by Nathan Parks
“Jah, is this something I am even willing to do anymore--sacrifice myself for a Being Who seems to leave those who have surrendered everything to Him alone and desolate . . . should I just give up?”
It worked! There was truly something else in the room, and it was rushing through the darkness at an anxious speed now. Alfonso had never gone that far, and he only hoped that he would be able to finish it off properly.
His eyes could just make out a shadow--small, but fast. This was it! It headed straight for him. As it did, he started feeling pressure at the base of his skull and could hear a high-pitched, scream-like sound. Just as the shadow would have collided with him--and it couldn’t be a moment too soon--Alfonso yelled out.
“Jah is my Protector and my life is for His will. I am His charge, and He protects the Watchers! Shekinah!”
There was an explosion of light that radiated outward from the Watcher like a nuclear blast with disabling force. There, in the light, Alfonso saw a small, horrific-looking creature. He had heard of Imps but had never actually seen one; and after this, he hoped he never would again.
The Imp was a creature with a slightly oversized head and small, black eyes. Its large forehead and defined cheekbones made it seem as though the eyes were small marbles that had been poked too far back. Its skin was ashen grey and leathery. The creature’s mouth was large and had been parted in a vicious, fang-piercing grin. It had a long, anorexic-looking body and no clothes, but also no anatomical features to distinguish if it was assigned a gender.
Alfonso had heard once how a Watcher had been in captivity and knew he was dying, but wanted to take as many of his enemy with him as he could. Imps and some of the lesser Fallen always preyed, almost instantly, on doubts, fears, and self pity. The Watcher had been able to block out all his true emotions and feelings and project a false sense of doubt, unfaithfulness, and pity so as to bring on the onslaught. At the last minute, the Watcher had drawn on the one power that had been bestowed on the Brotherhood: the Presence of Shekinah, a force of immortal power that could be revealed in many different forms. However, the effect was always the same: destruction to any Fallen nearby.
The danger was that if there was any sign of his true feelings of faith and devotion, the Watcher most likely would draw pain from someone higher up the food chain, such as a Soul Slayer. They didn’t care about feelings. Also, if a Watcher was not mentally strong and began to project his doubts and fears, an Imp might manage to penetrate into the Watcher’s soul before the Watcher was aware. One such Watcher had fallen to a tormented possession; and when his body was discovered, he was in the fetal position, having clawed the back of his head raw.
Alfonso waited. He knew that if he was in even a small Fallen stronghold, then his declaration and the forthcoming display of energy would bring what would normally be unwanted attention; but today, he was ready to find out what was going on. It didn’t take long. The wicks of several candles lit suddenly, illuminating the small room in which he was imprisoned. Now he could see it clearly. He also could see the charred body of the creature that had thought he was going to have lunch. Alfonso couldn’t help but snicker at the horrified expression that was permanently blasted on the burnt face.
A door opened on hidden hinges in front of him. It had been built in such a way as to be undetectable from the inside. Two individuals walked in. Alfonso recognized them right away as the two who had overpowered him at his place and had taken him captive.
“Nice fireworks, Watcher. Unfortunately, you are going to need more than that. Arioch wants to talk with you.”
Now, he knew who was behind all this, and he figured he would soon find out why.
*****
“So, is this just a clan meeting or will the Family be fully represented?” Arioch asked himself as he looked down at the electronic tablet that he held in his hand. He had received an electronic memo informing him of a Gathering. A Gathering was a massing of either clan members themselves or of the Family, with only representatives from each clan, to discuss or plan things that affected the health of the Fallen as an entity. Arioch checked off all of the individuals who had received the announcement and realized very quickly that this was a full Gathering. Everyone would be there.
Murmurings had begun throughout the Family that Marduk was no longer in the abyss. There had been a massing of his worshipers, and some had said the markings of Marduk’s children had started popping up in different areas. Could it be that the Nephelium were stronger in numbers than they themselves had even realized?
It was time to step up things by several notches. This was no longer a passerby’s game; but if he was going to stand before the Gathering and claim what he had been working on for so long, then he would have to get everything in order. This was going to not only require Megan, but he also would have to pull in the Jerusalem Breed and take out Kadar. If he could only get the Watcher to give up the location of the artifact, then there would be no stopping him. He made it sound to himself like a walk in the park, but it was going to require a lot of strategic moves. He knew he could do it. Once accomplished, it would be fun and so worth it to see the faces of the clan leaders; but time was short. Arioch stood up and stretched.
“Time to get to work,” he ordered himself.
He reached for the handle of the door that led into the carpeted hallway beyond. Opening the door, he bumped right into Denora.
“Watch where you’re going, Winch,” he swore as he shoved her backward. “You better have taken care of everything at Megan’s apartment like I told you to. We have to push into acceleration mode on this whole thing.”
Denora ignored his insults and fell in stride beside him. “I know. That is why I was trying to find you. We have a bigger issue on our hands.”
“What now?”
