by Alexie Aaron
Ted turned Mia to him. “You let that go for me?”
“Yes, and for me. Murphy was tied to me too. I didn’t know it until I broke the curse.”
“What did you do to break it?”
“I opened up my soul to him, as I’m doing now with you. I expect you’ll leave me now.”
“Oh no, Mia.”
“I’ve been given gifts that take me away from home to fight for the innocent and the lost. I’m afraid to leave, because I’m going to come back and you’ll be gone.”
“No, Mia, I’ll be here.”
“My grandmother said that you are so very important to the beings that fight for good. If you do leave me, don’t leave them, please.”
“Mia, you’re not listening to me,” Ted said sternly, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not asking you to stay with me because of Brian,” Mia said. “I don’t want that kind of marriage.”
“I thought perhaps that’s why you came home so quickly before, for Brian,” Ted admitted.
“I would have moved close by so we could share him. I came home because I love you and wanted you to love me,” Mia said clearly. “I knew it was going to be a struggle because of the Judas Hex, but when I found out you were leaving, even before Roumain’s scheming, it crushed me.”
Ted put his hand through his hair nervously. “You didn’t seem to need me, Mia.”
“Walk these halls and find one moment when I didn’t need you,” she challenged.
He walked to where she stood proudly on the stage at the beach. “How can anyone so beautiful need anyone?”
“Watch,” she said.
“Miss, we are geeks from IIT, and right now you are on live at the Rosemont Convention Center.”
Mia smiled. She was thinking of Ted being there, possibly watching her.
“Would you give your permission to be voted on by nerds and geeks?”
“Oh, I love nerds. I find smart men so handsome,” she said, lowering her voice, looking into the camera.
“Who do you think that was for? Angelo?”
“No, but at that point I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“I was just coming out of the hex. All I could think of was connecting with you. I was running away from telling you how Roumain had violated us, but Mike made me stay. Brutal truths. Oh, how I hate them.”
“You seemed to be doing alright without me,” Ted said, turning her to look at her training with Ed on the island.
“He wouldn’t let me fall apart. He let me use my anger.”
Ted walked on and stopped, awestruck.
Before him was Mia’s first flight, the entrance of Sariel, and her rejected promise. He relived her stopping the car from her perspective. If he hadn’t turned around, how it would have taken everything she had to move on. He also saw the archangel and how he instructed Mia to keep her mind off of what was going on below.
“He’s a lot like Murphy, isn’t he?”
“Bossy, yes. But I understand now why he needs me. He’s damaged.”
“What about Angelo?”
“Oh, that I fear will always be a problem, Ted, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to do anything to get rid of him. I think it’s a crush. Now I know how poor Whitney felt; I stalked the boy.”
Ted laughed in spite of himself.
Mia looked up at him. “I have shared as much of myself as I dare, Ted. Any more, I won’t survive. Orion won’t be able to pull me through again.”
“Wait, I need to go to one more place,” Ted pleaded.
She nodded her head, and she let him pull her backwards through time and into the hollow, of all places.
“Hey, Mia, wait up,” Ted called, running up to her and Murphy. “So, we have to leave tonight. I wonder if I can get a hug, a phone number and maybe a picture of Murphy?” Ted asked, his face full of love.
Mia turned and looked at Ted. “So how did I miss this?”
“It’s Ted Martin at his best. I got your phone number, didn’t I?”
Mia laughed. “You big bozo, you would have saved me so much heartache had you declared yourself then.”
“You were one foot in the sack with my boss.”
Mia laughed. “And I wouldn’t have experienced that thing.”
“Okay, I need to see that thing,” Ted said, pulling Mia on.
She dug in her heels. “No.”
Ted looked down at her, and she was every bit the ice queen, if ice queens had black, tattooed feathers moving on their backs.
“You don’t want me to witness you in love with Burt, do you?”
“No, I don’t think you should see me making love to Burt. That’s private.”
“Okay, I understand. Mia, I am not perfect, but now I understand how you feel. You have to open up and tell me. Don’t shut down because you feel it will keep the peace and get us further down the road.”
“Tell me, what are you feeling right now?”
“Mia, I was there watching when you fell in love with Burt and when Whitney took you from me. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Angelo, Sariel or anyone else take you from me again. I’m not going to let that happen.”
Mia put her hands on her hips. “So you’re staying?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all night. You’re a hard lady to convince.”
Mia pulled him gently out of her mind. It took a moment for both of them to transition to being in separate minds.
Ted lifted her chin. “I promise I won’t leave you, Mia, if you promise to come home to me.”
“I promise.”
“Are we good? Is there anything else?”
“I told Angelo in person why I let Sariel train me.”
“How’d he take it?”
“I think he appreciated it.”
“You know he’s just more smitten now,” Ted said, irritated. “I’m not going to wake up on the business end of a set of talons, am I?”
“No because I would kill him. Ed taught me how,” Mia said proudly.
“You would kill Angelo?”
“If he came between you and me I would.”
