by S. J. West
“Because I don’t have them,” I reply, taking in a deep breath because I feel like I’m about to faint.
Everything falls into place for me in that moment. Now I know the reason I never saw Belphagor’s seal, and the reason why only Baal’s seal manifested itself on my back when he in fact gave me his and Levi’s at the same time.
“What does that mean for my children?” I ask God. “How are their souls strong enough to contain that much power?”
“The seals are their souls, Anna,” God answers.
“But what does that mean for them?” I demand again, on the edge of hysterics as I realize the situation is even more ominous than I first thought.
I feel Malcolm wrap one of his arms around my shoulders, trying to comfort me as we listen to what God has to say.
“Do you remember what I told you about the seals?” God asks me.
I think back to our conversation. “You said they were created to keep balance in the universe between good and evil.”
“Your children have the same chance of becoming good or evil as any child brought into the world. In a way, the intention of the seals was reset after they attached themselves to your children. Liam and Lilliana will be the ones who determine how their powers will be used, just like every other person with free will. I have no doubt that with you and Malcolm as their parents they will choose to follow the right path. They will be wise and strong, just like their parents because that’s the way you will raise them to be. I don’t fear for them at all, Anna, and neither should you.”
“It’ll be all right,” Malcolm tells me, filled with a confidence I don’t particularly feel. “We’ll make sure it is.”
“There is one other thing I would like to ask from the both of you,” God says. “The War Angels I sent to help you with Helena. Please, look after them. They were made with souls craving battle, but I hope the time they spend on Earth will also teach their hearts how to love.”
“Are there any rules they need to abide by?” Malcolm asks. “Like you gave to the Watchers when we were sent to Earth.”
God shakes his head. “No rules this time. I learned an important lesson from what happened to all of you. I want them to be free to love whomever they wish. I want them to find a reason for being besides fighting. And…I think it’s time for the human race to evolve, to meet their full potential. If any of the War Angels fall in love and marry, the children from that blessed union will have traits from both their parents. I think mankind is finally ready to take the next leap forward.”
God’s words make Malcolm smile.
“Anna!”
I hear my dad call out my name and see him running down the hill from his friends to see me. When he reaches me, he gives me a hug so intense it leaves me breathless.
“Thank you,” he says to me, continuing to hug me tightly to him. “Thank you for believing in me. Not many people have in my life. Most thought I was beyond saving.”
“Killing you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, Dad,” I tell him. “I hope it’s something I never have to do to someone else I love.”
“Me too,” my dad says, pulling away enough to kiss me on the forehead like a doting father. “Just know that I’m the happiest I’ve been since…well… I can’t even remember when. I know what I asked you to do for me was hard, but, as you can see, it was for the best.”
“And now neither of us has a reason to be sad again,” my mother says coming to stand beside us.
“I vow to both of you,” my dad says looking from me to my mother, “that I’ll find a way to make up for the things I’ve done. I don’t think I’ll feel like I deserve any of this until I do.”
My dad places an arm around my mother and keeps one around me.
As we stand there together, I begin to understand why Lucas loves for us to have family hugs. There’s an energy formed from the love between parents and their children that can’t be duplicated.
“Anna,” my dad says, sounding hesitant to say what he wants to, “I don’t have any right to ask this of you, but I feel like I need to.”
“You can ask me for anything,” I reassure him.
“When I fell out of my father’s grace, you know I wasn’t alone,” he says.
“Yes. I’ve met some of the other rebellion angels.”
“If there ever comes a time when they seek you out for guidance, could you find it in your heart to help them find their way back to my father? I know it’s a lot to ask, but if there is one person in the world who can help them, I know it’s you.”
“I won’t turn them away,” I promise. “I’ll do what I can for them.”
“That’s all I ask,” my dad says, kissing me on a cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anna?”
I look for the speaker and see Auggie standing a few feet away. He’s not the only one waiting for me though. Millie and Daniel are standing on either side of him.
Just like that, I’m overwhelmed by my guilt over their deaths again. My face must mirror this emotion because Auggie begins to shake his head at me.
“None of that,” he says to me. “There’s no reason for you to feel any guilt. It was simply our time to die, Anna. There wasn’t anything you could have done to prevent our deaths from happening.”
My parents drop their arms from around me so I can go to my friends.
I hug Millie first because she’s the one who is crying.
“Oh, my sweet,” she says, “I wish I could be there to see your little ones come into this world. I know they’ll be a sight to see.”
“I wish you could be there too,” I tell Millie, my eyes misting with tears that I’m doing my best to hold back. “But I will remember everything you taught me and be just as good a mother to them as you were to me.”
I hear Millie sniff at my words. I kiss her on the cheek before I face the men whose lives ended prematurely because of me, one directly and one through association.
Auggie tilts his head in Malcolm’s direction.
“I see you finally found someone to love,” he says with his enigmatic smile. “I told you he was out there and that the two of you would find each other one day.”
“Yes, we did find each other.”
Auggie gives me a hug.
As he pulls back, he says, “Can I ask you to do something for me, Anna?”
