I grabbed the tube, dove under it, and popped my head through the hole. I lifted myself up though the tube and spread out across it deflated—my ego, not the tube. “You win, Sabree.” Laughter filled my weary mind. Funny how the island made sure he came out the winner and me the loser.
3 3 3
Poor Brian. He tried too hard. As if the island sensed his animosity from the moment he arrived, it knew how to piss him off. But why? Did aThorsis run the show from behind the scenes? One had to wonder. From Brian’s gung-ho actions of late, the archangel-to-be adopted a timid air today.
Floating along, taking in the sites at a leisurely pace, Sabree finally asked, “You okay? You’re quieter than usual.”
“Worried.”
“No way the island would be evil enough to kill you. Anyway, you said you can’t die.”
“Jeez, Sabree.” Brian slapped the side of the tube. “Don’t give the automation damnation any ideas. Anymore stunts like the last, and I will JLS the hell out of here.” He splashed water across Sabree’s face. “This ride is more my speed though. A pleasant meander. Slow enough to give me time to think of the future.”
“Our bleak future?” Sabree could not leave enough alone and splashed him back. He thought it odd how easily he and Brian got along. No false pretenses between them. Brian behaved himself, a brat at times, and Sabree as well, distinguished and debonair. He laughed at the slight exaggeration of character.
“Nothing bleak about it. Mystical and scary in some ways. No idea what my duties as an archangel will entail.”
Uncertain what to say, Sabree paddled with his hands to steer the float closer. He pretended not to notice how Brian shivered from head to toe. The almighty archangel-to-be seemed vulnerable, almost human. “You’ll do fine as Timekeeper. The job’s right up your alley. With me as your first in command, you could do no wrong. We will support you.”
“Easy to say that now. But what about in the portal universes? Things are different in the spiritual realm.”
“Assuredly so. I long to return. I hope Ariane does too.”
Brian released a heavy sigh in answer. “Do robots swim? A frozen Margarita sounds good.” Then he turned toward Sabree, his eyes dark. “Ariane can’t stay on Earth. She and the Fallen must return.”
Margaritas sounded delightful. And Brian’s answer satisfied him utmost. They’d all return together. Sabree leaned forward, unsure of what he thought he had seen. “Our prayers have been answered.” He pointed beyond Brian’s hot-pink tube. “Look.”
Quick on the grab, Brian reached for a giant-sized sippy cup full of limes and ice in blue nectar tequila. He took a cautious sip. “Perfection.”
Sabree grabbed the remaining cup as the robotic float whirled toward his tube. Brian had hit it on the mark. This was the finest, most expensive Margarita he had ever had the pleasure to drink. Whispered sea breeze, the occasional splash of cool water, and warm sun probably helped make it the best ever. “To us. Friends forever.”
“BFFs.”
By the time they finished their drinks and docked at the end of the ride, Sabree climbed out of the tube before Brian could suggest another drink or a second trip around the lazy river. The underwater walk had called to him ever since they entered the park. “Time to go. Coming?”
“Let’s order another drink on our way to the underwater walk. The robots will find us.”
“Consider it done. These robots have ears like nothing else on Earth.” He gave Brian a hand when he tried to climb out of his tube. “Looks like you had enough already.” Sabree had to take a step back or let Brian’s weight knock him back into the river. “Easy there. Ready?”
“Ready as ever.” Brian hiccupped. “Man, that last drink went straight to my head. I feel off kilter. Feels good though.” He slurred his words and paused. “Take it easy, I’m not that bad…yet. Lead on.”
Sabree imagined a few scenarios as to why Brian was so inebriated after one margarita. “Was your drink strong?”
Brian’s gaze rolled around until it settled on the sky. “You might be right. Pure tequila, no fruit juice. Was your drink pure booze?”
Perplexed, Sabree shook his head as he walked on. How did the robot know Brian would grab the straight tequila drink? The island was definitely out to get him. “Do you think aThorsis could possess an island or the people who run it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s not that imaginative.” Brian paused to straighten out the tee shirt that clung to his midriff, showing off his bellybutton. “Why do you ask?”
