“Yes sir. Well, enjoy your day and call me whenever.”
“Thanks again. I shouldn't be more than an hour or two.” With that, Chris gave the man a small wave and exited the car.
He watched Bennett drive away and then turned to survey the area. Chris was standing near the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive. A bank of doors led into the mall and people were streaming in and out constantly. The day was warm, just after lunch time and Chris knew that the majority of people running around were civil servants. Ottawa was the capitol of Canada and most of the people who worked downtown, worked for the government.
He walked into the mall and savored the sensation of being surrounded by hordes of people for the first time in a long time. Chris hadn't realized just how much he had missed this. A true child of the streets, he thought. Wouldn't Mom and Dad be surprised.
Over the next hour or so, he wandered around the mall. Its many levels and many stores were confusing, but Chris wasn't looking for anything in particular. He was just enjoying being on his own again, free to go anywhere and do anything that he wanted.
Finally, he made his way down to the food court on the first level. There were several sets of stairs and exits leading into and out of the area and he settled in at the top of a low staircase, leaned against the wall and just watched the ebb and flow of the crowd. The mingled smells of burgers, donuts and coffee made his stomach rumble but he wasn't really hungry.
Chris smiled as he watched an Asian family, a father, mother, two daughters and a little son, laughing as they played back some pictures on their camera. Tourists, he thought. Full of life and love and happily munching their burgers as they enjoyed their adventure.
There were groups of young men in suits, arguing loudly about sports teams and politics.
And a pair of pretty young women, dressed casually, eating yogurt and comparing clothes that they had just bought.
Chris enjoyed it all. This is life. Just people living in the moment, doing their best. And Satan wants to take this all away. The thought bubbled up from deep inside him. Probably Sariel, was Chris' thought. But he wasn't wrong; not this time.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there observing, when he heard someone speaking next to him, on his left.
“So, the hawk let one of his chicks out of the nest. What an amazing thing.”
Chris didn't turn his head but he felt his stomach turn to ice.
“Amazing? Why amazing?” he asked quietly, still staring at the crowd.
“Oh, come now, Christopher,” the speaker continued. “Surely by now you realize that that place is more prison than sanctuary, don't you?”
Chris had to laugh. “Maybe it was to you, but not to me. Or the others who live there.”
“And yet here you are, alone and unguarded. Now how can that be?”
He sighed and finally turned his head to look at the speaker. Angelica stood no more than three feet away, leaning on the wall and watching him with a playful grin. She was even prettier up close. How the hell did she find out that he was here?
“I needed to get out,” Chris said. “Clear my head, get some perspective. I'm sure you understand.”
“Oh, I do, Chris. I do indeed.” Angelica looked away and over at the people in the food court. “Look at them. Like insects, aren't they? Scurrying around, stuffing their stupid faces. No, not insects. Rats. Yes, like vermin.” Her tone was one of disgust.
Chris stared at her. “Rats? These are people. People with souls, created by God.” He glared at her as she met his eyes again. “I'm sure you remember Him, don't you? You know, your Father? Your Creator?”
She hissed under her breath. Her face twisted and she wasn't very pretty anymore.
“Don't mention Him to me, boy. He allowed these worms to flourish. He desecrated this glorious world with these...things. And He gave them souls. Souls! So that one day, they would inhabit Heaven side by side with God's true children; we, His angels. Well, my lord is God's first-born son, Lucifer.” She leered at Chris as he flinched at her use of Satan's true name. “Oh, don't worry, little one. My using his name won't get his attention. I am his servant after all. Now, if you said it, that would be a different matter. Feel free to call upon him though. The power you would gain from his favor would be unimaginable.”
“Thanks, I'll pass,” Chris said dryly. He stared at Angelica curiously. “The judge said that they had never known the name of your angelic soul. Is that true?”
She chuckled. “Of course it is. If I had told him who I really was, well, that would have gone rather badly.”
“So, when he rescued you, it was all a trick, wasn't it? You were never on his side. That's why you told him that you had never betrayed him.”
