Mercy for the Fallen (15 page)

I couldn’t look at him.  “We should probably get her home soon,” I mumbled, shifting my hold on Eve.

“What’s your rush?”

I cocked a single brow.  “You need more than the obvious fact that we’re hanging out in the doorway to hell?”

“It’s not so bad here.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“I’m not saying I want to hang curtains and dig in for the winter, but I’ve stayed in worse places,” he said with a lazy grin. 

I studied Adam closely, the way his eyelids drooped and the way his arms were plastered to the rock.  “You’re still tired aren’t you?”

His brows twitched together in denial.  “What?  No…”

“You are.  That took a lot out of you between the flying and the fight with the soul eaters.  You’re wiped out, admit it.”

“I’m just comfy.  An object at rest tends to stay at rest, you know.”

“Why didn’t you let me give you some of my Grace?”

“Because I don’t need it.”

“Don’t be such a baby…”  I scooted closer, shifting Eve to one hip in order to reach him better, and she stirred at the motion.  “Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t mean to wake you.”  I rubbed her back soothingly, but she didn’t slip back to sleep.

“What are you doing?” she yawned, her head still resting on my shoulder.

“I’m going to give him some of my healing Grace to make him feel better.”

“Which is entirely unnecessary,” Adam interjected, but I just ignored him. 

“Can I do that too, Momma?”

In for a penny, in for a pound.
  I figured I might as well start teaching her about what we were, the better to avoid any situations like at the preschool.  “Sure, sit by me here.”  I patted the smooth rock beside me.  “Do you remember when you helped that girl at your old school?  I know it was a long time ago for you.”

“The girl who fell,” she nodded.

“This is just like that, only there’s no cut for you to focus on.  You concentrate on your light, let it gather beneath your hand and then send it into him, thinking about making him feel healthy and whole.”

“Like this?”  The Grace started to glow under her hand, but I lightly caught her wrist before she got too far.

“Wait a sec.  Before you start you always want to take a moment to ground yourself.” 

“We’re on the ground.”

“Make believe you’re a tree, kiddo,” Adam interjected.  “Pretend your feet go down into the ground.  Feel the strength of the Earth beneath them.  Become part of that strength, so nothing can knock you down, not even the mightiest gust of wind.  Do you feel it?”

Her eyes had fallen shut at the sound of his voice, her forehead pinched with concentration.  “I think so…”

“Now, gather the light under your hand,” I said softly, setting her hand over his abdomen.  “Think about sending that strength into him, to give him healing, restoring energy until he’s charged up like a battery.”  The light began to glow beneath her hand, and I kept half an eye on her while sending him some of my energy as well, careful to watch for any sign that she’d sent the wrong kind of energy and ended up hurting him.

Adam sucked in a deep breath, his eyes widening as we both sent the Grace into him at once.  I felt Eve’s Grace beside mine, bright and strong, offering more than I was. 

“Slow down a little, Evie.  You don’t want to wipe yourself out.  Keep it slow and steady, like this.”  To my surprise, she responded to the instruction, immediately backing off to match me pretty well.  My little girl was a natural at it.  The shot of pride was immediately chased by the sour aftertaste of fear.  Was that a good thing or a bad thing that she took to it so well? 

“I think I’m good,” Adam said, covering my hand with his. 

“Time to back off, sweetie,” I said to Eve.  “Remember those roots in the ground?  Concentrate on those for a couple of minutes before you move around too much or you might end up dizzy.”

“I feel fine, Momma,” Eve smiled, with no trace of wooziness as the light faded from her palm.  “Are you feeling better, Uncle Adam?”  She leaned down and deposited a spontaneous kiss on his cheek.

“Oh, thank you for that,” he beamed, sitting up.  “And yes, I’m feeling much better.”  Adam kissed her back, sneaking a peck on my cheek on his way back up.  “You two are better than an energy shot, you know that?”

“What’s an energy shot?”

“Ooh, I’d show you, but I think your mom would have my hide if I let you get hopped up on those at your age.  How about we table this conversation until you’re ten?”

