by Nathan Parks
“I will overlook the fact that you are accusing my brother of working against me . . . or at least hoping to. You would be wise to listen to the words you are saying. You have believed for too long that your place on the Arch Council was one of power and authority. What you fail to remember is that you have been there only out of necessity for those of us unable to reach home. When your time is through there, you may find yourself to be one of those ‘old and weak’ elements of which you speak.”
“Maybe . . .” Michael smirked, “and then maybe I just haven’t had my time yet, and it is on the horizon.”
“Your time? Azrael, your time for relevance has come and gone. You are more like an old hunting dog that we keep around for sentimental value.”
The two stood glaring at each other for a moment. It was Michael who finally broke the gaze, brushed past Mantus, and made his way out of the castle.
* * * * *
He hadn’t even made it out of Mantus’ fortress before he made a phone call.
It rang once before Denora answered, “Yeah?”
“Have you gotten there yet? Do you have anything new for me?”
“No, I told you I would take care of this end; so, let me.”
“I need to know anything and everything you can find. There is rumor that the portion of Legion that was not exiled has now been destroyed.”
There was silence for a minute, followed by a small chuckle, “Now, wouldn’t that be something if it was true? You take the main game piece out of the picture, and what do you have?”
“I’m not in the mood for joking,” he stated flatly. “Get something done, or I will not have any need of you or your services.”
“Sure, Azrael. I’m not worried.”
She hung up without any fanfare or goodbyes.
Chapter Six
Ki stood, shaking his head at Gideon, “I don’t know. I have nothing personal against your girlfriend, Brother, but any Alliance members, up to this point, have always had a level of . . .”
“Of faith?” the Angel finished Ki’s statement. “Don’t we all have faith? Every day of anyone’s creation is a day of faith. This day, this moment, is going to be a day worth fighting for, living in, and maybe even dying for.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do; but— and I can’t believe I am saying this—what if her faith is as strong as ours but just looks different?”
“I’m not saying it isn’t . . . but even the Fallen have faith in what they do, and yet that doesn’t make them right. History’s journals are full of people with misguided faith.”
“I understand that, but hasn’t our faith and beliefs changed over the ages? We all know, without any doubt, that mankind has chosen to have faith in what many of us know as partial truths. They hold to beliefs that, many times, are loosely based upon historical fact blended with human superstition.
“Jackie has been a vital asset to us, even if we won't admit it out loud. Allowing her the chance to be a part of all we do here is really no different than her helping us out already.”
Ki rubbed his temples. He still needed to make a call to Leah and was in the middle of trying to figure out how to maneuver those waters when Gideon had asked to speak with him. Then he asked if Jackie could be brought officially into the Alliance.
“To be honest, I hate this job.”
Gideon could only laugh at this statement, “Guess asking Leah to come back is out of the question?”
Ki nodded, “Yeah, just a little bit.” He motioned around the office in which the two were standing, “This is her place . . . not mine. Put me in the armory. I don’t even care if you put me in the motor pool . . . anywhere but here, behind a desk. I’m behind a desk, and yet my heart and mind are out there with everyone else.”
“You don’t think hers was? You doubt that there was ever a time when Leah would rather have not been out in the field? Come on, Ki. We all know better than that.”
“Correct, but she chose to be our leader. I . . . well, I didn’t.”
“No, maybe not; but out of all of us, you are the natural one to fill this office and to fill her shoes.”
“You are also trying to flatter me into a decision about Jackie.”
Gideon shook his head as he smiled, “No, but if I was, I would imagine I am on the right path. Seriously, though, Brother, you are the right person for this; and when it comes to Jackie, bringing her on the team is also the right move. The storm raging on the horizon is not going to be won by Immortals; this is the time for mankind to rise and show they are not just a ‘secondary’ creation or an afterthought.”
Ki thought about it for a moment. Gideon was probably correct. For too long, even though they pretended that they looked at their human counterparts as equals, the truth was that they rarely did. Sure, it wasn’t due to malicious thinking but more of the idea that mankind seemed always to make choices based upon emotion rather than a pattern of critical thinking.
“I will go with it. You are right: she has helped us out a lot over the last few years, and maybe the reason that Mortals have not risen up to their full potential is due to the fact that we have continued to attempt to dictate—whether right or wrong—their path. We have taken the hammer of authoritarian leadership and attempted to drive in the nail of free will; yet in doing so, we have bent the very thing that could be fastening it all together: Mortals.”
“Can’t really argue with you on that. I think you may be more right with that than any of us care to admit.”
He motioned for Gideon to give him the room.
“I still need to touch base with Leah.”
The other Angel nodded and quickly exited the office.
* * * * *
Ki looked around him. She had left everything as if she would be gone for only a short time. The office itself had windows all the way around and was positioned so Leah would have been able to see most of the activity around the Sanctum.
