Arriving several minutes later, he opened the door to a small cabin he had constructed; his private space. Inside, a simple table and chair sat in the back, in right corner. In the left, a set of shelves held several small glass jars, all filled with brightly colored gems.
Producing a new jar, he emptied the day’s catch into it, and sighed. He had taken Phil that morning. Staring through the glass, he could see the stone that held his former nemesis. He hoped he could let him out at some point, but first everything else had to be taken care of.
Closing the door behind him, Charlie patted it, then transported to Purgatory. He knew that Karma would probably sense his presence, but if he were careful, he would get them all before she found him.
Sweeping the house, he captured Kari and Lorren in the midst of making love in his old room. Down the hall, his father was in the shower when he shrank him down into a tiny red stone. To his surprise, Dante and Annalise seemed quite cozy when he came upon them lounging in the shade of one of the four trees that stood at the corners of the compound.
A few of the members were not on the property, so he waited for their return and then bagged them as well. Squeezing the thirteen stones through the sides of his leather pouch, he began his search for his final prize; Karma herself.
After looking for her telepathically for a few minutes, he gave up, having been unable to locate her. Moving through the house, he searched the basement and her office below, turning up nothing. Hesitating, he knew he would have to check her haven, but he would be the most vulnerable to her there.
Materializing in a corner, he stood still, peering into the darkness of the room. Reaching out, he telepathically searched every inch, finding nothing. “Where the hell has she gone?” he muttered, walking around the circumference and opening each of her screens.
On each of them different parts of the world were displayed as usual, but the violence had waned. Some showed gatherings of people holding candlelight vigils. Another, some type of minister addressed a large crowd. Arriving at the last, he stared at the dark velvety cover.
Almost afraid to open it, his hand trembled as he reached for the dark crushed velvet drape. Catching it, he pulled gently, allowing it to fall to the floor below it. There, on the glass, sat Clarisse, singing softly to her babe.
“What the hell!” he breathed, sucking in a ragged breath of fear.
“She’s not in danger,” Karma stated calmly, making her presence known.
Not turning to face her, Charlie looked at the floor behind him to the right, and then the left. Seeing the bottom of her long red robe, he smiled. “How long have you been here?”
“A while,” she cooed.
“You never showed me this screen,” he indicated the viewer before him. “Why am I seeing Clarisse?”
“She is your heart; the thing you desire most. I do not see her there.”
“You don’t?” he turned to face her. “How can we see two different things?’
“This is a special screen, Charlie. Not like the others. They are all simple in design, giving us a glimpse at the world as it is. The one in my office, I use to view things that I desire to see as they happen, and share them with others, as you have seen.”
“But not this one,” he tilted his head towards it, swallowing the lump in his throat.
“This screen is blank to me,” she informed him calmly.
“Oh yeah?” his hand twitched, a jolt of electricity prickling his senses. “How does this end, Karma,” he asked more quietly. “Do we go out with a whimper or a bang?”
“You are so sure of yourself, coming here and stealing my minions,” she replied. “I could have stopped you at any time.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you could. So why didn’t you?” He faced her once more, his gut tight, prepared for battle.
She raised her chin, a tear slipping from her eye and dotting her cheek. “Do you know what is on the screen?” she asked calmly.
“I have no idea. You said it was blank; I presume you were lying.”
“I see Keeper. He has found a new world for the purest of the Angels. The children he collected over the years, and those who were swept away a few months ago,” she explained calmly. “This screen shows us what is in our hearts, and Keeper is in mine. He has always been in mine.” Her face contorted, she sobbed. “I am the one who destroyed our perfect world; the lives we were building together. I am the cause of our inability to reproduce, and all that has come of it. I am the reason my love no longer has eyes for me,” she confessed through tears.
