by Carla Rehse
Sebastian lowered his wings. “Very true. Souls are incorporeal … unless … no, she could not have … I must think on this.” He frowned. “As for now, I shall have the Bwbach search this place for Delilah Tindell and any further evidence of magic. Let us leave so they can work, then destroy this illicit construction.”
The Council had known the Bwbach were here? Good. One less problem for Mack. Beyond the whole dead thing.
Sebastian sounded far more peeved at the illegal construction versus the really illegal kidnapping. Sebastian might have a snazzy flair for fashion, but sadly he had the heart of a bureaucrat. But, then again, he was a Seraph, so that was pretty much the same thing.
An impending angel nuking, a Bleakness Wraith, plus a Deranged Delilah on the loose and a Witchy Helen mystery to solve was more than one problem too many. A person could only be expected to multi-task so much. I also didn’t like how exposed we were out here, like lambs for the slaughter. “Sebastian, do you sense any threats in the immediate area?” I waited for him to shake his head before continuing. “Since we’re so close to Mack’s, let’s regroup there,” I suggested. “We need to figure out what to do with … well, just everything.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Lawson waved Boone and Grady over. “Guys, you okay to do a perimeter sweep?”
“Absolutely.” Grady tapped the sword hanging on his side. “Is my mother here?”
I stifled a groan. Alana. I’d forgotten to tell the twins about her disappearance. “I’m sorry, Grady. She’s missing.”
“What?!” Luna screamed.
“Missing? How’s that possible?” Grady staggered into Boone, who pulled him into a tight hug.
“We aren’t sure what happened. She seems to have disappeared around the time Delilah skedaddled when y’all became unconscious.” Which reminded me to have a discreet conversation with Sebastian. He’d taken a couple of huge risks: angels were expressly forbidden to heal humans. I needed to thank him for saving everyone. Maybe check on Amazon for a new top hat for him.
Grady glared at me. “My mother would not be in cahoots with Delilah or that semence-whatever group thing.”
“Of course she’s not!” Janice exclaimed. “Alana is such a good person. You know, I always told everyone I didn’t like how Delilah served food. She always tilted the tray like she wanted the plates to fall off.”
I blinked at Janice, trying to work out how holding a tray correlated with becoming a psycho kidnapper probably conspiring with a witchy ghost. Giving up, I turned to Grady. “It never crossed my mind that Alana is involved. Your mother is far too sensible to think a Gate could be destroyed.”
“It’s not possible,” Heather insisted.
Sebastian’s forehead wrinkled slightly, which was an angelic sign of deep worry. “Destroying a Gate would be cataclysmic—all the Gates are intrinsically bound together.”
My eyes nearly popped out. “Are you saying it is possible? A Gatekeeper could do that?”
He tried to shrug but only managed to get one shoulder up before his wings fluttered. “Anything is possible with enough determination.”
Realizing I wasn’t gonna get anything more than a fortune cookie saying from him—even if it might be chocolate chipped—I moved to the next problem. “Can you sense Alana anywhere? Maybe her location will reveal more of Delilah’s plan?”
Sebastian glanced upward. “No. Perhaps Spellstones mask her presence as well.” His forehead wrinkled deeper. “Something is still blocking me from speaking to Crossing Shadows. And the Archangel. Dark magic remains afoot.”
Lawson shoved his bangs off his forehead. “Guess we need to have a heart-to-heart with our friendly neighborhood Bwbachs. Let’s move, people.”
Luna shot me a distressed look. I gave her a quick hug and whispered in her ear. “We’ll find your mom, I promise.”
We were on the opposite side of the hill we traversed earlier to Mack’s. This side had a more forgivable grade, so it was less of a mountain goat climb than before. Not that much less, my knees reminded me, but I ignored them.
As our group started the climb, I touched Sadie’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, I really am sorry about all of this. I can’t imagine how confused you must be.”
Tears hung from her eyelashes. “How could you not trust me enough to tell me?”
