Paper Moon Part 1 (Patreon)

The streets were dark. Wet with a black rain that scattered across it in obsidian gems.  The sound of the ocean roared at my back along with the rattle of cages. Soft moans of the dying were a cacophony against the night sky as the forgotten breathed their final goodbyes.  My leather boots were wet with dirt and grime, stained with a dark sludge I would have to spend the evening scrubbing out.  Glancing down at the parchment in my hand, I frowned.

The letter had been pinned to my door this morning.  An old nail, like the ones they used to repair the docks, held it in place.  It had been vague and the handwriting barely legible, but there was a promise attached to the end.  A promise of money.  The promise of a better place to hole up instead of the small hovel that I was huddled within.  My roof was thatched and leaking, and the rain had been nearly incessant these last few days. As if the heavens were crying.

Stepping over the small foot bridge, I glanced at the stone house ahead. A waterwheel slowly churned the meandering river that bordered the house, while smoke puffed from a broken chimney.  Tugging my hood up and over my head, I chewed at my lip, feeling it split open once more. It was a habit I desperately needed to break.

The door was four rough-hewn planks, fitted together with flat bands of steel.  I knocked, my fists coming down on it with three thick thuds. It barely made a sound.  But I could hear the shuffling inside and when the door swung open, I was faced with a tall, dark skinned man. His hair was pulled sharply away from his face, his sleeveless shirt tight over a well muscled chest.

“Are you the Graceling?” His voice was rough and shot through with whiskey.

“I am, sir.” I dipped my head in respect, knowing full well I should not be entering into this unknown house, but my stomach was empty and had been for days.

“Come in.” The man stepped aside, and my eyes skittered towards the confines of the stone cottage. It was dark within, a single kerosene candle the only illumination upon a driftwood table.  Stepping inside, I clutched the parchment close to my chest, feeling my heart flutter in fear.  When the door shut behind me, I jumped, turning rapidly to stare at the man with wide eyes.  “You scared or something?” he asked.

“No, sir.  Just… cautious.”

He nodded, not arguing. Walking past me, he disappeared around a half wall into a living quarters.  I looked around, not sure if I should follow. When he didn’t appear again, I stepped lightly after him.  The man stood in a living room. A place that was soft and cozy, strewn with pillows and throw blankets and a few scattered weapons.  The man was hovering around a half closed door, soft blue light coming from the cracks in the wood.

“Name’s Reese,” he said.  “Probably should have told you that from the get go.  Been a little stressed.”

Again, I nodded, my hands wringing together.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Reese.”

“Yeah. Doubt that. You look skinny as a waif and I know you’re only here because you’re about two days from dying of starvation. Seen that look on others.  You got that hunger in your eyes. You able to do what you do without food in your belly?”

“With due respect, sir, I’m not sure what it is you want me to do?”

A soft moan came from the bedroom, the sound wet and broken with pain.  Someone else was speaking softly, hushing whoever was hurt.  My eyes couldn’t help but lock onto the door.

“It’s my boy,” Reese said. “He’s hurt.  You know anything about celestials?”

I snapped my eyes back to him. “I do.  They are a species that belong in the cosmos. Guiding forces that help in mysterious ways, answering only to the Knowing.”

“And what about fallen.”

I bowed my head.  “They are the ones cast from the Knowing for their sins.  It is rare to find a fallen, however.  Without the grace of the Knowing flowing through them, they struggle to manage in a world that is not their own.  Most succumb to madness.”

“Yeah,” Reese said, voice tight. “So you’re gonna stop that.”

I nodded. “I will try my best. I- It’s really going to depend on how far gone they truly are.  Grace is important to celestials. Their own grace. Grace from another doesn’t always take. Especially if the individual is not willing.”

“He’s willing.”

I felt sadness rock my heart.  A parent watching their child die.  It was never easy to see.  I hoped that I would be able to help whoever was on the other side, but the likelihood was, that sickness had already riddled their mind.

“I will do whatever I can,” I told him. It was the only promise I could make.

