Angel Incarnate: Second Sight (29 page)

Willow gave the
governor’s wife a dismissive glance before taking her seat next to Matt, who
was beaming from ear to ear. “You really stood up to her,” he said.

“Just because Meredith
is married to the governor, doesn’t make her anyone special. I promise you –
she’s nothing but a royal pain in the butt.”
 

When Willow winked at
Meredith, Rita couldn’t hold it in any longer; she burst out laughing, drawing
attention from some of the committee members.
 
She shrugged her shoulders giving a half-hearted apology.
 
I love
you, Willow. I swear I do.

“We’re getting off
track,” Paul said.

Watching Willow, who
didn’t back down an inch from her confrontation with Meredith; there was a
subtle twinkle in his eyes.
You’re father
would be so proud.

“Adam and I are
planning to examine the woods. Those of you who want to summon your children
from Godwin Academy can do so now. We know Lucifer’s son was behind most of the
earlier attacks, so I implore you to stay together, and not travel alone
outside the boundaries of the city. We will strengthen the wards today before
we return to Aeden.”

He looked at Henry. “Do
you have anything to add?”

“We should begin a list
of those who are planning to leave Utopia, whether for a few hours, a day or a
week. There is no reason to be careless knowing the threat is so close to us.”
He leaned in and whispered in Paul’s ear. “Do you think Lucifer’s son was
responsible for the fire in the woods?”

“We’ll know more after
we examine the site. For now, have the residents open up the shops and go about
their daily lives. Gregory’s funeral is planned for tomorrow afternoon. Because
of the time difference anyone interested in attending, should expect to leave
Utopia by noon.”

“You can expect my
family to be there, but some of the others may be too afraid to leave,” Henry
sighed. “Should I join you at the woods?”

“No, the children will
come with us, and when we have finished with our inspection, we’ll take them
home. I think Willow has had enough of Meredith for one day.”

“Again, I must
apologize for my wife’s behavior.”

“It might be wise to
have a little chat with her before the funeral. Eve won’t tolerate any derogatory
comments about the children.” Paul said. “We don’t want Meredith to wind up in
the lake behind the mortuary.”

“Do you mind if Will
and Joshua come with us?” Rita asked. “They’ve already been to the ashes and it
might be easier for them to guide us so nothing is disturbed.”

“We can stop at my
parent’s home. There are enough horses for everyone,” Will said.

Willow winked at him,
and then started sniggering. “Um -- we’ll use another form of transportation,
if you don’t mind. Just think of where you found the fire, and then grab hold
of one of us.”

Without hesitating,
Joshua slid his arm around Jessica’s waist, and
Will
tentatively held on to Rita’s hand.
 

As soon as everyone was
united; the portal took them to the woods.

Chapter 44

When Samhael arrived in
Purgatory, he found Mortriel and Richard sitting at a table in one of the
outdoor cafes.

The shops were open,
but none of the young angel-bloods were in view. “I see you took my advice and
moved the girls back to the dormitory. Its better they don’t see the Abyvir,”
he said.

“Yes, but I did show
the creatures to Verah. I told her if she didn’t keep the brats in line, I
would put her in the cage with the beasts and make the children watch them
shred her like a head of lettuce.”

Samhael chuckled. “So
you had no trouble with Chester and Clarence -- oh, I mean, Fenryr and Faelan?”

“We were able to get
them inside the cage without too many problems,” Mortriel said, unable to
contain his smug smile. “Of course, they are still in chains.” He motioned for his
friend to take a seat, and poured him a glass of red wine.

Richard nodded. The
beasts woke up as soon as they arrived, and he had to talk them down again.
Thankfully, Samhael was right; because he administered the hound’s blood to the
brothers, they had to follow his commands.

“How about you; how was
Mehri’s meeting with the priest?” Mortriel asked.

Taking a small sip from
the glass; Samhael put it on the table and leaned back in his chair. “The
meeting went well, but we have another problem. It’s nothing I can’t handle,
but your father does need to be informed.”

Mortriel slid his chair
closer and leaned forward. Though he didn’t often keep the other fallen angels
in the dark, he wanted to make sure nothing interfered with his plans, so the
details about the pending attack were not discussed with anyone except Richard
and Samhael. “What kind of problem?”

“Mehri killed her
mother.”

Mortriel started
laughing. “I don’t see why that’s a problem.”

“In doing so, she lost
Laelah’s bracelet. I went back to the farm to retrieve the jewel, but Paul and
some of the children were there.”

