by Lynn Landes
Inside is an enormous cavern with rows and rows of the Fallen, all stomping and chanting in unanimous accord, “Skin Him, Skin Him, Skin Him!” The very volcano itself seems to breathe in time to the rhythm of their hate. The ground beneath her rumbles with their pounding feet. From her ledge Elina looks down and screams a silent scream.
Malach is kneeling on the rocky ground. With his head down, his long black hair shields his beautiful face as his blue wings look broken and bloody, drooping in defeat. His wrists are shackled; his arms are chained to the floor, and his body is riddled with wounds seeping fresh blood.
"My Sons," a deep voice calls out in triumph, "I have brought you a gift!"
The Fallen cheer wildly, continuing their chant again. They fall silent in a moment at his raised hand.
"Did you think I had forgotten you? NEVER!!" he roars! “Today I bring you a promise. You will be free from this prison and we will claim our rightful place and all in Heaven and on Earth will fear us!!!!”
Waves of deafening cheers spill out rolling over Elina, but she hears only the sound of her breaking heart. The voice walks into view and her heart stops.
"It can't be!" she whispers in horror.
Micah, the medicine man from her village, stands laughing. He grabs Malach by his hair and jerks his head back revealing the true depths of Hell on Earth. His beautiful emerald eyes are gone, gouged from his face, leaving only a dried, bloody trail. A deep rumble in the volcano masks Elina’s scream.
"If only you could see this, it really is beautiful. Poor angel, you are just the bait for the real prize."
"They won't come." Malach says in a gravelly voice.
"Really, humans are so predictable, especially the females!" Laughing, he continues, "It really is funny to see an angel in love with a human. You judge us, condemn us, leave us to be tortured, but you are just as guilty as the rest with your coveting of her. We see, even if you cannot, the way you crave her body, her spirit, and her freedom. Tell me I am wrong?" he whispers in his ear.
"No,” Elina moans, her tears pouring unchecked. "What have I done?"
Malach shakes his head and roars, "I Will Not Fall as You Did!” Struggling against his chains, “I will not Fall!!!” he screams again
“Why do you think you are here, Brother? You have been forsaken.” They all laugh at him. Releasing his head, Micah turns to look directly at where Elina hides.
“Your precious Keeper will be mine, just as her brother was! I will take pleasure in her screams for mercy, and when she thinks she can take no more, I will give her your eyes and wings! When I am through with her, I will eat her heart and take her power just as I did her brother.
"My children” Micah roars "Save his wings for ME!!”
Like a wave, they fall on him, ripping him to pieces and Elina's screams free her from her nightmare!
She jumps out of bed, runs to the bathroom and empties her stomach. She rinses her mouth and she rushes back to her room. Elina begins dressing whimpering, “Follow the thread, follow the thread,” she chants as she hurries to write a note. “Need paper, where is some paper? Damn!” she says digging through the nightstand drawer. When she turns to leave, she sees Ruby standing in the doorway.
“Elina, I thought I heard you; are you okay?” she asks noting the panicked look in her daughter’s eyes. Elina raises a trembling hand to her black hair to push it back and looks at the woman who has been her mother for so long. She begins to cry.
“I have to follow the thread, Mom. I have to follow it now!” Ruby hurries to Elina and pulls her daughter into a hug to give what comfort she can.
“Tell me what you saw, Elina” Ruby says while guiding her to the bed, and sitting with her, she waits for Elina to speak.
“It was Malach. He was in Hell! It was my fault. He fell because of me. Mom, I thought if I stayed away from him, it would go away.” Looking at her mother, her turquoise eyes fill with tears again. She holds up her hands, and lifts them asking, “I have so much power given to me, Why is this so hard? It should be easy to make this need go away.”
“You are human,” Ruby tells her grasping her hands. “We are made in the image of our Father, God. To Love is the gift we are given and the gift we give to others. Angels were created to serve our God. They do not understand human emotions: jealousy, rage, hatred, envy, lust, love, or greed.”
