Found

by Kimberly Odum Wells

There are many types of angels: warrior, guardians, even those that mankind would call scholars, or historians. There are angels that are meant to aid humans and those who are never meant to see the surface. There are big angels and small angels and some angels that have no form at all but each has a purpose and when the Watchers fell it changed the course of the world and universe they lived in. Nothing was left unaffected by the rebellion, not the formless angels that filled the night sky, or the heavenly angels whose great white wings could block the sun or light the dark of night. When the Great Creator returned, it was to destroy the world, but instead the new world was given a second chance, and some angels a new purpose. An oath was taken, a vow sworn, one of protection and aid.

  Mankind had their theories and beliefs – the angels had the prophecy of the Mothers.

  He had taken on many names since his banishment. In this time he was called Lucius. He was as old as time but you wouldn’t know it. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. Lucius sat on the edge of his bed. He didn’t’ require much sleep; needing any was something he had gotten use to. It still annoyed him. Standing up, he walked the short distance from the bed to the small bathroom. Generic white tiles, shower stall, toilet, vanity sink with square mirror mounted on the wall; the bathroom, like the rest of the apartment, was tiny but immaculate.

  The pipes didn’t protest much as he turned on the water to the shower. He kept a tube of liquid nails under the sink for the times it seemed like a freight train was coming through the pipes instead of just good old H2O.

  He stepped into the stall before waiting the ten minutes it took his water to heat to lukewarm and if he had been still sleepy, the ice water that covered his body woke him right up. He was getting out by the time the temperature had gotten closer to something a person wanted to bathe in and not something pulled out of a refrigerator. He dried and pulled on a pair of jeans that were so old and faded, they felt like something you slept in instead of denim.

  The coffee pot was programmed and brewed while he was in the shower. After pouring a cup he went to the large antique desk that took up much of the floor space in the living room area. It was too big for the studio apartment, but he’d grown fond of it. It was the only piece of furniture that had been with him for any amount of time. He moved around a lot; searching for signs, going from place to place following myth, folklore and legend in an attempt to keep his vow.

  Sitting down in an old office chair that should have groaned from his weight, he pulled open one of the large bottom drawers and took out a massive leather book before turning on the computer. He had come up with an elaborate record keeping system that only he could make sense of. There were times he was sure his place had been searched. A piece of paper out of place or a drawer not left in the same half opened position; little things that would have gone unnoticed by almost anyone else. No one could decipher the code, so he was always amused on those occasions when someone had been sent to check up on him.

  While he waited for the computer to start he reached into the middle drawer and pulled out a worn black and white speckled journal. It matched the countless others that lined the bookshelves that took up every available inch of wall space. Lucius was about to type in the password to his computer when there was a knock on the door.

  “I know you’re in there.”

  The voice from the other side of the closed door was one that he knew well. Lucius unbolted the numerous, useless locks and opened the door.

  “It’s been a long time,” he said as he stood back to let the angel enter. “What some coffee?”

  Sariel was the same height as Lucius but that’s were their similarities ended. Lucius dark brown hair that would turn blond around his temple if he spent too much time in the sun, hung down his back and was tied with a piece of leather. Sariel’s ginger hair fell in soft curls around his face. Lucius eyes were hazel but sometimes looked gold or green, depending on what he was wearing or his mood. Sariel’s eyes were pale green, so light that only the dark ring around the iris kept the color from disappearing into the whites of his eyes. Lucius had broad shoulders and a thick muscular chest that matched equally impressive arms and legs. Sariel was built lean, like a long distance runner or swimmer.

  “Honestly, I don’t know how you can stand the stuff. Do you have any soda?”

  “Soda…” Lucius repeated, opening the fridge and moving Chinese take-out boxes and other assorted containers around. “No, but I have some orange juice. Will that do?”

  Sariel let out an exaggerated sigh from the desk where he thumbed through the notebook Lucius had left opened. “Sure.”

  He went through several more pages before he gave up and turned back in Lucius’s direction. “You’re still looking?”

