"Thomas E. Sniegoski - Aerie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sniegoski Thomas E)

"When you attempted to sever our bond."

Alastor lurched forward toward the sourceof his irritation, his slippered feet scuffling across the cool,
concrete floor. Carefully he maneuveredaround an ancient bureau. "There was no otherway," he said,
almost losing his balance as hestepped over a wooden milk crate filled with oldtoys made from tin. "It
was that, or die." Thefallen angel steadied himself with the help of afoldaway bed, and continued on
toward theobject of his torment. "I had no choice," he saidagain, perhaps more to convince himself.
"Howmany times must I tell you?"

Everything that had defined him had been lost during the war. Alastor had fled to Earthwith others of his
ilk, the fearsome Powers inpursuit. For countless centuries he wandered theplanet, purposeless, hiding
from his would-bepunishers. He had almost decided to give upand accept his fate, when it came to him:
Hewould hide amongst the natives. He wouldbecome one of them, renouncing everything thatdefined him
as a being of Heaven.

It was a perfect plan. By giving up hisangel's ways and surrounding himself with allthings human, Alastor
hoped to mask his scentfrom the Powers that hunted him. The angelglanced across the basement,
catching his reflection in a mirror against the wall.

"Look at you,"the voice said from close by,dripping with disdain."Look at what has become ofyou."

Alastor was fat, morbidly so, but that was allpart of the mask he wore. "I've explained why Imust be this
way," the angel said, eyes fixedupon the mirror.

For millienia the angel had found the conceptof humanity revolting and then had been shockedat how
easy it was to be one of themтАФhowsimply he slipped into the role of humanityтАФand he found the
experience to be quite enjoyablemost of the time. Alastor had grown particularlyfond of eating and
television.

The fallen angel looked away from the mirror, suddenly unnerved by his grotesque appearance. "I tell
you there was no other way." Hecontinued through the basement, drawing closerto the source of his
tribulation.

"I'm here," he announced, his breath comingin wheezing gasps as he stopped before a large wooden
table bolted to the wall. The top of theworkplace had been cleared away, the onlyuncluttered surface in
the entire room, and rest ing on it was a long, cardboard box.

"Do you miss us?"asked the voice in a sibilant whisper that tickled his ears.

Alastor felt the scars on his back begin to burn and itch beneath his heavy, cotton sweatshirtтАФslightly at
first, but growing to the pointwhere he wished he could tear the flesh from hisback to make it stop. He
gripped the ends of thetable and squeezed.

"Of course I miss you, but..."

"Take us back,"the voice commanded, hissing."Make us whole again. It was never supposed to be
this way."

The fallen angel shook his head sadly, theflesh of his face and neck wobbling with hisrepressed emotion.
"If I were to do that, I wouldmost certainly be destroyed," he said, fightingback tears.