Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1) (2 page)

Chapter One

Gabrielle ~ The Reaper

Phalen fumbled with her clothing, stumbling in her flip-flops as she did. Gabrielle laughed from seeing someone who is normally so graceful and sure of herself being so awkward and clumsy.

‘Phalen, please stop acting so uncomfortable. You’re going to bring more attention on us than we need,’
Gabrielle thought to her friend as they made their way down the busy boardwalk separating the beach from a strip of shops and restaurants.

‘I am uncomfortable,’
Phalen retorted.
‘Why,
exactly
, do I have to wear these things on my feet? There’s hardly anything to hold them on.’

Gabrielle laughed again but continued to silently converse with Phalen.
‘Because this is what females wear on hot, sunny days at the beach. Now, seriously, stop fidgeting. We have to see how long I can go unnoticed.’

‘I still don’t know how I let you talk me into this,’
Phalen continued.
‘Why would you want to stay in one of these bodies, anyway? They are strange … all these extra emotions and thoughts. It’s no wonder they make so many mistakes—all the contradictory thinking battling back and forth in their heads. I can’t tell right now if I need to be concerned about how I look, or if someone doesn’t like my appearance, tell them to mind their own business. And that’s just the start of the things I have going on in my mind in the few minutes I’ve been in human form.’

‘That’s precisely
why I
need
to live in one for a while. I want to know how their senses and thoughts drive them to do the things they do. Why is that so difficult for everyone to understand? And you came with me because the only way I was allowed to try this was under the condition that I have a skilled fighter with me. You are one of the most skilled I know.’

‘More like the most compliant angel you know. Why do they think
you
need me for assistance if there’s a confrontation? Everyone knows you can take care of yourself just fine. Compared to you, I’m an amateur.’

‘Don’t sell yourself short, Phalen. I’ve seen you in battle, and they have, too. As far as why it’s so important to have a comrade with me, you’ll have to ask them. I think it’s all Amaziah’s doing. He’s over-protective of me. I probably don’t make things easy for him, though.’

Phalen snickered.

‘Oh … Gabrielle … there isn’t an angel around who would say there’s anything
easy
about you. And, for the record, there’s no way I’m questioning
them
,’
Phalen raised a finger toward the sky,
‘about me being here.’

‘See,’
Gabrielle answered through snickers of her own.
‘A skilled fighter
and
honest. What more could a girl ask for?’

‘Ahh, but, you’re no girl. You’re one of the most—’

‘Shh! Don’t say it. We should stop communicating this way. Speak aloud from now on unless the situation calls for other means. The Fallen will find us far easier if we don’t.’
Gabrielle glanced at Phalen to see if she understood, but she looked puzzled. “If they are paying close enough attention, which they hopefully aren’t, communicating the way we were will be a beacon to them, and they will be curious. It makes our energy vibrate on a much higher level than a human’s. Amaziah didn’t allow for me to veil myself, and I don’t need them finding me faster simply because I am not being careful. He is already sure they will notice me quickly.”

Phalen shrugged and a playful expression flashed across her face. “Okay. But I am not responsible for what might be thrust out by this human tongue.” Phalen smiled. “Hey, I sound pretty good … for a human.”

Phalen’s perpetually good mood was refreshing and a nice counter to the struggle that Gabrielle had with her own constantly fluctuating emotions—trying to keep herself happy and not downright bitchy was proving more of an issue every day.

“You most certainly are responsible. You’ll have just as much control as you do in your Divine form.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so.” Gabrielle smiled, hooking her arm around Phalen’s as they made their way onto the beach. Both stopped and took off their flip-flops, quickly finding they didn’t like the way the sand felt as it slid between human skin and shoe, scratching at their feet with every uncomfortable step. Phalen shot Gabrielle a look that said she was happy to get them off her feet without needing to say a word.

