See How She Falls (20 page)

“What
is the demon’s weakness?” Surely he had to have one. Everything had a weakness.

“In
Catholicism, he is believed to be the adversary of St. Stephen. St. Stephen is
considered the first Christian martyr.” Eleanor seemed to be regaining her
composure as she slipped into what I’d dubbed her professorial role.

“So,
in a nut shell, dying for something bigger than myself is the demon’s weakness.
Which is why Cait’s sacrifice was its undoing. So this really is my only
option, isn’t it?” I looked up into Eleanor’s face, reality finally crashing in
on me. I couldn’t breathe.

“Izzy,
there has to be some other way," Kennan promised, rushing to my side.

“But
there isn’t. I see that now more clearly than I ever have before. This is the
prophecy. This is my destiny. No matter how much we might want to change it, we
can’t.” My resolve was hardening. I knew that I would do what it took, no
matter the cost.

“But
we must," Kennan pleaded.

“Eleanor,
I need to talk to Kennan alone.” I never took my eyes off of him, I knew that I
needed him, and in that moment, he was the most important thing in the world to
me.

“Of
course, Izzy.” Eleanor got up and exited the room quietly as Kennan and I
stayed locked in one another’s eyes.

“We
can’t let them win.” Kennan’s eyes misted over.

“If
I don’t do this, we will be letting them win. Kennan, the gods, God, whoever
the heck is running this madhouse, have spoken. I’ve been told countless times
that the answer lies within me, that I must be willing to give of myself to end
this. I’m running on borrowed time as it is, my love. I should’ve died months
ago, when I freed the Seers. This time is not my own, and now I must pay the
price for the time I have taken.”

“I
can’t, Izzy. I can’t just let you go. I have to fight, I have to do something.”

“Then
fight, help me hold the demon back long enough to do what must be done.” I
pulled him down next to me on the bed, longing to be close to him. “Just
promise me something.”

“I
don’t know that I can, Izzy.” Kennan’s voice broke, almost undoing me.

“I
haven’t even asked you yet," I whispered softly, hoping that I could
convince him to listen.

“But
I know what you are going to ask me. You’re going to ask me to promise that
your death will not be my undoing. You want me to promise that I will go on
living after you’ve gone. You want me to promise to protect the people you
love. I can’t, Izzy. You’ve been my world for longer than I can remember. When
you leave, so does my purpose.” Kennan looked into my eyes, a tear threatening
to leak from his eye. I struggled to hold myself together.

“Well,
I was just going to ask you to promise to give that demon hell in your Hulk-ish
state.” I smiled warmly at him. “But, the other stuff is important, too. And
you can go on living, because Ian and Conall will need you. After all, you’ve
been bounced from the Council thanks to me. At least promise me that you will
try.”

“I
promise that I will try," Kennan breathed out, his promise settling over
me.

“And
promise not to try and stop me from doing what must be done.”

“I
promise that I will try," Kennan said stiffly. “But, Izzy, a world without
you in it is not a world in which I want to live.”

“Likewise,
Kennan. But neither is a world in which everyone I love suffers because I was
too selfish to act. I would never be able to face myself in the mirror again.
It’s time we stopped running from the truth and face it head on. Are you with
me?”

“Always,
Izzy. Always," Kennan promised, and I knew it was the truth. He always
would be with me, no matter the days, no matter what may lie ahead.

“Then
just stay with me, here, now. Let’s just take this time out for us," I
begged, hoping that for one night I could forget it all and live in the moment.
The future couldn’t steal this from me. No matter what the Fates had in store,
I could have this.

“Deal.”
Kennan raised his hand to stroke my face gently, staring down into my eyes
pleadingly. So many unsaid words left hidden behind the sadness.

The
hours slipped slowly by as we lay there, entwined in one another’s arms. We
laughed about our predestined meeting and our life in Chicago before everything
fell apart. We lay silently, just listening to one another breathe. The moments
ticked by, and as time slipped away, I understood that this was our goodbye.
But what a beautiful goodbye it had been. I counted myself lucky that I knew
enough about my future that I could tell the person I loved most in the world
exactly what he meant to me before I was gone. I silently lifted up a prayer
that he would keep on living after I’d gone. A world without Kennan O’Malley
would be a dreary place indeed. 

Chapter
Twenty Five
 

All
too soon, night called out, reminding me that I needed to rest. I could feel
the coming storm, raging in the distance. Static charged the air as the
darkness loomed, I knew it was time. Everything was going to end soon. As a
yawn escaped my mouth, Kennan pulled me closer to his body. It was practically
an acrobatic feat to not brush against any of runes, but tonight, it seemed it
no longer mattered.

“Do
you want me to block you?” Kennan ran is fingers through my hair, causing me to
drift further towards sleep.

“No,
it is best that this ends as soon as it can. If that means that I must be marked
tonight, then so be it.”

“We
could have one more day," Kennan pleaded.

“One
more day would never be enough. I would always want for more. It is best to
stop running and face what is coming head-on," I whispered silently,
hoping that he understood. An eternity with him would never be long enough. One
more day would be nothing more than a tease.

“I
know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Kennan pulled me
close, kissing me deeply. “I love you Mrs. O’Malley, forever and for always.”

“I
love you Mr. Boone, forever and for always.” I smiled up at him brightly,
wondering how long it would take him to respond.

“I
would take your name any day.” He kissed me once more, softly, before
whispering “Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight,"
I muttered as the last of my awareness slipped away.

