Angel Incarnate: Second Sight (33 page)

Chapter 53

When the glass slipped
from Aura’s hand -- shattering to the floor --the room became eerily quiet. Her
family knew the blank stare on her face meant she was having a vision.

“What’s wrong with
her?” Katie asked Rita.

Before she could
answer, Paul and Adam came bursting through the door, knocking over one of the
witches. They quickly scanned the room for Will. Aura pointed to the far corner
and ran into the kitchen to get a broom and dustpan to clean up the glass.

“There’s been a…” Paul
was about to tell Will about the attack when he spotted the mortal girls.
“There’s been an accident. We have to get you home now. Bring your friends.”

Bren started gathering
the little ones when her father turned and screamed. “NO – you’ll stay here.”

No one had ever seen
Paul lose control before. Whatever happened must have been bad.

Bren knew not to argue
with her father. She had already seen the slaughter, but she wasn’t ready to
divulge to anyone that she had second sight, so she kept her mouth shut.

She also knew about
Richard’s involvement in Arian’s disappearance, but for now he was safer with
the Enchantor.

Bren felt terrible that
she couldn’t tell Will his brother was alive, but she couldn’t risk interfering
with fate.

Jade thought about her
boyfriend. “Is Arian alright?” she asked Paul. When he didn’t answer, the color
drained from her face, and she had to hold on to the mantel for support. Analie
grabbed her daughter around the waist, trying to steady her.

Seeing the pain on her
face, Bren wanted to tell
Jade
the truth, but if she
did, it could cost Arian his life.

“Jess and I are going
with you,” Rita said.
 
This better not have anything to do with
Richard.

Paul nodded, but before
they walked outside, Adam leaned in to him and whispered. “Should we bring
Willow?”

“Let’s see what we’re
dealing with first. If we need her, I’ll send one of the girls back.”

Bren handed each of
them a pumpkin flashlight. Rita looked at her sister, as if to say, “Are you
kidding me?”

“Hey, it’s better than
nothing,” Bren said. “You don’t want to be walking around in the dark.”

Rita knew her little
sister was trying to be helpful, so she accepted the gesture.
 

Aura stared at the
clock. It had been almost an hour since Ryan and Shanna left. Worried they may
have gotten lost in the dark, she asked Katie to keep an eye on the little
ones. She picked up a Frankenstein flashlight before following her father
outside. Not that Aura needed the light, she knew her way around the park like
the back of her hands, but she didn’t want her older sister to feel weak.

“I’m going to check on
Ryan,” she told Rita. “I’ll see you when you get back. Just be careful.”

Jessica grabbed her by
the arm. “What did you see in your vision?”

Aura hung her head, so
she couldn’t see the fear in her eyes. “You’ll find out when you get there.
Take care of Will.”

She walked towards the
park, turning around in time to see her father and the others vanish in a flash
of dazzling light.

Making her way past the
tree of life, she stared at Esra’s name written in gold on the trunk.
 

Damned visions, why can’t I be like you, and see them before
they happen?

Chapter 54

Paul
and the others landed in the grass. Some of the residents who resided in the
countryside had already gathered with their children. Several dozen oil
lanterns illuminated the ground, casting a shadow over the closest homes.

Henry
and Arthur were running towards Richard, who was still cradling Renatta in his
arms. Seeing the Guild had arrived, Richard gently handed Renatta to her
father, who gasped when he saw the deep gouges in her face.
 

“You
can change the weather for a wedding, but you can’t give us enough light to
see?” he asked Adam.

“He may
be able to send away the clouds, but no one can change time,” Rita yelled.

“Then
what good are you?’ Richard muttered. If the sun had been out, he would have
seen Rita’s nostrils flare as she came barreling towards him.

“Do
you want to see how good I am, because I would be more than happy to show you,”
she said through clenched teeth.

Paul
grabbed her arm and pulled his daughter back. “This is not the time. Your
friends are going to need you.”

