by Robin Helm
Each time she went to the front to receive her awards, her massive guardian walked behind her, his hand on her back protectively.
Xander was stately as he shadowed Elizabeth to the stage for the final time that day. She had already performed brilliantly at the piano, receiving a standing ovation, and was now responding to the announcer’s summons for her vocal solo. Niall went with Lynne to piano, across the platform from Elizabeth. As her mother began the introduction, Elizabeth stepped to the microphone and looked out over the sea of humanity.
This place is huge! There are so many people! Her thoughts held a tinge of desperation.
Xander stepped up close behind her and leaned over, his sleeveless tunic showing his muscular arms as he bent them to place his hands gently on either side of her head while he whispered to her, You can do this. God loves to hear you sing of His mercy. Sing to His honor and glory. You are not alone. You are never alone.
I am not alone. I am never alone. The beautiful child began to sing, and her song transported her listeners to the very throne of heaven. Her performance was flawless, and as she finished, the hushed audience suddenly came to life. They leapt to their feet with shouts of glory to God, and the angels glowed more brightly than they had for almost two thousand years. Elohim was well pleased with her offering.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Prince of Darkness descended slowly into his son’s bedroom and sat in a winged back chair. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his fingers templed under his chin, and spoke softly, “Gregory, come before me. I wish to see you.”
Lucifer’s hooded guards grouped themselves into a semi-circle behind his chair, brawny arms folded across their chests.
Though it was midnight, the strapping seven-year-old eagerly left his warm bed to stand fearlessly before his sire.
“Yes, Father?” Gregory queried.
“How are your classes progressing, my son? Are you working hard at your lessons and learning the ways of men and of our kind?”
“According to my teachers, I am doing very well. I especially like the physical training and discipline – and flying, but I have no trouble with the maths, sciences, or languages. Sorcery comes naturally to me, and I am learning to appreciate the great works of art. Cathy and George have been taking me to playgrounds to meet human children and learn their customs. Father, humans are very easily led, aren’t they?” Gregory questioned, his eyes wide.
Deception was second nature to Gregory. Even so, he was amazed at how little effort he had to use to deceive other children and adults. The boy was able to get them to do practically anything he wanted with trickery and lies.
Lucifer laughed. “Yes, Gregory. Learning to influence humans is an elementary skill, but one in which you must excel. You have not mentioned your music lessons. I am especially interested in hearing how you fare in that area.”
Gregory drew his dark brows together thoughtfully. “Music is easy for me. The teachers say that I have a ‘natural aptitude’ for singing and playing instruments. Why do you ask, Father?”
The Dark Lord drew his son into an embrace, kissing the top of his head. He then pulled back from the boy so that he could see his face.
“Because you must be very skilled in music to accomplish our goals, my own. Elizabeth Bennet is supernaturally gifted in that area, and your musical talent can be something that you have in common with her. Gregory,” said Lucifer, holding his son’s eyes with his own, “the human girl, Elizabeth, can destroy all of our plans. Our enemy has gifted her in music for a reason. Though we don’t know yet the purpose, we can use her gift against her. You must excel in music. Do you understand?” he questioned the boy gently, placing his hands on his son’s shoulders.
Lucifer had never before loved anything or anyone except for himself, but in a twisted way, he now loved Gregory. The boy is a part of me.
“She must die, Gregory.” Satan’s voice was deep and hushed.
“Yes, Father. Your will be done.” The boy quoted Matthew 6:10, “The Lord’s Prayer,” and did not so much as blink as his eyes met his father’s in an intense gaze.
Chapter 10
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
A year later, 1999
Xander mused over the fairly quiet past four years. There had been no major attempts against Elizabeth’s life during that time, yet he knew without a doubt that Lucifer had not abandoned his plans. There had been three determined, orchestrated attacks, in addition to smaller, random tries.