“Kadar. He was there at Megan’s apartment. I don’t know why, but what I do know is that I am starting to see him popping up in a lot of different key areas. Do you have him doing anything behind the scenes? If so, just let me know, and I will do what I can to deal with him. But unless he is working for you, I believe he is somehow undermining what we are doing . . . he and that girl.”
Arioch’s head snapped up at that one. He stopped, grabbed his Lieutenant by the forearm, and brought her around to face him.
“What girl?”
She shrugged slightly and shook her head. “I don’t know. . . .some broad with dark hair, brown eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would think she was his lover. He acted like an alpha dog protecting his number one.”
“Did he refer to her by any name, or did she do anything . . . umm . . . unique?”
“No. Said she was just a woman who lived in the building.”
Arioch laughed. “And I am sure you didn’t find it strange or think to question the irony of how it all happened in the same building you were in?”
“Why should I? I don’t care what that downtrodden dog does with his half-breed life.”
Arioch shoved Denora to the wall and put his face within an inch of hers. She could feel his hot breath slamming against the side of her face.
“Maybe you should start caring, Denora! This is no longer a ‘just getting by’ clan! We are in the last stages of throwing the switch, and Kadar happened to have a very large piece of all this standing right in front of you. She is a Jerusalem Breed!”
Denora’s face went white. She could do nothing but study his face to see if there was any sign that he was putting her on, but she could see only seriousness.
“Jerusalem Breed? Arioch? They . . . they were all k . . . k . . . killed.”
“Yeah, well, they weren’t; and if she is with Kadar, and he has not brought her to me, then we may have bigger problems than I thought.” Arioch stopped for a moment and stepped back from Denora. “Follow me. It is time we got some answers.”
“From?”
“A certain Watcher.”
“You have her Watcher?”
“Yep, and it is time he starts talking.”
Chapter Thirty
Leah sat with her head in her hands. She just sat. She didn’t know what else to do. What was going on? What was she supposed to do? Was this a test? There were so many things that were running through her mind, and she couldn’t figure any of it out. She just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.
She looked up, and her hair fell down around her face. She gazed at the room she was in through the strands of hair that blocked her vision. She felt so small right now and powerless. There was a clearing of the throat behind her, and she still didn’t move.
“Troy, what are we going to do? What is going on?”
Troy found his way in and sat down beside her. She was glowing strongly in his vision, and he could see the concern and stress etched in her face.
“So, what is going on?”
“I don’t even know where to begin, Troy. I really don’t.”
“Start with Patmos. What did the Arch Council tell you?”
“I think we are going to war.”
He studied her and then put his hand on her shoulder.
“Then if we go, we go. There is nothing we can do about it.”
“A Clan War, Troy. This isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan. This is for the control of mortal and immortal.”
“I understand.”
“No, I don’t think you do. I don’t think even I fully understand. There has only been one other time when such a battle was fought, and that was when the Morning Star was thrown out of the Arch Council. Even at that time, though, the clans themselves were joined together. This will be a faction war unlike anything. This could be Armageddon.”
“We’re ready as much as we can be, Leah. I learned a long time ago that you are never really ready for any war. You can plan, you can train, and you can evaluate; but in the end when everything hits the fan, . . . you just fight.”
“There is more, Troy.”
“Ok,” he said hesitantly.
She loved Troy’s strength and calmness. He truly was a soldier. He had been through so much; and through the ages, he had experienced the strength and weakness of mortals. Troy never ceased to amaze her with his fortitude.
“Troy, Eve is with her kind.”
“Her kind?”
“The Nephelium. I believe they are massing, and they only needed her to claim their rights as a clan. I believe they are going to use her as their rally flag.”
“She has to make the choice. You know the rules, Leah. We all make our choices, and then we must live with the results of those choices. I could have chosen not to serve Jah that day on the battlefield. Even after my life was spared, I could have chosen at any time to walk away. I can do so even now, but I have to understand I live with the results and that those choices will affect more than just one, more than just me.”
“Troy, we have also lost another one of our team.”
Now he was starting to feel the anxiety fill him. He had to keep his military mind set so that he could stay strong.
“Who?”
“Well, I guess we have had someone who has been hiding a big secret. For whatever reason, he didn’t feel he could tell us until now; and why he chose now, I don’t know.”
“Who?” Troy asked with more insistence.
She reached over to pick up the letter that had been given to her moments before she walked into her quarters. Before Troy had time to take it and read it, though, they were interrupted.
“Leah! We have Evan on the video link again. He wants to talk to you. He says that it is urgent!” One of the control room techs had come in behind them. “I can put him up on the screen in here.
Leah looked at Troy with a “here-we-go” look, allowed a deep breath to escape her lips, and then she nodded to the technician.
“Go ahead. It is time that the Alliance knows what is going on.”
The screen at the end of the room blinked once, and then Evan’s fair, but strong, face filled the screen.
“Leah, we have a problem!”
