The Angel Side (20 page)

Gabriel had been right. I’d been a threat to anyone close to me. The slightest emotion seemed to send my body into a defensive mode, trying to kill anything nearby. I would need to leave for the safety of the ones I loved, but where I’d be able to
go I didn’t know. I doubted I would be welcome to wait for Ra in Heaven. If I left without telling dad what I
was
up to, he would search for me, defeating the point of leaving.

Gliding toward the back door I had been met with a rush of Templars, staves drawn at the ready. Dad pushed his way through the mob, cautiously stopping short a few feet from me.

“Baby girl?
Are you okay?”

“I’m going to go. I figure I can hole up in the Wastelands until Ra returns.” I said before dad had the chance
to do
his Jedi mind trick
,
leading me to believe all
was
well.

“You need to stay here.” Dad protested.

“If I stay here I’ll end up hurting one of you. I don’t want to
,
but I can’t control it. I have to go.” I said
,
preparing to flash.

“Etta, I’m sorry
,
but we’re under strict orders not to allow you to leave.” Dad rubbed my shoulders in a small attempt to comfort me
.
T
he fact
was
,
Father didn’t trust me on my own. Scanning the Templars, I sensed if I tried to leave they would overrun my dad and attempt to take me out. For my dad’s sake I would have to stay and pray I’d keep calm until Ra’s return.

“Fine.
I’ll stay but only with you
,
René
,
and Amy. Having a bunch of jumpy Templars in the same room as me may be hazardous to their health.” I replied.

“That’s fine. They’ll stay downstairs.” Dad said
,
grabbing my hand and leading me back into the house.

Entering the bedroom I stood amazed for a moment. No matter the extent of the
damage
caused by a celestial being, they always managed to repair it in
the
blink of an eye
,
as if nothing ever happened. I wondered if it had been as easy to fix Ra’s house after I sent the Arch
e
s plummeting through it. The thought led me
to
asking myself if I would have the ability to repair
the
damage
I’d
done. If I did, maybe I would have the ability to control my emotions.

“How do you do it?” I asked dad.

“Do what?” he said, keeping his distance behind me.

“How did you fix the hole?” I replied, turning to him. Reluctant to step any
farther
into the room, Amy
and
René
stood by the door as my dad sat on the bed.

“It’s easy. Don’t worry. If anything else gets broken, I’ll take care of it.” Dad answered.

“How?”
I demanded
.

“You just think about it
,
and it happens. Why do you want to know so
badly
?”
my dad sighed
.

Grabbing the white wicker chair next to my desk, I smashed it into splinters against the wall. Focusing on the chair, I watched as it came
back
together. Believing it too easy, I picked up my guitar and attacked my desk
.
D
ad came up behind me
,
grabbing my arms.

“What are you doing?”
Dad
yelled.

Dropping the head of my guitar, I concentrated on the desk and guitar. In seconds the two items appeared as if nothing happened.

“If I can control putting things back together, why not my emotions
?
”
I answered.

“Those are inanimate objects. Emotions aren’t. Look, you really want to get a handle on it, I’ll tell you what I used to tell my troops.”

“And what is it you
would
tell them?”

“Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. But if you want to better the odds
,
then
I suggest you keep your thoughts on the mission at hand and your heart at home.”

His advice had seemed as cold as his demeanor when he wore his uniform. I didn’t want to imagine my dad left his heart behind during his countless deployments. I always thought it
had been
his heart that brought him home.

“
Did
you
leave your heart behind
when you were deployed? Just left
it as if it were a pair of spare underwear?
”

“It’s what I told my troops. It’s not always what I did. You can’t be a good fighter and be heartless. However, you can’t let your feelings get in the way of what needs to be done. Why do you think Ra is always screwing up? He lets his brain give way to
his feelings. In fact, it’s always been one of your biggest problems as well. You both have to learn when to turn it off and when to turn it on.”

“Speaking of Ra, what is taking so long? Shouldn’t he
be
back by now?” as the words passed my lips, a wounded Gabriel crashed in
to
the center of the room. John and Amy rushed to his side.

“You have to get Etta out of here
,
now.” Gabriel moaned, rolling from side to side as he cradled a large gash across his stomach.

“Where’s Ra?” I screamed.

“C’mon. We’ll go to the Wastelands.” Dad grabbed my arms, pushing me away from Gabriel.

“It was a trick. They came in from all sides.”

Amy slapped her hands against Gabriel’s torso, healing the wound he sustained. Gabriel’s groans were soon drowned out by a choir of stomping
feet
on the stairs.

“Baby girl, we have to go now. They’re coming.”

“No
,
wait. Gabriel, where is my husband?”
I yelled, pushing my dad to the side
.

