“He put my old baby rings in the water, and they made it over the falls.”
“No one was riding them,” Mia said, finally finding her voice.
“That’s why he’s reading in his room. Dad punished him, but he promised not to rat him out to you. Dad thinks you don’t need any more stress.”
“He’s right.”
“Why were you crying?” Varden asked.
“Remember when Uncle Murphy told you why I was all emotional during my pregnancy?”
“He said hormones.”
“Yes. Well, they are still causing me a few problems. Hormones are messengers, and they are used to delivering information on growing the girls, but now they are wandering around willy-nilly making me a bit crazy. They will settle down. Komal helped me out.”
“He seems to be very wise.”
“Yes. I want to be that wise.”
“Me too.”
“Do you feel the other Varden?” Mia asked, picking up her son for the trudge up the hill.
“He seems to be there but not there. Does that make any sense?”
“Yes. He was a handsome strong birdman. Nanny says he had a soft heart like you do. Brian doesn’t have a birdman soul, but he is very much like your father. I guess we are all a part of the past, present, and future.”
“Do you have a reincarnated soul?”
“Yes. Euthymia. She makes me goofy around Nicholai,” Mia whispered. “She had such a crush.”
“I think he likes it,” Varden said sagely.
Mia giggled. They had reached the aerie. Mia flipped on the bright light switch and heard a protest from within.
“Hells bells, Mia!” Altair said, rubbing his eyes.
Mia set Varden down, and he ran over and hugged the archangel. “Don’t be mad. Mommy has to look up some books.”
“Then you and I will have to make the best of it. I think it’s time I taught you to play chess.”
Varden looked over at Mia with an excited face. She nodded.
Mia listened to the lesson as she gathered her materials. She knew it was too soon for Varden to grasp much more than the moves of the game, but she applauded the effort on Altair’s part.
“This is the queen. She can move in any direction. She protects the king.”
“They all protect the king.” Varden frowned.
“Think of the king like you think of the nest,” Altair said.
“Then the queen is Mommy, the knights are you and Victor.”
“Me?”
“Victor says you are the most under-panted angel.”
“Underrated,” Mia corrected.
“What did I say?”
“That Altair had lots of underpants on.”
Varden put his hand to his face.
“So, Victor and I are the knights,” Altair prodded.
“Yes. Judge Roumain is a bishop, and Baxter is the other one.”
“I see.”
“My dad is a castle because Mommy calls him her home. I think Uncle Cid is the other one.”
“Where are you?”
“Here.”
“I correct myself. Who are you in this game of protecting the nest?”
“I’m the player, so I can’t be a piece.”
“Your choices of bishops are interesting ones.”
“You mean because they are evil?” Varden asked.
Mia almost fell off the library ladder.
“You’re very perceptive. Where is Uncle Murphy?” Altair asked.
“He is all the pawns because he sacrifices himself to protect the nest over and over again.”
“Varden, I think you already know how to protect the nest.”
“Now I want to learn how to play the game.”
Mia felt an uncomfortable chill run up her back. She locked eyes with Altair. He sent one word into her mind, “Later.”
~
Stephanie Gilbert waited until her mother left the hospital before opening the laptop her cousin Marsha snuck into her room earlier. She thought it was unjust that her mother banned her, an adult, from her own website. She looked up at the balloons and decided she would check out these PEEPs.
Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners home page came up. It was a very professional page. She clicked on About P.E.E.Ps, and individual bios came up. She recognized Burt Hicks as the man who pulled her from the lake.
“One of my knights,” she said. Stephanie remembered his kind smile. She would send a note to inform Mr. Hicks that she was due to be released from the hospital soon, adding her thanks to him and the other men who rescued her.
Stephanie clicked over to her website, and there were a few messages. One was from P.E.E.Ps.
We found your backpack. Your camera needs work, but your photocard was recovered. Please send message and direct us to how you would like us to return your possessions. Enos Ahlberg, P.E.E.Ps Investigator.
Could he be the man who spoke with a slight accent with the big muscles who pushed her out of the water? And who was his friend who pulled her from the bottom of the river? These men were heroes.
She returned to the P.E.E.Ps website and clicked on Contact Us.
She thought for a moment and then wrote: “I’m Stephanie Gilbert. Please hold on to my equipment for a week. I’m scheduled to be released soon but will be…”
Stephanie, this is Jake from P.E.E.Ps appeared on top of the page.
Stephanie clicked in the box and typed: Hello Jake, I’m trying to get a message to Enos Ahlberg.
I can do that, or you can chat with him. I have instructions to notify him if you contact us.
I only have limited time on the computer. Please tell him to hold on to my equipment, and I’ll be in touch to pick it up from your office. I live in Big Bear Lake. I understand your main office is located just outside there.
Understood. We at P.E.E.P.s wish you a speedy recovery. Jake out.
“Short and sweet,” Stephanie said. She was going to click out and return to her other messages, but the content of the site drew her in.
