Intuition: The Premonition Series

by Amy A. Bartol

  “Are you okay, Buns?” I ask as she gazes around in confusion.

  “No,” she admits, shaking her head. “They just attacked a base filled with Powers and they were winning,” Buns whispers, her face pale as she searches my face with her eyes. I nod, not knowing what to say to soothe her. There is nothing to say that will make it better. I think that Buns has been on the winning side so long that she doesn’t know what it is to lose. I haven’t been given those kind of odds, so I’m beginning to get used to the rollercoaster.

  “They were there for you, sweetie,” she says, looking horrified and I nod again because they nearly had me. If it weren’t for Reed, I would be taking a dip in the St. Lawrence with Declan right now. Or, maybe I would already be reunited with Brennus and that thought makes me feel off kilter and cold inside.

  “I know, but they didn’t get me because you got away and went for help. Thank you,” I say as I unbuckle my belt and join Buns in her seat, hugging her tight as she rests her head on my shoulder. We sit together like that for a long time, each of us numb from fear, listening to Reed and Zephyr talking in Angel from the cockpit of the plane. “Who are they talking to?” I finally murmur to Buns, because I can’t understand them, they are both speaking at the same time.

  “Zephyr is talking to a few different contacts,” Buns replies. “One is Dominion. He told Reed about an hour ago that the Gancanagh have stopped attacking the island. They must have realized that you were on the plane that left, so they pulled out. Dominion is planning a counter offensive to try to head them off, but since the Gancanagh took out all of their vehicles, the angels will have to fly inland for reserves, which will take time so they will likely lose Brennus.”

  “The Gancanagh are not attacking anymore?” I ask, while relief floods through my system like a sedative. I’m not a big fan of Dominion, but I don’t want them destroyed by the Gancanagh, especially when Declan had pointed out that Brennus is doing it as a gift to me.

  “No. They are trying to follow us,” she says. “Zephyr just told Reed that Dominion wants us to come back. They now understand your potential as a weapon; you are an irresistible lure for evil. No one has attacked the Powers in several millennium, and then you show up and you have already drawn out an army of Gancanagh who have been operating under the radar for a long time now,” she explains while she listens to the angels discussing things in the front of the plane.

  “So, we have to go back?” I ask, trying to clamp down on the surge of panic I’m feeling at the mere thought of having to go back there after all that has happened.

  “Have you lost it?” Buns asks, smiling for the first time since this all happened. “We are not taking you back there. Reed told them ‘no way.’ He said they are welcome to join our army, but that they will not be given any say in what happens with you.”

  “He can do that?” I ask as my heart swells with love and admiration for his strength and cunning.

  “He can because you gave him that power. He can now show them the door and tell them to hit it,” Buns says, beginning to regain some of her swagger. “You kind of gave him an upgrade, sweetie. He has Seraphim wings on his chest—he outranks all of them now.”

  “Really?” I ask, not understanding any of that because I’m half-human, so how can my wings help him out at all? Buns nods. “Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to go back to Dominion and hope for the best.” I feel a wave of relief hit me when I realize that we aren’t going back.

  “I bet Brennus is livid. He brought all those soldiers to get you and you slipped away from him,” she says.

  I shiver as I think of just how angry that will make him. I wonder if Declan, Faolan, and Lachlan will survive his rage. I can almost see the anger in his light green eyes as a quiver of fear shakes me.

  Buns doesn’t notice as she says, “Reed has been in contact with his agents regarding his holdings. He told Zephyr that several of his properties have been ransacked. The Crestwood house is a mess apparently.” She listens some more to the conversation in the cockpit, and then reports, “Reed just told Zephyr that the Gancanagh have been there and they took everything that was in your room, sweetie. They also took everything that you put in storage—the stuff that belongs to you and your uncle.”

  I cringe. There were pictures in storage of me with my uncle that I want—that I need. Now, Brennus has them. He has all of my personal memories. A deep sense of violation overcomes me in that instant. He is collecting pieces of me. Freaking stalker!

