“You are forgetting an important part of the story,” she said. “The angel Sophia had told Archangel Raphael that she feared for her humans. She raced off to save them alone, and that is when Lucifer attacked her. Archangel Raphael showed up too late to save her, so he rushed her to the Goddess for help. Sophia had given up and didn’t want to live any longer. She only asked that her humans be protected. And that was why our Goddess gave us life.”
“Okay,” he said, still unsure of why she shared the story with him.
“Did it never occur to you why there are three of you to protect Sofia?” she asked and then said slowly, “Ar’ch, Angel, Rafael…All three of you must work together to protect Sofia.”
Ar’ch’s eyes widened in understanding. He whispered almost to himself, “History is repeating itself.” Then he looked at Cybil. “History will turn out differently this time. Sofia will not die. I will save her. We will save her.”
She looked back to the tree. “You are running out of time.”
He shook his head. “No. I will not let Sofia die.”
She turned her attention back to Ar’ch and smiled. “May the Goddess be with you,” she said and then vanished.
Ar’ch looked out to the tree. Why had he not put the signs together earlier? Why did the oracle have to wait until now to tell him? He watched another branch fall to the ground. Hold on, Sofia. Please, hold on. We are coming for you, he thought and then ran to find his brothers.
Chapter Sixteen
Everyone gathered in the conference room. Valerie, Mel, Kai, and Z sat on one side while Ar’ch, Angel, Nolan and Rafe sat on the other. Nolan gave one transporter to Ar’ch and one to Rafe. Then, he produced two more, one for him and one for Angel.
“I wanted to make sure we each had a way to get home in case we get separated,” he said.
“What do you mean by we?” Ar’ch asked.
“I am not sending my sons into that home without me. This is not up for discussion,” Nolan said.
Ar’ch took over the conversation. He explained what the oracle had told him the day before. “There is no time to lose. If Cybil is right and history is trying to repeat itself, then we need to make sure that we right the wrongs that were done back then and prevent Sofia’s death.”
“I agree,” Rafe said. “Damiana is already increasing security. They now have guards at the portal.”
“How are we going to get past them without them alerting the others that we are there?” Angel asked.
“I will use my skill to knock them out the minute we arrive. Then, you three will change into their uniforms. That should allow you to move about the house more easily.”
They all nodded. “So, once we get in, we will need to split up. Sofia and Liana are no longer in the same area, and time will not be on our side. Once one is rescued, the other one must be immediately rescued or we will have problems,” Ar’ch said.
Angel nodded. “Father and I will go after Liana. You and Rafe can go get Sofia.”
“How do we get down into the dungeon?” Nolan asked.
“I will take you down there if I have access to that level. If not, I will instruct the deminion to take you down. He’s a good guy, so try not to kill him,” Rafe said.
“We will do our best to keep him alive,” Angel said.
Rafe smiled in gratitude and then said, “Once you get down there, Liana will be at the end of the hall on the right.”
Nolan nodded. “We will grab her quickly and then wait for your signal, Ar’ch.”
“We will most likely take longer than you will. If danger approaches and I haven’t contacted you, leave with Liana. Rafe and I will take our chances with Sofia, but you guys need to get out of there if something goes wrong.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me?” Mel asked.
Ar’ch looked at Kai. “It might make things a lot easier, but it could also make things a lot worse. My parents can feel me the minute I come home, so I’m sure your parents will feel your arrival, especially since you’ve been gone a while. I think it’s better if you stay here for this one.”
“Then you better all come back alive because I will never forgive myself if something happens to any of you.”
“We will all come back alive, Mel. I promise,” Rafe said.
“If that’s it, I think we should get going,” Ar’ch said.
Everyone rose. Valerie hugged her sons and wished them well. “I love you all,” she said, hugging each of the boys before kissing Nolan. “May the Goddess be with you and keep you safe.”
Z gave Ar’ch and Angel a hug and then said, “I better get going. My date with Khameel should start in about five minutes. Hopefully, he is already there waiting for me.”
“Be careful with him,” Rafe said. “He is very smart and will suspect foul play if you aren’t careful.”
Z nodded. “He won’t suspect a thing. I know what I’m doing,” she said and turned to Ar’ch. “Don’t screw up.”
Ar’ch smiled. “Not a chance. I know what I’m doing,” he said with a smirk. Z gave him one last hug and then left. He turned to the others. “Ready?”
After everyone nodded, they all walked over to the portal room. Z had just disappeared when they entered. Ar’ch, Angel, and Nolan put their hands on Rafe’s shoulders. He turned to them and said, “Remember to let me knock the guards out first.” Then, he put his hand on the portal screen.
When he felt his feet hit the ground, Rafe sent his power into the room. When his vision allowed him to see the portal room, he saw bodies all over the floor. Not only had he knocked out the four guards, he had also knocked out Ar’ch, Angel, and Nolan. He quickly released them from his hold.
As they stood, Rafe apologized. “Sorry about that. I guess I should have directed that better.”
“It’s fine,” Ar’ch said. “We are in, and they are out of commission.”
