“What is it that makes Deakle Albee worthy of being…toadied to?” Reginald asked. This had truly fallen in our lap and we’d pursue it in the morning.
“He controls a lot in Victoria. Staying on his good side is worth the effort. Like staying on mine can make life easier.”
Reginald brought out his wallet and folded a bill. When he took the paper with the address of the shop, he passed the money. “Many thanks, officer. You’ve been very helpful.”
We took our leave, and it was a relief to step back into the night. I glanced behind us to see the policeman standing at the window watching us depart.
“Your uncle and Madam will be here as quickly as they can.” Reginald was eager to see Uncle Brett and Madam and I knew why. We were in grave danger. If Lucais or his brutish followers caught us, we would likely be killed. We weren’t safe in Victoria, as I’d hoped we be.
“Can we hide in Victoria that long?” I was ready to drive down the mountain and meet Uncle Brett part way. We had Slater McEachern, a fugitive from the law, with us. Whether he was guilty or not, he was still an escaped prisoner. We could face serious charges against all of us. But Uncle Brett could protect Slater and us until we could uncover the truth. My uncle was a powerful man with powerful friends. That meant nothing in Mission, but it did in the statehouse, where ultimate power resided. “Slater says we should leave immediately. Just drive as far away as we can.”
“He may be right. At first light tomorrow. Let’s see how the others have settled in.”
I was eager to get back to the inn. I was tired and hungry and worried. There was nothing to do but get through the long night ahead of us. In the daylight we could assess our danger more accurately.
We set out into the darkness, our footsteps echoing on the wooden sidewalk. Parts of Victoria had electricity, thanks to the dam on the Coosa River, but streetlights were few and far between. A breeze had kicked up, and it sent tree limbs whipping, blocking the light and casting shadows in the two lights down the street. I thought of the magnificent oak trees that lined the drive to Caoin House, my uncle’s estate. With the Spanish moss dripping from their limbs, those trees had danced in the moonlight. But there had been other things on the lawn, too. Nocturnal things that had no place in the land of the living.
At the nearest streetlight a sudden gust of wind blew the maple limbs so that the light was blocked for a moment. It occurred to me that this might be an omen. I shook off the unpleasant chill that touched me and looked about the town.
Had we visited Victoria under different circumstances, I would have found it charming. It was a small town with brick buildings that were made to survive the frequent tornadoes that skipped across the top of Cumberland Plateau. Several churches with elegant spires gave the little town a sense of grace. It was at one of the churches that Reginald had talked with a priest.
“Let’s walk by the church.” I had a ridiculous idea that we’d gain protection against Gabriel on holy ground. Reading Dracula by Bram Stoker had left me with foolish notions: that evil couldn’t enter a church and a crucifix could ward off…vampires. But what about fallen angels and Nephilim? I didn’t want to know if Callie was the latter. Because if she was, I didn’t have a clue what we would do with her. If the things Michael had told me were true, and the Nephilim were born wicked, what would we do? Callie already had powers. That much I knew. But they seemed to be gentle and healing powers. What if, as she grew older, she also grew stronger and more corrupt?
I was nearly in tears by the time we walked past one of the churches. Reginald grabbed my arm and drew me to a stop.
“What?” I hadn’t seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. The town was dead asleep. Not a car, not a wagon, not a person on foot was about. Then I heard it, the flutter of wings. There was a rustling in the trees and shrubs that cluttered the churchyard, but in the dark night I couldn’t see what it was.
Reginald stepped in front of me, blocking me from whatever he’d heard in the churchyard. He sensed danger too.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. There’s something there watching us.”
As soon as he spoke, a large black bird flew out of the dense foliage at our heads. The foul smell of death rode on its wings. It swooped right at us and if we hadn’t dropped to the ground, it would have struck us.
The danger had escalated. The watchers were no longer content to watch.
We regained our feet and inched backward into the middle of the street. I was praying for a car or pedestrians, even a dog, to walk by. In the distance I could hear several hounds baying, as if they understood evil was afoot. Animals had a heightened sense of the dead, and possibly of evil.
