Any thoughts of returning to Earth slid to the back of my mind as it multitasked, flashed from one world to another, then another, all within different times and dimensions. The flitting around felt as natural as performing a multitude of tasks and searches on a computer all at once, my brain acting as the CPU. Something flickered nearby. My awareness branched out.
On all sides, billions of gilded stars against a dark cobalt sky shimmered as if to cheer me on. A flicker of lavender crossed the horizon. aAriel. I sent her a welcomed greeting.
She responded in kind. “Remarkable. You are nearly ready.” The lavender dimmed a shade softer as if she had something else to say. “You never mentioned it, but did you like my gift?”
“Gift? I don’t understand.”
“The thistle globe.” She shimmered brightly. “I left it as a beacon. One that guided you to the realm. Well, it worked.” Specks amongst the lavender hue glistened like crush diamonds when she enlightened me further. “The talisman also protects your domain from aThorsis.”
The image of the thistle globe flashed in my mind. I should have put two and two together: purple thistle, purple hue, nature. “Thank you. I appreciate your help. Earth does too.”
“Ready your attack skills, the rest you have mastered. Please excel.” aAriel floated back the way she had come as if we had never spoken. Would I ever get used to their detached ways?
I shrugged a lighted version of the Earthly gesture. How could I attack aThorsis in this realm when we were nothing but light and energy? Pull the plug out of the electrical outlet? Switch the circuit breaker to off? Sounded silly, but no other ideas sparked my gray-matter-turned-amber until I recalled aAriel’s warning: never let our specific colors mix with another’s.
The color wheel of three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, confirmed my fears. Red and yellow made orange. So, did that make my amber glow more prominent? Too much red would smother amber no questions asked. aThorsis, a powerful Lighted One, could wipe me, a mere anti-being, and my color out with an eraser. Unless volume made a difference. Six tubes of yellow mixed with one tube of red still shined on the side of yellow. Vice versa and I was doomed. Who knew art classes would be the deciding factor in this battle.
The lessons continued. Every dashing second enhanced my strength. Made me feel invincible. But only as long as I remained here. As soon as I returned, back to square one and aThorsis would attack again. I tossed the frightful thoughts aside and continued on tirelessly until a particular image of Earth caught my eye.
How long had I been gone this time? The visit before endured for two Earth days, equivalent to a few hours in realm time. My mind flashed concern. The stretch spent here felt like days, so how much time had actually passed on Earth? Worry filled me as I zeroed in on the floods, fires, and viruses, more than one type plaguing the world. The phantom pain of my burnt hand reminded me of why I had stayed so long. Why rush back to such agony?
My focus targeted on the mansion, to where my son and Sabree shoved each other in a heated argument. When did Azrian return home? Instead of misting away, Sabree slapped my son for standing his ground, accusing him of hiding the identity of the kidnapper.
Ariane kidnapped? Did I hear right? Sabree hinted he knew who but remained tightlipped. A fight ensued between them. Never had I seen Sabree tackle anyone let alone my son.
Dammit, enough was enough. I had better return before they killed each other. Help my sister if nothing else. Would the malaise return? As easy as I had entered the realm, I popped into the office. Before I reached the chair, my body collapsed. Mercifully healed, my hand smacked the arm of the chair and sent it rolling into the shelf. I landed on the floor, unable to break my fall. The corner of the desk split my forehead open. Blood gushed from the wound. Dust sprayed the furniture. I cried out and then cursed between sobs as I lay in a heap, unable to move.
Sabree and Azrian ran into the office.
“Pop!” Azrian dropped to his knees beside me. “What happened? Where have you been?”
“You’re alive.” Sabree glanced around the room before his gaze settled on me.
“How long” I asked, my voice husky.
“Almost a month.” Azrian waved Sabree over. “Get me a towel and the first aid kit in the lab.”
“Get it yourself,” Sabree snapped. “Obviously, Brian can survive elsewhere.” He pointed a slender finger at me. “You left us alone too long this time. We cannot fend for ourselves.”
A roar, one of disgust and frustration bellowed from my gut. “How dare you blame this on me.”
