I saw it was today’s paper, and the main headline was, “ABANDONED ORPHANAGE BURNT DOWN: ACCIDENT OR ARSON?” My heart sank. I read through the article, the front-page picture revealing that it was Holy Trinity. The thought of Sister Helen in peril because of me made me sick to my stomach. When I was done reading, I sat there numb.
“It said there were no causalities. I’m sure she made it out okay,” Gabriel reassured me.
I shook my head. “This is all wrong. Nothing makes sense. They said in the article the building was abandoned for years. How is that possible when I’ve been living there for the past six?”
“It’s obviously a cover-up.”
I turned to him. “Sister Helen told me before I left that none of this ever existed. I didn’t understand what she meant at the time, but now…”
“As I told you last night, if she is a member of the Sacrarium, they have the means to make things go away.”
I sighed. More and more events kept happening with no real explanation.
My thoughts were interrupted when a noise from outside directed my attention. It caught Gabriel’s too.
“Stay here,” he warned, approaching the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. He unlatched the lock and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
A loud ruckus ensued.
I cautiously advanced toward the sliding door, uncertain whom or what was creating the clamor. Peering through the glass, to my surprise, I found Gabriel surrounded by a flock of birds.
“What are you doing?” I asked, sliding open the door.
I caught him off-guard. He jumped and quickly turned to face me.
“Nothing. Go back inside,” he replied, composing himself.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“I’ve only known you for a short time, but now you decide to become secretive?”
Obviously guilty, he relented. “They have come with messages,” he said.
I wanted to laugh since “they” were several birds of prey perched along the railing. How could they possibly know to deliver a message? Gabriel turned to face them as I stepped onto the balcony. The eagle raised a warning cry.
“Don’t come any farther,” Gabriel warned. “Your presence will make them temperamental.”
“All right.” I planted my feet firmly in place and leaned against the door. “Would you care to explain what’s going on?”
He sighed. “I sent out a call last night, to my brothers. They were supposed to answer in person. Instead, they have sent these messengers.” He moved toward the bird closest to him, which happened to be a falcon, and untied the rolled-up paper from its leg. The bird immediately flew off.
Gabriel continued his progress down the line of birds, untying the pieces of paper as he went along. There was a hawk, an osprey, an owl, a crane, and the eagle. When each scroll of paper was freed, the bird took flight and departed.
As the last bird took to the sky, I released a deep breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Gabriel’s frown conveyed these messages did not contain good sentiments.
“What do they say?”
He raised his head and looked at me. “They’re not coming.”
“But isn’t it their duty?”
“Yes,” he said through clenched teeth, barging past me into the apartment, where he paced the length of the kitchen.
I followed him inside and sat down on a stool at the counter, peering at the discarded notes from his brothers. None of them were in English. Instead, the messages were written in some kind of odd-looking language.
Gabriel stopped pacing and rested his hands on either side of the sink.
“What now?” I asked.
“I’m not sure.”
I wanted to let him think, but I had far too many questions. “Why did those specific birds come and not some everyday pigeons?”
“Because each archangel on the council has an affinity to a certain bird.”
“Council?”
He looked at me. “In Heaven, there are nine types of angels. Each rank has a council whose members are chosen by Father. There are twelve archangels on the council—thirteen until Satan fell. I am one of these members, and since we are messenger angels, we have an affinity to a specific bird. For instance, mine is the sparrow. The birds that arrived this morning are connected to each of my brothers. There are other things we have an affinity to also, such as stones or places.”
I nodded my head, trying to keep track of all the information.
“Listen, Jordan, I know the things I’m telling you are difficult to fathom, and I apologize if I’m not telling you everything at once. But I don’t want to make things more complicated than they already are. Forgive me if I don’t explain everything right away.”
“All right.”
“You still don’t believe me, do you?”
I looked away. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. Some of the stuff that’s happening validates what you’re saying, but I don’t one hundred percent believe you yet.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
Right there in his kitchen, I received all the validation I needed. As I turned my head back to look at him, I was affronted by the sight of Gabriel with wings fully outstretched. I blinked in utter disbelief, and just as quick, the wings were gone.
“Did you just…?”
“What?” he asked with a sly expression.
“Your wings. Did you just…?”
He waited.
“Never mind.”
“You’re sure?” He grinned like a fox.
“Positive. Anyway, I know I keep asking this question, but really, what now?”
“Well, if my brothers refuse to come to me then I suppose we’ll just have to go to them.”
“You mean, we’re going to get them? I thought you didn’t know where they are.”
“I don’t.”
“Then how are we going to them?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I might have an idea.” He departed the kitchen and strode down the hallway to his office, returning with a large map, which he began to unfold.