  “Have I given reason for you to believe I had given up?” he asked, handing Sariel his juice.

  “No, but I still wonder what your plan is, if you find her.”

  It was no longer an argument, nor was it a debate. Each visit started the same. Did it matter that sometimes sixty, even seventy years passed before they were in the same room? No. Sariel knew the banished angel would never stop looking and he didn’t doubt that he’d find the Queen. He was worried.

  Already tired of the game Sariel played, Lucius took a deep breath before he answered. “When I find her…I plan on keeping her safe.”

  “And how do you plan on that when Azriel sends his most powerful?”

  If Sariel was angry he didn’t show it. He’d spent enough time on the surface in his lifetime that the stoic, robotic ways of an angel had left him. Now he looked as serious as those who had never left the heavens.

  “And where do you stand? Who has your allegiance?” Lucius asked; his own expression blank.

  Sariel smiled behind his raised glass before taking a long drink. “I stand with you of course.”

  Lucius walked to the desk while Sariel sat in a small chair in the corner next to the room’s lone window. He played with the leaves of a small potted plant on the window sill.

  “I have good news and better news,” he said.

  The plant was dead from neglect or maybe the inadequate skills of its owner. He touched one and watched the plant bloom. Sariel was an archangel, Lucius, his best friend. He’d found Lucius within the first century of his banishment and knew the consequences if he were ever caught, but he had stayed loyal.

  “So?” Lucius said, tired of waiting.

  Sariel looked at the plant for a moment longer before turning and answering. “I know where one of the Mothers are, quite possible the Queen.”

  Lucius sat up so quick he was almost thrown from the chair. “What did you say?” He stood, knocking the large leather book from the desk and was standing in front of Sariel in two strides. “What...When...For how long?”

  “Sit down and I’ll explain.”

  Sariel stood, putting his hand on Lucius shoulder. He could feel the muscles jumping beneath the fabric of his shirt. Lucius was taller than Sariel, outweighed him and appeared to be physically stronger. He was not. Sariel was still a heavenly angel, with his full powers. Lucius could wipe the floor with any human man but he was about as menacing as a gnat to Sariel. Not that he’d ever fight Lucius. Showing him back to his seat, he picked up the book and put it back on the desk before returning to his own seat. Lucius sat on the very edge of his chair.

  “A year or so ago a lower angel brought back a story about a woman who was in possession of a locket. She was looking for information. The locket was made of black wood with a tree on one side and a seven pointed star on the other.

  “The axis,” Lucius whispered in disbelief.

  Axis mundi were ordinarily places; sacred and holy locations spread across the earth surface. One had been created as a piece of jewelry; a gift for the Queen Mother, thrown from the heavens by the Creator.

  “The woman received the necklace from a family friend and was going to give it to her daughter on her sixteenth birthday. She
wanted to know the history behind it, if there was one.” Sariel was relaxed, leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed at the knee. He plucked at a piece of imaginary lint on his all white outfit as he toyed with Lucius.

  Lucius had to restrain himself from trying to yank the angel up by the collar of his shirt as he waited for the rest of the story. He hoped the end was soon coming. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out. Already he was itching to get on the road.

  “I’m not sure how the angel happened to find the man but I’m certain he’s not told Azriel. Things are getting bad. He’s banished so many angels for bringing him useless information that, half of the leads are never passed in fear of the punishment.” Sariel finished with sadness in voice. Lucius could have cared less. The look of frustration on his face got his friend back on track.

  “I questioned the man myself. As it turned out he was very helpful. He’d taken the phone number of the woman and a photo of the locket.”

  “What are we waiting on?” Lucius all but yelled.

  Finally annoyed with his desire to rush into certain death, Sariel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know you’re anxious. I suggest you stop interrupting.”

  The statement and angel’s tone was enough to get Lucius to sit back down. Sariel rushed through the rest of the story and finally opened his eyes. Spending so much time on the surface, watching over his friend had allowed human emotions to plague his body, but at least he could return to the heavens. Lucius had been on the surface for centuries with no reprieve. It was to only thing that made Sariel patient with his friend as he looked into his angry face.

