by S. J. West
Edgar throws the small box at me and Malcolm catches it in mid-air before it has a chance to hit me squarely in the face.
“You’ve certainly become a surly old coot, Edgar,” Malcolm admonishes harshly. “Try to remember your manners.”
“If you know the sins I’ve committed,” Edgar says, “then you know what I’m capable of. Now, if the two of you would please leave my home, I would be forever grateful. As it is, I’ll have to bring in the fumigators to get rid of the stench of sin you’ve brought in here.”
“I’m not usually a violent man towards the elderly,” Malcolm says, Edgar’s statement apparently having pulled his last straw of patience, “but I think I could make an exception on your behalf.”
I place a hand on Malcolm’s arm and phase us back home to the sitting room before he can take another step towards Edgar.
“Anna,” Malcolm whines, “why did you do that? I was just going to have a bit of fun with him.”
“Yes,” I say in exasperation, “and I didn’t feel like dealing with the political fallout. I think we’ve had enough cloud city leaders meet their untimely demise recently.”
“I wasn’t really going to kill him,” Malcolm says a little defensively. “I just wanted to scare him a little. What’s the harm in that?”
“What if he had a heart attack while you were ‘scaring him a little’? Then you pave the way for Mammon to inherit Edgar’s crown outright.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if Mammon would actually make a more decent ruler,” Malcolm grouses.
Lucifer phases into the room with my papa by his side.
“Did you have any luck finding Mammon?” Lucifer asks as they come to stand in front of us.
Malcolm holds up the small black box in his hand.
“Apparently, he left Anna a neural memo,” he says, handing me the box.
I open the box and take the small skin colored patch out. I place it behind my right ear and tap it once to start the message.
I see the handsome visage of Callum Ellis staring back at me. He’s wearing a voluminous black coat with the hood pulled over his head.
“Hello Anna,” Mammon says through Callum’s lips. “Sorry about trying to kill you earlier. Well, actually, that’s a lie. I’m not repentant about it. I’m sorrier that I wasn’t able to finish the job and finally get you out of our lives. As it is, I’m willing to make a deal with you. I rather like this new body I have now, and am willing to make a trade. Let me live and I’ll give you my seal, no strings attached. I only ask that you follow a few simple demands. For one, Lucifer has to promise not to trap my soul in this body and kill me afterwards. I need to hear it from his own lips in your presence.” Mammon shivers at the prospect of becoming a walking corpse. “I refuse to be trapped inside a rotting human body ever again. I don’t care who else you might want to bring with you to the trade. Do whatever makes you feel safe. I have no reason to double-cross you this time, Anna. The sooner I get this seal out of my body the better, as far as I’m concerned. At least it will take the target off my back, for now. Secondly, in the spirit of good faith, I’m going to give you something that will prove to you how sincere I am about this offer. I will tell you where you can find your son before we even meet. I know a little about you, Anna. And what I know tells me your code of ethics won’t allow you to kill me if you accept this deal. At this very moment, I am monitoring this message. If you agree to my terms, simply tap the patch once to turn it off. Then tap it again to turn it back on. Only then will I tell you where your son is and where to meet me in one hour’s time.”
I quickly tap the patch off and then tap it back on again, as instructed.
“Good,” Mammon says to me smiling. “You can meet me in one hour in the desert. Malcolm knows where. I believe you do too. It’s the same place where you met Belphagor. And as for the location of your son, tell Malcolm to take you where Jess went to retrieve her sword. You’ll find him there. Honestly, I wasn’t sure he would actually be allowed inside, but considering who he actually is, well, it just made sense to stash him there. You have one hour, Anna. I hope you’re ready to receive the next to last seal you need. I wonder if you’ll die after absorbing it?” Mammon shrugs his shoulders, obviously not caring if I do or not. “Guess we’ll see.”
The message ends, and I take the patch off.
“How do we get to the Garden of Eden?” I ask Malcolm hurriedly.
I remembered the story Malcolm told me not long after we first met about Jess going there to retrieve Jophiel’s sword. I didn’t need to ask him where it was we needed to go. I just need to know how to get there.
“Why?” Malcolm asks, looking surprised by my question. “What did the message say?”
“Lucas is there. Where is it?”
“Lucas can’t be in the Garden of Eden,” Malcolm says with absolute certainty. “You have to be an angel to get into an inner realm.”
“Or a vessel,” Lucifer points out to my husband.
Malcolm looks over at Lucifer with a surprised expression.
“A vessel?” he asks quietly. “What do you mean?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t noticed it yourself,” Lucifer says. “I sensed it the moment I saw him.”
It was only then that I remembered Lucifer’s odd expression when he first saw Lucas the night of the dinner party. I meant to ask him about it, but with everything else that has been going on, I completely forgot.
“A vessel for who?” Malcolm asks Lucifer.
“I sense it’s Gabriel,” Lucifer replies.
“But if Gabriel’s soul is inside Lucas that means…” Malcolm leaves off, looking stunned by his newfound realization.
“That means what?” I prod, curious to know why Malcolm looks so shell-shocked.
