Mercy for the Fallen (11 page)

“Adam… wait,” I called out, but he was gone.

Chapter Eleven

“Merceline.”

My eyes squinched tight against the brightness.  Had Parker left the light on when he came home from the club?  My foot slid out to feel his comforting heat beside me, and I rolled over, covering my head with the comforter. 

“Merceline,” the voice came again.  Not the way it sounded when someone was calling my name and I felt compelled to find them, but speaking it in a low, insistent tone. 

“Go away,” I growled, peeking under the blankets to peer at the clock.  A little past four a.m.  What was it with angels bugging me in the middle of the night?  “Ugh.  This had better be good.”

“Merceline, I pray thee leave behind the lure of sleep and speak with me.  I have most urgent news.”

Was he for real?  Even among angels, none of the ones I’d met spoke so formally.  Unless they were delivering a message, that tended to go with the more dramatic.  That thought alone made me force myself to wake up.  That, and I wanted to know who the hell was bugging me in the middle of the night in my bedroom.     

Uncovering my head the rest of the way, I had the blankets halfway down before I realized I was naked and yanked them back up to my chin.  When had I gotten naked?  Was this one of those dreams where you can’t find any clothes no matter what?  Dimly, I recalled greeting Parker amorously when he got home from work, still a little tipsy from the wine.  All traces of intoxication were gone, leaving a dull ache behind my eyes and the taste of dead leaves in my mouth. 

Through squinted eyes, I saw a man standing beside the bed, the nimbus of golden Grace bright in the darkened room.  Dark, wavy hair fell to just under his ears, curling there.  Powerful, broad shoulders were swathed in white robes with a bright blue mantle that matched his eyes.  He was the only angel I’d ever met who looked like he’d stepped off the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Even Gabriel wore modern clothes whenever he showed up.  I was pretty sure I’d never seen him before at any of the angel meetings in the past.  Definitely not one of the Fallen.  Soft, full lips were pinched into a frowny line as he waited for me to wake up fully. 

I lifted my hand to shield my eyes against his glow.  “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my bedroom?”

“Be not afraid, Merceline.  I am Michael, and I bring thee news of great portent.”

“Michael… as in Michael, the archangel?  How come he didn’t come to talk to me himself?”  Parker stirred beside me, and I reached over to rub his back, not wanting to wake him up unless I had to.  It was a tad disturbing to find Michael in my bedroom.  Wasn’t he the leader of God’s army, not a messenger boy?

A pained look flashed across Michael’s features, but it was gone in a blink.  “He knows not of the current crisis and there was little time to find him.  I bring thee tidings of great woe.  Thou must fly to Githa without delay, ere thine seed may grow to fruit before its time.”

I sat up higher in bed, drawing the comforter around me as I tried to push past the fog in my brain.  “Sorry, I didn’t understand a word of that.  Maybe start at the beginning where you feel like it’s important enough to wake me up to talk about gardening.”

Michael shifted his weight impatiently.  “Gird thyself for battle, woman.  We have little time to lose.”

“Oh, you did not just call me woman,” I growled.  “I’m not girding anything until you tell me what you’re talking about.”

“Lucifer has absconded with thine issue.  Thou must needs abandon all else and seek her at Githa, for time is of the greatest essence.”

“What?  Can you please drop the crappy Shakespeare bit and talk English like a normal person?  Are you saying something happened to Eve?”  It was ridiculous.  I’d checked on her before turning in for the night, and Nelo would tell me if anyone came into the house.  Wouldn’t he?  It was enough to get me out of bed though, taking the comforter with me to keep from giving Michael an eyeful. 

“What’s going on?”  Parker rolled over, his voice thick with sleep.

“I don’t know, he says there’s something going on with Evie.”

“Who says?”

Of course.
  I turned to Michael, who had given me his back once I emerged from the bed.  “Would you please do the courtesy of showing yourself?”

“We are not for human eyes,” he replied without turning around.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” I sighed, pulling on my clothes as quickly as I could.  “He knows you’re here, genius.” 

“Who’s here?” Parker frowned, reaching for a pair of boxers by the side of the bed. 

“Michael,” I answered, when the angel made no effort to reveal himself. 

“Michael who?”

“Michael from the Big Guy’s Brat Pack.”  I pointed upward. 

