The Tempting

by V J J Dunn

  She turned her sword on the demon Carmine was fighting and did the same thing, and Nick immediately followed her bolt with a kill shot. Carmine caught on, so he fired a bolt at a demon Sol was fighting, who was then able to use the kill shot.

  The team adapted the new tactic quickly, and in no time at all, the demons were defeated.

  Which left the angels.

  Ed was fighting Haniel and Allie was proud of the fact that he was holding his own. All the practice they’d done with Zad and the other warrior angels came in to play as Ed was able to match Haniel’s strikes. Unlike the demons, the angels were fighting at “normal speed,” but they weren’t tiring as the humans were.

  Just as Haniel used a downward stroke with his sword, Ed stabbed forward, hitting the angel in the stomach. His sword sunk in, coming out the back. The angel’s eyes widened as he stared at the sword impaling him in shock. Allie realized in that moment that the fallen angel didn’t know Abba had changed them so that they could be injured.

  Allie smirked, remembering her fight with Imamiah. He must have been too embarrassed that he’d gotten his butt — and his private parts — handed to him rather literally by a human to share that bit of information with the others.

  Imamiah saw that his comrade had been injured and he turned toward them at the same time that Haniel reached down and grabbed the sword protruding from his body. Robin, who had been bent over with her hands on her knees trying to calm her breathing after fighting three demons by herself, saw Imamiah move toward her husband and she yelled his name.

  Ed had been trying to pull his sword away from Haniel, who had an immovable grip on it. When he heard Robin yell his name, he turned toward her. Imamiah ran up behind him just as Haniel brought his sword up.

  As if in slow motion, Allie could see what was going to happen before it did. Ed was about to be struck from the front and the back. While his uniform would likely deflect the sword Imamiah seemed intent on running through his spine, Haniel’s strike was going to take his head off.

  Allie didn’t have a clear shot at Haniel because Ed was in the way, so she quickly aimed a bolt at Imamiah’s back. If nothing else, it would help keep Ed from being even more distracted.

  Imamiah jerked and shook, just like the demons had, and he fell to the ground. Allie shot him with another shocker, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to use the kill shot, even though she knew that he wouldn’t actually be killed. There was still the possibility of the double-agent angels showing up to these fights and she didn’t want to be responsible for putting someone on their side out of commission.

  But then she remembered Abba telling her that Imamiah had, in fact, chosen to side with Lucifer. She released a kill shot.

  She looked back at Ed and was horrified to see Haniel’s sword as it came down in a powerful stroke to where his neck met his shoulder.

  Robin was inconsolable. Allie held her in her arms while she fell apart as they knelt upon her husband’s blood seeping into the dirt of the Kingston street.

  All the Remnants were understandably shocked by the death of one of their own. Their faces held matching looks of disbelief as they gathered around Ed’s body and his grieving widow. Thankfully, Nick had had the presence of mind to blast the other angels into oblivion as they, too, stood in what looked to be shock over their own brother’s demise.

  Allie figured they didn’t know about the Remnant’s new and improved swords. They probably also didn’t think the Remnants had it in them to be able to best one of them. Served them right.

  Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Abba’s words filled her head then.

  She held Robin for a long time while the others spread out to continue the search for Alejandro. Nick and B Team stayed with Allie and Robin, guarding them while Robin wailed in her arms.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long to locate Alejandro. He’d been in one of the buildings they’d already searched, but apparently one of the angels had had an illusion ability and had “hidden” Andro from the Remnant’s sight. Since he’d been gagged and knocked unconscious, he couldn’t answer their calls either.

  After a long while of kneeling in the bloody dirt, Allie coaxed Robin to stand and told the others to transfer to their old arena in the Inner Circle. She ignored the confused looks and frowns.

  Once they were sitting on the bleachers that surrounded the old arena, Allie handed Robin off to Colette, then took Nick aside to explain her fears.

  “I know that you have no memories of the Old Age, but those people back in Kingston were diseased. That’s what was causing them to act like they did and why they had those marks on their skin.”

  Nick frowned, as if he were trying to understand. Allie knew that “diseased” was a new concept. “We did come across some… bodies, in our search. They had not died by injury.” Allie nodded.

  “Yes, back in the Old Age, people died from all different kinds of things. We don’t have disease now, or didn’t, and I know it’s a new concept for you, but you need to know that it’s possible that we could have caught it while we were there.”

  His head cocked to the side and he narrowed his dark blue eyes. “Caught it?”

  Allie nodded. “Yeah, it’s like… uh, like insects that you can’t see that can jump off them onto you.”

  Nick bobbed his head once, as if that made sense. Allie was glad, because she really didn’t have a better explanation.

  “Anyway, we need to stay away from The City and the Gardens until we’re sure that we don’t have the disease.”

  Chapter 7

  A LLIE CALLED out to Abba, thankful that they still had the ability to do so in the new age. It was something she’d relied on a lot in the Old Age, seeking Him for His help and guidance. Some things would never change.

  It was barely the blink of an eye when He was standing before her. She’d gone off on her own, transferring across the arena and into the only copse of trees in the dusty place. The team had always jokingly called the area “the oasis.”

