Brid says that I cannot write for long; she wants me to go and rest soon, so I only have time for a short post. It seems unfair, when there is so much to report.
There was a battle tonight. What a small sentence to hold so much violence and pain! It was a group of Violences that Anathalie has been tracking for some days now. She arranged an ambush with Ruhamah and some of the other Cherubs. I never expected that they would need any assistance from a new warrior like me, but the cry went up only a few hours after they had departed—the Violences had come into the trap with greater numbers than Anathalie had expected, and there were Apostates among their number.
I was among the reinforcements, but I did not charge into the fight as quickly as the others did. The chaos of battle was like a blow to my new Eye—twisted dark forms moving and reaching for my siblings, tearing into a sister’s wing, getting wiry arms around a brother’s neck. There were dozens of them, and their hate was like a cloud of smog in the air.
And the Apostates! There were five of them, still just watching the battle when I arrived, as yet still protected by a ring of Violences. They hovered in a circle, their wings rust-red and jagged, their eyes filled with ice and scorn.
As I watched, one of the Cherubs—I recognized him with a shock as Rumael, my trainer and friend—seized a branch from a nearby tree and hurled it like a javelin. His target Apostate, lip curled, took hold of one of the Violences and lifted him up as a shield, letting him take the blow. The smaller creature shrieked in pain, grievously wounded, but not yet dead. The Apostate cast him aside in disgust.
By this time I had an arrow to the string, anger singing in my chest. Again the Apostate looked up, and three horrible eyes speared me across the battlefield, but my arrow flew faster than Rumael’s branch, and it took him in the chest. He fell, howling, and another of the Apostates leapt into the air, screaming vengeance.
I know that another of the Cherubs engaged her then, but I did not see it for myself, for Ananiah seized me and dragged me out of sight. We engaged the Violences, cutting a swath through them—I have not the heart to say more of that gruesome, weary work. Either I must tell every cut, every scream, or I cannot tell it at all.
In any case, whether it was my inexperience or the miasma of the enemy that was to blame, I was soon overwhelmed. Two Violences struck me out of the air, dragging me down towards the ground. I had lost my grip on my weapon and in my sick horror and fear could not call it back, and I could not see any of my siblings or get the breath to call for help.
“Asa’el,” one of the Violences chuckled, sharp fingers digging into my throat, and the other sank its teeth into my shoulder, tearing viciously.
And then something struck them both like a battering ram, and they went flying through the air, shrieking in pain. I fell a few feet myself before a strong arm lifted me, and I looked up into Yael’s face, bright with love and strength.
“Courage, brother,” she said, and she steadied me on my wings before turning to my enemies. In her hands was a vast war hammer, silvery with moonlight and laughter. She leapt back into the battle to put it to devastating use.
In the end, we were victorious, with two of the Apostates having been struck down and the others fled into hiding. Nearly all of the Violences were killed, while we sustained little more than scratches. Mine was one of the worst injuries, and Brid says that I will be back to work tomorrow.
I am a little ashamed of how poorly I did. I know that this is foolish, but still I think I will talk to Ruhamah in the next few days to see if I can get a bit more training in battle scenarios. It will be a long fight, after all, and I will have to go back to war sooner than I like to think.
Yael, thank you. Without your intervention, I would surely have died. I owe you a debt that I will not soon be able to repay. At least it was good to see you in your strength once more.
Brid has come by twice now. I think that is my cue to finish and get a bit of sleep.