“What's that supposed to mean?” Chris asked. “He is a retired judge, isn't he?”
“Yes, of course he is. But look at him, pacing along under the midday sun, strong, sure-footed, barely breaking a sweat. Does he act like a retired judge? He's stronger and tougher than he appears. But how he does it? No idea. Clean living, he says.” She laughed lightly and Chris smiled, still confused.
“One of his ancestors created this group that we're a part of,” Natalie continued. “The judge just calls it the organization, but his ancestor had a more grand name for it, in anticipation of the day that angels would return to the Earth.”
“What name?” Chris asked.
“The Angelic Dominion. Wild, eh? I think the judge finds it too...stuffy, so he never uses it. I like it though and so do a lot of the others, so when we talk about it, that's what we call it.” She winked and nodded forward. “Just not around Judge Hawkes.”
“Cool. I actually like that,” Chris said, thinking about the name. “The Angelic Dominion. Yeah, very cool actually.”
“Any other questions?” Natalie was watching her feet as she talked. The gravel underfoot was fine and loose; they all slipped and slid as they walked. In the heat, it was very tiring.
“Just one for now,” Chris said, also taking care of where he was walking. “Why haven't the Fallen just attacked the Nest in force? You know, attack with overwhelming numbers?”
Natalie looked over at Chris and almost fell. He reached out and caught her elbow before she went down. “Thanks, Chris. Stupid rocks. So, you don't know about the wall around the house?” Chris just shook his head. “Oh. Okay. Well, embedded in the wall, every few yards, are relics. Ancient holy symbols and artifacts that were put inside the wall itself as it was being built. If you thought the reaction you had to that demon claw during the test was extreme, yes I heard about that, it's nothing like the way the Fallen react to these relics. They burn like fire and none of them can go anywhere near them. The only break in the protection is the gate itself.”
Chris thought about that. “So, why not bury some of these relics under the ground at the gate?”
“No idea. Apparently, being under the ground negates their power or something. The judge explained it once but he almost put me to sleep, so if you want to know more, ask him. Point is, the attack would be bottled up at that one spot, making it easier to defend against. They would take huge losses and I don't think that they want to risk it. At least, not so far.”
Chris felt a sense of relief. It was good to know that his new home wasn't totally defenseless, especially with his friends back there trying to keep the Fallen's attention on them.
After their brief discussion, Chris and Natalie concentrated on watching where they walked, and they continued to trudge along after the judge as he led the way.
The ground began to rise after an hour or so as they approached the low hills the judge had mentioned earlier. The path he chose wound and spiraled through the hills and the ground changed from gravel to a fine, powdery dust that was less slippery but raised clouds of grit that stung the eyes and made their throats dry and raspy.
Chris constantly blinked his eyes to clear them of dirt and finally one of the security men handed him a clean handkerchief so that he could wipe them and said he could keep it. Chris thanked him profusely and the man simply smiled in return.
“Have you noticed how edgy our fellow group members are?” Natalie muttered to Chris some time later. He had been sipping some water from his canteen at one of their infrequent rest stops and was sitting on the ground, his back to a large boulder, with his backpack next to him.
Chris stared at the others while Natalie squatted down beside him and drank some of her own water. She took her hat off, shook out her short, black hair and replaced it again.
She was right. No one else seemed to be taking a break. While some of the security team were sipping water, none had sat down. Instead, all of them had spread out and were looking in all directions. The judge stood with his back against another boulder and was going through his notes, frowning slightly.
“Yeah, well, it's good they're alert, I suppose,” Chris answered vaguely. He wet the handkerchief a bit and cleaned the dust off of his face. It was intensely hot. “How long until sundown, I wonder? Maybe it will cool off a bit.”
“I'm sure the judge hopes we get to wherever we're going before it gets dark,” Natalie answered, still watching the adults. “We've all got these light sleeping bags, but I assume he thinks we'll sleep inside this mysterious temple or whatever.” She sounded oddly upbeat and Chris looked at her curiously.
“Are you having fun, Nat?” he asked. She'd insisted he call her by her shortened name and he felt more at ease with her since they'd started the hike.
“Yeah, I guess I am. It's good to get out of the Nest. I was cooped up for so long. And this healed body of mine, well, let's just say it's doing what it's supposed to be doing, instead of holding me back.”
When she looked at him, Chris rolled his eyes. “If you thank me one more time...” he said, shaking his finger at her. Natalie laughed.
“Okay, okay. I get it. So, yes, I'm having fun. But this damned heat is a bit much, I'll give you that.”
Chris took off his cap, ran both hands through his hair, tilted his head back and slipped the hat back on. He noticed Natalie watching him.
“What?” he asked shortly.
“Nothing. Just wondering why you wear your hair so long. It must be awfully hot, especially under this sun.”
Chris shrugged with irritation. It wasn't the first time someone had asked. “My Mom liked me with long hair, so I have long hair. Good enough?”
“Oh, touchy, touchy.” Natalie grinned to show that she was teasing and he reluctantly returned it. “Yeah, good enough, Chris.”
