The Angel's Covenant (The Covenant series) (3 page)

"I hope you are right Malach, her fate is our fate. I will stay close; you know you can call on me to help at anytime
,” Simeon responds shifting to his eagle form he soars into the night sky.
"Peace brother" Malach hears in his mind as he flies away.

Sitting close to Elina, Malach covers her in a blanket and closes his eyes seeking the solace of his maker.  With prayerful consideration his plan comes together.  Watching her sleep, he is surprised at his protectiveness towards her. Shifting to his dragon form, he encircles her body with his own, wrapping his large blue tail around them and rests.

Five

The smell of pumpkin spice drifts slowly through the house, tantalizing Elina's taste buds. A soft tapping on her door has her smiling as her Aunt slips in quietly, like she does every year on her "birth" day.
From her pillow Lina says, "Are you trying to make me fat Aunt Ruby?" Jumping in surprise her adopted Mom says, "Oh Lina you scared me to death!” With a hand to her heart she replies “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought this would be the year I surprised you."

Sitting up laughing Elina sniffs the air responding "It was your cooking that woke me; it smells so good, pumpkin spice cupcakes are my favorite! How co
uld anyone sleep through that?"

Looking at her tall graceful Aunt, Elina offers a silent prayer, thanking God once again for the surro
gate family he brought her to.

"I thought you would be sick of these by now
," she says handing her a small plate with a large cupcake. Looking at the beautiful young woman who had become her daughter, Ruby thinks back to the Sunday evening when a knock on their farm door changed everything.
     Standing at her door was the largest, most beautiful man she had ever seen. He had a glow about him that put her at ease. He stared patiently at her with his intense green eyes waiting for her to speak, finally introducing himself as Malach.

Her husband Ronnie invited him inside and stepped back as he entered. Malach was small for an archangel, but to human standards his seven foot height was massive. He told them he had been sent as a messenger. They listened astounded as he told them they had been chosen to have a daughter. At fifty two years old Ruby thought this was a practical joke, an
d had almost laughed out loud.

Ronnie her big bear of a man had simply listened with a smile on his face. As Watchers they had prayed for years for a child, but after suffering three miscarriages, the doctors had told them she could not carry a child. They looked at other options but Ruby's heart was not in it, she had given up. As a thirty year teacher her students brought her great joy; she was content, but the void remained
.

Malach told them of a young girl who watched as her family and many members of her village were killed in front of her. She was in need of a family of faith to love, guide, and protect her. He looked at them and asked "Are you that family?" Walking over to Ronnie she reached for his hand and said "When can we meet
her?"

Her only regret was that the time had gone so fast. Ten years had flown by and Elina had come home to their ranch in Montana, after finishing her degree in biblical archeology. At first they tried to educate her with other watchers, but that proved difficult. The choice to home school her, was not easy but the only option considering her condition
.

They found she was gifted and had a love of history and languages, so they encouraged it. As watchers they were able to teach her how to control some of her gifts, like projection and guiding the lost souls, but only Malach was able to teach her to hone her other skills
.

Sitting on the edge of the bed watching her lick icing off her fingers Ruby remembers the first day she came to them, and smiling at Elina with tears in her eyes she says, "I will never tell anyone that the secret to your heart is sugar. Your too skinny anyway, graduating early has taken its toll. You should
rest; I'm so glad your home."

Elina tosses her long black hair over her shoulder and asks "Me too, Did he leave without me?"
"Now you know better than that!" Ruby says patting her hand. "He's saddling up and waiting for you in the barn."
     Blue eyes shining she tosses the cover aside and runs to the bathroom, grabbing her jeans on the way. Every year on her birthday Uncle Ronnie takes her to see him, her guardian and friend Malach. Sometimes the visit would last hours sometimes days, but Uncle Ronnie never left her alone with him. Time stopped whenever they travel, so the training was able to proceed unhindered. Dropping a quick kiss on Ruby's cheek she calls out; "Love you" as she rushes out the door. "I love you to daughter," Ruby whispers with a hand against her cheek.

