by R. D. Brady
Laney nodded. “Yeah.”
Jake gripped the steering wheel. He wasn’t thrilled with surprises, and Henry’s mom showing up back from the dead qualified as a huge one. He glanced over at Laney sitting next to him. “I don’t like this.”
Laney reached out and took his hand. “I know. But we need answers and she may have them.”
Pulling into the empty parking lot, he turned off the engine. The park was only about a half acre. It barely had room for a small play set and two wooden picnic tables.
Jake watched Victoria exit her SUV and make her way to one of those tables. “She’s supposed to be dead.”
Laney looked like she wanted to say something, but then she just shrugged and reached for the door handle.
Jake grabbed her arm. “You still have your gun?”
She nodded, pulling up her shirt to reveal it tucked into the side of her waistband.
Jake let her go, reaching for his own door handle. “Good. This time, keep it on you.”
Victoria was sitting waiting for them. “Please sit.”
Jake shook his head, eyeing the two men now standing next to the SUVs. “I think I’ll pass.”
Victoria met his eyes for a second before turning to the two men. “Gentlemen, please take a ride. Come back for me in ten minutes.”
Without comment, the two men got into the SUV and took off. Victoria looked back at Jake. “Better?”
Jake nodded, but he didn’t sit. His eyes darted around the park. Trees and wild growth surrounded the manicured area. Snipers could easily be in any one of those trees or lying in wait in the tall undergrowth.
His eyes flipped to Laney who sat calmly at the table across from Victoria. Her hand rested on the butt of her weapon. At least she was a little cautious.
Victoria glanced between the two of them. "I believe an explanation is in order."
"You got that right." Anger punctuated Jake’s words. He knew he should calm down, but right now, he just couldn’t. "Does Henry know you're alive?"
Victoria nodded. "Yes. He's always known."
Betrayal sliced through Jake. Why had Henry never told him? He distinctly remembered the conversation they’d had about the deaths of their mothers. Henry had lied to him.
Reading his feelings, Victoria leaned towards him. "Henry wanted to tell you the truth. Both of you. But there were reasons why I had to disappear and those reasons haven’t changed. It’s in everyone's interest if I remain dead. Coming here, I am risking your lives, and mine."
"Then why are you here?" Laney asked.
Pain crossed Victoria’s face. "Henry."
Jake ignored the pang of sympathy he felt for the woman. If she’d been in hiding for almost two decades, that meant whoever was after her was serious. Perhaps serious enough to grab her son if they knew or suspected she was alive. God damn it. Jake's voice was harsh. "Why was Henry taken? Was it because of you?"
"No.”
"So whoever’s after you hasn't grabbed Henry to get to you?" Laney asked, her expression guarded, arms crossed across her chest.
Victoria shook her head. "No. I am very good at hiding. No one besides Henry, and now you two, know I am alive. Not even Danny knows. And it's important it stays that way."
Jake nodded down the road to where the Escalade had disappeared. “What about your friends?”
“Ralph knows. In fact, Henry knows Ralph. He’s been with our family since Henry was a child. Andrew does not.”
Jake wasn’t sure he believed that. But right now, there were more pressing issues. “Look, I don't know you and I don't give a crap what you want. We already know Henry was taken because they believe he can read the books from Ecuador. What we don’t know is why they think that.”
Surprise flashed across Victoria face. "You’ve uncovered more than I realized. Do you know Henry’s nature?”
“He’s a nephilim.”
Victoria nodded. “Yes.”
Jake’s own father was no prize, but learning your father was a Fallen was not going to be easy for Henry. Jake didn’t look forward to telling his friend. “So, Henry’s father was a Fallen, right?”
Victoria shook her head. "Not exactly."
CHAPTER 74
Las Vegas, NV
Henry’s arms ached. His head and chest leaned forward, his bound arms holding him upright. He’d been in this position since he’d awakened.
He thought it might be close to twenty-four hours since he’d been taken. But he didn’t really know. Time seemed immeasurable when you were being tortured. It could easily be a week.
