Forged by Fire (Angels at the Edge Book 1)

by Michael Arches

  It was daytime here, and the forest’s birds chirped cheerfully, as though nothing evil ever existed on this Earth.

  “How is he?” I whispered to Yasmin.

  She didn’t look up. “His soul remains intact, thanks to you, but it will need a few more days to recover. Until then, he’ll remain here, unconscious.”

  The terror I’d experienced in the fight flooded back into my mind. Plenty of evil did exist on Earth. “I thought we were both goners. I tried to connect with the perfect grace, but it was impossible, couldn’t settle my mind. The curse overwhelmed—”

  “I know,” she interrupted. “I read your thoughts as soon as I arrived inside that desecrated temple where you three fought so bravely. You partially connected to grace. That was enough to save both of you for a few minutes.”

  “I bought you time?” I asked.

  “You did, indeed. I arrived as quickly as I could. At first, I feared I was too late. But your innate healing powers are remarkable. You’d dissipated enough of the wraith’s poison to keep your spirits intact until I could drive off the curse.”

  I remembered the bound clerics. “Oh, I have to go back to help the surviving humans. One guy in a chair was in terrible—”

  She raised her hand to stop me. “I healed him. Cleo untied the others and helped them call the authorities. Then we fogged their minds to their horrific experience before we left.”

  She’d healed the clerics’ tortured minds. That meant the world to me. They wouldn’t suffer as much from the death of the woman we arrived too late to save.

  Then I glanced down at my chest and realized I was naked, too. No cut on my chest either.

  “Your bodies were too badly damaged to save,” Yasmin said. “I’ve recreated a human form for each of you, but Griffin’s spirit needs time to recover.”

  She went back to healing him, whispering in that strange language all the angels seemed to know. I wondered when would I begin to learn that tongue and so many other things about the immortal world?

  I stayed silent so I wouldn’t distract Yasmin from her work until she moved around the flat rock to stand beside me.

  “Griffin will be rehabilitated,” she said. “His memories and personality have been lost. He will have to learn how to fight again. That’s a minor inconvenience in comparison to what could’ve happened. Congratulations on saving him.”

  I tried again to move and found that I could. So, I sat up. “We almost paid a terrible price, but we couldn’t let those poor people get carved up like Thanksgiving turkeys.”

  She pulled me onto my feet with her hands. “I have no idea what Thanksgiving or turkeys are, but no matter. You managed to prevail against all odds. Now you are safe and fully healed. Honah tells me he’s ready to meet with you.”

  She kissed my cheek, and in the next instant, my vision darkened until I stood in my bedroom at the ranch. Someday, I hoped to get used to these abrupt trips across the planet, but it wouldn’t happen soon.

  Honah stood with an Asian woman. A glance out the window told me it was still dark. “What time is it?”

  “About eleven p.m.,” Harriet said with a beaming smile. “Congratulations. I hear you delivered our justice to the mastermind behind all the forest fires.”

  “Griffin did most of the damage, but Cleo and I helped.”

  Honah greeted me with a slow smile and a shaky laugh. “Blessings be to the Great Spirit. I have little time now, but I had to see for myself that you’d survived. These terrorist attacks by Satan’s minions continue across the continent.”

  I shook his hand, happy to be home. “I’m fine and ready to help more.”

  “I will keep that in mind,” Honah said. “I would like to introduce you to your new guardian angel. Kiko will accompany you and your sister as Griffin did.”

  The short, slim Japanese woman walked toward me with a military bearing. She wore a black martial arts uniform. Her face remained impassive as she shook my hand with a firm grip. “Greetings, Apprentice.” Her voice was flat, as though she wasn’t thrilled with her latest assignment any more than Griffin had been. Protecting baby angels had to be low prestige work.

  I smiled back at her. If she focused on the business of keeping Ellen and me safe, I’d be more than grateful.