“Shit…” Parker’s eyes narrowed, peering into the darkness.  “I hate it when they do that.”

“Parker, why don’t you go check on Evie and I’ll try to figure out what’s going on, okay?”  I couldn’t bring myself to think she might really be gone.  Not again.  Hadn’t we already gone down this road before?  “I think we’d better start at the beginning.  How do you know what’s going on with Lucifer?  And if Eve really is gone, why didn’t you stop it in the first place?”

“There is no time, wo… madam,” Michael changed his word choice at the last moment, which was the only reason I didn’t let him have it at his tone of voice.  “Thou must believe me when I say unto thee – every moment we linger spells greater danger.”

“Okay, look – no offense, but I don’t know you from Adam.”  Literally.  “Adamiel!” I yelled, hoping like hell he might help me get to the bottom of what was going on. 

“She’s not here!” I heard the call from down the hall.  “Eve’s not here, she’s gone.”  Parker stuck his head into the room, eyes wide. 

“How can she be gone?  Go find Nelo, see if he saw or heard anything.”  Christ, had something happened to Nelo too?  Parker gave a short nod, bellowing Nelo’s name as he bounded down the stairs. 

“It is as I told thee, Lucifer has absconded with the child.  The demon will shed no further truth on the matter.”

“Better the devil you know,” I muttered, bending over to tie my shoes.  “Adamiel!” I yelled again, my head pounding from the noise.  All at once it occurred to me – what if he didn’t come?  Hadn’t he said something earlier about not sticking around anymore?  What if he was already halfway around the world?  “Adamiel, please, please come…” I called out softer, my face falling into my hands. 

“Change your mind already?”  His voice was like a soothing balm, and I was all I could do not to jump into his arms for a comforting hug when I opened my eyes to see Adam standing by the window, casual as anything.  “Hey, Mikey, long time no see.  What has you down here in our neck of the woods?”   

“Adamiel.”  Michael gave him a nod of respect, which was more than most offered him in my experience. 

“Adam, he says Lucifer took Evie and we have to go to Githa to get her right away.”  The words came tumbling out as I hugged my arms to my body, fighting the urge to pace.  Parker sure was taking a long time finding Nelo. 

Adam’s brows knit together, but his voice remained calm.  “You must’ve gotten that mixed up.  There’s no way he’d take her there.”

“She speaks the truth, brother,” Michael said gravely.  “And we’ve no time to dally.”

The change came over Adam swiftly.  All of a sudden he was all business, his shoulders straighter, the usual smirk replace by a grim line.  “He’s right, we don’t have a second to spare.  Wait here and I’ll bring her back.”

“What?  Hold your horses, I’m going with you,” I insisted, only to be shot down.

“The hell you are.  This is one place you can’t follow.”

“What is Githa anyway?  What’s the big deal?”  Beyond the fact that our daughter was abducted in the first place. 

“It’s Hell… or a level of it anyway.  The point is, you risk your immortal soul if you go there.  So put on a pot of coffee and I’ll be back before you know it.  Come on, Michael.”

I stepped between him and the window.  “I’m not waiting here while you go into Hell to find our daughter.  I remember what happened the last time.  You came back half dead.” 

“I won’t have to go as deep this time, I should be fine.”

“Then I should be fine too,” I said, the stubborn set of my shoulders keeping him from moving past me. 

“Mercy…”

“I’m going with or without you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“You’re wasting time.  And that’s a hollow threat at best.  You don’t know where to find it.”

“I have friends in low places, remember?  Someone has to know where the entrance to Hell is.  Wait… you know, don’t you, Michael?  You can take me.”

Michael took an uncertain step backwards.  “Mayhap it is best to listen to Adamiel.  Githa is not a place to tread lightly.”

“And yet you were all set to bring me there not ten minutes ago.”

“That was before Adamiel presented himself.  He is clearly the superior candidate.”

“Fine,” I scowled.  “I’ll get someone else to show me.  Maybe somebody down at the Honey Pot can help me out.”

“Knock yourself out, I’ll be back with her before you get anywhere.”  He put his hand on my shoulder to push me out of the way, but I stayed where I was, my head moving to catch his gaze.

“Adam, please… I need to do this.  You need my help, admit it.”

“No, I don’t.  Michael’s got my back on this one.  Don’t you, Mikey?”