His eyelids started to close. He couldn’t remember ever being this tired. Guess I finally get to test my limits.
Yesterday had been the ‘getting to know you’ stage of interrogation. Every time Hugo didn’t like an answer, he sliced. And he didn’t like most of Henry’s answers. Half the time Henry could swear he was just making up questions to make him bleed.
Henry closed his eyes, hoping for a few minutes of sleep before the pain in his arms once again wormed its way through his subconscious. The door opened. He dragged his lids back open. Hugo entered, followed by a small, frail older man.
The older man walked over to Henry, stopping three feet away. “Do you know who I am?”
Henry shook his head. “Not a clue.”
Hugo raised his hand to strike him. The old man put up his hand. “No need. That was an honest answer. My name is Sebastian Flourent.”
The man looked at him expectantly.
“Still not ringing any bells,” Henry said.
Hugo punched him in the jaw. “When you speak with Mr. Flourent, it’s with respect.”
Henry’s head swam, his legs went weak. The weakness passed quickly and Henry was just left angry.
Sebastian spoke as if the violence hadn’t occurred. “Years ago, my father was interested in your family.”
Henry’s head jolted. “My family? Why?”
Sebastian waved the question away. “In time. For now, tell me what you know about your abilities.”
Henry hesitated, debating what to say. He realized, though, the futility of lying. They’d already seen what he could do. “I have enhanced strength and speed. And I heal quickly.”
Sebastian nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes. But what cognitive abilities have you retained?”
“Cognitive?” Henry asked. What on earth was he talking about?
“Come now, Mr. Chandler. I know your history. You’re an intelligent man. You know what I’m asking.”
Henry looked back at him, clueless. What did he think he could do?
A piercing pain in his right side shook him from his thoughts. He let out a gasp. Hugo stepped back from him, his knife slick with blood.
Henry watched as blood dribbled down his side. Then it slowed and stopped. The wound began to knit close. Henry ground his teeth. “I don’t have any extra cognitive skills, that I know of.”
Sebastian shook his head, disappointment on his face. “But you see, that’s not possible. Not with who your father was.”
Henry stilled. “My father?”
Sebastian paused, inspecting Henry’s face. A cruel smile spread across his own. “You don’t know, do you?”
Henry’s mind raced. His father? His father was James Chandler, a normal man. But . . .
His whole life, Henry had wondered at his father’s last words: Don’t let anyone know what he is. Did these monsters have the answers? Henry looked at the old man. “As far as I know, he was just a man.”
Sebastian watched him for a moment. Henry sensed he was weighing the truthfulness of Henry’s response. Finally, he turned. “Bring in the book,” he ordered.
Two guards walked in, struggling under the weight of a silver book, one foot by two.
That must be one of the folios from the Ecuador cave, Henry thought.
Hugo carried a table from the side of the room and placed it in front of Henry. The book was laid on top.
The cover seemed to be made from silver, although Henr
y didn’t understand why it hadn’t tarnished after all its time in the cave. The pages, which were the same color, were slimmer than the cover. Maybe made of silver leaf? he wondered.
Symbols were engraved on the front cover. At first glanced, they appeared to be Greek. But upon closer inspection he realized that wasn’t right. The book was written in Enochian. An electric tingle began to slide over his skin. The hairs on his arms stood straight up.
The symbols on the cover almost seemed to come alive. The cover read “The Alian Treaty”. He didn’t know how, but he knew that was what the title said.
Sebastian watched him closely. “So Mr. Chandler, can you tell us what the symbols on the front cover say?”
Henry struggled to keep his shock off his face. How was he able to read it? “Why would you think I could read them?”
Sebastian paused, picking a piece of lint from his sleeve, before looking back at Henry. “Because your father wrote it.”
CHAPTER 75
Baltimore, MD
Laney's mind whirled. Henry's abilities had astounded her when she'd first witnessed them. His strength, his agility. They were otherworldly. She’d scoured countless books after the Montana incident, looking for an explanation.
