[The Watchers 22.0] Everlasting Fire - Between Worlds

by SJ West

  I have to smile at his intuition. “I think you know me too well.”

  “I’ve just seen that look on your face one too many times over the years,” he replies, looking worried.

  “Well, you’re right. Something she said tonight does worry me about the trip to the down-world tomorrow. Have you had any visions about it?”

  Lucas shakes his head. “No. I haven’t. Do you think she’s going to try to hurt the twins?”

  “Honestly,” I sigh, “I don’t think she would. She seems to care about Liana in her own strange way, and Liam she doesn’t even really know, except through our memories of him. She seemed more concerned that Hale and his group will try to disrupt our visit.”

  Lucas crosses his arms over his chest and lowers his head slightly as he considers my predicament.

  “I think you and Dad are right about it being time for the twins to see how the down-worlders live. All they’ve been exposed to are the pictures and videos that you’ve shown them. Seeing it with their own eyes will finally make them understand why you spend so much time trying to help the citizens in your territory. Maybe one day the people here will vote to lower the cloud city to the down-world and help breach the social divide, but until that time comes, you need to prepare Liana and Liam the best way you can to become great rulers one day.”

  “Do you miss being down there?” I have to ask, since I hear a sense of longing in Lucas’s voice. “Personally, I miss the snow and the beach. It’s been so long since any of us have dared to leave Cirrus. In a way, I feel like we’ve let Hale and the others win by isolating ourselves here in the city for so long. Ever since God took most of the rebellion angels back to Heaven with Him, we’ve stayed here thinking it’s safer than anywhere else, but sometimes I wonder if that was the best decision.”

  “You won’t feel that way forever,” Lucas assures me. “One day soon, we’ll all be able to go to the beach house and the one in New Orleans without having to worry about the rebellion angels attacking us.”

  “How do you know that?” I ask, since Lucas has never mentioned this to me before.

  “Something big is going to happen,” he says with certainty. “I’m not sure what it is, but I do know it’ll happen within at least the next ten years.”

  “What have you seen?” I ask, excited by the prospect of venturing to the down-world on a more regular basis.

  Lucas looks hesitant to say what he’s seen in his vision, but finally he decides to tell me.

  “I’ve seen you playing with a little boy that looks just like Dad,” he tells me, closely watching my reaction to what he just said.

  “A little boy?” I ask, finding this part of his vision odd. “And you’re sure he looks like Malcolm?”

  Lucas nods. “Now, I know you said you can’t have any more children, Mom, but in the vision, I got the feeling he was yours too. I don’t know how or why, but you’ll be able to have more children in the future.”

  “How long have you known about this?” I ask, having a hard time believing Lucas’s prophecy because Desmond told me the damage done to my womb while I was pregnant with the twins is irreversible.

  “I had the vision a few days ago.” Lucas looks a little embarrassed for not telling me this news sooner. “I was sort of hoping I would have another vision to tell me how you’re able to have another child, but I haven’t had any more since then. All I know is that you were building a sand castle in front of the beach house with him, and you weren’t that much older than you are now.”

  I want to believe Lucas’s vision will come true one day, but I fear placing my faith in it will lead me down a path of heartbreak. When I first learned I couldn’t have any more children, I ended up becoming depressed to the point where I didn’t even want to get out of bed. If it hadn’t been for Malcolm and the kids, I’m not sure I would have recovered as quickly. It was only through their love for me that I finally found the strength to put something that was out of my control behind me. Now, with this new information from Lucas, a spark of new hope flares inside my heart. I just hope it’s given enough oxygen to flourish.

  “I wondered where you were,” Malcolm says, walking into Lucas’s room to stand beside me. “I was beginning to worry Helena finally went psycho and decided to keep you in Hell with her.”

  “No,” I tell him, finding his worry endearing as I place my right arm around the back of his waist to pull him in closer to me. “I was discussing tomorrow with Lucas and learned something rather extraordinary in return.”

  “Oh?” Malcolm asks, looking between me and our eldest. “Am I allowed to know what the it was about?”

