by K. H. Pope
“Yes,” I answer. “She wanted you to get it for her.”
“Yep, she did. We went to the party late that night. It was a lot of fun, but then Mrs. Freland started acting weird, almost like she was out of her mind. I don’t know how to describe her actions, but she wasn’t herself. Another weird thing is that Dumas Police Chief was there with two other police officers, and they weren’t trying to break up the party. They were right in the middle of it, too.
“Anyway, when it was time for me to go on the reservation, Mrs. Freland gave me a book and told me to follow the directions. That’s what I did, and I thought I found the conduit. It was silver with yellow pits in it, but when I brought it back, it turned out to be the something else. It was a regular rock, and it was brown and falling apart in my hands.”
“How did she react?” John asks.
“She was insane. She made Officer Boyd and Officer Rossum hold me down. I thought they were going to kill me, but then she started doing some kind of chanting or singing or something.”
“That’s when she put you in the dimension trap?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Vanessa answers. “I thought I was lost in there forever. I thought no one would find me, but then I saw your face, Alice. I thought you were an illusion, but every once and a while I would see you. I hoped that you saw me.”
“I did see you,” I remark. “And I’m glad you’re safe. Well, we won’t hold you guys up any longer. We’ll be going.”
“Alice, is it true what I’ve heard about you?” Vanessa asks.
“What did you hear?” I ask as I shoot a glance over at John.
“Are you really a fallen angel?”
“Yes, I am. Does that bother you?”
“No, but I think it makes you kind of cool.”
“I’m not cool, Vanessa. I’m the reject of the worse kind.”
“No, you’re not. Heaven isn’t the same when angels fall.”
Comments like that coming from a kid so young are just remarkable. She leaves me speechless.
We say our good-byes to Vanessa and Olivia, and John and I take our leave. I wonder where Mr. Brenlich is. No matter. As long as Vanessa is safe at home, then all is good.
CHAPTER 50
John and I are going to the Nottowon Reservation, and I’m looking out the window at the passing barren desert. Life has gotten back to normal, sort of. People are out and about. Food is limited, but the grocery stores are trying to stock up. There’s still a fear that the Fellowship will attack, and they will. But no one knows when, except the person that controls them. I like seeing normalcy. That means life isn’t so hectic, so chaotic. That means blood will not be shed.
Halfway through the trip, John asks me about what I went through during the investigation. I tell him about being burned alive with white fire by Heather Ostberg Freland, Ammon rescuing me with a blazing tractor trailer, being in a warzone in Seoul, and breaking Conrad Freland’s bones. Also, I inform him about my run-in with Inspector Renald and Officer Kutto back at the Magi Elite interrogation room and Priscilla’s recent threat to kill me.
“Okay,” he says, “she doesn’t believe you. It’s best if you just stay away from her as much as possible.”
“I was planning on doing that, anyway.”
“You’ve been through some tough times, Alice. I wish I could have been there to help you.”
“Maybe, it was a good thing that you weren’t. You could have been killed.”
“I can hold my own.”
“I know you can.”
“What would you say if I wanted to join your detective agency?” John asks. “Would you let me be your partner?”
“I could use some help.”
“We will need a place to base our office.”
“I don’t want to be based anywhere.”
“Okay, you wouldn’t have to come to the office. You can still wander, but for our records, we would need office space. How about my house in Hosston?”
“I don’t know, John.”
“Do you have another place in mind?”
“No, not really.”
“Then Hosston it is,” he remarks.
I sigh. It’s time to stop avoiding the big elephant in the room, or in the car, that is. “John, how long have you and I been together?”
“Well, back in Louisiana, I believe I was with you for one day, and back here in Texas recently, almost a whole day.”
“And how much time in between those two days have we spent apart?” I ask.
“Six months.”
“What do you know about me?”
“I know that you’re a fallen angel. You don’t like to shake hands. You care about people. You like to travel the world and look at statues. You don’t like to eat. You rarely sleep. You can move things with your mind, harness energy and lightning, and you can drive a car.”
I laugh and nod my head. “That’s pretty good.”
“What do you know about me?”
“I know that you are from Louisiana. Your father is in Bora Bora. Your mother passed away, and she was a healer. You like to eat. You care about people and me, and you have the power of sound wave. You can also drive a car.”
He nods with a very impressed look and says, “That’s me in a nutshell.”
“John, we have to face reality. If we keep going with whatever this is and it gets more serious, then there will be a problem.”
“What problem?”
“You’re a wizard that’s still a human being that can age and die. I’m a fallen angel who can’t do either one. You want more out of this relationship, and I don’t know if I’m capable of doing that.”
“I don’t mind going slow, Alice.”
“John, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up about me. If you think it’s going to head down that road, then I think we need to back off. I mean, seriously, we need to draw a line between us.”
He doesn’t like what I’m saying, but he’s trying to accept what I’m saying.
“Your friendship means a lot to me, Alice. If that’s all there will be, then I’ll take it. It’s better than losing you.”
Hearing him say that makes me very happy. Now, I feel like there’s no pressure to build a relationship.
“Thank you, John.”
“You’re welcome,” he says. “Now, can we move on?”
“Yes, please.”
“So, what is this place like that we’re going to?”
“It’s an Indian reservation. You’ll see when we get there.”
The rest of the ride is quiet. It’s a moment for me to really think about what John said. He’s a good man, too good, and I think in the end, I will have to walk away from him. We will have to go on with our separate lives, but for now, I think I’ll keep him and enjoy him as a pleasant gift that life has bestowed on me. Honestly, I didn’t think fallen angels could receive any.
