Ferus knelt down in front of me and began to rub my stomach. Calmly I held his wrist and
moved his hand away.
"Ferus is confused..." he said. His disappointment was heart-breaking.
"Ferus," I started, "I'm not what you think I am."
Ferus blinked at me.
"I'm not a minotaur. I'm human. Runt use magic on me. This is a disguise."
"Human?" he repeated.
I nodded.
He turned away from me. He looked down at his naked body and hung his head.
"Ferus is embarrassed.."
"It's not your fault."
"I thought you liked me."
"I do," I replied, "And believe me, I would love to, er, do it with you. But Runt says if I do I'll
never be human again."
"And you believed him?" said a voice.
A dazzling white figure of light emerged from the trees. I leapt to my feet.
"Don't run," he said, "We've got you now."
Three more figures appeared. The first figure's light dimmed to a mere, ethereal glow, so I
could make out his features. He was a handsome, muscular man, completely naked and
sporting two, broad, feathered wings. I wondered if every supernatural creature was naked.
He smiled.
"You," he snapped at Ferus, "Leave."
Ferus whimpered and fled into the trees.
"Thank you for confirming our suspicions," he said, turning back to me "My name is Azul.
As you no doubt have guessed, I am an angel."
"What are you going to do with me?" I asked.
"That depends on you," he replied, "You have been assisting a wanted criminal but we
expect you've been forced against your will. We can't be sure of course. So, you will be
tested..."
I waited, fists clenched.
"A test of loyalty. I will offer you a deal. Co-operate. Conspire with us. And... if your
assistance leads to the capture or killing of the escaped imp known as Runt, you will be
freed. More than that, you will be returned home as you were. Or, if you so prefer, we can
find you a new home, we can fulfill your every desire, back on earth, of course. But only if
you help us defeat Runt."
I hesitated, not sure what to do.
"Think about it, mortal," he continued, "Do you really believe Runt will get you home. He's
been lying to you since the moment you met. He's been nothing but trouble since he
clambered through your window. He can't even promise you'll get home again, or that he
can restore the life he's ruined. Do the smart thing, boy."
All of this was true. There was no reason to trust Runt. But I trusted this creature even less.
Part of me knew that was stupid. This was an angel. Runt was a demon. It was only
sensible to know which was good and bad.
But then I thought of Runt. And maybe it was just his magic working on me, but I couldn't
help feeling fond of him. No, he wasn't perfect, but he'd promised to put things right as
best he could. And my life had been a lot more exciting this past day than it had been in
my whole life. Dare I say that I actually liked the blasted creature.
"Decision time," the angel, Azul told me.