Angel Exalted

by C. L. Coffey

  “I’m not going to sit here and tell you everything will be alright instantly. I’m not going to tell you that everybody’s problems are different. What I will say is, sometimes you’ve got to fight. Sometimes you’ve got to dig deep and sometimes just getting through your day is winning the battle. Sometimes you’ll be able to face your problems head on. You just can’t be giving up just yet. Life might just surprise you.”

  I sat with him in silence, pondering his words as I sipped at the coffee. It was bitter and weak, but it was hot. I wasn’t sure if it was the sugar in the coffee or the homeless man’s words, but somewhere deep inside me, that spark of hope reignited. I finished the coffee and stood. “I’m sorry for stealing your drink,” I apologized. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the few dollar bills in there.

  “It’s not stealing when it’s given,” the man said, shaking his head at the money.

  “If not for a replacement coffee: take it for the next person who needs to hear some sage advice,” I said, placing it in his hands and curling his fingers around the notes.

  “You go kick your demon’s ass,” the man instructed me.

  He didn’t have any clue how literal I was going to take that.

  While being under the bridge, the rain had eased off a little. I continued walking south. Things weren’t completely hopeless, and I had to keep reminding myself that, because it certainly was feeling that way. There was still a possibility that I could find Joshua and defeat Lucifer mentally, like Veronica had alluded to. It was also something I would need help with. I pulled out my phone and dialed Cupid’s number.

  Joshua – or rather, Lucifer – must have gone into hiding, so even if this did go wrong, at least I would worry a little less about Joshua’s safety.

  “Angel? Are you still up?”

  “I left the House,” I said, simply.

  “Oh, wow,” he said, breathing the words. “What happened?” Before I could reply, I could just about make out Veronica’s voice in the background. “Ron, it’s Angel, she left too… Well, I don’t know because you’re asking questions and I can’t hear her response… just hush up for a few minutes… Angel, what happened? Actually, never mind. Where are you?”

  I looked around, trying to find something to give me a clue. “Coming up to a Krispy Kreme Doughnut on the corner of West Metairie and Clearview Parkway.”

  “I see you,” Cupid responded.

  I whirled around, trying to spot him amongst all the traffic. It was far too busy for him to be appearing like that. “Where are you?” I demanded. “Cupid, don’t do something stupid.”

  “I’m on roof of Krispy Kreme. Cross the street and meet me in the parking lot. I’ll find somewhere safe to go and walk over.”

  I looked up at the roof in question, catching Cupid for a brief second before he disappeared. Okay, that was pretty smart. I hurried across the street and waited out back as he had requested. It didn’t take long for him to come jogging over to meet me.

  “What on Earth happened to you?” he gasped, taking in my sodden appearance. “Okay, not important. Let’s get out of here and back to Ronnie so we can discuss this together. I hate having to hear things a second time.”

  I followed Cupid further down the street to a smaller business which had yet to open for the day. Cupid led me around the back, away from the view of the street, and the next thing I knew, we were inside. I looked around, not recognizing the church. “Which church is this?”

  Cupid shook his head. “Synagogue, not a church. It’s Touro Synagogue.”

  “You’re staying here?” I asked, surprised. I had been expecting them to go somewhere like the Plaza Tower to make a base.

  “We thought it would be safer.”

  “What is going on?” Veronica demanded, appearing in front of us. “Why did you leave?”

  “That is an excellent question.”

  I whirled around on the spot at the sound of Michael’s voice, then turned to glare at Cupid. “Really?”

  Cupid merely shrugged at me.

  “Okay, fine,” I sighed. “To catch everyone up to the same page, Lucifer isn’t dead. He’s currently possessing Joshua.”

  There was a choking sound behind me and I found Veronica staring at me in horror, but it was Cupid who spoke. “What? Are you sure?”

