Raphael sighed. "Yes. But it better be really good. Because between disciplinary problems and now cannibals roaming around the uncharted territories, I'm ready to pluck out my feathers."
The hum of Glicki's under-wings changed, less ominous and a bit more mischievous. "You might want to wait to do that until after you see what Jophiel sent you in her needle."
"Jophiel's needle is here?"
His heart beat faster. It felt like he had feathers in his mouth. In a good way, of course. Ever since he and Jophiel had become a mated pair, it was all he could do to not crawl out of his skin to satiate the ache for how very much he missed her. Jophiel's needle wasn't due for two more days. There must have been some development on her end.
"I told the ATO to wait to unload it until you got there," Glicki said. "But you'd better hurry. Your needle is egging it to jump ship and go feed. There's no way to hold them if they decide to play."
Raphael was out of his commander's chair and fly-walking down the hall before his second-in-command could even finish her speech about the child-like habits of the marginally sentient living ships. His needle looked forward to his visits, but Jophiel's needle was much less committed to any one person or handler. He'd been making a point of training both needles to respond to him … and grow attached to Uriel … just in case he ever needed to send his son off in a hurry to ensure his safety.
"I already sent word down to Nanny Oomphala to bring Uriel down to the needle stable for your lunch break," Glicki shouted after him. "No doubt they are already there."
"Thanks!" Raphael shouted, increasing his speed. He glanced back and gave her a grateful grin. As one of his closest friends, Glicki knew him perhaps better than anyone. Any excuse to spend a spare moment with his son was a good one!
He caught up with the portly Nanny Oomphala waddling down the hallway carrying his red-winged son and trailed by Uriel's pet gorock, 'Gi.' The gorock's tail increased its thwapping the moment it saw him like some sort of ecstatic, deadly weapon. Gi did a happy dance and jumped up to slobber on him, the creature's perpetual state of being.
"How is he this afternoon, Nanny?" Raphael asked.
"He's been cruising all morning, Sir," Nanny said good-naturedly. "It's walking he'll be real soon, Colonel. Just you wait and see!"
Raphael greedily scooped up his son and hugged the gurgling toddler to his chest.
"Hey little guy!" Raphael buried his face into his son's neck and inhaled his scent, relishing the warmth of Uriel's soft skin and auburn curls.
"I'll be in my quarters if you need me," Nanny Oomphala said.
"Thank you, Nanny," Raphael said.
The gorock barked and wrapped its long, serpentine body around the portly Nanny's webbed feet, no doubt looking for a treat. The darned creature had increased in size again and was now so big it took up half the available free floor space of Raphael's cramped living quarters.
"Any chance I can get you to take that with you?" Raphael laughed.
Nanny Oomphala responded with an evil-sounding carroak.
"No such luck, Sir," she laughed at him. "He and Master Uriel, they're quite inseparable." She pointed at another Delphinium who came rattling down the hallway pushing a mess hall food cart. "I'll leave it to you to keep the little master from feeding Gi his piseanna and cairéid."
Her throat-pouch puffed up with a suppressed guffaw. As a civilian, he could not order her to take the gorock off his hands, nor would he because Nanny Oomphala was right. Uriel craved the pet's company as much as the pet craved his.
"Okay, then," Raphael said. "You're off the hook. Thank you, Nanny. And have a pleasant lunch."
He waited until she lumbered down the hallway, and then spun Uriel around until he giggled. Uriel flapped his small, red wings, trying valiantly to fly, but it would be quite some time before the toddler would take to the air. First … he had to learn to walk. Raphael walked backwards with Uriel into the needle stable. Uriel toddled behind him using the support of just one finger, his tiny red wings flapping for balance. Uriel stepped eagerly towards his 'friends' the needles, shrieking with laughter as he let go of Raphael's hand and took four frantic steps before losing his balance and plopping down upon his diaper.
"Hey! You just walked, buddy!" Raphael picked him up and hugged him. "Wait until we tell your Mama!"