“Name it.”
“Be a good ruler. Be the best ruler in the history of the world because anything less from you just means you didn’t even try.”
I smile at my best friend. “Then that’s what I’ll be.”
Auggie kisses me on the cheek before stepping away so I can speak with Daniel.
“I don’t know what to say to you,” I tell Daniel, unable to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry doesn’t seem like enough.”
“Anna,” Daniel says with a kind smile, “you have nothing to be sorry about. I know what you did wasn’t on purpose. Don’t feel guilt over something that wasn’t within your ability to control at the time.”
“I cheated you out of being able to have the life you wanted with Linn and your children,” I tell him. “No matter how many times I say I’m sorry, it will never be enough.”
“I can’t say I’m not disappointed that I won’t be able to grow old with Linn and see our children have children of their own,” Daniel tells me with a wistful smile. “But, I’ll see them all again one day, Anna. You, better than most anyone in the world, knows that death is never the end. All I ask is that you and Malcolm look out for them for me. As long as I know you’ll be there for them, I won’t worry.”
“You have my word that they will be well taken care of for the rest of their lives,” I promise Daniel.
“And you have my word too,” Malcolm says, coming to stand beside me. “They won’t want for anything, Daniel. You know I always take care of family.”
“I know,” Daniel says. “And do me a favor, Anna. Tell Linn I want her to have a full life filled with as much love and laughter as one
person can have in one lifetime. I’ll expect her to tell me a lot of stories when it’s her time to join me in Heaven.”
“I will,” I promise.
“Uncle Malcolm,” the young woman I didn’t recognize who was standing with Lilly and Caylin earlier says, “the other descendants want to say hello before you have to leave.”
“Ok, Mae,” Malcolm replies. “I’ll be right there.”
Mae smiles sweetly at Malcolm before walking back to Lilly and Caylin.
“Go,” I urge Malcolm. “You won’t get a chance to see them all again for a very long time.”
Malcolm kisses me before he leaves my side. He walks into the large group of descendants he helped protect during his long mission on Earth. The happy looks on their faces tell me what a profound influence my husband had on all of their lives.
Malcolm’s long vigil is finally over, and we can both take the next step towards our future.
Involuntarily, I place a hand against my belly. The children growing inside my womb will one day join a prestigious lineage of people who helped shape the world. I feel proud to be one name among many who worked to grant Seraphina her final wish.
Her father is finally home.
Epilogue
The cathedral in the palace of Cirrus is filled to bursting with people. Everyone wanted an invitation to the biggest event in all of Cirrun history. Today will mark the first time ever that an Empress of Cirrus is allowed to crown her own emperor.
As I stand at the head of the altar, I wait rather impatiently for my husband to walk down the aisle towards me. Today is the day I finally make an honest man out of Malcolm. We will once and for all be legally married and cease the gossipmongers from wagging their forked tongues about us.
It’s taken almost two months to rally enough influential supporters to make Malcolm’s coronation happen, but it’s all been worth it. One of Malcolm’s greatest selling points was his connection to the down-world. After being bombarded by more of Gladson’s propaganda videos spotlighting the state of affairs in the down-world, the people of Cirrus finally demanded that their leaders do something to improve the conditions of those living beneath them.
Since most of Cirrus was ignorant of the happenings below them, they didn’t have a clue regarding what actually needed to be done to bring about reform, but Malcolm did. He suggested that three out of the five overlord positions be reassigned. As empress, I was able to choose whomever I wanted to take up the newly vacated spots.
Brutus was a natural choice to takeover Malcolm’s overlord position. A former thief was someone perfect to handle commerce. I was able to talk Kyna and Brutus into dividing their time between the down-world and Cirrus. Surprisingly, or perhaps not that much of a shocker, Kyna ended up becoming pregnant rather quickly after their wedding. It was nice to know I would have a friend to share my own first pregnancy experience with.
I made Barlow the overlord of manufacturing. He was reluctant at first, but Malcolm and I were able to talk him into it. It was well known that the workers in the industrial compounds were the worst treated among the down-worlders. Who better to help us make things right than Gladson’s right hand man during our rebellion? He and his people were finally able to leave their secluded hideout in the mountains without fearing for their lives.
After living with Malcolm all his life, Giles knew the ins and outs of being an overlord. We placed him in charge of organizing the livestock in the down-world. We wanted someone who could remain impartial and provide Cirrus with its equal share of this important resource. For years, the best cuts of meat were always sent to the citizens of Cirrus, and the scraps were given to those in the down-world to survive off of. It was an imbalance that needed to be corrected, and Giles was the perfect candidate to make that happen.
Jered was able to talk Linn into moving to Cirrus so we could help take care of her and the kids. That way Malcolm and I could keep our promise to Daniel. Linn still refused to be in the same room with me, but I maintained my hope that she would one day find forgiveness in her heart for me. I did write her a letter giving her Daniel’s message about living a full life so she could tell him all about it when she reached Heaven. I received a simple card in return with the words ‘Thank you’ from her. I took it as a good sign that her hatred of me wasn’t complete. There was still hope she could forgive me one day.
