by S Lawrence
His green eyes are practically glowing. “No. It can’t be the same but maybe it can be better. He made so many mistakes.”
We all risk much if He happens to hear us saying anything of that nature. He believes the mistakes belong to those He created.
“He doesn’t think that at all.” I remind my brother, a hint of warning in my tone.
He ignores it. “Well, He’s fucking wrong. He created things and then created more, turning His back on each one as He made new toys.”
Rage boils just below his strained control. I understand it, but it’s dangerous. Just ask Lucifer.
“Do you think He is doing it again, wherever He is now?” He nods, clenching the glass in his fist. I flinch when a sliver hits my cheek as it shatters.
“Sorry, man.” The bartender’s head whips our way from where he’s helping someone at the other end. I shake mine in response and stand, walking around the end to the other side.
Grabbing up one of the many towels, I begin to clean up the glass. When I’m done, I pour us each another drink before returning to her stool. Her stool. It will forever be her stool now.
No matter what happens.
“So, how do we find her?” I shake my head. I don’t know.
“I don’t know. I just hope that fucking spear is doing its damn job,” I grumble.
“Dagen?” I look back and see the whole squad standing behind us.
They all grab seats on either side of us, filling in almost the entire area. Connor, the bartender, begins to fill glasses.
It’s like a bad joke… Nine supernatural beings walk into a bar.
Only problem is Charlie’s life is the punchline.
Chapter 15
CHARLIE
I am not alive, nor am I dead.
I just am. Floating. In the world but not.
Where the fuck am I? How did I fucking get here?
“I brought you.” I whirl around and see her.
Beautiful, more than even the angels I’ve seen. More than the demons also. She is more...everything. I don’t know what she is but of this world, she is not.
“Why?” I focus on her clothes. They are beautiful also, handmade for sure and native in design.
“To save you. To help, if I can.” Her voice is the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard.
“Who are you?” She smiles sadly.
“A medicine woman in this lifetime. Let me show you, so that you can explain to the others.”
I feel myself falling and falling; it goes on and on forever. I realize I’m not falling down, I’m falling through.
Through time. Going back and back. Back before we even recorded time. My eyes continuously scan around me, taking in as much as I can.
The world is so clean, pristine. Heavenly. Eden.
A city comes into view, like none I’ve ever seen. It looks like something out of a movie. I can’t even describe it.
I stand on the street and look around me as beings even more than the one that brought me pass around and through me.
They speak but I can’t understand them, for the language is nothing I’ve ever heard.
As I watch, a light flares bright, and I can just make out the silhouette of a man in its center. Screams fill the air as the people begin bursting into flames. I might not know the language but I understand the pleas for mercy, the begging for help.
Tears slide down my cheeks as one after another is destroyed, until none are left.
The scene shifts and I’m somewhere else, a thousand years in the future. The day the war started and the angels fell.
I’m standing on the shore of a misty island. The name Avalon pops into my mind, and there at my side is a woman. One of those that had been destroyed. The last one. Others stand up among the trees. They are different from her but again they are more, more than even the woman.
“They offered sanctuary.” I turn and realize the medicine woman is at my side.
“Are we dream-walking?” She shakes her head.
“Not really, more like moving through time.” Shit, I would be more comfortable with dream-walking.
I look back at the scene before me. “Who are they?”
“They are more. More than you, more than me. More than even her.” She nods at the woman on the shore.
I focus on the scene playing out, surprised when an angel appears at the woman’s side. I listen as they speak. This time I can understand.
“I need your help,” he tells her quietly.
“He will know I’m here, that I’m alive, if I do.” He nods at her answer.
“The other has left this place.” She jerks her face up to meet his gaze. “A war has started in Heaven. I don’t know if he means to help those that have fallen but in case he does, I need you to help me. I can’t do what is needed on my own.” She shakes her head. “I’m not strong enough on my own.”
“You, Diniel, aren’t strong enough?” She sounds skeptical.
“The war is about the Archangels and their children with the humans. I’m afraid they will be casualties of the Fallen’s anger.” The woman’s face pales. “Help me hide them. Please.” She nods.
“Who were they, the ones that had been destroyed?” I ask the medicine woman.
“They were His very first creations, the Lemuria.” She sounds sad. “They lost faith, and it was their demise. They reached too high. Only two were saved.”
“The woman, she helped hide the descendants.” Again the woman nods. “Did she know about the prophecy?”
“No.” She looks back at the scene. “It had not even been written.”
“What happened to her?” I look at her as she slowly shakes her head.
“She helped Diniel, the angel given the task of protecting infants. He had found her helping a mother years after she had been in hiding. One time she ventured out of the hidden sanctuary and she was found. He kept her secret though because of what he found her doing.”
“What happened to her after she helped him?” I turn to face her.
“She hid. She watched. She waited. She still does to this day,” she answers matter-of-factly.
I don’t ask what she’s waiting for. I assume it’s for the prophecy to be fulfilled. But I do have another question for her.
“Why are you showing me this? Me, specifically.” I look at her, watching for any signs. “Why did you save me?”