“Whoa.”
“Forgive me for my moments of insecurity,” Mia pleaded.
“If you forgive mine,” Ted said.
Mia nodded.
“So we are of one mind,” Ted said. “Kind of sinister.”
“I like sinister,” Mia said, standing up.
“One day, I’ll let you in my mind. I have to clean out the porn first,” Ted said.
Mia laughed. “I’d like that. I want to get to know the young Ted. I want to know the boy that grew into this amazing man.”
“I am amazing, aren’t I?”
“And modest,” Mia pointed out.
“Well, one has to be,” he said. He lay down and waited for Mia to lay down before he spooned her. “Thank you, Mia. Please don’t hold it in. No more misunderstandings.”
“Yes, Teddy Bear,” Mia said in a sleepy voice.
He drew her in close and let himself fall asleep.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Mia dressed for battle. Ted and she left Brian in Audrey’s capable hands. Murphy followed the couple, curious. Ted pulled the truck out before the hungover males could protest.
“Where is your grandfather?” Ted asked.
“Orion is out drawing power. He is going to stay here and protect Brian,” Mia said.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to wait for the others?”
“I’m afraid that one of them could get hurt. If not by the elemental, by me swinging this damn sword.”
“Mia, you don’t have to do this. We can call Angelo. I’m sure…”
“I have a feeling that this is a test. Fate has been herding me, interfering with us. It’s time to go on the offensive. That negative elemental has to be brought down. It’s not just my pride. It’s for Mark.”
Ted nodded. “What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to enter the house
, search the upstairs, and try to draw out the elemental.”
“Not alone.”
“Maybe.”
“No, Murphy or I go in too.”
“Okay.”
“You’re not fighting me?”
Mia smiled. “I trust you to know the right thing to do, Red Leader.”
“What happens when you find it?’
“I’m going to ask it to leave voluntarily. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to kill it.”
Ted backed the truck into the rutted drive. Mia waited until Ted connected with the internet, and Jake was brought online. Mia placed an earcom inside her ear. She caught movement behind them. She walked out and greeted Murphy. “Glad you’re here.” She explained what Orion had asked her to do.
“You’ve never intentionally killed anything before, Mia.”
“I know. That’s why I’m going to give it a chance.”
“What if you can’t kill it?”
“You or Orion will have to. It’s important that Mark no longer has this thing whispering to him at night.”
Murphy nodded. He touched her face, noting the swollen eyes. “You’ve been crying.”
“Yes, but everything is fine now.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to have to kill Ted.”
“I heard that,” Ted called out of the truck.
Murphy winked at Mia.
Orion landed on Mia’s shoulder as a hummingbird.
“Gee, I was hoping for something a little more substantial,” she teased. “Don’t you have any pterodactyl in your repertoire?”
The bird looked at Mia a moment before flying towards the cottage to watch over Brian.
“Teddy Bear, time to go in,” she said.
“Wait,” he said. He ran out and slid a tiny camera on the front and the back of her scabbard. “Meet Pete and Repeat. They will help me to help you, Mia.”
Mia reached out, and Ted hugged her. She kissed him. “For luck,” she said. She waited until Ted was in the trailer before she drew a line of salt across the opening. She squared her shoulders.
“Time to go in.” Mia ran and launched herself over the black ring, landing on the porch. Murph followed her inside. They then split up. Mia sent Murphy into the cellar to look for the tins. If everything went to hell, at least the manuscript would have been saved.
She moved through the big room as quickly as she could and headed up the stairs and into the room where she was attacked before. She scanned the ceiling but didn’t see anything. She walked over to the closet, kicked the shoes out of the way and pried up the boards, exposing an oilcloth-wrapped bundle. She picked it up and stuffed it down the back of her pants. She moved out into the playroom.
“Mee ah,” the boys chorused.
She nodded to them. She pulled out of her pocket two metal cars she had purchased at the dollar store. She squatted down and rolled a car to each of the boys. The elder of the boys patted his back, indicating the sword on Mia’s back. He mimed a fencing posture.
“Mia, behind you,” Ted warned.
Mia spun around, pulling out her sword and shield at the same time. A black entity moved quickly towards her. She took up the fencing posture the boy had recommended. He moved beside her, and the two of them faced the entity.
“I’m asking you to voluntarily leave this home,” she said.
“Get out,” Timmy said, poking his imaginary sword at the elemental.
The elemental lunged toward the boy. Mia put her body between the creature and the ghost child. She pushed out with her shield, repeating, “I’m asking you to voluntarily leave this home.”
The elemental pushed back. Mia pulled Timmy behind her. “Take your brother and hide,” she hissed.
“What are you?” the elemental asked, sensing Mia’s power. “You’re neither bird nor beast.”
“I’m asking you for the last time to leave this place or perish.”
“Me perish? I am older than the trees that were hewn to build this place. The only one who is going to perish is you.”
It pushed Mia back so hard that she hit the opposite wall. She heard the camera crush behind her.
