by Jill Morrow
“Then I’m not crazy,” she said.
Stephen frowned. “Of course not.”
“Because, Dad, a voice in the dream told me that you would know what was going on.”
Stephen drew back. “It did?”
She nodded vigorously. “Then Aunt Frannie said something. She said—”
“ ‘—put on your armor, Katerina,’ ” Stephen finished. “Yes, Julia, I dreamed that part, too.”
Kat’s mouth dropped as she took in first her husband, then her daughter. It was bad enough that apparently everyone else in the room could sense the unseeable. It was worse that, even when they shared their insights, she had no idea what was going on.
“That’s all fine and dandy,” she said, “but what does it mean?”
Stephen, who never blushed, burned a bright red. “Julie, did you happen to get the next part?”
Julia hesitated. “I thought I made that part up.”
“Well, I guess you didn’t,” Kat snapped. “Is there a secret password involved here, or can any mere mortal play?”
Julia gazed into the fire. Stephen took Kat’s hand in his own.
“Okay,” he said. “After Frannie said to put on your armor, a new voice came onto the scene.”
“Whose?”
Stephen shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t even tell you if it was male or female. I think it was a child, but I’m not sure about that, either.”
Kat made a sour face. “And I don’t suppose this voice told you which lottery numbers to play?”
“No,” Stephen said. “Actually, the voice said that you were to go with Julia to fetch Frannie.”
All the color drained from Kat’s face. “How am I supposed to do that? I’m the least spiritually attuned of all of us, apparently.”
“You did it before, Mom.” Julia placed her hand on Kat’s unoccupied knee. “You saved me. Remember?”
Kat ran a finger across the arm of the couch, avoiding eye contact as if it were an art. “I thought that to bring Frannie back, we needed the same configuration we had when she traveled to the Middle Ages in the first place. That means I need to be at the cathedral with you, Stephen.”
Stephen threw Julia a glance.
“I heard it, too,” she said. “About Claire.”
Kat’s stomach thudded. “What about Claire?”
“She can take your place at the cathedral,” Stephen said. “Apparently, the two of you share a frequency. I don’t know. I don’t get it, either. I just know that that’s what I heard.”
“Me, too,” Julia added.
Kat closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the couch. Of course, she’d rather be with Julia than send her daughter into the unknown alone. But why did this have to happen when she was just recovering from a migraine? She felt so weak, so out of it. Never mind that she got no spiritual marching orders even when she was in tiptop shape. In this draggy state, she was sure to miss even concrete, everyday orders as well.
“I don’t suppose you could go instead?” she asked Stephen, already knowing the answer.
“No, Kat. I wish I could, but I’m supposed to stay at home base.”
“Tell her the last part, Dad,” Julia said, and Kat’s eyes flew open at the realization that there was more information to absorb.
“Kat.” Stephen’s arm wrapped around her shoulder, a sure sign that he meant to comfort her. “We must move fast. The voice said that time is running out.”
“Fast?”
“Today.”
She could see Stephen’s lips move, even hear sound coming out of them. She recognized concern in his face. Still, whatever he was saying seemed elongated and thick, as if the sound waves traveled through salt water.
“Mom?” Julia’s worried voice floated past her ears.
Stephen gave her knee a reassuring pat, then stood. “Don’t worry, Julie. Mom’s okay. She just needs some coffee.”
Her own voice sounded far, far away. “I am not okay, Stephen.”
“Yes, you are.” He disappeared from her view. “You have to be.”
She heard the clink of mugs, the opening and closing of the refrigerator door. The fire crackled in the fireplace, sending warmth into the room. A small thump sounded above her head: Claire, awake and ready for action. How could the rhythm of the house continue in such a normal fashion when the very fabric of her existence threatened to rip apart?
“Here.” Stephen thrust a mug into her hand. Her fingers instinctively curled around the handle. “Drink it,” he ordered, and as if a doctor had prescribed it, she did.
