Divinity (35 page)

“I’ll say!” A playful look danced across Cassielle’s eyes. “Let us work on getting a bigger picture for you.”

“What do you mean?” Julia asked.

“It is time to see how much you can see.”

For the next several hours, while Julia’s physical form lay in her bed fast asleep with a sliver of Michael seated at her bedside, Cassielle taught her as much about seeing as she could. By the time Julia woke, there were very few places on Earth she hadn’t seen. She thought it was much like looking at a Google Earth page, except that she had all the satellite cameras and could look through them all at once.

She witnessed Michael’s hand in many things, and was exhausted just knowing how many places he was at all times, and how much he had to do. When she said goodbye to Cassielle for the night, she was completely drained.

Her eyes opened slowly. The light sifting in the windows seemed to be coming in at the wrong angle. Throwing the comforter back, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed onto the hardwood floor. When Julia caught sight of the clock on her nightstand, she shook her head and looked at it again.

“One o’clock? Really?” She stumbled out to the kitchen, stretching and yawning all the way. “How could I have slept so late?”

“Training is exhausting,” Michael said. He was waiting for her in the kitchen, seated at the table, his massive wings draped over the back of the chair.

“But informative.” Julia looked at Michael more closely than she ever had. In his eyes she saw flashes of all the people he had helped, and all the people he couldn’t. She could see his burden in his eyes, in the set of his jaw, and in the slight way his perfectly squared shoulders hung a bit lower now than they had even yesterday. He was tragically beautiful. She turned away quickly and headed to the coffee pot.

As soon as Julia was seated at the table with a fresh coffee in hand, Michael spoke. “There is someone I would like you to meet.”

“Someone?” Julia eyed Michael over the rim of her cup. “Human or angel? Wow, I can’t believe I just asked that.”

“Archangel, actually,” Michael said. “I think it would be helpful if she could show you a few things.”

“She?” Julia almost choked on her coffee. “For some reason I thought all Archangels were male.”

“Another common misconception,” Michael said. “It would be best if you could meet her as soon as possible.”

“What is her name?”

“Raphael. Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll take you to her.”

“I will bring her here, Raphael,” Michael said. A group of Raphael’s new trainee angels gathered nearby, whispering amongst themselves and sneaking glances at him. He smiled and nodded once, then waved a hand, dismissing them. They skittered away.

Michael focused on Raphael, speaking to her silently. -
I want to observe Ariel’s reaction to her. Once that is done, take her back to her home and train her there. If it is easier on her human body, suggest she go to sleep. She can meet you in the Second Realm
.-

“Yes, Michael. I am sure she will enjoy meeting the new angels.” Raphael smiled. -
I will take good care of her, Michael
.-

“Bring who?” Ariel said, joining them. “The Child?”

“Ariel.” Michael greeted him with a slight nod.

“Michael.” Ariel returned the greeting.

“The girl has expressed an interest in healing, Ariel. We will see if she has an aptitude for it,” Raphael said. “Teaching them is always a problem. It becomes very difficult to explain on Earth when miracles start to happen and the sick and dying become healthy.”

“I hope she understands that she can’t just roam around and heal everyone,” ‘Ariel said gruffly. “That disrupts…”

“She will not be a problem.” Michael’s conviction was clear. “She is coming now.”

Ariel’s wings twitched, agitated. He folded his arms and stood to Raphael’s left. In an instant, Julia appeared.

“Raphael,” Julia said with a nod, as naturally as another angel might have. She turned her head, looked at Ariel for a moment, admiring the shine of his long, straight black hair, then nodded toward him. “Ariel.”

Ariel grimaced and turned his back on Julia, moving to join the young angels. She could hear him barking orders. All at once it dawned on her. Each of the ‘Archangels looked like they came from different races—at least, the ones she’d met. Interesting. She’d have to ask about that later. Julia was so intrigued by this discovery that she didn’t notice that Ariel had snubbed her.

“Do not mind him, little Sister,” Raphael cooed, wrapping an arm around Julia’s shoulder. “He has not had very good luck of late. Let us go somewhere a bit more private, yes?”

Julia thought Raphael’s voice was enchanting, a perfectly pretty sound to accompany an astoundingly beautiful being. Julia turned her head, seeking Michael, who gave her an encouraging smile. -
You are in good hands, girl. Pay close attention
.-

Raphael’s warm touch put Julia instantly at ease.

It wasn’t me I was worried about, Michael
, Julia thought to herself.
It was you
.

XXXVI

T
HE
green aura surrounding the Archangel gave Julia pause. It took her a few minutes to put it all together. She had seen it before—it was Raphael who had healed her after facing the
A’nwel
.

“Is it you who’s been healing me? You feel more familiar than the others. Even Michael.” The questions tumbled out before Julia could stop them.

“Yes.” Raphael turned and eyed Julia. “Take me to the Second Realm.”

Julia halted. Raphael had moved so smoothly from casual conversation to command, but her voice and demeanor remained calm and soothing. Julia focused her energy as if she held her stone, but nothing happened.

“Put this on,” Raphael said. She turned her palm upward and offered Julia a polished ring of seraphinite stone.

