by R. D. Brady
Laney closed her eyes. “Oh, it’s possible.”
“What? You know someone who can do that?”
Laney felt numb. “Only one.”
“Who?”
She pictured the man whose readings had begun all of this. Fear coated her nerves. “Edgar Cayce.”
CHAPTER 33
Laney felt like she’d stepped into an alternate world—one where everything was upside down and inside out.
“Edgar Cayce could learn an entire book by sleeping on it?” Danny asked, his eyes huge.
“Allegedly. When Edgar Cayce was a child, he struggled in school. The story goes that one night his father made him stay at the table until he learned all of his spelling words. But he couldn’t do it. He stayed there so long he fell asleep. Annoyed, his father woke him up and demanded he spell each and every word. And he did. And from then on, whenever he slept on a book, he learned his contents.”
“How?”
Laney shrugged and gestured to a bench nearby. They walked over and sat. She turned to Danny. “According to Cayce, he was able to access something called the ‘Akashic record’—the written record of everything that had ever happened in this world or ever would. It’s what allowed him to diagnose people’s medical problems as well as foretell future events.”
“Was he accurate?”
Laney looked away, knowing that Cayce was without a doubt one of the most successful psychics of all time. “He predicted the stock market crash of 1929, World War II, the beginning of the finding of Atlantis with the Bimini Road. He described the Essenes even before the Dead Sea Scrolls had been found. He predicted that blood would be used as a diagnostic tool in the future. He even somehow understood the link between changes in deep ocean currents and weather changes. There’s no doubt that he knew things the rest of the world didn’t.”
Danny went silent, and Laney watched him, knowing the supernatural world was not his ballpark by any stretch of the imagination.
Danny looked up at Laney. “It’s possible.”
“What?” Laney couldn’t have been more surprised if Danny had said he was going to clown college to fulfill his dream of joining a traveling circus. “You think Cayce was able to predict the future?”
Danny gave her a small grin. “I don’t know if Cayce could, but theoretically, psychic abilities are possible.”
Laney’s mouth fell open. She shut it. “Do tell, professor.”
Danny was quiet for a moment, and Laney let him have his thoughts. Danny was a facts and figures guy. Psychic ability was not something he would accept easily.
“Have you heard about the Chinese ‘Super Psychics’?”
Laney nodded, her surprise growing. “I’m amazed you have.”
Danny shrugged. “When I realized what Max could do, I did a little research.”
“What do you think?” Laney was curious what someone with a brain like Danny’s would make of the Super Psychics.
Danny bit his lower lip for a moment before speaking. “At first I wasn’t sure. But then I started thinking about genetics. Most of our DNA is called ‘junk DNA.’ But the name is misleading. It’s not useless. It’s merely not being used. Research has learned that the junk DNA is the noncoding DNA.”
“Right—DNA that has no stated function.”
Danny nodded. “The ENCODE group found that junk DNA actually regulates genes and the evolution of genes. It’s theorized that this junk DNA could actually create incredible abilities. Some have even suggested that within the junk DNA we contain the blueprints for different paranormal abilities.”
“So it just needs to be turned on.”
“And maybe in some of these kids, like Max, those abilities have been turned on.”
Laney thought over what she’d read of Cayce. “You know, there were rumors that Atlanteans were incredibly powerful individuals, with psychic skills.”
“I know.”
“And Cayce, along with lots of other people, argued that humanity has gone through different stages of development.”
“The root races,” Danny said.
“Yes. According to Cayce, there have been four root races. But Cayce also had something extraordinary to say about the fifth root race. He said it would evolve with the children born after 1998. And that those children would be born with the skills of the long-ago Atlanteans.”
“So you think—what? Atlantis is coming back?”
Laney looked away. “It just may be.” She watched the trees blow in the wind, but her mind was sifting through the possibilities. Finally she shook her head and stood. “We should get going.”
They headed back to the main house. Cleo and Moxy romped along the path in front of them, disappearing into the trees and then reappearing with giant grins on their faces.
“So what’s the game plan?” Danny asked.
“You’re running every camera and form of transport in the area, right?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t suppose you Lojacked Max again?”
Danny shook his head. “No. Sorry.”
“We really should put a Lojack on each of us,” Laney said, only half joking. “We all seem to be in need of help on a rather regular basis.”
Danny raised an eyebrow. “You want me to do that?”
Laney opened her mouth to tell him she’d been joking, then closed it. She had been joking, but that didn’t mean it was a horrible idea. “Maybe we should. Could you look into some piece of jewelry or something that someone could carry on them? Nothing too intrusive, just something—”
Laney’s cell phone interrupted her. She glanced down at it. Jake.
She clicked it open, putting it on speaker for Danny to hear. “Did you find anything on Max?”
There was tension in Jake’s voice. “No. It’s something else. There’s someone at the front gate who says he needs to speak with the triad.”
Laney went still. “Who is it?”
“Ralph.”
CHAPTER 34
Laney raced up the path to the main house. She’d ordered Cleo to stay with Danny and Moxy at the bunker. She wasn’t sure what Ralph wanted or whose side he was on, and she wasn’t about to take a chance with Danny’s life.