  He was frowning when He appeared. “Why did you not come to Me in the Inner Sanctuary?” He asked. It was still shocking when Abba didn’t know something, since He was omniscient. But she knew that He purposely limited His vision of the world now, only keeping the barest minimum of watch on things.

  This was Lucifer’s last hoorah and Abba didn’t really want to witness it.

  If Allie hadn’t been sure that The Creator couldn’t catch a disease, she never would have touched Him, but in that moment, she needed to feel His arms around her, and she stepped up to Him to be wrapped in His love.

  She’d held it together for Robin, and for the team, but in that moment the grip she’d kept on her emotions broke into a million pieces and she sobbed against her Daddy.

  “Ed was killed,” she bawled as she sucked in gulps of air. “Dumiel… decapitated him. Robin’s devastated. Team… so shocked.” Her explanation was disjointed, but she knew He understood.

  Abba soothed her with long strokes of His hand down her spine as the sobs wracked her body. “Shh, child, I know. I know of Eduardo’s leave of this world. His blood cried out to Me from the earth,” He said softly.

  “Just remember that he isn’t dead, only asleep. Soon, we will all be reunited. I’ll talk to Robin and assure her of that.”

  Allie nodded against Abba’s chest as she held her fist to her mouth, as if she could shove the pain back in. He continued to stroke her back until her sobs subsided, turning to hiccups and shudders. After a little while, those, too, stopped and she slowly pushed back from Him.

  “I hope I didn’t get snot all over You,” she laughed as she wiped at her eyes with her palms. He returned the laugh.

  “Well, I created it, so I guess I can’t say that it’s too appalling.”

  Allie laughed again. “Says You. I think it’s disgusting.”

  Abba turned and led them to a tree, where He sat, His back to the trunk. Allie sat near His legs, facing Him. She was some
what surprised to see grass growing in the little oasis, which had been dry before. But then she remembered whose company she was in.

  If Abba wanted grass to sit on, Abba made grass.

  She plucked a small handful and twirled the blades between her fingers. Abba was quiet while He waited for her to gather her thoughts and tell Him what else was bothering her. She knew that He was aware there was more to her worries than what she’d shared so far.

  Allie took a deep breath. “When we were in Kingston, we saw some of the residents. They were, uh, sick. Like diseased. I didn’t want to take the team back to The City until I talked to You about what to do.”

  Abba made a “hmm” sound, like He was contemplating her words. Allie frowned. She didn’t like Him not having immediate answers… or choosing not to know everything that went on.

  She couldn’t wait for The Judgement so they could get past all this awful time with Lucifer’s release and get to the eternity in Heaven part.

  Abba asked her to describe the symptoms and He cringed after she did.

  Um, that’s not good…

  “It’s a good thing you had the forethought not to come into The City. That is a disease that has not been seen on earth for thousands of millennia. It is highly contagious and while the Healers could probably cure it using the leaves from the Tree of Life, I would rather they not have to deplete the tree.”

  Allie frowned yet again. He could easily heal them, or heal the entire City if need be. She was getting frustrated in asking questions of Him and coming away even more confused. It had happened quite often lately.

  She concentrated on the most pertinent of questions. “So, what does this mean for the team? We can’t go into The City?”

  Abba shook His head. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “But… but You said we weren’t safe out here in the Inner Circle once Lucifer was released. You made us move to the Gardens for practice, even! So, what now? We have cooties so we have to hang outside like lepers? Where we’re not even safe?” She knew her voice was rising to the point of being a yell, but she was exhausted, hungry, frustrated, brokenhearted… and worried.

  And besides all that, the situation was so freaking unfair. The Remnants were trying to protect the residents of The City and the Gardens, but now they couldn’t even live amongst them, just because Abba didn’t want the Healers to use all the leaves? Ugh!

  “Child,” Abba said calmly, knowing her thoughts, of course, “this is My decision. You have to know that I have My reasons for it. But I won’t leave you and your team out here to the wolves. You will have a sanctuary here.” He smiled gently at her and patted her knee.

  “And remember, this is only for a time.”

  To say the team was unhappy with Abba’s decision was an understatement. Allie had tried to explain “disease” to those who didn’t remember such things or had been too young to know of it, like Nick, in the Old Age, but a lot of them didn’t seem to understand. They argued, complained, fought about it, and whined. A lot.

  Allie didn’t blame them; it wasn’t fair. She told them that she completely agreed with them and had whined right along with them, which had taken some of the wind out of their complaining sails.

  “But it is what it is,” she’d said. “We can’t change it now. It’s just an unfortunate thing that happened and now we have to deal with it. So,” she sighed as she put her arms out to the side and spun in a slow circle, “it’s back to practice out here in Uglyville.”

  She’d no sooner made that statement than the ground rumbled like the earthquakes during the Tribulation. Allie’s heart sped up, wondering what in the world was causing it, if the demons had found them and were plowing their way up through the earth to drag all the Remnants down to the Pit.

  But then trees, grass and vegetation started to appear, spreading all around them, like a bucket of flora and fauna had been poured out. It first started as grass under their feet and then rolled out across the arena as full-grown trees and flowering bushes shot up from the ground around the outskirts of the practice area, lining it like frosting on the edge of a cake.

