Heaven

  “Beth, am I dreaming or is he…” Xavier broke off and took a few cautious steps backward, pulling me along with him.

  “You’re not dreaming,” I whispered. “He’s walking on water.”

  6

  We Need to Talk

  THE Seven was headed straight for us. It was like watching something happen in a dream: One minute he was across the lake and the next he was standing only meters away from us. In the distance his white horse whinnied and reared its head, but its rider paid it no attention.

  I remembered what Gabriel had told us; Sevens were hunters, trained to stalk their prey. But this one seemed unconcerned by the fact that we’d seen him. Instead he continued calmly forward. It was as if he understood there was no need for him to hurry, because we had no chance of outmaneuvering him. If I hadn’t been desperately trying to calculate a way out, I might have been annoyed by his conceit. The Seven only paused once and cocked his head slightly, as if to confirm my identity. There was something mechanical about the movement, like a device was being activated. It made me imagine his brain was wired to pick up everything from the shape of my skull to the smell of my skin. There was nothing human about him. But there was nothing angelic about him either.

  Like others of his kind, this Seven was faceless. His lips and nose blended so seamlessly, it was almost impossible to distinguish them. He had no eyes, just empty sockets covered over by a white milky membrane of skin. The perfect contours of his face reminded me of the mannequins I’d seen in department store windows.

  Suddenly my thoughts began to blur, sinking like melted butter into bread. I tried but couldn’t shake myself free. The Seven seemed to have me trapped in an invisible vice-like grip. Luckily, he couldn’t exert the same power over Xavier, who quickly realized what was happening. He didn’t bother trying to snap me out of the trance. He just picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and made a break for it. After a few moments, I felt the Seven’s hold over me loosen. I slid off Xavier’s back and, bolstered by adrenaline, we pelted down the path together, running without turning back to check our pursuer.

  My siblings and I had long been able to communicate telepathically, and we were always attuned to each other’s needs. I silently called out for my brother’s help. “Gabriel! They’re here. They’ve found us!” There was no response.

  As soon as we made it to the gravel path outside the cabin, Xavier stopped to rummage in his pocket for his cell. He fumbled through his list of contacts, his fingers clumsy from stress. He was just about to hit the CALL button when we both came to a sudden halt. I was already halfway up the porch steps when I backed up suddenly, collided with Xavier who was standing right behind me, and knocked the cell phone right out of his grasp. Before either of us could attempt to retrieve it, the front door opened. The Seven was already there, waiting for us.

  I looked around frantically for somewhere to hide but I knew there was no point.

  “Leave us alone!” I shouted instead, backing away from the immaculately groomed figure. In response, he took a single step forward, as if to remind me that he could not be commanded. A loose board creaked under his feet and I remembered the sound being impossibly loud in the sleepy afternoon.

  Where were Gabriel and Ivy? Hadn’t they heard my plea for help? Or had they been intercepted? A shiver ran through me when I realized how much could change in the next few seconds. Staying calm was our only chance. I just hoped Xavier didn’t do anything rash in a bid to protect me. The Seven would take his life in a heartbeat. The moist white membranes that covered his eyes made it impossible to tell exactly who or what he was looking at. I wasn’t expecting it when he extended an elegant hand toward me.

  “We need to talk,” the Seven said. His voice was toneless, a dull vibration in the air. “Would you care to step inside?” He stepped aside, allowing room for me to enter. Up close the planes of his face were so smooth they might have been made of plaster. The way he smelled struck me as odd; it was the scent of cheap cologne mingled with a hint of gasoline that burned my nostrils.

  “Think again, buddy,” Xavier snapped. “Beth’s not going anywhere with you.”

  “Xavier, please,” I whispered. “Let me handle this.”

  The Seven seemed not to notice that Xavier had even spoken. Although I’d never encountered one before, I sensed how dangerous it would be to show overt resistance.

  “It won’t take long,” the Seven continued in a parody of politeness. We both knew that if I followed him inside I’d never come out again. I took a hesitant step forward, my feet like lumps of concrete beneath me.