They quickly changed into the guards’ uniforms. Then, Rafe opened a secret compartment in the portal room and shoved the guards within it. He opened the portal room door and peered outside. Seeing that the coast was clear, he led everyone to the elevator. He pressed his palm to the panel and breathed a sigh of relief when the SL4 level lit up.
“We won’t need to stop at the sublevel 1 floor to pick up the deminion after all,” Rafe said. The other three nodded; they weren’t sure if the elevator could recognize voices that were foreign to it, so they stayed quiet.
When they reached the bottom, the elevator doors opened and Rafe sent his power into the deminion guarding the cells. He dropped to the ground immediately. Nolan and Angel stepped out of the elevator. Rafe pointed to the dingy row of cells to the right. “Follow that path,” he said. When they nodded, he said, “Good luck.”
Rafe closed the elevator doors and took a deep breath. Phase one was a success. Now, he prayed that phase two would go smoothly, but he knew that with Damiana, nothing was smooth. The elevator doors opened and Rafe and Ar’ch headed directly to the throne room. When they opened the door, his heart dropped. Damiana sat on her throne, looking completely at ease.
Damiana looked at him with surprise. “What are you doing here so late at night by yourself? Is something wrong?”
“I pretended to have a migraine and went to my room.”
“What is so urgent that you have to risk blowing your cover to come back here?”
“They are planning to attack to free Sofia and Liana,” he said.
She laughed. “They can’t break through our barriers, especially the new ones that I placed last night.”
“I didn’t feel any new restrictions,” he said. He began to worry that leaving might be more difficult than they had thought.
“That’s because you are my son. You have special access. My enemies will never be able to break through.” She noticed the guard still standing there. “Guard, why are you still here? Don’t you have a job to do?”
Ar’ch bowed and retreated. Get her out of this room, he thought to Rafe.
“Mot
her, can we go somewhere where we can relax and spend some time together? I’ve missed you,” he said.
“That’s so sweet, my son, but I just couldn’t possibly leave right now. I’m getting my daily dose of extra power restored,” she said and leaned back against her throne.
“Can’t you do that after I leave? I can only stay for just a few minutes. I don’t want them to come check on me and not find me there.”
“Then maybe you should leave now,” she said, showing her agitation.
Rafe sighed. Goddess, please help us, he thought.
-o-
Z found Khameel waiting for her in front of Devil’s Dominion, the entertainment center for the Diasodz. He faced away from her, so she had time to compose herself. He really was sexy. He fit her type through and through. His short, black, spiked hair with the tips all white, the gauges in his ears, his brow ring, and the tattoos that decorated his arms made Z want to devour him. Unfortunately, he also was her enemy, and that threw ice cold water on her libido every single time.
“Hi,” she said from behind him, startling him.
He turned around and smiled. “Hi,” he said.
She gazed into his orange-speckled, dark brown eyes while he flashed her his perfectly straight teeth. “I can’t believe we are finally making time to hang out.”
“You’ve been playing hard to get.”
She laughed. “I needed to make sure you were really interested.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Z smiled. “Yes, you are.”
Khameel pointed to the entrance. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely,” she said and sauntered in front of him to lead the way into Devil’s Dominion. She looked around at their choices, trying to determine which would keep him occupied the longest.
“So, what would you like to do first?” he asked.
“That depends. What are you good at?” she said with a sly smile.
He laughed. “Everything.”
Now, Z laughed. “Oh, really now? Game on, then,” she said. She took his hand and led him to the obstacle course. Please let me keep him busy long enough, she prayed to the Goddess. Then, she turned to him and said, “You pick the first course. Best two out of three gets bragging rights.”
He smiled. “You’re on. Don’t worry. I’ll console you when you lose.” He winked and then focused on the options panel.
“We shall see who is consoling whom at the end of the night,” she said.
He laughed again and Z smirked. She had a feeling that she would be the ultimate winner, even if she lost every game. She just needed to ignore the hotness in front of her and focus on the goal of the night, and unfortunately, it had nothing to do with getting down and dirty with Khameel.
Chapter Seventeen
Nolan and Angel barely gave their eyes time to adjust before following the path of cells to the end. When they reached the end, Angel worried that Rafe had sent them the wrong way. The cell on the right appeared empty. He almost suggested they check the other row of cells when he saw movement in the shadows.
“Mother, is that you?” he asked.
Liana weakly crawled out of the shadows and sat on her cot. “Must we do this again?” she groaned.
Angel took off the guard mask that he wore. “Mother, it’s me. We’ve come to rescue you,” he said. He couldn’t believe how little she resembled the woman he had met on Earth. Her once long, blonde, thick, curly hair sat upon her head knotted in dreads and riddled with dirt. Her face appeared gaunt with sleepless nights and horrors he could only imagine she had experienced. His heart broke for her, but he didn’t have time to comfort her; comforting would come when they were safe.
“Can’t you come back later? I don’t have energy for your mind games today. I don’t know how many times I can tell you that I have no secrets to share,” she said and lay down.
“Mother, please, we do not have a lot of time,” he said. He grabbed the transporter and flashed into her cell.
Liana’s eyes widened. “That’s a new trick. You’ve never come into my cell before.”