Another robot holding a tray of two giant blue drinks whirled at them. It stopped in front of Sabree. He picked up a cup, took a sip, and handed it to Brian. “This one’s for you.”
“Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.”
Sabree looked at him strangely as he sipped from the other tumbler. “Odd, both are fine. They got it right this time.” He tapped a sandal at the robot. “Get lost.”
The robot sped off a few feet and then went around in circles as the six had done earlier. “They take our commands quite literally. Poor design.”
“Sucky programming minus quality control.” Brian raised his drink. “You need to work on it, lads. I should get my money back after spending one horrendous day on this insane island. It doesn’t like me.”
“I’ve been wondering why myself. Maybe because you didn’t fill out the forms. Another reason could be aThorsis.” Sabree stopped to insert the keycard into the robot stationed at the underwater entrance. “Shall we?”
Brian’s eyes darted around as he sipped the big blue drink. A sigh announced he was ready as ever. “Lead on.”
They entered the dark cool tunnel until it opened up into a twenty-foot by twenty-foot glass enclosed hall. The entire structure was made of thick plexiglass: walls, ceiling, and floor. If not for the schools of fish, stingrays, beluga whales, and sharks swimming by, brushing against the transparent glass, no one would realize a barrier existed between the guests and sea life. At high noon, the entire hall illuminated a cerulean glow from the sun shining through the sea. Shadowed ripples danced across glass walls and floor.
Sabree ogled the different creatures floating above them.
“Nothing like the shark tank in San Diego,” Brian said.
“What?” Sabree tried to hide the slight irritation the interruption caused.
The hurt in the amber eyes showed more than ever. Brian walked on without offering to correct himself. “Wrong Sabree,” he muttered to no one.
Wrong indeed. It had to be a memory he shared with the future Sabree. Might explain the pained expression. He had been rude numerous times, but Brian usually sloughed it off. Sabree continued on in silence, waiting for Brian to open his mouth first. But then he couldn’t resist. “You and the future Sabree must’ve shared a lot of memories. Too bad we didn’t have time to exchange a few. Maybe then I could understand what you both went through. Might strengthen our friendship as well.”
Sabree stopped short to avoid slamming into Brian. “What?” he asked.
Brian’s smile brightened. “Great idea. Why didn’t I think of it first?”
“What?” Sabree asked, taking a sip.
“I can mind meld with you the way Mr. Spock used to do to Captain Kirk. I’ve done it numerous times.”
38
Spock’s Mind Meld
“M r. Spock’s mind meld? Sounds intriguing.” Sabree hesitated. Not. The idea of them joining minds so deeply sounded intrusive, dangerous, even kinky. But then distant recollections of his life in the portal revealed moments when memories or history had been shared this way. Often between parents and their children, mates, and between leaders. “You can do this?”
“Aye, always been able to.” Brian finished his drink and glanced around the hall. “Not Ariane though. Maybe we can do it later tonight after she goes to sleep. Have to avoid interruptions.”
“Why not now? No one’s here.”
Brian glanced around. “Well…”
“No
robots,” Sabree said. He’d make sure of it. “No robots for the next half hour please. No listening in on our conversation either.” He shot Brian a glance. “Is that enough time?”
“More than enough.” Brian walked over to the bench and patted the seat next to him. “Sit.”
“This won’t hurt will it?” Sabree kicked aside a thick cord that someone forgot to plug into a wall unit and sat an arm’s length away, which in turn made Brian shake his head. Settled in his seat, Sabree placed his hands on his lap. Eyes closed, he opened his mind. Brian’s memories seeped inside slowly at first so not to overwhelm him and then flew at him like a colony of bats disturbed by a flashlight in a dark cave. Some dive bombed his mind, others buzzed around his head. These recollections were different than the time travel sprees where Brian suddenly appeared in Sabree’s past. Those gave him a headache.
First, he drank Brian’s blood, fought illness and infection. Then Brian shot him three times, left him to die. Both adverse incidents weakened him.
Sabree almost stood upright, the need to escape the bombardment dire. At least stop for a few seconds. “Wait. I need a breather.”