“She didn’t want to talk to me?” Enos asked, hurt.
“Young women, as attractive as she is, have to be careful,” Jake counseled. He too thought she was rather rude, especially since Enos helped save her life. “Maybe she’s shy.”
“Or only has so much computer time,” Enos said. “I’ll let Murphy know. Thank you, Jake.”
Jake wasn’t sure he liked the new investigator, but he couldn’t fault him for manners.
Enos found Murphy standing outside the aerie.
“Are you going in or have you just come out?” Enos asked.
“Mia’s in there talking to Altair. Varden’s sleeping on the couch. I didn’t want to intrude.”
“But you did want to speak to her.”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re lurking.”
“Yes. It’s what ghosts do.”
“Jake heard from Stephanie. She will be contacting us in a week or so and come over to retrieve her equipment. Maybe, by that time, Ted can fix her camera.”
“He’s pretty good at that kind of thing,” Murphy said.
“Is he a good husband?” Enos asked.
“Mia thinks so, and that’s the opinion that counts,” Murphy said.
“How long have you and Mia been friends?”
“Depends on the timeline. A short time in my death, a long time in her life. You’re full of questions tonight,” Murphy observed.
“I spent most of my time with Victor. He doesn’t talk much. I enjoy being here. All of you have been kind to me.”
“How long will the squadron let you be here?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Yes.”
“Idra had asked me to be here to supply Mia with the necessary ingredient to aid her in keeping her pregnancy. I haven’t been reassigned. There must be a reason the birdmen want me close to Mia and her children.”
“No, more of an extra set of hands if needed. If I’m here, Victor doesn’t have to patrol Big Bear Lake. If I’m here, Angelo doesn’t have a reason to be. And If I’m here, Nicholai is happy.”
“Does this work satisfy you?”
“I’m learning so much. I’ve been brought up in the birdman culture. I went from the children’s home in Nepal to being Victor’s ward. He gave me and Seth his name and trained us as warriors. But I have limited understanding of the human world. Burt and the Martins are helping me. Were you worried that I was another besotted birdman?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry. Mia and I will always be friends. She lets me be a strong younger brother when she is Little Nell.”
“You call her Little Nell and not Little Bird,” Murphy noticed.
“Is this improper?”
“No.”
“Little Nell is a movie character that needs the help of a hero. Sometimes Mia needs help. Most times she doesn’t.”
“I failed her.”
“Not that I know of.”
“I should have been with her. Instead I was on that bridge.”
“You were where you were supposed to be. You saved Stephanie - which is the female equivalent to Stephen. So, it was meant to be.”
Murphy pushed his hat back on his head. “Life is pretty simple to you, isn’t it?”
“Why make it any harder?” Enos asked.
The lights were dimmed in the aerie. Mia walked out of the building carrying Varden.
Enos rushed over. “Let me take him. Murphy would like to talk to you privately.”
Mia nodded. “Can you take these books too, and leave them on the table outside of my bedroom?” she asked, handing Enos the satchel.
“It would be my pleasure,” he said and left.
Mia closed her eyes a moment and found Cid. He was in the office with Ted. “It’s a beautiful night. Let’s walk beyond the hill.”
Murphy gave Mia his arm. Mia slid her hand through, enjoying the old-fashioned way Murphy cared for her. They walked in silence for a while.
“What’s going on, Murph?” Mia asked.
“I just wanted to be with you,” Murphy admitted and added, “alone.”
Mia smiled. “We’ve had a houseful of people. My father coming isn’t going to help the situation much. Thank you for seeking me out.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t check the refrigerator and you were startled.”
“Who would think that someone would put a head in there? I was hungry. That was the only reason I opened it,” Mia said, laughing.
“What did Michael do to you?”
“Took away the talons and claws like he promised. He took care of any damage I did to myself with the light from the blue star. And he returned my grace.”
“Which makes you…”
“A third less birdman.”
Murphy’s face brightened.
“I’ve paid the crossroads demon off for returning Sariel through Roumain. I gave him as much blue-star energy as he could stand. Then I bonded with Komal, and he opened a new door in my mind house I didn’t know I had. Watch,” Mia said.
Murphy watched as she opened her wings. “They are different but very similar to Victor’s. You are more a golden bird. Something from those old Greek books that Brian has been sneaking into his room.”
“The color is my choice. The wings are my choice. I choose what happens to me physically. Not even Mother Nature can claim me now. I am my own. I have broken away from any bonds or designs others have put upon me. My heart is the same, as is my soul, but I don’t feel the pull of any ruling class of entities anymore.”
“What do you want to do now?”
“I want to be here. I’ll consult and heal when called upon, but I can go, knowing that they can’t claim me as theirs. Murphy, I feel, for probably the first time in my life, that I’m responsible for what happens to me. Sure, I’m going to make mistakes, but I’ll learn from them. Just as you and Ted have.”
“Mia, will you still have my back?” Murphy asked.
