I released a long breath. Why not join them. “Hand me a glass.”
Jesse slugged his first shot and slid two over to Azrian and Bellamy, both holding out eager hands. Then he pushed a glassful to me. “So, correct me if I’m wrong, but does that mean you defeat aThorsis and take his place? You win?”
I raised my glass. “To winning.”
“What else have you learned about the Lighted Realm?” Jesse swigged glass number two and then poured a double shot over ice. He slid a bottle to the youngsters.
The realm eluded any normalcy of offering a simple explanation. Unable to grasp it myself, how did one explain the transcendental to physical beings? I refused to reveal some of the anomalies, especially my newfound ability to execute every Fallen gift like misting, morphing, and comprehending any language. A few nights ago, I woke up hovering over the bed minus the wings. Misting took a wee bit of focus. How to jump-start the disassembly of one’s molecules evaded me at first. Gave me the creeps.
After a pause, I answered with hesitance. “Each Lighted One possesses its own color.”
“What do you mean by its, Pop?” Azrian glanced sideways at Bellamy when he also huffed in dismay. “Are they a he or a she? Or transgender?”
Good fortune shined on me at last. I welcomed the change of subject openly. “They are genderless beings, neither female nor male. No sex organs to speak of.” Snickers forced me to swallow the rest of the scotch. The rush of warm numbness egged me on. “The only way they can claim a specific gender is to possess a Malakhim body. aThorsis always chose a male. But that doesn’t mean he can’t possess a female.”
“Makes sense,” Jesse said. “What’s this about color?”
“Within the realm, each archangel possesses a unique color.” I shot a stern glance Azrian’s way, warning him not to comment. “My color is golden amber. aAriel’s is lavender. Not sure if aThorsis’s original color was gold, but it’s red now. The attacking Malakhim legion’s eyes glowed a scarlet red. Loree’s as well, which means they probably belong to aThorsis.”
“Ha!” Azrian nudged Bellamy’s shoulder. “Then you have dudes like Sabree whose eyes can’t make up their mind. A kaleidoscope of colors. Does that mean he belongs to everyone?”
“Satan’s color,” Ariane said from the door left ajar. “The color red is forbidden in the realm. I was institutionalized on a rehab planet for ten years…” Her gaze flitted to the side. “Harmonyville. The world had every color imaginable except red. Sam I Am said red was forbidden in the realm.”
I stood so abruptly, my chair skidded back. The room spun. I almost fell over my own feet. “You remember Sam? The rehab planet?”
“I do. Also, in my dreams. I miss the little guy.” She touched the back of her neck. “I still have the red spot he gave me.”
Everyone glanced around for answers until their gazes settled on me.
The pressure on, my eyes burned with certain insight. “Makes sense. Sam gave her the spot as a gift inside the Lighted Realm. Which means there are no boundaries. Her memories of the ten years as well.” I tugged the sleeve of my red sweater. aThorsis’s color is red, which goes against the realm’s code of ethics. Could be a sign that he abused his powers, joined the Dark side. Lighted One aAriel hinted that the other archangels had sided with me.
Jesse offered his glass to Ariane when she sat beside him. She brushed him off. “What’s this? No girls allowed?”
“Nothing to do with gender,” Brian said. “Glad you’re here, because this meeting concerns all. Where’s Sabree?”
“He’s taking time out to contemplate. Yoga or meditation.” Her eyes darkened. “I interrupted your private all-male meeting to let you know I’m very close to synthesizing the new and improved formula.”
“Good news,” everyone said except me.
She glared in my direction, her hands folded on the table. “Well?”
“I agree, great news, but we are planning our visit to see Gray Wolf. He lives near the HFA headquarters where Jesse and Bellamy have to report. We all go together. It’s the only way to make sure everyone is safe from aThorsis.”
“Now?” She gulped down the glass and slid it back to Jesse. “What about the tablets? I have a batch ready to be tested.”
“Here’s your test subject.” I leaned forward, pointing at myself. “The way I’ve been feeling, they can do no harm.” My gaze fell on Jesse. “Inform the HFA that you’ll be there and let Gray Wolf know we’d like to stay at his place. Ariane, since you’re the only female, you’ll have to stay in the ranch. Sorry, Navajo rules, not mine.”
