Spinning as he moved from one plane to the other, he clenched his fists, as if ready to fight who or what had been following him. Stopping abruptly, he gasped, “Holy shit!”
“Hello, Charlie,” John stated calmly as he stood nose to nose with his son.
A Visitor
“Dad?” Charlie stammered, unable to believe his eyes. Glancing down at his hands, he confirmed the haze he associated with being in the magical plane. “Dad!” he stated more forcefully. “What the hell are you doing here? How? Oh my God!” Without hesitation, he stepped forward, throwing his arms around the older man’s shoulders.
“Hi, son,” John folded the boy into a firm embrace, holding him for a full minute before relaxing his grip. “It’s good to see you,” he managed with a whack and then squeeze on the upper arm. “How’s your mother?”
“My mother,” Charlie blinked at him, unsure how to reply. “Dad; you’re an Angel!” he finally managed, then realized the implications of that fact. “If you’re an Angel, haven’t you been watching? Don’t you know what’s happened?” his voice caught as his eyes grew misty.
“I’m afraid I’ve been detained,” John supplied. “Keeper only released me a few minutes ago.”
“Keeper,” Charlie breathed, taking a step back. “I don’t understand,” he scowled.
“I know, son. That’s why he sent me; I’m here to help you find your way.”
“Find my way,” his heels crunched on the gravel as he put more space between them. “This doesn’t make any sense. How can you be here? I mean, if Keeper had you locked up… but why would he lock you up,” Charlie spun around and began walking at a fast pace.
Appearing in front of him, John caught him by the shoulders, indicating for him to stop. “Son, listen to me. I’m going to explain everything that I can, but first you gotta relax.”
“Relax?” Charlie bit angrily. “An’ how exactly am I gonna do that? It would appear that you’re one of them!”
“We’re one of them,” the older man softly corrected. “You’re an Angel too, Charlie.”
Realizing the truth behind that statement, a cascade of questions washed over him, and he clipped, “Oh yeah? Since when? Since I died an’ met Clarisse, or has all this been in the plans all along?”
“You could say that,” John agreed with a nod, noting the cool breeze. “It’s getting colder. Let’s go someplace warm, shall we?”
“Like where?” Charlie cut him a distrusting glare.
Grasping his arm, John transported them half a world away. Arriving at a park in Queensland, he grinned up at the sun. “Damn, it’s been a long time.” Spreading his arms, he drank in the rays.
“Shit,” Charlie muttered, familiar with the sight. “You really are a Light Angel.”
“Yes,” the older man dropped his appendages and met his gaze. “I’m sorry, son. We have a special binding that takes place when we are in the plane of the living. I didn’t remember anything until I was reclaimed. But then, it was too late, an’ I’ve been in Keeper’s prison ever since. This is the first time I’ve been out, an’ certainly my first chance t’ explain things to you.”
Charlie’s mind raced, recalling that his mother had once said his father could be an Angel. They had been in a hotel room, and she had wanted a baking sheet and powder of her own so that she could speak to him across the plane. “Does mom know? Is she an Angel too?” he demanded loudly.
“No, son. Your mom is just a woman. A wonderful woman I loved very much.”
“You’re lying,” Charlie’s heart beat against his ribs. “If you loved her, you wouldn’t have left her. Left us. Do you have any idea what’s happened?”
Shaking his head slowly, John explained as simply as he could; “I told you, son. I didn’ have any knowledge of the magical plane while I lived as a human. It’s forbidden. An’ your mother really didn’ know; still doesn’t know. I don’ know anything from the time I died until now. Keeper released me an’ tol’ me it was time to go to you; that you were ready, an’ that’s why I’m here. I’m here to help you find your way. So, you’ll have to fill me in on everything else.” He grinned, coaxing his son to accept his place among their people voluntarily.
Charlie studied his father’s deep brown orbs, noticing that they held the same fire that they had when he was alive. “Is it really you?” he asked more calmly. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick or test that Karma came up with?”
