Angel Incarnate: Second Sight (27 page)

“I’ll have Eve send a
message to Alistair in the Australian colony. We all have to be on our guard
now, because all of these little brush fires are leading to something much
bigger. When we return from Utopia, I want to go back to the farmhouse. In my
hurry to get Father Patrick home, I may have overlooked something.”

Samhael’s visit concerns me the most. I don’t think he was
expecting to see me at the Chastain’s farm. Maybe my presence will keep him
away.

Paul clapped Adam on the shoulder and
then they vanished.
 

Chapter 42

Will and Joshua were
still having a leisurely stroll through the marketplace when they saw the
fiery, sooty, tangerine-hued flames coming from the woods.
  

Even though the fire
was several miles away, it left a foul-smelling, bitter smoke in the air. Most
of the merchants stood outside of their shops, staring at the inferno.

Coughing and gagging,
the outside cafés cleared as the residents sought shelter inside. Some had
taken wet napkins to cover their mouths and noses, trying to escape the sour fumes.

After tying
handkerchiefs around their faces, the boys headed in the direction of the
blaze. “I’ve never smelled anything so vile,” Joshua said. “Shouldn’t we go
back to the house and bring my father?”

Will looked around
until he spotted Acadia, one of the servant girls who worked for Henry. “Hey,”
he called out. “Can you go back to the house and tell the governor we have a
fire in the woods?”

She dropped her basket
in one of the vegetable bins, and picked up the hem of her uniform, running as
fast as she could out of the square.

“We’ll stop at my
parent’s house and pick up the horses,” Will said. “That should make it easier
to get to the woods.”

“What do you think is
causing that odor? Could it be some kind of dead animal?”Joshua asked.

“I’ve never known an
animal to smell like that. Didn’t you notice the color of the flames? There is
something evil out there.”

Joshua felt dizzy as a
wave of nausea exploded in his stomach. “Maybe we should wait for the rest of
the men.”

“I want to see if
anyone is out there.” Will grabbed Joshua’s shirt sleeve and dragged him along
the path that led to his parent’s country estate.

The Crestwell’s were
standing outside the stables, where Arian had three of the fastest ponies
saddled and ready to go. The flames had died down, but the acrid odor and smoke
was still in the air. Wasting no time, the boys mounted and sped off in the
direction of the woods.
 

  
Acadia ran into the house, slamming the door
harder than she expected. Out of breath from running non-stop, she found the
governor and his wife still in the dining room.

“What do you think
you’re doing barging in here without my permission?” Meredith bellowed.

Ignoring her, Acadia
turned to the governor. “P-pardon me sir, b-but there is a fire in the woods.
W-we s-saw the f-flames from the s-square.”

“Sit down and calm
yourself.”

“Are you out of your
mind? I’ll not have the servants sitting at my table,” Meredith barked.

Henry’s face blanched.
“Enough – can’t you see how distressed she is? The least we can do is to allow
her to sit for a few minutes and get herself together.”

“There is a table in
the kitchen. She can collect herself there.”

Henry’s nostrils flared
and his face reddened. Slamming his fist on the table caused Acadia and
Meredith to both flinch. He walked over and waved his finger in front of his
wife’s face.

“This is my house, and
if I give her permission to sit at my table, then that’s my business. If you’re
bothered by her company, then I suggest you move to another room.”

Meredith’s jaw dropped.
Henry had never spoken to her like that before, especially in front of the
help.
I don’t have to take this abuse.
She threw her napkin on the plate and slid her chair across the floor before
stomping out of the room.

Acadia hung her head
down. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset the Baroness.”

Henry chuckled. “My
wife stays in a state of unrest. I can assure you, her attitude has nothing to
do with you. Now, tell me more about this fire.”

She talked about the
bright orange flames and the horrible smell in the air. “I believe Joshua and
Will
have gone to investigate.”

“I’d better gather some
men and find out what this is all about. You stay here until you’re feeling
better.”

As he was leaving the
room, he stopped. “Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off. It would be
better to avoid Meredith until she gets over her temper tantrum. You’re friends
with my granddaughter, Jade. Why don’t you change your clothes and spend the
day with her? In fact, since Axel is gone, she and Analie would probably
welcome some company. You should plan to spend the night.”

“What will the baroness
say if I’m not here?”

Henry patted her on the
head. “You let me worry about my wife. I’ll send word to Analie that you need a
respite from her mother.” He chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

He’s so kind. How did he wind up married to an evil beast
like Meredith?

“Thank you, sir.”

“Acadia – your parents
were my closest friends. You don’t have to call me sir. After all, I am your
godfather. I know Meredith can be overbearing, but if she causes you any
problems, you have to come to me. I promised your parents I would take care of
you.

She wrapped her arms
around his neck, and then kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you – Godfather.”

Run along now and pack
an overnight bag. I need to check out this fire. It’s probably nothing more
than a group of mortal teenagers who live outside the city -- just being
mischievous.
Where is Richard? I haven’t
seen him since last night. Maybe he’s already there.

Henry grabbed a light
jacket from the coat rack and as soon as he walked outside, the smell
overpowered him.
What in God’s name is
that foul odor?

He asked four of the
male servants to join him. Included in the group was the gardener and three of
his caretakers. “Shall we prepare your carriage?” one of them asked.

“No – we’ll do better
with the Welsh ponies.”

As soon as the horses
were saddled, Henry and the men made their way through the now empty village
square, until they came to a fork in the road.

“Excuse me, sir, but we
should go this way,” one of the men said pointing to the west.

