The Azra-El Series Ch. 18.1

"What now?" Blaze asked.

"We just have to explore more rooms until we get lucky or get caught. If we're caught, I have a way to notify my people. They will swarm this place before the Princeps can do anything to us. But in case things go wrong, just remember to tell them that you were coerced to do this," Lynn said, trying to soothe his nerves. They had after all assaulted the mayor's daughter for no good reason.

Blaze gave her a grim nod and walked to the door. He opened it slightly and peeped through the crack. Making sure there wasn't anyone around, he stepped out. Lynn wordlessly followed him and closed the door behind her.

The second floor had six rooms. The left wing comprised of Clara's room and two others. The mayor's chambers occupied the entire right wing, and two guest rooms lay at the front and back of the second floor.

The duo started their search at the front facing guest room and moved anticlockwise. The first guest room was clean and possessed only essential furniture, so they went through it quickly. The next room was the butler's room, which was somewhat of an organized mess. They had to dig through a multitude of books, shelves, and doodads that were neatly arranged but without any meaningful order. However, the only thing of interest in her room were a set of smoothly polished toy vegetables arranged in a glass display-- the carrot and cucumber looked especially well made.

The other room beside Clara's was a storage room. All it contained was old and unused furniture. After spending twenty fruitless minutes going through the dusty room, Blaze began to feel a bit edgy.

He marched towards the other guest room towards the back end of the house and opened it without knocking.

He suddenly found himself facing two completely naked angels lying on top of each other on a massive bed. The bottom, flaxen-haired angel, was lying on her back with her legs spread wide open and moaning towards the ceiling. A long-legged, pink-haired angel was crouched over her on all fours, sucking on the other angel's breast and grinding her pussy against her knee. Her fingers rapidly dug in and out of the flaxen angel's cunt.

Noticing their presence, the two fornicating angels paused to look. There was neither embarrassment nor fear in their eyes. They just looked at Blaze and Lynn like they expected them to say something.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Lynn said, stepping beside a stunned Blaze. "We are Clara's friends and we mistook our guest room. Ours must be the one on the opposite side."

The two angels nodded and glanced at Blaze's befuddled expression. They glanced at each other and broke out into chuckles. The pink-haired angel beckoned him towards them.

Blaze began to step forwards, but Lynn pulled him back. "Sorry, we have to settle in and meet up with Clara. We shall see you later," she said, hurriedly stepping out with Blaze and closing the door behind them.

Blaze heard their laughter as the two hurried away from the room. He looked at Lynn and found that her pale face had turned as red as a tomato.

"Do you know what those two were doing?" he asked her innocently. He had always believed that there were angels who had explored the pleasures of flesh, but he had not expected to run into angels who were so openly sexual.

"Yes. It's a type of pleasure giving massage, inspired from the nation of Kamikoku."

"Oh... You don't approve?" he asked, noticing the tone of her voice.

"I just think it should be reserved between angels that are really close to one another."

The two reached the mayor's room. Lynn quietly opened it and peered in to make sure no one was inside. They quickly stepped in and closed the door behind them.

The room was a lavish, crescent-shaped space with a jacuzzi to the right and a large bed of carved rosewood in the middle. To the right of the room, near the window, was a large desk and a hand-carved, cushioned, mahogany chair.

The window curtains of the room were drawn, and the room was dimly lit.

"Why?" Blaze asked her.

Lynn glanced at him and shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, yet. If you do it with any random angel you come across, it becomes debauchery... Forget about it. Let's just find the ledger and get out of here."

Blaze understood Lynn's perspective. The word 'debauchery' amongst angels was used to mean excessive indulgence. To angels it could apply to anything -- alcohol, food, procrastination etc.

At least she doesn't feel it's entirely bad, he thought as he walked towards the bookshelves while Lynn headed to the mayor's desk.

The two combed through the room but they didn't come across any ledgers, expect for a few related to the town's and the household's expenses.

"Ugh! Where is it?!" Lynn cried, flopping down on the mayor's bed and showing frustration for the first time.

