“Maria healed herself many years ago by shutting down certain parts of her mind. You could not find anything because it works exactly the way it needs to for her. Had you found the trick of it and reversed it…” Raphael shook her head.
“You could have killed her, or worse,” Michael said, stepping up beside them. “Think about it. If you made her aware of her reality, you would be condemning her to a mental hell.”
Julia hung her head. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Some things are not meant to be fixed, girl,” Michael said. “There are far more important ways for you to spend your energy.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Julia glanced back over her shoulder, but the hole in the clouds had closed. She straightened, lifting her head. “Healing wasn’t the real reason for this visit, Michael. That was more of an afterthought.”
“Oh?” Michael glanced at Raphael, gave her a slight nod, and waited until she vanished. “Tell me.”
“I think she has more knowledge than she is aware of, though she has a convoluted way of sharing it.” Julia paced as she spoke. “She showed me something I think I can use to track the A’nwel.”
“What’s that?”
“Come with me,” Julia said, resting her hand on Michael’s arm.
In an instant, they were standing in the living room of Lori Samson’s house, surrounded by mannequins. Julia walked over to the closet and opened the door. Rage boiled through her with the memory of the horrors that closet represented.
She forced that rage down, locking it away in order to focus. She stood in the very position Gabriel had all those years ago. She faced the spot where Maria’s father had dropped dead, then opened her senses, reaching deep into the floorboards.
“There!” Julia’s breath caught in her throat. “They’re like threads of energy when you feel them, but they’re dark. Vile. Do you see them?”
“No,” Michael said, stepping forward.
“Remember I said you leave ‘light-prints’ behind? Well, when Maria’s father died here, he left a ‘dark-print.’ The A’nwel absorbs darkness, and it was here the day that Maria’s father was… killed. I think, if we track the dark-print, we will find the A’nwel.”
Michael nodded, fixing his gaze on the floor alongside Julia. “You intend to follow it?”
“No,” Julia said, her voice low and intense. “I intend to hunt it.”
“Zachariah,” Uriel greeted him with a sneer. “How difficult is it to step into a human’s house and take a look around?”
Zachariah was accustomed to dealing with the more powerful Archangels, and very good at concealing his irritation. He raised both palms. “A Child’s house, Uriel. A Child that Michael personally has decided to protect.”
“You were discovered, then,” Uriel scoffed. “And what did the high and mighty Michael have to say?”
“I told him I was distraught over the death of mine. He forgave me.”
Uriel flapped his wings against his back and sneered. “Of course he did.”
“Uriel, take heed.” Zachariah ignored Uriel’s display of contempt. “She is more powerful than any of the Twelve have been. I felt it in her touch.”
“That makes little sense.” The laughter drained from Uriel as he paced a wide circle around Zachariah. “Why would Michael go to so much effort to protect the one who needs the least protection?”
“I cannot answer that. But I do know that she has been introduced to Raphael. I believe there has been a training session.”
“Training?” Uriel’s wings began to rise along with his voice. “We do not train Children!”
“Unclench your fists, Uriel.” Zachariah grabbed Uriel by the arm. “Your anger will only draw their attention.”
Uriel shook his arm free of Zachariah’s grasp and stepped in close, his voice full of venom. “They allowed yours to die, then they coddle this one, and you worry about my anger? You should be the furious one, Zachariah. I find it suspicious that you are not.”
Zachariah let his arms fall to his sides and shook his head. “I am upset, Uriel. But I do not see how arousing the interest of the others will benefit us. They will only shut us out completely.”
Uriel’s wings settled and he sighed. “We must discover Michael’s plan for this Child.”
“And then what? Am I wasting my effort to satisfy your curiosity, Uriel?”
“Our purpose, as you know, Brother,” Uriel said impatiently, “is to maintain balance. There is a reason he is treating this one so differently. A reason I intend to find out. He will not keep me in the dark forever.” “And how do you plan to find out?”
Uriel narrowed his eyes, studying Zachariah. “However it is necessary.”
Raphael stood watching Michael and Julia through the clouds, the corner of her mouth turned up in a half-smile. Michael’s return rippled the air, ruffling through her wings. She turned to face him. “This is the first time I have seen outright shock on your face, Brother.”
Michael took a moment to smooth his wings and set his shoulders back. “It is no small thing, Raphael. She pulled me with her. All of me.”
The full meaning of Michael’s statement settled in, and Raphael was surprised to feel her own wings twitching. “All of you. Your entire being, pulled together forcibly? Michael, this is not good. She must be instructed not to do this.”
“I am having that conversation with her now,” Michael said, gesturing to the scene below. “It is a problem, however.”
Raphael met Michael’s gaze, and the realization struck her. “Free will.”
“Yes. Instructions mean little to one with free will.”
“Perhaps we would be wise to consider her transcendence,” Raphael said. Her smooth tone was lightly laced with concern. “If she loses her human shell and joins us, her allegiance will be with us.”
Michael paced, dismay plain on his face. He stopped, turning his attention to Raphael. “If we consider this at all, it must be after we have found and defeated the A’nwel.”