  I go on to tell Malcolm Helena’s strange warning and why I came to Lucas in the first place. Then I allow our son to tell his father the vision he saw of me and the little Malcolm look-alike on the sand in front of the beach house in the down-world.

  “And you’re positive it was our son?” Malcolm asks, looking as confused and hopeful as me about Lucas’s prophecy.

  “Yeah,” Lucas says, smiling at his father. “I’ll admit, at first, I thought it meant you cheated on Mom and had a kid with another woman.”

  “Lucas,” Malcolm says admonishingly, as if such a notion should have never even entered his thoughts.

  “Yeah, I know, Dad. You wouldn’t ever do that, but it did cross my mind until I thought about the vision some more. There was no mistaking how Mom was looking at the little boy.”

  “How was I looking at him?” I ask.

  “Like he was a miracle,” my son replies. “The more I thought about it, the more certain I became that he was your son by birth. I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I know.”

  “And you haven’t had any visions about tomorrow?” Malcolm asks, just to confirm what’s already been said.

  Lucas shakes his head. “None. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow. I wish I did so I could ease your minds.”

  “That’s all right,” I tell him, releasing my hold on Malcolm so I can walk over to Lucas and give him a hug around the shoulders. “You’ve given me something even more precious: hope.”

  “It’ll happen, Mom,” Lucas reassures me as he hugs me back. “You’ll have more children with Dad. I’ve seen it.”

  “You said children and not just child,” Malcolm points out as I let Lucas go. “Have you seen more than you’re telling us?”

  “No. I’ve only see the one little boy, but if Mom is able to have children again, I assume you’ll probably want more than just one.”

  “You assume correctly,” I tell him with a small laugh, daring to hope I can fulfill Malcolm’s wish for a castle full of children one day.

  Malcolm steps forward and takes one of my hands with his.

  “Why don’t you get some sleep, Lucas,” he urges. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”

  As Malcolm and I leave Lucas’s room, he doesn’t waste any time by walking down the hallway. He phases us directly to our bedroom and tosses me onto our bed while he quickly begins to disrobe.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, unable to prevent myself from smiling as my husband stands completely naked in front of me with a look in his eyes I’ve seen many times before.

  “I’m going to ravish you and do my best to make Lucas’s vision come true,” he declares before practically pouncing on the bed like a tiger and quickly covering me with his body to prove just how ready he is to make my dreams come true.

  “Do you really think it’ll happen?” I ask him, allowing myself to hope for such a miracle.

  “I think so, my love,” he says, cupping the side of my face with one hand as he gazes down at me with more love than anyone could ever ask for from another person. “Lucas’s visions have a good track record of coming true, and I don’t doubt this one for a moment.”

  “But how?” I ask, understanding the biology of my body and not seeing a way around it without some sort of divine intervention.

  “I don’t know,” Malcolm replies as he dips his head down to plan
t slow, small kisses all over my face. “I’ll accept this miracle without asking any questions because I know how happy it will make you.”

  “And you too,” I say.

  “And me too,” he admits with a small smile. “But mostly I’ll be happy to see you feel whole again. I know how hard it’s been to realize you won’t be able to have any more children. You’ve been trying to hide it, but there isn’t a lot I don’t pick up on when it concerns your happiness. I was being truthful when I said I didn’t need any more kids, but I know you do.”

  “At least one more,” I reply, lifting my hands to bury my fingers in Malcolm’s long hair. “A mini-you is just what the doctor called for, and I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “Me neither.” Malcolm lowers his head again and this time claims my lips with a fierce determination. The urgency of his kiss causes me to wonder why I’m still wearing all my clothes, but he quickly helps me remedy that small problem so we can lie naked within each other’s arms and do our very best to create the next prince of Cirrus.

