“You would just love to watch the world burn,” Jesse said.
“The world is burning now and I am not enjoying it. I am not that kind of angel,” he denied.
“What kind of angel are you then?” I asked. I wouldn’t normally have bothered asking but a half an hour was a long time to wait. In addition to that; I wanted to change the subject.
“Other than the angel of death?” he didn’t seem to enjoy his title. It was more of a burden to him than an honor. “I am a relatively quiet angel. I keep to myself most of the time because of who I am. Everything I touch ends up dead. I’m destructive without meaning it. People think I’m an avenging angel but I couldn’t be.”
“To be an avenging angel I would have to cause even more death than there already is. I wouldn’t even be here now if it weren’t for you. You are something very special and beautiful. I am afraid I will hurt you and afraid that I will destroy the light that lives in you. But I can’t let you go.” No one had ever called me beautiful before. Not directly, anyway. The closest anyone had gotten to it was Jesse that night we were watching the stars.
I didn’t even call myself beautiful because I didn’t see it. I had no idea what he saw or why he thought I was something special. I wasn’t. I was just a seriously messed up thing that had no place in life.
“What kind of angel do you think you are?” he asked.
“An unlucky one,” I answered, keeping my response safe. “One that has too many bad things inside of her to be worthwhile.”
“I don’t believe that about you. I don’t think anyone does.” He turned to Jesse. “What kind of an angel is Rachael?”
“One much better than any of us deserve,” Jesse was genuine in his answer.
“Well no one would doubt what type of angel you are,” Joshua decided.
“What type of angel would that be?”
“A loyal one. You have a chance to be great and you should use that chance. I lost that chance a long time ago.”
“That’s why there are second chances,” I said.
“You don’t know the horrible things that I have done but you are willing to believe that I deserve another chance. You have done nothing wrong yet you deny yourself that same privilege.”
“You don’t know what I’ve done either but you deny yourself that same thing,” I told him.
“I’ve used that chance, I’m afraid. Along with a third and a fourth. Would someone like me ever be offered a fifth chance?”
“I don’t know.” That I didn’t know. What I did know was that I needed to learn more about him before I passed judgment.
52
Daniel wasn’t the type of fallen angel to simply give up. If he wasn’t supposed to return to Job’s presence without Joshua, then he wouldn’t. It was very simple for him. He had been stretching the truth when he said he knew where this place was. It was very familiar to him but he didn’t know the exact location.
He would find it though, there was no doubt about it, and he would find it by tracking Joshua. He had picked up on a trail several minutes after Job had left and was now on a train moving down towards the English Channel. The trail was so easy to find.
He was a power hound. Most fallen angels were. Right now he could smell the intense amount of power flowing from both the angel of death and the soul he had with him. It was more intoxicating than the finest vodka.
At least it was to him. No matter how powerful Joshua was, Daniel knew he could find a way to bring him to Job. When Job had been let out of Hell, Daniel’s reaction was immediate. He had gathered all of his forces and sent them out of the City or Chaos and into the world of the living.
Job hadn’t been quite alone in Hell. Even though it had been drained of most of its inhabitants years before, the hellhounds had stayed. There was no place for them in the City of Chaos. But now they were once again at Daniel’s command.
Had there been no Michael, Daniel knew he would have been the general of the armies of Heaven. However, there was a Michael so Daniel had taken the fall with Job. When Job was locked away, the arch-angels had hoped he would return his allegiances to them. Well they were wrong. He was loyal always to Job. It was time for the fallen to rule and there was nothing Raphael could do to stop it.
They had waited long enough.
53
The English Channel is pretty much just a narrow section of the ocean so the ferry ride across it was rough. I hadn’t spent much time on boats but I could tell from the developed sea sickness that I wouldn’t be spending time on them in the future. I leaned against the railing, facing out towards the water because, according to Jesse, it would help. It didn’t really help at all.
Joshua had gone to check the ferry for any other worldly passengers so Jesse and I were now alone for the first time in a while.
“So,” it felt weird just standing there when normally we would have been talking. “What is it like being a guardian angel?”
“It’s alright.” And another awkward silence.
“I’m not a difficult person to watch?”
“Not really,” he answered. Usually he would have told me I was impossible to keep track of and how hard it was to watch me. He would have joked around about it. It wasn’t working that way now.
“Ok, well this isn’t working very well so I am going to try to take a walk,” I decided.
“Be careful. The upper decks are clear. Joshua finished checking them and went to the lower ones. Stay on the upper ones though because I don’t know how far down he went,” Jesse instructed me. He was trying to give me my space and it seemed like it would be a good idea after his suddenly announced feelings but I missed my best friend.
I moved to the other side of the ferry, the large section of inner rooms blocking my view of Jesse. I had no idea where Joshua was but I doubted he was far away. I leaned against the railing, attempting to relax. It wasn’t easy but eventually I was able to calm down enough to feel like I wasn’t draining all of my energy.
