The Complete Book Of Fallen Angels

by Valmore Daniels

  Rogers said, “There was some lab equipment, but it’s been smashed. There was a rack of vials, but they were on fire. The Watchers must have torched it.” She pointed at the fire truck, which was almost on us. “We’ve got to go.”

  * * *

  As we drove back to the motel, I sat in a kind of numb stupor. I was pretty much useless. Alders was still missing in action, Putnam was in the wind, and we had no idea where the Watchers were. What’s more, the only effective thing I’d done against the Watchers was to spill the compound on Stanley Lancaster; even then, the result had been unintentional. I was completely ineffectual otherwise. If Rogers and Chase hadn’t shown up, Alders and I would be dead.

  I hadn’t even been the one to end the threat of Putnam’s compound: the Grigori had done that.

  The frustration I felt was pushing me over the edge of despair. It wasn’t like me. In all the years since I’d first become a cop, I’d hardened myself to the realities of the job. I’d seen depravity, horror, and gut-wrenching sorrow. Still, I’d shown up for work the next day.

  Except for the first day on the job, I steeled myself to the possibility of getting killed in the line of duty; but dying because I’d lost perspective would just be needless and stupid. Ever since Scott Goodwin had been murdered, I’d always been careful, taking extra precautions whenever approaching a suspect.

  In the past two days, I’d done nothing but make irrational, hot-headed decisions. I’d been the farthest thing from cautious. Because of me, Alders could possibly pay the ultimate price.

  First, her father, now, her… I didn’t think I could live with myself if she died because of me.

  We’d been driving for some time, no one talking, when Rogers leaned forward between the two front seats. “Something’s wrong.”

  Chase slowed the car and pulled off to the side. “You got an itch?”

  She nodded. “I started thinking about flopping down on the bed at the motel and having a nap; but the moment I pictured the motel, the hair on the back of my neck went straight up.”

  “What do you think it is?” Yates asked.

  Shaking her head, Rogers eased back into her seat. “I don’t know. There’s danger there.”

  “We should find rooms someplace else,” Yates said, opening his laptop. “I’ll look for vacancies.”

  “No.” Chase put the car back in drive, but kept his foot on the brake. “We should go and check it out. It might be them.”

  “The Watchers?” Yates asked.

  Chase turned his head. “The first time you saw the Bellator, you said he was aware of you. Earlier, you weren’t able to detect him.”

  “You said that might be part of his defensive abilities,” Rogers said.

  “If we take it a step further, he might be able to track you whenever you try to spy on him that way. It’s possible he followed the psychic trail back to the motel.”

  I said, “What are we waiting for?” I didn’t care how powerful the Bellator was, I wanted to ask him what he’d done with Alders.

  “Hold up,” Chase said. “We’re not going to go charging in. This is purely a reconnaissance mission. I highly doubt John Tomko is there himself. He’s probably sent a few of the foot soldiers to wait for us.”

  I frowned.

  Chase continued. “We don’t know where they’ve set up their new base, and we can’t risk Serena doing another scrying. This is the best lead we’ve got. We watch the Watchers, and when they’ve given up waiting, we follow them back to wherever they’re holed up.”

  Rogers made a face. “If we get too close, they’re going to know we’re there anyway.”

  Chase smiled, “They can’t sense Eugene.”

  “Or me,” I added. “I’m not possessed.”

  He gave me a stern look. “But they probably have your description. Too risky.” Glancing back at Yates, Chase asked, “You up for some surveillance?”

  The hacker nodded. “Not a problem.”

  * * *

  We dropped Yates off three blocks from the motel. He took his laptop and cell phone, telling us he’d take up position at a donut shop just down the street while we waited in the car.

  I wasn’t feeling up to conversation, but there was something nagging at the back of my mind. “Something Tomko said has been sticking with me.”

  “What’s that?” Chase asked.

  “He said he regretted having to move up his timeline.” I glanced into the backseat at Rogers. “I assume it’s because you and he became aware of each other.”

  Rogers pulled a face. “I don’t think that’s it.”

  “Oh?”

  She said, “I don’t scare him. None of us scares him. If he thought we were a threat, he’d have come for us already.”

  “What about the Watcher—or Watchers—at the motel?”

  She took a deep breath, as if trying to find the right words to describe what she was sensing. “I don’t think it’s an ambush or anything. I think whoever John Tomko sent is there simply to keep an eye on us; make sure we’re nothing more than a minor nuisance.”

  Her assumption seemed to be validated when Chase received a text message from Yates a few minutes later. He relayed it to us:

  Only one Watcher sitting at a bus stop in front of the motel. Probably a minor angel. He looks annoyed.

  Chase typed something back and sent it. “I told him to sit tight. We’re standing by.”

  “Hey,” Rogers said. “I’m starving. Can I get a burger or something?” There was a fast-food joint half a block behind us. The clock on the car dash told me it was well past lunchtime.

  Chase fished out his wallet and handed her a few bills. “Get me one, too.” He glanced at me.

  I nodded as my stomach rumbled. “Double-cheese,” I said. “Fries and soda.”

  Rogers hopped out and hurried off.

