Though sleep came easily, rest didn’t follow. David tossed and turned; his mind filled with horrific images. Every few hours, he woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. He had no idea if the images were simply dreams conjured up by his imagination, or if they were memories from all the lives his other half had lived. Some, he was fairly certain, were things they’d done as a lycan, but some were horrible things that seemed to be done to them, or as it felt like in the dreams, done to him. Eventually, he managed to get back to sleep, and not dream, but by then, it was almost morning.
Chapter Five
In a gigantic ballroom, a large group moved to a lively song, played by a small string quartet in the corner of the room. Wide skirts bounced on laughing ladies, and tailcoats flapped on equally exuberant men. Off to the side, someone was refraining, watching from the shadows, as a glass of wine came to their lips. In fact, while it looked like they were taking in the frivolity, the truth was, the person was completely unaware of it. Instead, their eyes held those of another, who wasn’t dancing either. Across the sea of merrymakers, they watched one another, as if there was no one else in the room.
When the song ended, and the dancers cleared out a bit, glasses of wine were set on respective tables, and the two of them crossed onto the dance floor for the next, slower set. At first, there were a few interested glances at what appeared to be two men, whose hands were now clasped together, but soon enough everyone went back to their own dance partners and let the two of them be. One was shorter and plumper, with untamable salt and pepper curls, the other tall and thin, with hypnotic green eyes. As the song began, the two of them moved as if they’d been dancing together for centuries, and the rest of the room was empty.
Raziel woke, slowly pulled from consciousness by the sound of knocking on their door. For a few moments, the angel ignored it, closing their eyes, willing the dream to return. When it didn’t, and there was more knocking, Raziel’s eyes opened again with a deep sigh. The angel sat up, and then went to the door, answering it with only an expectant glare for whoever was on the other side. To their surprise, it was Katha.
The Valkyrie looked them over, taking in the sleeping gown with a bit of embarrassment. “I’m sorry. Jack told me you don’t really sleep.”
“I do occasionally, just to...” Raziel drifted off, wondering why they were telling this person so much after only knowing them for a day. “Nevermind. What is it?”
“Jack thinks he’s found another witness.”
Raziel rubbed their brow and nodded, amber eyes squinting. “I see he didn’t sleep.”
“I’m not sure anyone did...except for you. He already called David in.”
The angel snorted. “I bet he loved that.”
Katha started to say something but was cut off by the lycan. “Oh yeah, it was great,” David’s weary voice came from down the hall. Then he appeared in the doorway behind Katha, looking a bit haggard.
For a moment, Raziel only stared at him, suddenly feeling self-conscious of their own appearance. Then they shook their head. “I thought I suggested getting some rest?”
David smirked. “Trust me, I tried.”
“I know what you mean,” Raziel mumbled.
David’s eyebrows crept up. “You actually slept?”
“No, I just decided this would make a good fashion statement.” When David only laughed, the angel smiled wearily. “I remember now why I don’t bother. Just...let me get dressed. I’ll meet you in the Investigations wing.”
David nodded and immediately started walking down the hall toward the spiral staircase. Katha hesitated though.
“Are you alright?” she asked as Raziel turned and started to shut the door.
“Yes. I’m fine. Thank you,” the angel said, dismissively. When they started to shut the door again, though, the young Valkyrie pushed it back open and followed Raziel into the room.
“No, you’re not. You’re not alright,” she insisted.
Raziel looked up sharply, both at her remark, and at her being in their private sanctuary. “You don’t know anything about me,” they growled. “We met yesterday.”
“Maybe, but I’ve been trained to read people’s intentions, to see through their lies, and read the truths on their faces. You’re...hiding something.”
Raziel huffed and stared at her. After a moment, though, they simply snorted and said, “I’m the Angel of Secrets. You have no idea how much I’m hiding.” The angel stepped closer to her. “You have no idea how many terrible things I’ve seen, what horrors I and I alone have knowledge of. You think you can know me for one day and know my innermost truths?”
Raziel was practically yelling at this point but Katha didn’t move. She flinched at the angel’s harsh words, was surprised to see the fire in their eyes, but stood her ground. “I know something’s made you sad,” she whispered.
Raziel stared into her dark eyes, and then took a step back. “Just dreams. Nothing more than that. It’s why I choose not to sleep most of the time.” They turned away from her and stepped toward the closet. “Do you mind if I dress now?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.” She made for the door, but before she could walk out, she heard the angel softly say, “Thank you for your concern,” and she smiled to herself.
Once Katha was gone, Raziel carefully went through their wardrobe, taking plenty of time to decide what to wear. The angel liked to look classy and neat. It was one of their few vices, but it was more than that. Raziel needed time to process, to let go of the dream, to shed a few tears before composing, and going down to see the rest of the team. It wasn’t like the angel to be the last one there though, and as they stepped through the door, it felt strange to see everyone glance up at them.
They were all in the third reading room, sitting to one side of the large table there. Files were out, and they’d been having an animated discussion that stopped as the angel walked in. Raziel took them all in, a passing moment of envy intruding on their thoughts as they looked at a prim and polished, as well as well-rested Jack. Then the angel asked, “What is it you have that we all needed to come in so early for?”