  One large area remained free from any greenery and the group watched in amazed fascination as the dirt seemed to shift and roll over upon itself as it started forming what looked like a structure. In just a few moments, a very large building started pushing up from the ground, the walls the same color as the earth it had come from.

  The building kept “growing” until it was four stories tall and huge, bigger than most of the structures in The City. Openings in the massive walls were suddenly covered, as glass and wood closed over them from within. When tiles rolled across the roof, landing like dominoes, Allie barked out a laugh.

  “Welcome home, team!” she called as she walked to the front door of their new mansion.

  Their new mansion was even nicer than the apartments they’d been given in The City. It was like Abba was trying to atone for the fact that they’d been banished from their home.

  Allie thought it was a nice try, but still…

  They were also given a full staff, workers who helped with the daily running of the huge mansion and meals. It was basically the same setup they’d had in The City, but it was nicer somehow.

  Some of the angels decided to join them for the evening meal, which Allie was glad for. Angels rarely ate with Remnants, and she was thankful for the distraction they caused. But she had no idea they could eat so much.

  As she watched Metatron stuff yet another flaky pastry into his mouth — she’d stopped counting how many he’d eaten after twelve — she quipped, “Do you have to eat like you’re in giant form, or what?”

  The angel had shaken his head as he sipped at his wine, washing the pastry down. “No, why do you ask?”

  Allie laughed and shook her head. “No reason, Piggy-tron.” Alejandro, who was sitting on her other side, choked on his wine at that and she grinned at the Chief Witness. But Metatron, of course, growled at her. She laughed and pushed away from the table, patting his back as she did.

  Charo was under the table, eating scraps the Remnants offered to her. Allie smirked when she saw her taking a piece of pear from Sylvi, when she’d refused to eat the same fruit when Allie had offered it to her before.

  They’d chosen rooms when they’d first entered the mansion and Allie decided to head to hers then. She was tired from the long, emotionally draining day and of course from the battle itself. As she made her way toward the stairs, she saw Nick push back from the table and follow her.

  “Hey, can we talk?” he asked as he started up the stairs behind her. Allie stumbled a little and had to bite back a groan. Seriously, the last thing she wanted to do after the day she’d had was talk. To anyone. Shower and bed, was that too much to ask?

  “Sure,” she surprised herself by saying. Ugh, Allie, really? She sighed quietly. “My room or yours?”

  The “rooms” in the mansion were apartments; very large apartments. The one she’d chosen was on the top floor, at the end of the hall. Thankfully, Nick didn’t make a comment about the fact that she’d picked the room that was as far away from the others as possible.

  In The City, there weren’t locks on any door in any building. In fact, often there weren’t even doors to begin with. The mansion also didn’t have locks, but thankfully the rooms did have large wooden doors. Allie was thankful for that; she liked her privacy and the ability to close the door to the world at times.

  Nick glanced around and laughed. She looked at him and cocked a brow in question. “It’s just… this room is so you. And my apartment is also my taste. It’s like Abba knew which room we’d pick and decorated it just for us.”

  Allie looked more closely at the room for the first time. Nick was right; it was decorated almost identically to her apartment in The City, although a little more luxuriously, with more furniture and bits of bright color scattered about.

  Nick moved to over to the big, fluffy looking sofa. Allie hadn’t even tried it out herself yet. Sh
e watched as he sunk down into the cushions that were a pale butter color with very light, broad tangerine stripes.

  “And how is your apartment decorated?” she asked with a cringe, hoping the dirty uniform he still wore after the day’s fighting wouldn’t stain the gorgeous material.

  “Just like my apartment in The City,” he said, echoing her thoughts as he wiggled a little into the cushions, sighing in comfort.

  “Dark wood, brown furniture, no decorations.”

  Allie laughed. “And where is it? Next to the stairs on the second floor?” She figured Nick would want to be as close to the front door as possible, the first line of defense, since he was always ready for action. But all the apartments were on the second, third and fourth floors, with the common rooms such as the dining hall and game room on the first.

  Nick grinned at her and it was such an uncommon thing for him to do that Allie stared as his face transformed from handsome to gorgeous.

  “Nah, I’m right across the hall from you.”

  Allie cocked an eyebrow. “Were you scoping me out to see which apartment I was going to pick, stalker?”

  Nick smirked at her. “Nope. Just coincidence. In fact, pretty sure I picked mine first, so I guess that makes you the stalker.”

  Allie laughed as she went into the kitchen. Even though they’d just come from the evening meal and she’d had two cups of wine, she was thirsty. Too much sweating during the day. She felt sticky and she could actually feel her uniform, which was unusual. It was so comfortable and lightweight that it was almost like walking around nude.

  Without the embarrassment factor, of course.

  “Want something to drink?” she called as she opened the cabinet that held the cold things. In the Old Age, she’d heard about refrigerators, something she and her mother never had. Actually, they never even had electricity to power any appliances.

  But in the new age, there were cabinets that held cold food, cabinets that kept food warm, some for dry food, some for moist. Food never spoiled and was always at the peak of freshness.