Angel Incarnate: Second Sight (13 page)

Her face was rigid and
stone-like when she turned to her husband.
 
“I don’t know who invited these brats to my wedding, but they need to
leave now! I will not have them putting their dirty little hands on my food!”

Reaghan began to
whimper as tears streamed down her cheeks. No one had ever been cruel to her
before; she was loved by everyone she met.

The pitiful whine from
the young angel-blood filled the square. The rest of the Utopians were stunned.
They couldn’t believe Meredith would strike the poor child, especially since
she was Paul’s daughter.

Willow was the first to
run to Reaghan’s side. She stroked the hand of her young friend, erasing the
red mark and pain inflicted by the governor’s wife.

Then to everyone’s
surprise, Willow drew back her fist, which connected with Meredith’s jaw.

The impact was so
great, the diamond tiara worn by the Baroness, crashed to the ground before she
landed with a splash in one of the fountains.

Some of the guests
tried to muffle their chuckling, but Bren and Tracy hooped and hollered, which
made the rest of the little ones laugh.

Willow’s voice was
scary calm.
 
“Don’t you ever hit one of
my
friends!
”

“Do something,
Richard,” Desiree cried. “These brats shouldn’t even be here.”

“These children are my
guests,” Caspian said.

Whether it was his wife
calling for Richard, or referring to the Guild’s children as brats, Caspian was
so angry, he shoved Desiree, who lost her balance, landing in the fountain next
to her mother-in-law.

The crowd gasped as
Richard’s hand flew beneath his coat jacket, but before he could pull out a
weapon, Bren and Tracy were in front of him.

“If you value your
life, you’ll put your hands where we can see them,” Bren warned.

Knowing the children of
the Guild had special powers, Richard wasn’t about to test them, especially
with Adam and Paul watching.

Bren then walked over
to the treat table and picked up a tray of petite fours. The look in her eyes,
dared anyone from trying to stop her from giving the little cakes to the other
children.

Desiree started sobbing
uncontrollably. “How can you defend these brats, Caspian? We agreed there would
be no children at our wedding. You care more for them, than you care for your
mother, and she’s a baroness!”

Eve approached the
fountain, looking smug, while doing nothing to control her laughter, which
further infuriated Meredith.

“There is no royal
blood in Meredith’s veins,” she said, loud enough for the crowd to hear.
“Hasn’t she told you the truth about her father? His biological mother made a
pact with Lucifer -- her son would go to a childless couple, and she would go
to Hell to become his new bride. Byron never wanted for anything growing up;
his adoptive parents were true blue-bloods, coming from a long line of royals,
but he was greedy, and they could never give him enough.”

Meredith tried to
stand, but a flick of Bren’s wrist forced her back into the water. “That is a
lie,” she bellowed. “My father was a good and decent man.”

Eve’s face hardened.
This was a side of her the family had never seen before.

“Your father was a
murderer. After he married Lucifer’s sister, Loralei, he took the Baron’s
money, but wanted nothing more to do with him, or his wife. No – Byron only
wanted a child with Lucifer’s blood – a child who could be controlled by
darkness and evil. Loralei gave birth to you, and when you were ten years old,
Byron poisoned his parents. When she discovered what he did, Byron had Loralei
killed her too.”

“All lies – my father
was innocent. The Guild killed him for no reason,” Meredith cried.

Eve’s tone softened.
“Despite all his faults, you have always defended Byron.” She bent down to pick
up the tiara. When she handed it to Meredith, she noticed one of the diamonds
was missing.

Meredith snatched the
tiara. “This was all I had left of my father, and now it’s broken because of
your impertinent daughter,” she shouted.

Bren was about to push
Meredith again, when Eve waved her off.
 

“The crown never
belonged to your father; it was one of the many jewels he stole from the
Baroness after her death.
 
Your father
followed a dark path, even though his wife remained faithful to Heaven.
Thankfully, three of your children followed in her footsteps. The jury is still
out on you and your eldest son.”

Eve sauntered closer to
Richard. “You have your grandfather’s eyes. Do you know you can tell a lot
about a person by the color of their eyes? Black is a telltale sign someone is
being tempted by darkness. Tell me, Richard – is there any remnant of the
angels in your blood?
 
You don’t have to
answer; I think we know.”

Eve’s gaze then
followed Nathali who was standing beside her father. Like Meredith, her curly
hair was an auburn color. “Lucifer’s daughter -- your eyes are as cold as your
fathers.”

“What are you talking
about? Richard is my father,” Nathali said.

“Is he? My apologies --
I must be mistaken.”

Meredith and Desiree
climbed out of the fountain. Their once beautiful silk gowns lost their luster
and clung to their bodies like limp dishrags. Just as their feet hit the
ground, a wave of thunder and crack of lightning was heard. Everyone’s eyes
turned to the sky in time to see Uriel arrive.

Dressed in a white
linen shirt and loose-fitting black trousers, the archangel strode over to
Reaghan, who jumped into his arms, and nestled her head against his shoulder.
Though the red mark on her hand was gone, she was still whimpering.

