30 Day Image Prompt Competition

Day 3 Prompt 1 - The Angel

         “I know what you are thinking,” she said, her voice disturbing the soothing silence of the garden. Gossamer fine white wings twitched as she sat upon the lush grass staring down at the object in her lap.
         In the branches of the tree behind hair, a raven with glossy black feathers tilted his head at the sound of her voice. His black eyes twinkled with a level of intelligence far beyond what you would normally expect to see in such a creature.
         “I feel that this is our only way if we are to defeat Selron. I know what the consequences of my actions are.” Her voice caught as she acknowledged to herself just what those consequences would be. “I know what they are and I accept them.”
         There was silence from behind her, not a sound to be heard above the gentle whispering of the wind through the long grasses of the meadow. For a moment she wondered whether the raven had gone but then she heard the rapid flap of wings as the raven took flight. A brief flash of light caught the corner of her eye before a tall man, dressed in long black robes trimmed with silver thread walked into view.
         “You are so young to accept such a great responsibility on your own,” he said as he knelt down before her. “It should not be down to you to take such a step, Jenna.”
         Jenna looked up into his craggy face, a faint smile teasing at her full lips. “I am the only one who can do it. The others have too much to lose should they do this. I am alone, now, and it is only right that I should be the one to do this.”
         A gnarled hand, its skin dotted with small brown spots, reached out to cover her pale, trembling fingers. “You are not alone, Jenna. We are all here with you, in spirit if not in body.”
         “I know, Atair, but to do this, I must be alone. I will not risk the others in this.” She reached out and touched the hilt of the sword lying before her. “You have always taught us that we each have a great trial to challenge us. This is my trial and I will not fail those who depend on me.”
         Atair sighed, his grey eyes filled with a deep sadness as he stared at the bowed head of the young angel before him. For not the first time since this mad quest had entered her mind, he cursed Caron and the consequences of his actions all those years ago. As the king of the gods, he should have had the foresight to see what would happen so that this young angel, with a heart of pure gold, would not have to go through this.
         “You will lose your wings and be banished from Saphir if you do this,” he warned.
         “I know.” A lone tear trickled from eyes as blue as a summer sky as she gripped the sword and raised it to the heavens. “By the power vested in me, I, Jenna of Saphir, angel in the service of Queen Shabir, take this sword, forged in the fires of Saphir by Zoren the master forger and weapons master for King Caron, and release it from the realm of Saphir so that it may find its true master. I give it my blessing and pray that once they are united they find a way to defeat Selron and free the inhabitants of Saphir and the mortals who serve and worship them from Selron’s curse!”
         Lightning flashed across a sky suddenly turned black by angry, great clouds that flowed across the sky in a roiling tempest. Thunder exploded across the sky in a furious crescendo of sound and energy. Jenna resisted the urge to cover her ears as the world around her reflected Caron’s anger as the power of the sword was returned to the finely crafted steel she held.
         She jerked as a fork of lightning connected with the steel, heating the metal until it glowed against the blackened sky. She could feel the energy flowing through the sword, its power almost too strong to quantify. She had never felt anything like this before, even when she had been in Caron’s presence when his temper had been in full flow. It was both awe inspiring and terrifying and she had released it to the care of an unknown who was their only hope.
         The sword glowed even brighter, almost white against the churning clouds, until a flash of light emanated from its core and the sword disappeared from her grasp, leaving no trace behind it. Drained, Jenna sank back on her bent legs, her heart pounding as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. The sword was gone and now it was time for her to face the wrath of Caron, a fury that still raged around her.
         As she gathered her resolve, another bolt of lightning arced out from the heart of the storm. She cried out as she felt the burn of the charge sear her back, ripping the delicate wings from her tender flesh. The agony was near unbearable as she collapsed to the ground, tears of pain coursing down her ashen features.
         Atair, his face mirroring the distress he was feeling at her suffering, reached out to try to help her. As his fingers brushed her shoulders a powerful gust of wind flung him from her to land in a heap several feet from her. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs as he watched his young charge writhe about on the floor in excruciating agony. Large, raw wounds across her shoulder blades oozed rivulets of blood from where her wings had once been joined to her.