Michael’s hands came up, his face reluctant.  “I may not set foot in Githa.”

“Then what were you planning to do before, play ding dong ditch?”  He stared at me, his head tilted to one side.  Typical.  Most angels refused to get their hands dirty when the chips were down.  The Fallen were the only ones I’d learned to count on. 

“I was to show thee the doorway only.  My brethren are forbidden to pass to the underworld.”

I reached up to touch Adam’s cheek, sending him my Grace in soothing waves.  “Adam, please.  I need to do this.”  He stared back at me, his jaw clenched tight as though waging a war within himself. 

“Nelo didn’t see anything,” Parker reported, rejoining us in the bedroom.  “He was outside watching out for that kook and his disciple.”  His expression darkened when he saw Adam there, with my hand still pressed to his cheek.  “What’s he doing here?”

“I need him,” I said softly. “And he needs me.”

“Will somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on here?” Parker demanded. 

Adam reached for my hand, giving it a brief squeeze.  “We were just leaving.”

“Where are you going?”

“To bring our daughter back,” I said, relief leaving my body in a long breath.  There wasn’t time for goodbyes, no time to explain where we were off to, why we had to go together and why Parker couldn’t come.  I had to hope like hell I survived to bring Eve back and tell the tale then, and hope Parker was still willing to marry into the craziness that was my life.  But just in case… “I love you, Parker.  Remember that.”

Chapter Twelve

I was wrong, we’d never gone down
this
road before. 

We stood at the observation deck for the Devil’s Kettle in Minnesota.  The river rushed below, half of it spilling into a fifty foot waterfall before continuing its path to Lake Superior about a mile and a half away.  The other half diverted to a hole in the Earth where it disappeared, never to be seen again. 

I’d seen the movie
Jennifer’s Body
before, and the Devil’s Kettle seemed way too impossibly cheesy to be a real thing, but the phenomenon was real alright.  The water disappeared into the jagged rocks in a churning cauldron of mist, but nothing as spectacular as the swirling vortex in the movie.  Still, scientists and tourists had been dropping things into the hole for years, trying to find out where the water resurfaced without any luck.  There was even a story that the locals had pushed a car into it before, but considering the terrain, I didn’t think it was likely. 

I didn’t know any of these tidbits until now, but Adam had kept up a steady stream of chatter as we flew to Minnesota fast enough to make my head spin.  It was slightly out of character for him, but considering our mission, I could understand why he was a tad jittery. 

Leaving the safety of the observation deck behind, we floated down to uneven rocks below and I peered into the mist.  The sun was just peeking into the sky above and there wasn’t much to see. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.  That’s the entrance to Hell?” I asked, unconvinced.  I might have expected a volcano or a deep sink hole or something, not an underground river, if that’s what it was. 

“One of them,” Adam nodded.  “Not the safest, but time is our enemy right now.”

“Why do you guys keep saying that?  You don’t think Lucifer would torture a three-year-old child in Hell, do you?”  I knew he had her for his own purpose, but I couldn’t believe that of him.

“What?  God no, is that what you think?”  Adam’s jaw dropped, his brows drawing together in shock.  “No more Thrill-Fest movies for you.”  He shook his head.  “No, I’m sure she’s safe enough down there.”

“Then why the rush?”

“Time moves differently in other places, remember?” 

With that biggie to dwell on, he wrapped a strong arm around my waist, pulling me close.  “Hold your breath, I’ll stop when we get beneath the falls so you can catch your breath.”  I nodded as he counted down from three, taking a deep breath as he reached one.

Adam stepped off the ridge and my stomach clenched as we fell into the water.  It was hard not to scream as the sensation went on and on, the water whipping around us so hard I couldn’t open my eyes very well.  My lungs burned, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on when I felt us slow, the sensation of being pelted by water fading to a cloying mist. 

“Breathe,” Adam said, and I opened my eyes to find us standing on a smooth stone ledge, slick with moisture.  I sucked in a ragged breath, taking a few moments to look around and get my bearings.  The water from above funneled into a deep pool about thirty feet across before channeling into a rushing river, about fifteen feet wide, that disappeared into the darkness.  There wasn’t much light down there, but I could see all kinds of crap like the stories mentioned.  Beer bottles, a coil of bright orange nylon rope, a basketball, those were just some of the things visible on the sides of the cavern.