  “Beth, wait!” Xavier caught hold of my arm and stared at me, his bottomless blue eyes full of horror. “You’re not seriously gonna go with this … freak, are you?” If the Seven was at all offended it didn’t register on his face, which remained as perfect as a digital picture.

  “Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be,” he warned. He kept his face turned in my direction. I had to think quickly. I had to do something to stall him, catch him off guard. I kept asking myself, What would Gabriel say? I knew he wouldn’t have to think about it. Maybe that was the key.

  “You’re turning on your own kind,” I said suddenly. “You know that, right?” I wondered how shrewd the Seven was. Would he see through my ploy? If I could delay my interview with him even for a few minutes, maybe Gabriel and Ivy would make it back in time.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Church, I’m not the one here who’s turned.” He spoke with such cold authority that it shook my confidence, but I wasn’t about to let him see that.

  “Actually, it’s Mrs. Woods now,” I said brazenly.

  The corners of his perfect mouth seemed to twitch into a tiny smile, the first display of emotion so far. Was he mocking me?

  “I advise you, Mrs. Woods, to comply with my request and there will be no need for bloodshed,” he replied, casting a fleeting glance in Xavier’s direction. I knew that beneath the courteous and businesslike exterior was a soldier with no other objective than to fulfill his mission … whatever the cost. Again I had the feeling that my thoughts were clouding over.

  “Of course,” I said mechanically. “I understand.”

  Xavier grabbed my hand. “I’m not letting you go.”

  “It’s okay,” I lied. “It’s just to talk.” Xavier didn’t look convinced but before he could react further I wrenched my hand away and moved toward the Seven. I knew Xavier couldn’t protect me. It was my job to protect him now. If I had no choice but to ascend with the Seven, then I was going to make absolutely sure Xavier stayed behind unharmed. But Xavier wasn’t about to take any chances with my life either. He ran forward and pulled me behind him so that he was the one face-to-face with the Seven.

  “If you want to talk to anyone, you can talk to me.” The Seven was forced to address him.

  “Boy, what makes you think you can counter the will of Heaven?”

  “Just arrogant, I guess.”

  “Step aside. I have no business with you.”

  “Beth’s business is my business.”

  The Seven gave a sigh of impatience, or was it boredom?

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Don’t hurt him, I’ll do whatever you say!” I cried out, but it was too late.

  The Seven raised his palm upward and a string of light poured from it. The thin beam, which I knew was tough as steel, wrapped itself around Xavier’s throat. I watched his eyes widen and his hands grasp at his neck, but the struggle was in vain—he was choking. This was not a fight he could win. Xavier fell to his knees and I could see his body begin to slacken as he had lost consciousness fast.

  “No one can divert the will of Heaven,” the Seven said.

  As I watched the scene before me, I felt the fog in my head begin to clear, replaced by something much more powerful: rage. The anger was coursing through me, pushing back everything in its path. I felt it swelling like water in a dam after torrential rain. In a moment it would burst it
s banks.

  “I told you not to hurt him.” I didn’t raise my voice but I could hear the venom in it. Something inside of me had changed.

  Rage often distorts one’s perception of reality, but at that moment, I had never seen things with so much clarity. It released me from any hold the Seven had over me. I could almost feel the cogs in my mind turning and for a split second I felt like I was seeing the world through X-ray goggles. I could see the molecular composition of the cabin, pinpoint exactly where its weak spots were, and sense the places where the damp was creeping through the walls. I knew things nobody could possibly know, down to where the last raindrop from a summer storm had touched the ground. I was still looking at the Seven but now I could see through him. In that moment everything about me that was human seemed to dissolve and I felt at one with the universe—I was air, rock, wood, earth. I knew then what I needed to do, what I was capable of doing.

