Shadow Chaser

by Jerel Law

  Warrior angels lined the side of the roof that looked down over the street and the back of the building as well, which led to the alleyway. Some were focused downward in their watch, while others, upward, into the sky. Marcus had said they watched day and night, never tiring, vigilant in their protection of those they had been assigned to.

  Jonah was glad of it, especially since guardian angels were assigned to their parents and the rest of the quarterlings’ families.

  Nathaniel walked over to the wall and took his place beside the other angels. Jonah was about to follow him and ask him what he was supposed to do now when a flash of light suddenly stopped him. It felt like the flash of a camera behind him. Is someone taking pictures? Jonah spun around to see a massive angel with wings so large it seemed they could spread across the entire roof if opened wide. His armor was silver and gold and scarred in different places, as if it had seen its share of battles.

  “Archangel Michael,” Jonah said, somehow simultaneously surprised and a little afraid. They had met before, briefly, in the woods behind Jonah’s home in Peacefield, at the end of Jonah and Eliza’s epic journey to rescue their kidnapped mother. Jonah gave a quick, unsure bow. The angel watched Jonah and returned his greeting.

  “Well, Jonah,” Michael said, walking over to get a closer look at him. “I heard about your . . . condition.” He grabbed Jonah’s arm from his side and held it up, inspecting it. “But it looks even worse in person. How does it feel?”

  “Not too bad, sir.” Jonah wasn’t sure how to take his comment and found himself staring down at his feet.

  Michael nodded but frowned, watching the boy intently with a look on his face Jonah couldn’t decipher. It was a knowing gaze from sharp eyes Jonah could be swallowed up into if he stared too long.

  “I heard about the attack last night too,” Michael said, his eyes inviting Jonah to explain himself.

  “Well, yeah,” Jonah said, scratching his head. “I was . . . well . . . I shouldn’t have been goofing around, and it got us into some trouble. These creatures, they seemed like they were straight out of the book of Revelation.”

  “The Steeds of the Horsemen,” Michael said. “Very dangerous beasts. Jonah, you would do well to be a little more cautious.”

  Jonah nodded miserably. “I know. It’s all my fault. I know what I did wrong—and believe me, it won’t happen again. But what I can’t figure out is why they didn’t finish the job. Why we’re all still alive. And I didn’t get hurt at all . . .”

  The archangel grunted but offered no answer. “Some questions can only be explained by Elohim Himself.”

  Jonah could tell Michael couldn’t—or wouldn’t—shed any light on his question. He deflated on the inside, like air leaking from a basketball. But he’d felt the same way with Camilla in the past too. Sometimes the angels were just unwilling to give him the information he felt he needed.

  When he was about to turn and say good night, Michael’s heavy hand landed on Jonah’s shoulder.

  “This is not why I summoned you here on the rooftop, Jonah. I wanted to show you something,” he said, his eyes still knowing yet mysterious. He pulled Jonah along with him to the corner of the roof, two warrior angels moving silently out of their way. “You’re a prophet. You have abilities that you have only begun to realize. You can see things that most of the others like yourself are not allowed to see. Some things not even angels can see. It is a privilege.”

  “It’s a burden,” Jonah snapped back, surprising even himself.

  Michael nodded. “It is both.”

  Even though they were standing in the sunlight, Jonah shivered. He knew he should feel nothing but honored that Elohim had chosen him for such a huge responsibility, but he couldn’t help it—he didn’t like being singled out. And he was nervous about letting Elohim down.

  Michael stood on the edge of the building with him. “You must remember that you don’t get to choose the path you walk down, Jonah,” he said, looking up at the hazy sky. “Only how you walk down it. Are you ready?”

  “Ready for what?”

  Michael pushed his arm across the air in front of them slowly.