When Malcolm’s eyes meet mine, I see unshed tears glistening in his deep blue eyes.
“Gabriel was Gabe’s archangel. Their souls were tethered to one another. If Gabriel is back, then that means Lucas is Gabe.”
“Why does that upset you so much?” I ask. “I thought the vessels were your friends. Why aren’t you happier about the news?”
Malcolm shakes his head. “It’s not that I’m unhappy about it. I just don’t see why he would want to come back to Earth.”
“It’s not uncommon for someone to be reincarnated, Malcolm,” my papa says. “Usually they come back because they have a desire that was never fulfilled in their lives, or they have unfinished business.”
“I still don’t understand why this news is upsetting you,” I say to Malcolm, touching his right forearm to let him know he can tell him anything.
“Gabe…” Malcolm begins but has to stop to rein in his emotions. “Gabe did something selfless on a trip I took with Jess, Mason, and the other vessels to an alternate reality. I just never thought I would get the chance to repay him for what he did.”
“You know,” my papa says, “Gabe grew up an orphan. I remember him telling me once that he always wished he had parents who he could love and who would love him in return.”
“But he ended up becoming an orphan again,” Malcolm points out. “Lucas’ parents died when he was just a baby.”
“But he’s not an orphan,” my papa reminds Malcolm. “You’ve raised him as your own son. Maybe that’s what Gabe wanted, for you to be his father.”
Malcolm wipes at the tears in his eyes. He grabs my hand and looks at me with fierce determination.
“Let’s go get our son.”
Malcolm phases us, and I find myself standing on greener than green grass. The vegetation around me is so bright and colorful I can’t help but smile and feel happy. I hear the squawk of something overhead and have to shield my eyes against the sun to see what’s flying in the sky. I see full-grown dragons soaring through the air and hear myself take in a sharp breath at the sight of their beauty.
I feel at ease in this place and wonder what the human race would have been like if no one had taken a bite out of a certain apple.
We soon come to a large tree and find our son sitting underneath it playing with a little red baby dragon. For some reason, Lucas is completely naked except for the small leather holster I gave him to keep his dagger around his waist.
His giggles of delight bring tears to my eyes, and I involuntarily scream, “Lucas!”
Lucas looks up from the little, pudgy baby dragon he is playing with. His face practically glows with joy as he scrambles up from the ground and runs over to us. Malcolm runs for our son and picks Lucas up in his arms, holding him tightly to him.
“He said you would be here today,” Lucas says, hugging his dad back fiercely.
When I reach them, Malcolm hands Lucas to me. My boy kisses me on the mouth and wraps his arms around my neck.
“The man who took you told you that?” Malcolm asks, bringing both Lucas and I into his arms, sandwiching our son between us.
“No, my friend Gabriel did,” Lucas tells us.
“Where is your friend?” I ask.
Lucas lets go of my neck and pulls back just enough to point towards the tree.
“He’s standing right there,” Lucas tells me. “I thought you already saw him.”
I look where Lucas is pointing, but only see the little dragon peering at us with curious eyes, not an archangel.
“I’m assuming the dragon isn’t named Gabriel,” I say.
“Of course not, Mommy,” Lucas says with a laugh as if I've said the silliest thing. “His name is Fred.”
“Gabriel is a special friend only Lucas can see,” Malcolm says.
Then I remember Michael telling me that the way he looked in Heaven was how Jess saw him in her mind. I have to assume that the same situation applies to Lucas.
“You really can’t see him, Mommy?” Lucas asks. “He was waiting here for me when that other man brought me here.”
“Did the other man hurt you in anyway?” I ask, already deciding that if Mammon did he was a dead man walking.
“No,” Lucas says hesitantly. “Just scared me a little at first. But, Gabriel’s kept me company. We’ve had lots of fun together, but I really just want to go home. I missed you so much.”
Lucas wraps his arms around my neck again. Malcolm kisses his son lovingly on top of his head and wraps his arms around us both.
In that moment, I finally feel at peace.
Chapter 19
While Lucas tells his little dragon friend goodbye, Malcolm turns to me and says, “I think we should put Lucas in a place where no one will find him. At least until this is all over with.”
“I agree. But where would he be safe?”
Malcolm lowers his gaze from mine for a moment, and I know what he needs to tell me is going to be difficult for him to say.
“Is this going to be bad news?” I ask, bracing myself for the worst.
Malcolm looks back into my eyes.
“I don’t think so,” he says hesitantly. “But I need to tell you some things before we go.”
“Just say it,” I say. “It can’t be any worse than what’s going through my head right now.”
“Do you remember me mentioning Rory and Lora to you? After we left Celeste’s house, we were going to take Lucas there for safe keeping.”
“Yes, I remember them. Levi’s people took them in for questioning while he had you prisoner. I didn’t hear anything else about them after that though, except that they had been returned to their home not long after.”
“Well, there’s something I need to tell you about Rory,” Malcolm begins, still looking reluctant to say what he needs to. “Anna, Rory is your grandfather.”
