"Are you all right?" the angel asked her, his voice deep and booming but gloriously beautiful.
Eden, unsure of what to say to such an incredible being, nodded.
"Good," the angel said. Then the angel leered at Satan instead. "Remember me?"
Eden saw fear flicker across Satan's many faces. The angel bent low into a crouch and then shot upward using his powerful legs and large wings. With his mighty golden sword extended, he ploughed his blade straight into Satan's stomach. Satan let out a growl and staggered backward. Natalia fell from Satan's grip. The male angel caught her in his arms and flew her down to the ground where she kneeled at his side.
"God will heal," the angel said. He turned and shot after Satan again.
This time, the angel flew straight toward Satan's shriveled head and extended his sword to drive the blade into his eye. Satan brought up his hand and moved to grab the angel, but the messenger of God was too fast and twirled out of his way so quick he made a circular pattern of light. Eden tore her gaze away from the wonderful, powerful angel, fell to her knees, and touched the gaping, though bloodless, hole in Natalia's back.
"Are you okay?" Eden asked.
"Yes," Natalia said. "Michael is right. God will heal."
"The Michael?" Eden asked. "The 'cast Satan out of heaven' Michael?"
Natalia nodded at her. Eden gazed in awe at the archangel. As Satan screamed at the sky with his fists flailing, Michael came at him faster and faster, sword whirling. Satan swiped at Michael in an attempt to bat him out of the sky again, but Michael drew his knees up to his chest at the last second and then used Satan's own hand to propel himself forward. With one swift movement, Michael sliced at Satan's hand head and the Lord of hell fell backward and screeched.
As Eden watched the gorgeous Michael, someone tapped her shoulder. She spun around and saw two beautiful angels looking at her, hovering just above the fiery magma. One of them was a skinny female with short red hair, freckles, and glowing green eyes, and the other was a man with tan skin and chocolate brown eyes.
"We will get you out of here," the female angel said.
"But what about…" Eden glanced over just in time to watch Michael knock Satan into the lake of fire.
"It's not your job to defeat Satan, Eden," Natalia said. "Let God worry about him. He knows what He's doing. It was your job to help as many people as you could, and you did so. Your duty is done."
Eden moved hesitantly and nodded at the angels. The female grabbed Eden around the waist as if to be carried into a threshold of a new home. Despite the angel's thinness, she acted as though Eden weighed nothing at all. Then again, she was a soul. The male angel scooped up Natalia in his arms and carried her the same way, and the two angels took flight.
With the hot wind whistling through the angels' wings, Eden gazed down as the war scene grew more and more distant. She could still see a choir of angels flying at Leviathan all at once, dodging past his breath of fire, and forcing him down into the sea of magma where he let out high-pitched screeches. To her right, three of the dragon's heads appeared close to falling into the sea of fire as their necks drooped and cuts covered their faces.
Eden felt cool air billowing in from somewhere as the angels flew farther and farther away. The embattled angels became dots and the massive monsters heaps of shadow. She gazed toward the glowing light from whence the sound of angels' hymns poured. The two angels flew into the golden light, and the next thing Eden knew, she was surrounded by cool air and the distant lands of Purgatory. It was as if hell had just evaporated. There were no dragons, no Leviathan, and no Satan. There was no unquenchable heat, teeth-grinding pain, or worms.
Best of all, there was no more loneliness. She no longer heard Donovan's screams of pain. Eden was so relieved when the female angel released her from her grasp, she tumbled to her knees. She buried her face in the soil and smelled the sweet smell of earth.
She turned her head and glanced at the three angels. The male released Natalia. Cringing, Natalia rubbed her damaged wing.
"Thank you," Eden said. "Thank you so much. How long was I in hell? How long did I..."
The memory of the inferno she escaped made her want to never move again.
"You were there a little under three hours," Natalia said, "but you will never, ever go there again. You have done your duty and have repaid your sins."
