As he spoke, Annaleah continued to feel a million emotions raging within her. Was what he was saying true? Was she really the salvation of the angels? Was that even possible?
"It is possible," her father said, reading her thoughts, "though I have no time left to explain to you how or why it is. Just know you are loved, and there are many of us with you, though you cannot see us. Your very existence is the result of thousands of years of love; your heart beats for righting wrongs done long ago.” Metatron straightened up to his full height. “I only have a short time left. Come to me Annaleah." He said her name gently, sweetly, as if saying it was a sacred prayer of reverence.
Though she was overwhelmed, she went to him. She felt as much love for him as he was radiating toward her.
As they embraced, Metatron kissed her on the hands, for in her angelic form she was too tall for him to kiss her cheeks.
"I bless your hands, child, that they would know strength when you need them most, and gentility when you think there is need for none."
And then he was gone...as If he had never stood before her, in the blink of an eye, leaving only swirling snowflakes and the imprint of booted feet.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sebastian’s Nightmare
Sunday, August 15th
It is one of my favorite times now, the early hours of morning when the sky is still heavy with inky darkness. It is neither truly morning nor night, but some magical place in between, the time when the mystical happens. The world looks more beautiful to my eyes, more mysterious, full of secrets waiting to be discovered. I wish that I was able to sit in appreciative contemplation of this sacred time, but alas, it’s nothing peaceful that has brought me to write in my journal. I have awoken from a horrific dream, and though not much truly disturbs me, here I sit shaking with the residual dread I held within this dream.
It began in the place where Gabriel had sent me when he gifted me with the dream of an angelic Annaleah. It looked to be empty, but the energy of it was alive and thrumming. I smelled wax and incense, and though there was no circle there, the energy of one recently having been drawn was strongly evident. And, quite strangely, it was snowing. The moonlight reflected in silver blue against the falling flakes, some of which were almost as large as my hand. Though most dreams are laced with the fanciful and devoid of common sense, I knew that snow falling here was not commonplace. I knew it was still summer, and so the symbolism was not lost on me. Something pure had been here, something innocent and even Holy. Just what it was, escaped me.
I allowed myself some time to appreciate this scene; to draw the scent of well-made amber incense into my lungs and to feel the chill of the air against my flesh as the snow fell gently. The wind blew softly and lifted my hair; this too, I paused to enjoy. I listened, but there was no sound save for the exhalation of my own breath and the trees creaking as they moved in the moonlit snowfall. I sensed her then, or at least her energy. Annaleah had been here, and not that long ago. I went to one knee, pressing my hand to the snowy ground. Here her bare feet had touched, I thought. It was she who had drawn the circle. Was it also she who had made it snow? Curious.
From behind me came a clicking sound, at first so faint that I chose to ignore it. I continued to press my palm against the ground, but now I felt something different. Something which was coming to destroy the beauty of whatever it was Annaleah had done here. It shook deep within the earth as it made its foul way to the surface. Something almost as old as myself was coming, hot with anger and hatred, ready for blood, pain, and utter destruction. The purity of Annaleah's deed, and the innocence of her energy's signature had torn the fabric of the in between worlds, making a portal. Though she had closed her circle well, the lingering energy of whatever she had done served as a beacon to the darker ones. And now, they were coming.
As the clicking behind me grew louder and more insistent, I turned. The moonlight seemed reluctant to shed its beautiful glow on whatever it was that made this hateful noise, leaving only a deep stain of shadow that resonated with the energy of filth and sickness. In the deepness of this shadow, it seemed as though there was only an abyss, with no forest or trees behind it, but a tear in reality which was an ugly, black wound. From this wound the clicking noise grew. Before I registered the sound as insectile, hundreds of black, shiny spots with many legs poured forth all at once. It was as if the abyss before me had given birth to fear, as several dozen spiders of varying sizes burst forth, legs moving in a way I have always seen as alien. My Goddess, the Creator, would never have created something which seemed to live solely for inflicting the pangs of adrenaline laced fear into those it came across. The terrible clicking sound was that of thousands of legs moving against shiny black carapaces, all advancing toward me. These creatures were what had hurt Annaleah; there was no question of it. This angered me deeply, and I used this to my benefit. This many spiders could only mean one thing. Something evil was coming.
