“Right,” declared Bessie, her naive smile lighting up her pretty face. “Mamma says Abba always knows what’s best for us, and if we trust Him, then He won’t let us down.” She smiled at Demetrius, obviously satisfied by his answer, and in her childish words Demetrius found solace and an assurance that he was doing the right thing. ‘Funny how Abba makes Himself heard,’ he mused, and smiled at the three little children across the table who had returned undeterred to their childish chatter. ‘Everything is so simple when you’re young,’ Demetrius thought, and it reminded him that that was why keeping a childlike faith had always been important to him.
“You are doing the right thing, Dem,” Martha smiled kindly at her nephew. She could scarcely believe that the tall, strong young man sitting across the table from her was the same skinny kid she had taken in ten years ago. Her sister would be proud of Demetrius, Martha had no doubt about that. “You’ve got to go where your future is, and if Abba wants you in Ireland, then He must have a reason.”
“Thanks Aunt Martha, I appreciate your support so much. I owe you and Esau my life.”
“We are very proud of you, Dem,” said Esau. “As your parents would be. We wish you nothing but the best for you. You know that, right?”
“I do,” answered Dem, his voice shaking with emotion. Phoebe wanted to grab him and hug him and tell him everything would be alright, but she restrained herself and opted for a dignified silence over an outpouring of emotion.
“Now,” said Martha. “Let’s have dessert, then you and Phoebe can get back to packing.”
“Dessert!” squealed four year old Jacob, who was not used to such pleasant surprises. This was not an everyday occurrence for the Otonno children, and they tucked hungrily into the milk tart that their mother set in front of them, making Phoebe giggle at the sight.
After lunch was finished, Phoebe helped Martha tidy the table and wash up, then she found Demetrius again, and the teenagers left the house.
“We’ll be back soon, Uncle Esau,” called Demetrius as the screen door clicked shut behind them.
Phoebe and Demetrius walked a short distance to a small copse of Baobab trees, until they were just out of sight of the house, and sat down together on the dusty ground. Phoebe was glad of the shade afforded by the trees as the midday sun was intense. She recalled Cosain’s words from earlier that day – ‘Schnither will have sentries posted’ – and she wondered just how many pairs of squinty demonic eyes were watching her and Demetrius right now, and how long the ghouls had been spying on them. Phoebe dared not look around as she remembered Cosain’s warning – ‘it is imperative that we do not arouse suspicion amongst the powers of darkness’. Phoebe’s heart thudded in her chest, and she tried desperately not to think too much on what the next forty eight hours held, although that was almost impossible. She was acutely aware of a sensation of being watched, although she could not say for sure whether this had been caused by her own paranoia, and she wondered if Demetrius shared her agitation. She looked at Dem, who was leaning back against a tree, eyes closed, obviously just enjoying the moment and the warmth of the sun, and wished that she could be as laid back as he appeared to be.
“Calm down, Phoebe,” she chided herself. “Everything is as it should be, it’ll all be okay, just relax.”
Little did Phoebe realise that she had been right to be on her guard, and her paranoia was in fact merited. Above the teenagers in the Baobab trees, four orange eyes glinted through the branches. Unnoticed by Phoebe or Demetrius, malevolent twins Braygor and Graygor had followed the teenagers to this meeting point, and were hiding and awaiting the arrival of the Heavenly host. The diminutive little fiends could scarcely conceal their mirth, and they hissed and spluttered their laughter through clenched teeth, gnarly hands cupped over their mouth like naughty children.
“So close,” wheezed Braygor, “Brother, we are so close!” And he twisted his knotted fingers together like writhing, slithering eels.
“SHHH!” hissed Graygor, slapping his twin around the back of his head so hard that he almost knocked him out of the tree. “Do you want them to hear us? We must complete this mission without any hiccups! You know what Schnither said…”
The warning seemed to have the desired effect, and Braygor settled huffily back on to his branch without further ado.