Claire’s footsteps scurried above them. She was in the hallway now, pattering toward the stairs. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped.
“Whoa,” they heard her say. She sounded as if she’d just seen an exotic flower in an unexpected place. “What’s this all about?”
They all knew that she stood before the door to Francesca’s room.
“I don’t want to know,” Kat said, but Stephen tugged her to her feet all the same.
“Hey! Mom! Dad!” Claire called as the three of them reached the landing.
“We’re here,” Stephen said.
“Look!” Claire pointed into the bedroom.
Aunt Frannie lay in the bed, still as ever, position unchanged. Something was different, though. It took Kat only a second to figure out what exactly had changed.
“Oh, no,” she breathed.
“I can see through her!” Julia gasped.
It was true. Although still solid, Francesca appeared lighter in density. As she stared at her aunt’s pale face, Kat could make out the rumpled pillowcase beneath her head. The maroon duvet darkened Frannie’s pale fingers, making them rosy.
“Okay,” Stephen said. “What more do I need to say?”
Kat shook her head in disbelief. “Nothing. We’ll go to the cathedral as soon as the last mass ends.”
25
ALONG RIBBON OF CARS WRAPPED THROUGH THE CATHEDRAL parking lot, disappearing behind the huge building. Stephen noted that the gray stone of the cathedral nearly blended with the color of the dull winter sky. He slowed the car to a stop as the traffic light at the entrance of the parking lot turned red.
“Looks like church is over,” Claire said from behind him. Her foot once again kicked the back of the driver’s seat as she twisted to watch cars stream past.
Stephen propped his elbow against the window and leaned his head on his hand. “Good thing Claire’s seat-belted,” he said. “Otherwise she’d probably bounce herself right out of the car.”
Kat didn’t react to his lame attempt at humor. She sat curled sideways in the front passenger seat, eyes locked firmly on the cathedral’s spires.
“Did your inner voices warn you that we’d be sitting in traffic?” she asked.
“No.”
“What good are they, then?”
He wanted to drill her with a glare, but held back. Kat always resorted to sarcasm when she felt afraid, and he certainly couldn’t blame her for feeling that way now. He patted her knee, then turned his attention back to the red light.
He actually welcomed this delay. He had no idea what to do next. He’d almost accepted the fact that he’d get occasional pushes in the right direction. What bothered him was that he never got complete marching orders. How helpful was that?
He glanced in the rearview mirror. Claire still bounced around like a rubber ball on speed. Julia, like her mother, stared at the cathedral. Her eyes, wider than usual in a masklike face, glittered green. He could only imagine the thoughts running through her head.
Other kids went to camp. She was going to the Middle Ages.
The light turned green. Panic seemed not only appropriate, but downright required. Somehow, though, Stephen couldn’t muster the desired hysteria. He sighed as he pushed the gearshift into first. Great. No clear marching orders, and no inclination to share his wife’s justified fear. He could just imagine how this would enhance his marriage.
It didn’
t matter that both Kat and Julia had lapsed into morbid silence. Claire chattered enough for everyone.
“Hey, look! A parking place right at the front door! We’re so lucky! Have I ever been here, Dad? Mom? I think I have, but I don’t remember.”
“You’ve been here,” her father said. “It’s been a long time, though.” He furrowed his brow, trying to remember when his younger daughter had last been inside this local landmark.
“I think you were two,” Kat told Claire. “Aunt Frannie took you and Julia to a weekday mass.”
“I was here?” Julia looked blank.
Kat nodded.
Stephen pulled open the heavy doors at the top of the steps and they entered the silent building.
Julia wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure I’ve been here?”
“Yes.” Kat reached for her hand. “You probably don’t remember much of it.”
“I don’t remember any of it,” Julia said as they stepped into the sanctuary.
As usual, Stephen felt awed by the intimidating heights of the cathedral. The severe angles of the architecture demanded a life account from him. He hugged Claire close. Cavernous places like this could give any kid the creeps.
