‘Don’t fret, my child. When I was not much older than you, I too lost a baby, and I vowed I would never let another woman suffer the same as I did.’
Luci had her answer—lost children. That was why the old woman hadn’t turned the girl away. Her and the Nephilim had more in common than they realised.
Marisse laid her hands on Elien’s lower stomach, barely touching the fabric of her skirt, and Luci watched as the tension in the young girl’s face began to fade.
The old woman really was doing a great thing. For sixteen centuries, Luci had been searching for Zadkiel—but could she truly say she had ever been this selfless and giving? Not since Arabella in Tuscany had she sacrificed herself for the life of another, but then the girl had eventually led her to her son. Everything she did was to get to her son.
‘Hold out your hand,’ Marisse instructed Elien after ten minutes of healing. The girl looked dazed but calmer than when she’d first entered the building. She did as she was told.
Marisse laid a small piece of fabric onto Elien’s open palm and shook out some light green herbs from the jar. ‘Mix this with water before you sleep tonight and drink it,’ the old woman said. She folded up the material into a square and closed Elien’s hand over it. ‘The bleeding will stop within an hour, along with the pain. Once you drink this potion, you will be able to carry a child again. You won’t lose any more, I promise.’
Elien’s eyes swam with tears and colour returned to her face once more.
‘Is this witchcraft?’ she whispered.
‘Why do so many question an act of kindness?’ Marisse said to the girl, her voice tinged with sorrow. ‘Why do so many presume there is always darkness behind love and light? I have a gift, Elien, and today I decided to share it with you. Go home and rest and remember that all I sell is fire and water. The other two elements, the powers that come from the earth and the air, they are our secret. Do you understand?’
Elien nodded and tentatively went to stand before straightening up and smiling a large, beaming smile that lit up her young face.
‘It no longer hurts! Thank you,’ she said, hugging the old woman. ‘You have no idea how you saved me today.’
‘Yes, I do,’ Marisse replied.
III.
‘It’s very kind of you to feed me,’ Luci said, smiling at the old woman.
They were in a room above the shop, seated at a small table beside the window. Marisse poured out two glasses of beer and passed her a basket of bread.
‘I wasn’t sure if you were the same as us, if you needed to eat.’
‘Well, I don’t die if I don’t eat, if that’s what you mean,’ she replied, biting into a carrot. ‘I don’t get thinner, I don’t get fatter, and I don’t get weaker. Sleep, food, and sex have no effect on my body except to pass the time. So, feel free to feed me.’
Marisse laughed and gave her another slice of smoked ham. A tabby cat that had been asleep on a chair in the corner of the room looked up, sniffed the air, and trotted over to Luci, who fed him some meat.
‘It was very altruistic of you, doing what you did with that girl earlier.’
‘Elien? She is very troubled, not just physically but also emotionally. I heard her arguing with a woman in the street earlier not long after she left us—the woman was accusing her of lying about losing her baby. I fear things will not end well for her.’
‘Do you think she will report you to the witch hunters?’
‘It’s always a risk, but I don’t think so. Before she left, I said she was free to return any time, night or day. I think she needs a friend more than anything.’
‘Just be careful. There is such a thing as being too kind, you know.’ The cat at Luci’s feet began to wind around her ankles, and she dropped another piece of meat to the ground. ‘I see you keep cats. You know what people say about old ladies and cats.’
‘That we’re lonely and take in stray animals for company?’
Luci smiled and stroked the animal. ‘Don’t worry about the gossips of this town. The hunters can’t harm you while I’m around. I’ll make sure of that.’
‘Thank you.’
Marisse took a bite of her dinner, chewing slowly and looking at her new friend. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She took another mouthful, chewed, swallowed, and cleared her throat. ‘Uhm…I hope you don’t find me forward, but…I just wanted to ask. The magic you perform, the mind control, does it only work on people? I’ve been curious.’
‘People? As opposed to…?’
