It took me a second to realize the renegade was me.
I racked my brain to remember what I knew about the Sevens. That was the nickname we Guardians had coined for them, and it’d stuck. Formally they were known as the Principalities—or sometimes the Princes—because of their status. After a number of years as Guardians, angels were permitted to apply to train as Sevens, but it wasn’t for everyone. It was like Heaven’s version of military service—a strict existence of rigorous training with little to no interaction with human souls—so its appeal was limited.
Talking about them triggered a sharp memory from a long time ago. I hadn’t thought about Zach since I’d come down to earth but back in the Kingdom he was once my friend. Zach had been a gifted Guardian. We jokingly called him the Pied Piper because he couldn’t move without being followed by a troop of children’s souls. For reasons he didn’t really share with us, Zach soon became disillusioned with his role and set his sights higher. Perhaps it was the lure of prestige that spurred him to join the Sevens. He never told me. And I never saw him again after that. I couldn’t help but think what a loss to our ranks his departure had been. Zach had made the transition from an earthly existence to a heavenly one seem as effortless as a game and children trusted him entirely. Not many Guardians could boast that. And yet it hadn’t been enough to satisfy him. I could still picture his pale skin sprinkled with a dusting of freckles and his clear eyes like he was right in front of me. Zach seemed such an unlikely soldier I couldn’t imagine what he must look like now.
Gabriel’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Our only chance is to confuse them,” he was saying. “Keep moving, change locations.”
“That’s your solution?” I asked in disbelief.
“For the short term,” my brother replied icily. “Have you got a better idea?”
I knew Xavier well enough to know he wasn’t going to be satisfied with this. He needed to have all the facts, and my siblings seemed to be holding something back.
“I’m not really following,” he persisted, struggling to keep the frustration out of his voice. “Look, I know we didn’t get permission from upstairs for what we did, but they did give us the green light to be together once. All we did was take the next step.”
“Except that step wasn’t yours to take,” Ivy said. I barely recognized her. She sounded like a Seraphim talking now, and not my sister. “Your relationship was tolerated. You should not have taken the step you took without authorization.”
“Beth’s committed a serious transgression,” Gabriel added in case further clarification was needed. “Marriage is an indissoluble covenant between man and woman. You two have pushed your luck in the past but this time … you were way out of line. You cannot overturn the order of creation without repercussions. So get ready for a reaction. And I don’t think it’ll be pretty.”
4
The Cover of Trees
DESPITE his harsh words, Gabriel’s eyes were sorrowful. I had the feeling that deep down he blamed himself for my actions. I remembered the quizzical look he’d given me just days ago on the lawns of Bryce Hamilton as Xavier and I were moving away from the students assembled in their caps and gowns. But then one of his eager young choristers distracted him with a question and his focus had shifted back to being the music teacher, and away from us. When he looked for us again, we would have been gone. Gabriel liked to see himself as infallible. His failure to pick up on what was happening under his nose would rankle.
Xavier gave my brother an exasperated look. “I’m so over this crap,” he said finally.
“You’re not the only one,” Gabriel replied coolly. “But Bethany, as you insist on forgetting, is not from this world.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten.” There was something about his tone that bothered me. Was he regretting his decision already?
“If you’d had the sense to come to us first, we might have found another way,” my brother reflected.
“We’re not children,” Xavier said emphatically. “We can make our own decisions.”
“Well, you’re not very good at it,” Gabriel replied. “Why don’t you think more carefully next time?”
“Why don’t you butt out of our lives?”
“I would gladly, if your decisions didn’t have repercussions for everyone around you.”
“For goodness sake,” Ivy said. “We’re all on the same side here—we need to stop pointing fingers and focus on the best way to handle this.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Xavier said. After a moment he directed his attention to Gabriel. “I suppose the real question is, could you take out one of these Sevens if you needed to?”
One thing I remembered hearing about the Sevens was that they considered themselves an elite group; they would network and swap information until they’d tracked down their prey. We couldn’t elude them forever; eventually they’d catch up to us. I hoped Gabriel was working on a long-term plan.
“One-on-one, my powers would outstrip theirs,” Gabriel answered. “But there is every chance I would be outnumbered. There are dozens of them and they’re trained fighters.”
“Super.”
“What exactly will happen if they find us?” I asked.
“That’s a good question,” Ivy replied. Her face told us she didn’t have the answer.
“You can’t expect us to just sit around and wait for them to show up!” I said.
“You won’t be able to stay here long. We’re just buying time until we decide what to do,” Gabriel said. “In the meantime there’s nothing you can do except stay alert.” I could see the possibilities ticking over in Xavier’s mind.
“Can you at least tell us what these Sevens look like?” he said. “Could we pick one out of a crowd?”
“A long time ago they used to appear wearing robes and golden girdles,” Ivy explained.
“They sound like losers,” Xavier muttered.
My sister sighed impatiently. “They’ve adapted to fit the times. These days they tend to appear as men in black.”