“Ah, so you were watching us when I met Ethan.” She nodded in satisfaction. “I thought as much.” Angelica studied Chris through narrowed eyes. “Fine. It doesn't matter at this point if I tell you. You won't be telling Ethan anything anyway. Yes, it was a trick. We knew that the judge was working against us and we had to know about his organization. So I played the damsel in distress, and my dear mentor came running. So gallant.” She giggled. “Whatever else he is, Ethan is a gentleman. A fool, perhaps, but a gentleman.”
Chris turned away and looked around the area. He didn't want Angelica to see how angry she had made him by insulting Judge Hawkes. But the anger was mixed with fear. She said that he wouldn't be telling the judge anything and he had a feeling he knew what she meant. Where are the Talon, he wondered as he scanned the food court. She couldn't be here alone. The air was suddenly thick with menace.
He couldn't spot anyone with facial tattoos, but he was sure they were there. Now what do I do?
'Chris? Can you hear me?' The voice was coming from inside of him.
'Sariel?' he thought. 'I'm not sure I want to talk to you right now.'
A sigh echoed through his mind. 'I know you are angry with me, but we can discuss that later. You have to get away from this creature, right now.'
'I know that. But where can I go? Talon must be here somewhere. I can't hide anywhere.'
'You mustn't hide, Chris. Talon won't attack you in the middle of the day in public, at least not right away. They will allow Angelica a chance to capture you. Now, get outside. Walk quickly but do not run. Call the driver and tell him to pick you up.'
Chris glanced at Angelica. She was watching him closely and as he caught her eye, hers flashed like red fire.
“What are you thinking, little man?” she asked suspiciously.
“I'm was just wondering why you would turn away from God and side with Satan,” Chris lied. He slipped a hand into his pocket and felt for his phone. “He's going to lose, you have to know that.”
She laughed lightly. “Is he really? And why do you say that?”
Chris rolled his eyes. He tried to remember the keypad pattern on his phone, turned it on and tapped out the driver's number. “Um, because it's God we're talking about. You can't take on the endless legions of Heaven and expect to win.”
Angelica actually looked like she pitied him. “You have a lot to learn, Chris. The legions aren't endless. And they have an innate weakness that we fortunately do not.”
“Really?” Chris nodded down toward the main floor. “Mind if we head down there? I feel like having a coffee.”
“Sure. I could use one as well.”
Together they slowly walked toward the coffee shop kiosk and Angelica kept speaking. “Yes, really. Angels hesitate to kill, Chris. They are slow to inflict pain. That is a weakness that we can exploit. Because our troops are used to pain. They know death intimately and don't fear it. They will not hold back when battle is joined, whether on Earth or in Heaven.” She smiled at Chris' look of confusion. “Our troops are damned human souls, Chris. Led by Fallen like me, they seethe with hatred. They've been trained. They are ready. And our numbers put Heaven's to shame.”
The two of them stopped at the counter and ordered coffee. Chris paid the bill and both of
them added cream and sugar to their cups. Then Chris casually wandered over and stood near the exit, pretending to watch the crowds as they entered and left the mall.
'Chris, what are you doing?' Sariel sounded nervous. 'You have to get away from her. I know who she is now and you are in extreme danger.'
'I know, Sariel. But Bennett has to have gotten my call by now and I'm guessing he'll bring the car around when he doesn't hear me on the phone. It's up the street and around the corner so I have to pick my moment.' He was barely listening to Angelica as he spoke silently to Sariel. 'So who is she?'
'This won't mean anything to you, Chris, but her name is Lilith. She is the first-born daughter of God. Immensely powerful and totally evil. She dedicated herself to my brother when he was cast out and followed him to Hell. We cannot face her, Chris. Not now. And believe me, if she wants to kill you, she will attempt it without hesitation.'
Chris felt a thrill of fear but kept his face still as he returned to listening to Angelica. He sipped his coffee and felt it immediately soothing his nerves.