“We’ll follow you,”
Henry said. He knew the man grew up on the outskirts of town, and was more
familiar with the area than the rest of them. Taking the lead, the middle-aged
gardener directed them down the right path which circumvented the country and
led to the woods.
 

By the time Joshua,
Will, and Arian, arrived at the woods; the flames had burned themselves out.
The stench from the smoke still lingered in the air, so they kept their
kerchiefs over their faces.

Sliding off their
ponies, which began neighing wildly and refused to move any further as they
approached the tree-line, the boys secured the reigns to a nearby post. “Even
they smell something wicked,” Joshua commented.

Will started to walk
ahead, when Arian pulled him back by his sleeve. “Wait – none of us knows
what’s hidden behind this copse. Whoever started this fire may still be in
there. I’d feel better if we stayed together.”

Joshua bit the inside
of his jaw so hard, a trickle of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth.
“Acadia should have notified my father by now, and I expect he’ll be here at
any time with reinforcements. Don’t you think we should wait for them?”

Will shook his head.
“If someone is still in the woods, I don’t want to give them an opportunity to
escape. If you’re afraid -- you can wait for your father, but I’m going in.”

Scowling at his friend,
Joshua gave an impatient huff before muttering something under his breath.

With a few feet
separating them, he followed the brothers, keeping his movements slow and
cautious. After hearing a rustling noise coming from behind them, he jumped
back, causing Will and Arian to burst out laughing.

“Relax – it’s probably
just your father,” Will
said
, before stopping in front
of a giant pile of sooty ash.

“Boys – are you in
there?” Henry called.

Joshua let out a slow
breath as he felt the tension leave his body. “We’re in here, Father.”

A few seconds later,
Henry and the four servants were standing in front of the boys.
 
“Whoever was here is gone now,” Will
said
. He picked up a broken tree limb, and knelt down,
sifting through the ashes.

“Yeah – I wish the
smell was gone too,” Joshua said.

Henry pulled his
handkerchief out of his shirt pocket and covered his face. “What in God’s name
is that horrid smell?”

“It seems to be coming
from these ashes,” Will
said
. As he continued to dig
through the remains, his eyes were drawn to a piece of gold metal. “This looks
like a piece of jewelry.” He handed the nugget to his brother who examined it
before passing it to Henry.

“Whoever started this
fire didn’t want us to be able to identify the bodies,” Arian said.

“Why would you think they
are bodies? There aren’t any bones. It was probably some of those mortal
teenagers having a bit of fun with the wild animals.”

“Animals don’t wear
jewelry. If you look closely, this looks like a ring of some sort. My guess is
these were men, though I don’t know how many. The question is -- were they
human or angel-bloods. I can’t believe they were angel-bloods, because they
should have enough powers to thwart any kind of attack.”

“Unless they were
drugged,” Will whispered.

Everyone stared at him.
If they were angel-bloods, only a powerful fallen angel could have subdued
them.

“I’m still not
convinced this wasn’t a prank by some mischievous teenage humans,” Henry said.

“I don’t mean to
disagree with you, Governor, but I doubt this fire was started by mortals.
There is something malicious here, and someone, or more than one someone, went
out of their way to cover up any evidence,” Arian said.
 
“No – someone is sending us a message. We’ll
have to contact the Guild, and see if they have any ideas.”

“Yes and none of us
have ever seen that kind of fire before,” Will added in defense of his brother.
“When we first saw the blaze, it was a bright tangerine color; then, there was
that putrid odor. We’ve burned hundreds of animals before, and they never left
behind a foul odor like this. This was no ordinary fire. The sooner we get the
Guild involved; the sooner we may have some answers.”

“I wish Caspian were
here,” Henry sighed. “He has a gift for finding out the truth. I’ll send a
message to Paul, and then we’ll call a meeting with the assembly. Until we get
to the bottom of this, I think we should start patrolling this area, in case
the culprits come back. We’ll make the meeting mandatory, and then we can find
out if any of the residents are missing. If you’ll excuse me; I need to speak
to Arthur. We’ll meet at the hall of justice in two hours.”

Joshua watched his
father and the servants exit the woods. “Maybe Rita and Jessica will come with
their fathers,” he said to Will.

Will shook his head and
laughed. “I think we have more important issues to deal with instead of
worrying about those girls.”

A wide grin formed at
the corners of Joshua’s mouth. “Yeah -- but you have to admit those girls are
drop-dead gorgeous, and they have awesome powers, which I wouldn’t mind seeing.
Maybe they can help us with the investigation.”

“Rita is a bit
standoffish for my taste. Just because she is related to the archangels, she
thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”

“Some people think
you’re a bit arrogant too,” Joshua teased. “Besides, I didn’t get that
impression. Maybe she’s just shy.”

“I’m going to check on
Jade while you two debate the mysteries of the opposite sex. You can find your
way home?” Arian asked.

Both of the boys
nodded. “Don’t touch anything; Paul may find something we overlooked,” Arian
warned. “Where is Richard by the way? I expected him to follow your father
here.”

“Humph -- apparently,
my brother had a business meeting and hasn’t been seen this early this
morning.”

Joshua stared at the
ashes.
No – there’s no way he could be
one of the victims. Still, I’m curious to find out where he’s been all this
time.

He and Will followed
Arian out of the woods, being careful not to disturb the pile of ashes.

I really wouldn’t mind seeing Jessica again, and regardless
of what Will says, I know he likes Rita’s company.
 

After mounting the
ponies, the boys took off at a fast trot towards the country. When the horses
were back in their stalls, Arian ran across the dell to find Jade.