  “Trust me when I say, I wish I wasn’t.” I took a few steps to the side so I could see all three angels without having to turn awkwardly. “Paddy and then Zachary found out. Another newsflash: Luke Goddard, aka Lucifer’s former vessel is being kept alive on a ventilator in a hospital in Jefferson. It looks like whatever was left of Luke’s soul had gone. Zachary all but said that the same thing would happen to Joshua. He said we needed to find Joshua and kill him and Lucifer.”

  “Well, he’s not wrong!” Veronica declared.

  “He is wrong,” I told her, keeping calm. “That’s why I left. I don’t think jumping to murder is the first choice we should make.”

  “Angel, I think you should return to the House with me so we might discuss this with Zachary,” Michael suggested.

  “That’s not going to happen,” I said, shaking my head. “I left. Zachary told me flat out that I would not be able to return. But there’s no point anyway. He’s already made up his mind about Joshua’s future. There will be no discussion with him.”

  “You cannot go rogue,” Michael continued. “It is safer to be in the House.”

  I stared at him. He was actually saying that? Aloud? In front of Veronica? I quickly shook my head. “No, I’m going to save Joshua’s life,” I told him, pressing on and hoping Veronica had somehow missed that statement. Her expression told me otherwise. “I have a plan, and honestly, I need help, but if I have to do it alone, I will do.”

  “Angel, you are too new and inexperienced. You should be back at the House where you can still receive appropriate training and guidance,” Michael sighed. I folded my arms and stared at him. I felt like he was addressing me like I was a small child who was being scolded. “If you are in the House, you will also have the assistance you require to help Joshua.”

  “Michael, returning to that place, at least while Zachary is in charge, will not do anything for me other than give me a constant migraine. As for Joshua, I might as well sign his death sentence now. Paddy is out for blood and not only does Zachary know, he’s quite happy for her to be the executioner.” I shook my head firmly. “If I go back, they may make it seem like they’re trying to help, but that’s because they think they will have more luck with me finding Joshua than them doing it. It will end up being a case of me leading them straight to Joshua.”

  I looked at each one of them, trying to work out what each of them was thinking. Veronica still looked angry, though I wasn’t sure if that was directed at me or Michael… probably both. Cupid looked concerned. His eyes had been following our conversation like he was watching a game of tennis. I was certain he was still trying to work out how he felt about everything.

  Then there was Michael. His gaze had never left mine. I think he genuinely thought that being in the House was the best thing for me, and that the other angels – Zachary, Savannah, Grace – they would all willingly help me. Then again, it was also entirely plausible that he still wasn’t convinced Lucifer wasn’t dead, much less possessing Joshua.

  “I will try this with or without all of you,” I repeated. “I don’t want to because I know that right now I’m not strong enough for this, and I do need help from all of you to improve myself. But if I have to do it by myself, I will leave here right now and get on with it.”

  Cupid let out a long, drawn out sigh. “What’s your plan?”

  “Cupid, are you seriously entertaining this idea?” Veronica scoffed at him.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, raising a shoulder in a half shrug. “I at least want to hear what the plan is.” He looked back to me, waiting expectantly.

  “It’s not my plan,” I responded. I pointed at Veronica. “It’s hers.”

&
nbsp; Confusion washed across Veronica’s face, then almost as quickly, it was replaced with disbelief. “You’re going to attempt to defeat him mentally?”

  “I actually think there’s some weight to what Veronica said,” I explained. I raised my arm to brush my hair from my face, forgetting that Paddy had injured my arm, and gasped in pain.

  “Angel?” Michael stepped forward, reaching out for my arm.

  I stepped back, shaking my head. “I am soaked through and tired. I need to know if any of you are willing to help, because if not, I’m leaving and checking into a motel for a hot shower.”

  “I’m in.”

  I turned, surprised at Veronica’s response, and eyed her warily. “Are you in because you want to save Joshua, or because you want to defeat Lucifer by any means possible?”

  “Both,” she responded, honestly. “Look, I’m prepared to let you give it a shot, but if it goes wrong, then we’re going to need to stop Lucifer. You’re going to need someone who is prepared to do what it takes.”

