Pushing the door open, he saw Angus rubbing his eyes, sweat evident on his brow and in his hair. The boy’s tee-shirt was already beginning to blossom with sweat, in spite of the central air that was running, and he’d kicked his covers most of the way onto the floor. A single corner of the cool Superman-covered cotton top sheet was wrapped around the boy’s left leg and the rest was with the blanket on the floor.
“Where are we?”
“This is our new home. Remember? We had to come to Missouri to stay safe and so now, we have a nice, new roof over our heads.”
The young boy nodded, the red-blonde waves of his hair glistening with sweat around the edges of his face.
For a few moments, there was silence, and Angus settled more closely into his pillow.
“For how long?”
“I don’t have an answer to that, Son. Not anything other than as long as it takes. But we have a good hospital close by, and there are a couple of parks within walking distance once you’re up for moving around a bit more. And we’re away from the ocean, so that means the weather will take some getting used to, but…”
His words trailed off as Angus’s eyes drooped shut again and he began to snore.
Well, at least there’s more time to come up with an explanation, Romeo thought, smiling. Thank You, God, because I wasn’t sure what to do there.
“Amen,” he heard Calico reiterate at his side.
And so, they carefully did their best to inform their guests – two of the team assigned to them now – it was time they got sleep, since they were behind.
“Maybe by the time Angus wakes up, you’ll recall what you were going to tell us,” Zebedee told them, smiling as he took Elisabet’s hand more firmly, pulling it toward himself. “I’ll make sure some food is brought up for you in a few hours; by then, hopefully all three of you will be able to eat. Lord knows that boy of yours will need pretty constant supervision until this gets figured out,” he continued, looking even more compassionately at Romeo and Calico.
“That, he does,” Calico told the others. “But for now, sleep sounds like a good place to begin.”
Fifty
Vancouver, Washington… June 27, 2025
Edward moved to wrap his arms around Paloma as they settled into bed for the night, their New Revised Standard Bible in his lap, ready for devotional time.
“I still can’t believe we’re leaving so soon. God must have pulled some really large strings for Quentin’s parole officer to agree to this. I mean, who ever even asks this sort of thing,” he heard her saying as she leaned her head into his chest.
“His P.O had only known of three times in recent years where people were allowed out of the country while on parole, but none of them were because the people who helped put someone away requested it as a means of blessing their former tormentor. I mean, how often could that happen? Maybe it’s a first,” she told him. “Sure, people pray for those who do them wrong, and sometimes, they become close, but….”
Edward shook his head, still a bit stunned, himself.
God had done it again.
There was no doubt about it, and he wasn’t going to question it in the slightest.
The impossible, once more, had become not only possible, but was done before the eyes of many.
Including themselves.
And that Kristof hadn’t totally freaked out and had a heart attack or stroke when he learned about the history of the mirror? Another miracle in and of itself.
The man had been surprised, certainly, but given that he’d seen Ari’el transforming made for an easier transition, if not a more comfortable one.
Yet, discomfort has its place, and rightfully so. It helps us grow, and is meant to help us become stronger in relationship to each other, is it not?
Edward moved to find their place in the Bible, and Paloma stopped him with a hand.
“I know this has been becoming a bit of a habit this year,” she told him, “but there’s actually something else on my heart tonight, if you don’t mind at all?”
She lifted her head from his chest as she spoke, and he let her go so she could find what she was looking for. For a few moments, all he heard was the frog outside their window and the whisper of pages as Paloma looked for what she wanted to read. And then, she was clearing her throat; taking a sip of water; ready to read.
“Well, I’ve got Psalm one hundred three here and ready to read; I’m going to just read it through, if you don’t mind,” she told him, and he nodded in confirmation even as he began to wonder what the connection was.
He knew it discussed angels and Israel, but…
Well, he’d just have to listen, wouldn’t he?
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s,” she began, pausing to clear her throat again.
Edward shifted his leg to a more comfortable position as his wife resumed where she’d left off reading. The imagery of an eagle in flight firmly stuck in his mind, and brought a smile to his face.
“The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever,” she continued, pausing for another sip of water and turning the page.
The next part, Edward knew by heart and recited along with her, thankful for the truth behind the words.
“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust. As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments,” they said together, their voices in near-perfect harmony with one another.
Paloma continued reading the next section, finishing off the chapter as the imagery poured into Edward’s heart and mind. And so, too, did thankfulness and peace wash over him.
