A Visitation of Angels

by Carolyn Haines

  “Not the church. From the old priest. Who may have been crazy. But he convinced me there were things beyond what was taught, things that happened before the world of man dominated the earth. There was a time when good and evil were not such clear choices. That priest told me of things that no church wants to acknowledge. This is one reason I was drawn to Madam and her séances. I have always known there’s a world counter to ours, an existence where shades and spirits linger, and many of them are lost there because they aren’t interested in the light.”

  Reginald claimed that he had no “gifts” like second sight or the ability to see the dead. But he had other gifts I was just discovering. “That’s why you’re helping me, isn’t it? To protect me.”

  “And to learn, Raissa. You have the true gift. But I can learn and become more sensitive. And I can help.”

  He had no idea how much he helped as it was. “And these Nephilim, do they have the nature of angels or humans?”

  “Neither.” Sorrow had crept into his expression. “They are wicked beyond redemption, and their goal is to corrupt the men of Earth.”

  “Wicked angels? Isn’t that an oxymoron?” Reginald was so serious I tried to put a bit of lightness into the conversation.

  “They’re not angels, Raissa. Once they’ve fallen, they’re demons.”

  Chapter 23

  Reginald’s pronouncement was like a kick in my gut. I couldn’t breathe or even think. How many times had Michael insisted that Gabriel was not an angel? Each time it was mentioned, Michael had contradicted the statement. Not an angel. That was all he’d said, but I understood now. Gabriel was not an angel but a demon. At last I found my voice. “You think Gabriel is a Nephilim?”

  “No, I think he’s a dark angel. A fallen angel.”

  “Do fallen angels still have the powers that were given the heavenly angels?” The hierarchy felt muddled and unclear. “Can he heal?

  “Angels heal and bring joy. Fallen angels tempt and bring illness and suffering. That’s how Father Kilroy explained it to me.”

  “And there are fallen angels on earth, other than Gabriel?”

  “Yes. In her work in New Orleans, Madam has dealt with at least one. They’re treacherous and very dangerous. They can manipulate time and space.”

  “And dreams,” I said, remembering the topiary and fictional Isabel galloping about on all fours.

  “Madam can help us. I know she can, but we have to get to New Orleans. It’s imperative we take that baby to Madam before it’s too late.”

  “Too late?”

  Reginald looked away to hide the despair in his eyes.

  “You think Callie is Gabriel’s child, born of a mortal woman, which would make her…” I couldn’t say it. I looked down at her, her Kewpie doll mouth, the fringe of dark hair, and the smile that stole my heart.

  “I don’t know what she is, Raissa. According to the old priest, God and man waged a war to rid the planet of the fallen angels and their offspring. Supposedly none were left. Those that were found were cast into the pits of Hell.” He hesitated. “I hadn’t put this together with fallen angels. When I first met Madam, years ago, she battled with a fallen angel. It had attached itself to a woman in New Orleans. She became pregnant. She began to hallucinate. She came to Madam for help.” He looked away from me.

  I reached up to turn his face to me, but he refused to look at me. “What happened to her? To the child?”

  “The woman was murdered before she could deliver the baby.”

  “Murdered by whom?”

  He shook his head. “Madam believed the Catholic Church sent an assassin to destroy a great evil. I had just met Madam and I wasn’t in her confidence. There were rumors, only rumors.”

  “And you believe this?” I knew there were spirits, a component of a living human that transcended the flesh. But a world of angels, fallen or otherwise, half-angel children, and murdering priests was not something I could easily grasp.

  “I don’t believe anything. I’m only telling you what the priest in Victoria made me remember. What Madam confronted and fought. What happened. The priest also said something else interesting.”

  “And that was?”

  “That the town of Mission had no place in the county or the state, that it was a village that belonged nowhere.”

  “What did he mean?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent certain, but the implication was that there was something unholy about Mission. Like a place that decent people avoided.”

  “There are decent people here,” I protested. “Elizabeth, Hattie, the little girl Hildy.”