"Maybe your people made a mistake. It happens," Blaze tried to console her. It seemed like she really believed that mayor was involved in something nefarious.

"I just don't understand where those adult angels we saw flying towards the mansion have disappeared to. They surely didn't look like servants or caterers," she complained to the ceiling.

Blaze shrugged his shoulders and began to look at the painting on the western wall. It was a massive nine-by-six-foot, framed, painting of a picturesque landscape. A quaint village sat between a couple of green hills and overlooked a river that flowed between them. Every detail was wonderfully depicted, down to the last bit of grass swaying in the wind. However, unlike the paintings in Clara's room, this painting contained a couple of angels soaring towards the sun.

Blaze stood staring at the painting for a minute, before noticing a switch underneath it.

On a whim, he walked to the painting and turned it on. The painting suddenly lit up with lights that seemed to be placed behind the canvas. It was so bright that Blaze closed his eyes in discomfort.

"That is quite novel," Lynn exclaimed.

Blaze looked back at her and found her staring at the shadow of the canvas that was cast on the black granite floor of the room. It was like a projector, projecting its image against a black screen.

Blaze moved out of the way to get rid of his shadow and appreciate the painting. However, he had a sudden spark. He remembered the light trick used to open the tunnel at the Agrasen Baoli.

He walked back to the painting and touched the two angels on the canvas. As expected, they didn't belong, and he was able to peel them off. However, nothing happened even after he removed them. He glanced back at the projection and found his shadow in the picture.

He ducked down under the painting.

The grinding of gears reverberated from within the walls and the tall bookshelf, a few feet away from the painting, split in two to open outwards like two doors.

The two angels looked at each other and scurried over without obstructing the projection. The back of the bookcase led into a dark and narrow staircase spiraling down into unknown depths.

"Blaze," Lynn whispered. "You should leave. This seems a bit dangerous. Don't worry about Clara. She won't remember much. Just pretend that you left the party after you got drunk."

"What about you?

"I am going into the dungeon."

"Then I am coming along."

"Blaze..."

"Leave no angel behind happens to be one of my mottos," he joked and stepped into the darkness.

Lynn nervously bit her lip and followed him, leaving the bookshelf entrance open. "Remember," she told him as they fumbled down the dank and dark stairwell. "If we are caught, you don't know anything about the Princeps. Tell them I convinced you that this was a game."

After descending two flights of stairs, the stairwell suddenly grew wider and light from below began to illuminate their steps. Three more flights of stairs later, they found themselves in a long corridor, lit by energy stone wall candelabra. It was empty but they heard the whisper of voices drifting from afar.

Two rows of doors lay on either side of the corridor, and they tried opening each of them as they walked along, only to find that they were all locked. It was unusual for angels to have so many locked doors.

The hum of voices kept getting louder, and soon, the duo reached a wide circular intersection. The din of conversation burst forth as the two stepped out of the tunnel. They quickly ducked down to the level of the partition wall that separated their level from the hall. Two spiral staircases on the left and right led down to the lower floor.

Crawling over to the partition, the two peered over its edge. In the hall below were a group of fifteen angels in varying stages of undress. Most were in casual conversation, but two angels in open breasted corsets were sitting on top of each other in a chair and going at each other's mouths like starving succubae.

On the opposite side of the hall was a circular platform on which two angels stood in conversation. Behind them, on a pulpit, was a worn, bound book that was spread open. One side of it was filled with entries while the other was empty. Above it, against the wall, were two large banners one above the other -- 'Power is not given. It is taken.' 'The Riverbridge branch of the Princeps welcomes its newest member'

Blaze could finally acknowledge the existence of the group, but except for their secrecy and lurid behavior, he could not confirm that they were bad. He only had Lynn's words to go by.

The pink-haired angel on the stand suddenly nodded to the angel beside her and stepped up before clearing her throat for attention. The hall fell silent.

"I apologize for the delay. It seems like my daughter has been caught up in her little party. You know how tediously attentive one has to be in these things," she said to her audience and a wave of chuckles went around. "So, let's get on with our business for the day. Kama, Rati, if you two don't mind. You are free to use one of my guest rooms," she said to the two kissing angels.

