by Chuck Black
“The Fallen may have abandoned her for now, but they are not done with her.” Validus returned Tren’s gaze. “And neither are we, but for now we must go to Chicago.”
Tren nodded, and they left Drayle University together. It was not long before they had caught up with Carter.
“Why is he here?” Tren asked. They watched as Carter walked the streets of Chicago in search of an apartment.
“I was hoping you could tell me. If he’s trying to hide from the authorities, this is not the place to do it. It looks like he’s trying to stay off the grid … sort of.”
Tren thought but came up with nothing. Validus considered Carter’s attempt to evade the vexer. It was time to share his suspicions with Tren.
“There’s something you need to know that I discovered about Carter while watching over him in the forest.”
Tren waited.
“He knows when the Fallen are nearby.”
Tren seemed unimpressed. “I’ve seen that ability hundreds of times. Not as often from a nonbeliever, but still not unprecedented.”
Validus shook his head. “This is different. He carefully and systematically set the vexer up and then tried to escape. He knew without a doubt that the demon was after him. And he knew exactly when the demon was and was not nearby.”
Tren squinted. “That is unusual. What about us? Can he sense us?”
Validus rubbed the back of his neck, trying to settle on an answer to that question. “I’m not sure. He knew something was going on in that classroom, but besides me there was also a Fallen warrior and a vexer-possessor. I think he does sense us and he’s smart enough not to show it.”
Tren shook his head.
“What is it?” Validus asked.
“Well, doesn’t that change just about everything?”
Validus huffed. Yes … yes, it would.
“How specific is this ability?”
“Only time will tell,” Validus said.
“Do you think this is why Elohim chose him … for whatever he’s been chosen for?”
Validus shook his head. “No. I think it’s been given to him because he was chosen.”
“I guess that is all the more reason why we need to keep our distance,” Tren said.
“From what I’ve seen in the last few weeks, I don’t think Carter is going to make that easy. Not if we’re going to keep him alive. He seems to have a nose for trouble.”
Tren nodded.
“Since he seems to draw the attention of the Fallen, and since”—Tren paused and glanced down at his injured arm—“you are obviously more skilled with the sword, you keep him safe, and I’ll try to discover why he’s here.”
It didn’t take Tren long to figure out that Drew was looking for someone, but they still didn’t know whom.
Over the next few weeks, Validus found himself extremely tasked with keeping Carter alive, but he could not help growing to like the young man. Carter had a warrior’s heart that was as noble as any Validus had seen. In some ways, he reminded him of his old friend Cadriel.
However, he remembered Danick’s warning about becoming too attached to any one human and took it to heart. It tended to cloud an angel’s judgment. He wondered how the guardians managed it.
The challenge Validus faced was knowing when and when not to intercede, especially watching from afar. It was critical that he keep his identity hidden from the Fallen as long as possible. Once they figured out that the previous commander of the North American continent was watching over one man, the gates of hell would be unleashed on Carter, especially with Niturni in command.
Because of this, there were times when Validus nearly lost Carter. At other times when a Fallen did see Validus, he pursued the demon until he was sent to the Abyss through battle.
The frustrating and yet admirable thing about Carter was his increasing involvement in defending the weak and bringing justice to the predators of society. Validus had seen the skill of hundreds of thousands of the best soldiers humanity had ever produced, but what he saw in Drew Carter was beyond normal—nearly, dare he say, angelic.
This was never more evident than one evening late in the hot days of August. Validus watched Carter finish his training with a martial arts master, Mr. Lee, a few blocks from the Korean restaurant he delivered takeout for.
As Carter made his way home across the darkened concrete jungle of Chicago, Validus followed at a distance, navigating from rooftop to rooftop, materializing through walls, doors, and any structures that both impeded and protected him. Ever watchful over his charge and for any Fallen, Validus hoped that Carter would head straight for his apartment, but it was not to be. Carter diverted west and south along the fringes of known gang territory.
