Echoes and Embers

by Cyndi Friberg

  Torn between comforting Rosalind and the guilt still twisting her soul, Alyssa looked away from the girl’s grief-stricken face.

  You must be strong for her. Gabriel had been referring to Lailah, but the same held true for Rosalind. She swallowed with difficulty and turned back to her ward.

  “Lailah’s physical eyes were destroyed,” Alyssa explained, her tone carefully controlled, “but her angelic sight is still intact.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “She will have to learn how to see in a different way.”

  “Where is Lailah now?” Gadrayel slipped his arm around Rosalind’s shoulders and pulled her close against his side.

  “Gabriel has taken over her care until she recovers from this attack,” Sariel told him. “He will teach her how to compensate for her blindness with angelic sight.”

  “Gabriel?” Rosalind’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped. “The Gabriel?”

  Alyssa nodded. The wonder in Rosalind’s tone was a common reaction when people heard Gabriel’s name. “What happened to Lailah is only a small part of what you need to know.”

  “You said Paimon was destroyed,” Gadrayel commented. “What about Enos?”

  “The situation with Enos is more complicated.” Sariel folded his hands on the tabletop and shifted his weight on the bench. He hid his anxiety well, but Alyssa could sense his reluctance and his pain. “Before Enos Fell he was my brother.”

  Gadrayel didn’t react to the news. Alyssa suspected he already knew. She looked at Rosalind and found her confusion rapidly turning to disgust. Before the emotion could progress any further, Alyssa rushed on. “Every demon was once someone’s brother or sister, Rosalind. Angels and demons are flipsides of the same coin. You must stop thinking like a human.”

  Rosalind accepted the reprimand with a stiff nod. “What did they want with me? I still don’t understand why all this happened.”

  “For Paimon, you were a means to an end. For Enos it was more personal.” Alyssa braced herself for what she was about to reveal. Reality for Rosalind had shifted and changed continually over the past few days, and the adjustments had only begun. “As I just said, angels are generally created in pairs; they train together, mature together, much like human siblings. Paimon and her sister were created shortly before the Great Rebellion. She lost her sister when a third of Heaven Fell.”

  “Is that when Enos Fell?” Rosalind looked to Sariel for the answer.

  “Nay.” He glanced away from her expectant gaze. “His Fall was more recent, but we will return to Enos. Let Alyssa explain.”

  Accepting his cue, Alyssa went on. “Paimon longed for the security of her sister. The bond, the connection is important to an angel. No one wants to be alone. So, she set her sights on Lailah.”

  “But Lailah is your sister.”

  “Aye. Paimon did everything in her power to lure Lailah away from me, to create conflict between us.” She paused for a deep breath, knowing the tale was about to get much more convoluted. “About this same time Paimon met a cherub named Ambrose.”

  Rosalind gasped. “Lucifer’s brother. You spoke of him before. Did Michael give Paimon a challenge like he gave you and Gideon?”

  “Nay. Paimon was not there that day on the hillside. She had to have learned about the Rebel Angels after we were dispersed.” Alyssa licked her lips, wishing she had a cup of water, or better yet, wine. “Lailah was lost to her and Paimon was truly alone.”

  “So she Fell.”

  “Aye.” An unexpected twinge of pity pierced Alyssa’s heart. How could she feel sorry for that creature for even an instant?

  Just as you’re fascinated by the darkness, I sometimes hunger for the light.

  Enos’ words echoed back to her, compounding her conflicted emotions.

  With a ragged sigh, Alyssa forced back her compassion and focused on the facts. “Paimon’s determination to have Lailah didn’t end with her Fall. I don’t know when or how she joined forces with Enos, but it was obvious they were helping each other. When I arrived in your form, Paimon was furious. She knew I would never intentionally put you in danger. She counted on my coming to confront her. But instead of me, you appeared, offering yourself in exchange for Lailah.”

