Into This River I Drown

by T. J. Klune

  “He’s a… an angel?” my mother says lowly.

  “Someone’s been talking.” Michael sounds amused.

  “What do you want?” I ask, trying to sound stronger then I feel.

  Michael looks at me, and I feel like quaking where I stand, but I don’t break the gaze. It is startling to realize that he isn’t blinking. My skin crawls. “What I want,” he says slowly, “is to make sure everything is in order. That all things are in their natural place.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He means me,” Cal whispers.

  Michael nods. “This whole… thing you’ve got here. This is disorder. This is chaos. I don’t know what Father has planned for you, but he hasn’t stopped me from being here. There are rules, Calliel, as you well know. You are not allowed on the earthly plane. You watch. You protect. You guard. You do not reveal yourself. It is within us all to do so, of course, but we are not meant to have free will. Father placed the ability to become corporeal to test us. To give the illusion of free will so that we may be tested.”

  “It’s not his fault,” I snap. “It was mine. I prayed for him and he came. I pulled him down. I did this, not him. You leave him alone.”

  “Oh, Benjamin,” Michael says. “While I am sure it’s a perfectly lovely thought, it’s not a correct one. A human cannot just pull down an angel from the sky. Not by praying for it. Prayer doesn’t work like that.” He frowns. “No, this appears to be all on Calliel. I can see the how of it, but I can’t yet figure out why. What does Father hope to achieve?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Abe said, stepping forward. “He’s not going anywhere with you. He stays here. Where he belongs.”

  Michael blinks. “Hasn’t he told you?” he asks, scanning each of our faces. He looks at me last, and I know his words even before he speaks them. “If he stays here, it will kill him.” Nina gasps and covers her face. “He is not human. He is an angel. Angels are not meant to stay on this plane of existence. If he dies here, his soul will become nothing.”

  “I’m fine,” Cal growls. “I don’t feel any different.”

  Michael looks at him sympathetically. “Now that’s not even remotely truthful, Calliel. You and I both know that. I think Benjamin does too, by the look of it.” I look away before Cal can see in me whatever Michael did.

  “I’m fine,” Cal says again, more forcefully.

  “Be that as it may, I would prefer if you returned to On High with me now,” Michael says, taking a step back. “It would allow us to avoid any further… unpleasantries down the line. We’ll return, speak to Father, and get this whole mess sorted out, and then maybe, just maybe, you can return to your job. How this town hasn’t burned to the ground without a guardian is beyond me.”

  “I can still see the threads,” Cal says hoarsely, which causes Michael’s cool façade to slip, for just a moment, surprise seeping in. “I am still able to see them.”

  “That’s… not possible,” Michael says, visibly trying to compose himself. “You aren’t even….”

  “It’s true,” I say. “He saw my thread after your Strange Men came and attacked me. He saved me from them. They wanted to hurt me.”

  “That was an unfortunate mistake,” Michael allows. “I’d been called away and let the… Strange Men, as you call them, have free rein in locating Calliel. The more human he became, the harder it was for us. That mistake was mine, and I apologize.”

  “Benji could have been killed and you apologize?” Cal snarls. “Michael, those things are dangerous! I still can’t understand why Father allows their existence!”

  “Much like I don’t understand how Father allows yours,” Michael retorts. “And the only reason I was away to begin with was to try and placate the roar your falling has caused. You have put On High into disarray and others are demanding answers.”

  “You know I have no answers to give, even if I wanted to.”

  “Yes, yes,” Michael says, waving his hand in dismissal. “I will demand an answer from Father, one way or another. These games of his are getting tiresome, no matter what he hopes to learn about the humans. We have other things to worry about, you know. Will you return with me now? Save your friends here from further heartache?”

  “No,” Nina says, stepping forward. “Blue stays here. He won’t leave with you.”

  “That’s right,” Abe rumbles, moving to stand on the other side of Cal. “I know a bully when I see one. He isn’t going anywhere. You’ll have to go through me. I’m a lot sprier then I look.”

  My mother comes to stand beside me, putting one hand on my shoulder and the other on Cal’s. “Cal belongs with us,” she grinds out. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let you take him away.” I might have doubted my mother, but how could I have doubted her heart?

  I move in front of Cal again, blocking his massive body with my skinny one. Michael, who wears an expression of amusement, looks down at me. “And will you threaten me too?” he asks, a small smile on his face. “You are all nothing if not protective of the ones you care about.” He bends down until his face is level with mine. His eyes are so deep, they appear infinite. For all I know, they are. “You should remember, Benjamin Edward Green, that things are not always what they seem. But I believe you shall learn that in due time. I believe you shall learn all things.” Whether his words are a threat or not doesn’t matter. They still chill me to the bone.

  He stands again. “This is not finished, Calliel,” he says sharply. “Either you will die here or you will return. Make your choice quickly, for I fear you don’t have much time.”

  “Why are you guys all at the door?” I hear Christie call out from down the hall. “Is there something out there?”

  “Something comes, to be sure,” Michael says, glancing over his shoulder.

  Headlights, starting up the driveway.

