The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3

by Valerie Roeseler

  I realize I must have known Michael before my wreck. I question when and what it has to do with Lilith or my Father.

  I soar through my memories, finding myself in the basement of the Harris’ home as I had dreamt before. It’s dark as I hide along the edge of the steps coming down. I cower in the shadows, a child no older than nine-years-old.

  Frank Harris is in a daze, wavering on his feet as Lilith circles around him slowly. She whispers into his ear with flirtatious touches. Her words hang in the air, “She doesn’t love you like I do. She won’t let you have me. Doesn’t that make you angry? She should be put out of her misery. You would be so much happier.”

  I step out from the darkness, scared that my father was in danger from her, “Daddy?”

  Suddenly, Lilith’s intensely green eyes encompass my vision. She purrs, “Oh, my sweet girl. Do you know who I am?” My heart is pounding with fear. I can’t answer over the nervous fluttering within my core. She coos, “I’m your real mother…” Her features contort into anger, her green irises darkening, “Not that useless twit upstairs.”

  Azrael appears by my father, tearing my focus away from Lilith. Frank steps back, sweat breaking over his brow. Azrael roars, “You have no right to be here!”

  Lilith spins on him, “I have every right! She’s as much my daughter as yours! Michael promised me I could keep her!”

  The basement begins to shake as Azrael counters, “Michael would never promise you anything! We do not make deals with Darkness!”

  Lilith screams, “You know nothing!”

  Azrael attempts to calm her, his tentative steps closing in, “Tell me. What do I not know?”

  She admits, “He came to me of his own free will. We lay together many times. He promised if I helped him create a being to destroy the Horsemen of the Apocalypse that I would be granted forgiveness and brought back to Paradise.”

  “Blasphemy!” Azrael rages, the mortar of the house falling as it quakes.

  “It’s true!” she contends. “He would not lay with me for his purpose because he didn’t want to be connected. He told me to choose a Son of Light who would be powerful enough. He vowed to give the child echoes of abilities to ensure its success.”

  Azrael questions, “How did you find her?”

  Lilith alleges, “You took her from me. I have scoured this earth to find her.” She points to Frank, “I’ve ensured she will be taken from this family. I’ve placed resentment in his heart and crafted the hatred in his mind. He will be a belligerent drunk, and she will be taken away. I will save her. She is mine.”

  Michael appears, taking hold of both Azrael and Lilith. They disappear in a flash. I curl into a ball on the floor, crying, my father none the wiser as he continues to sway on his feet.

  Michael comes back, picking me up from the ground. He carries me up the stairs to my room and tucks me into bed. When my eyes meet his, he smiles, placing a hand on my forehead, “This will never be spoken of.” His hand warms against my skin, and I fall asleep dreaming of kittens and rainbows.

  Chapter 27

  There’s so much blood surrounding me when I open my eyes. My exhausted mind and body go limp in Solas’ arms. He has seen everything as I have. I can’t force the words from my mouth, but he speaks for me. Fury fills his blue eyes, darkening them, “This was all because of him.”

  I nod my head, my body attempting to heal itself from the torment I forced it through. Solas carries me to the bathroom. He props me against the counter as he fills his hand with water. I drink from his palm, thankful for the freshness trailing down my throat. He wets a washcloth and begins to clean the blood away. I grasp his wrist to stop him. He searches my eyes. My voice rasps, “No one will believe us.”

  He is confident in his declaration, “Your father will. He has a ward blocking his memory as well. If you tell him what you know, it will trigger his memory and break the ward.”

  I hop off the counter, not worrying about the state I appear to be in and head for the door. “We need to do this before the Originals return.”

  I begin to holler through the corridors, not caring who may hear, “Dad!” I want everyone to know what a traitor Michael is. I know my memories are not the only thing he has been hiding. I want to know the truth.

  Solas stops me in the corridor, spinning me around to face him. The torchlight gives his features hard angles, yet his eyes remain bright. “Ivy, I can contact him. There is no sense in alerting the entire mountain.”