“Let’s try to get back to the inn.” Reginald had my arm in a tight grip. “I won’t leave you.”
His words chilled me, because he understood intuitively that whatever was watching us wanted something from me. Or wanted me.
We turned to go down the street and I stopped. Gabriel stood a block away in the middle of the road. He spread his wings, fluttering so that they were outlined in gold by the streetlight. There was an answering flutter in the dense shrubs and trees in the church yard. Reginald looked toward the church, zeroing in on what was happening there because he could not see Gabriel.
“Run to the inn,” Reginald said. But there would be no running away for me. Gabriel would not let me run. I felt him in my mind, just behind my eyes, taking over what I felt and saw and heard and smelled. He integrated easily into my perceptions, probing into personal memories. I could feel him prying loose the anchors of reality.
“It’s Gabriel,” I said. “In the street. He’s trying to get into my mind. He’ll plant images that terrify me and render me useless to fight him.”
Reginald’s grip on my shoulder intensified and he snatched me behind him as he ran toward the church steps.
A flock of birds, large enough to be buzzards but also mixed with smaller birds like crows or ravens, came out of the churchyard shrubs. They flew directly at us. One large bird grabbed Reginald’s hair and began to peck around his eyes. I took off my shoe and struck it as hard as I could. Blood spurted down Reginald’s white shirt, and I hit the bird again, a solid thwack. It let go of him and we dashed up the steps and into the sanctuary. Reginald bolted the door behind us. Bloody and panting, we went to a back pew and sat down.
When I turned to Reginald, I wanted to cry. Blood was dripping down his face, plopping onto his shirt. His flesh was torn in a dozen places where the bird had savaged him. He used a handkerchief to try to staunch the flow.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“Wait here until daylight. They won’t attack during the day.” He put his hands on either side of my face. “Did he hurt you? Is Gabriel gone?”
He was gone, but not for long. I didn’t think a church would hold him out if he chose to come in. There seemed no barrier, personal or religious, that Gabriel couldn’t breach. But we had to find something. At stake was my sanity. I’d never been in graver danger. “He knows everything about my past, and he uses things against me. My parents’ and Alex’s deaths, the things I desire and fear. He can turn me inside out whenever he wants, and he knows it.”
“We only have to last until morning,” Reginald said. “We can do that, Raissa.”
A pounding at the church door made me cling to Reginald as we both rose to our feet. I was afraid. Reginald might have been too, but he squared his shoulders and calmed me. “If it’s Gabriel, he wouldn’t have to knock.”
I nodded and sank back into the pew. Relief had jellied my knees as soon as we’d entered the church and I wasn’t certain I could stand. It might not be Gabriel, but who was it? Who would knock at a church door in the middle of the night? I turned in the pew and watched Reginald open the door with my heart pounding. Michael Trussel stepped inside the church, his face grave.
“Elizabeth, Ramone, and Callie have disappeared.”
Chapter 32
Before
we could ask a single question, the back entrance to the sanctuary opened and a man in pajamas, slippers, and a robe came toward us. A silent nun in a full habit followed him into the sanctuary. “Can I help you?”
“Father Kilroy.” Reginald hurried toward him. “We’re in trouble. We need sanctuary.”
The drowsiness that had clung to the priest’s eyes disappeared. “What kind of trouble? We keep a low profile here in Victoria,” he said calmly.
“It could be…difficult for you.” Reginald wasn’t going to lie. “There are people after us. Lucais Wilkins from Mission and his thugs and someone else.”
Father Kilroy nodded slowly. “I know of Lucais Wilkins and his deeds. When you told me earlier you were in Mission to help a woman, I knew you’d eventually run afoul of Wilkins. Last year a Catholic couple tried moving to Mission. Wilkins and his men set upon them and beat the schoolteacher nearly to death. His wife threw herself over her husband and that’s what saved him.”