“Would everyone gather round, please?” Judge Hawkes called out. Chris struggled to his feet, got his backpack secured across his shoulders and joined the others as they circled the judge. He was holding a map of the area. Chris saw a blue line drawn from where he assumed they had been dropped off to their present location. A red line ran parallel to the first one and extended on for a few inches.
“We've been fairly faithful to the directions left by my ancestor. This area hasn't changed much in two centuries.” He turned and pointed ahead to a rise about three miles in the distance. “According to the notes, just over that hill is a shallow valley and in the middle is a rock formation. He claims that it is artificial, with several pictograms etched on one side. Somewhere nearby is the entrance to the shrine.” The judge looked around at them all with a look of amusement. “For a man given to writing precise directions, 'somewhere nearby' is rather vague, but hopefully we won't have too much trouble finding this entrance. Is everyone ready for the last push? Excellent. Off we go then.”
And with that, the judge set off in the lead again and the others took up their previous positions in line. Now that Natalie had pointed it out, Chris saw that the security team seemed more on edge the closer they got to their destination. They were constantly scanning the horizon and he wondered what exactly they were expecting to see. Who knows that we're even out here, he wondered. He remembered that the judge had said the team would get weapons when they landed. He hadn't seen any exchange hands but Chris was sure that the team was armed. He just didn't know what they were armed with. And he hoped he wouldn't have to find out.
“Hey, Chris. Why so quiet?” Natalie asked.
“Dunno. Just thinking. Is there any way for the bad guys to know where we are? I mean, the judge is so careful and everything, but these guys seem to be getting spooked and it's starting to give me the jitters.”
For a change, Natalie looked serious as she glanced at the others. “I suppose so. There's no such thing as total secrecy or air-tight security. I know the judge has done his best to lock this down and all, but I've been down this road before, where I thought I was safe on an assignment and it turned out that I wasn't.” A
t Chris' questioning look, she said tersely, “The time my team was killed by Angelica.”
“Oh right.” Chris was at a loss as to what he should say, so he stayed quiet. He wanted to ask about that incident, but it was so obviously painful to Natalie that he didn't want to intrude on her sad memories.
As if reading his thoughts, Natalie said quietly, “Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. But not today.”
He nodded and continued plodding along, trying not to stir up too much dust. It didn't help much.
By the time they had trudged up to the top of the rise, the sun was approaching the horizon. Chris was getting hungry but he was still so hot and sweaty that the thought of food didn't interest him very much. He just wanted to get this whole trip over with. He decided that he wasn't a desert person.
The group stopped in a line, side by side, and looked down into what could technically be called a valley, although the edges around the depression were no more that one hundred feet high. The valley extended for about a mile from where they stood and was perhaps half that distance in width. Against the reflecting light gray dust, Chris could just see what looked like a formation for rocks in the middle of the open space. They looked natural, just one more lump of stone in this barren landscape. He hoped the judge's directions were right.
While the judge and the other adults were checking the ground in front of the group for the best path down the slippery slope, Chris suddenly felt a breath of cool wind flow past his face. He sighed with bliss for a moment; the momentary relief from the oppressive heat was intense. Then he looked around, puzzled. Cool air? Out here? How was that possible?
Another gust of wind, colder than the first, actually made Chris shiver. What the hell? The others had now felt the same thing. Judge Hawkes looked puzzled and the security team were looking in all directions.
“Okay, what the heck is that?” Natalie asked in confusion. She pointed toward the setting sun and everyone turned to follow her gaze.
The bright light became muted as Chris saw a line of darkness come racing over the horizon, It looked solid and the sun was quickly obscured by this mysterious band that stretched across the sky.
“Clouds?” one of the team wondered aloud.
“If that's what they are, they're moving damned fast,” Natalie said, sounding nervous.
Chris watched in disbelief as what were now obvious clouds raced towards them, a blast of cold air being pushed ahead of the unnatural formation.
“Let's move, everyone,” the judge barked at them. “I don't think we have much time to find the shrine.”
He led the way downward, no longer bothering to find the easiest path. As a result, they all slipped and slid on the fine dust and tried to keep their feet under them.
I knew it, Chris thought frantically. I just knew we wouldn't fool those evil bastards. He tried to watch his feet and look around for any movement at the same time. As a result, halfway down the slope, Chris slipped and skidded down several feet before one of the team members caught him and held on until he got his feet back under him.
“Thanks a lot,” he said gratefully. The man nodded, looking down at the valley intensely.
They made the bottom of the valley very quickly, dust rising in clouds around them. Everyone collected themselves, shook off the grit and followed Judge Hawkes as he hurried toward the distant rock formation. The air was actually cold now and Chris removed his hat, slipped it clumsily into his pack and shook out his hair. The cold air was clammy but his soaked head felt better as it flowed through his hair. Natalie caught up with him, gave him a small smile and looked forward at their goal. She had also removed her hat and her hair was still plastered to her skull with sweat.
Chris blinked his eyes to clear them of dirt. Then he wiped them off with his handkerchief. But it didn't help. The air still looked hazy and the distant pile of rocks was not so easily identified in the gathering gloom. There seemed to be a mist rising from the ground and Chris couldn't understand how the sear, bone-dry ground could have any moisture in it.
