Eternity (9 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Rafe started his story as if he had always meant to share it with me. Although with Rafe, the word “always” took on entirely new meaning.

“In the beginning of time, God sent two hundred angels to earth with a specific mission. He wanted them to guide humankind and to protect them from the threats on earth—and from their own souls,” Rafe said. The humor was completely gone from his face.

His story sounded familiar. I had read bits and pieces of this tale before in Genesis and the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. Yet reading the words on a page was incredibly different than hearing them spoken aloud by an angel who had been there himself.

“When the two hundred got here, led by the chief angel Samyaza, they found the human men and women to be incredibly beautiful. And why not? They were made in His image. They were luminous. And innocent.

“That innocence made them irresistible to the angels. It brewed in the angels a desire to teach humans all their secrets. Secrets about the earth and themselves that God explicitly forbade them to share. He didn’t think his new creations were ready yet.

“The angels defied Him. They taught humankind to read the stars and understand the cycles of the moon. Men and women were told how to farm and exploit the land. The angels revealed the use of currency and coin. Azaziel, one of the chief angels under Samyaza, dared to teach the most closely guarded secret of all.”

“What was that?”

“War. Azaziel educated men and women in the art of war.”

“War? Why would angels even know about war?”

“God has always given His creations a choice between light and dark, good and evil. Angels are no exception. When His creations go about making that choice, war breaks out. Azaziel became especially good at it. And fond of it.” Rafe uttered Azaziel’s name with particular distaste.

Rafe’s story wasn’t quite over. “These two hundred angels enjoyed revealing these secrets to humankind. They found it to be heady and exhilarating—almost godlike. And they didn’t stop at that. They went even further.” He paused.

“What did they do?” I asked the question to prompt him along, even though I thought I knew the answer. I needed to hear the whole story from Rafe. From someone who’d been there.

“Remember that the angels found humans to be beautiful. They had relationships with human men and women. And, they had children with them. Half man, half angel. Nephilim.”

“Like me.”

“Like you. And not like you.” He smiled his old smile, and added, “No one is quite like you, Ellspeth.”

Rafe inhaled deeply, and the humor faded. I could see that this next part of the story was difficult for him to share.

“From above, my brother and sister angels watched this behavior of the two hundred. We were shocked by the angels’ flagrant disregard of God’s instructions. Who did they think they were, revealing His secrets? The secrets weren’t theirs to share. And how dare they procreate with humans?

“But God did nothing.

“I—along with Gabriel, Suriel, Michael, and Uriel—went to God. We pointed out the disobedience and the disrespect of the angels’ acts. Then we dared to ask Him, What was He planning to do?” Rafe paused, seemingly lost in his remembrances.

He didn’t quickly resume. The pause grew so long that I finally decided to prompt him further. “What did God say?”

“He asked if we thought they should be punished. When we answered yes, God asked us how. We suggested that He banish the two hundred to earth, to allow them their powers but forbid them access to heaven. God agreed, and of His own accord, went one step further. He wanted to teach the rebellious angels a lesson, and humankind along with them. He commanded the Flood to destroy all their followers and all their children.”

“You and the other angels must have been relieved. He gave you what you asked for.”

“Yes, at first. Quickly, however, we learned that the punishment didn’t have the effect we’d hoped for. The Dark Fallen—as we came to call them—didn’t feel remorse for their acts. Instead, they felt vengeful, because He had killed their children and taken away their ability to enter heaven. So as their means of revenge, they continued to disobey Him by continuing their forbidden activities.”

“Do you regret the punishment you inflicted?” It felt unnatural asking an angel about his regrets. Yet that was what I thought I saw on Rafe’s face.

“Yes, for its outcome and for its harshness. We were too severe. The Dark Fallen turned away from the light and power of God to celebrate themselves when they taught humankind and created the Nephilim. Their acts went against His teachings. But that’s not why I think that I was too harsh in my punishment of the fallen.”

“Why do you think you were too strict with them?”