As I continue to wait for my husband to make his grand entrance, I look up at the balcony, which surrounds the entire room. There I find my War Angel Guard watching the proceedings with keen interest. They’re wearing their ceremonial black and white feather cloaks. When I first brought them all to Cirrus, they caused quite a stir, especially among the women. It appeared that God’s plan for the next evolutionary step of mankind would be a great success, and I felt as though we were ready for it.
My children will most likely be born with not only my humanity but also the traits I inherited from both my mother and father. Raising children so special will be a great responsibility, but I feel up to the challenge. If the new world is going to be composed of those who are half-human and half-angel, they will need strong leaders to watch over them. Malcolm and I will be responsible for making sure our children are strong in body and also wise in making difficult decisions for future generations.
My only real worry was the whereabouts of Helena, and the connection I still seemed to have with her. Since my hair and eye color didn’t change back to normal, I knew she and I were still bound to one another. I wasn’t completely sure what our link to each other meant for my future, but I hoped our bond could be broken one day.
Little Luna lets out a sharp howl. I look over to the left side of the altar and see Vala telling our little hellhound pup to be quiet. However, Luna wasn’t so little anymore. She was actually twice as big as Vala now, but still young enough to listen to what Vala told her to do.
Lucas, dressed in a rather sharp looking collarless black suit, stands in between Vala and Luna. He places a hand against Luna’s side that seems to placate her restlessness.
Finally, the doors at the other end of the aisle open, revealing my husband dressed in his Watcher ceremonial outfit. As he strides down the red carpet and the processional music begins to play, I can’t help but smile. It feels like our wedding day all over again. I decided to wear the dress Millie made me to Malcolm’s coronation. In essence, this was our public declaration of marriage to one another. Plus, Millie’s last gift to me was simply too beautiful not to be shared with the world.
Following behind Malcolm, also dressed in their ceremonial Watcher outfits, are Jered, Desmond, Brutus, Slade, and my papa. Although my papa looked much older than the others did, he was still quite strikingly handsome in his attire. I feared I might have to fend off the ladies of Cirrus to preserve his honor.
Slade ended up being a natural fit among my Watcher protectors, and I hoped he would one day find a way to forgive himself for betraying Caylin and the others. Though, Malcolm still acted wary of him. I held onto my belief that my husband would come around in time.
There was still a lot of work to be done. Ethan and the other War Angels hadn’t been able to find any trace of Helena as of yet, but it was only a matter of time before she made a move against us. We were simply waiting and watching, forever vigilant.
As Malcolm approaches me, he grins, which makes me smile so happily I feel my cheeks begin to burn.
He alone walks up the steps of the altar towards me while the other Watchers come to a stop just below us.
“Took you long enough,” I whisper to my husband as he kneels down on one knee in front of me.
“It wasn’t my fault,” he whispers back as I place the crown in my hands on top of his head. “It just took the boys a little longer than they thought it would to get your surprise ready.”
“Surprise?” I ask, as Malcolm stands to his feet in front of me. “What surprise?”
Malcolm takes one of my hands into his and turns so that we are both facing the cheering crow
d. He raises our clasped hands in the air and the roar of the crowd becomes deafening. After allowing them to rejoice for a few seconds longer, Malcolm slowly lowers our conjoined hands and waits for the crowd’s silence. If there was one thing my husband knew how to do, it was command a room.
“Thank you all for coming here today,” Malcolm says to the assembly. “Empress Annalise and I vow to do everything within our power to make Cirrus a beacon of hope to not only our down-worlders but also to those ruled by the other cloud cities. With your continued support, we envision a bright and joyous future for us all! We would both like to invite all of you to join us in the ballroom for a reception to celebrate our union to one another and the beginning of a new era in Cirrun history. We hope to see you all there.”
Malcolm tugs on my hand, and we walk over to where Lucas and the dogs are.
“Would you like to see the surprise I made for Mommy?” Malcolm asks our son.
“It’s ready?” Lucas says excitedly, obviously having more of a clue than I do about what Malcolm is about to show me.
“Yes, the last piece we were waiting on was delivered today,” Malcolm says.
“Let’s go!”
Lucas places a hand on Vala while keeping his other hand on Luna. Malcolm takes hold of our son’s shoulder and phases us all to my surprise.
The room we phase into has a large white stone fireplace in the middle of it. The walls are halftone with the upper portion painted a pale blue. The bottom half has whitewashed wainscoting. It’s decorated with comfortable looking white and blue furnishings and has a distinctive seaside feel with seashells placed strategically around the room.
“My beach house?” I ask, stunned by the transformation.
“Our beach house,” Malcolm gently corrects, tugging on my hand yet again. “Come on. I have one other surprise I want to show you.”
“Can we go outside to play?” Lucas asks us.
“Sure, just don’t stay out too long,” Malcolm says. “It’s still pretty chilly. You can find some dog toys by the backdoor in a box.”