by G. P. Ching
“You know who,” God said, as she broke apart and blended into the light.
Fatima scrambled to her feet, Mara and Henry cursing at her side in their own pursuit of vertical. One by one they stepped to the scorekeeper and watched the light and the dark dance within the globe.
“Who did he take, Fatima?” Henry asked.
“I can’t be certain. There are so many souls.”
“You know,” Mara said. “She said you know.”
Fatima swallowed and raised a hand to the base of her neck. “There is only one person I can think of who is a constant reminder of Lucifer’s failures. She is the only one who has denied him time and time again. Her life is a testament to God’s grace and mercy.”
Henry glanced at Mara, who looked off into space as if reading the stars. The immortals said the name together, in perfect unison. “Abigail.”
Chapter 2
Abigail
Dr. Abigail Silva-Newman tried to be careful. After all, the people of Paris believed her to be in California, not emerging from a trap door in the backroom of the Laudners’ flower shop. She listened for any sign of activity above her before turning the crank to open the passageway and slipping silently onto the marble floor. As she resealed the entryway to Eden, she heard voices out front, John Laudner and Stephanie Westcott, something about flowers for a barn dance.
Hastily, she tiptoed to the delivery entrance, peering out the small square window in the door to check that the alley was clear. With no one in sight, she cracked the door and stealthily crept behind the delivery van and then the dumpster. Curse this human form, so vulnerable. In her days as a fallen angel, she would simply twist into shadow and deliver herself where she wanted to go through a channel of darkness. Getting there one step at a time was nothing short of tedious. Still, she wouldn’t have given up her humanity for any price. Not after waiting ten thousand years to obtain it.
But she had to go. Malini needed her. All of the Soulkeepers needed her. When Jacob said Malini and Dane were back from Nod but needed help, she’d assumed the mission to Arizona to bring them home would be quick work. With hardly a word of explanation, all of the Soulkeepers had left Eden to assist. Only, Malini’s call to Abigail over Warwick’s blue stone seemed desperate. Something had gone horribly wrong with the rescue mission, and Abigail was the only one left to save them. Well, aside from Gideon, and she wasn’t about to place her beloved’s life at risk.
On her toes, Abigail rounded the corner of the building, and thanked the heavens for what she saw. Parked on the corner of Asher and Main Street, Stephanie Westcott’s scooter waited unattended, keys in the ignition. In any other city, the arrangement would have invited a theft, but as far as Abigail was aware, there’d never been a vehicle stolen in Paris despite the population’s regular habit of leaving car doors unlocked with the keys inside. Who would steal it? Everyone trusted everyone else. They left the keys on purpose, in case some other citizen might need them in an emergency. Well, as a former citizen of Paris, she accepted Stephanie’s hospitality.
Abigail tossed a leg over the seat and turned the key. The small motor revved to life and she pulled away from the curb, heading up Asher in the opposite direction of Main Street, a roundabout detour to Rural Route 1.
“Hey!” Stephanie yelled from behind her.
She glanced back to see the girl whose life she once saved standing on the corner, waving her arms. Abigail did not stop. She prayed that speed and distance would conceal her identity. Certainly, she was dressed differently than Stephanie would remember: blond hair in a ponytail, yoga pants, T-shirt, and an oversized belted sweater-coat that barely defended her against the fall chill. She’d return Stephanie’s scooter eventually, but right now Abigail needed it more.
After an uneventful cruise up the rural road she once traveled regularly, Abigail abandoned the scooter at the edge of the maple grove that used to be hers. Across the street, the Laudners’ cheery yellow Cape Cod hadn’t changed since her days living here, but where her dark Victorian once stood rose a repainted version in pale tones with brightly colored flowers blooming in baskets outside the windows. The house was a bed and breakfast now.