Rafe took me by the hands and looked at me with his beautiful eyes. I couldn’t have broken away from his gaze if I’d wanted to. And I didn’t want to.

“At first, I believed that the fallen acted solely from the sin of pride. Pride in their ability to teach and to create, like God. Pride in their own power and egos. I should have shown more compassion. Because I now understand how the fallen fell. It wasn’t pride alone. It was l—” He stopped himself.

Abruptly he released my hands and backed away. “It doesn’t matter why the fallen fell, and how I feel about their punishment is unimportant. It’s old news now. Preventing the fallen from exacting their final vengeance, however,
is
critical. That is the destiny you share with Michael.”

“I don’t think Michael is speaking to me right now.”

“You must go to him and repair this rift between you. Only together can you stop the coming devastation.”

I grabbed back one of his hands and asked, “Will you help me? Help us?”

Rafe looked at me sadly and said, “I wish I could. I’ve already done far too much. I was only meant to observe. All I can do now is watch and pray.”

“Please, Rafe. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to stop the end days. Michael is as ignorant as me.”

“I don’t know, Ellspeth,” he said slowly.

“Are you fearful that God will punish you for disobeying him? Like he punished the two hundred?”

The mischief that I’d seen in his eyes before reappeared. “No, I’m pretty sure that I can talk Him out of that. This is definitely different.”

“Then please, Rafe. Please help us.”

He leaned toward me again and, for a fleeting moment, I wished he would kiss me. Until I reminded myself who he was and who I was.

Instead, Rafe lightly caressed my cheek—more like a brother this time—and said, “Maybe I can do one last thing. . . .”

Chapter Twenty

I stood in the backyard outside Michael’s house, staring up at his bedroom window. I didn’t dare fly up to his room, even though there didn’t seem to be much reason to hide my powers anymore. Pretending to be normal hadn’t stopped the end days. Yet Rafe had asked that I refrain for a bit longer, and I couldn’t refuse the request of an angel.

Instead, feeling like some kind of lovesick Shakespearean character, I threw a pebble at Michael’s window. His face instantly appeared through the glass. At first, he merely looked startled to see me. Then I saw anger and confusion pass across his face like a storm cloud. When I motioned for him to come outside, I feared that he’d refuse. But he didn’t; he left the window and headed downstairs.

Michael stepped out onto his porch. Even in the darkness, I could see the sheen of his white-blond hair and the outline of his broad shoulders. In my mind’s eye, I filled in the details of his green eyes and sculpted arms and chest. I longed for him. I wanted
my
Michael back, the soul mate with whom I spent long nights flying and talking and kissing and sharing everything. Those nights were the happiest of my life, and now they seemed a lifetime away.

I waited as Michael closed the back door quietly behind him. He hesitantly crossed the yard and approached the tree I stood under. Drawing near me, he still didn’t reach out to hug or kiss me as he usually did. The distance between us made me incredibly sad. It was depressing what had happened to our relationship over the course of a few short weeks.

I was determined to put all this baffling discord behind us, and not only because Rafe asked me to. I had even vowed not to mention the infuriating use of his powers on the football field. Reaching out to embrace him, I said, “I’m sorry we fought.”

Michael’s body stiffened at first. Slowly, I felt his body soften and then relent. He wrapped his arms around me. “Me too.”

I luxuriated in the circle of his arms for a few long minutes. The yearning for Michael and his blood started to build, and I pulled back a tiny bit. Enough to study his eyes. I needed to make sure that
my
Michael inhabited them, not that scary automaton he’d become under Ezekiel’s influence or the withdrawn, confusing football player he’d become recently.

I was relieved. In his incandescent green eyes, I saw only the Michael I loved.

“I’m not sure what happened earlier today. I—” I started to say.

Michael interrupted me. “I’m the one that’s been acting like a jerk. I’ve been so caught up in—”

It was my turn to quiet him. I traced my finger over the curve of his full lips and said, “You don’t have to explain, Michael. We’ve both been caught up.”