“Karma?” John inhaled deeply, as if he had been punched in the gut.
“Yeah, Karma,” Charlie agreed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “She saved me after I killed that guy… after you died… an’ me an’ mom ended up in California.” He stopped there, realizing that jumping around would only confuse his father and he needed to take it slow if he were going to make any sense out of his story. “Let’s walk,” he offered, changing his clothes at the same time and noting his father’s smile when he did so. Shaking his head but saying nothing, Charlie ambled along beside him, briefly considering if his father could reach into his mind, as Karma and Keeper would do, and simply extract all that he wanted to know. Karma had given him protection against such invasion, but how far did it extend, after all?
A short time later, the pair found a bench and took a seat, each of them exposing their faces to the sun as Charlie finished filling in the details of his adventures. He had started from his childhood, explaining everything that seemed relevant for as far back as he could remember, and ending with having left Clarisse that morning to attend to his chores before he arrived at the graveyard a few hours before.
When Charlie finished speaking, John broke in to a wide grin; “That’s amazing, son. You’ve come a long way in such a short time.”
“Yeah, I’m sure new Angels take months an’ years to train,” the younger man bit tartly.
“They do,” John agreed. “Charlie, I’m an Angel. Fifth generation to be exact. That’s one o’ the things I’m here to shed some light on for you. Our world was dying -”
“I’ve heard this part,” Charlie interrupted with an angry snap in his voice. “Karma an’ Keeper came here because their world was boring, or something like that. Oh, no; it was that they had nothin’ to live for.”
John studied him for a long moment, evaluating his interpretation. “Our world was dying a slow an’ painful death, son. Karma and Keeper did leave with a small handful of others. They came to Earth and found it suitable, and they stayed here. The twins were born, the magical plane was set to separate the two social orders, and things are as they have been for a few millennia.”
“Suitable,” Charlie repeated. “Suitable for what?”
“For us to stay here.”
“An’ you were with them when they arrived?”
“No,” John broke his eye contact, looking across the field of grass before them instead. “Like I said, I’m fifth generation. I was born in early colonial America, but my life was cut short. I spent a few hundred years working as a Summer Angel, and I got my second chance when I agreed to return to the plane of the living. It takes a lot out of you, you know… living as a human. Having your memories suppressed an’ startin’ over. Not many o’ us old timers accept such positions, but I took it on pretty much as a favor to Keeper.”
Charlie’s face paled, despite the sun above him. “You’re sayin’ that Angels hide among the humans, pretending t’ be one of us?”
“Not exactly. They don’t know that they’re Angles, so they don’t really have to hide. They just do what they do for as long as they can, until they are pulled back to the other side.”
“An’ why would they need to live among us?” Charlie still referred to himself as human rather than Angel, earning him a dark glance.
“There weren’t enough Angels in their small group for us to rebuild,” John supplied in a quiet voice. “And our leaders weren’t sure that the humans would be strong enough for the job; so they waited. Once they were sure, The Crossings began. That’s when an Angel is
placed in the non-magical plane for propagation.”
Glancing over, he could see that Charlie understood, so he added the next portion, “The Crossings happen in layers, called generations. A group of Angels is scattered across the earth to live lives, find mates, and bear children. I was born in the fifth Crossing. Then, when the offspring is ready, they are rifted, or harvested, and the cycle begins again. Hell, most of them go straight from rifted back into the mix, kinda like reincarnation.”
“Rifted!” Charlie snapped, leaping to his feet and glaring down at the man seated beside him. “I know what that means, an’ it don’ have anything to do with harvesting!”
Blinking up at him, John waited for his companion to retake his seat. Once he had, he shook his head slowly. “Those who are rifted are not made aware of our situation. They become Summer Angels if Destiny permits it. Those who do not fall to Keeper, but they are not enlightened either way. The fewer who know, the better off we are. We can’t allow word of this to get out. It’s Karma’s job to make sure that it doesn’t.”
