“It’s a trick, Vero!” Pax shouted, while still trying to free himself and Ada from the black chain. “Remember, this hasn’t happened yet! Time on earth stops when we’re called to the Ether!”
“Is that what you learned in class? Well, what if Vero wasn’t exactly called back to the Ether?” Duff said with an evil smile. “There wasn’t any class scheduled for today, was there, Fledgling? If I recall, you jumped in front of that fire truck and took us with you. And that was what? A good hour ago?”
Vero’s heart sank. It was true. He’d returned to the Ether of his own accord.
“Because of that, what you’re seeing is happening right now — live,” Blake told Vero.
“Or didn’t they teach you that in angel school?” Duff snickered.
Vero looked toward the woods behind the house. If what Blake said was true and if Vero was now watching his daydream happening in real life, then Davina should come running through those woods any minute now, and Danny’s red marble should strike her in the temple, killing her instantly.
Vero knew he had to stop it from happening. But how? Vero closed his eyes and tried listening for his Vox Dei. But he heard nothing. A look of disappointment crossed his face when he opened his eyes again.
“I guess just like your teachers at C.A.N.D.L.E., that voice in your heart deceived you again,” Duff taunted him.
X began stirring. “X, wake up,” Ada whispered.
Pax shushed her, and then Vero sent this thought to Pax: Try to get into X’s mind! Try to reach his consciousness. Vero prayed that Pax could read his thoughts. Please, God . . .
Pax’s head whipped around. He’d heard Vero!
“Poor Danny finally thought someone cared about him. He even bought Davina a corsage,” Duff said.
Danny stopped walking and was sizing up the windows on the house.
“What a loser,” Duff scoffed.
Duff and Blake laughed, and Vero experienced an overwhelming feeling of compassion for Danny.
“Davina never cared about you,” Blake said.
“Davina’s not like that!” Vero yelled.
“Nobody on earth cares about anyone but himself,” Blake said. “Do they?”
“Danny, please!” Vero shouted.
Vero’s desire to save both Danny and Davina became overpowering, and suddenly he was just as consumed as he’d been on the day when that corn snake had attacked Davina during science class. With a deafening roar, he threw off Blake and Duff with newfound strength. His wings shot out, and he flew to Danny’s side.
“Davina cares about you!” Vero yelled in Danny’s ear. “She’s on her way! Don’t do this!”
Stunned by Vero’s sudden surge of power, Blake and Duff appeared even more shocked when Danny hesitated. So with renewed force, they sprang into action.
“You’re gonna pay dearly for that,” Duff hissed, and he tackled Vero to the ground.
“Hold on, Vero!” Greer shouted as her breathing finally returned to normal. She got to her feet and began unraveling the chains that were constricting Kane.
Blake ran at Danny and began whispering in his ear again. “No one cares about you, Danny. Davina was just toying with you. She sure made a big fool out of you tonight.”
Danny furrowed his brow and started walking toward the house again, completely unaware that the hateful thoughts in his mind were being planted there.
As Vero saw Blake yelling in Danny’s ear, he had an epiphany. He remembered how Blake had yelled in Danny’s ear in that exact same way on that day when Danny had beat up Vero. Danny had apparently never even been aware of Blake and Duff’s presence. Even though they’d always been with him, they’d been invisible to him!
Duff smashed Vero hard into the ground, and then he quickly rejoined Blake, whispering negative encouragement in Danny’s other ear. As he did this, Vero noticed something different about Blake and Duff . . . was it panic?
“You have every right to be angry, Danny. You’re not loved,” Duff whispered. “You never have been.”
Blake whispered in the other ear, and their words dripped like poison.
Vero flew at Duff and tried to pull him away from Danny, but Duff was too strong.
Vero shouted to his fellow angels, “Guys, I need your help now!”
X sat up quickly, feeling confused and rubbing his head. As he took in the scene, he didn’t recognize the environment, but he saw that Vero needed help.
“I’ll be back,” Greer said to Kane, and she sprang to her feet, leaving him still partially chained.
