Eternity

by Heather Terrell

  “I know. Ruth believes that this volcano will have big consequences, among them disease and famine. And those disasters are referenced—”

  He interrupted again, “In Revelation. Oh my God, what do we do?”

  I smiled at him reassuringly. “I’ve brought help.”

  “By help I hope you don’t mean Ruth. No offense to Ruth.” Michael looked skeptical at the amount of help Ruth could offer beyond her research.

  “No, I brought someone a bit more powerful than Ruth.” Turning to the trees lining the perimeter of Michael’s yard, I whispered loudly, “Rafe?”

  Rafe emerged from the trees behind Michael’s house. With his brawny physique and dark hair, he was still handsome, but he no longer bore that angelic quality. As we had driven from the Tillinghast town center to Michael’s house, the dust of humanity had descended upon him once again. Wearing his usual flannel shirt and scruffy jeans, Rafe looked every bit a real teenager.

  They sized each other up. It was bizarre watching these two men in my life—if you could even call them men, given that they were much more than human—assess each other.

  Every muscle in Michael’s body tensed, as if readying for a battle. Even though I let my arms slacken a bit, I held him close. The next few minutes were critical, and I needed Michael to have faith in me. I knew this would be tough for him; the last time someone new convinced us to let him “help,” it was Ezekiel. And here I was, foisting some unknown teenage guy on him.

  “Who is this?” Michael said, as warily as I predicted.

  “This is Rafe. I met him at a committee to help the earthquake victims.”

  Michael was immediately furious. He allowed me no leeway for explanation. “Why would you bring some stranger over to my house in the middle of the night? Especially at a time like this?”

  “Because he’s not some stranger.”

  Michael struggled against my arms, freeing himself from my embrace. “Well, I’ve never laid eyes on him before. Who is this guy, Ellie?” He sounded angry and scared.

  I didn’t answer Michael. I knew that words could never be as powerful as images. I knew that Michael needed to see Rafe as he really was and hear the words as he really spoke them, to believe. And to follow.

  I nodded to Rafe that the moment had come. As he had earlier, Rafe shook himself the tiniest bit. The movement released a haze of shimmering particles, almost like a golden dust. As it dispersed into the air, the rumpled teenage Rafe disappeared, only to be replaced by the ethereal Raphael.

  Michael was frozen. Rafe did not fill the void with words; he awaited my lead. I knew I had to answer the question I’d purposely left unanswered before.

  “Michael, Rafe is an angel. Not the fallen kind.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  It was the first time I’d seen Michael rendered speechless.

  I mustered up my courage, and said, “Michael, I know this is hard for you. To trust another being after everything that happened with Ezekiel. I assure you that Rafe is no Ezekiel, and his intentions are true.”

  I paused, allowing for Michael’s reaction. He gave no response. Instead, he watched me silently, judging my every phrase and gesture. It seemed that his verdict still hung in the balance.

  “Rafe risked everything to visit us. His kind”—I hesitated to use the term “angel” for some reason—“aren’t meant to have contact with those on earth. They aren’t supposed to interfere in any way with our free will. Here, the stakes are so high that Rafe chose to jeopardize his own well-being to help us with our destiny.”

  Michael still didn’t say anything. I looked over at Rafe helplessly.

  Rafe took over. “Ellspeth is telling you the truth, Michael. I’ve broken so many rules by offering my help. But I know that the earth and everyone on it will suffer if I don’t assist you. So I’ve chosen to defy God’s rules.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow at the mention of God and defying Him. Yet he didn’t comment. He needed more persuasion, it seemed.

  “To prove to you that I’m on your side, I’m going to share some of His secrets with you and Ellie. Secrets that will help you defeat the fallen and stop the end they crave,” Rafe said.

  It was my turn to listen. Since the moment Rafe had revealed his true nature to me on the street back in town, I had been waiting for more disclosures. Even though, after his story about the original two hundred angels and their punishments for revealing His secrets, I was surprised that he decided to risk God’s wrath and divulge a few to us. No matter his assurances that God wouldn’t punish him for helping us despite the prohibition.