Gi raced towards the two needles and immediately bumped noses. The two needles herded Gi and Uriel into the middle, and then swirled around them, surprisingly graceful despite their seven-meter length. Uriel shrieked with laughter as his needle stood still and allowed the toddler to pull himself upright using the creature's tail-end as a support.
"Hello, Alpha," Raphael greeted Jophiel's needle by placing his palm upon its nose. "Thank you for waiting for me to get here."
Jophiel's needle rolled over so he could scratch its belly. He knew he could simply order the creature to open up its marsupium, but the more he played with them, the more cooperative the creatures became. Why not treat them like the sentient, playful beings they were?
"Okay, buddy," Raphael said. "It's time to hand over the goodies."
Jophiel's needle opened its pouch. While Uriel used his needle as a rudimentary walker, Raphael rummaged through the marsupium and handed over one package at a time to the ATO.
"These go to the various ship commanders," Raphael said. "Have Glicki's men censor them first for landmines."
At last he got to the device at the bottom, the one Jophiel used exclusively for him. It was blue, the same color as her eyes, and while outside it looked like a civilian flatscreen, it contained hidden security features which would make it impossible to hack.
"Thank you, Private Hk'kr," Raphael said to the Mantoid needle handler. "Could you please get these devices to where they belong?"
"Yes, Sir," the ATO saluted him. "Enjoy your visit with your son."
He waited until the needle-handler cleared the room before plugging Jophiel's flatscreen into the miniature holographic projector. While its image quality was rudimentary, it allowed him to see his mate in all of her three-dimensional glory. A small, egg-shaped ball of light materialized and in its middle a doll-sized image of Jophiel appeared.
He knew by the way she wore her wings tucked tightly against her back that the news would not be good. Her pristine features were hardened into the mask of the ice-princess.
"Raphael," Jophiel said, "the situation has deteriorated far worse than we feared. Shay'tan defeated our fleet in a stunning ambush at the border; Abaddon is missing and presumed dead; Parliament has blamed the Eternal Emperor instead of accepting responsibility for their own ill-advised incursion into Sata'anic territory; and outside of the palace the people have begun to riot."
Her lip trembled with emotion.
"I swore I would forment no rebellion, but Abaddon is feared dead and I have come into intelligence that indicates things could be worse than we feared. The Alliance has fractured, the citizens are in revolt, and Parliament is eager to lay blame on anyone except for them. My presence at the Eternal Palace has only fueled the flames. Myself and a crew of loyalists have seized back the Eternal Light and are on our way to follow up on some intelligence we received about a missing Sata'anic armada."
"A missing Sata'anic armada?" Raphael asked. The hologram of Jophiel did not answer his question. -If- she'd wanted to give him specifics, she would have come right out and told him.
Jophiel's eyes welled with tears.
"I shall be incognito for a while," Jophiel said. "Tell Uriel that I miss him dearly, and know that I miss you, too, mo ghrá. This is the last communication I might be able to send for a while. I don't know if my needle will be able to find me where we are going, so if she returns to your ship and appears confused, please give her shelter and make sure she understands it's not her fault."
Raphael glanced over at Jophiel's needle, which had wrapped itself around Uriel and the gorock like a great, protective black playpen, nose-to-nose with her sister. In the middle, Uriel hap
pily fed Gi his piseanna and cairéid exactly as Nanny Oomphala had warned he would, squealing with delight as the gorock gobbled up his vegetables.
Jophiel stared out of the hologram so realistically it made his heart ache. Her lips curved up into a small, secret smile.
"But in all this strife, we have one small blessing," Jophiel said. Her hand slid down to splay protectively across her womb. "I don't know why the test came back inconclusive the first six times I took it. Stress, perhaps, or some quirk of my genome? But She-who-is has chosen to bless our union with a child. Raphael ... we're going to have a daughter."
Raphael stared with hologram dumb with happiness. A daughter? Jophiel was once again with child? It was the best news a dying species could hope for!
