by Deena Remiel
“Where’s Namirha? Where’s Emma?” Raphael asked no one in particular, turning this way and that.
Urie had walked over to Michael and Hannah. He knelt down and put a gentle yet strong hand on Michael’s shoulder.
“Michael?” Urie asked gently. “Michael, where’s Emma?”
Michael looked up without seeing, barely registering the existence of anyone other than Hannah. “He took her,” he answered as a single tear escaped and made the solitary journey down his cheek. And as it dropped to the ground, it sizzled and scarred the earth. “And I’m going to get her back.” The haze of grief slowly clearing got him standing on his feet again, Hannah still in his arms. “I don’t care about any deal that was made between them. He made the wrong move first. By my accounts, the deal is null and void.” He gently placed Hannah on her feet again. She hugged his leg.
“I can’t feel her, Michael. Can you?” She peered up at him anxiously.
“No, Hannah, I can’t. But that doesn’t mean that she’s dead. Namirha could have shields around her so we can’t sense each other.” The wheels churned mightily in Michael’s head. “If that’s the case, he hasn’t killed her, and that means that she’s still here. If she’s still here, we can find her. There are a limited amount of places Namirha can go with the little powers he has left. In fact, I don’t think he can even make it back to Hell given all the energy he’s expended. What do you think, Gabriel?”
“I think you’re on to something,” Gabriel replied. “If we can assume Namirha is too weak to leap to Hell with Emma, then he’s stuck here until he builds up his strength again. I hate to say it, but it’s not a guarantee that he hasn’t killed her already. Now, you know me. I’m not a pessimist, but we have to look at this realistically.”
“I know, I know. Any demons left down below?”
“All gone, angel battalions, too,” Kemuel reported. “Thanks to Emma and the Saviors, the immortal losses are quite minimal. Mortal losses, well that’s another story. We have a massive cleanup to tend to later thanks to our dearly departed Agremon.”
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “Well, if everyone’s gone, that makes our job of finding Emma easier. No barriers, no road blocks, just a failing Namirha to contend with.”
“So where do you want to start?” Kemuel asked.
Hannah walked over to the Brethren as they spoke, and stood at Michael’s side. “There are only two places Namirha could have taken my mother—the compound or his dwelling.”
“His dwelling? Where’s that?” Michael asked.
“I don’t know, but Nathanael does. I was always flashed to and from there, but I can describe what I saw while I was in there. Maybe that will help.”
“Yes, please, anything you know will help. In the meantime, let’s split into two groups. Kemuel will lead one party going through the compound,” Michael ordered. “Nathanael, you’ll stay here and lead the party going to Namirha’s dwelling.”
“Will do, Michael. Cassiel, Urie, you’re with me,” Kemuel called out as he took to the air.
“Hannah, can you tell us what you know?” Michael asked. “Hannah,” he repeated, pulling her from watching the Brethren fly off.
“Sorry. Well, first of all I was underground. The walls were made of stone, but not the kind you build with. It was like being in a stone cave. The ground was dirt. I remember walking down a long hallway that could have been like a tunnel, because it felt closed-in to me, so if I reached my hands out and jumped, I would touch the ceiling.
“When I was flashed there by Namirha, I was so angry I screamed. My scream actually caused rocks and stuff to cave-in. An opening appeared in the ceiling of the room I was stashed in. If it weren’t for the shields, I could have climbed out myself.”
“You caused a cave-in? Impressive.” Gabriel smiled. “Michael, it sounds like she was in an abandoned mine. Let’s go back to my tent. I can get the exact location from some maps I downloaded and saved.”
“Let’s hope the tent is still standing!” Michael huffed. Without another word, the remaining team took flight and headed back to the encampment. “Hannah, are you ready to fly, darlin’?”
“As ready as I’m ever gonna be,” she answered excitedly.
“All right, now don’t worry. I’ll have you, but it’s easier if you hang on, too.”
Hannah clung to him like a koala bear and off they went. It was exhilarating to feel the wind on her face and neck as it drove the sweat and heat away. She actually felt joyful for a brief moment. Before she knew it, they were at Gabriel’s tent.
“Well, what did you think of your first flight?” Michael asked as he gently touched down.
“It beats the heck out of flashing in and out of places. You get to see all the in-between places!”
Invigoration quickly died along with her delight when she saw the devastation around her. A battle in which she was supposed to lead the Warriors to victory had been fought without her, and she felt guilt and frustration for having been used as a pawn instead. A few tents remained standing; luckily, Gabriel’s was counted amongst them.
“Oh Michael,” Hannah murmured, “it must have been terrible.”
“Yes, well, it’s over now. We won, the evil guy lost, and all will be right with the world when we get your mother back,” Michael replied tersely. “So, what do you have for us, Gabriel? How do we get to that abandoned mine?”
“Well, if you look at this map, it looks like there’s an abandoned mine at the base of this mountain here,” he explained, pointing to an area he had enlarged. “It’s part of the Goldfield Mountains, right next to the Superstitions. From the looks of it, I figure that’s exactly where the entrance is. But Hannah, you mentioned something about a cave-in?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how far-reaching it is. It definitely blocked my way out of the chamber I was in, though. And I heard rumbling for quite a few seconds after it began. This could be a problem, couldn’t it? I mean, you don’t flash around like Namirha does.”
