A Toy With Wings

Epilogue

Jezebel was furious.

So was the Angel of Death.

"Tell me! Where exactly are we now?" Jezebel demanded as she was pulled through the skies alongside her soulmate by the arm. Her bloodied spear was still sticking out of her chest, and her blonde hair flew in reply to the strong thrust. She instantly regretted not dyeing her hair bright red once more: she looked nothing like herself as a blonde.

"We're going to the place you call Heaven. If you don't like it, I'll drop you off right here!" snapped the Angel of Death in distaste.

The girls looked down. Below them was a huge basin surrounded by rocky black mountains, cracked with streaks of lava. Even from above, screams were heard.

"Where the hell is that place?" Jezebel demanded again.

"Hell," the Angel of Death replied, flapping his majestic wings as the trio soared even faster, with Amber and Jezebel hanging on to one of his arms each, clinging on for dear life. "Trust me, you don't want to go there."

"But I can't die from the impact, right? I'm dead. This is eternal life."

The Angel of Death turned to Jezebel and sniffed her. "Your soul says otherwise. You've died more than once."

"What do you mean?" asked Amber aloud.

The Angel of Death sniffed her as well. "You too."

"What?" Amber was confused. "Look, sir, I'm confused, and I don't know what you mean. You only die once."

"I'll explain later," promised the Angel of Death, and proceeded to ignore any questions.

"You okay, Amber?" Jezebel asked. "You're not talking much."

"I'm fine, love," Amber sighed. "Just a little scared of heights."

The girls were dragged on and on, until they reached what looked like an endless, crisp emerald field. The Angel of Death dropped them down gently, and dug out a scroll from somewhere inside his cloak.

He seemed to find what he was looking for, and showed it to the girls. "Look, here."

The piece of parchment in his thin bony hands read:

Skyward, Amber

Gender: Female

Parentage: Ramol and Mei Skyward

Previous life identity: Maddox, Rowena

Previous life description: A prophetess and agent for an illegal organization

Cause of death in previous life: blood loss

Cause of current death: slit throat

Judge: Eleanor Robinson

Trial method: traditional Egyptian trial (weighing Rowena/Amber's heart against a bag of feathers)

Trial results: Rowena/Amber's heart outweighs even Ms. Robinson's gavel

Sentence: 3 months in hell, and then re-judgment

Re-judgment sentence: rebirth, and a new lifetime of service to the organization

"There you go," said the Angel of Death. "Everybody in the organization was a sinner in their past life. You would kill a child in yours."

Amber protested, "I would not!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jezebel cried.

"Interesting," the Angel of Death checks his list. "You lived your past life as Iza...Izha...Isa...gosh, I can't pronounce it!"

Jezebel took a look. "Isabella?"

"You killed countless people. One of them was a kid of only two. You let me keep your diary to read, though. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes, please," said Amber.

"Oh no..." said Jezebel.

And so, the three spent a happy afternoon together, reading Jezebel/Isabella's old diary. The endless cornflower skies faded into the sunset, and the laughter morphed into Jezebel's moans about how she would never do anything like that.

"I'm not like that!"

"I would never do that!"

"I can't even do that!"

It would have been a perfect day, if not for the Angel of Death neglecting his duty, and no deaths around the entire world for an afternoon.