“They took Ariane. The Malakhim should have taken me.” Sabree’s gaze shot to the bookshelf to hide his emotions on the rise. “They took my unborn son.”
“Son?” What had I missed in one month’s time? Sabree and Ariane together? How did she win him over so fast? I closed my eyes and sucked in a much-needed breath before my guts jettisoned all over the floor.
“Yes, Pop. The freaking Malakhim took her. Can you get Aunt Ariane back?”
I released a whimpering sigh. “Afraid not, not in this state. Can’t even pinpoint her location. I’ve lost the battle unless I return to the Lighted Realm and defeat aThorsis.”
Sabree kicked the desk. My innards shuddered. The impression that he wanted to kick me instead made me cringe.
“Do something or I will,” Sabree demanded. His eyes pooled in the zombie-like gray, the hue of hopelessness that made me feel unworthy of his time. His eyes squeezed shut. “Who am I kidding. I do nothing but cause grief and trouble.” Sabree misted out of the office, ignoring my call.
“Don’t mind him,” Azrian said. “He’s been a basket case ever since you left and didn’t return after a few hours never mind days. We thought Loree destroyed you.” Azrian helped me sit up. “None of us knew what to do.” Then he pulled me into a hug and squeezed tight. Hopelessness seeped through his hold, bleeding into me like weighted cement.
I fought against losing control of my own emotions. So much had gone wrong in one month’s absence. A useless heap, a big blob of nothingness, how could I possibly help them while unable to help myself?
Azrian pulled away. “You hang in there, Pop. I’ll fix this if it’s the last thing I do.”
He eased me into the chair, which swallowed my already withered body, and then he ran out to fetch a towel. Uselessness and poor health had an effect on everyone around me. Dragged them into the same pool of despair. I laid my head on the desk and dozed.
3 3 3
“Are you alive?” Azrian yelled in my ear. He shook my shoulder until I stirred. “I came up empty. We have to put our heads together to figure this one out. Pop!” Azrian shook me harder.
“I’m alive,” I growled. “Hush. Besides myself, more than half the world can hear you.”
Azrian leaned on the desk. “You don’t know how to beat this, do you?” He slapped his hand on the mahogany. The stones bounced about like rolling dice.
“No, I don’t! There. Happy?” I sagged deeper into the chair, my breath wheezing. “Kill me with talk. See if I care.”
“Something has changed. You were never this bad. Nothing could hurt you.” Azrian brushed the stones to the middle of the desk, so he could sit on the edge. “You started visiting the realm and at the same time, Aunt Ariane beefed up the Colton tablets. Those are the only two variables that changed.” His eyes focused on the different colored gems until they narrowed.
“No one else was bothered by the tablets.” I snorted in dismay. “Maybe it’s the realm visits. Bet my life on it.”
Azrian’s eyes widened. “Eff me.”
“What?”
“Bazinga!” Azrian sat straight and pointed at the obsidian without touching it. “Abyss! Her stone. You took it from her around the same time. Look at it.”
It took me a few deep breaths and several grunts to sit up. As I leaned into the desk, resting my chin on the edge, I fingered the murky stone. “Aye, it looks dull. Used to be shiny black.” My tired gaze lifted
to Azrian’s stunned face. “Bloody hell, you might be on to something.”
The door swung open and slammed against the wall. The bang startled us. Azrian jumped to his feet to meet the intruder head on. I managed to open one eye. “Sabree?”
He burst inside, his teal eyes outlined in red as he raised a hand wielding a hammer like Thor in full battle mode. “I refuse to be their scapegoat,” Sabree hollered. “Their Judas!”
Azrian yelped when Sabree charged at us. I fell back into the chair and curled up into a ball like a snail hiding in its shell to avoid being crushed.
“There you are,” Sabree growled. The hammer swung downward and hit the desk. Abyss’s obsidian shattered into glassy pieces. A glowing worm reared in its wake.
I squealed a girly shriek. “Kill it!”
The hammer slammed down again, this time squashing the glow worm and denting the mahogany wood, forever marking this day as one to remember.
“What the bloody hell was that?” I cried out, already sitting straight, my shoulders squared and both hands fisted.
