Angel's Body

3. Pilgrimage-1

3. Pilgrimage

I was definitely ready to go out into the world again. Danny and I agreed it would be best if I alternated between visiting places Gina had been to, finding new hunting grounds and exploring the world. He would come with me on some of my trips, though none relating to my pilgrimage. Most of the time I was on my own he would dedicate to patrolling again, and catching up on what was going on in the immortal world.

My first trip was to a place called Kakadu in the north of Australia. I had come across some Aboriginal Dreamtime legends that led me to believe vampires may have inhabited the region. I was curious to see if there was a small clan living there. What I was not prepared for was the natural beauty. I’d always believed most of Australia to be harsh desert, so was surprised at how tropical much of it seemed. Kakadu was an amazingly diverse place — woodlands, forests, rivers, small ponds called billabongs, beaches, mudflats and mangroves — all the more amazing because it was still virtually untouched by civilisation. The wildlife was just as amazing — creatures I’d heard about and seen pictures of, yet had never seen in any zoo — and they were nearly all frightened of me. They sensed I was something to fear, with good reason. I’d adjusted my scent to smell of vampire — an ability I learned I had years ago, when I discovered that blood was all important to being able to assimilate another creature’s DNA. If there were vampires in this region it would be prudent of me to smell like one of them. Yes, they may be territorial like those in Africa, but at least they’d think they were up against one of their own kind.

Imagine my surprise when I decided to go swimming in an invitingly cool river and a crocodile clamped its powerful jaws around my thigh. Here at last was a creature so old it did not know to fear me. Like me, it thought that everyone else had to fear it. It was amazing to feel the pull of the crocodile as it dragged me under, and to experience firsthand the method by which this ancient creature killed its prey. There was no reason for me to panic or become alarmed. I could easily kill it when I needed to, yet for now I was curious to see what it did with me. I allowed it to thrash my body around in the water — this is like some amazing thrill ride — and eventually take me close to the bottom. The crocodile began to roll, and me with it, over and over again until I couldn’t tell if I was facing up or down. Luckily for me past experience at great depths taught me to stifle the instinct to breathe. Whilst I couldn’t drown — if I were mortal I surely would have drowned by now — swallowing any amount of water made me violently ill, something I didn’t like.

The crocodile was getting angrier now. It thrashed and rolled more wildly, trying in vain to kill me and it was difficult for me not to laugh, knowing I would probably swallow copious amounts of water if I did. When I couldn’t stand it anymore — he was attracting the attention of some other nearby crocodiles — I reached down and hit it repeatedly on its hard and leather-like head. The crocodile didn’t seem to register my blows at all. I kicked at it with my free leg. Again nothing. Perhaps the water was softening the blows. I called for my blade Death to come to me. I drove Death through one of its eyes and felt the shock and pain emanate from the crocodile as it released my leg. It swam away frantically, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. The other crocodiles caught scent of the blood in the water and followed the trail closely, waiting for their opportunity to strike. Unlike their fellow crocodile they steered clear of me and my bloodied leg.

I kicked with my legs — wow, that thigh smarts — and my head pierced the surface of the water, returning to the sun-bright day. The river was not as deep as I’d thought, though the water was murky and easily gave the impression of depth. I swam to shore and rested on the riverbank for a moment, waiting for my leg to heal and taking a few deep breaths. I’d never get used to suppressing the urge to breathe. It seemed unnatural to me.

Kakadu may have been beautiful, but it was devoid of what I was looking for. The five days — I returned home to Danny each night — I’d spent exploring it, running silently and often invisibly through the forests and woodlands, revealed nothing, not even old trails. It was a dead end — a place I could cross off the list as a hunting ground. I returned home somewhat disappointed. It appeared some old legends were true and others were not.

“No luck?” Danny asked.

“I did have a bit of fun with a crocodile that thought to make a meal of me, but apart from that, nothing,” I sighed.

“A crocodile, hey,” Danny chuckled. “I bet it came out worse for your encounter.”

“I didn’t kill it, though it certainly took a lot of convincing to let me go, and I actually remembered to stop breathing when it dragged me underwater. Not a drop of the muddied water passed my lips,” I said proudly.

Danny kissed me on the cheek, rubbed my arm gently and smiled.

“That’s great, Helena. The last thing I want to do is be on bucket duty again,” he chuckled.

“Not much chance of that happening if I can’t get pregnant,” I mumbled.

It wasn’t as if I was going to intentionally eat or drink anything I shouldn’t. It had been different when I was pregnant, and my body had rejected my normal diet.

“That’s not what I meant, Helena,” Danny said softly.

“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just that that was the only time you were on bucket duty, not that I asked you to do it.”

I looked away. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. The subject was closed for discussion.

“Where do you plan to go tomorrow?” Danny asked.

“I thought perhaps I might visit a few cities Gina had been to. I want to see for myself how much she touched people’s lives.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” He still didn’t sound convinced this was a good idea.

“Yes, Danny,” I said firmly. “I need to know it was all worth it.”