When they resumed their walk, Gabrielle watched as, each time she put her foot down and let her weight rest on it more, the warm, thick sand fell around her foot, covering it slightly. The closer they got to the water’s edge, the more compact and damp the sand became, causing the fine grains to become cooler and squish through her toes instead of blanketing her feet like they were before. Once they reached where the waves grabbed at the shoreline with soaking hands, Gabrielle turned and glanced over her shoulder to see the footprints they had left.

“That’s something we don’t usually see.”

Phalen looked behind them as well, smiling in response, and then both faced forward again.

“So,” Phalen began, “what exactly are you supposed to be doing now?”

“Nothing. Except seeing how long it takes for me to be noticed by the Fallen. It’s Amaziah’s way of proving his point.”

“Well, he
does
have a point. You’re nothing more than a huge target to them, whether you want to face it or not.”

“It’s not that I’m not facing it. I know the danger I’m in anytime I’m away from Heaven, but I also know the state of things here. We’re losing the war with Darkness. Besides … I can handle myself pretty well.”

Phalen let out a chuckle.
“That’s an understatement of monumental proportions.”

A half smile was Gabrielle’s only response. At some point, her powers always seemed to be a part of every conversation she had with one of her brethren, which was the main reason she avoided interacting with the majority of them. She didn’t like to be thought of as such an efficient and skilled killer—to have so much more power than the others—even if it was true. And she hated the reverence and fear her abilities evoked from most angels. She had no control over the gifts Yahuwah chose to empower her with. Those bestowed on her made her different from her brethren—too different—and it left her feeling she was alone even with the legions of comrades she had in Heaven and on Earth.

Especially now that Javan is gone.

In her periphery, Gabrielle noticed Phalen’s gaze fall on her and heard a subtle huff escape her mouth.

“Javan wasn’t who you thought he was … who
any
of us thought he was, Gabrielle. I wish you would stop thinking of him so much.”

“Easy. He was my Reyah,” Gabrielle said with a slight scowl. “I wish I had thought of him when I was blocking my thoughts so you didn’t know he was on my mind at all. And … trust me … I want him off my mind more than anyone.”

Silence stretched between them as they continued their path along the shoreline leading away from the busiest part of the beach. Phalen didn’t have to respond to Gabrielle’s statement—all angels knew the pain was constant and endless from the loss of a Reyah. It left a sense of loneliness that was indescribable, and one that Gabrielle often thought a human could never endure. It was too profound to bear even with their limited time to feel it, and an angel felt it for thousands of years. The best that could be hoped for was to learn how to distract yourself from the conscious thoughts of the one who was lost to you.

Gabrielle closed her eyes as they walked, taking in the way it felt on her skin as the brisk, salty breeze carried the spray from crashing waves, lightly coating her face and body—a breeze foretelling the arrival of the storm approaching from the sea’s depths. The darkened clouds were becoming more prominent on the horizon, and she was already aware of the soft rumblings of thunder that were too far away for the humans on the beach to hear.

It only took a moment more before she saw what was now a familiar vision behind her closed eyes—the image of a young man. She didn’t know who he was, not yet. However, it was always the same blue eyes looking back at her—the same crooked smile. A human so present in her visions would be someone she would help in some way, and this one—who she’d seen so many times she’d lost count—would be easy to recognize when the time came. He seemed somehow …
different
, more important, for reasons Gabrielle couldn’t figure out. What she did know was that she found herself trying to hold onto the visions longer lately. She enjoyed his face. It filled her with happiness. But what she enjoyed most was the peace it brought that was normally elusive for her. He would appear and all the tension and worry that plagued her would drift away like the sand being pulled back to sea by the tide, causing her to will the vision of him to linger. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw something moving toward them on the distant shoreline, and the feeling of happiness and peace disappeared.

She released a heavy sigh.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Gabrielle said under her breath.

Phalen looked up from where her own eyes had been searching the sand in front of her and looked at Gabrielle, then in the direction of her gaze.

“How many?”

“Looks like seven, but there could be more. Once they know I’m around, there could be many in route I don’t see, yet.” Gabrielle didn’t keep her frustration from being known in her tone. This would prove Amaziah right and allow him to gain even firmer footing in his argument against her doing what she had been asking for.