They continued to pour forth from the blackness that the moonlight could not touch, but, where Annaleah had drawn her circle, they would not enter. Soon, I stood in a circle of no more than ten feet's width, the ground beyond it alive with eight legged evil. Though these vermin were repulsive and formed a great threat to my well-being, I knew the greater danger was not from them. Something else was coming. These little harbingers were nothing more than a message that their master was on the way.
"Show yourself, Nephila! I know it is you beyond the blackness, what do you want?" I demanded. In response, the spiders moved aside in front of me, making a pathway from the black abyss to the circle where I stood. I heard her laughter; the mad spider queen was amused and feeling certain of herself. Her demented cackles seemed to come at first from behind me, then to my left, and then above me, echoing off of the trees and off of empty space.
"Seraphael..." she whispered my angelic name, as though she was speaking directly into the cup of my ear. I turned at once to where I thought she must be standing, knowing she would not be there, but turning still. More laughter. Amused, lunatic laughter.
"Enough games, Jorogumo!" I said, angry at being treated in such a disrespectful manner. "Show yourself and face me, or leave me like the coward you are. Is that it, Nephila, are you afraid of me?" After I spoke, I felt the stillness. The spiderlings ceased moving their multitude of legs and stilled the hard shells of their bodies. From the abyss, I heard a frustrated cry of anger at my insult, and watched as the darkness grew. As it stretched, it seemed as though it truly was a wound, stealing the life force and energy of the scenery around it in order to expand, injecting disease and filth where once only beauty and peace had been. Nearby trees wilted and died, turning to ash before being swallowed by the undulating growth of the blackness.
From the darkness of the abyss she called to me, "Seraphael, your pride is foolish. Perhaps tonight I shall devour you and feed you to my babies." I saw the tip of one of her legs then, yellow and black and shiny, with several small tufts of hair at the end of her foot. Another foot followed it, until I could see her horrific form. She was in her half human, half spider form. From the waist up, she was beautiful, even though quite mad. Her long black hair, from which several strands were loose, was tied into an elaborate knot on the top of her head. Her dark eyes were heavily lined in black kohl, and her lips were the color of blood. She wore a gold and black kimono over her top half, which had torn and lost its elegance when she had transformed her lower body into its arachnid form. Her lower form was that of a giant spider, hard and shiny, mostly black with some yellow markings.
She looked upon me with eyes of maniacal hunger, ready to pounce on me and fight to the death. I wondered briefly what I had done to incur her wrath. She continued to look at me wordlessly as she made her way from the black wound in the forest to the path made by her spiderlings, to the edge of the circle in which I stood.
"Ahh, yes, even the great Seraphael knows I am beautiful. I can see it in your eyes, fallen one. I could let you have me. Oh yes. I could
take you to places of ecstasy even you could not imagine. Surely you must have wondered what it was like to be with a female? I could teach you." She licked her lips at me in what she must have thought of as a seductive way, but it reminded me of a vampire licking blood off its victim, and I shuddered. She saw this and drew herself up quickly, as if she would strike me should I dare step too close.
"You are a fool Seraphael, a FOOL!" she spat, insulted. "If it weren't for that bitchling Annaleah, I could have you as I want you!" Her eyes flashed red with the intensity of her anger. Feeling the wrath of their queen, the spiderlings around her began to make an odd, chittering sound, as if they were shivering in the snow.
"Don't speak her name. She is of light and purity and you are of darkness and filth. Your vile lips will never be worthy to utter her name." I meant every word I spoke.
