The Veritas

by Wendy Saunders

  He turned his serious gaze to Olivia.

  ‘Stronger, so much stronger it was like a punch to the gut, but there was something he wasn’t telling me. It was like he’d come to say goodbye to me. He didn’t say as much but it was like he was going off to war, a war he didn’t expect to come back from. He said where he was going, he couldn’t take me with him, that he didn’t want me to get hurt. Something was really wrong Olivia and he was worried. Then he disappeared.’

  ‘What do you mean disappeared?’ she asked sharply.

  ‘I mean, he was there one minute then he was gone,’ he shook his head, frowning. ‘This wasn’t like witch smoke; the only other time I’ve seen someone disappear like that was when you use the compass or when…’

  ‘Sam disappears,’ Olivia finished for him.

  ‘When Sam disappears,’ Davis nodded, ‘and the kind of power and presence I felt from him, it was almost exactly like it feels like when Sam is close by. If I had to guess I’d say they’re the same race.’

  ‘This person,’ she asked thoughtfully, ‘do you trust him?’

  ‘I do,’ Davis replied firmly, ‘and I also know he’s back in New Orleans.’

  ‘You know this for certain?’

  ‘I do,’ Davis sighed. ‘He doesn’t seem to realize I can feel him, constantly. Sometimes he’s far away, but it’s always there, the connection. It’s strange,’ he frowned, ‘I can’t seem to do it with anyone else, not even my twin sister.’

  A small smile tugged at Olivia’s lips as her thoughts replayed Hades words about soul mates in her mind. She wasn’t about to tell her uncle; he’d have to come to terms with his sexuality in his own time, but suddenly she felt a closeness that hadn’t been there before. Like he’d shared a deep secret with her, only he wasn’t aware of it. It was a tentative bond, but it was a bond none the less.

  ‘They’re called Sentinels,’ she offered quietly. ‘If your… friend is the same race as Sam, they’re called Sentinels.’

  ‘Sentinels?’ he frowned. ‘I’ve never heard of them.’

  ‘Neither had I until Hades stopped by my house the other night and decided to fill me in.’

  ‘Hades?’ Davis’s eyes widened. ‘You throw that into the conversation so casually.’

  ‘I suppose I am a little jaded now,’ she smiled in amusement. ‘The shock tends to wear off after a while.’

  Davis shook his head incredulously.

  ‘So, what is a Sentinel?’

  ‘Um,’ she stared at him apologetically, ‘there’s really not an easy way to break this to you, but the Sentinels are Heaven born, like the angels.’

  ‘Excuse me?’ he blinked slowly.

  ‘Yeah,’ she nodded.

  ‘Angels?’

  ‘Oh yeah,’ she added, ‘they’re real by the way and I’m willing to bet, your buddies, the glowing ones out there,’ she pointed toward the window, ‘are angels.’

  ‘But I didn’t sense anything…’

  ‘Benevolent about them?’ she supplied helpfully.

  ‘If anything, they seem pissed.’

  ‘If I’m right about what they’re searching for, they will be,’ she frowned as she stared absently toward the door. ‘They’re also looking in the wrong place.’

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘Because what they’re looking for is currently unconscious in my house.’

  His eyes widened.

  ‘What have you gotten mixed up in this time?’

  ‘That’s still up for debate,’ she pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘Anyway listen, Sentinels and angels, big time enemies. According to Hades each believe they should rule Heaven in God’s absence. That’s why no one’s ever really heard of Sentinels, they almost never leave Heaven, with the exception of Sam and your friend it seems.’

  ‘Is this person in your house the reason you need a healer?’ Davis asked.

  She nodded affirmatively.

  ‘We need to go and see my friend then.’

  ‘What’s his name?’ she asked curiously, ‘and why do we need to see him?’

  ‘Julien,’ he replied after a moment, ‘and because if anyone can find you a healer with the kind of power you need, it’s him.’

  ‘Davis!’ Nathan hurried back into the room. Grabbing his half empty glass in one hand and his arm in the other he pulled Davis urgently from his seat. ‘You have to go now!’

  There was a sudden pounding on the main door.

  ‘Go now,’ he shoved Davis as Olivia joined him, ‘out the back!’

