when the smell wafted up from the back. "Oh, my God," he said, andfrantically rolled down his window.
"What are you doing?" Camael asked with his usual touch of petulance as the wind from the open window whipped at his hair. And then Aaron watched as the angel's expression turned from one of annoyance to one of absolute repulsion. "What is that smell?" he asked with a furious snarl.
With one hand over his nose and mouth, Aaron motioned over his shoulder to the sole inhabitant of thebackseat.
The angel turned to face the dog. "What have you done?"
Gabriel simply stared out the back window.
"He's got gas," Aaron explained, his voice muffled by the hand still over his face. "It happens when he
eats stuff he's not supposed to."
"It's vile," Camael said, glaring at the dog. "Something should be done so that it never happens again."
Aaron gazed into the rearview mirror. "What did you eat at that rest stop, Gabe?" he scolded, alreadyknowing full well that the dog would have eaten anything.
Gabriel did not respond. Aaron didn't really expect him to. He pulled the car to the side of the road.
"What now?" Camael asked.
"There's only one way to deal with this problem," he said as he parked the car and got out. He opened the back door to let his friend out. "Maybe one of these days you'll learn not to eat everything in sight," he scolded the dog.
Gabriel jumped to the ground. "I didn't eat everything — they still had plenty when 1 left."
"Wait a minute," Aaron said, watching as the dog strolled away, snout firmly planted to the forest floor.
"Who still had plenty? Did somebody give you food?"
"1 have to do my business,"Gabriel said, eluding his master's question and moving deeper into woods.
"What's the matter with right here?" Aaron asked, exasperated. "Gabriel, we have to get going."
"I can't go if you're watching me,"he heard the dog say before disappearing around a cluster of birch
trees.
"When did you become so freakin' modest?" Aaron muttered beneath his breath. "Probably happened when I brought you back from the dead." He walked to the front of the car where Camael stood looking up the road. "So what do you think?" he asked the angel. "What are we going to find in Blithe?"
Camael shook his head slowly. "I honestly do not know."
Aaron crossed his arms and gazed at the road ahead. "The way I'm feeling right now, I'd have to say it'sdefinitely something interesting."
"I will certainly agree with that," Camael said. He tilted back his head and sniffed at the air.
Aaron watched him grow suddenly tense and look about them cautiously. "What's wrong?"
"Do you not smell it?" he asked.
Aaron sniffed the air. He could smell nothing except the spring forest in full bloom. "I can't smell anythingbut the woods ..." he began, and then he caught a whiff of it. It was a musky scent, an animal smell, butone he did not recognize. "What is it?"
Camael held out his hand, and Aaron watched as a spark of orange flame appeared and grew into asword of fire.
"Orishas," the angel growled.
Aaron was about to ask what an Orisha was, when Gabriel's barks of fear ripped through the quietstillness of the woods beyond, like a staccato burst of gunfire. "Gabriel," he cried, a fire sword of his ownsparking to life in his hand.
Aaron charged into the woods, his blade decimating saplings and low-hanging branches in his path.
Camael was at his side when the two stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing.
"What the hell are those things?" Aaron whispered in fearful wonder.
There were four in all; ugly creatures no more than three feet tall, with skin the color of tarnished copper. They appeared primitive, dressed in strips of leather and fur, their long, stringy hair adorned with bones. One wore a fancy headdress made from what looked like animal pelts. From their backs sprang small,black-feathered wings that fluttered noisily, like flapping window shades. They had thrown a makeshiftnet over Gabriel, and were attempting
"What are you doing?" Camael asked with his usual touch of petulance as the wind from the open window whipped at his hair. And then Aaron watched as the angel's expression turned from one of annoyance to one of absolute repulsion. "What is that smell?" he asked with a furious snarl.
With one hand over his nose and mouth, Aaron motioned over his shoulder to the sole inhabitant of thebackseat.
The angel turned to face the dog. "What have you done?"
Gabriel simply stared out the back window.
"He's got gas," Aaron explained, his voice muffled by the hand still over his face. "It happens when he
eats stuff he's not supposed to."
"It's vile," Camael said, glaring at the dog. "Something should be done so that it never happens again."
Aaron gazed into the rearview mirror. "What did you eat at that rest stop, Gabe?" he scolded, alreadyknowing full well that the dog would have eaten anything.
Gabriel did not respond. Aaron didn't really expect him to. He pulled the car to the side of the road.
"What now?" Camael asked.
"There's only one way to deal with this problem," he said as he parked the car and got out. He opened the back door to let his friend out. "Maybe one of these days you'll learn not to eat everything in sight," he scolded the dog.
Gabriel jumped to the ground. "I didn't eat everything — they still had plenty when 1 left."
"Wait a minute," Aaron said, watching as the dog strolled away, snout firmly planted to the forest floor.
"Who still had plenty? Did somebody give you food?"
"1 have to do my business,"Gabriel said, eluding his master's question and moving deeper into woods.
"What's the matter with right here?" Aaron asked, exasperated. "Gabriel, we have to get going."
"I can't go if you're watching me,"he heard the dog say before disappearing around a cluster of birch
trees.
"When did you become so freakin' modest?" Aaron muttered beneath his breath. "Probably happened when I brought you back from the dead." He walked to the front of the car where Camael stood looking up the road. "So what do you think?" he asked the angel. "What are we going to find in Blithe?"
Camael shook his head slowly. "I honestly do not know."
Aaron crossed his arms and gazed at the road ahead. "The way I'm feeling right now, I'd have to say it'sdefinitely something interesting."
"I will certainly agree with that," Camael said. He tilted back his head and sniffed at the air.
Aaron watched him grow suddenly tense and look about them cautiously. "What's wrong?"
"Do you not smell it?" he asked.
Aaron sniffed the air. He could smell nothing except the spring forest in full bloom. "I can't smell anythingbut the woods ..." he began, and then he caught a whiff of it. It was a musky scent, an animal smell, butone he did not recognize. "What is it?"
Camael held out his hand, and Aaron watched as a spark of orange flame appeared and grew into asword of fire.
"Orishas," the angel growled.
Aaron was about to ask what an Orisha was, when Gabriel's barks of fear ripped through the quietstillness of the woods beyond, like a staccato burst of gunfire. "Gabriel," he cried, a fire sword of his ownsparking to life in his hand.
Aaron charged into the woods, his blade decimating saplings and low-hanging branches in his path.
Camael was at his side when the two stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing.
"What the hell are those things?" Aaron whispered in fearful wonder.
There were four in all; ugly creatures no more than three feet tall, with skin the color of tarnished copper. They appeared primitive, dressed in strips of leather and fur, their long, stringy hair adorned with bones. One wore a fancy headdress made from what looked like animal pelts. From their backs sprang small,black-feathered wings that fluttered noisily, like flapping window shades. They had thrown a makeshiftnet over Gabriel, and were attempting
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