“Yes, it could turn out to be a very big problem, depending on how extensive the cave-in is, and where your mother is being held,” Gabriel conceded. “But we won’t know until we’re there, will we?”
“All right then, let’s head out. Gabriel, we follow you, brother,” Michael decided, and then whispered, “Lead us to her, Gabriel. I mustn’t fail her again.”
“With all that is in my power, brother, I shall,” he vowed solemnly.
***
Emma didn’t know how long it had been since the hounds of Hell started charging and snapping at her, but it was long enough that her shields were starting to tear and the damned dogs knew it. They were a perfect blend of patience and impatience, tenacity and eagerness. The fact that she hadn’t been able to see them at all before was a good thing. As they tore away at her shields, she was beginning to get glimpses of what they really were, and abject terror was quickly setting in.
Through those tears she could see about a dozen pairs of red glowing eyes and frothing mouths that could barely contain the protruding rows of jagged teeth. She shuddered every time one of the hounds would come slamming into her shields, now knowing what awaited her when her shields finally failed.
One hound was finally able to get his muzzle through a tear and bit her thigh as though it were the tastiest chop from the butcher. It held on and shook his head like her leg was, indeed, a chew toy. She howled in agony, helpless to shake the demon dog off. It let go after a time and backed up. Her head slumped to her shoulders with the reprieve.
But before she could catch her breath, another set upon her, opening the shield’s breach even wider. This time the jaw clamped down on her hip while claws were able to reach through and tear ribbons of flesh from her belly and back. The pain was excruciating and Emma fell into a pain-filled stupor knowing she was near death.
On and on the demon dogs came at her, with a ferocity that could only be produced from a creation of Hell.
Emma regained semi-consciousness
some time later and sensed she was no longer vertical or chained. She lay on the ground, and when she tried to move her legs, besides the pain stopping any further movement, so did a wall. She figured she was back in the hole as she lost consciousness again.
***
The mine’s entrance was in ruins. All of the Protectors worked feverishly with their unsealing incantations to blast a new opening, but the cave-in was irreparable.
“Damn it!” shouted Michael in utter frustration. “I’m calling E.L. right now!” He took out his cell phone and started punching numbers.
“Whoa! Wait a minute,” Nathanael yelled, grabbing at Michael’s arm. “I’m sure if we fly around, we can find another opening.”
“No! I’ve had enough. If we waste anymore time Emma could be dead. He owes me, Nathanael! He fucking owes me!” Michael tore away from Nathanael. “E.L.? Michael.”
A deep timber reverberated in his ear. “Hello, Michael. Nice job on saving the world this week. The company is quite pleased with the results and I’ll be sending out a formal response to everyone shortly.”
“Yeah, well we’re not quite done yet, and I require your unique services. Given the fact that you destroyed my life and family, I figured you owe me. Big time.”
“I see. Well we may have a difference of opinion on some events that occurred in the past, but I’m willing to overlook the discrepancy. What unique services are you in need of, Michael?”
“I believe Emma’s being held against her will, by Namirha, in an abandoned mine. We can’t get in and she’s in grave danger. You can get her out. With a blink of an eye, you know you can get her out.”
“Now Michael, you know better than to ask that of me.”
“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. You’re going to get her out and we’ll call ourselves even.”
“I can’t do it, Michael. It would disrupt the order of things. But, I can help you get to her if you’re sure she’s there. Yes, I could do that,” E.L. acquiesced decisively.
“E.L. we’re not sure of anything. We have a strong suspicion that she’s here. That’s the best you’re going to get.”
“Well, that’s not quite true. You have our Warrior Child with you?”
“Yes, why?”
“She has a scar on her right palm. So does her mother. And you have a scar where you lost your wing. You are all bound to each other in a way that no power can destroy. Focus both of your energies on your scars. You will be able to tell where her mother is. If she is indeed in that abandoned mine, I will clear your way, but that is all I can do.”
“Stay on the line. Hannah, you have a scar on your right palm?” She nodded and showed him. “I need you to focus your energies on it. Somehow it will let you know if your mother is here.”
Hannah closed her eyes and Michael could see her brow wrinkle in concentration. It only took moments. “Michael, it’s tingling. And it’s getting warm. What does that mean?” she asked excitedly. He focused on his scar as well. It was behaving in the same way.
“E.L., we’ve both got tingling and warmth. What does that mean?” Michael asked urgently.
“She’s there. I’ve cleared a path from the entrance through the tunnels. You’ll know you’re getting close to her when the tingling gets stronger. You’re on your own from here. We’re even.” Dead air came across the other end.
“Hannah, she’s here. Hey, everyone, she’s here! If she’s here, Namirha’s here, too. Nathanael, call Kemuel and get the other team here on the double.”
“On it. You don’t go anywhere ‘til they’re here. Got it?” Nathanael ordered. “We don’t need you going in there hell-bent without backup.”