  “I have to return to Salt Lake City,” Honah said to me. “Before I do, though, I’ve discussed your situation with Milton. We agree that we expected far too much from you too quickly. Our urgent needs encouraged us to use you before you were properly trained. If you’d prefer, we are prepared to restore you to your former life so you can live as mortal with your sister and her baby when she arrives.”

  Whoa! Too many screw-ups, Dude. They’re kicking you out of the legion.

  I tried to slow my swirling mind. I’d been warned by both Yasmin and Diana that my work wasn’t up to their high standards. From Day One, they’d needed a more experienced detective. I ran down my list of failures.

  “Please stop.” Honah shook his head. “I told Milton you would misinterpret our offer. You’ve proven yourself to be fully qualified as a member of the legion. It's just our expectations were ridiculously high. If you, of your own free will, choose to leave immortality to others, you can go back to your former life as though you had never died. In essence, you’d live the life you’ve pretended to live since first meeting Milton.”

  I was still confused. “What if I’d prefer to keep my apprentice job?”

  He smiled at me. “We will pretend this conversation about options never occurred. You will continue as before, helping your sister during the day, then healing and investigating demonic activity at night.”

  Although my world had been turned upside down, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my power to investigate mysteries and deliver divine justice to scumbags. “I want to continue to prove myself worthy of wings.”

  Honah patted me on the back. “Wonderful. I expect to have more news on that point shortly. In the meantime, spend a few hours calming yourself so you can help your sister when she awakes to return her animals here. The new day is also sure to bring more demonic challenges for both of us.”

  With a nod to Harriet and Kiko, he vanished.

  Chapter 26

  Saturday June 24th

  ACCORDING TO CLEO, who dropped by before dawn, the demons stopped setting fires after their big loss in Colorado. Losing Pierce had taken most of the wind out of their sails. That was great news.

  Then she said, “I insisted on coming by, to make sure Yasmin hadn’t kicked my partner out of her hospital too soon.”

  I grinned. “Partners have to look out for each other, don’t they?”

  “Of course, Gabe.”

  I told her what Honah had said about me going back to mortal life.

  She groaned. “Those wise men can be so foolish sometimes. They should’ve asked me how you were doing.”

  “Exactly. Nobody would know better.” Then I asked her a question that had been nagging at me. “How does scaring the crap out of people help the demons take over the world? I understand how they benefit from soaking up nasty feelings, but the world domination part continues to confuse me.”

  “It confused us, too, for a long, long time,” she said. “Terrorism destroys civilized society by eroding people’s faith in their institutions. As soon as everyone is looking out only for themselves, taking whatever they want from those weaker, the demons will have won. Then all that matters is pure power. Constant war and conflict. It will be like the Middle Ages, except everybody will have modern weapons, and they won’t hesitate to use them.”

  It sounded horrible. “A demon would rule the world?”

  “Nobody would. There will be hundreds of warlords constantly fighting over territory and riches.”

  It would destroy thousands of years of progress in making the world a better place for most people. “Is it too late to stop the chaos?”

  She smiled and patted my arm. “If Milton thought so, we would’ve been moved to anothe
r planet already. We still have a chance to beat back the forces of darkness.”

  With that note of optimism, she flew off. I didn’t know whether she was right, but I did trust her judgment, and Milton’s. As long as Cleo thought we could hang on, I was happy to keep fighting for truth, justice, and humanity.

  -o-o-o-

  BY DAYLIGHT, I was beginning to wonder how the cops had reacted to the events at the church in the pines. I didn’t want to ask directly for fear of being connected to the woman’s murder there, but I listened carefully to a local news radio station. It reported that a popular Methodist minister had been killed at a meeting but offered no details on how she died.

  While I was helping Ellen move her herds back to her ranch, I remembered Fang’s white Jeep, which must’ve been parked at the church when the cops arrived, and I hoped they could match its tires to the three forest fires near Denver.

  It took Ellen and me hours to move the animals to the ranch. Thunderstorms built over us, and we got a blessed deluge that put out whatever parts of the fire were still burning. That was a blessing.

