Eternity (20 page)

Chapter Forty-seven

The world went black. The earth shuddered beneath my feet, and then cracked wide open. I plunged into a void. My entire being spiraled into a vortex seemingly without end.

Yet I felt no fear. Where I was, what fate would befall me, mattered not at all.

For I had failed. I had no memory of killing my father, Samyaza. No clear recollection of using the sword of fire upon him. The last thing I remembered was the blade hovering over his neck and my uncertainty at delivering the blow.

I had not destroyed the final fallen before Samyaza unleashed the seventh seal—Michael—upon the world. I had not fulfilled the prophecy. I had abandoned my parents, Ruth, and all humankind to a horrific fate.

The blackness, the shuddering, the void, this had to be the abyss of hell. I deserved it. I shut my eyes and surrendered to the oblivion.

It was short-lived. Without warning, my feet hit earth. I felt a soft, gritty substance under my shoes. Behind my closed lids, I sensed light. I dared to open my eyes.

I stood before the most magnificent ocean I had ever seen. The sea was rich indigo, capped by vast, cresting waves. The grainy material beneath my feet was fine, white sand. On the horizon, the sun was beginning its ascent, and soft golden light began to illuminate the shore. I realized that somehow I had landed on a glorious beach beyond my wildest imaginings.

Except the scene evoked the imaginings of my visions. Almost uncannily so.

Suddenly, I appreciated that I was not alone. My hand was linked with that of another.

I turned to see white blond hair; pale green eyes; and a familiar, beautiful face. My Michael. Here, with me. Not side by side with Samyaza, leading their new world order. What had happened? I thought that I had failed. I was
certain
that I had failed.

I turned to him hesitantly. “Where are we?”

“We are at Ransom Beach.”

As soon as he spoke, the ocean, the shoreline, and the cliff at our back became very recognizable. The cove had initially appeared different only because it looked brighter.

“Why does it look so different?”

“Do you remember some of the passages from the Book of Enoch that Ruth read to us? It said that, when the Elect One issues the final judgment, when the Elect One stops the end days desired by the fallen, it will change the face of heaven and the face of earth. Based on Ransom Beach, it looks like your act changed the face of the earth.”

He confused me. What did he mean?

Very gently, very lovingly, Michael placed his hands upon my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “You did it, Ellie.”

“I did?”

“Yes, Ellie. We were transported here when you killed Samyaza before he unleashed the seventh sign upon the earth. Me,” he said sheepishly, even apologetically. “You used the sword of fire.”

I didn’t know how to feel. If I had truly succeeded, if I had actually managed to summon the courage to slay the last fallen and rouse Michael to his calling, the victory was somewhat bittersweet. Imbedded within that triumph was the knowledge that I had killed my birth father. A creature who had loved humankind—and me—albeit in his imperfect way.

I tried to remind myself that the sacrifice was necessary. It had allowed me to rescue the world from the darkness Samyaza would have undoubtedly inflicted upon humankind through his misguided intentions. And give this to the world instead.

“I don’t remember, Michael. I don’t remember using the sword of fire on Samyaza.” I couldn’t bring myself to call him “my father.” It was too fresh a wound.

Michael observed the mixed emotions in my eyes and rushed to reassure me. “You did, Ellie. Together we did what we were born to do. You embraced your full nature and power, instead of hiding behind the facade of a regular girl. I relinquished my hurt pride at not being the Elect One. We stopped the seventh sign. We stopped the end days.”

I gazed into his eyes, and I perceived the truth of his words.

Michael leaned his forehead against mine. For a long moment, we just breathed. Breathed the fresh air of freedom around us. Breathed the sweet relief of each other’s presence. Then he touched his lips to my own.

It was a kiss unlike any other we had shared. Perfect, complete unto itself. No wish for his blood. There was no longer any need, it seemed.

“I love you, Ellie.”

“I love you too, Michael.”

The moment and my vision became one.

With one exception.

After Michael and I broke our embrace to gaze at the bright new world around us, I noticed something. In the far distance, through the filter of a filmy cloud lingering on the edge of the horizon, I thought I saw a distinctive form. I squinted through the mounting brightness of the rising sun, trying to discern the shape. For a fleeting second, the figure materialized.

Broad shoulders; brown hair and eyes; and a wry, knowing smile. It was Rafe.

He was watching me. Watching us. For all eternity.

Acknowledgments

The Fallen Angel series would never have taken flight if not for the encouragement of so many people. I must start by thanking my wonderful agent Laura Dail, who cheered me onto this new venture into the young adult realm and offered invaluable guidance. I would also like to express my appreciation to the fantastic team at HarperTeen, including Elise Howard, Farrin Jacobs, Zareen Jaffery, Sarah Landis, Catherine Wallace, Rose Carrano, Becki Heller, the art department, the promotion and sales departments, and the managing editorial and production departments. And I am so thankful for the Pittsburgh book community of libraries, bookstores, book clubs, reporters, and especially readers.

My extended family and friends provided enthusiasm along the way, including but by no means limited to: my parents, Coleman and Jeanne Benedict; my siblings, Coley, Liz, Lauren, Sean, Courtney, Christopher, and Meredith, and their wonderful families; my in-laws, particularly Catherine Terrell and Alison Lichtenberger; Illana and Sophia Raia; Ponny Conomos Jahn (“my pilot light”); the Six; and Mary Zeleny.

But the people most deserving of thanks are my husband, Jim, and our sons, Jack and Ben. Truly, they make
everything
in my world possible, far beyond the Fallen Angel series or anything else I can dream up. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Heather Terrell
is the author of
THE CHRYSALIS, THE MAP THIEF
, and
BRIGID OF KILDARE
. Before she started writing, she worked as a lawyer, and she has more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. A graduate of Boston College and the Boston University School of Law, she now lives in Pittsburgh with her family. The books in the Fallen Angel series are her first novels for young adults. You can visit her online at www.heatherterrell.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Also by Heather Terrell

Fallen Angel

Copyright

Eternity

Copyright © 2011 by Heather Terrell

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Terrell, Heather.

Eternity : a Fallen angel novel / Heather Terrell. — 1st ed.

p. cm.

Summary: Ellie and Michael’s love is tested as they enter a battle between fallen angels that could destroy the world.

ISBN 978-0-06-196571-5 (trade bdg.)

[1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Angels—Fiction. 3. Good and evil—Fiction. 4. Love—Fiction. 5. High schools—Fiction. 6. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.G7487Et 2011

[Fic]—dc22

2011001883

CIP

AC

EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062084477

11  12  13  14  15 LP/BV 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

First Edition

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

25 Ryde Road (P.O. Box 321)

Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor

Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

http://www.harpercollins.ca

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

London, W6 8JB, UK

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

10 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

http://www.harpercollins.com