“They swarmed him. I’ve never seen anything like it. As I went to flash, I grabbed him
,
but it gave way.” Gabriel sobbed as he removed a clump of feathers from his belt
,
tears roll
ing
down his cheeks
.

Gabriel had left my husband in Hell with no way to defend himself against Lucifer and his legions
and no way
flee. Ra had once been left behind which resulted in his hundred year captivity and snowballed into today’s events.
I would not allow my husband to be left behind again. It
had come
high time I took matters into my own hands and showed the worlds I had had enough.

The door burst open as timid Templars filed into the room, ready to see their orders through. I didn’t want to hurt them for doing what Father asked
,
but I wasn’t going to
stick around to see how long I’d be able to
hold them off.

“Oh
,
hell no!”
I exclaimed,
and then flashed
.

I waited until the sound of the guards marching down the corridor
reverberated
through the walls before searching the cell for a way out. Though my wing had been hanging on by a thread, if I made it to the gates, I’d be able to make a break for the Wastelands, summons a ride to Heaven
,
and think of another plan to get the remaining piece of Etta’s soul. I had prayed Gabriel
got to Etta in time to warn her of the attack heading her way.

With me grounded in Hell, the Arch
e
s would be ordered to take Etta out
,
but it
wasn’t
Etta I had concern for. I knew in my heart she wouldn’t go down without a fight which meant my brothers were at risk of being severely hurt
,
or worse. Tapping the rock walls, I listened for a soft or hollow spot I might be able to break through, when the stone cell door slid open.

“Someone wishes to speak with you.” Nicor stood at the opening with the war hammer and scutum. With his weapon and shield, I’d be able to all but ensure a safe trip to the Wastelands and not go home empty
-
handed,
making the mission
less than a
complete failure. I readied myself to rush him when a figure stepped around his side.

“You need to hurry
,
my love. The guards will be back at any moment.” Nicor said as he stepped aside
,
allowing Persephone entrance into the cell.

“What the hell do you want?” I exclaimed, stepping back
.

“I came to ask you for your help, Rahovart.” Persephone slowly put her hands up as she walked closer toward me
.

“You have some nerve asking for my help after what you did.”

“
Shh
. Keep your voice down. They can’t know I had contact with you.” Persephone glanced behind her.

Nicor
,
standing watch
,
gave her an encouraging nod.

“Once the shit hit the fan
,
you just left Etta to die. We wouldn’t be here if you had warned us about Lilith.”

“I had to leave. I
wasn’t
sure how much Lilith knew or if she had attacked us here as well. It’s no secret what she wants. Besides, this is bigger than just you and my daughter.”

“Lucifer’s generals are able to fend off and defeat Heaven’s armies. Why would you be concerned over one
W
raith
and her
pack of rats
?”

“Because of what Hell has.
I have in my possession something more valuable than all the gold, silver
,
and spirits in all the worlds, including my own daughter’s. I have a way to bring peace between our worlds or at least a more diplomatic way of settling disputes.” Persephone explained.

After Persephone helped Etta before the fight against Vetis and Pyro, Etta swore her mother had been a trustworthy and righteous soul. After a few arguments about the validity of Etta
’s
misplaced trust, I gave up trying to convince Etta otherwise. Though she did help her daughter once, I didn’t trust Persephone. I knew better than to trust any Demon. Unlike Angels, they have the ability to lie, cheat
,
and steal t
o meet the needs of their wants. With
no proof
that
Persephone
was
any different
, my guard remained on full alert
.

“And what could be more valuable than your own daughter?”

Persephone turned to Nicor, giving him a nod. With a disagreeable sigh
,
Nicor disappeared.
A few moments later Nicor
returned with a wide grin as he looked down at his hand.

“Is this the Angel you told us about,
G
randpa
?” a young, Demon-child spoke as she looked up at him with a sheepish smile.
Next to the snake-human
,
half
-
breed child stood two smaller serpent-like boys.

“Rahovart,
i
t’s my pleasure
to introduce you to Annahail. She just had her eighth birthday. Botis is seven
,
and Uphir is six. These are my grandchildren…Etta’s children.
Kids
,
meet your step
-
father
,
Rahovart.” Persephone smiled as she picked up the smallest child, kissing him on his cheek.

Of all the dirty tricks, this had been the worst. If Persephone thought for a moment she
would
get me in her pocket by dangling half-breeds in my face, she
was
sorely mistaken.
In disbelief, I stared at the children when I saw Etta’s brown eyes peering back at me. With a gasp, I stepped back.

“He’s scaring me
,
G
randpa
Nicor.” Annahail cried.

“It’s okay
,
honey. There’s nothing to be scared of. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Nicor whispered as he lifted her up
into
his
arms and brushed her hair from her face.

“But…how?
Who?”
I stammered
, trying to regain my thoughts
.

