A Gift of Wings (25 page)

The angel moved silently down the hall on his bare feet, and Lucky tried to make as little sound as possible as she followed him into the kitchen. She watched as he filled the teakettle she had emptied earlier and, locating cups, dropped teabags into them. After he’d poured the hot water over the tea bags, he motioned for Lucky to lead the way into the living room. He waited while she took a seat at one end of the couch, and then he handed her one of the steaming cups before seating himself at the other end.

“I find tea a helpful aid to conversation,” he said, breaking the silence.

Lucky took a small sip of the hot beverage and then asked, “What did you do to Josh?”

“It’s a kind of healing spell. It will help him to rest and seek out what ails him. It cannot heal him, but it will alleviate his symptoms and keep the problem from progressing until we can find out what is wrong with him.”

“Keep it from progressing?”

“The spell will hold your cousin in a kind of stasis until we can determine what is at the root of his symptoms. We do not know who took him or what they did to him. He could have been injured by magic or by some kind of poison or venom. Sambethe is looking into the matter.”

Lucky frowned. “How did she know to do that?”

Zeke smiled. “I’ve been monitoring him. I knew before I arrived that something was amiss.”

“Oh,” Lucky said. “Thank you.”

Zeke inclined his head.

Touching the amulet around her neck, Lucky directed another set of questions toward the angel. “Who is the Light-Bringer? And why did you seem so surprised that Aidan let me wear this?”

Zeke studied her in silence for a few moments before he answered. “It might be best if you asked Aidan those questions.”

“But I’m asking you,” Lucky responded.

Zeke sighed. “Very well. Does the name ‘Lucifer’ mean anything to you?”

“Lucifer? You mean like the devil?”

“Not exactly, no. But in your traditions, yes, the two terms have become synonymous.”

“Our traditions…. Wait. Aidan said something about us getting the story of the battle in Heaven wrong. I think he called Lucifer the ‘Light-Bearer.’”

“Yes. The name ‘Lucifer’ means ‘Light-Bearer’ or ‘Light-Bringer.’”

“So, the Light-Bringer’s Medallion is Lucifer’s medallion?” Lucky frowned as she looked down at the pendant. “This belonged to Lucifer?”

Zeke nodded.

“Aidan said his father gave it to him….” Lucky’s voice trailed off as her eyes widened. “Aidan is—Lucifer’s son?”

Again, the angel nodded.

Lucky felt as if the ground had just dropped away beneath her feet. Given everything that had happened in the last few days, she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, but learning that Aidan, on whose couch she was currently sitting, who sang with the most beautiful voice she had ever heard, who had danced with her and rescued her from the dark shadow creatures and their creator, and whom she had held and kissed only a couple of hours before, was the son of the being many regarded as the father of all evil was a little more than even she was expecting.

“But Aidan isn’t evil,” she said in a small voice. Raising her eyes to meet Zeke’s, she added, “Is he?”

“No.” Zeke shook his head. The light glinted off the paler streaks in his honey-wheat hair, and for a moment Lucky saw his face flicker, as bull, eagle, and lion were superimposed over human. Simultaneously, she saw the transparent forms of multiple pairs of wings moving around him. As he continued to speak, the images faded away, and she could see only Zeke sitting before her. “No, Lucky, Aidan is not evil. Nor, for that matter, is Lucifer. He certainly has his faults, but he is not evil incarnate.”

“That’s good to know,” Lucky said, her voice still subdued.

Zeke reached out a hand and patted her on the knee. His hand felt much heavier than it looked, and Lucky thought she could feel the slightest brush of feathers against her cheek. “Go get the book you were looking at when I barged in, and I will tell you a story.”

CHAPTER 16

Lucky walked quickly down the hall to the guest room. Retrieving the book from where she had dropped it beside the chair, she stood looking at her cousin wrapped in lines of glowing, blue light. What had she gotten them into with this unexpected newfound ability of hers? What had been done to him because of her?

“I’m so sorry, Josh,” she said quietly, before turning and heading down the hall to rejoin Zeke.

Handing the book to the angel, she sat down beside him, so she could see the pages as he turned them. He stopped at the page that showed Lucifer surrounded by dark figures.

“The myriad beings that have come to be called angels do not all hail from the same place—nor do those referred to as demons. That which you call Heaven could more accurately be called the Heavens, plural. The same is true of what you call Hell; there are a number of those as well—Hells, Dark Realms, or Underworlds. The beings who live in the Heavens and the Dark Realms have been in existence for millennia, and humans have considered many of them—many of
us
—to be deities, gods, at one time or another. As you might imagine, this has led to rivalries and power struggles. Rituals and acts of worship possess a kind of inherent magic that can both bestow and enhance power. Being worshipped can be a heady thing, and in the early days, some simply reveled in the power of it all rather than acknowledge any sense of responsibility they might have to those who chose to worship them. Needless to say, battles ensued—on earth as well as in the other realms. Humans frequently bore the brunt of the struggles, victims of ‘natural disasters’ visited upon them by their ‘gods.’”

Zeke’s last words were tinged with a weary bitterness. He was silent for a time, his expression distant and haunted. Then, with a sigh, he continued, “In an effort to create some order and end the needless sacrifices of human life, a group of angels banded together and chose a ruling council, a body of four that became known as the Metatron. The Metatron established a kind of military unit they called the Forces of Light, which was headed by the Archangel Michael. Together, the Metatron and the Forces of Light were able to unite many of the warring individuals and factions into a collective now known as the Angels of Light. Another group united under the leadership of a being called Ba’al-zebul. In the spirit of opposition as much as anything else, they chose to call themselves the Angels of Darkness.”

