Angel of Wisdom

by Julia McKnight

  Uriel enjoyed going to Ireland to visit and get away from the stress of the warfare of saving humanity from demons. He just never expected to be teleported there against his will by a red-haired Druid priestess, even if she did save his life.

  Even now she was invading his thoughts. Her intelligence and love of knowledge was admirable, and he very rarely admired humans. He could tell she was different. The fact that she was taking care of her niece spoke volumes about her generous and kind nature.

  Her niece was quite similar to her, not just in looks but also in temperament. Uriel knew that Aileen was passing on the rituals of Druidism to her niece for her to keep it alive. Uriel approved of that. Tradition and rituals should be kept alive to honor the past and give thanks to those who came before.

  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was time he went to find his other brothers to see what they were up to and find some distraction from his thoughts. Uriel left his chambers and closed his eyes. The only two brothers home were Raphael and Michael. They were playing ping pong in the recreational room. Uriel teleported there.

  Taking a seat on the couch, Uriel watched until they finished their game. Raphael put the equipment away, and Michael grabbed a drink of water. Mike walked over to him and sat down next to him.

  “It must be bad news if you are dragged away from your maps and travels to watch us play ping pong,” Michael observed.

  “It is. Have you guys ever heard of a water demon named Gorgoneia?” Uriel asked.

  Raphael walked over and joined them. “I don’t recall that name. Did you have to fight him?”

  “I came across her in Rome. She entranced me on the banks of the Tiber. She was so powerful I couldn’t break out of the entrancement,” Uriel informed them.

  “What did she look like? How did you manage to escape?” Michael asked.

  “Her skin was a bluish-gray and her eyes were red. Her hair was wriggling serpents and so was her tongue. She entranced me, opened her mouth, and the serpent swam straight toward me. I have never felt such fear before. I prayed to our Holy Father for help, and it came in the form of a Druid priestess who could astral travel.”

  “I’m glad you were able to escape safely. I’ll inform our brothers about this demon and ask if they’ve come across her,” Michael offered.

  Uriel nodded. “What are the rest of our brothers up to?”

  “The last I heard Azrael was herding penguins to safety in Antarctica,” Raphael answered.

  “What?”

  “The ice was melting. He helped them move to a different location to avoid starvation and death.”

  “Oh yeah! I went down there and dressed up as another penguin and tried to herd them in a different direction. It confused the flock, and he got so mad!” Michael recalled with a mischievous grin.

  Uriel smiled. Michael, or Mikey as his brothers affectionately called him, was the consummate prankster. The brothers always forgave him his antics, because he was good-natured. He could take as good as he gave, especially if he was the one who started things, and the other brothers had no problem playing jokes on him to even the score.

  “Hey, Mike, should we dress up as a polar bear this time and try to scare them?” Raphael asked with a gleam in his eyes.

  “Yeah, let’s do that! Uriel, care to join us?” Mike invited.

  “I’ll come along, but I’m not going to dress up as a polar bear or scare penguins,” Uriel scorned.

  “Fine, but you can’t tell Azrael,” Mike warned.

  “Fine,” Uriel agreed.

  “How angry do you think Az will get this time?” Raph asked Mike.

  “It depends on how far his penguins scatter,” Mike replied. Then he and Raphael grinned at each other.

  Uriel groaned inwardly. He hoped Azrael didn’t think he put his brothers up to this ludicrous scheme.

  Chapter 6

  Uriel walked across the hard, frozen snow in thick, sturdy boots behind two polar bears walking on their hind legs. It was cold and freezing on this slab of ice known as Antarctica. Unfortunately, it was melting away at a very fast pace due to global warming.

  “I don’t understand why we can’t just teleport or fly to where Az is,” Uriel complained to his two brothers walking in the bear suits.

  One of the polar bears walking took the head of his costume off and turned back to him. “If we just teleport to where Az is, we would ruin the effect of scaring his penguins. We must spring a surprise attack on them as naturally as possible. It will be funnier this way. Besides, we need you to guide us since we can’t really see,” Michael retorted.

