by S. J. West
“I would also be in your debt,” I tell him, making sure he understands how important getting Vala back is to me. Having the Empress of Cirrus owe you a favor was not a small thing in our society.
“Sure thing,” Travis says with a shy grin. “I’ll do everything I can to fix her for you, Empress. You have my word.”
I nod, satisfied with his answer. It’s all I can ask or hope for.
“We’ll come back soon,” Jered tells him. “If you figure out whether or not you can fix her before we do, let Barlow know. He can get a message to us quickly.”
Travis nods.
Jered places his hand on my shoulder and phases us back to the teleport station.
I just stand there when Jered makes to move to the alley by the building. He notices when I don’t follow him and turns back to face me.
“Anna,” he says, trying to gain my attention. “Don’t let him win.”
I look up to meet Jered’s gaze.
“I have no intention of letting him win,” I tell him. “He seems to think the things he does will tear me down. What he doesn’t realize is that it just makes me more determined to see him pay for what he’s done. I don’t just want to kill him now, Jered. I want to make him suffer as much as I can for all the pain he’s caused the people I love.”
Jered looks troubled by my words and walks back to me.
“Be careful with your hate,” Jered advises me. “It can damage you in ways you don’t even realize. It can twist you into something that you don’t want to become, Anna. Remember who you are. Remember the values Andre taught you. He wouldn’t want to see you turn into someone you aren’t because of Levi.”
“And he wouldn’t want me to just sit back and let Levi get away with the harm he's caused others either.”
“Levi will get what’s coming to him,” Jered promises me. “The bad guys always do. Evil will never win over good, Anna. It’s not the way the universe is wired to work. At heart, most people yearn to live in peace, not chaos. They almost always choose the noble path in the end.”
“But that’s not true,” I argue. “Look at the princes. They chose to disobey God. They still choose to disobey Him. Not everyone wants to be good. Sometimes people just want to be evil because it gives them pleasure to see others suffer. “
“And because of their bad choices they will eventually pay the price.”
I stare at Jered for a moment because I’m about to voice something I haven’t talked to anyone about yet. It’s something we all know, but no one has dared to say what I might ultimately have to do in order to retrieve all the seals.
“If killing the princes is the only way to take the seals from them,” I say. “That means I’ll have to kill Lucifer at some point, doesn’t it?”
Jered’s gaze lowers to the ground for a moment. I can see he has been waiting for me to ask this question. When he looks back up at me, he nods.
“Yes, you will, Anna. I don't think there's any way around that eventuality.”
“What if I can’t?” I ask, thinking it morbid for God to send me down just to kill my own father.
“Maybe you won’t have to,” Jered says. “Maybe just taking the other six seals will be enough.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so, Jered. I think God wants them all back.”
Jered stuffs his hands into the pockets of his coat, and I can see this isn't something he wants to be talking about right now.
“Why don’t we worry about one thing at a time? Let’s just get Lucas, Malcolm, and Millie away from Levi first. Then we can fret about what happens next.”
I know he’s right, but I also know the thought will remain in the back of my mind until the moment comes when I have to make a choice.
“Come on,” Jered says, holding out a hand to me. “Let’s make our last visit. I think a trip to Daniel’s is just want you need to get your mind off of things for a little while.”
I accept Jered’s hand, and we walk over to the alley.
“What will I find at Daniel’s place anyway?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” Jered promises. “I would hate to ruin the surprise.”
Once we make it down to Barlow’s, Jered informs Jake that they might receive a message from Travis for us. I take off Jake’s borrowed clothes and thank him for their use. Jered gives him our next set of coordinates, and we’re shortly on our way to the last stop on our journey to gather the princes for the trade.
Jered and I are soon standing outside a large building that doesn’t look much like a home. It looks more like a place you would run a business out of. It’s three stories high with one end of the structure curved, not squared off, and banked with windows. The opposite side has railed verandas on each level. The windows of the building are covered with drawn curtains making it impossible to see what's inside. The sun is setting in the sky, telling me we are in a very different time zone.
“Where are we exactly?” I ask.
“Beijing, China,” Jered tells me.
“Cirro territory,” I say. “The emperor and empress didn't make it to the wedding.”
“No, the emperor has been ill from what I understand,” Jered says. “There’s a lot of debate about who will succeed him after his death since he has no heir.”
“I’ve heard rumors that the empress might take control.”
“It’s possible. The people in both Cirro and their down-world love her. In the end, I think keeping your citizens happy is all that matters.”
I look back at the building. “Why does Daniel need such a big place to live in? Or does he just live in part of the building with his family?”
Jered holds out an arm for me to take. “Why don’t we go in and find out?”
I loop my arm through Jered’s, and we walk up to the front door. Jered doesn’t even bother to knock on the door. He simply opens it for me. Immediately, I’m bombarded by the raucous laughter of children coming from inside the building.
“Ladies first,” Jered says with a mischievous grin on his face.
I take a step inside and find myself engulfed in complete chaos.
