by Amy Vansant
“Jeffrey?”
No answer. She squinted, trying to see into the dark room.
“Jeffrey?” she tried again, louder, this time stepping inside. She felt for the light switch on the wall and flipped it on.
The room was empty.
Anne moved at an inhuman speed toward the bathroom to see if Jeffrey was there.
“Con!”
Con materialized beside her. Anne pointed to the bed, which remained neatly made and unused.
“He was here. I saw him come in here.”
On the corner of the bed sat a manila envelope with Anne scrawled across its face. Anne picked it up and flipped it over to inspect both sides.
“What is it?” asked Con.
“It has my name on it.” Anne pinched the metal clasps that held the envelope shut and opened it. She grasped the edge of the contents and pulled out a sheet of thick paper. Dropping the envelope to the floor, Anne saw the paper was a photo. In the black-and-white print, Jeffrey hung clothing in his closet. He wore only boxers, his back turned to the camera, oblivious to its presence. Behind him stood a dark, blurry figure, close enough to touch him.
“Just like the shot of Ariel. He’s left a photo of himself hunting his prey.”
Con nodded. “Just like Mexico City.”
Anne fell silent. There was no mistake; the creature stalking them now was the same Perfidian that had attacked them in Mexico; the same Perfidian that had disembodied Con and left her with nothing more than a photo of herself shopping.
Now it had Jeffrey.
Con and Anne jumped at the sound of a knock on the door.
Chapter Twenty-One
At the sound of the knock, Con disappeared from Jeffrey’s room and popped back a second later.
“It’s an Angelus and two Sentinels.”
Anne stared at Con, incredulous that another Angelus could be near.
“That makes four Angeli in Annapolis,” said Anne. “They never work together like this.”
“Trapped in an Angeli convention. I have nightmares like this.”
Anne huffed, anxious to begin the search for Jeffrey and frustrated by the appearance of visitors. But a fourth Angelus was an oddity that required further investigation. Angeli preferred to work alone. Seeing this many converge in one area was like watching masked men casually milling around a bank lobby.
Con phased out of sight as Anne moved to the door. She took a calming breath and looked through the peephole. Through the fish-eye lens, she viewed a handsome older gentleman with a gray beard, flanked by a muscular dark-haired man and a lanky, blonde woman with angular features.
“Yes?” Anne called through the door.
“Ms. Bonny,” said the older gentleman. “I apologize for the time of our visit; I realize it is early. My name is Meili and we believe you may be in danger.”
Con reappeared.
“Meili?” he echoed. “Let him in.”
Anne scowled. The Con she knew didn’t like any Angeli.
Con stepped past her and opened the door.
“Meili!” said the Irishman. “I’m Con Carey. Nathanial’s told me so much about you.”
Meili cracked a smile and attempted to shake Con’s outstretched hand, only to have it pass through.
“Con Carey!” he said, scowling at his untouched hand. “What magic is this? Nathanial told me you had disappeared, but...”
Con offered a sheepish grin. “Temporary setback.”
Curious, the large almond-skinned man beside Meili reached forward to feel Con’s hand. Con avoided his touch, and the giant colored with embarrassment.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Anne Bonny,” said Anne, reaching forward to shake hands with Meili.
“Meili is Nathanial’s Arch,” said Con. “Old Nathanial was always gushing about this fellow. Said he wasn’t like the other stuffy pricks.”
Meili chuckled. “Well! I won’t tell the others he said that, but I’ll have to tell him thank you!”
Meili and the two Sentinels made their way into the sitting area of the hotel room. The almond-skinned giant propped himself against the wall just inside the door. His biceps, round as dinner plates, stretched the sleeves of his navy camp shirt to breaking point. His dark hair and physical features suggested his family tree grew somewhere in the South Pacific.
Meili’s female companion made her way gracefully to the opposite side of the room and sat on the air conditioning unit. She wore a floral shirt, feminine enough to distract from the fact that she was, proportionally, nearly as muscular as her companion. Her long blonde ponytail lay across her shoulder and hung to just below her breasts. She noticed Anne eyeing her and smiled, nodding to acknowledge Anne’s curiosity.