Claire slipped from his grasp and started down the left aisle as if she knew exactly where she was going.
“I remember this place,” she said, passing through the flickering reflections of stained glass on the stone floor.
Stephen and Kat exchanged glances, then hurried to catch up with their younger daughter.
“Wait for us.” Stephen reached her first, tugging the hood of her jacket to slow her down.
“Oh, I know where I’m going,” Claire said. “We’re going to the Mary chapel, right? The little place in the back of the church? I just want to visit Saint Michael on the way.”
“Saint Michael?” Stephen blinked.
“You remember, Stephen,” Kat said, catching up to them. “The relief sculpture on the wall.”
Sure enough, Claire picked up speed, her boots slapping against the stone floor. A woman in a center pew looked up and frowned, fingers entangled in her rosary beads. Claire didn’t notice. Kat mouthed the word “Sorry” as they flew past.
Julia had reached her sister first. She stood staring openmouthed beside Claire at the life-size Saint Michael mounted on the wall. Tinged with gold, he resembled a medieval knight with wings. There was no denying his power. It was evident in every tensed muscle, in the unheard battle cry falling from his lips.
“Wow,” Julia finally said. Kat and Stephen stopped behind her.
“Isn’t he neat?” Claire’s grin grew wide. “He’s a warrior, Julie. See his sword?”
Older-sister pride intruded. “Yes, Claire, I know who Saint Michael the Archangel is. He’s on our side.”
Claire nodded her agreement. “I wouldn’t want to fight against him, I can tell you that.”
“He’s a reminder to put on your armor,” Stephen said.
“Everything’s a reminder to you that we should put on our armor,” Kat said, but there was softness in her voice, a crack in the brittle wall she’d so expertly erected.
Stephen wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked pale again. Her bones reminded him more of a fragile bird than a full-grown woman. He peered into her face. She required more care and protection than she’d ever realize or admit. She’d always come packaged with more than her share of bravado, and he’d always let her take charge of the lion’s share she was so sure she could handle. She was one of the most capable people he knew. Still, would it be so awful to occasionally save her from herself? There was no reason he couldn’t hang around more, help out more. There was no reason she had to look so wan and thin.
He shook his head as if to clear away the thoughts. Now was not the time to stew over this stuff.
Claire had stood still quite long enough.
“Come on,” she said, marching toward the back of the cathedral.
They passed a few stragglers, several tourists with cameras in hand. Fortunately, everyone was headed in the opposite direction. Stephen had never stopped to consider what they’d do in case of a crowd.
Julia shivered.
“Are you all right?” Kat asked.
“I feel weird. It’s like somebody’s trying to get in.”
Stephen stopped. “What do you mean?”
Julia wrapped her arms across her chest. “It’s hard to describe. I can hear people calling my name. I keep growing cold, then hot, then cold again. Somebody wants me, but I’m afraid to answer.”
“Is your armor on?”
“I think so, Dad. I don’t know.”
“It’s on,” Claire said impatiently. “She keeps forgetting to lift her shield, though. Anybody want to know what my armor looks like?”
They stared at her, but she remained unruffled.
“It’s not like Julie’s,” she continued blithely. “Julie’s is silver, but mine is gold colored. Not real gold, because gold is a soft metal—not good for battle. But gold colored so that when the sun glints off it, my enemies are temporarily blinded. Want to hear more?”
“I don’t think I can handle more,” Kat whispered to Stephen. He squeezed her shoulder, never taking his eyes from Claire.
“What else?” he asked.
But she skipped down the aisle to the back of the church and turned right, out of view.
“That child grows odder every day,” Kat said in a low voice. “What about it, Stephen? Do you think she’s the—”
“She’s always been odd,” Julia interrupted as she followed her sister.
“Stephen, wait.” Kat’s small hand slid into his. He turned to her, surprised by the grave tone in her voice.
