The Demon Side (12 page)

“These readings are off the charts!” the first man exclaimed.

“The equipment must be malfunctioning again,” the second geek called out.

“But we just calibrated everything this morning and they were working fine,” lab geek number one responded.

The two lab coats yelled back and forth at each other, trying to figure out why their equipment had gone berserk. Etta’s eyes bulged when she finally noticed I stood in the room. Nervously approaching me, she watched to make sure no one’s attention turned toward her.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, barely moving her lips.

“Seeing what you’re up to.” I tucked her bangs behind her ear and moved in to kiss her cheek when she tilted her head away from me.

“You have to go. We’ll be home later tonight.” Etta gritted her teeth and quickly walked back to the three men. As much as I wanted to watch what she was doing, I couldn’t handle the noise of the room any longer and no signs showed that Alastor could be near, anyway.

Back in the comfort of my attic, I wondered where I had found Etta and what she was doing there. She seemed upset about something. I thought maybe John had taken her in for another one of her psychological evaluations and that’s why she pulled away from me. I know her father had a habit of thinking her crazy, but it didn’t appear to be any nuthouse I had seen on television or read about before. I would have to wait until she returned home to find out. Until then, I would enjoy my downtime and get some rest before searching for Alastor again.

I walked over to my little corner in the attic and began looking through the stack of CDs I had taken over the years. Etta had a fondness for music and maybe I could find a song or CD she would enjoy when she returned home. I studied each case carefully when I felt a warm gust of air swarm around me and the smell of wheat fields filled the attic. Let the games begin.

“What do you think you’re doing, Ra?” an all too familiar voice rang out from behind me. The Arch Michael decided to pay me a visit. Though I don’t fully remember my past, Michael and I have always had hostility toward each other. Just the sight of him made me want to vomit. And he never hid the fact the sight of me did the same for him.

A second rush of warm air told me another Arch decided to join the party as well. My guess was Gabriel. It would seem the attack on René finally warranted a visit from above. But if they planned on just popping in here and hauling me off for a Tribunal, they would be sorely mistaken. Being outnumbered, I knew for me to escape their golden shackles they would have to make a grievous mistake. I would have to keep them jumpy and on their toes.

The easiest way to get under an Arch’s skin is to keep your back to them. They hate when you don’t have the decency to face them and the more annoyed they are, the more on edge they become.

“Whatever do you mean, Michael?” I knew exactly why they were here, but playing dumb was just another way of getting under their skin. I found the CD for Etta that I had been looking for and set it aside. I continued to shuffle through a few more cases to seem occupied, but kept the Arches in my peripheral vision.

“The girl, Rahovart. What are you doing?” Gabriel chimed in, as if he could command the truth out of me with just the sound of his voice.

“I am doing nothing to the girl.”

Michael clenched his fist and took a step forward, but Gabriel quickly stepped ahead of him, blocking his path. “Rahovart, I do not know any other way to say this without you taking it as a threat, but you need to leave the girl alone.”

“And why would I listen to a hypocrite such as you, Gabriel?” I had no harsh feelings toward Gabriel, but he remained an enemy. I could spare no quarter, no matter how much respect I had for his battlefield etiquette.

“We do not need to explain anything to you. Consider this your final warning, Rahovart.” Michael forced the words out of his gritted teeth.

Now, that did sound like a threat, something I don’t take very kindly to, especially on my own turf. I couldn’t allow this “do-gooder” to come in and tell me what I could and could not do. Turning toward them and returning the same battle-ready glare they were giving me, I chose my response carefully.

“What I do does not concern the likes of you, Michael, so your threats mean nothing to me. You can either leave or we can kill each other now.” I grabbed behind me for my sword, making ready for his charge. Michael hated to be challenged, and just as I predicted, he charged toward me. The coward flung his left wing at me to throw me off balance. As I bent back, it barely missed my face. I grabbed my shield and swung it upward to block the rear of his wings, slicing my sword at him. He had already spun around to block my blow with his shield. In a flash I head-butted him, knocking him back into a rafter. I had home turf advantage. I knew this attic like the back of my hand and could maneuver in the tight enclosure with ease.

