Of Light And Shadows
Chapter Eighteen...

“Mum?” Jia took a tentative step forwards and her eyes widened as the woman on the bed blinked and turned her head.

“Lisbeth?” Her voice sounded far away. “Where’ve you been?”

Lauviah was beautiful once. She’d had long golden hair and incredible blue eyes that had been dulled by years of abuse. She was tall and slender and Jia had no doubt as an Angel at full strength she was glorious.

But she was gaunt and painfully thin. Her hair was knotted and her eyes were sunken and hooded above hollow cheeks.

“I’m here mum. We’re here to help you.”

“We?” Lauviah frowned and her eyes fell on Lucifer. They widened and she reached out to him. ”Lucifer,” she gasped. “It’s you. You look different.”

“Hi Lauvi.” He took her hand, her fingers looking incredibly thin in his. His eyes were infinitely sad as he gazed down at her. “It’s been a very long time. Let’s get you home.”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No.” Jia touched her mother’s cheek gently, tears flowing from her eyes. “You’re safe now. You don’t have to give him anything else.” Lucifer stooped and lifted Lauviah from the bed carefully, the same way he’d lifted Jia when she was a child shivering in the streets.

Jia collected her bag from her bedroom and returned to them, slipping the red leather book Mrs Raylen had gifted her into it as she shut the door behind her. Lauviah was limp and weak in Lucifer’s arms, but she tucked her head against his chest and clutched Jia’s hand like she never wanted to let go.

Lucifer transported them back to the Demonic Realm and in a flash they were in his room. He laid Lauviah on his bed carefully and Jia tucked the blankets around her.

She watched as Lucifer laid a hand against her mother’s forehead and closed his eyes. When he withdrew, Lauviah gasped and a sudden alertness returned to her eyes as she looked around. Despite being agonisingly thin, she sat up as though ready for a fight.

“It’s alright,” Lucifer said quietly, sitting beside her. Lauviah’s eyes locked onto his face. “You’re in the Demonic Realm.”

“The Demonic Realm? Why are we here?” she asked.

“The Uprising saw those of us that went against God cast out of the Angelic Realm. I followed my father and as a result I ended up here. You’ve been enslaved by Abaddon since the war.” He took her hand. “I’m going to call Archangel Michael to take you home, Lauvi. You need to heal and you can’t do that here.”

“You’re a Demon now?” she asked. “Like Abaddon?”

“Not like him.” Lauvi reached out and touched his face gently.

“You’re still as beautiful as ever.” Lucifer chuckled despite his obvious distress. The sound made Jia cry harder.

“We’re here to help you,” she said. As soon as Lauviah focussed on her, her eyes widened and tears of her own welled up and spilled over.

“My baby,” she said softly. “You’re so grown up now.”

She held her arms open and Jia sank to her knees beside the bed, crying into her mother’s lap until she couldn’t cry anymore. Lauviah stroked her hair gently.

“We’ve had so many wonderful years taken away from us," the Angel whispered, her voice thick. "Even though it was forced upon me, I loved you with everything that I am. I thought about you every day in that room. I heard you speaking to me through the door.”

“You did?” Jia lifted her head in surprise. Her mother nodded. “All this time I thought you didn’t know I was there.”

“I knew.” She frowned. “Why are you here, Lisbeth?”

“My friends call me Jia,” she answered softly. “It’s the name I was given when I disappeared as a child.”

“Jia.” Her mother smiled and the expression was heartbreakingly beautiful. “I like it. It suits you much better than that ridiculous name your father chose for you.” Her smile dampened. “I’ve missed so much.”

“When you’re better maybe we can see each other again,” Jia said hopefully. “I have so much to tell you.”

“I don’t know how long it will be before I’m capable of travelling between realms independently,” Lauviah replied. “Abaddon stole my energy for thousands of years.”

“You have time,” Lucifer said. “Jia is as immortal as you or I, Lauvi.”

“I am?” She felt her eyebrows rise in surprise.

“Yes. You’re a combination of two immortal species. It would technically be stranger for you to be mortal at this point.” His brow furrowed. “I need to summon Michael to us before your mother gets any weaker. I’ll be back soon.”

Lucifer left the room and Jia reached into her bag to pull out her hairbrush. Her mother scooted over carefully so she could sit on the mattress properly.

“He seems different,” Lauviah said as Jia reached out to touch her long blonde hair, running a brush through it gently to tease the tangles out of it. “He used to be so meek. Lucifer was always powerful and yet he was so obedient. Being here suits him.”

“He and his brothers were the ones that found me the night I disappeared.”

“I’m glad it was them and not your father. Were they the ones that named you Jia?”

“Yeah.” As the brush began to slide more smoothly through her mother’s golden locks the shine returned to them.

Jia was surprised at how clean she was despite her malnourished state. At least she’d been allowed to wash during her captivity.

