The Angel's Covenant (The Covenant series) (9 page)

Craig is standing near his coffin, shaking his head no and looking at Heather. "Are you an Angel? I can't leave yet!
” he says desperately backing away from her. "My wife Samantha needs me, were having a baby."
"I know Craig, I'm so sorry but your time here is up. She will be taken care of, I promise. Your family and hers are with her. She won't be alone."  To Heather's shock Seth moves forward and Craig smiles. "Cowboy? What are you doing here! Are you dead too?"

"Not yet" he smiles. Imagining his legs moving he finds himself stepping closer. "Craig you need to listen to Heather, Sam wouldn't want you to be lost in between. She is so proud of you; she wanted you to know that she loves you." Tears fall freely down Craig's face as he listens intently to Seth. Putting his hands on the man’s shoulders he says "You have a son, Craig. He will grow up knowing that you fought for those who could not fight for themselv
es and he will be proud."

"A son!
” he whispers in awe. "I wish I could see him before I go," Craig says.

"Craig" Heather says stepping forward "the gift of this life is that death is not the end. It is only a step to another place, you will watch your son grow and when it is time you will all be together again."
Looking at Seth, Craig says "You make sure my boys okay. Look after Sam for me and tell her I love her." Seth nods.

A soft light appears glowing in the distance flickering like the flame of a candle. Turning to look at it Craig's face fills with joy. With each step he takes the flame grows taller, flickering and waiting. From inside the shape of a woman appears; she waits as all Mothers do. Stepping into the arms of
love, Craig finds peace.

Holding Seth's hand to anchor him, Heather watches the light fade. Seth turns to her and says with awe, "Tell me how you did that!" Laughing Heather can't believe how well he's taking this. "I will but not here. Seth to get back to your body you just..."a vibration ripples through Heather’s body.
Panicking she says, "They are coming!"

Thinking only of his safety she pictures a shield of pure white light around his body. She steps away dropping his hand and sends him back to hi
s body with a mental push.

With a jerk Seth opens his eyes to see Jake staring at them."That was incredible!" Jake says.
"I have to go back, they are coming and she's alone!" Panicking he stares at Jake. "What's coming Seth"

He begins to feel the vibrations in his body, small at first. With his arms still around Heather, He looks at Jake asking "Do you feel that?"
With a small nod, Jake says firmly "You have to go back."

Heathers body jerks back against Seth and
he looks at his friend in horror as she starts to buck in his arms. Closing his eyes he tries to port back, but finds a bright white shield locking him in place!"

"Jake you have to go! She is blocking me! Damnit Jake, Help me!"
he cries holding her convulsing body in his arms.  "Tell me how!" Jake asks.

"Picture her in your mind, Hurry Jake!"
he says as more vibrations ripple in the air around him.

Jake closes his eyes as an electric pulse ripples around him causing the hair on his arms to rise. A rush of cool air sends chills over Jakes body. Looking up he sees Heather frozen in the air, eyes wide open, and her mouth open in a silent scream. Small demons are attached to her like leaches,
feeding off her spirit.

Glowing with a golden light, Jake is done feeling like a victim, he reaches for a current of electricity and pulls a beam of light free. Testing it he imagines it flowing and radiating with a powerful white light. Adjusting his gri
p he holds it like a whip.

"Okay time to play." He whips it around and snaps it in the air. At the first assault some of the creatures drop off with a squeal. Jake
strikes with a loud crack them as they flee, bursting them into particles of light. The remaining leaches drop off and come toward him, flowing together to form a larger demon.

With a smile he lashes out with his whip, encircling the demons head. With a fierce jerk of the whip he severs the head splintering it into a cloud of ash. Heather drops to the ground landing on her feet, weak and exhausted she looks at him and says "Now,
that’s what a Keeper does Jake!" Laughing Jake says "You’re going to tell me everything!"

"To return to your body; just think the thought and you w
ill return," Heather says. "Let’s go, Seth is going out of his mind with worry," Jake tells her.

Thinking of Seth, Heather feels his arms tight around her once more. Taking a moment she savors the sensation before opening her eyes. "Okay cowboy, e
ase your grip I can't breathe."