  The sky disappeared, and suddenly the whole scene transformed, not only in front of him, but all around him too. He was alone. Michael was no longer there, nor were the sentinel angels. Glancing down, he realized his shoes were gone, and his feet were, in fact, touching sand! All around him, he heard the unmistakable sound of waves caressing a shoreline.

  Jonah took in the scene around him with his mouth open. He was on a sandy beach, and the sun was beating down, warming his skin. A breeze blew, and beautiful crystal blue waves crashed against the shore, lapping backward, only to be overtaken by another wave, then another.

  A grove of palm trees sprang up from the sandy soil to his left. To his right was the widest, flattest beach he had ever seen.

  Something compelled him to walk, and he began to make a slow path beside the water, his feet making deep footprints in the soft sand, his senses attuned to the saltiness in the air and the breeze rustling through his hair.

  He felt a presence behind him, and suddenly he knew he wasn’t alone. Someone was there. Turning his head, he watched as a man in a wetsuit came running up, both hands holding a surfboard on his head.

  “Jonah, wait up!” the man called out.

  How does he know my name?

  But he waited for the man to catch up with him. He had a shaggy beard that reminded him of his father’s, but longer. His hair, which was barely tamed, hung down to his shoulders. He was wet, like he had just come out of the water. He pushed the tangled strands out of his face, smiling easily.

  “Where is this place?” asked Jonah. “Who are you? And how do you know who I am?”

  The man held his hand out to the ocean. “We’re at the beach, of course,” he said, winking at Jonah. “I’ve been surfing these waves all day. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Jonah stared at him for a few seconds, feeling confused, realizing that the man didn’t answer his other two questions. Finally, though, Jonah nodded, watching the waves crash on the shore again. “Yeah, it is beautiful,” he admitted. “The most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen.” I just don’t know if it’s real.

  “Oh, it’s real, all right,” the man said. Jonah did a double take, wondering if he’d actually said it out loud. “Elohim has created some incredible places in this world of His.”

  “Did you just . . . ?” Jonah didn’t complete his sentence.

  “Hear what you were thinking?” The man laughed.

  Jonah wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “That’s kind of weird.”

  “I know.” He laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold any of it against you. Listen, Jonah, I understand how you must be feeling. But I assure you, the visions you have are just as real as anything else.”

  “So that’s what this is,” Jonah said. “Just another vision?”

  As they walked along, the man picked up a sand dollar and studied it as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. He then tossed it into the water as he spoke.

  “You do have a gift, Jonah, to be sure,” the man said, ignoring the question. “Elohim made you very unique and special. Pretty cool, I think.”

  “If you say so,” Jonah muttered.

  The man stopped, turned toward Jonah, and looked at him with deep concern etched on his face. “I know so, my friend. It’s time you start believing that too.”

  He grabbed his board with both hands and pointed it toward the waves.

  “They look good out there, don’t they? Nothing like riding a great wave,” he said, looking long over the horizon. He turned his attention back to Jonah again. “A lot of things are going to happen—a lot of good things. And I’m not going to lie to you; some bad things are going to happen too. Some that will make you question everything you believe and everything you live for. I just want you to remember that, no matter what, on your darkest day, when all hope seems lost, Elohim always walk
s with you. And nothing is wasted on Him.”

  Jonah found himself unsettled at those words, but something about the man made him feel relaxed too—more relaxed than he’d felt since he found out he was a quarterling. This man was on his side—he was a friend.

  The man reached out and touched Jonah on the arm gently. A surge of electricity shot through him. His entire body jolted, full with energy, and something more: the warm, igniting presence of Elohim. It pulsed through him, moving from his arm into his stomach and out to his fingers and toes. His heart felt at ease, and it was hard to even remember what he was so worried about before. Because right now, all he felt was a deep sense of peace.

  He looked back down at his arm again, where the man had touched him, and suddenly he was back on the roof. Michael’s hand was there now, instead of the beach surfer’s.

  “Whoa.”

