Confronting the Fallen (22 page)

“
Ah,
Christopher! My young friend. How are you this lovely day?”

“
Hey
Chef. Okay, I guess.” Chris walked over and helped Chef as he
began to load the cart with dirty dishes.

The
man glanced at Chris from the corner of his eye. “Okay, you
guess. Hmm. I hear a spot of worry in your voice, my friend. What is
the problem? You have passed the test, yes?”

“
You
heard about that?” Chris wasn't really surprised. Chef seemed
to know a lot about the goings-on in the house.

“
Of
course I did. Anna and I are old friends. She told me the tale of
high adventure when we had breakfast together before she left. Truly,
you impressed her, young Christopher.”

“
Impressed
her?” He stared at the man in disbelief. “Chef, I could
have killed her! Sariel was totally out of control.”

“
Bah,
don't be absurd.” Chef rolled his eyes dramatically. “You
are too good a person to harm an innocent. Your Sariel is part of
you, which means he wouldn't have harmed her either. And don't
interrupt; I'm not finished,” he said as Chris started to
speak.

Chef
pulled up a chair and motioned for Chris to do the same.

“
You
have to understand something, Christopher,” he said in a more
serious tone. “Your body was created by Sariel, using part of
his essence. You are him, literally. Yes, you have your own
personality and your own willpower. And because you are an
independent person, the only way that this archangel can fight the
fight that he apparently wants, is by allowing you to lead the way.”
Chef wiped his hands on his apron and stared at Chris intently. “You
are the captain of your ship, Chris. It is as simple as that.”

Chris
thought about that for a moment. “That's...interesting, Chef.
Tyler and Jacob's angels said almost the same thing.”

“
Good.
So listen to us and stop being so stubborn!” Chef said with a
wink and a smile. He got up and resumed piling the dishes on the
cart. Chris hurried to lend a hand.

When
they were done, Chef patted Chris on the shoulder and left the room.
Chris decided to get a book from the library and read in his room. He
didn't really feel like talking to anyone for a while.

The
afternoon passed quickly as Chris lost himself in tales of ancient
Rome and Greece. He headed down to the dining hall at six-thirty and
joined Tyler for dinner. His friend told him that Jacob had eaten
earlier, to give himself time to prepare for his evening patrol.

“
Why
do you guys wear those long coats and hoods, Ty?” Chris asked
as he finished his dinner. It was pizza night and, as usual, the food
was the best thing ever. Chef believed in piling lots of extra cheese
on his pizzas and Chris loved cheese.

“
Oh
yeah, the coats.” Tyler swallowed a hug piece of pizza and had
to wait a minute until it all went down. He burped quietly. “Scuse
me. Anyway, the coats are actually lined, Chris. Really thin Kevlar
plates that are laid side by side to be flexible. And the hoods,
well, when we're on patrol, if anything happens, the angels appear
pretty quickly and, I don't know if you noticed, but they tend to
glow around the face for some reason. Pretty easy to see in the dark
and we don't want to give the bad guys an easy target, you know.”

“
Huh.
I hadn't thought of that. Kevlar. Is it bulletproof?”

Tyler
shook his head. “It will turn a bullet as long as it doesn't
hit dead on, but no, not bulletproof. It will slow a bullet down
though, and it'll turn a blade, so it's still pretty useful.”
He grimaced. “Takes a while to get used to though. Damned thing
is heavy.”

Chris
chuckled at Tyler's tone. He was obviously imitating Jacob. “Jake
doesn't like the coats?”

“
Hates
them. Too hot, too heavy, the hood makes it hard to see, blah, blah.”
Tyler laughed. “He just does it for attention though. Jake is
always willing to take extra duty, like you saw today. He really is a
great guy.”

Chris
agreed wholeheartedly. They finished their meal and Chris headed back
to his room, telling Tyler that he just wanted to spend the evening
buried in a book. Tyler waved and headed for the games room.

Chris
got lost in his book and when he finally sat back and stretched, he
glanced at his phone and saw that it was after nine o'clock. Time for
a little air, he thought. Maybe he'd get a chance to say hi to Jacob.
Chris put on his shoes, slipped the phone in his pocket and headed
out.

After
checking in at the front desk, Chris walked outside and, as usual,
ran into Mr. McKenna. They chatted for a few minutes about the dogs.
The evening was cool but not cold and the stars were dense in the
country sky. Chris took a deep breath and smelled the remnants of the
day; cut grass, flowers and pine sap wafting from the nearby forest.
He loved that smell.

“
Have
you seen Jacob around, sir?” he asked Mr. McKenna as he looked
around curiously. “I thought I might run into him while I was
out here.”

“
He
walked by a few minutes ago. It usually takes about thirty minutes to
walk the perimeter, so it will be a while until he comes by again.”

“
Oh.”
Chris was a little disappointed. “Oh well. It's no big deal. I
just wanted to say hi.”

Mr.
McKenna smiled his understanding. “I'll be sure to tell him you
stopped by, Mr. Wright.”

“
Thanks,
sir.” Chris took one more look at the glittering sky and
sighed. For a city boy, he definitely liked the country. With a shrug
he turned and headed for the front door.

Suddenly,
lights snapped on all over the front yard. From the top of the wall,
spotlights blazed down into the yard and out into the night. A
shrieking siren blared through the air. Then a voice from speakers
high on a central pole echoed across the area.

“
Alert!
Alert! Perimeter sensors indicate intruders south of the Nest.
Patrols assemble at the front gates. Ghost, engage.”

Chris
stood frozen several feet from the front door. There was a sudden
metallic clanging sound coming from both sides of the house and Chris
saw metal sheets drop down over all of the windows. He turned around
in a panic and saw guards running toward the front gates from all
directions. A movement from Mr. McKenna caught his eye and Chris saw
him pull a long tube from his pocket and blow into it.