  “Who is that?” Mary asks as she came up behind us, pointing at Michael.

  “A friend,” Cal snaps. He is getting riled up, and I can tell it has more to do with the oncoming car than the archangel standing in front of us.

  “Who is this?” Michael asks with a frown. “I do not have eyes in this little place. The threads. I can’t see them.”

  “What threads is he talking about?” Christie asks. “Why is everyone standing in the doorway? Move! I want to see!”

  Cal begins to growl, and I know who it is even before I see the decal on the side, the lights on top of the car.

  Griggs.

  old bones

  “A welcoming party?” Griggs asks with a sardonic nod of his head as he

  steps out of the cruiser. “How wonderful.”

  “Sheriff?” Christie asks, her voice going cold. “What are you doing here? None

  of us called you out here.”

  He shrugs easily, averting his eyes. “Thought I’d stop by and check things out

  for myself.”

  “Check what out, George?” my mother asks.

  Griggs ignores her and looks up at Michael. “Haven’t seen you around before,

  friend.”

  “I don’t suppose you have,” Michael says slowly. “I’m not exactly from around

  here.”

  “Could tell by your clothes. Pretty fancy.”

  “How kind of you, Sheriff.”

  “Got a name?”

  “I do.”

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  Griggs’s mouth stretches to a thin line. “What is your name, friend?” “Michael.”

  “Got a last name, Michael?”

  “Oh, I’m sure I do, but none I feel at this very moment needs to be shared with

  you.” He pauses, considering. “Friend.”

  The sheriff’s eyes narrow. “You friends with Cal Blue here?”

  They glance at each other. “You could say that,” Michael allows. “More like…

  business associates.”

  “Oh? And what line of business would that be?”

  “Security.” No
hesitation. It would have been funny had it not been between a

  high-ranking angel and a man I’m pretty sure is a sadist.

  Griggs arches an eyebrow. “Security? And what are you supposed to be

  guarding?”

  Michael laughs. “Now that’s an amusing question.”

  “Wasn’t meant to be funny,” Griggs says with a frown.

  “It was,” Michael assures him.

  “Cal Blue?”

  “Yes?” Cal says. His lips are almost twisted into a sneer.

  “There’s no one in the state of California named Calliel Blue. Trust me on that; I

  looked.”

  “That doesn’t mean a thing, Sheriff,” Abe says. “You should know that better

  than anyone. I assume that to be elected into your position you have at least some

  knowledge of the law. Well, not that I voted for you, anyway.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you, old-timer,” Griggs says coldly. “You’ll know if I am.

  You can trust me on that.”

  I am angry. “You got a problem, Sheriff? Ever since Cal came to town, you’ve

  had a bug up your ass about him. What the fuck do you want?”

  “Benji!” my mother snaps.

  Griggs smiles but it never reaches his eyes. “What do I want?” he asks. “What I

  want is to know why your little boyfriend here is lying about who he is. I want to

  know how he came to be in Roseland out of the blue. My problem, Benji, is I want to

  know who the fuck he is.”

  “I don’t see how that concerns you,” Michael says, cocking his head. He seems

  curious about the sheriff.

  “That’s because it doesn’t,” I say, unsure if I should be agreeing with him. “Cal

  hasn’t done a damn thing wrong. As a matter of fact, he’s probably done more right

  for this town than you ever have.”

  “Might be a good idea for you to shut your mouth, kid,” the sheriff growls. I take a step toward him. “And why is that, Griggs?” I say, keeping my voice

  hushed so the others on the porch can’t hear me. “Am I going to have an accident?

  End up in the river? Get a bullet in the back of my head?” He’s good. He doesn’t

  even flinch. “I know what you’ve done. And one way or another, I swear on all that I

  have that I will make you suffer.”

  His eyes glitter as he twitches his lips. “Boy, you have no idea the unholy mess

  you are walking into.”

  “I think I know plenty,” I tell him. “You will pay and everyone will know what

  you’ve done.”

  He laughs loudly, raising his voice. “Threatening an officer of the law? Benji, I

  expected you to be smarter than that. But then, the apple never did fall far from the

  tree, now did it?” Cal grabs my arm before I can launch myself at the bastard who

  dared to insult my father. I want to tear him to pieces and split his bones while he

  screams for me to stop.

  “That’s… enough,” my mother says, her voice quaking. She comes down the

  steps, surprising us all with the ferocity in her voice. She pushes past me, almost

  knocking me over. Cal grabs me as I stumble and pulls me against him, putting his

  arm across my chest protectively. I am very aware of Michael watching us closely. “Lola,” Griggs warns, “this is none of your concern. You stay out of this.” “I am done with you,” she snarls at him. “Unless you have probable cause to be

  on my property, I suggest you leave. The less you do for this family, the better.” He glances over my mother’s shoulder at the rest of the family standing there, as

  if looking for something. He must not find what he’s looking for, because he takes a

  step back toward his patrol car. “I will find out what you’re hiding,” he says to Cal.

  “I know it’s something, and as long as you are in my town, I won’t stop until I find it

  out.”