“Not like me, Ellie. I’ve been so wrapped up with football and Coach Samuel. More than ever before. Not like I was with Ezekiel—I promised you that would never happen again—but definitely distracted. I mean, I even allowed myself to stay after the game with the coach to run through plays, instead of meeting you and Ruth, even when I knew she had important news. Then I ignored your calls because I was still pissed that you made fun of me playing football.” He shook his head in disbelief at his own actions. “I have no excuse, only an apology.”

Looking into the anguish and remorse on his face, I knew I’d been right not to chastise him for using his powers in the game. Michael was already beating himself up for his behavior; he didn’t need me to berate him also.

I hugged him tighter, and said, “There is no need to apologize. Not anymore. We’re together again.”

He squeezed me so hard that I could hardly breathe. “Thank God for that. So, what did Ruth say?”

“A volcano on an island off the coast of Greenland is about to erupt, and—”

“There are no volcanoes mentioned in Revelation,” he interjected.

“I know. Ruth believes that this volcano will have big consequences, among them disease and famine. And those disasters
are
referenced—”

He interrupted again, “In Revelation. Oh my God, what do we do?”

I smiled at him reassuringly. “I’ve brought help.”

“By help I hope you don’t mean Ruth. No offense to Ruth.” Michael looked skeptical at the amount of help Ruth could offer beyond her research.

“No, I brought someone a bit more powerful than Ruth.” Turning to the trees lining the perimeter of Michael’s yard, I whispered loudly, “Rafe?”

Rafe emerged from the trees behind Michael’s house. With his brawny physique and dark hair, he was still handsome, but he no longer bore that angelic quality. As we had driven from the Tillinghast town center to Michael’s house, the dust of humanity had descended upon him once again. Wearing his usual flannel shirt and scruffy jeans, Rafe looked every bit a real teenager.

They sized each other up. It was bizarre watching these two men in my life—if you could even call them men, given that they were much more than human—assess each other.

Every muscle in Michael’s body tensed, as if readying for a battle. Even though I let my arms slacken a bit, I held him close. The next few minutes were critical, and I needed Michael to have faith in me. I knew this would be tough for him; the last time someone new convinced us to let him “help,” it was Ezekiel. And here I was, foisting some unknown teenage guy on him.

“Who is this?” Michael said, as warily as I predicted.

“This is Rafe. I met him at a committee to help the earthquake victims.”

Michael was immediately furious. He allowed me no leeway for explanation. “Why would you bring some stranger over to my house in the middle of the night? Especially at a time like this?”

“Because he’s not some stranger.”

Michael struggled against my arms, freeing himself from my embrace. “Well, I’ve never laid eyes on him before. Who is this guy, Ellie?” He sounded angry and scared.

I didn’t answer Michael. I knew that words could never be as powerful as images. I knew that Michael needed to see Rafe as he really was and hear the words as he really spoke them, to believe. And to follow.

I nodded to Rafe that the moment had come. As he had earlier, Rafe shook himself the tiniest bit. The movement released a haze of shimmering particles, almost like a golden dust. As it dispersed into the air, the rumpled teenage Rafe disappeared, only to be replaced by the ethereal Raphael.

Michael was frozen. Rafe did not fill the void with words; he awaited my lead. I knew I had to answer the question I’d purposely left unanswered before.

“Michael, Rafe is an angel. Not the fallen kind.”

Chapter Twenty-one

It was the first time I’d seen Michael rendered speechless.

I mustered up my courage, and said, “Michael, I know this is hard for you. To trust another being after everything that happened with Ezekiel. I assure you that Rafe is no Ezekiel, and his intentions are true.”

I paused, allowing for Michael’s reaction. He gave no response. Instead, he watched me silently, judging my every phrase and gesture. It seemed that his verdict still hung in the balance.

“Rafe risked everything to visit us. His kind”—I hesitated to use the term “angel” for some reason—“aren’t meant to have contact with those on earth. They aren’t supposed to interfere in any way with our free will. Here, the stakes are so high that Rafe chose to jeopardize his own well-being to help us with our destiny.”

Michael still didn’t say anything. I looked over at Rafe helplessly.