My instant turnaround raised Azrian’s brows. “Yes, Sabree. How’d you know a worm was in there? Did you have something to do with it?” Azrian’s gaze, heated from rising hatred, turned to examine me. “Sabree did this to you. To us.”
Sabree retreated a few paces from our accusing stares. “I was offered a golden carrot. A false promise. I hid the archangel curse inside the stone.” Tears brimmed his lavender eyes when he turned to me. “An old ploy. Someone you trusted reined in your power, slowed your ass down. Loree gave me the curse with the promise that I could return to them. I fell for her deception.”
“If you only knew how many times the future you and I double-crossed each other.” I chuckled as I bit my lower lip. “aThorsis’s deception, not your mother’s. He possessed her. Only I, alone, can give you what you want once I dethrone the bastardly angel.”
“Finish me first. End me.”
“Let me!” Azrian lunged at Sabree. The two crashed against the shelves, knocking over several books. Azrian grappled Sabree’s neck. “You could’ve killed him. You deserve to die.” Blinded by fury, Azrian stifled a sob. “Aunt Ariane’s gone. Your child too. Zoeree hasn’t a chance now. You killed Earth just like your piece-of-shit father did.”
“Nothing’s going to die if I can help it.” Before either one realized it, I leapt out of the chair, knocking it down the basement stairs. I was already engaged in hyperdrive JLS style. Their protests echoed off the walls no longer there. Time to rescue my sister.
28
Spiders cannot change their spots
I n the future that shall never be, aThorsis delivered Ariane to Harmonyville, the rehab world concealed within the Lighted Realm. Back then he sought therapy. This time his intentions were purely evil—hide her from Brian. aThorsis fed the Teachers lies that her life was in danger and asked them to keep her in seclusion, no outside visitors until the baby was born. The liar even warned them about her brother-gone-rogue, not to let him near the place of peace and solitude.
Imprisoned for what seemed like months, Ariane had no idea how much time had crept by. If three months, her baby would have been born by now. Did aThorsis put the child in some form of stasis or did he pause the time she spent here? If the future visit lasted ten years, but only three had passed on Earth, did that same schedule apply this time? She doubted so.
Memories of the first visit surpassed this one. Filled with worry, she hoped Brian would be well enough to find her before her baby boy arrived. She began to understand why her brother despised the archangel too powerful and corrupt for his own good.
The Teachers tried to console her, but she refused to listen, already memory-filled with ten years of their hype. Her emotions baulked at the lessons they taught to calm the mind. Livid best described her mood. Some of the teachings helped, most did not. As before, a delightful friendship flourished from her time spent here.
During ten years of rehab, the future Ariane met a foot-wide spider, his legs another foot when extended. His name was Sam I Am Then from JoJo. From these memories, she recalled his name and the moments they had shared. She still cherished the spot he placed on the back of her neck as a farewell gift.
Like a tattoo of sorts, branded for the life of her physical body, she felt honored to receive such an endowment. His friendship, considered the ultimate gift, helped her comprehend her buggy mentality more than the rehab. The Teachers also recalled those ten years that had not yet occurred and changed the red spot to turquoise. To hell with their irrational aversion to the color red. She was thankful, though, that they didn’t take it away.
Ariane sat on her favorite spot in the garden, the one she used to sit on or had never sat on yet for that matter. As gorgeous as any garden in the universe, she began to despise it except for the opportunities to chat with Sam. No visitors or others around, the Teachers took her seclusion to heart, able to observe everything that happened on their little world of peace and harmony. Too much of a good thing, until the Teachers allowed her to see Sam. What harm could come from a friendship that had worked magic in the future.
Today, she waited for one such treasured visit.
Movement stirred ahead. Ariane sat upright as intuition alerted her that not just Sam approached, but someone even more familiar. She hid the sensation from her outer thoughts, purging it deep within. She refused to let the Teachers, all seeing and knowing, or nosey in her opinion, collect evidence from her mind.
Pebbles skittered across the stonework path leading to the private border of the garden. She recognized Sam’s spider crawl but not the clumsy wriggling creature beside him. Another Jo Jo? A leg extended upward, shook as if walking on sticky tape, and then the dance repeated with the other seven legs. Ariane covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.