  “Now that’s an interesting use of taxpayer money,” Abe says. “I wonder what

  the town would think of such things, Sheriff? You know, the people who elected

  you? Maybe you should ask them what they think about Cal here before you

  misappropriate your department’s time and energy. It’d be interesting to see how

  quickly one could gather enough signatures to petition for a recall election for a

  sheriff using bias and intimidation to get what he wants, wouldn’t you say?

  Especially in front of so many witnesses.”

  The scowl on the sheriff’s face deepens. The hatred in his eyes is plain as he

  looks at each of us in turn, but never more than when he glares at Cal and me. I stand

  firm, not diverting my gaze, attempting to show I will not be cowed by this man. Not

  now. Not at my home. He points his finger at me. “You will—”

  “Enough,” Christie interrupts in a hard voice. “It’s time for you to get back into

  your car, George. This has gone on long enough. We’ll be in touch if we require your

  services any further.”

  “So that’s how it’s going to be,” Griggs says. “After all I’ve done for your

  family over the years. Who knew it would have come to this?” His petulance is

  almost laughable, but I can’t rein in an angry desire to attack him.

  Griggs turns to move back to his car, but is stopped when Michael says his

  name. I’d almost forgotten the archangel was even there. He walks over to the

  sheriff, his long legs making quick work of the distance between them. He moves

  with such fluid grace it almost seems like he’s floating. If you didn’t know what he

  was, you’d have thought he might have been a dancer at one point in his life. If you

  did know what he was, you could almost imagine his wings carrying him over. He has several inches on Griggs as he stands before him, and for a moment the

  sheriff’s perpetual sneer falters as he looks into the angel’s eyes. I don’t know what

  he sees, and I don’t know if I want to. If everything I’ve heard about the angel

  hierarchy is correct, then Michael is almost the top of the top, just under Metatron,

  the one Cal said had disappeared long ago. That alone is enough to intimidate. “What do you want?” Griggs asks. “You better take a step back.” “I try not to involve myself in little things,” Michael says softly, though his voice

  still carries back to where we stand. “There are matters of greater consequence that

  always seem to demand my full attention. However, the fact that I am here should be

  enough to convey the importance of the situation.” He glances back at Cal as he says

  this last before returning his attention to the sheriff. “Since I am here, I must admit to

  being a bit curious about you. We are not meant to interfere, much as we sometimes

  want to. Our Father has dictated as such. But even still….”

  Michael flashes his hand up and presses his palm flat against Griggs’s chest. The

  sheriff’s head falls back and his mouth opens in a yawning gape, but no sound comes

  out. The cords in his neck stand out as his hands twitch lightly at his sides. It’s over

  in a matter of seconds, and the sheriff gasps as Michael frowns and takes a step back

  from him. “Ah, Sheriff,” Michael says as he shakes his head. “If you only knew….

  No matter. Leave this place. I have no desire to look upon your face any longer.” Griggs looks confused and angry but obeys almost immediately. We stand watch

  as he starts the car and the headlights come on. I can see him watching Michael

  through the windshield before he turns the car and peels out down the driveway, ther />
  engine a fading roar.

  “What in the hell is going on?” Christie snaps. “Who is that man?” “He is kind of scary,” Mary says. “Did you see the look on George’s face? I

  thought he was going to piss himself, to be honest.”

  “Bad word,” Nina intones quietly.

  “Calliel,” Michael says, still facing the way the sheriff has gone. “To me,

  please.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

  But that doesn’t stop me from trying. I grab Cal’s arm as he starts toward

  Michael. Cal pauses for a moment, then looks back and shakes his head, his eyes

  resolute. “I must go, Benji.”

  “You’re leaving?” I ask, hating the way I sound.

  His eyes widen and he pulls me into him. “No,” he says harshly in my ear. “No, I

  am not leaving you. I will never leave you. I need to find out what he needs, and then

  we can go home, okay?”

  I clutch at him.

  “We’ll go home,” he whispers, kissing my forehead.

  “Now, Calliel,” Michael says.

  “Okay,” I mumble and let him go. He holds his head up high and squares his

  shoulders as he crosses over to Michael. As much as I strain to listen, I can’t hear a

  thing beyond the murmur of deep voices. A hand falls on my shoulder and I feel a

  breath on my neck. I almost cringe until I realize it’s my mother. She wraps her arm

  around my shoulders, and soon we are surrounded by the rest of our family, Nina

  leaning against me on my other side, Mary and Christie at my back, Abe standing

  next to my mother, a hand on her shoulder.

  From what I can see in the dark, Michael does most of the talking, though his

  words seem to be few. He does not punctuate anything with movement, keeping his

  hands folded behind him as if he stands at parade rest. Cal stands next to him, head

  bowed. One might think it was a defeated pose, but I can see that Cal is merely

  listening to Michael’s voice.

  “This turned out to be a weird night,” Christie mutters.

  “I enjoyed myself,” Nina says with a smile. “So many people!”

  “Certainly unexpected,” Mary agrees. “Security, huh? At least they look the part.