Hades

by Alexandra Adornetto

“What pit? Where?” Molly’s voice had gone up several octaves.

  “Shut up!” Xavier burst out. I’d never seen him this irate.

  “Just shut up just for two seconds!”

  Molly looked offended for a moment before her eyes narrowed in hostility. “You shut up!” she yelled back at Xavier.

  “Great comeback,” Xavier muttered. “Do you always have to be so immature?”

  “Pretty sure I’m the only sane person in this room right now,” Molly said. “You’re all out of your freaking minds.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xavier said darkly. “Isn’t there some quarterback you should be chasing around right now?”

  “How dare you!” Molly yelled. “Did Tara say something to you? Don’t listen to anything she says, she’s just pissed because …”

  “Cut it out!” Xavier threw his hands up in frustration.

  “We don’t care about you and Tara and your petty adolescent disputes. Beth is missing and you’re not helping so why don’t you just leave.”

  Molly folded her arms. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Yeah, you are.”

  “Make me!”

  “Don’t think I won’t.”

  “Enough!” Gabriel’s deep, stern voice cut through the escalating argument. “This isn’t helping anyone.” He turned to Ivy. “Do you see? Molly knows things we don’t.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not telling you squat until I find out the truth,” said Molly stubbornly, and Xavier cast a withering look in her direction. Ivy moaned softly and pressed a hand to her temple. Molly was hard work and my sister found her exhausting.

  “Bethany’s friend or not, this girl could make a preacher cuss.”

  “Perhaps we should try explaining things to her,” Gabriel said kindly.

  Xavier raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead, this should be interesting.”

  “Sit down, Molly,” Gabriel began. “And try to listen without interrupting. If you have questions I’ll answer them after.”

  Molly perched on the sofa obediently while Gabriel paced back and forth as he considered how to begin.

  “We are not what we seem,” he said eventually, choosing his words carefully. “It’s hard to explain, but first it’s important that you trust me. Do you trust me, Molly?”

  Molly appraised him slowly from head to foot. He was so beautiful that I saw her face become wistful as she took him in. I wondered whether she’d be able to concentrate. Blond hair framed his sculpted face and his silver eyes gazed at her attentively. A faint golden light seemed to radiate several inches around him, trailing after him like a misty haze.

  “Of course, I do,” she murmured. I could see she liked being the focus of his undivided attention and she wanted it to last. “If you’re not what you seem, then what are you?”

  “That, I cannot tell you,” Gabriel replied.

  “Or what, you’d have to kill me?” Molly rolled her eyes, looking droll.

  “No,” Gabriel replied in an even voice. “But the truth might compromise your safety and ours.”

  “Does he know the truth?” Molly jerked her thumb in Xavier’s direction. I got the feeling their relationship was on a downward spiral and wished I could be there to heal the rift.

  “He is an exception,” Ivy said flatly.

  “Really? Why can’t I be an exception too?”

  “You wouldn’t believe the truth if we told you,” Gabriel said, trying to placate her. But Molly was defiant.

  “Try me.”

  “Put it this way, how do you feel about the supernatural?”

  “I’m fine with it,” Molly replied coolly. “I used to watch Charmed and Buffy and all those shows.”

  Gabriel winced slightly. “This isn’t quite the same thing.”

  “Okay, well, listen to this. Last week my horoscope in Cosmo told me I was going to meet an enchanting stranger and this guy on the bus gave me his phone number. I’m a total believer now.”

  “Yeah, you’ve really seen the light,” Xavier said under his breath.

  “Did you know that Sagittarians have a problem with sarcasm?” Molly snapped.

  “That would be very enlightening, except I’m a Leo.”

  “Yeah, well, everyone knows they’re a pack of assholes!”

  “My God, you’re like talking to a rock.”

  “You’re a rock!”