“You know, Talon's offer still stands, Christopher. We would welcome you into our ranks with honor. You would be showered with riches, your every whim catered to. You would be a leader to our human followers. Glory, Chris. And in the coming battles, you could rise even higher, perhaps standing near to my lord himself. Imagine it.”
Chris watched as Angelica's face lit up with emotion. So this is what a fanatic looks like, he thought. He was now very afraid. I have to get out of here.
'What's to stop her from using whatever demonic powers she has to stop me when I run?' he asked Sariel.
'The Fallen can't use their powers under the light of God, Chris. She is powerless during the day, but still extremely dangerous. Now hurry. Talon will move in once you begin to run.'
Yeah, I know, Chris thought to himself. This is going to be bad.
“So, say I wanted to join up with you guys. How do I do that? And what would the judge and his people do in return?” Chris tried to sound sincere and not let Angelica know that the idea of joining with her and her Fallen made his skin crawl.
She smiled widely. “Now you're making sense, my friend. And it's simplicity itself. You simply call out to my lord. Use his name and swear to follow him with all your heart. That will be enough. And don't worry about Ethan,” she added scornfully. “He'll react the same way he reacted when I left him; by doing nothing. Another reason that he and his “organization” will fail. They are too passive, too reluctant to act. We do not suffer from that weakness.”
“Hmm. Interesting,” Chris muttered. He looked down at the almost full cup of coffee in his hand. It was still hot but not boiling. He popped the top off of the cup and dropped it on to a nearby table. “Okay then. Thanks for the offer. Here's my counter-offer.”
Chris threw the coffee into Angelica's face, dropped the cup and ran for the door. From behind him he heard a shriek of rage and pain. He didn't look back. He simply raced for the doors, pushed his way through the people streaming out to the street and got out of the mall.
He turned left and stopped for a second. The exit where he desperately hoped that Bennett was parked and waiting for him was a half-block west and then around the corner to the south. He could see no sign of Talon or anyone else trying to block his escape. Chris took a deep breath and ran.
He zigged and zagged through pedestrians, slipped past a woman pushing a stroller and jumped over a fire hydrant. He was approaching the corner and a feeling of hope began to well up inside of him. He was going to make it!
And then two men appeared from around the corner and stood in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at him with self-satisfied smirks. Both were wearing t-shirts and jeans and both had the tattoo of a claw on the side of their face. Damn it, Chris thought. Talon.
He came to a sliding stop and stared for a moment. Then he turned just in time to see Angelica come out of the mall, wiping her face with a napkin. She looked around and spotted Chris. Her expression was ugly; a mixture of rage and smugness that made him tremble. This was definitely someone who wanted to hurt him.
Chris looked around frantically. People were passing him in both directions, completely oblivious to the drama that was occurring right in front of them. Where can I go, he thought in a panic. The traffic was steady but the cars weren't moving very quickly and, as he watched the two Talon members begin to walk toward him, Chris figured that the only way to stop them from grabbing him would be to make himself the center of attention. And drawing attention was something that Talon definitely didn't want. So he ran out into the middle of the street.
Chris was immediately surrounded by the sound of car horns and screeching tires. He managed to get to the dividing line without getting run over, but the car that had slammed on its breaks to avoid hitting him started up again and the driver stuck his head out of the window and cursed Chris soundly as he drove past. Chris just stood there, shaking, and looked at the sidewalk twenty feet away.
Angelica was standing there with her two Talon stooges. “Christopher, what are you doing?” she called out. “You're going to get killed out there. Be reasonable. Come back and we can talk this out.”
“Screw you, lady,” he yelled at her, basically figuring that she couldn't get any madder than she already was. “You can't touch me out here without seeing yourself on the Internet an hour from now.”
She looked around and sure enough, there were several people watching Chris with their phones out, recording every moment. Angelica rolled her eyes in exasperation.
'Chris, get ready to move. Some friends are coming to help you.' It was Sariel again.
'Friends? What friends?' Chris asked, completely baffled.