The water was a cloudy gray but it seemed light compared to the growing cloud of darkness in the West. There must have been more demons than angels because I was pretty sure angels were more powerful. It would have been hard to break through their ranks and make it across the ocean.
I supposed that the City of Chaos would be pretty empty right now. All of the demons and souls were advancing across the Earth and probably most, if not all, of the angels were on Earth as well, pushing back the tide of evil. What was it about me that made me more important than having one of the most powerful angels in existence on the front lines?
Was it tied in with the fear that everyone had for Joshua, causing them to not want to ask him for his help? Or had someone told him to do this?
“Hello Rachael,” voice I didn’t know saying my name? This wasn’t good. I turned around but it wasn’t a demon. It was a younger man with dark hair and gray eyes.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you,” he didn’t seem dangerous or evil like the fallen angels and demons Joshua was looking out for.
“Forgive me, I should have introduced myself. My name is Elijah. I’m Jesse’s father,” he was kind and I could definitely see the resemblance although I would have thought him to be an older brother, not a father.
“You’re an angel?” I asked.
“Yes, I am. Raphael sent me to make sure that you are still safe. He doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Elijah told me.
“What use am I now? The veil is already torn,” I said.
“Your purpose isn’t quite what you think. You aren’t just a power source for generating the veil. You will fix the veil in another way. We need to make sure you are alright though. The demons will stop at nothing to kill you because they don’t want the veil repaired now that they have their evil leader back.”
“Job,” I stated.
“Exactly. He will stop at nothing to make sure you die. You need to be very careful,” he told me.
“I know. I’m traveling with your s
on and another very powerful angel. I’ll be alright.”
“You mean Joshua? Do not tell him this, but Raphael doesn’t trust him. Joshua and Job were very good friends once. Job was the angel who made sure Joshua got the promotion to become the angel of death. Even if Joshua locked Job in Hell, Raphael is afraid that he might have sided with Job.”
“He could be leading you straight to Job now. He is, after all, the one who opened the rift and let Job out in the first place.”
“I don’t believe that. He fought Job more than once to keep me safe.”
“Did they look like hard fights to you?” Elijah questioned.
“I didn’t see the first one,” I realized. “He told Anna to take us out.”
“And then he wouldn’t go back for her when she was trapped. The second fight didn’t look like much, did it? You would think that one of Heaven’s worst enemies would be more powerful.” I had never doubted him before, but Elijah was making a good point here. It looked like it was easy for him even though he claimed Job was very dangerous.
Was he taking me to Job? Was this the purpose he had for me? Death?
“It might be better if I took you straight to Raphael immediately. We can’t take any chances. You will be safe with him. He is the leader of Heaven and he is guarded by our very best angels.”
“What about Jesse?” I asked.
“We can take Jesse there too.” Why did this deal sound so familiar? Wasn’t it the exact same thing Job had promised me?
“Are you sure it will ensure that the world will be safe?”
“Of course. You are our greatest and most valuable weapon in this fight.” Job was trying to destroy the world and Elijah and the angels were trying to save it. I was worrying too much for nothing. Elijah was right.
“How do we get there?”
“It’s actually simpler and much faster than you would think. We have developed easy access where we can get in all over the world, anywhere we are,” he put his hand on my back and began to guide me towards the edge of the ship. “It is very similar to flying actually.”
“Get away from her!” Jesse shouted. I started to turn but Elijah spun me around, putting a strange looking knife that I hadn’t seen before to my throat.
“Don’t come any closer, Jesse.”
Well I had been completely fooled. “You were going to kill me?” I demanded to know.
“Not kill,” he answered. “Torture slowly and painfully until Joshua agreed to go to his rightful position at the head of the angel armies next to Michael.”
“Let her go!” Jesse said again.
“Is that any way to talk to your father?” Elijah wanted to know.
“I don’t care that you’re my father. You have betrayed your entire species by doing this! She is the only hope we have!”
“I didn’t betray my species. Raphael ordered me to do this,” he said.
“You’re lying!” Jesse insisted.
“You would know if I was lying. Now back away and let me leave with the girl. You’ll see her again soon.”
“I’m her guardian! I’m not going to just let you take her,” Jesse released his wings and held a hand out in front of himself.
“You have no training. You can’t do anything to me. Spreading your wings isn’t going to intimidate me.” Jesse moved his hand to one side and the knife flew out of Elijah’s hand.
“I can kill her without that,” Elijah began to strangle me from behind. I clawed at his arms, desperately trying to get air. He leaned back, lifting my feet off of the ground.
“Don’t attack me Jesse. If you do, I’ll snap her little neck and you will never be a guardian again.” Jesse looked back and forth between me and Elijah and I could tell he didn’t know what to do. I kicked at Elijah but it didn’t affect him at all.
“You can’t hurt me little half-breed,” he told me. My vision started to blur as he tightened his grip on my neck. A fuzzy haze closed in on me as the last of my air disappeared.
“No, but I can,” my air came rushing back as the deck of the ferry came up to meet me. Joshua had come for me. There was a very short struggle between them but Joshua quickly gained the upper hand, forcing Elijah over the railing and into the water.