  “So,” Chase said, “if Tomko isn’t afraid of us, what’s he afraid of?”

  I shook my head. “Maybe ‘afraid’ isn’t the right word for it.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He’s a military man, right?” Not waiting for Chase to respond, I continued, “And all good commanders have a Plan B.”

  “And C and D, and so on,” Chase said. “I see what you’re getting at. Something interfered with his Plan A.” He cocked his head. “You know, it might have something to do with us taking down Grigori Ventures. We got the impression Tomko was unaware of Sam Lancaster until recently. According to Serena’s account, they only just made contact a short time before she wiped them out.”

  “You think they made a pact of some sort, and Serena ruined it?”

  Chase said, “Or the knowledge that there was another organization of fallen angels out there, enacting their own plot to take over the world, spurred him to move his timetable up. After all, Lancaster had been building his army for about a year, and Tomko left the security company two months ago—he’s got a lot of catching up to do. Serena probably did him a favor by eliminating a major rival, but now Tomko wants to make sure he’s gathered all the Watchers to his banner.”

  I nodded. It made sense. “Rogers said he was up to almost thirty. After tonight, I’m sure he’ll double or triple that number. Once he’s established a base of operations in New York, any other Watchers out there will have no choice but to join him, or be replaced.”

  Even as I said it, I still had a feeling there was something more to it than that, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  Chase’s phone rang, surprising both of us.

  He picked it up. His eyes widened. “You’re here?” A moment later, he said, “Oh, really? …Okay. …Where? …All right; we’ll be there.”

  “What’s up?” Serena asked as she slipped into the back seat with a paper bag of food.

  Chase said, “We’re going to church.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abun
dance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure of it shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ten presses of oil.

  –Book of Enoch 10:19-20

  Chase drove while he explained who was on the phone with him.

  “Darcy and Richard flew in less than an hour ago.”

  I almost said, “But I thought all air traffic was suspended.” Then I remembered that Riley had his own means of transportation.

  Rogers asked, “So she found what she was looking for?”

  “I think so. She said she’d fill us in once we got to St. Michael’s Basilica. It’s just off Ocean Parkway.”

  “Uh,” Rogers said, “I thought we were supposed to stay away from churches. Holy water works against us as well.”

  Chase shrugged. “We’ll have to take our chances. Darcy said it was important.”

  After a series of texts between Chase and Yates, the hacker chose to remain in the donut shop keeping an eye on the Watcher. Should the subject leave, Yates would hail a taxi and follow, informing us of the destination.

  Chase called up the address on the car’s GPS unit, and followed the directions, altering course only when Rogers said otherwise.

  “What was she looking for, anyway?” I asked Chase. “You were going to tell me earlier.”

  As he drove, Chase talked. “As far as we can tell, there are only two ways for one of the fallen angels to possess someone who has the genetic trait of our ancestors.”

  “Right,” I said, “Yates told me about this last time we talked. The first way is to breach the Abyss and cross over to Earth; this is accomplished through a blood sacrifice. Once here, the Watchers can transfer from one host to another, if the host dies; like Sam and his cousin Stanley.”

  “That’s true for every one of our fallen angels, except…”

  “Except Anderson’s,” I said, connecting the dots. “Her great-grandmother was possessed by—” I snapped my fingers trying to remember the name of her fallen angel.

  “Shamsiel.” Chase nodded. “But where was the Watcher all these years from the time her great-grandmother died until Darcy became possessed?”

  I realized it would have to be one heck of an incredible coincidence for Anderson to become possessed at the same moment as she’d miscarried. No, she’d become possessed through the sacrifice of blood. So, where had the Watcher been all that time?

  I guessed, “She believes her great-grandmother found a way to banish the fallen angel back to the Abyss?”

  “Yes. She went back to her hometown to talk to anyone who might have been alive at the time and could shed some light on what happened.”

  “Obviously, she found something,” I said.

  “And it’s led here, to a church in New York.”

  The GPS predicted it would take thirty minutes to get to St. Michael’s under ideal traffic conditions. Even with Rogers helping us avoid traffic stops, accidents and other obstacles, it took nearly an hour to get there.

  * * *

  Both Darcy Anderson and Richard Riley were on the sidewalk in front of the church. Two priests were standing guard on the steps in front of a set of wooden double doors.

  The building faced south, looking out over the Atlantic. A well-manicured lawn surrounded the church itself, and the property was bordered by gardens and hedgerows.

  When we pulled up into the parking lot, which was more than half-full, Anderson and Riley came over to the car.

  “Darcy,” Chase said.

  She nodded to him, smiled at Serena, and then spotted me. “Frank,” she said. “Good to see you.”

  “You, too.”

  Riley came over to the passenger side and extended a hand for me to shake. “Glad you’re here.”

  “Yeah?” I asked. Apparently, there was no time to play catch-up.

  He nodded in the direction of the church. “Maybe you can go in for us.”

  I lifted an eyebrow in question, then turned toward the two priests at the door who looked like they were getting ready for a siege.

  “They don’t seem very happy,” I said.

  Darcy said, “They know we’re possessed.”

  “Oh?”