“Paul – why would he
involve himself with the deaths of a couple of mortals?”

“Didn’t Lucifer ever
tell you how Mehri came to him?”

“I was told she made a
deal to save her son’s life.”

“That’s partly correct.
When Mehri’s mother, Charlotte, found out her daughter was pregnant, she went
on a rampage and threw her out of the house. Your father happened to be in the
area, and told Charlotte he could take care of the problem, in exchange for a
small favor. All she and her husband had to do was to keep an eye on the
Guild’s children, and report their activity to him.”

“That was years ago.
Paul and Adam’s eldest daughters are only eighteen,” Mortriel scoffed.

“Your father was
patient. He knew the Guild would marry angel-bloods and have children who were
descendants of the archangels. When Mehri’s son was born, he was deathly sick.
That was your fathers doing.”

Mortriel frowned. “What
does this have to do with the mortals?”

“Charlotte and her husband
both made a blood pact with your father. As planned, the child was near death
when he was born, but Lucifer had plans for the boy. He approached Mehri and
told her that if she agreed to come with him, he would save the child and send
him to a good family where he would be well cared for. The Baron and his wife
were believed to be loyal. We discovered later, they had a change of heart.
Byron would grow up, marry Lucifer’s sister, Loralei, and eventually give birth
to a son, who, with the combined blood of the two angels, would become a
powerful weapon.”

“Yes, but Loralei and
Byron had a daughter, Meredith.”

“Who proceeded to have
a son who is completely faithful to us,” Samhael said, as he pointed to
Richard.

“You still haven’t
explained how Paul got involved with Charlotte,” Mortriel sighed.

“After the children of
the Guild were born, Lucifer paid another visit to the Chastains. He instructed
them to join the church the angel-bloods attended and get close to the children
and their priest. Father Patrick often stops to visit the elderly couples; I
suppose the Chastains were on his list today. Your father put a protective
charm on the bracelet. I suspect the priest’s hands were burned when he touched
the relic, and he called Paul.”

“What does it matter if
Paul found the bracelet?” Richard asked.

“The bracelet belonged
to my mother, Laelah,” Mortriel said. “She was Paul’s sister.”

Richard almost dropped
his glass. “Paul’s sister was married to Lucifer?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, though I can tell
you my mother was nothing like that pious ass.” He drained his glass and banged
it on the table. “You should get back to Utopia. Samhael and I have to see my
Father.”

“Are you sure the
Abyvir can be trusted?” Samhael asked.

“We have two guards
outside the carriage house and the chains should hold them until we get back.
Shall we go? I can’t wait to hear what Father thinks of his precious Mehri now.
Her carelessness could cause us problems.”

He waited for Richard
to leave, and then he walked to the cage where Faelan and Fenryr were sleeping.
“They shouldn’t give you any trouble, but I want no one in there,” he warned
the guards. “Samhael and I should be back within the hour.”

He turned, and the
guards watched as Mortriel and his friend vanished in a puff of black smoke.

“I hope he knows what
he’s doing,” one of the guards whispered to the other. “Nothing good will come
of making these creatures. How do we know Mortriel won’t turn them against us?
No -- as soon as he gets back, I’m out of here. I’ll take my chances hiding
amongst the mortals. Mortriel will be too busy to look for me.”

The other guard nodded.
“Yeah – I think we’ll be better off as far away from here as we can get.”
 

Purgatory was supposed
to be a safe haven for the fallen angels, but ever since Mortriel started
bringing the angel-bloods there, they had known nothing but trouble. It was
only a matter of time before the Guild and their friends showed up, or worse,
the Elite Guard.

Chapter 45

The portal dropped Paul
and the others in front of the woods where the fire was started. No one noticed
the cabin hidden behind some thicket and a large group of oaks, a hundred yards
away. As they followed Will and Joshua, the acrid stench became stronger,
making him and Adam more concerned, though the rest of the group didn’t seem to
notice.

They walked a short
distance until they came to a clearing. “The blaze has completely burned out,”
Joshua said, pointing to the ashes.

“Was anyone else here
with you?” Paul asked, seeing footprints in the dirt.

“My father, and a few
of the servants, but they were careful not to disturb anything.”

Seeing an object
glistening behind some vegetation not affected by the flames, Paul bent down to
retrieve a small glass vial. After holding it to his nose, his brows knitted
together, and he carefully handed the bottle to Adam.

“What is that?” Rita
asked.

