The Soul Destroyer

by Elicia Hyder

  “So don’t do it.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “If I don’t, I could get kicked out of Eden.”

  She stopped walking. “Warren, that’s serious.”

  I pointed to my face. “Hence, all the stress.”

  “Your mom told me you had a tough time at the Onyx Tower. She didn’t let on that it was that bad.”

  “My mother is an incurable optimist.” All human souls were in Eden, really.

  “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. Is it about Fury?”

  “Partly. Her child isn’t human, and they want me to kill all newborn nonhumans.”

  Alarm washed over her face. “Even Iliana?”

  “No, but they want me to bring her here.”

  She clapped her hands together. “That sounds wonderful. Doesn’t it, Skittles?”

  Skittles barked again.

  I shook my head as we walked into the house. “No, it really isn’t. She’ll be frozen as a baby. Never able to grow up.”

  Alice shrugged. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

  “You only say that because your childhood was shit.”

  And it was. Alice and I had gone through the foster system together. She was the reason I killed Charlie Lockett, one of our caregivers, when I was just eight years old. What he did to her…even in Eden, I still couldn’t stomach the thought. Unfortunately, his extermination hadn’t saved her from the damage done to her mortal heart, and the life of addiction and depression that had followed ultimately killed her.

  On Earth, Alice had died in my arms.

  Alice leaned against my shoulder. “Not all of it was shit. The parts with you were wonderful.”

  I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

  There was a basket of fresh, warm manna on the counter. It was a delicacy in Eden, and to put it in earthly terms, it was like a yeast roll and a pound cake got together and had a delicious baby. A baby that induced a feeling of ecstasy, like catnip for humans—or heroin that can’t kill you (Alice’s comparison, not mine). It came in all sorts of flavors. This one looked like butter cheesecake, my very favorite. I plucked out a slice and lifted it to my lips.

  “Warren,” my mother said, her tone scolding.

  I bit into it anyway. “This is Eden,” I said around the bite as I fed a piece to the dog. “No rules.”

  Mom laughed and swatted me with a dishtowel.

  Yes, my mother still liked to do dishes…and cook and keep a tidy house. I think it was part of realizing the dream she’d wanted on Earth—a quiet domestic life with my father. He’d been here with her for a long time before they decided together it’d be best for him to return to help raise Iliana. I knew my mother missed him, but Eden gives us all a different perspective on time; a life on Earth is but a blink in respect to eternity.

  I sat down at the elegantly set table, and Alice put arms around my neck from behind. She bent to rest her head on my shoulder. “How long can you stay?”

  I put my hand over hers. “Not long enough, I’m afraid. I must go back tonight and find the Father.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Africa.”

  “Bring me back a giraffe?” she asked, turning her face toward mine.

  I laughed. “I’ll see what I can do. Where would we put it?” Alice and I shared a house on the beach nearby.

  “You could build a fence in the side yard.”

  “It would have to be a tall fence.”

  Alice kissed my cheek, then moved to the chair beside me.

  “Can you take care of Skittles for a little longer?”

  At the sound of her name, Skittles headbutted my calf under the table.

  “Of course. Is Reuel going with you?” She reached for the carafe of red wine in the center of the table.

  “I hope so.”

  “Where is he? Nadine said he was coming,” she said, filling her glass and mine.

  “He said he’d be here, but knowing him, he was probably sidetracked by the manna carts on the way through the village.”

  Alice handed me my glass and held up hers. “Cheers.”

  “Cheers. Thank you.” We clinked our glasses and drank. The silky wine flowed over my tongue, rapturing my taste buds.

  The doorbell rang, sending Skittles barking toward the door. “That must be him now,” I said, getting up.

  “I’ll get it.” Mom wiped her hand on the towel. “It might be your grandparents.”

  “You invited Yaya and George?”

  “Yes. I hope that’s OK,” she said, walking to the door.

  “Of course it’s OK.”

  Alice stood beside me. “Yay, I love Yaya.”