“What do you want to do?” Phalen asked.

“I want to release some of the bad mood my work has left me with. Are you game?”

A large, mischievous smile pushed Phalen’s human cheeks aside.

“Always. You don’t think I came just out of duty, do you? I was hoping for a little action. It’s fine to spar with our brethren, but it’s much more challenging when I am fighting with the end in mind—whether it’s my end or my opponent’s.”

“Good. We need to move this somewhere I can easily use a veil.”

“Okay. Just remember not to take them all out yourself. I’d like to use this to sharpen my skills—if you don’t mind.”

Gabrielle smiled at Phalen. She was young, especially compared to her, and still eager for combat against the Fallen.

“No, I don’t mind. I’ll let you handle most of them.”

“Where do you want to take this little battle?” Phalen asked with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Gabrielle scanned their surroundings until she saw a small barrier island about a quarter mile out to sea. It was far enough from the beach that there were no swimmers or jet skiers near it, and most boaters were already heeding the threatening horizon’s warning.

“There.” Gabrielle pointed in the direction of the island. “That will serve us well.”

“How do we get there? We can’t exactly walk on water or fly to it without causing a commotion.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Gabrielle raised her hand, bringing the progression of human time to a halt. Every living thing stood still—as if they had been created by an artist’s brush. The only beings still moving, other than Gabrielle and Phalen, were the demons in pursuit of revenge that they desired for being cast from Heaven—for being denied whatever it was they felt they deserved.

“
Wow …
that’s something I didn’t think I’d ever see. I’ve heard about it, but so few are bestowed with the ability to interrupt mortal time.”

Gabrielle felt her unease rise once more from the attention her powers brought. She had to stop her inner voice from yelling that she was tired of being different. She didn’t have time to dwell on those feelings, so she pushed them away. Their attackers, though a safe distance away, were drawing close. “We need to get over there so I can start time again. I’m not a fan of using this ability unless I have to. I worry some bored demon will use the pause to wreak havoc if it’s left in place long enough.”

Phalen was staring at Gabrielle with an expression of marvel mingling with admiration, furthering Gabrielle’s unwanted sense of uniqueness.

“Anyway,” Gabrielle said to try to interrupt Phalen’s gaze and its accompanying thoughts, “let’s go.”

The two made their way to the island as Gabrielle took care of what was needed to keep their human bodies from being bothered on the beach. Once they reached the location, Gabrielle placed a veil around it, then resumed time. A glance at the shore they had just been walking on showed their human figures still making their way slowly along the edge of the breaking waves. The dark-haired, olive-skinned body she’d chosen was a stark contrast to the white-blond, ivory-skinned one that Phalen decided on.

That was all she had time to note before the demons were upon them. They were now facing seven of Yahuwah’s Fallen, and as much as it pained Gabrielle to know what was about to befall these demons who were once her brethren, she knew their dark eyes matched their intentions.

“Well,” said one of the demons, “I take it you intend on letting us have a little fun. Would you like to …
dance
, angel?”

They’d dropped their Glamours since there were no human eyes to see their true appearance. She wished they hadn’t. The empty gazes that once showed so much Light and life weren’t that bad, really. It was their unusually large mouths that held ragged, darkened teeth in their confines and over-muscular faces and bodies that were things seen in human nightmares. Their beauty was lost in the fall, mirroring the loss of beauty in their hearts, minds, and souls.

And their odor
…

Evil is vile on more than a mental, soulless level; it consumes the physical as well. If the Fallen didn’t mask their stench, it made her insides lurch as they were right now. It was the smell of the hate and decay of the Underworld they inhabited, a cross between sulfur and rotting flesh. It seeped into everything. It showed in every tooth, under every nail. Even their skin showed the greenish-grey undertones of the Darkness of the Underworld.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as much fun as you might think, demon,” Gabrielle said, aware of the others making a wide circle around her and Phalen.