I exhaled slowly. “In all honestly, I selfishly didn’t take your feelings into account. Again, I apologize. I had such bad memories when I left that I just wanted to pretend I was normal.”
She smiled. “Normal? You? That’s an epic fail.”
“Ha ha,” I snarked.
Sadie sniffed. “Is this really where Gran lives? Where is she?”
I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. How was I gonna tell her that the grandmother she absolutely adored was dead after everything she’d been through? Damn, I was sick of handing out bad news.
For a few seconds, I thought about telling her a little white lie. But that was the old “Take the Easy Way, Everly.” That’s why I left home, instead of fighting the Council. Why I married Mike, no matter my misgivings. And even worse, why I did nothing about his criminal activity for years. But I didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to change. Might as well start now.
“Sadie …” I exhaled slowly. “This is not the right time and there’s no good way to say it, but Gran has passed.”
Sadie stared at me with hard eyes that had no place on my baby girl’s face. “Delilah did it? She better keep running ’cause I will find her and take her out.”
For the first time ever, Sadie caused a shiver to run down my back. Before I could figure out what to say, as no baby book I ever read mentioned how to talk your adult child down from McStabby talk, Sebastian saved me by moving to my side.
“Gatekeeper, we must speak.”
I shooed Sadie to go on ahead. “You aren’t looking so hot.”
Which was an understatement. The wounds on his wings had stopped oozing light, but they had also begun to fade. His wings, I meant. Normally translucent, they now appeared almost completely invisible. With his ever-widening forehead wound and his wings, it was obvious that Sebastian’s physical body was failing.
He waved away my concern. “My time on Earth is near its end, but we must discuss the Archangel. Once he breaks through this plane, communication will be feasible. I assume it will be Uriel, but it could also be Jeremial. Neither has much patience for humans. Unfortunately, I no longer have the strength to beg for leniency, but it should be possible for you to speak to him. Dangerous, yes, but you will have an opportunity to plead your case. Explain that you have the town under control.”
I grimaced. Debate was not my strong suit. “How?”
“The power that you use to open the Gate can be focused to speak with a Celestial being. There will be a cost to you, I cannot deny that.”
I slipped on a patch of leaves and windmilled my arms to keep my balance. “What kind of cost?”
Sebastian shook his head. “That is beyond my knowledge.”
“Nevaeh and Sera gave me their remaining Grace. Is it possible for me to donate it to you?” A supercharged Sebastian would be a huge plus.
Sebastian smiled. “A kind gesture, but impossible. Once fused into the Gatekeeper, the Grace will mix with the Hellfire also inside you, which is what fuels your power.”
“There has to be a way to help you.” I stopped. “I don’t want to lose you.”
My skin tightened even more, and I could feel pulsing pushes under it, like when Sadie elbowed me during my third trimester. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but felt very weird. Urgent.
Sebastian lightly touched the top of my head. “I have watched over you since before your birth and I will watch over you even after your death, no matter where I am. Everything must end at some time.”
As macabre as that sounded on the surface, his words did comfort me. “We don’t have much time left, do we?”
“Your power speaks the truth to that. I can sense it growing in y
ou, responding to the Archangel’s call.”
I used my hand to shield my eyes against the bright sunshine. The others had nearly reached the cabin. “I feel … I think we need to hurry.”
Sebastian and I hit the gas and made it up the hill faster than I expected. Whatever otherworldly stuff was happening inside my body, it was at least helping me physically. For now. I wasn’t looking a gift horse in the mouth: we needed every advantage possible.
Lawson and Linc were staring inside the cabin as Sebastian and I joined the others. “Problem?” I asked.
Linc moved to the side so I could look inside. Blood splattered the walls; the bodies of two Bwbach littered the floor.
I assumed it was two, but with so many pieces it was hard to tell.
“Holy Saints!” Guilt stabbed me. I never should’ve involved the Bwbach.
Sebastian pushed past me and stepped inside the cabin. “A Bleakness Wraith did this. I can smell its vile, corrupted stench. But which unholy Hellspawn beast controls it, I cannot say.”