“Arkyn. I hope to help the one I’ve watched for so long.” I have no idea what she’s talking about. “You know what I can tell you, and now it’s time for you to go. He is losing hope.”
“Who?” I yell as I spin away.
“Dagen, of course. Girl, he is your destiny.” I hear her words as if from a great distance.
Darkness envelops me, and I fight panic. Surely, she won’t kill me after all this. Minutes or years or maybe even seconds later, light blinds me and I’m back where I started.
I realize as I blink up at the ceiling from the flat of my back, I’m in some sort of cave. The light is shining through a perfectly circular opening in the roof, red sandy dirt is under my body, and I run my fingers through it.
I’m in the desert. Somewhere. Alone.
I push up and shake the sand from my hair, sitting there turning my head and trying to find any more clues.
Nothing. No, that’s not exactly true. There are some things in an alcove carved in the wall. I climb the rest of the way to my feet and dust off the dirt. From this level, I can see drawings on the wall. Horses, handprints, and other animals cover the walls. Then I see near the top, fainter than the rest, winged people. Angels? Lemuria? Or something else entirely?
Now, knowing what I know, I have to wonder how many times God created something and then wiped the slate clean to start over.
How many times did He deem His creations mistakes? How many times did He destroy them?
I have to get to the others, although I have no idea how. First thing is to get out of this cave. I don’t see an exit and I can’t reach the opening in
the ceiling.
“You could have popped me back to Vegas,” I scream out.
I make a slow circle around the room, running my hand over the smooth wall. I can’t help but imagine the hundreds of other hands that have touched the wall. The others that have come here to find truths.
I’m lost in my daydream when I fall forward slightly. Blinking, I focus and realize it had been an optical illusion. The wall spirals, the opening hidden by a trick of the eye.
First problem solved, I start to wind my way out, stopping as I reach the opening. Well, fuck, now what?
I stare out at the sky. I am hundreds of feet in the air, inside a towering red monolith. Arizona. I’ve driven by formations like these. I lean out slightly, gasping at the vertigo I step back quickly.
Stuck. Still trapped. No way down. I risk the edge again but look up this time. Guess what? No stairs. I turn and walk back the way I came. A quick search turns up nothing. Absolutely nothing. No water. No food. No rope.
Suddenly, I’m envious of Lillian’s wings.
I run my finger over the pendant, the spear, here to protect me. Protect me but not apparently help me.
I pace until my feet hurt. Minutes then hours tick by. Light turns to dark. The temperature drops, and I wish I had something to keep me warm. I feel my way along the tunnel to the edge, seeking any light. Luckily the stars shine like bright beacons.
Sitting with my feet dangling over, I feel braver in the dark. I can’t see the ground so far below. I watch as the sliver of moon moves across the sky, moving away from the edge when my eyes grow heavy afraid that I might fall, but I stay close enough that I can still see the Big Dipper.
I fall asleep thinking about how Lillian had said they had been looking for me for weeks. How she could hear the song but not pinpoint it. Even if they hear it now, they might not be able to find me.
Sunlight wakes me. Sunlight and thirst. I’ve heard dehydration is a horrible way to die.
How many days can you go without water? I try to focus, try to remember. Three to five days, I think. I hadn’t drank anything for hours before I was taken. I have no idea how long I’ve actually been here. One day for certain. Two days, I’d estimate, so that leaves one or two left.
I spend the day much the same as the one before, pacing less to keep the sweating down and falling asleep at the opening. The third day dawns and I feel desperate, hungry and oddly not thirsty.
I understand that is not a good thing.
Sometime around noon, I’d guess, I find some charcoal probably from a thousand years ago. I use it to write an apology on the wall. I apologize to them all but especially to Dagen. I apologize for not listening, for not trusting.
You know just in case.
As soon as the stars light the sky, I find myself at the end of the tunnel. It was harder to get here this time. I’m growing weaker. I lie down on my side, humming his song.
It is my last thought before I fade away. I imagine I hear the sounds of wings, which is ridiculous because I don’t know what they sound like at all.
Chapter 16
DAGEN
A scream tears me from sleep. I bolt upright and race from my room. Another scream greets me.
This time it’s Lillian, and from the look on her face, it’s from shock.
“Damn it, Dagen, put on some fucking clothes.” Torryn spins her around to face him. His hand comes up to her cheek as she tries to turn her head. I look down and realize I’m bare ass naked.
Looking up, I grin and he growls.
Spinning, I go grab some pants and jerk them on then stride right back out. Lillian’s face is pink with embarrassment and if I’m not mistaken, a tiny hint of interest. Winking at her, I ignore another growl from Torryn.
“Why did you scream?” I look at her waiting.
“I didn’t.” She looks over at her man, confused.
“A scream woke me.” I know I heard a scream.
“We didn’t hear anything, Dagen,” Torryn reiterates.
Pacing to the doors, I fling them open and continue out onto the patio and stare up at the stars. I hear running steps and glance back to see Lillian coming at me fast.