“Because they were Catholic?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“Catholic and teachers,” Kilroy said. “They wanted to set up a school for all the children. Wilkins keeps rigid control over what’s taught in the Mission schools. He determines the curriculum. An outsider with a broader world view could not be tolerated.”
I remembered what I’d been told about how Lucais controlled newspapers in the town.
“Can you help us?” Reginald asked.
“We’re a small congregation, but we would never turn anyone away. Other than Wilkins, what do you fear?”
“A dark angel.” Michael spoke with calm authority.
Father Kilroy only nodded. “When I spoke with Reginald earlier, I wondered about some of his questions. What does this…entity want?”
“He hopes to corrupt Mrs. James. She’s a powerful sensitive.” Michael took two steps closer to me.
“Meaning what?” the priest asked. “What are you sensitive to?” He addressed me.
“She sees and speaks with the dead,” Reginald said. “She’s also aware of other spiritual entities. Dark entities. She sees things we can’t see or understand. She has the courage to fight them.”
“If she were compelled to assist a fallen angel, she would be a formidable asset to him,” Michael said.
The priest didn’t doubt or question us. “What can I do?”
“Can we borrow a phone?” Reginald put a hand on my shoulder. “Call Madam. Get her help now. We can’t wait until tomorrow. She must tell us how to fight a demon!” Reginald turned back to the priest. “Keep Raissa safe here. With you. She’s in the most danger of all.”
“You can’t just leave me here.” I wasn’t about to let Reginald and Michael go hunting for the missing Maslows without me. They couldn’t even see Gabriel if he appeared. They would be helpless without me. I understood I was the most vulnerable, and my presence might make them more vulnerable. But as Reginald had pointed out, I could see Gabriel when they couldn’t.
“You’re safer here. We have to get that baby,” Michael said.
“Where’s Slater?” I asked.
“He’s at the inn,” Michael said, “waiting for us. Father, can we send someone to bring him here?”
“I’ll send one of the sisters,” Father Kilroy turned to the nun. “Sister Rosamunde can bring him back.”
She nodded and left as silently as she’d arrived.
“That’s good.” Reginald focused on me again. “You, call Madam. She’ll have some advice. If there is anything she can tell us to use against Gabriel, we need to know it.”
“You need me with you,” I said. “You can’t even see Gabriel, but I can.”
“I can see him,” Michael said quietly.
“How?” I asked him. All of this time he’d held this back. “Why didn’t you tell me?” With the relief also came a sense of betrayal. “Who are you?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can. Father Kilroy, do you know how to combat a fallen angel?”
The priest nodded slowly. “I’ve read cases. I’ll gather some things for you.” He put a hand on my elbow. “Let me show you to the phone. Remember, someone at the switchboard is likely listening in.”
It was good advice that I hadn’t considered earlier. I followed him into a small office where there was a desk and a telephone.
“It’s a call to New Orleans.” I could only pray that Madam would pick up at midnight.
“No matter. Now let me gather some things for the men.”
I placed the call to Madam and held my breath until her butler, Carlton, answered. He knew me, and when I told him the call was urgent, he understood. In her time, no doubt Madam had received a large number of urgent calls. “Are you hurt, Mrs. James?” Carlton asked.
“No. Not yet.”
He cleared his throat. “She mentioned you this evening. She’s been worried. She’ll be relieved to hear your voice. I’ll get her.”
I waited, gripping the phone with white knuckles. Time ticked past me. At last Madam was on the line. “Raissa, your uncle called me earlier. We’re very troubled. I’m packed to leave in the morning. Has something else happened?”
I explained what I understood of our situation, being as discreet as possible. “Madam, I may be compromised. Gabriel has been in my memories and thoughts already. I may have allowed him in.”
“A dark angel, Raissa. You’re in terrible danger. You’re too sensitive, too susceptible to—”
Madam didn’t finish, but I knew what she’d almost said. I was too susceptible to temptation, to being influenced by the forces of evil, especially if those evil forces tempted me with memories of my dead loved ones. The touch of Alex’s hand. My mother humming in the kitchen. My father admiring my artwork. The things that had been taken from me.