“I like it here," she said as she continued brushing. "It feels like home.”

“That’s no surprise. Both the Angelic and Demonic Realms should feel more like home to you than the human world ever could.” She sighed. “Though at the moment it’s unlikely you’d be allowed to set foot in the Angelic Realm because you’re not a pure blood Angel. It could be a long time before I see you again.”

“I can wait,” Jia said softly. “If I know you’re safe and getting healthier then I can wait as long as it takes to see you again.”

“You know, Lucifer is breaking a lot of rules to help us right now. Even before the Uprising the Angelic and Demonic Realms were forbidden from mixing.”

“Do you think the Archangel will agree to come here?”

“I do if it’s Lucifer asking,” Lauviah nodded. “He and Michael were close. They have a lot of respect for one another.” She smiled. “If you get to meet him you might think he’s the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.”

“I doubt that,” Jia snorted, and then she blushed as her mother raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Nothing,” she answered quickly.

“It wouldn’t happen to be because of Lucifer, would it?”

“No!” Lauvi giggled.

“Of course it isn’t,” she teased. “Though I must say, he looks as glorious now as he did when he was an Angel.” Jia finished brushing her hair and swept it gently over her shoulder. “It’s been so long since I’ve been this lucid. There’s so much I want to say but I just can’t replace the words.”

“Then save them for next time,” Jia answered, taking her hands carefully. “I’m just glad you’re safe now.”

The door opened before either of them could say anything else. Lucifer stepped in, followed by somebody who seemed to radiate light.

He walked so smoothly his feet didn’t seem to touch the ground and his eyes and hair were a beautiful shade of gold. His skin had a healthy tan and when he saw Lauviah he rushed forwards and took her hands in his, a smile breaking across his face.

“Michael!” She threw her arms around him and he chuckled into her shoulder.

“It’s so good to know you’re alive. When Lucifer summoned me I thought the world was ending,” he answered in a voice so pleasant it seemed like a sin to listen to it. Her mother had been right in saying that Archangel Michael was indeed beautiful. Devastatingly so.

At that moment Lucifer touched her arm to move her away from the pair and she found that his deep red eyes and gentle smile struck her in a way she knew Michael could never hope to.

“I can’t wait to go home,” Lauviah breathed.

“Thank you for calling me here, Lucifer,” Michael said. “I know you’ve put yourself at great risk by bringing both myself and Lauviah here. We appreciate your help more than you know.” The Angel paused. “It’s nice to see you again, old friend.”

“You too, Michael,” Lucifer answered respectfully. “I wish the circumstances were different but needs must.”

“Indeed. It’s troubling that Abaddon took it upon himself to enslave one of our own. It’s stranger still that he was able to father a child with Lauviah.” Michael’s gaze strayed to Jia. “You do look just like your mother.”

“Thank you,” she answered awkwardly.

“Unfortunately we need to leave as soon as possible. I’m sorry I can’t give you more time with her. If Satan gets wind of my arrival here it will only cause trouble.” Michael stooped to lift Lauviah from the bed as Jia stepped forwards. She kissed her mother’s cheek gently.

“I love you. I’ll see you again, mum,” she promised. Lauviah’s smile was radiant as she and Michael disappeared in a flash of blinding golden light. As soon as they were gone Lucifer sighed.

“I’m glad that’s over.”

“Me too. I can’t believe we did it.” She swallowed back her relieved tears, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Our problem now is that Abaddon is still alive.” He pressed his palm to the knife wound in his stomach and when he took his hand away Jia was surprised to see it had already stopped bleeding.

“So do we hunt him?”

“We’d need to know where he might go in order to do that.” He took off his jacket and tie and moved to his wardrobe, pulling out another black shirt and switching it with his ruined one.

When he was finished fastening the buttons he looked exactly as he had before they’d confronted Abaddon, apart from the cut on his cheek. She knew that beneath his clothes he felt the same sting of broken ribs that she did.

“This pact is a massive inconvenience for you isn’t it?”

“Why would it be?” He looked caught off guard by her question.

“Well I’m prone to getting injured and because of it you don’t heal until I do.”

“And?”

“If you’re trying to keep our fight with a Greater Demon quiet it’s usually easier to do that without cuts on your face.” He smiled and walked back to the jacket where he’d laid it over the sofa, reaching into the pocket and pulling out a small white tub.

“I took a quick detour to the Infirmary when I summoned Michael. Sellik was more than happy to spare some of her ointment.” He handed the tub to her and she dipped her finger into the cool cream and dabbed it over the laceration on her own face. “It should be gone in a few minutes since it’s only shallow. We can visit the Infirmary to sort out your ribs soon.”

“Louie?” He cocked his head to the side at the change in her tone.

“Yes?” She crossed the space and hugged him gently.

"Thank you.”