Grim didn’t like the sound of that voice. It carried authority and a “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” tone to it. He didn’t turn to look.
Instead, Stefan said, “Sir, he came up the tree.”
“How could he have come up the tree?” Grim finally looked up, and turned to see the man. He had flowing blond hair and white wings just like Stefan’s. However he was dressed in armor, red armor, and his blue eyes were the color of the sky. Why did all angels look buff? Grim thought unhappily.
“I climbed – ”
Stefan put a hand on Grim’s shoulder. “He is a mage. He climbed the tree.”
The angel squinted at him. “You bring darkness with you.” He took out a sword from the scabbard at his side.
“Wait, Michael!” cried Stefan, and stood in between the two.
“You vouch for this man because you love him,” said Michael, looking from Grim to Stefan. “You know what this means.”
“I do,” said Stefan, putting his head down. Then Stefan was swallowed up by the cloud and disappeared.
“What the he–”
Michael still had the sword, and now pointed it at Grim’s chest. “You will go back down that tree, mage, and once you touch the ground, you will not remember anything that transpired here, nor will you remember the angel who lost his wings over you.”
“He did what…?”
He waved the sword. “Go before I change my mind.”
Grim turned to the tree and grabbed a hold of it. He felt sad, having done that to poor Stefan. What would happen to him now? What would he do? Would he remember him? Would he be immortal on Earth, a Nephilim, a fallen angel? Grim fought back the tears, not from the cold air, but from what he had done to Stefan. If Stefan wasn’t there, if he hadn’t climbed this tree, if he hadn’t wanted the Codex of Tezcatlipoca, if, if, if.
The climb down was just as long as the climb up. He slipped a couple of times, lost his hold, once, and almost thought about plumetting down to earth. He finally did let go, and fell.
Then he realized that two other men would be dead if he killed himself. He immediately cast the spell to fly.
He lit down on the ground gently, his foot touching the bare earth a long way away from the tree. He wasn’s sure where he was, and knew that he wasn’t far from the lair of the mage with the Codex of Tezcatlipoca. He’d heard about it, and headed northward, toward the mage’s lair. He’d take out that bugger and grab the codex, easy.
He almost missed the sound of a bell on the wind.