The Last Rogue Soul

by S E Brower

  The Last Rogue Soul

  Guardian Watch Series

  Book 1

  S.E. Brower & J.L. Gamet

  Copyright 2018

  Library of Congress

  Guardian Watch Series Book 1

  Title: The Last Rogue Soul

  TXu 2-115-290 2018

  This book is a work of Fiction, the content herein is strictly from the Authors’ imaginations. Any perceived resemblance to an establishment, business or person, living or dead, is merely coincidental.

  A special thanks to my son and daughter, who inspired me and placed me on the pathway to this story. I need only look across my dining room table to see the true superheroes in my life.

  Having your best friend to work beside you is like Dorothy Gale had her scarecrow. We were all inexperienced on our adventure, but definitely creative, supportive and loyal to the end to make a fascinating tale come to life in OUR BOOK… Does it get more special than that?

  And last, but not least, to Harry. My prince who saved me from the rain and a life of the doldrums.

  - S.E. Brower

  To my darling sweetheart, my husband Rod, who died in every chapter… literally. Who listened to every word ad nauseam and without whose love, encouragement and endless patience, the book would be much poorer, and infinitely more confusing. Thank you for believing in us.

  To Susan, whom I love beyond words and whose imagination sparked an entire series. Thank you for all the wonderful hours of plotting and planning. It was wicked fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

  To Harry, the real Harry, because he knows Talon-Har personally.

  To Casey Scalf, for designing the cover art and blowing our minds with your talent!

  To all my friends and family. You know who you are, and have supported us through this journey, I love you all.

  - J. L. Gamet

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Jesscapades

  Chapter 2

  The Egg Hunt

  Chapter 3

  Going by Faith

  Chapter 4

  Harrison

  Chapter 5

  The Brothers Driscoll

  Chapter 6

  Losing Faith

  Chapter 7

  The Devil is in the Details

  Chapter 8

  Patriot’s Chapel

  Chapter 9

  A Feather for Your Thoughts

  Chapter 10

  A Rogue Soul

  Chapter 11

  Office of Brotherly Love

  Chapter 12

  Her Guardian

  Chapter 13

  Wine & Spirits

  Chapter 14

  Intercession

  Chapter 15

  The Ring of Solidarity

  Chapter 16

  Lessons, Loss & Longing

  Chapter 17

  Hwyl Fawr Calon Lan

  Chapter 18

  Revelation of Salvation

  Chapter 19

  Prelude to Hell

  Chapter 20

  Fetch

  Chapter 21

  The Plan

  Chapter 22

  A Spiritual Cleansing

  Chapter 23

  Am I Dead?

  P R O L O G U E

  In the Guardian Library, The Author sat at his desk, deep in thought when he noticed a dark shadow pass in front of him. Looking up, he was surprised to see Lucifer standing before him. “And what, pray tell, prompts the ‘Prince of Darkness’ to drop in unannounced?”

  Lucifer raised an eyebrow as he leaned on the desk towards The Author, “I need no announcement, nor do I require permission to speak with the likes of you, co-conspirator. Let us not forget who runs these deceptions.”

  The Author averted his gaze. Softening his tone, he attempted to placate Lucifer. “I meant no disrespect, my lord. Most often your arrival is preceded by a visit from one of your… underlings,” the nervousness creeping into his voice, “I just thought… the sudden deviation could leave one to think… something was amiss.”

  “How and when I choose to do something, does not concern you. Concern yourself with holding up your end of the bargain. So… Author, where do we stand?”

  The Author leaned back in his chair taking a nonchalant posture, before answering, “All goes as planned,” he assured him.

  Lucifer sneered, “So speak your words, Author… however, your eyes speak something different. I am, after all… the master of deception. Or have you forgotten this, as well?”

  The Author thrust himself from his chair to look directly into the eyes of Lucifer, “I assure you, our plan is well under way. Soon, The Father will be dethroned and all of mankind shall find themselves groveling at our feet.”

  Lucifer leaned in even closer. His eyes narrowed and turned a deep shade of purple. His voice a calculated, menacing whisper, “Careful Author. Do not allow yourself to become too comfortable in my presence.” Then, he faded from the room, leaving The Author feeling slightly weakened in the knees.

  Chapter 1

  Jesscapades

  Something was wrong. Something insidious, and wrong in ways inconceivable to all mankind, was set into motion and not a soul was aware of it… yet.

  There was a ‘stir’, just a millisecond of a moment, skipping time like a glitch of a computer program, making the hair on a young woman’s arms stand briefly on end. The world became eerily silent for half a heartbeat. Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but she did, for Jessie wasn’t most people. Overwhelmed with a deep and sudden sadness, to her, ‘the stir’ was unmistakable.

  In that exact moment, in a realm between Heaven and Earth mere mortals could only dream of, a beautiful Angel also felt ‘the stir’ cutting like a dagger through the very fabric of the celestial plane, and she knew. Aalonray sat alone, her head hung in silent sadness. Her wings folded round her, as a single remorseful tear slipped down her cheek.

