by Nathan Parks
“Uh, no reason, I guess. I just feel that I have seen this image before but can’t figure out where.”
Tanisha walked over to look at it even more closely.
“The image or the actual vial?”
“I don’t know that, either. I mean, it doesn’t make sense, right? How would I have seen either the image or the vial?”
“Right now, we are taking the impossible off the table,” Isaiah spoke up. “We can’t assume anything.”
“Like where to start, right?” Tanisha jabbed Isaiah.
“Correct! Like where to start!”
Eve felt so left out right now. She half wondered if she shouldn’t go back up and sleep some more. Clearly, they were on a roll; and she didn’t want to mess it up.
She was startled by the ringing of Tanisha’s phone. Tanisha had to move several papers in order to figure out where her phone was.
Once she found it, she smiled, swiped the screen, and answered, “Well, two calls in one day. You must really miss me, Zee!”
She grew deathly silent, and all color drained from her face as she just listened to her husband on the other end of the phone.
She finally did respond, but it was short and to-the-point, “I understand, Zee. I love you, too. You know I’m not going to leave.” She paused and listened to her husband’s concerns. “I know. I will be careful. I love you.”
As she hung up, both Eve and Isaiah just looked at her. She said nothing for several minutes and then finally looked up.
“Things are moving.”
“What does that mean?” Eve stated, confused and irritated. “Why do people always do that? You know they have more information, but they state something so vague and . . . well, stupid before actually saying what needed to be said,” she thought to herself.
“My husband just told me that a member of the Arch Council is possibly missing and that there is a good chance his brother had something to do with it.”
“Ok?” Eve was really impatient right now. “So, that should matter to us because . . . ?”
Tanisha sat down, leaned back, and let out an angry yell. The other two just stared at her.
“Well, Zee, my husband Zarius, thinks that Michael may come after me.”
“Why?” Isaiah asked puzzled.
“If Michael knows where both Zee and I are, then I am the easiest target. He wouldn’t chance going after Zarius at Eden. That is one of the reasons he took the delta there, but Michael knows that Zarius will do anything to make sure I am safe. So, if Michael can get to me . . .”
“Then he gets to your husband and the delta,” Isaiah finished her sentence.
“Pretty much.”
“People and love! You see, if people would be more like me and just refuse to love, then no one could get to anyone!”
As Eve stated that, she froze. She thought about what Tanisha had just told them and, without another word, fled the room like a chipmunk hyped on caffeine. She rushed up the stairs and burst through the door into the auditorium.
“Eve!” Isaiah shouted as he jumped up and ran to the door just to watch as she disappeared up the stairs.
He turned and looked at Tanisha, “Don’t ask me!”
He shook his head and ran after his friend.
Chapter Eleven
Eve ran just past the doorway and began to look around. She really wished there were lights right now! It could not have been a coincidence about her feeling what she felt when she had awakened and then Zarius’ calling with a warning!
“Ok, you can keep in the shadows if you wish; but I know you are here. I felt you, and I heard you. It wasn’t the damn cat!”
Silence answered her back.
Isaiah came up behind her, “What are you doing?”
“When I woke up from sleeping a while ago, I had a sense that someone was here with me. I could hear them, but never saw them.”
“And you didn’t bother saying anything downstairs?”
“When I got up, the stupid cat ran off; so, I just thought I may have been over-sensitive. Now, I have no doubt that I was not alone.”
“Hold on!” he said before he even thought about how it would sound. “I’m fairly certain no one has ever accused you of being over-sensitive!”
This got him an elbow to his gut. He tried to catch his breath as he stepped out of range of any other blows she may decide to throw his way.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Sure, you did.”
“Ok, maybe a little but you didn’t have to knock the wind out of me!”
He was able to regain his composure and to walk up beside her. They both stood staring into the dark. There was some light making its way through the stained glass, but not enough for them to catch any figures lurking about.
“Whoever it was must be gone,” he said as he rubbed his stomach.
“What do these people have against electricity?” Eve complained. “It would be a lot easier if we could flip a switch. You know, be all god-like—‘let there be light’—and all that jazz.”
“‘All that jazz’? Really?”
She gave him a look and started walking toward the back of the church, toward the doors that led out.
“Just saying.”
He shook his head. He moved to the opposite side of the auditorium and began to scan each aisle up and down the large room. He still didn’t see anyone.
“Anything?”
She shook her head and then realized he probably couldn’t see her anyway, “Nope.”
“Well, let’s get back downstairs; and let’s get you up-to-date on what we were trying to explain before Zarius called.”
She stopped for a minute.
“Wait, do you have your phone on you?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Video call me.”
“Do what?”
“Just do it! Seriously, why can’t people just do simple things?”
He walked over to where she was standing by the old coat closet.
“Well, first off, you demanded and didn’t ask nicely. Second, you didn’t use the magic word, which would also indicate you didn’t ask nicely. Third, why would I video call you when you are standing right here?”