Rafe took over. “Ellspeth is telling you the truth, Michael. I’ve broken so many rules by offering my help. But I know that the earth and everyone on it will suffer if I don’t assist you. So I’ve chosen to defy God’s rules.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at the mention of God and defying Him. Yet he didn’t comment. He needed more persuasion, it seemed.

“To prove to you that I’m on your side, I’m going to share some of His secrets with you and Ellie. Secrets that will help you defeat the fallen and stop the end they crave,” Rafe said.

It was my turn to listen. Since the moment Rafe had revealed his true nature to me on the street back in town, I had been waiting for more disclosures. Even though, after his story about the original two hundred angels and their punishments for revealing His secrets, I was surprised that he decided to risk God’s wrath and divulge a few to us. No matter his assurances that God wouldn’t punish him for helping us despite the prohibition.

“From Ellspeth, I learned that Ruth has pieced together some basic understanding of the end times. She told you that there are seven signs—seven events, or seals, as they are sometimes called—that will occur before the final day. Six of these events remain; the first sign, the earthquakes, has already happened. You will both need a much deeper understanding of the end days in order to stop the other signs. I’ve decided to share some of the missing pieces with you, although He has forbidden it.”

Rafe’s expression turned sorrowful at the mention of Him. I hadn’t thought through how difficult on an emotional level it must be for an angel to disobey God. I felt immensely grateful to Rafe, even more than when he’d rescued me from Kael.

Rafe continued. “What Ruth didn’t tell you is that certain fallen angels are responsible for the seven apocalyptic events. She couldn’t have shared that with you because no human being knows this. Of the one hundred and seventy-five Dark Fallen—unlike the Light Fallen, such as your parents, who seek grace—only a few are capable of triggering the signs. Fewer now, since you’ve killed Ezekiel. Together, you must destroy the remaining fallen to prevent the final catastrophe from occurring. If you don’t, the end days will quickly follow.”

It made sense. “To stop an event we must kill the fallen angels? Not try to stop the event itself?” I asked.

“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s how it works.”

“Is each fallen responsible only for one specific sign? Or can any of the seven trigger any of the signs?” Now that I understood what we were meant to accomplish, I was bursting with questions.

“Each of the chosen fallen has the capacity to activate only one sign. Or two, in a particular instance. He or she can set off only the sign or signs tied to their special gift of knowledge.”

“Their special gift?”

“Yes, God entrusted each of these particular fallen with particular knowledge, wisdom known only to that angel and Him. Each sign is tied to that angel’s special knowledge. For example, He confided in Ezekiel insights about the earth and its geological structure, including the cause of earthquakes. So, when the end days arrived, Ezekiel was able to instigate the end-days sign of earthquakes.”

“What are the names of the others? And what are their special areas?” I needed to know.

“The second fallen is called Kael. Because he was gifted with knowledge of agriculture and the physical health of humankind, his second and third seals are disease and hunger. The third is Barakel, whose fourth seal is economic depression because he was given knowledge of coin and currency. Rumiel is the fourth fallen, and her fifth seal is persecution of the believers, as God charged her with giving humankind limited training in His ways. The fifth fallen is known as Azaziel—I mentioned him earlier—and his sixth is seal is warfare. The sixth and final fallen is Samyaza. He is charged with the seventh seal, the creation of an end-days leader, because he was the leader of the fallen when they first came to earth.”

“If God gave them these insights, why doesn’t He stop them from triggering the signs?” It seemed easy.

Rafe smiled. “That isn’t His plan, Ellspeth. This is a battle between good and evil—light and dark—and His plan is to allow the free will and prowess of the Elect One to prevail. One way or another.”

His words stifled my questions for a brief moment, but I believed that answers alone could help me succeed. If He meant this to be a pitched battle of wills between me and a bunch of fallen angels, I wanted every advantage. I wanted goodness and light to prevail. I’d seen darkness all too vividly in the sick flashes I’d received from Ezekiel’s mind.