Glancing at the image of his wife suckling his first born, Charlie understood how deeply her emotions ran; he would give anything for them. Inhaling loudly, he stated with a sigh, “Karma, we have t’ end this. You know I have the others. You are the last.” Holding up his pouch, he transported it a table in a small cabin, where it would rest for eternity, protected by his magic if he were unable to return. “See? Now it’s jus’ you an’ me.” He walked in a slow circle, darkening each screen as he went.
“Where did you send them?”
“They’re safe,” he replied calmly. “I have gathered every Angel on this planet; they are all safe. But you can’t get t’ them without me.”
“Another prison,” Karma sneered.
“It doesn’t have t’ be that way,” he countered. “You could take them to a new world, or you could join Keeper on his. Either way, I would let you leave, if you promised t’ leave the humans alone.”
“You still defend them. You always have. Almost as if you wanted to be one of them,” her face flushed, her tirade building. “One who belongs to this world, where it’s ok to be high, and uncaring, and selfish, never considering anyone but yourself. Where no one accepts the consequences for their actions, and every person livestreams their pointless existence, hoping to catch that moment that out does the last. Or even film themselves committing depraved acts, ‘hey, look at me, I’m an asshole.’ And millions hang on the edge, watching and waiting for their next fix – the next horrific, unfucking-believeable moment that tops all the others before it.”
“That’s not who they really are, Karma,” he stated calmly, reaching the final viewer and ending its transmission.
“Are you saying this is our fault? That humans crave their perverse pleasures and kill each other for sport because the Angels made them do it?”
“I’m saying that it’s time for you to go. Time to leave these people, these humans, alone. Go and find Keeper and the rest of our kind. Take those that I have collected; maybe he will let you rejoin them. But we have to leave these people alone. Their choices have to be real.”
“Their choices are real!” she screamed.
“No, they aren’t!” he shouted back. “There can’t be any other forces at work. No Summer Angels protecting a select few. No Dark Angels giving them a push to satisfy their own needs. You claim that you have only given mankind justice; what he deserves. But how can you say that when all the Angels have done since they got here was interfere?”
“And you think all this will end if we go. No more holy wars, or serial killers. No more drunken brawls or victims and bullies. The entire world will suddenly just… get along.”
“Not at first. It will take time, but we can regain our humanity. Our compassion for each other. We can stop hating and hurting and looking for the next big fix.”
Karma swallowed visibly, her wet cheeks glistening in the dim light. “How could you betray me like this? You’re not one of them, you are one of us!”
“This is my choice, Karma,” he breathed. “I want this for them; this chance to heal an’ take the next step. If they continue on an’ destroy each other or this planet, then so be it,” he shrugged. “It’s theirs to destroy. I won’t stand in their way. I think they can do better than that. I think they are better than that, if they have the honest chance and the real chance to choose. I don’ care where you go, but you can’t stay here.”
“Let the others stay with you,” she sniveled. “the other For
gotten Angels. Destiny, Father, Banthar and I will go and take the rest from the crossing with us. Even the Dark Angels can come. Keeper will never let us rejoin them, but we will leave you in peace. Let the others stay, on your hidden island. Don’t make them suffer for the choices I’ve made.”
“I can arrange that,” Charlie grinned slightly, “But you have t’ take Phil, too. There’s no place for him an’ my mother t’ be together.” His features shriveled. “She’ll find a human to love, one who will love her. An’ I’ll take care of the others. I’m strong enough, exactly as Keeper said I would be. I’ve created an island in the middle of the ocean that no one can find. I’ll make it large enough for the Forgotten Angels, an’ their children for many generations t’ come. But know this, Karma,” he raised his hand in warning. “If you or any of the others ever return t’ this world. I will destroy you. Don’t think that I won’t.”
“I know that you will,” she sighed with a nod. “Thank you, Charlie. I see now that it is you that has really given us all what we deserved… or at least a chance for us to have it.”
Epilogue
Six couples remained behind on the Island of Forgotten Angels: Steven and Alice, Kari and Lorren, Dante and Annalise, John and Myra, Ray and Portia, and of course, Charlie and Clarisse.