  Buns is all business now as she says, “Zephyr is also talking to his agents and setting up a stop for us where we can ditch the plane, get new identities and an alternate means of transportation because this jet is too easy to track. I’m going to go up front and see if I can help them. We need to check on Brownie and Russell and get an update on their status. I can work on that angle. Squaring her shoulders, she gets up from the seat we share.

  “What can I do?” I ask, wanting to help. I start to rise from my seat to follow her up front, but she stops me with a hand on my arm.

  “Sweetie, there is nothing for you to do right now. You can’t speak Angel, so just try to relax,” she advises, and then she hurries up front to join the fray. I exhale slowly, slumping back in my seat, trying to relax because there is really nothing I can do right now, but sit here and not get in their way.

  I sit staring at the cockpit doors, listening to their musical voices. I try not to think about what just happened, but I’m finding that utterly impossible. Brennus won’t stop. He feels like he owns me, so in his mind, he is just taking back what’s his. I have to make some plans of my own. There has to be a contingency plan in place for the worstcase scenario happening because it nearly did. I’ll have to talk to Zephyr about it. I can’t involve Reed. Reed’s only focus is to protect me, but what if he can’t? Will he follow me to his death? I can’t talk to Reed about this; it will have to be Zee. I need to get him to promise me that Brennus won’t get me back. He will understand that I won’t be asking him to protect me, but to end me, if it becomes clear that Brennus will get me. I chew my thumbnail, meditating on what I will say to Zephyr when I approach him with my request. If he won’t do it, then I know I can ask Russell, but I would rather Zee do it. Russell wouldn’t survive hurting me. It would kill him.

  “Would you like a drink?” Phaedrus asks, holding out a beautiful glass to me that smells suspiciously like wine.

  “Yes,” I say gratefully, taking the glass from his hand and sipping it. “Thank you,” I say as the pleasant burn eases my throat. He sits across from me with his own glass in his hand. We quietly regard one another for a few minutes. “You look like you are taking all of this in stride. This doesn’t bother you?” I ask, because my hand that holds my glass is still shaking a little, but Phaedrus doesn’t seem to be disturbed by our escape from the Gancanagh.

  “I am not very bothered by what evil will do. God usually gets me out of the worst of it. I think He has a soft spot for me,” Phaedrus says, smiling at me. I instantly feel calmer and it has nothing to do with the wine.

  I can’t help returning his smile. “I can see why He would have a soft spot for you. You are very kind. Are all Virtues like you?” I ask.

  “I like to think I’m an original,” Phaedrus says, toying with the glass in his hand.

  “Well, you are original to me. I have never met anyone like you. Can I ask you a question?” I ask, trying not to sound like I’m being pushy, but I’m really interested in him and his role here.

  “Yes,” he says, looking flattered that I want to know about him.

  “What do Virtue angels do?” I ask, staring into his black eyes that I have decided are mad cool. I have little insight where he is concerned because no one has mentioned the Virtue angel division to me prior to today.

  “Miracles,” he states flatly, like it’s of no consequence.

  My eyes widen. “Miracles! How do you do that?” I ask as my mind races to figure out what he means.

&nb
sp; “Now that would depend on what I’m sent to do,” Phaedrus replies cryptically. I just stare at him, hoping that he will say more, but he doesn’t, he just takes another sip of his drink and stares back at me, looking amused.

  “Do you perform miracles for humans?” I ask.

  “I go where I’m sent,” he answers with a shrug. “Mostly, I assist humans because they are more willing to ask for help than other beings are. They pray a lot,” he adds with a wink.

  “What do they ask for?” I wonder, and I see him smile again.

  Phaedrus shrugs again and says, “Well, they usually ask for everything, but they get what I can give them at the time.” I must look puzzled because he grins and says, “Have you ever seen reports of a tornado ripping through a house and miraculously leaving the bathtub filled with a couple of frightened humans behind?” I nod silently. “Well, that’s me holding the bathtub down. They are usually very grateful until they see the rest of the house is gone.”

