by Nathan Parks
“Fair? I’m sorry. When have you ever known me to be fair?” he laughed.
They both brushed off as much of the powder as they could and just remained where they had fallen.
“Remember all of this?” she asked.
“All of what? Eden?”
“No, you idiot,” she stated playfully. “Laughing! Enjoying life! Even in my toughest times I used to be able to find a reason to laugh, to play, to live. Most of those times were brief, but it seems that over the last few years they have become non-existent. Even in my darkest days before the Alliance, I still found time to laugh.”
Chad looked around him and then at her. Maybe it was the freedom and tranquility at Eden, but he felt as if he had never seen her so carefree or—dare he say—beautiful as he did right now.
“I guess I never realized it. Unlike many who have joined up with the Alliance, I didn’t have a bad childhood or anything dark and ominous happen in my life. I just saw a cause in which I could believe and get behind. I felt I could make a difference.”
“Have you?”
“What?”
“Have you made a difference or did it make a different you? I can see the good in all we have done; and I know that Eden, more than the Alliance, saved me. Sometimes, though, I wonder if being a part of all of this hasn’t jilted me and the way I see things.”
“Hmm . . .”
He had never given it much thought. Once he joined, he was all in. If he was honest, it had been more of an adrenaline rush on a daily basis that had kept him going.
“I would like to think we have made a difference, but you make a good point. It is hard to remember a time when I was not on edge, ready for the next fight. I guess I have fed off it so long that I presume you are right. I don’t remember much of what it was like before all this.”
“What if we just give it all the middle finger and walk away?”
“From the Alliance?”
She nodded, “Yeah, but not just the Alliance . . . the fight . . . everything. You know, find a cute bungalow on some Mediterranean coastline, eat some amazing food, drink some wine, and just simply exist.”
He turned and looked at her, “Did you just ask me to marry you?”
She laughed and threw snow at him once again.
“Ha! Nope . . . just asked you out for drinks.”
“In the Mediterranean?”
“Unless you can think of a different place.”
He shook his head as he stood up while pushing her down in the snow.
“Anywhere that doesn’t have snow is fine with me.”
The two started walking back toward the building, each in their own thought, the crunching snow beneath their feet the only sound.
“You know, I am not sure if you really ever told me much about yourself, other than what I know with the Alliance,” Serenity spoke up.
“What do you want to know? Nothing really exciting.”
“Oh, come on!”
“No, really. I grew up in a two-parent house. My parents both are still married. I was the oldest of four. I guess the most rebel thing I ever did was not complete college.”
“You went to college?”
He laughed, “Depends on what you mean by ‘went.’ I was enrolled in college.”
She grabbed his arm.
“Wait . . . you never went? Partied too much?”
He shook his head, “Nope. I joined the military.”
“What? You were military?”
He playfully shoved her.
“Why do you act shocked?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just never . . . well, I look at Troy and think, ‘Yep, military,’ but . . .”
“I don’t come off like some warrior badass?”
Chad opened up the door for her as they reached the back of the main mansion.
“I didn’t say that. You just never talk about it.”
“Well, because it seems you can chalk it up to another thing at which I failed.”
“Failed?”
She turned as they took off their cold weather gear. She sat down on the bench to remove her boots and set them to the side.
“What do you mean?”
He sat down beside her, bent over, and started unlacing his own boots.
“I never wanted to go to college. I was the only one in my family who didn’t go; I had no interest. My dad pushed me into going; and so, I enrolled to get him off my back. I never told my family I wasn’t going and, instead, signed up for the Army.”
“I take it that they found out.”
“Oh, yeah! I was able to keep it from them for a little while. I knew that I could probably make it through basic training and maybe my job training before they found out.”
“Why do I feel that there is a ‘but’ coming?”
“BUT . . . I got hurt in basic training. I was doing an obstacle course and tried to show off.”
“Now, that doesn’t surprise me,” she rolled her eyes.
“Yep, in true Chad fashion I tried to beat the record for a certain obstacle. I fell and broke my arm. Instead of sticking it out and going through it all again, I agreed to just get out.”
“Yet, your family found out because of it.”
He nodded in agreement, “They did. My Dad never called me a quitter for not following through with college; but he did voice his disappointment in the fact that I actually didn’t do either college or military. I have flown by the seat of my pants for most of my life; and I guess when things got boring or didn’t go my way, I just walked away.”
“Hmm . . . so you were a spoiled, rich kid?”
“Hey now! I wasn’t that bad! We never had money, but I just seemed to be the one kid who never followed through with much of anything, I guess.”
“Do they know anything about what you do now?”
They both stood up and headed deeper into the estate.
“No. How do you explain all of this to people who won’t believe a word you are saying?”
“Good question. I don’t know, but I do know this: I have worked beside you now for several years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure, we have our moments; and you do annoy me more than I would like, but you are someone I admire and respect.”
“Stop . . . you are going to make me blush!”