“I thought that too, I did,” she says jumping up pacing back and forth in the small room. “I have told myself that he cannot return my feelings, but he does! The more I am with him, the more tainted he becomes. Mom he feels everything; jealousy, rage, and lust and it is because of me. I am like a sickness.” Lowering to her knees on the rug in front of her mother, she says desperately, “Can you remove it, Mom? Please?” she begs her. “Take it away,” she says holding up her hands toward heaven, “This sick desire for him.” With a fist to her heart she cries desperately, “Help me save him!”
“I’m sorry I don’t have that power, Elina,” she says gently touching her daughter’s face.
Elina drops her head to her mother’s knees and weeps, “Then I have to leave.” She stands and grabs a tissue to clean her face. After everything that has happened Elina knows she has to go.
“That is a little drastic, Elina. We can figure this out together,” she says getting frustrated now. “You are upset, why don’t you sleep on it and we will talk about this in the morning. You have been through so much today. I am sure the others will be able to help you.”
Looking at her mother, she knows they will all try to stop her. “You are right, I should rest. It has been a crazy day!” she says with a clear path in her mind. “Thank you for listening, Mom.”
“Always, Elina I love you,” as she kisses her on her forehead. “You are sure you’re okay?
“I am okay now, truly. Things will be clearer in the morning.”
After her mother leaves, Elina feels bad about lying to her. “I have to follow the thread and time is up.” Carefully she sits on the bed holding her bible in her lap, and lays a hand on it. Prayerfully, she looks up and talks to her Maker.
“Father, help me! You said to call upon the name of the Lord, and I shall be delivered. I call upon, you. Deliver me! I am desperate,” she cries out through tears. “Have mercy on me, Oh God. Wash these impure thoughts from my soul. Make me whole again. My sin is ever before me, but I want to be what you desire me to be. Guide my thoughts and path so I can be your instrument in these dark times. Amen.”
Outside her window, an owl hoots, breaking her from her prayer. Drawn to the window, Elina looks out and watches as a large owl flies from a tree towards the yard. Shifting form in midflight, the angel lands softly and waits for her. Elina hurries to grab her coat. She goes outside and is surprised to see that he is Indian. He is large as all angels are, with tan skin and silky black hair. His yellow eyes seem to read her soul as he spreads his beautiful striped lush wings.
“I am Nameed,” he says bowing to her. “You called and I have been sent to help guide you.”
“How are you going to help me?” Elina asks.
“The answers you seek are not here in this time but in another. When we get close, you will be able to follow the thread and find a Keeper who can help you complete your task. If you are ready, we will leave now.” The angel holds out his hand and smiles slightly as she hesitates.
Loyal to Malach, she is not sure how she feels about flying with another angel. “How will my Aunt Polly feel if she knows you are here?” His smile fades as she grabs his hand, for a second she feels the pain and longing he carries. Her heart breaks for him and she sighs, “Are none of us free then?” As she looks up into his dark eyes, she says, “The sooner I complete my task the sooner we will all be free.”
With no warning, he snaps his arms around her waist and shoots straight up into the night sky. Elina clutches her arms tightly around his neck and tries to keep her eyes open as a bright light surrounds them. The higher they rise the brighter the light becomes, u
ntil soon she is forced to close her eyes against it. As they fly through time and space, she closes her eyes and sleeps knowing she will need the rest for whatever the future holds.
After they all realize that Elina has left them, Jake feels useless and angry. Why was he given this gift if not to help Elina? Jake has felt adrift and lost since leaving the military. He knows his duty is to the country he loves and to his brothers in arms. Now he feels his duty is as a Keeper of Humanity. He needs to train to become stronger and learn how to use his gift to help others. Sitting around at Polly’s while others do the work is driving him crazy. With Elsbeth locked in her room for days now working on the pieces that Elina asked her to make, Hunter busy with his son Alex, and Elina off doing whatever it is she does, Jake realizes he needs to find his place.
His cell phone rings shaking him out of his melancholy. Glancing at the screen he sees Seth’s name. “Hey, Cowboy” Jake answers with a smile.