He had spent so many ages side-by-side with mortal man, fighting to keep the evils of the world from destroying them. He had travelled with Marco Polo as an Alliance messenger and then had stood with the Samurai as the Elisheth Clan had threatened to build an empire of evil in the eastern continents. In all he had done, he never desired to hold the seat of leadership. He was a frontline type of warrior. He was a “charge-hard-and-fast” type of guy; and the ability to nurture, at which Leah had been good, was not a strong attribute of his.
He tried to sit behind the desk to make his phone call, but just couldn't do it.
“Sorry, Friend, still is your seat.”
He dialed the number and held his breath. He wanted her to answer, but then there was some deep desire for her not to pick up the phone. He didn’t want to have her hear the doubt in his voice or the desire he had to have her return.
“Hello,” she answered.
“So, you can have your office back” sure seemed a stupid way to start off, but it was the only thing he could think of.
Ki was sure he could actually hear her smiling. He was her best team member, but she knew that the transition was not going to be easy. His statement clarified that.
“Nope, my job there is done, Ki. It is your ship to steer now.”
“Maybe I will become a Vapor, also; and then Gideon can have this ship.”
“Um yeah, don’t think that would be a wise choice. He is good but still rough around the edges.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“Maybe.”
He took a deep breath, “So, how are you?”
“I’m good. Still trying to get my land legs under me, but I’m good. I’m actually glad you called. We have had some interesting things take place, and I wanted to talk to you about it all.”
“Good! Maybe you can be a dial-a-mentor for me, and we can figure this out together.”
He closed the door to offer some more privacy as the two friends and leaders continued their conversation.
Chapter Seven
She let out a
huge breath as she hung up the phone with Ki. She felt a sense of relief that someone else was sitting at the head of the table. Then, there was also guilt—guilt came from leaving Ki with what, she felt more and more, was a hopeless mission. She had no doubt he would do a great job, but she wasn’t sure how much she would be able to mask her distain for the whole situation and help him at the same time.
Leah had informed Ki that Chad and Serenity were with her; and then, she had shared in detail their encounter with Legion. She knew he was looking for more direction, but at this point she couldn’t give it to him. She had listened intently to his account of all that had happened in the team meeting; and she had agreed, in part, to what Bristol had stated about leaders going before the Arch Council. She had cautioned him not to go with any preconceived notions. She had hesitated and then chose not to share any doubts she had about Michael. She felt she needed more information before she could do that.
She showed some irritation that he had not spoken with Isaiah yet, but she held her tongue. There was no way that he didn’t detect it but, again, his ship to steer. He showed the irritation right back when she informed him that Chad and Serenity were not returning to the Alliance anytime soon. He expressed curtly how he already was short the manpower. He did state, however, that he understood their decision.
She looked up as Ann walked into the enclosed porch where Leah was sitting. At one time the porch had been open, but eventually the decision had been made to close it off so that it could be enjoyed year-round. There was a large, double-sided fireplace that had openings out to the porch area, as well as to the inside of the mansion. The heat from it was collected and stored nicely by the stone walls of the porch, which made it comfortable and relaxing.
Leah was curled up on one of the large pieces of patio furniture, and she smiled as Ann got comfy on the seat to her right.
“Getting an escape from the kids?”
Ann put her finger to her lips as if pretending to ask for silence.
“Don’t tell anyone. Maybe they will not realize that I am gone,” she shrugged. “They also may realize it and be excited. That will mean Gene will probably be looking for me; and so, we still will keep my whereabouts a secret for now.”
“Deal.”
“How are you doing, Leah? Honestly?”
Leah wasn’t sure how to answer that. She couldn’t remember the last time she had relaxed. When was the last time she just curled up in a chair, smiled, and just breathed? She couldn’t even come up with one time; she felt so out-of-sync. There were questions about where she belonged and what she was supposed to do now.
“Ann, I feel guilty about feeling so free. All my existence I have spent focused on the mission; and now I find myself still thinking about it, yet it isn’t consuming me. Is it wrong that I don’t miss it all?”
“I don’t think so. Sure, it is all you have known; but if you don’t step out of what you have always known, you can never discover what you never knew.
“When you all brought me to Eden, for the first little bit I wanted nothing more than to go back to what I knew. I didn’t care that all of it had almost ended my life. I didn’t care that for so many years I had lived as a slave to others. All I wanted was what I knew; even if what I knew no longer wanted me. After a while I began to . . .” she paused as she tried to think of a way to express it. “I guess you could say I began to decompress. Sure, I had no idea what was in store for me; but the further away I moved from my past life, the stronger and freer I felt. Obviously, like you, it has a way of still finding me, but now I have a clearer picture. I am not looking at it all with blinders on.”
“That makes sense. There have been so many times that I would help rescue someone . . . like you . . . and part of me was jealous that they got to move on, but I had to return to the gutters of mortality. Then again, there was a part of me—not intentionally, of course—that felt those dressed with the clothes of mortality were weak.”