“Isaiah!”
He pulled out his phone, and with a couple of moves on the screen he attempted to connect with her via video. He held up the screen to show her and then made a face.
She answered it, and it sounded as if they were in an echo chamber. Each noise came through the phones delayed, and the sound bounced around the open space of the auditorium.
“Now, what? You wanted me to call you, and you aren’t even going to talk to me?”
She grabbed his phone out of his hand.
“Hey!”
“What?” she shrugged. “Anyone who is going to call you, Moi,” she smiled, “is right here. You aren’t going to need your phone!”
“What if I wanted to order delivery?”
“What? Chinese and beer?”
“I prefer whiskey, but right now a beer sounds good!” He still looked at her confused. “No, seriously, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to set this phone up here so that we can be downstairs and not be surprised by anyone coming in.” She propped his phone up to where it was facing the door and then showed him on her phone. “See, now we can be down there and be notified if someone comes in.”
“Well, unless that someone or something doesn’t use doors.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to head back downstairs.
“Sometimes I ask myself why I even try with you.”
He laughed, “Well, that makes two of us.”
All three had reconvened downstairs; and Isaiah, with help from a very passionate Tanisha, explained where they were in their research.
“So, the facts we know are that we all are here; we all have different reasons for being here; but we are working on the assumption that each of our reasons actually have some cohesion and joint purpose.”
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br /> He walked around, moving his hands about; and Eve had to laugh.
“All he needs is a white lab coat, and he could totally pull of the mad scientist routine.”
“Another fact that we know is that I was supposed to become the Guardian of the vial. What we do not know is if the vial actually ever existed, but we are going on the belief it did.”
“Ok . . .” Eve motioned for him to continue, but maybe skip a few unnecessary bits of information.
“Don’t rush me!” he quipped. “Let me do this my way.”
“That is fine, but don’t get irritated if I yawn or fall asleep.”
He ignored her.
“So, we know that the Danish knight Briccius was supposedly given the vial to protect. History tells us, along with the inscription on his crypt, that he died in an avalanche. This is where things become a theory of what may have happened.
“His body was eventually found; and while being prepared for burial, it was discovered that inside his leg he had hidden the vial he was sworn to protect.”
“Gross!” Eve exclaimed. “Really?”
“According to legend, yes,” Tanisha laughed.
“We believe,” Isaiah stepped over to the wall as he spoke, “that is when it was kept here for years under the protection of the Watchers.”
“You say ‘for years,’ indicating that it is no longer here?”
“We do not believe so. There is a vault where many believe it was kept.”
“Let me guess: you looked, and it isn’t there?”
Tanisha nodded, “Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, although I guess the vial is only a small part of all of this. If we did happen to have it in the vault, I’m not sure what it would mean.”
“Ok, so where is it?”
Isaiah looked like a child who was trying to explain their school project but was told that everyone in the room already understood how it all worked even though they really didn’t.
“Yep, let’s just get straight to the point . . . we still are not sure.”
Eve slapped her palm to her forehead. “
Wait . . . that is it? All of this,” she started, pointing to the wall and journals, “and you end the story with where we started?”
“Well, there are a few other things,” Tanisha added. “It was believed for the longest time that the vial contained the blood of Christ.”
“And?”
“We believe now, based on some research, that the vial is the one that was originally intended to be used at the Council of Shammah.”
Eve leaned forward, “Ok, so now we are getting somewhere! What research? What makes you think that?”
Tanisha grabbed an old journal and handed it to her. Eve looked down and then back up at Tanisha.
“You expect me to read this? Can I get the book report version?”
“At the Council we believe that Michael switched out the vial. He could have just discarded it, but he is too arrogant.”
Once again, pointing at the timeline on the wall, Isaiah jumped into the conversation, “So, we know that Briccius had the vial. We also know that Briccius was traveling back from serving as a knight in Constantinople.”
Eve wanted to rush him; she really did hate history, but his passion and excitement kept her from doing so. Isaiah was back. She had not seen him with this type of passion . . . well, actually ever. He was alive.
“Guess what was prevalent in Constantinople?”
Eve realized it was not a rhetorical question after she caught herself sitting there, waiting for an answer while both of her counterparts looked at her.
“Oh, um . . . I don’t know. They had a lot of balloons?”
“Sure, we can go with that,” Isaiah came across almost in a rebuking fashion. “No, the Emperor Constantine was devoted to his love for the Archangel Michael. In fact, he had four churches built in his honor just in the city alone!”
A picture was starting to form in her head.
“So, you think Michael hid the vial in the city? He couldn’t have just put it somewhere, but instead . . .”
“He gave it to the one group of people he believed would protect it.”
“The Watchers,” Eve stated.
Tanisha stood up and stretched.
“You are correct. Michael knew that the Watchers would not question the artifact if he told them it was the blood of Christ and that they would guard it with their life. He also knew that no one else would have a clue it existed.”