He was strangely disquieted, for he could not remember any time in the past when he had felt such an attachment to any of his other charges. Elizabeth’s music lessons at the college were going very well, and he took great joy in hearing her play and sing. In fact, being around her made him happy; that, in itself, was odd. Disguising his thoughts was taking more effort every day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Xander, Niall, and Alexis flew in the frigid air just above the Mitsubishi Galant early one morning as Janna drove Lynne and Elizabeth to school. Lynne and David had bought the used car for her the previous year after she had completed driver’s education and a safety course, and had passed the state testing for her permit and then her license. Lynne was strapped into the passenger’s seat, and Elizabeth was behind her, studying a book and notes for a test.
Janna, a senior, was a careful driver; nevertheless, Xander was wary of teenagers behind the wheel. He scanned the area uneasily. Niall, hearing his anxiety, dropped back to guard the rear.
Valentine’s Day had been the day before on Sunday, but Janna and her boyfriend, Chance Bingley, had gone out to dinner on Saturday night, and she hadn’t given him one of his presents yet. It was in the trunk, and she was looking forward to seeing his face when she could give it to him at break time.
Chance is such a dream. He’s really going to like his extra present. He’s got a game tonight, too, so the timing is perfect. Her thoughts were blissful.
The road was unusually empty for a school morning. As they crested a hill before a long straightaway, Janna saw a stopped school bus and began to slow down. Remembering her driver’s training, she came to a complete stop about two bus lengths behind the bus.
Why is she stopping way back here? thought Lynne. Well, I won’t fuss at her for being too careful.
Janna glanced into the review mirror and saw a pickup truck coming at full speed, weaving back and forth. Is that truck going to stop?
Niall saw the pickup at the same time and recognized three hulking demons with the inebriated driver, draped over his shoulders and whispering into both of his ears.
Nyx has definitely stepped up his efforts. He has sent three of his best.
Astra, Blade, and Than had spent the past two years watching the Bennet family, and waiting for a moment such as this. They had cultivated a “relationship” of sorts with Tom Wilkins, and he was accustomed to hearing them in his mind. The voices in his head were the only friends he had.
The demons had stayed with the drunkard throughout the prior evening, encouraging him to drink until he could barely stand. He had spent the night carousing and playing video poker at a convenience store back up the road, finally stumbling out to his old F-150 pickup around seven in the morning. They even now continued the assault on Tom’s mind, filling him with ideas of power and false confidence, convincing him to drive faster.
Blade left the speeding vehicle and flew in front of it for a couple of seconds at a critical moment, rapidly taking form to block the man’s view of the stopped car and bus. Tom squinted at the dark object, his thoughts jumbled and incoherent. Blade dematerialized and flew back into the truck, allowing the morning sun shining in Tom’s eyes to further blind and confuse him.
Niall heard his disorientation. The man wasn’t even thinking of slowing down.
; Xander! yelled Niall. Blade blocked his view! He does not see the bus or the car! He will not stop!
Niall, push the car! I’ll take the bus! Alexis, talk to Janna! Xander’s wing muscles strained to propel him at top speed as he flew directly into the bus, arms wide apart, and hands planted on either side of the rear door. The school bus had just begun to pull forward slowly when Xander pushed it ahead, accelerating the busload of children out of harm’s way. He was careful to measure his power to avoid throwing the bus down the road.
Alexis, her honey hair streaming behind her, quickly dipped through the roof of the Galant, placed her hands on either side of Janna’s head, and spoke forcefully into Janna’s mind. Take your foot off the brake. Janna, take your foot off the brake now!
Niall flew at flash speed, silvery wings streamlined, to the back of the car, using his mighty arms to thrust it forward.
Janna’s eyes were enormous with fear, but she instinctively obeyed the voice, still watching in the mirror as the pickup bore down on them. There was no time to tell Lynne and Elizabeth that they were about to be hit. Alexis rapidly flashed back, helping Niall push Janna’s car to lessen the damage from the impending collision. A second before the small pickup going at least sixty miles per hour plowed into the Galant, Niall and Alexis shot up in the air, narrowly avoiding being crushed while in semi-solid form. The impact threw the Galant down the road, barely missing the moving school bus.