Jesse’s cheeks turned ruddy. “Us dudes will stay in the large hogan. Bring sleeping bags.”
Ariane stood. “Seeing as it’s an all-male club inside the hogan and the sweat lodge, I’ll stay behind with Sabree. Safer here than all alone inside the ranch house.”
My sister was right, as usual. Why try to undermine her logic? “Okay, Sis, but make sure Sabree’s here.”
“How can I help, Pop?”
“Hire a private jet.”
25
Don’t Sweat It
O n the flight to Arizona, Jesse gave me a rundown of the Navajo or Diné people. A short history claimed they had passed through three worlds before coming onto Earth, known as the Fourth World. The Diné people have two classes of beings: Earth People and Holy People. The Earth People of the Diné were a vital part of the universe. Through the teachings of the Holy People, the Diné understood how to conduct themselves in their day-to-day lives while maintaining a healthy relationship with Mother Earth, Father Sky, and elements such as mankind, animals, plants, and insects.
Unlike my obsession with the number three, the Navajo believed four was important: four directions, four seasons, the first four clans, and the four colors associated with the four sacred mountains. Some Navajo rituals utilized four songs. The lesson kept my mind off the general malaise I could not shake. The soreness increased day by day. The rest of the trip uneventful, we hired a rental and drove straight for Kayenta.
A déjà vu worse than all others slugged me in the gut. I staggered from the virtual blow.
“You, okay, Pop?”
My hand reached out for my son’s shoulder to steady myself. “Aye. I’ve been here so many times, it’s like coming home.” Other than Edinburgh, something about Arizona made me feel welcomed.
As we gathered outside the hogan, my gaze settled on the small structure Gray Wolf used as a sweat lodge. The word Ta'Chéé flashed in my mind. Without even thinking, I mimicked my son’s gift of language, Navajo being one of the most complicated to learn. Cool beans. Gray Wolf once said something about Ta'Chéé or grandfathers amongst us.
The night after the HFA meeting, Jesse’s grandfather promised to perform a ceremonial sweat or purification to ease my son’s troubled mind. Erase the evil Serine had polluted him with. I doubted the ceremony would be the real deal, so many of their traditions closed to outsiders. Between Azrian and me, we couldn’t be any more outside.
In front of the hogan, I shook Gray Wolf’s hand without bothering to introduce myself. He already knew who I was. “Thank you for your extended hospitality, Gray Wolf.”
One of the stones in my pouch wiggled. My wager fell on the Zuni Fetish his wife had carved. Odd, but when I met Gray Wolf this time, the second time for me if not for him, he spoke as if I had only been away for a few days. Acted as if he had known me all along. Nothing surprised me anymore, not even the idea that Gray Wolf, himself, had probably come from the Lighted Realm. Maybe a being similar to White Ghost.
“Gray Wolf, my son, Azrian.” I stepped aside when he leaned in to shake Azrian’s hand and pulled away as if he had grasped hot coals. An act or did Gray Wolf sense the conflict that plagued my son? A chuckle almost slipped, recalling how the future-past Gray Wolf arranged a fake sweat with Sabree to find his true animal self. Either too sweaty, hot, or worried, Sabree ran out of the sweathouse before a mouse or squirrel danced across his lap. Ariane’s
sudden appearance ended that quest.
“Pleased to meet you, young man,” Gray Wolf said in fluent Navajo.
Azrian responded in kind, his accent true to the native tongue.
While they conversed, and I eavesdropped, my gaze focused on the sterling-silver Concho pinned off-centered on the deerskin band of his cowboy hat. The tattered feathers sticking out of the band caught the slightest breeze. The silver braid almost reached his waist, and his leather-tanned face mimicked a city road map, the age lines crisscrossing in every direction. Could Gray Wolf really reach my son? Make him believe he vanquished the evil? Doubt clogged what little optimism I had gathered.
