Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1)

by Haviland, Teal

  “Tell me, Cecily. How is it you came to know where the Book is?”

  “It was my great, great—hundreds of years ago—great grandfather, Elijah Privett, who Ramai had commissioned, through threat of his family’s death, to create a copy of the Book. He discovered that Elijah wasn’t only a Seer of occurrences in time; he also had a remarkable gift to see into the mind of anyone he chose.

  “Ramai used Elijah to find his memory of what the words on the pages of the Book were to make a new one. Even though Ramai promised to spare Elijah’s family’s life if he created the Book, Ramai killed them anyway. Elijah’s sister, who was away at the time, was his only family member to survive. There was no reason Ramai killed them aside from being evil. It was purely for amusement.”

  Cecily paused, seeming to lose herself in thoughts. A strained expression rearranged her face for a moment. Then, she abruptly continued as if something had startled her back into reality.

  “Anyway, Elijah swore revenge, but he knew it would be impossible for him to kill Ramai, so he came up with another plan. One he felt would be even better than killing him. He decided to steal the copy of the Book.

  “He made some sort of pact with a demon, newly fallen, who regretted what he’d done to be cast from Heaven. Elijah convinced him that he could help him get back if the demon helped him obtain the Book of Barabbadon. The fallen angel helped him obtain the Book, and Elijah immediately hid it. He was able to tell his sister what he’d done, why he’d done it, and where it was hidden. He also told her what he’d been shown after he created the book—a prophecy about the Destroyer and the role of the Book in that prophecy. He asked her to keep it secret, to tell only those in our family she knew could be trusted. They were to pass the knowledge down through the generations but to leave the Book where he hid it until the day came when the prophecy was close to coming to pass. He was able to do all this before the demon realized Elijah wouldn’t be able to help him get back to Heaven—before he was murdered.” Cecily’s eyes became distant. “All because he was a Seer.” The same strained expression passed over her face. Only this time, it lingered longer and held sadness. Seeming to realize she was revealing more than she wanted, Cecily wiped her expression clean. “The time he spoke of is now, and it’s a good thing because I’m the last of my family. And even though I’m basically immortal, we both know there are a couple of ways my existence can end.”

  “So, you’re telling me you know where the Book is … right now.”

  She smiled, but it grew sinister.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Javan.”

  Javan’s mind ran full tilt, imagining all that he was about to accomplish when the Book was his. “Well, then. Why are we still here talking? I say we get it now.”

  Cecily walked to the terrace and stepped outside into the cool night air. Javan followed her, feeling his mood lift at the possibility of getting his hands on what he was cast from Heaven for—finally.

  “So,” he said, speaking softly in her ear, caressing her arms, “are you ready to go?”

  “I wish it were that easy, Javan.”

  Javan’s mood began to wane again, and he turned her to face him.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means it’ll take a little time and planning, sweetie. But don’t worry. It’ll be yours.”

  “Fuck.” He just wanted the damn Book in his hands. “Where is it … exactly?” His eyes narrowed, deepening a hard scowl.

  “Where no demon would ever look—buried near one of the Gates of Hell.”

  Chapter Fifty-eight

  Gabrielle ~ A Personal Hell

  When Gabrielle was sure Lucas had drifted into dreams, she ascended, calling to Amaziah. He was ready for her when she arrived. She was glad to see him. If she could have felt the sensation of touch in her angelic form, she would have wrapped her arms around him. Instead, the light she emanated reached for his, and the two glowed brighter as they met.

  Gabrielle had an immediate sense of peace here, in her home, with her dear friend, regardless of the growing problems she faced back on Earth. But she noticed a shift in her surroundings as she felt an enormous amount of energy directed toward her. Energy from hundreds of angels all around her, passing underneath, below, and on both sides of her and Amaziah.

  But why?