Another wave of laughter went around and the angels in half-corsets finally stopped snogging. However, they did not get off each other's laps.

"Firstly, I would like to welcome Nicola Borgia to the Princeps," she declared to a round of applause. "If anyone has an objection, speak now."

The mayor glanced around for confirmation before turning to Nicola and shaking her hand; the applause continued. She led Nicola to the podium and the book to enter her name and get her signature.

"We need to get that book," Lynn whispered to Blaze.

"I thought you were looking for a ledger. That just looks like a membership book."

"It's better than nothing. Besides, we may get some useful names off it."

"I am still not completely convinced that they are bad angels," he raised his main issue.

Lynn took his hand and looked into his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Not really, he wanted to say, but he couldn't say no to those eyes. Over the course of the two evenings he had spent with her, he confirmed that there was no spell or charm involved -- he just loved her eyes.

"Even if I trust you, how do you plan on getting the book? It's probably going to go right back into the mayor's space ring any moment now."

"I need you to provide me with a distraction. I will try to steal it when they aren't looking."

"Ugh. What then? You don't suppose they will just let us walk out after that," he asked her wryly. He had plenty of ways to offer a distraction but getting out was out of his abilities.

Lynn took out a VP and activated it. "We are ready for extraction. There is an entrance in the mayor's bedroom. Fifteen Princeps in sight," she whispered into it.

"Message received. We will be there in five," spoke the VP.

"We've got five," Lynn smiled at him.

"If your group is so powerful, why don't we just wait for them?" Blaze asked the obvious.

"Because the first thing the mayor will do is destroy the evidence. You need to distract them until I can sneak behind and put the book in my space ring. I can hold it until backup arrives."

Blaze sighed and nodded. He knew he was doing something ridiculous and stupid, but he was in too deep to pull out. "If something happens to me, it's on you."

"I know," Lynn replied seriously. "You are my responsibility. I won't let anything happen to you."

Watching her narrowed eyes and pursed lips, Blaze had a sudden urge to do something cheeky. "Hmm... Since I am doing this for you, I need proper recompense," he told her mischievously.

"What do you want?"

"This," he said, leaning forward and planting tiny peck on her lips. Lynn's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could process his actions, he stood up.

Red in the face, he cleared his throat and smacked his hand on the balustrade, garnering attention from the angels below. Most of them seemed bewildered, except for the mayor who reached for her space ring.

"Greetings, my lovely angels of the Princeps," he spoke grandly before suddenly bursting out his wings. "I AM THE BLAZING FURY!" he announced himself.

His audience looked at him dumbfounded as he began walking towards the staircase on the left.

"Who are you, child? Is this some convoluted attempt at humor?" the mayor asked him as he reached the stairs.

"No. I may not look like myself because my hair has been dyed blonde, but I am Blaze Er Lokra. My age and my wings should prove that."

It took only a moment for the Princeps to check his energy makeup and become convinced of his words. It was very unlikely for there to be another twenty-year-old angel with well-formed wings of red and white. Even if there was, they would've likely heard about her.

"What do you want, child? And why are you here? This is a private meeting."

"I have heard quite a number of interesting tales about your group. I've always believed them to be fictitious, but this past week has convinced me otherwise," he addressed the group, slowly strutting down the steps. "I've been talking with your pretty daughter. I seem to share many opinions with her and your group.

"Simply put, I wish to join you. Don't you think we could help each other out? I need your power now and you will need mine in the future. Don't you think I will make an excellent addition?"

The mayor was taken aback but she quickly recovered. "It would be an honor to add you to our peerage, Ms. Blaze. However, we follow a strict age limit. You must be at least a hundred before you can join us a squire. A hundred-and-fifty before you can become an official member. Besides, I think you may have certain misconceptions about what our group is about."

The mayor's reply left Blaze a little strapped for words. He had not anticipated such a straightforward rejection. However, he had the attention of the angels and he needed to maintain it. Lynn had just managed to sneak past the stairs on the other side.