The Jorogumo walked as close to where the circle had been drawn as she dared, pacing around its perimeter. She seemed unperturbed by my latest insult. After a few moments of silence, she said, "There are others more handsome than you, Seraphael. More mysterious and powerful. You must not realize to whom you speak. I have powers of my own, you see. I was blessed by the fallen who made me, and hailed me as the queen of their shadow creatures. I could make you suffer greatly, Seraphael, is that what you want?" She turned to look me in the eye as she spoke my name, and I was not quick enough to look away before she had entered my mind. She fought me with visions she had implanted within me, an ability that our kind, good or evil, have both been endowed with. For a moment I was taken from this dream to a nightmare within a dream...
She showed me Annaleah sleeping, a scuttling mass of spiders covering her unconscious form, weaving silver-white strands over her body to encase her in a tomb of silk. They worked quickly, injecting venom into her as they spun their threads over her, making a gift for their mother and queen. The Jorogumo advanced from the shadows beyond, in her full and terrible spider form, giant and monstrous. She towered over Annaleah briefly, flexing her enormous jaws in anticipation of the killing bite. Venom ran the length of her mandibles, dripping onto Annaleah and burning her flesh.
I struggled against the invasive visions, throwing her out of my mind with the force of my will. I was fueled by anger at her invasion, and for the harm she meant to one I now held dear. My anger was raw and intense, and for a moment I thought the scream the Jorogumo let out was from the pain inflicted from being violently torn from my mind. As I recovered from her tormenting vision, I heard the hooting and screeching of a parliament of owls, followed by the insectoid panicking of many arachnid bodies moving all at once.
When I opened my eyes, I saw an owl dive bombing the Jorogumo, and thought of the owl that had smashed into my classroom window. It was, indeed, a great horned owl, puffed up and feral looking. It snapped at Nephila, tearing a slice of flesh from her cheek with its curved beak. The spider queen screamed and spoke in Japanese, nothing I recognized, but I am assuming it was a curse of some sort. From the trees many more owls appeared, and not just horned owls, but many species. I saw barn owls, snowy owls, screech owls, and many others, all working together to attack the Jorogumo and her colony of spiderlings.
As owls carried off and devoured the spiders, the Jorogumo looked at me with one of the most intense expressions of pure wrath and hatred that I have ever seen. She held her hand to her bleeding cheek and made an odd, chittering sound to what remained of her cluster of spiders. They retreated at once, a mass of black all headed back to the gaping abyss from which they had emerged.
Nephila backed up to retreat into the abyss. Pride would not let her turn her back to me, and so she stared at me as she headed to the wound of shadows, following her babies. Before she made her withdrawal, she threw her head back and with a vile sound, brought up a mouthful of spittle and venom. This she spat at me, but it didn't go very far. In her heightened emotional state, she must have forgotten about the circle's energy still around me. The venom filled spittle bounced off of the protective field and landed on the Jorogumo, further infuriating her. I couldn't help but laugh at the expression she wore as the venom hit her wounded cheek; it was a mix of pain, surprise and scorn. With insult added to injury, she turned around and fled for the abyss, carelessly stepping on several of her spiderlings in the process.
I bowed my head in a moment of thankful prayer. I had come to this dreamscape unarmed. I knew the presence of my kindred were with me. I paused too to send thanks to Annaleah, and to ask for her further protection. I wondered if she had any idea that her powerful circle had served as my protection, or if my brothers and sisters of the Light had simply held its power in check, knowing I would wander here in Dream Time. I sent my gratitude too, to the owls, for coming to my assistance when I needed them.
As I lifted my head from prayer, a great horned owl landed at my feet. In its beak it held the slice of flesh it had torn from Nephila's cheek. It dropped this at my feet and looked back up at me. As its large golden eyes looked into mine, I heard its thoughts.
"We have helped you because Annaleah is also very dear to us. We know how special you are growing to her, and how you have come to feel for her. Protect her, for she needs you as you will need her." The owl's voice was that of a soft spoken woman.