  Sariel took up the tale. “Paimon tried to tempt Lailah into Falling, and when she refused, Paimon punished her. I couldn’t reach her before she touched Lailah’s eyes.”

  “Enos attacked her as well,” Alyssa added. “The combination of his demonic sword and Sariel’s angelic sword destroyed Paimon.”

  “Enos helped kill Paimon?” Rosalind sounded aghast. “Why would he do that?”

  “Because you were there, or he thought I was you.”

  Rosalind didn’t speak, but her posture stiffened and her eyes filled with dread.

  “Enos sought you out at court.” The truth lodged in Alyssa’s throat. There was no easy way to explain the final revelation. “Enos’ search for us led him to you. Lady Catherine, or perhaps your father, concealed the truth from him. Enos didn’t realize you existed until he saw you that day at court. He wanted you to know he didn’t force your grandmother. He seduced her, but he didn’t ravage her.”

  “Enos is my grandfather.” There was no question in her tone, just a shaky acceptance of fact. “I am part demon.” She turned her head and looked at Gadrayel. “That’s why you couldn’t take me to Heaven. I wanted to see your home, but you insisted we hide in the abbey.”

  “We were unable to identify your nature because, to our knowledge, you are unique.” Gadrayel stroked the side of her face, his eyes filled with tenderness.

  “Am I evil?”

  “There is evil in you as there is evil in all mankind,” Sariel said with quiet authority. “But you control your nature; your nature does not control you. Your life will be filled with temptations and choices. Your future is determined by the choices you make.”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and turned back to Sariel. “What are my choices? Am I immortal?”

  Sariel smiled. “I met with the Council of Ancients. I knew you would have many questions. They were able to prepare some answers—others are simply up to you. You are not immortal, but they suspect you will live much longer than an ordinary human, perhaps several hundred years. As you mature, they anticipate your developing angelic abilities, but they were unable to predict which ones.”

  Her eyes grew a bit rounder with each fact he revealed. “Will I be able to have children and will my children inherit these abilities?”

  “There are different scenarios that produce different outcomes.”

  Rosalind chuckled at the obvious evasion. “You were doing so well. I had never heard you provide such specific, detailed information before.” She paused then tried again. “Am I able to bear children?”

  “Aye.”

  Her gaze narrowed and her cheeks flushed as understanding finally struck. “If a human fathers my children it will dilute my angelic blood. But if an angel…” She looked at Gadrayel then back at Sariel. “Can Ray and I have children?”

  “There was much debate regarding that possible outcome. Gadrayel is capable of producing offspring and so are you. Gadrayel is immortal while you will eventually die. The complications that developed with the Nephilim stemmed from the incompatibility of angelic and human physiology. Your physiology is not human.”

  “Meaning?” she asked impatiently.

  “The council could find no justification for forbidding your union with Gadrayel. You must each understand there will be great challenges awaiting you, and Rosalind must remain here on Earth.” He took a deep breath and glanced at Alyssa before he said, “I’ve been sanctioned to bless your union if that’s what you desire.”

  “Our children would be…”

  “A unique race of beings,” Sariel said, as if it were an insignificant detail. “Like you they would not be immortal, but their lifespan would be prolonged. They would likely have various angelic abilities.” He paused again, his exp
ression commanding her full attention. “The council was insistent on one point. With great power comes great responsibility. If this is allowed, you would become a race of guardians, champions, healers and teachers, living among, but separate from mankind.”

  Rosalind stared back at him, silent and still.

  “You’ve shocked her into silence.” Alyssa smiled. “This has to be a first.”

  “The decision need not be made right now. I’m simply explaining your options.”

  Gadrayel inclined his head, his gaze shining. Alyssa could sense the emotional tempest raging beneath his calm exterior. He was thrilled and excited, frightened and confused, but overshadowing all was his overwhelming joy that a future with Rosalind was possible.

  “We appreciate your effort on our behalf,” Gadrayel said, his voice revealing more than his calm features. “You’ve given us much to think about, much to discuss. I’m sure you and Lady Alyssa have plans to make as well. We’ll leave you to it.”