I helped him, and once I took over the unfolding, he went back to his office for some tape. Gabriel grabbed one side of the map while I held the other and applied tape in order to stick it to the wall. Then, he merely gazed at it. Figuring I was the one who needed to take action, I went down the hallway he had just come from and walked into his office in search of a marker. I found one sitting on his desk in a decorative pencil holder.
Returning to Gabriel, who was still staring at the map, I located New York and made a big X mark. This got the angel’s attention.
“What are you doing?”
“Marking your location. You told me there was one of you on each continent, right?”
“Correct.”
“So, if you’re in North America, the remaining six should be elsewhere.” I glanced at him. “There are six others we’re trying to find, right?”
He nodded his head.
“Okay.” I stepped back and examined the map. My eyes roamed over countries and oceans until they landed on Antarctica.
“Gabriel, if the seven of you were placed on every continent, does that mean someone is in Antarctica?”
He laughed. “I certainly hope not, but I’m not entirely sure. I would guess no, since there is only a small population of people there, lessening the forces of evil.” He strode closer. “I predict there might be two stationed in Europe.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because Europe is an old continent and throughout history has endured a number of malevolent attacks, thus increasing the need for protection.”
“That would make sense. Although the same could be said for Asia.”
We both fell into silence as we realized the daunting task of locating Gabriel’s brothers.
“Wasn’t there some precaution put in place so you could find each other?”
“Yes, it was to send
the call. I did that, and they refused to come.”
“What call exactly did you send?”
He left my question unacknowledged as he once again departed to his office. Several seconds later, he returned with a long gold horn.
“I sounded the Horn of Assembly,” he explained.
I grasped it and almost immediately dropped it due to its weight. Gabriel lifted the object from my hands with ease.
“Okay. Well, did you play the right song?” I asked, grappling for words. At Gabriel’s skeptical look, I knew I had failed. “I don’t know the proper word, but did you sound the correct call?”
“Yes,” he said seriously.
“I’m not doubting you, I’m just trying to cover all of our bases. So, is there some kind of secondary precaution?”
“No,” he responded just as seriously.
I let out a heavy sigh and turned back to the map. Suddenly, an idea struck my mind.
“Gabriel, you told me before that you each have an affinity for things, like places or…” I tried to remember his words.
“Stones.”
“Right!” I exclaimed, but when I turned to him, he was nowhere in sight. I headed to his office, and when I entered, he was rummaging through some chest below the window. “What are you trying to do now?”
“Find my rosary beads.”
Puzzled, I asked, “Why?”
“Because we need to seek guidance.” With that, he left me once more. Attempting to keep up was becoming quite the frustrating task.
I went back into the living area, where Gabriel cleared the kitchen table and took the map down from the wall. He spread it out over the surface, then sat diligently with his rosary beads wrapped several times around his right hand. I realized a mysterious ring had been placed on the map.
“Can you just hold on one moment and explain to me what you’re doing?”
“I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.”
It was about time he finally acknowledged that.
“This ring”—he pointed to the object on the map—“will guide us to my brothers. Each of us was given one. Although the stones and metal vary, the bands were forged from the same fire. None of us ever take them off. I thought if I placed my ring on the map and prayed, it might reveal to me where the rest of them are located.”
In that moment, my resolve waned. The person sitting before me was clearly an insane man. Or maybe I had gone insane, since everything in my reality no longer made sense.
What Gabriel said was completely illogical. But of course, he had to prove me wrong.
The ring started to move independently, in slow circles around New York City. Gabriel sat before the map with eyes closed and both hands grasped together tight. His mouth was moving, but his voice was barely a whisper as he spoke in some foreign language, which I presumed was Latin. Mesmerized, I paid no attention to the map. He must have sensed this, as he reached for the marker and handed it to me without opening his eyes or fumbling his words.
I brought my attention back to focus on the task at hand, however bizarre it seemed. The ring was still circling over New York, but it was moving faster now. Its pulsating movement and the sound of Gabriel’s chanting whisper lulled me into a hypnotic daze that was broken only by a sudden jolt from the ring. It jerked to the right, across the Atlantic Ocean, and commenced circling once more around England.
I hastily moved some chairs out of the way so I could lean over the table and get a better look at the map. Upon closer inspection, the ring appeared to be revolving around Oxford. I grasped the marker, prepared to note the location. The ring moved, continuing its journey across Europe.
I quickly marked Oxford with an X and a #1.
The ring neared Australia and rotated over a remote area in the middle of the continent. I moved around the table, trying to procure a better angle. It was above the Gibson Desert. Ready to mark the site, I waited for it to move. Sensing my preparedness, the ring slid out of sight, heading west.
I marked the Gibson Desert with an X and a #2.
Scanning the map, I found the ring hovering over Africa next. Practically climbing on top of the table, I scrutinized the exact location. It was Botswana.
As the ring zoomed off again, I marked Botswana as #3, but it worried me the location was not a specific city or town.
Looking to my right, I saw the ring circling over a new site, so I climbed off the table and moved in that direction. It had centered on Tokyo, Japan.