Jogging into the trees, over the gently sloping terrain toward the place her back garden used to be, Abigail had a moment to think. Anxiety over the mission to Nod had left her careless, reactionary. Why had Malini wanted to meet here of all places? Surely if the Healer could come this far, she could make it to Eden. Much more likely this was a trap. Perhaps Lucifer had already captured the Soulkeepers and was luring her to her doom.
She halted, placed her hands on her hips, and tipped her face to take in the blazing red of the maple leaves above her. Rushing into this was a mistake. She needed a plan. Bending, she touched the hilt of the knife in her boot, the one weapon she’d brought from Eden. Would she be strong enough, fast enough, to face a Watcher in her human form?
Curse this mortal body, she would not. She should have thought this through before she left Eden, but her desire to help—no, to be useful—drove her toward impulsive behavior. Lucky for her, it wasn’t too late to err on the side of caution. She turned, and strode back toward the road and the scooter. She’d go back to Eden, get Gideon, and make a plan for recovering the Soulkeepers. There had to be a better way.
“Hello, Abigail.” The velvet smooth voice lassoed her shoulders, stopping her short.
She turned to face her enemy. At first the man’s attire, a double-breasted suit with Italian loafers, threw her. Very human. Then she noticed his eyes matched the deep navy blue, almost purple color of his tie. A Watcher, for sure. Human beings didn’t have eyes that color or noses that straight. He twisted the gold, lion’s head ring on his manicured finger.
Lucifer was the Lord of Illusions, and his followers boasted similar talents, but under it all, Abigail knew the Watcher’s skin and blood were black as tar. “How is your illusion so strong during the day?” she spat nervously. Distraction was her only hope.
“Well fed.”
“Who are you? I deserve to know who Lucifer sent for me.”
“You don’t remember me, Abigail? That hurts. We were once very close.”
A deadly smile crossed his full lips, and he smoothed a hand over his meticulously styled black hair. Abigail tried to place his voice, but in her human form, all she could sense was the illusion. Worse, the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls had filled the maple grove. His sorcery drew her in, a fly to the spider’s web. The smell triggered a memory of a long ago day, before Lucifer had become jealous of God and led the Watchers to fall from grace.
This Watcher had chosen an illusion not far from his appearance as an angel. Abigail shook her head. Lucifer must be serious about her capture to send his right hand man. “Cord.”
He took a step closer. “Good girl. I see your senses haven’t completely dulled with your humanity. Now come. Lucifer is waiting.”
Abigail took a step back, dropping into the fighting stance Lillian had taught her. She wasn’t completely defenseless. She’d learned the martial arts basics Lillian insisted all of them learn. Cord took another step toward her, and she whipped her knife from her boot. “I think it’s you who have lost your senses, Cord, if you think for a second I’m coming with you willingly.”
Straightening his shirt at the cufflinks, he stepped even closer, so that her blade was mere inches from his chest. He arched a brow and looked down at her pitifully. “A knife, Abigail?” He chuckled.
She didn’t waste time defending the virtues of the knife. With everything she had, she attempted to use the element of surprise to her advantage and stabbed underhanded at his gut. The knife cut through the suit jacket, but Cord’s hand snatched her wrist before the blade could penetrate his flesh. Still, the point smoked ominously against his black skin.
“Ah!” Abigail squirmed under the pressure on her wrist bones. She kicked and clawed, pounded on Cords arms and chest. An attempt to sweep his legs at the knee failed miserably. Recoverin
g, she kicked him as hard as she could in the balls.
He extended his arm. She was a moth dangling from his fingers by the wing. “From Eden I presume,” he growled, staring at her useless knife. “This might have done some real damage if you weren’t so humanly slow. Is that any way to treat an old friend?”
Harder. Tighter. Abigail was sure he was crushing her bones. She cried out, and the knife tumbled into the fallen leaves at her feet.
“That’s better. Looks like our kitten has been declawed.” By her aching wrist, he yanked her forward into his chest, gripping the back of her neck and lifting until her feet dangled above the ground.
She whimpered and struggled against him, but understood the effort was in vain. She had no power against Cord. Lucifer set a trap, and she in her haste and frustration walked right into it.
