Undone by a Broken Angel

2.) Impatience

“But how it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.”

-Job 4:5 

Abraham is a warrior.  Ever since he could remember, his people have hunted down to extinction.  He’s only ever had himself to worry about- well, maybe his older brother sometimes- but the moment her small hand reached out for his, his world expanded.  It terrifies him.  He may be the one who found the last remaining woman of his species, but now he needs to get her home safely, and that’s not going to be an easy task.  What is his next step?  He knows that he has to get her off this island.  By the looks of her, she’s not ready to fly.  They kept her locked up in a ballroom for what appeared to be around a decade, which can only do horrible things to wing muscle mass.  For now, they’ll have to walk.

But leaving could be a problem.  He took a huge risk gliding down from the second story window-they’re lucky they were located in a deserted part of town. After correcting his cloak and making sure she landed safely, he pulls her at a run towards the docks. Since he took a boat to the island, he’ll have to leave the same way or the creatures will come searching for him here.  They’re sense of smell is uncanny.  The downside is that they’ll have her sent when they reach the mainland and he doesn’t want to think about what could happen if they catch up with them.  He may be lucky that he found her, but he’d be the bane of their existence if he’s the reason she dies.  Deciding to head to the ferries is what he needs to focus on right now, they continue running and he can’t help but notice the flush on her cheeks.

She looks happy, he notices.  She looks free and with her hand in his, he can feel how pure she is, how unbelievably good.  She’s not wearing shoes, he realizes, and he thinks about how that is going to be a problem.  They’ll have to stop for clothes and food at some point, he’ll worry about it then.

It doesn't take long to board a boat, but the ride back is excruciating.  She looks green around the gills as well and wonders if this is her first boat ride.  He can see the questions formulating in her mind and her eyes look at him questioningly.  Thankfully, she stays quiet.  There are too many people in the boat to dive into the serious conversation he never expected to tell.

He thinks about his next step: travel as far as they can on foot.  He has to admit, it’s not his best plan, but he’s not sure what her limits are and they need to get out of the eye shot of humans before they can take off.  He flexes his fists in frustration.

You could just kill her,  the voice goads, and get over this anguish.  She’s going to die anyway.  Why not by your hand?

He shakes it off and tries to relax.  If he loses too much control, the creatures won’t be her only problem.

She looks up at him with fear in her eyes and she watches his face, then glances down on his hands.  Damn it!  Get it together, scolds himself. What would his brother do?  David would make a joke, tell him to lighten up and quit overthinking.  True, he could be overthinking, but this isn’t about him.  This is about her safety- about their safety.  His future may be shot, but that doesn't mean he can’t help his family.

Sighing, he runs his hands through his hair and looks around.  There’s probably close to twenty people on this boat.  They all appear to be servants and they don’t look happy to be packed in like sardines.  The boatmen row them slowly across the open water and it’s so painfully slow that Abe can’t help but sigh.

The sky is clear and the sun beats down on him and his dark clothing.  He should have grabbed them water.  What was he thinking?  He had time to stock up on supplies and if he’s thirsty, so is she.

Finally, after it feels like ages, they dock and the passengers are let off one at a time.  He helps her onto solid ground- thank God- and they make their way into yet another town.  This one is smaller, but no less crowded.  He decides to stock up on a few things: get her shoes, her own water pack, and maybe a warmer cloak.  He could maybe fit some more food rations into his pack as well.  He tries to maneuver them through the townspeople without pumping them, but it’s no less easy than doing so in Venice was.  The crowd doesn’t give them much space, but after some sharp commands, they give them a wide berth.  Once satisfied with their purchases- with a regretful lightness to his coin purse- he leads them to the road.

He stops them to take a moment and gather themselves.  He allows her to sit and take a drink and slip on the shoes he bought for her.  She has to pick out some pebbles and he notices how they bleed from a few sharp rocks, but she shows no indication of pain.  If she’s putting on a brave face, she’s doing really well.  He might be able to do some healing on them when they find an inn to rest in for the night, hoping that some of David’s teachings stuck.  She freezes as though stuck in a trance or perhaps lost in a memory.  He watches her eyes glaze over and can’t help but admire her beautiful features.  She looks like a porcelain doll, but he knows the power she contains, knows all too well what she is.  Her dark curls fall around her face and her long eyelashes reach for the sky.  

Rape her.  Ravish her on the road, make her scream your name, the voice yells in his mind and it takes all the strength he has in him to say no.

Instead, he asks, “You okay?”

She nods.  "So, can you please explain to me what is going on?"

Looking around, he says, “Wait until we’re further away from town.  I don’t want anyone to overhear.”