“What do you want?” Tara replied dryly.
“What do I want? Or what does the Congregation want? Because as far as I'm concerned, your annihilation would be enough. But the Decision-Makers don’t seem to see things in the same light. They ask that you speed up your training.”
“What does that mean?”
“You and Sofia make me laugh... those little workouts of yours... running, breathing exercises, meditation... it would almost be funny if it wasn't a seraph who was being ridiculed in this way...”
“We missionaries have our methods, and they have proven themselves to be very effective over the millennia.”
“If you say so...”
“Did the Decision-Makers send you to inform me that They wish to receive me? Or to mock the teaching method that has always made my angels more effective than your guards?”
Enkaz laughed disdainfully. Not without a certain malice, he took pleasure in replying:
“No, the Decision-Makers don't want to meet with you... They know They won’t be able to get anything out of you yet. However, for the first time in over two hundred years, I was given the task of informing you of a mission.”
Tara gagged. The Decision-Makers were finally giving her a mission. She was resuming her position as seraph. She was aware that the Decision-Makers were truly honoring her by allowing her to try. She couldn’t disappoint Them.
Reluctantly, Enkaz approached her:
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Tara closed her eyes. With a feeling of loathing, Enkaz put his long, twisted hand on her small forehead. In a few short seconds, dozens of images, names, information, were imprinted in her mind. The mission would take place in Paris, in a small building in the Châtelet area. There was a young woman. She had just given birth. In the future, her tiny baby would become the leader of a small radical party that would grow virally, and lead thousands of women and great thinkers to their deaths.
Enkaz removed his hand from Tara's forehead:
“He must die before he’s six months old.”
“How much time do I have?”
“Barely a month... If you don't do it by then, I'll entrust the mission to another seraph, and it won't be long before the Decision-Makers get rid of Diane.”
These words sounded like a death sentence to Tara's ears. It was exactly what Enkaz wanted. Satisfied, he disappeared before she had a chance to respond.
Now, standing alone in her bathroom, she could barely breathe. She had just been asked to perform a miracle. If she needed to be ready to leave Emily’s apartment within a month, knowing that the demons were waiting for her outside, it became clearer than ever that she’d have to find Hagen as soon as possible.
The only good thing was that she knew where to go to get it back. Hagen was in the hands of the demon from the elevator, just beneath the Seine, very close by. But she knew that if she went alone, she had no chance of defeating him. He was far too powerful for an unarmed seraph. For the past few weeks, she had been trying to think up a plan that would allow her to retrieve her weapon. The only acceptable solution that had occurred to her was to ask her legionaries to escort her into the Parisian underground. Only, she was almost certain they’d refuse: the missionaries weren’t guards, their primary mission was to confront humans, not demons. Tara knew they would be besieged by hundreds of demons if they went underground, and they would most likely perish all together, because of her.
However, even though she didn’t want to risk their lives, she couldn’t find a better solution. Moreover, she had no choice: she would never be able to reach Nina's strength and agility in a month’s time. Aside from that, she didn’t see how weight training could help her defeat the demons.
Suddenly, she heard a knock on her bedroom door as Emily’s voice rang out on the other side: “Dinner!”
Tara ran out of the bathroom immediately. How could she tell her roommates she had just received a visit from Enkaz and that she no longer had time to finish her training as planned?
She quickly got dressed and ran to join them in the kitchen. Everyone was already there. When she saw them, she felt extremely anxious, not knowing how to break the news to them.
She sat down silently between the Viking and Stanislas. Since she had started her spiritual training with Stanislas, he had helped her protect herself, making sure the others could no longer perceive her emotions or concerns.
As usual, a huge salad bowl sat in the center of the table. As a main course, Emily had prepared ratatouille and homemade fries. Despite the mouthwatering smell, Tara was no longer tempted. Stanislas' exercises had taught her not to be affected by deprivation. Moreover, Enkaz’s visit had completely ruined her appetite.
The silence in the room heightened her discomfort. As Emily took their plates one by one to serve them, Tara broke the silence by declaring in a solemn voice:
“I received a visit from Enkaz.”
Her words surprised and concerned Emily so much that she dropped John's plate, breaking it as it hit the floor. They all looked at her nervously and held their breath while they waited for her to continue. Their silence distressed her even more, but she had already said too much to stop there:
“He gave me a mission. I have one month to accomplish it, otherwise, the Decision-Makers will have Diane executed.”
Nina's face became livid. John moaned while Hugo hid his face in his hands. They all seemed so devastated by the news, it was as though the sky had just fallen on their heads. None of them knew what to say.
“Come on,” Tara joked to reassure herself. “I'm not that bad, am I? We can make it in a month.”
“You start fighting tomorrow,” Nina interrupted, dryly. “I think your body’s ready to learn now anyway.”
“We're going to take your meditation exercises to the next level too,” continued Stanislas. “You’re the only one who can make sure that you’re prepared enough in one month’s time to accomplish your mission…”
All of a sudden, the glass dish that held the home-made fries exploded against the wall in a deafening crash:
“This means game over!” shouted Emily.