Uriel kissed her
fingers. “There – all better?”

She nodded, and then
ran back to Bren and Tracy who had brought another tray of goodies to the
table.
 

“I want all of these
brats gone, and that one, -- she pointed a finger towards Willow – “punished
for assaulting me,” Meredith yelled as she tried to wring the water out of her
dress.

“I’m afraid there will
be no more punishments today,” Uriel said tranquilly. “You were foolish to
strike my granddaughter.
As you can imagine, our young ones
our very protective of each other.”

He winked at Willow,
who was standing next to Rita, grinning from ear to ear.

“As to the presence of
the other children; I believe it would be easier for my daughter-in-law to show
you why they are under the watchful eyes of the Guild. I do apologize for the
timing of this news, but it is imperative you realize the threat of danger is
closer than you can imagine.”

Uriel motioned for Eve
to pull up the visions of the angel-blood’s deaths, and show how their
daughters came to be abused, and later rescued from Purgatory.

Holding nothing back,
Eve showed everything, including the beatings and burning of their flesh with
hell-fire.

Most of the residents
were appalled by what they witnessed; some were openly sobbing, others were
vomiting in the grass -- even the men had to look away, but Desiree, Richard,
Nathali, and Meredith could have cared less about the children. Their
expressions were emotionless as they continued to watch the horrific abuse.

“There is little we can
do for those who choose to live outside the protection of the colonies,”
Richard said. “They left their heritage behind a long time ago. Whatever
happens to them is none of our business.”

“I’m sorry you feel
that way,” Uriel said. “If you think Lucifer’s son won’t come after your
children; you are sadly mistaken.
 
He
intends to use the angel-bloods when his father starts the second war. These
children were not given a choice; it was taken from them. We are making
arrangements to warn those who live amongst the mortals about the dangers they
face. As you can imagine, tracking them has been a slow and tedious process.”

“Will you be asking for
volunteers to assist with your mission?” Axel inquired.

“We would welcome your
help, my friend. Paul can speak more on this after the celebration. I know of
no immediate threat to Utopia, so I suggest you enjoy the rest of your party.”

Bren and Tracy slipped
over to the orchestra pit and asked the band members to play something lively,
so the guests could dance.

The swing music they
decided on wasn’t the rock and roll the girls were used to, but the kids didn’t
seem to mind. The instruments drowned out the sounds of Meredith and Desiree
whining complaints about the children ruining the wedding.
  

Uriel pulled his son,
Paul, to the side. “I have decided to allow Jeziel to come to Aeden, but you
are not to speak of this to anyone else, including Adam. He is your best
friend, but some of us feel he has never forgiven Mortriel for killing Tercia.”

“She has been reincarnated;
Adam has no reason to be angry now. Are you certain we aren’t making a mistake
by allowing Lucifer’s daughter to leave Heaven?”

“This command came from
the Lord Father; perhaps he is testing her loyalty. I need you to speak to
Hespa and tell her about our decision. She will argue against it, but won’t
defy an order from Father. I have to return to Heaven. Michael has summoned
Dahnael, and I need to have a word with Jeziel.”

Before Paul could
respond, his father disappeared.

Caspian was so angry; he
couldn’t even look at his wife. Henry demanded that Meredith apologize for her
behavior, but instead, she and Desiree turned on their heels, and stormed into
the house.

Not being used to
controversy, Caspian was disappointed his friend Andromeda left before he had
the chance to speak to her. He would send a note of apology in the morning.

The servants arranged
trays of food in the center of each table where the orphans were seated. The
chefs, angry at Meredith’s behavior, made special treats for the little ones.
Caspian insisted the children be served before anyone in the wedding party,
including him and the bride, if she returned.

Satisfied his brother
would be leaving soon, Richard poured himself a glass of champagne while he
watched Caspian and Axel converse with Paul and Adam.
 

I’ll speak to Samhael tomorrow. We’ll take care of Analie
first, and then we will arrange for Caspian and Axel’s deaths.
 
If Joshua becomes a problem, he will be
eliminated too. Soon, I will rule Utopia, and Desiree will be by my side. No
one will keep us apart -- no one.

When he saw Eve staring
at him, Richard raised his glass, and gave her a subtle nod.

I’m sure Samhael will be happy to
know his prisoners were taken to Aeden.
 
Your father’s shield may protect you, but it won’t protect them
.
Change
is coming; Lucifer won’t fail a second time
.

Chapter 18

The rest of the young
captives left behind in Purgatory were worked well past dusk.

Even though Mortriel
had warned the fallen not to harm them, he said nothing about the amount of
tasks they were given to complete. They were deprived of food and water until
they were locked in the carriage house for the night.

Verah, being the eldest
at twenty three years, did her best to look after the others.

She was the first one
captured almost four years ago when her car went over an embankment. Near
death, Samhael had promised to return her to her husband, Alistair, the
governor of the Australian colony. But he lied, and took her to Purgatory. When
she tried to escape, he burned her arms with hell-fire.