He
pointed to a buckboard, not ten feet from them.
 
In the back were several sheets, covering, what appeared to be dead
bodies.
 
“Those are Will’s parents.”

Her
eyes drifted from the wagon to Will. Before Rita could stop her friend, he
walked over and lifted up the blood-stained clothes. Staring at the lifeless figures
of his parents, he felt a sour taste in his mouth as he stumbled back, holding
onto the wooden rails of the wagon for support.

Aside
from the other deep jagged wounds they suffered; his mother had been
disemboweled and his father’s neck was partially severed from his body.
 
Judging from the brutality and ferociousness
of the attack, whoever did this couldn’t have been human.

Rita
walked up behind Will, and when she placed her hand on his shoulder, he
flinched. That’s when she noticed the rancid smell – the same vile odor that
came from the small vial she found near the fire.

“I’m
so sorry,” she apologized.

He
dropped the sheets, and they slid to the ground, leaving his parent’s bodies
exposed for everyone to see.
  
Some of
the children screamed, and their mothers pulled them close, shielding their
eyes.

“Where’s
my brother? Where’s Arian?” Will asked.

Renatta
was still trembling, but after adjusting her scarf, she walked over to Will.
Arthur kept his arm around his daughter’s waist. “Arian was watching the woods.
When it got dark and he hadn’t come home yet, we went to look for him. That’s
when the wolf-creatures attacked us,” she mumbled.

“Wolf
creatures?” Joshua said.

“Yes,
they looked like wolves -- well not exactly like wolves -- they were much larger.
But the strange thing is -- they walked like men. There were two of them. Then
Richard came, and they ran off.”

Paul
and Adam shared a knowing glance, but remained silent. “Where did you find the
bodies?” Paul asked.

Richard
pointed to a wet spot in the grass.

“Why
didn’t you send for us sooner? We may have been able to track them.”

Richard
jerked his head towards the angel. “My first concern was Renatta. There was
nothing I could do for the Crestwells; they were already dead. As far as
tracking anyone, if I had some light, I could look for Arian.”

“We’re
on that kick again?” Rita shouted. “You want light? I’ll show you light!” She
held up her hands, but before she could call for Gabriel’s swords, the sky
opened with a thunderous crack, and the Archangel Ariel descended, wearing a
white ceremonial robe trimmed in gold.

“Grandmother,”
Jessica whispered.
 

Joshua
stared at Jessica, who looked identical to the archangel. From the long curly,
blonde hair, to the vibrant blue eyes, they could have been twins.

Ariel
kissed Jessica on the forehead, and then approached Richard, who took a few
steps backward. “My son may not have the power to change darkness into light,
but …”

Richard
watched the sun rise on the horizon.

“You
will have one hour before night returns. I trust you will make good use of that
time,” Ariel warned.

She
turned to Rita and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You see – there was no
need of your light, but there will come another time.”

Ariel
opened her arms. “Come children. It is time for you to go home.”

Jessica
looked at Rita who shrugged her shoulders causing Ariel to laugh. “No – no, you
misunderstand me. I’m speaking about Robert and Catherine.”

Will
turned around to see his parents climb down from the wagon and walk past him to
the archangel. Their wounds were healed, and they looked as they did when he
saw them earlier. He called to them, but they ignored him.

“They
can’t hear you,” Ariel whispered. She took the Crestwell’s hands and began her
ascent towards Heaven.

“Wait,”
Rita shouted. “Do you know what happened to them?”

The
Archangel hovered above her and smiled. “My sweet child -- if we told you
everything -- how would you learn? Follow your instincts. They will lead you to
the truths you seek.”

“I
know you need time to grieve,” Adam said, as he watched Ariel fly out of sight.
“But you should take comfort knowing your parents are home. My mother doesn’t
often come here; that should be a testament to Robert and Catherine’s
goodness.”

“Thank
you,” Will
said
. “I just want to find my brother.”