It
was the same vision or dream I’d been having for months. I stood on the clouds
watching the Angels rage a war, only this time things were different. Events moved
before my eyes as if they were moving through some viscous fluid. Nothing
happened in real time, and as I made my way through the battlefield, I could
see the strain on each of the faces as they battled in the war that would not
end.

“It’s
a pity, is it not?” A man’s voice startled me from my examination.

“Well,
you’re new.” I turned, wide-eyed to face the man that the voice belonged to.
Only, he wasn’t exactly a man, what with the giant wings rising up from his
back and the blinding glow radiating from his body. He wasn’t a man at all.

“I
am Uriel.” He bowed deeply, his downy wings dusting the ground as he went.

“Okay.
I’m guessing I should know who you are. They didn’t give me the handbook, so
really, I’ve got no clue.” I stared in amazement at him, totally forgetting the
battle around me. I was sure there was some sort of protocol that I should’ve
been following. I mean, there had to be some sort of precedence for meeting
with angels. Should I bow? Swear my allegiance? Offer up a goat?

“I
am the source, the Origin of the Seers and Guardians. Some have called me the
‘Fire of God’," Uriel supplied, tilting his head to the side in question
as if he were listening in on my internal dialogue. I’m sure he probably was.

“So,
whatcha doing in my dream?” I asked slowly. Plowing right on through seemed to
be the way to go these days. I just hoped it would work with this guy. Even
more, I hoped that he would not prove to be as evasive as all of his creations.

“I’ve
come to tell you, your day draws nigh," Uriel provided. Thanks, Captain
Obvious.

“Well,
I sort of knew that already. Anything else? Any messages you want me to pass on
to the Old Ones. Oh, by the way, that Emmanuel guy you created has gone totally
batshit crazy. Just, you know, in case you weren’t aware. Did you create them,
because I sort of thought the whole Creation thing was God’s department.” I
couldn’t shut myself up. I was standing there, talking to what I could only
imagine was an archangel and all I could do was yammer. My brain had finally snapped.
I’d known that it was only a matter of time, I just hoped that it would’ve
waited until after the defeating the darkness bit.

“No,
I am not the creator, I am the source. The overseer perhaps would be a better
term. And yes, I am aware of Emmanuel, but like all mankind, Seers and
Guardians are given a choice. Even the ones of old. He will serve his purpose,
as do all men.” Uriel looked slightly bored with my questions which was causing
me to get really indignant.

“So,
we really are all just a bunch of game pieces to you lot, aren’t we?” Now, I
was just getting angry.

“This
is no game. This is a war. A war of darkness pressing against light since the
dawn of time. There will always be upswings and downswings, but we must keep
fighting. We must use all that is at our hands to ensure that man survives.”
His eyes lit up with a churning fire as he seemed to grow ever taller.

“Okay,
so what is all this then? Why do I keep seeing this?” I gestured around me at
the angels and demons battling.

“This
is a reminder. You are not the only ones that must fight. The fight exists on
all planes, Izzy. Even on ours. Yours is not the only sacrifice, nor shall it
be the last," Uriel provided.

“Cait,"
I whispered.

“Yes.
She did something that was never asked of her. The demon never would have been
strong enough to remain on the corporeal plane for long, yet she still
sacrificed herself to ensure the world’s safety.”

“But
did you ask this of me? How can I feel like it is even a choice, when my fate
was written before I took my first breath?” I’d been struggling with the
knowledge that I was powerless to control my own destiny. Maybe I could finally
find some concrete answers.

“Because
you do have a choice. You can walk away, and leave man to deal with the
repercussions.”  Awesome, more “it is your choice” propaganda.

“No,
I can’t," I stated the obvious. I would be a monster if I walked away and
left the world to burn. The vision of Chicago raced through my mind anew, the
darkness consuming the man, eating away at him like some sort of virus.

“Which
is precisely why you were chosen to fulfill this calling. Go forth bravely,
Izzy. The fight has just begun.” Uriel motioned towards the ground.

The
battle sped up around me as Uriel faded away. The shrieks of the demons echoed
around the clouds, sending chills down my spine. I moved forward, to the place
I knew I must go. To my end.

I
fell through the clouds, down to where the battle raged. I looked at the people
I loved. The time was here. I embraced the demon, hoping that it would end how
it did every other time I’d had the vision.

“Oh,
that’s precious. You’re giving him a hug? I’m sure that will make everything
better for him. Solve all of those pesky hate problems he seems to have. Are
you going to hug me as well? Maybe I wasn’t hugged enough early in life.
Perhaps that is why I’m doing this now.” Emmanuel’s glee made me want to throat
punch the bastard.

“Well,
get it over with. I know why you’re here. Just slap the last mark on and let’s
get this little game of chicken over with.”

“You
do realize you will never win? There is no scenario in which you come out of
this unscathed," Emmanuel mocked.

“I’m
fully aware of what I’m about to face.” Not a bit of inflection graced my
words. I was wrung out, tired from the game. I just wanted it to be done.

“You
know you won’t be able to just hug it out with the demon, correct?” Emmanuel
seemed to be enjoying himself, mocking me at every turn. I would really love it
if I could somehow kill the meddling moron while taking down the demon. If was
I truly lucky, they may just be connected.

“If
you could shut the hell up and mark me, I would really appreciate it.” I stood,
rooted in place, unwilling to show any signs of weakness. It was time.

“It
would be my pleasure.” His voice hissed the last word as the final rune
appeared on my chest. “Time’s up, princess. See you soon.”

“I’m
so kicking that demon's ass," I muttered as I sought to leave the
dreaming. “And then I’m coming for you!”
 

Chapter
Twenty Six