‘I mean, can you affect the minds of animals?’
Luci put down her fork, her eyes glinting in amusement.
‘Yes, I can. Animals have been very useful at times. Some are harder than others to control, though. Dogs and horses can be told what to do as simply as obedient children can; they want to help. Other animals not so much.’
‘Such as?’
‘Well, rats never come when you call them, fish can’t remember any commands, and cats don’t like to be told what to do.’
Marisse laughed and looked down at her own pet, who was still staring up at their plate of ham.
‘I’ll show you,’ Luci said. ‘I will make the cat dance.’
Luci stared into the animal’s eyes, but the cat did nothing but twitch its tail. It then walked in a circle, sat down, stood back up, shook its head, and glowered at the fallen angel.
‘See, she won’t be humiliated! That is why they are such great familiars. They are not easily swayed, although they do make wonderful accomplices.’
‘Accomplices?’
‘Oh yes, they don’t take orders, but they are easily convinced to piss people off. I’ll show you.’
At that moment, the cat jumped onto the table, took a mouthful of ham, and scampered out of the room. Marisse roared with laughter.
‘You didn’t even look in its eyes this time.’
‘I don’t need to with animals. Most are quite happy to annoy a human.’
Marisse reached over the table and rested her hand on Luci’s. ‘You do know how to have fun. Please say you will stay the night, if you don’t have other plans.’
‘Of course. You’re the only reason I came to Roermond. I usually convince a rich man to let me stay with him when I need a bed for the night; it’s less hassle than an inn. I accept the money they like to give me, too—although it has become so easy to control men lately that it has ceased to be entertaining.’
Marisse laughed again.
‘Thank you. I feel safer with you around.’
‘Well, I’m not doing it for free, my friend. You haven’t yet told me what I need to know about your teachings, about ridding the realm of Mikhael. My fear of him is the only reason I’ve remained hidden and why my son doesn’t know I’m alive. I want the bastard gone.’
Marisse’s smile disappeared. She wiped her mouth on a napkin and left the room, returning moments later with the dusty, old book they had been looking at in the cellar. After Elien left that morning, Marisse and Luci had sat and talked for hours, sharing each other’s life stories. Marisse seemed to have forgotten all about the magical book in the basement. Luci hadn’t wanted to rush her—the old woman was clearly enjoying the company as well as having someone to confide in. In Luci she’d found someone she was able to completely open up with, and by the time they realised how hungry they were, lunchtime had passed and early evening had already begun to set in.
‘It’s all in here,’ Marisse said, passing Luci the book. ‘But I’m afraid there’s no quick fix. The spell you would need to perform won’t happen in my lifetime; in fact, I’ll be surprised if you ever manage it. The things you need for the spell to work read like a shopping list of impossibilities.’
‘Let me be the judge of that.’ Luci opened the book and began thumbing through the pages. ‘Where do I find all this information?’
‘On the back page, spell six hundred and sixty-six. My father taught me many things while I was young; this was the final spell
he shared before he was murdered.’
‘Does Mikhael know about you and the book?’
‘I don’t think so, not its contents at least. The hunters destroy any book a witch has in her possession. In Germany, they ransacked my house and burned all my notes, my diaries, and my books before I got away—but this one remained hidden. It was the only one I managed to save.’
Luci turned to the last page and ran her finger over the strange markings.
‘Does it make sense to you?’ Marisse asked.
Luci wasn’t listening; she was frowning at the pages.
‘Nephilim are the key to his demise. It says here, “The chosen Nephilim will complete the full spectrum of the soul.” What does that mean?’
‘I have no idea. My father said we’d know when the time was right—once we’d gathered them together,’ Marisse replied with a shrug.
‘It also says we need to work with six half-angels. Six? Is that right?’
‘Yes, that’s why Mikhael has been murdering us. I’ve always known my father was an angel, but I’ve never come across another. Perhaps many others who were accused of witchcraft were also my kind; I don’t know.’
