The Angel Side Read online

  “Where’s the fire?” Dad asked, helping Amy up.

  “Over in the corner.” Amy huffed, adjusting her shirt.

  “Hey, baby girl.” Dad said, stepping to the side of Amy.

  “Hey, Dad.” I manage to spit out through a laughing fit.

  “I’ll leave you two alone.” Amy said with a sneer as she closed the door behind her.

  “Are you and Amy okay?” Dad asked, sitting down on the bed across from me.

  “She’s just jumpy right now after hearing about my meltdown.”

  “That was pretty wild. Felt the tremors all the way in the war room.” Dad replied as he leaned back, relaxing.

  “What were you doing in the war room?” I asked, desperate to change the subject from my meltdown.

  “Templars and I had to bring Father up to date on everything happening.” Dad replied, falling back onto the bed. “Oh, this is so soft. How’d you get the good bed? Mine feels like concrete. René always—”

  “René always what?” René asked, interrupting as she came into the room.

  “Always had great taste.” my dad corrected.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” I said, jumping out of the chair.

  “It’s okay. Amy told me everything. I know the risk I’m taking.” René smiled as she sat on the bed next to my dad.

  “René, I don’t want to—”

  “Etta, it’s okay. Anyway, I was wondering what kind of flowers you wanted at your service.” René cut me off.

  “Really, René?” I giggled.

  “Hey, it’s all we got right now, and we only get to give you one.” Dad chuckled, as he gave René’s hand a squeeze and sent her a playful wink.

  “Throw me in a hole, in a pine box. For the wake, blare some Chevelle and have someone dressed up as the Grim Reaper stand in the corner pointing at people. For decorations and crap, just use some thrift store stuff and some of this junk in my room. Oh, maybe since the wedding is postponed Amy will let you use some of her decorations.” I snickered.

  “Yeah. About that.” Rubbing his head, dad sat up.

  “What? What did you do?” René playfully slapped my dad’s back.

  “Well, let’s just say it involved a fifth of Jagermeister and M203.”

  “You didn’t? Wait. Templars can drink?” I asked, raising my brow.

  “It was very therapeutic, and yes, Templars can drink. Even Jesus got down with some wine every now and then.” Dad jokingly replied.

  “You’re unbelievable. I wish I had been with you. I hated that ugly pink archway Amy picked out. It looked as if someone drop kicked a unicorn in the stomach until it puked.” I laughed.

  “Oh my goodness. It took four rounds to knock the hideous sucker down.”

  “How did you get away with blowing off the 203 in a public park?”

  “The base commander’s wife had just been caught cheating on him with some young PFC, so needless to say I hadn’t been the only one in need of therapy.” Dad winked.

  “Only you would get away with it, devil dawgy. Only you.” I shook my head in amusement.

  “Yeah well, it’s good to have friends in high places. So, on a serious note, how are you doing with all of this?” René rolled her eyes at my dad’s idea of stress relief.

  “Doing okay, I guess. I can’t wait until Ra gets back, so we can put this all behind us and move on with life.”

  In my short twenty-two years on Earth, I had tried to remain strong no matter what cards I was dealt. I survived my dad’s deployments, my mother’s death, René’s alcoholism, mental institutions due to false psychosis, plus Alastor’s and Vetis’s constant attacks. In my life beyond the veil, I battled the fall of my brother, Lucifer, a turbulent marriage, being ostracized, and a descent into Purgatory. I managed all of this with a smile and my head held high. But now I found myself broken down, tired, and weak. Death should have brought me peace, but instead it tore me to pieces.

  I held my composure as long as possible. Rushing into my dad and René’s arms I broke down in tears. “I wanted to do so much with my life: have a career, get married, maybe have a few kids. What if Ra doesn’t get my soul back? What if he doesn’t make it back? I love him so much. When is it going to stop?”

  “Shh. Shh, baby girl. It’s no secret I don’t particularly care for Ra, but if anyone can get your spirit back it’s him. Ra may have left you in the past but he’s never given up on you, and I don’t think he ever will. He’s strong and knows what he’s doing.” Dad said, squeezing me in his arms.