  Reginald didn’t respond. After a moment he spoke. “I was taught that the Nephilim are superior in unusual abilities and wickedness. Their birth is a sin against the orders of God.”

  “Callie isn’t wicked.” I could see where this was going.

  “Perhaps not yet.”

  It was the most chilling thing I’d ever heard Reginald say.

  “You think the baby will grow to be wicked?”

  “I think there’s a murderer loose in Mission. I believe a good man may hang for a crime he didn’t commit. For the life of me, I can’t see any real benefit to McEachern’s death. It’s possible there is wickedness here merely for the sake of evil.”

  I drew back from him. “I won’t listen to this.”

  “I won’t continue. But I’m concerned what powers that baby may have. Or how they will manifest themselves.”

  Callie stretched and yawned. She pounded her little fists in the air and made the purring sound of contentment. When she turned her head to look at Reginald, he stood up. “We shouldn’t be talking in front of her.”

  I nodded agreement. “Michael was able to get his horse?”

  “He should be here soon,” Reginald said. “Setting McEachern free is a crazy idea, Raissa. If it doesn’t work, we could all be in grave trouble.”

  “I know.” I did. “But we’re already in a lot of trouble with few ways to escape.” I was saved from further conversation when I heard a vehicle coming and ran to the window. “It’s Elizabeth.” I got up and hurried outside to see what the doctor had to say about her wounds.

  Dr. Wainwright helped her out of the car. She was able to stand and walk, but it was obvious she was very weak.

  “She lost a lot of blood,” he said, directing his comment to Reginald. It was clear he wanted nothing else to do with Elizabeth or me.

  “Can she travel?” I asked.

  “It would be best if she didn’t, under normal circumstances. Now, though, I think leaving would be your best bet. You’re in danger here. All of you.”

  “How do you propose that we make good our escape?” Reginald asked him.

  “Leave me,” Elizabeth said. “I won’t leave Slater McEachern to hang for a crime he didn’t commit.”

  “She’s been saying that, repeating it like a crazy woman,” the doctor said with annoyance. “She can’t know his innocence or guilt, and she’d better act to save her own hide and her baby. She’s a fool if she doesn’t think they’ll hang a woman and do God knows what with that child. Everyone in town is terrified of it.”

  It, not her. She wasn’t even a child to them. Yet they had no clue how much reason they had to be afraid of Callie, if she was what Reginald thought she might be.

  “Take Callie,” Elizabeth said to me. “Take her and go. Hurry.” She almost lost her balance but Reginald righted her.

  “Take it easy,” he said, supporting her up the steps. At the door he turned back. “Thanks, Doctor, but again, I ask how you propose that we make a getaway. We tried to leave and they blockaded the road. If they stop us, they’ll kill us. The green hoods were out.”

  “Damn them,” the doctor said with fierceness. “They’ve gone too far now. They think they can do whatever they please.” He took a breath. “I’ll help you.”

  “How?” I couldn’t help myself.

  “I’ll create a distraction. Something on the other end of town. I’l
l draw them there and you can escape.”

  “If they catch you--”

  “They’ll kill me too. They’ll kill anyone who gets in their way.”

  “Why would you do this?”

  The doctor looked away and paused before he spoke. “I loved Ruthie. Slater McEachern wasn’t the only man who cared about her. He was just the only man who had the backbone to try to save her from Lucais and the life he’d assigned Ruth to.”

  “Why didn’t you do something?” I was in his face. I couldn’t help it. Reginald couldn’t stop me because he was supporting a very weak Elizabeth. “Lucais is going to kill an innocent man and you did nothing.”

  “I’m doing something right now,” Wainwright said, his features going stiff with anger. “I’m going to get you on the road out of town if you’re smart enough to go. That’s what I’m doing, young woman. And you’d be smart not to cast hot grease on someone trying to help you.”

  His words cooled me down, but it did nothing to alleviate my anxiety. “How can you distract them?”

  “Eight o’clock tonight, be ready to get out of town.” Doc didn’t look very happy about his decision.