“Hi Cap, we have a problem. Lucas called. He is frantic and I can’t get to the mainland fast enough. Jake, you are closer to him. Can you drop what you are doing and go meet him at his place ASAP? He sounds bad.” A few minutes later, after working out the details with Seth, Jake goes to pack a bag and find Elsbeth to tell her what is going on. After hearing about Lucas, she decides to go with him. While watching as she packs her bag, a thought occurs to him, “Can all Keepers port like Elina?” With a determined look, he leaves Elsbeth to go find Ronnie. Outside he sees him cutting wood for the fireplace.
Jake jogs over and starts talking before he has even stopped moving, “Sir, I have a problem. I need to get to a friend of mine quickly. How do I port like Elina?”
Sinking the axe into the top of the log, Ronnie wipes his hands and says with a smile “Well now, you have come to the right place.”
Seventeen
Jerked awake with a hand over her mouth, Nameed speaks to Elina’s mind, “The Covenant is Broken. You must continue without me. I will distract them.”
He sends her the image of a map in her mind and tells her to go. “I will not leave you, so we stay together. Who is after us?” The question is answered for her when one by one four beautiful angels land, surrounding them. Moving to put her back to Nameed, Elina pulls her power to the surface preparing for a fight.
“You have forsaken the Covenant, brothers. Time to die,” Nameed, tells them while releasing his sword from its scabbard across his back.
“Indian, you always overestimate your abilities,” a smaller angel from the group laughingly taunts him.
“Our fight is not with you, Nameed. Step aside and give her to us!” Moving closer, they jump back when Elina snaps her power at them.
“No one asked if I wished to go with you,” she snarls at him.
“This will be more fun than I thought, brothers,” the largest angel with red wings and black hair to match his black soulless eyes sneers. Drawing a large sword, he swings it around readying for battle.
“You come to me in shadow! Why have you fallen?” Nameed asks, “We are closer than ever to being free! Join us brothers in our quest, and all will be forgiven,” Nameed tells them looking around the group.
Not taking her eyes off the two angels in front of her, Elina’s mind goes over their chances. She silently tells the angel at her back, “We can take them, Nameed I have had worse odds.”
Feeling his fear, she is confused until he tells her, “They are a distraction for the real army, Elina. More are coming. You must go when I tell you too!”
Elina agrees, she knows she must not fail in her quest to get the book.
“Free?” the angel facing Nameed says as he moves closer. “Do you feel free, Nameed? Watching your human grow old and longing for her? Is it freedom you feel when you are impotent to touch or feel her? Join us and she will be yours in her youth when your love was new!” In his mind, he sees Polly young and new holding out her hand calling to him.
Shaking his head, he whispers, “I grow weary of the wait. The years have been like centuries.” Lowering his sword he stutters, “I, I, I want to be free.”
Elina’s stomach falls, and in her mind, she remembers Malach’s warning “Trust no one!” In unison the four angels dive straight for them, only to yell in rage when Elina spins, grabs Nameed, and ports them out. Teleporting one person is tiring; two is exhausting. Unable to go very far, she drops into a group of woods and falls to the ground releasing him. Nameed rolls onto his knees, with his black hair shielding his face. In his shame, he will not look at her.
“I have failed you, go on without me!” he tells her.
“NO!” Elina snaps at him. “I will not fail Polly like that and neither will you! Rise up, angel, and help me! Tell me what is happening?” Elina demands.
Slowly he stands looking at her, his striped wings droop. “The heavens are corrupted, the Covenant is broken Elina.”
Growling in frustration she yells, “In English Angel!”
“Angels are falling. I can feel it. There is a division amongst them. Some want to stay true to the promises we made our father, others chose to fight no more. They are falling, Elina, and I am close.”
Alone once more she steps back from him, “You angels throw the word covenant around so lightly. Covenant, promise, oath, and bond whatever word you use to convey the meaning, if you do not feel it in your heart, it means nothing! Go back to your brothers and tell them to renew this promise to Our Father, God. I fight for all of us, brother. Your covenant is not just to him, but to all of humanity as well!” The stunned angel watches as she seeks the image in her mind and follows the thread leaving him behind.