'Friends that you apparently find irritating. Well, they're about to save your life.'
'What the hell are you talking about?'
A few seconds later, Chris got his answer.
There was a sudden change in the air pressure. The atmosphere became heavy and his ears felt like they wanted to pop, as if he had just taken a fast elevator ride straight down. He shook his head and looked over at Angelica just in time to hear her shriek as she and the Talon men were literally covered in birds.
Pigeons, seagulls, doves, chickadees; Chris even thought he saw the red feathers of a robin. His mouth dropped open as he watched the three of them buried beneath hundreds, no, thousands of screaming birds.
Cars around him were stopping and people on both sides of the street were yelling and pointing. No one was even looking at him when a car wove in and out of the stopped vehicles and pulled up next to him.
“Get in, Mr. Wright!” It was Bennett. He waved Chris frantically into the car and, without thinking, Chris tore open the back door and leaped in. The driver tramped on the gas and took off, still weaving around all the traffic.
Chris slumped back on to the seat. He was shaking from head to foot and reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“Thanks, Bennett,” he said sincerely. “But how did you know where I was?”
Keeping his eyes on the road, the man held up his cell phone. “GPS, sir. When your call came through and you didn't answer, I parked at the entrance and turned it on.” Chris saw him smile in the mirror. “Martin mentioned the trouble I would be in if anything happened to you. It was a very motivating speech actually. I didn't want to lose you.”
Chris laughed weakly and took a deep breath. He felt the tension begin to drain away. “Thanks, Bennett. I owe you one.” He settled more deeply into the soft seat and began to doze off. “Stupid birds,” he muttered to himself and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 15
“Lilith? You're absolutely sure that he said it was Lilith?”
Chris sighed with exasperation. “For the tenth time, judge, yes. Sariel said that Angelica's soul was named Lilith.”
He was sitting in front of the judge's desk in his office. Martin sat next to him and was listening carefully to every word. A cart with a carafe
of coffee and a mountain of Chef's amazing chocolate chip cookies was pulled up next to the desk and Chris was sipping on his second cup and eating his fifth cookie.
Once they had returned to the Hawkes Nest, Martin had met Chris at the front door and hurried him up to the judge's office. Bennett had called ahead and told Martin what had happened and obviously Judge Hawkes was eager to hear the story from Chris himself. Chris had been starving though, so the judge had sent down to the kitchen for some refreshments.
Chris had told both men about the entire series of events as they had happened. Then he told it again while they peppered him with questions. And then a third time during which the judge and Martin analyzed everything that Angelica had said and done. Finally Chris had had enough.
“I'm sorry to interrupt, judge,” he said, cutting off a comment that Martin was making about how he thought Angelica had known of Chris' trip to Ottawa. “But could you tell me something? Who exactly is Lilith? Sariel called her the first-born daughter of God. What does that mean, exactly?”
Martin stopped speaking and looked first at Chris and then at Judge Hawkes. Then he sat back quietly and waited for the other man to speak.
The judge appeared to be considering the question. He folded his hands and stared at them as he began to speak.
“Lilith. Yes. Well, the fact that Angelica is actually the mortal embodiment of that entity explains why we were never able to discern her true identity. She's too powerful. As you know by now, Christopher, angels are androgynous; they have no real male or female characteristics. But for some reason, they intrinsically choose or feel that they are either male or female. Lilith was the first angel born who was seen as female. There are many myths and legends about her that have been passed down through the ages. She was depicted as the first wife of Adam, but chose to leave Eden rather than take orders from her husband.” The judge looked up at Chris and smiled slightly. “The first recorded feminist. But the more believable stories call her an angel who fell out of favor with Heaven, went to Hell and became a demon. I think we've just received confirmation that that story is closer to the truth.” He sighed heavily. “I'm not surprised that Sariel did not want to confront her. She is extremely strong, a true general to Satan. I still cannot believe that she lived in our midst for such a long time and we never knew. I blame myself for that. I allowed my feelings to cloud my judgment.”
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