Eternity

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  As Gabriel climbed to his feet, his eyes never left me. “Her fate belongs to me, Raguel. We are equals, and I will not stand down.”

  Michael stepped forward. His white wings shook and his eyes flashed. “I feel your same frustration, Gab, but Raguel is right. He was chosen by our Lord to uphold justice, and his decision trumps your desire for vengeance.” Michael lowered his voice. “Once the immediate threats are dealt with and order is restored, I’m sure Raguel will give you leave to punish the Watcher for interfering with your captive in the way you see fit.”

  “Don’t offer promises on my behalf, Michael,” Raguel said in a threatening voice.

  Uriel and Raphael stepped up on either side of me. I felt dwarfed between their tall, muscular bodies, but ever so thankful they were there, as I recognized the pure loathing directed at me from Gabriel’s dark eyes. Death and Conquest had returned to their human forms. Death looked bored, but Conquest’s eyes were round with curiosity. I didn’t think either one of them would interfere to help me, but Conquest appeared more interested in what was going on. Insepth was a few steps behind me. I couldn’t see him, but somehow, even without my Gaia, I felt his presence.

  Gabriel’s glare finally shifted, landing on Raguel. His eyes narrowed, and then a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. There was a tension-filled moment of silence before he walked over to the gleaming wall and leaned back against it in a leisurely way as if nothing had happened. His glare returned to me and I looked away.

  Another Angel stepped forward and cleared his throat. He was fair haired, tall, and slender. He moved like a cat. His wide-spaced golden eyes regarded me, but only fleetingly, as he surveyed the room. The marble walls were lined with Angels, and I wasn’t sure when they’d arrived. A shudder passed through me. I was in the lion’s den and I was totally and completely powerless.

  The newcomer flicked his finger and Insepth moved forward, sliding in between me and Raphael. The Angel raised his hands, moving a finger within inches of each of our foreheads. Insepth flinched away, but I held my ground. I remembered when Azriel and Eae had said their goodbyes by placing hands on the other’s foreheads when we were in Purgatory. If the Angels wanted us dead, they would have allowed Gabriel to have his way. We had no choice at this point but to go along with whatever the Angels had in mind.

  His touch was feather light and crisply cool. I felt his invasion into my mind like the puff of a winter breeze. It was over quickly and the Angel’s hands dropped to his sides again. He tilted his head.

  “We welcome you. I am Phanuel, the seventh of the supreme Angels.” He glanced at Gabriel, who still sulked against the wall. “You have nothing to fear while you are here. We simply want to talk with you.”

  “I thought this meeting was about our presence in this land?” Death came forward. His long face was tight with irritation. “Why waste time on these two?”

  Phanuel glanced between Michael and Uriel. It was Michael who answered him. “Strange, unprecedented things have been happening, and most of them involve these Watchers.” He gestured his hand at me and Insepth. “Her lover arranged for Samael and his followers to breach the barrier between the planes—something that should have been impossible. They were in Purgatory when the dam broke, and they were both at the site where two dragons were freed from their Angelic bondage.” His eyes shifted to Uriel and he hesitated before saying, “I believe it’s in our best interest that they’re kept here with us, under lock and key, for the time being.”

  Gabriel’s hoot sounded very uncharacteristic for an Angel, but I didn’t look his way. Uriel’s frown held my attention.

  “This was not discussed with me, Raguel,” Uriel said quietly.

  “Because of your blood connection to the girl, it didn’t seem sensible to tell you our plans of incarcerating her in advance,” Raguel answered in a level voice. “But it was also not our intention for her to be killed by Gabriel in our presence, either.”

  “This is not right!” Eae said loudly, but I held up my hand to quiet him.