  I was relaxing in the coolness of the barn when Sid called. He didn’t waste any time in getting to the point. “Great news. Jefferson County sheriff deputies found a white Jeep with the same tires as Kevin’s. One of the treads matches the prints left at the forest fires. Surprise, it belongs to a thug with a long criminal record, including arson. That evidence sheds an entirely new light on the case against your friend Kevin.”

  I laughed. “That’s fantastic. Is he getting out of jail?”

  “The special agent in charge of Denver wouldn’t say exactly, but his lawyer is filing a motion to dramatically reduce the bail amount. I expect Kevin will sleep in his own bed tonight.”

  “I’ll have to call him and arrange a get-out-of-jail party.”

  “Good idea,” Sid said. “By the way, watch out for Torino. He strikes me as a hothead, and he’d love to pin something on you in the future, for payback if nothing else. Anyway, tell Honah I said hello when you see him.”

  After I thanked him for all his help, he hung up.

  “We have to celebrate!” I yelled to Ellen. “Kevin should be busting out of the slammer soon.”

  -o-o-o-

  Sunday, June 25th

  THE SABBATH PROVED to be blessedly peaceful for a change. That evening, after Ellen went to bed, I was summoned to the angelic headquarters in Denver. I found myself in the main room with Milton, Honah, and at least a hundred other angels, including Harriet, Kiko, Cleo, Diana, and Yasmin.

  Milton nodded at me. “If we may have a moment of your time, we can commence these proceedings.”

  “Sure, sir,” I replied, not having any idea what proceedings he was talking about. I was always at his beck and call.

  The old angel nodded at a younger one holding a trumpet. She blasted a fanfare that echoed throughout the office. When it ended, Milton unfurled a scroll.

  “To whomsoever it shall concern, be it known that, the health, safety, and strength of His Almighty’s Kingdom chiefly depends on His Legion of Angels, in their multitudes and various qualities. Accordingly, under the good providence of The Lord, be it enacted and accrue to the benefit of His Archangels and Sundry Ministers, in time of peace as in time of war. Procedures shall be established for regulating to good conduct of…”

  As Milton droned on, I tried to pay attention, but the old fart could wax poetic for long periods of time. Probably because I was a preacher’s kid, I could only handle flowery language in small doses anymore.

  Finally, Milton cleared his throat as though to get my attention again. “Pursuant to that authority, Milton William Clarence Tudor, Angel Fourth Class, is hereby duly authorized to accept the oath of allegiance of Gabriel Townsend as an Angel First Class. Do you accept this charge and swear allegiance to the Almighty and promise to faithfully execute His directives and those of His duly authorized representatives, all at peril to your future existence?”

  I understood the question, which was all that mattered. “I do swear allegiance to the Almighty and all that other stuff.”

  Milton extracted his sword, which was thankfully not aflame, and tapped me once on each shoulder. “So be it said now as it has been said since the memory of immortals runneth not to the contrary, ‘The ways of the Lord are righteous altogether.’”

  Milton shook my hand first, followed by everyone else. Glasses of a strange amber liquid were passed out, and I sipped one. Definitely alcoholic, but I had no idea what kind. Maybe it was distilled mead. It definitely had a bite to it.

  Honah clinked glasses with me. “What kind of bird would you like to become?”

  Not expecting to earn my wings so soon, I hadn’t given that question any thought. Most of the angels chose to be huge birds, like hawks or eagles, but I was no fighter. “Make me a peregrine falcon. They’re fast but small, inconspicuous and common in cities these days. I hope to be inconspicuous when I’m investigating demons.”

  Cleo beamed at me. “Excellent choice, but it’s ludicrous to think you can hide from trouble. It always seems to find you.”

  She was starting to understand me. “Cleo, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

  ~Finis~

  Thanks so much for reading my book. For the latest book news about the Angels at the Edge series, join my email list here. No spam.