At one point, she’d suspected he might be one of the Fallen and for a time she’d even wondered if he might be a nephilim, mainly because of his height. The quote from Genesis ran through her mind: “The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men.”
The more she got to know him, however, the less his status mattered. He was Henry, her friend, Danny's father. She’d put her questions to rest, knowing Henry would talk to her someday if he wanted to. And until then, she'd keep her thoughts to herself. But now Henry's mother was telling them who he was. What he was.
Jen flashed through her mind and she went still. Was it possible Jen was also a nephilim? If the Fallen could reproduce, how many nephilim could be out there?
Laney forced her mind back to the conversation as Jake spoke. "Does anyone else know what he is?"
"I don't think so. But it's not impossible. Henry's father was killed by someone who knew his nature. It's possible they could have suspected what Henry was."
"Does Henry know?"
"No."
"Would someone be able to tell the difference between one of the Fallen and a nephilim?" Laney asked.
Victoria paused, giving Laney a measured look. "A human wouldn't. But a Fallen would. From what I understand, the Fallen feel a kinship when they’re near one another. They would feel a connection with a nephilim as well, but the link would be weaker."
"Do the nephilim feel the kinship with the Fallen?" Jake asked
"I don't believe so. But they do for one another."
Laney flashed on the look on Jen's face when Henry had walked into her hospital room in Ecuador. She recognized him. But was it because Jen was a nephilim or a Fallen?
"Laney?" Victoria asked.
Laney looked over sharply. Victoria was watching her again, a calculating look on her face.
Laney pulled her face into a neutral expression. She would have to watch herself with this woman. She was far too observant and right now, they didn't really know anything about her except that she’d faked her own death. They couldn't even be sure Henry knew she was alive.
"What about powers?" Jake asked. "Are their powers any different?"
"It depends. Powers are like any genetic trait. For some, they have their parent’s exact skill. For others, they have some, and for others, nothing."
Laney sat back. So Dom was right. If it were truly genetic, though, did that mean it could even skip generations and appear decades later in a family? How many exceptional athletes owed their skill to a genetic gift from a fallen angel?
"What about for Henry?" Laney asked.
"Henry has the strength and much of the speed, although I've seen some faster. He heals quickly, but not as quickly as the Fallen."
"Meaning he'd be easier to kill than they are," Jake said.
Victoria's chin trembled, but her voice remained steady. "Yes."
Silence descended as they all fell off into their own thoughts.
Jake finally broke the quiet. "Okay. Henry's a genetic freak. Good to know. But that still doesn't help us find him. And it doesn't tell us why he was grabbed."
Victoria nodded. "Because of the metal library.”
Laney glanced up sharply. How did Victoria know about that?
Victoria continued on, unaware of Laney's thoughts. "Henry has always been so careful. But they threatened the most important thing in the world to him."
"Danny," Laney said softly.
Victoria nodded. "So he didn't hold back."
"But it still doesn't explain why he was targeted. Why would they think Henry could read those books? Why would they think he had any abilities?” Jake asked.
Laney watched Victoria, a shiver of unease rolling down her back.
Jake stood up, annoyance in his voice. “We’ve got a lead on Henry’s location. I’ve already begun preparations to chase it down. Henry’s nature is irrelevant to that. It doesn’t matter why they took him. It matters that we get him back.”
Laney watched Victoria. She was afraid Jake was wrong. Dead wrong. Henry’s nature did matter, very much. Whatever this woman’s angle here, it was obvious she cared about Henry. And right now she was terrified. “You said Henry’s father wasn’t one of the Fallen. But Henry is a nephilim.”
Victoria nodded. “Yes. And I think Henry’s parentage is exactly why he was taken.”
“Why? Who are you?”
“Just a human, no one important.”
Laney glanced up sharply. There was no way someone unimportant had to fake their own death, spend twenty years in hiding, and had access to the information Victoria had. There was nothing unimportant about her.