“I don’t understand how any of this works,” she said, face turned up to his. “But I want you to know that, whatever happens, I love you very much.”
The enormity of her words slugged him with full force. He grabbed her other hand. “Kat. We’ve got years and years left to say that to each other.”
Her attempted smile fizzled. “I hope so. I want that, Stephen, but we can’t be sure of it, can we?”
He gathered her into his arms, then bent to kiss her lips. She was right. He’d always assumed that they’d emerge victorious at the end of this episode, just as they had the last time. But where was the proof of that? None of his “messages” guaranteed a positive outcome. Good people died fighting evil. They always had, they always would.
He drew in a deep breath of her soft, fragrant hair, imprinting the moment onto his memory.
“I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, Katerina Piretti,” he whispered into her ear. “You can count on me.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I do, Stephen.”
“Hey.” Claire stood at the end of the aisle, hands planted firmly on her hips. “Break it up. You’re in church. Besides, we have a lot to do.”
The Lady Chapel was empty when they entered its serene hush.
“How did Julia know where to sit?” Kat asked, for their daughter had planted herself in the exact same pew that her parents and Francesca had occupied during their last visit.
Stephen shook his head. Wordlessly, he and Kat each took one of Claire’s hands.
“Do we sit in any particular order?” Kat sank down beside Julia.
Stephen watched as Claire stepped over her mother and sister to deposit herself at the end of their row. She seemed to have a seating plan in mind, even if he didn’t. He knew only that he wanted to stay close to his wife for as long as possible.
“What next?” Kat asked. “Are there magic words or something? How do we start?”
Stephen threw a glance at Julia, then turned to study her more closely. Her eyes were closed. Her lips moved wordlessly.
A momentary stab of panic rose inside him. “What’s happening, Julie?” He leaned across Kat to tap the girl’s knee.
Julia’s voice sounded breathy and far away. “They’re calling me. And I hear bells.
Really, I think I have to go now.”
Kat clutched her hand. “No, Julia. Wait!”
A half smile flickered across Julia’s face.
“Who’s calling you?” Kat demanded.
“I don’t know, Mom, but I do need to go.”
“Kat.” Stephen turned her face toward his. “We’re out of time. Don’t let her go without you.”
“How did this happen so fast?” Kat’s voice rose. “What do I do, Stephen? How do I get there?”
“Close your eyes,” he ordered, following his own command. “Hold on to Julia in your mind and concentrate on the light!”
“Julie, don’t forget your sword,” Claire said in a clear voice. “And for heaven’s sake, use that shield. That’s what it’s there for.”
Kat’s breathing came in hard little gasps. Stephen couldn’t take the time to open his own eyes and check on her. A sudden urgency overwhelmed him, pushing him along like a gust of wind shoving a kite.
“Believe it, Mommy,” he heard Claire say. “You are going with Julia. You’ll be there.”
The intoxicating aroma of roses filled the chapel. Stephen thought he heard the flapping of wings. A high-pitched, bell-like tone, delicate as spun glass, hung on his consciousness. Light seemed to pour through each chapel window, so bright that he could sense it even through his closed eyelids. The warmth of the dazzling rays caressed his skin like velvet.
Claire giggled. “That’s nice,” he heard her say, but there was no time to ponder it. All of his energy concentrated into one powerful beam of light. It wrapped itself around and through Kat and Julia, illuminating them from the inside out, making their skin glow translucent pink.
“Protect them,” he whispered fiercely, and the light grew even stronger, pumping through Kat and Julia as if calling their names.
Kat slumped against his shoulder. His eyes flew open in time to see Julia’s head drop onto her chest.
“Oh, my God!” He hugged Kat close. He’d forgotten about this part.
Claire’s round eyes turned his way. “They look like they’re sleeping.”
If his heart pounded any harder, he would faint, too.
“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Claire said. “At least we know where they are.”