  Gabe’s adventures continue. Turn the page to read the first chapter of the second book in the Angels at the Edge series, Infernal Justice. This book is available now for pre-order in the Kindle Store here. It will be published on January 12, 2018.

  Book 2 Excerpt—Infernal Justice

  Sunday, August 6th

  LATE IN THE evening, I found myself perched atop one of the support towers for the Golden Gate Bridge. That was Honah’s idea of a practical joke. The head angel in North America is eleven thousand years old, and any sane person would think he should’ve outgrown this kind of stunt.

  In his defense, he claims to be young at heart. But truth be told, he has no heart. No angel does.

  On that Sunday night, the bay was free of fog. That was a blessing. City lights twinkled off to the southeast, and whitecaps extended out far to the west. A perfect evening for finding demons. I’m Gabriel Townsend, and that’s my job.

  The first time Honah plopped me here—a few weeks back—it hadn’t been such a lovely night. The fog was so thick I couldn’t see a thing. I’d arrived in human form, and a gust of wind quickly blew me off the same tower. I’d plunged most of the way to the water before I gathered my wits and transformed into my bird form, a peregrine falcon.

  Thank God, I reacted in time. Another second and I would’ve landed—splat onto the water at over a hundred miles an hour. It wouldn’t have killed me, but it sure would’ve hurt. I needed to keep my wits about me at all times in this dangerous, immortal world.

  A tingle of worry shot through me in response to that memory, but I pushed it away as I tried to forget so many other bad experiences. Instead, I needed to focus on the job at hand. The dark immortals I went after were fully capable of destroying me.

  Finding demons in general is easy. They’re literally everywhere. But finding a particular troublemaker was usually much harder. A minute before I’d arrived on top of the bridge, Honah had said, “The mayor’s older daughter has been murdered, and his younger daughter was kidnapped at the same time. The satanic forces in San Francisco appear to be targeting minors, a shocking new development. If demons are involved in these crimes, find them and the missing girl.”

  This was the chance I’d been waiting for since I’d been designated an angel first class a couple of months ago. The Angelic Legion had lots of fighters, but I was their first investigator. I needed to prove my worth over the long term, not just to earn my wings.

  After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I flew east toward a familiar landmark, Fisherman’s Wharf. Flying was still new enough to me that each time I took off, it was a leap of fait
h. Would my wings actually work?

  They did, just like the last time. I tucked my wings in close to dive. Then I opened them and swooped upwards like riding a roller coaster. What a rush!

  This time, I stayed far from Alcatraz Island. A week ago, I’d flown too close, and a flock of at least a dozen demons flying in their crow forms rose up to attack me. I only got rid of them by flying faster and heading in the wrong direction, which annoyed the hell out of Kiko, the guardian angel I was supposed to meet at a café in Berkeley.

  This time, I didn’t want to be late again. She expected me to arrive on time for a meeting at a bar in the seedy Tenderloin District where I hoped to get a lead or two on the missing girl and her sister’s killer.

  As I flew far above the water, everything seemed peaceful in lovely San Francisco. A gusting crosswind ruffled my feathers but didn’t blow me off course. I made landfall a thousand feet above Fort Mason. The moon had already set, and there were too many stars to count. Too bad I couldn’t stay up there for hours, but duty called.

  As I glided down toward the wharf, real life intruded on my thoughts. Honking horns and stinking diesel fumes rose to meet me. Homeless people shuffled around in the parks, and a few had already bedded down for the night. My eyesight was much better than a human’s, and even up high in the sky, I could see that too many people were trying to survive a cold and windy night outdoors.

  Unfortunately, I had no time to coax someone into a shelter. Instead, I dropped lower and headed southeast, looking for the ritzy Union Square shopping area. All the shops had closed, but I spotted my friend Cleo’s favorite chocolate shop. As I passed overhead, I caught the scent of milk chocolate lingering near the building.

  Then I flew west along O’Farrell Street. I entered the Tenderloin District and looked for the demon’s hangout I’d heard about. It was supposed to be across the street from a Chinese auto glass repair shop.