakes up.

Emily’s legs squeezed tightly together. She moaned, and her breathing quickened. “No, don’t touch me there. Not yet... I need a moment.”

Worried she was having a nightmare, I shook Emily's shoulder. She jolted awake. Her sleepy aquamarine eyes gazed at me, drool clinging to her chin.

“Narius? What?" Her eyes widened. "Y-you are dressed… Wait. Why am I still dressed?” Emily wiped her chin with the back of her hand. She blinked a few times then jumped on the bed and hugged me. "Narius!" Hot tears ran down her cheeks and smeared themselves against my neck. Her tight embrace made me wince, but the feeling of her soft skin smothered the pain. "I… I was so worried. I thought you were going to die.”

“Angels don't die. Besides, if we did, I couldn't do this." Reaching out, I gently touched her wet cheek and kissed her salty lips.

When we broke for air, she sniffed and wiped her face. “You're never going to do that again. I-I mean the fight. You can keep kissing me, a-and you're going to stay by my side at all times so I can protect you.”

I smiled at her. "I will always be by your side. No matter what. You are the most precious person to me."

Emily's gaze dropped to her lap, her ears crimson. "Of course I am."

We sat in silence until my stomach grumbled, and I stared at the bowl filled with the red goo.

Emily sighed. "You sure know how to ruin the mood." She got off the bed and grabbed the stew from the nightstand. Holding the bowl for me, she handed me a wooden spoon. “It's a soup mixed with a healing potion.”

"Will it taste funny?" I asked, dipping the spoon into it. Chunks of mashed vegetables broke the surface for a moment before sinking back to the bottom. Slowly, to avoid the pain, I brought a spoonful of the slushy paste into my mouth and chewed. It tasted nice, with the scent of the herbs masking the hint of bitter medicine.

Hungry for more, I reached for a second spoonful, but moved too quickly. A spasm tore across my arm and side. I dropped the spoon and couldn't take in another breath. Tears burned my eyes as the room spun. A scream burst from my lips. My head grew heavy, and I crashed down onto the pillow. The intense all-consuming pain was almost too much to handle.

I writhed in agony, screaming in hopes the pain would stop.

Through the ordeal, I saw Emily climb onto the bed and lean over me. She held me tight, her hands tense. “Hold still, or you're going to tear open your wounds. Your body is reacting to the medicine.”

I gasped for breath and wanted nothing more than to escape the pain, but Emily's hands pressed down on my chest to keep me in place. Unable to break free, I focused my mind on Emily. Her warm breath, the feel of her hands pressed to my chest, the color of her eyes... all of it helped to push back the pain, little by little.

I tried to grin, but could only manage a small weak smile. Everything hurt so much. Still, being with her was all I needed. “I... I wish we could stay like this forever.”

Emily smiled back as she slid off the bed. She dragged the chair closer to me and sat down. She produced a new spoon from her pouch. "You're so lucky that a girl like me fell for you." Lifting my head a little, she dipped the spoon into the stew then brought it to my mouth. “Open wide. Don't make me mimic a pigeon trying to squeeze into a birdhouse.”

I obeyed, and Emily dumped the food inside my mouth. The soup tasted even better than when I had tried it myself. My mind relaxed, and the pain disappeared. 
This is wonderful.

Emily, perhaps reading my thoughts, continued to feed me until the bowl was empty.

With my stomach happy, and the pain gone, I laid back and rested my hand on top of hers. "Thank you."

Emily's face reddened, and mine warmed as well. "W-well, you did well against that perverted prince."

Feeling uncomfortable, I turned my head and pretended to stare out the window, keeping my eyes on the reflection of Emily in the glass. "How is he?"

"Alive, and nursing his wounds."

"You aren't going to hold hands with Kale in bed, right?"

"How did you—" Emily shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

I tilted my head back and smiled smugly, relieved. "I told you that you didn’t have to worry about me. No prince is a match for me.”

Emily's lips quivered. "I wouldn't call this winning."

My smile withered. “What do you mean? What happened to the Grimoire?”

She twitched, and hesitation flashed across her face. “I have that with me, but let's not talk about it. Look at yourself, Narius. You're a—”

“Great! Can I see it?”

She stared at the spoon in her hand. "Well..."

"Please?"

"Fine." Emily reluctantly brought out a transparent glass box from under the bed. The half-Grimoire rested inside, suspended in mid-air.

I placed my hand against the glass and took it from her. Even through the thick glass, the corrupting influence radiated out, pricking my fingertips like thorns. My heart started beating quickly.
With this book gone, Mafis won't be able to summon the demon. And my hard work will be over.
Scraping together what remained of my power, I channeled it into my fingertips, ready to fight the book. “I’ll purify it now.”

She grabbed my wrist. “No.”

“What? Emily, the book needs—”

“I said no.”

The grip of her hand tightened. I winced as the pressure increased, and, through the pain, her eyes flickered red.

The bones in my wrist started to crack, and I cried out.

