The angel's wings elongated, swallowing us as it stretched, emersed in the relief compared to its prior hunched posture. Its hands were expressive. No finger moved without intent and direction as the god flared them at me leaning down again to my level.

"it was not solely me who brought you here child. Why else would a dear brother stand beside me. The ritual you spoke of, indeed not performed by yourself, but the elven warrior themself."

Corvin looked to the gauntlet at his feet appearing to want to reach for it. I waited to see if he could and slowly the object lifted from the ground into his ghostly hand. But if it was within this thing, hi soul was entrapped within, he more than any had the right to claim it.

"why Corvin, why would you damn yourself to this fate?"

For a brief moment he looked as though he didn't have an answer, or rather he didn't want to answer me and as a few minutes' past, I deduced he must have been deliberating on whether he wanted to share the reason with me. Or perhaps he was recollecting it. Thousands of years had passed after all, and I couldn't think one had much joy bond to an object and a single spot in a rotten city. His mind must be worn by the isolation.

"I hadn't thought it possible," he began coolly, "the first thing I remember when I came into this form, was lying on that battlefield. Twisted, contorted, the blood leaving my body and my veins running dry. I have never known physical pain like this. All around me were the cries of the fallen. Human and fae alike. Some cried for their mothers. Their wives, mates, children, or were split between wanting death to quicken and the miracle of mercy to bless them."

I grimaced at the scene he described. When his body had been laid before me, wink and Nuada had been sure to cover it with a cloak so I would not see the state of him. When I asked of them during a fit of mourning, all they could tell me was that had Corvin not have had his house Sigel engraved in the armour, no one could have identified him.

"for me, it was you. You devoured every sense of self. My little sister orphaned, the last of our clan, who could look to no family. I had done the thing I promised never to do and that was to leave you on this earth. It was a promise I think which had made me so good a warrior. A refusal to die for your sake, and that willpower had not left yet it seemed. Lying there, I should have been dead the instant those hooves had crushed down on my body. But I still breathed. the arrows piercing me, the spear to the gut. I still breathed."

I winced as though those were my wounds to bare and I went to run to him, but he stopped me with one steel gaze.

"this gauntlet much good it did for me, hung from my arm. I remember fixating my stare on it. Like this thing as long as I could hold my focus and energy on it, it would keep me alive. Keep me going until someone brought me to your feet again Nimue. it was maddening the way the battlefield slowly fell silent to deaths grasp, like one by one it was drawing closer and closer to me and I was worried I would be out of time before someone found me."

His grasp on the gauntlet tightened while the angel stood back listening as intently as I, but he was present there I was sure so none of this could be new to him.

"then so did the angel appear. His voice caressing my ear to give in to him. But I could not. I was still fixated on seeing you. As if somehow your presence would heal me and I would not need to leave you behind."

Now that his part had come into play the angel added, "It was impressive, how strongly he evaded my call. Very few have the power. Usually this is an indicator that a being's part in the world, had not spanned out yet. These are the ones I allow this ability to bond it soul, keeping it tethered here, until they have fulfilled their purpose."

So that is how it worked, I thought. The angel must see use in keeping someone bound, not just because their loved ones willed it, or was moved by their emotion.

"Your purpose…Corvin there was so much life could have still offered you I know, but I'm imagining for the angel to grant you this, it means much more than just growing old with your own family before you."

"Indeed," he nodded, "and if Nuada had not came to my side, the angel might have missed the sense of our prince's future and never would have kept me here."

I sighed, "Nuada. It all comes down to him doesn't it?"

The angel did what Corvin could not and left the circle, brushing past my shoulder leaving my skin rippling with goosebumps, all the while interlocking its fingers as it spoke.

"death is a natural course of life. It takes power and a clever hand to maintain balance. Sometimes those above myself, dictate my actions; other times I am free to pick and choose. The war between man and fae challenged that balance. To this day…I believe it was not handled well by the divine. Instead, it took an elven king to put an end to it while the gods merely argued on the outcome. For his actions, they cursed his city. The fae earned the Jealousy and anger of the gods and you have not recovered since."