  Quick as a flash, I stooped to pick up a loose brick from the few I knew were scattered at the bottom of the steps. I threw it like a Frisbee, so fast it collided with the Seven’s neck before he even saw it coming. His finely tuned reflexes should have allowed him to catch it midair and throw it back with enough force to knock me out cold. If he were capable of expressing sentiment, the Seven would have looked surprised. But he wasn’t prepared for retaliation and my attack had caught him off guard.

  His head seemed to snap backward and he took a couple of teetering steps into the house. With a sudden burst of force I thrust my hand out and pulled the front door shut behind him. My fingertips started to tingle and before I knew it, the roof was beginning to smoke. What happened next was almost out of my control. The fire blossomed before my eyes, twining around the porch posts and shattering the windowpanes. In a matter of seconds, Willow Lodge was engulfed in flames. As the walls began to collapse, I saw the Seven, standing in his flaming suit. The fire wouldn’t kill him.… It probably wouldn’t even leave a mark. But it had temporarily slowed him down. I didn’t know for how long and I didn’t plan to stick around to find out.

  I had one thought and one thought only: get Xavier to safety. If the Seven caught up to us now, he would probably kill him out of spite. I rushed to Xavier’s side; he was passed out but still breathing. I couldn’t rouse him, and carrying him on foot was out of the question. Through the window I could see the Seven already moving toward the door like a blazing torch.

  My wings flew open with a resounding crack. The sound reverberated through the forest and the birds scattered from the treetops. I grabbed Xavier from behind, wrapped my arms around his chest, and lifted us both off the ground. My wings were so powerful, he felt weightless in my arms. I headed for the road, flying low to avoid detection; the treetops brushed the soles of Xavier’s feet.

  My thoughts weren’t all that coherent but I planned to land somewhere and flag down a car. Instead my heart lifted when I saw the familiar black Jeep speeding down the dirt track that led to the mountains. My brother and sister saw me at exactly the same time. The car shuddered to a halt and Gabriel was at my side in an instant, taking Xavier in his arms and laying him gently in the backseat.

  “Where have you been?” I said, tears trickling down my ash-smudged face.

  “We came as soon as we could,” said Ivy, sounding breathless. I pointed at Xavier.

  “Can you help him?”

  Ivy placed a cool hand on Xavier’s forehead and a moment later he began to regain consciousness. He groaned and instinctively put a hand to his head.

  “You’re okay,” I told him. “We’re okay.”

  As the memory of the last half hour came back to him, Xavier tensed and quickly sat up.

  “Where did he go?” he asked. “Where are we?”

  “Ivy and Gabriel are with us,” I said. “We got away.”

  “How?” Xavier asked. “The Seven was going to take you…”

  “I think…” I hesitated. “I think I sort of set him on fire.”

  “No way.” Xavier looked stunned for a moment and then couldn’t hold back his laughter. “That’s awesome. He really had it coming.”

  Ivy had a slightly different reaction. “Have you lost your mind?” Her silver eyes were almost metallic with shock. “Using powers like that on a Seven. It’s treason against the Kingdom!”

  “I didn’t mean to,” I protested. “He was trying to kill Xavier!”

  “Well, now that you set him on fire, I’m sure we’re well on the path to reconciliation,” Gabriel said drily.

  The wind rustled in the treetops and I was suddenly conscious that the Seven might still be out there.

  “Do you think he’ll try to follow us?”

  “No, he’s lost the scent by now. He’ll need to start over. But we should leave anyway.” Gabriel turned the key in the ignition and reversed across the overgrown track.

  I couldn’t help feeling a little bit smug. I’d succeeded in thwarting the plans of Heaven’s most formidable agents. Gabriel seemed to read my mind.

  “Don’t get too confident; you managed to fend off one. There are legions of Sevens. We can’t fight them all.”

  “How are we going to deal with them?”

  “We’ve convened with the Arch and the Seraphs,” Gabriel said. “That’s why we were late getting back to the cabin.”

  “And? What’s the verdict?”

  I knew the news was bad when Gabriel remained silent.

