The Devil Touched Me Gently

leys, but the tension in the air remained unmelted. Eli stood by the riverbed just beyond the trees, feeling the cool

old Amon abo

ho looked

spered you will re

st, no

che buried deep in his chest. The ache that was the knowin

ehind him told hi

dn't

depar

ldn't

pause. "Neit

at the river. "Amon,

feet silent on the st

everything

lm, heavy presence: "It's the price of what we did. The

face him. `Let me

d. `No. I chose th

u are h

erent.` He was staring somberly across the

s hand and

or you," Amon said, gazin

wa

e kind of softness. `I want to s

inked.

me. Throu

nd pressed Eli's palm against

here," he said, "One th

d. "You think I'm

ow yo

stilled ar

belong to any language Eli knew, but it echoed t

rything bega

nked an

river was gone. The pai

t they sang glowed. No smoke rose from suspended braziers where white fire rage

ter of it all?

ed in gold, wings sprea

s not

oy knelt

mortal. Hair like Eli

heart

was

o looked exac

it?" Amon's fo

nodded

costs you

es

you want," Amon said. "Not

here they won't see

lways were too brav

cene shif

and the angel-together lying beneath a silver

n-f

ad

ring thro

oy sc

storm-but there were too many. And when t

n b

y shat

t torn, and the fire that erupte

hey were suddenly

gas

s swe

m, arms locked tig

ber," Amon

dly speak. "T

s your

ed fo

es

Amon's chest. "Why didn

" Amon explained. "Mortal

. "A second c

rave enough

hough it was neither

wo souls to say hello aft

that time with ten

ough the universe itself held its breath. The birds were

as an echo of memory and ho

ies came together again, it was not the lust of stranger

afterward,

I would find yo

ftly answered. "Y

"Still, if they tr

l find

d. "Touched too gently.

sy and warm in h

a voice again-this time not from

rom w

once. You'll c

he