Cord pressed his face close to hers. “I’m supposed to take you straight back to Lucifer. I wonder if he would notice or care if I made a snack of you first.” He ran his lips up the length of her neck. “A bite of flesh or two probably wouldn’t kill you.”
Abigail swallowed. Eyes shut tight, she braced herself for the strike.
With a deep inhale, he paused, fangs pressed against her skin. “Better not. I wouldn’t be able to stop. The smell of fear coming off you is …” He sniffed her neck again. “Delectable.” Abruptly, he glanced at his watch. “Out of time for games.” He tangled his arms and legs around her body in a serpentine fashion.
“What are you doing?” Abigail asked.
“Taking you to Lucifer.”
Abigail’s spine snapped as he twisted into shadow. Her cells yanked apart, swept away by Cord’s sorcery. She again traveled by darkness, just as she had before she’d become mortal. Only, this ride would take her to Hell. Between chastising herself for her stupidity and preparing for the worst, she prayed that this trap had been meant for her and her alone, and that somewhere, somehow, Malini, Jacob, and the others were safe.
Chapter 3
Eden
Malini Gupta arrived in Eden accompanied by the other Soulkeepers. Fresh from her mission to Nod, she twirled inside the jewel encrusted foyer walls, relieved to be home safely. An unexpected wave of joy overcame her. Despite the loss of her hair and the fact that she was still dressed in the clothes she borrowed from the Hopi medicine woman, Malini laughed under the mural of Adam and Eve. Truth be known, she never thought she would see it again. Her work with Dane had been a suicide mission. Truly, only by the grace of God or maybe Fate had she survived.
The twins, Samantha and Bonnie, blew into the school after her, all red hair and long limbs, the scent of sunshine and honey following in their wake. All Soulkeepers carried the scent, but it was especially comforting to Malini today. Ghost, never far behind Samantha, snagged her by the waist and twirled her through the atrium. He asked in a not-so-subtle way if he could get her alone. Ethan and Dane entered next, also hand in hand, although they left the dancing to the twins. Cheveyo, Grace, and Jacob paused in the doorway.
“You’re beautiful, you know,” Jacob said to Malini. “Even freshly removed from Hell.”
“That’s sweet, but I’d prefer if you didn’t have to see me this way. I hate that he did this to me.” She brushed a hand over her ragged, talon-shorn hair.
“Maybe Abigail can make you an elixir to help you grow it back. There are plants in Eden with all sorts of healing qualities,” he said.
“Nothing short of sorcery is going to fix this overnight. I’m going to have to tell my parents I cut it. They never said I couldn’t, but my mom will probably cry.”
Lillian and Master Lee arrived, prompting Cheveyo to enter the school through the door Jacob still held open. For the first time, the new Soulkeeper saw the foyer through his own eyes. Sure, he’d seen it from inside Dane, but the experience must have felt different inside his own body. With wide eyes, he scanned the jewel-encrusted walls and stared up at the mural of Adam and Eve beneath the apple tree as if he were seeing it for the first time. Lee stepped to his side and began pointing out some of the notable features of the work of art.
Grace approached Malini and motioned toward her chopped hair. “I can even that up for you,” she said. “I’ve cut the twins’ hair since they were small.”
“Thank you, Grace. Yes, please. But first, we need to convene the council. I have to know what I’ve missed, besides my birthday. With the mess Dane made of Nod, I’m betting Lucifer will close ranks. We might have a few weeks to train Cheveyo before he retaliates.”
Grace shook her head and opened her mouth to respond. She didn’t have a chance. Lillian, who’d been eavesdropping, stepped to Grace’s side and whispered, “Malini, I know you are the strongest of all of us, but I need to insist that you take a moment to recuperate. Shower, rest, have something to eat. The council can wait. It isn’t healthy for anyone to see you lingering like this.” She eyed her tattered clothing and raised an eyebrow. “You’re their leader.”