“Why would he keep it?” Eve asked.
“I can only assume,” Tanisha answered with a little bit of hesitation. “If you take what I have been told by my husband about the power of the deltas and Michael’s desire to find them, I believe he is planning on putting it all together himself. In doing so, he becomes the top dog when it comes to Immortals.”
Eve sat stunned. She mulled over everything she had just been told, and then looked over to Zarius’ wife.
“He has to know that the Watchers passed it on, that it was removed from the city. Even if it wasn’t—let’s say that it was lost when the city was destroyed—it still is not around.”
“That is why we believe everything is tied together. The Fallen could use the blood within the vial to release Legion—for that matter, so could Michael. The vial’s contents could also be used if both deltas were to be found.”
Tanisha paused for a moment and thought how she wanted to explain her next thought.
“We know it was taken out of the city, and we believe we have traced it to several hundred years after . . . but then it is lost. There is a good chance that Michael is looking for it along with the deltas. There is also a good chance that the Fallen believe that it is the blood of Christ and are looking for it to release Legion . . . or something worse.”
“So, what you are saying is that we are reading a movie script of a movie that we are a part of.”
“There is a good chance we may be playing some leading roles,” Isaiah stated with no emotion.
Chapter Twelve
Zarius was still uneasy; but after talking with his wife, he felt he could breathe a little bit better. He had apologized to Gene and the others, and they had agreed to meet back together after they had eaten dinner.
Chad seemed calmer this time, but this could have been due to a scolding from Serenity. Leah was sitting beside Gene, and she had Ann to her right. Zarius was standing and he found himself unable to stand still. He needed something to do or someone to fight.
“Zarius, do we need to send Guardians to protect your wife?” Leah asked.
“We?” he laughed as he realized that Leah still couldn’t help but fall into her old routine. “I don’t think we have Guardians to send nor the power to send them.”
She thought for a moment and then realized she had spoken as an Alliance leader and not a Vapor.
“I’m sure I could call in some favors. Gideon would do it if I asked.”
“No, she isn’t alone. She told me that she had two Nephelium with her, a guy and a girl.”
Leah’s facial expression was inquisitive, “She does? Did she say who?”
“No, I don’t think she did. She told me that one was a Jerusalem Breed, and the other was not.”
“Are you kidding me?” Leah almost shouted.
Chad looked around the room and was grateful that he did not appear to be the only one not in on the reason for her reaction.
“Gene, that has to be Eve and Isaiah.”
At the mention of Eve’s name, Chad could not help but notice that Ann’s demeanor changed. She became fidgety in her seat and stopped looking up. He felt that unusual, but his attention was quickly diverted by Serenity’s voice.
“Wait . . . Eve? Like our Eve? I mean, I guess technically she isn’t our Eve, but you get what I’m asking.”
“It has to be!” Leah expressed with some irritation. “I’m not sure why or how, but who else would it be?”
“Can they be trusted?”
Leah nodded, �
��I may have my differences and disdain for Eve, but both she and Isaiah can be trusted. Forget Gideon’s getting a hold of Isaiah; I’m going to reach out to him.”
Gene slapped his hands on the upper part of his thighs to get everyone’s attention.
“Ok, so I think we all see that there are way too many things moving for something not to be on the horizon. My suggestion is this: everyone reach out to whomever it is that you have to reach out to. The smallest tidbit of information may become a missing piece later if we don’t take a look at it.
“Leah, you may not have the Alliance to lead; but unless anyone has an objection, I would say you now have a new group of warriors. Don’t take what I am saying lightly when I call each of you a warrior. You are headed into battle, and it very well could be a battle that is bigger than most of you have ever seen.”
Every eye was on Leah, and not a single person voiced their opposition to Gene’s point of her stepping up and taking the helm for this group. They each had unique talent, and each had already fought side-by-side with the others in the last couple of days.
She sat looking back at them, and for the first time she felt herself scared of leading. Why? She had done this for ages. She knew deep down that it was because when she chose to become a Vapor, she felt that she had stepped down; and there was a hollowness inside her that made her doubt her abilities.
“I’ll be honest. I am not even sure where to begin,” she almost whispered.
“But you do, Leah.” Both Chad and Leah were surprised by Serenity’s coming to the defense of the Vapor. “The past is the past. The truth is that you have always been a great leader and one I willingly follow again.
“So, you are a Vapor. The fight is the same fight. Ok, so you are still learning the limitations of what you are; that is just being human. We still fight right along with the Alliance. It isn’t your angelic abilities that made us follow you, and it sure wasn’t your charm. No, we followed you because you have the qualities of a leader above all else.”
Leah continued to sit, looking straight out in front of her.
Then, she spoke, “Ok, make the phone calls; make the connections. I am going to see if Gideon can get me any type of gear and will also see how much they are willing to stick their neck out. I believe it will be pretty far, but I am not going to assume.