  Not needing to be told twice, Davis grabbed Olivia’s hand and pulled her through the restaurant.

  ‘Brace yourself,’ he told her a second before she found herself once again being dragged molecule by molecule through wooden paneling and a wall.

  They emerged on the other side, once again in the daylight but this time in a car park. Davis shoved Olivia behind a parked car and crouched next to her.

  This time the nausea wasn’t too bad, but her head still spun a little woozily.

  ‘Sorry,’ he whispered.

  He peered out from behind the car to see two suited men prowling the car park, their skin glowing brightly in the sunshine.

  ‘Shit,’ Davis frowned as he once again grabbed Olivia’s hand.

  They crouched down warily, creeping between the parked cars until they were able to sneak back out onto the main street.

  ‘Damn it,’ Davis rounded the corner and pressed her against the wall protectively. ‘If only it were darker, we’d have a better chance. I don’t like our odds of making it across the Quarter in daylight without being seen.’

  ‘Not a problem,’ Olivia pulled the compass from the neck of her shirt. ‘You might want to hold on.’

  Davis wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in as he looked down at the compass in her hand, which this time appeared to be a small golden sundial.

  ‘Fascinating,’ he murmured as it began to spin.

  He looked up entranced as he watched time speed up and progress around them. Tourists wandered around and passed by as if they couldn’t see them. Several of the strange suited and glowing men appeared and milled around as if they could sense them but couldn’t see them. Eventually they too turned and disappeared.

  The sun in the sky began to lower toward the horizon, fading into vivid slashes of pink and purple before deepening to a dark indigo sky highlighted with tiny pinpricks of light.

  Finally, the sundial stopped spinning and Olivia tucked it back into her shirt.

  ‘There,’ she glanced at her watch, ‘it’s about half past nine.’

  ‘Perfect,’ Davis shook his head in amazement. ‘You always find new ways to surprise me Olivia.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she huffed out a laugh.

  ‘Pull your hood up,’ Davis glanced out into the street as he took her hand. ‘Now we’ve got to get to Julien without being seen.’

  11

  ‘This is insane Julien,’ Issac scowled, pulling the curtain aside a fraction and peering nervously into the street. ‘It’s suicide staying in the Quarter as long as we have. I hope whatever that shit is, it’s worth it.’

  ‘This shit,’ Julien finished sealing the last crate, ‘is incredibly valuable.’

  ‘Money isn’t going to do either of us any good if we’re dead.’

  ‘This isn’t about money,’ Julien laid his palms on the lid of the wooden packing crate. ‘I’ve spent centuries collecting all of this; trust me, we’re going to need most of it before this is over.’

  Issac watched as Julien’s hands glowed a warm muted red and the large crate disappeared, much as the other ones had.

  ‘Where are you sending them anyway?’ Issac asked irritably.

  ‘Wisconsin,’ Julien muttered.

  ‘Wisconsin? What the hell’s in Wisconsin?’

  ‘One of my storage facilities,’ Julien turned to Issac. ‘Okay that’s the last one, we need to get out of town before they find us.’

  ‘Running again?’ a
familiar voice asked from the doorway.

  Julien turned slowly.

  ‘Davis?’ his eyes widened, ‘what are you doing here?’

  ‘Really?’ Davis replied dryly, ‘that’s all you have to say to me?’

  ‘It’s not safe for you to be here,’ Julien replied angrily.

  ‘A fact I’m well aware of,’ Davis snapped back.

  They stood staring, each with eyes blazing angrily. The tension in the air hung heavy with the weight of too much left unsaid.

  ‘Well I think that’s enough awkwardness,’ Olivia stepped forward. ‘We really don’t have time for you two to settle your issues right now.’

  Julien’s gaze broke away from Davis to settle on Olivia, as if he hadn’t noticed she was in the room.

  ‘You’ve heard of my niece?’ Davis’s voice rumbled quietly. ‘Olivia.’

  ‘Of course,’ Julien replied smoothly; any trace of his earlier anger gone. ‘Guardian,’ he inclined his head a fraction of an inch. ‘You honor my house,’ he glanced around at the almost bare room where what little furniture was left was covered with huge dust sheets, ‘such as it is,’ he continued, ‘with your presence.’

