by Amy Vansant
Leo stopped short upon spotting Tyannah. “Who is she? She’s a Sentinel but something’s off.”
Anne squeezed past him to place herself between the Angelus and her young ward. “This is Tyannah. One of the Cherubim created her but she holds no alliance to them. Do you know about—?”
Leo cut her short. “No. There’s something more.”
He guided Anne out of his way. Tyannah stood as he approached.
“Leo, don’t—”
Tyannah held up her palms. “Easy big guy, I—”
Leo placed a paw on each of Tyannah’s arms and stared into her face. She stood frozen as he sniffed her head and neck, the whites of her eyes flashing as she glanced at Anne for support. Anne held up a finger, asking her to be patient and hoping her instinct to trust Leo was correct.
The Angelus released the girl and stepped back. “He killed her.”
“What? Who?” asked Anne.
“Her moment, the moment that she would have died naturally hadn’t come. The Cherub killed her to turn her into a Sentinel.”
Tyannah nodded. “I don’t remember much, but that sounds about right.”
“What does that mean?” asked Anne.
Leo shrugged. “I don’t know what it means for her. To me, it means this Cherub had no idea what he was doing.”
“The Cherub’s a kid, too,” said Con. “Late teens, goes by the name of Rathe. He appeared after you died.”
“He took my place.”
“You don’t seem surprised to hear there are Cherubim here,” said Anne.
Leo stared out the window and ran his hand through his shaggy mane of blond hair. “I saw Eris, Meili and Michael before I left.”
“You said Michael said hi.”
“I did?”
“When you came through the door. He’s alive? Where?”
“Chaos.”
“What is going on? I don’t understand any of this.”
Leo sighed and sat in a large leather chair. It appeared much smaller with him sitting in it.
“I can’t explain where I was. It’s not a place I can describe in human terms. I can tell you it’s a place where Angeli and Cherubim exist only in their energy forms. Right now, the population is nineteen Cherubim and two Angeli, and the reverse exists here. The Cherubim are trying to swing those numbers so that we’re all there and they’re all here.”
“They told you that?”
“I don’t know if told is the word I’d use, but the knowledge came to me, yes.”
“But why?” asked Tyannah, who had chosen a seat as far away from Leo as possible.
Leo grimaced at Anne. “Should she be here?”
“She saved my life. You can trust her.”
Anne saw the muscle in Tyannah’s jaw clench. “I don’t belong to Rathe. He may have turned me, but he did it against my will and he killed my brother—as awful as he was.”
Leo pressed his lips together as if considering her words. “Fine. Stay. You’d be easy enough to kill if I had to.”
Con sat next to Tyannah and elbowed her. “Charmer, isn’t he?”
Anne considered sitting but had too much energy jangling through her body. “What else can you tell us?”
“Not much. Just that we need to kill the Cherubim before they kill us.”
Leo scratched his arm in the same spot Anne spotted moving earlier.
“What’s going on with your arm there?”
“What?”
“Where you’re itching. I saw that spot move when you were in the bed. As if there were something beneath your skin.”
Leo dismissed her concerns with a shrug. “My energy is probably still settling.”
Con stood. “Hold the phone. If it takes the death of an Angelus to send a Cherub to Earth, and the Angeli can only be killed by a Cherub Sentinel, which has to be created by a Cherub in the first place—”
“It’s like the chicken and the egg,” said Anne, seeing where he was headed. “Who started it all?”
“Must have been your fault. You were the first to die, weren’t you?” said Con, smirking at Leo.
Leo scowled. “Seth is the key. He’s the one who killed me, as you say.”
Con’s brow knit. “So Seth is a Cherub?”
“No, I don’t think so, but he was the first Arch Angelus to be infected with Perfidia. When we had the Sentinels drain him in an attempt to cure him, we sent him to Chaos. Somehow he returned with the power to send my energy to Chaos and bring forth the first Cherub.”
“You should have seen the things he did after you died.”
“Like what?”
“Like swallowin’ Meili like a chicken nugget.”
Anne shook her head. She didn’t want to waste time reliving their last experience with Seth. “Even if we kill all the Cherubim, as long as Perfidia exists, things could start all over again.”
Leo shrugged. “Let’s worry about the Cherubim first. There are three here now. You told me about this idiot Rathe. Who else?”
“I don’t know if I’d call him an idiot,” mumbled Tyannah.
“We only know Rathe,” said Anne.
Leo stood. “Really? What have you people been doing since I left? You haven’t identified the threat? Not to mention you lost Eris, Meili and Michael!”
Anne’s anger rose. “We didn’t allow them to die. Any of them.”
“Michael sacrificed himself,” added Tyannah.
Leo’s attention snapped to the girl. “What are you talking about?”
Tyannah eyes grew wide and she glanced at Anne for backup. Leo followed her gaze.
“Ah. Let me guess. Michael sacrificed himself for you.”
Anne found herself without retort.
The muscles in Leo’s jaw flexed before he turned and began to pace the room. “Okay. Here’s the list. We need to identify and locate the Cherubim. We need to warn the Angeli and keep them in hiding; we can’t afford to lose any more. And we need to find Seth and capture him somehow—”
“We know that’s possible. We did it before,” said Anne.