“The diary and books are gone.” I didn’t need to look to know the truth of it.
“Fabulous,” Janice scoffed. “Now what? I don’t even know what’s calamity number one! The Archangel? The Wraith? Witches!”
Everyone looked at me, and I forced myself not to take a step back. I was completely out of good, bad, and terrible ideas.
Sebastian suddenly staggered to the door. “Too late, too late, too late …” he muttered. He pushed past me and pointed at several dark clouds that had just appeared.
“That can’t be good,” I moaned.
“Mama?” Sadie said.
Sebastian stumbled off the porch and into the yard, so I trailed after him. As soon as I stepped off the porch, the wind picked up, blowing strands of hair into my eyes and tossing dry leaves around. Static electricity sent prickles down my arms as the sky roiled dark gray. Pink stick lightning, weirdly horizontal, lit up the sky. I kept waiting for the crack of thunder, but the only sound was the whistle of the increasingly strong wind and the crunch of leaves.
“What is this?” I asked.
“The Archangel’s calling card,” Sebastian responded. He grabbed my hands and squeezed them, though the feeling still hadn’t returned from the arm Delilah had orbed. “Randel might be my supervisor, but he was wrong. Popas make amazing Gatekeepers. You are an amazing Gatekeeper.”
I smiled. “I know. But thanks.” And I did know. Heaven didn’t have to have faith in me. I had enough for myself.
A huge, blazing yellow orb of light ripped through the dark clouds and centered over Mack’s cabin.
“What in the world?” Janice asked. She and the others crowded on the porch, shading their eyes to stare at the mini-sun.
“Not of this world,” Sebastian responded. He kissed the back of both my hands, then stepped away from me. “Goodbye, Everly Popa. May peace be granted upon thee.”
“Sebastian, wait!” Heat ripped down my legs, and I couldn’t move.
The mini-sun expanded to twice the size of the cabin, pulsating in eye-blistering flashes. Sebastian extended his wings to their full glory, his white robe snapping behind him. He closed his eyes and held his arms up.
The wind ripped shingles from the roof, and a large branch from a live oak crashed to the ground. Three more followed.
Gigantic, glowing hands of light pulled on the sides of the orb, then extended out into the sky. The same metallic, ozone-ish tang filled the air as when Tien had been destroyed, but this time the tang was sharper. Far more powerful. Since the boundary had been closed, it must’ve been Sebastian’s power that grabbed Tien. There was no mistaking that this angel had far more of a kick.
“Please don’t hurt him!” I screamed.
The glowing fingers traced angelic patterns in the sky, leaving a trail of sparks as they moved. Sebastian, silent and proud, began vibrating faster and faster until I could barely make out his form.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I screamed.
“Everly.” Lawson, with tears dripping down his face, put his arm around my shoulders. It was only when drops of water hit his sleeve that I realized I was crying as well.
The hands stopped moving, then clenched into fists.
Sebastian’s body exploded into millions of pieces.
“NO!” I shrieked.
The pieces converged into a whirlwind. It stretched until it reached the fists, then all three retreated into the mini-sun.
The orb spun, shrinking as it moved until no longer visible. The cabin windows blew out, covering the grass in shards of glass.
“I believe in you,” Sebastian whispered into my ear.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Flying nightlights are no joking matter
I turned to the porch, too shocked to speak.
Luna, Linc, Grady, and Boone had already stepped into the yard with swords raised. Chase moved next to Luna, fur covering his arms and claws extended. Sadie and Heather stood behind them and looked ready to fight as well. I was so proud of them.
Not that their bravery would help. We were all getting ready to die.
The power inside me rolled in time with the thunder booming overhead. Even without my reading glasses, I could spot movement under my skin. Bile burned my throat as I realized how the Archangel planned to destroy Crossing Shadows. He would use me, like a human atomic bomb. Did Nevaeh and the other angels know this when they gave me their Grace? Did Sebastian?
Putrid violet and acid green streaks lit up the sky. The wind gusts blew the leaves and twigs around in mini-twisters. Normally, standing outside in the middle of weather like this was beyond stupid, but where could we seek safety? Might as well enjoy one last light show.