Gray Wolf winked at me and waved us inside. My mind raced. What did it mean? That my son would be all right, or did he know about my ability to understand and speak Navajo? We followed Jesse into the hogan. Bellamy trailed behind after he emptied the rental of luggage. I was spared the honor of sleeping inside the hogan last time but had heard a detailed account from Sabree. Larger than imagined, Gray Wolf must’ve moved his bed, refrigerator, and recliner closer to the wall to make room for our sleeping bags.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Gray Wolf announced. “Simple living at its best.” He pointed in the direction of the ranch house. “Main plumbing is in the house, but there are plenty of thirsty cacti outside the hogan if you can’t make it that far.” He chuckled. “The barn is empty.”
Azrian and Bellamy edged around the border of the wall with their phones raised over their heads. No signal. I tossed a pebble at Azrian and spoke inside his mind. “Looks like we’ll have to use telepathy to communicate. Check in on Ariane often.”
“Count on me, Pop.”
Gray Wolf buzzed my mind with static as he spoke to the younger men. “You’ll get two bars up at the ranch.”
“Let’s get settled before we eat,” I said to Azrian, nudging his bag with my foot. The effort to pick it up and toss it at him never came. Travel weariness plagued my bones.
“We’ll cook dinner. You rest, Pop.”
My son’s coddling made me feel like an old man. Well, what the hell, my body ached all over. I walked around with slumped shoulders. My headache still pounded from the flight. “Good idea, as long as it’s all right with our host.” We bought enough steaks and baked beans for an outdoor barbecue.
The lads rolled out our sleeping bags. Afterwards, we ate, drank a few beers, and turned in. Jesse and crew had to rise early for the HFA meeting in Phoenix. Tomorrow evening, an all-night sweat to cleanse Azrian of bad thoughts and heal my overall illness was in the works. Ariane gave us a fresh supply of Colton tablets to test while here. The tabs didn’t stay down for me, heaving every time; yet, Azrian kept them down. Old man for sure.
3 3 3
Before sunrise, Jesse, Bellamy, and Azrian climbed into the rental and drove to the meeting while I stayed behind with Gray Wolf. Jesse asked me to keep his grandfather company. However, Jesse’s actual concern read like an open book, that my being there would upset those present at the meeting. More like bring the house down.
As they drove off, Gray Wolf said, “Thank you for the code word, Gray Wolf lives.” He turned to head back into the hogan. “I do live.”
I followed him inside drawn by curiosity alone. Something about the odd man intrigued me. “You’ve been there, haven’t you?” I meant the Lighted Realm but didn’t bother to elaborate on the details. Certain of it, Gray Wolf knew all.
His frown said otherwise. “Does it matter?”
“Aye!” My shoulders slumped forward. “No…guess not.” Damn, the day would drag on forever inside the hogan. I should’ve gone with them. At least walk around Phoenix if the fatigue eased up.
Gray Wolf held a cold one in my face and put it back in the refrigerator when my head shook in response. “The Enemy Way and the Night Way remove evil spirits and negativity. By removing the darkness, healing begins because light can once again enter. Too bad the sweat will be only one night. A nine-day sing is vital to fully heal your son’s mind. But don’t sweat it.” Gray Wolf snickered and then tipped his hat. “I’m not usually that clever with puns.”
“Aye...” A forced smile was all I could muster. Every muscle ached, including the facial ones. My hands began to tremble, so I sat on them. “We’ll take whatever.” Spending nine days away from Ariane was out of the question. Too much at stake. Besides, Jesse had to get back to Edinburgh to implement new orders. The HFA probably begged him to keep me under his thumb, prevent me from doing any more damage.
Gray Wolf barked a chuckle and slapped my shoulder. His hand shot back to his belt buckle on my yelp. “Sorry. Are you in pain?”
“Not your fault. You surprised me more than anything.” His hand felt like ice, so cold it scolded me.
Gray Wolf’s eyes never left mine as he chugged his beer. “In truth, a nine-day sing would be overkill. Azrian is not as bad as you believe him to be.” He pointed at the square box on the dresser. “Want to watch something?”
“Is that a TV? Does it work?”
“Good enough to occupy our day.”
Hours of Maverick, Gunsmoke, and F-Troop reruns entertained Gray Wolf while I watched with one eye opened. Catnaps pampered me throughout the day. Show after show, the silence between us became less awkward. By the time Gray Wolf preheated leftovers for dinner, the HFA members returned home. Their body language said it all: slumped shoulders, downturned lips, and an overall grouchiness consumed each one’s aura.