  “Um, baby girl…would you mind letting—” he continued with a coughing fit. Knowing Templars weren’t susceptible to illness, I jumped back to see what had caused him to cough. Without my knowledge, the lower portion of my form had snaked up around his throat, constricting his airway. In a panic, I attempted to yank it from him but the harder I tugged, the more it constricted and spiraled down his body. Deciding I needed something to pry it from him I scanned my room.

  A black fog swirled around me, drifting outward to the walls. A cracking noise brought my attention back to dad. It hadn’t been until the third pop I realized I’d been crushing him.

  “Ca…calm…down.” Dad fought to speak.

  “Etta! Etta, honey!’ René pleaded as she cowered against the wicker headboard.

  “Help me! Somebody please help me!” I cried, tugging at the wisp encircling him when an electrical surge struck me, knocking me back through the wall.

  Falling into the backyard from the second story, I braced for impact, but when I hit the ground I exploded into a plume of black dust. In seconds I was back in my former shape. It had been as if someone had thrown a five pound bag of black flour off the roof. Looking up, Amy leaned out of the hole with an apologetic frown, and then turned back into the room.

  Gabriel had been right. I’d been a threat to anyone close to me. The slightest emotion seemed to send my body into a defensive mode, trying to kill anything nearby. I would need to leave for the safety of the ones I loved, but where I’d be able to go I didn’t know. I doubted I would be welcome to wait for Ra in Heaven. If I left without telling dad what I was up to, he would search for me, defeating the point of leaving.

  Gliding toward the back door I had been met with a rush of Templars, staves drawn at the ready. Dad pushed his way through the mob, cautiously stopping short a few feet from me.

  “Baby girl? Are you okay?”

  “I’m going to go. I figure I can hole up in the Wastelands until Ra returns.” I said before dad had the chance to do his Jedi mind trick, leading me to believe all was well.

  “You need to stay here.” Dad protested.

  “If I stay here I’ll end up hurting one of you. I don’t want to, but I can’t control it. I have to go.” I said, preparing to flash.

  “Etta, I’m sorry, but we’re under strict orders not to allow you to leave.” Dad rubbed my shoulders in a small attempt to comfort me. The fact was, Father didn’t trust me on my own. Scanning the Templars, I sensed if I tried to leave they would overrun my dad and attempt to take me out. For my dad’s sake I would have to stay and pray I’d keep calm until Ra’s return.

  “Fine. I’ll stay but only with you, René, and Amy. Having a bunch of jumpy Templars in the same room as me may be hazardous to their health.” I replied.

  “That’s fine. They’ll stay downstairs.” Dad said, grabbing my hand and leading me back into the house.

  Entering the bedroom I stood amazed for a moment. No matter the extent of the damage caused by a celestial being, they always managed to repair it in the blink of an eye, as if nothing ever happened. I wondered if it had been as easy to fix Ra’s house after I sent the Arches plummeting through it. The thought led me to asking myself if I would have the ability to repair the damage I’d done. If I did, maybe I would have the ability to control my emotions.

  “How do you do it?” I asked dad.

  “Do what?” he said, keeping his distance behind me.

  “How did you fix the h
ole?” I replied, turning to him. Reluctant to step any farther into the room, Amy and René stood by the door as my dad sat on the bed.

  “It’s easy. Don’t worry. If anything else gets broken, I’ll take care of it.” Dad answered.

  “How?” I demanded.

  “You just think about it, and it happens. Why do you want to know so badly?” my dad sighed.

  Grabbing the white wicker chair next to my desk, I smashed it into splinters against the wall. Focusing on the chair, I watched as it came back together. Believing it too easy, I picked up my guitar and attacked my desk. Dad came up behind me, grabbing my arms.

  “What are you doing?” Dad yelled.

  Dropping the head of my guitar, I concentrated on the desk and guitar. In seconds the two items appeared as if nothing happened.

  “If I can control putting things back together, why not my emotions?” I answered.

  “Those are inanimate objects. Emotions aren’t. Look, you really want to get a handle on it, I’ll tell you what I used to tell my troops.”

  “And what is it you would tell them?”

  “Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. But if you want to better the odds, then I suggest you keep your thoughts on the mission at hand and your heart at home.”