Anne knew that once a human became a Sentinel, their physical appearance remained the same. She couldn’t help but wonder what a physical specimen like this female had been doing in her human life to look the way she did. She must be new, Anne reasoned, from a time period where gyms existed.
Anne flashed a quick smile at the woman and then turned her attention to Meili.
Meili had a neatly cropped salt-and-pepper beard and wore a black knit shirt over khaki pants. He would have appeared more natural sitting on a porch in Florida or sipping coffee at a Spanish café. Standing in a hotel room flanked by two enormous Sentinels and a transparent Irishman, he seemed out of place.
As soon as everyone had settled and the door closed, Anne addressed the Angelus.
“Meili, you said we were in danger. Do you know something about Jeffrey?”
Meili tilted his head. “Who is Jeffrey?”
Not the tiniest flash of recognition lit in Meili’s eyes, and Anne suffered a wave of disappointment.
“Con, could you get the picture?” Anne asked.
Con walked to Jeffrey’s room to retrieve the photo.
“Jeffrey is my assistant. He’s missing and we found a photo in his room. It’s very much like a photo left by an unidentified Perfidian in 1910, when Con and I were attacked and nearly killed in Mexico City; the same attack that lost Con his physical body. A similar photo, one of a recently kidnapped Angel, was brought to my attention by Michael.”
“A kidnapped Angel?” asked Meili.
“Ariel. She’s back now.”
“Ariel. One of Michael’s. You say he was here an hour ago?”
Anne nodded. “He and Leo. They left to find the creature we believe has now kidnapped Jeffrey.”
Meili scowled. “He was with Leo? They appeared here to the two of you together?”
“It’s a long story,” said Anne.
Con returned with the photo and handed it to Meili. Meili’s Sentinel companions merged to gain a better view.
“No mistaking his calling card,” Meili said.
“Who?” demanded Anne and Con in unison.
“Seth.”
“Seth?” Anne rolled the name around in her brain, looking for a connection.
“Sound familiar?” asked Meili.
“I retired a Seth,” Anne said. “He was one of my first, maybe 1750?”
Meili nodded. “The same. He was very weak at the time.”
Anne thought back to her battle with the Perfidian Seth, recalling that the fight had not been particularly taxing. It had ended quickly, and with the usual flash of white light.
“If Anne reaped him, how could he come back at her in Mexico?” asked Con.
Meili sighed. “Well, that’s not so much a mystery,” he said. “You scattered his energy, but once Seth returned to his Angelus state, he fell to Perfidia a second time.”
“So the Seth I killed back in the eighteenth century was the same Seth who nearly killed Con in Mexico? But we’ve always been told Angeli don’t retain the memories of their former existence following Perfidia. Why would Seth come seeking revenge?”
“Seth is different,” said Meili. “He is an Arch.”
Anne’s eyes grew large with surprise. “Like Michael?”
�
��Yes,” said Meili. “Myself, Michael, Leo, Seth; we are all brothers, all Archs. None of the Perfidia you’ve reaped, with the exception of Seth, have been Arch Angels. Frankly, you couldn’t recycle one of us. We’re much too powerful. All the others, the Guardians like Ariel, only possess a fraction of our energy.”
Anne thought back to the uneasy feeling she’d experienced finding herself in a room with both Michael and Leo. Her instincts had been correct; two Arch Angels would have outmatched her skills. This also explained why the creature in the alley had been so powerful. It had been Seth, a Perfidian Arch.
“But Arch Angels don’t corrupt,” said Anne. “We’ve always been told that. Michael laughed at the idea when I mentioned it to him the first time we met.”
“What year was that?”
Anne took a deep breath and slowly blew it through pursed lips as she tried to do the math.
“1745?” she said.
