“Why is he here?” She asks.
“He’s here for me. For us. He thinks I can help him get home.”
“But you can’t?”
“No. If they stay by choice or are left behind, they’re here forever.”
“That’s sad, don’t you think?” she asks.
Again, I struggle to control my emotions. “Yes. It is sad.”
Sighing heavily, she walks closer to her mom. I stay behind, giving her a moment. She places a hand on her mom’s back and bends over to whisper in her ear. “I’ll miss you.”
Her mother lets out a tortured wail, and her dad hugs her close. Lily pulls back in horror. “I can’t stay,” she says as she backs away from them.
“No. It’s not a good idea in most cases.”
“Let’s go then,” she says, turning away from them.
I grab her hand and lead her into the mists. As it closes in around us, I glance over my shoulder one last time at this family that has been shattered by the human who’s wreaking such havoc on both of our worlds. How many other lives has she ruined?
“I promise to get to the bottom of this, Lily,” I say, knowing she won’t fully understand, but needing to say it anyway.
“I believe you.” She doesn’t demand further explanation, offering simple acceptance instead.
Her memories are all happy and filled with love. Like the memories I saw in the mists on my way to collect Lily, one or two of the memories even feature Eve.
We walk in silence as memories of birthdays, trips to Disney, boys, and more family time play before us. She’s had a short life, but there’s no denying it’s been a good one.
Her final memory is bittersweet. She’s about eight, sitting in front of her teacher, listening to her read Matilda. It strikes a chord with her, and I can tell she wants to reach people the way Dahl is reaching her. She wants to be a writer. It lights a passion in her that will never come to fruition. It’s a little bittersweet for me, knowing that she was meant to become one of the greats, and now she never will.
She frowns and clears her throat, as if trying not to cry. “Will I see anyone I know? It would be nice to see a familiar face.”
“You have lots of familiar faces waiting for you, Lily, including your grandparents. They will welcome you with open arms, sweet child.”
The gate of heaven appears before us as the mists clear completely and I walk her to it. We don’t speak as we close the distance to her final destination.
“Will you leave me here?” she asks, a hint of fear in her voice. I think of Kismet and Andrew, still trapped in that horrible prison. I won’t let that happen to her.
“No. I’ll go in with you to make sure you make it home safely.”
Thankfully, she doesn’t pick up on the ominous nature of my comment, and we walk hand in hand through the gate. To my surprise and gratitude, there are two Archangels waiting for us. They’re a bit intimidating, and Lily stops short of them. Their white robes flow behind them, and their enormous white wings cast a shadow over us. But their welcoming smiles and open arms belie their fierce beauty. Lily and I take a step toward them. Then something inexplicable happens. Someone puts a hand on each of the angels’ shoulders, and their smiles fade as they disappear right before our eyes.
In their wake, a perfectly average-looking, middle-aged woman appears before us.
A human.
18
“Michaela. What a pleasure to finally meet you,” she says. Her voice is grating; her tone is snarky.
“In order to meet, we both have to know who the other is. That requires you to introduce yourself,” I say, positioning myself between her and Lily. I try not to sound as shaken as I feel after watching her… Well, I don’t know what she just did, to be honest.
She smiles at me. “That’s cute. Almost as cute as you thinking you can save all the souls from my prison.” The hate in her voice doesn’t belong here at the gates of heaven. How did she do it? “You think you can protect her?”
She snaps her fingers, and when I turn around, Nathair is behind me, still dressed in the Reaper’s uniform, although it feels like a mockery of his former position. The smile that stretches across his face as he grabs Lily tells me he enjoys this work. It makes me think he wasn’t kidnapped after all. Or if he was, he’s certainly working with this person, this Mara, willingly now.
“Michaela! Help!”
“I’m trying! Don’t panic. Everything will be okay,” I assure her… and myself. I glance back and forth between my two adversaries, defensively holding my hands out. I have never seen an Archangel defeated before, but I struggle to keep my fears of this woman at bay. Lily needs me.
“Yes. Everything will be okay,” the human says. “For my son, Shiloh.”
I’m feeling like I’m twenty steps behind her, and I’ll never catch up. “What?”
“My name is Mara.” But of course, I already know that. “You’re going to help me save him. Whether you want to help or not.”
She raises her hands, and the world around me goes black as I feel myself collapsing to the ground.
Names (The Reaper)
Aida: Helper. Cody’s wife and brother to Cedric.
Alvin: Wise. Old man Michaela takes.
Amiee: Beloved. The wife of the old man who Michaela takes.
Andrew: Warrior or strength. Kismet’s true love.
Ariel: Angel of protection. Reaper that Michaela idly chats with before their morning meeting.
Audrey: Strength. Woman Michaela takes.
Cody: Helpful. Aida’s husband, who helps Penn out of the swamp.
Daevas: Demon. One of the demons who nearly finds Michaela.
Dempsey: Proud. The first man Michaela takes in the book.
Eve: Lively or life. Cody and Aida’s oldest (and first) daughter.
Fia: Weaver. The woman that Penn replaced as Spinner.
Galenia: Small and intelligent. The third Fate who decides how a life will end.