Zeke paused again and, glancing at Lucky’s empty teacup, said, “I think I’d like another cup. What about you?”

When he had refilled their cups and returned to his seat beside Lucky, Zeke resumed his story. “The major difference between the two groups was how they viewed their relationship with and responsibility to humans. To simplify matters, let’s just say that the Light felt a greater sense of responsibility toward humans than did the Dark, who had far fewer qualms about using humans for their own pleasure and power.” He directed a sad smile toward Lucky. “You can probably guess where this is headed.”

“War?” she asked.

He nodded. “Inevitably. Suffice it to say that the Angels of Light eventually won, though many were lost on either side.”

At Lucky’s look of surprise, he interrupted his narrative again to answer her unspoken query. “Oh, yes, we can be killed. While we recover quickly from most injuries, some methods are quite effective. Beheading, for example, when performed with the right kind of weapon, usually does the trick.”

Lucky refrained from comment, and Zeke continued, “After the Light defeated the Dark, the Metatron sent one of their own—Lucifer, the Light-Bringer—to govern the Dark and keep them under control. Knowing that he would be in danger from those unwilling to submit to the rule of the Light, the Archangels created for him an amulet of protection, one that would both heighten his powers and help to shield him from harm. That amulet came to be known as the Light-Bringer’s Medallion.”

“And this is that same medallion?” Lucky asked. “The one the Archangels created for Lucifer?” Her voice trembled, as did the hand with which she held the amulet. “I shouldn’t be wearing this.”

She reached up to unfasten the clasp at her neck, but Zeke stayed her hands. “Lucky, Aidan gave the amulet to you for the same reason the Archangels originally made it for Lucifer, for protection. He would not have done so if he did not think it necessary.”

“Why did Lucifer give the medallion to Aidan?”

“That question you will have to ask Aidan. It is not my story to tell.”

Lucky accepted his answer without argument and asked another question. “If Lucifer went to the Dark at the Metatron’s orders, how did he end up in battle with Michael?”

“Though Lucifer was sent to rule the Dark, to teach them the ways of the Light, he was as changed by them as they were by him. As he began to better understand the Dark, he came to believe the restrictions the Light sought to impose were more stringent than necessary. Never one to meekly submit to orders, he then took it upon himself to act as a kind of Dark ambassador with the Metatron, who did not appreciate what they saw as his rebellion against their authority. It was not long before they began to consider him an adversary. The conflict escalated until, under the Metatron’s orders, Michael ousted Lucifer from the Heavenly Council. He retained his position of authority over the Dark, but he was banished from ever returning to the Heavens. A new ambassador—known as
Ha-Satan
—was appointed to serve as intermediary between Lucifer and the Metatron. As you might imagine, it was—is—not an easy role to fill. Over the years, many have tried, some have succeeded, and none have held the position for long.”

“Is that how
you
fit into all this?” Lucky asked.

“As
Ha-Satan
? No, that is a role I have never been called on to perform, though my position is somewhat similar,” the angel replied. “While Lucifer and the Metatron—with the aid of
Ha-Satan
—have managed to maintain an alliance over the years, that alliance is uneasy at best. In addition, there are still those among the Dark who view Lucifer as something of a usurper, a kind of colonial ruler. As you can see, there are limitless potentials for conflict, and the resulting battles were—and are—often played out in the earthly human realm. There are those of us who felt bound to watch over and protect humanity from the fallout. We are most often referred to as the Fallen.”

“Why ‘Fallen’?” Lucky asked.

“Because in our choice to live among humanity, we have ‘fallen’ to earth from the Heavens. Those who originally coined the term viewed our choice as nothing short of folly. Some sense of responsibility to the humans who deified us was one thing, but a desire to understand and protect all humans—to live among them and become, in some ways, like them—was another altogether. Many could not understand the impulse. Others of us saw it as both an obligation and a privilege. So, living among humans and doing what we can to protect them puts us, like
Ha-Satan
, in the unenviable position of trying to keep the peace between Light and Dark.”

“And if that fails?”

“Then we fight, which is why I mentioned the importance of battle training to you the other day. Your friend Aidan is the new second in command of the Forces of the Fallen. Malachi is his Captain.”

“And who do you fight against, the Light or the Dark?”

“That can vary, depending on the specifics of the conflict. Since we are caught between the two, we often end up fighting against both sides. But we usually have supporters on both sides as well.”

“Does that mean Aidan could be fighting against his father?”

“No. Lucifer has great loyalty to the Fallen and, in some ways, considers himself one of us. That has created some problems for him with the more extreme of those among the Dark. And it is the extremists on both sides that we have to worry about. Unfortunately for all of us, the new Metatron consists entirely of extremists, who, against all odds, seem to have a large number of followers among the Angels of Light. There are plenty who do not accept their views, who long for a peaceful alliance and do what they can to sway the powers that be. Sadly, they are not making much headway these days. And as the extremists among the Light grow stronger, so do those among the Dark, the intolerance of one feeding that of the other. Thus, the uneasy alliance between the Metatron and Lucifer is looking very shaky indeed. If it disintegrates, I fear all-out war between the two is inevitable.”

As the angel finished speaking, Lucky heard the door to the hallway open. The sound of Aidan’s footsteps preceded him into the room.

Removing his jacket and tossing it aside, Aidan looked from Lucky to Zeke and back to Lucky, before he turned, stepped over to the piano, and retrieved the bench. Placing it at an angle to the couch, he seated himself astride it, muttering as he did so, “I really have to get some more furniture.”

Harley, who during his master’s absence had made himself scarce somewhere, trotted in from the hallway and, placing his front paws on Aidan’s knee, twitched a whiskery nose at him, requesting a pat.

Aidan complied, asking, “What brings you back, Zeke?”