The Keeper Set - Summer Spirit Novellas 7 - 9

by Samantha Jacobey

  Glaring at each other across the table, the couple sighed in unison. “I’m not sure I should share that with you!” she clipped.

  “You know, that’s what’s wrong with the world,” Dante chastised, “nobody trusts anyone these days.”

  “Yeah, an’ with good reason,” Charlie muttered, tossing his napkin on his plate and leaning back in his chair. “You might as well spit is out, love. He isn’ gonna leave until he hears about it.”

  Shrugging a creamy white shoulder, Clarisse explained, “He said that the Angels had been cursed somehow, and that Emily’s birth was a sign that the curse had been lifted; the Angels will be able to reproduce again.”

  “Wow, jus’ what we need. More people on this overcrowded planet,” Charlie sneered.

  “That won’t be a problem,” Clarisse sniffed, overtaken with emotion.

  “No? And why’s that?” Dante asked, still stuffing his face.

  “Because he is taking all the pure souls away from here; they’re leaving. I presume the Dark Angels and Forgotten Angels will be the only ones left behind.”

  “That makes sense,” Charlie chimed in. “Karma’s planning on turning the humans into our slaves. It’ll make it pretty convenient if Keeper an’ most of the angels abandon them an’ let her do it.”

  “They’ll never get away,” Dante stated, then gulped down a glass of wine.

  “Who won’t?” Clarisse queried in surprise.

  “The Angels. Karma’s been pissed at them for a long time,” Dante chuckled. “She’s going to clean house as soon as the planes are reunited. Keeper and his followers won’t stand a chance.”

  “You think we can take them?” Charlie grunted. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  “I’m not really sure,” the other man confessed, “but I do know that once the planes are united, the humans will help us. They won’t like finding that magical beings have been meddling in their lives for a few millennia. It may be the start of world war three.”

  “I know that’s right,” Charlie agreed, leaning on his hands and pressing his elbows into the table. Emily had begun to fuss in her bed as they talked, and he stood to retrieve her, casting a glance at his wife. “You wanna take her up to the rocker to feed her?” he asked quietly, glancing at their guest.

  “I’ll cover with a blanket,” she smiled, producing one as he handed her the squirming child. Adjusting to her new role as mother, Clarisse hummed softly as the tiny mouth pulled at her nipple, sucking down the rich milk. Standing over them, and then pacing around the small area within the circle of torches, Charlie waited, eager to hold her again when the feeding had ended.

  “You guys are so lucky,” Dante stated, watching the light dance on Clarisse’s golden locks.

  “You could be lucky, too,” Charlie teased. Seeing the other man’s questioning glance, he continued, “You know; if you weren’t so hung up on Karma.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Dante demanded.

  “It means, if you were payin’ attention, Annalise would probably make you a damn fine wife. An’ Karma ain’t never gonna try for a baby; not with you or anyone else, so if you’re thinkin’ you want a family, you’re gonna have t’ do it with someone else,” Charlie explained bluntly.

  “Well, thanks for the advice,” Dante shot back angrily.

  “Gentlemen, please,” Clarisse raised her own voice, removing the blanket and raising her daughter to her shoulder to bounce her lightly, her tiny cap falling off in the process.

  Glancing over at her, Dante watched the motion, frozen in place. Then, raising his hand slowly, he caressed the tiny head gently, his thumb tracing and toying with her ear.

  Charlie observed his movement, then shifted his gaze to his wife. Seeing that she stared straight at him, he sighed.

  Ending his inspection, Dante turned to look at his friend. “Is this baby really yours?” he finally dared to ask.

  “Yeah,” Charlie nodded. “She’s really mine.”

  “Then how -” Dante began.

  “I don’t know how,” Charlie cut him off, dropping back into his chair and folding his hands in front of his face. “I guess you noticed it as well?’ he addressed his wife.

  “Yes, I noticed it,” she agreed meekly. “I thought it was because I chose to follow Karma, but after the visit from Keeper, I don’t think that it is.”

  “Is that why his message was enigmatic?” Charlie spat.