  “What’s going to happen at eight?” I asked.

  “There’s going to be an explosion. While all the watchers and Lucais’s henchmen are running toward that explosion, you get out of town. You hear me? You won’t have long. You better take this opportunity.”

  “How are you going to cause an explosion?” Reginald asked.

  “I have some dynamite and I know how to use it. Trust me. There’ll be a boom big enough to bring everyone in the vicinity running.”

  I looked at Reginald and Elizabeth. “Can we get—”

  “We’ll be on the road at eight sharp,” Reginald said. “Thank you, doctor.”

  “If you don’t make a getaway, you’ve likely doomed all of us to the hangman’s noose. They won’t hold back on me if they know I tried to help you.”

  “Come in the house,” Reginald said to me, already helping Elizabeth through the door. “Now, Raissa.”

  Reginald was never snappy unless he had a reason to be. I followed him in the door and Doc Wainwright got in his car and drove away.

  “Can we get Michael and Slater McEachern in time?” I asked.

  Reginald motioned me to help Elizabeth to bed. When she was under a light sheet, we left her beside Callie and closed the door. He drew me roughly into the kitchen. “Get on that horse and ride toward that cabin. Meet Michael on the way at old Sawyer Road. Then start walking home.” He was whispering. “I’ll pick you up once I’m certain Elizabeth can be left alone. Tell Michael and McEachern if they intend to get away, they must ride hard for here. We’ll leave as soon as they arrive. If they aren’t here by five o’clock, we have to leave them.”

  “But the doctor said eight—”

  “You see the evil spirits, Raissa. I see the evil in men. Doc Wainwright is setting us up. At eight o’clock, when we hear the explosion, every green hood and unhappy man in this area will be on the road waiting for us. They’ll kill me, McEachern, and Michael and what they do to you, Elizabeth, and that baby I don’t want to think about.”

  “Are you sure?” I didn’t want to believe this. I needed to believe that someone was helping us, someone cared that justice was done.

  “The doctor never looked me in the eye. He’s not a murderer, but he’s a coward and he’s terrified of Lucais. He didn’t leave any instructions for Elizabeth’s care. He was only specific about the time we should make our escape. I’ll bet the old bastard does have some dynamite. They’ll probably blow up the road under the car.”

  “I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” I said, heading to the barn to saddle up Mariah for one last ride.

  “I’d ride her myself, but you’re the better equestrian.” He tried for a smile but failed. Worry etched a furrow in his forehead. “We’ll get out of here, Raissa, and when we get to Victoria and can contact your uncle, he’ll be able to help protect us. I’ve learned one thing in the last few months and that’s Brett Airlie has a mighty long reach where his niece is concerned.”

  The mention of Uncle Brett almost made me cry. He hadn’t wanted me to make this trip. He’d been subtly opposed, without really voicing his opposition. I had known he was worried but I pretended not to notice. He knew that Sand Mountain was a dangerous, isolated place where the regular rule of law didn’t prevail. Bad men took power and wielded it with brute force. Belief systems sprang up and took root. All of that my uncle knew. But he didn’t know that a dark angel walked among the people of Mission, Alabama. And he didn’t know—nor did I—what this entity wanted from Elizabeth Maslow and her daughter Callie or to what lengths he would go to get it.

  Chapter 24

  Mariah was as fresh as if she hadn’t already been ridden today, and she willingly galloped down the road. Perhaps she understood that our lives depended on her speed and good sense. When I came to the intersection of the roads where Michael would have to pass, I edged into the thick woods and waited, listening for pounding hooves. Michael’s ride was far longer than mine, and I was relieved I’d beaten him to the crossroads. I had to stop Michael from going back to Elizabeth’s to get Mariah. We no longer had the luxury of time. If we were to rescue Slater McEachern, we had to move with great speed. I felt the saddlebag again, making sure the mallet and tongs were still there. And the ax.

  I sat on the cool ground, glad for a respite from the saddle and the sun. Mariah waited patiently. When I saw Uncle Brett again, I would ask him to buy her for me if Elizabeth agreed to give her up. In a city like Mobile, Elizabeth would have no need of a horse, and I shared a bond with the buckskin mare.