  Jonah stood there, trying to catch his breath. He still felt the same peace, just as if he were still on the beach. Now, however, the angels standing watch over the building came into view again. Michael waited quietly beside him, letting him get his bearings.

  “How long was I gone?”

  Michael tilted his head. “Gone?”

  “The man on the beach,” Jonah said. “Who was he?”

  Jonah realized he hadn’t even thought to ask him. All he wanted to do was go back and surf with that guy, despite the fact that he’d never ridden a wave in his life. Now that he was back on top of the building, the peace he had felt began to fade just a little.

  “Whatever you saw was between you and Elohim,” answered Michael. “But you can be sure that you saw and heard from Him, and He let you know exactly what He wanted to.”

  Jonah thought about that. He hadn’t received any answers. But he was reassured by the presence of that man. He looked down at his arms and saw the marks still there. His head began to throb again. He said that good things were going to happen, but some bad things too.

  He wanted to focus only on the hope that good was around the corner. But he found his mind drifting more toward darker things.

  NEW MORNING,

  NEW POSSIBILITIES

  The usually quiet Convent of Saint John of the Empty Tomb was buzzing with energy Wednesday morning. Camilla had announced that all the quarterlings should be ready by ten o’clock to begin their practical exams, the skills-testing portion of midterms. She also said their grades from their written exams would be posted outside her office door by nine thirty.

  Breakfast was served promptly at eight thirty, and for once, all thirteen of the quarterlings were there on time, chatting about the exams over their food. They hovered over Eliza, David, and Julia, making sure the injured kids had enough to eat and drink. The three were still in a lot of pain, and the other quarterlings shot Jonah dark looks. He knew that everyone blamed him for their injuries. He blamed himself for getting them hurt too.

  As Jonah quietly filled his plate with food, he heard a sound again. Like a low whisper behind him. He spun around, half expecting to see a crouching figure in the room, but he saw only the quarterlings busily eating.

  He sat alone at the end of the table and was taking a bite of food when he heard it again. He turned to look at the others, searching each of them intently.

  “What do you keep looking at?” Hai Ling said, scowling. “Is there something you want to say?”

  Jonah looked past her, his eyes darting around the room. There was nothing there.

  “I’m not looking at anything,” he mumbled, stuffing another bite in his mouth.

  He had woken up with another splitting headache, and the quick movements were making him dizzy. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers for a while. Picking up his knife, he scraped the back of his hands, trying to satisfy the itches the boils gave him. He felt more stares as he did this, but he couldn’t help it. The itching was almost unbearable.

  Camilla had instructed them to gather in the basement room and wait for her arrival. At precisely ten o’clock, with a flash of light, seven messenger angels appeared in front of them.

  The angels were all dressed alike, with long robes glittering a silvery light like a sky full of stars. Camilla stood in the middle of them.

  She let go of the male angel’s arm. “Thank you for the ride, Marcello,” she said, nodding to him. “Nothing like traveling on the arm of a messenger angel.”

  Camilla was wearing a brightly colored robe herself. It seemed to reflect every shade of the rainbow, depending on how she turned.

  “Are we going to go on a ride again?” Jeremiah asked, eyeing the messenger angels.

  “Yes, indeed!” Camilla confirmed. “You all look ready. And it’s time to go. The first part of the skills examination is about to begin.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell us where we’re going?” asked Eliza, her curiosity piqued.

  Camilla’s eyes shone even brighter. “Now why would I want to tell you a thing like that and spoil the surprise?”

  The messenger angels said nothing but held out their arms toward the kids. Stepping forward, Jonah touched the arm of one of the angels, who glanced at his face, covered with the red marks. She smiled ever so slightly at him.

  Camilla gave them all one last look. “All right, Marcello. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Except that Jonah didn’t hear her say the word road. Because the next thing he knew, he saw a flash of light in front of him, felt his feet lift off the ground, and then an uncomfortable squeezing sensation all over his body.