Sam skittered ahead when the newbie crawled backward instead of forward. She could no longer hold back, clapping her hands and giggling. Sam had a visitor of his own and if spiders could roll their eyes, she was sure Sam had done so.
“This be Ross,” Sam said in short sentences typical of JoJo speak. “Your friend? Ross meet Ariane.” Sam spider-hopped out of the way when Ross crept closer. A wrong step and this time Sam’s friend rolled over onto his back, all eight legs wiggling to grasp onto something solid.
Giggles that belonged to her and Sam filled the silent garden. Then Sam leapt onto the bench as he always did.
“Ha, ha. Glad you two are having a good laugh at my expense. I’m not used to so many legs.”
Ariane sat up. Impossible, but she recognized the voice as her brother’s. She leaned over her lap to get a closer look at him. Unlike Sam, the guest spider boasted turquoise and goldenrod spots. Its eyes were amber. “Brian Ross Colton?” she asked, feeling a bit silly.
“The one and only.” He tried to crawl up the scroll work that lined each end of the bench and fell on his backside. “Some help, please.”
Between giggles, Ariane leaned over to pick him up and placed him on top of her belly bump. He had to scrunch in his legs to fit. “Really, Brian? It’s you? But how?” Ariane glanced at Sam. “Did you know he was my brother?”
Sam’s spots shimmered as if alive with electricity. “Not at first. Teachers said visitor demand me. No Sam sanctions. No Sam seclusion. Played along. Pretended Ross good friend. He mind speaks.” Sam shuddered to smooth his furry coat. “Pleaded not give away. Rescue sister. You!”
“But how?” Ariane asked again. “How did you change into a JoJo? You hate spiders, Brian.” She patted Sam to bolster her explanation. “Not Jo Jo spiders, just the creepy deadly ones on Earth.”
One of Brian’s spidery legs tickled her chin until he scrunched it back under his belly. “Not easy, Sis. First, I tried to rescue you in my pre-lighted form, but the Teachers wouldn’t have it. Guess the word had not gotten out that I’m the new good guy. Certainly didn’t impress them. aThorsis must’ve warned them to keep me away. Called me deranged.” Brian kept skittering
in place instead of sitting still.
“Settle down. You’re tickling me.” Ariane squeezed over to the edge of the bench, picked her brother up, and set him next to Sam.
All legs, he almost shot out of her hand. “Watch it. Careful of my bug junk.” Brian twirled in place until the legs folded beneath his bulbous body. “Care to hear the entire sorry-ass tale?”
On her nod, Brian squealed a tiny buggy cough. “Sabree hid an archangel’s curse in one of my stones. Abyss’s obsidian no less, the bloody rock already a curse in itself. Farian gave it to him, promising the gullible idiot that if he placed the curse on me, Sabree would be free to return to the Malakhim.”
“The illness you suffered was Sabree’s doing? How did you fight it off?” Ariane giggled at how the two spiders jittered in their seats. Brian poked her thigh several times.
“Sit quiet,” Sam said as he shoved one of Brian’s legs back underneath him. “You nudge Sam much.” Then he spun a web between them. His beady eyes glanced up at Ariane. “Archangel curse? Archangels?”
“Lighted Ones,” Brian grumbled. “A guilt-ridden Sabree saved the day. Ran inside my office with a hammer, smashed the obsidian, and then squashed the nasty bug that crawled out.” Brian peered over the web at Sam. “Sorry, but this bug was creepy. The curse destroyed, the sickness immediately left my body. While Azrian and Sabree settled their differences, I took off in search of you. I’m pretty much at home in the Lighted Realm now, so no trouble homing in on where aThorsis hid you.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time in this realm?” Ariane asked.
“Aye, but the hardship came when trying to sneak by the Teachers. Untrustworthy buggers. While visiting this realm, I discovered the ability to mimic Malakhim gifts, especially the ones used on physical worlds like Harmonyville or Earth. No better way to rescue my sister then to borrow her morphing ability.” Brian winked a bulging eye at her and then jittered about as he sat with a splat. “I’d bow, but as you can see, I haven’t found my spider legs yet.” He laughed this time.
Archangel of the Fallen Page 19