“Well, there you go,” said Meili. “Seth was the first and we discovered him in 1746. Seth was, and is, unique. When he fell to Perfidia, it took three Sentinels and two Archs to defeat him. When he returned only four years later as himself, with all his memories intact, still mad with Perfidia, we realized something had set in motion, something we did not understand.”
“Is that when I was tasked to reap him again?” asked Anne, horrified. “You sent a relatively inexperienced Sentinel against a Perfidian Arch Angel?”
“Not I,” said Meili. “One of the others.”
“Michael?”
Meili thoughtfully traced his stubbly mustache with his forefinger and thumb.
“No. In fact, if I remember correctly, he was quite angry when he heard about it.”
“But who?” asked Anne. “Why me?”
“Honestly, I think one of the female Archs found Michael’s attention toward you threatening. I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”
“Jealousy?” said Con, crossing his arms across his chest. “Are you saying a female Arch threw Anne to the wolves out of jealousy? A bit petty, eh? Doesn’t seem very angelic, if you know what I mean.”
Meili shrugged. “I guess she figured we could always make a new Sentinel.”
In a fit of pique, Con moved towards Meili and Meili’s Sentinel companions both stood to ready themselves for a fight. Anne thrust her arm in front of the Irishman to break the laser-like intensity he focused on Meili.
“Don’t,” she said. “There’s no time for this nonsense.”
Meili’s eyes opened wide, a bemused smile on his lips.
“You act like Sentinels are toys you make, break, and then buy again,” said Con. He eyeballed the two Sentinels standing on either side of Meili. “Who are Conan and Red Sonja?”
The Samoan bristled. “If you’re interested, you might have tried introducing yourself to us and shaking my hand. Just because we’re bigger than you, doesn’t mean we’re mute, can’t speak English or are stupid.”
Con grinned. “Really? It is always that way in the movies.”
“We’re not in a movie,” said the blonde woman. “If we were, you’d be better-looking.”
The big man chuckled.
“Enough,” said Meili. “I’m sorry, Con, I certainly didn’t mean to imply I think of Sentinels as replaceable pets. Though, of course, strictly speaking, you are replaceable…but we value each and every one of you as the unique and powerful individuals you are. And speaking as such, I should have introduced my Sentinel companions. Meet Napoleon and Keira.”
Con grunted acknowledgement. The corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk, he turned to the Samoan.
“Napoleon?” Con asked, chuckling. “So your parents didn’t like you either, aye, boyo?”
“Both of you cut it out,” said Anne, her voice strained. “I have a missing friend and we need to find him now.”
“Of course, you’re right,” said Meili. He shot a look toward Napoleon and the giant stepped back to resume leaning against the wall, his scowl following Con like a faithful dog.
Anne paced, talking aloud as she tried to trace Seth’s storyline.
“How did I manage to reap Seth if he is so powerful?”
“I suspect Seth never really left,” said Meili. “He disappeared as if he’d been reaped, only to return intact and still infected. When you battled him, he was in a much weakened state. I don’t believe you were ever in any real danger.”
“So, I didn’t really defeat him that time either,” said Anne. “He returned a third time to come after me in Mexico.”
“This is what we think,” said Meili.
“You said the first time it took two Archs and three Sentinels to stop Seth, however temporarily. Where are those three Sentinels? They could be helpful.”
“Dead.”
“How? Seth?”
“Yes.”
“So you didn’t know Seth was responsible for Con’s loss, but you do know he’s killed the other Sentinels who attacked him in the past?”
“Yes, we discovered this just recently. Two photos arrived at my home by mail, each featuring one of the dead Sentinels responsible for his first reaping. Each had Seth himself in the foreground. In the second photo, taken in the 1950s, Seth was already a monster, but in the older of the two, I could still recognize his face. The more monstrous photo sounded like this unidentified creature in Annapolis. I could only surmise Seth was here and hoping to end the life of the only other Sentinel to reap him.”
“Why would he take Ariel?” asked Anne. “Or Jeffrey? Why not just come after me?”
“He’s quite mad,” said Meili. “Who knows why he does anything.”