  He escorted Rosalind from the room.

  “Will Gadrayel give up Heaven for Rosalind?” Alyssa asked after the other couple departed.

  “Without hesitation.” Sariel rolled his shoulders and pivoted on the bench to face her. “He loves her and he has grown weary of the hunt.”

  “Is hunting the Nephilim all your order does?”

  “Nay. Our missions are widely varied, but Gadrayel is one of my best hunters.” He smiled. “Or he was until your ward stole his heart.”

  She didn’t know how to begin the next phase of the conversation. Had the Council of Ancients had sage words for them? Or was their future still undecided? “Did you gather information for us or was the meeting regarding Rosalind alone?”

  “What do you think?” His smile caressed her, melted the tension gripping her heart. “I must return to my order, but I want my mate at my side.”

  She pressed her lips together to conceal their trembling. “They will allow it? I can go with you?”

  “As long as you speak only truth you will be welcomed in the fifth level of Heaven.”

  “What of Rosalind? If she must remain here and I—”

  “There are no prisoners in Heaven. If you return with me, you can visit Rosalind and monitor her progress. You will not be allowed beyond the fifth level of Heaven, but others can join you there.”

  “Gideon and Naomi? I could see them again?”

  Smiling broadly, he nodded.

  Alyssa stared at him, unable to speak.

  He laughed softly. “Now who is stunned into silence?”

  Pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks, she could only smile. Her heart pounded within her breast and tears of joy blurred her vision.

  His smile faltered and his expression grew serious. “You do know that it is Rosalind’s human nature that allows her to procreate. The Grigori can produce children with humans, but a child has never resulted when two angels mate.”

  “We cannot have children?” The thought gave her a moment’s pause.

  “It is not possible.”

  The mists were gone, she had found her true mate and her heart nearly burst with love. Did he expect her to be disappointed? “But we can still join with each other?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

  He grinned. “Every chance we get.”

  “And we are both immortal?”

  He nodded.

  She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. “Oh my love, we will spend eternity together—and I am going home!”

  Rebel Angels, Book Three

  SPLENDOR AND DARKNESS

  By Cyndi Friberg

  “There is no peace in Heaven, and life has lost its splendor.” With those words Lailah joins the ranks of the Rebel Angels. Now she is on a quest to rediscover life’s splendor, which isn’t easy as an Angel of Death.

  Nate’s life is shattered when brigands claim the lives of his family. He nearly surrenders to despair when an ethereal creature appears offering comfort and tenderness. Convinced she is only an illusion, Nate abandons himself to the dream.

  A year later an old friend arrives at Monthamn Castle for an extended visit. Nate is shocked and fascinated when his friend’s traveling companion turns out to be the “angel” from his dream.

  Can a shattered soul and an Angel of Death find peace in each other’s arms?

  From Cyndi: The final installment in my Rebel Angels trilogy is darker and more extreme than the first two books. Lailah is an Angel of Death, so I deal with grief, loss, and the restorative power of love. I kept the story in medieval England. I couldn’t resist all the opportunities for drama in such a savage era. As with the other two books, Splendor and Darkness blends historical detail with paranormal elements. There are more scheming demons, flaming swords, and a clairvoyant human determined to protect her children from forces she doesn’t understand. Each of these stories is special to me. I hope you enjoy them too!

  About the Author

  Anything-but-Ordinary is Cyndi's creed and her writing reflects her dedication to the concept. She writes in a variety of genres, but seems happiest in outer space. Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, and Taken by Storm was named Best Fantasy/Science Fiction Romance of the year by Romance Reviews Today.

  She lives in Colorado with her high school sweetheart turned husband of many years. With a pampered cat curled on the corner of her desk, she dreams of fascinating words and larger than life adventures -- and wouldn't have it any other way!

  Website / Blog

  Cyndi’s other books

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