“Note to Ted,” she said, “Impact housing on all Mia cams.”
Mia quickly moved to the center of the room. The elemental was moving overhead on the ceiling. It had taken the form of a large spider.
“Ted, I’m seeing eight legs of ish,” she reported.
“Think Samwise Gamgee,” Ted said. “Bring out your inner Hobbit.”
The spider jumped.
Mia sidestepped, quickly bringing her shield up in time to deflect most of the weight bearing down upon her. The legs became hands and gripped the shield. Mia sliced at them only to find them replaced with metal hooks.
“Now that’s not fair,” she complained, moving backwards.
It pulled the shield from her hand, and as it did, Mia leaned in and stabbed into the center of the moving mass.
Sparks flew.
Mia withdrew her sword and watched as the darkness was sucked inward until a being started to emerge. It was a beautiful black woman. Her hair was thick and held up in a patterned scarf that matched the long dress she wore.
She looked at Mia sadly for a moment and pleaded, “Take me home,” before she fell to the ground.
“Oh my god, Mia,” Ted said.
“I have to take her home,” Mia said.
“Do you know where home is?” Ted asked
“Orion told me.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’ll be once more standing in front of Roumain.”
Mia housed her sword. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but I get the feeling, I’m taking back someone who was taken from him. Don’t worry, he can’t hurt us anymore.”
“No, he can’t,” Ted said. “Are you going to be able to hold her, Mighty Mouse? She is half again as tall as you are.”
“Watch and learn, Grasshopper,” Mia said, taking the remaining camera off, setting it on the ground and angling it up at her. She remembered the bundle she found in the closet and drew it out and lay it on the ground beside the camera.
Ted watched as she activated her wings, and as they sprouted, she grew, matching Sariel’s height. The top of her wings touched the high ceilings of the second floor. Mia bent down and lifted the woman into her arms. She extended her wings, as she had seen Angelo do, and wrapped them around both of them and disappeared.
Ted sat back amazed.
Murphy, who had come with news of the wall of tins, made it into the room just in time to see her disappear.
Ted watched as the ghost moved to the spot where she had dropped the package and the discarded camera and shook his head. “Mia’s still a slob.”
~
The air was still when Mia opened her wings. She looked around at the familiar graveyard and approached the middle and called out, “Roumain!”
The ground opened, and out of the thick mist walked the judge. He looked warily at Mia.
She knelt down and lay the beautiful woman on the ground before her and stepped away. “I was told to bring her here. I’m sorry, Roumain. I sense there was much love between the two of you.”
Roumain squatted down and moved his hand along the woman’s face. He put his hand on his heart, and Mia watched as the king of purgatory cried. Mia withdrew her wings but allowed the tattoos to roam her back just in case she needed to bolt. She walked over and put a hand on Roumain’s shoulder in sympathy.
“Was it your blade that took the elemental curse from her?”
“I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
“You freed her, Mia. This is Violine Roumain, my wife.”
“How did this happen?”
“She got too consumed by the black arts. She made a bargain for power, and the power took her. She has been living this horrible existence for nigh on an eternity. I have looked for her, made bargains with the wrong creatures to get her back. In short, sold what was left of my soul to find her and bring her home.”
�
�You must hate me for killing her,” Mia said.
Roumain looked up. “Mia, she was already dead. By you bringing her here, you saved her. If you had left her, she would have descended into Hell. Now she can walk the land in which I rule, and in time, she will be able to ascend. Who instructed you, may I ask?”
“My grandfather.”
“Émile or Orion?”
Mia shook her head. “You know way too much about me, Roumain. It was Orion.”
He studied her a moment. “How can you look upon me with a kind face after what I’ve done to you and Ted?”
“It never occurred to me to be otherwise,” Mia said, stepping back. “Brutal truths, bargains made, all for me to bring Violine home. Why can’t you beings just ask direct questions?”
“If I asked you to find this elemental, kill it and bring it here, you would have… how?”
“I don’t know, but I would have found a way. Now I’m stuck with these.” Mia sprung the wings out.
“Archangel wings. Tell me, do we have a Nephilim on the way?”
“No, give me some credit. What is it with you male entities? You think that we women are so damn weak that we will open our legs for a good set of wings? Damn, you’re a piece of work.”
Roumain looked at her. “You have broken the Cooper curse.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“It matters not. You all have brought me so much pain. Did you enjoy it?”
Roumain had the decency to look guilty.
“Please, I ask this of you, release Beth Bouvier.”
“Why?”
“She was once a friend.”
“She wanted to destroy you and your child, Mia. She is no friend of yours. Ask me something else.”
“Then don’t use her against me. If you have a problem with me, come to me. Don’t use my family and friends.”
“Sariel made that clear.”
“No, not under the veil of a threat. I’m asking you this personally. I’m not too proud to beg you. The days that are coming are going to be hard enough without you playing your games.”
“You amaze me. Is it the human in you, the demon, the birdman or, perhaps, the angel that humbles itself before me?”