  “From Ellspeth, I learned that Ruth has pieced together some basic understanding of the end times. She told you that there are seven signs—seven events, or seals, as they are sometimes called—that will occur before the final day. Six of these events remain; the first sign, the earthquakes, has already happened. You will both need a much deeper understanding of the end days in order to stop the other signs. I’ve decided to share some of the missing pieces with you, although He has forbidden it.”

  Rafe’s expression turned sorrowful at the mention of Him. I hadn’t thought through how difficult on an emotional level it must be for an angel to disobey God. I felt immensely grateful to Rafe, even more than when he’d rescued me from Kael.

  Rafe continued. “What Ruth didn’t tell you is that certain fallen angels are responsible for the seven apocalyptic events. She couldn’t have shared that with you because no human being knows this. Of the one hundred and seventy-five Dark Fallen—unlike the Light Fallen, such as your parents, who seek grace—only a few are capable of triggering the signs. Fewer now, since you’ve killed Ezekiel. Together, you must destroy the remaining fallen to prevent the final catastrophe from occurring. If you don’t, the end days will quickly follow.”

  It made sense. “To stop an event we must kill the fallen angels? Not try to stop the event itself?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “That’s how it works.”

  “Is each fallen responsible only for one specific sign? Or can any of the seven trigger any of the signs?” Now that I understood what we were meant to accomplish, I was bursting with questions.

  “Each of the chosen fallen has the capacity to activate only one sign. Or two, in a particular instance. He or she can set off only the sign or signs tied to their special gift of knowledge.”

  “Their special gift?”

  “Yes, God entrusted each of these particular fallen with particular knowledge, wisdom known only to that angel and Him. Each sign is tied to that angel’s special knowledge. For example, He confided in Ezekiel insights about the earth and its geological structure, including the cause of earthquakes. So, when the end days arrived, Ezekiel was able to instigate the end-days sign of earthquakes.”

  “What are the names of the others? And what are their special areas?” I needed to know.

  “The second fallen is called Kael. Because he was gifted with knowledge of agriculture and the physical health of humankind, his second and third seals are disease and hunger. The third is Barakel, whose fourth seal is economic depression because he was given knowledge of coin and currency. Rumiel is the fourth fallen, and her fifth seal is persecution of the believers, as God charged her with giving humankind limited training in His ways. The fifth fallen is known as Azaziel—I mentioned him earlier—and his sixth is seal is warfare. The sixth and final fallen is Samyaza. He is charged with the seventh seal, the creation of an end-days leader, because he was the leader of the fallen when they first came to earth.”

  “If God gave them these insights, why doesn’t He stop them from triggering the signs?” It seemed easy.

  Rafe smiled. “That isn’t His plan, Ellspeth. This is a battle between good and evil—light and dark—and His plan is to allow the free will and prowess of the Elect One to prevail. One way or another.”

  His words stifled my questions for a brief moment, but I believed that answers alone could help me succeed. If He meant this
to be a pitched battle of wills between me and a bunch of fallen angels, I wanted every advantage. I wanted goodness and light to prevail. I’d seen darkness all too vividly in the sick flashes I’d received from Ezekiel’s mind.

  I took a deep breath, and launched right back in. “What happens if one of the seals doesn’t open because we destroy the angel who was supposed to trigger it before he fulfills his mission? Does that stop the whole process? Have we won?”

  “Each fallen you manage to annihilate is one less devastating event visited upon the earth. By killing even one fallen, you lessen the environmental damage and human suffering that the signs bring. The sign won’t happen, but the end-days clock will still tick. To stop the end times altogether, you must destroy the fallen responsible for the final sign.”

  “The fallen who’ll bring forth an end-days leader.”

  “Yes. Samyaza will be grooming a leader to rule the earth after apocalyptic events have reshaped it.”

  “Who are they preparing to be this leader? Do you know?”

  My question actually made Rafe laugh, like the old, human Rafe. “So many questions, Ellspeth. Even though the clock is ticking, we’ll have time enough to answer them all. Not at once.”