Pushing the Tokoloshe murders soundly out of his mind, he picked up Uriel and cradled him to his chest, imagining as Uriel's small wings rose and fell in sleep that he could feel Jophiel beside them. He reformed the memory of Uriel taking his first, halting steps towards the needle. It was more a tactile sensations than words, but even without the gift of images, he understood the message Jophiel communicated back to him, a message which no amount of distance could prevent from traveling between the hearts of a mated pair.
"I miss you," her heart whispered to his.
"I miss you too…" he said aloud.
~ * ~ * ~
Chapter 63
December, 3,390 BC
Earth: Village of Assur
Mikhail
The first rays of dawn cast tentative tendrils over the horizon and shone their light into the window which had been left unshaded so he could ascend into the heavens once he died. It crept into the room, past the unguarded spiderweb which had been abandoned once the weather had turned cold, and kissed his eyelids with its golden, effulgent light.
Breath streamed from his lungs and cast its warmth into the cold, winter chill. Alive. He breathed because he was still alive. And oh, by gods, it hurt, but he breathed anyways because he'd been given the gift of life by the spirit who lay ensconced within the shelter of his wings.
The sunlight grew bolder, shining through his eyelids so brilliantly it threatened to blind him. He realized he was colder than he should have been. He caressed her, the beautiful spirit who had made love to him in his dream. The same word rang in his heart over and over again. Maité saoil. He had found her. He had called for her and his one true mate had materialized into the flesh to heal him.
He tried to nestle the black-eyed Seraphim closer to his body, eager to share her warmth, eager to bond further so they could help each other heal. He realized her shape was too soft, too formless. There was something pressed against him, but it was not the slender body which housed the spirit he had searched for many lifetimes to find.
Mikhail opened his eyes.
As with all his memories, the moment he awoke, they had a habit of disappearing. He clutched the brilliant, scarlet cape which had been rolled into the shape of a body and recognized it belonged to Ninsianna.
Ninsianna? Why had she already gotten out of bed?
He tried to move, but felt so weak his muscles refused to work. He held one hand up to block the sunlight shining in his eyes. How had his flesh gotten so emaciated and white? He vaguely remembered getting stabbed. How long had he been unconscious?
He stared at the red cape, two sets of memories warring for dominance. He needed to find the woman in the dream. He needed to find her because he knew she was not well. His chest hurt and his entire body felt weakened, but he would find her. He had to find her.
He forced himself to roll over onto his elbows, then forced himself upright so he sat seated on the bed. His chest hurt and his now-clumsy wings hampered his struggle, but he persisted, forcing the limbs to move. That was as far as he got before Needa pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside his bedroom without even knocking.
Mikhail's blue eyes met her brown ones.
"Mama?"
Needa's eyes grew wide. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out of her lungs. The clay bowl she'd been carrying slipped from her hands and shattered, casting water all over the floor.
He moved to help her, but he ungracefully fell backwards onto the bed, his wings flapping as he tried to right himself and was too weak to get his balance.
Needa screamed. She dropped the funerary shroud she'd been carrying and burst out of the room, calling her husband's name.
"Immanu! Mikhail has just risen from the dead!"
*****
Pareesa wormed her way through the small army which had taken up residence in his room and threw herself into his arms, knocking him off the pillows Needa had placed around him to prop him up and knocked him back into the wall.
"Siamek told us you were dead!"
A small cry of pain escaped his throat as her slender frame pressed against the bandaged hunk of mutilated meat which had once been his chest. He wasn't sure whether to hug her, or to push his little sidekick away and tell her that her unbridled affection made him feel uncomfortable. He glanced at his father-in-law for direction on how to deal with a sobbing adolescent.
Immanu grinned and moved his arms to mimic giving the girl a hug.
Okay … if Ninsianna's own father said it was okay…
Pareesa's slender frame shook as she wept into his neck, but the embrace did not feel uncomfortable as such affection had previously felt, but loving. Why had he never been able to sense such things before from any person except for Ninsianna? At last Pareesa pulled back and wiped her eyes, her arm catching a long, clear string of excretions from her nostrils. With a cry of relief, she planted a kiss upon his lips as though it was something she had done many times.
