Divine Hope

by Jo O'Neil

  Chapter Twenty Six

  The Karmic Debt (Continued)

  With the battle over and the threat stolen away by good in the form of Archangel Azrael, and evil in the long cloaked figure of the grim reaper, I relaxed my aura and turned to my three companions. Each looked a tad paler than normal which was a reasonable response given the supernatural activity they had witnessed. Yet, no amount of danger could silence Molly for long.

  ‘WOW! Am I dreaming or did that really just happen?’ she asked in astonishment, and then reflecting she added, ‘Serena, where did those men who were formally the dragon get taken?’

  ‘Yes, where were the Hart brothers taken, but more importantly, what about my parents? If the Hart brothers are gone, who is going to authorise my parents’ release from their house imprisonment?’ Hope asked anxiously; although seemingly without a care that her former colleagues could transform into a dragon at will.

  Without answering Hope I turned to Ryan who had remained silent.

  ‘Are you OK?’ I asked him.

  ‘Considering what I’ve just seen, yes, thank you, Serena.’

  ‘Are you sure? All of you have had a shock,’ I stated as I glanced at the four ashen faces that stood before me.

  ‘Serena, the knowledge that my great, great etc grandfather Joshua Bartholomew Scott was approached by the Devil and God, which is what led to my male relations becoming your protectors, has been passed from generation to generation in my family. If I believe in all of that, what I’ve just seen doesn’t seem that impressive or worrying after all.’

  ‘You know me,’ Molly took up the conversation where Ryan had finished, ‘I’m a believer in anything strange and unusual, so that was fantastic.’

  ‘Serena, I talk to spirit on a near daily basis, and if you remember I foretold a three headed dragon would attack us during our flight on Air Force One. It was just a bit late and it had an extra head for a while, at least until Fagan decided to change to the good side. The fact that the multiple headed dragon contained the spirits of my ex-colleagues at the Metropolitan Police, the British Secret Service, and their dead grandfather is unimportant. The paranormal is all in a day’s work for me,’ Hope understatedly answered. ‘Now, what are we going to do about freeing my parents?’ she asked somewhat thwart.

  I was just forming a reply when Ophelia appeared.

  ‘Have I missed the battle?’ she inquired as she bent down to examine the scorched grass where the dragon had fallen.

  ‘Yes, it’s over, Ophelia,’ I replied.

  ‘Was Lucifer defeated then?’ she asked suspiciously.

  ‘No. We fought his henchmen, Cain Caldwell Fagan Hart and his three grandsons.’

  ‘I thought as much. I am sure no matter where I am I will sense that the evil that is Lucifer has gone from this world on the day you overturn him, Serena. For now the battle is won, but the war is still to be fought; for until you have defeated Lucifer himself mankind is still in peril.’

  For a distraction to Ophelia’s words that did little to comfort me, I bent down to dismantle the selenite grid which had served its purpose. Everyone, including Ophelia, began to help collect the selenite which left us unprepared when Odile materialised and shot her crossbow directly at us.

  ‘Oops, that was meant for you, Ophelia,’ Odile hauntingly sang out. ‘Oh well, at least that’s one less goody two-shoes Lucifer has to worry about.’

  Odile broke into rapturous laughter at the precise moment I screamed, ‘MOLLY! Molly, don’t you dare die on me,’ I bawled as I knelt down beside her and took her hand in mine. It felt cold and clammy as her core temperature began to drop.

  Ryan started to administer first aid as Ophelia whispered incantations over Molly’s limp body, but it didn’t take a medically trained eye to see my best friend was fading fast.

  As I looked up into Odile’s gleeful face I willed myself visible to her as I roared, ‘You will regret the day you hurt my friend, Odile.’

  ‘Really, will I? What are you going to do, Daughter of Eve to stop me?’ Odile cackled, totally unfazed at my sudden appearance, as she raised her crossbow to aim at me, but at the last moment she changed course and fired directly at Hope.

  ‘NO,’ I shouted as I instinctively dived in front of Hope, who was several feet away from me, and encased her in my cloak.

  The arrow never stood a chance. It bounced off my back and fell to the ground where it lay mangled after its tussle with God’s armour. I spun around and glared at Odile who promptly disappeared.

  ‘One day, Odile, I will defeat your master, and with his downfall you will perish at my hand,’ I promised.

  ‘Oh my goodness, Serena, are you hurt?’ Hope screamed as she grappled with my cloak, looking frantically for the site of the arrow’s contact.

  ‘I’m fine, Hope. Don’t worry about me. It’s Molly we need to be concerned about.’

