Angel Exalted

by C. L. Coffey

  Mama Laveau narrowed her eyes at me. “If I’d have known how annoying you were when I first met you, I would have stayed quiet, never mentioned auras, and let you disappear without ever finding out who I was.”

  “Amen to that,” Ty muttered, earning a glower from myself.

  Mama Laveau looked over at him. “And who are you?”

  “That’s Beelzebub’s kid,” I told her, bluntly. There was no point in dancing around the truth. Or at least, that was what I thought until I watched Mama Laveau turn, so slowly it was like watching her in slow motion.

  She took two steps towards Ty, tilting her head. I had sudden flashes of a horror film I’d watched once where a girl had been possessed. “You’re one of Beelzebub’s offspring.”

  Rooted to the spot, Ty very slowly nodded his head. Then, his false bravado washed over him as he narrowed his eyes at her. “His youngest. What of it?” he demanded.

  Mama Laveau stopped and slowly rubbed at her chin. Without responding to him, she turned back to me. “You thought it was wise to put him in front of me?”

  I was beginning to question that idea… “Yes,” I said, more firmly than I really believed. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were telling me that angels weren’t that much different from humans in the way we both have free will. I think the same applies to nephilim. More so, if anything.” I pointed at Ty. “I don’t think it’s his fault Raphael and the cherubim are dead. He was able to help me before then.”

  This time I was Mama Laveau’s time to freeze. “Raphael is dead?”

  “You didn’t know?” I asked, blinking rapidly. I didn’t particularly like the angel in front of me, but that was still not the way for anyone to find out someone had died. “I’m sorry.”

  Mama Laveau slowly licked her lips. “No, I didn’t.” She glanced at Henry, before looking back at me. “I chose to leave Heaven some time ago, and in doing so, I am not in contact with many of my family anymore. Though I would have thought that with something like this, someone would have sought me out to share that news.”

  “Beelzebub and Lucifer are dead too,” I quickly added. “Along with a half dozen other fallen angels I couldn’t name; Ty might be able to help you out with that. And,” a knot twisted in my stomach. “And all the cherubim in my House, apart from Veronica.”

  “I think I need to sit down,” Mama Laveau muttered. The color had left her face and she now looked closer to the hundred and something year old body she was inhabiting.

  Ty stepped forward, offering out his good arm. Mama Laveau gave him a suspicious look, but accepted it, allowing him to lead her over to one of the chairs in front of Henry’s desk. She sank into the chair, her head quickly dropping into her hands.

  “Tactful,” Ty muttered at me. “Are you okay, ma’am?” he asked Mama Laveau. “Can I get you a glass of water?”

  Mama Laveau sucked in a deep breath, releasing it as she slowly raised her head. She looked past Ty to me. “I mourn both sides of this war,” she informed me. She turned back to Ty, her eyes falling on his bandaged stub. “What happened to that?”

  “I got between my father and her,” he said, bitterly. He nodded his head towards me.

  Mama Laveau licked her lips once more. “Why do you need me?” she asked, once more directing the question to me.

  “New Orleans is not safe. I want to get Ty out of here.”

  “You know what he did, and you want to protect him?” Mama Laveau asked, almost wryly.

  I nodded firmly. “He saved my life. He’s not completely evil.”

  “He is in the same room,” Ty pointed out.

  Mama Laveau looked straight at him. “Are you evil?” she asked him.

  Ty took a step back, but it was Henry who spoke. “Is this going to accomplish anything?”

  “It will satisfy my curiosity,” Mama Laveau responded, although she never took her eyes off the nephilim. “Tell me, why should I save you when you’re the reason so many angels are dead?” She sat back in the chair, folding her arms, and then she was back to looking like the intimidating voodoo queen who had nearly killed Joshua and me.

  Ty shook his head and started towards the door. “I’m out,” he declared. “Angels aren’t going to help me when they all think I killed one of their own.”