We went outside and sat on the garden swing, looking up and watching the stars twinkling in the cloudless night sky. If Gina had been here she would have been looking for shapes in the stars, just like she did with the clouds.

“See those stars up there,” I said, pointing at a small cluster. “Don’t you think they look like a butterfly?”

Danny leaned his head on my shoulder and looked to where I was pointing. He laughed and shook his head. He had difficulty seeing shapes in clouds and dot to dot with stars was near impossible for him. If he’d only let go of whatever it was that was holding him back, he’d see what Gina and I saw.

“Looks more like two closed fists pressed up against each other to me.”

His comment surprised me. Maybe he was learning to let go, but just saw things a little differently to me.

I smiled. “I wonder what Gina would say it looked like?”

Danny lifted his head from my shoulder and leaned so close our noses touched.

“I think she would say something rather silly like it’s her mother and father with their faces pressed so closely together you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins,” he chuckled

I smiled as I imagined Gina saying those very words. She enjoyed watching Danny and me kiss, and would have spent hours studying the nuances of how our lips met, if we’d let her. For Gina it was the expression of love in such a simple way — the touching of lips — she liked to see. My mind turned to thoughts of each time Danny had kissed me — sometimes slow and sensual, sometimes just a quick peck, and sometimes feverishly — and my heart started to beat faster.

I laughed and knotted my fingers in Danny’s hair. I was so much the slave to my body’s needs and desires that I wondered if it would continue to function quite happily without me in control. I imagined it would, with me being some new type of zombie, not killing my victims the way ordinary zombies did. Yep, my body would take my victims on one wild ride after another until they dropped dead from exhaustion. I was in stitches from laughing so much. It was such a silly thing to think of.

“What’s so funny?” Danny asked, our noses no longer touching. My laughter had caused him to pull back in wonder.

“Zombies,” I giggled and flashed him a secretive smile “Want to find out what I mean?”

Danny rolled his eyes and held out both his hands, as if he were waiting for me to handcuff him. He’d learned a trick or two from our time in the Leather and Lace room all right.

“Do with me as you will,” he laughed, and I pulled him down onto the soft grass.

When the sun came up and warmed our naked bodies, I brushed away the dry grass that had stuck to me and wondered how it managed to work its way into some of the places I found it. I brushed the grass off Danny’s chest and he opened his eyes to smile at me, pulling me down to him again.

“Do you really have to go right now?” he asked.

“You’re worse than me,” I laughed, as I pretended to struggle in his grip. “It’s a miracle you ever get anything done.”

“I work twice as hard and just as fast, knowing what I’m coming back to,” he whispered.

“Mr Malakh,” I said, feigning shock, “you’re a bad angel.” I melted against Danny’s body. “I can’t say no to you, even when I want to.”

“I’ve found it’s easier to give in to your desires than to fight them,” he murmured.

“Then I give in,” I sighed happily. “My pilgrimage can wait a few hours more.”

A crow sitting on the garden swing cawed and I jumped, startled by the sound. I was so lost in what we were doing and the feeling of being one with Danny that I hadn’t even realised we had a visitor. Danny kissed my cheek tenderly and peered back over his shoulder.

“You have a message for me?” he asked the crow.

The crow ruffled its feathers and stared at me with its dark, almost lifeless eyes. It cawed softly and Danny listened patiently.

“I understand,” he said. “I’ll be there shortly.”

The crow clicked its beak closed and nodded its head once. It extended its wings and took off in one fluid movement, flying low over us, causing the air to stir as it passed by.

“I’m sorry, Helena,” Danny apologised. “I have to leave.”

“Damn,” I mumbled, and he kissed my neck, then nibbled my ear.

“A couple more minutes won’t hurt,” he whispered, and I laughed with abandon, knowing he was choosing me above his other commitments.

Danny left several minutes later, with a promise to return that night, and I strolled slowly towards the cottage for a shower, blissfully happy. I did not feel the slightest bit guilty that he had put our needs above all else.

Stuff them, I thought smugly. They’ve had him for aeons. It’s our time to live and love.

I dressed in the clothes I liked best for blending into the mortal world — jeans and a simple top. As the clothes I chose would not make me stand out, there was little reason for anyone to even notice me.

I returned to the living area, stopping in front of the fireplace and looking at the painting of Danny and Gina dancing. If there was one thing guaranteed to make me smile, it was the painting of a father and daughter sharing a special moment together. How I loved them both.

When I was ready — I had butterflies in my stomach — I thought of a dead end in an alley, behind an industrial bin. Every large city, and even some of the smaller ones, had them. If I was unlucky, there may be a few drug addicts or homeless people that might witness my arrival. It mattered little to me. I knew that most people wouldn’t believe the words of what were considered the dregs of society, about a woman in jeans miraculously appearing in an alley.

The smell of an industrial bin, due to be emptied, assailed my nostrils. I walked away quickly, trying not to dry retch. My heightened senses meant the smells from the bin were worse for me than any mortal.