by Lynn Landes
Jake puts his gun away and runs past Simeon to Elina.
Simeon turns from the pile of dead looking around the area for more threats and moves toward her side as well.
“We can’t stay here in the open.” He begins to slide his hands under Elina’s back to lift her off the impaling spike.
“Don’t move her!” Jake snaps at Simeon before he can touch her. He grabs a bandana from his pants pocket and wraps it around her leg tightly, making a tourniquet to slow the blood flow.
“Mine!”
Elina hears the Mockers thoughts as clearly as her own. He is searching for her.
Elina moans, “We have to go now! He is close!”
Simeon looks at Jake, “He can’t get any of her blood. It will restore his former powers as an archangel.”
Jake adjusts Elina’s tourniquet a bit to allow the blood to flow to her leg. He is greeted with a hiss of pain from her and a growing pool of blood.
“We need to break this wood off so we can move her to somewhere safe. Can you get your hand under her leg to snap this board off?”
Simeon looks at Jake, “Why don’t we just port her out? We can heal her then?”
“If we port the wood needs to go with us. It’s plugging the hole in her leg. I am sure she hit an artery when she landed on it. It will only take a few minutes for her to bleed out.”
Through clenched teeth Elina hisses at them, “Break the damn thing off! We have to move, I can feel him Jake! He’s close… nooo,” she moans, “He’s here.”
Just as Simeon slides his hand under Elina’s leg, a demon rises behind him with a snap of discharged energy. He swings a black iron mace at Simeon and the blow lands hard on Simeon’s great wings. The impact sends Simeon sprawling over Elina and Jake to finish rolling a few feet away.
Through the pain Elina hears the demon call out, “I have her!”
As Jake pulls himself up from the ground, he draws his pistol, intending to shoot the damned demon. A bright flash has him, averting his eyes and a crash throws him backwards.
When he looks back, he sees Malach standing over the dead demon with his sword still glowing and dripping fresh blood. He looks at Jake leaning down and plucks Elina from her impalement. Before he even hears her scream of pain, there is another flash of light and they are gone.
Elina screams until she is hoarse and passes out, welcoming the blackness. Malach knows they won’t make it far, he has to stop the bleeding. He ports to a small wooden chapel, down the road from the fish market. He lays her on the dusty earth and heats his hands, calling upon his heavenly father to heal her. Nothing happens.
Again, he lifts his hand to the heavens and prays for the healing touch. Nothing.
“No, NO!” he snarls, and rips the material away from her leg to get a look at it.
Simeon is the first to find them calling for Jake to join them.
Elina is laying amidst a growing pool of blood, and Malach’s hands are shaking as he works to stop the blood flow. The tourniquet tied around her upper thigh has slipped loose and Elina’s blood runs freely onto the dirt floor. Jakes drops to his knees to help but Malach roars and pushes him back.
“Don’t touch her!”
“I can help her, you damn fool!” Jake yells back. His training in the medical field takes over and he knows he can save her. Going to work, he starts looking for something he can use to put pressure on the wound.
“Why can’t any of you heal her?” He asks as Uriel arrives at the chapel.
Uriel steps to Malach and pulls him away so Jake can help. Malach’s emerald eyes flash from green to black as he fights the rage inside.
“Not like this, Elina. Not like this.” He chants unaware of the others watching him.
“Brother, we need to get her to the Ketuwah.” Simeon says to Malach. “It may be her only hope.”
Elina’s eyes flutter open and she groans in pain. “Malach?” A strange numbness overtakes her as she looks at the angels around her. Her hand is trembling as she feels inside her pocket, “It’s going to be okay, take this!” she demands and shoves the pen towards him.
Before he can move the roof of the ramshackle church rains down on the group, as demons explode inside.
The Mocker floats through the falling debris to crash down on top of Elina, kicking Jake in the chest. He flies across the church and slams viciously into a wall. The Mocker laughs through his torn, burnt face and sinks his teeth deeply into Elina’s shoulder as he rips the pen from her hand.
