Balance (The Divine, Book One)

by M. R. Forbes

  I spent a few minutes thinking about the best way to answer the question. While I thought, I looked into her eyes; so blue, almost gentle looking. Captivating. I suddenly had the bright idea to try to look into her the way she had tried to look into me. I felt the tug in my mind, and then my body slammed into the wall behind the couch. She had hit me before I had even seen her move.

  "Don't do that again," she said. The blow had knocked the wind out of me. I stumbled to my feet and sat down in my spot on the couch.

  "I'm sorry," I said. "Your eyes are beautiful."

  It caught her off guard. So much so that she slipped from her crouching position and had to scramble to rebalance herself. I could have pressed the issue, made some other smart remark. I answered her question instead.

  "I was dropped off there, on the torch, by a man named Ross." I watched her closely to see how she reacted to the name drop. Her eyebrows raised just a smidge, but it was enough. "What can you tell me about him?"

  She got super uncomfortable. "I'm not supposed to speak about those things," she said. "I'm not allowed to say that name."

  I pressed her. "We had a deal."

  I didn't think vampires could sweat, but she did. She was fighting the war between her fear and our deal.

  "Please," she begged. "Ask me something else."

  I wanted to push her further, but I didn't have the heart. Maybe if I had been a little more evil, but then I wouldn't have been here.

  "What did you just learn about me?" It was a similar question, but it would let her off the hook.

  The relief was palpable. "I know where you came from. I know why you are here. There was another like you. Please don't ask me, because I'm not allowed to speak of her either. I had a feeling after we met that was your purpose. I wanted to know for sure. Do YOU know why you are here?"

  It was my turn to be caught off guard. I started laughing. Rebecca looked at me with a confused expression.

  "I have the thousand mile overview," I said. "But as you saw, I'm completely unprepared for this gig. How do you intend to use this information?"

  She pursed her lips, then ran her tongue along her teeth. I waited while she fought with herself over how much to say.

  "You may not understand how our kind is organized,” she said, “but you will if you live long enough to learn. I'm from the demonic species nosferatu. In relation to humans, we are supreme. In the hierarchy of demons however; we are somewhere near the bottom."

  I understood enough of that to understand that I was screwed. She was calling herself a weakling, and she could kick my ass three ways to Sunday before I even saw it coming.

  "Have you considered what will happen to the nosferatu, should this world fall to the chaos of evil?” she asked.

  I hadn't. I could put two and two together though. "No more food?"

  She nodded. "That's part of the problem, but one that I hope will be overcome. There are members of the community who have been working on a synthetic."

  I don’t know why, but she tilted her head and sat very still. After ten seconds or so, she started talking again.

  "No,” she continued. “I believe there is a worse fate that would await us. Once the humans and the seraphim are gone it will be survival of the fittest, with no other prey to distract the stronger species. My fear is that nosferatu will be hunted to extinction. Unfortunately, I'm unique in that perspective. It's the reason I nest alone." She looked sad. "To answer your question more succinctly, I want to know all of the players so I can make sure I end up on the right side. Do you have another question?"

  It didn't sound very loyal to me, but I had a feeling there was more to it than that. Plus, she had just given me a free question. I had so many, but I wanted to get right to the point. "Do you want to be on my side?"

  She laughed at me. I don't know why, but the derision was painful. I guess I was looking for someone to validate my existence, because I felt so outmatched and uninformed. I could feel the heat rise into my face, turning me beet red. She stopped laughing, and even looked apologetic.

  "I will not be against you," she said. "Which is more than I can say for a great deal of the Divine you will come across. I will not be with you either. Not yet. By the way, do you have a name, or shall I continue calling you 'worm'?"

  "Landon," I said, feeling sheepish. It was time to change the subject, to get something with a little more direct substance. "What can you tell me about this sword?"

  I held it up with an awkward grip so she could see the symbols running along it.

  She didn't need to see them. "It's a standard issue weapon. There is nothing special about the materials, but the sigils are written in the original language of the seraph, and then blessed by a pure angel. You can't kill a demon without such an instrument."

  I guess the wooden stake thing was a myth. Now I wished I had watched more Samurai movies when I was a kid. Or at least played a sport, or done something that would have improved my hand eye coordination. Learning to use a sword was a tall order, especially since I had nobody to teach me. I was waiting for her to ask her next question, when she tilted her head again and floated to her feet.

  "We're out of time, Landon," she told me. "There is a demon coming, a messenger. He is no threat to you even in your pitiful state. It’s likely they intercepted the messages being sent between the Touched agents that brought you here, realized you weren't one of theirs, and sent him to investigate." She walked over to the window, smashed it with her boot, and leaned out. "I can't be seen with you, it would mean my end. Good luck, worm." She jumped, and by the time I got to the window, she was gone.

  If I was going to be receiving visitors, I figured I ought to play it cool. I lay down on the couch with one arm behind my head, leaving the sword in easy reach on the floor next to me. Within thirty seconds the demon appeared, a small mass of leathery flesh and wings that swooped into the room through the window Rebecca had exited. His beady black eyes caught sight of me, and he landed on the opposite arm of the couch, his taloned feet digging into the padding. He was about three feet tall with a stooped humanoid body that rippled with muscle, and a small elongated snout that shimmered with teeth.