"You ever pull a stunt like that again Heather and...” Seth whisper
s in her ear squeezing her. The sound of voices reminds them of where they are. Helping her they hurry back to Heather's room, Jake turns to Heather saying, "Our flight leaves in two hours for Germany. From there you have a flight to California."

"Jake the bag I gave you, will you go get it
?" Heather asks quietly. Exhaustion is taking over, but they need to know what's really going on. "Of course, I'll be back," he says hurrying away.

Seth closes in cornering Heather. Gently he lifts her chin so he can look into her eyes. "Do you have any idea how you made me feel back there? Why is it that
you trust Jake but not me?

"I won't apologize Seth. I couldn't stand it if you were to get hurt because of me." Her eyes plead with him to understand. "This
is new territory for me." Leaning down he captures her mouth, slipping his tongue into her moist heat. Reaching up she strokes his cheek deepening the kiss and she is startled at her body’s heated response. Seth growls; wishing for more privacy and time to show her how he feels. Heathers breaks off, trying to back away, breathing hard she says, "Please Seth we can't..."

Refusing to let her push him away he says "Yes We can, I need to taste you
," he coaxes her with his wet tongue. Burying a hand in her hair he pulls her head back and swallows her protest with his mouth.

Pushing at his chest, Heather feels tears prick her eyes. In a few hours they would go their separate ways and her heart would break. Seth feels her shutter and lets her push him away. Leaning in he sees the tears in her eyes and says "Heather, this pull between us is so strong. I know you feel it too! Why do y
ou keep pushing me away?"

Jake walks in and says with a grin "S
hould I come back?"

"No, Yes!
” they say simultaneously.  "I brought your bag back," Jake says still smiling.

Blushing Heather grabs the bag and walks over to the cot. "Okay; James, the friend I have been staying with disappeared a few months ago. One night he came in so excited about the day’s discoveries. He showed me some pictures of a small opening, it was an undiscovered cave. Not only did they uncover a room full of stones, but two large clay pots filled to the brim with coins. Lots of
other various pots as well, some broken, some not and lots of artifacts. It was the smaller stones that had caught my eye. Some of the larger stones were being carefully preserved, as well as the coins and artifacts. The smaller stones were considered not as important."

Heather takes the black bag and carefully pulls out three small stones. Getting on her knees in front of the cot she places them side by side with t
he inscriptions facing up.

Feeling the men move in behind her she continues. Reaching under the cot, she pulls out another bag. Placing three more identical stones she lays them side by side beneath the first three.
"You stole them?" Seth asks bewildered.

"Technically, yes I did but I have a very good r
eason. These stones are what are known as the Stones of War. James knew they were important but not many people can read Ancient Aramaic." Looking at her Seth asks, “Can you?"

"I don't have to read it to know what these are. I have been told stories about these since I was little, by my grandfather
," Heather responds

"James was in charge of our group. We were instructed to make three dimensional images of each stone. The stones were sorted on tables by size. With close to five thousand stones the images began to blend together, so James broke us up into three groups. I was assigned to work the smaller stones.
This one caught my eye," she says pointing at one stone.

"I was not alone in my discoveries. James started to realize what we had found. These other tablets belonged to a library of Old Testament teachings." Reaching for Seth's hand she rises up, and excitedly continues. "The stones were almost identical, word for word in some cases, to Old Testament teachings. They were written in multiple languages Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Sumerian, Acadians, the list goe
s on!"

"James grew more excited and began asking questions, but the local government just wanted us to do our job, not ask questions. He was warned multiple times but he didn't listen. I tried to talk to him but he was determined that the world should know about this
," she said.

"Heather why would the government care about this
?" Jake asks. "It would be great for tourism and the local economy, a boost for this area."

"Maybe because it challenges their religious beliefs, I don’t know
," Heather responds.
Seth tugs her hand and asks her, "What happened to James?"

"James must have asked the wrong question because soldiers came in and we were told to stop immediately. They confiscated all our computers, cameras, 3-
D imaging lasers, all our data, even our cell phones. They were escorting us from the site and James grew livid. He lost his mind, screaming, yelling, knocking over tables and they attacked him. During the chaos I grabbed the stones. They took him away, and we were told our work visas were being revoked.”

"As soon as I got back to my apartment, I hid the stones and planted a decoy. I was worried that I would be targeted because I lived with him. It turned out to be true, the next night, the soldiers came. They tossed the apartment blind
folded me and then, you know the rest." Seth pulled her closer, needing to touch her. "Heather what is this gift you have?"