Heth: Trembling fear. Michaela’s enemy, instigator among the Reapers.
Horatia: Timekeeper. The second Fate who decides how long a life will be.
Irene: Peaceful. Woman Michaela takes.
Jeff: Divinely peaceful. Second name on the list of surprises.
Kismet: Destiny. Andrew’s true love.
Lily: Pure. Child Michaela is assigned to take, and the last surprise.
Mara: Bitter. The human.
Michaela: Feminine of Michael, the angel of death. The Reaper.
Miette: Small sweet thing. Michaela’s reaper friend.
Morfran: Celtic word for a mythical and particularly ugly demon. One of the demons they encounter in hell.
Nathair: Snake. Reaper who’s on leave/missing.
Nysa: New beginning. The first surprise name, the first to have her thread cut short.
Penn: Masculine form of Penelope, meaning Weaver. First of the three Fates, the Spinner.
Ryker: Strength. Reaper’s boss.
Shiloh: Shiloh was where a critical battle took place during the American Civil War. Additionally, the Hebrew translation of this word is ‘the one to whom it belongs.’ Shiloh is the human’s—Mara’s—child.
Sophia: Wisdom. Reaper who asks how they know for sure they’re not in danger.
Wyatt: Guide. Ghost hunter who saves Michaela.
Webber: Weaver. Penn’s rival who’s promoted to Spinner when Penn is banished.
*Meanings found using basic Google searches and MeaningofNames.com*
Acknowledgements (The Reaper)
This book was certainly a labor of love, weighing heavily on the labor part. Ha! Even after eight books, I still fight with them sometimes. Because of that, I am so grateful for everyone in my life who supports me as I pursue my passion.
First of all, all thanks go to God. Every book I write, I am amazed by my blessings, and this book is no different. I am eternally grateful for the time and finances to be able to do what I love.
My husband was a huge playe
r in this one, helping me decide the best path for not only this book, but also The Human (book 3 in this series). He is the logic to my emotion, and it was just what I needed to see this project through to the end.
Special thanks to my amazing team this time. My cover designer, Robert, is doing awesome things with these books, and I’m so proud to have him with us! Angela, man, did we work hard on this one! Thank you so much for sticking with me through my indecision about it. And Cynthia, what can I say? You know exactly how to make a great book Amazing with a capital A. It’s because of you I have readers coming to me saying they love my books because they never find errors in them.
Of course, my parents are always staunch supporters, and thank you seems inadequate for them. They’re always there when I feel like I have to give up, start over, or try something else. They never tell me what to do—okay, that’s a lie. They always tell me what to do, but if I don’t listen, they respect my decisions. It’s an amazing quality I hope I can show my own daughter when the time comes.
My friends, Mary, Dannie, and Christian. You guys are what amazing is made of. Without you, I wouldn’t know what true friendship looked like, and for that, I thank you.
And finally, you dear reader. I know how much time it takes to read a book. I know you’ve chosen to spend that time with me instead of your family, or working, or exercising, or any other hundreds of tasks on your to-do list. And I’m so glad you did. I can’t wait to see you again in June. Until then,
—S
The Human
By: Stephanie Erickson
Nothing escapes the will of God. Not even evil.
One
“It takes a special kind of person to control her own destiny. There are things beyond your reach, dear Mara. But you are a force to be reckoned with, and I know you will give the powers that be a run for their money.” — Mara’s grandmother’s goodbye note to her
Penn
Where is she?
Michaela had one assignment. One soul to collect. Reapers usually bring a few thousand souls home from Earth each day. But Michaela and I had been to hell and back, literally, so her boss decided to give her a much-deserved break.
Still, hours and hours have passed, and there’s no sign of her.
Michaela isn’t one to dillydally; she’s compassionate, diligent, and ever a rule follower. Of course, the assignment she was given wasn’t easy. The soul she was sent to collect was the latest of the surprises.
Reapers are rarely surprised. The Fates determine each human’s lifespan, and when a person’s allotted time runs out, their name appears on one of the Reaper’s lists. The Reaper goes to Earth to collect the soul and brings them to their final resting place. Nothing to it, right? Recently, though, surprise names started popping up on the Reapers’ lists—souls that shouldn’t have been collected for decades. This most recent surprise was a child, which meant Michaela had to take a little girl from her parent’s arms. It wasn’t something she was terribly keen on doing, but her only alternative was to let the girl wander the Earth as a ghost for all eternity. Rock, meet hard place.
But with only one soul to collect—and a child’s soul, no less—she should’ve been back in no time flat. It shouldn’t have taken her all day.
I try to convince myself it’s okay—that she’s just taking her time with the girl. Letting her have a few extra moments with her family. But that thought only reassures me for a few hours.
So, I consider a different possibility in a vain attempt to soothe myself. Maybe she’s just in a meeting with Ryker or the other Reapers. Maybe she went straight from the gates of heaven to Ryker’s office. At any rate, if she’s in a debriefing, she should be done any second.