She shifts to shadow, and moves once more through time seeking the image in her mind. Below her she notices the land has been shaped like a dragon. The tomb she seeks is the eye of the dragon. The image Nameed placed in her mind is of a white pyramid. Like a crystal shining, it winks at her reflecting the moonlight below. As she drops to the earth, she seeks a golden thread. It must be here. She feels pulled toward the pyramid. Elina moves stealthily through the fields, and pauses at the large stone guards placed to protect the resting place of one of the Emperors of China. Evidence of a battle that has raged is everywhere. Bodies litter the fields around the pyramid, and soldiers are dragging the dead to mass graves.
It is a golden thread that Elina seeks and her search is pulling her directly to the large crystal pyramid. Feeling a sense of urgency she can’t explain, she moves toward the pyramid and finds it sealed shut. When she places a hand on the cold stone, she feels a weak stuttering heartbeat inside. Swiftly moving through the outside stone, she is pulled through following the heartbeat. Once inside, she pays no heed to the grandeur of the tomb. The tunnel is lit by whale oil lamps, shining to light the way for eternity. Ignoring the bodies of those who litter the floor, she follows the stuttering heartbeat straight into the center of the pyramid and a huge open chamber.
As she walks from the tunnel, she looks above her and the night sky is represented in gemstones embedded in the ceiling above. A bronze map of China sits below the ceiling covering the entire floor. Like a serpent moving through the land, a liquid silver sea flows swirling its way around, cutting through the map.
Speechless, Elina looks around the enormous tomb and sees a beautiful bronze mausoleum, the resting place of an Emperor. Confused but alert, she carefully makes her way through the bronze sculptures, only to find the heartbeat fades. Pausing, she listens and finds it once more. Turning, she leaves the main room and follows the drumbeat of the heart calling to her. She follows it deeper into a room full of stone warriors all silent and frozen in time. They are ready for battle awaiting the Emperor’s call.
The heartbeat is stronger now, and she hears a child weeping. Rushing through the stone warriors, she finds the spirit of a young girl her hands over her ears, huddled behind a warrior. Seeing the terrified child, Elina is surprised to see a golden thread and strong aura around the girl. Just before she reaches her, the girl looks, up her beautifu
l face tear streaked, and scrambles back away from Elina. She can’t be more than eight years old, Elina thinks as she kneels on the floor.
“It’s going to be okay, you are safe now,” she tells the girl in fluent Chinese. She jumps up running towards Elina, flinging her arms around her shoulders. She sobs clinging to Elina.
“I couldn’t go home. The mean man blocked me,” she sobs out.
Elina comforts her by stroking her blue black hair, and she asks her, “What’s your name?” As she starts to feel safe, she loosens her grip on Elina.
“I am called Maeling” she says with a shaky smile and sets the child away from her.
“How old are you, Maeling and how did you end up here?”
Ashamed she hides her eyes from Elina’s; she says with a quivering chin, “I am six years old. I sneaked inside to watch the dancing. They said it was to be a celebration of the completion of the tomb, but the guards locked everyone inside. The screaming started, and then fighting and everyone died! The mean man said you would come, but I didn’t believe him.” The child begins to cry again.
“I want to go home. Why can’t I get out?” Maeling asks. Elina comforts the child and feels sick to her stomach. Someone used this child to lure her here.
“I am a Watcher too, like you.” Elina tells her “I can help you get home but I need some help, too. Have you seen where the scrolls are kept?”
With her dark watchful eyes, Maeling looks at Elina and says, “The special ones are kept in the mausoleum with the emperor. The rest are in the scroll room two levels up,” she says pointing down a narrow tunnel.
“Thank you” Elina responds. “Maeling, when you get home, I want you to tell your family that the bad ones can track us by our threads. You must not watch until you can shield your thread. Okay?” Sensing the seriousness, Maeling nods her head.