  My nerves settled a bit as I searched my memories for horseback rides and other pleasantness to pass the time. I was brought up short by the smell of something dead and decaying. The odor came from nowhere, but suddenly it was everywhere. A large shadow flitted over the dirt road in front of me. The watchers were with me. A buzzard settled on a tree limb across the road.

  My heart clutched with fear, and Mariah, too, snorted and pulled back, away from me and the bird. The bird looked right at me and made a long, low hissing sound. The raspiness of its voice reminded me of Isabel in my dream, when she’d begun to change into something far removed from human. How close was Gabriel? Or whoever he was. He might be many things, but Michael was right. He was not an angel. At least not in the sense that I’d come to believe in the heavenly host.

  “You can’t win, Raissa.”

  I whipped around to find him standing not six inches from me. Mariah rolled her eyes and snorted. I gripped the end of the reins firmly so she couldn’t get away. She wasn’t leaving unless I was on her back.

  “I know what you are.”

  “Do you?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

  “You’re nothing from heaven.”

  “Did I ever make that claim?” He was cold, but something very hot burned in his eyes.

  “You led Elizabeth to believe you were something good, something holy.”

  “People always see what they wish to see, Raissa. You should know this, considering the work you do.” He smiled, but it was chilling rather than warm. “You saw goodness in me too.”

  “And now I know better.” I glanced down the road in the direction Michael would be coming.

  “And yet you cling to the idea that someone will come to assist you.”

  He could read my thoughts, and that was more frightening than anything he’d said. I couldn’t allow myself to think about Michael or our plan. “Why have you targeted Elizabeth?”

  “She has a gift, and she was easy. All alone, knowing in her heart her brother was dead. Knowing there was no one else for her. You know how that feels, you’ve been there.” He smiled, and a chill ran down my spine. “Since Alex.”

  I pushed past the instant anger. “Yes, being left behind is lonely…and painful. To lose the one you love is hard.” Though I tried not to think about him, Alex was
always in my heart. I missed him intensely. Suddenly he stood before me with his hand on Mariah’s hip. He wore a white shirt with a rounded collar, an older style that was preferred by the law school where he was sometimes invited to lecture. His gray flannel pants were immaculate, his hair burnished in the sunlight that angled through the trees. I wanted to rush into his arms, to cry against his chest and beg him never to leave me again. But I didn’t move. I knew this was a trick even as my heart seemed to beat with a newfound urgency.

  “I miss you, Raissa.” He smiled, and I ached with the pain of loss. How precious that smile was to me.

  “I miss you too.” I eased back from his hand. Alex was dead. He couldn’t be here with me no matter how I longed for him. His time had come and gone. It was wrong for me to want to hold him in a half-life.

  “Come for a walk in the woods with me.”

  I couldn’t, and I knew it. Gabriel was manipulating me. Still, I couldn’t stop the overwhelming desire to rush to Alex. He was as warm and solid as he had been in life. I pressed my face into his chest, surrounded by his distinctive smell of leather and books and coffee. “I love you.” I wanted to beg him not to leave me, as I should have when he went off to war. But I didn’t then and I didn’t now. I knew he couldn’t stay. Wasn’t really there. This was the hellish magic of Gabriel. He took my dream and made it flesh—only to take it from me again.

  In the blink of an eye, I was standing with my arms around empty air. I would not cry. I would not let Gabriel’s tricks weaken me.

  “What if I could return Alex to you?”

  “From the grave?” I scoffed. “You might be able to manipulate my dreams, but you can’t play necromancer.”

  “Can’t I?”

  “What are you?” I asked him.

  “I am one of God’s chosen.” He grinned at my look of disbelief. “No, it’s true.”

  “You’re an angel.” I waited to close the trap. “One that God has turned away.”

  “The things you might hear in a place called Mission. I thought you were smarter than to get embroiled in gossip.” He was toying with me and enjoying it.