         “Caron!” he cried to the angry sky above. “Stop this madness! You will kill her!”
         Only the sound of the raging storm and Jenna’s weeping answered his call yet Atair would not stop. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his aged body to his feet and stared up into the roiling clouds. “Caron! You know she was right. This is the only way to end all of this! Do not punish her for taking this step to save all of us!”
         “She knew and accepted the consequences of her actions!” The voice boomed above the crashing thunder, anger evident in every syllable. Caron was not used to his subjects defying his wishes.
         A man appeared before them, blue robes flowing about his imposing figure as he strode across the grass towards them. Pure white hair framed a strong face with eyes like cold blue steel glaring out at them. He halted before Atair, fury emanating from him in continuous waves.
         “Yes, she did and she was willing to take the risk if it would end this war.” Atair stared into the imposing face of his king, undaunted by his presence as he sought to assist his young charge.
         “She was a fool if she thought this would end everything!”
         “A fool who has studied the ancient tomes, read every prophecy ever written in the Library of Souros. She has not gone into this lightly and, whilst she did accept the consequences and your wrath, she does not deserve this. Stop this, Caron. Let us see if the prophecies are correct, if the sword will return to its true master, if, together, they can defeat Selron.” Atair knew he was taking a great risk by challenging Caron like this but he was desperate to help Jenna in some way. She did not deserve to suffer in this way no matter what she had accepted as he punishment.
         “You are fond of this angel?” Caron asked, looking over at the contorted form lying upon the grass, too weak to move against the pain searing through her.
         “I am. She has a pure heart and a depth for compassion that I have never seen before. She seeks only to bring an end to this war without others suffering and dying.” Atair held his breath as he waited for Caron to make his decision.
         The great and powerful king of the gods gave nothing away as he looked from Atair to Jenna before returning to Atair. The fire in his eyes died down a little as he body relaxed. With a careless flick of his wrist he ended Jenna’s suffering, leaving her lying on the ground, weak and gasping but pain free.
         “She cannot stay here any longer. My laws are simple, banishment for those who would break them. By rights I should kill her for what she has done but I can see that her intentions were pure and not created by anything other than a desire to protect those she loves.”
         “Thank you, my king,” Atair whispered, bowing his head in a mixture of respect and gratitude for Caron’s actions.
         “You may not thank me when I tell you of your own punishment,” Caron warned, his anger fading as the storm overhead retreated to the heavens. “You knew of her plans yet you told no one and did nothing to prevent her.”
         “I know, my king. I confess that I believed in her quest more than I believed in your leadership and for that I am truly sorry.” Atair raised his eyes to his king, trying to read what his intentions were in his stoic features.
         “I accept your apology but I cannot let it go unanswered.” Caron looked from Atair to the now resting Jenna and back again. “You, too, Atair, will be banished from here. You will go with Jenna to wherever she is sent and stay by her side in the form of the raven you so love to take. When the sun falls below the horizon you will return to your human form until the sun rises the next day. You will remain this way until this war is over.”
         Atair opened his mouth to protest his punishment but then closed it without a word uttered. His punishment was light compared to what it could have been and whilst he would have preferred not to have been banished from Saphir, he would be with Jenna and able to assist her on this quest for peace.
         “I accept my punishment, my king, and am grateful for your wisdom and understanding.” He bowed his head once more to Caron.
         Caron stepped forward and placed his hand upon Atair’s shoulder. “You and Jenna have my personal blessing as you set out on this quest. I cannot do anything to help you other than pray that Jenna is right in what she believes in. Take care, my friend, and know that we are with you in thought and spirit.” Turning, the great king of the gods walked through the now peaceful garden, his image slowly fading as he returned to his celestial palace.
         Atair watched him leave before turning back to where Jenna lay. He had not expected to receive Caron’s personal blessing for this quest but knowing that the king was not against them lifted his mood and lessened the impact of his own punishment. Now he had to prepare Jenna for the hard and lonely task ahead, a role he prayed he was worthy enough to carry out.