“What’s wrong?” Brian asked. “Too much at once?”
“How did we become friends? You’re beating the crap out of me. Shot me three times. Made me sick. I was just as despicable. Threatened to turn you into dogmeat as I did to poor Zanyael. I stalked you and Ariane. Now I understand why you called me Fang. It’s his nickname.”
“Had to start at the beginning. Bear with me, it gets better. Oh, and, spoiler alert, I killed you.”
Mouth hung open, Sabree scooched over on the bench. His gaze raked over Brian. Glints of gold sparkled like stars from the amber eyes, soothing him. “Continue then.” This time he squeezed his eyes shut, expecting worse things to come. Never would he have imagined such a sequence of events.
The rush of memories began where they had left off. Sabree stalked after Brian for the flash drives. The infection forced him to feed on the twins’ blood. Brian drank him dry and raced to Mexico to secure another drive where he killed a young woman. Feeling pity, Sabree took the blame. Then things gradually got better.
The two partnered, joined sides to find three drives to form a complete copy of the journal before Wayde did. Eric turned against them, forcing them to hide out. The first of many, aThorsis attacked them on some world loaded with boulders. They slowly became friends, lived in the same townhouse. Ariane found a cure for the infection: Colton tablets. She seduced Sabree and carried his child. A girl. Ariane and Sabree fought after they met with Eric to keep the peace. Brian thought Sabree was hurting her and inadvertently dusted Sabree. The private moments Brian shared with him revealed genuine remorse and grief over what he had done. Resurrected from death at Brian’s hand, the memories continued, the two growing closer as Ariane pulled away. They raised their children together. These times warmed his soul but stopped abruptly just as Earth met its end.
The memories were Brian’s alone. Sabree saw himself through the amber eyes, heard himself. Four short years of shared experiences but a lifetime of fond remembrances, treasured time together. Brian actually liked Sabree, admired and respected him. A fiendship restored into an everlasting friendship. He found the pot of gold under the rainbow. Unheard of in the Malakhim realm.
Then a dreadful memory resurfaced. Sabree once belonged to aThorsis’s Malakhim legion. His own Malakhim brethren betrayed him, exiled him to Earth as the Fallen. Loree was amongst the traitors. Separated from his lifelong mate, Farian blamed him. Sabree would never rest from this resurrected memory unless… Unless Brian defeated the malevolent archangel.
That single memory along with the slew Brian shared chilled Sabree to his core. He had been a cold-hearted stalker from the start. At some point, a friendship developed because of his dependency on Brian’s blood. A leech. No, more like a blood-sucking tick. Born into kinship as cousins, he and Brian shared a brotherly love, not the brother-in-law appreciation they imparted now. Brotherhood. Blood brothers. Brothers in arm.
The memories stacked themselves neatly in his mind as if he had lived them himself. Amidst sorrow, relief, friendship, love, and utter exhaustion, he perceived things in a different light. Understood what made Brian tick and why. Sabree’s head cleared after a moment as he sucked in a wheezing breath to catch up after holding his own during the mind share.
“Well?” Brian asked.
The first things that came to Sabree were unfavorable. “You shot me. Drained me. Dusted me. And, yet, against all the universes, you found a way to bring me, Sabree 2.0, back. Albeit, he was broken.” Tears brimmed his eyes, but he fought them back. “You saved me from aThorsis’s wrath, not once but twice. Forgave me even though he…I was part of the seven who plotted to kill Turian. Granted, my friend requested I join them, but I should have refused. You also never once held it against Sabree—me—that Farian was my father.”
His gaze downcast, Sabree leaned forward. “I’ve never experienced these memories. Thank you for gifting me yours. My eyes are wide open now. There’s no need to fear your disapproval. Hell, I even betrayed you and you forgave me unconditionally.” He cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “If you weren’t in line for archangel status, you could apply for sainthood.”
The distance stretched out between them shortened. Sabree opened his arms and hugged Brian. “I am honored to call you friend. Honored to represent you and lead your Malakhim when the time comes.” So many memories from one soul had hit him all at once and only minutes had gone by. They still had twenty left before another robot showed up.