I nodded my assent, and said, "I promise." In response, the owl bowed her great head in respect before she opened her enormous wings for flight. After she had taken off, the rest of the owls rose from the trees around me and flew into the night, leaving me alone as the snow continued to fall.
I awoke thankful, but disturbed. I know this will not be the last time I see the Jorogumo, or her nasty little cluster of spiderlings. Next time, she will be more prepared. She knows it is not for myself that I am afraid, but for she who has captured my heart and breathed life back into my soul....
I have vowed to more than just myself, that I will protect her. I am not sure what her part will play in the grand scheme of things to come; though I know it is a role of the utmost importance. It is more because of what she has done for me that I will protect her. This is probably selfish of me.
I do know none shall harm her. I would let my spirit burn in oblivion before I let that happen. I think the Jorogumo is planning on that...
SB
Chapter Thirty
And So It Begins
Monday morning, Annaleah felt well enough to return to her position at the University, much to the distress of both Uncle John and Seth. As far as Uncle John was concerned, she was still in the recovery process and needed more time to convalesce. Seth wanted her to prepare for the coming confrontation that he emphasized was imminent.
"These beings," Annaleah said, "they wish to take not only my life from me, but my way of life and my enjoyment of it. If I were to hole up here and shake with fear, wouldn't they win? Would they not see me as weak and ready to be devoured? Let them see me going on with my life; let them see that I am not afraid of them. Besides, I'd really like to see the Professor."
Seth looked at her with a mix of empathy and dismay. "I understand where you are coming from, but there is real reason for you to be afraid. The creatures that are after you aren’t playing.” The look in his eyes was intense, and brimmed with warning. “They wish to kill not only you and all whom you hold dear, but ultimately to wipe out humanity itself. Though the latter is a lofty and unlikely scenario, I use it to let you know the severity of the situation.”
Annaleah frowned, shocked at this situation. She had to fight for all of humanity’s sake? She didn’t know the first thing about fighting, though she had always thought that should she be in a close up fight with anyone, she’d for the eyes to buy her some time to get away. How on earth was she supposed to fight something not of this world?
Though she knew she had little choice, and that it was an honor to be chosen to be the Goddess’s weapon of choice, her head swam with thoughts that came so fast that she barely had time to register each one. Part of her wanted thing to go back to the way they had been befor
e.
Taking a deep breath, she listened to Seth. “They don’t wish for the redemption of those that fell. They adore chaos and hatred; they thrive off of confusion and pain.” Seth’s eyes narrowed, and he drew out the word thrive for emphasis. “Though you have learned a lot of what is taking place, of who and what you truly are, you still have not been trained or prepared for what is to come. I understand that you want to go on with life as you know it, but the simple fact is that it might change, and for the worse.” A worried look crossed his face, one mixed with sympathy and love. “Should you not be able to fight, or at least be aware of the enemy, then I am afraid the results might be disastrous. Please, think not only of yourself, but of those who will ultimately have their fate decided by your actions."
Annaleah dropped her head into her hands completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. She hadn’t chosen this fate, and though she was greatly afraid, she knew the fate of many depended on what she did. Just one day, she concluded. Just let her have one last day of normality. "Then just give me today. Let me go to the University and see the Professor; let me see Rachael and let the students know I am alright. Give me the illusion that things are normal."
"I am afraid that might not be the best course to take at this time, Annaleah. Though I am very thankful that you are better, letting the faculty think you need a few more days at home might be in your best interest. You are in no danger of losing your job, the Professor and the Chancellor have your position secured. Should you return to your job and then take more time off, it will seem eccentric at best. I only ask that you take a few more days off, and let me prepare you.”
Annaleah lifted her head, knowing what she must do, but disliking it greatly.
“I understand that you want to see the Professor and Rachael as well, but they could very easily come here to see you. Let me at least school you in basic self-defense. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are protected and that you never need to fight, but just in case you do, I want you to know how to handle yourself." Seth paused and looked Annaleah in the eye.
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