  “Ronnie!” Cupid objected, his eyes going wide in horror. “That’s killing a human – that will mean you lose your wings! You’ll fall.”

  “Then let’s make sure that Angel is able to stop Lucifer without it coming to that,” she suggested, nonchalantly.

  “You know this may not be possible at all,” Michael spoke up.

  I looked to him and gave him a sad half-smile. “There aren’t really any other options,” I told him. “I have to try.”

  Michael cupped an elbow so he could rest his chin on his hand as he stared at me. “I am also uncertain as to what you mean by defeating him mentally.”

  “I will explain my plan,” I promised him. “But I really need to shower.”

  “Cupid, take her to my room,” Veronica instructed the archangel. “I will make breakfast. We can discuss plans over food. It looks like she needs it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  An Angel Walks into a Synagogue

  Veronica was right: I did need food.

  The synagogue wasn’t too different to the convent, apart from the notably less angels wandering it. Cupid explained, as he dropped me off in a small bedroom, that the rabbi lived across the street, but there were rooms available for anyone who required sanctuary. Aside from services and pre-arranged tours, the synagogue was mainly empty. The rabbis had left Cupid and Veronica to themselves.

  I took a quick shower and changed into some clothes that had been left out for me. While I had been washing myself, Cupid or Veronica had been in and taken my clothes – probably to dry out. The clothes that had been left were clearly Veronica’s. Black and a little on the small side, but they were also dry and clean. Given that all my clothes were still at the convent, I was in no position to complain.

  Breakfast consisted of a selection of bagels and creamed cheese. The smell of the bread toasting had my stomach grumbling. It might have been the fact that things were starting to feel marginally more positive, but my appetite was returning, so much so that I piled my plate with toasted sesame bagels.

  The other three angels had also taken a plate to eat, and we sat at a large picnic-style bench in a strangely rustic kitchen. I had been expecting a similar stainless-steel setup as the kitchen, but this was warm and welcoming. The lighting was artificial, seeing as the sun was still an hour away from rising, and my body was either aching or throbbing, telling me to sleep, but I didn’t care. At that moment, food was needed. Then a plan. Then defeating Lucifer. Then I would consider sleep.

  “You should eat and sleep more,” Michael announced suddenly, as though he could read my mind.

  I had just taken an enormous mouthful of bagel and hurried to swallow it, fighting against the cream cheese as it stuck to my mouth. I ended up taking a mouthful of coffee to wash it down. “When Lucifer is out of Joshua and the Fallen are out of New Orleans,” I told him.

  “While I would recommend that to you anyway, I believe that it would be necessary to undertake what you are planning,” he clarified.

  “What are you planning?” Veronica asked. “You still haven’t told us.”

  “She’s had her mouth full of food and has better manners than some, choosing not to speak with her mouth full,” Cupid said, rolling his eyes, though there was a small smile on his face. “I’m rather glad she hasn’t because I don’t need to see that.”

  Given how strained things had gotten between the two of them, it warmed me to see Veronica shaking her head at Cupid’s lame attempt at humor, while trying to hide her smile.

  Before the pair could descend into bickering – much as I would have been happy to sit back and watch – I pushed the plate with the remaining half-eaten bagel to the side. “I plan to enter Joshua’s dreams and defeat Lucifer in there.”

  Three sets of eyes stared at me in mutual disbelief.

  “That’s unsurprisingly not reassuring,” I pointed out. I pulled the plate back to me. “I’m going to continue eating this until you three can wrap your heads around that.”

  I was only able to manage one bite before Veronica spoke. “You intend on defeating a dream version of Lucifer?”

  “No,” I responded, calmly. “I intend on defeating Lucifer.” I looked at Michael. “You told me that Dream Walking was an art because it usually requires many trips, right?”

  Michael nodded. “That is correct. It is so subtle that these days, we tend not to use that ability.”

  “Since I earned my wings, no, since I had to go under house arrest after being all over the news, I have spent a lot of time meeting Joshua in his dreams. There was nothing subtle about it.” I sighed when Cupid spluttered his coffee all over the table amidst Veronica’s resulting squeals. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. The furthest we got was second base.”