“Witnesses,” Jack answered with a sly smile. He adjusted a faux fur stole, and then handed Raziel a file.
Raziel sat down at the head of the table, glanced at everyone’s expectant faces, and then opened the file. A small, confused gasp left the angel’s mouth. “Asatru?” they said in disbelief.
Jack nodded. “Specifically, Lokeans.”
“Loki?” Katha repeated, having not had time to look at the file herself. The word came out like it had tasted bad and she crumpled up her nose.
“I see he still gets a bad rap back home,” Jack quipped.
“Have you dealt with him before?” she asked.
“Not specifically,” Raziel answered. “Followers though...you have to remember; these aren’t like the followers of old who worshipped your people. They are an amalgamation of a lot of different backgrounds, beliefs, and traditions.”
“And Lokeans are very loyal,” Jack added. “Best not to go badmouthing him around them.”
“They won’t know who we really are, though?” Katha asked, sounding nervous.
“Nah,” David answered. “To them it’s all just a belief system. They might believe in you, but they don’t expect to see you roll up in an SUV in the middle of York.”
Raziel looked back down at the file, but it didn’t really say much other than identifying the individuals who claimed to have information.
“You have no idea what they claim to know?” the angel asked.
“Nope. They said they would only speak, face to face, with a certain...agent Raziel,” Jack answered, dramatically raising an eyebrow.
“You shouldn’t go alone...just in case,” David implored.
“I won’t,” Raziel answered, closing the file, and setting it on the table. “Jack, since you found them, you can come with me whether they or you like it or not. David, you and Katha stay here. Check news reports, the internet, w
herever. Look for any similar disappearances.”
“What search parametres?” David asked, as they all got to their feet.
“Anywhere.” The angel nodded at the lycan, and then they all went into action.
In all their years on the earth, neither Jack nor Raziel had ever bothered to learn to drive. Their work had sent them around the world many times but they always somehow managed to get where they needed to be. Of course, both had...alternative means of transportation, but one of the tenants of the Guild was trying to keep the human population from asking too many questions about their existence. So, Jack and Raziel walked into the city, in no hurry to get to this meeting. Keeping witnesses on their toes could come in handy sometimes.
Lokeans, sometimes referred to as Loki’s Children had a tendency to have a bad reputation, even among other followers of Norse religion. They were known as trouble makers, lawless, with bad attitudes. It was mostly for this reason that Raziel had decided it was best for Katha to stay at the mansion. They could see right away that she’d been indoctrinated by her people to believe that Loki was inherently evil; he’d killed Baldur after all, and caused a lot of trouble among the Aesir, or Norse gods. They imagined she’d feel the same about his followers as well, even though, in the angel’s experience, there’d been nothing wrong with those the angel had met. Loki’s Children came from a wide variety of backgrounds, races, and lost faiths. Loki seemed to be the deity that took in those no one else wanted, and in that way, there was a bit of a kinship between them and those that worked Investigations at the Veritas Guild. Even though they were an Archangel, Raziel had a similar story, having grown weary of God’s secrets and asking the ineffable being to be allowed to leave heaven and do something else for a few millennia. Loki’s followers were a bit mischievous, and could be secretive though, so Raziel and Jack came prepared.
A small group stood at the Marygate carpark gate, looking just as eclectic as the angel had expected them too. There were a couple of teenage girls, a man who looked very much like a rich doctor or lawyer, and an older man and woman. Raziel and Jack slowed and nodded to one another before proceeding. They stopped a few feet from the group, and Raziel looked them over, but didn’t say anything.
“Are you Raziel?” the rich looking man finally asked, sounding slightly uncomfortable.
“Yes. You wanted to speak with me?”
The teenage girls looked the angel over like he could never understand, and then one of them said, “We know about what happened here.”
“Yes?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t some accident.”
“Then what was it?” Raziel asked, preferring not to give them anything to work with.
When the girl just scoffed, the older couple stepped forward. They were both dressed like they’d stepped straight out of America’s hippie years. The old woman was very short and plump, and her face looked as if she’d seen many strange things and gained much wisdom from it.
“You aren’t who you claim to be, agent Raziel,” she announced.
The angel lifted their chin slightly but gave the woman nothing else to work with. “I’ve never claimed anything,” they finally said. “Now, what is it you know about what happened here?”
“He was here,” the old woman answered.
“Who?” Jack asked.
She turned to him as if he wasn’t worth the trouble, and then looked back at Raziel. “Loki of course. He was here when this happened.”
“You’re saying the Norse Trickster did this?” Raziel said, keeping their tone even.
“You may not believe us. That’s your choice. We don’t claim to know what happened, just that we sensed his presence the night this woman disappeared.”
“She wasn’t a woman,” one of the teenage girls said.
Raziel couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. The angel knew better than to simply believe or disbelieve anyone, no matter who they were, but the things these people were saying made them inclined to think they knew what they were talking about.