  The second polar bear head came off, and Raphael’s curly head was revealed. He stopped and gasped for breath. “Mike! You couldn’t have found us ventilated polar bear suits? I can’t breathe inside this head! How much farther?”

  “His flock of penguins should be here. It was when I last checked. They couldn’t have traveled that far. Those things can’t fly.”

  “This is ridiculous! I’m here to talk to Azrael about demons, not scare penguins!” Uriel shouted. He began to walk faster and away from his brothers.

  “Uriel, don’t leave! Wait!” Mike yelled after him.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t get polar bear heads that would allow us to see!” Raph screamed at Mike.

  “You can see! You just can’t use your peripherals,” Mike protested. “Shh! I think I hear the penguins.”

  He ran toward the sound, and Raphael ran after him. They put on their heads and got on all fours. They ran right into the middle of the flock and scattered the penguins to their left and right. The birds cried out in fright as they ran in different directions away from the beasts in their midst.

  Uriel stared at them in disgust and shook his head. It was times like these that he missed Gabriel, his former brother-in-arms. Gabriel would never scare penguins in a polar bear suit for entertainment. Unfortunately, he lost his archangel status for entering Hell to save a female human named Anastasia.

  Now they were happily married with a beautiful baby girl. Uriel was glad Gabe had found peace and happiness, but there were times when he missed him and wished he was still here by his side. Besides, he would have seen the sense in flying to Azrael instead of walking all over this frozen tundra.

  A black mist appeared and blasted powerful psychic energy at the polar bears. They flew on to their backs. Their legs stuck in the air, wriggling like cockroaches as they tried to right themselves.

  Uriel chuckled at the sight. Now, this definitely was entertaining. He stopped walking and stared.

  Azrael, the Archangel of Death, appeared from the black mist. His black wings spread out behind him majestically, and his pale face was contorted with rage.

  “What in the name of our Holy Father do you guys think you’re doing to my penguins?” he thundered at Raphael and Michael.

  The two brothers were still stuck on their backs with their legs in the air. Their suits were too heavy for them to right on their own, and Uriel watched the exchange in fascination. He grinned as Raphael yelled for help.

  “Az, it was just a joke! This suit is too heavy and hot! Help us get out of it!”

  “Oh, for Heaven’s sake, you two are pathetic!” Azrael shouted.

  He waved his hand, and the two polar bears were placed on all fours again. Raphael stood up and heaved off his heavy polar bear head and panted for breath. Mike also pulled off his head and gasped for breath.

  “Thanks, Az,” he wheezed out.

  “I ought to send my penguins after you both to teach you a lesson,” Azrael said angrily.

  He turned and saw Uriel standing there grinning from ear to ear.

  “You couldn’t have stopped these two idiots?” he asked incredulously.

  “Not a chance,” Uriel replied just to needle his brother.

  Azrael glared at all three of them. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have anything better to do than scare innocent penguins to death?”

  Mike smiled at A
zrael and pointed to Uriel. “He wanted to ask you about a water demon. Raph and I just wanted to scare the penguins.”

  “Well?” Azrael turned to Uriel.

  “Do you have somewhere warmer than this Arctic cold to discuss the war on demons?” Uriel clipped out.

  “It’s Antarctica we’re in, not the Arctic, and yes, we can fly to my cabin not far from here,” Azrael offered.

  His gleaming, black wings spread out and he took off. The other three brothers drew their wings out. Uriel’s were a turquoise blue. Raphael’s were green for healing. Michael’s were an orange red for power and protection.

  Azrael was a speck in the sky, so the other three brothers followed him. They flew to a cabin that looked like it was half-buried in the snow. Azrael landed and opened the door for his brothers. Uriel landed shortly afterward, folded his wings into his back, and walked in. Raphael and Michael did the same and entered.

  Azrael had cups of steaming coffee ready for them, and they all took a cup and made themselves comfortable.