  I looked over to Ryan and Ophelia who were still trying to revive her.

  ‘You saved me, Serena. That’s something I will never forget. If I can ever help you, all you need to do is ask,’ Hope earnestly thanked me.

  ‘Don’t mention it, Hope. It’s all in a day’s work,’ I half smiled, without any feeling, as I copied her phrase.

  With Odile gone I attended to Molly.

  Kneeling by her side I took her hand in mine once more as I cried to heaven, ‘A.M, HELP ME. PLEASE HELP ME, A.M.’

  ‘I am here, Serena. Molly is in need of Angelic healing. I must get her to the room of feathers. Let go of her hand, Serena, and let me take her to God in heaven,’ A.M. instructed.

  ‘NO! You can’t take her to heaven, A.M. Only departed souls go to heaven.’ I struggled to catch my breath as my sobs began to flood through. ‘Molly can’t die. She can’t. It’s my fault for allowing her to tag along,’ I howled as I gripped Molly’s hand tighter and flung myself over her, shielding her body for fear A.M. would take her.

  ‘Serena,’ A.M. called my name softly as he laid his hand on my shoulder. ‘I need to take Molly. It is her only chance.’

  I lifted my head and looked directly at A.M. with puffy, wet eyes.

  ‘She will be OK, won’t she? You can make her better?’ I asked, dreading anything other than a positive answer.

  ‘By God’s good grace we can heal her, Serena, but it is up to Molly if she wants to stay on her earthly path or whether she would prefer to stay with God in heaven.’

  ‘Given the choice Molly will choose life; I’m sure of that,’ I stated, but then I began to question my hypothesis. What if Molly decided to stay with God in heaven after seeing the beauty it holds?

  As I silently pondered the unacceptable reality that Molly might not be around when I returned to my life, A.M. gently reminded me, ‘Serena, Molly is running out of time. I must take her now.’

  I nodded as I lessened my grip on Molly’s blood soaked torso. Without hesitation A.M. swept Molly’s limp body up into his muscular arms and orbed in a blur of cobalt.

  ‘You had better come back to me, you hear me, Molly?’ I shouted skyward.

  ‘I am so sorry, Serena,’ Ophelia spoke, jolting me back to the present. ‘I did not know Odile had picked up my presence. I was coming to your aid. Instead, I have made matters worse,’ she said as she bowed her head in remorse.

  ‘It isn’t your fault that your evil cousin shot my best friend, Ophelia,’ I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. ‘Now, if you would all excuse me, I need a few minutes to myself.’

  I wandered off towards the larger stones. As I reached them I clung to one pillar to help support my shaking body as I thought about the events which had tragically unfolded just moments before.

  A.M. had told me it would be Molly’s decision if she came back to her earthly life. Knowing the power of prayer I thought it wouldn’t hurt to pray to the Creator to ask Him to petition Molly on my behalf.

  I pleaded with Him to make her see she had so much to live for; so much to still
do, see, and accomplish. It would be a waste to cut all that potential short. When I had exhausted every possible avenue (I even tried a bribe – Molly could keep my beloved Mercedes-Benz if she returned), I turned my attention to my mission.

  ‘What now, God? I mean have I completed my task or do I still need to reinstate Ryan at MI6, free Hope’s parents, and defeat Lucifer?’

  As I stood, steadying myself on the ancient stone, a flash of white light which clashed with a crackle of thunder wrenched my body from the spot and whizzed me up to heaven.

  I was standing before God in his cloud carpeted chambers. He sat regally on His throne with His arms outstretched to embrace me. A beam of sunlight lit His long white hair and bathed His aura in a golden glow.

  ‘Serena, come to Me child,’ He instructed like any loving father who wished to sooth his distraught daughter.

  I obeyed. Allowing myself to be immersed in God’s loving embrace, all sense of unease diminished from my mind and body as God told me how proud He was of me.

  Placated, I was able to file my mission report with objective professionalism. But I did have questions for God. The most pressing one concerned Molly. I was also anxious to know if I had managed to save Ryan and Hope, and naturally I was concerned about the status of mankind since Lucifer was still at large.

  ‘First thing first,’ God said in His gentle voice. ‘At my request, Old Father Time has frozen all planetary movement until the Hart brothers decide their destiny. I need only one to grant Ryan Joshua Scott clemency to clear his good name, preferably Fagan since he is the one who fabricated the evidence to his superiors. Hope’s parents’ incarceration will then cease.