“Yeah, I know what her job is,” Charlie scoffed. “I help her do her job, so don’ try t’ bull shit me on this.”
“I would never lie to you, son,” John shook his head slowly. “But you gotta know. Time is moving so fast now, an’ you gotta be ready.”
“Oh, so time is moving fast again. I already told Keeper, time is a constant, an’ it don’ go fast or slow.”
“Time is a like a person, Charlie; a hunter that silently stalks its prey. When the Angels left our home world, time was against them, and it’s been searching for them ever since. We’ve stayed low an’ remained hidden for as long as we could, but time will run out, like that hunter catching his prey,” his voice trailed away. “When it does, this world, as you know it, will be destroyed.”
“Destroyed!” Charlie was on his feet again for a moment before perching on the edge of his seat. “How do we stop it?”
“We don’t stop it. When the time comes, one of the planes will overtake the other, and only one group will remain. Either the humans will have the Earth to themselves, or the Angels will finally claim it for their own.” His eyes appeared hollow as he declared the fate that lay before them.
“So who wins?” Charlie demanded. “Surely you know. Keeper bein’ the great god of all Angels an’ you bein’ the master race. I’m sure it will be the Angels. So what happens t’ the humans exactly?” he bit the word exactly through clenched teeth.
“The humans will be no more,” his father confessed. “Fate and his minions will devour the last of them. We will defeat them, and this planet will be ours outright. We’ll reproduce in the old ways an’ won’t need humans to be our surrogates, carrying an’ delivering our young.”
Something about his last description stopped Charlie’s heart cold. “What do you mean, carrying an’ delivering your young? Are you really my father?” he eyed him suspiciously.
“Yes, I’m really your father. You are an Angel; light o’ my life and seed of my loin. Like I said, most o’ the Angels who have crossed had done so many times, an’ have many children; you are my only one.”
“Well, shit,” Charlie muttered under his breath. “An’ Keeper sent you t’ tell me this. He couldn’t do it himself?”
“Keeper thought you would have learned all o’ this on your own by now. He only sent me t’ fill in the gaps for you.”
“Well, thanks,” Charlie stood for the last time. “Then I have a message for Keeper. I’ll decide who’s side I’m on, an’ you guys can’t force me t’ take yours, his, or anyone’s side.”
John stared up at his offspring for a long moment, wondering exactly how their leader would take such a bold declaration. After all, they needed Charlie to complete their plans, and he had a feeling the young man would suffer deeply if he did indeed choose the wrong side.
The Path to Purgatory
Leaving his father, Charlie made a stop at the beach in Miami, where he sat in the darkness and stared up at the full, round moon while listening to the waves wash and lap at the shore. The slight chill of the air tolerable, he considered and compared what John had told him with what he already knew, or thought he knew, about the magical plane and those who occupied it.
Although much of what Karma and Clarisse had told him aligned with this new version, to a certain degree, no one had ever mentioned that the humans, and rightful owners of the Earth, could or would be destroyed. “Keeper’s supposed t’ be keeping the balance, so that neither side wins,” he muttered to himself while dragging his fingers through the cool, moist sand.
But if that’s true, then this arrangement should continue on forever; there would be no end. But all things end, he felt certain of that. Karma wants to destroy them all, he mentally tallied, and unless something changed, he would help her carry out that plan. In the end, we all get what we deserve. He had sworn his allegiance to her, despite his declaration of not taking sides.
Damn, I’m in a tight spot, no matter which way I go. He had been torn between Keeper, Karma and the rest since first learning of the magical plane, and each new piece of knowledge that he gained only made their grasp tighter, rather than freeing him of his bonds as he had hoped it would.
Eventually getting himself together, he made the final leg to Purgatory. Putting a smile on his face that he did not feel, he arrived as most of the others were finishing their dinner.
“You’re late,” Karma informed him as he took his seat next to his invisible spouse.
