Racing out of town, a mixture of relief and confusion flooded me. I found it hard to process everything that was happening. My body was limp and sore from the beating it had taken in the back seat.
Feeling faint, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. Tannah and Jen proceed to have a coded conversation in the front seat, and I was sure there was no way to interpret it–so I didn’t bother.
Jen spoke in a concerned voice. “I know you’re pissed at him, but he did save us back there.” Tannah didn’t respond, and even though my eyes weren’t opened, I could feel her staring at me in the mirror. “Besides, you know that he’s the only one with the strength to do that,” Jen continued.
“His behavior is reckless,” Tannah said at last. “We’ll talk about it later.”
The last thing I remember, before unconsciousness took over, was the sound of Jen on her cell phone. “Yeah, meet us there in a few hours…” Then the sound was lost somewhere in the back of my mind as I gave in and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 11
Impostor
“I am here.” Scarlet appeared from a room to Tobias’ left.
“What happened? Why has the girl not been captured yet? I am running out of patience!” Tobias’ raging spooked the two men who stood at the door. They quietly backed into a darkened room and then disappeared.
“There was a complication. It seems that Kale has returned and is taking matters into his own hands. He intercepted Kano and stopped him before he could obtain her.” Scarlet spoke composed and controlled. Tobias could be unruly when angered, which only meant anyone close would suffer the consequences.
“I chose him because he could beat Kale. This is unacceptable.” His rage was on the verge of insanity. “He is plotting against me. His failure was deliberate.”
Scarlet took a moment to choose her words carefully. Although she knew Tobias better than anyone, he was unpredictable and irrational. The combination of the two was dangerous for even her. There was no doubt Scarlet was brilliant, but her skills would not help her to survive his wrath. “I do not believe that is the case. Kano would never lose a battle intentionally, especially one of this enormity. You should give him more credit than that.”
This did not settle well with Tobias at all. Next to where he stood sat a solid gold statue on a small table. He swiftly, lifted it and flung it across the room. The figure smashed loudly into the wall and broke in two. Then he turned his attention to Scarlet. He was still furious and was only getting more heated as his mind began running scenarios. “You loathed him, and now you stand here defending him. Your loyalty is with him…, you have joined sides against me.”
His movement was fast and unexpected. Using the back of his hand, he swung roughly, hitting Scarlet in the face. She staggered back. The force of the blow was hard enough to split the skin over her cheek.
Scarlet used her finger to wipe the blood from her face and then held it out to look at the red tinge that covered the tip. Fury consumed her–she would not tolerate Tobias’ accusations.
Her voice was icy and scorn. “Loyalty? I have done the unimaginable for you. I have done things for you that, you yourself, couldn’t stomach. How dare you question my loyalty?” Scarlet stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at him. “If you ever accuse me of treachery again, I will cut your tongue out while you sleep.”
Watching her intently, the muscles in Tobias’ face began to relax. Her words, although threatening, now calmed him. However, he would not be threatened. “As I will do to you,” he said with a smirk. Scarlet remained still and did not respond.
Tobias went on. “I do not trust Kano. Too much time has passed, and he should have completed his task by now. There is something strange about him. He is not one of us… he is something else.”
“What are you saying?” Scarlet was interested in what Tobias meant. In her mind Kano was no different.
“I have seen many Fallen and many Angels of Treason. He is like none of us.”
Scarlet wasn’t sure if this was part of Tobias’ paranoia. “I think you are overreacting.”
“I am not overreacting!” he shouted. “You are ignorant of those who surround you. Regardless of what you think, I want him killed after he brings me the girl.”
“Of course.” Scarlet nodded her head, agreeing before she left.
***
“What do you want?” Kano asked as he heard Scarlet creep up behind him. His arm was stretched out while eyeing the end of the arrow, held against his bow.
“Practicing before you get the real thing, I see.” Scarlet grinned. The back of the monastery had a large ground before it touched the woods. She had found Kano using a nearby tree as a target.
Still holding the bow stretched out, Kano turned to Scarlet with the arrow pointing at her head. “Most would not irritate the one who holds the weapon.”
“One would think,” she chuckled. “Tobias doesn’t seem to trust you. Something about you has him spooked.”
Kano eased the tension in the bow and lowered it by his side. “I find that entertaining. It seems he should be more worried about you.”
Scarlet’s smile disappeared as her face tightened. “How so?”
“It was you that told me of Mland’s death. I believe she was a favorite of your lord’s. Was she not?”
“Hmmm… I would think that you were correct in believing that. So is that your plan…, to go tell Tobias that I have betrayed him?” Her intention was not for an answer, but to understand Kano’s objective.
“I could not care less about your lovers’ quarrel. I simply want my payment. I will keep my word. You will have the Arch delivered to you,” Kano said.
“Good. I’m glad we have an understanding. We will keep our end of the bargain as well.”
Kano quickly lifted the bow up level with his shoulder, and with a single fluid motion, he pulled back and released the arrow. The arrow shot through the air and lodged into a tree at the edge of the woods. Kano gave Scarlet one glance before whisking by her and into the building.