“He sent Ariel after me,” said Anne. “Perhaps he was testing my strength, or wearing me down. But he’s so powerful. I don’t know why he wouldn’t just try and kill me again himself. He came very close the last time.”
“He could be toying with Michael,” suggested Meili. “Michael and I were the two Archs who initially defeated him. Or, at least, thought we did.”
“All this talking isn’t going to get us anywhere,” said Con. “What’s the plan?”
Before Meili could reply, Michael strode through the closed door and into the room. Both Napoleon and Keira jumped; but on recognizing Michael as an Angelus, they relaxed.
“Meili,” Michael said on arrival.
Five dubious gazes fell on Michael. He had arrived in short running briefs and a white tank, covered in sweat.
“Michael,” said Meili. “Good to see you.”
“Though maybe not so much of you,” mumbled Con.
Michael grunted and in an instant reappeared in shorts and a polo shirt, his hair perfectly groomed.
“I was running, thinking, when I received your call, Meili,” said Michael pointedly in Con’s direction. “What news do you bring?”
“This creature that stole Ariel and attacked Anne, I’m certain it is Seth.”
Anne watched as the color drained from Michael’s face.
“Seth?” said Michael. “But I touched that creature in the alley, how could I not have known?”
Meili grimaced. “I believe Seth is changing; unrecognizable to us now.”
“Changing into what?” said Michael.
Meili shook his head. “I don’t know. This disease, this Perfidia, in the Guardian Angels is manageable, but it’s an entirely different thing in an Arch. We have to find him and find a way to end this scourge once and for all.”
“Seth has Jeffrey,” added Anne.
“Jeffrey?” Michael turned to Anne. “I’m so sorry. How do you know? How did it happen?”
“He left another photo,” Anne nodded to Con who handed Michael the photo of the unsuspecting Jeffrey.
“Shortly after I received the two photos of the defeated Sentinels, I received a second envelope which confirmed my suspicion that Seth was in Annapolis,” Meili said. He nodded to Keira and the blonde woman removed a photograph from her purse. She walked it to Anne and handed it to her.
Con and Micha
el touched elbows as they merged to see the photo, flinched away, glanced angrily at each other, and then turned back to the photo in Anne’s hand.
The photo revealed Anne standing on the rooftop. Behind her, on the adjacent building, stood the blurry figure they could now identify as Seth’s latest incarnation. His right arm was at his side, but his left pointed off into the distance. Following it, they could see he appeared to be pointing at St. Anne’s Church in the middle of Church Circle at the top of Main Street, a location a stone’s throw from Anne’s hotel room.
“Who is taking these photos?” asked Anne. “Does Seth have an accomplice?”
“Seth was always different,” said Meili. “He has the gift of bi-location. He can be in two places at once.”
Anne looked alarmed. “So we’re battling two of him?”
Meili shook his head. “His clone is quite weak and has limited ability to act independently of Seth himself. As far as I know, taking a photo and a few other mundane tasks are the only tricks it can do.”
“Is he pointing at the church?” asked Con, still looking at the photo.
Anne nodded. “Seems like it, doesn’t it?”
Michael leaned in further and pulled the photo from Anne’s grasp to peer at it more closely.
“I don’t think he’s pointing at the church,” he said. “I think he might be pointing a little more to the forefront. See the shadow of his arm?”
Michael gave the photo back to Anne and she and Con took a closer look. The shadow cast by his arm implied that Seth wasn’t pointing back towards the church, but farther down and to the left of him.
“Brice House,” said Anne. “He’s pointing to where we found the grave.”
Michael nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“We need to go to the grave,” said Anne. “Jeffrey could be there right now.”
Meili stood. “I will take Napoleon and Keira there,” he said. As if on cue, the Samoan and the blonde woman moved close to Meili. He took their hands in his, and they disappeared.
Michael looked at Anne.
“I’ll need to take you.”
Anne nodded. Michael stepped forward, slipped his arm around Anne’s waist, and the two of them popped out of the room.
