[The Watchers 19.0] Dominion - Reckoning

by SJ West

  “What makes you say that?” I immediately ask, wondering if Anna has found a way to end Helena’s life and free us all from her ruthlessness.

  “My connection to her has been broken. I can’t feel her anymore,” Silas replies, clearly confused by what he senses. “That’s the best way I can describe it.”

  Now that the fog has dissipated, I can clearly see the black castle in the far distance where Anna is supposed to be trapped. Not only do I see the castle, but I also see where Helena sent the War Angels when she separated them from us.

  “Am I hallucinating, or do the War Angels have wings on their backs?” I ask those around me. The War Angels are embroiled in aerial combat with creatures that look angelic in form with wings of their own, but I’m sure they are minions of Hell.

  “You’re not seeing things. They do have wings for some reason,” Mason replies, confirming that my eyes aren’t just playing tricks on me.

  “Whatever is happening here,” Slade says, “I suggest we take advantage of it and get to the castle before everything has a chance to change back.”

  We start to run across the hard-packed earth toward the castle, but I instantly notice Jered isn’t following us. I stop to look behind me and see him standing motionless as he continues to stare at his only child. I can tell he wants to go to Silas, but his window of opportunity is suddenly lost when the other Watcher children surround his son, urging him to follow them into the darkness, away from us.

  “Jered!” I call out to gain his attention.

  With Silas lost to him again, Jered seems to come back to his senses and begins to run after us. We travel as far as we can until we come to a large chasm that separates us from the castle. As I look over the ragged edge into the depths of the gorge, all I see is darkness.

  There’s no way for us to cross over to help the War Angels with their fight, but I’m not sure we could have aided them much anyway. Without having wings, we can’t join the battle.

  I hear a ferocious growl come from close by. We all turn around and see a pack of at least forty hellhounds standing behind us. Unfortunately, they’re not alone. Hellspawn stand directly behind them as far as the eye can see. We’re already on the edge of the chasm. There’s nowhere for us to go.

  “Need a ride?” I hear above me.

  When I look up, I see Ethan, Roan, Xander, and Alex swooping down toward us. Just as the hellhounds begin to charge forward, the War Angels lift us up and fly us across the chasm. As we reach the castle side of the ravine, the purple barrier protecting it disappears, as do the wings on the War Angels and Helena’s minions. We all end up tumbling out of the air onto the ground directly in front of the castle.

  “I actually kind of liked the wings,” Ethan grumbles disappointedly, grabbing his black and gold sword up from the ground as he stands.

  We all pick up our weapons and join the fray on the stone steps of the castle to help the other War Angels. Now that no one has wings, including Helena’s creatures, we’re able to help. I have to restrain myself from just running into the palace to begin my search for Anna and Lucas. I know they wouldn’t want me to leave in the middle of a fight just for them. Thankfully, we’re able to win the battle swiftly and make it inside the castle to seek out my family.

  None of us waste any time after we enter Helena’s dark replica of our home in Cirrus. I head straight up the grand staircase. I’m faintly aware of Ethan giving orders about where the others should start their search. I run from room to room, shouting Anna’s and Lucas’ names, but there’s no response. The castle feels empty, and I fear that’s exactly what it is. Just as Hell feels empty of Helena, this castle feels empty of my family.

  As I run down a long hallway, checking every room, I hear a soft yelp come from down the corridor. When I look, I see Luna running straight toward me.

  I bend down on one knee when she reaches my location.

  “How did you get here, girl?” I ask, but I don’t expect to get an answer from her. She may be a creature of Hell, but she wasn’t given the power to speak like a human. I assume Lucifer probably brought her here to help search for Anna and Lucas. Perhaps that’s why she kept pawing at me before we left to come down here. If I had been thinking straight at the time, I might have figured out her nonverbal communication.

  “Something’s not right here, Malcolm,” Cade says as he walks down the hallway toward me. “It’s like they just disappeared.”

  “Do you think Helena phased them somewhere?” I ask, standing back up.

  Cade shakes his head.

  “I don’t think it’s that simple,” he tells me grimly. “There’s an emptiness to this place, and I’m not just talking about the inside of this castle. Hell doesn’t feel like it did when we first entered. Can’t you feel the difference?”

  “Yes.” I sigh. “I know what you’re talking about. We all feel it, but I don’t understand what it means. Do you?” I ask, hoping Cade’s connection to Helena lends him a unique perspective on what’s happening that the rest of us don’t have access to.

  “If I didn’t know any better,” he begins, “I would say Helena has disappeared from existence, but that doesn’t make any sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I agree. “Yet that’s exactly what it feels like.”

  “I found Luna standing alone in an odd-looking bedroom at the other end of the hallway,” Cade informs me. “Considering what I saw inside of it, I think it’s where Helena was keeping Anna and Lucas.”

  “Show me,” I tell him.

  Cade touches my shoulder and phases Luna and me to a room that does look decidedly strange. I can well imagine Helena choosing the furnishings and décor with her morbid taste for all things dark. I immediately notice the two baby cribs on either wall across from the large four-poster bed in the room. I also notice the small, round dining table with three dirty plates still set on top of it. My eyes are instantly drawn to the solitary window in the room with Anna’s chair sitting in front of it. I walk over and run my right hand along the top of its wooden frame.