It wasn’t in Paul’s
nature to lie, but he needed absolute proof before he alarmed his family. “I’m
not an expert; it’s best to wait until I show this to the High Council.”

Jessica stared
curiously at Rita’s father. “Do you have an idea who started this fire?”

“If my suspicions are
correct, I would say someone close to Lucifer was here.”

All of a sudden a sound
of leaves crumbling could be heard coming from the entrance to the woods. “Did
you hear that?” Willow asked. “It sounds like we have company.”

They all turned to see
Richard walking towards them. “Well, well – look who finally decided to make an
appearance,” Rita said.
 
“Coming to make
sure you didn’t leave behind any evidence?”

Paul gave his daughter
a scathing look, which Rita ignored.

“I just got back from
my meeting and heard there was a fire,” Richard said. He looked at Adam, who
slid the vial into his pants pocket. “Have you found anything?”

“We know someone died
here today,” Rita spat. “It was pretty convenient you having a business meeting
at just the right time. Did you also hear Gregory Godwin was poisoned? His wife
said he was coming to see you.”

Richard didn’t seem the
least bit nervous. “Gregory was a dear friend; are you certain he’s dead?”

“He died in my arms. He
was trying to tell me who killed him, but all I got was “rich.” You don’t
suppose he was trying to point a finger at you?”

“Rita, that’s enough.
You’ll have to forgive my daughter,” Paul said to Richard. “She seems to have
jumped to conclusions without knowing all the facts.”

Richard nodded. “How is
Andromeda? I should go to her and see if there is anything I can do.”

“My mother doesn’t need
help from the likes of you,” Matt yelled. “Her friends will take care of her.”

“I can see everyone is
still upset over this terrible tragedy,” Richard sighed. “I trust you have made
arrangements for Gregory’s funeral?”

“Yes, we’re having a
small service at the mortuary tomorrow afternoon. Your father can give you the
details,” Paul said.

“Thank you. Well, since
there is nothing to be done here, I should get back to the house. I’m sure my
mother is in distress. She really liked Gregory.” He was walking towards the
road when he paused and turned. “I suppose I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“Oh, you can bet on
it,” Rita muttered.

Richard walked away.
As soon as my sister is taken care of, that
mouthy twit is going to be next.

“You didn’t have to be
so rude,” Paul said to his daughter.

“Oh come on --you’re
not buying those lies, are you? Don’t you agree his absence was just a little
convenient? If you ask me, I think Gregory saw something he wasn’t supposed to,
and Richard followed him to New York and poisoned him. I’m sure Mom knows the
truth.”

“Your mother may have
seen what happened, but her vows keep her from disclosing her visions to us,”
Paul sighed.

“That’s fine. I’ll do
some digging on my own.”

“Will and I can keep an
eye on Richard and let you know if he meets with any mysterious friends,”
Joshua offered. “Do you remember what Aura said about the stranger she saw
yesterday? I’m sure he was the same man who met with Richard the day
before.
 
I have to agree with your
daughter. First this stranger shows up, then bodies, or at least we think
they’re bodies, are destroyed in these ashes, by a fire unlike anything I’ve
ever seen before. You have to admit, it’s a bit coincidental.”

“Don’t forget about
that disgusting stench we smelled when we first arrived,” Matt chimed in.

“I’ll agree something
is wrong about all of this, but until we have proof, we can’t accuse your
brother of any wrong-doings,” Paul said. “He’s the governor’s son.”

“Maybe if you knew
Richard like I do, you wouldn’t be so quick to discount his involvement,”
Joshua muttered. “Do you think Caspian and Axel are safe out there on their
own?”

“After we drop the
girls at Aura’s house, Adam and I will find them and advise them about
Gregory’s death. There is a good chance neither will be at the funeral
tomorrow. I’m sorry, but their work is too important to allow any
interruptions,” Paul said.

“My mother will
understand,” Matt replied. “She thinks Caspian is on his honeymoon anyway.”

Joshua laughed out
loud. “My brother didn’t spend the night with his new bride – well, at least my
brother Caspian didn’t. I can’t swear that Richard didn’t share Desiree’s bed.”

 
“Yeah -- Caspian couldn’t wait to leave. He
told me he’s planning to have his marriage to Desiree annulled when he
returns,” Will said. “I’m sure Richard will be pleased when that happens. But
don’t say anything to your mother. She has enough to deal with now.”

Jessica cleared her
throat, warning this wasn’t a conversation they should have in front of young
ears.