Within a few seconds the team was surrounded by a thick fog and the sky above them was black with heavy clouds. Chris could barely see the judge ahead and almost missed it as the man raised his hand to call for a halt.
“Everyone, stop where you are,” he said tersely. The mist carried his voice and made the shuffling footsteps of everyone sound much louder.
The team ground to a halt and gathered near the judge. “We're getting close to the rocks,” he said quietly. “Stay close. I'd rather put that formation at our backs in case we're attacked.”
“I'd say when we're attacked, your honor,” Natalie said. She was turning her head in all directions. “This isn't natural. Something is coming.”
“I think you're right, Natalie. Let's keep moving.”
They now moved slowly as a group toward where the judge seemed to think the stone formation was. The echoes from the surrounding fog increased the sound of their movement and Chris began to think he could hear other footsteps walking just out of sight in the mist. He assumed his ears were playing tricks on him, but he wasn't sure. He looked for any movement, squinting to try to sharpen his vision, but the wall of fog was now too thick to see further than a few feet in any direction.
A large white shape, towering over their heads, suddenly loomed up out of the mist and Chris jumped back with his heart pounding in his ears.
“Ah, here we are,” the judge said with some relief and Chris realized that the shape was the jumble of rocks that was their destination. He swallowed loudly and looked around to see if anyone had noticed his panicked move.
The only one that was watching him was Natalie and she gave him an understanding grin.
“Don't sweat it, Chris,” she said quietly. “I'm as skittish as you are. This is way creepy.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” he responded. “So how are we going to find the entrance in this soup?”
His voice had carried and the judge caught his eye and nodded.
“A very good question, Christopher. If there is something coming, and we'd be fools to assume otherwise, I have no intention of waiting here to meet it. But groping around blindly is just asking for trouble.” He looked at the security team. “Ramona, Stevens, please come with me. You others, stay near the rock and keep a sharp eye out.” He looked at Chris and Natalie. “And please, you two, no heroics. If something happens, let the team do their jobs. They are the professionals.”
Natalie rolled her eyes but before she could make a comment, the judge and his two companions had vanished into the mist.
“Sheesh, he acts like I'm new at this,” she complained to Chris. “I've been in bad situations before.”
Chris shrugged. “Not for a while, Nat. Maybe he just thinks you're rusty or something.”
Natalie looked off in the direction the judge had taken. “Yeah, fair enough.” Then she leaned back against the pile of rocks, adjusting her pack to cushion her back. “Okay, I guess all we can do is wait. And I hate waiting.”
“Same here,” Chris agreed. While they had this moment of relative calm, he decided to see what Sariel thought of all of this.
'You in there?' he asked silently. For a long moment, there was only silence. And then, echoing as if from the bottom of a well, came the reply.
'I am, my other self. What would you have of me?'
Chris was curious about something. 'You always sound like you're a long way away, Sariel. But how can you be when you're sitting somewhere inside of me?'
Sariel's chuckle flitted through Chris' mind. 'Sitting inside of you. What an odd thing to believe. I am not sitting anywhere, Chris. I am a spirit; you know that. We are connected, one to the other and I can hear you when you call. But I dwell in Purgatory and until I have paid for my crimes, in Purgatory will I stay.'
'But when you reacted to Anna...” Chris began but Sariel cut him off.
'I acted through you, yes. My mind can be anywhere I choose, Chris. But my essence remains here at
all times.'
'Huh. That's very interesting. But do you know what's happening with me right now?'
There was a short moment of silence, then, 'Ah yes, I see. You are in search of a piece of the sword. And Natalie is with you. Excellent.'
'Maybe, maybe not. It's possible that the bad guys have figured out where we are. I just hope they don't know what we're doing here. Can you tell if one of the fragments of your sword is nearby?'
'Regretfully, no Chris. But you can.'
'I can? But how...'
'The ring, Chris. Like calls to like. If you are near one of the pieces, the ring will respond. It will resonate and tell you where the piece can be found. At least, I think that's the way it works.'
Chris sighed loudly and Natalie turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head and tapped his temple to indicate the internal conversation. She grinned in understanding.
'You mean you don't know if it works or not?'
'Well, I mean, it should.' Sariel sounded a bit defensive. 'That's my understanding of the process, but it's never been put to the test.'
'Great. An untested ring that may or may not tell me where a sword fragment is. I hope it doesn't decide to kick in if I'm fighting for my life. Could be a distraction.'
'Trust in Natalie, Chris. Her angel is very powerful; almost an archangel herself. I'm sure she will be more than a match for whatever you might encounter.'
'Including Angelica?' Chris asked dryly.
After a moment's hesitation, Sariel said, 'Look, Chris, if you need me, just call. There may be something I can do, even without the sword.'
'Yeah, thanks for that, Sariel. But I think passing out in the middle of a fight would be a good way for me to end up dead. I'll figure something out. I always do.'
'It's your choice, my friend. But I will be here, waiting.'
Confronting the Fallen Page 22
