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Up in Heaven, Nigel was playing with himself

Chess, that was

In truth, it was a bit boring, even though he found his opponent sly dressed and incredibly astute: Fellow had all the sae a&039;tall, really - in spite of the flaies

"Checkmate," he said out loud to the silence of his private quarters

When there was no cursing, no accusations of unfair practice, no staain as to why playing with Colin wasto his feet, he stepped away from the table and left the pieces as they were, with only two on the board, a white queen and a black king

The urge to leaveis tent and go wandering across the laard the castle, toward the river, tohere Colin slept, was such a co impulse, it went beyond the mental to border upon the physical

But he had lowered himself to that folly once, and been spared eain

Distracted by the ache in his chest, he went &039;round the bed and into the bath and then came back out once more In truth, he hadn&039;t properly focused inwell, since that horrid mealwhen Colin&039;s honesty had fired a shot directly at Nigel&039;s arrogant, pissy little ego

Strange the way one&039;s position changed, wasn&039;t it As tiely still stream, his initial hotheaded, defensive reaction had faded into a ht even y was tendered in return

Which was proof positive that miracles could happen

Unfortunately, he was entirely unsure what he would receive in reply, and knowing hinized that another round of arguing would benefit neither of them

Still, Colin could be the one to offer the olive branch

In fact, although Nigel would ad the last several el co thin, however Such passivity was not in his nature, and patience was a virtue he had little of -

"Nigel ?" cael gritted his teeth, but kept his curse to hi he needed was a visitor of the non-Colin variety It was hardly proper to punish a well-intended innocent, however

"Byron, old boy," hefor the entrance, "how fare thee - "

The el&039;s face, he stopped dead "Tell me"

"IsColin herein?"

"No"

"We cannae find him" Byron fiddled with the brass buttons on the sleeves of his club jacket "When he did not present hi and left hi to turn in, I went to search him out with some provisions He was not in his tent Not at the water&039;s edge Not in the castleand not here, either, apparently"

Nigel shook his head at the san of the angel Indeed, if he had not been so preoccupied with hinized previously what he noted clearly now: Colin was not on the preive in to panic, but Nigel controlled the eically, he knew there was but one place the sod would go

Why had he not seen this coo and retrieve him"

"Would you care for aid in this?"

"No" For he was not going to be responsible for the ass-lashing he gave the archangel Personality conflict was one thing; rank insubordination was another altogether And the latter was not going to be indulged in any fashiond dead /p>

Upon his will, his robing and ray, a shirt of bright white, a pale tartan tie, and a pair of wingtips

"Go forth and coel "Undoubtedly, they shall be worried And know that I shan&039;t be long"

"Wherever will you go?"

"Where he is"

With that Nigel was off, traveling through the barrier to the world down below And when he resue of modest distinction set within far therein

How common a riel surh the door as if it were naught but a veil of fog