"Isn't that quite an outdated view? I thought the Princeps would be more open than the rest of the societies. I can't say I am not a little disappointed," he shook his head. "Nonetheless, I believe we can figure out a way to be friends. Most of you are aware of my little tiff with the Malakim. I could use your help, and I am sure you can use mine in the future."

"How exactly do you think we can help you Ms. Blaze?" the mayor asked skeptically. Nothing about his presence and speech made sense to any of the Princeps.

"Power! You give me some of yours now and you can have mine when I am older and stronger. Think of it as an investment."

The mayor and the angels laughed. "We do invest in power, Ms. Blaze, but the price we have to pay for you may not be a worthy investment. We can discuss this more, obviously, but can you tell me where my daughter is? Why are you here by yourself?" she asked him sedately.

"Umm... She was feeling a little nauseous, so I told her to get some rest. She is in her room."

Crap! That wasn't very convincing. His eyes subconsciously flicked towards Lynn who had reached the far end of the platform. The Princeps didn't miss it.

Lynn darted towards the podium before anyone could react. Grabbing the book, she immediately tried to put it in her space ring. Nothing happened.

Blaze was confused but Lynn wasn't. "Catch," she yelled, hurling the book up towards the entrance they came out from.

Almost everyone in the room instinctively reacted but Blaze's wings were already out. With a massive heave that sent the nearby chairs tumbling, he sprang into the air, catching the book and landing on the parapet of the second floor.

"RUN!"

Blaze dematerialized his wings and dashed towards the exit. What about you?

He grabbed the sides of the doorway to bring himself to a stop and turned around to see Lynn bringing out a red glassy object. He had only seen such objects only in books, but he knew what it was.

"NO!" he screamed as he saw her smash the object down to the floor. Hearing his scream, she glanced up. Her eyes widened at his still-lingering presence. She started to say something, but her voice was drowned by an ear-splitting boom and a brilliant flash of light. Blaze instinctively closed his eyes, but the flash was bright even through his closed lids.

The shockwave hit him first, sending him tumbling down the hallway. Twenty feet into the passage, his back collided against something soft. A pair of arms wrapped around him as he opened his eyes and saw orange flames surge out of the entryway.

He steeled himself to face the flames but a translucent shimmering shield of white erupted in front of them. The flames raged against it for a few seconds before being sucked back into the hall. Air swooshed past them into the void caused by the explosion.

Dazed, he kept gazing at the ruined archway and the charred walls of the passageway before him. His head began to feel a little woozy and he saw pieces of rubble tumble off the ceiling. The remains of the fedora he had swiped from Lynn lay smoldering in the middle of the passageway.

A slim hand suddenly wrapped against the side of the doorway before Lynn pulled herself from the right.

However, she was different. She had a breathing device over her nose and her hair was now silver and in a short bob-cut. Stepping over the rubble, she walked into the passage.

"Lynn?" he asked, recognizing her purple eyes. However, he couldn't hear his own voice.

Her lips moved as if she was talking, but he couldn't hear the words over the ringing in his ears. He could see that her eyes were on the person holding him. He tried looking up at the person, but his body felt heavy. He felt his consciousness fading and he willed his neck to tilt.

A glimpse of her deep-set hazel eyes was all he could catch before his vision faded.

oOoOo

Nritti Edicts: (For those interested only.)

1. Happiness in the world is difficult to secure without great love of morality, careful examination of self, great obedience to superiors in thought, great fear of sin, and great energy for action.

2. To practice morality is meritorious; but what does morality include? Few sins, many virtuous deeds, compassion, liberality, truthfulness, and purity.

3. Angles regard only their virtuous deeds. They do not at all regard their evil deeds to the same magnitude. This very act is a sin.

Now this is indeed difficult to recognize. But indeed, this ought to be regarded thus: these passions, viz. fierceness, cruelty, anger, pride, envy, are called sinful. Let us not ruin ourselves by these very passions.

4. I appoint the Loukas, who obey me, as the enforcers of my will. I have ordered that either rewards or punishments are left to their discretion, in order that they should perform duties confidently and fearlessly, that they should bestow welfare and happiness on the angels of the country, and that they should confer benefits on them.