  “Ty!” I objected, grabbing his good hand. “If you step out there… I can’t guarantee Paddy didn’t follow me. I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  “You don’t have to!” he snapped, jolting his arm free. “I’m not your charge and you’re not my guardian angel. Go worry about Joshua.”

  “I can worry about both of you,” I snapped back at him. “Even when you’re both being annoying ass-hats…” I trailed off when I caught a snippet of a conversation between Mama Laveau and Henry.

  “You see it, don’t you?” Mama Laveau was asking.

  “It’s faint,” Henry agreed.

  Paying more attention to them was a mistake. Ty side stepped me and walked out of Henry’s office. I let out a frustrated snort and followed him out. “Ty, you can’t do this alone,” I told him. “You can’t even dress yourself properly.” I pointed down at his feet to the untied laces in his running shoes.

  Ty looked down then sent a death glare at me. “Low blow, Angel.”

  “Can’t get much lower than your feet,” I shrugged.

  “That is not… Just leave me alone.”

  I whipped in front of him, stopping him. “That woman…” Stupid oath. “I had to take an oath and I can’t tell you who she is. But while she is damn annoying, my gut is telling me she – they – are going to be the ones who can help you. Raphael is dead-”

  “So is my dad!” Ty bellowed at me, shoving me away from him. “I don’t care how evil he was. He was still my dad and now he’s dead. They’re not the only ones who lost people!”

  I took half a step back and held my palms up. “I know,” I told him, gently. “I know, and I’m truly sorry that you’re hurting. But you’ve got to know I’m not trying to hurt you further. I just want you to get to somewhere safe so you can lie low.”

  We stared at each other in silence for a long time. I could see the internal battle Ty was facing in his eyes, but he still chose to say nothing. In the end, he raised his shoulder – only slightly – and stepped back into Henry’s office. I followed him in.

  “What’s your plan?” Henry asked.

  “You still want that answer?” Ty asked Mama Laveau, ignoring Henry. Even though Henry’s question was directed at me, I remained silent, waiting for either the voodoo queen or the nephilim to speak.

  “Yes,” Mama Laveau responded.

  “Am I evil?” Ty said, repeating the question. “Maybe?” he offered. “I mean my dad is Beelzebub after all. Plus, I know there have been several occasions where I’ve wanted to kill someone.” He nodded his head in my direction. “She’s been top of the list several times.”

  “She has that effect on a lot of people,” Mama Laveau muttered in agreement.

  I rolled my eyes but refrained from voicing aloud that the feeling was mutual.

  “However, I would say that’s a good indication that you’re not evil,” Mama Laveau continued. “If you can refrain from attempting to kill her, you’re achieving a lot more than a lot of people.”

  “I was going to stay quiet,” I jumped in. “But I feel I should point out that the only people who have tried to kill me have been the Fallen.” And you, I added, silently.

  “Exactly,” Mama Laveau agreed. She looked back at Ty and gave him a reassuring smile. “If you can refrain from attempting to kill her, I think it’s fair to say you are not evil.”

  “I’m not?” he said, dubiously.”

  The voodoo queen reached over and patted his hand. “It by no means makes you a saint… or at least, someone good and virtuous, but it does make you someone who knows the difference between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing. You got it right so far, child.” She rose to her feet and walked closer to me. “I can
help.”

  “You can?” I repeated, for some reason, doubting my ears.

  “I can, and I will,” she confirmed. “I will need Henry’s help though.”

  Henry stared at Ty for the longest time before nodding his head. “Very well, but don’t you dare make me regret this.”

  Ty eyed the three of us warily. “Help me how?”

  Mama Laveau turned to me. “I want you to take an oath that you will not repeat anything that I am about to say.”

  My mouth dropped open. “I’m the one who brought Ty to you!” I objected. “If I had any desire to have him dead, I would have done something about it before now. Like when I was in the convent and every angel was out for his head. Like they still are.”

  Mama Laveau crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, doing a brilliant impression of a petulant teenager. “It’s not just his life.”