“How about we make it sixteen?” I interjected only to have her bottom lip thrust out in a pout.

“Uncle Adam says ten.”

Adam let out a sigh, light on his feet as he stood up.  “You know what, we’d better listen to your mom, squirt.  I forget she always knows best.”  He dropped a wink in my direction. 

I stood, helping Eve to her feet as well.  “We’re still moving faster here than in our own time, right?” I asked as a thought occurred to me.

“Yep, until we reach the top of the falls.”

“Good.  That means not that much time will have gone by at all for Parker, right?  He must be going out of his mind with worry.”

Hearing Parker’s name sent a gasp of delight through Eve.  “I forgot about Daddy.  He’s real too, isn’t he?”

What a strange thing to say.  “Yes, of course he’s real and he’s missed you bunches.”

“And Nelo?  Is Nelo there too?”

“Yes, Nelo is waiting for you, and Mimsy and Daphne and everybody you left behind.”

“Mimsy… I forgot about cats.”

Something about the way she said it brought the sting of tears to my eyes.  I could soothe the worry over the past few hours easily by holding her close, but she’d been gone for at least two long years from her perspective.  What else had she forgotten in her time away?

Adam saw the flash of emotion in my eyes and picked up my other hand.  “I’d better get you two home then.” 

Chapter Fifteen

“Big breath now.”  Adam held us close again.  We stood on the slippery bank beside the pool about to jump into the rush of water above. 

“Hey, Adam?  Thanks.”  It needed saying, while we had these last few moments of quiet together. 

“No problem.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d come, you know.  You said you might not be around much anymore.”  Not that I blamed him, not after his mention of torture at watching me and Parker together. 

Adam met my gaze squarely, the reflection from the water glinting off of his eyes.  “I’ll always be there when you need me the most.  You know how to call me.”

“The same holds true for me,” I pledged.  “I know you have other stuff you’re dealing with from time to time.  If you ever need me to be there, you know how to call me.”

“Can I call you if I need help killing a bottle of merlot?”

I bit back a smile, but it snuck through anyway.  “Only if you want me to kick your ass for dragging me out to God knows where on a booty call.”

“Could be fun,” he considered aloud with a bob of the head. 

“Do I still have to hold my breath?” Eve squeaked, and I realized she’d been holding it the whole time. 

“No, breathe, Evie!” I cried out in alarm, but she seemed no worse for wear after a few gulps of air.

“Sorry, squirt,” Adam winced.  “Boy, you
can
hold your breath for a long time.”

“Let’s try this again,” I said, readjusting my hold on her. 

“Big breath, this time for sure,” Adam said, and this time I did it too.  We launched into the air, the water beating all around us like one of those fancy showers with a zillion jets gone haywire.  My lungs burned by the time we shot out of the hole in the rock with a huge geyser of water, Adam’s wings shaking the droplets of water that clung to him in a spray. 

I opened my eyes to see a small group of tourists on the observation deck, staring up at us in wonder.

“Oops, guess I forgot to keep us hidden, huh?”  Adam flashed them a grin before going dim and I hurried to make Eve and I imperceptible too.

“Please tell me we did not just inspire a new religious phenomenon,” I said, wincing as I heard the couple exclaim below, and the rapid fire debate that followed as to what they’d seen.  Adam didn’t seem too broken up about it though. 

“Eh, it’s good for them to get a reminder of the divine every now and again.  Keeps things fresh.”

“What happened to keeping this stuff hidden from human eyes?”

“You know me and rules.  Who’s up for waffles?  Mercy?  I know
you
like waffles,” he grinned.   

“Waffles!” Eve bounced in my arms with some of the enthusiasm she used to display as a toddler.  Just as suddenly, she sobered, her face pinched in thought.  “Do I like waffles?”

“Everybody likes waffles, squirt.  It’s the law.”

As much as I enjoyed waffles (safe words and the syrupy version alike), I felt there were other pressing matters at hand.  It was just after day break, and we were all soaking wet with a chilly flight between us and Seattle.  “
We’ve got to get her some warmer clothes before she catches cold.”