Greer and X released their wings. Then they swooped down on top of Duff and attacked. They pulled him away from Danny, giving Vero a clear shot at Danny’s ear instead.
Vero desperately yelled into it, “Don’t listen to their hateful thoughts, Danny!” Vero shouted. “It’s all lies!”
Danny looked down at the driveway for a moment, his concentration on the house now clearly interrupted. Vero’s words were getting through!
Blake and Duff grew enraged. With astonishing strength, Duff grabbed Greer and X simultaneously and threw them onto Pax and Ada who were still bound together by the black chains. They landed in a bone-bruising heap.
Blake tackled Vero, pinned him down by his arms, and sat on him. “That’s enough out of you, angel boy!”
“Your own mother doesn’t care about you, so why would Davina?” Duff shouted in Danny’s ear.
Danny’s momentary hesitation quickly passed as Duff’s words sank in. The anger returned to Danny’s face, and he stormed over to the house.
“No!” Vero cried.
Blake gritted his teeth as he screamed angrily in Vero’s face. “He’s ours! We’ll never let him go!”
A feeling of dire urgency came over Vero as he saw Duff whispering in Danny’s ear, “Smash some more of those windows. It’ll feel good . . . ”
Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out a red marble. He loaded it into the elastic band of the slingshot. Vero watched in horror as he saw Davina running through the woods. She was about to burst through those trees and run straight for the house, right on time.
“No! Danny! No!” Vero yelled.
Suddenly, a black chain struck Blake hard across the face, knocking him backward and off of Vero. He was momentarily stunned. Surprised, Duff looked up to see Kane holding the chain. He’d freed himself!
“The next one’s for you!” Kane growled in fury.
Kane swung the chain around his head lasso-style, readying to strike Duff.
“You guys aren’t so scary after all,” Kane taunted as he swung the chain at Duff. But in a peevish rage, Duff grabbed the chain with his hand and jerked hard, flinging Kane high into the air.
Kane managed to grab a tree branch as he sailed through the air. And then right before the fledglings’ eyes, Duff began to morph. His boyish appearance turned monstrous, with burn marks stretching from ear to ear. His flesh boiled into a slimy hide. His hands became claws, and his feet were now talons. And that single eye that had haunted Vero ever since his first run-in with maltures went all the way through his head and burned with pure hatred. “Am I scary now?” Duff grinned, showing rotted, sharp fangs.
Blake also mutated into his hideous self. Turns out they were the same maltures that had attacked him in the bathroom at Dr. Weiss’s office! It was clear they intended to finish the job this time.
“Oh man . . . ” X said with his mouth hanging open. He freed Pax and Ada, letting the chain drop to the ground.
The angels watched in total fear as Blake lifted his arm toward the sky. His claw grew into a scythe, and the long curved blade became an extension of his arm.
“It’s perfect for a beheading,” Greer said, mesmerized by the terrifying blade.
Vero heard a swish of air as Blake swung the scythe at Vero’s head. He quickly ducked and narrowly missed the lethal blow.
Roaring in frustration, Blake turned to Pax and Ada who recoiled. “How about if I behead one of your friends instead? W
ho will you save?”
“No!” Vero cried racing over to them.
As Blake swiped at them, Greer and X flew full speed onto Blake’s back, knocking him to the ground for a moment.
“Vero, look!” Kane shouted, as he flew down from the tree.
Vero whipped around and saw Duff whispering into Danny’s ear. Vero’s heart nearly stopped as he watched Danny pull the red marble back in the elastic part of the slingshot. At that same moment, Davina burst through the thicket of trees. But Danny didn’t see her, just like in Vero’s daydream.
“Danny, no!” Vero shouted.
Blake jumped to his feet and swung his scythe at Vero who retreated from the blade. Just as Danny was about to release the marble into the air, Vero screamed with every ounce of his being, “Danny, we are here! You are not alone!”
Danny hesitated for a moment. He didn’t release the marble.
“God loves you!” Vero shouted.