“Fool,” Validus muttered, shaking his head.
This gang appropriately called themselves the Dragons, but this darkened area of Chicago housed more than a gang of thugs. In the spiritual world it was one of Durgank’s regional outposts, home to dozens of Fallen wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting masses of humanity.
Carter stepped into a narrow passageway between two tall buildings where there was virtually no light at all. Although Validus’s perfect eyes could see numerous obstacles littering the way, he knew that for a human, the passageway would be as black as Apollyon’s sword. Perched on the roof of a two-story building, Validus crouched and peered down into the alley. He studied Carter as he deftly maneuvered over a tumbled trash can, ducked beneath a broken fire escape, and set his foot just beyond a broken pallet.
Impossible, Validus thought. It’s as if he can see like an angel! What manner of man is this?
Validus saw a Fallen scuttle across the opening Carter was heading toward. Chills flowed up and down Validus’s spine—not because of the demon but because of Carter’s reaction. Carter froze, as if he knew the demon was there—or as if he had seen it in that brief moment. Validus couldn’t be sure.
He followed Carter to the corner of the building, where the young man stopped and cautiously looked around the edge to the street where it joined the alley.
“Yous better be careful. Only way is to be part of the brotherhood. We protect our own. These rough streets, ya hear?”
Validus peered over the eaves of the roof. Two teens just beyond the age of reason and therefore without guardians were being accosted by two Dragon gang members. The teens looked nervous.
Validus scowled. Standing behind the gang members was one of Durgank’s Fallen. He recognized the form of Hadron, the angel who had raised his hand to Validus when he had confronted Niturni in the garden of heaven thousands of years ago. He flashed back to that fateful time, and the emotions of betrayal swelled in his bosom. Niturni had turned because of angels like Hadron.
Hadron was one of the One Hundred. Shadowing gang members was an odd and lowly duty for one who was so highly esteemed in the beginning.
“We … we jus’ need to get home.” The boys looked up and down the street for help or a way to run.
“Sure ya do. Sure ya do.” The shorter of the two gang members reached out and put a tattooed arm around the neck of one of the teens while the bigger one took up watch. “We ain’t gonna hurt you,” he said, pulling the teen into the alley and away from the street.
Validus gripped his sword as he watched Hadron’s gaze follow them. The demon whispered something vile into the ear of the gang member. The teen struggled to free himself, but the gang member’s grip only tightened. The other teen stepped back, ready to dart away but clearly torn by his loyalty to his friend. The larger gang member motioned for him to follow, and the boy reluctantly moved into the alley.
Validus shook himself from the trench of his memories and remembered Carter. He looked down and could see action boiling up within his charge.
“We gots some candy you two needs to try.” The Dragon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag of white meth crystals. He smiled and tilted his head toward the frightened teen. “This here’s candy for men.”
&n
bsp; He stuffed the bag into the pocket of the teen, but the teen dug it out and tried to give it back.
“I don’t want it. Please let me go.”
Hadron scowled and whispered again. The Dragon’s face contorted to a clenched grin of malice. His arm tightened further around the teen’s neck.
Validus’s sense of justice was unquellable. In spite of his mission to keep Carter safe, something inside him ached for the young man to engage, and he was not disappointed.
“Leave them alone!”
Carter stepped out of the shadows, briskly walking the twenty feet toward the encounter. Validus marveled. If Carter could truly sense the presence of the Fallen, Hadron would be a formidable presence of fear to overcome. Validus’s hand quietly pulled the silver-white blade from its scabbard on his back.
Hadron, the Dragons, and the two teens jolted, all turning toward Carter.
The Dragon leader’s eyes narrowed. “You best be gone, dog, ’less you wanna be hurt.”
“I’ll leave as soon as you let them go,” Carter said as he continued walking toward them.