  “Have you heard of a water demon named Gorgoneia?” Uriel asked Azrael as he sipped his coffee. The hot liquid warmed his insides, and he began to relax in this cold, frozen place.

  Azrael thought for a moment. “I believe so. She has sent many unfortunate souls my way. Did you come across her?”

  “Yeah, I came across her in Rome,” Uriel responded and then retold his tale to Azrael.

  When he finished, Azrael nodded thoughtfully. “She’s very powerful and rarely comes to the surface. She usually lures her victims to their death underwater. I’m surprised she even came up to the surface to challenge you.”

  “She was summoned by her cronies. They all knelt in a circle by the Tiber and called her name in a chant,” Uriel explained.

  “She does have a cult following in certain countries. In that case, she must have thought you were an offering from her cult,” Azrael reasoned.

  “Well, I was almost her offering, but Aileen saved me in time.”

  “How do we stop her?” Raphael inquired.

  “I don’t know anyone who has faced her and survived, be they human or demon,” Azrael answered.

  “In the texts I received, it stated that she could be defeated by seeing her own reflection. If she sees herself, she can entrance herself, and then she can be killed by decapitation,” Uriel recalled.

  “I don’t know if I would believe everything I read about her. I know you love knowledge, but those texts don’t have anything to back up their accuracy. Besides, she’s not a demon that starts warfare or provokes anyone. Gorgoneia keeps to herself until a human falls into her domain. She takes them and sends their soul my way once she’s finished with them,” Azrael reported.

  “That could be why we’ve never heard of her,” Raphael responded.

  “There are worse demons out there to deal with if you want to continue fighting and protecting the human race,” Azrael insisted.

  “Fair enough, I’ll leave her alone as long as she leaves me alone,” Uriel agreed.

  “In all honesty, she probably thought you were a human sacrifice being offered to her by her cult followers,” Az reassured him.

  Uriel nodded in agreement. On his list of most dangerous demons, Gorgoneia never even showed up. He just didn’t like the fact that she had the ability to entrance him, and he couldn’t break free from her like he did with the other demons.

  The brothers continued drinking their coffee, and Mike and Raph changed the subject to something else. They talked and traded stories late into the night. When they grew tired, they all flew home to their respective chambers and got some rest.

  Chapter 7

  Aileen was in Deirdre’s room, and the little girl wasn’t listening to anything Aileen was asking her to do. She was trying to get her niece to pack so they could leave for their weekend trip. However, her niece was throwing a tantrum.

  “I don’t want to! I won’t!” Deirdre screamed.

  “Deirdre, you have to pack if we’re going to leave to go see Grandma and Grandpa O’Connelly on time,” Aileen patiently explained.

  “I don’t want to go! I don’t want to pack!” Deirdre shouted defiantly.

  “Pumpkin, I don’t understand you. We’ve always gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa O’Connelly. Next weekend, we’ll go see Grandma and Grandpa O’Connor. You know this!” Aileen cried with exasperation.

  She loved her niece, but sometimes the girl was too much for her to handle. She watched as Deirdre stubbornly folded her arms over her chest and sat on her bed. She had that look on her face that brooked no argument, so Aileen sighed and turned to leave the room. She was about to shut the door when Deirdre spoke up.

  “Will you get Uriel to come with us?”

  “What?”

  “I want Uriel to come with us.”

  “I don’t have Uriel’s phone number or e-mail address. Therefore, I have no way of contacting him.”

  “You could astral travel to him.”

  “I will not astral travel to find Uriel! He is incredibly busy!”

  “Fine! I will not pack! I won’t go! I won’t, I won’t!” Deirdre shouted.

  “Then I’ll call Grandma and Grandpa and tell them not to expect us!” Aileen yelled back at her niece.

  She slammed the door shut and walked down the hall to her own room. If she didn’t get out of there she just might strangle her niece. When she was inside her room, Aileen sat down on her bed and took deep breaths to calm herself and focus. She closed her eyes and thought about Uriel. She could see his beautiful, brown skin and his amber eyes that seemed to see straight into her soul.