Malini looked down at herself. She had to admit she didn’t look or feel like a leader in her current condition.
“You’re right, Lillian. Would you mind sending a gnome up to my room with a plate, and then let Abigail and Gideon know we’re back? We’ll convene in an hour.”
“Excellent.”
With a deep breath, she took Jacob’s hand. Like always, he’d meandered to her side, a moon sucked into her gravitational pull. No one said a word as she led him down the hall to the west wing of Eden, to the apartments reserved for the girls. Most often, Malini stayed in Paris, in the house with her parents, so the room designated as hers got little use. Still, it was assigned to her for just this type of occasion.
“I’m not allowed,” Jacob said, stopping at the door to the west wing stairwell.
“I’m giving you special permission,” she said, a small smile bending the corner of her mouth. “I can’t be alone right now. You’re necessary for my mental health.”
He nodded once and opened the door for her. Together, they stepped into a world of words. While the boy’s side, the east wing, was covered in murals painted by past Soulkeepers, the girl’s contained poetry. Every inch of the walls boasted beautifully rendered letters in multiple languages.
Jacob paused to read one.
“Come for respite
from a world beyond hope
whose death you hold back with shaking hands
and bloodied knuckles.
Come to remember
dreams of becoming wife and mother
or maybe something more.
Come to forget
there is no time for dreaming
until the Earth is healed
or the sword slips from your hand.”
“Depressing, huh?” Malini said, staring at the wall.
“Are they all like that?”
“Pretty much.”
She gestured with her head for him to follow her to the second floor. Down the hall, hers was the last room on the left, strangely sparse and impersonal for her tastes. She’d have to remember to decorate. She grabbed a change of clothes from the drawer, jeans and a sleeveless white blouse.
“Will this be appropriate for Paris? I wasn’t paying attention when we arrived in the alley. We moved inside so quickly. What day did you say it was again?”
“October fifth.” Jacob hooked his pinky into hers. “You should borrow a jacket from one of the other girls.”
“I’ll have to remember to keep one here for emergencies.”
“You missed your birthday,” he added in a rush.
Malini stared at him for a beat, trying to decide how she should react to that news. She’d heard it before, but it was just now sinking in. “What did you get me?” Malini asked, deciding to focus on the positive.
“Your family took us out to dinner, and I gave you, I mean Bonnie-you, a scarf.”
As grateful as she was for Bonnie impersonating her while she was in Nod, the thought gave her the creeps. It wasn't fair to dwell on the awkward
ness, considering Bonnie had kept the wheels on her life while she was away, but the thought of the twin using her identity made her shiver. “A scarf?” She giggled. “Did I like it?”
“Very much. It was red.”
“Lovely.” Malini bobbed her head repeatedly.
“Would you like your real present?”
“Not a scarf?”
“Nope.”
She extended one brown hand and flexed her fingers repeatedly. Jacob reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, embroidered silk bag. Dangling it over her palm, he waited until she reached for it, then pulled it away.
“Very funny, Jacob. Give.”
Obediently, he dropped it into her hand. She pulled apart the drawstring top and dug her fingers inside until they hooked on a flat, round object. A vintage silver locket—a plain heart on a silver chain.
“It’s beautiful.”
“To match your bracelet. Plus, look inside.”
She cracked open the heart. On one side was a picture of her and Jacob dancing in the dining room.
“Bonnie took it at the party before you left for Nod.”
“The other side is blank.” Malini ran her fingers over the etching in the silver.
“A space for our future.”
A warm smile lit her eyes from within. She tossed her arms around his neck and held him until Sage showed up with a hummus plate and a disapproving eye. Jacob insisted she eat her fill. Then, she grabbed her clothes and headed for the shower, leaving Jacob sitting on her bed.
He didn’t have to say a word. She knew he’d wait for her … always.
* * * * *
Malini tried to avoid her reflection in the mirror as Grace snipped the edges of her bangs with the tips of her scissors.