  I backfire, “Then do it!” Turning away to find my father, I mumble, “It’s not like anyone is here anyway.” I don’t regret sending the legion away. I’m glad they are not here for this. I don’t doubt that Michael would punish them because of me.

  Solas informs me, “The Throne Room.”

  Azrael meets us there, and I insist for him to follow me into the dungeons. He reads the urgency across my face, “What is going on, daughter?”

  I put a finger to my lips, requesting his silence until we can have complete privacy. I lead him and Solas into one of the training rooms below. Heavy bags and weapons line the perimeter. Solas places a ward on the doorway. It glows a bright blue with intricate lines and curves.

  Azrael’s attention snaps from Solas to me. “We are able to speak freely now. Tell me what is wrong.”

  I pace before him, kneading my hands, “I know who placed the ward on my mind. I remembered what they didn’t want me to.”

  “Who?” he demands.

  I cease my stride to face him, dropping my hands to my side. I search his eyes for what could be doubt as I profess, “Michael.”

  My father’s expression is impassive. I can’t discern whether he believes me until he questions, “I want to trust that you have evidence against him before you have condemned The Creator’s right-hand. The punishment for such a blasphemous offense is beyond any you or I would wish upon our worst enemies.”

  Solas backs my claim, “We have evidence that he has placed a ward on your memories as well. You have been blocked from remembering the exact moment in time as Ivy.”

  I add, “I’m positive that the ward broke the day of my wreck. I remember him being my doctor in the hospital. The scar on my side isn’t from the wreck at all. It’s from Michael replacing the ward where it would never be found.”

  Azrael stiffens his posture, “If you believe this, the truth will break the ward placed on me.” I hesitate, worried it may hurt him. “Tell me. If Michael has done what you claim, Dominions need to be notified immediately.”

  My hands shake with nerves. I fist them at my sides and take a deep breath. “You know how the prophecy of Teloch occurred after I was created?” Azrael doesn’t respond, only waits for me to get to the point. “I think it’s because it was Michael’s choices that brought it to fruition. He made a deal with Lilith to help him create me. In return, he promised her Paradise again. He is not my father because he wanted no trace to be led to him. He sent Lilith to find someone powerful enough to conceive a child with her.” The pain in my father’s eyes is hidden as he squeezes them shut. I confirm, “That was you. She used you.”

  Azrael’s hand tremors as he lifts them to wipe the blood from his nose. His focus stays with his hand as he admits, “I remember.”

  “You do?” I marvel.

  His violet eyes glisten when he looks to me. His voice is hoarse. “You were such a fragile thing. I had no idea Lilith had found you. Something itched in the back of my mind, and I felt I should check on you. I never recognized the Darkness influencing your adoptive father’s troubles. I cannot apologize enough for that.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I promise him. “It was Michael’s. It was all Michael.”

  “There is more I remember. I kept a close eye on you for three years, though there was nothing I could do to save you from Frank Harris. I remember a day when you had just turned twelve. Ruth had allowed you to ride your bike up and down the street. It was a quiet day. Ruth was gardening in the front yard with large sunglasses
and a wide hat to cover the bruises on her face. I watched you from a distance.

  “Michael approached me, and I thought he would command me to leave. We had placed you there to hide you. My constant presence could have compromised that if I were followed.” He regards Solas, “Before Michael could demand that I leave, I asked, ‘How long do you expect her to last in this environment?’ He agreed that it would not be much longer before Frank destroyed her or she would destroy herself.

  “He implied that she needed a guardian, and I suggested you, Solas. You were the only one able to disguise themselves to get close enough and keep her safe. I fear it is my doing that placed you in the position to fall.”

  Solas places a comforting hand on my father’s shoulder. He guarantees him, “You couldn’t have known I would fall in love with your daughter. I don’t regret a moment of my time with her. You should see the clarity of events by now. If I had not fallen, I never would have been placed in Beleth’s Legion. I never would have been able to help her escape him.”