When the ring moved, I labeled Tokyo as #4.
I returned my gaze to the map and searched for the ring. Gabriel was right. It was back over Europe. In my excitement, I strode to the center of the table, nearly running into him in his chair. I saw the ring come to a stop above Rome, Italy. Before I could even approach the spot, it was on the move again.
I labeled Rome with a #5.
Sensing the ring’s urgency, I scanned the map for its last site. It was circling so fast that it was almost impossible to decipher where it centered. Finally, the ring stopped and lay immobile on the map.
São Paulo, Brazil. I marked it with an X and labeled it #6.
Exhausted, I sat down in the nearest chair. Gabriel had finished his foreign whispering and had just now opened his eyes. He unclasped his hands and turned to me.
“Did it work?”
“See for yourself.”
He stood and gazed at the map, eyes growing wide as he took in each location.
I picked up his ring and handed it to him, ready to ask my famous question. “What now?”
He glanced up. “We go to Oxford. I hope you have a passport.”
13
Jordan
New York City, Present Day
Considering I hadn’t unpacked, preparing for our global adventure should have been easy. However, I couldn’t find my passport. I knew I’d placed it securely inside my duffel when I was preparing for the mission trip, but now, it was no longer there.
I was panicking. There would be no world adventure if I didn’t find it, and it wasn’t like I could just go to the post office and get a new one today.
I stomped around the guest room in search of the tiny blue booklet. It looked like a bomb had gone off as I’d thrown practically everything out of my duffel in the process.
Gabriel knocked and entered. “Still no luck?”
I looked up from the near-empty bag in front of me with a manic gleam in my eye. “No.”
“Well, that poses a problem.”
“I know.” I shoved my arm into the duffel bag to retrieve its last contents from the bottom, and I was about to give up all hope when my fingers brushed against thick paper. I frowned.
“What?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t know, I think I found something,” I told him, pulling out whatever I had touched.
Buried underneath a pile of clothes at the bottom of the duffel was a large manila envelope with my name on it.
“I take it you didn’t put that in there?”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
Sensing something was wrong, Gabriel asked, “What is it?”
“It’s Sister Helen’s handwriting. I would recognize it anywhere. She had to sign all my permission slips when I was little.”
Gabriel came closer to my side, inspecting the envelope. “You should open it.”
I hesitated. “What do you think is inside? It’s an awfully big envelope for just a passport.”
“You’ll have to open it to find out. Who knows, maybe the key for the backpack is in there?”
At that, my hesitation vanished. I gripped the envelope and dashed from the room toward the kitchen counter, needing a large surface to spread out the envelope’s contents. Gabriel followed on my heels and stood by my side while I took a seat on a stool. I raised the tiny metal brackets and lifted the flap, gently shaking it until everything came sliding out across the counter. On top was my passport.
I turned to Gabriel, realizing Sister Helen must have moved my pas
sport on purpose so I would find the envelope. He motioned for me to continue.
Moving my passport aside, the next thing that caught my gaze was another envelope addressed to me, this one much smaller in size. I tore open the seal and pulled out a two-page letter.
Dear Jordan,
I am sorry for leaving you as I did, without proper explanation of the events presently occurring. My deepest regret is never instructing you properly and leaving you to face the unknown. By now, I am sure you have made it to one of the archangels. Please trust and have faith in him. Hopefully, he, or all of them together, will teach you what you need to know in order to discover the truth. I haven’t much time to write this since the fallen are closing in, but I assure you not to worry about me. I will be just fine.
However, I must address two things. First, you are not going to Africa. At least, not yet. Every few years, the Sacrarium relocates to evade Satan and the fallen. We possess something he dearly wants. I have an inkling of what the object is, but I have never seen it. I only know that it was placed inside the backpack and entrusted to me for protection. Satan has been tracking us because of it, so the need to stay on the move is vital to our survival. You might remember how we changed locations twice in your childhood. This year, we were supposed to do the same. But you had just graduated high school and were researching mission trips, and I knew I needed to keep you safe. I made up the opportunity in Africa. Really, all I was trying to do was to get you to one of the archangels. I figured he could train you and explain all this. I’m sorry for misleading you, Jordan. I know how excited you were for the trip.
When you left to run your errand, I was alerted our location is compromised and the fallen are near. I have to ensure the safety of the other children, so the sisters and I have begun our move prematurely. It’s going to be far too late to explain anything when you arrive, but I imagine the fallen have already connected you to us because of your fleur-de-lis necklace. It is a symbol linked to both Holy Trinity and the Sacrarium. You are in danger without this knowledge, Jordan, so I’ve found an archangel who lives closer. I hope you made it to him safely. As for Holy Trinity, it still exists, but not as you know it, so please do not go searching. Instead, listen to the archangels. They will guide you in the right direction.
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