To this day, they remain hidden, as Charlie promised they would. Their powers are intact, and although they visit the outside world on occasion, they never use them in the presence of humans; and their children will learn the same respect for this world that they secretly share.
It was Charlie’s dream that the world would heal, after the influence of the Angels had been removed; that mankind would find peace and harmony as a race, with love for each other and the planet on which they live.
The Forgotten Angels wait, living out their days on their island in harmony, and hoping that one day, Charles Andrew Phillips’ dream will come true.
About the Author
Anyone who knows me could tell you, I am a friendly kind of person, never met a stranger and take up conversations anywhere at any time. I work hard, and my mind never seems to shut down, as I wake up often in the middle of the night with ideas pouring out and demanding to be dealt with. Of course that means much of my books were written in the middle of the night.
I grew up and still live in the great state of Texas where everything is bigger, where we have warm weather and a central location. I love my state, my town, and my family, which includes my four sons, my significant other, and many friends as well.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story and hope that you will love reading it just as much. And of course, there will be many more adventures to come.
You can follow Samantha Jacobey at:
Website: www.SamJacobey.com
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Other works by Samantha Jacobey
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GEB5LX0
Irrevocable Series – from affluent beginnings, BAILEY DEWITT's life has become a broken mess... after her parents died unexpectedly, she didn't think it could get any worse. But when the arrogance of man catches up and puts the entire world into a dooms-day spiral, there will be only ONE PLACE she can run to... the ONE PLACE she wanted desperately to escape.... (New Adult)
Teach Me to Prey – in this standalone thriller, JASON TRUITT and his friends have gotten their way for years. Deceit, sex, and foul play aren’t normally covered in the curriculum, but they’re doing whatever it takes to get under BECKY STEWART’s skin. When one of the boys turns up dead, it’s a race against time to save the others; a STUNNING STORY that will get your heart racing and leave you breathless by the end… (New Adult)
Sweet Christmas Series –CANDICE PARKER’s life has never been easy. Plagued by losses and setbacks, each day is a struggle for the petite brunette and her young son. When fireman Gary enters her world, he is one mistake she refuses to make; but after tragedy strikes, she may not have a choice. GERALD FORD has never been what anyone would call settled, but could this complicated young woman be his Christmas Candy? (New Adult)
3The Binding - One cursed diary will change two strangers forever...Can MERI and RIDER use her mother’s old book to figure out why someone is after them? Or will the guilty party succeed, ripping the tome away before killing them and then slithering back into the darkness… (New Adult)
A New Life Series – an epic adventure, TORI FARRELL’s life IS one wild story... escaped from a biker gang and running from drug lords... used by the FBI and hoping to protect her present from her past... IT'S DARK - IT'S BRUTAL, and it's WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! (Mature read, 18+ for graphic sexual content and violence, including rape)
The Wicked Awakened – a Halloween novel, a five-hundred-year-old witch wants to turn SARAH MATTHEWS’ body into her new home… A twisted tale involving a coven hell bent on seeing that she succeeds. Who will come out on top in this epic battle of wills? (Mature read, 18+ for sexual content and violence)
Table of Contents
Prologue
Mindless Wander
A Visitor
The Path to Purgatory
Purest of Souls
Clouds in the Distance
The Presence of Greatness
Search for the Master
Meddling Passion
Faithful Servant
Tidbits of Tomorrow
Keeper’s Truth
Prologue
Heart of Darkness
The Blackest Rose
Flash from the Past
By the Fist
Keeper of Lies
Dante’s Deception
Momma’s Arms
Hidden Within
The Great Beyond
Strong Enough
Prologue
Of the Darkness
Wrong with the World
Rapture
Revelations
Shattered Existence
The Great Divide
Nothing to See Here
Without Malice
Shine of a Diamond
Epilogue
About the Author
The Keeper Set - Summer Spirit Novellas 7 - 9 Page 17