  A thought comes to mind, and I whisper, “The Griffins.”

  Solas confirms, “Yes, their fall was for the same purpose. All along, they were for you. Everything has happened for a reason.”

  I cross-examine, “But the Griffins were created long before I was conceived.”

  He shrugs a shoulder. “Yet it was crucial that they were part of Beleth’s Legion.”

  Azrael affirms, “The Creator’s plan for us is more than we can comprehend.”

  I wonder, “What do we do now? Is placing a ward on us to block our memories enough to have Dominions question Michael?”

  My father’s features converge. “It is more than enough. With both of our memories, we can prove that Michael had conspired with Darkness against the will of The Creator to create a weapon he ultimately wanted control of.”

  Solas announces, “All we need to seal his fate is his confession.”

  “How do we do that? He’s in Paradise,” I remind him.

  Azrael states, “We need the other Originals to be confident in the truth we give them. We can begin with separating them from Paradise. Evelyn can call upon Camael to return if we can persuade her.”

  Solas notes, “She has been a friend to Michael for a long time. It will be easier said than done.”

  I request for Solas to have Jack and his mother meet us in the Throne Room. Evelyn greets me with a motherly hug, then takes my face between her hands, “How are you feeling, dear?”

  My eyes transfer back and forth between her and Jack. I swallow hard, hoping she can see reason. “I have something to tell you, but I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.”

  Evelyn tilts her head to the side, her brows furrowing. She promises, “Whatever you’ve done, I’m sure we will get through it as we have before.”

  My heart sinks with guilt to the pit of my stomach. “It wasn’t me this time,” I report with dejection. Evelyn reviews Jack beside her. I swiftly reflect, “It wasn’t Jack either.” I wait for her to look me in the eyes. “It was Michael.”

  She releases a heavy breath, tension leaving her body. “Ivy, I don’t know why you and Michael have butted heads since day one, but he—”

  My father stops her before she can validate Michaels righteousness, “He has betrayed the Light.”

  Her eyes broaden with disbelief. There’s conviction in her tone, “He would never.”

  Solas attempts to explain, “Michael knowingly contributed to Ivy’s creation.”

  Jack remarks, “We know. He and all of the Originals contributed their abilities to ensure her success in defeating the Horsemen.”

  I shake my head, “No. It was his idea to create me in the first place. He lied to Lilith and promised her Paradise again if she would help him.”

  Evelyn repeats louder, stepping back from me, “He would never!”

  Azrael testifies, “It is the truth, Evelyn. He placed a ward on Ivy’s memories and my own. We remembered everything he has kept from us.”

  I offer my hands, “I can show you.”

  Jack advances toward me, “Show me as well.”

  I take his hand and linger as Evelyn hesitates. I coax her, “Would you rather continue to be ignorant of his transgressions or know the truth?”

  Her fingertips deliberately reach for my hand. When they touch, I close my eyes, allowing my Darkness to rise and empower my ability to give them my memories. I show them the Harris’ basement where I discovered Lilith and Frank. My father appears, and they begin yelling at each other. Michael appears as my father had. He takes me upstairs to my childhood room and places the first ward on my mind.

  The memory morphs to when I wrecked my car and was hanging upside down against a tree, calling for Gideon’s help. I woke in the hospital and Michael posing as my doctor to replace the broken ward.

  As the memory fades, I release Jack and Evelyn’s hands. Jack’s rage rolls off him in waves. Evelyn appears startled. She blinks at me a moment, then regards the floor, shaking her head. Her hands cover her mouth, and I watch as a tear falls to the ground, leaving her lashes wet. The pain is evident in the scratch of her voice, “I’m so sorry.”

  I reassure her, “I’m sorry. I know he is your friend, but I’m afraid of what he will do now that the Horsemen are gone. I believe he had other plans for my creation before the prophecy of the Horsemen came along. He could be at the summit with Dominions to convince them of whatever that reason is.”

