The Demon Side (18 page)

The corridor was narrow. Only one or two Demons could funnel through at a time. If I had my sword and shield, I could probably hold them off for a few more moments. With any luck that would give us the time we needed before the onslaught of Demons trampled through me. I reached for my sword, but it wasn’t there. In my haste, I had left my sword and shield in the throne room. The entrance from the corridor to the room was too tight. My wings would be useless.

The first few Demons were running around the bend of the corridor. We were out of time. Swiftly, I jerked Michael’s shield and sword from him and bolted to the corridor just in time to strike the first Demon down. I opened my wings to block anything coming through. The only thing standing between them and our deaths was me. One by one, the Demons charged at me.

If they kept this up, I would surely be successful, but Demons aren’t stupid. They came at me, squeezing in two, three at a time. When one dropped, another would take his place. I pushed my body farther in the corridor using my wing as leverage. The pressure of the Demons trying to push me back was intense. The blades of my wings snapped and broke.

Bracing for another wave of Demons, I dug my feet into the ground. As they crashed into my shield, my left wing took a damaging blow. The sound of shattering metal filled the air. I began to fall forward when something from behind jerked me back into the room.

“Let’s go!” Michael shouted as he took off running. I scrambled to my feet and followed Michael through a cramped tunnel. They had made it through. I managed to hold on just long enough for them to not only burrow a hole through but for everyone to get out. As soon as we made our way through the tunnel to the city, we opened our wings and took off into the air with a sonic boom, bursting through the ceiling and leaving the Demons that followed in our dust, literally.

The trip back to Heaven only took minutes, but it felt like an eternity. When we finally reached the gates, my seven brothers stood outside the infirmary. I rushed through them when Uriel stopped me.

“Father is with her.” I lowered my hand from the doorknob. Father only took care of serious injuries and never in person. That was the job of the Powers, a choir of angels who specialized in healing. My brothers stayed with me through all of my pacing and complaining about how long it took. The eight of us waited outside for minutes that seemed like hours when the door finally opened. A female opened the door and waved me in. I walked somberly into the room, not knowing what to expect. Etta’s neck was bandaged. Her pale skin blended with the white sheets on the gurney. She looked limp and lifeless.

“Is she…?” I couldn’t say the word.

“She’ll be fine. You did very well, my son.” Father spoke, startling me. I hadn’t noticed Him in his angelic form. He sat in a chair near Etta. “She may have a small scar, but nothing noticeable. Now, it’s time for you to get her home and say your goodbyes.”

“Goodbyes to whom, Father?”

“Don’t worry so much, my son. She’ll remember moving, going to school, and normal day-to-day life, but she won’t remember anything she’s seen beyond the veil,” Father answered before I could finish. He always knew what I intended to say before I could say it.

“You mean…?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, my son, but it has to be this way in order for free agency to work. If I don’t close the veil completely, the slightest reminder can bring back all her memories. But, do not fear. I have assigned the best Guardians to keep an eye on her. She will be safe. Take her home, Rahovart.”

As I lifted Etta in my arms, He touched my shoulder. “You can stay with her until she wakes up, but then you must say goodbye and close the veil behind you.”

I had accomplished my objective. Etta would be able to live as a normal girl—a life without Demons and pills, something she had been denied for so long. She would lose all knowledge of the past four months. Her mind would be erased of everything having to do with the celestial worlds, including any memory of me. Part of me wanted to take her away so I would never have to lose her, but I knew there was nowhere I could go. I would just be denying her the life I fought to save.

I held her close as I traveled down to her home. It would be one of the last times I could. Landing on her porch, I hesitantly opened the door. No sign remained of the destruction Ramiel had caused. As I walked up the stairs, sounds of snores filled the hallway. John would wake up with a slight headache and the same memory loss as Etta. Gently, I place Etta onto her bed. The sun beamed from the open drapes, giving Etta’s face an angelic glow. As I softly kissed her lips, she stirred and pulled the blanket from the side of the bed over her. She needed her rest.

I didn’t want to leave her side, but if the veil closed when I left, I had to make sure all trace of me disappeared from the home. I climbed into the attic. It was musty with the smell of mildew. It never bothered me before, but now I entered the small room a different being. There in the corner were my trinkets. I grabbed the empty box I used to put rats in to watch them fight over scraps of food. Carefully, I placed each item in the box until I noticed a note taped to my stack of CDs. The note was from Etta.

My dearest Ra,

I’ve left you this note because I know you’ll find the good that is deep inside of you and you’ll come back for me. I understand why you left, but I also know you love me. I see it in your eyes. And I hope you know that I love you, too. My dad has decided he doesn’t want to live with Demons. It took him long enough. Anyways, he’s taking us to the base hotel until he can find us a new place. You’ll find me there waiting for you. Don’t keep me waiting too long.

Love Always & Forever,

Etta

She had known from the beginning. She didn’t see a Demon when she looked at me. She showed me kindness even at my ugliest. She showed me beauty even at my worst. She knew Alastor would come for her, and she knew I wouldn’t completely abandon her. The whole time I had convinced myself I fought to save her, I was wrong. I didn’t save Etta; she saved me.

I shuffled through the CD cases, finally finding the one I had set aside for her. It reminded me of the night Etta and I stayed up until dawn talking about music and everything in between. I would never have a night like that with her again. I couldn’t stand the promise song on the CD I’d chosen for her. It seemed corny, but it said everything I wanted to say to her. I tossed all of my belongings into the box and went down into Etta’s room.

Grabbing a pen from Etta’s desk, I sat and took the
When in Rome
CD case apart. On the inside flap of the cover, I wrote:
You were right. I love you
, and put the case back together. A note she would probably never find even if she kept the disc, but writing it made me feel better about leaving her again. I set the box down on the floor and sat next to her on the bed. I placed the case on her nightstand. From my wing, I plucked a broken blade and set it on top of the CD. If the trinkets survived the closing of the veil between our worlds, then just maybe she would understand them.

As much as I wanted to wait by her side until she awoke, I knew it would only make it that much harder on me. I couldn’t say goodbye. It wouldn’t be goodbye. For as long as I had air in my lungs, I would watch over her. I would watch her graduate high school, go off to college, get married, have children, and finally return to her rightful place in Heaven. I softly kissed her cheek and got up, grabbing my box. I took one last look at my Etta as she lay sleeping soundly.

“You’re safe now. Be good, Etta. I’ll be waiting for you,” I whispered before closing her door. I crept down the stairs and exited the rear of the house. Lifting the lid to the garbage can, I threw the box under an overfilled garbage bag. I made it a few steps away when I rushed back to the garbage can. I grabbed the note Etta had left for me and placed it inside my sword’s sheath. As I took off for home, a white cloud consumed Etta’s house. The veil was closing.

As I arrived at the golden gates of Heaven, the seven Arches were there waiting for my return. I walked into the center of the group, Michael and Gabriel put their arms around me and, together, the eight of us walked through the gates. I’d made it home.

Heaven Liegh Eldeen is a freelance fantasy/fiction writer. She has spent most of her life traveling from state to state. Her experiences in life have fueled her creativity and story-telling abilities. Writing her first novella,
The Demon Side
, has been an exciting time full of great surprises and joy. She currently lives in California with her husband of ten years and their seven year old prince of darkness and crayons.

www.heaveneldeen.com