A flush of color warmed Mikhail's pale cheeks. So? What else had people been doing with his body while he'd lain in a coma at the brink of death? He turned his attention back to the debriefing the Chief had come to give him.
"Do you have any leads at all?" Mikhail asked, his expression grim.
"Not one," Chief Kiyan said. "Whatever secrets Shahla knew about the Evil One, she took that knowledge to the grave."
"There is one that knows," Immanu hissed.
"Gita told us everything she knows," Chief Kiyan sighed. "Shahla was insane. You cannot keep faulting the girl for not giving any credence to a madwoman. It is my fault for keeping your daughter's premonition from the other villagers."
"We should let Mikhail interrogate her!" Immanu said. "Now that he has his memories back, perhaps something will sound familiar?"
"Then it's a good thing I did not let you make a burnt offering of her as you intended?" the Chief said. "Isn't it, old friend?"
"She is not guilty," Pareesa glared at Immanu. "I have told you thus a thousand times!"
"Where is she?" Immanu demanded.
"I sent Siamek to the pit to fish her out," Chief Kiyan said. "Mikhail can interrogate her, not you. You've been so determined to catch her in a lie that you have never listened to a word she said."
Mikhail realized he had grabbed Ninsianna's red cape and clutched it to his heart. If this girl had information about how to get back his wife, then he needed to speak with her. A familiar scent wafted out of the cape and tickled some ancient part of his brain. It fired off an odd echo of Ninsianna and an older memory of a little girl who had dark wings just like his.
"Mikhail?" Pareesa looked at him expectantly, as if he had drifted off mid-sentence.
"I'm sorry," Mikhail said. He pointed to his temple. "I feel as though there are two of me living inside my head at the moment; old-me, and the new-me who was adopted into your village. I have two sets of memories, and sometimes I have trouble telling which one belongs where."
"Are your memories completely restored?" Chief Kiyan asked.
Mikhail shut his eyes. He remembered being sent here to shadow a suspicious increase in smuggling activity. He remembered his surprise as he'd intercepted a Sata'anic transmission broadcasting images of what appeared to be wingless Angelics and realized what Shay't
an may have stumbled upon. He remembered the Sata'anic patrol ship which had flushed him out from the dark side of this planet's moon and his last, desperate broadcast to let his people know he might have very well stumbled across their salvation.
And then he searched further back in his memories. His time as a Special Forces officer within the Emperor's armies. Raphael. Jophiel … his cheeks flushed as he remembered he had volunteered for deep space reconnaissance to forget the beautiful white-winged Angelic whose advances he'd refused. His time with the Cherubim. Jingu, the Cherubim queen, admonishing him it was time to come out of his self-imposed hermitage and find himself a queen.
And then … nothing. At around the age Pareesa was now, all memories of his childhood stopped. He knew something bad had happened to his homeworld in that detached way somebody might know a fact after reading about it in a history book, but there was no personal information or feeling attached to that memory, as though he had not been there. All he knew was that, after it had happened, he'd had nowhere else to go until the Cherubim had taken him in.
Mikhail opened his eyes. Everybody looked at him as though his words would speak some ancient prophecy which would be the answer to all their prayers. It was time to remind them he was nothing more than a soldier in the Emperor's armies.
"There are still gaps," Mikhail said. "But even if there weren't, I don't think the missing knowledge is anything profound." He made eye contact with his father-in-law, noticing the man's tawny-beige eyes. "All I know is that that Eternal Emperor possessed eyes just like your daughter."
"What does that mean?"
"Luminescent golden eyes are said to be the mark of a spirit which has evolved enough to ascend," Mikhail said. "It means your daughter stands on the cusp of becoming something more. It would explain why this Evil One went out of his way to abduct her."
"Do you have any idea of who this Evil One might be?"
Mikhail searched his memories. A white-winged Angelic? That could describe any Angelic in the Emperor's armies except for him. As for likely enemies, the Emperor had to constantly guard against such usurpers, but most of them were connected to Shay'tan.
Sword of the Gods: Agents of Ki (Sword of the Gods Saga) Page 64