  Solas muses, “You believe he wanted to control you from the beginning?”

  I nod in agreement. “Absolutely. He had done all that he could from the beginning to ensure that he was in control of what I did when I did it, and it was what he wanted. Every time I had done something he didn’t like, I was punished.”

  Jack demands his mother, “Call Father. He needs to know. He will help us capture Michael and can take him to Dominions to be judged.”

  Azrael claims, “If I were to appear at the summit, they would know something is amiss.”

  I marvel, “You can call him to you?”

  Evelyn straightens her spine, wipes the tears from her eyes and releases her wings. They flutter from their arches to their tips with beautiful jade iridescence as they settle. She confirms, “When you are bound completely…” She plucks a feather from her left wing, then conceals them inside herself again. She digs the tip of her quill into the palm of her hand, between her thumb and forefinger, “You will always feel each other’s pain.”

  Blood whelps at the wound, a single drop of bright crimson. The wound heals just as quickly as it was created. I wonder, “How long will it take for him to get here?”

  She stresses, “He will feel the pain as I have. The location of the pain is a way for us to tell each other what we need. He will be here within a few minutes. We must pray he comes alone.”

  We wait on pins and needles for nine minutes until Camael arrives. He voices his irritation once he comprehends the lot of us expecting him. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Evelyn hastens, “Cam, it’s Michael.”

  Camael speaks before she can continue, “What of him? He is with Dominions, wrapping up the summit. He will be here soon.”

  I look to my father expectantly. He lowly gestures for me to be patient, so I let Evelyn explain.

  She eases, “Cam, honey. Michael has betrayed us. He has gone against the will of the Light and made a deal with Lilith.”

  Camael scoffs, “Michael would never make a deal with Lilith. She is in Purgatory at the moment as well. How would he make a deal with her?”

  Evelyn takes one of his hands in both of hers, “Before she was captured. The deal was made long ago.”

  Azrael speaks up, “He placed a ward on Ivy’s mind and my own so we would not remember. Lilith told us of the deal he made with her to give her Paradise again if she helped him create Ivy. Michael did all he could to cover the past from us, but Ivy has remembered.”

  Jack mentions, “Ivy has shown Mother and me the mem
ories he blocked from her. She has proof.”

  Camael turns to me fully. “I need this proof.”

  I place my hands on Camael’s shoulders and close my eyes. I flood his mind with the same memories I gave to Evelyn and Jack. He pulls away from my angrily, pacing before us.

  My father beseeches, “Will you help us capture him and send him to Dominions to be judged?”

  The whirr of Camael’s boots across the floor cease. He addresses Solas, “Place wards around the room. He will be here any minute. We don’t want him to be able to leave.”

  I add, “Can you have the others guard the door? Just in case?”

  Solas guarantees Michael will not be able to leave once he arrives. I watch him whisk around the expansive room placing wards upon wards until the Throne Room is more illuminated with a blue glow than the normal orange of torchlight.

  My father explains to Camael more detail of the night in the Harris’ basement. Jack comes to my side with question in his expression. I apologize, “I’m sorry, Jack. I know he’s like a father to you.”

  Jack assesses me a moment. “You don’t think it was Lucifer posing as Michael to set him up, do you—as he did to Telly?”

  I shake my head in negation, “No. The ward on my memories was clearly the doing of an Original Archangel; It was green. Only Cherubim and Original Archangels can create wards. A Cherubim ward is always blue. An Original’s ward is always green. Plus, you saw him place the first and second memory ward on me by himself. If it had been Lucifer, he would have had Mephistopheles place the ward for him.”

  I delve into his beautiful green eyes, and his sadness grips me. I want to reach out to him in comfort, yet the truth I unveiled to him is responsible for his sorrow. Jack brushes his fingertips along my cheek. “I’m sorry he did this to you. It’s hard to believe, but we won’t let him get away with it.”

  “I hope so,” I mumble.