***
Scarlet looked cautiously down the hallway before she pushed the door to Tobias’ chambers opened. She slipped inside and paused. Tobias’ quarters were located away from the rest of the rooms and were off limits to everyone.
Walking the room in circles, she wasn’t sure where to begin. She rummaged through the small table near the door, and then she moved on to the fireplace. She looked over everything–the chairs, under the single rug, she even checked the walls for any variance in the stone. However, she couldn’t find what she was looking for.
At the bed, Scarlet sat down to think. Just then, she noticed the exotic headboard attached to the bed. It was skillfully hand carved out of sequoia wood and had diamonds encrusted along the edges. One thing seemed out of place. Near the bottom, one of the carvings was of the jackal-headed Egyptian God, Anubis. This stuck out to her because all the other carvings were from Roman ideals, but Anubis was from the Greek.
She examined the detail closely–running her fingers across it. At the tip of the ear, there was a small crack in the wood. Scarlet placed her fingernail in and popped the figure out of the headboard. Inside the cutout, was a small vial of green liquid.
Pulling out the vial, Scarlet opened it and sniffed. She held it out in front of her to peer at it. “Qeres,” she said, in an almost silenced tone.
Scarlet heard footsteps outside the door and swiftly slipped the vial into the cutout, placing the Anubis figure back into place. She turned quickly, facing Tobias as he walked through the door.
“Scarlet…, what are you doing here?”
She stayed seated on the bed, looking at him intently. “I’ve spoken with Kano. I wanted to be sure he understood the importance of his job. I believe he is clear on what is expected of him.”
“You came here to tell me this? It was understood that you would take care of this. I did not need a report.” Tobias scowled.
“I came to see what you would like for me to do
with the Arch once we’ve captured her and brought her here.”
This now frustrated Tobias. He had already given Scarlet her orders, and his orders were never forgotten. “You are well aware of what to do. You prepare her for the ritual.” His words were short and harsh.
Scarlet smirked at him. “I just wanted to be sure. Nevertheless, I am curious… are you certain this ritual will work?”
“Are you worried about where you will rank when it does?” Tobias was inquisitive. He knew Scarlet would not be pleased once the ritual was completed.
“There is no competition,” she stated in a tone that only spoke certainty.
Tobias walked over and stood in front her. He placed his fingers under her chin with a tight grip, which was almost painful. Leaning down, he held his lips within an inch of hers. His tone was condescending. “Tell me that you do not worry about where you will stand after all of this.” Scarlet didn’t wince under the pressure of his grip, nor did she justify his question with a response.
He continued, “Why are you really here? Are your hopes that we will pick up where we left off? That I will now want you?” His breath was hot on her lips.
Just when she thought he was about to kiss her, she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back. Scarlet was clever with her words. “I would never expect you to stoop so low again.” She smiled and slipped off of the bed as she walked over to the door.
“Scarlet,” Tobias called. She stopped before exiting but didn’t turn to face him. “I still want Kano dead after this. I don’t want any loose ends.”
“I understand,” Scarlet said as she sauntered through the door.
Once Scarlet was clear of Tobias’ chambers, she calmly looked around to be sure she was alone. And with that…, she morphed and changed in a man wearing a white cloak.
Kano had shifted into Scarlet’s form, pretending to be her. He had wanted to know what Tobias’ plan was, and now, he was quite aware of what he was doing and why Tobias needed the Arch.
Chapter 12
Arch
I awoke later to the car turning onto a dirt road that was canopied with trees. The road led to a large clearing by the water.
Car doors opened and closed, making me stir and exit. Tannah and Jen led me to a fishing boat that was tied to the end of a dock.
“Hop on,” Tannah said. I climbed in and sat near the bow. I drew my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, cradling myself.
“Where are we going?” I asked, hardly audible. I was watching Tannah and was waiting for an answer, when Jen spoke up.
“Somewhere safe.” She smiled, trying to easy my mind, but it didn’t work.
Tannah started the boat, and we began to move. I realized at that point any more questions would have to wait; any sound would have been stolen by the wind as we drove. This only left me the ability to think. The image of the man chasing us was burned into my brain, and I couldn’t shake it. What was he? Why was he after me? These were the questions I asked myself and had no answers to.
I turned my thoughts to other things–Jackson’s motionless body that lay on the sidewalk in front of the diner. It was the first time I realized I didn’t really know that much about him. I wondered if he had family that would miss him–was he someone’s dad or husband or brother? I felt ashamed that this was not something I could answer either. We had worked together for years, and I never took the time to find out. It made me wonder if something happened to me, who would miss me? Gage’s smiling face popped into my head, and a false sense of safety came over me. This morning while walking to work, he was all I could think about. I had decided that I wanted to be with him. He had been the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. I could admit this to myself now. Sinking in my seat, dread filled me. What now? Would I ever see him again? My heart felt like it was splitting. I should have told him how I felt because now, he may never know.
