by Teri Barnett
“Angel!” Connor yelled as he started to fall.
“Focus, Connor, and right yourself.”
He took a deep breath and pictured a sturdy bridge with a handrail on either side. He reached out with his hands and steadied himself and concentrated as hard as he could until he reached the other side. The shimmering blue light looked like a waterfall from the other side of the grid, but up close it looked like a hazy translucent curtain. He wasn’t sure where this would lead but he’d made it this far…“What do I do next?” he asked,
“Walk through the blue light and down the passageway to a door. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side of the door.” Bethany passed through the entry and disappeared.
Connor glanced over his shoulder at the pulsating lines of light behind him. They criss-crossed around him, bright and glowing. He took a long sip of his flask and slipped it into his boot then slipped his hand inside his jacket, feeling the reassuring shape of two more flasks in his inside pockets.
He stepped through the light and braced himself against the walls of the passageway as he walked, the whiskey beginning to take effect. He finally found the door and reached for the handle, his hand shaking. He walked in and to his surprise, found himself in an immense room full of stacks and stacks of books, the rows stretching as far as he could see. “I’ll be damned,” he murmured.
“Perhaps, but that’s no concern of mine.”
Connor swung around, startled. “Who the hell are you?” He raised an eyebrow at the frail old man standing before him. “You must be Zachariah?”
The old man nodded.
“You don’t look like the devil to me.”
“Well, I’ve been called quite a few names in my lifetime, but ‘devil’ was never one of them,” Zachariah replied, with a quirk of his lips.
Connor noticed the man’s milky eyes. “You’re blind.”
“My eyes are blind. But I can see you very clearly, young Connor.”
He stared at the man for a moment, taking in the long silver mustache and purple robe. His eyes widened. “You must be Saint Peter.” He slapped his hand on his thigh and grinned. “I’m not going to Hell after all. Damn. I thought I was in for an eternity of fire and brimstone.”
“Yes, well, you still might be, depending on how well you do here.”
Connor’s smile froze. “You mean I’m not in the clear yet?”
“Mmm, maybe, maybe not.” Zachariah shrugged, tapping his foot on the stone floor.
The sound echoed throughout the room, reaching Bethany’s ears. Her shadow absorbed the subtle vibration and gently floated along the silver tether until it rejoined her body. Bethany’s eyes fluttered opened and she sat up and stretched. She rose from the chair and, feeling dizzy, grabbed the table for support. After a few moments, her dizziness abated, she was able to stand on her own. Her stomach growled and she remembered she hadn’t eaten for two days.
“Zachariah? Where are you?” Bethany called down the aisle of records.
“Here,” he replied, his voice muffled by the books.
She followed the sound of Zachariah’s voice and heard another male voice rumble in reply to something the old man had said.
Connor is here!
It all came back to her — her memories of being a shadow and traveling to Devil’s Gate to ask Connor to come with her so she could locate Connor’s wife Elizabeth and find her daughter Sarah.
And what an experience that was. To be able to free-float, pass through solid objects, and invade the dreams of others. Never in her life had she been able to do that, not even while in the Knowing. It humbled her to realize how vast the soul’s abilities were.
“There you are.” She turned a corner and saw the two men. She bowed her head to Zachariah and then turned to Connor. “Welcome, Connor Jessup, my name is Bethany M’Doro.”
Connor gaped at her. “It’s the angel,” he whispered. “But, how? I mean, I can’t see through you anymore.”
Bethany smiled. “Of course, you can’t. I was in a shadow state when I visited you on the Earth plane. I’ve returned to flesh and blood now, the same as you. You are now on the plane of Keilah.”
Connor’s eyes shot back and forth between Zachariah and Bethany. He took a step backward and grabbed the door. It was no use. The handle had vanished.
Zachariah turned his head in Bethany’s direction. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d return in time,” he commented.
Bethany started to answer but was interrupted by Connor. “What do you mean?”
“Bethany had only two days to get whatever information from you she could. Judging from the fact you’re here, though, I’d say she wasn’t able to find out anything.”
“You’re right, Zachariah. Can we please go somewhere and talk? I’ve lost too much time as it is.”
Zachariah nodded. “Come along, son,” he bade. “Bethany can tell you her story while we have a bite to eat.”
Bethany and Zachariah started walking. She glanced over her shoulder. Connor was following a few steps behind, his hand resting on a metal object tucked into a holder on his belt.
“They damn well better have whiskey here, that’s all I have to say. To put me through this without a single shot surely would be hell.”
Chapter 12
“So, this is what it’s like to be dead,” Connor observed, settling into a heavy black chair near the fire. “If we’re not in heaven or hell, are we in Purgatory?”
“You’re not dead, nor is this place Purgatory. You’re in the portal between the planes.” Bethany explained. She had never met someone so caught up in the thought of being dead.
“But I am dying, though, aren’t I?” He studied the back of his hand as he scraped his fingernails over the thick woven fabric of the chair arm. “So, this must be some sort of way station until I do and then you’ll take me away?”