“Paul
and I will conduct our own search.” He clapped Will on the back and went with
Paul in the direction of the other homes.

Angel-bloods
didn’t grieve like their mortal neighbors. Most ascended to Heaven privately,
with their bodies fully intact when they died. Afterwards, a small, informal
memorial service was usually held.

Will
was glad Ariel had come to personally guide his parents to Heaven. He would
think about that after he found Arian.

Rita
and Jessica walked over to where Will and Joshua were standing. “We only have
an hour. I suggest we look for Arian in the woods,” Rita said. “Did anyone else
smell that foul stench when they were standing next to Robert and Catherine?”

“Are
you insinuating my parents were involved with that fire?” Will demanded.

“No,”
she said. “Why would you think that?”

Will
hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

“What
Rita meant was she believes the stench has something to do with those
creatures. That’s why we could smell it when we got close to your parents,”
Jessica said. “Whatever was inside of that vial she found had the same putrid
odor.”

“We’d
better hurry,” Joshua said.
 
“Wait --
where’s Jade?”
 
I hope she didn’t go off by herself to look for Arian.

As
they headed towards the woods,
Jade
came running out
her house. Breathing hard, she knelt to the ground, taking a minute to catch
her breath.
 
“They were there. Those
beasts were in my house. They trashed the living room.”

“We
could go check it out,” Joshua said.

“No,
you’re going to look for Arian, aren’t you? I’m coming too. Mom will wait for
Paul and Adam. I don’t think the wolves will be back tonight.”

As
they were talking Henry and Richard approached.

“Did
I hear you say the beasts were in your home?” Richard asked. He turned to his
father. “We should move Analie and Jade back to the house. Axel isn’t here and
I want them protected.”

“Yes,
of course. I’ll tell her now,” Henry said.

“Don’t
bother,” Jade said. “I’d rather take my chances with the beasts, than be around
Grandmother. I’m sure Mom feels the same way.”

Rita
had to turn away to keep from laughing, albeit the circumstances were not at
all funny. Well, except they were all still wearing their Halloween
costumes.
 
“We should get going. We only
have about fifty minutes left,” she said.

“Where
are you disappearing to?” Richard asked.

“We’re
going to the woods. Renatta said that’s where Arian was headed.”

Richard
grabbed Rita’s arm, but quickly dropped his hand to his side when he saw her
jaw tighten. “I just don’t think you should go there tonight. It will be safer
if we wait for daylight in a few more hours.”

“I
have to agree with my son,” Henry said. “We have no idea if those creatures are
still nearby. Paul would never forgive me if I allowed something to happen to
you or Jessica.”

‘Yeah
– well, if Richard’s brother was missing, maybe he would understand the urgency
of the situation.” She gazed at Joshua. “Then again, maybe not,” Rita said as
she turned her back and scrambled away.
You
don’t have to worry about us, but if your son was part of this, I’d be real
worried about his future.

Whether
it was his greasy black hair or his superior swagger when he walked, Rita
couldn’t stand being around Richard. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she hated
the governor’s son, but yes, loathing came pretty close to how she felt about
him.

Will
and the others hurried to catch up to her. “Wait – we need to stay together,”
he warned.

She
turned her head to look at Richard, who was still standing next to his father.
“Sorry, but I still think Richard knows more about the attack than he’s saying.
Did you notice his jacket was covered with blood -- on his right shoulder?”

“That
might belong to Renatta,” Joshua said. “Or maybe he loaded the Crestwells into
the wagon.”

“Renatta
didn’t bleed that much, and when have you ever known Richard to get his hands
dirty?” Will said. “Don’t you think it was odd those creatures supposedly ran
away when he showed up? Why didn’t they attack him too?”

Joshua
was at a loss for words.
 
He knew his
brother was sleazy, but to think he would stoop so low as to kill the
Crestwells, knowing Will was his best friend -- he wasn’t sure. Still, this was
Richard they were talking about Richard.