I moved toward him as he scrambled for his sword. I struck downward with mine, but he rolled out of the way. A second sooner and I would have surely cut his head clear off of his neck. As he rolled away from me, he kicked out my legs from under me. The weight of my body falling on his pushed us through the weak plywood and sheetrock of the attic floor. As we made our landing in Etta’s room, we both quickly jumped to our feet, ready to go at each other again, when Gabriel jumped down between us with his arms and wings extended out to keep us from charging at one another.

“Enough!” he shouted. “We are not here for this. Michael, at ease. Rahovart, back off. We came only to give you a warning to please leave the girl alone.” Gabriel looked back and forth between Michael and me.

“And what is so special to you about the girl? Since when did you and your boss take such an interest in one teenage girl, enough to send two Arches instead of a Guardian?”

Gabriel’s expression was blank as he turned to me. “Just heed our warning. Let us go, Michael.”

As quickly as they’d arrived, Michael and Gabriel departed, leaving me with a hell of a mess to clean up. Twice in less than a week, I had seen an Arch. If they kept multiplying, I would be on the losing end of a fight. I have had a few visits from an Arch during my time here, instead mostly Guardian peons checked up on me to make sure I was following the guidelines and not raping or physically hurting anyone.

I threw my shield and sword on Etta’s bed and plopped down next to them. A million questions raced through my head. Why were the Arches here to talk about Etta instead of what I did to René? They made no mention of me almost killing her. What was so special about Etta, other than the obvious fact that she could see and hear Demons? It seemed each side had a strong interest in her.

“Bravo! You know, I thought you had Michael that time. Too bad that sissy Gabriel jumped in. Here, let me help you clean up.” Alastor waved his hand and the ceiling left no trace of the battle.

“Just state your business here, Alastor, and do me no favors. If it’s vengeance you’ve come for then leave the pleasantries at the door and get on with it.” If Alastor wanted a fight, I’d give him one. After the scuffle with Michael I was warmed up and ready to go.

“My business? Forget the fact you tried to serve me on a platter to the Arches. I’m here for the girl, too, of course. She is rightfully mine, brother.”

“This is my home and she resides here, therefore, she is no longer your concern. So go now before we have an issue.”

“Oh my, dear brother, you really are lost, aren’t you?” Alastor began snooping around the room. “You see, I can’t do that. Our Master has a plan for her, and it is my job to make sure she is ready.”

Etta was in the middle of something far greater than just a small Demon infestation. There was only one reason Master would want a young girl to be protected. He had always wanted a child of his own. The birth of an anti-Christ would tilt the power scale dramatically in his favor. Rage instantly filled me. As far as I was concerned, Etta belonged to me. I had to protect her from Lucifer and Alastor, and what I said and did next set the wheels of chaos into motion.

“Tell him I’ll handle it from here on out. You can go.” I tried desperately to keep my voice calm.

“I am sure you can handle it, but it’s not my place to make decisions on the matter.” Alastor’s delusive smile sent chills up and down my body. “But, I’ll tell you what, brother; I will talk to him and let you know of his decision.”

“Why don’t I go with you and we can talk to him together?” I hadn’t heard from my world since being stranded in this land. I could go back to find out why I had been cast out. It would distract Alastor from Etta as well. Alastor stopped in his tracks. I could feel his eyes on my back. My request upset him. He didn’t want me back. I could feel it. I waited patiently for his answer for a few moments.

“Well, brother?” I asked.

“We’ll talk soon.”

Alastor hissed at the sound of the front door opening and Etta hollering, “We’re home!” Then he disappeared.