“Those do-good angels will be here any minute now, and we cannot risk them seeing us. Once they and the humans bid their farewells, Phoebe Wren and her little clan will be all mine… uh, ours!” Graygor covered over his sleight of tongue without Braygor taking exception to his words, but in his black little heart he knew that he had no intention of sharing the glory of bringing about the Wrens’ demise with his extraneous buffoon of a brother.
CHAPTER 27
Phoebe and Demetrius did not have to wait or wonder for much longer, as Cosain, Solas, Dilis, Trean, Neam, Croga and Lasair materialised inaudibly beneath the trees.
“Good afternoon Phoebe, Demetrius,” smiled Cosain, as Demetrius scrambled to his feet, then gave Phoebe his hand and helped her up too.
“Hello, Cosain. Hello, uh… gentlemen?” Demetrius was obviously unsure of how to address a group of angels, having never had cause to do so before, and his faltering uncertainty caused him to chuckle and scratch his head nervously. Phoebe had assumed that Dem was taking everything in his stride, but this awkward exchange made her realise that he was probably every bit as bewildered as she was.
“Hey guys,” Phoebe interjected. “What news?”
“Phoebe, you have been on an incredible journey these last few weeks. I know that you have experienced things that…well, things that may have been difficult for you to comprehend. You have been very brave and obedient, and tomorrow you and your family and Demetrius will return home to Ireland, where I know the Atoner will have big plans for you. Your destiny as a Light Bringer is a lofty one but I have every confidence that you will be able to achieve it.”
In the boughs above, Braygor’s glee had once again bubbled to the surface, and he practically pirouetted along the branch. “Oh we have them, Graygor, we have them! Those idiot angels think their job is done! Ahh. How tragic to be so close and yet so far from completing their mission!” Braygor was frothing at the mouth, and Graygor rolled his eyes in disgust, thanking his lucky stars that he was not as ridiculously immature as his nonsensical twin.
On the ground below, Phoebe was aware of the commotion in the trees, and realised quickly that the hellish sentries were indeed on patrol. ‘Don’t look up, do not look up,’ she coaxed herself. Croga had obviously noticed too, as his hand clasped the hilt of his sword tighter – an almost imperceptible move, but one which Phoebe observed nonetheless. The realisation that the enemy was only a matter of feet above them made Phoebe shiver, but she settled herself in the knowledge that they would not attack now because they too had a plan to execute.
“So,” Cosain continued in a clear and firm voice. If he was aware of the presence of evil – and Phoebe was certain that he was – he never once raised his eyes towards the tree-tops. “The time has come for us to relinquish our duties and return to the Celestial City. The Atoner awaits our report and our homecoming.”
Cosain smiled kindly at Phoebe, and if he was apprehensive or uneasy, his countenance certainly did not give him away. If anything, Cosain’s eyes seemed to glow with a calm assurance and authority, and Phoebe found herself once again drawn back to… well, today, but first time round, when she came to amidst the carnage and havoc of the crash site and was aware that she was safe and protected. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, then swallowed hard before she spoke.
“Thank you, all of you. You are right, Cosain, it has been a very strange few weeks indeed, but with your help I have survived! I am eternally indebted to you all, and I will make sure that whatever plans the Atoner has for me, I will carry them out to the best of my ability.”
She paused, smiling at the seven angelic warriors who stood, dwarfing her with their imposing stature, and
yet whose faces were the kindest and gentlest she had ever seen. Phoebe knew that the swordsmen before her were fearsome in battle, and she had witnessed their might with her own eyes, but she knew too their unwavering loyalty and compassion, and was truly grateful to the Heavenly brothers for their care for her and her family.
“Goodbye, Phoebe Wren. And may the Atoner bless you,” said Cosain softly, and he smiled as Phoebe burst forward and hugged him tightly. Phoebe embraced Solas, Dilis, Trean, Neam, Croga and Lasair in turn, as Demetrius shook hands with each of the angelic warriors, and although she could not be sure, Phoebe thought that she could see tears in the clear blue eyes of Trean.
“I will miss you all,” said Phoebe, and she realised that, although this farewell was in fact only a decoy, there would probably come a day when she would have to bid her angelic guardians goodbye for real.