“I doubt that. Your ego won’t allow it.”
“You are probably correct with that assumption.”
Chapter Nine
As both Chad and Serenity walked into the main area of the building, they were flagged down by Leah.
“There you both are! Hey, follow me; we have some things to talk about.”
The three of them walked through the doors of Gene’s study to the other side and through another set of doors that neither Chad or Serenity had noticed before. Leah led them into a quieter room. It had a few pictures on the wall, a couch, and several chairs. They were met by Gene, Ann, and Zarius, who looked worn and agitated.
“What’s up?” Chad asked.
He could feel the tension in the room.
Gene motioned for the three to have a seat before he started. His face appeared aged and also worn. The loss of Tori was still fresh on everyone’s thoughts, but Serenity could tell this was more than that.
“I am not as connected as I used to be,” Gene started, “but I still have a few friends in high places; and I have been told that a member of the Arch Council has gone missing.”
No one spoke. Everyone in the room sat stunned and silent. His words hit like swift arrows to an already dying warrior.
Leah couldn’t breathe. She tried to speak, but words would not come out. How could this even happen?
“This has the hand of Michael all over it!” Zarius spat. “Who is it that is missing? Who all knows?”
“Metatron . . . it is Metatron, isn’t it?” Leah asked, not really sure she wanted an answer.
“It is Enoch,” Gene stated, referring to the Council member by his earthly name, “but what made you assume it was M
etatron, Leah?”
“He stood up for me when I became a Vapor. He knew that Michael had it in for me; and he stood up to him, even making the choice to sacrifice his membership on the Council to try to save me.”
“Wait!” Chad spoke up. “He did what?”
Leah continued, “He stood up to Michael; and when he felt Michael was going to move ahead with his plan to remove me from leadership, he quit the Council.”
“So, technically a Council member is not missing. I mean if he quit, he isn’t a Council member, right?”
“Really, Chad?” Serenity looked at him frustrated. “Does it matter?”
“Well, kinda! I mean, if he quit the Council, maybe he left Scintillantes altogether. Hell, maybe he became a Vapor.”
Gene looked over at the young man and shook his head in amazement, “Do you know anything about Metatron’s background, Chad?”
“That would be a big ‘no, I do not.’ Should I?”
“Maybe. Before you make light of all this, you should,” Zarius stated, wishing nothing more than to punch the cocky young man.
“Well, I guess you all can enlighten me because, obviously, I am missing something.”
“Throw me in there, as well,” Serenity piped up. “I mean, I still am concerned that we have someone important missing and, of course, there are many other questions . . . like how does this happen? With that all being said, I don’t know anything really about any of the Arch Council.”
“Well, I will give you a condensed version because we have had enough history for the lot of us over the last few days. Metatron was once a Mortal. He was born here, lived here, married here, but he never died here. He was a man among men, born with an insight that very few Mortals ever could imagine. He was a Grigori, a predecessor to the Watchers. The ability he had to mediate between Mortal and Eternal made him invaluable, one of the humblest men you will ever meet. He was offered an opportunity not offered to anyone before him and, as far as I am aware, has not been offered since.”
“What? Did they give him his fast food order correct the first time?”
“Shut up, Chad!” Leah barked.
His mouth shut like a trap, and he refused to look at his former leader. She may not be an Alliance leader anymore, but he still had a respectful fear of her. He also didn’t really know of what a Vapor was capable and didn’t want to find out.
“Metatron went by the name Enoch while he dwelt here on earth,” Gene continued.
“Wait . . . I’m sorry to interrupt, but you mean like the guy who wrote that ancient book about all kind of things supernatural?”
“Yes, he wrote what is known as the Book of Enoch. You are correct, Serenity. Have you read it?”
“No . . . but again, I never thought it was worth a read! So, that stuff is real?”
It was Zarius’ turn to speak up, “Real from the insight of one man. What I mean by that is that it isn’t meant to be anything on which you could build a religion, but what he wrote about is historically accurate.”
“As I was saying . . .” Gene rarely got frustrated, but the group realized that this was becoming one of the rare times, “he was chosen to be given immortality . . . or at least as much as any being can really be immortal. At that point he was offered a seat on the Council. The hope was that he would be a voice of reason, having lived here in the Mortal realm and then given the chance to see existence on a larger scale outside of time and space.”
“Ok, so when you say ‘as much as any being can really be immortal,’ do you mean that . . .” Chad started to ask.
Zarius stood. He was tired, and he had no time for stupid, immature words or actions. He leaped at Chad; but before he could reach him, Leah grabbed him, placing herself between the two men.
“Stop, both of you! Chad, if you are going to keep on being sarcastic, you are free to leave. Zarius,” she glared at the other Vapor, “I’m pretty sure that it would be fun to watch you go after him, but we have more important things to be concerned about at this point.”