CHAPTER 51
Chief Natrik greets me in the courtyard. With him is Nullité, the bellhop I met in Paris, the very same person that I saw doing sign language to children the last time I was here. I’m surprised to see him, but it makes sense he lives here. He is a beautiful reflection of his people.
“Welcome back,” Chief Natrik says.
“Thank you. I would like for you to meet John Zuller.”
“It is nice to meet you, Chief Natrik,” John remarks as he shakes his hand.
“The same to you, and this is Tahe. He is a teacher to our little ones.”
He begins speaking with his hands.
Chief Natrik translates, “He saw you in the stars, and he knew you could save the quiescent ones. He says thank you for saving our people.”
“You’re welcome,” I say to him.
He nods with a bright smile.
“How did he know about me?” I ask the Chief.
“Like he just told you, he saw you in the stars. Tahe knows and sees many things.”
“He’s like you?” I ask.
“He’s better than me. He knows
things that no living human being should know. It’s the reason why he’s mute and can’t hear.”
“How did he get the dimension trap?”
“Tahe stole it. Took it from the witch and kept it until it was time to give to you.”
“Well, he is a hero,” I reply.
“He is a precious gift. So, the reason for you visit. I sense that you are here about something else.”
“I came back because I have something that I’m hoping you can take off my hands.”
John hands me a wooden box with my wing stumps inside. I had it hidden in Ammon’s house for months, and since Priscilla is not really on my side and she stays in that house most of the time, I took the box with me before leaving. I give it to the Chief.
Without opening it, he says, “This is what’s left of your wings.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Are you sure you want to give it to us?”
“Yes, I am. I have a feeling it will be put to good use here.”
Chief Natrik nods and walks to the other side of the courtyard where there is another entrance to the open land. John and I follow him. The scenery is so breathtaking. The grass is as green as one will find in warmer climates. There are small shrubs with a mixture of tumbleweeds that I haven’t noticed before. Little dandelions are in full bloom, speckled among the blades of grass. Butterflies, lady bugs, little armored pill bugs, and other insects have found their way out to this oasis. Life is amazingly abundant here.
He continues for half a mile or more and stops. He kneels down and opens the box. The chard stumps fall to the ground, and a white luminescent energy instantly flows from where it lands. Wind begins to blow. The angelic power is distributed into the soil and the plant life. At that moment, I know I made the right decision.
Chief Natrik raises his hands and sings. His tribespeople are coming out of their homes and going in large masses to where he’s standing. Their voices rise in unison. Their music is beautiful and mesmerizing.
“Alice, are you ready to go?” John asks.
“I am.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Have you ever been to Paris?”
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Alice (Shamira): Fallen angel
Adam Campana: normal kid
Ammon Seth: Senator of Witches and Wizards, wizard
Ashley Jones: World History Professor, normal
Attimus Grim: grim reaper
Conrad Freland: Mayor of Cactus, wizard
David Rossum: Dumas Police Officer, wizard
Death
Don Bererra: President Oliver’s assistant, wizard
Erica Markham: housewife, normal
Ethan Palmer: Dumas Police IT guru, normal
Frederick Oliver: Magi Elite President, wizard
Gaël Babineaux: polyglot, normal
Heather Ostberg Freland: Mayor’s wife, witch
Iven Renald: Magi Elite Inspector, Missing Persons Unit, wizard
Jacob Pike: wizard
Jim Rex: radio DJ, normal
John Zuller: wizard
Leon: chauffeur, normal
Matthew Boyd: Dumas Police Detective
Melissa Ostberg: Mayor’s daughter, witch
Mia Mews: Mayor’s secretary, normal
Michael Hunter: wizard
Nathaniel Morrow: doctor (professor), wizard
Natrik: Nottowon Chief
Nullité (Tahe): bellhop
Olivia Brenlich: Vanessa’s mother, normal
Peter Brenlich: Vanessa’s father, normal
Priscilla Oliver: President Oliver’s daughter, witch
Ryan Lacey: Dumas Police Chief, wizard
Sigurd: Tip’s guardian angel
Stephanie Campana: Adam’s mother, normal
Timothy Aleshire: Ammon’s butler, wizard
Tobius Conway (Tip): wizard
Vanessa Brenlich: victim
Virginia Kutto: Magi Elite Police Officer, Missing Persons Unit, witch
Willa Harlow: Supernatural tracker, witch
Xavier Bishop: Magi Elite Vice President, wizard
MENTIONED CHARACTERS
Allison Landon: normal
Amanda Brenlich: child, normal
Father Paul: St. Eligius Catholic Church, normal
Folly Whitcomb: wizard
Geoffrey Campana: pizza delivery man, normal
Jason Zuller: John’s brother
Theodore Timber: Vanessa’s friend, normal
LETTER FROM AUTHOR
Thank you for reading The Dimension Weaver. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. As you can tell, this story is a stand-alone, but continues the Alice the Fallen Mystery series. Other books will be coming, and I hope you return for more.
As a last note, I would like to invite you to leave feedback for this novel when you get a chance. Your constructive criticism and wonderful compliments are welcomed.
Thank you so much,
K.H. Pope
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PUBLISHED NOVELS
The Breanna Raven Series (written as Katarin Haley Pope)
Before the Road (Prequel to the Breanna Raven Series)
Road to Clover (First Book in the Breanna Raven Series)
Path to Agni (Second Book in the Breanna Raven Series)
Alice the Fallen Mystery Series
The Good Lady, Book 1
The Dimension Weaver, Book 2
The Witch’s Baby, Book 3*
The Guiltless, Book 4*
The Quietus, Book 5*
* Coming Soon