  “In a way,” Clarisse agreed, laying her child in her lap so she could look at her face. “She’s so beautiful, Charlie,” she sniffed.

  “Hey, don’t get all weepy!” he commanded. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”

  “I’m afraid that there might be,” the girl cried, tears dripping onto her cheeks. “When I asked him if something was going to happen to her, he said that he didn’t know. And he said that she was a sign; that she meant an end to the curse. I’m afraid they’re going to sacrifice her!”

  “Sacrifice her!” Dante shouted. “No way! Karma would never allow it.”

  Staring at his wife and child, a dull ache formed in Charlie’s chest. “No, neither would I,” he stated calmly. “He said that, exactly, that she was a sign?”

  “Yes, she is a sign, he said. And he also knew that you and I would end up together, ever since you were born. None of them have ever spoken to me so; even Karma has never revealed so much!”

  “Well, then maybe his visit wasn’t so mysterious after all,” Charlie announced, getting to his feet. With a wave of his hand, the dishes, table and basinet all disappeared. “I think we should get some rest. Are you staying here for the night?” he addressed the man still seated, watching his wife.

  “Yeah, I’m more or less assigned as your body guard until further notice,” he informed them, stretching as he spoke.

  “Wonderful,” Charlie grinned. “You’ll get t’ be the first one t’ try out the guest room.”

  “Guest room?” Clarisse asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, I added that, too. Go on down the beach. You’ll see the glow of the fire when you turn around the bend. It’s got a shower an’ everything, in case you wanna freshen up,” he teased.

  Standing, Dante scowled, “A guest room. You act like you guys are really setting up house here.”

  “We are,” Charlie nodded. “We’re a family, an’ if Phil can live in that fancy apartment with my mother an’ show up for work when he likes… well, I figure Clarisse an’ I can do the same.”

  “Man, Karma is not going to like that,” Dante laughed over his shoulder as he ambled down the beach in search of his bed for the night.

  Rapture

  “Man, this is the life,” Dante said airily while stretching out on the beach. The trio had remained on the island, eating, sleeping and lounging in the sun, for over a week.

  “Yeah,” Charlie agreed from a spot to his right. Next to him, the bassinet sat on the sand, an umbrella providing shade for it and his bride. “You ok, baby? You need anything?”

  “We’re fine,” she cooed, straightening a light blanket over Emily and then stretching out herself. Any fears of being attacked had begun to seem over exaggerated, as there had been no other visitors that they were aware of, and they had all come to feel as if they were on a much-needed vacation.

  Sitting up straight, Dante suddenly appeared tense. Pressing his palm against his temple for a moment, he muttered, “Well, shit. We have to go, guys,” he got to his feet.

  “Why, what’s the matter?” Charlie asked, lifting his sleeping daughter from her bed.

  “I don’t know,” Dante explained. “Karma sent for us; we have to get to Purgatory right away.”

  “Is something wrong?” Clarisse whined, also standing. She had also heard the messaged, and been unnerved by it.

  “I think so; she sounds distraught. Let’s move!”

  “I’ve got Emily,” Charlie’s voice grew sharp. “Can you travel?” he addressed his wife.

  “Yes, I think I can,” she frowned, disa
ppearing and materializing in the atrium.

  A moment later, Dante and Charlie also arrived.

  “Good, you made it,” Karma greeted them, as they were the first to ones there.

  “What’s going on?” Charlie spoke up, then noticed Emily had lost her cap and her head had been exposed. Quickly producing another one, he struggled to apply it with one hand to cover her ears.

  “You don’t have to hide her,” Karma informed him gently, shaking her fiery red waves.

  His shocked expression giving his thoughts away, he gasped, “You mean, you know?”

  “Yes, I know,” Karma smiled, “and that isn’t why she looks that way.” Grabbing her hair, she pulled it back, away from her face and exposed her own pointed ears.

  “Oh my God,” he stammered, “How? Why?”

  “She’s perfectly normal,” Karma laughed, dropping her auburn locks, and moving to caress his child. “She was never carried by a human.”