Surprisingly, Danny hadn’t fought her on it.
Laney’s thoughts raced as her feet pounded down the path. Ralph. He was… something. She just didn’t know what.
She heard steps running toward her and looked up in alarm. When Jake appeared ahead of her on the path, she let out a breath.
“I thought you’d want some company,” he said.
She nodded, feeling grateful. This run was so different from their more carefree run a few hours ago.
“We’ll meet them at the main house,” Jake said.
Laney took her ring off its chain and slipped it onto her finger. Jake glanced down at her, one eyebrow raised.
She shrugged. “Just in case.”
He patted the gun at his side. “Just in case.”
When they reached the back of the house, they ducked in through one of the back entrances. The house was so large that it would be faster to cut through it than to try and go around it. They passed through the kitchen and made their way to the front entryway—the same entryway that had so entranced Laney when she’d first come to Chandler HQ. That was only two years ago. It felt like a lifetime.
Laney and Jake raced out the front door and down the marble steps. They could see the security Jeep approaching in the distance. Jake took Laney’s hand as the Jeep neared, Henry at the wheel.
Questions ran through Laney’s mind. Why was Ralph here? Where had he been since the attack at Victoria’s house? And how the hell was he alive?
The Jeep was a hundred yards away when she felt a tingle of recognition drift through her—Henry. That sensation was followed a second later by a slice of electricity so fast and powerful all Laney could do was gasp as her knees nearly gave out. She grabbed on to Jake to keep from crashing to the ground.
“Laney,”
Jake exclaimed, holding her up.
Laney straightened but didn’t look at Jake. She watched the man sitting next to Henry—the man who had guarded Victoria for thirty long years. Ralph was looking straight at Laney.
Laney held Ralph’s gaze, but her words were for Jake. “He might not be a Fallen, but he sure as hell is something.”
CHAPTER 35
Henry pulled the car to a stop in front of Laney and Jake. All the anger and annoyance Laney felt toward Ralph disappeared the moment she saw him up close. He looked like hell. Bags were under his eyes and he looked like he’d aged in just two days.
Laney stepped forward. “Ralph?”
He nodded wearily and stepped out of the Jeep. “Hi, Laney. Jake.”
Henry came around the cart. “Why don’t we head up to my office?”
“This way.” Jake led Ralph up the stairs.
Laney fell in step with Henry a little farther back. She kept her voice low. “Did you feel anything when you saw him?”
Henry shook his head. “No. Why? Did you?”
Laney’s eyes stayed on Ralph as he disappeared into the house. “It was a bolt so strong it nearly dropped me to my knees.”
Henry’s eyes grew large. “What?”
Laney nodded. “Let’s go get some answers.”
A few minutes later, they were ensconced in Henry’s office.
Laney had ordered coffee for all of them and food for Ralph. Laney wanted answers first, but Ralph looked like he hadn’t eaten since Victoria had been taken. What’s more, he appeared about to drop from exhaustion. Part of Laney thought they should order the man to bed, but Henry wasn’t willing to wait, and neither was she.
“Where have you been?” Henry asked Ralph.
“Looking for your mother.”
“Have you found anything?” Jake asked.
Ralph shook his head. “I arrived at Little Rock just after Gerard and his men found her. I’ve checked out most of the Fallen locations I know, but there are others I haven’t been able to check.” He turned his gaze to Henry. “I was hoping you and your contacts would be able to help.”
Jake stood. “Do you have a list?”
Ralph pulled a sheet of paper from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Jake, who scanned it.
“We have operatives in most of these locations,” Jake said. “A few are pretty remote. It’ll take time to get someone there.” He glanced between Laney and Henry. “I’ll go get this started.” He headed out.
Laney turned back to Ralph, who looked like he had fallen asleep. “Ralph?” She said quietly.
He jerked his eyes open. “Sorry. I’m here.”
Henry sat with his arms across his chest. “Ralph, you need to tell us what’s going on. Why did Jorgen Fuld take Mom? And why were there Fallen at the airport?”
“It was like they were having a tug-of-war over her,” Laney said.
“In a way they are,” Ralph said. “Your mother is a very important woman.”
“How is she important? Who is she?” Henry asked.
A look of pain marred Ralph’s features. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?” Laney burst out, her annoyance, fear, and frustration coming to a head.
“Because it’s my duty to keep her safe and to keep her identity under wraps.”
“Your duty? Your duty to whom?” Henry asked.
“To everyone. To humanity,” Ralph said.
Laney didn’t know what to say to that, and she could tell Henry didn’t either.
“Who are you, Ralph?” Laney asked quietly. She held up her ring. “I know you’re not a normal human. That shock nearly dropped me to my knees.”
Ralph looked at Laney for a moment, then turned to Henry. “It has been my honor to watch you grow. You have become everything your father and mother hoped you would be.”
His eyes shifted back to Laney. “Both of you.”
Laney and Henry stayed silent, waiting for answers. It felt like the air in the room crackled with energy.