There was no way to get
a message to Alistair to tell him she was alive; he would have gone to hell and
back to rescue her.

For three years, Verah
was the sole entertainment for the fallen angels, and then, the other girls began
to arrive.

Not one day went by
that she didn’t think about her son, who would be nearing his fifth birthday.
She wouldn’t have blamed Alistair if he found a new wife. If he thought she was
dead, he had every right to move on with his life.

Verah huddled into a
circle with the other girls. Being imprisoned had taken its toll on most of
them. They were half-starved and their once beautiful bodies were scarred with
burns.

Emaciated and fragile,
they were still expected to do the work of a dozen men, even though some of the
children were barely six years of age. If they complained, they were sent to
bed hungry, not that they weren’t always hungry.

At least the rescue of
the youngest prisoners had given them hope. Maybe, just maybe, the angels would
return and free Verah and the others.

For now, she would bide
her time and try not to anger her captors. They were not above making an
example of the angel-bloods, and had been known to burn one now and then in the
middle of the square.
 

There were no beds in
the carriage house, only bales of hay. The only source of light came from the
cracked beams in the roof and the few lanterns the guards hung from their
chairs.

The fallen angels
didn’t want to be there anymore than the angel-bloods, but they wouldn’t dare
complain for fear of what Mortriel would do to them.

The door to the
carriage house opened and Oliver entered with his apprentice Garrett. As the
chef of one of the finest restaurants on the island, the fallen angel was used
to cooking for Mortriel and Samhael.

Because they both
shared the same sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, there were rumors Oliver and
Garrett were father and son; a truth Oliver vehemently denied.

Verah looked to Heaven
and said a silent prayer.

“I hope you don’t think
your God is going to help you,” one of the guards chuckled. “You’ll be with us
until the day you die, and if your little friends return, they will join you.
I’m sure Mortriel will plan something special for them.”

Verah ignored him and
continued with her prayer.

“
Please, Father, I do not ask for myself, but for them. They have
already suffered ten-fold. If you could find a way to free them, I will be
forever in your debt
.”

For dinner, the
angel-bloods were given stale bread and water. Most had almost forgotten what a
homemade meal tasted like.
 

As much as Verah
despised the fallen angels, there were some who did not agree with the
treatment of the young girls. Unfortunately, their fear of Mortriel and Samhael
kept them from providing more help.

There were times when
Lucifer’s son and Samhael were away for extended periods. On those occasions,
some of the fallen would take pity on the girls, and sneak fresh fruit and
pastries to them, but those times were few and far between. Thankfully, this
was one of those occasions.

Oliver was loyal, but
he wasn’t a cruel angel.
 
Seeing the
filthy cups and stale bread given to the girls, he challenged the guards. “Were
you not instructed by Mortriel that these children were not to be harmed? We’ll
be relieving you for the night; you’re free to go.”

“I doubt they’ll give
you any trouble,” one of the guards chuckled. “We worked their fingers to the
bone today.”

“How do you expect them
to work tomorrow if you starve them tonight?”

“Why are you defending
them? Have you forgotten what the Guild did to you and your wife?”

Oliver ran his hand
over the scar on his neck. “I forget nothing,” he stated firmly. “But these
children are here for a purpose, and if you kill them, you’ll deal with
Mortriel’s wrath.”

He whispered something
in Garrett’s ear, and the young man ran out of the carriage house. When the
guards were gone, Oliver helped Verah cover some of the hay bales with
tablecloths.

When Garrett returned
he had a large tray full of fresh fruit, roasted chicken, vegetables and
pastries. There was enough for everyone to have their fill.
 
After they ate, Verah helped arrange the
bales of hay so they could sleep next to each other.

As soon as the sun went
down, they prepared for bed. There was little privacy, so they took turns
standing in front of one another until they were in night clothes. Most of the
gowns were torn and ragged, but it was better than not wearing anything at all.

At least the other
guards were gone. It was hard to imagine some of them were once messengers of
Heaven.

Verah was used to their
crude comments, but she could sense it still hurt the young girls to be treated
so unjustly. Their only crime was being born with the blood of the angels; a
fact they weren’t even aware of until they were brought to Purgatory.

Verah didn’t want to
remember how each night the men had come into her room and taken advantage of
her. Thankfully, she knew enough about mixing potions from the herbs and plants
which grew on the island that she didn’t bare them any children.
 

What would her husband
think of her now? She was no longer the virtuous woman he married; surviving in
Purgatory had stolen all of her dignity. Still, she did what she could to keep
the other girls out of harm's way, often accepting more punishments so they
would be safe.

The children were worn
out from the amount of chores they had done, so with their bellies full, they
wrapped their arms around each other and fell fast asleep as soon as their
heads hit the hay.

After thanking Oliver
for his kindness, Verah turned towards the children and finally succumbed to a
restless sleep. Tonight, she felt almost safe. Oliver and Garrett would not
abuse her or the children.

As she tossed and
turned, tears stained her once rosy cheeks. Heaven only knew what tomorrow
would bring, especially when Mortriel returned.