“I hear it, Dagen,” she calls even as she leaps to the rail and free falls over.
My heart is pounding as I look for her. Seconds seem like hours until she bursts up, wings flapping hard.
“I’m going to find her for you,” she yells as she gains altitude.
Torryn slaps my shoulder as he repeats her actions. Fucking wings. All I can do is stand there watching.
“Luc,” I call out. “Luc.”
He appears looking disheveled. I’ve never seen him anything but perfectly put together.
“What? What’s happened?” He looks around trying to find trouble.
“Lillian hears the song. Her and Torryn just flew off. I need you to help me follow them.”
He frowns. “You want me to carry you?” He seems indignant.
“You can follow them, can’t you?” He nods. “Okay, we can drive if you can just give me directions.” Relief. “But can you get us to my car a little quicker.” I raise a brow at him.
“Fine.” His hand closes around my arm, and we wink out of this plane and then seconds later come back by my car. “Your wish is my command.”
We climb in and the engine roars to life. We pull out onto the strip and race down it. I’m amazed that it’s clear and we make every light, until I glance at my passenger.
“Thanks, Luc.” He nods.
That’s it, nothing more, and it’s so like him. I’ve watched for thousands of years as he silently shoulders the burden of his role in this fucking war. Now, knowing all of the past, I realize just how hard that must be for him.
He is called villain, evil, worse, or the worst, when in reality, he is the only reason humanity hasn’t been enslaved or destroyed. And they hate him.
I want to kill something for him. I want to win this war for him, just so they can know the truth.
I’ll admit, there have been times as I watched them kill each other over nothing that I’ve thought we should just leave them to the Fallen. Let them be destroyed.
He has often shown me some small act that reminds me of why we fight. He, the Devil, evil incarnate according to them, shows me the goodness in them, the beauty.
He directs me out of the city, and I can see them in the sky, tiny specks of movement. Shit, they are hauling ass, pulling away from us. I stomp on the gas pedal, pushing the engine to her limits.
“You don’t have to keep up. I will get you to them.” He’s relaxed, slouched down in the seat like a surly teenager.
I don’t let up. We travel further and further into the darkness of the desert. At some point, I leave the paved road, and we fishtail onto gravel, which then becomes dirt. I slam on the brakes as even the dirt disappears into nothing more than maybe a goat trail.
“We can wait here. They will bring her out.” I hear the ‘if they find her’ that wasn’t said.
Throwing open the door, I get out and pace in front of the car, cutting back and forth through beams of light. Patience is not one of my virtues. My control is in tatters.
A throat being cleared stops my movement, and I glance over at Luc. His hands are held palm up, and his eyebrow is raised. I focus and finally notice the snow falling. Looking down, I see at least a couple inches on the ground surrounding us. Oops.
“Dagen. Please try to calm down.” I take a few deep breaths and then turn back to face the darkness.
“I don’t even know if she will choose me.” I say what I’ve been thinking since we found out about Lillian.
I’m not like Torryn. He’s a good guy. He is lovable. I’m, well, not.
“She already has, you asshole.” He shakes his head as he moves to my side. “I swear, Dagen, you are the most insufferable being I’ve ever known. You are a complete pain in the ass. The way you told Lillian about the prophecy...complete dick move.”
I’m not sure thi
s is a pep talk or not; if it is, he doesn’t know how to give one. Honestly, he sucks.
“But...” He looks at me until I look at him. “You are a good man. You were a kind and loving angel. You are a fierce and loyal demon. You will do anything for those you care about.” Okay, well that’s better, not true but better. “You are lovable and you deserve to be loved.”
My muscles tighten at the last part. That’s the crux of it, isn’t it? The thing is that I don’t deserve it. That I might never deserve it.
I draw a deep breath and hold it for a moment. “I failed my task, and I’m still failing my task. Not just my task but my purpose.”
He shakes his head. “You didn’t abandon those creatures, Dagen. You could have ran. When I brought you back, you could have remained just a demon.” I stop at his words. “Yes, I offered you your current role, but you didn’t have to accept it. You could have lost yourself in the demon, remained nothing more than those that are in Hell, those created to dole out the punishment, but you didn’t.”
My mouth opens and closes; I don’t know what to say.
“What do you do when you aren’t working leads on the Fallen or doing your work at the rum company?” I have a feeling he knows already.
“A few things,” I mumble.
“A few things like helping animal shelters, rescues, traveling to help catch poachers?” I don’t answer. “You didn’t even remember your charges and you were still helping them. You are a good man.”
“Thanks.” I pause, not sure if I should continue. “You are too, you know.”
It’s his turn not to respond.
We stand in silence for what seems like hours. The sky is beginning to lighten when he finally speaks.
“They are coming.” My eyes scan the sky, but I see nothing.
I startle when they drop from straight above us. “Goddamnit. Don’t fucking do that shit.” I whirl and see their grim faces.
Grim. Fuck.
“She’s still alive, Dagen.” Lillian looks at Luc, and he steps forward, taking Charlie into his arms. I want to rip her away but I’m stopped by Torryn’s hand on my arm.