“It will take you a while to absorb it all. Want to rest or continue the underwater tour?” Brian’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “And truth be told, I’m anything but a saint.”
Revealing those years of memories, shared friendship, and troubled times must have had taken a toll on Brian’s emotions. “I’d really like to visit the underwater park with you for the rest of the robot-free minutes,” Sabree said with hesitation. “You game?”
“Aye.” Brian pulled out his bag of Colton tablets, shoved a few in his mouth, and handed the bag to Sabree. “What could it hurt.”
3 3 3
Never had I shared so much of myself in such a short time. I chewed on a few tablets and then stood. The exchange had exhausted me but kept how much to myself. He deserved a normal day out. We both did.
Something slithered over each sandal and around my ankles. When I leaned over to check my feet, the snake-like cord tightened as it continued to climb up my legs. Slightly ahead, ever gawking at the myriad of fish, I called out to Sabree, the panic in my voice evident. “Hey, a little help please?”
When Sabree turned in question, I pointed at my legs. Rancid laughter burst from my quivering mouth. Nothing normal about this day or this godforsaken island.
Sabree ran right over. “That’s the same cord.”
“You two met already?”
“Saw it on the floor when I first sat down. Someone left it unplugged.” He tugged on the neck of the cord now squeezing my thighs. “Won’t budge.” Following a few tugs and grunts, Sabree stood upright. Our eyes met, his dark teal, worried, and mine, I’m guessing, vivid amber from the pressure that backlogged behind them. “What should I do?” he asked me.
“Call out for a hefty pair of scissors.” The cord squeezed my groin tighter than it had my legs. Figures. Tears stung my eyes. I wheezed a few octaves higher, “The robots like you. Ask nicely.” As if to punish me for speaking my mind the cord zapped my junk with a hefty jolt of voltage. I yelped and jumped up and down in place. After the initial shock, my yelps scaled back to whimpers as soon as that area turned ethereal. I glanced down to make sure I hadn’t wet myself. As my legs lost their physicality, the cord dropped to the floor.
Sabree was too busy yelling into the intercom speaker to notice the cord had released me. “Bring me a pair of scissors. Now!” He turned toward me. As soon as he saw the cord at my feet, he grabbed it
and tossed it at the wall behind the bench.
A huge pair of stainless shears flew in from the hallway.
“Bugger, Sabree…duck!” A faster-than-the-eye-could-detect swipe of my arm knocked him over the bench onto the cement floor. I sucked in a breath as the sharp blades sailed right through me. The manta ray on my tee shirt dissolved along with my chest. This time I misted instead of taking a chance on my body doing the ethereal thing. The shears clattered against the glass wall. Curses including an f-bomb stung my ears. Sabree’s not mine.
First one hand, then another slapped the bench before Sabree peered over the top of it. His gaze fell on the fallen shears first and then on me. “Is the coast clear?” He climbed to his feet, kicked the cord against the wall again, and vaulted over the bench. When a spark hissed from the dying cord, Sabree scampered over to my side. “The scissors missed you. How?”
“The robot’s aim sucks, I guess.” Now was not the time to explain my ability to use every gift known to the Fallen. Almost effed up our discreetness. The involuntarily reaction of misting happened before I could stop myself. Maybe the guys behind the cameras missed seeing my chest dissolve. “Again, please be careful what you ask for, Sabree.”
“That was too close.” Behind him, the shears clattered. Sabree kicked it against the same wall as the cord. “Should we head back the way we came? I’ve seen enough.”
To distract him from inquiring about me using Lighted and Fallen abilities alike, I pointed at the trunkfish swimming by. The bobbing suitcase with fins made me laugh. “Funky wee bugger.”
“The shark tank in San Diego made you laugh too.” Sabree stared at me. “Odd, how that memory stands out. You mentioned the aquarium earlier.” He leaned against the glass nose to nose with the same trunkfish. “You were fearful. Worried about securing the first flash drive. Wayde, his men, and I circled around you like hungry sharks.” He turned toward me, his eyes still crossed.
Archangel of the Fallen Page 29