“Come brothers,” said Cosain. “The Atoner awaits our return.”
Then, with a dignified salute, the Heavenly host spread their mighty wings and took to the air en masse, and were out of sight in a millisecond leaving Phoebe and Demetrius feeling rather deflated under the Baobab trees.
“That’s it! It’s all over! What happens next is a foregone conclusion!” squealed Braygor as he watched the Heavenly Host disappear. Graygor, the more cautious of the two, waited several minutes just to be sure that Cosain and his cronies weren’t trying to dupe him before he too declared, “How easily they were despatched! Now those sickeningly wholesome teenagers and their clueless parents have been left to their own devices – without the cushioning of the Atoner’s hedge of winged heroes around them, they will be easy prey. He has slipped up this time!”
Braygor was so sure of hellish victory that he could wait no longer and shot out of the tree like an overgrown bat, leaving a trail of dark vapours in his wake, and Graygor chugging along behind him in a desperate effort to keep pace.
“Wait, brother! WAIT!” screeched Graygor, infuriated that his brother would leave without him and entirely outraged that he had been clever enough to take flight before him.
“Just move it, Graygor! We have much to tell Captain Schnither!” hissed back Braygor, his little leathery black wings flapping furiously as he raced to be the first to break the good news.
CHAPTER 28
Graygor never managed to close the gap between him and his despicable twin, and he arrived at the Mooar Mountain a good six minutes behind Braygor, gasping and panting as if any breath might be his last. He entered the dark cavernous world via the mountain’s peak, where there lay hidden a cavity just big enough for the smaller demons to enter. When his orange eyes had adjusted to the gloom within, Graygor made his way through the maze of twisting, winding cold stone corridors until he came to Captain Schnither’s quarters. His fury had crescendoed across the duration of his journey, and when he found that his treacherous brother had already secured an audience with Schnither, his rage reached boiling point and threatened to erupt uncontrollably. In his anger, Graygor forgot the miniscule amount of manners he could muster when they were absolutely necessary, and burst through the heavy wooden door into Schnither’s lodgings so that the huge door smacked unceremoniously off the wall with a tumultuous ‘crack’.
“Braygor!” he bellowed. “Why you little guttersnipe!”
But before Graygor could finish his sentence, Schnither had jumped to his feet in anger and surprise and darted across the room towards a still hissing and fuming Graygor.
“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” roared Schnither, his deep guttural voice bouncing and reverberating off the stone cavern walls until it seemed to thunder from every orifice of the foreboding mountain. “How dare you burst into my chambers unannounced?”
Graygor, instantaneously aware of his own perceived impertinence, and resenting his subordination immensely, cowered back against the cold wall, pushing ever backward in an effort to avoid Schnither’s wrath, until his spiny back was bruised and crushed by the unyielding rock. He could see Braygor smirking smugly behind Schnither, and the sight spurred him on to fury, but he knew better than to push his luck any further.
“I… I am t-t-terribly sorry, Captain Schnither, Your Eminence, Sir…” Graygor stammered, peeping up through lowered orange eyes, and trying desperately to look remorseful. “It is just that I have such wonderful news for you…”
“Silence!” spat Schnither, raising his clenched right fist at Graygor, yellow smoke belching angrily from his flared nostrils. “Not another word! Your brother has beaten you to it. I have received his update – excellent work, Braygor!”
“Braygor?!” whimpered Graygor, “But Captain Schnither sir, I…”
“Did I not tell you to be quiet?” yelled Schnither, veins popping in his forehead and neck from the ferocity of his temper.
“Still,” Schnither seemed to reconsider and took a step back towards Braygor, “I suppose you did both do well. If what I hear is true and those irksome angels have returned to the Atone…” Schnither could not bring himself to form the word in its entirety. “If they have returned to Him,” he spat. “Then we have free rein, there will be nothing to stand in the way of us executing our plans tomorrow, and family Wren will be no more!”