  Just as she was about to communicate her question to Amaziah, he directed her to follow him. Gabrielle found herself missing the ability to use her lips, tongue, mouth, and air to push out what was in her mind. She wondered why. It was far easier to think what you wanted someone to know than go through all the motions involved with human speech. The thought of her lips reminded her of the way it felt to have Lucas kiss her, but she pushed the thought out of her mind, hoping Amaziah didn’t have time to pick up on it.

  Amaziah was moving her away from the main route of the angels coming and going from Heaven. There was always a constant stream of angels on their missions, but there was a lot more activity than usual. Their tasks varied: protecting humans, intervening in daily activities, escorting souls who were crossing over, teaching another angel a new position or a fledgling angel the “ropes”. Normally, half the angels coming and going would be Gabrielle’s own troops. She had legions assigned to her. But there was a massive amount of activity, and it made her uneasy. She suddenly felt distant from her brethren, far more than ever before.

  Is it just because I’ve barely been back since I left?

  That didn’t feel like the reason. There was something else. Amaziah led her further away. Even with the numbers of angels around them lessening, she continued to feel as though they were turned toward her—watching her. She wondered why she’d garnered so much attention. Was it just curiosity about what her experiences have been with humans? Could it be jealousy?

  Then it hit her.

  This is about Lucas! Protectiveness surged through her.

  She knew, at once, that’s what it was. The realization made her feel like they were going to go after Lucas and maybe even her. When Amaziah finally stopped and began to speak, she could tell something was wrong. Aguish coursed through her, joining the protective response she already had. This wasn’t going to be good.

  ‘Gabrielle, I won’t waste time with pleasantries. You know I love and miss you. But I’m sure the reaction to your arrival wasn’t lost on you.’

  Several moments of silence passed before Gabrielle received Amaziah’s next thoughts.

  ‘I was going to contact you this evening, so I was glad to hear you were coming to see me. A wealth of information has been discovered that I need to tell you. It’s upsetting to us all, but it will be deeply disturbing for you.’

  Gabrielle began to feel her energy quiver. She knew any of her brethren would be able to see her light pulsating right now and know something was wrong.

  ‘Please, just continue, Amaziah.’

  ‘We already knew Javan has dreams of grandeur—wanting to rule over everyone and everything. We felt he was delusional. But it turns out he isn’t. There is a way he can achieve his goal.’

  Gabrielle’s energy quivered faster. She tried to calm herself. She didn’t want to draw any attention to them—didn’t want to increase the number of angels directing their energy at her. What Amaziah had just said was confusing, but it opened the door for her to ask a question she’d been hoping to get the answer to.

  ‘How can he use the Book if he found it? He can’t ascend back into Heaven. The guards would never allow him in. Doesn’t he have to speak the words from Yahuwah’s throne in order for them to be effective? How would that be possible for him to achieve?’

  ‘He can’t ascend—or enter into Heaven. But if he had an army devoted to him and declared war against Yahuwah and all His angels, Yahuwah would bring the battle and the throne to Earth. Any with Divine blood could use the Book
in the same way, whether Fallen or of mixed blood. If he is able to acquire the Book, Gabrielle, all he has to have is the blood sacrifice of another fallen angel and the appropriate date to perform the ceremony. A demon, a date, and a simple ritual to summon all of Darkness to him. Once he has their attention and shows them he possesses the Book, it will be easy to persuade them to follow him. Ramai won’t even try to stop him.

  ‘Javan will be looked upon as their savior. Their deliverer. The Destroyer. Some of those in Darkness have hungered for revenge, for power to be theirs, for millenniums. But all of the Fallen have bitterness in them. They will think Javan is about to give them what they have yearned for since they fell—retribution.’

  Amaziah paused as if to allow Gabrielle time to let this information take root in her mind before he continued with the next onslaught of information.

  This time, it was Gabrielle who communicated first.

  ‘What date? I haven’t heard of a date associated with the prophecy.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have. It is guarded information—Ramai thought he knew all he had to know before he rebelled. He didn’t. The date’s necessary. Without it, it’s just pages full of words.’

  ‘So, the only way to stop Javan is to get the Book before he does?’