In her mind, he sees the village, she was born in, and the sacred Ketuwah! Her power thunders through his system, flooding him with sensations he hasn’t had in centuries. Tasting the flavor of her sweet nectar has him doubling his efforts to drain her of every drop!
Her screams are drowned out by the sound of Malach’s roar of rage. He shifts to dragon form leaping straight at the Mocker, blowing out the remaining walls and the roof of the church with his massive size.
A fire burns in his eyes and he sinks his claws into the Mocker’s side. The sudden pain forces him to release Elina from his death grip and she drops to the floor pale, and barely breathing.
The angels port out with Elina safely in their arms, taking Jake with them. Malach is left to seek out retribution. He leaps into the sky with the Mocker held tightly in place by razor sharp claws. Demons leap at him to free their master, but they are no match for the pissed off Arch. He burns their souls all the way back to hell using great gouts of flame from his fanged mouth.
“Too late, Angel.” The Mocker whispers as the blood of the keeper now pumps through his system. He screams in agony as he forces the clawed hand holding him open, ripping the bloody talons from his body.
A hard twist and he is free falling away from the dragon. The stumps on his back burn. He can feel his wings begin to reform! He savors the pain and spreads his powerful white wings catching the air to fly away from his pursuer.
As he looks back to the chapel he sees no one left except his sons and followers.
“I know where you are going Keeper.”
He laughs at the look on the dragon’s face as he disappears and heads to his dominion.
“With the power of the pen, I will release the rest of my army and then the keeper will be mine. Retreat sons!” He orders, laughing a psychotic laugh of madness.
Chapter 31
Elina feels herself moving through time. Her past is replaying in her mind, a delirious pain induced mix of images. All she feels is the pain. She has lost so much blood that she can feel each heartbeat as it struggles to keep her alive. The images in her head pass by faster in a blur. She must get to the Ketuwah! She hopes Alex will be there. Her power is weakening, “Malach!” she screams for her soul mate.
She feels him push through her fear and pain soothing her scream for help. Strong arms embrace her broken body.
“Malach? How are you here? I don’t understand.”
“Yes, Elina. I have you.”
Elina passes through time confused.
“Is this real? I need to get home.”
Following the image she pushes into his mind Malach takes her home, back to the village she was born in.
The village is like many others of this time. A river is nearby for fishing, farming, and washing. It is protected by a wall made of lodge poles.
In her fevered weakened mind, she moves through the village like a summer breeze. She hears it as it once was. Smoke rises out of the small openings of each thatched hut cottage. Children run and play and the scent of dinner floats on the air.
Elina smiles and she hears her father calling to her.
“Papi?” she whispers. Her father’s voice echoes in the depths of her mind.
“Only the Keeper of the Light is able to read the scrolls and return the parts to the Ketuwah, thus recreating the book.”
A shadow passes overhead and pain explodes through her body and mind but she does not scream. She must not be found yet.
“Elina?” Another voi
ce calls out drawing her towards it.
“Brother!”
Alex stands in the center of the busy village waiting for her. He holds out a hand to her and she hesitates.
“No,” she frowns, “This can’t be?”
Alex drops his hand and sighs. A torch appears in his hand and he turns lighting the town fire.
“Once, long ago our maker cast to earth a fallen archangel. It was his punishment to walk among the people never belonging.”
His voice begins to change as he walks towards Elina. “In my rage I walked the earth destroying the light in whatever form I found it. I destroyed two of the twelve tribes before the others went into hiding, taking with them the secrets of the book. You are the only thing standing between me and conquering Heaven, Elina! I’m coming for you.” He shifts to his true form, the Mocker.
Elina screams as his clawed hand reaches for her throat.
Pain pushes its way to the front demanding her attention once more. Her leg is throbbing and she feels drugged and sluggish. Hands press on the wound causing her to moan and writhe in pain.
