Fallen (Part 9)
Christopher awoke to the incessant sounds of clanging bells. He opened bleary eyes and noticed that indeed, the bell above his bed was ringing. That meant that Lord Joshua needed him for something. He sat up and, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, quickly threw on some clothing. Then he hurried down to Lord Joshua’s room. As every servant in the house could attest to, the Lord became very angry when he was forced to wait. And there was nothing worse than being the object of his wrath.
He reached his master’s room and knocked on the heavy wooden door, wondering why he was being summoned during the middle of the night. He thought he heard the sounds of faint whimpering as he waited to be allowed inside. He heard his master’s voice shout for him to enter and he opened the door slowly, suddenly afraid of what he would see.
His fears were realized when he stepped into the room and beheld the scene of tragedy before him.
Lord Joshua stood to the side of his bed, pacing furiously, his face set deep in anger. In the center of the bed itself lay the angel, covered in what looked like his own blood and trembling wildly. The faint whimpering noises that he had heard outside were now amplified and he could plainly hear that Justin was sobbing uncontrollably.
He managed to tear his gaze away from the broken figure and turn towards Lord Joshua. "Sir?" he asked in a whisper.
"He will not shut up! Usually by now they have managed to accept their fate and are quiet. But this one only gets more hysterical," Lord Joshua answered as he stopped pacing.
"What have you done sir?" Christopher asked, although he was certain that he knew some of what went on last night. His own memories of time spent in this bedchamber with his master came rushing to him and it took all his willpower not to turn and run away.
Lord Joshua stared at him coldly. "You have no right to ask me that."
"I…I am sorry. What can I do for you sir?" Christopher managed to ask despite his now shaking voice.
"I cannot get him to stop crying. I want you to get those boys in here, James and Joseph, and see if they can calm him down. He is making my head ache."
‘Unfeeling bastard,’ Christopher thought. Aloud, he said, "Yes sir," and quickly ran from the room, no longer wanting to see such a horrible sight.
Christopher ran through the hallway as quickly as he could, his bare feet echoing against the cold, wooden floor. He reached the room where James and Joseph were staying, and finding the door closed, began to pound on it furiously.
"Open the door! Please, it is urgent!" he cried as he continued to pound his fists on the heavy wood.
Joseph, who was sleeping closest to the door, woke first. He forced himself out of the warm bed and walked groggily to the door, muttering soft curses at whomever was waking him at this late hour.
He fumbled with the door for a few seconds until he was finally able to open it then he found himself gasping in surprise at the sight of Christopher standing in the doorway.
Even in the pale moonlight, it was evident that Christopher was extremely pale, his entire body shaking as if he were very cold. On his face was a look of pure fear.
"What is the matter?" Joseph, now fully awake, asked as he helped the other man inside the room.
Christopher struggled to catch his breath as he attempted to speak. "It…it is Justin…"
"What about Justin?" James asked as he jumped up from his bed.
Christopher turned to face him. "He is…Lord Joshua has asked that you come and tend to him."
James felt ice cold fear crawl through his body at the man’s words. He walked towards Christopher and grabbed him hard by the shoulders. "What is the matter with Justin? What has happened to him?" he asked in a voice made harsh by fear.
Christopher shook his head. "I do not know, sir. But he was crying and there was blood." The older man stopped and allowed his own tears to fall as he sagged against James. "There was so much blood."
James gave Christopher a quick shake and brought his face close to the other man’s. "Show me where he is," he said. "Now."
Christopher seemed to pull himself together as he took a step back and said, "This way."
James followed Christopher through unfamiliar hallways, his only concern to find and care for Justin. The word blood echoed in his mind as it supplied him with grisly images of his hurt angel.
Chris stopped and then stepped aside as they reached the door to Lord Joshua’s bedchamber. He gestured to it, and then silently turned his face away. James acknowledged him with a whispered, "thank you" and then pushed the door open and ran into the room. Stopping dead at the sight that greeted him, he did not even feel it when Joseph ran into him from behind.