  I instantly grin at him because I had no idea—I mean I know it’s a miracle, but I didn’t actually think that an angel is sent to provide it.

  “Who sends you?” I ask, because I want to know if he is in direct contact with the angels in Paradise.

  “I get pictures—images really of places or people, so I set off to find them,” he explains.

  “How do you know where to go?” I ask in confusion.

  “Have you ever played the game hot and cold?” he asks with a humble sort of a smile.

  “You mean the game where you have to look for something and someone tells you if you’re hot, meaning you are close to the target, or cold, meaning that you are further from the target?” I ask for clarification.

  “Exactly, it’s just like that except I actually feel the heat,” he admits, smiling.

  “That’s amazing!” I reply in awe. “Then, what happens when you find your target?” I ask him avidly.

  “A solution usually presents itself,” he responds vaguely.

  “But, don’t the humans get suspicious of you hanging around until a solution presents itself?” I ask. I don’t want to point out to him that I would’ve been a little creeped out if I thought that I was still just human and Phaedrus showed up with his black eyes during the time I needed a miracle.

  Phaedrus laughs out loud as he says, “Humans can’t see me. I’m invisible to them,” he says, and I think for a second that he is joking.

  “Seriously?” I ask.

  “Yes. It makes the fact that you can see me that much more refreshing,” he says, beaming at me. “Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while I stumble upon a human with a sixth sense who knows I’m there, but to actually see me, that’s unusual.”

  “So, how do you know what they want? The humans?” I ask, confused by how he can discern what they are asking for if he can’t speak to them.

  “I can hear their thoughts,” Phaedrus says, and I know my eyes get bigger after he says that. Taking a sip of my drink, I speak to him in my mind. Can you hear my thoughts Phaedrus? I ask him silently.

  “Yes. But you were really trying to give me that thought. I can hear humans quite well, but you I cannot hear as clearly. I just get the very powerful thoughts that you have been having, or the ones you direct specifically to me,” he says, watching my eyes get bigger. “I can’t hear other angels, so that is probably why I don’t hear everything you are thinking.”

  What have you heard? I wonder as I study his fuzzy wings that look so soft.

  Phaedrus answers, “You told me with your thoughts that you liked me instantly when we met. You were a little afraid of my eyes, but now you think they are ‘mad cool.’” He smiles. “You were very relieved to see that I was on the plane when we took off because you didn’t want me to be left behind with the Gancanagh,” he continues. Goose bumps rise on my arms because it’s like I’ve been talking to him without knowing that I have been saying a word. “You were very worried that you were making a mistake by accepting Reed’s offer to bind with him because you’re afraid that he will suffer because of what you are. There is also a Russell that you fear will suffer from your decision as well.”

  I blush hotly because he has heard my deepest thoughts. “You are very perceptive. I would hate to be someone you can read very well. You would never get any rest from all of my thoughts,” I admit, trying to smile at him. He has a really gnarly gift that I wish I could borrow from him because it could really come in handy when dealing with all of the different beings I have encountered lately.

  “I have been concentrating on you very hard to get that out of you. It is making me lightheaded,” he says seriously. “I have to admit to you that it’s a little intoxicating being around you,” he adds, lowering his chin with guilt as he watches my reaction.

  “What do you mean?” I ask in confusion.

  “You radiate a different kind of light than an angel or a human does. It is like you are giving love in the form of energy,” he says in a serious tone. I squirm a little in my seat, uncomfortable with what he is saying. “You are so concerned about the ones you love, but it extends to others as well. That is probably why you have the Gancanagh after you. They can feel the love you emit indiscriminately. It is so appealing to be near you,” he says with a smile.

  “You’re joking, right?” I ask with my mouth hanging open a little in shock.