“We’re all dying, Mr. Jessup.” Zachariah sat down in the chair opposite Connor. “It’s only a matter of time for any of us. You saw the sparks flashing on the lines when you entered the portal?”
Connor nodded.
“If you looked closely, you would have noticed the sparks jumped from one line to the next. That’s death—a soul simply leaving one plane for another. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Connor looked at Bethany, confused. “What do you say about all of this, Angel? Is this a dream or am I really here?”
“I say yes, you’re really here and stop calling me Angel.” Bethany was growing impatient with all this talk of dying. “I’ve told you, my name is Bethany and we need to get down to business. I have to find Sarah.”
Before Connor could speak, Zachariah interrupted, “How about something to drink?”
Without waiting for a reply, he took the heavy glass decanter from where it was warming near the fire and poured a clear liquid into thin porcelain cups.
Zachariah offered one to Connor, who smiled his gratitude. Connor leaned over the cup and swished the drink around, taking a moment to smell it. Finally, he swallowed the contents in one gulp. He sputtered and began to choke.
“Personally, I prefer something a bit stronger than cherry water.” With that, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and extracted a silver flask. He poured the amber drink into the cup and gulped it down.
Bethany and Zachariah shared a knowing glance. The man was obviously dependent on this beverage. Perhaps she was right when she asked him if his courage were in the bottle. Bethany thought about the ceremony Connor and Jimmy had made and remembered trying to heal the man. But, in her shadow state, she had been unable to touch him. She studied Connor more closely, deciding the time wasn’t right to try again.
Connor broke into her thoughts. “That’s much better. You want a swig?” he offered the flask to Zachariah who waved it away with a scowl. Connor shrugged. “Fine by me. So, Angel, as long as we’re vi
siting and all, why don’t you tell me about Elizabeth? You have to know that carrot you dangled is why I followed you here. Did you visit her like you did me?” He glanced away and stared at the flames in the massive stone hearth. “Or do you know her because she’s dead?”
Bethany took a deep breath, trying to put her growing dislike for the man aside. He was weak, but he was also her only hope right now. “I’m what’s called a Knower. That is, I can take an object and tell you about its owner.”
Connor guffawed. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
Anger shot through her, but she held her tongue. “Give me that metal object on your belt.”
“My gun? No way. It’s my only protection.” He crossed his arms over his chest with an air of finality, leaning back in the chair.
“Then give me something else. It makes no difference what it is.”
Connor stuffed his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sheriff’s badge. He tossed it to her. “Here, take this. I don’t need it anymore.”
Bethany placed the silver star onto the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes and, when she opened them, he gasped. “My eyes change to blue when I’m in the Knowing.”
“That’s a powerful trick you can do there.”
“It’s not a trick.” She frowned. “Do you want to know what I see or not?”
He nodded and leaned forward.
“You made this yourself, out of a flattened Mexican peso. The coin was given to you by your father, a man who carried the news of religion across the prairie. You carved and carved on it with your knife until all the points were perfectly symmetrical. I see you squinting in the sunlight as you measure it. Then, you dug away at the coin until the word sheriff appeared.”
Connor’s eyes widened. Bethany continued, “You were a trusted man, you took care of Devil’s Gate and protected the people. At least, until Elizabeth Jessup left you. From then, you began to drink heavily and were eventually replaced by another man as sheriff of your town. I can see you, sitting in front of a fireplace, consuming one bottle of liquor after another.
“The townspeople couldn’t trust you anymore, Connor. They were afraid you wouldn’t be there when they needed you.”
She looked into his eyes. They were shining with unshed tears. “You have to make peace with this. Only then can you be free.”
Connor wiped at his nose with the back of his jacket sleeve. “Yeah, well, I’ve heard that before. I don’t need to be preached to by anyone, not even an angel. I made my bed and I’ll lie in it, alone. That’s the way I want it. And,” he added, “leave my father out of this.”
“If that’s your wish.” Bethany shrugged and tossed the badge back to him. “I work with a group of Diggers who excavate the area around Paran, the town I come from. During one of the digs, we found a silver box. I held the box and read it the same as I read your badge just now, and discovered it was brought to Keilah by your wife.”
“How can you be sure it was my Elizabeth?”
Bethany’s face softened, as did her voice. “I saw the scene when she left you. She must have been thinking of you when she came here because the memory was stored in the container. I watched her pick up her bag and walk out the door. ‘Supper’s on the fire,’ I believe she said as she left.”
Connor jumped up. “How can you know that? I never told anyone.”
“You didn’t need to. The Knowing told me. Please, sit down and I’ll finish my explanation.” She waited until Connor had eased himself back into his chair, then continued. “The box contains the Book of Eitel, an outline of the history and incantations of the Eitellans. They’re an evil people, Connor. They steal children and extract their souls. The high priestess uses them to gain immortality.”
“I don’t see what this has to do with Elizabeth,” he murmured.
“I’m not sure of the link myself. I only know what I saw—that you’re her husband. I had hoped you would know what her connection to Eitel was. I saw a man named Michael Greene present her with the box containing the manuscript, but don’t know anything else.” She leaned forward. “Why was the book left on the Earth plane? How did she learn the writing? Did she talk to you about it?”