  Fed up with the argument, Xavier scowled and turned away from her, flopping down on the sofa at the far end of the room. Ivy was shaking her head slowly as though she couldn’t believe they were wasting time on such trivial matters. I didn’t know what to think—was Gabriel really entertaining the idea of letting Molly in on the secret? It seemed unlikely that my brother, who had been so resistant toward Xavier’s induction into our little family, would now randomly bring another human into the fold. He must really be feeling desperate.

  Gabriel gave Xavier a warning look. Provoking Molly any further wasn’t going to help the situation. “Molly, let’s talk in the kitchen.”

  She flashed Xavier a triumphant look as she marched past him, but was all politeness addressing Gabriel.

  “As you wish,” she said demurely.

  Then something happened that took the decision right out of Gabriel’s hands. The room began to tremble. The floor shuddered underfoot and the light fixtures began swinging violently. Even in my spirit form, I could feel a tremendous pressure growing in the room.

  Ivy and Gabriel moved closer together, not alarmed but somewhat unsettled by whatever was taking place. Xavier sprang up from the sofa, his eyes sweeping across the room, looking for the source of danger. He was tensed to fight, all the muscles in his body at the ready and his feet braced to jump as soon as the signal was given. He looked up in surprise as the glass in the windowpanes rattled and slowly began to crack down the middle. Molly was standing right in the firing line, rooted to the spot. I watched Xavier’s head whip in her direction as he quickly calculated the risk in his head. His protective instinct kicked in and he grabbed Molly, pulling her to the ground. His body shielded hers at the same time as the windowpanes exploded, raining splinters across his back like a hailstorm. Molly screamed, but my siblings did not duck or attempt to shield themselves in any way. They stood still as stone as fragments of glass rained down around them, catching in their hair and clothes but causing no injury. They looked so unshakable that I imagined neither fire nor brimstone could have moved them. Whatever was coming, they were unafraid.

  “Shield your eyes!” Gabriel commanded Molly and Xavier, who were still sprawled on the floor.

  Thunder and lightning came first. Then a blistering white light followed, filling every crevice of the room so that all its occupants were enveloped by it. It looked as though the room had turned into a white-hot furnace, but in actual fact the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees. I felt the chill, even in my intangible form. Even though I was in no danger I looked around for a place to hide and settled for behind the sofa. A high-pitched buzzing filled the air, like static on a television, only louder and so intense you could feel it reverberating in your brain. When the angel finally appeared, he was standing in the center of the room, head bowed and wings fully expanded so they spanned from wall to wall. They seemed to fill the whole space, casting a shadow across every wall, ceiling, and floor. Light shimmered from beneath his luminous skin and dripped from his body, falling in liquid beads onto the ground where they dissolved. When he lifted his head, I saw that his face was as beautiful and cherubic as a child’s, and yet behind the exterior one could catch glimpses of something much more commanding and dangerous. In their rightful form, angels were at least several heads taller than even the tallest of humans and this angel’s vast and powerful form was evident even beneath the rippling metallic robe he wore. He looked so far from human; it was impossible not to be awestruck. You got the feeling that with the blink of an eye he could crumble the room and its contents to dust at his bare feet.

  His b
oyish beauty contrasted strangely with his marblesculpted body. His eyes shone and his face was expressionless, as though he were daydreaming alone, rather than standing before a stunned audience. His head moved rigidly, unaccustomed to the atmosphere. His fearsome eyes scanned the room, finally fixing on something the others couldn’t see.

  He was looking directly at me. I didn’t need to look twice to know who he was; I recognized him at once as the Archangel Michael.

  15

  Can You Keep a Secret?

  IT took a while but the blinding light finally subsided along with the roaring in our ears.

  “It’s safe now,” Gabriel announced. Xavier promptly jumped to his feet, but on seeing the archangel he staggered back until he was pressed against the wall. It was as though he needed it for support. But a moment later he drew himself up, stood tall, and confronted the figure before him without flinching or turning away.