A
dog whistle, he assumed, because he could hear nothing from the
device. But in the distance there was a sudden baying as the pack
could be heard racing toward them.

Chris
watched as at least a dozen guards, men and women both, assembled in
disciplined ranks about twenty yards away from the gates. He thought
about the announcement over the speaker. Ghost again, he thought. I
forgot about Ghost. Who is he or she? No one had ever brought the
name up while he'd been there.

The
dogs raced into view, led by Eliza. They stopped near the guards,
their hackles up and heads held low. Chris had never seen a more
dangerous looking group of animals.

Chris
wasn't sure where to go or what to do. He looked over at Mr. McKenna,
who had stayed at his post and was watching the front gates intently.

“
Mr.
McKenna? Sir?” Chris called. The man's head whipped around and
he looked at Chris in surprise.

“
Ah,
Mr. Wright. I thought you'd made it indoors. Stay there, please. The
house is automatically locked down during emergencies, so I'm afraid
you're stuck out here with us until this is dealt with.”

“
Yes
sir, I'll do that.” Chris stood stiffly, fists clenched and
watched everything closely.

With
a shock, he saw a lone figure walk steadily toward the gate from the
far end of the property. By the long coat and hood, he knew it was
Jacob. He was amazed at how calmly his friend approached the group of
guards. Sounds carried easily in the cool, still air and Chris could
hear everything that was being said at the gate.

One
of the guards stepped up to Jacob as he stopped and faced the gate.

“
Sir,”
the guard said. “We're waiting for Ghost to report. No contact
yet.”

“
Thank
you,” Jacob answered calmly. Chris saw him pull a phone out of
a pocket and then just stand there, waiting.

The
dogs had settled down, several sat patiently. Eliza stood
stiff-legged in front of them, focused on the gate.

Minutes
passed and Chris heard nothing beyond the walls. He began to wonder
if it had been a false alarm when a chilling scream cut through the
night. He jumped and looked around frantically. A muted chime rang
out and he saw Jacob tap his phone.

“
Yes?”
Jacob said.

“
Six
humans neutralized. Two lesser undead, one major entity, incoming.”
It was the neutral voice of Ghost that Chris remembered from the
first day he had arrived.

“
Acknowledged,”
Jacob answered. “Identify major.”

There
was a momentary hesitation. “ Major entity identified: wraith.
Threat level, high. Standing down.”

“
Thank
you, Ghost. We'll take it from here.”

“
Copy.”

The
phone clicked off and Jacob put it back in his pocket. He looked at
the guards.

“
Silver
weapons only. Leave the wraith to me. Understood?”

A
chorus of “yes sirs” rang out. Jacob looked at the pack.
He reached out a hand and Eliza walked over and nudged it gently.

“
Flanking
only, Eliza. Don't let your children get hurt. This enemy is too
strong.”

The
huge dog whined slightly then licked his hand. She turned to look at
the pack and barked once. The pack converged on her, standing close
and quivering with anticipation.

The
phone rang in Jacob's pocket and he answered it quickly. The speaker
was still on.

“
What
is it?” he asked.

“
The
enemy is fifty yards out.” It sounded like the woman on the
front desk. Chris guessed that they had cameras on the wall.

“
Thank
you,” Jacob said. He shut off the phone and put it back in his
pocket.

“
Open
the gate,” he said quietly. Chris saw Mr. McKenna pulled a
small box out of his pocket and push a button on it. So, he's the
gatekeeper, he thought.

The
double doors of the gate began to open slowly. No one moved until
they were wide open. Then Chris watched with surprise as the guards
pulled out what looked like long knives or short swords, gleaming
silver in the bright lights of the yard.

“
Engage
the undead. Avoid the wraith,” Jacob said with authority. “Go
now.”

The
guards spread out and advanced quickly through the open gate. Chris
focused his attention on Jacob,. He was scared for his friend. Jacob
had never been in a battle before. And what the hell was a wraith? It
sounded bad.

Jacob
reached up and pushed back his hood. So much for hiding his head,
Chris thought. He gasped as he saw his friend reach under his coat
and draw a long sword. But it wasn't silver like the guard's weapons.
It glowed red like Sariel's armor; waves of heat rising above it. And
suddenly his head blazed with light, like a halo. He stood taller and
Chris felt a thrill run down his spine as Janariel's wings sprouted
up and through hidden slits in his coat, stretching out behind him in
all their glory.

His
mane of gold and brown hair rippled down over his shoulders and he
stood steady, looking through the gate. Obviously he was waiting for
something. The pack had all watched Jacob as he'd changed and, as a
group, they wagged their tails. Chris could see how happy they were
to see the angel. He was amazed at how calm they all were.

Janariel
looked at Eliza. “To battle, my friend,” he said to her,
his tone gentle. She threw back her head and howled. The rest of the
pack joined her and then as one they raced through the gate.

There
were several shouts from beyond the walls and Chris was tempted to
move closer, but he was sure that Mr. McKenna would stop him and he
didn't want to take the chance that he might distract Jacob from his
duty.

Minutes
passed and then the guards came racing back into the compound.
Several were limping and one of the men had a hand clamped tightly
over his forearm. But everyone seemed to be accounted for.

“
Undead
neutralized, sir. The field is yours.”

“
Thank
you, everyone,” Janariel said. He walked over to the man
holding his arm and touched him lightly. There was a muted flash and
Chris saw the man draw a deep breath.

“
Thanks
so much, sir,” he said with relief. He pulled back his sleeve.
There was no wound, just some dried blood. The gift of healing, Chris
thought. Just like me. That is so cool.