“Yeah, I stopped to visit dad’s grave,” he informed her, adding a melancholy pitch to his voice.
Folding her hands in front of her, she studied him for a long moment. Resisting the urge to probe his mind, she discerned that she would wait for him to divulge the details and left it at that. “I’ll be in my haven when you are ready to talk,” she stated firmly.
“Tomorrow,” he countered, “I’ll be in your office bright an’ early.” Casting her a quick glance and a full smile, he hoped she would accept the neutral location.
Tapping her extended index fingers against her lips for a moment, she considered the offer, then replied, “Very well. The morning it is.” Clearing the table of all but his plate, as each the others had found reasons to excuse themselves as soon as he arrived, she disappeared and left the couple alone.
As soon as the room had quietened, Charlie shifted to the magical plane and greeted his wife; “Hello, angel.”
“Hi, baby,” she grinned, overjoyed at his return. “We were growing worried when you didn’t make it back before dark. You know things have been more and more strained here,” she rebuked in her sweet tone.
“I know,” he sighed, “an’ I’m afraid I’m slowly learning why. But don’ worry about that right now. Let’s slip off to our beach an’ snuggle for the night.”
Her lips parting into a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she quietly agreed. “As you wish.” They had much to discuss, but he was right about one thing; doing so inside Karma’s home would only lead to trouble.
Disposing of his half-eaten meal, Charlie whisked her away to their private suite. Finding herself standing on the pedestal that held their bed, Clarisse giggled, “Oh, Charlie. Will you ever grow tired of me?”
“Not likely,” he tossed back, his mouth trailing the line from behind her ear to edges of her gown as he held her. His fingers nimbly slid the shoulders off her creamy white skin and it floated softly to the wooden floor. “That’s better,” he whispered against her warm flesh.
Hesitating, Clarisse wanted to freeze them in that moment; to hold them there for eternity, secure in their love and separate from the world that swirled around them. Pushing her doubts aside, she inhaled deeply and prepared her mind for the connection their coupling would bring.
Her hands confident, she ran them eagerly over him, consumed with her need to be with him, despite the worry tugging at her from the back of her mind. Lying across the bed when he urged her to do so, she moaned softly, and w
hat remained of her conscious self slipped away into the warmth of making love.
Awakening with the sun the following morning, an anxious knot formed in the pit of Clarisse’s gut. She had wasted the hours they had been alone together, and she would have to bide her time a little longer; but eventually she would have to end her stalling and speak to her mate candidly about their situation.
The couple quickly dressed to return to Purgatory. Clarisse would have an assignment, most likely with Phil, which would mean retrieving him from his new home with Bethany; and Charlie had a meeting with Karma; one he didn’t dare be late for.
However, as soon as they arrived, they could tell something had happened during the night in their absence. Phil stood in the atrium, deep in conversation with Kari, which the pair ended immediately with the couple’s arrival.
“Well, don’t stop on our account,” Charlie chided. “What’s going on?”
“Plenty,” Phil scowled in his typical gruff manner. “Karma sent for me just after midnight and trust me, it wasn’t easy figuring out how I was going to leave your mother without making her worry.”
“Yeah, well, you’re the one who said I shouldn’ poison her mind, so I hope t’ hell you didn’ screw it up!”
“She’s fine,” the older man shrugged. “I have a guy who plays as my business associate when I need him to. He rang the house and I left on a fake emergency, so she’ll be none the wiser when I show up there later today, exhausted and ready for bed,” he grinned at his devious talents.
“Mom’s a smart lady; you won’t pull that but a time or two and she’ll get wise. Or accuse you of having an affair,” Charlie growled, angry that Bethany had become Phil’s toy.
Shaking his head, Kari cut in, “If you two don’t mind fighting over Beth another time, we have a problem that needs to be discussed.”
Still giving each other dagger-sharp glares, Phil nodded slowly, “Fine. You tell them what’s going on.”
The Keeper Set - Summer Spirit Novellas 7 - 9 Page 2