  "Master saysss findsss you, and findssss you I did," he said. His head bobbed back and forth as he spoke. "Master sayssss 'why is there another demon in my domain'." His voice rose to an almost comical pitch when he mimicked his master. His snout quivered as he took in the scents. "I wonderssss… smellsss like vampiresssss." He looked as if he was deep in thought. "Now I knowsssss why you are here." He snickered and winked at me.

  "Yeah," I said.

  I wanted to get him out of here. Even though he was diminutive in stature, he was still the first demon-looking demon I had ever seen. He could be ten percent the killer Rebecca was, and I didn't think I would stand much of a chance. Like the man lying dead on the roof, he seemed to recognize me as a demon, or at least a Turned.

  "You scared her off," I told him.

  He thought his perceived interruption of our tryst was the funniest thing he had ever heard. His laughter was like scraping Styrofoam.

  "I thinkssss you wouldn't have liked the afterssss," he said. "I tellsss the Master why you come, but you needssss to go backssss to your domain. I thinksss you should thanks me for savingsss…" His head turned, and his eyes bugged out. He was looking right at the sword.

  "Oh crap," I said, reaching down and grabbing the hilt. I pushed myself up to my knees and swung it awkwardly at the demon. He bounced skyward, avoiding the blow.

  "Me doesss notsss understand. Smellsss like demonsss, but has angel'sss stick." He was talking to himself, halfway between the window and me. I got off the couch and approached him, readying the sword for another swing. It was just like hitting a piñata, right?

  "Ooh, mastersss rewardsss me well to knowsss about you." He dodged my next two swipes, then retreated out the window. I leaned my head out to watch him fly away. I really needed to learn how to fight.

  Chapter 5
/>   I beat a hasty retreat from the abandoned building. As I walked, I tried to find an inconspicuous way to hold a four-foot samurai sword. Without some different clothes, it would be impossible. I considered ditching it, but Rebecca thought I would need it, and I tended to agree. Maybe I could even get lucky and hit something with it. With nowhere obvious to hide it, I held it downward and leaned on it as if it were a cane. I focused my will on it, hoping my desire to disguise the weapon as a harmless walking tool would be successful.

  Rounding the corner and making my way back into the throng, the lack of surprised faces, looks of fear, or other signs that I was a psychopath wandering the streets with a sword comforted me. Yeah, this was New York after all, but I figured there had to be some kind of limit, if not from the regular denizens, than from any tourists that I happened by.

  I decided it would be a bad idea to try a cab again, so I made my way across town on foot, finding a growing appreciation for my new endurance. I made it to the Apple store in good time, stopping outside the glass cube to take stock of my surroundings before I went anywhere with limited exits.

  People going about their daily life engulfed me, and it occurred to me how ignorant we all were. Sure, we had this shallow understanding of the Divine, putting a face to it through religion, telling stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural. We had books like the Bible, or even Dante's classic poetry that attempted to describe that which our living minds seemed to be able to feel, but never truly see. We understood only through the periphery, out of the corners of our eyes, like when we said a prayer before going to sleep at night, or when we just knew there was a monster in the closet or under the bed. To find out it was all real… it was all true… maybe ignorance WAS bliss?

  I descended the stairs into the even more tightly packed masses of humanity, threading my way over to a blue-shirt standing near the tablets.

  "Can I help you sir?" he asked as I approached. I pointed at one of the iPads.

  "I just need an iPad, color doesn't matter."

  The clerk laughed. "A man who knows what he wants, I like it. I'll be right back."

  He tucked his own device under his arm and headed off to the storeroom to fill my order. I stole glances wherever and whenever I could, keeping a constant vigil for anything out of the ordinary. If I had been spotted as a demon in an almost abandoned diner, the odds of being outed as non-mortal here seemed exponentially higher.

  My sight landed on a young girl who was chatting with her friend. She was maybe fourteen, with short brown hair and a plain face. She was wearing a white down jacket that hung open to reveal a white dress with white leggings underneath, silver moon boots and a knit hat that resembled a panda bear. She was pointing at a phone and gesturing like she wanted it real bad. I wondered if her friend knew she was an angel?

  I hadn't known how I would know before I knew. There was no halo or anything like that. In fact there was no visual sign of anything out of the ordinary. It was more like a radar signal getting sent from my eyes and bouncing back saying 'Divine dead ahead, captain!'.

  The sight of her made me anxious. She was just a kid! I turned my back, but it seemed once contact had been made, line of sight was no longer required. I could FEEL where she was, what she was doing. I realized that facing the other direction wouldn't help me any more than it helped her. She didn't have to see my face. She would get a feel from my soul. That was it, I knew. I was reading her soul, just as she would be able to read mine. The only other question was would she see an angel, a demon, or a diuscrucis?

  I spotted the clerk coming back over with the iPad in his hands and I decided to meet him halfway. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the wad of cash, counted out seven hundred dollars and shoved it into his hand. He gave me a look of suspicious disbelief when I told him to keep the change, but he didn't argue, and he didn't fail to give up the merchandise. I was almost at the steps back to street level when I felt her.

