I fidgeted under his stare momentarily, then sighed in defeat. He was right. I was in a strange place, and making enemies was the last thing I needed to do.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I said gruffly. “If you can refrain from playing games, I might possibly be able to stop my hands from squeezing your head off your neck. Now, where am I?”
“You are here,” he said with another bright, mischievous grin.
I bit my tongue and forced my anger to subside as my molars ground into one another. The energy would be wasted. I huffed, then finally surrendered. I was only going to win by losing, because I was dealing with a mad man. “Alright, so evidently I’m asking the wrong questions. How about, what is this place called?”
The little guy winked at me. “What do you think this place is called?”
I snapped. “Seriously?” I shouted. “Who are you?”
“I am Pogo. I can help you on your journey if you like,” he said, then snapped his bony fingers, clapped his hands, stomped his tiny feet and ended in a low bow.
I clapped my hands sarcastically as my eyes narrowed into slits. “Help me? You’ve done nothing but annoy me since we met, and you haven’t helped me at all. If anything, I’d say you’ve done more harm than good. I’m better off figuring everything out on my own.”
I turned and began to check the wall for weak places again. I could find a way out myself. I didn’t need the help of a trickster.
Then I heard the sniffling. I hesitantly glanced back at the dwarf. He was sitting in the middle of the dirty floor with his forehead rested on his folded arms over his knees. I’ve always been a sucker for the water works, and the tears of this scrawny twerp weren’t going to affect me any different than Kendra’s salty drops of emotion. It looked as though my journey to figure out a way back into Heaven was just going to take longer.
I sighed. “So, how can we get out of this room?”
Pogo looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, then wiped at the wetness from his wrinkled cheeks. “You need my help?” he asked, and there was genuine happiness building behind his eyes and the smile that was threatening to spread again.
I nodded once. “Under three conditions.”
Pogo nodded excitedly as he got to his feet. “Anything you want. Just name it.”
“Tell me where I am. Tell me how to get out of here,” I motioned with my hand to insinuate the room we were standing in. “And don’t get in my way. Do you think you can agree to those terms?”
Pogo dropped his head and shuffled his dirty bare feet nervously.
After about five seconds of no response to my strict circumstances, I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“Um…” he said, and there was more shuffling and fidgeting as he began to rub his hands briskly together, all the while being careful not to make eye contact with me.
My eyes gave a slight roll as I turned back to the wall. “Never mind—evidently I can’t count on you to help me with anything. I honestly don’t know what I expected. Obviously you don’t know how to get us out—”
“I do know how to get out of this room,” he said shortly, and stomped his foot.
“Well, I’m waiting,” I said as I turned back around, then froze as I noticed something odd on the wall behind him. It was a door. It blended in so perfectly that I wouldn’t have been able to swear it hadn’t been there before. I didn’t think it had been, but I’ve been wrong on more than one occasion. I’m not too proud to admit that.
He must have noticed my attention wasn’t focused on him any longer, because his frown turned to confusion as he turned to look at the door behind him. He stared at it a moment, then looked back to me like nothing was wrong or out of place.
“What?” he said.
“How long has that door been there? And don’t you dare say always,” I growled.
He chuckled lightly. “It is your door.”
“My door? What’s on the other side of my door?” I asked as I studied the new rectangle addition to the room.
Pogo grinned mischievously. “How else do you think you could get out of this room?”
I gave him a hard look, but he only flashed his rotting smile again. “So, what’s beyond the door?”
Pogo snickered. “Your future.”
I sighed in frustration. “Well, it certainly isn’t my past. Let’s go.”
Chapter 3
Josselyn
She blinked a few times. The lines in her brow were becoming all the more evident as the archangel’s words sank through to her very soul. She was fighting an internal battle with denial, but she also knew Isaiah couldn’t lie to her. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right, Isaiah,” she choked out, and quickly wiped at the tears that were obstructing her vision.