  Angelic beauty usually proved too much for humans to handle, but Xavier had some experience under his belt. I saw that he seemed to be holding his breath as though his lungs couldn’t, or wouldn’t, work properly. Something as automatic as breathing had been rendered superfluous in the face of such majesty. Molly had a slightly more dramatic reaction; her eyes widened until I thought they would pop right out of their sockets and her hands fell limp by her sides. Then she let out a strange, strangled gasp and collapsed to her knees, back arched and torso pulled toward Michael as if by some invisible chain. She stared for a moment longer, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped down in a dead faint. Michael tilted his head and observed her calmly.

  “Humans,” he said eventually in a voice that called to mind a hundred church choirs singing in perfect unison. “They have a tendency to overreact.”

  “Brother.” Gabriel stepped forward. Even in his perfect human form he seemed dwarfed by Michael’s splendor. “I am glad you have come.”

  “It is a dire situation that has arisen here,” Michael replied. “One of our own has been captured. Such a transgression must be addressed.”

  “We are exploring every possibility, but as you know, the gateways to Hell are heavily guarded,” Gabriel said. “Has the Covenant got any idea how to break through?”

  “Even we are not privy to such information. Only the demons that slither beneath us could know the answer to that question.”

  Upon hearing that Xavier’s anger seemed to override his awe and he stepped forward. “Gather an army,” he snapped. “You’re powerful enough to do it. Break in and get her out. How hard can it be?”

  “What you propose is certainly within our power,” Michael answered.

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  Michael’s eyes slid over to rest on Xavier’s face. It was frightening to watch, he seemed to be made up of lots of different parts that were not connected but still functioned as a whole. His eyes, for one, were fathomless and completely devoid of emotion. I didn’t like the way he looked at Xavier, like a specimen, rather than a human being.

  “The human appears to think nothing of bringing about the Apocalypse,” he said.

  “Do not blame him,” Gabriel answered quickly. “He does not understand the consequences of an ambush and he has strong emotional ties to Bethany.”

  Michael’s slippery, disconnected gaze lingered on Xavier. “So I hear. Human emotion is an irrational force.”

  Xavier scowled and I knew he resented being spoken about like a stubborn child, incapable of seeing things from a logical perspective.

  “I wasn’t aware it would result in the Apocalypse,” he said drily. “That would be an unfortunate side effect.”

  Michael raised one delicate, glowing eyebrow at the sarcasm in Xavier’s tone. Ivy, who had not spoken a word thus far, hurried to Xavier’s side, an outward declaration of her support.

  “What are the Covenant’s instructions?” she asked.

  “We have located a source which may be of assistance,” Michael replied distantly. “Her name is Sister Mary Clare. You will find her in the Abbey of Mary Immaculate in Fairhope County, Tennessee.”

  “How will that help us?” Xavier demanded.

  “This is all we can offer for now—we wish you luck.” Michael turned toward Xavier. “A word of advice, you would be well advised to develop temperance if you want to be a leader among men.”

  “I have one more question,” Xavier said, ignoring the censuring looks directed at him by Ivy and Gabriel.

  “Yes?” Michael said slowly.

  “Do you think Beth is okay?”

  Michael looked at Xavier with an odd expression. There weren’t many humans I could think of who would directly address a member of the Arch, let alone detain him with questions.

  “The demon went to much trouble to get her there. Rest assured he would not have done so if he did not value her life.”

  Michael folded his arms loosely across his chest, bowed his head, and with a flash of blinding light and a crack like thunder, he was gone. I thought he’d leave destruction in his wake, but after the light he left behind waned, I saw that the room had been restored to its original state, apart from a charred ring on the floor where the angel had landed. With Michael gone everyone looked visibly relieved and breathed more easily. Although Michael was batting for our team, his formidable presence had made it impossible to relax. Gabriel stepped around the coffee table to lift Molly into his arms and deposit her gently onto the sofa. Ivy went to get a wet cloth for her forehead. Molly’s mouth was open from the shock, but her breathing had returned to normal. Gabriel placed two fingers on the inside of her wrist to check her pulse. Once he was convinced she would revive, he moved away and ran his fingers through his hair as he pondered Michael’s counsel.