“So there’s nothing we can do to prepare?” Xavier pressed.
“There are signs that usually precede their arrival,” Ivy said grimly. “Look out for a blood moon or the sighting of a white phantom horse. If you see one, a Seven won’t be far behind.”
“A blood moon or a white horse?” Xavier asked dubiously. “Really?”
“You doubt the veracity of all this?” Gabriel sounded affronted.
“I don’t mean any disrespect, Gabriel, but you don’t honestly think I’m gonna let some dude in a girdle riding a white horse take Beth, do you?”
A sound of exasperation escaped from Gabriel’s lips. He was on the verge of saying more until Ivy’s raised hand silenced us all. She looked earnestly at Xavier.
“Your valor is admirable,” she said. “But promise us one thing. If you do see one, don’t try and fight it; just get Beth as far away as you can.”
“Okay,” Xavier said, his eyes deadly serious. “I promise.”
A few minutes later, Gabriel and Ivy took off again. They said they were going to investigate and seek out information that might help us. But really we had no idea where they were going or what their plans involved. We were like children, following orders and being kept in the dark. I knew it was for our own protection but it still stung.
Xavier and I went upstairs that night with heavy hearts. We sat together on the green velvet sofa facing the window and looked out over the quivering treetops of the silver forest. An unsettling wind had started up, making things rattle in the roof and causing the boughs leaning over the paling fence to creak.
“I guess we won’t be getting much sleep tonight,” I said.
“I doubt it,” Xavier replied, kissing the top of my head. I propped myself up, watching the dark outline of the trees through the window. In the cool blue moonlight Xavier’s face was pale, almost unearthly, and the color of his eyes was vivid when he flicked them across to look at me. ?
??I know you didn’t need this,” he said. “Not after everything that happened last Halloween.”
“What can you do?” I replied. “Bad stuff is never well timed.”
“I wish there was someplace I could take you,” he said, turning his gaze upward in frustration. “Where I know you’d be safe.”
“You shouldn’t worry about me,” I said. “I’ve seen a lot now. I’m not so fragile anymore.”
“I know.” He adjusted the throw on the sofa so that it covered my bare shoulders. “We’ve never talked about it, you know,” he continued in a tentative voice. I knew he didn’t want to push me. “The time you spent in…” Xavier petered out. But I wasn’t afraid to say it.
“Hell?” I prompted. “There’s not much to tell. It was everything they say it is.”
“Some people say you don’t remember a traumatic experience,” Xavier said. “Your subconscious blocks it out. I kind of hoped that might be true for you.”
I shook my head sadly. “I remember,” I told him. “I remember everything.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I wouldn’t know where to start.” I shifted position, fitting myself around him like a puzzle piece. The warmth he radiated made me feel confident enough to continue. “The worst part is that I left my friends behind … Hanna and Tuck. Wouldn’t think you’d make friends in Hell, would you? But they were like my family down there. Hanna was the kindest girl I’ve ever met, and Tuck was the one who showed me how to project so I could come and visit you.”
“I wish I could thank him,” Xavier said.
“I hate to think what they’ve done to him.” I winced involuntarily. “When they’re angry, they’re capable of anything.”
Xavier swallowed audibly. “Did they … did they do anything to you?”
“They tried burning me at the stake.”
“What!” Xavier’s whole body went rigid and he jerked upright. His face changed suddenly and I knew my words must have dredged up painful memories for him. Only a few years ago, his girlfriend Emily had died in a fire at the hands of demons.
“It’s okay.” I tugged him gently back down toward me. “The flames didn’t touch me. I think someone was protecting me, someone from above.”
“Whoa.” He exhaled loudly. “That’s not easy to get your head around.”
“I know. But that wasn’t the worst part.”
“You mean there’s something worse than burning at the stake?”
“I saw the Pit.”
“The Pit?” Xavier echoed. His eyes widened. “You mean like the medieval pit of fire where…”
“Souls are tortured,” I finished for him.
“Beth, I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be,” I cut him off. “It’s not your fault and it’s not some problem you can solve for me. It’s just something that happened and I have to deal with it.”
Xavier looked at me, a strange expression in his bottomless blue eyes. “You’re a lot stronger than people give you credit for.”
I gave him a wan smile. “If my time underground taught me anything, it’s that nothing is permanent. Everything and everyone you know can change at any moment. That’s how I see things now—except for you. You’re the one constant in my life.”
“You know that won’t ever change, right? I’ll always be here.” Xavier pressed his forehead against mine. “You can bet on that. Besides, fending off these Sevens should be a piece of cake after what you’ve been through.”
I thought about that for a second and decided he was right. What could be worse than being dragged into Hell and trapped in an underworld where those you loved couldn’t find you? There might be legions of Sevens on the lookout for us, but Xavier and I were still together. And we had Gabriel and Ivy exhausting every possibility to help find us a solution.