“Why would Loki be here? Why would he do this?” Raziel asked.
The woman smiled knowingly. “He is Loki. It’s best not to try and understand his motivations. He simply does what he does.”
Raziel nodded. What the woman had said was true enough. No one had ever really understood what motivated Loki to do the things he did. Very few in the Guild had ever met him. He seemed to prefer to mingle among his followers, though they rarely knew it was him. The old woman seemed to sense that her words were being taken seriously and she eyeballed Raziel curiously. Then she glanced at Jack as if seeing him for the first time. Jack didn’t notice and seemed to be contemplating what she’d said, but Raziel glanced her way. Their eyes met, and then the old woman smiled again.
“You will find him soon enough, I imagine,” she said, and then as if led by some magical force, the entire group turned in unison and walked away.
Back at the mansion, in the Investigations wing’s substantial library, David and Katha had sat down at one of the tables, without a single book in hand. Instead, David had a laptop open on the table, and the two of them had pushed two cushy chairs together so they could both look at it. Katha was new to this particular type of technology, and was staring over his shoulder, fascinated with how fast he could pour through the pages to get to the one they needed.
They’d only sat down a few minutes ago, so they hadn’t found anything yet, and part of her mind was still on the events from earlier that morning. “Did Raziel seem...a bit off to you this morning?”
David snorted. “You’ve only known them one day. Maybe they’re always like that.”
“Are they?”
“Yes.” David paused and stopped his furious key banging. “Well, not quite. They’re usually the first one in the office, and I’ve hardly ever known them to sleep. I lost you in the hall this morning. Did you talk to Raziel after I left?”
Katha bit her bottom lip and nodded. “They said it had been bad dreams. That’s why they don’t sleep, I guess.”
David nodded and let out a breath before turning back to the computer. “I can relate.”
“You have nightmares too?”
David glanced back at her, and the look of deep concern on her face almost made him chuckle. “Well, I’m living with a symbiotic creature that’s thousands of years old. He’s seen a lot, you know? Most of the time, he keeps his memories to himself, but I don’t think he sleeps.”
Katha nodded, but she was beginning to wonder about her new coworkers and friends. There seemed to be a lot of pain going around. She’d been bred and taught to care for those at the end of their pain, to bring them to a happier place to be celebrated. She never knew she’d have to deal with the living. Her instinct was to help somehow, but she barely knew them, and they’d lived so much longer, knew so much more.
“Katha?” David said, pulling her out of reverie.
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ve found something.”
The Valkyrie’s eyes widened, and she scooted her armchair even closer. “What is it?”
David could feel the heat from the young woman’s body, even smell her hair they were so close. When she looked up at him quizzically, he cleared his throat and looked back down at the computer screen. “Here,” he said, pointing unnecessarily. “This report is from near Glastonbury. Some tourist simply vanished while out walking in the fields.”
“Do you think it’s related?” Katha asked.
David shrugged. “I’m not sure, but the circumstances certainly sound similar.”
For the next couple of hours, the two of them poured through the internet, looking for reports of disappearances, widening their search parametres as they went, and printing out reports of all the cases they found. As they did so, they discussed what they’d found, Katha learned more about the Guild, and David found himself liking the young Valkyrie more and more.
When Raziel and Jack stepped into the library a while later, David and Katha jumped to their f
eet and met the two of them in Raziel’s office. Both were excited and trying to talk at once.
The angel waved their hand as they sat down behind the desk. “Calm down...and one at a time.”
“Okay,” David started, catching his breath. “So far, we’ve found a dozen reports of people disappearing all across Europe, just like the fairy woman, people simply...gone.”
“A dozen?” Jack repeated in disbelief. “Why haven’t we heard anything about this before?”
Raziel frowned at him, wondering the same thing, and slid the reports over from David’s side of the desk. “I find it hard to believe that upstairs would have missed the link,” the angel said, once again putting on reading glasses they didn’t really need to look over the printouts.
“The closest are Glastonbury and the Isle of Skye,” Katha pointed out, “but there have been similar reports from Ireland, Norway, Italy...the list goes on.”
“Even one on the Faroe Islands,” David added.
“What in the world is going on?” Jack asked and sat down on the edge of Raziel’s desk.
The angel gave him a sideways look as he picked up the reports to look over too. Then they said, “This can’t be coincidence, not this many within the last year. There’s something bigger going on here.”
They spent the next few hours going over the reports David and Katha had found, and then began contacting other members of the Guild, and their contacts in the Conclave. Unfortunately, they didn’t get very far. Everyone they contacted either had no idea what was going on or wouldn’t talk to them.
When Raziel put the phone down for the last time, the angel simply sat and stared at it. It wasn’t a normal phone, no human could call it, and it didn’t use any earthly telephone lines. It was only used to call other Guild houses, and the assistants at the Conclave. No one could call directly into the Conclave.
“What happened?” Jack said, peeking his head through the door, and frowning at the pensive looking angel.
“They wouldn’t take my call,” Raziel answered.
The Veritas Guild Page 4