In despair, the lady of the house fell to the ground and burst into tears.
“Sofia should have killed her when she had the chance!”
John rushed to help her up as the others looked at her with regretful eyes.
Tara couldn't believe it. Her discomfort had given way to a deep feeling of revolt. She realized that no one living in Emily Van der Worthen’s home believed that she was up to the task and could reach the level required of her. Wounded, she stood up and let her bitterness and resentment explode:
“You all disgust me! How can I ever become a great warrior if nobody believes in me!”
“We’re just being realistic,” answered Nina coldly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that one month is short. It's not entirely impossible, but it's very short.”
“It's impossible!” shouted Emily, who had become completely hysterical. “You'll lead us to our doom! You're going to kill Diane!”
Emily dangerously approached Tara as she screamed at the top of her lungs. John, who was standing next to her, could no longer hold her back. It was Hugo who stood up and grabbed Emily, holding her tightly in his arms.
“Calm down...”
“A great warrior like Diane is going to die because she's become attached to a body, and you’re asking me to calm down!”
Tara stood there watching, speechless. Then, Emily suddenly calmed down and stared at her with penetrating eyes. In a deep and solemn voice she said:
“Diane loves you too much to take your life, but if you have even a shred of common sense, you’ll take your own life to save our seraph.”
“Emily!” Hugo said, still holding her in his arms. “She's going to make it, don't worry. Don't forget, she's driven by Diane’s spirit...”
On these words, Emily burst into tears in the young man's
arms. Tara watched the scene, completely distraught. She didn't expect such a reaction from Emily. More than ever, she was determined to find her weapon and prove them all wrong. They shouldn’t underestimate her so. She decided not to allow their opinions to get the better of her. They didn't know her. The only person who knew her better than she knew herself was Diane, the only person who had faith in her.
The next day, she got up before the others. Emily, as usual, had placed their breakfast on the table the night before. All Tara needed to do was help herself. She ate only what she needed to get through the day, taking care to choose the foods richest in vitamins. When she was finished, she did her morning meditation, giving her body enough time to digest. She could hear the others waking up and going to the kitchen. When she finally left for the fitness room, she ran into Emily as she came out of her room and crossed the small living room on her way to the kitchen. The mistress of the house no longer had the strength to even look at her. Tara ignored her disdain and continued on her way.
She entered the training room before Nina, Mark and Hugo and began her warm up by running around the room for over half an hour at steady speed. She was so determined that morning to succeed, that working out seemed easy to her. After a few muscle-building exercises she approached the pull bar. She was just about to begin her tractions when Nina entered the room. Looking slim and firm in her tight-fitting black sports outfit, she approached Tara with her usual haughty attitude. Tara couldn't help but be impressed by the legionary’s natural charm.
“You know how to run,” began Nina, “but now you need to learn how to fight.”
Tara's heart leapt. She had watched them fight so many times that she was impatient to start. She felt like she was finally entering the big league. She was finally training to become a warrior.
She immediately let go of the pull bar and joined Nina who was holding a long steel rod at the end of which was a hook. With the help of the hook, the coach unlocked a latch on the ceiling, opening it in the middle. Then, she went to the pulleys on the wall next to the entrance.
“You’re allowed to help me you know,” said Nina, as she undid the knot in the huge rope she was holding.
She didn’t have to repeat herself twice. The larger ropes were connected to the two sections of ceiling that slowly opened as Nina turned the pulley. Five other ropes were connected to punching bags that were used for Thai boxing.
“Only take down three,” Nina said, while walking to a pulley that was connected to a huge box containing the training equipment: protective padding, skipping ropes, gloves, shorts, fighting belts and boxing paos.
“Do I have to wear these?” asked Tara, looking at the shin pads with disgust.
They smelled so much like sweat that it made her nauseous.
“No, we don't have enough time to get you used to protective equipment. You're going to start boxing the hard way. You need to experience the pain caused by punches.”
Tara suddenly got a lump in her throat: she would have preferred wearing the smelly shin pads.
“Does it hurt a lot?” she asked anxiously, grabbing a foam helmet with wire mesh to protect her face.
“The body can get accustomed to anything. Put on your boxing shorts,” Nina ordered, throwing a silver and green pair of Thai boxing shorts at her.
They smelled just as bad as the shin pads.
To prepare for the fight, the coach took off her tight pants and put on her bright orange and brown shorts. When Tara saw her, slender and quick, she knew how much suffering awaited her. She took a step backwards:
“Wait, I'm not going to fight against you am I...”
“Why, would you prefer to fight the bag?”
“No… but I'm not ready to fight against you Nina!”
Nina smiled, both flattered and aware that Tara was right. She reassured her as she approached:
“Don't worry, I won't go too fast in the beginning...”
No sooner had she finished her sentence than she gave her a light slap. Tara screamed as much in pain as in surprise. She was so quick that she hadn’t seen it coming.
“You're crazy!”
“Always stand guard and never trust your opponent.”