“We should try and get some sleep,” Xavier suggested. We moved over to the bed, kicked off our shoes, and curled up on top of it. After what Gabriel had said, neither of us felt comfortable enough to get under the covers. I closed my eyes but there was too much commotion in my head. I couldn’t turn it off. It felt oppressive in our loft bedroom and I would have liked to open the window just enough to let in the night air but I knew I couldn’t risk it. Would the Sevens pick up on our scent? Could they smell the fear and uncertainty hanging over us? I didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to take any chances. When dawn finally broke I couldn’t remember whether we’d slept or not, but it was a relief not to have to fight consciousness anymore. Besides, the dark only added to my growing sense of claustrophobia. Who knew what might be out there … waiting for us.
The next couple of days and nights passed in the same manner. We lost track of time. Being on alert made us anxious and agitated, but a deathly lethargy also settled over us. At night we slept fitfully, but what we needed—real, restful sleep—continued to elude us. It was hardly surprising given that we usually spent all day cooped up inside with little to do but wait for updates from Ivy and Gabriel. They usually appeared without warning around mid-afternoon, bringing fresh supplies but little in the way of news. I was growing impatient and Gabriel’s pronouncement that no news is good news did little to reassure me. Xavier, who had engaged in some form of physical exercise every day for most of his life, was also going stir-crazy.
Being in lockdown brought back painful memories for me. On the odd occasions when I did fall asleep, I would wake in tears shortly after descending into a nightmare. I dreamed the cabin was underground and we were running out of air. When I tried to open a window, a river of earth tumbled in, threatening to bury us alive. At the same time, I knew it wouldn’t matter if we escaped, because what awaited us aboveground was no better. My strangled sobbing always woke me first. Xavier would wake in turn and comfort me, stroking my hair until I went back to sleep.
On our third night together my dream changed; legions of faceless Sevens were galloping through the skies holding flaming swords. Their horses’ eyes rolled back in their heads as their hooves pounded the air. Their hooded riders pointed them toward our cabin where they lined up like rows of dominoes. There were so many that I lost count. They charged forward at the same time my eyes flew open. I clutched at Xavier’s sleeve, rousing him immediately. His arm, already resting around my shoulders, tightened immediately. The weight of it made me feel protected and I nestled into him. Thinking about the new nightmares that awaited me made it hard to settle and I kept wriggling restlessly and shifting my position on the bed to get comfortable.
“I know it’s hard but please try to relax,” Xavier coaxed. “We’re going to be okay, Beth.” Even in the moonlight streaming through the loft window I could make out his sky blue eyes. The unflinching way he looked at me reminded me that I was prepared to follow him to the ends of the earth.
“What if something happens while we’re sleeping?”
“No one is going to find this place in the dark.”
“Maybe not humans … but angel soldiers?”
“We have to trust that Gabriel’s got this covered. If we’re careful, we’ll be fine.”
I wanted badly to believe him, but what if Gabriel was out of his depth this time? And being careful alone was certainly no guarantee that we’d be fine. The truth was, we didn’t know what was going to happen from one day to the next. On the spot I made a decision to be focused on the future rather than stressing over things I couldn’t change. I tried to picture our life together when all this was behind us. I forced myself to imagine what kind of conversation we might be having right now under normal circumstances and decided to give it a try.
“Xavier?” I snuggled closer to him, pressing my cheek against his smooth, warm shoulder. “Are you going to sleep?”
“Trying to.”
“Love you,” I said.
“I love you too.” Things always felt better after hearing those words.
“Xavier?”
“Yeah?” he answered in a sleepy drawl.
“How many babies do you
want to have?” With any other teenage boy, that kind of question would have set off major alarm bells. But as usual, Xavier was unfazed.
“Probably no more than a dozen.”
“Be serious.”
“Okay. Seriously, is now really a good time to discuss this?”
“I’m just curious,” I said. “Besides, it might take my mind off things.”
“Fine. I think three’s a good number.”
“Me too. I love when we’re on the same wavelength.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you think there’s much chance of it happening?”
“Of what happening?”
“Us having kids.”
“Sure. Definitely. One day.”
“Can we call our first born Waylon if it’s a boy?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he’ll get the crap kicked out of him, that’s why.”
“Okay, what names do you like?”
“Normal names, like Josh or Sam.”
“Fine, but I get to name the girls.”
“Only from an agreed list.”
“I think I want my daughters to have strong names … strong but pretty, y’know?”
“Sounds great. Can we go to sleep now?” Xavier turned and curved his body into mine. I could hear his breathing become deeper but I was still wide awake. I knew I should let him sleep, but I wasn’t ready to part with his company just yet.
“If I give you some examples of girls’ names, can you tell me if they make it onto the list?”
“If you insist.” Xavier blinked hard and propped himself onto his elbow to face me, trying to take my game seriously.
“Caroline?”
“In.”
“Billie?”
“No way, she’ll be gender confused.”
“Isadora?”
“Is she from Middle Earth?”
“Fine. How about Dakota?”
“Place names are out.”
“That’s not fair.” I pouted. “Most of my favorites are places.”
“Then I get to throw in some places of my own.”