“Elizabeth was a headstrong, ambitious woman.” Connor shook his head. “Michael Greene owned half the silver mines in Nevada and she was hankering after money. That’s why she left me.” He snorted and shook his head. “Sheriffs aren’t rich. That’s all I know.” He looked up first at Zachariah and then at Bethany. “You didn’t answer my earlier question. Tell me, is she dead?”
Bethany glanced down and studied the mosaic stone patterns in the floor. This was the part she had been dreading. She reached into her waist pouch and pulled out the ornate tortoise and mother of pearl comb. Her eyes caught Connor’s and he slowly held his hand out for it. As she placed the object there, her fingers touched his. A spark of energy flew through her body, jarring her. She immediately withdrew her hand and looked away.
Bethany’s eyes filled with tears as something inside her stirred. She tried to shrug it off. It was part of being a Knower, after all, to experience another person’s pain and sorrow. “In my vision, Elizabeth and Michael arrived here in a bright flash of light. At the site, we found ashes and bone fragments. I tried to read them, but there wasn’t enough substance remaining. I could only make out they were human and nothing more. I believe they were the remains of your wife and Michael Greene, with the exception of the comb and the box with the manuscript.”
Bethany shook her head, reading Connor’s unasked question. “I don’t know how these two items escaped. She must have dropped them when the flames overtook her. I’m sorry, Connor.”
Connor turned the comb over and over. “I gave her this on our wedding day.” His voice was quiet. “It was my mother’s.” He leaned back into the chair. “I never wished Elizabeth any harm, I only wanted her to come home.” Connor looked at Bethany. “How would she know to come here?”
“Legend tells us it’s all explained in the Book of Eitel. It supposedly outlines how to travel between the planes without benefit of Zachariah’s portal or death.”
“I’ve heard that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. That must be why you’re telling me all of this — so I can remember the details of what brought me to this point,” he said in a low voice, taking another drink of whiskey.
Bethany stood, wrapping her arms around her. It couldn’t be. Her stomach clenched and she took a deep breath to quell the nausea that threatened. Here was her greatest hope for finding Sarah and it was nothing. Nothing. She walked over to the fire and stared at the flames, her back to Connor and Zachariah. The man knew less than she did about Elizabeth and Eitel. She lifted her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob.
Connor leaned toward Zachariah. “What’s the matter with her?” he whispered.
“She had hoped you would be able to help her find her daughter. She thinks the Eitellans have taken the child and thought you’d know something, given your connections to Elizabeth.”
“Me?” His laugh was bitter. Harsh. “Well, that’s a new one. No one has wanted my help for a long time. Seems like most people I know can take care of things without me. Just like Elizabeth and Devil’s Gate.” He leaned back in his chair and exhaled loudly.
Bethany turned to Connor, her gaze blurred by her tears. She had expected too much from the man, she could see that now. “Well, Connor Jessup, if you’re ready, I’ll escort you back to the Earth plane.”
“You mean I can go, just like that?” He looked over to Zachariah, who nodded. “Wait a minute. What about the comment you made about seeing how I did here? Did I do all right, then? I don’t have to die yet?”
“You did what you could, given the circumstances and your degree of knowledge of the events presented to you. From here, Bethany will have to go on alone.”
Connor studied Bethany. “Is t
here a chance Elizabeth is still alive?”
Bethany shrugged. “I would assume not, but I can’t be absolutely certain at this point.”
“Then I’m staying.”
“You can’t stay, Connor Jessup.” Bethany took a step toward him, growing suspicious. “Why would you want to, anyway?”
He looked around him. “If there’s a chance my wife is here, wherever here is, I want to find her.” Connor stood and walked over to the window where the two suns rotated around each other.
Bethany turned to Zachariah. “I don’t know about this. Won’t he have to travel as a shadow, just like I did? What if we don’t find Sarah in the two days given before he’d have to return?”
Zachariah tilted his head toward Connor. “He is emotionally involved, Bethany, like you—but there’s a difference. The amount of drink he consumes clouds his thinking and his perspective. Given his altered state of mind, I don’t believe there’ll be any real danger in his getting locked into your plane. If he so chooses, I’ll let him pass to Keilah bodily.”
Connor turned away from the window when his eyes started to burn. “I don’t know what you two are talking about, but this has been one hell of a day, I’ll say that much,” he muttered. “The way I see it is, I’m either dead—which you keep telling me I’m not—or I’m dreaming.” Bethany started to speak, but he cut her off. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’m not believing any of it. This place is too strange to be real.” He glanced at Zachariah. “Especially him,” he whispered.
“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Jessup,” Zachariah responded tersely.
Bethany giggled.
“There now, Angel, that wasn’t so hard was it?”
Bethany sniffed. “What wasn’t?”
“To smile. My mama used to tell me a story. She said when it rained, it was the tears of angels crying over sinners.” He walked toward her and his footsteps echoing in the great hall were the only sounds to be heard. “Well, this sinner has seen enough of tears. I’ll help you find your child, Angel, if you’ll help me find Elizabeth.”
