At last.

The old man staggered to the knoll top, where a ring of sandstone spires created a natural observatory. Here, his star first appeared to him a lifetime ago. On that dark, still night, with the cosmos laid out in vast wonder, she fell from the sky into his arms, naked and shivering. But tonight, winter storm clouds denied view of the stars.

The flickering candle cast dim light against the spires. Leaning with one hand touching cold stone, the old man pulled deep, wheezing breaths into lungs wracked by disease. A spasm of painful coughs bent him at the waist, heaving. Crimson droplets spoiled pristine, new-fallen snow.

As he regathered breath, a memory flitted through the haze of a tired mind. Once, he had said to her, "There is time enough for love." But no, he realized, there never was enough time.

And now, no more time at all.

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

An insistent banging woke Levi from contented sleep with Celesta cuddled behind him. Sleep still in his eyes, he gently moved her arm and sat up. The woman beside him let out a small moan, then turned on her back, returning to slumber. The first rays of morning sunshine traced a path from an eastern window to the opposite wall.

Levi's loins rewarmed as memories of last night's late activities burst into his mind — wave after wave of exquisite sexual pleasure. The sensual afterglow still lingered.

They were awkward at first, laughably so. But their intimate mind link gave them an advantage — quickly they learned what pleasured each other, and what did not. With a lens of love, the giving to the other multiplied the combined sexual indulgence. 

An emotional vertigo swept through Levi. This is all happening so fast.

Three more sharp bangs on the front door made Levi jerk, pulling him back to the present.

"Levi, you in there?" a voice shouted. Ezra's voice.

Grumbling, Levi slid out of bed into the cooled air. By now, only a few glowing embers remained in the iron stove. Hopping awkwardly, he slipped trousers over his naked lower half and staggered to the door, opening it just a crack and peering out.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?"

Ezra leaned on his cane and wore a dark cloak against the breezy cold, and a tight jaw suggested something of importance. A horse stood tied to the porch railing. "I've come to give warning," he said in an even tone.

"About what?"

When Levi released hold on the wooden door, Ezra pushed inside, closing the door behind him. He rubbed bare hands together and said, "Dreadful cold out there--" His eyes shot full open, focused on Celesta, who leaned up in bed on an elbow with the quilt only just covering bare breasts. "Ohhh, good morning, Celesta."

She smiled warmly. "Truly, it is a good morning, Ezra."

Heat came to Levi's cheeks, and he slapped his forehead, mumbling, "It's not as it seems." After Ezra rolled his eyes up, Levi corrected himself. "Fine, so it is."

"Right. The town is up in arms about yesterday's, umm, incident. There is a town meeting at noon in the central square. You and Celesta should be there."

"What is the mood?" Levi asked, his gut tingling at the implications.

"Some want to condemn Celesta, some want to praise her, but most don't know what to think. Much anxiety."

Celesta rose from bed, dragging the quilt with her to cover her nudity, to Levi's relief. Her eyes dipped down. "I wish not to be a burden."

Levi wrapped an arm around Celesta and pulled her against himself. "People fear what they do not understand. And their reaction is not your fault."

"But it is consequence."

"I believe once the people know you better, you shall be welcomed." Levi turned toward Ezra. "Tell the mayor we shall attend."

Ezra nodded. "All right, then." At the doorway, he turned back to Levi and winked. "Carry on."

After the door closed behind a smirking Ezra, Celesta allowed the quilt to drop. With a seductive grin, she wrapped arms around his neck and pulled his lips down for a passionate kiss. Levi did not resist in the slightest.

"Shall we, then," Celesta purred, lifting pleading eyes to his, "carry on as your friend suggested?"

"Hmm, so he did." A grin rose on Levi's lips as desire reignited. "There is still time enough for love."

*****

Emma plopped down two steaming bowls of thick porridge topped with honey and fresh blackberries, and a platter of link sausage before Levi and Celesta, the last of the tavern breakfast. "Ya' heard about the town meetin' comin' up, have ya'?"

Levi nodded. "Ezra informed us earlier this morning. Are you going?"

"Nah, gotta look after the tavern. Gwen'll be there, though." Emma sat down on the bench, across the table, and leaned forward. "I'll tell you one thing, you two got the whole town abuzzin'."

Celesta's eyes widened. "I hope not to have caused trouble."

"Not to worry, lass," Emma replied with a hand wave, as if to dismiss Celesta's concern. "You be the heroine of the story. From what I hear, ya' saved a lot of people from those flyin' smoke things."

"Shadows," Levi said.

"Shadows, huh? And not the sun-shiny kind, I reckon." Emma cast her eyes at Celesta's dress, a simple long shift with a fitted waist, and in a subtle cream-colored pattern that contrasted nicely with her midnight-dark skin. A coordinating darker beige jacket provided extra warmth against the cool air. "New dress? A pretty one, it is."