“It’s beautiful!” Julia took the ring and turned it over in her fingers several times, admiring all the minute details of the markings. She slipped it on the second finger of her right hand, and her ears rang with the power of it. Raphael placed a steadying hand on her elbow until Julia became accustomed to the feeling. It was like all of her senses were suddenly on high alert.

Emotion flooded through Julia as she wished she’d had the ring in Dallas. She caressed the stone with her other hand and looked up at Raphael through her tears. “Thank you.”

Raphael merely bowed her head, and Julia’s gaze fell to the glistening emeralds woven through her hair, so small one could almost miss seeing them if one wasn’t looking directly at them. Raphael raised a hand to her own hair and smiled.

“Sometimes the vast scope of the work I must do requires a boost. Emeralds do for me what the seraphinite does for you. Now, to the Second Realm.”

Immediately Julia figured out how to accomplish Raphael’s request, and transferred them both to the grassy field at the foot of the rainbow bridge.

“I see Gabriel was not exaggerating. You adapt and discover quickly.” Raphael stooped to pluck a single purple flower from the ground. “It gives me an idea. Perhaps you do not need instruction as much as you need a situation to present itself. Yours has always been a healing spirit. I suspect you have the abilities within, and simply need to understand how to use them, apply them, and control them.”

Julia watched as Raphael entwined her forefinger with the flexible stem of the purple flower, pulled it tight and then whipped it away, slicing through the skin. The finger dangled from the first knuckle, blood spurting into the air.

With incredible calm, Raphael spoke. “Heal me.”

For the length of one blink, Julia stood still, mouth agape and wanting only to grab Raphael by the shoulders and ask her what the hell she was doing. Then her instincts kicked in. Julia stretched her hand toward Raphael’s, fingers splayed, and watched as threads of energy flowed from the tips and wrapped themselves around Raphael’s wound. It was healed in an instant, without even a hint of a scar.

Julia’s knees buckled, and Raphael moved to her side to support her.

“You heal the same way you fight—with every ounce of yourself.” Raphael sent green waves of healing around Julia, restoring her fully. “You must not expend yourself this way. It is dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Julia asked, straightening.

“Yes. When you extend yourself you become vulnerable, as you were when you collapsed. You must learn to expend only the energy necessary to accomplish a given task.”

“But it was faster, and more effective.” Julia looked into Raphael’s eyes and smiled. “I am not trying to argue, only to understand.”

“When I heal, I combine the energies surrounding me and use them. When you did it to me you used the same energies, but there was something more. You used one thread of energy that came from within. I felt the source of this thread.”

Julia listened intently as Raphael continued. Though Raphael’s voice remained soothing, Julia could feel the importance of what she was saying.

“You are the source.” Raphael pointed toward Julia’s heart. “I think the only reason your attack on the
A’nwel
was successful was because of the one thread that none of us recognize. You use the same thread in your healing, and though it is admittedly a faster and more effective way, it diminishes your essence when you do it.” Raphael stepped away.

“I can recover from that.”

“If I am there to heal you. You are not considering the larger picture. If you fight the
A’nwel
and use this thread, you will be immobilized.”

“It will be defeated, so it won’t matter,” Julia said with a shrug.

“Have you considered that there might be more than one?” Raphael continued. “Have you considered that you were created with a purpose beyond fighting the
A’nwel?
Your destiny is no longer your own. You are not expendable. Whatever we face, we need you to survive.”

Julia felt the weight of Raphael’s statement settle onto her shoulders. She closed her eyes and took one deep breath. “Will you teach me to control it?”

“I cannot teach you to wield a power I do not possess. You will have to rely on your instincts and draw only what is needed.” Raphael rested a hand on Julia’s shoulder. “Your instincts will guide you if you let them.”

“My instincts,” Julia repeated, nodding. Her eyes fell to Raphael’s healed finger. “That was a flesh wound. Will you show me how to heal spirit—like you just healed me?”

Raphael’s laugh sprinkled the air. “For humans, your mere presence soothes their spirit. Have you not noticed?”

“How is that possible?”

“They have always found solace in our presence. If you think back throughout this lifetime, you will remember many times when people have come to you for comfort, including passersby on the street. Did it never seem odd to you that they would reveal the most intimate details of their lives to you without even knowing your name?”

“Yes, it did seem odd,” Julia said, and averted her eyes when she added, “I thought they were nuts.”

Raphael smiled. “A human reaction from you. They were reacting to your angelic self. Healing one of us is different.” Raphael held one hand out. “Watch.”

Six threads of energy rose from her palm and wove together to form a multicolored band that danced its way through the air between them. “Mimic that.”

Julia did as she was instructed, six strands of energy springing from the palm of her hand. She felt the absence of the strand she used earlier. This combination was much easier to maintain and didn’t sap her strength in any way. Another realization came to her. “You don’t really need the colors and the separate bands, do you? This is the same thing you just healed me with, only prettier.”

“Yes, you can put the energy together and use it without seeing it. With practice it will be as simple as envisioning the repair you wish to make.” Raphael smiled. “You are a very fast learner. Heal me.”

“Are you…” Julia searched for the right word as she searched Raphael’s essence for signs of damage. “Injured?”

“I have very nearly exhausted my energy. Training is a tiring task.” Raphael met Julia’s eyes. “Not you, little Sister. I have been training new souls.”