  “Are you sure?” Lucius asked.

  “Yes… well fairly sure. I felt her presence before I saw her. I’ve visited often as I tried to figure out what to do.”

  “What to do?” Lucius said, pushing up from his chair, sending it flying behind him. He paced the small area in front of the desk. “So you’ve known where she was for two years and you’re just now telling me.”

  “Not quite two years, and I knew once I told you where she was you’d go to her. Azriel is still watching you and it would only be a matter of time before one of his angels found you and her.” Sariel ran his hands through his hair.

  “You have no real powers to protect her and you…will…fail.” Sariel stressed each of the three words. He would never give up trying to get his friend to listen to reason; a friend whose shocked and angered stare made him wonder why he even bothered sometimes. “So I decided to find out if there was a way to get your wings back.”

  The last words shocked Lucius out of his anger.

  “The one you vowed to protect had the ability to give you back your wings. She has the ability to do all things.”

  Sariel walked to the bed and reached under it for the suitcase he knew was there. He was throwing it on the bed when Lucius stopped pacing and joined him. Lucius didn’t say anything as Sariel went to the closet and began to pull clothes off hangers. He stood behind him as the angel threw random clothes on the bed, trying to control his breathing. Was he short of breath from the news of the location of the person he’d traveled the world several times over looking for, or from the shock of the idea of having his wings back after a thousand years? Either way, impatience was a real thing, it drew his body tight. He willed each muscle to relax and flexed his fingers after uncurling his fisted hands.

  “First we pack, and then we leave,” Sariel said, with his back still to Lucius.

  Grabbing the last pair of jeans in the closet, he turned. The two looked at each other across the small space, both frustrated for different reasons. Sariel knew Lucius didn’t have a death wish. But where time on the surface had made Sariel fun loving and laid back, it had made Lucius…angry. Or maybe that had something to do with the banishment. Either way, Lucius had never wavered from what he believed to be his purpose. It was something a lot of heavenly angels could no longer boast. There was change on the horizon and had been since the prophecy was set in motion. But it was getting closer and Sariel knew that Lucius had an important part to play. He couldn’t go rushing off hot-headed with no plan, no powers and a chip on his shoulder the size of Atlas’s celestial sphere.

  “I know you’ve waited for a long time for this but we can’t just run off and try to save the day. We’ll both end up dead, or worse, get her killed.” The thought sent chills along his spine. “We’re going to take whatever information you’ve gathered that may help us and then we are going to leave for her house. Along the way, we’ll figure out a plan where the ending includes all of us alive.”

  Lucius calmed down. Of course Sariel was right. Lucius had great strength and speed, he could offer protection from any mortal but anything else would be impossible. He cursed the human emotions that ran unchecked in him and the weakness of being bound.

  “Okay.” He tried to expel the anxious and nervous energy of knowing where she was in a single long breath.

  “My wings… why do you think she can give them back to me?” He neatly folded the clothes Sariel had thrown behind him as he raided the closet.

  “Yes and I can’t believe that neither of us thought of it before.” Sariel walked over to the window picking up his half full glass of orange juice. “The Queen Mother is the one that rules. She would have the ability to do all things. Her power would be second only to the Almighty’s. She would have the ability to give you your wings.”

  Lucius didn’t ask why Sariel had him pack most of his clothes, didn’t ask where they were going or how long he’d be gone. When he finished packing he cleaned the refrigerator and picked up the potted plant that Sariel revived and walked down the hall. He gave the plant to the landlady and paid his rent for the next three months and followed behind Sariel as he led the way to the front of the building. , Waiting on the curb was a brand new white Range Rover.

  “Where’d this come from?” It was just like Sariel to drive something so over the top flashy.

  “What,” Sariel said, walking around the to the driver’s door, “Too much?”

  The lulling comforts of the leather seats in the luxury SUV went unnoticed as Lucius sat in the passenger seat trying hard not to push down on Sariel’s knee to get him to go faster. They made the trip in silence, each deep in thought. They drove through the night but Lucius was surprised just how close he’d been to one of the Mothers and if Sariel was right – the Queen Mother. He wondered how many other times had he been within driving distance. The thought made him want to scream.