The proximity of almost certain victory seemed to have an intoxicating effect on Schnither, and he practically reeled back across the room until he reached his great self-styled wooden throne. He slumped into the glorified chair and threw his left leg over the wooden arm, arrogance oozing from every pore. Schnither motioned at the stump, which hung where his left arm used to be, and raised his right hand to the left side of his head, gingerly touching the still tender wound left when Abaddon had relieved him of his left ear.
“These…” He said quietly, “These will almost be worth it once the girl and her family are no more. Abaddon will have a great reward for me, I have no doubt. And as for Cosain… well, let us just say that the Captain of the Heavenly Host will regret the day he took my arm.” Schnither smiled slowly, his loathsome face a fallacious mask of evil intent. “Yes, I will make him sorry…”
Braygor and Graygor hung on Schnither’s every word as if they carried in them the little fiends’ very source of existence. Schnither’s apparent euphoria beguiled them, and made them hungry for the havoc they would soon unleash on Phoebe Wren and her family. They were like little children on the eve of their birthday, excited and expectant.
“Now, go,” instructed Schnither at last, “Keep an eye on those bothersome teenagers, but make sure that no harm befalls them today – we certainly don’t want to spook them and have them call Cosain and his cronies back! We must bide our time for today, and tomorrow…” Schnither grinned widely, revealing three rows of rotting teeth. “Tomorrow, we strike! And our aim will be true, rest assured of that!”
Cackling and squawking like overgrown stricken bats, Braygor and Graygor took their leave, and exited the Mooar Mountain. They would keep a careful watch on Phoebe Wren, but would heed Schnither’s warning not to do her any harm for the time being. As the repugnant twins took to the air, Graygor seized his chance, and slapped Braygor as hard as he could across the side of his nasty little head, sending him into a momentary tail spin before Braygor regained his composure and set off in pursuit of his spiny brother, intent on teaching the obnoxious imp a lesson he would not soon forget.
CHAPTER 29
Phoebe and Demetrius spent another few hours together, going over and over what they had packed, and trying to ensure that they had everything with them that they could possibly need. They chatted excitedly about what life might be life back in Ireland, and given that she had left the Emerald Isle behind when she was very little, Phoebe’s memories were hazy and she found herself as excited about seeing it again as Demetrius was about seeing it for the first time.
Eventually, the friends agreed that they had done all they could with their preparations, and Phoebe decided that it was only right for her to return home and leave Demetrius for a last few hours with Esau, Mar
tha and the children.
“Thanks, Bird,” Demetrius smiled at his friend. “You’ve been such a big help to me today. You know, I’ve been so nervous about this move, but now that it’s almost here, I have a deep peace about it. I believe it’s the right thing for me to do, Bird, and I’m so excited to see what’s in store for us.”
Phoebe smiled happily at her best friend. She too was so excited that he was coming home with her and her family, and she couldn’t wait to introduce him to Ella. The thought of the three of them being together, doing everything together, made her so happy that she could burst!
“I know, Dem,” replied Phoebe, “This is just the beginning. I have a feeling that whatever is in front of us is gonna be awesome!” She lowered her voice until it was scarcely louder than a whisper, and confided in her friend: “I’m kinda nervous too though, you know? I know our guardians aren’t far away if we need them, but all this acting like they’ve gone for good, and pretending that we don’t know that the Enemy is watching our every move is giving me the jitters.”
Demetrius nodded his agreement, and mouthed ‘Me too’ at her, then Phoebe straightened and resumed conversation in her regular tone. “Right, my folks will be wondering where I am, so I’d better split. See you in the morning? Bright and breezy, don’t go sleeping in!”
“Sleep in? Tomorrow? Not a chance!” Demetrius beamed happily at Phoebe, and gave her a quick hug before she left. “Shall I walk you home, Phoebe? Might be for the best?”
“No, I’m fine, honestly, I’ll be home in a few minutes and I’ll enjoy one last little wander.”
“Well, if you’re sure?”
“I’m sure. Bye again Dem.” Phoebe smiled at her friend as she turned to leave.
“See you soon, Bird!” he called after her, and Phoebe waved back over her shoulder at him without turning around.
Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light Page 11