“What?”
Con held up his palms. “Well. we don’t need to get into all that now.”
Leo ignored him. “How? You have him?”
“No, we had him. In one of those cages Michael designed to hold Perfidians. He escaped.”
“He escaped? How? How could you...” Leo’s attention turned to Con. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with this?”
Con shrugged. “It depends on how you look at it.”
Leo sighed. “We need to go to headquarters.” He pointed to Tyannah. “Her too. They might want to study her.”
Tyannah’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa, nobody’s gonna study me.”
Anne agreed. “Out of the question. She’s staying here.”
Leo frowned. “Fine. She can stay here for now. Con, do you still have Angeli powers? Or did you lose them when you regained your corporeal form?”
“Still got ’em.”
“Good. Then you’re going. You’re unique and we might need you, even if you are a first class half-wit.”
Con rolled his tongue in his cheek and glared at Leo. His silence worried Anne more than any snappy retort.
Leo continued. “You, me and Anne; we go in the morning. I think I’m going to rest a bit before I transport you two to headquarters. I’m still feeling a bit blurry.”
“I can fly on my own,” said Con.
“You don’t know the way and you need me for entry. I’ll rest. We’ll go in the morning.”
Without another word, Leo walked past them into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
Con looked at Anne.
“So nice to have him back, isn’t it?”
Chapter Four
“What now?” asked Con.
Anne shook her head. “I don’t know. I need a quiet place to think for a bit.” She patted him on the arm and walked into her study, shutting the door behind her. She sat on the oversized leather chair she
’d bought for reading, and curled up.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Michael. She could feel her anxiety buzzing beneath her flesh.
She closed her eyes. A clear picture of Michael manifested in her mind’s eye, his dark hair contrasting against his brilliant blue eyes. He smiled and reached out to her.
“There you are. I thought I’d never reach you.”
She gasped, but kept her eyes shut. The dream was so real. She reached out her hand, expecting to touch him.
“I need you. Where are you?”
“I’m in New York, at home! Where are you?”
“I’m here.”
His voice sounded different.
“Here? Where?”
She felt a hand touch hers and the shock of it caused her to open her eyes.
Con knelt before her, his hand wrapped around hers. “Have you lost yer mind?”
“Con! What have you done?” She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to find Michael, but he was gone.
“Dammit!”
She glared at Con. He’d moved to sit on the sofa and leaned towards her, resting his forearms on his thighs.
“Annie, we need to talk.”
She stood and pointed to the door.
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out.”
He stood. “What’s wrong with you? I was just sayin’—”
“You’re always just sayin’!” Anne could feel her eyes beginning to tear. She heard the sharp tone of her words and knew Con didn’t deserve to be chastised. She hung her head.
“I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”
She felt Con’s strong hands on her shoulders.
“There, there. It’s been a bit much for all of us.”
She stood, sliding her hands up Con’s back and hugged him.
“I’m sorry. It’s just...I think Michael was trying to reach me.”
“Reach you? How?”
“In my mind. Through my dreams.”
“Ah, I see. Leo came back and now you’re desperate for Michael to reappear. It’s makin’ you mad—”
“I’m not mad. I swear, I saw him. He says he’s here, not in Chaos.”
Con eased her back far enough to peer into her eyes. He cradled her face with one hand and brushed an errant tear from her cheek with his thumb.
“He’ll be back, Annie. It’ll all be good. And when he’s back...I won’t stand in your way.”
“Con...” A sob caught in her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand as she fought to keep from sobbing. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
He scoffed and winked. “Of course you do, darlin’. How could you not?”
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. He squeezed her, and the strength and warmth of his embrace made her believe everything would be all right.
She whispered in his ear. “I do. I do love you so much. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know. Hey, if you told me you were mine and mine alone forever I wouldn’t even know what to do with you.”
She laughed, sniffed and pulled back to peer into his blue eyes. “I wish it was...easier.”
He offered her a wistful smile. “Ah, lass. We work for angels and live for a thousand years. What could be easier? When was the last time you had heartburn?”
“Since before I was turned.”
“Exactly. What’s easier than a life without heartburn?”
She smirked. “Gosh. How have I never thought about it that way? You really know how to put things into perspective.”
“It’s a gift.”
He patted her on the head. “I’m gonna to go start formulatin’ a plan for savin’ the world. I can’t sit here blubberin’ all night.”
“Okay.”
“Unless you want a quickie?”
“No, I think I’m good.”
He shrugged. “Your loss.”
Anne followed him to the door, pausing at the threshold. She leaned on the door jamb and watched him swagger down the hall. He wiggled his butt and she giggled.
She turned to head for bed and noticed a light glowing beneath Tyannah’s door.
Poor girl. She must think we’re all nuts.
She wiped away her tears, took a moment to collect herself and rapped on Tyannah’s door. She tried twice more, and was about to panic when she heard a response.
“Come in.”