"And how did you recognize it in me, does everyon
e have it?" Jake questions her. Sighing and looking at the clock Heather says, "I can tell you what I know, but we are out of time. My flight leaves soon." Turning she wraps the stones up again tucking them back into her bag.

"
You mean our flight leaves soon," Seth says.
Jakes laughs saying "Real Smooth cowboy” jabbing him affectionately in the arm. Confused Heather turns and stares at Seth as he explains, "I changed your flight with the General’s help and you will be flying with us to Germany. I was hoping for more time with you. You seem to get into trouble when you are alone."

"That's an understatement. You are a
magnet for trouble." Jake says. Hope blooms in Heathers eyes, and smiling she walks into Seth's arms. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Thank you both."

Twelve
 

Grabbing his duffel bag Jake finishes packing.  “Time to go home,” he thinks as he packs up his personal laptop. "Damn where is my flash drive," he mutters looking all around, grabbing it off his bunk.
A knock has him turning around, standing in the doorway is a fellow airmen, "Hey Jake the Master Sergeant wants to see you ASAP."
"On my way” Jake replies as he grabs his gear and drops it outside in the hall and heads down to the offices.

Once outside the office, he knocks and waits for permission to enter. Looking at the clock, he is wondering how long this will take because his flight leav
es in an hour.
"Come on in Jake," Master Sergeant Scott Davis greets him, "Jake we received a call from your family regarding a personal matter, you may want to sit down." Jakes heart stops for a moment.

"I arranged for you to S
kype with your family on my computer in ten minutes, take all the time you need son," he says as he turns the computer to him, and leaves.

Jake waits unsure what's going on, thinking his parents are not getting any younger maybe something happened to one of them? He presses the call button an
d waits for the connection.

A huge smile crosses his face when he sees both his parents on the screen. "Hi Guys
," relief shutters through his body until he looks closely at his Mother. It's obvious she has been crying, her eyes are swollen and her nose is red. Glancing at his Father his smile begins to fade. Doubt coils in his stomach ready to strike, as his dad says "Jake we have some bad news," taking a breath he continues "your car was found totaled on the parkway and Elsbeth," his voice breaks up as he looks at his wife; "I, I, can't ..." he whispers.

His mother states "Elsbeth was driving, but when they found the car, she was missing. Blood was found at the scene and animal tracks" she drops her head trying
to get through the conversation. "But no body, the police are doing everything they can..." she says looking at her husband.

"I'm on my way. Look at me both of you!
” he says, "Beth is fine; we will figure this out together.” His father’s eyes brim with tears, "they are trying to close the case Jake. They think the animals....that we will not recover her body."

"I won't let that happen. How long has it been?
” he replies thinking of the fastest way to get home. "Five days. Jake, hurry home," his mother says crying openly.
"I will, I love you both. I will call you when I am stateside," he responds breaking the connection. Jumping up Jake jerks the door open and grabs his gear, he heads to the airport.

Hold the shield, Hold the shield! She chants over and over in her mind. Her five year old body begins to tingle, the hairs on her arms rise as her body begins to buzz with electricity.
"Follow the thread." Her teacher says. "It is silver and connects the physical body to your astral body. The shield will protect you from the demons who will try to steal your soul. To return to your body, simply think the thought and snap you are back."

"Concentrate Elina!"
her teacher snaps as she loses the thread. Frustrated her teacher tells her, "I will get us some tea, and we can try again." Stomping out of the hut she leaves.

Tears prick Elina's eyes. As she listens she can hear the other children playing outside. She hears the wind blowing and the birds calling her. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she sits up crossing her legs and closes her eyes. She smiles as she hears the sou
nd of her friends laughing.

A sudden sparkle blinds her for a second as she turns her mind’s eye toward the light. Silver threads dance on the air but it is the bright golden thread that Elina is drawn to. Reaching for it she cries out with joy as her tiny fingers grasp it!
” Gotcha" she thinks. Suddenly her ears fill with a loud buzzing sound and she is jerked from her cot!
"I'm flying!" she yells. Her teacher would be so proud she thinks as she floats through the bright blue sky. Looking down she sees the thread she holds disappears into a grove of trees below.