“Yes. I’ll still train, but I won’t actively go after warrior situations.”
“You could be a teacher.”
“But I still have so much to learn.”
“The best teachers learn from their students. I’ve learned a lot from you.”
“So, you’re my teacher? I thought I was your teacher,” Mia said, raising an eyebrow.
“Enos would like you to teach him Demon.”
“K. Is there any other reason he is here?”
“He’s not sure why he hasn’t been recalled since you’ve given birth; except, his being here keeps Victor from having to be here.”
“Why do they have to be here in the first place? I have you to protect me.”
Murphy’s back straightened. “I can’t always be here.”
“I know, and it’s selfish to keep you here. Still, if you want to stay…”
“I’m staying.”
“Good! Phew!” Mia felt a twinge. She closed her eyes and saw her daughters stirring. “I have to go back and feed the girls. Do you want a ride back?” Mia asked. “We could take these wings out for a test ride?”
“Heavens no!” Murphy said, not fond of flying.
Mia rose, and her wings sparkled in the starlight. She moved so fast, Murphy could only just see her.
Murphy looked around at the hidden valley and thought, “This would be a good place for a school. A school for odd ducks like Mia.”
Chapter Fourteen
As Mia fed her daughters, she reflected on her earlier conversation with Altair. They spoke quietly while Varden slept. Altair told her of his work at and for the Neyer sanctuary die Zuflucht. Mia told him of her visit to Komal’s island and how he not only helped her unload a lot of excess blue-star energy on Roumain but find and open the new door in her mind.
“It’s amazing. I used to be able to feel some functions in my body, but now, I can feel them on a cellular level if I choose to. The operative word is choose.”
“Before we angels go into battle, we look inward and fine-tune areas that we will need. We draw power away from, let’s say, emotions and apply them to defense. It’s probably why we’re seen as not being emotional fighters.”
“Is that how Sariel could kill me if asked to by Michael?”
“No, that’s blind obedience. He would later rue what he has done.”
“But you wouldn’t kill me on Michael’s command?”
“No. I have a little too much free will left from my fallen days. I see your worth, Mia. I see that, with enough time, you will be able to influence others, not with your body but with your words. I’m sorry you had to become a warrior. I like you much better as a diplomat.”
“Me too.”
“Still, fighting beside you was the most exhilarating time in my life. All that training that He-who-walks-through-time, Nicholai, and Victor put you through honed your skills. You weren’t a little bird out there. You were a machine.”
“I had to be, to protect them,” Mia said, looking at her son sleeping. “I hate to think of my children having to do what I’ve done to survive. There must be a better way. I know you’ll think me silly, but Ted watches these shows where humans and non-humans of all types live and explore together in harmony. Sure, there is still strife, but I’m sure that’s put in for dramatic effect. Can we not live in a world without so much hatred in it?”
“Hate is not only stirring the populous of the living world but the dead,” Altair warned. “This hate gives evil a strong hold on humans. You only have to walk a few steps in the shoes of the people fleeing their homeland to see how destructive evil is. The horrors the children have gone through, all for what?”
“Greed.”
“I’ve missed these talks.”
“I learn so much from you.”
“And I from you,” Altair sa
id. “Soon Sariel will be ready to resume Mia watch, and I will have to leave.”
“Can we not use my new awareness to communicate from time to time?” Mia asked. “Or even pick up a phone?”
“Meet in a dream?” Altair asked. “I’ll work on my communication skills. Maybe we’ll find a channel we can use. Or maybe you can learn how Roumain slows time so we can have an hour together without the world falling apart in the meanwhile.”
“I’d like that,” Mia said.
“Murphy is waiting for you outside.”
“I know, I sensed him.”
“How is it with the two of you?”
“Awkward, but we’re still friends.”
“Keep him your friend. He is very important to you. Don’t see your closeness as anything other than a bond that will never be broken. I think you work too hard to prove your loyalty to Ted, and Murphy gets the short end of the stick.”
“Ted is a lot less insecure since the purge of all the garbage Beth left in his head. I think Murphy is the least of his worries these days. He, like you, is concerned with the big picture and not the little irritations such as…”
“Having a beautiful wife.”
Mia blushed. “I’ll never get used to that. I don’t see myself that way but…”
“You have used it to your advantage.”
“Guilty.”
“Just be careful. Remember, there are still collectors out there, and you are a unique and beautiful specimen.”
“Who knows next to nothing about what my daughters are capable of,” she reminded herself. “Note to self, schedule time with Lazar’s Babcia when things calm down around here.”
“Did you call me?” Nanny Berta asked, walking in the room, pleased to see Mia feeding her daughters already.
“No, just talking to myself. I had a nice conversation with Altair earlier, and then another with Murph. They have given me a few interesting things to think about.”
“Good. You have a bright mind that needs exercise as much as your body does.”
“How are you feeling?” Mia asked.
Crossroads Page 15