God, indeed, was steadfast in His love and gracious. He had seen it for himself, time and again, and it always amazed him, but he continued to pray for it, too.
“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word. Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul,” she read with a smile in her voice and on her face, finishing out the chapter as she closed the Bible and handed it to him to set back into the nightstand.
“And there we have it,” she said once the Bible was put away. “Kalev, Ari’el, Arieh, Neriah, and Lemuel have been blessing Him and doing His bidding, even from the earth. And wherever Ezer and Elihu are… I’m sure they are doing the same: the bidding of the Father. And we’ve seen the throne; all three of them, in fact; the triune thrones of the Godhead… whether figurative for our understanding, or the actual thrones, I don’t know, but I know that there is more to that rainbow-grass filled valley of thrones than met the eye.”
Edward nodded as he pulled her close again. “Agreed. There’s no way for us to know on this side of eternity what Heaven will be like in the forever sense; it might be as we saw it, an
d it might not. We didn’t see behind other doors, but behind a single door, the five of us. There was no way to compare experiences because we shared it together. And I’m thankful for that,” he told her, smiling into her hair a moment before turning off the side table lamp.
“What do you think we’ll find when we get to Israel,” she asked him in the new darkness.
“I think…” he began, stopping to ponder her question as he slid his fingers between hers and settled down into his pillow. “I think we’ll find the answer we’ve been journeying toward since the day we met, and I think we’ll find the truth about our own selves while we’re at it.”
He sensed her nodding, and her breathing shift patterns as she put her head on his shoulder.
“Alright,” she said. “Well, I guess we’ll know soon enough, won’t we?”
“Absolutely,” he reassured her, closing his eyes, allowing his thumb to rub against the back of her hand. “Absolutely.”
And the Angels Rejoiced
Book Seven in The Angels’ Mirror Series
by
Harmony L. Courtney
And the Angels Rejoiced: Book Seven in The Angels’ Mirror Series
1st Edition Kindle- Published 2014
Copyright © Harmony L. Courtney
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Acknowledgements:
First of all, I’d like to say thank you to those who have been my patient and encouraging early readers. Thanks, also, to my family, without whose support this would not have been accomplished as easily.
Thank you to Dr. L. Bryan Williams for the river analogy utilized in this book. That was a wonderful discussion, remembered these years later.
Thank you to Steven Winston for his knowledge about the St. Louis area, and to the people of Walla Walla and College Place, Washington for their wonderful hospitality and insights.
Nan Barber, thank you for your help with information on the Boston area. Much appreciated!
Last, but not least, thank you, Cheryl Good and Gerald Darnall, for your help with editing and suggestions. You’re amazing, and I appreciate you!
Dedicated to Sam and Adele Hooker, with love.
And to the memory of Officer Ben Drains. Missed more than words can say.
Disclosure:
As with any novel that brings in characters who were real people once upon a time, it is not this author’s intent to malign any person, historical or current. I have sought to create as true-to-life characterization as possible for all who you find on these pages, but at some point, real people must, of course, become fictionalized to tell the story.
I have done as much research to assess the characters who once lived as those who are purely fictional and done my best to create scenes that are realistic regarding earlier settings as I possibly can. Any omissions or commissions that are incorrect are solely due to an error in my own research, and is not to reflect on the people or settings portrayed in the text.
A number of the characters in earlier timelines – or those discussed by the historians within these pages - were real people. In instances where real persons existed but names are not known, names were created to enhance the storyline. Other than a handful of specific buildings, places portrayed within the text are real.
Any errors to foreign language portions within this text are the interpretational error of this author.
Though this is a book from the Christian perspective, this novel contains some more mature content than some readers may prefer. Please be advised.
With that, I leave you to enjoy And the Angels Rejoiced, the final book in The Angels’ Mirror series.
Prologue de Trois
Portland, Oregon… June 30, 2025
“So, you’ve got everyone’s tickets purchased, already? That was quick,” Edward asked his brother-in-law, Jason, as they made their way into the offices of Rutherford Research.
How Kristof Sage had gotten the money to Jason without a long, drawn-out questioning was beyond him, but he was thankful, nonetheless.
Behind them, Edward heard the familiar sound of Malik’s old 2007 Suzuki Forenza Wagon pulling in as they made their way inside.
