Paper Moon Part 2 (Patreon)

A/N Please note, this will be locked to Baron tier starting November 1st.  Please be aware you will need to upgrade next month to continue participating in voting and the story.

I felt my stomach rumble as Elias began lighting the burners and cooking something that smelled out right heavenly.  Placing a hand over my abdomen, I tried not to look too eager. I could feel the sharp jut of my ribs, however, and couldn’t remember when the last time I ate was.

“I will help you,” I told them, dragging my eyes back to Reese. “In trade for protection.”

“Trade?” The darker skinned man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  “Why wouldn’t you just ask for coin?”

I needed that too. But coin I could earn elsewhere. Protection, I could not.  “I am not a fighter, my lord,” I told him softly.  “Even if I were to buy a weapon, it is doubtful I would be able to use it. And I have learned, since becoming a Graceling, that we are viewed as a commodity much more than we are viewed as an individual.”

Two days after I had received my shard of grace, I had been pinned in an alley as traders tried to knock me unconscious and drag me to the butchers.  They left my lip bloody and two of my fingers broken. But I had managed to get away by sheer luck alone.  Since then, all I had was luck.  A vantage that had worked so far but I didn’t want to keep risking myself.

“You wear gloves,” Reese said, nodding to the brown wool fingerless gloves on the table next to me. “How do they even see it?”

I glanced down at my hand. The grace shone in a dull pulse against my palm. It was a jagged shard, pressed into my flesh.  The skin was slightly raised there, an opaque luminosity beneath my pale skin.  I curled my fingers around it.  “I am afraid I didn’t know the rules of the Night Market well.  Numerous people saw me before I could afford to buy gloves and even now, if I have to take them off for anything and someone sees, they are quick to report me for a bounty.”

From the stove, Elias sighed.  “Grace is a beautiful shard of peace and tranquility. But in the wrong hands, it can turn ugly so very quick.” Turning, he set a plate of what looked like blue eggs and soft bread in front of me. “I apologize for how you have been treated, Graceling,” he said sadly. “Especially if my kind is at fault.”

“You’re a fallen?” I asked in surprise.

He nodded.  When Reese scooted his chair out, Elias plopped himself in his lap.  I felt my heart soften as he wrapped an arm around the celestial.  The two of them looked the antithesis of each other. One light, one dark. One soft and one hard.  But there was a softness between them that was easily seen.  A bond that spoke deeply of love and comfort.

“For quite some time now,” Elias said. “I was using my own grace to help Gabriel but–”

“But that will not be happening anymore,” Reese interrupted.

I looked between the two of them. Reese’s jaw was set in a hard line and Elias looked… sad.  “I just want our boy to be okay,” he whispered.  There was no response to it though. It was apparent that this was not the first time this had been discussed between them.

“Eat,” Reese nodded to my plate. “It’s not much but we’ll spare what we can.”

Elias perked up at that. “Yes. We should have more coin soon. Reese just got a new job down at the docks.  We’ll have an abundance of food to share.”

“And I’ll figure out a way to give you that protection,” Reese said firmly. “Can’t shadow you everywhere but maybe I can get you an amulet of some sort. You know any magic before coming to the Night Market?”

I shook my head. “No, my lord.”

“Stop with this, my lord shit,” he said. “It’s Reese. This is Elias.  We are on first names here.”

I swallowed, pushing my food around with my fork. “I’m afraid I cannot give you my name,” I told them.

While Reese clearly didn’t understand, Elias nodded.  “That is okay.  You must know though that you are revered Graceling.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Your devotion must have been so strong to receive such a gift from the Knowing.”

I flexed my fingers but said nothing.  With devotion often came sacrifice.

“Eat, kiddo,” Reese said softly. “I don’t know what all you did in there but it was a lot.”

I didn’t wait any further. I began shoveling in the food as quick as I could, feeling my stomach cramp in pain at the foreign concept of actually having sustenance again. Food that was not moldy or dug from the bins outside the Spice District.  When I was done, Elias placed another plate in front of me, smiling encouragingly. He looked like he wished to reach out and hug me but seemed to think better of it and went back to Reese’s side, snuggling in close.