  I need my wife back. I can’t even take in a real breath without her near.

  I feel like my entire existence has been a series of trials. Some I passed by sheer luck or cunning, but most of them I failed miserably either due to my own ego or stubbornness. Anna has centered me like no other person ever has in my life, not even Lilly. I know in my heart that I will find her, because my life has no meaning without her and our children being in it.

  Other than the remnants of food left on the table, there are no additional signs that Anna and Lucas stayed here.

  “What do we do now?” Cade asks me.

  “I don’t know,” I say, feeling adrift without a specific goal to reach anymore. “Staying here seems pointless, though. It’s obvious they’re somewhere else, but I don’t even know where to start searching for them.”

  “I don’t either.”

  I turn to look at Cade. “Before Helena left us, she said Lucifer was here. Somehow he and Jess made it to Anna and Lucas.”

  “We didn’t see them,” he replies, looking thoughtful about this new piece of information, “but I’m sure there are multiple entrances into this place. They must have found a way in from the back side of the castle.”

  “Since they obviously had Luna with them, maybe she found a way in,” I reason. “What bothers me is that if Lucifer is still with them, he would have found a way to notify us where they are by now.”

  “What do you think it means that he hasn’t?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know anything at this point.”

  “We should probably regroup and discuss things with everyone else.”

  Cade and I return to the entrance of the castle to rejoin the others. As soon as we all phase back to the living room in my New Orleans home, I’m surprised to see an unexpected visitor standing there waiting for us.

  “Father?” I ask. God ceases His conversation with Desmond and Andre to turn around and face me. “What are you doing
here?”

  I instantly assume that His presence doesn’t bode well for Anna and Lucas’ safety.

  “Your family is fine, Malcolm,” my father reassures me, instantly allaying my fears. “Jess and Lucifer are looking after them. I wanted to come here in person and tell you that before your imagination begins to cause you worry unnecessarily.”

  “Then where are they?” I plead, walking over to stand in front of Him.

  “They needed to go somewhere before they could return to you.”

  “Don’t do that to me!” I bellow at Him out of frustration. “Stop talking in riddles and just tell me where they are! For once, Father, tell me what I need to know!”

  I can feel the others around me physically tense up after my heated outburst toward my Father. Only God remains relaxed in the face of my open resentment. I know I should apologize, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I need to know where my family is, and I’m not in any mood to play His games.

  “They’re on alternate Earth,” my father tells me unexpectedly. I’m shocked not only by His words, but also because He gave me a real answer.

  “Alternate Earth?” Mason asks, as if needing confirmation that he heard our father correctly. When God nods in response to his question, Mason says, “Why in the world would You send them there? Didn’t Jess suffer enough the last time she went?”

  “There were things that needed to be done there,” He tells us, returning to His cryptic form of answering direct questions. “But rest assured, they will all be coming back to this Earth. I came here to alleviate any fears you have concerning their safety and current whereabouts, especially you, Malcolm. You’ve been through enough lately, and I believe Anna would be very vexed with Me if I let you suffer any more than you already have.”

  “Since You’re in the mood to give real answers,” I say, hoping my father’s openness continues, “did Anna really walk away from me after she saw what I almost did to Sebastian, or was that one of Helena’s tricks?”

  God doesn’t say anything right away. He seems to be weighing His response to my question.

  “What does your heart tell you?” He asks. “If you listen to it, you already know the answer to that question without Me having to say it.”

  I sigh in relief, because I don’t believe Anna would turn her back on me. Instead, she would have taken me in her arms and helped me cope with reliving such a terrible moment from my past.

  “Thank you,” I tell my father.

  “You’re welcome.” God smiles at me. “She loves you just as much as you love her. If there were ever two souls meant to be together, it’s yours and Anna’s. She will return to you, Malcolm. You just need to be patient a little while longer.”

  “Can you tell me how long I’ll have to wait? When will I know she’s back on our Earth?” I ask urgently.

  “You will be the first person to know when that occurs. All I can say is that you won’t have to wait much longer. Have a little more patience, My son.”

  “You know that really isn’t my strong suit.”

  My father’s smile grows wider. “I’m acutely aware of that fact.”

  Vala walks over to Luna and me.

  “I’m glad to see you made it back unharmed, Luna,” she tells her.

  Once Vala gets close enough, Luna nuzzles her snout against hers.

  “When Lucifer came here to ask if he could borrow Luna,” Vala tells me, “I didn’t think you would mind.”

  “No, I didn’t mind,” I assure her. “I wish I had thought to do it, but I’m glad she helped him find her.”

  Brutus phases into the room.

  “Where are Anna and Lucas?” he asks, looking around the room at all of us. He rightly assumes we wouldn’t have left Hell unless we had them with us.

  “According to our father, they’re on alternate Earth,” I tell him.

  “What in the world are they doing there?” he asks, thrown for a loop by my answer.

  “We’re not sure yet,” I tell him, briefly glancing in our father’s direction.