  “Let me get a cloth,” Cupid mumbled, hurrying to find one to wipe down the table.

  “What I mean is, whenever we would meet up in his dreams, any conversations that we had, we would be able to continue when we were awake. That’s not subtle. The same goes for the dreams I had with Michael, although I admit I didn’t realize they were dreams at the time. I remembered them afterwards, as did you?” I asked Michael.

  “I did,” Michael agreed.

  “What’s that got to do with it?” Veronica asked. “You’re still going into his dreams. Defeating a dream version of Lucifer is not the same as defeating Lucifer.”

  “Actually, I think it is,” I shrugged. “I don’t think I’m communicating with a dream version of Joshua. I think I’m communicating with his consciousness – his soul.”

  “You’re wrong,” Cupid said, slowly shaking his head. “It’s a dream. Nothing more.”

  “But is it?” I asked. I shifted my position so that my legs were crossed, getting comfortable, and leaning forward. “Maybe it’s not his whole soul, but I think it’s as much of him as it when he’s awake. I think that maybe you need to have a connection to the person first too,” I added. “But I do think that’s a part of the person you’re speaking to.”

  “You mean like soulmates?” Veronica asked, pulling a face at the idea.

  I looked at the cherub opposite me and shook my head. “That wasn’t what I was thinking, but I guess it would be something like that.”

  “And you have two soulmates?” Veronica asked, nodding her head at Michael beside her.

  I glanced at the archangel and shrugged. “I think we have a connection.” I was replying to Veronica but directing my answer at Michael. “That’s not the point though.”

  “Then what is?” Veronica asked as her lips settled into a thin line.

  “If one of the Fallen possess a human, there are two souls in there, fighting for dominance which a human normally loses and the Fallen ends up pushing that soul from the body. That’s right?”

  “Yes,” Michael confirmed.

  “If I enter a dream, a part of me is entering it, a part of my conscious.”

  Veronica shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Then why c
an’t my soul defeat Lucifer’s soul. I mean, I’ve heard that if you die in a dream, you can die in real life too. What if there’s some truth to that? If I can manipulate the dream in my favor enough, and with Joshua on my side too, who says I can’t defeat Lucifer’s soul?” I asked the table. “Why would Joshua have to die in the process.”

  There was silence at the table as the three angels all looked at each other.

  “It doesn’t sound like a completely crazy theory,” Cupid finally muttered, though he did look dubious.

  “It sounds like a very dangerous idea,” Michael informed me. “Physical injuries are one thing to heal from, but mental ones are even harder. If something goes wrong, you could do irreparable damage to Joshua’s mind and soul. You could do irreparable damage to yourself.”

  “Hence why I didn’t want to do it alone,” I sighed. I had never thought it was going to an easy task to defeat Lucifer mentally, but I hadn’t considered that. Not really. “It might be impossible,” I admitted. “I mean, as Veronica pointed out, I’m not the greatest fighter, and at some point, I’m sure I’m going to have to go head to head with Lucifer – whether that’s in a physical form or a mental form. Judging from everyone’s reactions to this ‘crazy’ idea, it’s never even been considered before, never mind attempted. But I’ve got to try it. This is my charge. Covenant or not, this is the man I love.”

  “You should get some rest,” Michael said.

  “I’ve told you; I’m not resting until Joshua is safe,” I said, impatiently. “We have no idea of how much time it takes before a fallen angel completely consumes the human soul it is possessing, and I don’t want to put that much strain on Joshua. He’s strong, but I know Lucifer is strong too.”

  “Allow me,” Cupid said, before Michael could respond. He turned to me and folded his arms. “Girl, you look like crap. I’m not even going to sugar coat that for you. You have been looking progressively worse for weeks. We all know you’ve not been sleeping properly because you’re not healing. You’ve not been eating properly for just as long because you look like a walking corpse. If you want to try this, if you want to do this, you need to get your body and your mind in the best condition possible.”