Gabriel stood a few paces away, listening, head bowed and wings rigid. He lifted his eyes slowly. “Faith.”
Michael and Raphael both turned to face Gabriel, the same question apparent on both faces. Raphael gave voice to it.
“Faith?”
“We must have faith that she will not do things that endanger everyone.” Gabriel’s voice gained momentum and volume as he spoke. “We must have faith that she will join us when the time has come. Above all else and for all reasons, we must have faith. That is who we are.”
XXXVIII
JULIA picked her way down the path toward the spot she and Isabel had visited only days before. It was her full intention to hunt down the A’nwel and make it pay for all that it had taken from her, but she had one more thing to do. She wanted to remember Alex, and she didn’t want to talk to a gravestone. If there was anywhere she would feel more connected to him, it should be out here by the meadow where Alex used to play as a child.
The branches she pushed out of her way snapped back as she passed, whipping through the air behind her. The soft, almost undetectable sounds of her guardian wolf stalking along beside her reached her ears and she turned to peer through the trees.
The wolf kept itself just out of her sight, and out of sight of those who threatened her, but she felt its presence keenly. She continued forward, listening to the panting and careful footsteps of her unseen companion.
When she arrived at the spot by the creek where Alex had gone so many times, she stopped, and so did the wolf’s steady steps.
She brushed her soft, chestnut hair off her shoulder. With her thumb, she traced the length of the silver chain around her neck until she trapped the Apache tear pendant between her fingers. She clenched her fist around it and closed her eyes.
She thought back over the days she’d had with him, his smile, his laugh, the way he held her hand. She remembered how he’d looked into her eyes and how her heart always fluttered when he told her he loved her. She refl
ected on how great his love for her must have been for him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Behind her eyelids, she saw an immense white light, pulsating and growing as she focused. She opened her heart to feel every ounce of love she had for Alex. The light danced from the center of her palm and sank into the stone. The Apache tear vibrated with energy and she relaxed her grip, afraid she would shatter it.
When she opened her eyes, the wolf stood before her, rear legs firmly on the ground while its front legs padded playfully. She locked eyes with it, filled with an eerie, familiar feeling. She cocked her head, then felt her energy meet with his as she realized her heartbeat was not the only one thrumming in her ears.
-Our hearts beat together,- she thought. The wolf replied then; his thoughts didn’t come to her as words, exactly, but more as feelings.
-Safe. Here. My presence.-
It stopped prancing and lowered itself to the ground. Julia kept her right hand on her pendant and reached forward with her left. Much to her surprise, the wolf allowed her to stroke its fur. It was coarser than she expected, and matted. Julia was unnerved that its eyes focused on her right hand.
When she straightened, the wolf did, too, and darted off into the trees, but she knew it hadn’t gone far. She now had a different sense of him, a connection, and she could still feel his heartbeat along with her own.
“Thank you,” Julia whispered. There was no mistaking the intentions of her guardian, and she knew it was the only thing standing between her and an all-out battle with the A’nwel even if she didn’t fully understand why. She knew she needed to find the A’nwel, and destroy it, but it had to be on her terms, and she had to avenge Alex’s death.
A spark of anger lit and turned quickly to rage, a rage she intended to harness. If she could heal with love, she should be able to destroy with rage. She didn’t care if it meant the end of her—that thing was going to die.
She looked toward the place she knew the wolf stood and directed her thoughts to him.
-I have to go hunt now.-
A rustling in the trees shortly produced the wolf, who came to stand before her once more, his yellow eyes sharp.
-Huntress.- The wolf’s thought came to her clearly and she smiled.
“Yes.”
The wolf lowered his head in a nod and disappeared into the trees.
Michael and Julia sat opposite each other at her kitchen table. Julia’s face was tight, her lips pressed together in a frown.
“I go after it tonight, Michael.”
Michael held Julia’s gaze for a long moment. He seemed to be measuring her, or choosing his words, or maybe both.
“I’ll be with you,” he said. “Raphael, Ariel, and your father will stand with you as well.”
Julia sat up, surprised.
“I thought you’d tell me I’m not ready.”
The ball of anxiety in her stomach tripled in size. This was actually happening, and Michael wasn’t even going to try to stop her.
“This is your battle to fight, girl, and you are as ready as any of us,” Michael said. He leaned forward and clasped her hand, which all but disappeared in his. “We will help you as much as we are able.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“What is your plan?”
“I’ll leave my body here, sleeping…so there will be less distraction. The wolf will protect it.” At least, she hoped that was the case. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of other beings that might be hunting her, other things that perhaps her wolf couldn’t sense. She dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. “I’ll follow the trail, Michael, from Lori’s closet to the end. I know it’ll lead to the A’nwel.”
“Why from Lori’s closet? Why not from the pond where you saw it more recently, and where it was fully grown?”
“There’s a chance we can follow its evolution and learn something that will help us destroy it. That’s my hope.”
Michael nodded slowly, letting her go and folding his hands in front of him. “So be it.”