Behind the bus, Xander turned and planted his feet, catching the Galant as it flew forward, preventing it from becoming sandwiched between the bus and the truck.
The explosive sound of the crash brought several people hurrying out of their houses to see what had happened, and one of them returned home to call 911.
Tom Wilkins stumbled from the truck, a gash on his head dripping blood, and collapsed in a drunken stupor on the ground beside the road. Several bystanders went to see if they could help him as they waited for the police to arrive.
In the car, Lynne voiced concerned for her daughters. “Are you okay? Janna? Elizabeth?” Lynne tried to turn to look at Elizabeth, but felt pain shoot through her back and decided to remain still. “Girls?”
“My back and neck hurt, but I think I’m fine,” Janna answered, her voice trembling.
“El?” Lynne called.
Janna looked at her sister in the rearview mirror. The back seat was bent at an odd angle, and Elizabeth appeared to be caught between the front and rear seats. All Janna could see was the top of her dark head, and she was terrified for her little sister.
“El!” Janna’s voice rose with fear.
“Mom, Janna, I’m okay, but I’m stuck. I don’t think I can get out by myself,” Elizabeth replied in a small, frightened voice.
Xander had checked on Elizabeth during the accident, and he knew that she was not hurt. But he decided in that moment that she had worn the target long enough. She had been terrorized, threatened, and victimized, and he was tired of it. These three dark ones will never hurt you again.
As soon as the car stopped moving, he flew toward the truck with blinding speed, glorious in his fury. His eyes were blue steel, his jaws clenched, and his mouth set in a determined frown. He unsheathed his sword with stunning swiftness and dove directly through the windshield of the pickup, taking Than by the neck with his left hand in one fluid motion.
You will not have to wait for Nyx’s sentence. I will carry it out this instant, right here! Xander shouted. Without pause, he cleared the roof of the vehicle holding the demon in a stranglehold, and, dropping him, sliced his head from his body. Not waiting to watch him disintegrate, Xander flew through him, keeping his eyes fixed on Blade.
Blade and Astra fled in opposite directions, shrieking.
Niall, you and Alexis take Astra. I want Blade!
Xander, determined that Blade would not escape him, spread his wings widely, took a few powerful strokes, and shot up into the air. Looking down, he located Blade and swooped down on the black-cloaked denizen of hell like an avenging hawk, his wings folded flat against his back. Blade was fast and strong, but he was no match for Xander. The protector picked up speed as he dove, knocking Blade from the air as he smashed into his back. Blade hit the ground with a resounding thud, and jumped, catlike, to his feet – but not fast enough. With a menacing smile, Xander raised his gleaming silver sword above his head with both hands and brought it down with the force of years of frustration through the dark angel’s head and body, cleaving him neatly in half. Blade had no time to scream.
His work done, Xander glanced quickly around him and located Niall and Alexis. Astra?
Dispatched to the abyss.
Xander nodded his approval. The entire battle had taken no more than a few seconds.
Good work. Let the spies report that to Nyx, the Chief Guardian thought with satisfaction.
Within a few more seconds, the three protectors were by their charges, assessing the damage. The car, without question, was totaled. Elizabeth was still trapped in the backseat, afraid to move, and so panicked she was barely able to breathe. She had always had an extreme fear of feeling trapped in a small space. Her eyes were tightly closed against her claustrophobia.
Xander was able to get his head and arms into the back seat with her, though the rest of his body remained outside of the car. The seatbelt held her, caught in the small space left between the front and back seats. She kept trying unsuccessfully to get to the clasp and unbuckle the belt, but her hands were pinned in her lap where she had been holding the book. He could not leave her like that, caught and frightened, until the police and the EMT’s had time to arrive. This is a rural area. It might be twenty or thirty minutes before help comes.