Walking to the barn Elina takes in the beauty of Montana. The lush flowing hills, blue sky with a backdrop of amazing mountains had filled her heart almost as much as the p
eople who call this place home.

Watching her walk towards the barn, his breath is taken away at the beauty of his daughter. It is the internal beauty he sees; her spirit is strong and pure. Walking out to meet her he says
, "Hey squirt, come give your old man a hug." Wrapping her in a bear hug, he rests his head on top of hers and says, "Welcome home little one."

Listening to his heart beating strong and true, she sighs looking up at him and says
, "You do know that I am not short, you are just freakishly tall. At five feet seven some people have to look up to me."

Throwing his hands up in the air he says "If that's what they have been teaching you at that fancy city school of yours then who am I to say otherwise." Laughing together they turn to the barn, stepping through
the door Elina is shocked to see only one horse saddled. Stopping in midstride she turns to him and says, "Uncle Ronnie, what's going on? You are going with me, aren't you?"

"Well now, I was planning on letting you handle this trip on your own. Malach
and I thought it would be best." Looking away he sighs and says, "Lina we are not getting any younger, we won't always be here. I trust Malach," stepping close he touches her cheek and says "he brought me you."
"Lucky you" she says smartly "he brought you a broken doll," she says reaching up to take his hand.

"If that's what you think then I didn't do a very good job raising you! Doll my ass, I have seen you train
. I  know what you can do,” he says in a husky voice. "Lina you are the daughter of our heart, never forget that!"

"You know I love you both." Checking her horse for supplies she hugs him tight, quickly mounting her horse she says
, "See you soon; I will just leave him tied up in the cave.”

"All right, I'll retrieve him soon
," he says watching her kick the horse into a trot she heads to the mountains. Turning in her saddle to look back at the ranch, Elina slows her horse. She allows the vision to take her and she smiles softly. Her Aunt Ruby is rocking by a fire, her hair has gone white, and her face has aged, Uncle Ronnie walks in with his coffee and leans down to kiss her gently, he too has aged, but they are beautiful to Elina. Tears fill her eyes and she gives thanks for the vision, and lets the images go continuing on her chosen path.

Elina's favorite part of this pilgrimage every year was the camping. There was always laughter, Uncle Ronnie teaching her how to fish, set up camp, canoeing, and hunting. Well okay maybe not the hunting. Joy, Elina thought, her soul was at peace and she could never imagine her life without them.

Stopping to give the horse water, she sits a moment in God’s country, and says a quiet thank you for the people in her life. Thinking back on the day she woke to find that she had blasted the face of the cave open. Malach told her that everything was going to be okay and he had not lied.

Waking Elina realized she was being protected by a dragon. Lying against his massive chest she discovered he was covered in strange markings. Running her fingers over them she watched in awe as they shifted and changed, rippling across his skin. A rumbling in his chest had her eyes jumping to his. Staring into the emerald eyes o
f the dragon, she asks him "Did I destroy everything?"
"No Elina, You just rearranged a bit. We need to talk," Malach says.

Climbing out of his arms she climbs a boulder so she can be eye to eye with the beautiful dragon. "Okay, Malach I'm ready
," she says.

Facing Elina he looks into her eyes and begins
, "You are part of a battle that has raged for centuries. You know the history of your people but you do not know all of it. My job is to train you so that your powers do not grow out of control, and prepare you for your role as a Keeper”

“Your people are traditionally watchers, and guiders of humanity. Normally you do not interfere in the lives of humans, but you are not normal. Every now and again a keeper is born, on the day you were born at the exact moment you took your first breath; the Ketuwah lit. It was a sign that you were special. You would have been trained slowly, but that has changed. Now that Raphaim knows you exist, he
will not stop looking for you."