  His advice had seemed as cold as his demeanor when he wore his uniform. I didn’t want to imagine my dad left his heart behind during his countless deployments. I always thought it had been his heart that brought him home.

  “Did you leave your heart behind when you were deployed? Just left it as if it were a pair of spare underwear?”

  “It’s what I told my troops. It’s not always what I did. You can’t be a good fighter and be heartless. However, you can’t let your feelings get in the way of what needs to be done. Why do you think Ra is always screwing up? He lets his brain give way to his feelings. In fact, it’s always been one of your biggest problems as well. You both have to learn when to turn it off and when to turn it on.”

  “Speaking of Ra, what is taking so long? Shouldn’t he be back by now?” as the words passed my lips, a wounded Gabriel crashed into the center of the room. John and Amy rushed to his side.

  “You have to get Etta out of here, now.” Gabriel moaned, rolling from side to side as he cradled a large gash across his stomach.

  “Where’s Ra?” I screamed.

  “C’mon. We’ll go to the Wastelands.” Dad grabbed my arms, pushing me away from Gabriel.

  “It was a trick. They came in from all sides.”

  Amy slapped her hands against Gabriel’s torso, healing the wound he sustained. Gabriel’s groans were soon drowned out by a choir of stomping feet on the stairs.

  “Baby girl, we have to go now. They’re coming.”

  “No, wait. Gabriel, where is my husband?” I yelled, pushing my dad to the side.

  “They swarmed him. I’ve never seen anything like it. As I went to flash, I grabbed him, but it gave way.” Gabriel sobbed as he removed a clump of feathers from his belt, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  Gabriel had left my husband in Hell with no way to defend himself against Lucifer and his legions and no way flee. Ra had once been left behind which resulted in his hundred year captivity and snowballed into today’s events. I would not allow my husband to be left behind again. It had come high time I took matters into my own hands and showed the worlds I had had enough.

  The door burst open as timid Templars filed into the room, ready to see their orders through. I didn’t want to hurt them for doing what Father asked, but I wasn’t going to stick around to see how long I’d be able to hold them off.

  “Oh, hell no!” I exclaimed, and then flashed.

  Chapter Eleven Ra

  I waited until the sound of the guards marching down the corridor reverberated through the walls before searching the cell for a way out. Though my wing had been hanging on by a thread, if I made it to the gates, I’d be able to make a break for the Wastelands, summons a ride to Heaven, and think of another plan to get the remaining piece of Etta’s soul. I had prayed Gabriel got to Etta in time to warn her of the attack heading her way.

  With me grounded in Hell, the Arches would be ordered to take Etta out, but it wasn’t Etta I had concern for. I knew in my heart she wouldn’t go down without a fight which meant my brothers were at risk of being severely hurt, or worse. Tapping the rock walls, I listened for a soft or hollow spot I might be able to break through, when the stone cell door slid open.

  “Someone wishes to speak with you.” Nicor stood at the opening with the war hammer and scutum. With his weapon and shield, I’d be able to all but ensure a safe trip to the Wastelands and not go home empty-handed, making the mission less than a complete failure. I readied myself to rush him when a figure stepped around his side.

  “You need to hurry, my love. The guards will be back at any moment.” Nicor said as he stepped aside, allowing Persephone entrance into the cell.

  “What the hell do you want?” I exclaimed, stepping back.

  “I came to ask you for your help, Rahovart.” Persephone slowly put her hands up as she walked closer toward me.

  “You have some nerve asking for my help after what you did.”

  “Shh. Keep your voice down. They can’t know I had contact with you.” Persephone glanced behind her.

  Nicor, standing watch, gave her an encouraging nod.

  “Once the shit hit the fan, you just left Etta to die. We wouldn’t be here if you had warned us about Lilith.”

  “I had to leave. I wasn’t sure how much Lilith knew or if she had attacked us here as well. It’s no secret what she wants. Besides, this is bigger than just you and my daughter.”

  “Lucifer’s generals are able to fend off and defeat Heaven’s armies. Why would you be concerned over one Wraith and her pack of rats?”