  Aileen saw a room filled with maps and shelves of books. She walked around and looked at a globe that was very old. It still had the old names of the countries of Europe on there. She walked on, and at the end of the bookshelf, she took a right turn.

  There was a long, wooden table, and Uriel was sitting at the end of it, reading, and scribbling furiously. Aileen strolled toward him, and he looked up. Surprise and then recognition colored his features.

  “Aileen? How did you get in here?” he inquired.

  “Hello, Uriel. I’m astral traveling. My niece really wanted you to come with us this weekend on a camping trip, so I thought of you, and it brought me here.”

  Uriel put his pen down and rubbed his temple. He looked up at her and said, “Very well, I could use a break, but I won’t be able to stay the entire weekend.”

  “Thank you so much!” Aileen said and smiled.

  She closed her eyes. and when she opened them again she was back in her bedroom. She sat down on her bed and sighed. A knock sounded on the door, and she stood and went to open it.

  Her niece stood there with a sorrowful expression on her face. “I’m sorry, Auntie Aileen. I shouldn’t have thrown that tantrum.”

  Aileen nodded and bent down to give Deirdre a hug. “I astral traveled and found Uriel. He said he will come, but he won’t be able to stay for the entire weekend,” she told her niece.

  “Really?” Deirdre answered excitedly. “Thank you, Auntie Aileen! Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome,” Aileen replied and gazed at her niece as she ran out of the room.

  She followed and watched as Deirdre grabbed her clothes out of her dresser and stuffed them in a duffle bag.

  “Why did you want Uriel to come anyway?” Aileen asked.

  Her niece stopped packing and turned to answer her. “I like him, and he’s smart like you.”

  “Are you trying to set us up?”

  Deirdre grinned sheepishly. “Mommy and Daddy were so happy together. I want you to be happy too.”

  Aileen closed her eyes and took deep breaths for patience, and then she spoke, “Deirdre, what makes you think I’m not happy?”

  “You’re not in love. People who are in love are happy. It’s a happiness that everyone around them can feel.”

  “What makes you think Uriel and I will fall in love?”

  “He likes you!�
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  “How do you know he likes me?” Aileen asked

  “The way he looked at you at the pub. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you. That’s how Daddy used to look at Mommy.”

  “He was busy looking at my notes!”

  “He was also busy looking at you too!”

  The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversation. Aileen left her niece to finish packing and went to answer the door. She opened it to find Uriel standing on the other side. He looked great in a tight, fitted t-shirt, leather jacket, blue jeans, boots, and a backpack. He smiled at her, and her jaw dropped.

  Her niece joined her and greeted him, “Hello, Mr. Uriel. Glad you can join us!”

  Aileen recovered and invited Uriel in. “I didn’t think you would arrive so fast,” she said as she closed the door behind him.

  “You’re not the only one with powers,” he replied with a wink.

  “I’m all done packing!” Deirdre announced.

  “Very good. I’ll finish packing the rest of my stuff if you and Uriel want to pack up the car,” Aileen suggested.

  She walked back into her room and folded her clothes to put in her suitcase. She grabbed her toiletries and stuffed them in there, working fast in the hopes it would get his hot, masculine body off her mind. Damn, but he did look good in that tight shirt and jeans. It showed off his pecs and flat abs. He made her want to go and work out.

  What was Deirdre thinking asking him to come along? Aileen would be in his presence for the next two days. She hoped she didn’t expire on the spot. Aileen zipped up her suitcase, grabbed the handle, and left her room. When she reached the living room she saw Deirdre showing Uriel pictures of her parents.

  “They met in college. Daddy said Mommy was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Do you think Auntie Aileen is pretty? She looks just like Mommy,” Deirdre gushed.

  Aileen interrupted before Deirdre could embarrass her further, “Deirdre, do you have everything you need in the car?”

  “Yes, Auntie Aileen. Uriel and I finished packing the car.”

  “All right, let’s head out then. Grandma and Grandpa O’Connelly will be waiting for us,” Aileen prompted.