"But why?" Eden asked. "Why did God put me down there to begin with?"
"He wanted to show you what you saved people from," Natalia said. "He wanted you to see the horrors of hell so you would know by saving so many people from being thrown into the pit of fire, you have accomplished something so great words cannot describe it. Keeping people from going to hell is not something to be taken lightly, Eden."
"I understand," Eden said, staring at her hands. She felt strangely numb.
"Do you truly?" Natalia asked. "Without you, Yuri would have continued his path of anger and would have eventually been cast into the lake of fire. Now he will go to heaven. In fact, he would be there already, if he wasn't waiting for you."
"What?" Eden gasped. He waited for her, which warmed her heart. And had she truly saved him from hell?
"Do you see now?" Natalia asked.
Yuri, be cursed to such a fate? She imagined him walking the endless plains, sucked in by his own misery and anger. The idea filled her with such sadness it made her want to cry. Even if it was just to save him, she would have done it all over again.
"Your mother as well," Natalia said. "She was on the verge of being blotted out of the Book of Life and being put in the Book of Death."
"Book of Death?"
"God has two books," Natalia said. "The Book of Life is for those who go to heaven and the Book of Death is for those to be cast into hell when the world ends. God knows everything."
Eden was silent. So she had saved her mom and good friend from being cast into such a horrible place. Now she understood she had done something more important than she had realized. She had worked to save her friends. Maybe the gates of heaven had never truly been locked shut and God may not have needed her to save the world, but hell was so much worse than anything she could have imagined. Saving even one soul was worth it.
"My dad…" Eden frowned at the ground. "Will he survive this? Will he be cast down?"
"No," Natalia said. "Your father loves you. His love will save him. You will save him."
"What do you mean?" Eden asked.
"God has a gift for you, for enduring hell without cause," Natalia said. "You love your father and have always honored him. Would you like to speak with him one last time before you go to heaven?"
"Can I…" Eden blinked. "How is it possible?"
"To God, anything is possible. He has already healed the Earth. Now, he will do the same for your father." Natalia extended her hand to her. "Come."
"But your wing," Eden said. "Shouldn't you get it fixed?"
"I have all the time in the world," Natalia said. "I do not need my wings for this. God will help us get to Earth and will show you the way."
Eden nodded slowly.
"Oh, I almost forgot something," Natalia said. "This is for you. I think you'll find good use for it. It still has one life to save."
After digging into her robe, Natalia pulled out Eden's wooden cross. She handed it to Eden who took it from her, dazed. The cross felt warm in her hand.
"I lost this," Eden said. "How did you get it back?"
Natalia didn’t respond. Eden tucked the cross in her pocket for safe keeping.
Suddenly, rays of warm, gentle light shot down from the sky and Eden shut her eyes and felt as if she floated. It was almost like she was being hugged. She realized what the feeling was. She was going home.
Chapter Seventeen
When Eden opened her eyes, she was not in Purgatory. She was on Earth. Everything appeared green and bright. As she glanced around, she realized she was in a graveyard. There were many headstones. She stood at the bottom of the hill and gaz
ed up just in time to see her dad trudge up the hill toward a large group of people.
Osier appeared different than Eden imagined he would. The hair on his head had receded until only a few wisps remained on the side; he wore stained, torn clothes, and he clutched a bottle of alcohol in his fist. Oh, Dad, no. She bit her bottom lip in horror. How could this have happened to him? How long had it been since she'd last seen him? Too long. She had to reach him, but what if he could not see her?
"Natalia?" she asked. "Natalia, where are you?"
Glancing around, Eden knew her guardian angel was gone. But then she realized something. Natalia had been with her the entire time, invisible. Now would be no different. She remembered her words. "You love your father and have always honored him. Would you like to speak with him one last time before you go to heaven?" She didn't know how, but if Natalia said she could talk to her dad, then she could talk to her dad.