  “I’m never going to get used to that,” he muttered to himself, bending over to catch his breath, his feet back on the ground.

  Looking up, he blinked a couple of times and saw that he and the others were standing in a lush, green field. It was a flat expanse with markings on it, surrounded by trees, with rolling hills of farm-land and sheep in the distance. The sun appeared to be setting, casting a warm glow on everything and everyone Jonah could see.

  The messenger angels who were with them had disappeared, gone in the blink of an eye.

  “Where are we?” he heard Eliza ask.

  Camilla was dusting herself off. “Welcome to Ireland!” she exclaimed. “We will travel to other parts of the world for the different tests. I love this place. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “Ireland? Awesome!” said Eliza. She breathed in the cool, fresh air and studied the field and the trees in front of her with her good eye. “It is beautiful. I guess that explains why it’s so green here.”

  An angel moved into the clearing in front of them.

  “Nathaniel!” Jeremiah shouted, waving to the warrior angel.

  Nathaniel nodded at him. “Welcome to the skills portion of your midterm examination,” he said. “The first challenge is angelic defense. Since everyone has to acquire skills in defense, whether you have a shield or not, everyone will participate. Eliza, David, and Julia—we don’t want to strain your injuries, so you have the option to sit out this part of your exam and be graded later through an oral presentation. Or, if you feel up to it, you may participate now.”

  Jonah felt the heated glances of the quarterlings, and he kicked at the grass at his feet.

  David and Julia both stepped backward. Jonah wasn’t surprised. There was no way David could run on his leg. He could barely walk. And Julia wouldn’t be able to produce her shield since she was still having trouble moving her arm.

  What surprised him was that Eliza stayed put.

  “Eliza,” Jonah whispered, leaning toward her. “Don’t you think you should sit out this time? How are you going to be able to—”

  “Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do,” she snapped at him, looking straight ahead at Nathaniel, who for the first time allowed his lips to curl into a small smile.

  He gave her a slight nod. “Very well then. Marcus?”

  Marcus flew in from behind and settled in front of them. “As you can see, there is a field in front of you marked by four posts, signifying out of bounds. If you
go beyond that boundary, you will be disqualified and receive no points. The goal is to stay untouched for as long as possible.”

  Ruth, David’s sister, raised a shaky hand. “Untouched by what, exactly?”

  Marcus’s eyes glittered. “Your job is to avoid anything that comes at you. You may not use any weapons—only defensive measures.”

  “But how is that fair?” Rupert asked. “We can’t all make the shield of faith. Won’t the ones who can have an advantage over the rest of us?”

  Some of the other quarterlings nodded. They had been thinking the same thing.

  “But you are all able to defend yourselves, yes?” Camilla said, moving around the students now. “All of you have gifts. Even though, yes, some of you are able to use the shield of faith, there are other ways to defend yourselves from an attack. Think about your gifts, use them, and be as creative as you can.”

  Jonah pondered this, knowing the angel was right. The butterflies in his stomach didn’t go away, though. But another feeling was creeping in too. He saw Frederick eyeing him with that old competitive look. Jonah met it with his own stare.

  He wanted to do the best.

  They were separated, each going with a different messenger angel to a place just on the outside of the markers lining the field. The quarterlings were to start an equal distance apart, in their own section of the grass.

  Nathaniel, Marcus, Camilla, and Taryn floated up over the field so they could have an uninterrupted view of the test.

  The announcer dropped his hand just as the sun went behind the trees. Jonah’s breathing immediately quickened, and he picked up his head and turned around, trying to see any movement he could. He bent his knees, squinting his eyes into the sudden darkness.

  The problem was, he couldn’t see anything. He tried to look across the field, and like lightbulbs turning on, he saw some of the quarterlings raise the shield of faith. One, two, three, four. That should be it, Jonah thought. To his knowledge, only Eliza, Rupert, Carlo, Bridget, and Julia had the gift. And Julia was sitting out.