by P A Minyard
“You are most gracious. Thank you for the introductions. It’s always a pleasure.” He kissed her hand. She blushed and walked away.
“It’s been a long time,” he said as he walked up to the major.
“Do I know you?” the major asked.
“Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere.”
There was a staircase to their right and the two slipped up the stairs, unnoticed by the party. They closed the door behind them and stood in a vacant room. It was an odd juxtaposition to the rest of the house; no furniture, only a few scattered boxes on the floor.
“The mistress has yet to work her magic with this space,” the major said with a sniff.
“There is nothing magical about her taste in decorations. In fact, misguided seems more appropriate. Right up your alley, I’d say.” Daniel’s voice was low and dripping with sarcasm.
“I’m terribly sorry. I don’t mean to offend, but who are you?”
“How disappointing, Raphael, that this boy’s image should so easily disguise my intent. Your betrayal did not go unnoticed. Did you really think I would just let you walk away?”
“You are quite mad, whoever you are.” Raphael felt a cold shot of fear. “Do you know who this boy is? Do you know what I’ve become?”
“It won’t matter once I’ve finished with you!” Raphael conjured a glowing orb and hurled it at his accuser, who caught it with one hand and crushed it with little effort.
“You always did miss to the right.”
“Benedict?!” Raphael gasped.
“Benedict, the Beloved. It has a quality to it, wouldn’t you say?”
Raphael stared back at him, at first in disbelief. “If what you say is true, then you have pulled off the greatest coup of all time.” Raphael was backpedaling, and his mouth became dry. “How did you do it?” he choked.
“Why would I share such a feat with you?” Benedict scoffed. “You left me to the wolves that day, and I have scarcely thought of anything but this moment ever since.” Benedict stepped forward and placed his hand fondly upon the side of Raphael’s face.
Raphael turned stark white as the blood rushed from his cheeks. “You had such potential,” Benedict said. His head tipped back and the scar opened wide, taking Raphael’s power in an instant.
Benedict gave up control of Daniel’s consciousness, pulling his power and persona back into the darkest recesses of Daniel’s mind where Benedict could wait and watch without being noticed. As he did this, Daniel’s body slumped unconscious to the floor.
Daniel awoke and was confounded by his surroundings. He remembered crossing the gate and being led around the room for introductions, then it all went blank. Now he sat upon the floor in an empty, darkened room. He could hear the party downstairs, the laughter and clinking glasses. He called the gate to take him back to his quarters. When he emerged in his empty room, he took a seat on his cot and desperately tried to piece the evening together.
“I can feel power coursing through me, but who did it come from? Why can’t I remember?” For the first time, he became truly frightened of being a Beloved and began to understand why Bernard was so harsh with him the day he lost control.
“Do not fear what we can become.” Daniel shot to his feet and looked around the room. He heard the voice in his head, yet it seemed to come from another, just like the time in his bedroom. He was alone and terrified. “This power is driving me to madness,” he thought. “There is freedom in madness.”
“Who are you?!” Daniel cried out. He began to sweat and felt nauseated. He looked around the tiny room once more, as if he had missed something the first time.
“Bernard?! Bernard, what’s happening? Where are you?!” Daniel shouted. The door to his room flew open and a very confused corporal was staring back at him. Daniel had a half-crazed look on his face, causing the corporal to swallow hard and step back.
“Sir, is everything all right?” the corporal said, his voice cracking. “Can I get you something?”
“Nightmares — nothing more,” Daniel answered as he regained his composure. “I sometimes have nightmares.”
“I’ve heard that battle can trigger those.” But the corporal stopped himself. “I’m sorry, sir; it’s really not my place.”
“Thank you for your concern, corporal,” Daniel said. “That will be all.”
“Sir.” The corporal bowed his head and shut the door.
Daniel looked around the room once more. He even got down on his hands and knees, peering under the cot, though it made him feel silly.
“Did you lose something?” Bernard asked.
Daniel’s head shot straight up into the cot, the blow almost rendering him unconscious. He was grumbling and sputtering as he cautiously pulled his body away from the bed, then pushed off the floor.
“Something is very wrong,” Daniel answered as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head.
“What troubles you?”
“I’m hearing voices. They’re in my head but they’re not my thoughts.” Bernard stepped up to Daniel, looking at him eye to eye. He peered deeply into Daniel’s soul, but Benedict’s power had so fully mingled with Daniel’s that they were indistinguishable.
“There’s no one here but you and me,” Bernard sighed as he stepped away. He’d never heard of a Beloved going insane before, nor did he wish to witness it. “Maybe you should refrain from crossing the gate for now. You have enough power to survive for quite some time.”
“And the voice will go away?” Daniel said desperately.
“You came upon your power far too quickly and easily,” Bernard replied. “Maybe your body hasn’t had the proper time to adjust. Maybe the voice is simply your mind reconciling things, not unlike the groans of a house as it settles. In time, it will go away.”