“Mother, please. Father and I are here to rescue you. We need to leave.”
She laughed. “Your father? If you were truly my son, you’d know that your father could care less about my state.”
His father looked away in shame. Then, Nolan straightened his shoulders and said, “I may not love you the way you deserve to be loved, Liana, but I care very much about your well-being. Listen to our son, Li. Let us save you from this hell.”
Angel heard footsteps coming quickly their way. Nolan also heard them and pulled out his sword to fight. Angel sent his energy to drown whatever threat came their way. They watched someone dressed as a guard stumbled and fell to the ground.
Brother, it’s me, Ar’ch. Release me, Ar’ch thought to Angel.
Immediately, he called his power back to him. Ar’ch coughed up water and stood. “Sorry. I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
Ar’ch took off his mask. “There are new protective barriers to prevent enemies from entering and escaping. I was able to use the transporter to come down here since I’d already seen what this place looked like. So, either the transporter can override the barriers or the barriers don’t work within the house. Either way, be prepared for trouble.”
“Ar’ch?” Liana gasped, making all three of them look at her.
“The one and only, beautiful,” he said and smiled.
Liana began crying and hugged Angel. “Oh, my son! You did come for me,” she cried. She turned to Nolan. “Thank you.”
Nolan smiled. “You are family. Now, let’s get you home.” He turned to Ar’ch. “Are you all ready to leave?”
Ar’ch shook his head. “We have a complication. You guys go ahead. Rafe is working on getting Damiana away from Sofia so that I can save her. Maybe you guys leaving will be the perfect diversion.”
Nolan nodded. “Be safe, son,” he said to Ar’ch and then turned to Angel and Liana. “Are you ready?”
Angel picked his mother up in his arms. “Hold on to me, Mother, and don’t let go.” He turned to his father and Ar’ch. “See you soon.”
Nolan hugged Ar’ch and then pressed his device and disappeared. Ar’ch and Angel waited to hear any alarms going off, but when everything stayed silent, Ar’ch placed his mask back on and then transported out of the dungeon. Angel prayed that Rafe found a way to get Damiana to leave so that Ar’ch could save Sofia. Then, he pressed the transporter and disappeared.
-o-
Rafe sat on his father’s throne while Damiana closed her eyes and sighed. “Can I see Sofia, Mother?”
Damiana rolled her eyes but turned the cell door translucent so that he could see her sleeping on her mattress. “Happy now?”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Can’t you see that she’s sleeping? Let her rest.”
He had hoped to get Damiana to open the cell door, but he couldn’t push her to do so without raising suspicion. He’d have to try another tactic. “Does that hurt her?” he asked.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Of course not. I would never hurt my daughter,” she said.
“But wouldn’t that drain her? What if she dies?”
Realizing that he refused to leave her in peace, Damiana stood and turned his way. “Why don’t we go hang out by the pool and catch up?”
Rafe jumped off the throne a little too eagerly. “Great!”
After they had settled into chairs, Damiana said, “Tell me what is happening there.”
“Nolan is trying to create some device that lets you travel without using a portal. So far, he hasn’t gotten it to work, but he said that he was close to working out the kinks.”
She laughed. “He’s such a loser. Even if he gets it working, they will never get past my barriers. He’s wasting his time.”
“I feel so much better knowing that you’ve strengthened our walls. What is happening on this end?”
She shared with him what his
father had been doing, but Rafe only half-listened. He needed to keep her talking until Ar’ch whispered in his head that it was time to go. He only hoped he could keep her talking about herself long enough for Ar’ch to free Sofia.
-o-
Ar’ch watched Damiana and Rafe walk over to the pool. He called air to him and ran quicker than the eye could follow to Damiana’s throne. Luckily for him, she had left the door transparent, so he knew exactly where to locate the cell.
He tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried to blast air on it to crack it, but the cell didn’t even move. Without Damiana’s palm on the throne, the door stayed sealed.
Sofia, he mentally whispered. Are you awake? Can you hear me? There was no answer. Hang on, Sofia. I’m getting you out of here.
He reached out to Rafe. I can’t get her out.
I tried to get Damiana to open the door, but she wouldn’t, Rafe thought back to him.
Ar’ch cursed under his breath. I’m going to have to take the whole cell with me. Be ready. If it works, all hell will break loose here. If it doesn’t, you will have to lead Damiana back here and then knock her out.
Then, let’s hope it works, Rafe thought back to him.
He didn’t know if Rafe harnessed enough power to knock out Damiana, especially with her gaining Sofia’s strength. He put the device on the enclosure. Goddess, please let this work. He closed his eyes and pressed the button.
-o-
Damiana stopped speaking mid-sentence when she felt her daughter disappear from the vicinity, but that wasn’t possible. No one had access to the cell except her. So, if no one could get to her, then the only other explanation would be that Sofia had finally succeeded in willing herself to die, and if that were true, then her newfound power would fade before she ever got to use it.
She screamed and began rushing to the throne room.
Rafe stood in fear. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
“Sofia!” she screamed and ran to the throne room, but when she entered, she stopped dead in her tracks.
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