  “Ahh,” Brutus replies, understanding God’s penchant for not answering our questions most of the time. Although He’s been exceedingly helpful in this situation. It was more than I could have ever hoped from Him.

  “Are the rumors about Cirrus true?” Andre asks Brutus, changing the subject.

  “Yes,” he replies, looking dejected to have to give his answer. “I’m afraid they are.”

  “What rumors?” I ask. “What are you talking about?”

  Brutus looks over at Desmond and Andre, as if asking if he should answer my question.

  “We were informed that Cirrus is laying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean,” Andre tells me. “Brutus went to confirm that what we were told is true.”

  “Let me guess,” I say. “The rebellion angels did it?”

  “That’s what we think,” Desmond tells me. “No one else would be foolish enough to go there with so many hellspawn roaming around.”

  “I can report one good thing,” Brutus says. “The force field that surrounds Cirrus is still in place. Apparently they didn’t think about disabling it. Besides a few collapsed buildings, it looks like the majority of the city is still intact. Of course, my perspective was limited since I had to view it from a shuttle in the air. I don’t think any of us can actually phase inside. Unless one of you has been swimming in that particular spot in the Atlantic, none of us can phase into Cirrus.”

  “What about the teleporters?” I ask, knowing that Cirrus has various public ones stationed around the city. “Are they still operational?”

  “No,” Brutus answers. “Everything is offline in Cirrus. Not even the personal transporters will work until everything is brought back online.”

  “I will take you there,” God offers, once again dumbfounding me with His helpfulness.

  He looks at me and grins. “I do have my moments, Malcolm. I’m not always the curmudgeon you all make Me out to be.”

  “I’m not complaining, Father,” I say, holding up my hands. “I’m just surprised is all.”

  And who could blame me for being amazed? This was the most helpful my father had been to any of us in years. All I can assume is that He feels extremely sorry for me. I will take what I can get, no matter the reason.

  I turn to my fellow angels and say, “The force field around the city should hold until we can repair the propulsion system and get Cirrus back into the air. We should go there and start work on it now. Maybe we can get it back into the sky before Anna comes home.”

  I’m just thankful to have a new project to work on to keep my mind busy until Anna and Lucas return.

  “We’ll go with you to watch your back,” Ethan tells me, speaking for his brother War Angels.

  “I’m going, too,” Andre says.

  “Count me in,” Desmond volunteers.

  “I wish I could go with you all,” Brutus says regretfully, “but I need to take care of a problem that’s cropped up with the Cirrun refugees.”

  “What problem?” I ask. “Do you need my help?”

  “I can handle it,” Brutus assures me. “Levi is trying to buy Catherine some votes by offering to house people in Nimbo. I’ve basically told those considering his offer that if they go, they will temporarily lose their Cirrun citizenship and will have to reapply for it after the election takes place.”

  “That should certainly make them think twice before abandoning their own city,” Desmond says.

  “It’s brilliant, Brutus,” I praise. “I’ll leave things in your hands for now. I don’t think I’ll be able to think straight until my family is back home anyway.”

  “Then go repair Cirrus and busy your mind with that for a while,” Brutus tells me. “I’ve got things handled here.”

  I turn to my father. “We’re ready when You are.”

  God phases us all to the castle in Cirrus. I’m thankful my father phased us to the balcony just outside my chambers. The vantage point from here allows us to assess the
damage done to the city. I already expected to have to face a ruined metropolis with hellspawn roaming all over it, but what I didn’t expect to find was beauty.

  The only light to see by comes from the few fires that seem to be contained within the city. As Brutus told us, the force field is keeping the ocean waters at bay, at least for the time being. When I look up, I see dolphins pecking at the shield out of curiosity and fish swimming over it, as if it’s just another obstacle that they have to navigate around. When a pod of whales pass by, one of their tails hits the force field, causing it to glow green momentarily from the impact.

  “We need to get the propulsion system back online as quickly as possible,” I say to the others. “There’s no way of knowing what kind of damage might have been done to the force field generator. If that goes out, the whole city will be lost. The marine life isn’t exactly helping matters either, if they keep testing its strength like that.”

  I turn to my father and say, “Thank You for coming to me and letting me know where they are. You know how much I appreciate You doing that.”

  “As I said, I couldn’t allow you to suffer through wondering what had become of them. Have faith that things will work out the way they should, Malcolm. They almost always do.” God turns to look at the War Angels. “For My last bit of helpful advice, I want to also tell you that the fissures between Hell and Earth have been sealed. When Helena left, the energy keeping them open also disappeared.”

  “Does that mean we can get rid of the hellspawn in the city?” Ethan asks eagerly.

  “Yes,” God answers. “No more of them can come here. Helena’s promise that two hellspawn would replace every one you kill can no longer be fulfilled. I suggest you get to work and start clearing out the ones roaming the city.”

  “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a very long time,” Gideon says with a smile as he happily spins his war hammer in his hand.

  “Then I will leave you all so you can get to work repairing Anna’s city for her.”

  God phases away.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you,” I say to my angelic brethren, “but I’m ready to get these things the hell out of my city.”