Julia pushed her chair away from the table and stood.
“Time for bed.” Julia watched as Michael faded away, her stomach turning somersaults.
Julia stood in the clouds in full spirit form. That was how she had come to think of it when she walked in the heavens and had wings on her back. Their weightlessness still amazed her.
“You appear ready, girl,” Michael said, stepping up beside her. He gave her a stern look. “Don’t pull me this time. If you pull me from all the places I am at any given moment, you will throw the balance of the Earth off completely. It was fortunate I was able to catch up to everything I lost track of last time.”
“I won’t,” Julia said. “You don’t have to tell me again, Michael. There is only one thing I want to destroy, and the Earth is not it.”
“Good.” Michael nodded, satisfied. “I’ll follow you.”
“Wait,” Julia said, searching his eyes. “Before we go, I need you to know something.”
“I know you didn’t do it intentionally, girl.”
“Not that,” Julia said. “I need you to know that I would never do anything like that intentionally. I mean…I just hope you know I’m on your side.”
Julia averted her eyes. She didn’t want Michael to think she was weak because her eyes were a little watery. He scooped Julia’s chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“I have never questioned your loyalty, girl. Nor have I questioned your strength.”
Julia straightened. Michael’s touch had lifted the weight from her heart. She hoped he could see the gratitude in her eyes.
Michael’s hand dropped away from her face and he moved aside; Julia looked up and was surprised to see her father, Gabriel, standing before her. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
He nodded once, holding her eyes with his. His wings opened slightly, framing his body. Reaching one arm out toward her, palm up, he spoke. “Be safe, my Child.”
Julia felt his words flow through her as though they carried his energy. They held a feeling of calm pride, and of love. The struggle to hold back the tears renewed as she mimicked his actions, nodding once and stretching one hand, palm upward, toward him. She trembled when their palms touched. For the first time she could remember, she felt the love of a child toward a parent.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking.
Gabriel turned away and she composed herself. Raphael appeared next, and they exchanged a glance and a smile. Her mere presence was a comfort to Julia, and the kindness that shone in her eyes made it doubly so. Julia nodded once to her, then turned to see Ariel join them. She met his stern gaze, then turned to face Michael.
“Let’s go.”
Raphael caught her arm with a firm yet gentle grip. “Wait.”
Julia tilted her head toward Raphael, annoyed with the delay. “What is it, Raphael?”
“You are leading us into battle, and we are following you.” Raphael paused, watching Julia closely.
“Yes,” Julia said. She didn’t understand where Raphael was going with this. Did she need a thank you? “I am well aware. And thankful.”
“We have only ever followed one other into battle, and that was Michael.”
Julia’s eyes widened, the truth of Raphael’s statement sinking in. She wasn’t looking for thanks; she was telling Julia she belonged.
“You must understand the trust we have given you.” Raphael shot a glance at Gabriel. “The faith that we have in you.”
“I understand.” Julia took a deep breath, lifting her head and setting her majestic wings higher on her back. She was still nervous, but her confidence now soared. “I will not let you down.”
“Where are Uriel and Zachariah?” Michael asked. He and Julia had vanished, but his voice remained, questioning the others. “Were they not told?”
“I notified them personally,” Gabriel said, narrowing his steel blue eyes. “Shall I go retrieve them?”
“No,”
Michael commanded. “We don’t know how soon we will find the A’nwel. We must be at the ready.”
As soon as Michael’s voice faded away, Ariel stepped up beside Gabriel.
“I am not certain of the reasoning behind your fondness for this Child, Brother,” Ariel began, “but I do not think it is a good idea to send an untrained human up against an unknown enemy.”
Gabriel opened his mouth to protest, but Ariel spoke over him.
“I think Michael makes a mistake allowing this girl to lead us in this battle. We do not know her motivations, and the balance is too fragile to unleash her.”
Gabriel’s wings trembled with anger and he turned on Ariel. Raphael caught Gabriel’s eye, and laid one hand upon his arm.
-Leave this to me, Brother,- she said privately to Gabriel, who glared at her for a moment, then acquiesced with a nod of his head.
“Ariel,” Raphael said softly, “you do not know of what you speak. I have spent time with her. She is as much one of us as you.”
“She is half-human, Raphael, and thus has free will.” Ariel sneered and turned his dark eyes on her. “You equate me with a Child? Are you saying that I am half of what I am?”
“What you are, Brother, is unable to see beyond your stilted belief that things must only be one way or another.” Raphael relaxed her wings as she smiled. “She has the strength of several of us combined, and the stubborn will of…”
Raphael looked toward Gabriel. He had turned away, seemingly focused on keeping track of Julia and Michael.
“…her father.”
At that Gabriel shot Raphael a brooding look, then turned back to his viewing.
“That alone does not make her one of us,” Ariel said.
“She also has a spirit older than all others, save for ours,” Raphael continued. “A trinity of factors.”
Ariel regarded Raphael sternly for several moments. At last, he nodded. “I will stand where I am needed, Sister.”
Divinity Page 26