“Then this is about Henry’s father? Who was he?” Jake asked.
Victoria paused. She took a deep breath and expelled it. "What do you know about angels?"
"Quite a lot," Laney replied, thinking of all the books and articles she’d immersed herself in since last year.
Victoria shook her head. “Not the Fallen. Actual angels.”
Laney stared at her, her mind racing.
"Dom’s right,” Victoria said. “Most nephilim only have some of their parents’ powers. But some angels are able to gift their children with multiple powers. Henry’s father was just such a man.”
“What powers did he have?” Jake asked.
“Henry’s father was incredibly gifted with languages. All languages.”
“Including Enochian?” Laney asked.
Victoria gave a little smile. “Yes, especially Enochian.”
Laney struggled to recall which Fallen was adept at languages. Baraqel taught people astrology, Chazaqiel taught meteorology.
She ran through a list of names in her mind. Raduriel, Rahatiel, Machidiel. None of the skills of angels, Fallen or not, seemed to fit. The closest she could come up with was Peneume, who was supposed to have taught humans how to write.
“So who exactly was Henry’s father?” Jake asked.
“This may be a bit difficult to believe,” Victoria began.
Laney struggled not to laugh. A bit difficult to believe? Two of her best friends were at least part angel, she herself had helped take down two Fallen angels, one of whom had been hell bent on using an ancient weapon of mass destruction, and just last week she’d uncovered an ancient cache of knowledge hidden for thousands of year. She was pretty sure she was beyond disbelieving anything at this point.
“What do you know of Enoch?” Victoria asked.
“The guy who wrote the books about the Fallen?” Jake asked.
Laney rattled everything she could remember. “He lived 365 years. He was Noah’s great grandfather. Ascended to heaven without dying, allegedly spoke on God’s behalf to Moses, has three books attributed to him, got a tour of heaven while still alive, a
nd basically was God’s most trusted.”
Victoria inclined her head. “Henry was right about you.”
Before Laney could ask her what she meant by that, Victoria continued. “Enoch was also an important scribe. In some cultures, he was so important he was seen as being on a level with God.”
“God?” Jake asked, disbelief across his face.
Laney knew Jake struggled to believe the whole Fallen angels walking the earth bit. Asking him to believe God had a hand in all this was another leap she was sure he was going to have difficulty with.
“And Enoch never died. He just disappeared into the heavens where he became the angel Metatron,” Laney said, recalling the Bible tales.
Victoria nodded. “Enoch was special. Part of that specialness is being reborn over and over again.”
Laney felt her jaw drop, but she couldn't speak. Her eyes found Victoria's. Victoria nodded at her, recognizing that Laney understood.
Jake's head whipped back and forth between the two. "Someone want to clue me in?"
“James Chandler was Enoch which means . . . ” Laney couldn’t finish the thought. Victoria was right. It was too unbelievable.
Victoria nodded. “Yes. Henry is the son of Enoch.”
CHAPTER 76
Henry is the son of Enoch.
The words floated through Jake’s mind. What the hell was going on? This made absolutely no sense. "I don't understand. Enoch disappeared, what, before the great flood? As in Old Testament times, at least ten thousand years ago, right? And we’re supposed to believe that he was reincarnated as James Chandler?"
Jake looked to Laney for an explanation. She sat staring straight ahead, her face frozen in shock. Obviously she wasn't up for explaining anything at this moment. He turned to Victoria. "Well?"
Victoria gave him a small smile. "It's true. Enoch was Noah’s great grandfather. He foretold of the flood that Noah would become famous for.”
Jake tamped down his impatience. "Right. Got that part. Really smart, prophetic, old guy. How does that relate to Henry?"
"One day, Enoch disappeared. He was taken to heaven, in his human form. As I said before, God enjoyed his company so much, he made him his scribe. As much as Enoch loved being with God, he also loved being human. As a gift, God allows him to visit earth from time to time."
