Zerachiel stood on his rooftop, trying to cheer himself up. He thought that if he were performing his usual nonsense, he would be happy again. He flipped backward off his chimney, landing on his feet. The stunt was done, but still, he felt empty. It just wasn't any fun with Michael still missing. Zerachiel scaled the chimney again and laid across his rooftop, his feet toward the peak.
From his unusual vantage point, the miserable Seraphim noticed Uriel walking toward the Palace with two large, armored angels. That was odd. Zerachiel didn't recognize these armored angels. Curiosity got the best of the joker, and he stood to step between the realms to appear near where Uriel would be.
Zerachiel appeared next to Uriel and the two armored men. These men stood around Zerachiel's height and were significantly more muscular than he was. These massive men dwarfed poor Uriel. Zerachiel frowned; he was a thousand years old, but these men were strangers to him.
"Hello Uriel, how have you been today?" Zerachiel put a weak smile on his face, trying to mask his misery regarding his missing Brother.
Uriel immediately bowed as he noticed the Seraphim. "Greetings, Seraphim Zerachiel. Have you met the Archangels Azrael and Samael?" Uriel gestured to each Arch as he said their name.
"No, interestingly. Good to meet you, Samael. Good to meet you, Azrael'', Zerachiel politely shook the hands of the Archs but felt a hint of distrust toward the armored men. Why did they feel the need to be armored in the Kingdom? There were no threats in the Kingdom; the armor was unnecessary.
The two Archangels smiled politely but did not speak to Zerachiel, increasing his distrust of the men. Uriel shrank back, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the Seraphim and the Archangels before him. "Shall we…uhm…the Ruler had requested…Samael?....Azrael…?"
The messenger angel ushered away the armored Archangels, leaving Zerachiel behind. The Seraphim ran his hands through his silver hair and stepped between the realms to appear in the library. Raphael would help him.
Raphael could be hard to find. Zerachiel wanted to save time. The mischievous Seraphim cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed. "RAPHAEL!"
The library-dwelling Seraphim poked his head over the balcony of the third floor. Raphael looked down at his silver-haired Brother and shook his head. "Subtle. I'll be right there." He stepped between the realms and appeared in front of Zerachiel. "Why are we shouting today?"
Zerachiel looked at Raphael, grabbing his Brother by the shoulders. "Brother. You know everything there is to know about everything. The Archangels. Azrael and Samael. Why does the Ruler want them? Why is Uriel bringing them to the Ruler?"
Raphael gave Zerachiel the same sad look he gave Uriel when the messenger angel asked the same question. "If the Ruler is mobilizing the Archs, Michael's time is out. He will be hunted. The Archs are being sent to bring our Brother back from wherever he is."
Zerachiel, the angel who had never taken anything seriously in his thousand years, frowned and nodded. "I have to find him first."
Raphael scratched the back of his head, deep in thought. "I found a scroll yesterday that spoke of something called Tracing. It may be why the Archs are such good hunters. To trace something, you take an object that is important to the target person, and it will bring you to them. It is similar to realm-travelling, but with a specific target."
Zerachiel ran out of the library, shouting to Raphael over his shoulder. "It's worth a shot - thank you Brother!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Zerachiel pounded on the door of Michael's home. "Ophelia! Victoria! One of you! Please!" His knocks got more frantic. If one of the maidservants did not let him in, the Seraphim would break in. Victoria opened the door to a panicked-looking Zerachiel.
"Greetings Seraphi-"
"No time, going to my Brother's room, explain later." Zerachiel rushed past the redheaded maidservant, passing by the tiny Ophelia and down the Hall toward Michael's bedchambers. He entered his youngest Brother's room and looked around for something that would be important to Michael.
Zerachiel flung open the closets and drawers. Socks, waistcoats, shirts…–did this angel not have anything he truly cared about?– What would be the object that would trace him to his Brother? Zerachiel banged his head against the wall. He opened the bedside table and found a pinky ring he had given Michael for his hundredth birthday. Michael had long outgrown it, but maybe this would be the key to tracing his Brother.