Eden raced up the hill toward the funeral, and when she grew closer, several people spun around and did double-takes when they saw her. Somebody to her right gasped. They can see me. They all can. Which means my dad can too. It took her a moment to understand why everybody gasped. When she looked down, she acknowledged she was a glowing spirit of light. Her soul still had the same glow all souls did. It was the aura. While the living had an aura too, it didn't appear nearly as bright as with spirits.
A grin crossed her face. She didn't care what form she took, as long as she could talk to her dad. As long as she could hug him. She saw him weave through the crowd and grow pale as he spotted her. Even though he was a mess, even though she could smell the stench of sour clothes and sweat, she didn't care. Finally, after all this time, she would get to talk to him. She had never understood how much he'd done for her until she went to Purgatory.
"Dad," Eden said.
"Eden," he said, and then he gazed down at himself. "Am I hallucinating? Am I dead?"
"Dad," Eden said again, louder this time.
She could no longer contain her enthusiasm as she leapt over the grass and flew at her dad. Only milliseconds before she reached him did she stop to wonder whether she would pass right through him, but her worries were short lived. Despite the fact she was a spirit, God had made her just as solid as her Dad was. Maybe God had known how much she wanted to hug her dad.
"Eden," Osier said, touching her cheek as tears drizzled down his face. "You're dead. This isn't happening."
"I got to come back just for a little while, Dad," Eden said. "I don't know how long I have here, but you've got to listen. You aren't dead and this isn't a hallucination. It's real. All of it is real."
"But you're dead," he repeated, still holding her cheek. He kept a firm hand on her waist as if afraid letting her go might allow her to drift away.
"I was allowed to come back," Eden said. "Come with me away from these people. I have to tell you some things."
Her dad still appeared dazed as Eden led him between some gravestones. There was a bench with room for two put up in memory of a person. On top of it, there was the name, Annie Dorsel. Eden led her dad over to the bench and sat on the right side, and her dad sat to her left. He continued to hold her hand even as he sat down.
"Eden," her dad said, as if it was all he could say now.
"It's okay, Dad," Eden said, "but you have got to stop drinking. You've destroyed yourself. I watched you after I fell down the stairs, and I saw what happened to you. You died right along with me, and that isn't right. I can't go to heaven unless I know you'll be happy. Promise me you'll stop drinking. Promise me."
"It's the only thing to make the memories go away," her dad said. "You died, and then everything got so bad, so fast. There was darkness. Darkness everywhere."
"The darkness won't come back," Eden said. "It's why you've got to get your life back."
"How can I when I killed you?" More tears poured down his face. "I couldn't even look in the mirror after what happened. And now I'm hallucinating you here too."
"I'm not a hallucination," Eden said. She paused and then felt the heat of the cross in her pocket. "I have something to prove it. It'll stick with you long after I leave. You'll know I was truly here and I love you."
Eden pulled out the cross from her pocket and handed it to her dad. Shocked, her dad stared at the cross and held it up to the light.
"Impossible," her dad said. "It's warm. And this… this is what we argued about. This is what made me…"
The glazed look in her dad's eyes made her realize she was losing him. Eden reached forward and grabbed his hands, holding them against her small chest so he could feel her heart.
"Dad, you didn't kill me," Eden said. "I fell down the stairs. It was meant to happen. It was my time to go. You had nothing to do with it. You have got to stop blaming yourself for my death. I never blamed you, not for one single second."
"But if it wasn't for me, you would still be here." His hand trembled.
Eden reached out and hugged him, patting his back. It made her heart ache to see such sadness in his eyes, but she knew this was as close as she could come to taking it away.
"Dad," Eden said, "I would have died no matter where I was. I love you. And I'm going to heaven now. I will be waiting for you when you get there. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get to watch over you when you're doing your tasks."
All of the sudden, her soul began to feel light again. She felt her dad's hands slip through her sides. When she gazed down, she realized her newfound solidity was fading. A sad smile crossed her face as she glanced at her dad again.