  ‘There is another way. He can be stopped. Period.’

  Gabrielle knew what he meant; Javan could be killed.

  Her mind recoiled from the thought. She knew she could never be with him again; he was lost to her forever. But she also knew she’d always love him. How could she not? As much as he hurt her, crushed her, when he fell and left her behind, she didn’t want him to die.

  ‘Why wouldn’t Ramai stop him?’

  ‘He has no motivation to do so. He won’t be battling Yahuwah. It’s what was agreed to, to keep the fight fair. Ramai would never be a match for Yahuwah. The victor is decided by the power of the loyalty each has garnered from their followers. He needs the prophecy of the Destroyer to come to pass so that he has his champion, just as Yahuwah will have his. Because what Javan, or any other that uses the Book doesn’t know, is that Yahuwah has had a secret weapon for a long, long time that will be available when the time is right … if all goes the way He hopes.’

  Amaziah paused, and Gabrielle sensed more angels approaching. How could they resist the draw to her now? Her energy was frantic, and angels couldn’t ignore the urge to come to the aid of another in distress. It literally hurt if another angel was upset, or in pain, in the general proximity. But she also noticed they quickly diverted away from her and Amaziah. Were they simply giving two high-ranking angels their space? Or did they know something she didn’t? She couldn’t be sure, and she couldn’t be concerned about what they thought, or knew, right now. She gave her attention back to Amaziah.

  ‘My dear Gabrielle, I am so sorry to be causing you distress. But you have to know everything we have found out. It affects you more than any of the rest of us.’

  ‘Amaziah, I don’t see how it affects me much more, really. I know who Javan was—still is—to me. But if he is able to achieve his goal, it will impact us all the same. We will be either enslaved or executed. Those will be our only choices. My heart cannot be broken by him anymore than it already has been. It isn’t possible. He is now my adversary, whether I love him or not.’

  There was a long pause while neither tried to communicate. The quiet caused even deeper anguish to rush through her than before. There was more he was going to tell her—and it was about to get worse. She wanted to flee. The instinct to be with Lucas became more prominent as the feeling of threat to him grew; it was all around her, and it was coming from her brethren. Her mind scrambled to make sense of what was going on.

  ‘Why would they want to hurt Lucas?’ She practically screamed the thought at Amaziah, who reached for her again, but she pulled her energy away.

  ‘This is the information I most regret to give you, Gabrielle,’ he said gently. ‘We caught and interrogated several of Ramai’s highest ranking demons. Though none gave us all the information we wanted or needed, we were able to gather enough and piece together what the prophecy foretells. We knew Lucas’s grandfather was being protected by Emma and others because there was hope someone in that lineage would thwart the attempt of the Destroyer to take power. All we had to go on was that someone in Mason’s bloodline would determine the outcome of whether or not a Destroyer rose to power.

  ‘The full prophecy is more specific. It states the one who will determine whether or not the Destroyer takes power will be the only living blood relative of Mason’s line, and that all others who shared his blood would be eliminated.’

  Gabrielle didn’t like that Lucas would be involved in this battle. But she and the rest of Yahuwah’s troops could ensure his safety. So why did she feel the threat to him coming from them? It wasn’t adding up. She could tell by Amaziah’s energy beginning to show distress that her question was about to be answered.

  ‘Gabrielle … Lucas doesn’t stand in the way of the Destroyer. The prophecy states Lucas will make the decision of whether or not he will become the Destroyer.’

  Her energy had never been as frantic as it was at that moment. She wanted to run to Yahuwah—yell and scream at Him as loudly as she could. Why was she being punished? What else could this be? He was omniscient—omnipotent. Why was He allowing the only two beings she’d ever loved to both become her enemy? At least one already had, and it looked as though she only had a fifty-fifty shot at the other. Hadn’t she already suffered enough? Gabrielle wasn’t sure she could handle this. What was she supposed to do with this information? How was it possible Lucas might be her worst enemy? How could this be happening?