  “The Sevens are out for blood. They are not willing to compromise,” Ivy said. “They want your marriage dissolved.”

  “I thought angels were supposed to be fair and just,” Xavier said. “Since when do they go around trying to kill people? Since when does Heaven condone that?”

  “What makes you think Heaven condones it?” Gabriel asked sharply.

  Xavier was unapologetic. “They’re not exactly doing much to stop them.”

  “What you must remember about the Sevens is they were created to be Heaven’s watchdogs, designed to keep order. They have no understanding of human behavior, so it’s easy for their power to get out of hand.”

  “You’re defending them?” Xavier was taken aback. I could hardly blame him. Everything he’d ever been taught about Heaven and its inhabitants was being turned on its head.

  “I’m not defending them,” Gabriel replied. “I’m trying to explain how they work. In their minds they’re only doing their job.”

  “Well, somebody needs to fire them.”

  “The Covenant is working on ways to limit their power.”

  “And in the meantime they’re out of control?” I asked skeptically.

  “Essentially,” Ivy replied. “Their perception of justice is perverted. Once they have a mission, nothing else exists.”

  “You’d think they have better things to do,” Xavier muttered. “Worry about world peace or something.”

  “Exactly,” I seconded. “Why is our marriage so high on their agenda?”

  “I don’t know,” Ivy said simply. But I got the distinct feeling she was holding out on us. She pressed her long, white fingers together and fixed her rain gray gaze on the seat in front of her.

  Gabriel concentrated on the road ahead, his face rigid with some internal struggle that was waging. I pushed myself up between the two front seats and studied him.

  Finally he took his eyes off the road and met my gaze. When I saw the expression in them, I guessed immediately what he wasn’t telling me. “They’ve asked you to turn us in, haven’t they?”

  Gabriel frowned and closed his eyes for a moment. I would have told him to watch the road only I knew he could drive with flawless precision even if he was blindfolded.

  “Yes,” he admitted. He pressed his lips in a severe line. “That’s exactly what they’ve asked.”

  “How dare they!” I was outraged on his behalf.

  “They claim that any faithful servant of the Kingdom wouldn’t need to think about it.”

  “So they’re questioning your allegiance now?”

&nb
sp; “They have told us surrendering you is our only option.”

  “I can’t believe they’ve put you in this position,” I fumed.

  “Wait.” Xavier held up his hands, his voice uncertain. “Gabriel, what did you tell them?”

  My brother went silent.

  “Gabe?” Xavier repeated, his voice now tinged with doubt. When he spoke again, Gabriel’s voice was heavy with sorrow.

  “I said I would.”

  There was a beat of dead silence.

  “You what?” I asked softly.

  “They’re waiting for us right now. They believe I am bringing you to them.”

  It only took a moment for panic to set in.

  “No!” I cried. “How could you?”

  I realized then that the doors of the car had automatically locked. There was no way out, unless we tried to break a window.

  “Bethany, please.” My brother’s voice was calm. “You are not a prisoner with me.” He turned his head and I saw his flawless face was pained to think I had doubted him. A wave of guilt washed over me.

  “You mean you’re not…” I faltered.

  “I am not turning you in to the Covenant. I have not betrayed you.”

  “Wait.” I clamped a hand over my mouth. “That would mean you lied to them?” The idea was incomprehensible. It went against everything I thought I knew about my brother. I couldn’t believe he had willingly put himself in such a compromising position.

  “I had no choice.”

  I was overwhelmed by the sacrifice he’d made. “They could throw you out for this. I can’t let you do it.”

  “It is done.” He spoke the words gravely, as if someone had just died—maybe a part of him had. All I could think was that I’d never seen so much emptiness in his eyes before.

  For as long as I could remember, Gabriel had been one of the most dedicated and faithful archangels in the Kingdom. His allegiance went back thousands of years. Time had tried and tested his resolve, but he had remained true. He and Michael represented the two pillars upon which the Arch was founded. Was he really willing to turn his back on everything just to protect me?