Zerachiel took the golden ring, held it to his chest, and stepped between the realms. He hoped with all he had that the Tracing worked.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Michael sat on the bed, Ravenna's hand pressed against his heart. He felt incredibly nervous; she had seen his body twice before, once by accident when she had walked in on him in the Nerium Inn, the second when she had peeked at him in the river. But this was different. Ravenna was right here. So close. She had undone the buttons of the back of his waistcoat, partially freeing his wings. He had been distracted during their kiss; he hadn't noticed until the buttons were undone and the waistcoat felt loose.
But was she sure? He needed to hear it. He needed to know she wanted what she was doing and not just caught up in the moment. Michael hated the thought of her doing something she would regret.
Michael leaned forward and kissed Ravenna again, slowly, passionately. She tasted so sweet, like sunshine and honey. Her kisses melted on his tongue, and he could feel his manhood stiffen. –No. Not yet. I can't offer… that… yet.–
Ravenna leaned back, encouraging Michael to join her, her arms encircling his neck, pulling him forward. His palms landed on either side of her as she stretched out on the bed, lying on her back. Michael placed his knees on either side of her body, supporting his weight, and bent down closer to her, shifting his upper body weight to his elbows. He slowly lowered his body, supporting his weight but pressing his body against hers. Michael continued their kiss, his tongue gently caressing Ravenna's, touching, tasting. His wings flicked; he had completely lost himself in Ravenna's kiss.
"Brother? It might be a bad time but it's going to be a much worse time soon."
Michael shot up, his wings stretching wide to protect Ravenna from the intrusive voice. Ravenna, embarrassed, dove under the blanket.
"Zerachiel? How…what are you doing here?" Michael stood, quickly grabbing his shirt and holding it before his hips to hide his excitement.
"The Ruler has mobilized the Archs. You are going to be hunted soon. Your time here is near an end. Raphael taught me how to trace to find you." The mischievous Seraphim Brother looked at his shirtless Brother and the woman peeking at him. "...am I interrupting?"
Michael set his jaw. He didn't want to answer that. He turned and offered Ravenna his hand. The small woman took his hand and timidly emerged from her hiding place. She smoothed out her dress and tried to fix her hair. "Ravenna…this is my second oldest brother, Zerachiel."
Zerachiel bowed and winked. He grabbed Ravenna's hand and kissed it. "Pleasure to meet you, Ravenna. I just wish it were better circumstances. Is there somewhere we can take you to keep you safe before the Archs come?"
Pain crossed Michael's face. This had gone from a perfect day to a terrible one very quickly. He grabbed the firestone from his pants pocket and stomped on it.
Lucifer soon arrived in a cloud of smoke. "You called, handsome?"
"Lucifer, please, I need you to take Ravenna to the UnderKingdom. Keep her safe. The Archangels are coming for me. I cannot risk her safety." Michael pleaded with the Fallen man.
Lucifer scooped up Ravenna in his arms. "Anything you say, pretty boy. Luckily for you I am able to transport humans. Keep your shirt off more, it's a good look for you." Lucifer jabbed a thumb toward the silver-haired Seraphim, who was looking bewildered at the third man who had appeared in the room. "Ruler didn't do too bad on that one there, either."
"Lucifer! We don't have time!"
"Danger has still not given you a sense of humor, I see." Lucifer rolled his eyes as Ravenna's gaze dashed between the three men.
Lucifer and Ravenna disappeared, leaving Zerachiel and Michael alone in the small room in the inn. Zerachiel kicked at the ground with his boots, his face crestfallen. "I've missed you, Brother. The Kingdom has been awful without you. I need to go back. I will gather your things and put them in a safe place. Does Ravenna have anything important to her, in case I need to trace her later?"
Michael thought for a moment and went into Ravenna's traveling bag. He pulled the pink scraps of her dress, which she had worn when they met. She had pinned the white feather back to the hem of her dress. His feather. He removed the pins and took the feather from the ruined dress.
"Take this. It was mine, but it is hers now. It should lead you back to her if you need."
Zerachiel gently took the white feather from Michael. "Be careful, Brother. Those Archs look dangerous." Zerachiel embraced his Brother and disappeared, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.