“How do we defeat this?” I asked.
“Only light defeats dark.”
“How?” I needed specifics. I’d faced some powerful evil, and I’d won. Sometimes by chance. This time, the risks were too high. If Gabriel managed to seduce me yet again with his dreams and visions, I might be lost forever.
“What does this entity want?” Madam asked.
“I believe it wants an infant, a girl child. One who may be Nephilim.”
Madam’s gasp said it all. “I never believed such things existed. They were always legends, stories.”
“Maybe not. Michael believes it is me, because of my abilities to communicate with the dead and other spirits, that this Gabriel truly wants. I see what he wants me to see. Feel what he wants me to feel. He can immobilize me with just the visions he sends to me. How do I fight this?”
“You are the prize, Raissa. Not the other woman and not the child. Everything has led up to you being there, within his reach. He has told you, no doubt, that he wants a family. With you. He wants to father a child with you. You have always been the thing he wants because you have a special gift from the Divine.”
She was scaring me. “That doesn’t make sense. That would mean that Elizabeth lured me and Reginald here.” That couldn’t be right. Ruth and Hildy couldn’t have been murdered in a scheme to get me to Mission. It was too much to take.
Madam’s voice was urgent. “You cannot be alone with this entity. You cannot. Stay in the church. The father has the power of goodness to ward off evil. It may not hold forever, but it will be a barrier so you can prepare. Outside the church, you are vulnerable. Heed me, Raissa.”
“Callie, the little baby, is missing, along with her mother and uncle. I have to search for them. The child is innocent, Madam. I can’t abandon her.”
“Consider that this, too, is part of a ploy to put you in a place where you have no protection.”
The idea that Elizabeth had used me, had endangered Reginald... It cut me to the quick, and I wanted to reject it. But I couldn’t. Not completely. Madam could be wrong. She wasn’t here in Victoria to judge and evaluate the things that were happening. But her intuitive skills were highly deve
loped and I trusted her ability to read a situation.
“How well does this Gabriel know you?” Madam asked.
“He’s been able to tap into my memories. To use them against me.” I thought of Alex dying, of the church with my parents’ coffins and the thing inside one of them trying to get out. “He knows too much. And he knows what weakens me.”
“I’m taking the first train to Gadsden tomorrow. My health isn’t perfect, but I’m much stronger, and Carlton is coming with me. We’ll meet your uncle and Isabelle in Gadsden and drive straight to you. Stay in that church, Raissa.”
I wished I could. I wished that Michael, Reginald, and I could wait for Uncle Brett, Isabelle, and Madam to come to our rescue. But Callie was out there. This gentle child was at the mercy of whoever had her. I didn’t have a choice—I had to find her and protect her. I wasn’t her mother, but that didn’t matter at all. Whether Elizabeth had betrayed us or not, the baby was helpless. She might have powers, but they’d proven benign or healing so far. I had to keep it that way.
* * *
When I returned to the sanctuary, Slater had joined Reginald and Michael. His neck was raw where the slave collar had been, but somehow Michael had removed it. “Do we have weapons?” he asked.
“You can’t kill him with a bullet,” I said. “He’s not alive like we are.”
“On the off chance that a piece of lead may slow him down, I’ll gladly carry a gun. As far as Lucais Wilkins is concerned, a bullet will stop him cold.” He gave a wry smile. “We have few weapons to choose from, Raissa. What can defeat a dark angel?”
“Love.” I said it as a joke, not a serious answer, but I instantly recognized the truth of it. “There is a possibility that Reginald and I were lured here. Madam thinks that Ruth’s death was the first step in an elaborate plan to bring us to Mission where I might be vulnerable to Gabriel.”
Slater looked confused, but Reginald knew exactly what I was saying. And Michael too.
“Why would someone kill a good woman to get you to come to Mission? Why not just send a letter asking you to come?” Slater asked.
A Visitation of Angels Page 26