“Yeah, but we still need to discuss this with,” Edward watched Jason point toward the door they just walked through. “I figured it’d be better if we told him together than apart, so the conversation just hasn’t happened yet,” he continued as they heard Malik’s door slam shut. Making their way into Jason’s recently re-decorated office – re-decorated being a loose term, since it was mostly that he’d gotten new plants and that the desk area had been swapped with the seating area – Edward and Jason made sure the door was open so they could hear their co-worker come in, and Jason got his computer started.
“May as well go boot my own up, too, while we’re waiting and then conversing. I have a feeling he isn’t going to like being stuck with two cases on his own, even if that does mean he gets over fifty percent of the income from them,” Edward told Jason as he took a moment to straighten his blue plaid shirt and checked his greying hair in the mirror next to the door before stepping into the next room. “And someone new to work with while we’re gone.”
“Morning, Edward,” he heard Malik Fakhoury – one third of Rutherford Research and a father for the third time, unexpectedly – say as the door closed behind him. The soft, soothing tones of the man’s Moroccan accent, barely faded by time in the States, washed over him.
“Good morning, Malik,” he replied, setting down his briefcase, then powering his computer up.
He watched as the screen blinked to life; a holographic mist of green with the work logo in the center. “I think Jason wanted the three of us to have a discussion sometime today; might want to check in with him on the way to get your computer going. No time like the present, right,” he continued when he realized that Malik was still, for some reason, standing in his doorway.
A sigh escaping the other man’s lips, Edward turned to see circles under the dark brown eyes of his friend. Had he even slept the night before, with a five week old baby at home?
Baby Yasmin Samira Fakhoury, born nearly seven weeks early, had been home a mere few days after some issues with her lungs, jaundice, and then a couple of bouts of infection that had waylaid the doctors in how fast they came upon her. On top of that, she’d had to be tube-fed the first three weeks, and the doctors had made sure that there was round-the-clock care for her.
Edward and his wife Paloma had only gotten to meet her face to face the night before, when they stopped in to see Aisha and the children on their way to the grocery store after church.
“What is wrong,” the man asked him, frowning.
“Nothing, as far as I know, but I think I’d better let Jason explain what’s going on. A few changes, for a little while,” he said even as he heard Jason calling them from the other room.
“Can we just do this,” Jason said, surprising Edward as he made his way toward Malik and followed him out around the corner. “Our guests will be here any minute.”
For someone usually quite careful with how he spoke to others, it sounded like he was on edge. And what was this about visitors? Had he invited the guys that were going to take up the slack for them on their trip, or was it a client?
And either way, where did that leave them?
Arthur Reynolds made his way toward the bus just as a light drizzle began to fall. Pulling off the hat he wore for work at Paulie’s Pizza Palace as he loped along, he stuffed it into the backpack that was becoming all-too-familiar on his back.
Not by a long shot.
Thing was, how many choices did he have right now? For once in his life, he was positive he could stay on the straight and narrow, and for the most part, he had. He’d even gotten to know some churchy people, and had a few Jesus experiences, himself.
Maybe there was a God, after all.
Sho’nuf was, dere be a God like I think dere be now, He been watchin’ ova me, he thought as he waited at the light to cross. As he waited, the drizzle began to intensify into rain, and he watched in disgust as the bus went by. But mebbe not ‘bout no bus or nothin’ like dat, yet. Guess I gots ta still work on trustin’, an’ not lettin’ ev’ little thang get ta me, ‘cause, really? What on Earth be dat for, bus jus’ passin’ on by like dat. Now I gots ta wait. He know I ain’ patien’ or nothin’ like dat.
Arthur sighed as the light finally changed. He rearranged his backpack and, along with the other five people waiting for the light, made his way across. He made his way inside the convenience store to find something to eat. He’d had pizza, breadsticks, and salads for too many days in a row, and had vowed to himself to get something different for a change.
Browsing the aisles, he vacillated a few times before deciding on a hot dog, some pretzels, and a bag of Skittles. He headed to the counter thankful that, for the first time in his life, he had money he earned legally, outside of prison. The checker – a young Asian man with bright blue hair and black horn-rimmed glasses – rang the purchases up and quickly, Arthur was back outside.
Just as he took a bite of his hot dog, another bus went past. The rush of breeze the bus created sent some of the larger debris skittering across the ground in the mild, warm drizzle that had begun falling while he’d been in the store.
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