She opens her eyes to her heart pounding. Fear has her, pressing back into the bed.
Alex is staring at her with eyes identical to their father. “Elina!” he says relieved.
He leans forward, frowning when she jumps away from him as though afraid.
“Elina, it’s me Alex.”
Something presses on her leg again and she snarls looking down. Nameed is attempting to heal her wounded leg.
Their eyes meet and she allows the healing to continue. She relaxes and welcomes the soothing heat of the angels touch. The wound in her leg stops throbbing as tissue, muscle, and tendons knit back together. Elina closes her eyes in relief.
“Where am I?” she asks. “Where is everyone?”
Nameed looks up, “Peace Keeper, you are home. Malach is collecting himself and the others are resting. We have something for you.” Nameed finishes his task and helps her sit up. He looks at Alex and nods for him to come forward.
“We got it, Elina!” Alex walks forward, holding a silk wrapped item.
Elina feels the power emanating from the bundle before she touches it. Tears fill her eyes as she realizes how close they are to finishing.
“Thank you,” she says hoarsely. She starts to reach out to take it from him but pain shoots through her body as the raw open wound on her shoulder begins to bleed again.
Malach enters the ancient hut and looks at Elina. Everything fades except his presence. She looks up at him and smiles when he orders everyone from the room. “Nameed, Alex, this business can wait. I have a few things to discuss with Elina, alone!”
“You are angry with me again?” she asks after everyone clears the room.
Malach walks forward and gently pulls away the blood covered material of her shirt from the deep wound with shaking hands. He squeezes a wet rag over it to cleanse the gash before placing a hand softly on top. His face lifted to the heavens, a prayer quietly passing over his lips and the healing begins. It flows through her body, soothing and renewing before fading away. He waves a hand clothing her in a fresh shirt covering the new scars and emerald eyes meet turquoise.
“This was your plan, to allow him to hurt you! He nearly killed you Elina! Why would you block me from healing you?” he demands.
Her hand touches his face and she leans in and presses a kiss softly to his mouth ending his fury.
“I’m sorry, it was part of the plan. I needed him to believe that he was winning and if I have to explain everything I think or do, we will never get anywhere. It was a trap to lure him here. I will explain it when we are all together outside, Malach.”
Elina rises from the bed, tenderly testing her leg and rolling her shoulders to loosen them from the injuries. She looks at Malach once more and turns leaving him alone again.
Malach glances down at his hand holding the bloody rag and whispers “How many more times will her blood stain my hands?”
Outside, Nameed watches Alex looking around the village he was born in.
“It’s odd, Nameed, to be here where I was born, but feel no connection to it.” Alex looks around and all he sees is a run-down village that looks to be hundreds of years old. What used to be a wall surrounding the village has fallen over and is overgrown with brush. The remains of what looks like huts, are now collapsed ramshackle remnants of a prospering community.
He walks through the low branches with his hands dragging over the soft foliage looking and trying to remember anything about his earlier life here. All he can see are vague images and flashes of memories. The soft touch of loving hands, the sound of laughter, a pair of beautiful eyes looking at him with joy… frustrated he turns walking back to Nameed.
As he approaches Nameed turns to him with concern showing in his eyes. “Did you not find any answers to your questions?”
Alex lifts his eyes from thought looking up at the large archangel who has trained him and taught him so many things about life, but is not his true family.
“Why Nameed? Why you? Why would a great Archangel who has so much duty and responsibility help raise a child he did not even know? I mean, I am just a teenager. My sister is the one who is important. Without her we would have no hope, no future. Me? I don’t know where I fit into all of this. You say I am as powerful as her, or at least will be as I grow. I do not see how that is possible.”
“Alex, you have been one of my greatest challenges and accomplishments. Yes, I am an archangel, but I am also a brother to you, just as our Lord is a father to both of us. It has been an honor to help raise and train you. Never doubt that. You have a part in all of this as well to play. The path is not certain, and it will be arduous to walk. Just remember to take with you what you have learned and the way will be clear.”