“Sex is one way to create a baby. As for the father, I think you know who…
Alastor.
” Persephone answered.

“No. You’re lying. Lucifer wouldn’t let them pass through intake if those were Etta’s children. They would be trapped as wisps in the Labyrinth.” I contested.

I knew Etta had been
impregnated
by Alastor when she told me about losing the baby in a self-inflicted car accident. Based off my walk-throughs of her when I first met her on Earth, she had been pregnant more than once
,
but the three half
-
breeds before
me
went against all logic.

Because of their father
,
Alastor’s
,
d
emonic blood at the time of conception
, they would be damn
ed
to Hell
.
But the same as any other forsaken soul, they
would have to navigate
through distorted and grotesque wisps that filled Lucifer’s
dirt and stone carved
Labyrinth
to find their way to
the intake room for a final evaluation
.
It had
been
widely
speculated
the
amount of soul’s wandering
the
twisted corridors of Hell’s Labyrinth rivaled the halls of Purgatory
; it
had been
a Purgatory all in itself.

The design of the intricate maze had been
Lucifer’s idea of a test.
It
was
the
only way
to
weed out
the loyal, faithful
,
and strong
without having to leave the safety of his citadel. L
ost
souls
spent
centu
ries
aimlessly
wandering
around through the long and treacherous hallways
,
but i
f your heart knew true darkness then
finding your way through would be a short journey.

Lucifer wanting Etta to bare his offspring meant he would never accept another Demon’s spawn into the fold, even if they
managed to make it to intake.
Despite my love for Etta, I’d been unable to even fathom accepting another Demon’s children as mine. Looking back at the eldest, Annahail
,
I saw Alastor’s fanged smile and serpent body.

“How did they get
past
the Labyrinth?” I asked.

“Upon their arrival
,
the Seers came to me and told me of their three fates. One, Lucifer would use them to get Etta then banish them to the Wastelands with
the
Susman. The second, Lilith would send them to Purgatory
,
so she would be able to
take the throne
. The other, they would ascend to the throne and bring with them peace between our worlds. Nicor and I had to get them through intake in secret. We’ve been hiding them ever since, trying to raise them as Etta would have
,
but it’s growing increasingly dangerous by the day. They are getting older and harder to hide. Plus with everything going on, I don’t know who will be in rule a week from now. If Lilith attacks, I don’t want the children caught in the crossfire. I can help get you out of here if you promise to take them with you until this battle between Lilith and Lucifer is over.”

It had been too much to swallow. Pacing around the room, I tried to get a hold of the plethora of emotions swirling.
Etta and I had always wanted children of our own but had never been able to conceive. Alastor had succeeded where I had failed. Now I was being asked to take charge of his bastard children. With Alastor’s blood coursing through their veins, they were damaged goods that would end up only wreaking havoc on our worlds. As an Angel with a duty to the greater good, I wanted to slice their throats on the spot but as Etta’s husband, I had the duty of protecting her young.
Torn between my two obligations, I brought my pacing to a halt, t
aking a good look at the three D
emon spawn.

“Rahovart, I know what you’re thinking. Yes
,
they look much like their father
,
but I assure you their spirit take
s
after their mother. See for yourself.” Nicor added
,
setting Annahail down and patting her
bottom.

Hesitant, Annahail approached with her brothers in tow, grasp
ed
my hand with her claw and looked up at me. Crouching
down
,
eye level with the girl, I searched her face for a sign
killing her was my only option,
when she spoke.

“Grandma says you’re the one who will make it safe for us. Is it true? Are you going to help us?” Annahail clutched my hands tighter as a tear streamed down her cheek.

Botis and Uphir placed their hands on my shoulders. Hope and fear filled their big brown
, soulful
eyes. As clear as glacial water, I saw the innocence their spirit held. They may have had Alastor’s looks but their soul
s
they inherited from their mother. As if it were Etta herself, I sensed her spirit in their heartbeats. Suddenly everything changed. An unco
mfortable and uncontrollable paternal
force took over me.

“I’m going to try.” I wept, sweeping the children in
to
my arms, hugging them to me.
On the outside, Alastor’s seed took on his appearance
,
but Etta dominated what truly mattered
;
their hearts and souls.
Relief swept over me as I thought of the monster I would have been had I struck them down. Nicor had been right.

“Okay. I can get access to Etta’s essence while Nicor gets the kids
past
the gates. Once I have it I’ll come for you.” Persephone said as she took the children from me.

“Nicor, I’ll need the war hammer and scutum back.” I said, getting up from my knees.

“When one of those children safely ascends to the throne I will personally hand deliver the scutum and war hammer. Until then, you have my word it will be used strictly for their protection.” As Nicor stepped out of the cell a siren sounded off overhead. Hell
had been
attack
ed
.