  Silence fell on the platform as the sun dropped lower in the sky, causing long shadows to spread across the floor. I was tired—so very tired. For several months my entire life had been chaos. From the night I fled Ohio with Angus and Cricket to escape my aunt’s abusive husband, my world had been turned upside down. There was a short time of bizarre normalcy when Ila taught me about Watchers and my powers, and when I went to the high school in the Smoky Mountains. I even attended a homecoming football game in Oldport. Not long after, the Demons killed my friend Hannah, and I’d felt the need for justice and revenge. The day I’d entered the compound to destroy the Demons seemed like an eternity ago, but not even a full season had passed. In the end, it had been Ila who had done most of the damage, coming to my rescue and finishing the monsters off for good. But since that day, I’d been constantly on the run, fighting Demons, Watchers, and Angels. I’d inadvertently brought destruction to an Amish community, and my best friend had been murdered because of her connection to me. Even a dragon had lost his life helping me.

  And then there was Sawyer. My first and only love. He too had paid the ultimate price for following and protecting me. Death and chaos plagued me wherever I went. Maybe the Angels were right. I’d been fighting a war, for what? To stop an event that was foretold thousands of years ago—something that God wanted to happen?

  I was being punished for my arrogance.

  I stepped forward, swallowed the tightness in my throat, and raised my face to Michael’s. My heart was so heavy. “You’re right to keep me here.” His head bent and his brows arched. “I wish I didn’t even have these powers. I wish I wasn’t a Watcher at all. I have been a menace—” I glanced at Uriel, who had his arms crossed “—and you must stop me.”

  “No, no, Ember—don’t say that—” Insepth began, but I interrupted him.

  “I will stay here willingly, but you must let Insepth go. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Let him go, so he can spend what little time he has left with friends and the nature he loves so much.” Michael’s smirk made me angry, and I couldn’t stop my voice from rising as I took the steps needed to stand directly in front of the arch Angel. “Why would you care about a single Watcher returning to his life, when that life is about to end anyway? Everybody is going to die, and then you and your friends will have a world without humans and part-humans. That’s what you want isn’t it—what you all want?”

  A shadow passed over his eyes. It was indecision. My heart thumped wildly as Michael considered me.

  Everyone on the platform seemed to be holding their breath. I didn’t dare move a muscle. I was afraid Eae or Insepth would do something idiotic to rescue me. Maybe even Uriel. And that couldn’t happen.

  Looks passed between Michael, Raguel, and Phanuel. I heard Uriel sigh at my side. There seemed to some kind of non-verbal communication transpiring between the Angels. When Raguel finally spoke, I wasn’t surprised.

  “So be it, then. You will be confined here, and the other Watcher shall be released.”

  “This doesn’t seem fair.”

  I turned in amazement. It was Death who had spoken. A kind of powdery mist emitted from him and I thought he was about to change form.

  “It’s none of your concern, Horseman. This is Angel business,” Michael said with coolness.

  Conquest snorted and everyone looked his way. Up until that moment, the fair-haired Horseman had seemed kind of tame to me, but now, his eyes sparked with raw energy.

  “We came to this time and place because of your foolishness, Angel.” His voice rose as he strode across the floor and stopped beside me. “Where is the order? Why have we not heard the voice of our Lord?”

  My heart skipped and I wanted to tell Conquest to shut up, but my mouth wouldn’t move. Insepth looked hopeful, and Uriel’s face had brightened considerably.

  Angels shuffled on their feet, glancing around.

  “I admit that we have not heard from Him in a while, but we know His w
ishes and since the barriers are crumbling, we will prepare for the end as is stated in the Scriptures,” Michael said.

  “The time of man has come to an end! Get on with your work, Horsemen!” Gabriel pushed away from the wall, facing Conquest with black wings stretched wide.

  Conquest didn’t shrink back. He inclined his head and smiled.

  Death joined Conquest, reminding me that they were a herd. His lined face twitched when he said, “We do not take orders from Angels, only our Lord and Savior. The horn was blown and we came. We now must learn where the Almighty One is, but your ignorance tells us we’ve come to the wrong place.”

  Gabriel snarled before he pulled his long sword from its scabbard with a scraping sound. The metal shone brightly in the waning daylight.

  “Not this way, brother,” Michael growled. He grabbed Gabriel’s arm when it swung downward, catching it just in time before the blade struck Conquest’s head. There was an explosion of colors and a gust of wind that knocked me into Insepth.