  “Holy shit,” Charlie gasped, kissing the top of his daughter’s head in joyous relief. “I thought… it was my fault; I thought it meant that I’m a Dark Angel.”

  “And Clarisse thought it was hers,” she smiled at the girl. “But it is neither. Our children born during the crossings have a different look about them; it changes their appearance. Having a human as a surrogate affects them somehow. The ability to draw energy from the rays of the sun is another such side effect. Your child is what you might call… pure blood. She will be different, in some ways.”

  “Pure blood,” Clarisse echoed, cradling her husband and child, then laying her head on his shoulder. “I’m so relieved.” Her eyes wide, she gasped, “Does that mean that Gous is also… pure blood?”

  “Indeed, it does,” Karma nodded. “Many of the Dark Angels, as you know them, came with us to this world. Devouring the essence of the living is not what caused the condition of their appearance. It was nature.”

  “So what’s going on?” Dante demanded, drawing them back to the reason they had been summoned.

  “Oh, yes,” Karma agreed. “Let’s move to my haven, shall we?”

  Appearing doubtful, Clarise swallowed her concerns and joined the others in the larger dwelling. Within a few moments, others appeared, until every Forgotten Angel had been accounted for. As soon as Annalise arrived with Phil, last of all Charlie noted, the older man began to speak in a rush.

  “What the hell is going on, Karma?” Phillip Parson demanded angrily. “There’s chaos in the streets this morning – all of them!”

  “I’m aware of it,” she informed him curtly, removing the blinds from the first seven of her screens. Displayed on each, a different part of the world could be observed. Mobs chanted, brawls raged, and crowds, gathered in churches of all manner, prayed and wept.

  “What is all of this?” Charlie asked in awe, handing the baby to his wife. Stepping up to the closest screen, he could see a man addressing a large crowd. “Is this happening right now?”

  “Yes,” Karma replied less forcefully. “We have not located our final members quickly enough, and we have run into a bit of a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” Myra asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the mayhem.

  “Please, everyone have a seat,” their host indicated the couches that lined the walls. Waiting for them all to find a spot, she wrung her hands a few times, then changed her clothes into her long red gown. Once they were settled, she explained.

  “Some of you are more aware of our situation than others. I have done my best to protect you from some of the ugly truths, and a great deal of the lies, about our people.” She coughed, obviously emotional at what she must reveal.

  “When our people came here, we were the last of our kind. We have tried to pretend that there were others; those we left behind. We did not want to feel as if we were alone in the universe; but we are,” she stated flatly, cutting her eyes over at Charlie. “We are alone.”

  “After arriving here, I had my own babies; Destiny and Fate. But soon after, we realized that they were to be our last. And so, my mate, Keeper, devised a plan for salvaging our race. A plan I willingly accepted; one that would allow us to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!” she shook her fist to express how deeply the idea moved her.

  “But Keeper… lied to me. I helped him, and once all had been arranged, he discarded me; banished me to this place,” she held her arms up, indicating the structure where they now convened.

  Charlie shifted in his seat, growing uncomfortable, but not daring to interrupt her, so she went on. “Yes, I have lied to some of you,” she stated, sadness filling her voice as she stared at him. “It was necessary, and I greatly regret that it has been so.”

  “It’s ok,” he replied quietly to her, taken in by her apparent remorse.

  “It was essential to preserve as much of our past as I could; if we would have any chance of regaining what is rightfully ours!” she bellowed. “We have fought against Keeper, against the Light and the Dark Angels. We have given man justice for all that he does. But today, we have been cheated once more.”

  “Cheated,” Dante repeated, indicating the shifting images on the screens. “Karma, I don’t understand.”

  “These people are angry; they are lost and confused,” she explained. “This morning, Keeper removed the last of our children from the earth, all in one fell swoop. They have all been rifted, with no accidents to hide their removal. No cover to keep our magical interference safe. He has broken our most sacred of laws, as one hundred and forty-four thousand people have simply… vanished.”

  “The rapture!” Charlie breathed.

  “They believe that it is,” Karma agreed, turning to a screen displaying a large cathedral packed with people. “And they can’t understand why they were left behind.”