  ***

  Faith Barrett came home from work to find a ‘Jessie trail’, as she and her husband, Harrison liked to refer to it. Jessie, their 13-year-old daughter, left telltale signs of her presence through-out the house. A book here, a jacket there, an empty cup and plate. Faith followed the bread crumbs and knew Jessie was in her room. She yelled up to her. “Hi, Jess, I’m home. Are you ready for dance lessons?”

  “Hi Mom, I’ll be down in a minute,” Jessie answered back, leaning over the balcony rail. Bounding down the steps, ballet bag in hand, Jessie dashed into the kitchen, to fill her water bottle to take to class. “Where’s Dad and Travis?” she asked, stooping over, shoving the bottle into her bag.

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Travis started Martial Arts classes. Your dad took him, we'll see them later tonight,” her mother told her.

  The minute Jessie heard Martial Arts, it was as if something inside her clicked. From the time she was tiny, she idolized Travis and wanted to do everything he did. Jessie jumped up, her whole face glowing with excitement. “That sounds so cool. Please, can I do it too, please Mom, please?” Jessie begged.

  “I'll think about it,” her mother frowned, not keen on adding more activities.

  “Please?” Jessie drew the word out and bounced up and down on her heels. Her hands folded together beneath her chin in a sincere and prayerful plea.

  “Jessie, you are already doing so much, I don’t want your school-work suffering.”

  “It won’t, I promise,” Jessie smiled, a big cheesy grin, showing her teeth as her mother made the ‘I’m not convinced face’.

  “I’ll give up dance class,” Jessie offered.

  “But you love dance,” Faith reminded her smiling daughter, so full of eager anticipation. “Oh, all right,” Faith sighed. Giving i
n, she shook her head. “You don’t have to give up dance, but anything less than a ‘B’ on your report card, and you are done, understand?”

  Jessie was elated. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mommy.” Grinning from ear to ear, smothering Faith’s cheek with kisses. Soon after, Jessie followed her brother to class, and as promised, she kept her grades up. When school concluded, the two spent long summer afternoons in their backyard, practicing kicks and sparring with one another.

  “Hey, Travis,” Jessie jumped up at him, with a flying round house kick, which he immediately deflected. She quickly found herself flipped over in the grass laughing. When Travis extended his hand to help her up, she mischievously used the leverage to swing herself onto his back, her arms around his neck, kicking at him like a horse.

  Their parents, Faith and Harrison viewed them through the kitchen window. They giggled, watching Travis run around the backyard, struggling to shake her off, without success. All the while Raven, the family’s black Belgian sheep dog, circled them barking, Jessie howling with laughter. Through continual practice the two of them developed fighting and self-defense techniques.

  But soon after the classes started, Jessie began to have a recurring nightmare. During which, someone in the dream was trying to harm her, and she hadn’t a clue why. She never saw the person’s face, but realized they held a weapon of some sort. Jessie was always ready to kick it from her assailant’s hand. Without fail, this scene was followed by a brilliant flash of light, after which, she would awaken sweating and terrified.

  “I don’t want to tell Mom about the dream,” Jessie whispered to herself, “she already treats me like a little kid. If I tell her, she’ll make me quit, I just know it. I can’t quit. What if the dream comes true and I can't defend myself?” She bit her lip at the prospect. The nightmare kept her fiercely determined to stay in the class. She had the nagging feeling her life might fully depend on it.

  Summer gave way to fall, and the siblings returned to school. The nightmare continued to haunt her, keeping her awake most nights, but she told no one. Nearly six months had passed since she and Travis had begun the classes together, when she came home from a late afternoon session feeling strange. It was shortly before dinnertime.

  “Mom,” Jessie called, while walking into the kitchen. Her mother had been standing in front of the stove, her back to Jessie. Faith turned around to see the color drain from Jessie’s face. “I feel kind of weird…” Jessie told her.

  “Jess!” her mother shouted, catching her, as she dropped.

  The next thing Faith knew, her daughter was passed out on the kitchen floor. For several seconds, Jessie was unresponsive. When she woke up feeling weak and woozy, Faith insisted Jessie go to the emergency room. But by the time they arrived there, she was back to normal. No cause for the episode was identified.

  Days passed without incident, when again, Jessie collapsed after returning home from a class. Faith was having second thoughts about letting her continue. “I think martial arts classes might be too strenuous for you Jess,” sending her daughter into a full fledge meltdown.

  “You don’t understand. I have to take those classes, Mom. I have to,” she said in a panic.

  “Why do you have to? No one is making you do this Jessie. If it’s too much, it’s okay to stop,” Faith tried to reason with her.

  “No, no it’s not okay to stop,” Jessie insisted, “please, Mom. I have to do this, don’t make me quit,” she pleaded, before the tears streamed down her face.

  “Awe, Jess,” Faith sighed. It broke her heart to see her daughter so upset. “If it’s that important to you, we will figure it out. Don’t worry honey.” Sobbing, Jessie buried her face in her mother’s hair.

  But the spells occurred with increasing frequency, terrifying her poor mother. Faith took Jessie for a check-up and a battery of tests, all of which came back negative. “Her assessments came back normal, just a benign seizure, nothing to worry about. She might try eating protein if she feels light-headed, Mrs. Barrett. We are confident she will out-grow it,” the doctors assured her. The trouble was, she didn't.