  ‘Uh huh,’ Olivia replied non committedly. ‘Listen, Julien is it? Forgive my bluntness here, but I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed the hordes of swarming angels out there and I’m pretty sure you also know they’re not the cloud sitting, harp playing type. Clearly none of us want to be here longer than is necessary, so I’ll get straight to the point. I need a healer, one with some pretty hefty mojo and I need them now. Davis here, seems to think you can help me. Is he wrong?’

  ‘Not at all,’ Julien’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. His gaze flicked to the window where he knew the angels were searching the streets, before turning back to Olivia. ‘Why would you need a healer?’ he asked suspiciously.

  ‘That’s none of your business.’

  His eyes narrowed further as he watched her, a slow realization dawning in his mind as the pieces began to fall into place.

  ‘You know where Scarlett is, don’t you?’

  Olivia’s face remained impassive.

  ‘Who?’ she replied calmly.

  ‘Oh… you know,’ he replied. ‘You see, I know Sam extremely well. He talked about you a lot Olivia West. Not only does he think very highly of you, but he trusts you. The angels haven’t walked the earth in these kinds of numbers since the dark ages. There is only one reason they would show up now and in this city. I know for a fact Scarlett was captured with Sam, here in New Orleans, a little under a week ago. The angels showed up about 48 hours ago searching for something, which can only mean she’s escaped. If Sam was loose, they’d send our people after him, not the angels. It has to be her and in the short time they had her, I can only imagine what they did to her. That’s why you need a healer, isn’t it? She’s hurt?’

  Olivia stared at him coolly, her gaze assessing.

  ‘There is only one place she’d be safe,’ Julien continued slowly, ‘and that is under the protection of the Guardian.’

  ‘Do you know a healer or not?’ Olivia replied, neither confirming nor denying his supposition.

  ‘Please,’ Julien replied quietly, his voice filled with worry, ‘just tell me, is she alive?’

  Olivia hesitated for a moment, seeing the genuine concern in his eyes.

  ‘She may not be for much longer if I can’t get a healer,’ she finally replied.

  ‘Issac,’ Julien nodded to the man standing beside the window, watching warily, ‘he’s a healer.’

  ‘Seriously?’ Her gaze dropped to his hooked hands, then back up to his face before turning back to Julien. ‘No offence to the Candyman over there but I’m serious. I need a healer with star quarterback healing skills.’

  ‘He is,’ Julien nodded, ‘I promise you. Issac is the most powerful healer on earth, with just one slight caveat.’

  ‘Which is?’ she asked impatiently.

  ‘We need to make a deal with the Bone Man to get his hands back, or his power won’t work.’

  Olivia closed her eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh.

  ‘It’s never simple, is it?’ she turned toward Issac. ‘If I get you your hands back you can heal?’

  ‘I can,’ he answered quietly as he studied her.

  She turned to Davis who was watching quietly.

  ‘You trust him,’ she nodded toward Julien.

  Davis stared at Julien silently. ‘I do.’ he finally admitted, even though his expression still bore traces of anger

  ‘Fine,’ she conceded she turned back to Julien and Issac. ‘Let’s go see the Bone Man and get your hands back.’

  ‘There’s a faster way,’ Julien hurried to the door and paused, indicating for Olivia to follow.

  She cast one last glance at Davis and as he nodded, she turned and followed Julien through the huge house and out onto the back porch. It opened up into a charming little courtyard garden enclosed on all sides by lush greenery. A small gray stone fountain with three tiers of pleasantly trickling water stood in the center, flanked by elegant iron benches.

  Ignoring it entirely Julien turned to the left wall of the garden. Grabbing handfuls of vines and leaves, he pulled them aside to reveal what looked to be a much smaller, older fountain. It wasn’t much more than a stone plate against the wall, with a whimsical gargoyle mounted on it. Its mouth hung open and directly below was a deep stone basin. It no longer held water, but the pale gray stone was stained with dark brown trails from where the water used to gush freely.

