“Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you to their level, then beat you with experience.” – Mark Twain.

***********************

Zamiel sat with Heaven in her bed while he explained to her the book that she had been studying. He was impressed by her keenness to learn and her ability to ask the right questions. She was passionate about learning and helping others. It didn’t take long for Zamiel to explain to her what she didn’t understand, and then he closed the book.

Heaven was still very concentrated, and seemed to think of what she had learned. “It is much more difficult than I thought.” She said thoughtfully.

“Change takes time.” He told her.

She nodded. “I realized I don’t know much, and I still have a lot to learn. Maybe it was for the best that I didn’t become a general. I would only embarrass myself.”

He knew that she had a lot to learn, but with the strong will that she had, she could do anything she set her mind to do.

“Whatever you decide to do, I know you will do it well.” He said, but she didn’t seem to believe it.

For a brief moment there was a sadness in her eyes, before she dismissed it quickly.

“You didn’t tell me why you came here. It is surely not just because you missed me.” She said.

“Why not?” He asked curiously.

“You usually come to me when I need you. Otherwise you let me take care of myself.” She explained.

Zamiel knew she was a young woman with ambitions and he didn’t want to stand in her way, but did she like it or not? He couldn’t tell.

“Would you like me to be different?” He asked.

She shook her head with a smile. “I like you just the way you are. I like that you treat me like someone who is capable of doing things on her own. It makes me feel strong. I like that you are there when I need you but you let me try on my own first and even when you help me, you don’t do things for me. You give me an inkling on how to do it myself and encourage me to believe that I can do it.”

She took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Your hands are always cold.” She said putting her other hand on top of his and then rubbed it gently.

Zamiel smiled. That wouldn’t help. For some odd reason ancients were cold, and when they went into slumber, their bodies would almost freeze. There were theories that they needed to be cold in order for their bodies to stay the same. But that didn’t stop them from feeling warm or feeling the heat from a touch or a kiss. Heaven warmed him from within. She warmed his heart and soul.

“Have you learned to draw power like your father?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Could you draw power from me?”

“I probably could. Grandma told me not to use very powerful sources until I have harnessed the skill to draw only as much as I can handle.” She explained.

Zamiel nodded. She was more human than her father, so she wouldn’t be able to draw more power than him, but suddenly her eyes lit up. “Could I try?” She asked curiously.

He chuckled. “Maybe you should listen to your grandmother.” He didn’t want her to hurt herself.

“You are here. Nothing will happen to me.” She said. “Besides, I have to practice if I want to be better.”

She was stubborn and lovely when she was curious, so he couldn’t deny her. “Alright. Be careful.” He said.

She adjusted herself so that she was sitting exactly in front of him while still holding his hand. “I will do it now.” She said.

Zamiel nodded.

Heaven closed her eyes and mumbled some unknown phrases, and Zamiel felt the strange sensation that he had felt before. Then he felt his power being pulled out of his body, but Heaven could only draw an even less amount than her father before she pulled her hand away.

She shot her eyes open. “I almost froze.” She spoke surprised. “Even your power is cold. Very cold.” She shivered.

She rubbed her hands together that looked paler than they were before. She was really cold and for a moment he wanted to take her hands in his and warm her up, but his hands were cold too.

Drawing power from another creature wasn’t very helpful unless you wanted to fight that creature. Heaven couldn’t draw power from him and keep that power to fight someone else. As soon as they stopped touching, his power came back to him.

Witches usually used the skill to draw power so they could perform powerful spells, and they used sources that were constantly available or available for a longer time. Sunlight and moonlight were two powerful sources that were known to be used by witches.

“Well, being from a line of powerful witches doesn’t help when I am mostly human.” She smiled.

Being half human restricted her powers, but with practice she could become more powerful.

“You don’t need that kind of power to be powerful.” To him, the most powerful people were those who were in control of themselves.

Heaven nodded in agreement. “I met another ancient today. Do you know Darius?”

Most ancients knew each other, so Zamiel knew him. “Yes.”

“He said that he could sense that I was special, but he didn’t know how. He suggested I ask you if you feel the same. He said it was something ancients could sense and maybe it could be why my grandfather wanted me.”

Zamiel used his senses to see if he missed anything other than what he already knew. His senses would have already told him if Heaven had any special preternatural power that he should be aware of.

Ancients were very good at sensing power rank and he could tell her speciality had nothing to do with her power rank. Especially not if that rank were to be compared to the rank of an ancient. Lucifer wasn’t looking for power or strength. He already had those things. It had to be something else. Something that he didn’t have, and if Zamiel was right about what was special about Heaven, then that couldn’t be what the devil wanted.