  Mostly, she was a happy teenager, but lately Jessie became quarrelsome and irritable. Even Travis couldn't make her laugh. Suddenly, she was arguing with friends. It started with small disagreements. Things like the name of a pet long gone, and then it was the color of the dress a mutual friend wore to a dance six months ago, escalating into a nasty shouting match, blown way out of proportion. Her parents chalked it up to hormones and adolescence.

  “This is just so stupid,” Jessie told herself. Her friendships survived in part only because she managed swallowing her pride, saying she might have been mistaken. She hated the prospect of losing friends more than she liked being right. “But I am right. They’re always telling me I’m wrong about stuff,” she thought angrily. She was keenly aware of the discrepancies in things remembered and as time continued, she learned to hold her tongue to keep the peace.

  Everything was taking a toll on Jessie, leaving her bewildered and afraid. Plagued with constant headaches, tired and ill-tempered, she didn’t like feeling this way. The nightmare and arguments were only part of the private hell she suffered with. So much more was happening than she let on. Knowing how the spells upset her mother, she didn’t want to worry her more by sounding like a crazy person.

  But Jessie was living with a secret so strange, she was reluctant to even acknowledge it. Each time she had one of her spells and went unresponsive, she was sure her mind went somewhere else. She awoke back in her body, not remembering exactly where she’d been, or for what purpose. Only snippets lingered from somewhere far away. It was a place she didn’t recognize, a place you couldn’t reach by the usual means.

  She never talked about it, not even to her brother. Travis, tall and muscular, with light hair, and eyes that twinkled with mischief when he smiled, had always been her protector, mentor and best friend. She shuddered at the thought of sharing her visions with him, fearing he wouldn’t understand or worse, not believe her, and so she kept silent. “It seemed so real though, it has to be real,” she reassured herself.

  Try as she might, the images she saw made no sense and her recollections remained fragmented. The only thing she was sure of, was a pair of eyes, steely blue and unforgettable. She racked her brain trying to recall images she couldn't understand. There were murmurs of words, and written words, swirling on and on. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could almost see it, almost, so frustrating.

  She also had the strangest feeling there was something significant she needed to be doing yet couldn’t remember what. It’s that sense you get leaving home uncertain if you turned off the stove and locked the door, important, upsetting. She tried to act normal, putting the unsettling episodes out of her thoughts.

  But the ‘other place’ wasn’t easily dismissed, and it wasn’t the only unusual thing happening to her. After the spells and nightmares began, she discovered the ability to know when someone she cared for was in trouble. The first time it happened, Travis had been playing baseball, when he broke his ankle. Jessie wasn’t at the game. But by the time someone took him to the hospital, she knew what happened before anyone told her. Weeks later, her mother had a minor car accident. Jessie was not in the car. No one was injured, but again, she knew before her mother got home. Jessie found the premonitions scary and upsetting.

  What bothered her most about the strange abilities, was not being able to control them. She couldn’t call images of the ‘other place’ up at will. There was nothing she could do about it. Control was always a big issue for Jessie. She disliked not having it. Nothing made sense and she fought to make peace with the madness. But during this time in her life, she felt as if she were losing the battle.

  Jessie stood staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You’re such a freak,” she told the image staring back at her. “Who are you, Jessica Elaine?” she asked herself, then added, “I’m not telling anyone about this, ever. I’ll f
igure it out on my own,” she thought aloud. Brave words, but she didn’t feel brave at all. Biting her lip, she switched off the bathroom light and went to bed.

  Chapter 2

  The Egg Hunt

  Travis and Jessie spent their childhood living with their parents in a quiet rural area of southeastern Pennsylvania. They grew up, as children tend to do. It was ten years later, at age 23, when Jessie was fresh out of college, that she met Michael Santino, and her heart sang.

  Young and in love, they knew they would spend their lives together. It was a match made in heaven. They wasted no time and married shortly after they met. Michael was a career military man, so they moved around a lot in the beginning. The first place he was stationed was Monterey, and off they went to the west coast.

  Jessie never let the distance from her family bother her. She talked to everyone, making friends easily wherever she went. It didn’t hurt that she was also beautiful, petite with long light hair, kissed golden by the sun. Her skin was fair and freckled, with high cheekbones, bringing attention to her soulful brown eyes.

  But those eyes still held unspeakable secrets. While the spells had lessened over the years, the nightmare haunted her, still. She never told Michael any of it.

  Michael was handsome with brown hair and eyes. In many ways, her mirror image. He was strong and smart, and he loved her fiercely. But perhaps what Jessie loved most about him, was how he and Travis got along so well. She wanted Travis to like him. That he did, was the icing on their wedding cake. It was a shame they lived so far away. Travis went on to marry his college sweetheart, Carrie and they bought a house just 4 miles from their parent’s home. Life was good.

  But then came the night two years later, when Jessie and Michael flew in from California for the holidays. It was the only time the two could make it back east. Travis and Carrie would be there, and Jessie delighted at the prospect of spending time with her family, most especially her brother.