  My mouth fell into a thin line as I narrowed my eyes at her. “Fine,” I snapped. “I vow to God I will not repeat what you tell me.”

  “There is a college in the Rockies. I’m going to take this child there.”

  “Okay,” Ty sighed, holding his hand up. “You keep calling me ‘child’, but I was six months from graduating college. I don’t need to be going to transferring to another one. I doubt I’m even going to be able to carry on with the degree I’m already doing, seeing as I’m missing a hand.”

  “The Rockies?” I repeated, suspiciously. “A college in the Rocky Mountains? My geography isn’t that great, but don’t they stretch a very long way.”

  “Oath or not, I’m not giving you the exact location.” Mama Laveau said, as though that explained everything. “It is run by a saint.”

  “You don’t think a saint is going to want to kill him?” I asked, feeling ever more doubtful.

  “That is a possibility,” Mama Laveau admitted. “However, Ursula’s college is a little different from most colleges.” She walked over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out a bottle of water. “She collects nephilim.”

  I folded my arms and gave her a look of skepticism. “A school in the middle of the mountains, run by a saint who collects nephilim. That right there sounds like the premise for a horror movie.” I turned to Ty. “Have you got any family you can go to? You’re the youngest, right?”

  “My family think I’m the reason my dad is dead,” Ty responded. He shrugged. “I don’t care. Take me to the north. If I’m going to get killed, I might as well do it in a state I’ve never been to.”

  That right there was the moment I knew Ty had given up. I took a step towards him, wanting to hug him, but hesitated. He looked over at me with big sad eyes. “Oh, I don’t care,” I muttered, more to myself. I marched over to him and wrapped my arms around him. “Ty, you’re not alone.”

  There was a brief moment where he relaxed, and then he stiffened. “Get off me.”

  I stepped back and shrugged. “You looked like you needed a hug.”

  “A hug isn’t going to give me a hand.”

  That was a point. “Are the Rockies the best place to go?” I asked Mama Laveau, before looking over at Henry. “Isn’t Ty going to need somewhere for rehab.”

  “Where exactly do you think the Rockies are?” Henry asked with mild amusement, the corner of his lip quirking up. “There are these wondrous places called hospitals that have doctors and physiotherapists in them. Believe it or not, they exist all over America.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t think there weren’t hospitals wherever he was being taken, so much as an amputation was a pretty specific thing to deal with, and I wanted to make sure that Ty would get the best possible treatment. Instead of saying this, I just sighed. “I think I’ve been here long enough. I should head back before someone decides to just appear in the room with us. Can you please take Ty? Tonight?” I gave Ty an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I think it would be safest option to get you out of New Orleans as soon as possible.”

  “I can take them there now,” Henry offered.

  I nodded. “Thank you.” I turned to Ty and scratched at the back of my neck. “You have my number if you ever want to stay in touch, though I know that may be a lot to ask” I shot a look at Mama Laveau. “And you don’t have to give me the location,” I hurried to add. “I would just like to hear from you every now and then, if you don’t mind.” The response I got was a stony silence. “Take care, then,” I finished.

  I turned and left the office. I wasn’t sure where Ty and I were, friendship wise. Given everything that had happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to hear from me again. I really hoped that wouldn’t be the case, because, despite everything, I did like him. Either way, I really, really hoped he would be okay.

  “Angel!”

  I was in the reception, about to leave the morgue, when Ty’s voice stopped me. I turned and cocked my head at him. “Ty?”

  “It may take a while, but I will text you.” He held up his stubbed hand. “I know this wasn’t your fault, and I know what happened with my dad wasn’t your fault either, but at the same time, I’m not ready to admit that yet. I need someone to be angry at. Does that make sense?”

  Not really, but I nodded anyway. “I hope I don’t have to wait too long on that text. I also meant it before, Ty. You’re not alone.”