Emily's eyes grew wide. She let go of my arm. I looked her in the eye, but the red glimmer had disappeared as if I had imagined it.

She stared at her trembling hand, her face filled with fear. “N-no, Narius. Y-you shouldn't destroy the book." Her breathing grew uneven. “If we keep it, we can use it as a trap to lure Mafis. Yes... then we can destroy the other half to do a proper job."

"That sounds too risky. What happens if it breaks free?"

She gazed at me, her eyes puffy and about to burst into tears. "You said you wanted to make me happy. This is how you are going to do it."

Something was wrong. She seemed so uneasy, and I didn't want to make her worry. So I smiled and placed the glass container on the nightstand. "You're right. I will stop for now." I wanted to hug her again, but the fear of another spasm held me back.

She didn't smile. Instead, she stared at the book with longing. My stomach growled again, and broke Emily from her stare.

She rose to her feet and patted my stomach, her soft hand brushing against me in a comforting way. “I’ll bring you some more stew to fill your bottomless pit.”

I bobbed my head in agreement and watched her take the empty bowl and close the door behind her.

Once her footsteps had faded down the hall, I laid the back of my head against the pillow and tried to rest.

I couldn't.

The presence of the corrupted book made me feel vulnerable, like it would taint me if I let my guard down. Feeling uneasy, I eyed the dark artifact left behind on the nightstand until I noticed that the runes scribbled across it looked familiar.

I could read them.

The information on the visible page of the book described a spell that could destroy or create magical blockage in the mind. Curious, I took the Codex off the nightstand and summoned a quill to copy the text. 
Look at that. So much knowledge crammed into a single page.

Hey! What do you think you are doing?
 she screamed just as I finished copying the first line.

Just writing it down. I never thought about reading the demonic text before destroying it.

This isn’t exactly safe! Watch what you write here! I don't want to end up insane by plagiarizing a Grimoire.

Don't worry. I'll paraphrase.
 I read the passage carefully, trying not to miss a word. 
Interesting. It says it's supposed to let the user place or remove a seal on someone’s mind. This looks so simple. Even I could make it work.

Seal? You mean we can lock up someone's memory with this spell?

I shrugged. 
Maybe. Once this is over, I’ll talk to Mother and ask if she knows a spell like this.
 Once I had scribbled down the remaining lines, I set the quill down. 
But really, why would anyone want to lock up someone's memories?

Maybe it's designed to help people suffering from some past trauma. Who knows? If Emily happens to suffer from some childhood trauma... you could soothe it to win her affection.

You really think so—
 I was about to put the glass box down when I caught a glimpse of a barely-visible, translucent thread poking out from the dark book. It penetrated the glass as if the barrier did not exist and went through the ceiling of the room. 
Wait.

What? Do you see any naughty pictures?

Fear and uncertainty crept into me. 
No. It feels like an angel tampered with the Grimoire before, and whoever is watching the tome is in heaven. But why? A book like this should have been purified immediately or stored away in the Great Library.

Hmm... I bet the string is designed to trigger when something happens to the book. Maybe some sort of a warning system?

I suppose, but the magic used here seems very familiar.
 Placing the glass on the table next to the bed, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. 
For now, we will leave it alone and listen to Emily, but the sooner we get rid of this, the better.

Narius

Several days later, I was bored. There was nothing to do while Emily was away but to browse through her meager book collection, most of which I had already read.

Every time I tried to rest, my mind kept returning to what Kale's sword had tried to tell me. The thought of what the sword wanted from me made me restless. Unable to stay in bed anymore, I opened the window of the room and flew outside. It felt good to stretch my wings, and I only felt a little stiffness with each flap. Being the devious angel I was, I remembered my conversation with the princess, and I soon arrived at the inn called The Last Delight where the prince was supposedly staying.

Are you sure this is a good idea? Flying without your armor?
 the Codex asked as I hovered in the air, trailing after the traces of the holy power left by the sword. 
Especially with the Grimoire back at the guild? You never know when there will be trouble.

It's fine. Besides, nothing has happened for the last few days. I think we can afford to spare a moment.

Famous last words.

Gluing my eyes to the glass, I tried to peer through the second-floor window of the inn where the power emanating from the sword was the strongest, but it was covered by curtains that hid everything behind them.

You know, Emily is going to disappointed.

Not if she doesn't know I was gone.

Putting pillows in your bed isn't going to work. As soon as Emily tries to hump your supposedly sleeping body, she will figure it out.

Hump? Why would she want to make me into a hill?
 I answered back while carefully sliding the window open. 
Anyway, I am sure she'd leave me alone, thinking that I am just too tired.
 Grabbing the sill of the window, I climbed over, taking care not to scrape my wings. But, halfway in, my arm jerked from a sudden pain, and I lost my balance. I slammed onto the wooden floor, my face splashing into a puddle of some kind.

I wiped my face and saw my hand covered with blood.

Then the rotten smell of death hit me. Something was horribly wrong here. Frowning, I parted the curtains to clear the air and get a better light.