When Reese opened the door, a dull light pulsed from within.  A man sat on the bed, his white blond hair falling into his eyes, face coated in tears.  He looked up at me as I stepped into the room, his lavender eyes glinting.  He looked startled, his eyes flicking over towards Reese.

“You found one?”

Reese stepped forward, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. “They are a graceling. You don’t have to do anything more, Elias.  She is here to help.”

Elias looked back towards the bed, reaching out with a shaking hand.  A soft glow emanated from him, falling across the prone body upon the bed.

A man with dark skin laid upon silver sheets.  His skin was beaded with sweat, his body lashed across with cracks across a stretch of paper fine skin.  Face contorted with pain, he laid on the bed, whimpering, eyes screwed shut.

Quietly, I stepped in.  Without a word, Elias and Reese moved from the bed and slowly, I lowered myself next to the man.  Black hair stuck to his forehead in sweaty tendrils and the feathered wings I knew had once been attached to his back lay in a bloody mess in the corner.

“How long has he been like this?” I asked.  I reached out, running my fingers across his face, gathering the stench of his skin across my gloved palms.

“A few weeks,” Elias said. “He was okay after the fall. We thought he would survive. Then… his feathers started falling out, and he went downhill from there. I- I tried to help him. I did but…” Turning, he buried himself into Reese’s chest. I could hear the guilt within his cries.

Turning back to the man, I sighed. He was far gone, the madness etched across his features in hollow veins.  It was doubtful I would be able to do anything, but I had to at least try.

Pulling my gloves off, I let the light of the grace fill the room.  It sang, a high-pitched bell echoing across the walls. With the tips of my fingers, I rested them across his brow, slowly drawing lines across his skin. He whimpered, head thrashing back and forth.

“Shh…” I tried to soothe. “Let me help.”

He twisted upon the bed, his face contorting into agony and his body shaking in barely contained pain.  Pressing my palm to his cheek, I pushed against him, feeling the grace embedded in my skin leech forward. The cracks and lines of his body began to fill, a slow roll of mercury running down the fissures of his skin.  His eyes snapped open, coal-black and filled with the void.  Arching off the bed, he reached for me, trying to strike out. Reese was there instantly, holding him down.

“What’s his name?” I asked, trying to keep my hand steady.

“Gabriel.”

I tried to smile. “Gabriel. It’s okay. I’m here to help you. Just listen to the sound of my voice.  Listen to my words. You are loved, Gabriel. You are well.  Everything is going to be okay. We will take care of you.” I felt a tear slip from my eye, tracking silver down my cheek.  The chime of bells became louder and louder, echoing through the room in a blast of piercing song.  But the light, oh the light was filling him, mending each crack and crevice across his parched skin.  He only needed to accept it. He only needed to believe that he deserved to be saved.

As his body began to settle, the light sinking into his skin, his lips parted in sweet relief.  Slowly, I took my own hand away.

“He should sleep,” I whispered.

Reese, who was still holding him, stared at me with wide and terrified eyes.  “Did it work?”

“It’s too soon to tell.  Filling a celestial with grace is a long process. It does not just happen within the course of an evening.”

“Then do it again,” Reese said.

“Reese,” Elias said from the corner. “She is telling the truth.  It’s not like that.” Reese looked upset but didn’t protest. From behind me, I felt the other man approach.  “Please, you have done so much for us already. Come into the kitchen. Let me get you something to eat.”

My stomach growled in response.  “Yes. Yes, I would appreciate that.”

Settling in the kitchen, I kept my eyes on the door. Gabriel. He was asleep now. The house itself felt more at peace.  Reese sat at the kitchen table with me, while Elias began rummaging through the cabinets.

“So what is our next move?” Reese asked. “We’re willing to pay you whatever you need.”

[[I will do this for free. The Knowing wills it]]

[[I will help you in trade for protection. Gracelings are not well liked in the Night Market]]

[[I will help you in trade for room and board]]

Go to the above poll to vote for your choice.