A sea of children are crowded together on the first floor. Their ages range from toddlers to teenagers. They look to be in something resembling a line that reaches down a long hallway towards the back of the house.
“Ok, children!” I hear Daniel say somewhere close by, but I can't see him. “It’s time to calm down. The sooner you stop playing around the sooner you will all get fed.”
I look over at Jered and see him watching me. “I thought you said Daniel and Linn only had four children?”
“Four of their own,” Jered clarifies.
“Then who do these other kids belong to?”
“Daniel and Linn run an orphanage,” Jered explains. “The other children are their charges.”
“What in the world are the two of you doing here?”
I turn to see Daniel walking towards us from the end of the hallway the children are lined up to go down.
As Daniel approaches, I sense an aura of peace surrounding him. When he smiles at me, I feel like everything will be all right, even though I’m not sure if they will be or not.
When he reaches us, he doesn’t hesitate to bring me into the fold of his arms for a far gentler hug than Brutus’ but filled with just as much love.
He pulls away and looks down at me.
“I didn’t expect to see you this soon,” he tells me before looking over at Jered. “Is it time to deal with Belphagor now?”
“No, not yet,” Jered says. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
Daniel nods. “Sure. Do we have some time though? If we do, I would like to help Linn get the children fed first.”
“Yes, we have time,” Jered replies. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“No, they’re all pretty good about doing what we ask of them,” Daniel says. “Even if they do look like a disorderly bunch of hooligans at the moment.”
“Children! Children! Please calm d
own!” I hear a woman say as she walks down the staircase which leads up to the second and third floors of the building.
I look up to see Daniel’s wife and can easily understand why he fell in love with her. She’s absolutely gorgeous, and, just like Daniel, she has an air about her that immediately makes you feel at ease in her presence.
Her face looks like that of a doll. Its paleness contrasts dramatically with her long, black hair which is brushed to the side and hangs over one shoulder. She isn’t wearing any make-up but such a mask would only act to obscure her natural beauty.
When her dark brown eyes meet mine, I see instant recognition. A smile illuminates her face, and I know she understands that I’m not just the Empress of Cirrus. I’m someone Daniel has obviously told her about, and I’m special to her because I’m special to him.
She walks directly to me and gives me a hug. I imagine it’s the type of hug a mother would give a daughter, though I wouldn’t really know how that truly feels.
When she pulls back from me, she says, “Welcome to our home, Anna.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry we came unannounced.”
“You are welcome here any time, day or night,” she tells me truthfully. “Our door is always open to friends and family.”
Linn looks over at Jered. “It’s been a long time, Jered. We’ve missed seeing you.”
Jered leans in to Linn and kisses her chastely on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Linn. I’ve been rather busy.”
Linn smiles understandingly. “If the two of you would excuse me, I need to help the people who volunteer in our kitchen serve the children supper.” Linn looks to Daniel. “Why don't you spend some time with Anna and Jered? I can handle things tonight. I have a feeling they didn’t come here for a simple visit.”
Smart and beautiful, I thought to myself. I could definitely understand why Daniel decided he didn’t need to wait to meet his soul mate. He and Linn may not have had that once in a lifetime connection, but when they looked at one another, anyone watching them could see how much love and respect they had for each other.
“Are you sure?” Daniel asks, holding his hand out to Linn.
Linn slips hers into his so naturally you know they’ve done it a thousand times before.
“I can handle them,” she reassures her husband.
“Why don’t I help you?” I suggest. “Jered can tell Daniel what he needs to know.”
“Are you sure?” Linn asks, not looking completely convinced I would want to help her with such a chore.
“Sure. How hard can it be?”
Chapter 8
An hour later I understand why Linn laughed when I asked that question.
Children are heathens!
After I helped her keep them all in a straight, orderly line to take their turn picking up the plates the kitchen staff prepared, I longed for the little boy I now call my son. Lucas was so well behaved I just assumed most children would be that way. Apparently, I was sadly mistaken. My experience with children was completely limited to Lucas, and I now appreciated his kind heart and intelligence, making me miss him even more.
The one child in the orphanage who seemed most like Lucas was one of Daniel and Linn’s own children. Her name was Bai, and she took to me right away for some reason. While I walked up and down the line to keep the rowdier kids from misbehaving, Bai held onto one of my hands and helped me with the names of those who were acting out.
Bai looked to be around the same age as Lucas. Her dark brown eyes and braided pigtails made her absolutely adorable. You could tell she would grow up to be just as beautiful as her mother, possibly even more so. I was glad to see that Daniel had a child close to Lucas’ age, and I hoped we would be able to get the two of them together often as they grew up. Lucas would need someone his own age to talk to about a world not many people would ever understand. I didn’t want him to feel isolated from others just because he would have to keep secret what he knew about angels and demons. He would need a confidante, and I hoped Bai would be that for him one day.