The larger Dragon leaned down and whispered something to his leader. Hadron drew his sword, and the sneer on his face matched that of his Dragon minion. Validus materialized down through the roof and onto the second floor in an abandoned office building. He positioned himself near one of the broken windows just above Hadron.
“Get rid of him,” the lead Dragon ordered.
The larger thug drew a switchblade and released its four-inch blade. He came at Carter with Hadron close behind, ready to amplify the fight of the brutish Dragon.
Validus gripped his sword and jumped, landing just behind Hadron. Hadron turned and glared. Shock followed by utter hatred spewed from his eyes as he recognized Validus.
“Fall out of favor with Apollyon, Hadron?” Validus teased. “What an esteemed duty for one of the One Hundred, peddling drugs to teens in an alley.”
Hadron growled. The distraction was enough to keep him away from Carter.
Behind Hadron, Validus saw the large Dragon swipe at Carter. It was his one and only attempt. With the speed of a panther, Carter deflected the cut, snatched the man’s wrist, sidestepped, and brought a bone-crunching forearm to the back side of the Dragon’s outstretched arm, breaking his elbow. The Dragon’s scream echoed off the alley buildings.
Hadron ignored the cries of his crippled minion. “You should speak. Brandt finally put you where you belong—petty guard duty. You are still as insignificant as the day I met you.” Hadron followed his derision with a curse and his blade.
Validus expected a fierce fight, and he wasn’t surprised. There would be only one outcome here—death. He could not let Hadron survive and reveal Validus’s identity as a protector of Carter.
Their blades flew in a blinding battle of ancient skill. One of the One Hundred versus the last. Validus could only hope that six thousand years of experience would carry him. To his surprise, within just a few cuts, Validus’s superior skills ruled the fight. His caution quickly turned into an aggressive offense.
“Back off, dog!” Validus heard the Dragon yell. He risked a glance at Carter and the teens. One of the teens was sprinting up the alley, but the other was still locked in the Dragon’s grip.
Validus pushed hard on Hadron, and Hadron retreated, pulling them away from Carter. Validus was torn—finish Hadron or defend Carter? Both had consequences. As they moved farther down the darkened alley, he realized he had to commit to finishing Hadron off. He advanced and three moves later cut through Hadron’s blade and into his torso.
Before the green vapor had fallen, Validus turned and bolted toward Carter, but he was too late.
The Dragon had thrown the teen to the ground and drawn a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun. Carter anticipated, moved, and attacked, but one shot rang out. Validus reached with his blade, but the round passed just beyond its tip. A fraction of a second later, the full-metal-jacketed round hit its mark.
Carter dislodged the gun and put an aikido move on the thug with such speed that the impact of his head on the asphalt put him out cold.
Behind Carter, the teen screamed in pain. The bullet had passed clean through the muscle tissue of his shoulder. Validus watched as Carter knelt next to the writhing teen on the ground.
“Hold still, I’m going to help you. What’s your name?”
“D-Danny.” Sand-colored hair hung just above his blue eyes.
Carter whipped off his shirt and started to make a compression bandage. “Okay, Danny. You’re going to be all right. Take a few deep breaths while I put this bandage on.”
The teen nodded. Carter finished the dressing, whipped out his phone, and dialed 911. He reported the incident while scanning the alley. The Dragon with the broken elbow was hobbling off, and the other was still out cold. Carter kicked the gun away from the thug and tied his hands with his belt.
Carter came back to the teen and helped him sit up against a brick wall, then sat down beside him. Validus scanned the area, hoping the incident hadn’t brought the attention of other Fallen. He stayed close enough to protect but far enough to disappear if need be.
“You doin’ okay?” Carter asked as he checked the bandage.
“Yeah … I guess so.” The teen forced a grin. “I heard the big guy call you the Guardian. Are you?”
Carter looked uncomfortable. Validus stared at him. Was Carter becoming an urban legend?
Sirens rang close.