Malcolm lightly touched her arm to remind her he was there, just in case she needed to lean on someone, needed a shoulder to cry on, or needed two arms to hold her tight later, well after they had left the confines of Isaiah’s quarters.
Isaiah cleared his throat and gave a disapproving glance at Malcolm, who swiftly averted his eyes and moved back to stand in front of his seat.
Josselyn took a step closer to Isaiah. “Tell me it isn’t true,” she pleaded. “Tell me that you wouldn’t do something like that to any angel, let alone Rhyan.” Her voice grew louder with each word spoken. “He only needed a little more time!”
“Remember your place, child,” Isaiah said quietly, then touched one of the exotic flowers in the crystal vase on his desk, making it brighten and appear to be full of life and energy.
Josselyn pursed her lips tightly closed, but the steady stream of tears flowing over her cheeks she wouldn’t have been able to stop if God himself demanded it so. It wouldn’t help matters any to shout at the head guardian, but she had to admit that was all she wanted to do at that moment.
Isaiah raised his eyebrows, then motioned for his guests to take a seat in the two chairs in front of his massive desk. Once seated, he laced his fingers together atop the flawless wood of the desk top. “We’ve been watching Rhyan closely for a while now. His depression only seemed to worsen over time instead of getting better.”
“But is that honestly a good enough reason to send him—” Josselyn cut in, but Isaiah held up his hand, instantly silencing her outburst.
“The vote was unanimous. We felt it was the best thing for him.”
Josselyn stared wide-eyed at her superior. She had never heard anything so ridiculous. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She’d never been so angry in all her existence. She tried again, and the adrenaline racing through every limb of her body had her involuntarily on her feet in an instant. She ignored Isaiah’s warning look and opened her mouth. She was going to be heard no matter the consequences. “Hell?” she shouted. “You think Hell is the best place to send an angel who loves with all his heart? He encouraged Kendra to be with her soulmate, to fight for her life and soul as well as Adam’s, because he knew she would be happy someday. He even did this knowing he would be miserable for all of eternity. He loves her! Why can’t angels have a happy ending, too?” she screamed at him.
Malcolm took her hand in his and tugged lightly, guiding her back to the seat. She didn’t resist him. She was too mentally exhausted to fight anymore. She envied humans at that moment. What she would have given to be able to close her eyes and sleep, to not have to think about everything that had happened with Rhyan. Her heart broke a little more for him right then.
Isaiah glared at her sternly. “Are you finished?”
Josselyn wiped at her eyes, swiftly looking away from his glare, but finally nodded after a moment.
Isaiah took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It is true that this decision of ours may fail horribly, but we have open minds and we pray that this will help instead of hurt him.” He waited to make sure she was paying attention. Repeating himself wasn’t something he enjoyed doing. “Rhyan has a chance to come back to Heaven, but he must complete a task first.
I had no doubts that he would have been able to complete a task this extreme before Coen’s incident with Kendra, but now I worry. I can only pray he is strong enough.”
“Is this task something I can help him with?” Josselyn asked, with a little too much excitement in her voice. She was on the edge of her seat, about to jump to her feet again, when Malcolm touched her arm, holding her in place.
“I think not. I would say it is way too dangerous for you to attempt. Rhyan needs to do this on his own anyway. It’s the only thing that will bring him out of his current state of mind.”
“Well, what does he have to do?” Josselyn asked impatiently.
Isaiah smiled, showing his perfect pearly whites. “Kendra was his first love…but his soulmate is in Hell. When they meet up I expect there will be nothing that will keep him from her.”
Josselyn’s eyes grew wide. “His soulmate—she’s in Hell, too?”
Isaiah nodded. “Yes, and we think the two meeting will bring him out of his depression. Of course he will still love Kendra, but it will only be as a guardian angel should love their charge, nothing more. He will be happy for her, and he will get on with his eternity here in Heaven, with his soulmate.”