  “No,” he shakes his head. “I can see why they want you. You are a light for them. A being who gives love to the damned, highly intoxicating and as we can see by their reaction to you, highly addictive.”

  “That’s bad. How do I stop doing that?” I ask with frank concern. “I don’t want to be a light for evil,” I add in all honesty, while I lean forward in my seat, waiting for him to give me the answer so that I can stop all of the craziness from happening again.

  Phaedrus shakes his head at me. “It would be like asking me how I can make my eyes a different color. They are black. I could disguise them in some way, but that will not change the fact that they are black,” he says, trying to explain it to me. “Some things we cannot control.”

  “I can’t accept that,” I say, disappointed with his answer. I have to find the angle that gets me out of being an unwilling demon lover. Brennus called me the brightest light and the darkest night. Is this what he meant? I wonder sadly.

  “Ah, that is very poetic, maybe Brennus is right. I will have to think about it. You can look at that several different ways,” Phaedrus says, having read my thoughts and answered my question. “Instead of asking yourself how you can change that aspect of you, maybe you should be asking yourself why you were created that way. For what purpose do you exist the way that you are?” he says in a gentle tone.

  His words are so poignant that they bring tears to my eyes. “I don’t know,” I reply gravely.

  “Maybe it’s okay not to know why, today,” he says reassuringly. “Maybe it’s enough to know that God has a soft spot for you,” he adds without a hint of doubt.

  “What?” I almost scoff, but I don’t because I see that he is being sincere.

  “You have been given incredibly hard tasks. Only the elite are given those kind of tasks,” he says with earnestness. “You are not alone in this either. Look at the angels that have aided you in your missions. They are the best at what they do. And the tools that you have to accomplish your tasks, they are perfectly matched for the job.”

  “What tools have I been given?” I ask him, feeling stunned.

  “You have too many to name, but I will point out one of the obvious for you,” he says rapidly. “Do you find it odd that you are the only being that we know of that does not react to the skin of the Gancanagh, and you were the one to draw them out? You do not believe this to be a coincidence, do you?” he asks.

  I blush because it does seem a little more than coincidence to me. “That’s a different perspective than I’m accustomed to hearing, Phaedrus,” I say, while I think about what he is telling to me.

  “Can I say one more
thing?” Phaedrus asks, studying his glass.

  “Of course,” I reply, wondering what he can possibly say that can top what he has already told me as I wait for him to speak.

  “I heard your thoughts right before I sat down to speak to you,” he admits, looking at me in the eyes and it takes me a second to realize he heard me plotting my contingency plan. I pale a little because I thought that those thoughts had been private.

  “Oh. You don’t approve?” I ask, feeling a little like a coward for not wanting to get caught by Brennus again. “I’m trying to figure out how to protect my soul, should it become necessary.”

  “Yes. I see your dilemma. But if you find yourself in that situation, perhaps you should pray for a miracle instead,” he says, looking me in the eyes again.

  “Maybe I will,” I reply, considering what he is saying. “Phaedrus… how are you feeling right now?” I ask casually, but my heartbeat kicks up a notch.

  A smile shows at the corners of his lips. “What do you mean?” he asks, but I can see that he already knows what I’m asking him. He probably heard my question before I spoke it.

  “Do you feel hot or cold?” I ask, pressing the issue.

  “It’s a little stuffy in here,” he replies evasively. “Let’s just say that I do not normally visit with the angels at Dominion.”

  “No, I don’t suppose that you would,” I reply, and I can’t distinguish all of the emotions that I’m having in reaction to what he just said. Suddenly, I feel really tired. This is all so immense; it’s on a scale of things that is so grand that it makes me feel small. It’s like realizing that an orchestra has been playing in the background the entire time that I thought that I was playing a solo piece and now their music is deafening. “What am I suppose to do now, Phaedrus?” I ask, holding his black eyes in my stare. “Because I’m no longer lost, but being found is far more frightening.”

  “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out what you will do next,” he replies.

  “Are you hanging around then?” I ask in surprise.