  Julien grabbed the gargoyle’s head and pulled down hard. With a hollow clunk and a slow hiss, the head sank downward, and as it did the whole fountain opened inward revealing a doorway leading to a dark, dank passageway.

  ‘Haven’t had to use this in a few centuries,’ Julien pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it over his mouth. ‘I hope it’s still intact.’

  Olivia and Davis cast a worried glance at each other before following Julien into the dark tunnel, with Issac following silently behind them.

  ‘Careful,’ Julien warned as he flicked open his silver lighter and held it up high. ‘I don’t have a flashlight and the ground will be very uneven.’

  Olivia snapped her fingers and three of her dragonflies burst into flame, bathing them all in the warm red and gold glow of her earth fire.

  Both Issac and Julien stared at the bright creatures, snapping and dancing with flame as they hovered above them lighting the old damp tunnel.

  ‘Incredible,’ Julien muttered, his handkerchief momentarily forgotten as he stood with his lips parted slightly in fascination.

  ‘God what is that smell?’ Olivia’s nose wrinkled as she cupped her hand over her nose and mouth.

  ‘Stagnant water,’ Davis gagged slightly as he too covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

  ‘Come on,’ Julien urged them on, ‘there are several steps down, so be careful.’

  They followed him further into the tunnel down steep, crumbling stone steps. Olivia stumbled on the last one as it gave way, but Davis turned and caught her gently as a chunk of masonry tumbled down to the bottom of the stairs and landed with a splash.

  ‘Urgh,’ Olivia frowned as her foot landed in something wet.

  ‘It’s flooded,’ Julien muttered, ‘but it should still be passable. Fortunately, it’s not a great distance.’

  ‘Where are we?’ Olivia asked.

  ‘Somewhere below Royal Street,’ Julien glanced up at the small vines and plant life curling between the brickwork.

  ‘I thought New Orleans didn’t have tunnels.’ She began to wade through the ankle-deep water, behind him, ‘that’s why all your cemeteries are above ground.’

  ‘There generally aren’t,’ Julien told her conversationally as they followed her glowing dragonflies. ‘Southern Louisiana deltaic soils and abundant groundwater don’t lend themselves to such constructions, but there are a few secret ones if you know where to look… that is of course, if
they’ve survived.’

  ‘You’re not exactly filling me with confidence here,’ Olivia replied dryly. ‘If I’m going to ruin my favorite boots, I’d at least like to know I can get out the other end.’

  ‘Well I guess we’ll find out soon enough,’ he threw her a boyish grin.

  ‘I can see why he likes you,’ she muttered under her breath.

  Julien turned his head and looked at her. He didn’t say as much but she got the feeling he’d heard her.

  ‘How do you know Sam then?’ Olivia asked. ‘I haven’t quite decided yet if I’m going to trust you, so you’re going to have to be pretty convincing.’

  ‘I thought I had been pretty convincing,’ he smiled. ‘After all you’re down here aren’t you, following me through the darkness and gross water?’

  ‘I’m down here because I don’t particularly want to sneak my way through a dozen angels.’

  ‘Actually, it’s more like two hundred,’ Julien scowled. ‘Looks like Azariel is pretty serious about finding Scarlett.’

  ‘Azariel?’

  ‘Let’s just say he’s another one of those assholes who definitely doesn’t sit on a cloud plucking a harp. He’s vicious and devious, and unfortunately for us, is in charge of all the angels. He’s one of the oldest of them.’

  ‘So, what’s your deal?’

  ‘My deal?’ he repeated.

  ‘Yeah, what’s your part in all this? Because Sam never mentioned you.’

  ‘Knowing Sam, he wouldn’t have told you much,’ Julien shook his head. ‘That’s what we all agreed to. Each of us had our own task, our own mission if you like. We were only told as much as we needed to know. That way if one of us were captured we couldn’t endanger the others.’

  ‘The others?’ she frowned.

  ‘I’m afraid there’s only so much I can tell you Olivia. Sam’s the guy with all the answers and he plays them pretty close to his chest.’ Julien continued to walk slowly, ‘I want you to know you can trust me. I know the words are hollow, you have no reason to trust me, but I only want to make sure Scarlett is safe. She has been my only care for nearly two thousand years now, I care about her.’