We'll see how long it lasts, Levi thought to himself.

Celesta smiled at the compliment. "Thank you."

Emma jumped up. "People be as they be. Anyway, hold yer head high, lass. Ya' got nothin' to atone fer."

As Emma returned to the kitchen, Levi glanced around the tavern, taking in a dozen others eating or drinking. Eyes quickly shifted away as his gaze passed. The public meeting might not go as well as Emma presumed, he feared. But beyond that, ominous tingles settled in his gut, like the vague feeling before a storm. Just nerves, he reasoned.

*****

Most of the townspeople crowded around the hexagonal wooden pavilion in the central square. Disjointed discussions swirled, bordering on arguments. Hands flailed in expression, and shuffling raised fine dust. Many were farmers who came in from the fields wearing soiled work clothes.

"She invites demons among us!" a man shouted, raising a clenched fist. Several others grunted acknowledgements.

"The work of Darkness!" a woman rejoined.

An unseen man yelled a rebuttal. "But she fought them! I seen it with my own eyes."

Mayor Emory Smith, a tall bald man in a black suit, waved his hands in frantic attempt to regain control. Beside him stood the town constable, a portly man with a handlebar mustache wearing a blue buttoned uniform and helmet.

A woman with a little girl in tow climbed the steps to the pavilion. The tight-lipped girl hid behind her mother's skirt, clutching an offered hand. Levi recognized the child as the one that Celesta rescued yesterday from a Shadow's vile influence. "Listen, everyone!" she yelled, quieting most. "She helped my little Clo, giving Light to the Darkness that took her."

The mayor tilted his head back and rolled green eyes as the arguments resumed to a chaotic roar.

Leaning on his cane at the crowd periphery, Ezra was the first to notice Levi and Celesta's approach. A bemused grin rose on his face. "The natives are restless," he noted.

Levi sighed, "I am so not looking forward to this."

When the crowd took notice of Levi and Celesta, it went from raucous to eerily quiet. All eyes tracked them, suspicious, supportive, or curious, and a path opened to the pavilion. Celesta squeezed Levi's hand tightly, leaning against his arm and biting her lip. He didn't need their mental link to sense her discomfort. Deck boards creaked as they stepped toward the center.

Levi caught the mayor's eyes and said, "Are we late to the party?"

The mayor blew out an exasperated breath. "Thank you for coming." Then he turned to Celesta and bowed his head. "My apologies, my dear, for this, but there are questions."

After glancing at Levi, Celesta said, "I shall try to answer them."

"What is she?" a harsh voice yelled out, waving a fist and spurring a chorus of murmurs.

"Enough! We shall have order." Mayor Smith bellowed. "Let them speak."

As Levi stepped upon a small square wooden platform, he gulped, and the silent attention of the townspeople weighed heavy in his chest. "My friends, you all know me, and that I would never bring harm to Gilmoor." He motioned toward a wide-eyed Celesta, urging her up beside him. "And for those who have not met her, this is Celesta."

"From where did she come?" a single voice called out.

Levi raised a hand to silence the following mumbles. "I confess that I have not been entirely honest with you. Celesta in not my betrothed, but rather she appeared to me late one night while I star gazed and fainted straight away. Then I carried her to my cabin to give aid."

Scanning the audience, who awaited further explanation, Levi debated with himself how much to reveal. The full truth may be too unbelievable.

Levi continued. "I tell you this truly, my friends, no truer heart have I ever met, nor gentle soul. Many witnessed how she defeated the Shadows and then came to the aid of those stricken to the last of her strength." 

"Shadows?" the mayor asked.

"Those beings like black smoke. Personification of the Darkness, they are."

The people mumbled among themselves, then one man shouted out a question. "Is she even human?"

Levi tightened his lips as he formulated an answer. "Well, yes. And no."

The crowd grumbled at his non-answer. Then Mayor Smith, sensing the frustration, said, "Levi. It is a fair question. Tell us who Celesta is."

Silence fell over the crowd as they awaited an answer. Levi glanced at Celesta as indecision stilled his tongue. Truth or not? He knew she trusted his judgement on matters of this world, but what if he was wrong?

Celesta put on a warm smile and squeezed Levi's hand, then stepped forward, taking all eyes with her. "I shall answer," she announced.

From Celesta, Levi knew, every answer was truth. Perhaps that is best.

"I am--"

"Angel," a familiar baritone voice bellowed from the perimeter. "Surely, an angel sent from the heavens."

The crowd turned to the voice, revealing Rector Thadius Brown, dressed humbly, wearing a simple brown trousers and loose-fitting tunic, rather than the usual pressed black suit, no wide-brimmed hat, and with face paled. One hand gripped the supportive arm of his daughter, Abigail.

Levi's eyes widened, thinking to himself, He is not wrong.

The rector caught the eyes of the mayor and asked, "May I speak?"