Etta stomped up the stairs. I had to put my things away as not to alarm her. If she saw my sword and shield, she might know there’d been a quarrel and raise questions I didn’t have the answers for. I ran to the closet to throw them up in the attic, but the opening vanished. “Alastor!” He had completely sealed the attic when he fixed the damage from my fight with Michael.

“Ra? You in here?”

I had no time to fix what Alastor had done, nor get my gear in the attic. I quickly hid them in the closet behind some shoes and hanging clothes. When I turned around, Etta’s big chocolate eyes met mine.

“Whatcha doin’ in there?” Etta stretched her neck out, trying to see behind me.

“Just coming down to see how your trip was.” I gave the best smile I had, hoping it would hide the state of confusion Alastor and the Arches had left me in. “So, how was it?”

“It was incredible. We went and saw my friend’s dad, remember the guy I told you about at Duke?” Before I could answer, Etta began talking a mile a minute. “Well, he did some research and we found out who you are—a little hard to find since you aren’t in many books, but we found a few accounts. It’s almost as if you were being erased from history, but…I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. Did you know you used to be an Arch and not just any Arch, but you were
the
Arch, like, you know God’s right hand man. Oh and there’s more, we found everything from your battles as an Arch all the way to when you became a Demon.”

As Etta spoke, I tried to take in what she’d said. It’s common knowledge in order to become a Demon you had to be a fallen Angel, but an Arch? I was trying to imagine myself with the large wingspan of an Arch when I became struck with an incredibly shattering headache. Images flashed at the speed of light in front of my eyes. I dropped to my knees holding my head, squeezing my eyes closed tightly. I felt Etta’s hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes to find myself no longer in her room.

There before me were the seven Arches: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel, Saraqael, and me sitting at the head of a large white table in a large, blinding white room. There I stood, Angelic me, tall, olive-toned, blond hair, and green eyes. Just as Etta had described me before she left for her trip.

I couldn’t hear a word of what was spoken in this vision, but I knew I was in the war room. The seven Arches and I were preparing for a battle. As we stood up from our meeting, Michael lovingly put his arm around my shoulder. We smiled at each other as they passed through me. I wasn’t really there. I was watching my past.

I turned and followed the Arches, including me, from the room and observed them standing outside and talking. I had seen a glimpse of this before; it was one of the few short memories I had. I took in the large white and gold buildings that decorated a silky pale blue sky. I was in Heaven.

Thousands of Angels walked the streets, smiling and greeting each other warmly in their battle gear as they said goodbye to families and friends. Battles were never a somber time here. They were joyous events. They all believed deeply in their fight and believed each battle got them closer and closer to the day their fallen brothers would no longer be a threat to mankind.

My attention broke from the glorious scenery when a tall, slender, beautiful brunette dressed in a long white toga embraced the Angelic me. “Abihail?” I said out loud. How could I have forgotten her? It had been quite the challenge courting her. When we first met, I was just a Guardian Angel. So many others wanted her, so many far greater Angels than me. Soon she only had eyes for me and I for her. After a short courtship, we were sealed before our Father for all time and eternity. We shared a millennium together as what humans would call husband and wife.

I watched with sadness as she sweetly handed the Angelic me a sword and shield. With a long kiss, I said goodbye to my Abihail. As the warriors walked off the scene, it took on static like an old television might, and my headache returned. The scene changed when I opened my eyes. I was standing in the depths of Hell in the middle of a fierce fight. Angels and Demons passed right through me. It didn’t take long to find Angelic me with Michael, fighting by his side. The corpses of Demons and Angels turned to dust under their feet as they tried to hold back the battle line. Highly outnumbered and losing more than they could afford, the Arches had to retreat.

As Angelic me sliced at a group of Demons with his wings, another snuck under and stabbed him—me—in the ribs, dropping him to the blood-soaked ground. I looked down at my side. I still had the scar from that wound. I ran my fingers over it, but suddenly the volume blasted on. Battle cries and screams of the wounded drowned out the metallic clanking of swords and shields. Then one cry rose above the rest.