  Growing up, Alice was the closest thing to family I had. Here, in Eden, I had more relatives than I could count. The closest of which, besides my mother, were my maternal grandparents who had passed away in the ’80s and ’90s.

  My mother had been an only child, so my grandmother had never had grandchildren when she was alive. Now, she insisted I call her Yaya, being that she was Greek. My grandfather, on the other hand, was happy to be called George.

  The door opened, and my grandmother raised her hands (one of which was holding a wine bottle) over her head. “Warren, you’re home!”

  Though she had died from pancreatic cancer in her late sixties, Yaya’s age had been reset to her mid twenties. Physically, she looked even younger than me, as my aging process had stopped at thirty-one. I wouldn’t age any more as long as I stayed in Eden.

  “Yaya brought wine!” I teased as I walked over to hug her.

  During her lifetime, Yaya had been part of a very strict church that condemned all consumption of alcohol. Obviously, booze wasn’t an issue in Eden, so Yaya seemed to be making up for lost time. It was rare to see her without a drink in her hand. It was a good thing alcoholism wasn’t a problem in the spirit world.

  She handed me the bottle. “It’s from the Pallata region. Have you been? George and I just got back. Beautiful countryside. Puts Sonoma and Napa Valley to shame. I daresay it’s even prettier than here.”

  “Not possible,” Mom said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. “But I’m glad you had a nice time. Dad, how are you?”

  “If I was doing any better, I’d be scared to death,” he replied, kneeling down to greet Skittles.

  “Is that Alice I see hiding back there?” Yaya peeked around me. “Warren, be a dear and open this wine.”

  “Sure thing, Yaya.”

  Alice waved and walked over. The two women hugged. “It’s good to see you, Yaya.”

  “Mom, are you ready to eat?” Mom asked going back to the kitchen to stir a large pot on the stove.

  “Yes, you know I’m always hungry. It smells wonderful in here, Nadine.”

  “Thank you. Warren, should we wait on Reuel?” Mom asked.

  “Nah. We’ll save him a plate.”

  “Oh, I love that Reuel,” Yaya said as we all gathered around the table. “So funny.”

  My mother carried a large bowl of creamy white pasta over to the table and placed it in the center. We all sat in our usual places. For an orphan like me, having a “usual” seat at any family table in itself was a miracle. A miracle for which I’d be eternally grateful. I picked up my wine and smiled.

  George leaned over the dish and inhaled slowly. “That smells like—”

  “Heaven?” Alice asked with a giggle.

  “Exactly. It looks delicious,” he said.

  “It’s a recipe I learned from Giorgia Larson, our neighbor when I first moved to Chicago with Azrael. It tastes much better here, of course, but it was always one of his favorites.”

  Alice folded one leg underneath her. “Maybe you could teach me to make it, Nadine.” She leaned toward me. “I’ll bet Forfax would love it. No telling what she might let me do with the sky.”

  I chuckled and rested my arm across the back of her chair.

  “Forfax…is that the dark-skinned young girl who plays in the sky?” Yaya wiggled her fingers in
the air.

  My mother passed me a basket of bread. “If you mean the guardian angel who controls the heavens, then yes,” I said with a smile.

  “That’s the one. Lovely girl,” Yaya said, taking a long drink of her wine before accepting the breadbasket from George.

  “Yes, she is,” Alice agreed, blushing enough for me to notice.

  “Warren, how is your father?” Yaya asked.

  “Az is doing well. He’s having another son in a few months.”

  My mother put a hand over her heart. “It’s a boy?”

  I nodded.

  “I know he’s happy about that.” Mom had a genuine smile as she filled George’s plate with pasta. Jealousy and sadness didn’t exist in Eden.

  “I think he’s just happy it isn’t the Morning Star.”

  Yaya paused as she reached for the bowl of shredded white cheese. “The Morning Star is real? I thought that whole story was made up.”

  “The angel war was very real. It happened a very long time ago,” I said.