“I’m nothing of the sort. You’re safe now. Just tell the police what happened, ’cause I can’t stick around. Okay?” Carter stood up to leave. “I’m sorry you got shot. I didn’t want that to happen.”
“I’m glad somebody will fight them. Thanks for saving me.”
Carter smiled and darted into the seam between two buildings just as the police lights lit up the alley.
Validus followed Carter from a distance. After every incident, he was compelled to wonder about his charge. He couldn’t deny that he liked him, and he marveled at the gifts the man had been given that could have come only from Elohim—his sight, his speed, his ability to sense the spiritual realm. He was amazing, unlike any other human Validus had encountered or heard of.
If only Carter could see the truth and understand his need for salvation through Jesus Christ. Validus shook his head. Until then, there was a continual measure of angst in Validus that grew every time he had an encounter with Carter.
In an effort to discover more about their charge, Tren had spent significant time back in Rivercrest and at Drayle University investigating Drew’s family and friends. Upon returning from his last trip, he shared a revelation that brought important insight to their mission.
“I know,” Tren said with an uncharacteristically wide smile.
“Know what?” Validus asked sharply. He wasn’t so sure he could make himself enjoy rummaging through files and desks.
“I know who he’s looking for. He’s searching for his friend from college, Benjamin Berg.”
Validus was curious. “Why?”
“Of that, I’m not sure, but Berg is hiding too. In Rivercrest I discovered that Berg went missing not long after that lab accident at Drayle University.” Tren paused. “Whatever happened in that lab changed everything for them.”
“You mean besides it exploding and them getting expelled?”
“Yes. As significant as that is, it doesn’t explain why they are both running, hiding, and looking for each other.”
Validus had to agree. He thought about what he had seen Carter do in the last few weeks—take on gang members to help people, stop crimes, volunteer at a local church to help feed the hungry.
Tren picked up on Validus’s contemplation. “What is it?”
“I think his ability to sense the presence of angels and demons is more than just a sense.” Validus hesitated with the next few words. “I think he can see us.”
The smile on Tren’s face faded.
“And the way the Fallen are beginning to fo
cus on him, unless I get closer and soon, we will lose him. But even that’s not enough.”
Tren was sober.
“We need help,” Validus said. “The local gang is an operational base for the Fallen, and they’ve noticed Carter. I won’t be able to protect him alone much longer. If what I suspect is true about him, Apollyon’s regional commander, Durgank, will find out and take action. And Niturni won’t be far behind.”
“What do you suggest?” Tren asked.
Validus took a deep breath. “I’ve already talked to Linari, the captain of the city, and he is spread thin as it is. He can send help in an emergency but can’t dedicate a warrior to help us continually. I need to talk to Primus Commander Malak and see what support he can spare.” He was frustrated once again that he could not get Persimus reassigned for just such a purpose. He was a perfect choice.
“Go. I’ll watch over Carter,” Tren said.
Validus hesitated. The guardian’s skill was in his intellect and discernment. Although he was skilled with the sword too, the trouble Carter got into required the best. Validus decided his trip to headquarters would be a fast one.
“Better keep your sword and a pistol ready at all times, especially at night. It’s become a routine of his.”
Tren’s eyebrow raised.
“I’m serious.” He turned to leave. Actually tonight was the night when Carter usually went to Emmanuel Church to help the Bransons with the soup kitchen, so Tren would probably be fine. After all, what could happen in a church soup kitchen? If all went well, Validus might even be back before nightfall.
“Is Reverend Ray having any influence on him?” Tren asked, hopeful.
“The reverend is definitely a positive force in his life, but it doesn’t appear as though it’s enough to turn him to Elohim. I’ve spoken with Teriel, the angel of Emmanuel Church, and asked him to keep his eyes open. If Carter has more association with the Bransons, Teriel might be a warrior we can count on. But what we really need is Sydney Carlyle back in his life.”
But that wasn’t going to happen, not with Carter hiding off the grid in a distant city.