She entered to find Tyannah lying on her bed listening to music. She’d given the girl a phone after she’d saved her from the sadistic Mallory. A phone in exchange for a life didn’t seem fair, but she’d been plugged in to it ever since. It made Anne happy to see her so carefree, bobbing her head to tunes. Often she sensed a sadness about the girl that ran deeper than her abrupt transformation from human to Sentinel. Above all else, she wanted Tyannah to feel safe.
“What’s up?” asked Tyannah, pulling the buds from her ears.
“I just wanted to touch base with you. Make sure everything is okay?”
Tyannah shrugged. “Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
Anne sat on the side of the bed. “Our situation is a lot to take in. I’m trying to remain cognizant of the fact you haven’t been dealing with monsters and angels for hundreds of years. You’ve gone from teenage girl to an integral part of what could be the end of the world, all within a few weeks.”
Tyannah offered a lopsided grin. “Well, when you put it that way.”
Anne chuckled. “So you’re okay? Really really?”
“Yeah. But I...” The girl looked away, wrapping and unwrapping the wires of her headphones around her finger.
“But what?”
Tyannah sighed. “I wish I could help. I don’t wanna be sitting around here playing card games with Jeffrey while you’re off saving the world. I want to help.”
“You’ve already saved my life!”
She grinned. “Yeah, but, I can do more.”
“I know you can. And I promise to contact you as soon as there’s something for you to do, but I don’t want you going to Angeli HQ. They’re all about the big picture. I can’t be sure they won’t snatch you away to study your long term effects on their master plan. They mean well, but the primary objective is always to save the human race, and you don’t qualify anymore.”
Tyannah pulled her puckered mouth to the side. “I’m not human anymore?”
“I...hm. Not really. Sort of. I don’t know. Don’t listen to me. Let’s call it superhuman.”
She grinned. “I like that.”
“So, are we on the same page?”
Tyannah nodded. “Yeah. But promise me you’ll send for me?”
Anne nodded. “I promise. I’d be crazy not to. I need you to watch my back!”
Tyannah held out her fist and Anne bumped it with her own. She’d seen kids fist bump before, but Tyannah was the first person to trust her to carry out the maneuver. It kind of made her giggly.
Tyannah put her buds back in her ears and Anne left. She strolled to the living room and spotted Con outside, standing on her balcony. She pulled the slider open and joined him.
She took a place beside him. “Penny for your thoughts.”
He tilted back his head and stared at the stars. “Oh, you know how my mind works. Simple things. Not worth a penny.”
“You don’t look like you’re thinking about simple things.”
“No? What would I look like if I were?”
“You’d look like a man with a whiskey in your hand about to toast me.”
He grinned. “I would, wouldn’t I? Let’s go think some simple things.”
Con crooked out his elbow and she took his arm.
Chapter Five
The voices in his head stopped.
Seth awoke covered in sweat, fingers sliding across what felt like fabric. Something soft supported his head.
He concluded that he was in bed.
Now to explain why I’m staring at a clear blue sky.
His gaze wandered to the right. More
blue. He tried the left. More blue, but something else as well.
A featureless, man-shaped statue carved from what looked like undulating, clear gelatin.
Did not see that coming.
Had he carved a man out of gelatin? As disoriented as he felt, it wouldn’t be odd to discover he had. His mind swirled with images, but he couldn’t discern which were memories and which were dreams. He had no idea of the day or year.
“You’re awake.”
Seth gasped and, unsure of the source of the voice, rolled away from the gelatin statue. He crouched below the bed and waited, hoping whatever it was would go away. Looking down, he found his knees on a plastic mat surrounded by sand.
“Seth?”
Seth glanced over the edge of the bed and stared into a clear, faceless head. The gelatin statue had stretched its neck forward to bring its featureless countenance within inches of his nose. From this distance, he could see that the translucent material forming the creature pulsated with tiny flecks of swirling color, like dust captured in a ray of sunlight.
“What are you?” he asked, his mouth dry. He couldn’t remember feeling so afraid.
“I have many names. You can call me Casso.”
“Do I have to call you anything?”
“I prefer Casso over hey you, if you don’t mind.” The creature’s neck retracted until it was once again a perfectly bland gelatinous humanoid.
“I have to tell you, that isn’t as reassuring as you might think.”
“What isn’t?”
“The fact that your head is no longer at the end of a watery tentacle.”
“Oh.”
“What are you?”
The statue shrugged. “Nothing you’d understand. It’s taken all the time we’ve spent together for me to accomplish the conversation we’re having right now. Your language is so simplistic. It’s like if I gave you three shapes and told you to communicate sophisticated ideas with them.”
Seth felt as though he’d been insulted, but chose not to take offense. The creature talked about him the way Angeli talked about humans. The way humans talked about dogs.
Looks like the Angeli have dropped a notch in the food chain.
Seth tore his gaze from the snotty, sentient gelatin and studied the unfamiliar shoreline. Sandy beach stretched as far as he could see. A jungle of palm trees and vines flanked the sand to the west. There were no signs of humanity, but for the bed behind which he cowered. The setup reminded him of tourist spots on tropical islands like St. Barth’s, but there were no waiters toting cold water and cocktails.