  “Tell me this, at least. Was Ruth right about the second event? That this huge volcano off the coast of Greenland will erupt, causing a chain reaction of maybe two of the seven signs?”

  “Yes, Ruth’s right.”

  “How can we find the angel responsible for the volcanic eruption?”

  Rafe’s smile changed. It transformed from the charming, slightly mischievous smile of the teenage Rafe to a sad, aged one that could only belong to the angel Raphael. “Ellspeth, there’s no longer any need to locate that fallen. He has already found you. The fallen have heard that the Elect One has surfaced, and one by one, they have started coming for you.”

  How could I be so thick? The reality dawned on me. “Oh my God. Kael. The one that tried to get me tonight. He is the one responsible for the volcano.”

  “Yes, Ellspeth. I mentioned him before. His special area is disease and hunger—the signs that will stem from the volcano.”

  Disease and hunger. That was the suffering Kael told me we were going to alleviate. How stupid could I be?

  Then the really bad news sank in. “I had the chance, and I didn’t kill him. I blew it. I didn’t stop the sign.”

  “You couldn’t have slain Kael. You don’t yet know how.”

  “And you couldn’t kill him?”

  “No. I could only make sure that he won’t come after you again.”

  I started to launch into a bunch of questions about how you kill these fallen angels, when Michael interjected. Finally.

  “What are you two talking about? Who is Kael? What happened tonight?”

  I turned in surprise. I had been so engrossed with Rafe’s disclosures that I’d kind of forgotten about Michael. At least he still cared enough to perk up when he heard I’d been attacked.

  Before I could explain, Rafe spoke in his soothing angel tone. “Don’t worry, Michael. Ellspeth is fine. The fallen won’t attempt to kill her. As the Elect One, she’s far too valuable alive.”

  Rafe’s words sounded uncannily like Ezekiel’s. I wanted to ask more, but Rafe wasn’t done with Michael.

  “I’ve disclosed a lot, Michael. I revealed secrets that He commanded me to keep, and I’ve done that so that you and Ellspeth can succeed. I need to know that you will prepare alongside Ellspeth so that you will both be ready when the time comes. I need to know that you will stand with her. You have a special purpose too.”

  Michael’s eyes looked distrustful. I couldn’t believe that he still harbored doubts about Rafe. About me, maybe. Didn’t he understand the sacrifice that Rafe was making? How lost we’d be without Rafe’s assistance? How could he not get that the apocalypse was imminent? Unless we stopped it.

  “Oh yeah? What would that be?” Michael’s tone was confrontational.

  Michael had some nerve challenging an angel. I expected some form of biblical wrath at Michael’s continued obstinacy, yet Rafe seemed unfazed.

  “If I tell you the nature of your destined role, Michael, we risk that you won’t be able to fulfill it. This is one secret that I have to keep. For everyone’s sake.”

  I had a feeling that there was something Rafe wasn’t telling us. And not for the reason he mentioned.

  “Will you stand alongside Ellspeth?” Rafe persisted in his questioning.

  Michael squared his shoulders and gazed directly at Rafe. “Yes, I will. I’ll do it to protect Ellie. For no other reason.”

  I glanced over at Rafe. Was this the answer he sought? Would Michael’s begrudging agreement suffice? I prayed that it would.

  Rafe beamed, and said, “That’s good enough. Let’s begin.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  When Rafe said “begin,” he meant begin right now.

  Without a word of explanation, Rafe reached for our hands and lifted me and Michael into the air. It felt weird to fly again, almost like a kid who just took the training wheels off her bike. I welcomed—no, needed—the security of Rafe’s hand at first. Even though I felt shaky, I was elated that the waiting was over. We were finally taking action.

  Once we cleared the treetops and steadied ourselves, Rafe let go of our hands. The crisp nighttime air made me feel alive again. Like I’d reclaimed the latent part of myself and become whole. My shoulder blades lifted and expanded for the flight, and I relished the sensation of the wind and sky on my limbs and face. For a brief, wonderful minute, I forgot about the end days.