  “A nun?” Xavier asked softly. “How can she help? What could she tell us that the Covenant can’t?”

  “If Michael has directed us to her, there must be a reason,” Gabriel replied. “Humans are more connected to the underworld than we can ever be. Demons make it their life’s work to tempt those on earth, especially those who think their faith is unbreakable. It is sport to them. It’s possible that this Sister Mary Clare has encountered dark forces. We must find her and see what she knows.”

  Ivy stood straight and resolute. “I guess that means we’re going to Tennessee.”

  By this time, I was getting sleepy. Too much had happened, most of it stressful. Spending so much time outside my physical dimension was having a strange effect. I wanted to feel my body again, resume the form of flesh, and curl up under the covers; but I forced myself to stick around until Molly woke up. I wanted to see how she would cope with what she’d just witnessed. Would Ivy and Gabriel be forced to tell her the truth? Would she even remember the visit from the glorious stranger or would they get away with telling her she’d slipped and hit her head?

  My siblings had disappeared to hastily gather a few belongings for the trip and Xavier was left to watch over Molly. He sat opposite her on one of the deep sofas, lost in his own thoughts, occasionally glancing across to check on her. I watched him sigh wearily and get up to drape a throw across her shoulders. His display of care and attention, even after their recent altercation, was touching and made me long for him even more. Xavier wasn’t one to hold a grudge. To protect those more vulnerable was ingrained in him. It was one of the things I loved most about him.

  Molly moaned and raised a hand to her head. Now that she was waking up, Xavier was fully alert. He stood up carefully, keeping his distance, not wanting to alarm her. Molly’s eyelids fluttered open and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “What the hell?” she murmured softly, pushing herself up and blinking groggily. Her face drained of color when her eyes fell on the spot where Michael had been standing. I could almost see the moment when the memory replayed in her mind. Her shock reflected clearly on her face and her jaw dropped again.

  “How are you feeling?” Xavier asked tentatively.

  “Okay, I guess. What
just happened?”

  “You passed out,” he answered truthfully. “Must be from the stress. I’m sorry for losing it before, I don’t want to fight with you.”

  Molly stared at him. “You have to tell me what happened,” she said. “Even with my eyes shut, I could still see the light … .”

  Xavier’s eyes didn’t betray the slightest hint of his emotions. He surveyed Molly coolly. “Maybe you need to see a doctor. Sounds like you might have a concussion.”

  Molly sat bolt upright then and glared at him. “Don’t play dumb with me,” she snapped. “I know what I saw.”

  “Really?” Xavier said calmly. “And what might that be?”

  “A man,” Molly began tentatively and then reconsidered. “At least I think that’s what he was; a really big, really bright man. He was all wet with light and his voice sounded like a hundred voices and he had wings—huge wings like an eagle!”

  The look Xavier gave Molly would have made even the surest witness doubt their sanity. He pressed his lips together, raised his eyebrows slightly, and drew back a fraction as if Molly were certifiably insane. He was a better actor than I’d given him credit for. But Molly was not taken in.

  “Don’t look at me like that!” she cried. “You saw him too, I know you did.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Xavier said bluntly.

  “There was an angel standing right there,” Molly gestured wildly at the place where Michael had stood. “I saw him! You can’t trick me into thinking I’m going crazy.”

  Xavier gave up. He’d been standing with his arms folded across his chest, wearing an expression of disbelief. Suddenly he just looked exasperated.

  “Gabriel,” he called out. “You better get in here.”

  A moment later, my brother was standing in the doorway.

  “Molly, welcome back. How do you feel?”

  “Why don’t you tell Gabriel what you saw?” Xavier cut in. Molly looked doubtful for a moment. She mightn’t care what Xavier thought of her, but she certainly cared about Gabriel’s opinion and didn’t want to risk him thinking she was unstable. But her doubt was momentary and vanished as quickly as it had appeared.