  The next morning I’m a nervous wreck. Malcolm and I discussed leaving the children in Cirrus, but ultimately, we decided that none of us should live in fear anymore. Both Liana and Liam can phase to safety if it comes to that, and Lucas was fitted with a personal transporter device years ago. He spends so much time with Bai at Linn’s house that we gave him one on his tenth birthday. Daniel’s wife and I still have an uneasy relationship, but time has softened her feelings toward me. I hold out no hope that she’ll ever forgive me for accidentally killing Daniel, but I’m grateful she hasn’t transferred her feelings toward me to Lucas.

  For our first excursion with the children, we decided to give them each their own personal guard. Liana’s protector was the easiest one to choose. Since she carries the Guardian of the Guf named Arel, we asked Marcus to be her guard for the day. In Heaven, Marcus was Arel’s personal War Angel protector and was given the name of Manakel. Considering his connection to our daughter, it seemed fitting to have him be her guard.

  Since Liam carries Andel, the Guardian of the Guf Aiden was created by, we couldn’t very well ask my ancestor to come down from Heaven just to play babysitter to our son, even though I know he would have loved the opportunity since he’s now Liam’s Guardian Angel. Although I would love to see Aiden again, I hope he never has a reason to come back to Earth to help Liam.

  Honestly, I thought the need for Guardian Angels would end with me, but apparently, that isn’t the case. My children have a destiny that must be protected. I’m just not certain what it is God wants them to do for Him. Perhaps Liana is already fulfilling part of her purpose by forging a relationship with Helena. Nevertheless, I still remain concerned that my sister will somehow corrupt Liana during the time they spend with one another. That’s one reason why Malcolm and I ensure that she only spends five minutes a night in Hell. Staying there any longer than that would make us fear for our daughter’s soul.

  I wish I could ask God why He decided to send Liana to Helena on Cal’s fifth birthday. Unfortunately, no one on Earth has seen Him since, and His absence from our lives has been felt by all of us. I have so many questions I want answered, and I know that’s part of the reason why He’s been keeping His distance. All I want is reassurance that my family will be safe and have full, happy lives. I suppose that’s what everyone wants, but most people are never given the opportunity to receive that kind of peace of mind.

  For Liam’s protector, we chose to ask Jered to fill that spot. When the children were both six, it was painfully obvious that Liam needed extra help with his swordsmanship. Both Malcolm and I knew the perfect tutor for our son would be Jered, since our friend needed something to take his mind off his problems with his own son. Over the past few years, Jered and Liam have formed a friendship that Malcolm and I have wholeheartedly encouraged.

  Jered’s obsession to reconcile with his son, Silas, came to a sudden standstill after Cal’s birth. With Helena trapped inside her domain, she was no longer able to phase Silas to whatever planet she needed him on to carry out her plans. Silas seemed to disappear into the ether, and none of us have been able to find him. After searching for his son for a solid five years, Jered finally came to the conclusion that he would only find Silas when his son wanted to be found.

  “Is everything ready?” I ask Malcolm as he walks into the twins’ room with Lucas and Luna by his side. I finish adjusting the collar on Liana’s red wool coat while I wait for his answer.

  “It’s all set up,” he tells me. “The townspeople are waiting on us to phase down.”

  “Is it snowing?” Liam asks excitedly.

  We’ve made it snow in Cirrus for the children to play in, but our artificial snow is far too powdery to make a proper snowball or snowman with.

  “It is,” Malcolm replies as he smiles and winks at our son.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve seen real snow,” Vala says as she wags her tail excitedly from her spot beside me.

  “I guess today’s your lucky day then,” I tell my robotic friend. “Maybe we can go to the New Orleans house after our visit with the miners and their families so we can play in it.”

  “Can we really?” Liana asks enthusiastically, unable to keep herself from jumping up and down a little bit. “I would love to do that!”

  “Why don’t we wait to see how this visit to the down-world goes first before we make more travel plans,” Malcolm suggests, being the surprising voice of reason.

  The kids start to whine and moan in disappointment, but I know Malcolm’s caution isn’t unfounded.

  “Your father’s right,” I say, feeling bad now for having raised their hopes. “We’ve told you both how dangerous it is for us to travel to the surface. I suppose I got excited about going too. I shouldn’t have suggested that we stay there any longer than we need to.”