I took a deep breath, and launched right back in. “What happens if one of the seals doesn’t open because we destroy the angel who was supposed to trigger it before he fulfills his mission? Does that stop the whole process? Have we won?”

“Each fallen you manage to annihilate is one less devastating event visited upon the earth. By killing even one fallen, you lessen the environmental damage and human suffering that the signs bring. The sign won’t happen, but the end-days clock will still tick. To stop the end times altogether, you must destroy the fallen responsible for the final sign.”

“The fallen who’ll bring forth an end-days leader.”

“Yes. Samyaza will be grooming a leader to rule the earth after apocalyptic events have reshaped it.”

“Who are they preparing to be this leader? Do you know?”

My question actually made Rafe laugh, like the old, human Rafe. “So many questions, Ellspeth. Even though the clock is ticking, we’ll have time enough to answer them all. Not at once.”

“Tell me this, at least. Was Ruth right about the second event? That this huge volcano off the coast of Greenland will erupt, causing a chain reaction of maybe two of the seven signs?”

“Yes, Ruth’s right.”

“How can we find the angel responsible for the volcanic eruption?”

Rafe’s smile changed. It transformed from the charming, slightly mischievous smile of the teenage Rafe to a sad, aged one that could only belong to the angel Raphael. “Ellspeth, there’s no longer any need to locate that fallen. He has already found you. The fallen have heard that the Elect One has surfaced, and one by one, they have started coming for you.”

How could I be so thick? The reality dawned on me. “Oh my God. Kael. The one that tried to get me tonight. He is the one responsible for the volcano.”

“Yes, Ellspeth. I mentioned him before. His special area is disease and hunger—the signs that will stem from the volcano.”

Disease and hunger. That was the suffering Kael told me we were going to alleviate. How stupid could I be?

Then the really bad news sank in. “I had the chance, and I didn’t kill him. I blew it. I didn’t stop the sign.”

“You couldn’t have slain Kael. You don’t yet know how.”

“And you couldn’t kill him?”

“No. I could only make sure that he won’t come after you again.”

I started to launch into a bunch of questions about how you kill these fallen angels, when Michael interjected. Finally.

“What are you two talking about? Who is Kael? What happened tonight?”

I turned in surprise. I had been so engrossed with Rafe’s disclosures that I’d kind of forgotten about Michael. At least he still cared enough to perk up when he heard I’d been attacked.

Before I could explain, Rafe spoke in his soothing angel tone. “Don’t worry, Michael. Ellspeth is fine. The fallen won’t attempt to kill her. As the Elect One, she’s far too valuable alive.”

Rafe’s words sounded uncannily like Ezekiel’s. I wanted to ask more, but Rafe wasn’t done with Michael.

“I’ve disclosed a lot, Michael. I revealed secrets that He commanded me to keep, and I’ve done that so that you and Ellspeth can succeed. I need to know that you will prepare alongside Ellspeth so that you will both be ready when the time comes. I need to know that you will stand with her. You have a special purpose too.”

Michael’s eyes looked distrustful. I couldn’t believe that he still harbored doubts about Rafe. About me, maybe. Didn’t he understand the sacrifice that Rafe was making? How lost we’d be without Rafe’s assistance? How could he not get that the apocalypse was imminent? Unless we stopped it.

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” Michael’s tone was confrontational.

Michael had some nerve challenging an angel. I expected some form of biblical wrath at Michael’s continued obstinacy, yet Rafe seemed unfazed.

“If I tell you the nature of your destined role, Michael, we risk that you won’t be able to fulfill it. This is one secret that I have to keep. For everyone’s sake.”

I had a feeling that there was something Rafe wasn’t telling us. And not for the reason he mentioned.

“Will you stand alongside Ellspeth?” Rafe persisted in his questioning.

Michael squared his shoulders and gazed directly at Rafe. “Yes, I will. I’ll do it to protect Ellie. For no other reason.”

I glanced over at Rafe. Was this the answer he sought? Would Michael’s begrudging agreement suffice? I prayed that it would.

Rafe beamed, and said, “That’s good enough. Let’s begin.”