The maltures grew more enraged at the mention of God. They hissed and charged at Vero with scythes raised. Vero braced himself for the worst; but in that split second, Vero read Danny’s mind. And he saw that Danny was having his own epiphany. Danny remembered how when he was a little kid, his mother would tuck him into bed and shower him with kisses. He remembered how his father spent hours with him carving a car out of wood that they hoped would win the Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby. Danny remembered carefree days spent riding bikes with his older brother. But most of all, he remembered that he was loved.
Danny slowly lowered the slingshot. He felt ashamed of what he’d become. Out of a pure and simple desperation, he uttered the words, “Please, God, help me.”
In that moment Vero learned just how powerful simple prayers can be. For in that precise moment, gold streaks appeared on Vero’s forearm and shot up to his fingers. A magnificent sword blade sprang forth from Vero’s right hand. From the inside of his palm, the sword continued to grow until a handle appeared, and Vero clutched it in his grasp. The sleek, solid-gold blade with its handle covered in vibrant gems fit Vero’s hand so perfectly that it seemed as if his hand and the sword were one. The other angels looked on with their mouths hanging wide open in astonishment.
“Get them!” Greer shouted to Vero. “You are a warrior!”
Blake and Duff charged at Vero in a blind fury, and in one clean swipe, Vero blocked both of their thrusts with the scythes. The maltures exchanged confused looks, obviously surprised by Vero’s prowess. They charged Vero again, slicing at him. Vero fended off their blows with an agility he didn’t know he possessed. Then he swung his sword and met their every thrust. The sound of clanking metal reverberated throughout the air. It was a sound Vero had heard while Uriel was sparring with the maltures on the rooftop while Vero hung from the ledge.
Pax and Ada flew over to Danny and stood on either side of him, creating a buffer between Danny and the maltures. Greer and X flew to Davina’s side as Kane stood and watched Vero in stunned awe.
“Awesome . . . ” Kane muttered, his mouth agape.
Vero deflected their every stab. And as his confidence grew, Vero was no longer dodging jabs, but thrusting forward, slashing at the maltures, and forcing them to back away from Danny and head toward the house.
“Release Danny!” Vero demanded as he continued to advance.
After he’d backed them all the way to the house, he kept them both at bay, parrying blow for blow.
“Release him!” Vero shouted.
“If we release him, what will you do to us, Vero?” Blake asked. “Kill us?”
Blake’s question threw Vero. A flicker of uncertainty came to his mind. Did he really have it in him to finish them off?
“Vero Leland . . . track star, loyal friend, dutiful son, guardian angel . . . killer!” Blake snarled.
The word killer resonated through Vero’s head. He could never imagine himself killing anyone. But these were maltures. As his confidence wavered, his concentration broke.
In that moment of confusion, Duff spun away from the house and his blade sliced Vero’s shoulder with great precision as Duff tried to jump clear of the fray. Vero was overcome with excruciating pain, and he slumped to the ground.
“Vero!” Kane yelled. He ran over to help Vero, but the hissing creatures swung violently at him, stopping him in his tracks. Vero clutched his shoulder, his energy was starting to drain right along with the blood that was now seeping from his gash.
“Vero! Behind you!” Greer screamed.
Vero turned and saw Duff charging at him with a raised scythe. The curved blade swung at Vero with deadly force. But with incredible swiftness, Vero rolled out of its path. The maltures shrieked.
Vero had allowed those fiends to distract him! You fool! he thought, and his anger brought him strength. Vero rose from the ground and held his sword out in front of him.
“Release Danny!” he said, unflinching.
His voice echoed voluminously, deep and commanding. He no longer feared. He no longer felt pain. His only thought was of Danny. If Vero died, so be it. He would fight for Danny and Davina to the death.
Blake and Duff went back on the offensive and charged Vero, but Vero was ready for them. He effortlessly somersaulted over their heads and landed squarely on his feet behind them.
The maltures turned around and engaged Vero, scythes against sword. Vero was equal to their challenge, thwarting each and every slice of their blades.