“That’s impossible!” Josselyn said, aghast. “I’ve never heard of anyone coming back from Hell. How long has she been there?”
“She fell at the beginning of the eighteenth century. And you know as well as I do that an individual needs only to ask God to forgive them of their committed sins and welcome him into their heart and soul to give them a secure place here. Most souls in Hell have no guidance, so they suffer in their own self-pity instead of asking God to help them out.”
Malcolm chuckled. “I thought you were upset because he was sent into Hell, and that you would be happy he has been given a chance to return back into the Heavenly Realm. Am I wrong, or am I not following this conversation very well?”
She looked over to where Malcolm was seated beside her, then her gaze dropped to her lap. “Yes, of course I want Rhyan to return,” she said quietly, but she could feel his eyes burning holes in her head, trying to figure out what she wasn’t saying. Her excitement had almost caused her tongue to be too loose.
Isaiah cleared his throat to bring the attention back to him. “I think we are done here. There is no way for us to see the decisions he makes, so all we can do is pray he follows the right path. He will be advised that he does have a chance to return if he completes the task. The task being, that he bring his soulmate back with him. That decision will be his and his alone.” He stood from his chair. “You are dismissed.”
Rhyan
I was taking in my surroundings and sidestepped just in time to miss a large pile of feces on the cobblestone in my path. It was too large to have been from any animal I’d ever had the courage to meet face-to-face. I might be an angel, and technically immortal, but I can be injured when in human form.
Pogo chuckled in front of me. I was really starting to question whether he would be more help or harm in the end. I actually already knew the answer to that, but any help was better than no help, right?
I didn’t have much trouble getting my location out of him after my door appeared. There weren’t a whole lot of places I could have ended up after what I’d said. I knew I wasn’t in Heaven any longer, and it was evident I wasn’t on Earth. It’s my own fault that I ended up in Hell. A good guardian angel would have never done something so careless and stupid. And now there was nothing I could do about it.
My surroundings puzzled me. There was a great fog or smoke blanketing everything. And there were no trees or vegetation as far as I could see. Small stone huts lined the wide walkway, but I didn’t notice anyone besides me and Pogo about. Ash floated lightly from the dark gray sky above, and I held my hand out, letting a few pieces fall upon my skin so I could rub the burnt residue between my fingers.
I yelped and quickly wiped my hand on my pants, but I could already see tiny blisters forming on my fingers and the threads beginning to fray where I had wiped the acid-like residue on my perfect, heavenly clothing. It once had been impossible to get the clothing dirty or alter it in any way, but it sadly looked like that wasn’t the case any longer. It was evident I was in Hell.
I realized that Pogo was snickering lightly, and I also noticed that he was wearing a raincoat, complete with hood, that must have kept the acid ash from his skin and clothing.
“Where the hell—” I bit my lip and growled out my frustration. “Where did you get the raincoat?” I cried out, grabbing the back of my neck and arm simultaneously as a few more ashes found my bare skin.
He turned and gave me an innocent, clueless look. “It doesn’t rain here. Why would I have a raincoat?”
Of course it didn’t rain in Hell. Why would he have a raincoat? I asked myself sarcastically, then rolled my eyes. If the thing he was wearing wasn’t obviously three times too small for me, I would’ve taken it from him and made him suffer through the burning ashes. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I counted to ten in my head. “What is that thing you are wearing over your clothing?” I said as calmly as I could manage through my teeth.
He snickered. “Oh, this old thing? It’s an acid jacket. The acid that’s falling from the sky will eat through anything except these.” He tugged a little at the collar, hiding himself even further inside the safe material.
I knew if I opened my mouth to speak that I would shout at him, and I didn’t know who or what might be listening. Catching the attention of anyone else was not on my to-do list on my journey through Hell. I hadn’t ever heard of anyone escaping Hell, but I solely lived by the motto that ‘there is always a first time for everything’ and ‘where there is a will there is a way’. I had to get out so I could guide Kendra. Heaven knew Josselyn wouldn’t be able to take care of her the way that I could.