  “They’ve warded the building against us. It’s not like the spirit trap Father Webber put up in Chicago; this one is sophisticated, like the one in Las Vegas.”

  “Las Vegas?”

  Rogers scowled. “The one they used on me to kill my powers.” She nodded at Anderson. “My senses are screaming at me not to go near the church.”

  Anderson said, “We need you to go in. They should let you pass.”

  “Go in? What for?” I eyeballed the two priests. “There’s no doubt this is the right place, but I’m not sure what it’s ‘right’ for.”

  Anderson said, “I talked to everyone I could trust back home. Turns out, my great-grandmother’s priest was a Father Norton, who’d been there for ages. He was training a replacement, but died right around the same time as my great-grandmother.” She pointed at the church. “The replacement priest only stayed for a few months before being transferred. His name is Father Duncan Brown; Richard tracked him down by calling the Archdiocese. He’s been ministering here for nearly sixty years.

  “Like Father Webber and Father Putnam, he’s been teaching his assistant priests how to protect themselves against fallen angels.”

  “How do you know that part?”

  She pointed at one of the priests. “When we arrived, they knew what we were right away. They gave us a choice: surrender ourselves to them and have our fallen angels exorcised … or leave; if we went away, no harm would come to us.” She made a sour face. “I told him we only wanted to speak with Father Brown, but he said the Father does not truck with those who walk in the shadow of evil; his words.”

  Riley said, “Even if we managed to force our way in, we’d be stripped of all powers. Once inside, we’d be blocked from ever leaving.” He took a deep breath as he glared at the priest guards. “We can’t take the risk.”

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll go see what I can see.”

  Leaving Anderson, Riley, Chase and Rogers at the car, I headed up the short flight of stairs to stand before the two priests. Both of them tensed as I approached, and I saw them reach for their crosses as if they could ward me off.

  I showed them my Chicago PD badge and introduced myself. “And your names…?”

  The younger priest, who had his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, said, “I’m Father Steve Dessouki.” He pointed to the blond priest. “This is Father Geoff Palasti.”

  I nodded and said, “I’m not looking for any trouble, gentlemen.”

  “Then leave us be,” said Palasti. He gave me a hard stare, but I could tell he was trembling beneath the façade.

  Giving him my most charming smile, I said, “We’re on the same side.” When the priest flicked his eyes at the four standing near the car, I said, “Yes, they’ve been afflicted, but they’ve been fighting what’s in them.”

  Dessouki said, “They should surrender to us, then, and allow the evil spirits inside them to be exorcised.”

  “No can do,” I said. “You know the Watcher inside them will just possess someone else, don’t you?”

  The two priests looked at each other. “Yes,” Dessouki said.

  “There may be another way; that’s why we’re here. We’re trying to get rid of the fallen angels permanently. It’s worked once before. Hasn’t Father Brown shared this information with you?”

  Again, they looked at one another, and I could tell by their expressions that they had no idea what I was talking about.

  “Sixty-some years ago, your Father Brown assisted another priest in banishing a fallen angel to the Abyss. We need to know how it was done.”

  Neither of them replied.

  I was growing frustrated. “Haven’t you been watching the news? The terrorist who’s behind all this chaos, well, he’s the baddest fallen angel there is: Azazel, angel of war. The only way to st
op him is to banish him back to the Abyss.”

  If the revelation of the terrorist’s identity was a surprise, they didn’t show it. Instead, the young priest said, “I wish we could help you, but there’s nothing we can do except offer sanctuary for you. The fallen angels have no power inside these walls.”

  “Maybe they don’t have their supernatural powers,” I said, “but they also carry guns. Your prayers can’t stop bullets, and you can’t just bury your heads in the sand. There’s a way to stop this madness; that’s the best way to protect yourselves.”

  Palasti fidgeted. Both of them were sweating in the cool of the afternoon.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked.

  I thought they weren’t going to answer, but then the Dessouki said, “It’s Father Brown. He went out on an errand this morning, and when he came back, he was gravely ill and got worse with every passing minute. I thought he was going to die. We got him to lie down in the rectory, but he fell unconscious.”

  Palasti said, “We called for an ambulance, but no one came. After what’s happening in the city, we didn’t want to move him from the protection of the church to take him to the hospital.”

  My suspicious mind jumped to a conclusion. It was possible that Tomko had learned of Father Brown and thought him a threat—my best guess was Sariel, the angel of knowledge, had done one of his séances, looking for anything that would put a hitch in their plans. What had they done to the priest?

  I pointed toward the car. “My friend, Kyle Chase, is a doctor. Maybe he can help. Will you remove the spirit trap so he can go in?”

  Both priests shook their heads. “We can’t take the chance. Many of our flock have sought refuge within; we’ve offered them sanctuary from the evil spreading through the city. We will not lower our defenses.”

  With a grumble, I said, “Give me a minute.” Then I returned to car.

  After I told them what I’d found out, Chase said, “Of course I’ll go in.”

  “You’ll be powerless inside,” Anderson said.

  Chase held up a forestalling hand. “Not only did I make an oath, but this might be our only chance to find answers.”