Aeva’s Challenge – I

A tale of angels, demons and dragons…

Aeva’s peaceful existence was rudely interrupted by a summons to the Hall of Guardians. She pulled up the hood of her simple grey robe and walked quietly to the portal. When she was admitted to the presence of the Guardians themselves, she sensed a rare disquiet.
Thor stood to greet her, before speaking in his darkly thunderous tones. “Five days ago we lost a Messenger. Looked like an open and shut case of stupidity. He was young and crass, and thought he could fly where no one has ever flown before. Turns out he couldn’t. But.”
“But what?”
“But his flying partner has also disappeared.”
That should have been enough, but Aeva’s seventh sense told her there was more.
“And what else?”
“The mother of his mother is a Councillor. And she wants blood. Messenger blood for preference.”
“And this concerns me because?”
Thor’s bark of laughter sounded genuinely amused before he sobered. “Nice try, Invigilator. But you are needed. We are minded to send a small force – to both investigate and impose decorum. We need a commander who even the petty timeservers that constitute the Council will not dare to question.”
“And I’m that commander?”
“You are. One of a very small breed and the only one every Guardian is agreed upon.”
Aeva looked around the almost unimaginably huge room, whose benches were crowded with the Guardians of every living thing on the worlds. She shrugged.
“Expendable am I?”
Thor turned a sorrowful countenance towards her. “Not at all. Whatever gave you that notion?”
Aeva knew it was pointless to argue with a Guardian so she held her peace. The silence was growing awkward when a door somewhere creaked. Thor relaxed.
“That will be your detachment.”
Aeva pounced. “Before they arrive you had better tell me what the thing you don’t want to say is. Unless you would have the embarrassment of having an assignment refused in front of the muscle.”
He tried to stare her down, but she lifted her chin and met him stare for stare. Aeva had more reason than most not to trust Guardians – who were, at best, capricious, and at worst duplicitous and always full of trickery – and she was certainly not going to take an assignment without all the information in front of her.
Thor caved in, and suddenly looked as old as the bones in his throne. “Two things. First the Messenger’s flying partner is a draca and Lady Draca tells us she is almost certainly dead. But no trace of her body can be found.” He stopped speaking abruptly.
“And?”
“And your father has handpicked the Fighters who are to accompany you.”
Aeva looked at him in disbelief. “Well then. I formally refuse to command them. He wishes me dead.”
Lucifer spoke from his seat on the comfortable cushioned benches of the lower tiers. “He does not wish you dead. He may perhaps wish you had never been born…”
Aeva snapped her fingers. “I don’t trust you any more than I trust him. And I believe neither of you.”
The sound that went around the vast chamber was one indrawn breath as most of the Guardians waited for Lucifer to disassemble Aeva with a gesture. However, he merely bowed his handsome head. Gabriel spoke from the seat of power that was his by right of who he served.
“Why are we placing the Lady Aeva in this position?”
“Because there is nobody else we can trust as we trust her.” Lord Draco spoke from the encompassing depths of his kaleidoscopic cloak. “Aeva Darkstar is the agent of Truth.”
“Very well,” Gabriel turned the bottomless pity of his eyes on the slender figure standing sword-straight in the strange light of the Chamber. “Lady Aeva. If I will stand surety for your safety will you do this thing?”
“Great Lord. You must not do that. There are risks inherent in what this Chamber asks of me. But if you will make the Fighters understand that they are truly mine to command, irrespective of what my parent may have tasked them with, I will be content.”
“It shall be as you request, bright lady. Lucifer, of your goodness.”
Lucifer sneered at his brother’s choice of words, but nonetheless he came forward. Both stood and watched impassively as a score of blue-skinned winged beings walked quietly onto the floor of the chamber.
They all bowed to Lucifer and his bright brother.
“Behold your Guardian,” Gabriel spoke formally and with the power that was his to command making his voice sound like the brazen trumpets that call the foolhardy to war.
Lucifer raised his fathomless black eyes. “My children. I have orders for you.”
The Fighters stood up even straighter and regarded the Dark Guardian with eyes dazzled by love.
“Behold she who stands before you. Her name is Aeva Darkstar and she is your commander. You will obey her. She speaks for me.”
The winged ones looked confused and not a little dismayed, but one by one they raised their right hands and placed them above their hearts. As they did so each one spoke.
“Votum vovit ego.”
Their dark Guardian surveyed them with obvious pride before offering Aeva an ironic bow.
“Will that serve, lady?”
She looked at him for a beat before shaking her head.
“Not really.”
Lucifer looked stunned, then his face darkened.
Aeva continued speaking. “I do not doubt that your Fighters will obey me to the letter, but I have a feeling I will need more than the obedience of automata.”
“That may be the case, Invigilator, but if you would have their hearts and minds as well as their obedience they need to hear your truth.”
Aeva inclined her head, and Lucifer spread his hands before he began speaking.
“The Lady Aeva is the daughter of your Demon Master. Got on the unwilling flesh of a mortal female. He chose to deny the responsibilities of paternity and Aeva was raised by her mortal mother until she reached adulthood. It was an uneasy childhood for a winged monster begotten by rape. But they managed, until your master took a hand in the game. He sought the death of his only daughter, but succeeded in killing her mother instead. We demanded penance of him and the young Aeva came to the place of the Messengers to be educated.” He paused to study the rapt faces of the Fighters before continuing in a voice so quiet they had to strain to hear him. “Your master was not done. When Aeva was a fledgling Messenger he joined the game once more. He found her when she slept and he stole her most prized possession leaving her writhing in agony.”

Aeva’s Challenge by Jane Jago will continue next week.