“He has backup,” Hannah spoke up. “Me.”
Michael looked at Hannah and knew she wouldn’t wait any longer either. “You’re a fine warrior, Hannah. I’d be honored to have you as backup. Let’s go!”
***
Emma was coming to again. Each time she surfaced her body and soul were weaker than before. She feared that the next time she went under she might not make it back. It was then that she felt a mild tingling in her right palm along the scar line left by the ritual knife. She rubbed at it absently with her thumb. But the tingling persisted. As she rubbed it again she noticed that besides the tingling, her palm was also very warm. “Hannah—Michael,” she whispered. A single tear made its way down her ravaged cheek, and she fell into the deep darkness once again.
Chapter Thirty-One
Michael suggested Hannah take over the lead through the mine since her palm was behaving like a compass. Providing the necessary light with his aura to guide them through the dark passages, they continued their tedious hike bringing them deeper and deeper into the earth. He had hoped he could fly them through the tunnels, but they were far too narrow to navigate safely, and would have slowed them down tremendously.
As they made their way deeper into the mine, he noticed that the juncture where his wing joined his shoulder was tingling so strongly it was on the verge of pain.
“Michael, the tingling is getting stronger.” A bend in the tunnel revealed a stone stairway leading downward. Hannah turned back to him as if to question the next move.
“We go down, of course,” he responded. “Let me go first, though, I don’t want you falling and hurting yourself. I’m not the healer around here, you know.”
The stairway was simple and old, and the treads had been so worn, that by the time they reached the midpoint, Michael picked her up and floated the rest of the way down. They immediately found themselves in a chamber, the size of a huge master bedroom, with no exit. It had to have been some kind of storage room in the past, but from the looks of it now, he knew it had been used as of late for something much more dark and malevolent.
Hanging from the ceiling, rather than a chandelier, were manacles. Bolted to the floor beneath them were shackles as well. Michael immediately raised his wings to shield the young girl from seeing the rest of the horror. The walls were splattered with blood and on the ground was a bloody trail that led to the far left corner and disappeared into blackness. What that blackness was, he couldn’t tell yet. As for the blood, he prayed that it wasn’t Emma’s but knew better in his heart.
“Hannah, you shouldn’t be seeing this. I want you to go up a few steps and sit there while I check things out.”
“I’ll do no such thing! My hand is about ready to burn off. She’s here, Michael. Right here! Don’t get all Principal D’Angelo on me. Whatever is to be seen, I’ll handle it. I’m an Ancient Warrior, you recall. Little Hannah can be a tough cookie, and I’m here to protect her when she’s not.” She gently moved his wing aside and entered the chamber. Michael’s light illuminated more and more of their surroundings.
They followed the bloody trail to the corner and his light revealed a hole, a pit, perfect for throwing refuse in, big enough to hold a person. He scrambled to its edge to have a look.
Half of him wanted to find Emma. The other half prayed he wouldn’t.
The second team finally caught up with them as he was approaching the pit. They took up positions on either side of Hannah. Michael gave no sign that he had even heard them enter the chamber, so fixed was his gaze on the pit.
“Have you found her?” Kemuel asked.
“I think so,” Hannah whispered.
Michael leaned over the side of the pit, and what he saw defied words. He was initially puzzled seeing two bodies lying on the floor of the pit, even more so at the state of decomposition of one of them. Recognizing that the body was that of a male calmed him slightly. But then his eyes floated to the next body, and his heart stopped. Under the shreds of clothing and dried blood covering most of her body lay Emma, as still as the dead.
“It’s her,” he croaked hoarsely, and immediately flew into the pit to retrieve her.
He knelt beside her, sick with anguish and rage. He looked for a place he could check for a pulse, but with the many punctures and rips shredding her skin, it was near impossible. H
e decided simply to put his ear to her chest and listened. Although faint and far too slow for a human, she still had a heartbeat. “She’s alive, but barely!” he shouted up to the group above. Her breathing was ragged and shallow as if a lung perhaps had been punctured. Wasting no more time, he gingerly lifted her from the ground into his arms and flew up and out of the pit.
“Raphael, Cassiel, come quick!” he ordered as he rested Emma on the floor of the chamber. Her body had been so mutilated that she resembled a ragdoll put through a shredder. Kemuel immediately took Hannah into his arms and turned her away from the gruesome sight. She did not resist.
“Dear God in heaven!” Raphael gasped. “Cassiel, quickly, we must heal the inside first, then we’ll move to the outer parts.” Cassiel moved quickly into position as they both began the tedious work of bringing a life back from the brink of death. And not just any life, but their Great Savior Mother.
Hours, it seemed, went by in utter silence as they wielded their energies to knit together internal organs, reattach torn muscles, and repair broken bones. Once those life-saving tasks were accomplished, the feverish speed with which they worked slowed considerably to a more comfortable pace. Suturing her surface wounds, even by their alternative methods, was a delicate process considering the depths of some of the scratches and punctures. They wanted to make sure no scar would mar her skin. They wanted no reminders of the cruelty she must have endured to haunt her.