  ‘Presently, all three Hart brothers are receiving healing and counselling, and of course they will undergo a life review. Then they have the option, just as Molly does, to stay in heaven or to return to earth. No one can make that decision for them, Serena; although you rightly surmised unselfish prayer can help the soul choose.’

  ‘Why do they have a choice? I thought life was predestined and when one’s time is up one dies. I didn’t realise one can pick and choose,’ I stated somewhat confused.

  ‘When a soul is incarnated it does so with at least two, but usually three ages the soul can opt out of the human existence.’

  ‘What do you mean, “opt out”?’

  ‘Let us say a soul decides to opt out at either the age of 21, 59, or 90.

  ‘At the age of 21 the soul may have a serious car crash which gives the soul the opportunity to exit the world or stay.

  ‘At 59 the soul may experience a life threatening illness which again allows the soul to decide to come home to heaven or stay on the earthly plane; or as in your case the body the soul occupies may have a heart defect or another anomaly which could be the cause of the body’s demise at any of the three ages.

  ‘At either of the first two stages, the soul has to search deep within itself as to what lessons it can learn if it stays on earth, and whether it can cope with the decades in between its next doorway to heaven if it chooses to stay. This is what has happened to Cain, Caldwell, Fagan, and Molly.

  ‘In our example, if the soul continues to the age of 90, it must depart earth at some point during its ninety-first year. Whether this is through an accident, illness, or natural causes will be dependent on the soul’s needs. If the soul has not learnt all it was meant to, it will incarnate at another time, and may well have several hundred, if not thousands of lives before it has reached enlightenment. For now, with concerns to Molly and the Hart brothers, it is a matter of time.’

  Being of an impatient persona I wasn’t completely satisfied. But, when I glanced down and saw I was once again in full honorary angelic regalia, a question posed in my mind which distracted me from the inevitable wait.

  ‘God, why did I only change into my cloak at Stonehenge and not my gown?’

  He chuckled before answering, ‘That is one of the mysteries which will unfold over time. If you continue on the path you were determined to cling to before your angelic experience, then there was no need for me to instruct Archangel Jophiel to omit your gown on that occasion. If you change course there may well be a very good reason why I ordered a variation to the normal honorary angelic attire, so you can wear your gown on another important day when you will take further vows before Me and your priest.’

  I was more than a little confused, but I sensed I wouldn’t obtain a clearer answer from the one God had offered so I asked for clarification on another point that was puzzling me.

  ‘God, why did I have difficulty holding my aura when Freya and I were under attack, but I held it without difficulty all through Stonehenge?’

  ‘You had had more time to practice your honorary angelic talents so you held a higher level of belief that it was possible for you to keep your protective aura in place. Belief is vitally important in the accomplishment of any deed, Serena. So many of My children are full of self doubt that sabotages their accomplishments. If only they would tap into their Father’s wisdom and belief, then their earthy experience would be full of magic and miracles. Alas, they use their free will privilege to dishonour their magnificence.

  ‘You had also received healing in the room of feathers from the four universal healers: Jesus, Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael, and Me. Our combined force made you stronger which enabled you to successfully claim your honorary angelic gifts.’

  Satisfied with this explanation I asked my final two questions, both of which involved Hope.

  ‘God, why was Odile able to fire at Hope when she was wearing my sapphire amulet which was supposed to protect her?’

  ‘After Opheila used old magic to restrain Odile and prevent her from informing the Hart brothers that you had been at MI6, Odile remembered that she could use the same ancient enchantments to orchestrate events to separate Hope from your sapphire. Without the amulet’s protection, Odile was then able to curse Hope so even when she wore your talisman she would not be immune to Odile’s attack.’

  ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’ I asked with annoyance in my voice. ‘I mean for goodness sakes, what if I hadn’t dashed to save Hope because I assumed my amulet would?’

  ‘Every occurrence happens for a Divine reason and in Divine Timing, Serena. The fact that you saved Hope’s life on more than one occasion had to happen so that you can ask me your next question.’

  ‘You really do know everything, don’t You?’ I said with a mix of surprise and good humour.

  ‘Your question, Serena, if you please?’

  ‘How can the karmic debt between Hope Harper and me be repaid? Hope explained the centuries of rivalry between us. We both believe it’s time we put an end to the feud that has plagued us for the past umpteen millennia.’

  ‘I AM so full of pride at the soul progress you have made, Serena. Repaying your karmic debt will permit you to be unimaginably free to fulfill your full potential and leave your soul cleansed so that one day you will defeat Lucifer. For now you must appeal to the Lords of Karma to clear the Karmic angst between Hope and yourself.’