  It was still dark but the new day was a whispered promise in the sky when Sariel parked the car on the side of the road near the wooded area that surrounded the home they were headed for. A symphony of frogs, night birds and cicadas was music that only country living could make a person appreciate. They were silent as they made their way through thick underbrush and low handing tree branches until Sariel stopped Lucius by putting a hand on his arm.

  It was four in the morning when they finally came to a spot where they could see the house but were hidden from view by surrounding trees. The small wood home was painted white. It had black shutters and a red door. Even with the hour being early there was an upstairs light on. No one passed in front of the window but they hadn’t been standing there long when a second, downstairs light, came on. Sariel and Lucius stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder and waited. As the sun came over the horizon Lucius felt the second person in the house get up and knew without seeing her, she was the one.

  It had been a thousand years but he would never forget the feeling he’d experienced kneeling in the bed of flowers in front of the little girl that had shown no fear. It had taken touch to bring him to his knees. Fifty feet and a wall stood between him and the one he was destined to protect, but it was no different. The air was thin and hard to breath or maybe that was caused by the sudden tightness in his chest. His shoulder blades where his wings would have attached to his body itched and burned. Sariel had described the pull
but it was so much more and Lucius fought his body to stay in place. He had searched for so long and she was just across the road. His whole body tensed as he concentrated on not moving a single inch for fear of bolting from the wooded area. He knew Sariel could stop him if he was not strong enough. Minutes felt like hours; hours felt like weeks as they waited until finally the front door of the house opened.

  Her hair hung down her back in long corkscrew curls almost touching her waist. She was tall, almost six feet. Her skin was the color of caramel and even from where he stood Lucius could see it was perfect. He wasn’t as powerful in his bound state but he was still and angel and that afforded him strength and heightened senses. Large, almond shaped, brown eyes, slim nose with a narrow bridge and slightly wide nostrils, her mouth was wide and would show a lot of teeth when she smiled. She was beautiful.

  “That’s her,” Lucius whispered the statement but Sariel nodded, having heard his friend.

  She stood next to the Jeep after throwing a bag in the back. She looked in the direction of the two hidden angels before lifting her head to the heavens. She fingered, what must be the axis as she took a deep breath before going back in the house. Lucius only allowed his own breath when she was no longer in sight. He was still reining in his shot control when the girl and a woman came out of the house. The woman was carrying a bag and a large tote. The girl followed with a rolling cooler and pulled off when everything was loaded.

  “I’m going to follow them. You check out the house.”

  The rest of the instructions dried up in Sariel’s mouth as he turned to look at Lucius after the car was out of sight. His hands were fisted at his side and every muscle was coiled tight. Sariel could almost feel the angels overriding emotions. He was like a trapped animal backed into a corner. He had no doubt if he tried to touch his friend they’d end up fighting.

  Taking a deep breath he spoke in a soft voice, full of understanding. “Lucius you’d never get back to the car in time to follow them.”

  He was being unreasonable, he knew, but it didn’t stop him from being so. Lucius didn’t trust himself to speak so he simply nodded. Without a word Sariel disappeared. He’d never missed having his wings more than at that very moment. Turning back to the house, he looked in the direction the car had driven off in before leaving his hiding place. Crossing the road he headed for the rear of the house and entered it through the back door.

  The house was dark and had the lingering smells of breakfast. The kitchen, a small den and half bath was all there was to the downstairs area. He took the stairs two at a time to the second floor. Lucius went into what must have been the woman’s room. It was dark because the sun was on the other side of the house. Without turning on a light he looked around.

  A bed, night stand, chest of drawers and rocking chair next to the window, with one of those large swivel mirrors next to, made up the room’s furnishing. He left the room and passed the opened bathroom door to the room at the end of the hall. Unlike the first room and bathroom the door was closed.