Daniel nodded. “I don’t think I will ever be comfortable with who I’ve become.”
“All heroes are reluctant,” Bernard replied, “at least, the ones who are actually remembered as heroes.”
“You think I’m a hero?” Daniel asked, expressing surprise.
“Very few have accepted the mantle you now carry, and most would run from the things you have seen and done. There is no shame in being extraordinary. Shame only follows those who misuse what they’ve been given.”
“And how will I know to be ashamed if I can’t remember what I’ve done?”
“What?” This caught Bernard’s attention.
“I took a demon’s power just before I called out for you, but I don’t know who or even how for that matter.” Daniel had to look away. “I remember walking through the gate into a lavish home where there was a party and then nothing.”
“Think hard. You’re sure there’s nothing else?”
Daniel hesitated before closing his eyes and running the events over and over in his mind. Bernard drew closer to Daniel who shook his head. He was almost in tears.
“I think this only confirms my suspicion that you are overextending yourself.” Bernard placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “No more gate until I return. Understood?”
“Agreed.”
11
LOST AND FOUND
Foul winter weather had stalled the fighting in the early months of 1863, and there was no chance that Daniel and his men would be sent out any time soon. Drilling and preparation took place as the weather allowed, but mostly the men were held up in the barracks with little to do. Days turned into weeks as the men looked for distraction.
Daniel was no exception; the tedium was crushing his soul. He paced back and forth in the tiny area that was now his own. “There are many who need your help. You cannot just stay here.” The voice had returned, but Daniel didn’t notice it this time. It sounded too much like what he was feeling; too much like what the boredom was pushing forth.
“I’ve made a promise. I cannot disappoint Bernard any further.” He tried to shake the thoughts from his head, and turn them around. His pace continued and the floorboards creaked beneath his feet.
“You also made a promise to spare others from suffering. And which promise takes precedence — the promise to the Father or the one to my guardian? Your guardian answers to the Father, as do you, as do all. Wouldn’t Bernard be proud to know that you faced your fears head on?
Someone might be dying. And yet you remain holed up in this confined space. My choices have not worked well for me of late. Choose to do nothing and see how well that works.”
The makings of a snarl curled across his lips. His back straightened and his chest puffed slightly. When he crossed through the gate, he looked arrogant, superior. Benedict, using Daniel’s body, found himself in a darkened alley near a hotel. He could hear the guests as they congregated near the front. He walked around the corner and politely pushed his way into the establishment. There was a bar to his right, and Benedict thought it looked like a good start.
He ordered a gin and threw it back as his eyes circled the room. There had to be a reason the gate had brought him there; there was always a reason, always a demon. A young lady sidled up to him from his right, and Benedict felt a jolt to his side as she brushed past his shoulder. He was not yet used to using a Beloved’s body and was startled by the warning.
“Did I scare you?” she asked, noticing the look on his face.
“I’ve not seen such beauty for quite some time,” Benedict said in a smooth tone. He looked her up and down, smiling. She had long, black hair and porcelain skin, light-brown eyes and soft-pink lips. The burgundy dress she wore accentuated her curvy, feminine form.
“Then, how could I possibly deny you my company this evening?” she purred as she placed her hand on his forearm.
“May I buy you a drink?” he asked, waving the barkeep back his way.
“A gentleman as well.” She looked at him through lowered lashes.
Benedict played along, and after two hours of chatting and drinking at the bar, he feigned inebriation, much to her delight. When he thought she was taken in, he got up as if to leave.
“Won’t you at least walk me back to my room?” she pleaded.
“Of course, Miss... Miss... ?”
“Noel,” she answered.
“Of course, Miss Noel. Please, lead the way.”
She locked her arm with his, and they wobbled, giddy and drunk, to the other side of the hotel, then down a corridor to her room. She pulled the key from her purse, unlocked the door, then pushed it slightly ajar before turning back.
“It was a lovely evening,” Benedict said, slurring his words.
“It doesn’t have to end,” she said, and placed her hand on his cheek. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
Benedict returned the kiss, then pushed her body against his, moving them both through the door. He pushed it closed behind him with his foot while still kissing her passionately. She could barely catch her breath as she pulled him further into the room. She excused herself briefly to light the lamp near the bed. As the glow illuminated the room, she turned back to find Benedict smiling at her.
“How many witless men do you actually ensnare with that act?” he asked in a condescending tone.
Her face dropped at the question. “It’s never failed until now,” she replied. “But then again, you are not what you seem, are you?”
“The night is still young,” he said. “Tell me where I may find Donovan, and I will leave you to your next victim.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Noel’s ire found its way to the surface as her eyes flashed to a brilliant blue, like sapphires blazing in the sun.
“There’s no need for posturing,” Benedict replied. “I have some unfinished business that I need to attend to.”
“I’m afraid I cannot help you.”