  “Because of what Hell has. I have in my possession something more valuable than all the gold, silver, and spirits in all the worlds, including my own daughter’s. I have a way to bring peace between our worlds or at least a more diplomatic way of settling disputes.” Persephone explained.

  After Persephone helped Etta before the fight against Vetis and Pyro, Etta swore her mother had been a trustworthy and righteous soul. After a few arguments about the validity of Etta’s misplaced trust, I gave up trying to convince Etta otherwise. Though she did help her daughter once, I didn’t trust Persephone. I knew better than to trust any Demon. Unlike Angels, they have the ability to lie, cheat, and steal to meet the needs of their wants. With no proof that Persephone was any different, my guard remained on full alert.

  “And what could be more valuable than your own daughter?”

  Persephone turned to Nicor, giving him a nod. With a disagreeable sigh, Nicor disappeared. A few moments later Nicor returned with a wide grin as he looked down at his hand.

  “Is this the Angel you told us about, Grandpa?” a young, Demon-child spoke as she looked up at him with a sheepish smile. Next to the snake-human, half-breed child stood two smaller serpent-like boys.

  “Rahovart, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Annahail. She just had her eighth birthday. Botis is seven, and Uphir is six. These are my grandchildren…Etta’s children. Kids, meet your step-father, Rahovart.” Persephone smiled as she picked up the smallest child, kissing him on his cheek.

  Of all the dirty tricks, this had been the worst. If Persephone thought for a moment she would get me in her pocket by dangling half-breeds in my face, she was sorely mistaken. In disbelief, I stared at the children when I saw Etta’s brown eyes peering back at me. With a gasp, I stepped back.

  “He’s scaring me, Grandpa Nicor.” Annahail cried.

  “It’s okay, honey. There’s nothing to be scared of. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Nicor whispered as he lifted her up into his arms and brushed her hair from her face.

  “But…how? Who?” I stammered, trying to regain my thoughts.

  “Sex is one way to create a baby. As for the father, I think you know who… A
lastor. ” Persephone answered.

  “No. You’re lying. Lucifer wouldn’t let them pass through intake if those were Etta’s children. They would be trapped as wisps in the Labyrinth.” I contested.

  I knew Etta had been impregnated by Alastor when she told me about losing the baby in a self-inflicted car accident. Based off my walk-throughs of her when I first met her on Earth, she had been pregnant more than once, but the three half-breeds before me went against all logic.

  Because of their father, Alastor’s, demonic blood at the time of conception, they would be damned to Hell. But the same as any other forsaken soul, they would have to navigate through distorted and grotesque wisps that filled Lucifer’s dirt and stone carved Labyrinth to find their way to the intake room for a final evaluation. It had been widely speculated the amount of soul’s wandering the twisted corridors of Hell’s Labyrinth rivaled the halls of Purgatory; it had been a Purgatory all in itself.

  The design of the intricate maze had been Lucifer’s idea of a test. It was the only way to weed out the loyal, faithful, and strong without having to leave the safety of his citadel. Lost souls spent centuries aimlessly wandering around through the long and treacherous hallways, but if your heart knew true darkness then finding your way through would be a short journey.

  Lucifer wanting Etta to bare his offspring meant he would never accept another Demon’s spawn into the fold, even if they managed to make it to intake. Despite my love for Etta, I’d been unable to even fathom accepting another Demon’s children as mine. Looking back at the eldest, Annahail, I saw Alastor’s fanged smile and serpent body.

  “How did they get past the Labyrinth?” I asked.

  “Upon their arrival, the Seers came to me and told me of their three fates. One, Lucifer would use them to get Etta then banish them to the Wastelands with the Susman. The second, Lilith would send them to Purgatory, so she would be able to take the throne. The other, they would ascend to the throne and bring with them peace between our worlds. Nicor and I had to get them through intake in secret. We’ve been hiding them ever since, trying to raise them as Etta would have, but it’s growing increasingly dangerous by the day. They are getting older and harder to hide. Plus with everything going on, I don’t know who will be in rule a week from now. If Lilith attacks, I don’t want the children caught in the crossfire. I can help get you out of here if you promise to take them with you until this battle between Lilith and Lucifer is over.”