When I was finished, I felt my eyes growing heavy.  “I should return home,” I told them.  “But I can come back in the morning if that is alright. Begin another treatment.”

“Why don’t you stay here tonight,” Elias said.  “It is late and you have traveled far.  And it will give Reese time to figure out how to offer you protection.”

Reese grunted in approval as he stood.  “I’ll get the couch made up.” It was clear neither of them were going to take no for an answer.

They ushered me into a cluttered living room where books and weapons and odd bits of paraphernalia were stacked and scattered.  The sofa was clean though with such warm quilts draped across it.  I think I was asleep before I even laid down.  When I awoke in the middle of the night, the house was quiet, several thick blankets tucked under my chin.  Something disturbed me though.

Blinking at my surroundings I tried to peer into the dark, remembering that I had just trusted two strangers with a fallen in their house. Perhaps that was a mistake on my end seeing as how their story could very well be a lie. The fallen could be here on false pretenses. He could be here to attract unsuspecting Graceling’s like me. He could–

A crash sounded from the other room.

Gabriel.

Slowly, I rose, tip toeing to look through the crack in the door.  The bed was empty, sheets tossed aside.  With the flat of my hand, I pushed the door open a little further. The man was over by the vanity in the corner of the room, the muscles of his back bunched and tensed.  He was bent, arms braced on the surface of the vanity, hair hanging in soft curls in front of his face.  Low slung pants clung to his hips but his back and chest were bare.  From where I stood, I could see the slit where his wings had been and the bloody and ragged scars that were now in their place.

I was just about to back out of the room when his head snapped up. Black, voidless eyes stared at me through the mirror.

I jumped, stumbling backwards.  He turned around quickly, storming across the room and smashing open the door.  He had me before I could even cry out, pinning me to the wall, his grip surprisingly strong as he pressed his body to my front. I blinked up at him, the hold he had on my wrists nearly burning.

“Who are you?” his voice was deep and raked over with gravel.  I could feel the feverish heat of his skin as his chest was pressed to mine, my entire body pinned to the wall with the weight of his.

“I’m a Graceling,” I said quickly.  “Your fathers called upon me for help.”

He tipped his head to the side, a feral wild call ringing in his eyes.

Swallowing thickly, I tried to wriggle out of his grip but felt him shift closer, his hips pressed tightly against my own.

“I’m here to help you,” I whispered to him.  “You’re Gabriel. Your fathers are Reese and Elias.  They have summoned me to help with the madness.”

He looked conflicted, the skin around his eyes twitching as I knew he struggled to grasp onto my words.  “You’re the angel,” he said.

“No. I know that can be confusing but no. I’m just a mortal.”

“No,” he said, grip loosening as he dipped his head to drop onto my shoulder. I could feel his lips move over the collar of my dress. “You made the pain go away. You made the sound of screaming stop.” He released me then, his hands falling to his side, his head still pressed into the crook of my neck.

I swallowed thickly as I brought a trembling hand up to card through the back of his sweaty locks.  “I tried to help,” I told him. “And I’m going to continue to try and help.” I shivered as I felt his lips curiously mouth across my bare skin. “Let’s get you back to bed,” I told him softly. “You are unwell.  You need to rest.”

“Rest,” he whispered.

“Yes. Rest. Can you- can you walk?”

When he pulled away, he blinked at me muzzily, as if he wasn’t aware why he was even here to begin with.  “Yes?”

I tried to smile at him encouragingly, applying firm pressure to push him off of me. He went willingly then and with very little effort, I got him tucked back into bed, but his eyes were still wide and shocky.  He was tracking my every move.

“Are you in pain?” I asked. It was far too soon for another treatment but I didn’t feel as if I could just leave him laying here, staring into the dark.  When he shook his head, I bit the swell of my lip, unsure what I was supposed to do.  The man was now a motionless calm as his senses seemed to be somewhat returning. At least for the moment. But he was probably in need of rest, a bath, and a good meal.

[[Get him something to eat]]

[[Help him bathe]]

[[Just sit and talk with him]]