  “They’re gone?” Charlie asked, getting to his feet and joining her. “What are we going to do? Go after them? Wish them luck? This doesn’t make any sense!”

  “It makes perfect sense,” Karma laughed, then frowned. “They have not left yet. We have a small amount of time, but we must move quickly. We still need two more Forgotten Angels to bring down the magical division of the planes. Only then can we stop him from getting away.”

  “An’ you want us to find them,” Charlie supplied.

  “Yes. All of you, except Clarisse. She and the child must remain here, but the rest of you, go quickly and search high and low,” Karma commanded, her arms raised widely above her head.

  “Who are they?” Dante inquired. “How will we recognize them?”

  “The Light and Dark Angels are still among us,” she informed him, lowering her appendages. “Keeper doesn’t want them, so he left them wandering about, business as usual I presume. You will know when you have located the correct ones.”

  “What about all the ones Keeper jus’ released,” Charlie insisted. “Over a hundred and forty thousand is a lot to search through.”

  “They aren’t freed,” Karma scowled. “He rifted them, sending them straight to his prison. I’m fairly certain the ones we need are not there, so that narrows our scope considerably,” she explained.

  “Ok,” Charlie agreed dubiously; “I guess we can give it a try.”

  Instantly, Karma, Clarisse and Emily disappeared. Twirling around, noticing that all of the others remained, Charlie’s blood boiled. Son of a bitch. “Where is she? Where did she go, an’ where is my wife? My daughter!” he fumed.

  “Relax,” Dante soothed, clamping him on the back. “They are safe. Karma has taken them into hiding. Right now, we have to start the search. Grab someone who can’t teleport and get to it!”

  Revelations

  Breaking up into groups of three, with at least one who could transport them in each, the house emptied and the search began. Noticing that they would need one group of four, Charlie crossed the plane and snagged his father. “We should take Steven an’ Alice with us. They’re the newest ones t’ this whole magic thing, so it might be safer for them.”


  “I agree,” John nodded, slapping his son on the shoulder.

  Exiting, Charlie rematerialized among the living and pointed at the couple, “You two; you’re with us.”

  Transporting his team to the cemetery where John had been buried, Charlie looked around anxiously. “Ok, let’s decide where we’re gonna go first,” he stated, seemingly taking charge of their quartet.

  “Why’d we come here?” Steven asked, glancing around as well and appearing confused. “And who’s ‘us’?”

  “Because, Phil said all the streets are in chaos. The big cities are gonna be difficult since you guys can’t cross t’ the magical plane. My dad is here, too, so we’ve got the team of four. We’ll have to coordinate since you guys can’t hear or see him,” Charlie suggested.

  “I’m ok; I can hear,” Alice grinned.

  “I’m ok, too,” Steven echoed. “I don’t mind needing a translator, as long as you don’t ditch me somewhere.”

  “Don’ worry,” Charlie chuckled. “We’re gonna stick together. Now, I’ve got an idea who one o’ the guys we need is, so all we gotta do is find ‘im.”

  “An’ who’s that?” John replied.

  “Father,” Charlie grinned, “an’ not you. The Summer Angel called Father. He’s been working with Karma and who knows who else; I’m fairly certain he’ll be one of them.”

  “Well, I was jus’ thinkin’ that Gous could be one o’ them,” John countered.

  “No way!” Charlie denied loudly, then cringed. “Shit; I hope not. Let’s find Father an’ see him first. Then maybe we’ll talk t’ Gous.”

  Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, Charlie performed his search. Gasping a moment later, he righted himself and exclaimed, “I think he’s here! Which… makes sense, actually. He’s Tabitha’s Guardian Angel!”

  “Charlie, I think we need to get these two into the magical plane before we go anywhere else,” John suggested.

  “An’ how do you propose we do that?” Charlie’s voice squeaked with annoyance.

  “They’re Angels, son. Everyone assumes they have a single talent, but it stands t’ reason they have all talents; jus’ maybe tha’s the first one they discovered, or the one they’re best at using,” the older man replied calmly.