  I closed my eyes and willed myself to the temple where the Karmic Board resided. I felt myself float as light as a feather on a gentle breeze until I stopped before the Great Divine Director and his fellow seven Lords of Karma. Oddly, I felt more confident than I did on my last visit when I had A.M. and Archangel Raphael to hold my hand.

  I cleared my throat and addressed the eight giants who were all looking at me with mild interest.

  ‘I’m in no doubt you know why I’m here. Still, in the interest of courtesy and full disclosure, so there are no misunderstandings, I will verbally ask.

  ‘I’m ready to repay in full the karmic debt I’ve amounted with the soul Hope Harper. I ask you humbly and sincerely to help me achieve this,’ I said as I looked from one to the other until I settled my gaze on the spokesperson.

  After the Karmic Counsel considered my plea, in which they took the meditative Buddhis
t Monk prayer pose, the Great Divine Director spoke.

  ‘We can see your heart is pure and you have done much soul searching concerning this karmic debt. Be that as it may, to pass such a request we must first question the other parties involved.’

  As I processed the Karmic Lords words, Hope and Rupert appeared in a shimmer of golden light. The two new arrivals, who were paramount to my application, viewed the vast white temple in bewilderment, but that was nothing to the expression they both wore when their eyes picked up the colourful committee seated on large, golden thrones behind a vast, ornate, solid gold desk.

  ‘Hope Harper and Rupert Maximus Valentine, we The Lords of Karma have brought you here to the Karmic Temple at the request of Serena Olivia Unity Lewis.’

  ‘Hello,’ I interjected as I awkwardly half raised my hand to wave at the two lovers, who to my delight were standing together more as colleagues than Cupids latest success.

  Ignoring my interruption, the Great Divine Director said, ‘Much karma exists between the two souls incarnated as Hope Harper and Serena Olivia Unity Lewis which detrimentally affects the soul Rupert Maximus Valentine. In order for us to relinquish this debt we must first have your consent. Therefore, do you, Hope Harper, give your permission to repay the karmic debt between yourself and Serena Olivia Unity Lewis?’

  Hope’s face was mystified, yet she somehow managed to answer, ‘Yes.’

  The entire Karmic Board turned their attention to Rupert as the Director asked, ‘Do you, Rupert Maximus Valentine, consent to be released from the shackles the karmic debt between Hope Harper and Serena Olivia Unity Lewis has caused you to be bound to?’

  ‘Err . . . I’m sorry I don’t understand. What’s going on? One minute I was sitting at my desk working to close an important deal. The next moment everything went hazy and I mysteriously ended up here,’ Rupert said as he looked up at the ornamental, predominately gold ceiling while gently shaking his head in disbelief.

  Before anyone else had the opportunity to respond, Hope said, ‘Rupert, a very long time ago Serena and I cursed each other. This has been going on throughout our different lifetimes and has lasted for centuries. Your love and affection is at the core of our rift, Rupert. Serena and I have agreed to bring an end to our feud, but The Lords of Karma can’t consider this without your agreement.’ Hope looked at him with beseeching eyes. ‘Please try and find it in your heart to grant us this, Rupert.’

  He looked from Hope to me. For a moment I swam in his delicious blue eyes, reminded of why I fell in love with him in the first place and why I had spent hundreds of years’ warring over him. When I dropped my gaze I was confused to see I had changed back into jeans and my magenta blouse again, even though I still wore my cloak.

  ‘OK, yes,’ the familiar drawl I once-upon-a-time thought I would hear pledge matrimonial vows to me sounded.

  The Great Divine Director nodded and then closed his eyes, an act the rest of the Counsel copied. After all eight had positioned their hands in their customary prayer pose, I was once again fortunate to observe the mesmerising spheres of light float above each Counsel-Members head.

  As the lightning contained within the globes sparked to create a current, not only between the eight spheres but also to connect each Lord, Hope whispered, ‘I never believed I would see the Sphere of God’s Consciousness.’

  Completely befuddled at her comment, I simply replied in as quiet a voice as I could manage so as not to interrupt the Lords concentration, ‘What?’

  ‘The spheres above the Karmic Lords contain the consciousness of God.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So,’ Hope answered in surprise to the ignorance she deemed I displayed, ‘The Lords of Karma are holding conference with God in their pensive state. Isn’t it a privilege to witness?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose it is. I must say though, I’m more preoccupied with the outcome,’ I hissed; and then I bit my tongue for fear I would jeopardized the favourable verdict I was praying for with my caustic response.