Luci continued to read, occasionally squinting at the markings and taking a bite of bread.
‘From what I understand, in order to rid the realm of Mikhael and his murdering sword, we would need the help of six Nephilim, a feather from Mikhael’s wings, and a feather from two other archangels who oppose him.’
‘Yes. At the time, I asked my father to give me one of his feathers, but he explained the wings of a lesser angel don’t count. They have to come from two archangels, two beings from the upper realm who hate Mikhael. I take it your wings didn’t survive?’
Luci shook her head, but a small smile was forming on her lips.
‘…and lastly we need the blood of three generations of archangels. Well, that’s ridiculous; archangels don’t bleed.’
‘I know,’ Marisse said. ‘As I said, it’s a list of the impossible, which I guess is the whole point and why no one has managed to overpower him.’
‘It will be difficult, yes,’ Luci said. ‘But not impossible.’
She reached into the inside of her dress and pulled out a small leather pouch hanging by a string around her neck. She opened it up and took something out.
‘What’s that?’ Marisse asked, taking the crumpled mass out of her hands.
‘One of my feathers and one of Mikhael’s. He fought with me in Italy over sixteen hundred years ago, and some of our feathers came loose. I imagine Zadkiel, who was only a child at the time, found them when he came looking for me. I discovered them years later inside an urn in our cottage and have carried them with me ever since as a reminder of what I once was. This is all that is left of them; will they do?’
Marisse grinned and nodded.
‘This is amazing. You have two of the three, including Mikhael’s, but they have practically turned to dust. We need to preserve them in such a way that they retain their power.’
Marisse gently placed them on the table and ran out of the room. When she returned, her hands were filled with jewellery that she also placed on the table.
‘I make amulets, Luci. People pay me good money to mix my herbs with gold and create adornments that will keep them healthy. There is a plague spreading across Europe, but it rarely reaches the rich. That’s because of me.’
Luci picked up a pendant and held it up to the candlelight. It was beautifully crafted and studded with brightly coloured gems.
‘I saw the rings on your fingers when I arrived,’ Luci said. ‘I didn’t realise you made them yourself.’
‘Yes. Gold carries magic very well, as does silver and certain crystals.’
‘How will that help me?’
‘I can grind the feathers down, mix them with gold, and turn them into jewellery for you. They will last forever, and you can wear them until the time comes when you find the rest of the ingredients for the spell. Would you like that?’
Luci stood up and did something she hadn’t done in a long time: she hugged the old woman and meant it.
‘Yes, I would like that very much. Are there any crystals you can add that will help attract my son, too?’
‘It depends on his frequency. My father explained that every archangel works on a different colour energy. You were black and Mikhael was white; the rest were the seven chakra colours. I know Gabriel is the messenger, so he’s blue. Raphael heals, so he’s green. I think I have them noted in here.’ She flicked to the front of the book where a list of colours had been drawn, now faded to a dull rainbow. ‘Of course. Zadkiel is the highest of them all, the Archangel of Mercy and Freedom. He’s the colour indigo, so a lilac stone like amethyst should work. I will grind down the feathers, mix them with gold, and make you a necklace and a ring for each hand studded with amethyst. When the time comes that you find the other feather, perhaps even one belonging to your own son, you will be able to use it in the spell. Would you like me to inscribe the jewellery with something?’
‘Yes.’ Luci smiled. ‘In angelic script, I want you to write “The fallen shall rise again.” Because that is exactly what I did—and I will do so again.’
For the first time in a long time, Luci felt closer to finding her son and ridding the world of Mikhael. She didn’t have all the answers yet, but at least she had plenty of time.
IV.