  “And your great-granddaughter will be even more powerful than he was,” my mother said as she filled Yaya’s plate.

  Alice leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “If we were back on Earth, this conversation would be about soccer stats and the honor roll.”

  I chuckled quietly.

  “How is sweet Iliana?” George asked.

  “Growing fast. She will be a year old soon.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the urgency of the situation returned.

  “Only a year?” Yaya asked.

  “As hard as it is to believe,” I said, feeding Skittles some shredded cheese under the table. I decided not to tell them about the Council’s ruling. I wasn’t sure how they’d take the news, and hopefully, I’d prevent it from happening.

  Movement near the open back door caught my eye. Reuel walked in carrying an armload of manna. He took a deep breath and smiled. “It’s so good to be home.”

  Alice laughed and picked up her wine. “Reuel, you’d better be glad calories don’t affect your waistline.”

  “Or the arteries around his heart,” George added. He’d died of a heart attack.

  “You are just in time for dinner. Come on in,” Mom said, gesturing toward the empty seat at the end of the table.

  Reuel walked in, deposited his load onto the counter, and came back to the table. “Sorry I’m late.” He pulled out the chair and sat down. “The Heavenly Delights sisters made Death by Chocolate manna.”

  I grinned at Alice. “I told you.”

  The dog trotted over to him and put her paws on the side of his leg. “Hi, Skittles,” he said, rubbing her head.

  “Skittles, go get in your bed,” Alice said.

  The dog huffed and crossed the kitchen to her pink pillow by the door to the den.

  Mom held out her hand. “Warren, pass me Reuel’s plate.”

  I handed his plate to her, and she piled it higher than the rest of ours with pasta.

  “So, boys, what’s new on Earth?” George asked.

  I thought about what news might interest him. “The Patriots beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl a couple of months ago.”

  He laughed. “I haven’t thought about football in…I don’t even know how long. How are the Houston Oilers doing?”

  I looked at Reuel for help; I’d never cared much for football.

  “The Houston Oilers are the Tennessee Titans now,” Reuel answered.

  “No kidding?” George asked.

  “That’s right. They’re in Nashville.” I looked at Reuel for confirmation. He nodded, and I smiled proudly for knowing the answer. “Yes, Nashville.”

  “Well, isn’t that something?” George said, shaking his head.

  Dinner was filled with more laughter and stories. Yaya drank and told us all about their trip to Pallata. George talked about the boat he was building. Alice talked about Forfax, Reuel ate, and Mom listed all the new flowers she’d planted in the front garden.

  Except for the Council’s ruling, I told them all about Iliana. How she was talking now, and how she’d started crawling. I wished I could’ve brought along the photo book Nate had given me, but items from Earth wouldn’t survive crossing into Eden. Perhaps I could get a new memory stone for Mom and fill it with Iliana saying, “Appa.”

  When we finished the meal and had helped Mom clean up, Alice and I walked out to the backyard. She laid down in the hammock I’d made for my mother while I stretched out in the grass with Skittles.

  Alice used her fingertips to push against the ground to rock the hammock. She looked over at me. “When do you have to leave?”

  I rubbed the dog’s belly. “Honestly? Now. The longer I stay here, the less I want to leave.”

  Such was Eden’s only curse when, like me, one also had responsibilities elsewhere.

  “Five more minutes,” Alice said, holding up five fingers.

  Because of the time difference, I wasn’t in a terrible rush to get back, but it was dangerously easy in Eden to let minutes turn into hours, hours into weeks, weeks into eons. For here, the old adage was definitely true: time does fly when you’re having fun.

  I smiled and rolled onto my back. Skittles plopped her round head on my chest. Inside the house, Reuel was telling a wild story, I think about the time Abaddon the Destroyer had impaled him on a tree. Whatever he was saying, Yaya must have thought it was hysterical. She was screaming with laughter. Then again, maybe it was all the wine.

  God, I didn’t want to leave again. I closed my eyes and curled my arm around my dog.