After the children were fed, it was time to prepare them for bed. Anarchy ensued and some of the children scattered, hiding themselves just so they could stay up a little while longer. Bai was instrumental in ferreting out their hiding places. She seemed to know the best, or perhaps the most frequented, spots. Linn and I soon had all the children tucked into their beds. Bai informed me that her three older brothers liked to sleep in the common room with the other children rather than in their own bedrooms. Bai was the only child who slept in her own room.
“Anna,” Bai says, tugging on my hand, “would you like to see my toys?”
I looked around the large common room lined with small beds along all four walls. Linn was tucking in the last of the children, and I saw no reason not to follow Bai to her private sanctuary.
I nod to her. “I would love to see them, Bai.”
She pulls me down the hallway and takes me to the room at the end of it.
When we step inside, I see at least one problem Lucas might have with his future friend. I remember thinking when I stepped into Lucas’ bedroom in Malcolm’s Lakewood home that it was unusually tidy for a six year old. Bai’s room was the complete antithesis to Lucas’ room. I had to watch where I stepped in fear that I would break a favorite toy.
The first thing she shows me is her treasure trove of paints and art supplies on a small easel that’s just her height. It brings back memories of the little birdhouse I was painting in Malcolm’s workshop. I enjoyed finding a newfound talent and hoped I would be able to explore it more one day. Malcolm told me that one of my ancestors, Caylin, had been a talented artist and that most of her descendants were able to retain the skill. It was a piece of my lineage that had always been missing.
My thoughts linger on the perfect day we were able to spend together as a family. I suddenly realize that it only happened the day before. Yet, it seems like a lifetime ago. My heart yearns to spend more time with not only Malcolm and Lucas, but also with my papa, Millie, and the other Watchers I have come to know and love. All of a sudden, I feel a great sense of loss and loneliness without having the others near.
“Anna.”
I look up to find Daniel peering at me from the entrance to Bai’s room. He smiles at me, and I know one thing for certain.
I am not alone. I have people who have loved me for as long as I've been alive. I simply didn't know they existed until now. They will help me get back the rest of my loved ones and somehow, we'll find a way to defeat those who would keep us apart.
“Linn is making some tea,” Daniel tells me. “Would you like to come down for some?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
Daniel walks into the room, being careful not to step on anything.
“And you young lady,” Daniel says to Bai, “need to go to bed. If we can find it…”
Bai giggles and throws herself into her father’s arms. She says something in a language I don’t understand.
“Bai, speak English,” Daniel tells her.
“But why?” She asks.
“Because that's the language all of the cloud cities decided we should speak. It makes things easier on everyone if we all speak the same language.”
Bai pokes her bottom lip out in an effective pout at Daniel, and I have to hide a smile so it doesn’t encourage her behavior, even though I find it irresistibly endearing.
Daniel picks Bai up easily in his arms and takes her to her small bed. After he kisses her on the forehead, he whispers, “Sweet dreams.”
I walk out of Bai’s room with Daniel, and he quietly closes the door behind us.
“She’s adorable,” I tell him as we make our way down the staircase from the second floor to the first.
“She’s incorrigible,” Daniel laughs. “She’s just like her mother, always thinking she’s entitled to get her own way.”
“Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” I tell him, thinking that it’s my mentality too. “It simply mea
ns she knows what she wants.”
“She wants to visit a cloud city one day.”
“I would love it if you and your family could come to Cirrus when all of this is over,” I tell him. “In fact, I would like it if you all came to live there with us afterwards.”
“That would be nice,” Daniel says with great hesitation, “but the children here need us. It seems like as soon as one of them finds a home, another child arrives on our doorstep to take their place.”
“At least consider the offer,” I say to him.
Daniel nods. “We will consider it.”
He escorts me to the back of the house on the first floor. The room we enter is large since it serves as the kitchen and the cafeteria for the children to eat in. Three long tables with equally long benches on either side provide enough space for all the children to eat together at one time. Jered and Linn are already sitting at the table in the middle of the room, opposite one another. I take a seat beside Jered on the bench he’s on and Daniel takes his place beside Linn across from us.
“So I assume Jered filled you in on everything?” I ask Daniel.
“Yes, I understand what needs to be done. Don’t worry, Anna, we’ll get them back. I'm so sorry about Vala though. I hope Travis can repair her for you. If anyone can figure out how to save her, it’s him.”
Linn pours some tea from the black kettle on the table into my cup. I notice her eyes linger on the shoulder where Levi stabbed me.
“I can mend that for you,” she tells me.
It takes me a moment to realize what she’s talking about.
Before I can make a reply, she sets the kettle back down and walks out of the room. She soon returns with a woven basket filled with sewing supplies dangling from the crook of her left arm.
“Hand me your jacket, Anna,” she tells me after she sets the basket on the table, “and I will repair the damage.”
I shrug off my white leather jacket and hand it to Linn.
I watch as she threads a needle with practiced hands and begins to stitch the two inch slit made by Levi's dagger. I honestly didn't think about the hole until she mentioned it. It feels kind of nice to have someone take care of such a minor detail. It makes me think of Millie. She would have noticed such a thing and fixed it for me too.