  ‘I don’t understand, Amaziah. What would make Lucas want to be the Destroyer? He isn’t an evil or hateful person. Quite the opposite. Because he has Divine blood, he seems to be far more compassionate than most humans.’

  ‘I know you have a lot of questions, questions only Yahuwah can answer. But it’s best if you calm down before you see Him. He knows you want answers, and He will be available to you when you are ready to ask Him. He knows you were already hurt by Javan. But you must remember, even though Yahuwah knows all that goes on in Heaven and on Earth, and most of what goes on in Hell, there are ways the Underworld veils some of what is happening and some of what they know. Gabrielle, Yahuwah didn’t know what role Mason’s bloodline would have. It’s all determined by Lucas’s decision. He doesn’t know which Lucas will choose. His hope is that Lucas’s choice will benefit Light—just as Ramai hopes it will benefit Darkness.

  ‘Yahuwah knows the Destroyer is coming, and He knows the battle is coming—it’s what our Lord agreed to. But He also agreed to let the Ramai have a certain amount of power in order for it to be a fair fight. Yahuwah won’t force anyone to follow Him. That’s part of what the Great War is all about, Gabrielle—free will and its effects. Whether good or bad. It’s how the battle’s victor will ultimately be decided.

  ‘Yahuwah could manipulate Lucas into the decision He wants, but it is Lucas’s decision to make. His heart aches for every one of His children, whether human or angel, who have fallen. He agreed not to sway the result of the battle with His Divine powers, but that doesn’t mean Yahuwah can’t try to lead someone down the path to Him.’

  Gabrielle was sure where this was going, now. Lucas was to be guided to stay on the path of Light with her help along with the rest of Yahuwah’s angels, which meant Ramai and his legions of demons were going to be trying to do the opposite. Obviously, if there was going to be a choice made by Lucas, there would be some victories for the side of Darkness that could make him consider becoming so malevolent.

  Now, she was also sure the excessive demonic activity in the city was due to Lucas, not her. More than that, she knew for sure that her suspicion about the meaning of the crows was true.

  Ramai is
keeping a close eye on Lucas.

  Amaziah’s words echoed in her mind again. Any with Divine blood could use the Book in the same way, whether Fallen or of mixed blood. He was preparing her, letting her know that, even though he was only part angel, Lucas would be able to do the same. It all depended on his choice.

  This was really, really bad.

  Her former love believed he would be the Destroyer, and he would obviously take lives to achieve it. If Javan found out who Lucas was, he’d try to kill him. And there was a good chance Javan could end up gaining the power he needed to reach his goal. Yahuwah’s angels were waiting to turn on Lucas, which she would also have to do if he didn’t resist the evil coming for him. Legions of Ramai’s demons would be trying everything they could to put bitterness and hatred in his heart, and then they would turn on Lucas if he wasn’t going the direction they wanted him to. And who could forget the Damned coming after him and his family? Gabrielle had a much better idea of why the last one would probably happen. If they hurt those Lucas loved, it might push him toward Ramai’s desired outcome. The vision of the attack on Lucas, Nonie, and Nate made perfect sense to her now.

  ‘So the battle has already started. But we aren’t fighting each other, yet. The battle is over Lucas’s mind … and ultimately his soul.’

  She glimpsed the reason Yahuwah put her in Lucas’s life, now, as well as why he decided to let her live on Earth and take on the task she had fought so long for. Gabrielle was determined not to let Darkness win. She wasn’t going to let Yahuwah or Lucas down.

  I love them both too much.

  She filled Amaziah in on all that had happened over the last few days. He was as concerned as she was about the Qalal, especially with the bigger picture about the role Lucas would play in front of them. He assured her he would do all he could to help her keep them safe but reminded her that Ramai could operate under a veil without their awareness or detection. He stressed to her that if the Qalal she saw in her vision were working with Ramai, it would be difficult to see them coming until they were already upon them—pointing out that he could camouflage any activities he saw as a benefit to achieving his goals.