“Good morning to you, also, Evan.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you had the Jerusalem Breed? Why did you keep information like that from us? The Fallen are moving globally! There is a stir within the clans, and word through the networks is that there is a Gathering that is about to take place--a Gathering, Leah!”
This was news to her, but she kept her stoic face. “Evan, I didn’t let you know because I felt that the least amount of people who knew would mean less of a chance of her identity and location being jeopardized. We also were thinking about her. She didn’t even know what she was.”
“It is a girl?”
“A lady, actually, and quite the looker . . . or at least I have been told,” Troy stated with a smirk.
“Leah, what if the Fallen get to her? Does Arioch know about her?”
“Well, I figure if you know, then I am sure he does,” Leah stated dryly. “Evan, I let the Arch Council know of her existence, and that is all I was required to do.”
“I know. Michael is the one who informed me.”
“Figures,” she stated with clenched teeth. “What do you want me to do, Evan? Tie her up, send her to you, and let you imprison her from the world?”
Evan sat back, shook his head, and then spoke in a softer tone. “I am sorry, Leah. I just wish you would have let us know. It all makes sense now. Marduk is out, goes into hiding, most likely in your area, and now there is word there is a Gathering. I believe we are seeing something big starting.”
“Yes, and I am sure that Michael told you what the Council believes is about to happen.”
“No, actually, he didn’t.”
“War,” Leah state simply. She saw Evan’s body sag. He hadn’t known. She could tell he hadn’t expected it, either. “I am short bodies, Evan.”
“It doesn’t matter, Leah. If this really is the Clan War prophesied, then it will be global. I don’t know if there is anyone who will have enough bodies.”
“I promise you I will keep you posted, and I ask you to do the same. We need to get all of the Alliance leaders together.”
Evan nodded.
“Leah, I need to go. I have to get some things under wraps if this is what we think it is. I will see about sending you a few of my Guardians. You will need them more than me.”
“Thanks, but why do you say that?”
“The Gathering. It is going to be in your city, Leah, which is why I called.”
*****
Far above the ground, he stood trembling on the edge of a piece of gothic décor affixed to the highest peak that rose up from the cathedral. The sun had gone down about an hour before, and the lights of the city had taken the glow of the sun and harnessed it at street level. He wasn’t fully sure what was going on behind the scenes; but what he did know was that somewhere a Fallen or a Familiar was causing havoc and that, somewhere else, a member of the Alliance was bringing hope and safety to a forsaken soul. In the middle of all of that were the “in-betweeners,” those who weren’t being harassed or really needing help right now. Those were the people who were going on with their life somewhere in the middle.
He sat down and draped his legs over the edge. His back showed no signs of where the wings had broken forth earlier; but, then again, that was part of being a Nephelium. The first time hurt like nothing else in the world. However, once the turning had taken place, then it was no different than cracking your knuckles. He knew he would have to get used to it. No denying it now.
He was actually shocked that he had not seen any Alliance activity trailing him. He had figured that once Leah had received the message he sent her concerning his . . . well, his secret . . . that they would have been after him. He hadn’t felt this alone since . . . since he held his daughter in his arms and he cried out to Jah. That moment is when he had chosen. Up to that point he had denied everything and had lived “the American dream.” He had not let the Fallen know of his existence, and with his clan being outcast, it was easy to disappear. That had changed when he held his d
aughter that night, dying in his arms, and gazed upon the bullet riddled body of his wife. Hatred toward what he was and who the Fallen were swelled up inside of him, and he had sought out the Alliance.
Leah only knew him as “Preacher,” a pastor who had almost lost his faith but had rediscovered it and was ready to take a stand against the darkness that threatened those he cared about. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten what he really was--well, until he met a young lady named Eve.
He had seen her in the café and felt drawn to her. He knew what she had to be before it was even revealed. He was so taken aback that he had told a longtime friend and clan brother about what he had discovered. He had no way of knowing that Kadar had his own agenda in life. Now Isaiah sat alone. He was Nephelium, and the clan was coming together, but he wasn’t one of them. He followed Jah--but, then again, could he continue to follow Him? How could he be a part of the Alliance? Maybe he was a true Nephelium, a loner, an Outcast. He never could handle being alone, but maybe that was just his destiny. Was destiny real, or were we all just a product of our choices?
“You know, I wonder what everything means. Why is it that you can be going through the motions of life, so sure of everything, and with one choice, one move, it all lies at your feet,” he thought to himself.
Isaiah stood up and stretched. He looked down below him and remembered the conversation that he and Eve had held on the top of the Sanctum. She had asked him questions that he couldn’t answer, quite honestly. He had wanted to tell her so badly, right there, that she wasn’t alone, that he was just like her, but he couldn’t. He had hidden.
He had to find something. He had to have a reason to get off this pinnacle. He had to have a reason to keep moving, to exist, to live. He looked out and jumped. The wind rushed past his face as it filled his wings and he caught an updraft that sent him soaring skyward. The lights below him blurred as he gained speed. He had no idea where he was going, but right now this exhilaration took away everything that burdened him, and he was free.