Poor Matt’s face flushed
a deep red as he gave Will a curious stare. “I won’t say anything, but I don’t
understand why it matters.”

“It matters,” Willow
said, letting a soft giggle escape from her lips. “Besides, we don’t want
anyone to think Caspian had anything to do with your father’s death.”

“W-why would anyone
think that?” Matt stuttered.

Willow grabbed his
sweater and pulled him closer, whispering in a low tone, so the others couldn’t
listen. With his mouth agape, Matt’s eyes widened, as he gawked at his best
friend.

“It’s the truth, I
swear it,” she said.

Matt smiled and made
the sign of the cross over his heart.
 
“It can be our secret, but I hope you’re right.”

“Jessica and I are
going to stay here and catch a bite to eat with the boys, if that’s Ok?” Rita
said.

“Can Matt and I stay
too?” Willow pleaded. “He didn’t get to see the square yesterday. They have a
really cool antique toy store.”

“Don’t you want to
check on your mother? I’m sure she’s upset about your father’s death?” Jessica
asked.

“We’ll take care of
them,” Joshua promised. “We can have lunch at one of the outdoor cafes
Afterwards we can walk around the village for awhile, and then take a buggy
ride out to the country.”

Willow’s eyes sparkled
as she grabbed Matt’s arm. “Let’s go; I’m starving.”

Joshua, holding
Jessica’s hand, was the first to exit the woods. They were followed by Matt and
Willow. On their way out, Rita spotted another small, glass vial, thrown into
one of the bushes. She reached down to pick it up, and that’s when the smell
hit her and she stumbled back.

“Are you alright?” Will
asked.

Rita nodded, and then
handed him the bottle. “Smell this, and tell me what it reminds you of.”

Will brought the opened
vial to his nose. His eyes started watering and he began to cough violently.
When he finally caught his breath, he looked at Rita.
 
“Whatever that horrible stench was we smelled
earlier, seems to be coming from this vial. What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know, but my
father was pretty evasive when I asked him about it. I think he knew what this
was, but didn’t want to say. Whatever it is – I’m sure it’s a whole lot of bad
news.”

“Paul said he was going
to show the bottle to the High Council. Maybe you should ask your grandfather
about it.”

Without thinking, Rita
snatched the vial from his hand and slipped it into her jeans pocket.
Embarrassed, she turned and walked hurriedly towards the entrance.

Will finally caught up
to her and grabbed her sweater. She thought about swatting his hand away, but
then reconsidered. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be so – uh --
aggressive.”

“Don’t worry I’m
getting used to you.”

Rita’s mouth twisted
into a snarl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We aren’t the bad guys
here, you know. Just because we aren’t descended from the archangels, doesn’t
mean we don’t have some value.”

Her face blanched and
she felt a sudden pain in her chest. She broke free of his grasp and stomped
towards the exit, muttering something under her breath.

Will caught up again,
and stood in front of her, blocking the exit.
 
“That’s not what I meant.” He ran his hands through his wavy blonde
locks. “Damn, why is it so hard to talk to you?”

“You seem to think we
are immortal – we’re not. Do you think my family hasn’t been tempted by
Lucifer?
 
My mother’s bro…” She stopped.
It was none of his business.

Will
couldn’t
read
Rita’s thoughts, but judging from her empty stare she was remembering
something.

She had been a young
child when her mother’s younger brother, Edward decided to turn his back on
Heaven. After torturing, and then murdering his half-mortal wife, who was
pregnant with their son, the Council determined his crimes didn’t warrant
forgiveness. They ordered Paul and Adam to take his life.

Edward was one of the
reasons some of the members of the Elite Guard didn’t trust angel-bloods. They
felt they were undeserving of the powers they had received.

Rita’s family didn’t
speak about Edward after his death. His name had been erased from the tree of
life, and even his own father – Rita’s grandfather, Gideon, whose shield protected
the angel-bloods, refused to acknowledge he ever had a son.

“I meant what I said.
Joshua and I will do our part to help you and defend the citizens of Utopian,”
Will
said
. He managed a weak laugh. “Although from
what I’ve heard; maybe you and Jessica should be protecting us.”

There was no smugness
-- no arrogance -- he sounded so sincere, Rita pushed aside his hurtful
comments and smiled. “Where would the fun in that be?”

They walked out of the
woods together, still smiling.
 
Jessica
didn’t question what took them so long.
 
Rita would tell her later; she always told her everything.