  Then I noticed that Rafe had left me and Michael in his wake. I streamlined my body in an effort to keep up with Rafe’s incredibly swift pace. His motions were so precise and so efficient that I could not possibly catch up. He practically had to backpedal to fly alongside me and Michael.

  Where were we going? I tried to track the landmarks on the ground. I ticked off my parents’ house, our high school, even the old town church that used to creep me out with its circular window that stared out like some all-seeing eye. Still, I couldn’t figure out our destination.

  Within a few minutes, I spotted a familiar ring of fir trees. The circle of evergreens enclosed a private field. Our field. Why was Rafe bringing us here? Did he know it was our special place?

  We lowered ourselves carefully to the ground. No one spoke a word until we stood together on the field’s central mound.

  “You’re familiar with this place?” Rafe broke the silence.

  “Yes,” I answered. “Michael and I used to come here when I was learning to fly. He discovered it.”

  Rafe glanced over at Michael and nodded in approval. “Intuitively, you chose well. Although you couldn’t possibly have known, this field is embedded with protections that shielded you somewhat from the fallen. The protections didn’t entirely mask your fledging efforts with your powers—as you saw with Ezekiel—but they bought you considerable time. I’m hoping that it will offer us similar protection while we train.”

  “How is it possible that Michael stumbled across a field containing these ‘protections?’ That’s too incredible to be a coincidence.”

  “Ellspeth, your parents lived in Tillinghast in the sixteen hundreds, right after they decided to try for redemption. At that time, the Dark Fallen were trying to persuade them and the other Light Fallen to return, through some rather unpleasant means. Your parents needed a place where they could be safe. They created this haven.”

  I recalled my conversation with my parents when they revealed their true natures, and their smiles reminiscing on their “happy times” in Tillinghast. They made their disclosure before I went to Boston, of course. Before they tried to make me forget all over again.

  I choked up a bit as I thought about all the sacrifices my parents had made for humankind and me. I felt guilty about being so mad at them lately. “My parents created this place as a sanctuary nearly four hundred years ago?”


  “Yes. When Michael found it, he probably sensed it was a refuge.” Rafe nodded again in Michael’s direction. I think he was trying to reassure him, offer another olive branch. Michael had been very quiet during this whole exchange. I could tell that a part of him was still watching and weighing.

  As I stared from one to the other, they seemed so different. Rafe was dark where Michael was light, in the hair and eyes. Rafe’s strength was obvious and burly, while Michael’s force was lean and compact. Rafe retained his lightness and humor, as Michael had become extra serious. Yet, despite all their disparities, they had one powerful quality in common—the desire to protect me.

  I returned to the conversation. Rafe had mentioned my parents. The question begged to be asked.

  “Rafe, is it time to tell our parents that we know who we are?”

  He paused, considering the question. “Not yet, Ellspeth.”

  “Why not? Hiding our powers and pretending hasn’t stopped the end days from proceeding. What is there to gain by keeping them in the dark?”

  “Feigning ignorance might not stop the opening of the seven seals, but it will protect your parents for a little while. Once you tell your parents what you know, they will summon the other Light Fallen. The Dark Fallen will perceive it as a call to battle. The end will hasten, and we’ll lose this opportunity to prepare you. Also”—Rafe hesitated a second—“your parents won’t survive. Don’t forget that they are mortal.”

  At the mention of my parents’ mortality, the tears threatened to reappear, but I willed them away and said, “Surely our parents could restrain themselves from summoning the Light Fallen? So that Michael and I could have time to prepare? That way, we could loop them in but still get what we need.” I suddenly had an urge to have my parents at my side.

  “It isn’t so simple, Ellspeth. Centuries ago, the Light Fallen vowed to align for the end-days battle as soon as it surfaced. The agreement leaves no room for waiting.”

  “So we have to go on with this charade,” I said. I hated lying to them, but if it bought our parents more time, I would put on an Academy Award–level performance.