  He left me then, retreating into the depths of the morgue where the two angels were waiting for him. The other thing I was hoping for was that they got him out of there straight away.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A Fox in Detective’s Clothing

  Outside, it was raining. Given the late hour, the area was still quiet. I kept my head down against the rain, having not brought a jacket suitable for the weather. I knew as soon as I stepped into the convent grounds that something wasn’t right. I didn’t realize what that something was until the last moment when I had to duck a sword.

  Paddy was quick and silent like a ninja. It was only the fact I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, seconds before she swung, that I avoided her attack. My duck wasn’t graceful. I dived at the floor, managing to roll over instinctively, thanks to the hours of training I’d spent with Raphael. Through what I could only attribute to muscle memory over skill, while rolling, I pulled the dagger from the sheath at my ankle. By the time I was upright, it was my sword being brought up into the air to block another of Paddy’s attacks.

  “Paddy, it’s me!” I shrieked at her.

  “I know exactly who you are, traitor,” she spat at me, swinging again.

  I blocked the attack, once more managing to swipe it away so that I could get a few paces between the saint and me. “What are you talking about?” By her definition, I was a traitor, but I was going to deny everything for Ty’s sake.

  “Where have you been?” she snarled at me. With the movement, the rain and her bright red hair, she looked like a tiger homing in on her prey.

  “Like I told you earlier: at the morgue,” I told her. We were in one of those weird standoffs, both of us with our swords raised, side stepping in a circle. “Zachary!” I yelled in my head. I got no response.

  “You know where he is.”

  “No, I don’t,” I disagreed. Not anymore I didn’t. “Zachary, Paddy is going to kill me. I need your help!”

  “You two work it out,” came the impatient response.

  “Zachary, I’m serious!”

  “So am I… Hopefully that saint is too…”

  His response surprised me. I knew he didn’t like me, but I honestly hadn’t thought he would let something like this happen. I thought he wanted me out of the House, not dead. Not by any means.

  I was that surprised, I stopped.

  It was a stupid thing to do.

  Paddy saw the opportunity, and with her nostrils flaring, she charged at me. I brought my sword up, blocking her attack once more, only this time, I slipped my other hand into my pocket, pulling out my second sword; the mangled black one. As it grew to full length, I slashed at Paddy with it. Unlike her, my action was
a warning. I had no desire to hurt her, but I wanted her to back off.

  She had centuries on me… Centuries of being trained by Raphael – the archangel who had only recently started training me. Not only could I not fight with anywhere near the same skill as her, I also couldn’t bluff as well.

  Paddy made a move I’d never seen before. She stepped into my slash causing the flat side of my blade to bounce off hers. With the same motion working in her favor, she twisted her arm, releasing her sword free from mine, and continued to twirl. It was the transferring energy that knocked me backwards, off-balance, that had me stumbling out of the way, and stopping her from slicing my head off. Instead, her sword went through the thin material of my jacket, cutting my skin.

  Shocked, I dropped the sword that hand was holding as pain shot up my arm. The cut was deep enough to send blood splashing across the wet parking lot. I dropped to my knees, following my sword, managing to raise my good hand – and the sword I was somehow still clutching onto – to block another strike.

  It was my non-dominant arm. It wasn’t as strong as my other, although given the current situation, it was still the better option. Only it wasn’t either arm which stopped Paddy from running her sword through me.

  It was Michael.

  Since coming back in his new body, his movements hadn’t been as graceful or fluid as the used to be. Like he was still trying to find his feet, literally. When I watched Michael fight, I had my concerns. Even though he had appeared from nowhere… well, he’d come from the convent… and he’d stepped in to save me, I still saw the hesitation. At that moment, I didn’t care.

  “Paddy, killing Angel will not make you feel better,” he informed her as his presence made her take several steps back. Michael moved forward, putting himself between her and me.

  “She knows where Raphael’s murderer is!”

  “Lucifer was the one who killed Raphael!” I yelled at her.

  “Be quiet,” Michael snapped at me. He no longer had his control over me, but I did as he said anyway. “Paddy, has there not been enough blood shed?”