“We need to find a car and get out of here!” Sadie yelled over the whistling wind. Several leaves smacked her in the face until she pushed them away.
“The town won’t let us leave,” Lawson responded. “We’re trapped here.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding!” Sadie groused.
Luna shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”
Firefly-sized orbs of green light weaved around us. They stung like the dickens when touched and left huge blisters, so they quickly herded everyone into a tight bunch in the middle of a patch of wildflowers. Multi-colored lightning kept flashing across the ever-darkening sky in a morbid fireworks display. Beauty and danger had never been mutually exclusive.
It was weird—and comforting—that everyone had someone to console. Grady and Boone embraced, whispering to each other, while Luna ran her hand through Chase’s fur. As for Lawson, Janice, and me, well, we finally had our children. Even if it wasn’t for much longer.
Lawson and I glanced at each other, sharing our regret of what could’ve been but now never would be. He would always be the love of my life. Perhaps we would find each other in the Beyond, where there wouldn’t be any silly rules about whom you could love.
Sadie rested her head on my shoulder while we waited to see what would happen next. No one seemed panicky, just watchful of the cute little zipping lights. So pretty. So calming. So green … Wait … green? A jolt of pain raced through me as the skin on my abdomen bulged out like the worst bloat day ever. The disc embedded in my wrist glowed red hot.
“Green!” I hissed. “Witchlight.”
My words broke the tranquility spell over us.
The Hunters used their swords to bat away the pesky firefly orbs, keeping them from stinging us into submission. I, of course, found myself weaponless once again.
“Luna!” I yelled to catch her attention. “Get the salt!”
She batted at orbs while hightailing into the cabin. Boone and Grady dropped their rucksacks and pulled out several long daggers. A green orb slammed into Boone’s head, knocking him down. The stench of burnt flesh wafted over the angelic ozone tang.
“Boone’s breathing but unconscious.” The hard edge to Grady’s voice reminded me of Lawson’s.
Sadie grabbed a branch from the ground, then
showed off her perfect fast-pitch batting stance. “What do we do?”
“Grab a dagger. They’re angel-blessed. And fight!”
To my left, six figures bathed in green witchlight appeared next to a small copse of live oak trees. Delilah next stepped into view, her head tilted back in laughter. The figures must be Helen and the Vie, I guessed, though they were featureless. Helen must’ve decided this was the perfect time to attack. She was correct. By forcing us to battle against her group, I’d be too distracted to speak to the Archangel. And what could I say when things were obviously not under my control.
“Delilah!” I cried out. “This is insane! The Archangel will destroy everything, including us.” I felt for the Gatekeeper power inside me. Once centered in my stomach, it had grown throughout my body. For the first time, I urged it to ignite. Normally the damn thing had a mind of its own. The disc in my wrist continued to shine red hot, but none of the heat burned my skin.
“No escape plan, huh? You suck as a Gatekeeper!” Delilah’s taunting smirk made me want to break her nose again. Especially since, from what I could tell, she had healed. And what escape plan? If it was possible to leave town, Sebastian would’ve known it. Most likely.
Luna darted out of the cabin with a sack of salt. She made a quick circle around us without having to be told. The mini orbs, powered by witchlight, buzzed around but couldn’t pass the salt barrier. Or they were gathering in strength so they could surprise us with an overwhelming attack.
Getting killed by a flying nightlight would be so humiliating.
I kept coaxing the Gatekeeper power to grow. I didn’t have a solid plan, or even a floppy jelly-like one, but taking care of the witches was paramount. Then I could concentrate and bypass the Archangel and speak to the Big Guy Himself. Heaven needed to know we were in control, not the demons. Or the witches. Because that was what Sebastian had explained at the cemetery. Heaven wouldn’t allow demons to control a border town. Well, I’d already kicked their asses and taken names. Now to take down the Vie and spread the word so maybe the Archangel would be instructed to stop the destruction of Crossing Shadows.