Holding tightly to the golden thread, Elina is pulled toward the trees at incredible speed, scared she drops the thread just before crashing through the treetops into the river below. The impact knocks the breath out of her little body and
she struggles to surface.

Standing at the edge of the river, is a boy out for a day of fishing. He is trying to hook a worm, when he hears a scream and watches in shock as a small body crashes into the river. Dropping his pole he dives in and grabs her body, pulling her to the surface. Holding her head above the surface he swims to shore like he learned to.
    Coughing he rolls her to her side and brushes her black hair from her face. Staring at her, heart pounding he is relieved when she begins coughing and spitting water. Patting her back he asks "Are you okay?" His eight year old mind knows just what to do "it’s okay, my family is camping nearby, and I can go get help!
      Scared Elina looks at the golden haired boy who just saved her, her body begins to shake from the trauma and cold, stuttering she asks "are, are you a demon?"
Shocked, he says "NO, I am Jacob”. Pausing he looks closely at her as he says "I fight demons, you see them too?"
     Nodding her head yes, she tries to stand up. Jake asks "Can I help you? Your bleeding you know."
     Looking into his hazel eyes, she decides that probably a demon wouldn't be so nice, so she reaches for his hand.
     Leaning onto each other, shivering they limp towards camp and he says "Everything's going to be okay. What's your name?
     "Elina.” stumbling and struggling to walk she says, “Stop Jake, everything hurts.” Resting her on a rock, "Elina I can get help faster on my own. My camp is just past those trees over there," he says pointing.
     Sniffling, trying not to cry she whimpers "okay."
“Here,” he says softly pressing something in her hand, "You hold onto this for me, it's my lucky penny. Mom let me make on our way here. I will be right back Elina," spinning around he runs off in the direction of his camp.
     Looking down at the strange coin that has been pressed flat; she smiles and clasps it tightly in her fist. Closing her eyes she listens hard and hears her mother’s voice from far away like a whisper. Holding tightly to the thought of her Mother, the voice gets louder and again she feels the buzzing.    Her body begins to hum, time to go home. Feeling the wind rush past her body, she feels the falling sensation again and crashes to the ground near the center of the village. The sound of her mother screaming her name is the last sound she hears.
 

Jake jerks awake as the stewardess touches his shoulder. "Sir, we are beginning our descent." A voice over the speaker says, "We are beginning our descent into Frankfurt, Germany. Please return your seats to their upright positions, and turn off all electronic devices." Sitting up, Jake shakes his head to remove the confusion. He remembers as a little boy trying to convince his parents that he wasn't crazy; he had burst into camp yelling, shaking, dripping wet and talking about a little girl falling from heaven.
     Of course they thought he was delirious from his fall into the river but he would not calm down until they followed him. So his mother grabbed a blanket and first aid kit and they all followed him. Bursting through the trees Jake calls her name "Elina! Over and over he calls to her, but she was nowhere to be found. His Dad promised to search by the river, and surrounding area convincing them to return to the campsite. Eventually his Father returned. He promised Jake that he told the local authorities about the little girl.
     Later that night, before Jake went to bed he went to his dad and asked "Dad, did you check the trees?"
"Why would I check the trees, Jake?" his father asked.
     "Because Elina is an Angel who fell from the sky, maybe she got stuck in a tree. I will pray that she is okay. Good night," he says skipping off.
      Weird Jake thinks, that he is remembering this now so many years later. Walking through the terminal, Jake and Seth shake hands and exchange numbers.
Looking into his eyes Seth says “Jake, if you need anything, call me. Heather has agreed to let me go with her for now, but I am only a phone call away." Shaking his friends hand Jake says, "Thanks I will."
     Turning to Heather he remarks "You take good care of him, he's one of a kind."
"I know, Jake if I can do anything, please call me. Thank you for everything. Let us know how your sister is," she says hugging him quickly.
     Jake watches them walk off, hand in hand and turns with a determined look, hurrying to catch his connecting flight.