Jesse ran over to me, helping me get up.
“You’re alright,” he told me. “You’re ok.” He seemed to be trying to reassure himself of that fact. Joshua glanced into the water but I think he knew that Elijah was long gone.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he turned his anger towards me.
“He was an angel. I thought they were the good guys. I thought I could trust him.” Jesse kept one of his arms around me, ready to jump to my defense if it was needed.
“You could have been taken away from me forever! And I wouldn’t have even known! You can’t just trust everyone that walks into your life!”
“Stop shouting at her!” Jesse told him. “She didn’t know. None of us knew Raphael was against us too, so leave her alone.”
“You can’t baby her forever Jesse. She’s going to have to learn!”
“I can baby her for as long as I want. She’s mine to protect and as long as I am alive, you will not get mad at her for something she didn’t try to do and you will not shout at her or be anywhere near her when you are angry.” I will admit that at this point I was quite willing for Jesse to be my angel shield. I would much rather spend the rest of eternity hiding in his arms than facing the wrath of the angel of death.
“Keeping all of this from her isn’t going to help her,” Joshua stormed past us and disappeared around the other side of the inner rooms.
54
Daniel got off of the train at the English Channel. They had definitely been here. He could tell. However, they had left half an hour before and the next ferry didn’t leave until the next day. He would have to wait to continue his pursuit. He could take comfort in the fact that Raphael had finally turned against Joshua.
It would make his life much easier with no angels hanging around to protect him. Daniel sat down on a bench to wait. It wasn’t like he was going to find a hotel in this area. Joshua had been there too. In Daniel’s opinion, Joshua had entirely too much power.
It should be given to an angel who deserved it. An angel like him. Even if he had fallen, it had been on purpose and he did it for loyalty to a leader. He was the one who should have most, if not all, of Joshua’s power when this was over.
He deserved it and he would get it before all of this was over.
55
The ferry docked in a small town on the coast of France. I personally had no idea where we were going and I doubted that Joshua would tell either me or Jesse. All I knew was that it was some safe house and that wasn’t helpful. Joshua now didn’t trust any of the hotels anywhere near where we were. I guess it was because we were now up against both demons and angels.
He rented a car, once again paying completely in cash, and began the drive across France. It was already dark by the time he got the car and Jesse fell asleep in the back seat. Well he most likely wasn’t asleep at first but exhaustion eventually took over, forcing him to actually sleep instead of pretending.
I knew he was truly asleep when Joshua spoke.
“I owe you an apology. I was angry that Raphael had betrayed me. I wouldn’t have thought Elijah was a threat and neither did you. He nearly strangled you and I yelled at you instead of comforting you.”
“It’s fine,” I told him. I appreciated his apology but the fear of him had returned. I didn’t want to talk to him now. I should have sat in the back with Jesse. I could be asleep against his shoulder right now and not have to worry about entertaining Joshua.
“It’s not fine and I can tell you’re afraid of me now. I didn’t mean it. I was so worried that he would hurt you and it would have been my fault for not being there.”
“I said it was fine,” I repeated. Yeah, the back seat was looking really good right now.
“But it isn’t. You’re terrified o
f me now. I don’t know how to act around humans or people who have been human for their entire lives. I’m used to being only around souls and other angels.”
“How can you not be used to being around humans? Souls are a part of us.” well I guess it wasn’t us anymore and it never really had been, but still. Besides, if I was going to get mad at Jesse, I was going to get mad at him too.
“Souls are very different. I know exactly what they want. They call to me, I come, I take them out of their body, and I take them to the City of Chaos. That’s it. I don’t know what you want. I can’t tell if I’m hurting you. I don’t know if you have reached your limit and need to rest and stop moving. I can just barely tell when you’re afraid because that is the only emotion I have been able to recognize.”
“I assume you are happy when you smile because that is what I’ve been told but maybe you’re just smiling so people think you’re happy. I don’t know when something I do is right or wrong. None of it makes sense to me. I don’t know what you want but I’m afraid to ask because I probably won’t know how to help you. I want to help you. I want to make you happy. I want to make you happy like Jesse does. He knows exactly what you are feeling and I have no idea. I just don’t know how to do that so the only reaction I use is anger. I’ve never had to use another emotion before but suddenly I’m feeling all kinds of strange emotions that I haven’t used in hundreds of years. Not since before I was the angel of death.”
“You must be used to feeling love at least,” hadn’t he been used to treating his partner in a kind way?
“Why would I be used to that?” he wanted to know.
“Don’t you have a partner?” I asked.
“No,” he answered. “I didn’t want one.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t you want to share the weight of being the angel of death so it isn’t all on you?”
“I made a mistake a long time ago and I was told that if I ever got a partner, I would lose her and it would hurt worse than anything I had ever felt before in my life. Even when I came across women who would make excellent angels of death, I couldn’t bring myself to turn them into my partner. It made me sick to think I would fall in love with one of them and then lose her.”
The Rift Page 13