  Before Hope could reply, the orbs containing God’s consciousness ceased and the Karmic Board returned from their collective trance to enable the Great Divine Director to address us. I held my breath in anticipation of their verdict.

  ‘Serena. Hope. Despite your obvious dislike for each other, an aversion that has developed over many millennia, you put your differences aside to work for God’s greater good, and it seems your efforts have paid dividends. Fagan Hart has made a decision to make amends for his actions. He will return to his MI6 position where he will immediately instigate a full pardon for Ryan Joshua Scott.’

  My whole body sighed in relief as my lips formed into a spontaneous, uncontrollable smile.

  ‘It is unlikely Ryan Joshua Scott’s reprieve would have been granted if the two of you had not combined forces. With this act of selflessness, the forgiveness you have already shown each other, and not forgetting Serena Olivia Unity Lewis’s heroic action to save the life of Hope Harper, no less than twice, when she confronted Lucifer’s pet ogre in Central Park and then took an arrow for Hope at Stonehenge. All of this combined together with Rupert Maximus Valentine’s consent, and the desire the two of you share to sever your ties and end the curse which has haunted you allows us, The Karmic Lords acting within the boundaries of the Laws of the Universe that God Himself decreed, to announce the karmic debt that has accumulated between you over the years’ has now been repaid in full. Let the Akashic records for all three souls show this.’

  ‘It is done,’ Vajratsattva, the Karmic Lord responsible for speaking on behalf of the five Dhyani Buddhas, said.

  ‘Can I see?’ Hope bravely asked the Karmic Board while Rupert looked on thoroughly dazed.

  ‘You wish to exercise your liberty and see your Akashic record,’ the Goddess of Liberty spoke.

  ‘Yes, please,’ Hope answered in a less than steady tone.

  The Great Divine Director considered Hope’s request before answering, ‘Let it be done.’

  With these words of consent, Cyclopea stood, turned with the ease of a figure a fraction of his enormous size before venturing into the library. He entered a different aisle from when he retrieved my records, yet when he returned and placed Hope’s book for the Great Divine Directors inspection, I could see it matched mine in both volume and design.

  As the Great Divine Director flicked through the gold edged pages and Hope crept cautiously closer to the object she found most intriguing, I was pulled from the temple back to God’s chambers.

  ‘What marvellous news,’ God proclaimed. ‘Not only are you, Hope, and Rupert free from the ties that have bound you together from your early incarnation, all of the Hart brothers have agreed to renounce Lucifer. After viewing their life review they have chosen to return to their lives to make amends for their devilish action. In fact, when Fagan returns to MI6, after he has set in motion Ryan Joshua Scott’s pardon, he is going to dispose of his grandfather’s portrait so Mr. Hart senior will not be able to access the earthly plane from that portal.’

  ‘Presumably he will be able to use a different doorway?’ I asked, though I desperately hoped I was wrong.

  ‘If Lucifer has other uses for Cain Caldwell Fagan Hart and wishes to send him back through to earth, have no doubt he will find another way. Until the day you defeat Lucifer, Serena, the Fallen Angel will continue to bring evil to planet earth.’

  I was just about to ask after Molly when God anticipated my move.

  Raising a hand He said, ‘You will be relieved to know Molly has also decided to return. She said you would be hard fixed to find another Personal Assistant as competent as she, and you would never find such a good friend.’ He chuckled. ‘She did add she looks forward to you returning your Mercedes-Benz keys to her and transferring ownership into her name.’

  ‘The cheeky madam,’ I voiced in outrage.

  ‘You did promise, and after all, a promise is a promise, Serena,’ God reminded me. ‘Now, it is time; time for
you to return to your life. It will be almost as if you never left, with the exception of course of the important and fundamental differences you made to Ryan Joshua Scott, the Hart brothers, Molly ‘Mischief’ Myers, Rupert Maximus Valentine, and of course Hope Harper and yourself. Before you go I want you to know how immensely proud I AM of you, and that I love you very much. I will always be with you, Serena, so never fear. There is someone else who would also like to say goodbye.’

  A.M. immediately appeared and wrapped me in his strong arms. My lace cuffed hands didn’t quite reach around his torso, and the hardness of his body armour felt inflexible against my body and cheek. Despite this, a feeling of great comfort and love engulfed me.

  ‘Thank you, A.M., for all that you’ve done for me,’ I said with tears gushing down my cheeks.

  ‘Do not forget, I will never leave you, Serena. If you need me, just call me in the name of God.’