“When has she ever been sick?” Adam scoffed.  “Do you feel sick, BunBun?”

“No, I feel fine.”

I scowled at the hated nickname.  “Don’t call her that.  And that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to let suffer the cold.  I’m already half afraid I’ve lost a toe or two to frostbite from that place.”

“She’ll be fine, she’s made of stronger stuff than normal kids.  And if she gets sick, then we’ll heal her, easy as pie.”

“I remember pie,” Eve volunteered.

“Great, then we’ll find an IHOP and get some waffles and pie.”

“No.”  I hated to be the dissenting opinion, but there were other things to consider.  “If she’s well enough to travel like this, then we should head straight home.  Parker’s waiting, remember?”

Eve nodded enthusiastically.  “Maybe Daddy wants some waffles too?”

“So we’ll call him, let him know we’re all fine and dandy, and we’ll be home later.” 

“I can take her by myself if you don’t want to come,” I said gently.  I might not get her there as quickly as he could, but I’d gotten much better at hopping around from place to place over the past few years. 

Adam sobered, drawing out a pair of sunglasses from his inner coat pocket.  “No, I’ll take you home if that’s what you want.”

The flight home was quickly done.  It was cold, but not unbearable, certainly not as freezing as the air in Githa.  Eve made no complaints.  Fearless, she watched the ground speed by with a mixture of awe and envy, and I knew she’d take up trying to manifest her own wings as a hobby until the day it happened. 

It was still dark out when we got back to Seattle, thanks to the time difference.  Looking at the clock, I noticed most of the time that passed had been from our travel time to and from Minnesota. 

“Parker?” I called out as soon as we entered the kitchen.  Adam closed the door, hanging back, but sticking around for what was sure to be a pretty serious strategizing session once we got Evie settled.

“I remember this place,” Eve stared in wonder, touching the countertops with the tips of her fingers. 

“Of course you do.  You lived here, sweetie.”

“I started to think this part was a dream too.”

It was sad that this part of normalcy had become the dream and a Hell dimension with a ghost for a caretaker had become the reality.  “Come on, let’s get you up into a hot bath to warm up.”  I set her down, taking her hand to lead her upstairs, but she wriggled out of my grasp almost as soon as my fingers closed around hers. 

“
Daddy!” she yelled, running for Parker as he appeared on the stairs.  He froze, eyes bulging as he took in Eve’s size.  She caught him around the waist in a hug, and his arms closed around her slowly, looking to me for an explanation. 

“E-Evie?” he stammered in utter surprise. 

“You still remember me, don’t you, Daddy?”  She looked up at him, her face falling in disappointment. 

“I, well… of course I remember you.  You’re just so… so big…”  Parker recovered enough to crouch down and give her a proper hug, meeting my gaze over her shoulder.  “How did this happen?”

“It’s a long story, but that’s Evie alright,” I said with a tired smile.

“Time goes faster down there than up here.  That’s probably why he took her there, to age her up quicker,” Adam volunteered, and I had to hand it to him, he sure did know how to sum things up. 

“Aw honey, I’m so sorry.”  Parker pulled back to get a better look at her.  “This is so strange.”  He touched her cheek.  “You are my little girl though, aren’t you?”

“You smell the same.  Like that yucky drink and minty fresh.”  Her nose wrinkled with distaste. 

“I might’ve had one drink after you guys left.”  His brows twitched together.  “And I just brushed my teeth.”

“Nelo!”  Eve wriggled out of Parker’s arms and tore up the rest of the stairs, practically tackling him with an enthusiastic hug.  The demon stared, completely blindsided by the sudden charge, almost losing his balance as she hugged him tight.  He was quick to reciprocate though, tendrils of darkness writhing and shifting as he wrapped his arms around her. 

“Bunny!  You are big and strong!” he exclaimed in delight.  “Did you eat spinach?”  Eve giggled at that, chattering back to him about cartoons remembered and forgotten.