  Before I could protest, Eae’s hands were on my sides and I was being lifted into the air. I landed on Conquest’s white-haired back, and I instinctively held onto his mane. I didn’t really want to go with him, but everything was happening so fast. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raphael hoist Insepth onto Death’s back. The brown-winged Angel drew a spear from the sheath on his back, and Uriel’s sword was already clashing with one of the Angels who had swooped forward in Gabriel’s defense.

  My eyes widened at the sight. Angels were battling each other. Conquest’s muscled back gathered beneath me as he pranced in place, sparks flying from his hooves when they struck the marble floor. I wrapped my fingers deeper into his mane, squeezing my thighs for balance.

  Raguel’s voice shouted above the commotion, and Michael slashed the air with his sword, causing a rush of wind that reminded me of the force he’d released to destroy Insepth’s Biltmore replica, flattening the mansion in a few seconds. Everyone stopped fighting and struggled for footing. Except the Horsemen, who seemed impervious to the Angel’s destructive blast.

  “You will lower your weapons! I command you!” Raguel stood beside Michael in the eye of the storm.

  As weapons were lowered, the wind lessened. A new Angel strode up and I recognized the black-cloaked figure with the round, tattooed face. The Angel of Death had arrived.

  “Azriel, help us restore order here,” Raguel demanded.

  This was the same Angel who had slaughtered all the first born of Egypt, and we’d already met briefly in Purgatory. His eyes were a dead gray color and he moved across the floor in a floating manner. His mere presence had subdued everyone in attendance, even the flighty horses, who were still bowed up tight, but had ceased stamping their hooves.

  “What insanity is this?” Azriel’s voice was melodic and soothing. I wondered if he used the same voice when he killed all those Egyptian children.

  “Simply a difference of opinion as to how we should proceed,” Michael said, casting a hard look around the dais.

  “We have more pressing matters.” Azriel gripped his golden scythe. “The barrier beneath this city is crumbling.”

  “What! It’s too soon,” Raguel stepped up to Azriel.

  “I have seen it with my own eyes.” Azriel raised a slender eyebrow. “What will be our response, brothers?”

  Before anyone could answer, there was a deep rolling rumble, and then the tower began shaking. The horses whinnied wildly as the marble beneath their feet shifted. A flock of birds burst upward beyond the window openings, and the sky dimmed to the grayish haze of twilight.

  Conquest was about to bolt, but he paused, canting his head to listen to the Angels.

  “We must seal the breach, and stop those that will enter from the underworld!” Uriel shouted, unfurling his wings to take flight.

  “No! This is meant to happen—it’s the beginning of the end and we mustn’t interfere,” Gabriel raised his sword, pointing it at Uriel.

  I saw the same hesitation pass over Michael’s and Raguel’s faces.

  “Our Father has not sanctioned this—and you all know it,” Raphael said. “We must protect the humans, until we are directed otherwise.”

  Michael nodded, and Raguel lifted his arms, calling out, “Go to the breach and stop the evil ones from entering this sacred place. Uriel and Raphael are right. No orders have been given from our Father to begin the rapture. Something is amiss, and until we know for sure, we’ll uphold our vow to care for mankind.”

  Chunks of marble the size of sofas began falling, and Angels swooped out of the way to avoid being hit. But when some tried to leave through the giant, glass-free windows, Gabriel beat them there, extending his wings to block the openings.

  “Who are we to stop the Will of God? And surely it is His Will that this is happening!” The tower continued to shake and crumble, but Gabriel obstructed the way.

  “Brother, do not defy us. We must wait for a sign from our Father. And you cannot stand alone,” Michael shouted up at him.

  “He isn’t alone.” Phanuel took flight, along with two dozen other Angels. “We are done helping the humans. Let them suffer Samael’s wrath!”

  I heard Eae gasp, but the sound was muffled by the power of the earth cracking. A section of the floor fell away, dropping the hundreds of feet to the bottom with a crash and a billowing cloud of dust. Wings flapped and feathers drifted in the sooty air. When the walls began breaking apart the Angel warding disappeared.

  For the first time since we’d arrived in Los Angeles, Insepth spoke in my mind. “This is the best we could have hoped for, Ember. We’ll stay with the Horsemen for as long as we can!”