In a split second, Xander flew into the trees along the road and changed into human form, wearing a blue turtleneck sweater, jeans, and Nikes. Alexis and Niall followed his example, and emerged from the woods almost immediately after Xander.
The three angels ran from the shelter of the trees, which closely lined the highway, to the car to help their charges. Niall and Alexis easily opened Lynne and Janna’s car doors, but Elizabeth’s door had been crushed and was stuck fast.
Xander grasped the door handle and yanked it a few times to open the door, nearly tearing it off in his haste. Lynne caught a glimpse of him running toward them from the woods, and had a vague feeling that she had seen him somewhere before. She was distracted from following the thought by Niall.
While Niall got contact information for David and the school from Lynne and went to a nearby house to call them, Alexis talked in quiet tones to Janna and held her hand. Niall could, of course, have read Lynne’s mind, but he wanted her to have the comfort of knowing that all was being handled.
Xander leaned his head and arms in to the tight space to look into Elizabeth’s eyes. “Are you all right?” He looked her over carefully, saw that there was no blood or other evidence of injury, and had confidence that he might be able to release her from her confinement if he could get the seatbelt off of her.
“Yes, sir. I think so. But I’m stuck. Can you help me?” she asked, turning her deep brown eyes imploringly to the man who had opened her door.
“I will try my best. What is your name?” he asked with a comforting smile.
“Elizabeth. What’s yours?”
“How can I help you, Elizabeth?” he questioned, avoiding answering her.
“Can you unbuckle my seatbelt?”
“I think so. Do not be afraid. Nothing will hurt you while I am with you, Elizabeth,” Xander said gently, looking into her eyes and asking for her trust with his own.
Xander tried to reach across her to get to the buckle, but the seats were too closely jammed together to admit his bulk. He then went around to the other side of the car. For some reason, that door was even more crumpled than the one on Elizabeth’s side. He could open it of course, but not without making a spectacle of himself. People were certain to notice if he actually ripped the door off the car. Another idea occurred to
him, and he went back around the car to Elizabeth’s side.
“Ma’am, I’m going to cut the seatbelt, if you agree,” he said to Lynne, who was still unmoving in her seat.
“That’s very kind of you. Is she all right?”
“Yes, she appears to be unharmed,” he replied, taking a switchblade from his pants pocket.
I’ve seen those eyes before. They’re so blue. He could hear Elizabeth’s thoughts.
She remembers me. He smiled, ridiculously pleased with the idea.
“Be very still. I will be careful, so just trust me.”
‘Trust me.’ I remember that, too.
Showing her the knife, he said, “Elizabeth, I’m going to cut the seat belt very close to the seat. I promise that I won’t hurt you. Are you ready?”
“Yes. Please do it quickly. I want to get out.”
Before she had had time to finish her sentence, Xander had cut the belt and removed it from her.
“Can you move your legs now?” Xander asked. She nodded. “Good. Now try to slide them toward me. If you can lie down in the seat, I think I can slide you out.”
Her jean-clad legs shifted in his direction, and she wiggled her upper body into the small space to her left. Xander slowly and carefully began to pull her through the tight triangle made by the bent seats.
“Do you hurt anywhere?” he paused to ask.
“No. I just want out. Don’t stop, please,” she nearly begged him.
Xander read her mind and knew that she was not experiencing any pain. The greatest source of her distress was her fear of enclosed spaces. Within a few minutes, Elizabeth was standing by her hero, looking up at him with adoration. Impulsively, she embraced the handsome young man, her arms tightly wound around his waist. He was her knight in shining armor.
Xander gasped, but then quickly recovered and leaned over to return her hug. Reading her thoughts, he felt the full force of her gratitude, and his heart leapt. In all my millennia of existence, no one has ever done that while I held human form. I have given comfort, but I have never received a human touch like this one. Could this be what it feels like to have affection for another? She is such a precious child and unlike anyone else I have ever known.