A flare of anger raged within me. Jealousy, anger? My people were suffering because of the god's inability to see what was done on their behalf for the greater good. They could not be grateful for Balor because of stubbornness and pride. They chose to bless and favour the humans with all the riches and the world to spite us, though they are quite forgotten and replaced by false idols. A dagger twisted in my heart for thought all the many years of prayer done by myself and the fae for want of better days, but they would never come, for the very deities we prayed to were the cause for all we had lost and endured.

I snapped around to the face the angel, but where it had been at my back, he now was before where I once face and I turned again, wanting to spew hate at him and for his fellowship, only he continued speaking, as if he had said nothing that would trigger me.

"now one of Balor's bloodline threatens to shake the heavens and earth once and become much as I am. A god of death. This time however it would be the fae themselves being the instigator, not man, while there is no want of peace in Nuada's heart, as there was in Balor's. Golden army or not, the humans have evolved as have their weapons. I fear by the end, no one will be left alive. And an empty kingdom would be a poor realm for gods to govern."

I was gasping for air like I had run for miles but the only stressor on my body was what I had just been told. Suddenly I could see no point in life if we were cursed to suffer. The gods would deserve an empty kingdom, if they had damned my people to death any way. Why not the humans share in this fate also. Perhaps I should stand by Nuada, tell him of this and declare war on the heavens. The golden army… I could also whisper a word in Hellboy's ear. Anung Un Rama, would we lose with him at our side!

"Nimue!'

His voice vibrated around the temple and hit me like a cold hard slap. He had never in all his life shouted at me like that.

"Nimue your bond his healed with Nuada. You share a soul. what thoughts and feelings he possesses, and they are potent with hatred, they can poison you also with the same energy, just as they had now. I am here, to make sure you stay pure of heart with this revelation."

I felt shaky, like I had been drained of any sort of energy good and bad. I actually looked around, searching for my husband the emotions felt so real it was like he was with me.

"I don't get it," I asked aloud, "our bond is healed. But how has he not tracked me down. why can't I feel him as strongly?"

The angel placed a cold dead grip on my right arm, "I marked you for protection."

When peered at what he meant the indeed was a glowing mark shaped like a feather I hadn't noticed before now.

"I placed it on you while you slept and led you here with my own portal and voice. If marked by death, it gives the impression, handy for concealment from all sort. Including an elven bond."

Alright I thought. That made sense and I could let my guard down knowing my husband wasn't about to spring out of nowhere, demanding a crown piece I had lost. But part of me was sure he had it. Something like that can't just go missing. I had been distracted after all during all the chaos with the elemental. Then if he had been at the BPRD, who could stop him from reaching the map.

"he doesn't have the crown piece yet child."

My eyes darted the angel who had seemingly read my mind and he wove in the air a blackened circle, mimicking a portal but it began showing a picture. Like Hellboy's TV. It was very familiar. The library and there were Nuada destroying it as I had watched before allowing who I knew now to be the angel to lead me here. However, what I missed was the confrontation between my prince and Hellboy. Silly red giant, his legs were wobbly, he had obviously been drinking since he left my room and Nuada was fuelled by want of finding me.

All I could do was watch in horror as my prince was getting the better hand of him, demanding from everyone the location of myself and the crown piece. None could answer him, then as Hellboy rose a warning was shouted from liz and…

"NO!" I screamed, seeing Nuada plunged the tip of his lance into Hellboy's chest. A deliberate move, for the end would break free and slowly furrow into the flesh until finally piercing the heart. A slow death, a painful one and none had the resources to save him from it.

I fell to my knees. for it was just as if I had watched my own child's death. I had helped raise him after all, had been with him to cure when he was sick, was saddened and happy. I witnessed it all as any parent would. Helped shape Hellboy into the person he was. I had carried such pride and love for the demon. The loss, it was immense.

"there, there. the demon is not dead yet. Take my word for it."

I clutched my chest, struggling to find the strength to speak for all I wanted was to cry.

"you need me pure you say. To be the opposite of Nuada. Why is that? What do you need of me?"

"sacrifice."