I stand there and just stare at Malcolm for a moment, letting his words fully sink in. The only time my mother’s parents had been mentioned to me was inside one of Lucifer’s memories. When he and my mother were sitting on the bench in Malcolm’s courtyard, just before they shared their first kiss, my mother told Lucifer that her father and Malcolm disapproved of their relationship. Her mother was the only one who showed any support because all she wanted was for her daughter to be happy. I guess I should have been more curious about them after that, but I had a lot going on at the time dealing with my own parents’ unique set of problems.
“And Lora?” I ask. “Is she my grandmother?”
“No, she’s not Amalie’s mother. You’re not related to her by blood, only by marriage.”
“Then, where is my grandmother?”
“She became ill right before Amalie and Lucifer were to be married and died from complications. Rory ended up cutting himself off from everyone after that, even Amalie. When you were still a baby and living in Cirrus with Andre, Rory came to me and asked me to do him a favor. He wanted a chance at a new life with a new name. He didn’t want people to associate him with the rest of us. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was adamant about starting over. I did what he asked and gave him a new identity. I even set him up in Baton Rouge to live. A couple of years later, he met Lora through his work and remarried.”
“So, Rory isn’t his real name?”
“No. His real first name is Donovan, but everyone calls him Rory now. After he and Lora were taken in for questioning by Levi’s men, I had them transported off-world to the Mars colony.”
“Does he even know I exist?”
“Yes,” Malcolm says, lowering his eyes from mine again like he hates to admit the fact.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, knowing my husband well enough to detect when he’s holding something back.
“Your grandfather harbored the same sort of feelings I did when we first found out Amalie was pregnant,” Malcolm tells me. “I hated you even before you were born because you were a part of Lucifer. Rory felt like Lucifer ruined your mother’s life, and that you were, well, the spawn of the devil himself.”
“I am,” I say. “There isn’t much I can do about that.”
Malcolm meets my eyes again. “Once he sees you, I think he’ll realize how wrong he was to stay away from you. After your grandmother died, a part of him died too. I was glad when he met Lora and found a reason to live again. It showed me he could put his past behind him and move forward. I wanted to introduce you to him earlier than this, but we got a little side tracked.”
“Just a little,” I agree. “But are you sure he’ll even want to meet me?”
“I think he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t, Anna. I know I would.”
I look back over at Lucas and see him hugging his little dragon buddy. I almost wish we could take it with us. Though, I’m not sure what we would do with a dragon once it reached the size of the ones flying in the sky overhead.
“As long as he takes care of Lucas for us, I don’t care what he thinks about me. I need to finish my mission, and I’ll be able to do that a lot better if I know Lucas is safe.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to Mars and tuck him away with Rory and Lora. After you take the seals back to Heaven, we’ll go get him together and bring him back home.”
“Bye, Fred!” Lucas calls out to his little dragon with a wave good-bye as he walks back to us. “Bye, Gabriel! I’ll miss you too!”
Malcolm suddenly strips his t-shirt off. I appreciate the display of flesh but wonder why he took it off until I see him slip it over our child’s naked body.
“I don’t suppose you know where your pajamas are,” Malcolm says to Lucas, obviously already knowing what the answer will be.
“Kind of lost them, Dad,” Lucas apologizes. “I don’t know why, but I just wanted to run around naked as soon as I got here.”
Malcolm chuckles softly. “Yeah, Eden has that effect on humans.”
Malcolm looks at our son thoughtfully, and I have a feeling he’s thinking about his friend Gabe. It makes me wonder what Gabe did for Malcolm in the alternate reality he mentioned. But, I guess that’s a story for another time. Right now, we have work that needs
to be done.
Malcolm picks Lucas up and holds out a hand to me.
“Ready?” he asks.
I slip one hand into Malcolm’s and nod.
I don’t know if I’m actually ready to meet my grandfather, but I don’t really have a choice. Now that I know he exists, I have to meet him at least once in my life.
The Mars colony was established hundreds of years before I was born. Earth was able to terraform the planet so that it had a breathable atmosphere. After transforming Mars to have Earth like conditions, rain began to fall periodically providing the planet with its most necessary ingredient to sustain life.
The Mars colony was primarily established as a mining facility. There was also a large scientific endowment built there, but very few families called Mars their home.
Malcolm phases us right outside the Institute for Mars Research.
“So my grandfather is a scientist?” I ask, looking up at the rather stark concrete façade of the building.
“Both he and Lora are physicists,” Malcolm tells me. “That’s how they met, through their work. They both wanted to come here to do some research. With Levi running around threatening the people who are connected to you, I thought this was as good a place as any to stash them away for now.”
With Malcolm still holding Lucas, we walk up the steps of the building and enter through the front glass doors. The guards at the front immediately recognize us both. They fall to their knees in my presence, and I quickly tell them to stand up. Our unexpected arrival seems to fluster them a bit, but they soon begin to relax. When Malcolm asks to be directed towards Rory and Lora’s lab, one of the guards takes us directly to it.
I catch my first glimpse of my grandfather through the glass wall separating his lab from the hallway we’re walking down. He’s playing with some sort of fire orb that’s floating between his bare hands. I begin to wonder if the timing of our visit is less than perfect.