Alex looks away and stares at a butterfly on a wild flower, lost in thought about what lies ahead he feels Elina call to him.
“Alex, we need to talk.”
With a look at Nameed they both turn back to walk to where Elina is standing outside of the hut she was in. Although she is fully healed, she is still favoring her leg when she walks up to them.
Alex scans her body and notes that her shoulder has been healed and she has a fresh shirt on.
“You look a lot better than you did a while ago. I think I have seen dead bodies with more color to them than you had when Malach brought you here. Think you played it close enough?” His fear and worry for his sister drifts to her.
With a knowing chuckle she steps in for a hug wrapping her arms around his waist. He has grown so tall her head fits perfectly under his chin and she savors the sound of his heartbeat for a moment before looking up with a laugh.
“I am just glad to be here. I needed to make sure the Mocker truly believed he had the real scroll. We needed time to make it here to finish this.” She steps away from her brother and feels Malach walk up behind the small group.
With a tender touch he lays his hands on her shoulders, and she feels the warmth and love in them. She leans back with a sigh, feeling his warmth against her back.
“Why here?” Alex asks, looking around at the trees and brush as Makaio, Loe, Jake and the other arch’s join them.
Elina smiles a sad smile at him, “Because it needs to end, where it began.”
“The Ketuwah is always here for this is holy ground. One of the chosen tribes lived here; our tribe. The Ketuwah is always with us, in our spirits and our souls. We were chosen to carry the knowledge of the scrolls, to protect it, to prevent it from falling to the dark powers that want to corrupt and conquer. This is what we have fought for so long. To protect those who do not know or see the evil around them. By bringing the scrolls together, it can be finished and this dark angel can be thrown into the depths of Hell to be locked away forever. This is the final battleground.”
She looks at the gathered group of warriors around her, seeing them for the hero’s that they are. Though battered and bruised, they stand tall and p
roud with righteous passion in their eyes. They will not fail her or humanity.
“We will need to prepare for what is coming. I have a plan that is already set in motion…”
Malach looks down at the beautiful woman standing in front of him and her voice fades as he remembers the scared young girl he once knew and wonders at the woman she has become.
Elina feels Malach’s emotion before his thoughts reach her. Her own feelings coloring her cheeks as she turns away. Her eyes meet Simeon’s. “For you I have a special request, Simeon.”
Simeon is drawn away from his own thoughts of the human female he left behind to focus on Elina, “Whatever you need Keeper. We are here to serve.”
With quick images from her mind, Elina fills Simeon in on his part of the plan.
He looks around in concern at the group gathered in front of him and nods his understanding to Elina. “It will be done. I will be watching for your signal.” Turning, he pushes his great body into the air and is gone in a rush of wind.
Elina looks around at the remaining faces and brushes her hair out of her face from Simeon’s departure. Quickly she runs through the plan one more time.
“Does everyone understand their part to play? The Mocker will be figuring out his mistake soon and will seek retribution against us all. I would take the time we have to tend to yourselves and ready your weapons for battle.”
With the group breaking up and preparing in their own way, Elina walks over to Alex.
“Alex, can I see the pen you and Nameed retrieved?”
Alex reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a silk wrapped wooden box. He can feel the power emanating from the humble package.
“Odd, isn’t it Elina that something so powerful would be hidden by such simplicity?” With a heavy heart he slowly hands the artifact over to his sister.
Elina’s thoughts are jumbled as she wraps her hand around the offered box. “This is it! We are so close! My task is almost completed!” All of this and more runs through her mind in a second.
When the skin of her hand contacts the box, all of her thoughts stop. A vision takes her and time stops as she sees her death. The Ketuwah is ablaze beckoning to her and every step she takes causes her skin to burn. The tattoos beneath her skin begin to sing with holy light, heralding the end to the evil against them.