"I have to go now, I think," Eden said. "God's calling me back. But remember what I said. Don't drink anymore. Live."
"Eden, I'm sorry I wasn't a better father to you," her dad said. "I wish I hadn't worked so much. I wish I hadn't—"
Eden put her hand to his lips and shook her head. "I love you, Dad. Until we meet again."
"I love you too, Eden." He reached out to touch her cheek but his hand passed right through.
The golden light fluttered down on her head, and she realized her dad could no longer see her. He tried to hug her, but his hands passed right through her soul. As she watched, he fell to his knees, grasped the cross which still remained in his fists, lifted it toward the sky, and began to sob.
****
Eden sat on the bench awhile longer, and out of nowhere, Natalia appeared where her dad had been sitting.
"This was hard for you," Natalia said. It was not a question.
"Yes," Eden said.
"He'll be fine, you know," Natalia said. "We can see things you can't. He's going to stop drinking. He's going to remember. Someday, he'll meet you in heaven."
"Really?" Eden asked.
"I know for certain," Natalia said. "Now come with me. Your friends have been refusing to go to heaven without you. I think they have suffered enough, waiting for you. They even tried to accompany the warrior angels to the fight in hell."
Natalia stood up and offered her hand, and Eden took it. Eden gazed at her feet.
"Is it truly over, Natalia?" Eden asked.
"For you, yes," Natalia said. "You will live all eternity in a place where there is only love and peace. For a good soul, is it not all you could want? This is why some must go to hell and some must go to heaven. You choose what you want. If you want violence and discord, you go to a place where those things reign. If you want peace and love, you will get your wish as well. So let us go."
Eden gazed upward and nodded. She was filled with warmth, but she was not surprised when she blinked and was in Purgatory once more. This time, though, she was in the city of Gabriel. The repaired Gabriel where the sun shown down on the houses, there was no demonic throne in the middle of the road, and souls milled around in hopes to accomplish their tasks. One thing was different, though.
"The Blood Stone chapel is gone," Eden said.
"Yes," Natalia said, smiling. There was only a pile of rubble remaining. "The test is over. God didn't want the chapel in Gabriel anymore, so H
e had it removed. But there is something else you should see."
Natalia held tight to Eden’s hand and led her down the street where souls stared at her and whispered. Eden did not know whether they talked about her or the fact she was being led by a one-winged angel. They came to a stop down the road where a group of people could be seen. Several people sat on the ground and one paced back and forth in front of them. Eden recognized them at once and released Natalia's hand.
"Yuri," Eden yelled, her heart filled with joy. "Mom, Thema, Adanna, Aaron, Edward. You're all okay."
There were shrieks of joy from her friends and those who sat leapt to their feet. Yuri, who had been pacing, was the first to reach her, and he pulled her into a tight hug. She embraced him, shutting her eyes and inhaling his sweet smell. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until this moment.
"I was supposed to take care of you," he said. "I was supposed to follow you, but I couldn't find a way and… and…"
"You couldn't have found a physical route to reach me," Eden said. "It's okay. I'm—"
"Quit hogging her," Thema said, pushing Yuri out of the way and hugging her tightly.
A second later, Adanna embraced her from behind. Suddenly, everybody hugged her and laughed except for her mom, who hovered at the outside of the circle. When her friends finally let her go, Eden gazed at her mom, surprised she hadn't hugged her.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Eden asked softly.
"You…" Rebecca stared at her with big eyes. "You're amazing and I… I'm so sorry. For everything. I mean it."
"Oh, Mom." Eden held her arms open. "I love you."
Rebecca raced to Eden, opened her arms, and hugged her back, tangling her hand in her hair while gripping her tighter with the other.
"I am so glad you are my daughter, Eden," Rebecca said. "So, so glad."
As Eden buried her head into her mom's shoulder, she realized those were the words she had wanted to hear all along.
Where All Souls Meet Page 15