Three days had passed since Marisse had helped Elien. Luci kept herself busy assisting the healer with herb drying, grinding, and bottling. During the day, Marisse would keep up the pretence of running the shop and supplying the townsfolk with fire or water, while Luci focused on keeping her friend’s collection of little glass bottles filled with healing ointments. Marisse had made her the jewellery as promised, two rings and an amulet, which Luci wore with pride and relief. A small, shiny reminder that there was hope—that one day she would find her boy and exact her revenge on Mikhael.
In the evenings, at dusk, the two would take long walks out to the forest where they would pick herbs and wild flowers. Marisse taught Luci which plants to pick at which time of day to enhance their potential to heal. Back at home, they would sit by the fire and talk into the night, the witch teaching Luci new spells, the cat on her lap and a pot of soup bubbling in the hearth. It was the closest to contentment that Luci had felt for a long time.
On the third evening, after they had eaten supper and settled down to pore over the book once more, there came a pounding at the door.
‘Don’t answer it,’ Luci said. ‘Nothing good ever arrives at a house this late at night.’
Marisse was already on her feet.
‘It’s the girl; she’s upset. I won’t be long.’
Luci put down the book and watched the shopkeeper answer the door, usher Elien into the shop, and talk to her in hushed tones. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the girl’s hair was no longer tied back into her bonnet and her eyes shone with a light that hadn’t been there before. Marisse brought the girl into the back room and sat her beside Luci near the fire.
‘…So, I didn’t take the herbs as I had a big argument with my husband’s cousin and threw them at her,’ she said, continuing the conversation she’d started with Marisse at the door. ‘I didn’t mean to get so angry but she’s a wicked, horrible woman, and I was so upset that she said I was useless for not giving her cousin an heir. I have been laying with my husband every night since you healed me, but I’m scared my misfortunes will befall me once more if I don’t take the herbs. I have money to pay you this time, but I can’t be long. He will beat me if he discovers that I snuck out of the house to see you.’
‘Are the townsfolk still talking about this house?’ Marisse asked the girl. ‘Do they mean us harm?’
‘Yes,’ Elien whispered. ‘They say you are both witches and that you dance with the Devil.’
Luci laughed and looked over at her friend, who was also smiling.
‘No, we don’t dance with
the Devil,’ Luci said to the girl, her voice slow and hypnotic. ‘But it isn’t the Devil you need to fear. It’s those who fear the Devil that cause the biggest harm. Believe me, child, a little naughtiness can be a good thing sometimes.’
She winked at Marisse, who hid a laugh behind her hand.
‘Don’t worry, Elien. Luci is playing with you. My knowledge comes from angels. Nothing dark or evil lurks here, just love and light. That’s what I used to heal you, love and light.’
Marisse patted the girl’s hand and left for the basement to collect some bottles.
Elien glanced nervously at Luci and played with her fingers.
‘My husband doesn’t think any amount of naughtiness is a good thing. He says that over the last few days, I have become like a possessed woman.’
‘Possessed?’ Luci asked, leaning forward in her chair.
The girl’s cheeks flushed a painful puce, although she no longer looked like the scared, innocent child she’d been three days ago.
‘It’s…it’s nothing,’ Elien stammered.
Perhaps with a little persuasion, she could have a decent conversation with the girl. What she was about to do wasn’t entirely moral, but then neither was Luci. She looked Elien straight in the eyes and asked again.
‘Why does your husband think you are possessed? Tell me your secrets, Elien.’
The girl blushed again and tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly realising she was missing her bonnet. She chewed the skin around her thumb and stared at Luci as if an invisible thread bound them.
‘After Marisse healed me I felt well—more than well. In fact, I had so much energy it was as if it was trying to escape me and I was going to burst at the seams. I was so happy that I was no longer in pain that as soon as Anke, that’s my husband, returned from work I…’ She blinked and Luci nodded. ‘I, well, we lay together. Except this time, he didn’t have to ask me; I wanted to. I did things to him that I didn’t know a married couple could do. I felt so powerful. But I had my eyes closed because…’
‘Go on,’ Luci said, enjoying herself.
Son of Secrets Page 32