“Fear will be the least of your problems.” Benedict charged at Noel, and before she could react, he snapped her left wrist, leaving her hand bent backwards. He leaned in close to her face and whispered, “Where’s Donovan?”
He could see her fighting off the pain, refusing to react. She remained silent. He moved away as if he was about to leave. She reached with her nails for the back of his neck. Benedict dodged her blow and separated her arm from its socket with a strike of his own. It dangled and twisted like a dead leaf caught in the wind refusing to let go of its branch.
She stood before him, mangled and terrified. He placed his face near her neck and breathed in the fear that was wafting from her pores and a deep, euphoric sigh left his lips.
“You have been his lover for centuries,” Benedict said. “I admire your courage, but do you really want to endure the torture I’m about to unleash upon you? Tell me where I can find him, and I shall make your end swift.”
“Who are you?” she demanded. Though the pain was excruciating, she was not yet ready to cave in.
He thrust the butt of his palm into her chest. Noel lurched forward and to her left. Her breathing became shallow. Two of her ribs jutted forward against her skin.
She looked up at him as he reveled in her misfortune and a shock of recognition fell across her face. “Benedict.” The name crept from her mouth. “How could I have let you get this close?”
He placed his face near hers once more and whispered in her ear. “Where’s Donovan? Where is that worthless, poor excuse who betrayed me to that band of angels? Where is the demon who left me to die?”
Noel’s body began to sway back and forth. She was nearly unconscious. Benedict grabbed her jaw and held her out at arm’s length. He was angered by her insolence and unwillingness to cooperate. The scar on Daniel’s chest opened and closed, taking what was left of her power.
Benedict had gained no satisfaction from the night’s endeavors, and now he would have to cover his tracks. He found a washbasin near a pitcher of water in Noel’s room. He freshened up before opening the gate and returning to the barracks. He took off his boots and lay down on the bed, allowing Daniel to awake back in his room. When Daniel awoke, he couldn’t remember wanting to take a nap, or needing one for that matter. There was new power coursing through him, but now he couldn’t even remember opening the gate or leaving the room. Things were getting out of hand quickly, and he had no idea how to stop what was happening.
“Think, Daniel!” he told himself. “How could you leave the room and take a demon’s power without remembering? I was arguing with myself. It was a game. It was the voice.” Daniel’s heart sank when he realized the voice had returned.
“Who are you?” he asked. Daniel spoke in a low tone. “Show yourself. Speak to me.”
“Do not fear what you can become.”
“I am already afraid of what I’ve become,” Daniel answered. His eyes moistened, and he began to regret everything that had passed since his death.
“Now is not the time for doubt.”
“Then, what time is it, may I ask?” he said out loud, but there was no answer.
January 25, 1863
My dear Beth,
I cannot begin to tell you how overjoyed I was to receive your letter. I will make good on my promise and return to your side as the man you deserve. Rest assured that your brother will hold me to it should I falter, but I have no intention of failing you now. The chance to be a part of your life is all the motivation I need.
I will be stationed at Camp Chase in Ohio. They wish me to oversee weapons training for the new recruits. At the risk of sounding like a coward, I am not at all disappointed with this assignment. Proper training provides for their success as much as guidance on the battlefield. I am most proud to serve in this capacity.
I think of you often and hope that you are well. The stroll we took along the streets of your town is a welcome memory that I look to constantly. Your lovely smile always warms my heart. You are not as plain as you would have the world believe. The beauty you hold comes from your heart as well, making it more precious to me. You are gentle, kind and thoughtful, and I miss you dearly. I hope that you consider me in your thoughts if only briefly.
Please give my lov
e to your family, and tell Daniel that I am glad he is safely away from the heartache of war.
Yours in fondness,
Gerald
“Please join us downstairs once you’re dressed,” the doctor said to Beth as he closed the door to her room. He stood in the hallway, plowing through his notes on her case. He’d never seen anything like this and was so flabbergasted that he could barely write down his thoughts for that day’s examination. He walked down the hallway to the stairs so distractedly that he seemed surprised to find himself standing in the front foyer.
“Are you all right, Doctor?” Mrs. Parker asked, concerned by the look on his face.
“Yes. I... well... of course.” He paged through his notes without looking up. “I asked Beth to join us. She should be here shortly.”
“Would you like a chair?” Mrs. Parker motioned to the sitting room where Mr. Parker and Jonathan were already anxiously waiting.
The doctor joined them, still engrossed in his notes. The family didn’t know what to make of his behavior. All eyes turned to Beth as she rounded the corner of the room.
“Ah, Beth,” the doctor started, “please sit down.”
Beth found a spot next to Jonathan, who fidgeted anxiously on the couch.
“I’m not sure how to say any of this,” the doctor said.
The hearts in the room sank to the floor as the color collectively drained from the family’s faces. His pause was excruciating.
“I believe Beth’s disease has completely regressed. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. She shows no signs of illness whatsoever.”
The family looked at each other, then back at the doctor, as if they had heard wrong.