Ann laughed, “I don’t take offense to that. I can understand . . . to a point. I guess the difference is I have lived in my shoes for a lifetime; you are just starting your journey on this side of the curtain.”
They both sat in silence for a bit, soaking in the heat of the fire. The snow had stopped falling earlier, and the landscape outside included a few cardinals flitting about.
“Leah, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Did Tori really kill Legion?”
The Vapor sat there, pondering the question. She had not been in the room. She had felt the explosion and heard the screams, but neither she nor Zarius had been able to get back in.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m not insinuating that he wasn’t killed if that is what you are worried about,” Ann said in a quiet voice. “We were prepared for an extensive onslaught.” She stopped, realizing that the words she was about to use made it sound as if she felt the danger and fight with the Demon had not been that difficult. “I don’t know. I know I can’t imagine what you all saw. I can’t thank you enough for you three keeping my children safe, but I also can’t get past this dread—a feeling of a dark shadow over everything.”
“Could it be because of Tori’s death?”
“You are probably right.”
Leah changed her position in the chair so she was able to look at Ann better.
“Let me answer your question directly, though, pertaining to Legion. The truth is we are assuming. I believe the answer is ‘yes’; but as we all are very aware, it seems that just when we think we know what is going on, we don’t.”
Ann laughed at that, “Isn’t that the truth! You’re telling that to me, the mother of twins. So, let’s say that she didn’t kill him.”
“Ok, I’ll bite.”
“Where did he go? Tori’s dead. Blunt, I know; but she is. He just can’t vanish. We never saw him leave.”
“That is why I think she did the job. I wish it had been me, but it wasn’t. She saved us, and for that we all can be grateful.”
“Sure, but what next?”
Leah stretched out and rested her head against the back of the chair. Her long, blond hair fell around her face; and she began to play with the ends of it as she thought.
“That is the million-dollar question. Ki was just asking me the same thing, and I know that Serenity and I had this conversation. The Fallen are still out there. Ki informed me a little while ago that there has been more Clan activity that involves what seems to be members with no sworn allegiance. So, something is up; and if I know the Clans, if we don’t figure it out, they will show us—usually in a way that is not convenient for us.”
“What about Zarius?”
“What about him?”
“He seemed to believe that the artifact he has plays a role in all of this . . . that and his brother.”
“Michael?” Leah scoffed. “One day—I promise—he and I will stand face-to-face, and we will have our moment of truth.”
“So, how does that happen and why?”
“The list that will answer why is long for me, but I do not know how it will happen. You may be right, though.”
Ann tilted her head to one side.
“About what?”
“Maybe we should sit down with Zarius and find out what else we need to know and see if he has any thoughts. He was headed here to Eden with that thing before any of this happened. So obviously, he either knows something we don’t or he has a hunch about something—either way, it may be time he tells us.”
Ann stood up and offered her hand to Leah. Leah took it and allowed her to pull her up from the cozy chair. Ann wrapped her arms around her friend.
“I never had the chance to properly hug you and thank you for all you have done for me. You are crusty and hard—like a warrior—on the outside; but Leah, it is your compassion and heart that has allowed myself and the kids to live. Thank you.”
Leah hugged her back. It was all she could do. Rarely did she get thanked for what she
did. This was new . . . and it felt good.
Chapter Eight
“You throw one! You can throw further!”
Lada handed a snowball to Serenity. The little girl laughed as Serenity let it fly through the air, and it collided with the top of Chad’s head. Both girls knew it was a good throw because they heard Chad yell about the cold ball of white fluff as it broke over him, going down the back of his shirt.
“Oh, it is on now!” he yelled from his and Lano’s hiding place.
He had been making a pile of snowballs for Lano; but now that Serenity fired a volley, it meant war! He handed two snowballs to the young boy.
“Ok, so here is what we are going to do: I am going to start throwing a lot of snowballs; and as I do, I want you to sneak over that way,” he pointed to their left. “I want you to come up behind them and hit each of them with a snowball. Got it?”
A devilish and childish grin spread across the little boy’s face as he nodded. Chad collected several of his reserves and began a heavy round of outgoing snowballs down onto where the two girls were. He could hear Lada giggling loudly and Serenity yelling out that it wasn’t fair that he was throwing so many. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of little Lano stumbling through the snow trying to make his “sneak attack.” The squeal of both Serenity and Lada told Chad that the little man had been successful.
Before he knew it, Serenity and Lada waved their hands in surrender and called a truce. The twins ran off together to see what other trouble they could get into.
Serenity playfully made another snowball when Chad was not looking and ran up to him. With a quick movement, she plastered it all over his face, pushing him and causing him to fall backward into the snow. Not to be outdone as he went down, he quickly swept her leg and she came tumbling down beside him.
“Hey! Not fair!” she squealed.