  “I didn’t say we couldn’t go,” Malcolm is quick to tell me. “I’m just suggesting we see how this visit turns out first. Then we can make a decision on whether or not to take the kids to New Orleans.” Malcolm holds out his right hand to me. “Come on, my love. Let’s go see your people. They’ve waited a long time for this day.”

  I walk over to Malcolm and accept his hand. His touch instantly brings me comfort and confidence. It has been a long time since I was on the surface. All of the work I’ve done to help the down-world has been done from Cirrus and through my War Angel emissaries. It took a while for the people on the surface to learn to trust my angels, but now they freely go to them when they need help. It was Malcolm who suggested we set up an office within each major city so our citizens could freely report both good and bad news to us. So far, it’s done quite a bit to improve our relations with the down-worlders.

  “Come on, children,” I say, holding my hand out to Liam as he grabs Liana’s hand before taking mine. “Let’s go see the people you’ll be in charge of helping one day.”

  Malcolm phases us all down to the surface where a small contingent of my War Angels are waiting. I didn’t want to overwhelm the populace of the small town of Stanton with a large entourage. Our visit was meant to stay low-key, but from the number of townspeople present, it appears they all turned up to welcome us.

  As my family and I stand at the top of the steps just outside the large white stone structure where the newly installed transporter is located, I look out into the street leading up to the building and see it filled to capacity with the citizens of Stanton. There are old-fashioned, brick-and-mortar buildings lining either side of the thoroughfare, which acts as a channel for the large crowd that has gathered to welcome us. For a moment, I do indeed feel like royalty as the people of this town begin to cheer and wave at my family. The children instantly soak up all of the attention and begin to wave and smile back at the crowd like natural leaders.

  Sean Rhodes, the overlord in charge of handling raw minerals, walks over to us and extends a hand in welcome to me first. Sean is a distinguished, older black gentleman and one of the few ove
rlords I decided to keep on after I assumed the throne of Cirrus. He’s in his late seventies now and keeps threatening to retire, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. He loves his job almost as much as he loves the people of the down-world, and both seem to keep him active and driven to continue working.

  “The people of Stanton wanted me to personally welcome you to their town, Empress Anna,” he says. “They’re all honored that you chose to bring your children to their fair city first after being away from the surface for so long.”

  “Thank you, Sean,” I reply with a small tilt of my head in acknowledgment of his words. “We’re just happy to be here with everyone.”

  “The children of this town have been practicing very hard on a song to sing to you,” Sean says proudly. “Would you like to hear it?”

  I nod my head. “Yes. I would like that very much.”

  He turns to face the gathered crowd and holds his right arm up to wave his hand in the air like a prearranged signal to someone. My family and I watch as a multitude of children from ages six to thirteen hurry to the foot of the steps and line up in rows as they stand proudly before us. One of the older kids begins a countdown from the number five, which seems to coordinate the beginning of the song.

  As the children begin to sing, I look over at my own kids to watch their reactions. Both Liam and Lucas are smiling and seem to be enjoying the rendition of an old song about happier days. As they listen, I notice Liana’s attention is suddenly drawn to something within the crowd. I follow her gaze to see what has captured her curiosity and see a man standing within the sea of people who has lost both of his arms at the elbows. Instinctively, I want to tell Liana that it isn’t polite to stare at someone less fortunate than us, but then I second-guess such an admonishment.

  The whole point of us coming to the down-world was for Liana and Liam to see with their own eyes how the people here live. In Cirrus, if someone lost half their arms in some sort of freak accident, they would be fitted with robotic replacements almost immediately. Since such medical care isn’t available in the down-world yet, people, such as this man, must learn how to survive without appendages. In time, I know I can change the futures of millions within my territory, but improvements can’t take place overnight. If we flood these people with technology they’re not equipped to use and don’t understand, we won’t be doing them any favors. We’ll simply end up confusing them and possibly making them afraid of the very technology that can enrich their lives. In a comparable sense, it would be like giving a prehistoric caveman a computer with only the most basic instructions.