Swinging his leg over his black motorcycle Jake straps on his helmet and thumbs the starter, listening to it roar to life. Shifting into gear he heads to Beth's apartment. Maybe he will find some answers there. After spending a few days with his parents he decided to go to her apartment and see if he could turn up any additional evidence. According to the police report State Troopers were called into the area when his car was found wrecked, burned out and on its top. The report states that Elsbeth left a message with a friend that she was going out of town for the weekend. Assuming she left on Friday after work, the accident would have occurred sometime that evening. The car was not found for two days. A search team of more than forty people searched in a grid for four days turning up no clues except blood at the scene. K-9 units were used, helicopters, and thermal imaging. Police concluded a ground search for her, before filing it as a missing persons case.

Heading down the road Jake is oblivious to the beauty of the Charleston day, the bright sunshine and the smell of the salty ocean air. Pulling into the Water's Edge Plantation, Beth’s condo; he parks in the reserved parking under her unit. Private parking was a big reason she loved this unit, plus Jake kept his bike and car here when he was stationed overseas. Walking quickly, he ignores the bad feeling in his gut. Nothing is going to stop him
from finding his sister.

Entering the small mud room, Jake is immediately struck by the silence of Elsbeth's home. Hitting the light switch, he heads into kitchen and looks around. A few dishes rest in the sink, sitting near the phone is a notepad with a check list of things to do that week. Normal things like; get groceries, take out trash, and call Sarah to help with the shop, all with lines through them. It does not look like she was planning a trip. Taking the note pad, he opens the refrigerator and notices that it is full. Jake walks out of the kitchen and loo
ks around the small living room.

Smiling he remembers how excited Elsbeth was about the fireplace, and bookcases flanking it. Off the kitchen is a small dining area, near a bright window overlooking the
river. The condos open concept makes it feel larger than it is. The second floor holds a small bedroom that Beth converted into a work room, another small bedroom and bath. The third level was strictly a master suite, with a balcony.

Standing in his sister’s home, Exhaustion hits him. He has been traveling for days to get home and the time with his parents was emotional. They reviewed the police report and visited the site of
the accident, to no avail.

Walking swiftly upstairs Jake heads to her workroom. Of all the rooms this one is the hardest to enter. Beth is in every breath of this room. Her workstation is still littered with her tools; hammers, saws, chisels, and more.  Her sketch pad shows a cuff design with an intricate pattern similar to lace; along with a variety of lace that she uses to cast in wax. From the wax forms she makes one of a kind jewelry. She was so proud of the work she was doing, and her hard work was paying off. Her custom pieces were selling fast and the money she made from them allowed her to open her own shop downtown. A movement from the corner of the room catches Jakes eye. Grabbing a hammer he spins around and sees a
mannequin with Beth's newest design on it. "Getting jumpy," Jake says to himself. Picking up the sketch pad he heads to her small office in the other bedroom.

The small guest room also doubles as an office. Jake used this room, whenever he stayed with her. A small desk and computer sit in the corner of the room, with a phone. Dropping the notepad and sketch pad on the bed, he sits at the computer and turns it on. A security screen blinks at him. Not sure what her password would be, Jake takes out his cell, and calls in a favor. A fellow retired PJ who opened his own Computer information security company. He specializes in planning, developing, and monitoring security for companies and individuals. After telling him about his sister, he promises to look into it, and get back to h
im as quickly as possible.

Exhausted and no longer thinking straight anymore, he decides to grab a shower and rest. The stress and emotional toll of the last few weeks is catching up to him. Standing in the shower letting the steam soak into his bones, Jake doesn't see the shadows creeping in from the corners. Resting his forehead on the wall of the shower, he savors the steam. The shadows creep in forming the shape of a person. Reaching out its shadowed hand the light goes out. Startled Jake throws the curtain back and steps out to try the switch, when he feels a hand shove him backwards throwing him off balance. Slipping
, he doesn't stand a chance as he slams into the back of the shower wall and slides down the tub. The light flips back on and the door cracks open, while Jake slowly stands up saying "What the hell was that?"
     Standing in the shower, naked and dripping Jake feels stupid. Listening intently he hears nothing. Thinking he imagined the pressure on his chest, he turns off the water, grabs a towel and heads out into the room. As he is pulling on his jeans, he listens to the message on his cell phone. “Hey Cap, I’ve got something for you. I am sending it through to your email. It’s a couple of video logs, and her personal emails. I am working on getting a list of her phone calls, cell and home. I will send those through as soon as I can. Good luck. Let me know what else I can do.”