Jesse stated the obvious. “The meeting didn’t go well. They blame you for Earth’s predicament. Unlike Bellamy and I, the big picture of the Lighted war eludes the HFA. The coming battle will determine Earth’s future or the lack thereof. For now, humanity will have to hold its breath and wait.”
After a quiet dinner, none of us in the mood to discuss the upcoming battle or HFA politics, we got ready for the not-so-big sweat. Jesse, Bellamy, Azrian, and I lined up outside the sweathouse in skimpy loin cloths. Butt naked was the norm but we all objected. Thankfully, Ariane insisted on staying home. With binoculars in hand from the front porch of the ranch, she would have had a good laugh at the four of us.
One at a time, we squeezed in through the oblong hut, a permanent structure Gray Wolf built out of stone and wood. Already inside seated naked before a hole in the center covered with planks, Gray Wolf welcomed us by calling out our Navajo names. “The stones are heated while I pour water over them to produce steam.” He shouted to the east, south, west, and then the north. “I’m inviting old ones, holy people to join.” He started to sing a ceremonial song.
An hour into the sweat, the temperature climbed with the pitch of Gray Wolf’s voice. The chant he sung in ancient tongue made some sense if not for my wandering thoughts. The blend of glowing herbs soured my stomach. Altered my mind to a jellied mush.
A rise in the timbre made my son sit straighter. He had been elbowing and cracking jokes with Bellamy. “Stop clowning around,” my voice snapped in his mind. “Show some respect. He’s putting on this bloody sweat just for you.” Me too, but again, I refused to elaborate on the details. Kept them to myself instead.
Shadows from the herbal smudge hung over my son’s head. His eyes formed slits as he stared at me. “Sorry, Pop, but neither of us have said a word nor moved a muscle. You tripping already?”
Sweat trickled down my forehead. “Not sure what Gray Wolf is burning. He promised to keep the smudge low key with herbs like sage and hyssop.” The incense smoldering in the logs effected my mind in a nasty way. The sage no longer wafted a grassy sweetness but smothered the sweathouse with the noxious stench of sulfur and burnt tire. I squeezed both nostrils tight, the fumes stinging like corrosive acid. Tears spilled and my sinuses ran. No wait. Not tears. Blood! All of it blood.
No, no, this isn’t real. The urge to cry out suppressed, I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed cool hands over them to ease the burn. When they dared open again, the shadows darkened, forming eerie shapes. The figure of a kokopelli danced
high up the wall until it contorted into a gangly spider. As it swelled in size, all eight legs reached toward me. On the verge of hyperventilating, I bent over and shielded my head with both arms. Whispers carried in song asked me if I was all right. Pleaded for my attention.
My son was right. I had to be hallucinating this nightmarish vision. Why only me? From my hunched position, I peeked between splayed fingers. The spider was gone, replaced by a bobbing array of shapes typical of a lava lamp. The entire clay ceiling rippled with movement. One blob loomed overhead as it spread an ominous crimson hue within its coal outline. aThorsis! Definitely an old one, but no way holy. Did Gray Wolf accidently invite him? Or did the bastard decide to crash our sweat? I wouldn’t have it.
I stood so suddenly, the top of my head smacked the ceiling. The red death seeped into my mind. Knife-like needles pierced my skull. Unable to see through the crimson fog, I spun in place to find the exit, escape this hell.
“Pop!” Azrian yelled. “Sit down.”
“Where’s he going?” Bellamy reached for my arm.
Big mistake. I belted the lad off his fire-log yoga pose. He sailed over the sweat logs, landing face first between Jesse and his grandfather. All three sets of eyes bulged my way.
Couldn’t control myself. I had to leave before aThorsis hurt anyone. Escape into the Lighted Realm was my only hope. If I made the jump without first entering the portal, would the transference burn those around me? The sweathouse and the hogan too?
Azrian leapt from his seat to block the exit. His voice calm, he held out a hand to mine. “Pop. Take it easy.” His voice hitched on a gasp. “Oh my God, what’s happening to you? You’re breaking up. What are those fiery lights glowing beneath your skin? Your eyes—they’re on fire. Pop!”
Archangel of the Fallen Page 17