Zarius continued to glare at Chad but returned to where he was sitting. For his part, Chad stood up and moved closer to the door. He had no doubt that Zarius would rock him really well if given the opportunity, and he couldn’t promise that something sarcastic still wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
“Here is the situation: if Enoch . . . or Metatron—however you wish to address him—is missing, then Zarius is right. I put my money on Michael; but like always, we have no proof. It seems that the Council leader has the art of deception down.”
Leah looked at Gene, “What do we do?”
The old man threw up his hands, “I don’t know. That is all we know right now; and honestly, if he is missing and Michael is a part of this, we could be seeing the end of the Council altogether.”
“Oh, that would be so . . .” Chad stopped in mid-sentence and literally bit down on his tongue as he received glares from every single person in the room.
“Let’s assume that Michael is behind Enoch’s disappearance. If he is, then we can only assume this is part of a larger scale goal . . . and we also must assume that he is not done with his brother,” Gene spoke, looking over to Zarius.
As he did, Zarius’ face went white.
“Tanisha!”
He immediately grabbed at his pockets, looking for his phone. He remembered that he had left it in his room. There was no stopping the large man as he shoved Chad out of the way to get to the door and rush upstairs.
Chapter Ten
She didn’t move. She didn’t open her eyes. Every nerve ending in her body was firing off, and she knew that she was not alone in the auditorium. Furthermore, she could sense that her company was not friendly. She mentally accounted for the few hidden weapons she had on her and then just listened.
Her breathing was slow and steady. She did what she could to maintain the way it was when she was asleep. There was an eerie silence. There was nothing moving, and she almost opened her eyes. Right before she did, she caught it! It was very slight, stealthy, but very much a noise of someone moving.
Eve very slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the church ceiling above where she had fallen asleep on the pew. She saw no one from where she was lying; but again, her range of view was very limited. She didn’t want to move, but she also didn’t want to be surprised by whomever or whatever with which she was sharing space.
“Well . . .” she almost swore but caught herself. “This person or thing has me swearing in a house of religion!” she thought to herself.
She listened again, but she could hear nothing. She could still feel the presence, though.
“Screw this!”
She shoved herself upward and came flying off the pew, onto her feet, with a throwing knife in each hand. As she did, there was a hiss and a fast movement of Cornelius’ running off the back of the pew that was behind her and into the shadows.
“Are you kidding me? Damn cat!” She half expected a bolt of lightning to flash when she realized she actually had cussed. “No way that was just the cat,” she whispered to herself, almost with the thought that the whisper made up for the swear word.
She looked around the auditorium but couldn’t see anything or anyone else. The feeling was still there. She felt as though she was being watched, but the shadows gave up no secrets. She ran her fingers through her thick, black hair and slowly put her blades back in their hiding places. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but she needed a glass of water.
The Nephelium walked her way toward the door that led downstairs. As she opened it, she took one more look around to see if she could see anything out of place or out of the ordinary, but she could not. With a sense of urgency, she hurried down the staircase.
A figure stood in the shadows, holding her own blades.
She smiled, “Oh, Eve, how it has been too long. I did not expect to find you here; but oh, the pleasure I will have when we do meet again face-to-face.”
* * * * *
She was shocked
to find Isaiah and Tanisha wide awake and surrounded by open journals. Isaiah was reading quickly, flipping through pages and writing as fast as he could. Tanisha had her back to the door as she traced her finger along the spines of several journals that were on the shelf behind the desk.
“I guess I didn’t get the memo that this was going to be a pajama party!” Eve laughed as she walked in.
Isaiah almost jumped three feet off the chair in which he was sitting.
“Damn it; you scared me!”
“Good thing I wasn’t a Fallen ready to slit you from ear to ear.”
“Ha . . . you could try.”
She shoved his head as she walked by.
“What did I miss?”
Tanisha turned around, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep; but her face held an expression of sheer excitement.
“We are onto something!”
“Really?” Eve perked up. She sat down on the edge of the desk. “Well, tell me!”
“Hold on!” Isaiah put his hand up. “We MAY be onto something! We aren’t sure. Pieces are starting to fit together, but we don’t even know if it leads down the path we need to be taking.”
“Ok, sure, but at least we have a path!” Tanisha countered.
“Anyone care to put me on that path?” Eve looked back and forth between both of them. “Or I could go back upstairs and sleep with the cat.” She pointed back to the stairs as she raised her eyebrows questioningly.
Isaiah put his notepad down and pointed to a wall that had on it a variety of notes; a rough, drawn-out timeline; and a few strange drawings.
“Well, that is the path.”
Eve stood up and went over to get a closer look at it. She saw writings about a vial, a timeline that started back further than she cared to think about right now, and a hand-drawn sketch. She stopped and looked at the sketch for a minute. She felt drawn to it, but was confused by the pull.
“What is this?” she asked, pointing to it on the wall.
“We think it is the only known image—or at least an artist’s rendition—of the vial of blood that I supposedly am to be guarding.”
Isaiah watched as she looked at it closer.
“Why?” Isaiah pressed.