  Lucius placed his hand on the door before resting his forehead on it. He took in a deep breath. The smell of breakfast had grown fainter even in the short time he’d been in the house but he still picked up traces of it upstairs. He could smell soap and a second floral smell that could have been shampoo or maybe perfume. Beneath that, coming from the closed room, he smelled things that should not have had a scent: sunshine and rain, moon light and a night’s breeze. Those were coupled with the smell of green meadows full of wildflowers, honeysuckle and dark, fertile soil. He took a second breath, to commit the scent to memory before lowering his hand and grabbing the doorknob. Raising his head he turned the knob and opened the door.

  The room looked like any other teenage girl’s room. A very neat teenage girl. There were no posters on the wall and the bed was made, there were no clothes thrown or lying around. Everything was in its place. The twin size bed had a matching white night stand with a glass lamb with a blue and white shade. There was a small vanity and desk with a neat stack of school books on it.

  Lucius walked over to the vanity and traced the edge of it. He turned in a slow circle, trying to figure out what would be making him feel like something was off with the tidy room. Nothing jumped out as wrong but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. He sat down on the bed, ran his hand across the pillows. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell no chemicals could ever reproduce. He opened his eyes and figured out what was wrong when they landed on the stack of books on the desk.

  He ran from the room pulling his phone from his pocket before jumping over the banister. He grabbed the knob of the front door and sprinted down the dirt road while he dialed Sariel’s number, who answered before the first full ring had finished and started talking before Lucius could get a word in.

  “I think there leaving,” Sariel said.

  “I know. Where are you?”

  “Still following them, how did you know something was wrong?”

  “Her books are still on the desk in her room.”

  “If I turn around I’ll lose them.”

  “No, keep going. I’ll catch up.”

  Lucius ended the call before Sariel could say anything else and pushed himself to run faster. Quick reflexes kept him from tripping and sharpened sight help him navigate the area without getting his head knocked off as he ran. He’d never had to push the limits of his earthbound strength. His breath still came easy as he all but ran out in the street when he emerged on the stretch of road he and Sariel had parked on earlier. He had to find a car and quick. At the end of the dirt road he looked in both directions for any sign that might help him figure out which way would be the best direction to take off in to find a car. Both looked equally unpromising. He was about to call Sariel back to find out what direction he needed to head in when he saw a car coming. Behind the wheel of was a teenage boy.

  “Perfect,” Lucius said aloud and start waving his arms around.

  The boy, about seventeen, pulled over not too far from where Lucius stood. Lucius thought how lucky he was that the Queen lived in a place where people still trusted enough to pull over and offer a stranger a ride.

  “Need a lift?” The boy asked, leaning out the window a little.

  “I’ll give you a thousand dollars if you let me borrow your car. Give me your number and I’ll call you with the location after I drop it off.”

  The boy opened the car door so quick that he almost hit Lucius with it. “Sure thing mister, the car’s not worth a thousand dollars but it runs great and the tank’s full.”

  Lucius handed the boy the money, thanked him and pulled off before the door was all the way closed.

  “Okay, I have a car.” Lucius had the gas pedal to the floor. “If you’re going the speed limit I should catch up to you in the next half hour or so if I can keep this speed, forty-five minutes if I can’t.”

  After a moment of shocked silence Sariel spoke, “What… how?”

  Lucius ignored Sariel’s befuddlement. “Do you know where they’re going?”

  “No, did you find anything at the house?”

  “No personal effects. No one would be able to tell who lived in the house if they don’t go back.”

  “After all this time, the line of that little girl is still on the run.”

  There was silence on the line as both men thought back on the little girl Lucius had found a thousand years ago. He’d had little doubt after speaking to her and absolutely none after she’d brought him to his knees with a touch. Ife words had become prophecy for Lucius. He’d remained kneeled in the bed of flowers and said a prayer, one for strength and patience.

  “I don’t have a charger and I don’t want the phone to go dead. Call me if you stop or change directions.” Lucius said, swallowing down the emotions raising like the tide and hung up without saying goodbye, willing the car to go faster.

  Chapter 3: A Chance Encounter