I’ve been pacing Michaela’s quarters for hours now, waiting for her to come back. There’s little here to distract me, and the only thing that halts my nervous movement is when the projection on the far wall changes to an image of New York City at night, in all its glittering beauty. Michaela has her projections set to display her favorite places on Earth. This image of New York is a new addition. Truth be told, it makes me miss my life on Earth. I enjoyed my time there, and as a banished soul and former Fate, I feel a bit out of place here in the heavens. Michaela is the one who brought me back to help solve the mystery of the surprises. And without her, I’m not sure I can.
I resume my pacing when the image fades to a waterfall surrounded by lush greenery. My thoughts spiral downward into one worst-case scenario after another.
Horatia and Galenia, my sister Fates, slip into the room so quietly I almost don’t notice them.
“She’s not here.” Galenia makes the observation in her soft voice as she scans the room with clear blue eyes.
“Yes, she is. We’re just playing a rousing game of hide and seek. Care to join us?” I say, continuing my pacing.
“Now, now,” Horatia says as she goes to her sister’s side. “We’re all a little worried.”
My head jerks up, and I give my sisters a closer look. Horatia is striking with her dark hair spilling around her shoulders and down her back. Her arms are wrapped around Galenia, who’s smaller and more fragile looking, but no less lovely. Both of their faces are etched with concern.
“We felt certain she would be back by now. I didn’t even consider an alternative,” Horatia offers.
“Me neither. But I’ve been stewing in here for so long, I’ve come up with some doozies,” I say as I turn away from them.
“Maybe it’s not time to panic yet. She might just be taking her time with this one. She was sent to collect a child, and that requires a certain amount of delicacy,” Galenia offers.
“All day?” I ask.
They don’t answer right away.
“Maybe she’s debriefing with Ryker,” Horatia offers.
“I’ve thought of that,” I say with a nod. “But if she is, she should come through that door any minute.”
The three of us are silent for a few moments while we stare at the door. None of us wants to admit she isn’t coming through it any time soon.
Eventually, I sigh and turn away. “Where’s Webber? Still sitting at the cauldron, trying to make up for lost time?” Webber replaced me after I was banished to Earth. Once I was the greatest Fate the heavens had ever seen. My sisters and I were quite a team—while I spun the threads of life, Horatia cut them, and Galenia decided how they ended. Webber had angled for my job for years, but fate, as it happens, wasn’t kind to him. He’s not the Spinner he once claimed he’d be.
Horatia shrugs. “He said he wanted some time alone to recoup.”
“I don’t blame him for that,” I say, trying not to think about my banishment, my human friends’ untimely deaths, my unsanctioned return to the heavens, and our two trips to hell. We had to leave Webber there the first time, but we managed to rescue him and most of the souls in the prison of souls. Of course, the two who were left behind are very important to me. Kismet and Andrew, my friends. My best creations.
“I’m a little worried about Webber to be honest,” Galenia says.
“Of course you are, you’re basically the only one who cares about him at all,” I say, not meaning to hurt anyone, just stating what I consider to be a simple fact. Webber is hard to like, even for someone like Galenia, who can find something to like about everyone. He’s rude, pompous, and he tries too hard. Frankly, I could do without him in my life.
Horatia nods, but I’m not sure which one of us she’s agreeing with. “Things didn’t go well today at all, Penn. I’m not sure if it’s because of his time in hell, or because he knows he’s on his way out. Maybe both? But it was a bad day.”
“How bad?”
“Our worst yet. Less than a hundred new souls were made.”
I stagger back onto the stark white couch lining the side wall. “That won’t keep up with the death rate, especially when you factor in the surprises. It will be a compounding problem.” At our peak, the girls and I could create around two million souls per day. Granted, a
day here in heaven is much longer than its equivalent on Earth, but that makes Webber’s number even more staggeringly low.
They don’t answer me. They already know this, and they’re the ones who will have to deal with the situation now that I’ve lost my rank.
“How long until his replacement is ready?” I ask.
“We don’t know. We don’t even know if they’ve picked someone out for the job. Everyone is a little distracted right now,” Horatia answers.
“Fair enough. But this can’t go ignored forever. The population will suffer. The humans will notice the problem.”
“I don’t think it will go on for much longer,” Galenia says quietly as she stands in front of the projection, looking as if she wants to touch the vibrant hummingbird painted on the wall before her.
“What do you mean?” I ask, not sure I want the answer.
“This level of stress and failure can’t be maintained. The situation will come to a head. Soon,” she says, keeping her eyes on the bright green bird as she tucks a strand of her long, brown hair behind an ear.
I want to say something light, funny, and hopeful. But I’m all out of quips. I’m also at a loss. Is she talking about the end of everything? Can that be possible? The end of the Earth has long been predicted, but when that happens, a new creation is meant to take its place. And production on that has not even started. Did I prematurely trigger the end of the world with my mistake? The question weighs heavily on me as I sink back into Michaela’s couch.
We sit in silence together, my sisters flanking me on either side, as the minutes tick past.
Michaela still doesn’t return.
Two
Michaela
It’s darker than anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I’ve been to hell and back. Recently. I blink my eyes, making sure they’re not closed.
The Children of Wisdom Trilogy Page 32