  Definitely more than five minutes later, Reuel finally walked outside. “Your grandmother is drunk.”

  “I am well aware.” I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Whenever you are, but if we leave now, isn’t it the middle of the night in Africa?”

  “True, but if I spend tonight here in my bed, I might never leave.”

  Reuel nodded, understanding what I meant. “Should we wait for Samael?”

  “Not unless he shows up in the next minute or two. He knows how to find me.”

  “I didn’t want to bring it up over dinner, but I have more confirmation that the Father is in North Africa. Barachiel recently saw him in a village near the Adwa River in Malab.”

  “Excellent. Thank you, Reuel.”

  “I also ran into Ionis on my way here. He said he heard Metatron is in Lunaris.”

  I sat up. “Lunaris?”

  He nodded.

  Since Samael had told me about the place, I had really wanted to visit the home of the seraphs.

  “Why are you looking for Metatron?” Alice asked.

  “I’m hoping he can identify the Morning Star.”

  With a laugh, Alice pointed at the sky. “Speaking of stars, Reuel, have you seen mine? Guess which one it is.”

  I smiled, only a little envious of how carefree she was.

  “I don’t need to guess. It’s the pink one,” he said.

  She let out a gleeful gasp. “That’s amazing!”

  I looked at her. “He’s a guardian. He’s actually in charge of Forfax.”

  We all laughed, and it felt good. Too bad it wouldn’t last.

  Finally, I gave Skittles one last rubdown and pushed myself up. “I hope whatever is keeping Samael, he’s able to resolve it quickly. We’ve got a lot to do and not enough time to do it.”

  Reuel looked out over the cliff. “Maybe that’s Samael now.”

  I stood beside him. Like a meteor, a ball of light was coming in fast over the horizon. It grew larger and larger as it approached, and it slowed just before reaching the precipice.

  “That’s not Samael,” Reuel said, shaking his head.

  “No.” I frowned. “It’s Cassiel.”

  Skittles started barking.

  Cassiel’s wings spread wide as she gracefully lowered her feet to the ground in front of us. “Good evening, Warren, Reuel. Hello, Alice.”

  Alice gave a small wave fro
m the hammock, then clicked her tongue. “Come here, Skittles.”

  “Hello, Cassiel.” I put my hands on my hips. “Come bearing good news?”

  “I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”

  My brow creased.

  She had changed from her formal robes as a Council member to tight, midnight-blue pants, a white corset top, and a long dark hooded cloak that was tied at her neck. A brown bag was strapped diagonally across her chest, and her golden hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She looked like a mystic sage about to time travel…

  Holy shit. Because she was.

  “Oh no,” I said, shaking my head as I walked toward her. “You are absolutely not coming with me.”

  “Did you visit the messengers today?” she asked.

  “I went to see Gabriel right after I left you.”

  “Why was there an addendum to the message we gave you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Gabriel.”

  She crossed her arms. “You’re aware I can see when you’re lying, correct?”

  Shit.

  “I told him to add that any Angel of Death must clear it with me before they use their power on the living. And that’s in the Canon, so you can’t argue.”

  “Perhaps not, but we can change the Canon, and we already did.”

  Anger bubbled up inside me. “You changed the Canon?”

  “Zaphkael changed it before the decision was even made.” She pointed at my face. “And I’m coming with you to Earth.”

  “No, you’re not. I outrank you, remember?”

  “You don’t outrank the Council, and this was a Council decision. Besides, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about unless you’re planning on doing something dishonorable.”

  Behind me, Alice laughed. “Warren Parish do something dishonorable? Not a chance.”

  Cassiel took a step and twisted the button on the front of my shirt. She cut her eyes up at me. “Even where his daughter is concerned?”

  My jaw clenched.

  She smiled and flattened her palm against my chest. “Where shall we go first? Asheville? Africa?”

  I took a deep breath. “Chicago.”

  Chapter Nine

  My eyes burned when we landed in Chicago outside my makeshift earthly residence. I checked my watch and stopped the time clock.