"Of course, sir," the mayor responded, gesturing to the pavilion center.

The crowd parted, allowing Rector Brown passage. He staggered, leaning on his daughter for support on the steps. As Levi ceded the wooden platform, Abigail cast a warm smile to him, far from the disdain she expressed days earlier.

Levi leaned over and whispered to Abigail, "Is your father well?"

"He is a new man," she replied.

Despite his initial frailty, Rector Brown took the stage as if the pulpit. When he raised a hand, the people quieted, granting full attention.

"Brethren," the rector bellowed with a commanding voice honed by decades of preaching. "I stand before you reborn. The Writings teach of the desolation of Darkness, but until just days ago, I knew not its true depth."

Murmurs broke out in the crowd, but quickly died away. He continued, "Those who also experienced the demons will truly know of what I speak, the indescribable anguish, the despair of the abyss. But in answer to my desperate prayers, the Creator sent an angel."

The rector motioned toward Celesta, who then grasped Levi's arm while shrinking partially behind him as if trying to hide. Through the mental link, Levi noted that this public attention, even in praise, added to her discomfort. He wrapped an arm around her waist in support.

"As she did for the others, this angel cast out the demon that possessed me, and from the depths of hell, lifted my soul and restored it. Where there was Darkness, she cast the Light of Creation." He turned toward Celesta and bowed his head. "For this, eternally grateful shall I be."

The rector took a long breath as he scanned the crowd, spinning slowly on the platform. "My brothers and sisters, the Writings teach us to welcome the stranger and foreigner, for one day, an angel may be sent among us. I tell you truly, this day, such is fulfilled."

With a nod to Celesta and Levi, Rector Brown stepped down from the platform with the help of his daughter. Silence settled over the people as they considered his words.

Levi pondered the message. When the rector first met Celesta, he was quick to judge and condemn, but now, he had become her most staunch supporter, a change that only someone like Celesta could achieve. And there was truth in his words. Why not an angel?

"What do the Shadows want of us?" a voice called out, breaking through Levi's thoughts. A chill gripped him, for this was the discussion path he feared.

Celesta took to the platform and answered plainly, "They only want me."

The same man followed-up, asking, "Then would they come again?"

Celesta paused, then responded, "Yes." The people stilled, frozen at the implications. Celesta glanced at Levi, eyes moistening, then announced, "That is why I must leave."

Hidden fear realized, Levi's heart cracked. As Celesta stepped off the platform, the surrounding stillness had a finality to it. She collapsed into his arms, burrowing her head against his shoulder.

"No, Celesta," Levi whispered in a fractured voice. "Please..."

"Truly I am sorry, Levi, but was this not inevitable?" Tears traced her cheek. "I cannot put this good town at risk." 

The mayor took to the platform and proclaimed, "We are adjourned." Stepping down, he tapped Levi's shoulder, then glanced into Celesta's eyes, saying, "I am sorry, my dear."

While the crowd slowly dispersed, Rector Brown approached with head humbly bowed while leaning on his daughter. "Celesta, may I have a word?"

Wiping moisture from her cheeks, Celesta parted from Levi's arms and nodded.

With Abigail's assistance, the Rector kneeled down on one knee. "In my ignorance at our first meeting, a false judgement had I cast against you. For that, I would beg forgiveness."

"Forgiveness is freely given, sir," Celesta answered. "But you must not kneel before me." With a nod toward Abigail, the women helped him up to unsteady legs, but eyes still downcast. "I hear the Creator's song as it echoes across the cosmos, and beautiful it is, yet I am not the Creator."

The rector's lower lip trembled, and his eyes flittered to Celesta's face, but he could not hold her gaze for long. "Only when I emerged from the depths of Darkness did I take stock of my failings before the Creator. What must I do to repent?"

A smile as warm as sunshine grew on Celesta's face. "Love. Simply, love. It is that the Creator asks of us all."

With a nod and a half-smile, Rector Brown limped away with his daughter lending a steady arm. Abigail turned her head back and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Levi grasped Celesta's shoulders and opened his mouth, arguments on his tongue to convince her to stay, but they fell away before utterance. No other choice would she have made, he realized. "Where ever you go, so shall I," he finally said, firming his expression.

Celesta leaned her forehead against his chest. "Endless is the threat. I could not bear to bring you harm."

"Nor could I bear harm to you. Do not cast away the love we share."

She trembled in his arms. "Please, Levi. I--"

A gasp tore away her words, and eyes widened as she jerked her head up. "No. It must not be," she whispered as if to herself.

"What is--" Levi said, then cut himself off as an ominous chill overtook him, deep and foreboding. He shuddered.

The afternoon brightness dimmed, and many cast eyes skyward. But there were no clouds. Instead, a blackness like smoke partially engulfed the sun. Anxious murmurs broke out from people still gathered.

"The Void," Celesta muttered. "It has come."