All he could see, all he could understand was that Justin, his Justin, was lying naked in the middle of an expansive bed completely covered in what appeared to be blood. He noticed that and that Justin was sobbing almost hysterically, his entire body shaking from the force of his sobs.
The anguished wails tore at James’ heart and he stepped forward until he was at his bedside. He sat down on the bed slowly, careful not to cause any further damage. He placed a hand on one blood-slicked shoulder and watched as Justin flinched away from him. A hard flinch, as if his very touch had burned him.
He turned his head in anger, ready to find Lord Joshua and snap his neck for what he had done. He found that he need not bother however; Joseph already had him against the wall, his strong arms pinning him there mercilessly.
"What did you to him?" Joseph growled. "Why is there so much blood?"
Lord Joshua wiggled in an attempt to get loose. When his efforts got him nowhere, he stilled and stared into Joseph’s dark eyes.
"He is mine now, I can do whatever I want with him!" Lord Joshua said indignantly. "I only summoned you here in hopes that you could silence that horrible keening."
Joseph’s hands grabbed the other man’s collar and he pushed him further against the wall. "Did you bed him? Did you tear him?" he asked.
Lord Joshua pushed back against the bigger man. "Of course I bedded him. I paid for him. I am entitled. Tearing him was unfortunate, but he was tight."
Joseph looked away in disgust and focused on his brother. He stared at him; his gaze communicating that now they at least had an answer.
James shook his head. "There is too much blood for that. Something else happened…something…" he trailed off as he looked at the shivering body next to him. The majority of the blood was coming from Justin’s back. Justin’s back…where the wings were.
Where they should have been.
James once again turned towards Lord Joshua angrily. "You took his wings!" he shouted.
"They were in the way. They had to go, " Lord Joshua said as he too shouted.
"Oh God, Justin no," he said as he saw, really saw, Justin’s ruined back and the small, scarred stumps where his long, feathered wings had been.
"He will be fine. We had them cauterized," Lord Joshua said calmly.
A black rage filled his heart then, and for the first time in his life, James knew what it was like to hate. "I will kill you," he said as he partially stood. His voice shook from the force of the smothering blackness.
"James, sit back down and take care of Justin," Joseph said in a steady tone that brooked no argument.
"But he…" James began.
"No, James. He is lord of this manor. You are simply a man who occupies his property. You can do nothing against him."
Lord Joshua gave Joseph a rough shove. "At least one of you has some sense. Listen to your brother and tend to that thing. And know that I will stand no further insult from you," he said as he stormed out of the room.
Through sheer force of will, James forced his anger to recede as he turned toward Justin once again. Joseph had been right, there was no possible way that he could stand up to someone of that power. Besides, no amount of revenge would ever undo what had been done. With a gentle touch that did not belie his still fading hatred, James reached out and turned Justin’s face toward his own.
Justin opened his eyes and looked at James. His beautiful face was streaked with blood. His blue eyes dark with pain. Not only physical pain, but also a deep, despairing agony that seemed to come from the bottom of his very soul.
James leaned forward and softly brought his lips to Justin’s cheek, as he tried to kiss away the tears that made their way down his face. He pulled away in surprise as their taste registered in his brain.
The tears tasted of nothing but salt; there were no traces of the sweet honey that had once been there.
James looked at the wetness on Justin’s face. The tears there did not shimmer, they did not shine. They were not golden.
"Justin…" he said, his voice breaking as he felt the start of his own tears stinging his eyes.
Justin looked up at him and whispered, "James," and in that one word, James heard more pain and anguish than he ever imagined could exist.
And with that one word, James knew. Knew without a shadow of a doubt what had been done to Justin. It was then that the tears that he had been holding back began to pour from his eyes. He leaned forward and pulled the bloody figure into his strong arms, holding him gently as he wept over him.
Justin’s voice had been human.