We drove for miles into the sea, until no land was visible around us. The salt in the air was strong and burned my nose when I inhaled. The wind whipping at my face stung my eyes.
Up ahead, in the distance, I could see a landmass, and as we got closer, I could make out its rocky formation. Although rocks cluttered the shore, it appeared to be a flat Island–and a small one at that. In the center of it was a large stone castle, something you might have seen from a different time. Its walls were made of dark gray stone, and the texture was rough and jagged. The grounds around it were covered with lush green grass, and there were tall beautiful trees–bearing fruit–that shaded the walkway to the front entrance. This tiny kingdom was a lost paradise in the middle of an enormous sea.
We walked to the entrance. Tannah and Jen use their strength simultaneously to open the doors. The sound of our footsteps echoed through the antechamber and seemed to carry on forever. The walls inside were made up of the same stone that covered the outside, and the halls were lined with huge paintings from a Victorian era. The only light was that of candles burning held by sconces mounted on the walls. The smell reminded me a lot of what it smelled like at the diner when I entered the walk-in freezer–cold and isolated.
“In here,” Tannah said, pointing to one of the rooms off the main hall. When I walked in I saw Gage standing by the fireplace, arms draped behind him and basking in the warmth.
“Gage!” I shouted as I ran to him. The room seemed to grow, and it felt like it took forever to reach him. His arms folded around me the moment our bodies touched. I held him so tight that I was sure my grip would leave a mark.
I buried my face in his chest and cried uncontrollably. I couldn’t hold it back any longer, and seeing him was such a relief. “I thought I’d never see you again,” I said, with my head still on his chest. Gage squeezed me tighter and used one of his hands to stroke my hair. “Az, I was so worried about you.”
“When I left you this morning…,” I stopped myself from finishing and looked up at him. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite understand. I backed away, and his hands dropped to his side. “What are you doing here? How’d you…?” Then I looked around the room at Tannah and Jen’s faces. All of them seemed to have the same expression.
I was confused and angry. “Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?” Gage reached his hand out, offering another embrace, but I continued to back away slowly.
Tannah broke the silence, causing me to turn to her. “It is time to tell you about your future.” I looked at her strangely. She began to speak extremely proper and now acquiring an accent that I didn’t recognize. “Long ago before this lifetime, other lifetimes in other realms were created. They would be known to you as, The Seven Heavens. For every heaven that was created, a single earth was created in its image. Each heaven was inhabited by an assigned number of angels, and each earth was inhabited by an assigned number of creatures that possessed a single soul. Each creature had its own divine power. The angels possessed the power of immortality. The earth creatures were unaware of the greater good, but had the power to choose righteousness over evil. The angels were given supremacy to judge each earth bound being upon destruction of the earth. It was then that the angels would allow the beings to enter each heaven–under the complete direction of the Grand Master–as a spirit, if they had been proven untainted. However, there were a number of chosen. They were sealed and given the gift of becoming the next angels to the new heaven. The one forty-four were marked on their foreheads and given a stone. This was their rite of passage to the next heaven. And out of the one forty-four, an Archangel was chosen to lead the angels in their new quest. You, Azaleigh, are that Arch.”
Silence fell for a moment while I processed what she was saying. “You can’t be serious.” I looked over at Jen and Gage for their reaction. Their faces were grave and did not dispute what Tannah was saying. “Me? Why me?”
“Yes, you Azaleigh,” she replied.
“What makes you think it’s me? I mean you can’t know for sure,” I argued.
Tannah continue
d, “You have already received the stone. This is your key to the next heaven.”
“How am I going to lead one hundred and forty-four people? I can barely take care of myself.”
“Not one hundred and forty-four…, one hundred and forty-four thousand. They are known as the one forty-four,” Tannah corrected.
Everyone stood silently while I collected my thoughts. This left me with a lot of questions. “Am I an angel now?”
“No, but you will become one–a very important one,” Tannah added.
“When?” After asking, I was afraid to hear the answer.
“None of us know for sure. That is decided by a higher power.”
“Do I have to die first?” I asked as I took a gulp of air.
Tannah smiled at first but then straightened her lips again. “No. At some point you will stop aging. But for now, you are human and can be harm or even killed.”
This time I spoke very low. “What happens if I’m killed first?”
If possible the room became even more soundless. I could feel this was a question that touched on something deeper than I could comprehend.
“Then a replacement will be chosen which could take centuries. However, Azaleigh, we are here to stop that. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Tannah’s voice was confident, but unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the same. I wondered how honest she was being with me.
“Is that why someone is trying to kill me?”
“Some believe there is a ritual that can remove the existence of an Arch from this earth for eternity. We believe this is why they want you, but we are not positive. Arch’s can be used for many things,” she explained.
“Is that true?”
“We do not put our faith in the same beliefs as those of evil. They are wicked and only lust for power. Our faith comes from a higher supremacy that values goodness.” I could tell she was avoiding the question. I didn’t want to push it anymore, because honestly, I wished I had never asked.
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