Finally, Ralph spoke. “My given name is Uriel. I’m an archangel.”
CHAPTER 36
Laney stared at Ralph. “An archangel? They’re real, too?”
A ghost of a smile crossed Ralph’s lips. “Yes.”
Henry pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. “And you’ve been tasked with what? Guarding Mom?”
Ralph nodded.
Laney’s thoughts swirled. Enoch himself was said to have become one of the archangels: Metatron, the scribe of God, although he's never mentioned in the Bible, only in the Book of Enoch. She knew that the Book of Enoch mentioned seven archangels, but the Bible didn’t recognize them. Instead, it focused on only three: Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. And in the Bible tales, the archangels were only messengers. Laney couldn’t remember ever seeing anything about an archangel taking up residence on Earth.
“Um, is that what archangels do?” she asked. “Protect people?”
Ralph shook his head. “Not necessarily. We are each tasked with a different mission.”
“So you’ve been guarding our mother for thirty years?” Henry asked.
Ralph hesitated. “In this lifetime, yes.”
Henry spoke slowly. “How many lifetimes have you guarded her?”
“Almost all of them.”
Laney felt as if Ralph had somehow just morphed in front of her eyes. He was an archangel, one of the heavenly hosts. She had known Victoria was important, but now she had absolute confirmation. And even though Ralph had said he couldn’t reveal Victoria’s identity, Laney couldn’t help but ask. “Is she Eve?”
Ralph’s eyebrows went up, and Laney could tell he was weighing his next words carefully. Finally he shook his head. “No.”
Laney sat back, not sure if she was more relieved or confused. Who was Victoria then? That question seemed to be perpetually burned into her brain. Even when she closed her eyes, it flashed at her from behind her eyelids like a neon sign.
Laney looked over at Henry; he looked as lost as she felt. She reached over and took his hand. “We’ll find her, and then she’ll answer all our questions.”
Henry nodded, but Laney knew he was far from convinced. She just wasn’t sure which part of her assertion gave him greater doubt: that they would find her, or that she would answer their questions when they did.
“Actually, that’s why I’m here,” Ralph said. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a flash drive. “Your mother has something to tell you.”
CHAPTER 37
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Victoria sat in the dark in the basement of the old house. When the house was first built, this basement had been a root cellar. A water heater and boiler had since been moved in, but it did nothing to warm up the dirt floor and cold stone walls.
She pulled the blanket she’d been left around her shoulders. A cot had been placed in the corner for her, along with a bucket.
She curled her lip. All things considered, she preferred being held captive by Jorgen. He at least gave her a real bathroom.
The door at the top of the stairs opened, spilling light down the stairs. “Go,” a voice ordered roughly, and then the door closed again.
Victoria heard breathing at the top of the stairs, then small creaks as someone made their way down. Victoria reached over and turned on the lantern she’d been left.
A small figure stepped into the light.
Victoria gasped. Oh no.
She stood up, her bones creaking. She stepped forward slowly, not wanting to spook him. Her voice was soft.
“Hello, Max. My name is Victoria.”
Max wiped at the tears on his cheeks, his blue eyes rimmed in red. “I know. You’re Laney’s mom.”
Victoria nodded, looking at him more intently, trying to figure out why they would have grabbed him. Was he just a means to an end? “I’m so sorry you’re here.”
Max looked down. “It was the only way…” His voice drifted off.
Victoria stared at him. The only way?
Max stepped farther into the light, and Victoria was startled by the serious expression on his face. It was so mature a look for—
The truth slammed into her. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at this little boy whose shoulders were far too small for this burden.
“It was the only way for you to keep them safe,” Victoria said.
He nodded.
“You didn’t get kidnapped, did you?”
He shook his head.
Victoria’s heart felt like it was going to break. She wanted to curse fate, destiny—all of it. She was used to this burden, and even for her, it was difficult. But how could anyone expect a small child to bear such a heavy load?
“You are a very brave boy, Max,” she said, a catch in her voice.
She knelt down, holding her arms out. Max ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug.
Victoria closed her arms around him. She had intended to give him comfort. But somehow, with those little arms wrapped around her, it was she who felt comforted. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.
They stayed like that, wrapped together, for a few moments. Victoria could feel the sobs the boy was trying hard not to let out. She rubbed his back. “It’s okay to cry. I’ve got you.”
Max’s shoulders quaked and the sobs burst forth. Victoria lifted him up and sat on the bed with the boy curled in her lap. She kept her arms firmly wrapped around him and rocked back and forth. Eventually he settled down. But Victoria kept him snuggled in her arms and continued to rock.
Finally, when she was convinced he was asleep, she stopped and looked down at him. Big eyes stared back at her.
She smiled. “I thought you had fallen asleep.”
He shook his head. “Almost.”
“Well, it’s okay if you want to. I’ll be right here.”
The boy nodded. Victoria helped him stretch out on the cot. She pulled the blanket over him, cursing their captors for treating a little boy so cruelly. Then she sat on the cot next to him so she could provide him some of her warmth.