Looking away from the beauty of the blue dragon, Elina looks around her and tries to understand all that she is hearing. "Everyone has been saying that I am special, I do not feel special Malach. You called him Raphaim, Who is he? Why
did the angel kill my family?

"He did what his kind always does, destroy light. Someday I will tell you the full story of Raphaim, but now all you need to know is he is only half-angel. He wandered on your village by accident, yours was not t
he first village he destroyed."

"Great. You keep calling me a
Keeper, what does that mean and why me?" she asks obviously frustrated.

“You were being trained as a
Watcher, which explains our fireworks last night. You are Watcher, but more. Keepers are Watchers who hold special gifts or powers given to them by our maker.  You are especially powerful, which is how you accessed it during the attack on your people. When you are upset or angry your power simmers close and can be dangerous if not contained. I can teach you how to control it."

"Okay, you say the Ketuwah is a flame that lit when I was born, why must you
guard it?"

"Only the Ketuwah can reveal its secrets to you Elina. I am your guardian until you have been accepted by it, but you have to be trained first. Then I will take you to it." Stretching his large muscular body he spreads his wings and
warms them in the midday sun.

"Malach
”, she whispers in horror, "Did he return to my village? I should have stayed!” Jumping down from the boulder she looks at him and says, "I have to go back!”

"Calm yourself Elina, they left right after you. They are safe for now, and you are not to blame for those he killed. His choices
are his own," he says fiercely.

Turning to look at him with tears in her eyes her anger growing she says
, "When the time comes, and I am fully trained Malach I will not hide from him any longer. He will not have to look for me, I will find him and I will finish what I started!" Stomping off, she picks up a rock and flings it into the water.

Nudging her with his head, he rumbles as she scratches his scales. "He is looking for you Elina. He wants revenge but more than that, he wants your powers. If he finds you he will strip you of all your powers and you will wish for death. You are not ready to fight him. You cannot stay
here, we have to leave soon."

"Where will we go?
” she asks suddenly scared again. "I have found you a safe place with watchers who will be able to train you. I have asked them to bring you to me for your keeper training once a year. Then when the time is right, I will take you to the Ketuwah."

"Can't I stay with you Malach?
” her blue eyes plead with him. "I'm afraid not. Here is not a place; but a moment in time. When you pictured the Ketuwah you left your time. You move through time easily, which is why I chose a family for you somewhere Raphaim cannot get to you. You will be safe and happy."

Malach was right, she was happy with them. They loved her like a daughter and she treasured them, but she never forgot her family or people. She was at peace, but she wondered what pri
ce her peace would demand.

The camping was really just an excuse to spend time together, because of her ability she only had to picture him in her mind; her dragon. Over the years she had perfected her jumping; now she is only a breath away from him. The funny thing was the Ketuwah was never in the same place twice. As she mounted her horse she wondered where it woul
d take her this time.

Sometimes she was with Malach for weeks, sometimes days. It really just depended on what he wanted to teach her. He taught her how to use the environment around her. She learned how to create an energy shield and perfected calling weapons from energy, and how to control her visions. The first few years were difficult because she did not have good luck with teachers. Only Malach and Aunt Ruby were able to work with her.

She shudders remembering her first teacher. It was nearly a disaster. “When you drop your earthly body you will see a silver chord that leads back to your body. Do not fear that it will break, you are in control. The moment you have the thought you will find yourself back in your body.” Raising her hand Elina asks "Teacher, what are the golden threads for?”
"No, you will only see silver threads, in fact some walkers see no threads at all," she responds barely looking in her direction.
"I see gold threads burning bright as the sun. Sometimes I follow the gold ribbons and they lead to people, healthy people," Elina responds.

"Enough! I am trying to teach a class, if you noticed I am the teacher in this class. We all know you think you are special,
” she pauses venom dripping from her voice, and “did it ever occur to you that rules are important." Closing in on Elina's seat in the back of the room, she leans close as she says, “maybe it is because you did not listen that you invited destruction on your own village."