  Raphael grabbed Eae before he plummeted when the last piece of the platform fell away. He pumped his wings, aiming toward the southern wall that was now gone, leaving a view of a pinkish-red sky and a cloud of dust rising from the falling debris.

  Conquest whirled in the air as he spoke in my mind. “Hold on!” He reared upwards, dodging a slab of descending stone. A cyclone gathered around him and a jolt of electricity tingled through me when he darted after Raphael. Uriel and Death were on either side of us. The rushing clouds that the Horsemen created blew away everything behind us. I clung to Conquest’s neck, burying my face in his mane. He gathered his muscles and I saw his eyes were blazing red when he turned his head. His shrill whinny, joined by the same noise erupting from Death’s mouth, rose above the deafening sound of the toppling building. The rush of clouds built around them until we were the cloud. We passed Raphael and Uriel, and shot upwards into the sky.

  I opened my eyes for only a second and saw that Death was next to us. Insepth offered me a rigid smile as he grasped the black horse’s neck, unable to even mind speak in our mad dash to escape the crumbling tower and the spiteful Angels.

  The explosion behind us hurt my ears and knocked Conquest and Death forward, causing them to stumble for imaginary footing within the clouds. The sting of the concussion was like little needle pricks on the side of my face, making my eyes water as we streaked though the dust of what was left of the magnificent tower.

  I forced my eyes open. We rode into clearer air and I finally looked down. The fissure was massive, spanning the width of a football field and going on for as far as I could see. Angels whisked in and out of the gaping hole in the earth. Where the tower had stood was only smoke and rubble. I gasped when I saw the first of the beings erupting from the crater. They were the same creatures from my nightmares when I had dreamt of the compound. Red-eyed beasts with monster heads on top of human bodies. They bounded to the surface, only to be struck down by Angels. Michael and Raguel were there, and so was Uriel. I didn’t see Raphael and my heart leaped into my throat. Where was Eae?

  I tried to pull back on Conquest’s mane. “Stop! We have to go back!”

  “Human girl, we are finished with Angels. We must find God and our own destiny.”

  His voice in my mind was unyielding and I knew there was no persuading him
. And I couldn’t just jump off and go back.

  I looked over my shoulder as the tumultuous scene disappeared beneath us, quickly growing smaller and smaller.

  “Just think of it, Ember—we might actually meet God,” Insepth’s voice was a wispy breath in my mind.

  I was about to argue whether that was really a good thing when a war cry shook the air.

  I heard Death say, “No, Conquest. It’s not our battle or our concern.”

  Conquest’s muscles tightened and he shook his head. “Stay brave little one. Your spirit might just keep you alive. But you must harden your heart.”

  I was contemplating his strange advice when something struck my side. There was no way to stay on Conquest’s back. I rolled away from him, clawing at the air futilely. The mighty white horse continued on, not slowing or even bothering to look back.

  “Ember!” Insepth’s scream pierced my mind as he went airborne. “You must call on the Air to save us. It’s the only way!”

  He was almost close enough to touch, and I reached out for him. He did the same, and our fingers brushed. We were falling through the sky at such an incredible speed that everything below was just a blur. “I don’t know what to do!” I yelled into the wind, unable to focus enough to mind speak.

  Insepth grasped my hands and pulled me closer. His face was only inches from mine. “My dear, Ember. If this is our end, please grant me one thing.”

  Before I could say a thing, his lips were on mine and my Gaia jumped to life inside of me. Insepth’s mouth was warm and firm for a second, and then he was yanked out of the sky in a flurry of pumping wings.

  “Ember!”

  I swiped for him, but he was gone.

  Gabriel appeared. He dove at me, his sword at the ready.

  My Fire reared to life. I thrust my hands forward and flames shot out through the space between us. But the moment they hit the Angel, they immediately dissipated. My insides trembled and I called on my elements to save me, fearing that it was hopeless. I couldn’t beat an Angel, especially while I was distracted by plummeting to my death. An hour ago, I wanted to be their prisoner. Now I was disgusted by my own weakness. Sawyer wouldn’t want me to give up and submit to the Angels. He certainly wouldn’t want me to die. If that happened, his sacrifice was for nothing.