  "Fellow, why do you not announce yourself?" The voice came from all around me, and ran right through me.

  I felt immediate warmth and my whole body began to tingle. I flipped my head back to get a look at her. Her body was still manipulating the phone, her mouth still chatting idly with her friend, but her eyes were on me. Rich, golden eyes that held a soft glow like a single flickering candle. It was mesmerizing. I had to force myself to look away.

  I didn't know what to say in response, or how to project it silently the way she had. I did the only thing I could think of, turning back and winking at her before beginning my ascent. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Heck, it probably wasn't a smart thing to do at all, but at least I would know how she was seeing me by the way she gave chase.

  There was a rush of cool air, and then she was beside me on the steps, walking alongside me. I peeked back to see her friend looking around, trying to figure out where her companion had run off. She headed towards the laptops.

  I didn't say anything, and neither did she. We climbed the rest of the steps together in silence, and then I led her off towards Central Park. Even without speaking there seemed to be an understanding between us that transcended normal human communication. When she had spoken to me, she had made a direct line soul-to-soul phone call, and the more I probed the feeling, the more I recognized that she hadn't hung up. We were silent because there was no need for words. Not yet anyway.

  I found a lightly populated part of the Park and settled us down under a bare oak tree, resting the sword against the trunk and placing my package next to it. She sank to the ground as if on a pillow of air, perching cross-legged on the grass. I sat opposite her in the same position.

  "I do not recognize you fellow," she said.

  Her lips didn't move, but her eyes were incredibly expressive. There was curiosity there, friendliness, and sadness. I knew she had taken me for an angel. I was pretty sure the sword had at least a little bit to do with that.

  "My name is Josette,” she said aloud. Her voice was small and raspy. “Are you recent to our family?"

  I didn't know what that meant, but I assumed she meant becoming an angel. If I said yes, I would need an excuse for being here without her knowledge. It felt safer to tell a bold lie.

  "Not to the family,” I said. “I've only recently returned from a pilgrimage in the Holy Land. My name is Paul." That had to be a safe angel name.

  Her eyes widened, and she threw her arms around me. "Paul. Welcome! You have been to the Holy Land?" she asked. "There has been little news since Astrel was killed."

  I breathed a sigh of relief. I could lie to an angel and get away with it. "We're losing," I said.

  I hadn’t thought about it before, but as I said it I knew that it was true. Whatever mojo came from my crossbred lineage, it was clear in that regard. The balance was tipping heavily towards evil.

  "The dark gains reach every day,” she agreed. “Since we lost John Paul, it has been difficult to keep an even footing. Even here, Reyzl has grown powerful beyond my ability to contain him."

  Reyzl. It had to be the name of the demon that the messenger had flown off to squeal to. "I had a run-in with one of his messengers," I told her. "He escaped and intended to tell Reyzl about my presence here."

  Her eyes held deep concern for my welfare. I was starting to feel bad for lying to her, and also beginning to wonder if I could do what Dante had asked. It wasn't much of an issue right now, but who knew what the future would hold. Would I be expected to kill this beautiful creature one day? If so, would I be able to do it?

  "I do not mean to intrude, but what business brings you here?" she asked.

  She reached forward and took my hands in her own. They were small, but so soft and warm. Her whole being exuded peacefulness. I felt like I could tell her anything. I could tell her the truth, and it would be okay.

  "To be honest, I'm not sure," I said. "I've only arrived very recently, but I had a run-in with a vampire, and lost my phone."

  My mind was beginning to feel as if i
t were mired in a pit of mud. Clarity was escaping me, replaced with this overwhelming need to tell her everything. All I could think about was the warmth of her hands, the softness of her voice, her shining golden eyes, and the connection between our souls.

  "I used to be a computer hacker,” I said. “I went to prison for credit card fraud."

  It had been so easy to manipulate people. So easy to get the information I needed to get into databases, e-mail accounts, you name it. So tempting. It was a victimless crime, I had told myself. The credit companies had plenty of cash. They wouldn't miss a little bit here and there. I had gotten too bold, a friend had blabbed, and it all crumbled around me.

  Two years in a low security facility, another year of probation, and banned from owning or using a computer for three more. I still didn't always feel remorseful for what I had done. I was more sorry I hadn't been more careful, and had gotten caught.

  It had all started pouring out in a torrent, and I was drowning in the truth. I could tell by the way her golden eyes flared that she knew what I was. I could feel the warmth of her hands turn cold, feel the peacefulness turn to violence and anger. It was only then that I realized she had used her power on me, so subtly that I hadn't even known it. She must have suspected me from the beginning. I yanked my hands away and got to my feet. She rose, her sword appearing in her hand in a flow of swirling mist.

  "Diuscrucis," she cried. "You seek to deceive me!"

  I started to reach toward my sword, but decided against it. "Wait," I said, holding up my hands. "I don't want to fight you."

  She had taken an aggressive posture, with her sword cocked and ready for the battle that I refused to start.

  "I just want to talk," I said.

  Seeing that I wasn't going to fight her, she let the sword dissipate back to wherever it had come from.