Then Blake’s blade cut close to Vero’s chest, but Vero pulled back quickly so the blade only caught his shirt, ripping the red material. Vero recoiled, and that little step back helped him avoid an erratic swipe from Duff. The swing went wide missing Vero completely, and instead it found Blake and cut off his arm at the elbow.
Blake shrieked in pain and fury. His scythe clanged to the ground where it instantly withered. Blake hissed at Duff who showed no concern for his fellow malture.
Defeated and with his scythe gone, Blake turned to run. But Kane flew right at him and knocked him to the driveway. “Not so fast!” Kane put his foot on Blake’s chest as the beaten malture whimpered.
“One down!” Greer shouted.
Vero and Duff circled each other — waiting for someone to make a move.
“Yes, Vero, you are a real prize, and you know it, don’t you?” Duff said.
Vero was curious, but he didn’t let down his guard. Vero continued circling, never taking his eyes off of Duff.
“They’re setting you up, Vero. Do your friends know about you?” Duff continued. “They’ll tell you that it’s all for the greater good, that it’s his will. But you’ll be the one to pay the price, not him.”
“Light, Vero. You are light!” Ada called.
“Don’t let him get up in your head, Vero. You’ve got this!” Pax shouted.
Yet, Duff’s words bothered Vero.
“If you’re not just a pawn, why haven’t they told you everything? What are their plans for you, Vero . . ., hmmm?”
Duff’s malicious words found their mark. Vero wondered why he was special and what the plan for him was. Why did the maltures seem to know more about him than Vero did? Vero was wrestling with his doubt. His hands began trembling. Duff smiled.
Vero caught his own reflection in his blade, and in his eyes he no longer saw a timid young angel. Uriel’s words came rushing back to him: “The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is fear.” Vero would not give in to his fear. He wielded his sword at the demonic creature with such conviction that Duff fell backward to the ground.
“Release Danny!” Vero said, his blade pointed at Duff’s chest.
“You understand nothing. We can’t release Danny. We have no authority.”
Duff rolled out from underneath Vero’s sword and jumped to his feet. As he swiped at Vero’s head with his scythe, Vero ducked, spun around, and sliced his sword blade clear through Duff’s wrist.
Duff looked down, and as he watched his scythe wither, he let out a screeching howl.
; And then the earth around them began to rumble. Between the two miserable maltures, a mound of earth rose up.
“No!” Duff screamed. “It’s not our fault!”
As the mound continued to grow, Vero and Kane backed away. Vero held his sword in front of him, shielding the other angels. A resounding clicking sound began to emanate from the mound until it finally burst open, and millions of insect-like creatures emerged.
They had the heads of men, the bodies and wings of locusts, and the tails of scorpions. They grabbed the flailing maltures and dragged them, kicking and screaming, down into the hole. Their shrieks made Vero think of the cries of wild beasts’ prey, as they’re being dismembered by their predators.
Once the maltures disappeared into the ground, a few remaining locust-men buzzed around the entrance to the hole. The wind from their wings picked up a huge cloud of dirt all around them, and a face flashed through the haze — a face Vero recognized. Abaddon. Then the buzzing stopped.
A moment later, the dirt settled. The hole had sealed itself shut, and Abaddon and his locust creatures were gone.
Then everything flashed white.
29
THE WHITE LIGHT
Vero was sitting under a shade tree on the banks of a sparkling river in the Ether. He blinked his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to focus on something, anything. After a few moments, he could make out a figure. A powerfully built angel with handsome, rugged features and penetrating violet eyes came into view. He was enormous! At least ten feet tall. His stature was completely intimidating, but there was a kindness to his face that put Vero at ease.
“Hello, Vero. I’m Michael.”
The mightiest of all of God’s warriors walked over and placed his massive hand on Vero’s shoulder. Vero didn’t feel worthy of the gesture.
“The others?” Vero asked.
“They’re fine.”
Vero sighed with relief.
“You were very brave. Look at what your actions have done.”
Michael waved his hand, and an image appeared in midair of Davina running up the porch steps of that new home being built on Fairburn.
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