Just as she finished her sentence, Nina kicked her in the stomach. It wasn’t a very hard kick, but it was fast and unexpected. It took Tara's breath away. Bent over holding her stomach, she moved backed, hoping to have time to catch her breath. Nina was going to massacre her.
She wanted to be able to react, to strike back, but the blow to her belly had neutralized her, she was having trouble breathing. With a faint wave of her hand, she implored Nina to wait for her to get her breath back, but the young woman approached her quickly and steadily. Tara's heartbeat accelerated. She knew that if she didn't get up right away, she was going to take a terrible blow to her face. She tried to move away, but still couldn’t pick herself up off the floor, she was doubled up in pain, still unable to catch her breath. It was too late. Nina was right in front of her. With a sharp jolt, she punched her in the temple.
Tara fell flat on the tatami, knocked-out. The blow had been like light switch. She had felt a violent electrical discharge throughout her body and a strong pain inside her head before everything went black.
She woke up several minutes later at Hugo’s feet. He was joking with Nina. The coach had returned to her own training, hitting the punching bag so forcefully that she could have perforated it. When Tara opened her eyes, she heard the young man laughing:
“You shouldn't have let off all your steam on her right from the start! You knocked her out in less than a minute and a half!”
“At least she'll know what it's like now,” replied Nina, breathing heavily. “She won't be afraid of getting knocked out anymore.”
Hugo burst out laughing. Humiliated, Tara didn't want them to know she had woken up. With her head numb from the awful blow that had been inflicted to her temple, she preferred to remain on the ground, pretending to still be unconscious. This would give her time to recuperate from the pain and humiliation.
Hugo resumed:
“Just try not to kill her before the end of the month... The aim is for her to be operational as soon as possible.”
“I know what I'm doing,” replied Nina, kicking the bag. “It's up to her to adapt.”
She continued hitting the punching bag for a few seconds before suddenly stopping. Tara guessed that Nina had sensed that she had woken up. Tetanized, she reopened her eyes and saw the coach bent down beside her, looking at her with incredulous eyes:
“Are you finished yet, drama queen? Get up!”
Fearing she would receive another surprise blow to her head, Tara quickly jumped up. Her pain intensified.
“I'm in a lot of pain Nina.”
“Oh, come on...”
“I could have a stroke if you continue with that method!”
“It would do everyone a favor,” replied the coach, as she walked towards the punching bag.
Once again, Tara felt wounded. She didn’t reply. In any case, she didn't stand a chance against Nina.
“Come over here,” ordered the coach. “I'm going to teach you how to box.”
Tara approached her with distrust. She realized how alone she was in this apartment. She needed to know that someone believed in her and supported her. After all, she was the one who was the most exposed. If the mission failed, she was the only one who would be annihilated. And yet, she was the one that everyone blamed. She now had difficulty holding back her resentment. She wanted to cry out in rage.
Nina looked at her, annoyed. There was no tenderness, no compassion in her eyes. Tara was disgusted.
“You must really hate me,” she said, reproachfully.
“I love you too much,” Nina replied, in an almost cynical voice. “That's what my problem is.”
Tara stopped for a moment. She didn't know if Nina was making fun of her or if she meant what she had said. With her expressionless face, it was hard to tell.
> “Come on!” the coach was becoming impatient. “Come closer, I'm not going to hit you. Hold your guard.”
Tara raised her fists the way she had seen it done in boxing matches on TV, but without much conviction. Nina sighed, exasperated. She was already annoyed.
“Unbelievable! You really don’t remember anything at all from your past lives.”
Nina stood behind her.
“Stand more diagonally... If you stand facing the front, the likelihood you’ll get hit will increase. No, not so much, otherwise you’ll get pushed down on your side. More like this... It’ll be easier for you to rotate which is essential when you’re dodging punches.”
Using her little feet, Nina moved Tara's legs to show her the position she needed to adopt.
“Raise your back... No, not that much, you'll expose your vital organs if you stand that way. There, slightly curved... Not too much, you're not eighty years old! Tilt your head slightly forward, your chin tucked into your shoulders... If you lift your chin too much, you risk taking an uppercut. There... Almost. Keep your guard up. Your strong arm is your right arm, right? You need to keep it back, in line with your right leg. Higher up... Can you see anything when you’re in that position? Then why are you putting your hands in front of your eyes?!”
Nina moaned. Tara was doing her best but it wasn't easy.
“Close your fists... Don't put your thumb inside your palm, you'll break it with your first punch... Close your fists... Not so hard, like this... Here. You hit with this part of your fist, not just any part.”
Nina placed an unbelievably violent punch on the bag.
“You hit like this. Not yet! Listen to what I'm saying!”
“I'm listening!” replied Tara. “You told me to hit.”
“Don't start!” warned Nina who was already on edge. “Put your fists up, bring them close to your face. Your back hand closer to your cheek. Come on, a minimum of intelligence! What’s holding your guard supposed to help you do?”
“Protect me...”
HAGEN: 1. Revelations Page 24