“What do you say?” Pogo said, snapping me out of my subconscious plan to escape Hell.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I really didn’t need to be drifting off in thought while standing in plain sight for just anyone to aim something nasty at me. “Huh? What do I say about what?”
“Getting you an acid jacket.” He looked up to the poisonous gray ceiling above us. “This is only a light drizzle; most of the time it’s coming down much heavier. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be caught out in it then.”
What was he talking about? I didn’t want to be caught out in it now. “Well, that’s about the only thing I’ve trusted that has come out of your mouth. Get me a jack…”
Something grabbed my arm and I jerked, quickly realizing that it had been a man that couldn’t have possibly weighed more than eighty pounds, but folds of skin hung in layers over his brittle bones. He was minus an acid jacket as well, and his clothes and skin showed the signs of the burns. “Please, sir,” he said as he looked up at me with sad, hungry eyes. “Might you ’ave a bite of bread you can spare?”
I gave Pogo a nervous glance. He crossed his arms over his small chest and grinned at me. I looked back to the starving man and shook my head. “I don’t have anything. I’m sorry.”
The little man’s eyes narrowed up at me, pure hatred and unsaid threats evident in his glare. He took a step closer to me. “You lie. The bastards told you not to feed me, didn’t they? Didn’t they?” he shouted.
I shook my head, confused by the sudden change of his mood. “Honestly, I just got here. I don’t have anything I can give you.” I backed up a step, putting my hands up, yet he still continued to move closer.
He stopped, turning his head to the side to study me further. His eyes seemed to glaze over. “Well, then I will eat you,” he said, and lunged at me.
I didn’t have time to think about what to do. He came at me with his mouth open wide, ready to take a bite out of whatever part of my body he could sink his teeth into first.
I just reacted. I blocked his feather-like hit with my forearm, then grabbed his throat and threw him to the ground. I wasn’t
trying to hurt him, but I wasn’t giving him a chance to bite me either.
I looked into his eyes full of fury. “I don’t have anything to give you, and you aren’t going to eat me. I hope you understand what I’m saying, because I won’t be so nice the next time you try to take a bite.” I got to my feet, leaving him on his back to get over his mad spell on his own, and I returned to Pogo.
Feeling a sharp pain on the back of my left thigh, I let out a roar, then punched the top of the little man’s head until his pointy teeth broke free of me. I pushed him back, but he snarled and came at me again like a rabid dog. I swung my leg around, drop kicking him to the ground, then placed my boot on his windpipe and began to transfer my body weight from one foot to the other.
“Enough!” a female voice said. I looked up, but continued to apply the pressure that was required of my foot to keep the guy’s throat under my boot.
She was tall for a female; I’d say maybe five-nine or five-ten, putting her still a couple inches shorter than myself. I couldn’t tell much else about her, because she was covered in a black cape, complete with a hood that shadowed her face from my sight. The acid ash didn’t seem to be affecting the satiny fabric, and I remembered Pogo had told me the acid would eat through anything except for the acid jackets; another lie that had escaped his mouth. Surprise, surprise.
“I hope you’re talking to him,” I snapped, pulling myself away from analyzing her further.
She laughed heartily, then paused as she shook her head. “Actually, I wasn’t.” She took a step closer to me and I transferred my weight a little more, making the cannibal below my foot let out a squeak. She froze, which was really wise of her, I thought.
“You can’t be serious. I guess you think it’s perfectly fine for people to go around eating other people,” I said, and watched as the shoulders lifted then fell under the cape. All she needed was a sickle and she could’ve played the part of Death perfectly. I suddenly remembered where I was and laughed uneasily as my brow rose. “Are you Death?”
“You speak of Death as if you think there is but only one.”
Hell's Gift Page 2
