CounterPoint (30 page)

Surprisingly, the first thing that she noticed was how her mother kept referring to the demon as ‘it’, only occasionally using words such as ‘she’. Obviously Mary had deep ingrained beliefs regarding demons, which she could hardly blame her for. While the passage was certainly interesting, it didn’t provide any information regarding the house. Catherine was starting to worry that perhaps she had misunderstood Mary in her final moments. Maybe she meant not to come back here? She started skimming the pages once more until she found a diary entry which didn’t have the large handwritten date at the top right hand corner of the page.

“
Tonight I had another visit from it, the blonde-haired demon. It occurred at exactly the same time and in the same location. Seamus was once again away on business, I sometimes suspect does this demon arrange business for him? These meetings always seem to be last minute and urgent. I didn’t hold her against the wall this time, but I let her know that I was powerful and would protect my family. I think my display worked but I have to admit the demon has never been threatening to me. Ever. It did warn me never to leave this house. The house isn’t important; according to her it’s the land which is important. The house itself is built upon a calling beacon and she doesn’t think even the angels know it. I asked her how she would possibly know such a thing, and she only replied that it came at great personal cost to many of her brothers and sisters. She didn’t know what type of calling beacon it is, so I’m totally lost about this. I’m not prepared to put all my faith in this demon, and have told her so. I don’t know if I could even persuade Seamus to move now. Part of me has a very bad feeling about ignoring this demon. This is her second visit; she had no need to keep appearing. I imagine I’m going to struggle to sleep this evening.”

Catherine never knew Mary had considered moving; she always treasured this house. Even when it was beyond repair, she had it demolished and a new one built upon the same land. That was it! It suddenly clicked. That’s why she would never leave here! As this demon said, the land was holy. Obviously Mary came to believe that as well. But it still didn’t tell her why her mum wanted her to come back here. She was even more confused now, and getting frustrated. They didn’t have time to be hoking through diaries with everything else that was happening.

The light in the room went out, and it went eerily quiet. Jumping up, Catherine scanned the room. She couldn’t hear them downstairs anymore.

“Cathy, darling.”

Catherine was astonished to see her mother sitting in her armchair at the side of the bed. The lights on the wall glowed to a shallow brightness, just enough to make them see each other without strain.

“Mum!” she cried, her eyes swelling up but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Part of her was heart scared, she watched her mum die.

“Sweetheart,” said Mary, in her usual warm and loving tone when it was just the two of them. Catherine was her only daughter and their close relationship knew no limits.

“But…you…can’t be here. I watched you...” Catherine couldn’t finish the sentence.

“I’m not here to stay, darling, I’m only here to give you the information you’re looking for. Sit down, dear,” she motioned to the side of the bed closest to Mary.

Catherine was shaking, but there were no tears anymore. She had cried all she could during the last few hours and had taken some medication to calm her nerves.

“The reason I wanted you all to come back here was because here, home,” she motioned around the room, “is the only place I can appear. I was told that by our blonde friend in a later diary entry. Darling, you have a massive fight ahead. This is only one fight. There will be plenty more ahead. The family must all be able to stand firm. I know you don’t have the abilities the rest of us have dear, but you will be more important than most. It’s up to you to keep the bonds of this family together; without them I fear the worst for all of us. For everyone.”

“Mum…I don’t know what to do. This is so far out there. It’s almost unbelievable. I’m talking to my dead mother to start with.”

“I’m not dead, dear. I’ve just gone on to a new existence. It’s hard to explain, you’ll realise one day. But not for a long time yet if we stick together.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“As I said, just keep it together. Help is on its way. I haven’t written anything down as I could never take the chance of it falling into the wrong hands. Even Johnny doesn’t know about this. Help is on the way.”

“What do you mean” asked Catherine confused.

“There’s an ancient force tasked with guarding this family. I was never aware of this, but they are aware of our location here. Lilith told me they promised they would always be watching and ready to help. My death will have sounded the alarm. I imagine they are gathering, ready to strike. Their first port of call will be this house, that’s why I wanted you to come back here. You stand your best chance here of winning the first fight. They will fight for you, and in return all they ask is that you take their opinions into account. Apparently they have been protecting our lineage since the beginning.”

“I must tell David,” she said.

“No, darling, you must not,” she said with authority. “David and Ariel must fight this without knowing help is on the way.”

“But why Mum?”

“Because. First they need to learn to work and fight together. I suspect they will come to rely on each other for the considerable future as this plays out. Also darling, anything may have happened to our protectors over the last number of years. They might have been killed. We just don’t know. So say nothing. Let them appear darling and then we will have some backup.”

“If you’re sure Mum, I will respect your wishes,” said Catherine. There was a steady silence, and Catherine couldn’t help the stream of tears that started flowing down her right cheek.

“Oh darling,” said Mary, her voice inflected with concern and pain. “Don’t be crying, trust me when I say we will be together again. And this won’t be the last you see of me anyway. I promise you that.”

“
Mummy!
” she let out a childlike cry. Catherine knew it never got easier, and that it had all run full circle. Catherine came into this world and grew up with Mary caring for her. Then as Mary got older, it was Catherine who started caring for her mother as she got older and needed more support.

“Darling, it’s not goodbye forever. Just till the next time.” Mary looked lovingly at her precious daughter. She knew the times ahead would be tough but her daughter was made of stronger stuff than she yet realised. She wished she could face the coming storm with her family, but knew her death had done more to help them than anything she could do in the living. It had united them and lit a spark in David which would now never be extinguished. Sadness would turn to determination in her family, she knew this well. She smiled at Catherine one more time, extended her hand out to hers then slowly faded away into air once more.

Catherine sat alone in her mother’s bedroom once more quietly sobbing.

Chapter 38

The once warm, natural gathering spot for the Bassetts – the kitchen – felt unusually cold in this early morning hour. The complete darkness outside made the cycle of night and day a thing of the past. The lights were off, with only two candles in the centre of the room for light. Lightning from outside in the far distance wasn’t able to penetrate the darkness.

To David, it now all felt so surreal. He was acutely aware that there were angels, demons, humans and those of a more eccentric kind currently standing around the main kitchen island. Ariel, looking haggard but determined, was naturally organising the defence of the house. While the angel was acting his usual self, David knew he sensed a change in his demeanour even if it was a slight one. He wasn’t as dismissive of ideas from others, especially Lilith. David assumed he had finally realised the situation they were in called for more than just his angelic experience. If they were to be facing the might of Heaven and Hell, Lilith could possibly become as indispensable as him and Amber.

“….and unfortunately we do not have ample time to prepare the house for battle. We are already surrounded,” said Ariel. He looked around the room as everyone nodded their agreement. He knew they were weary, but this would be the first battle among many. If they were to survive to see future conflicts, they needed to make a strong stand. They had a purpose, a righteous cause. There was no time for self-doubt on any level. The time to act was now.

“They’re out there, hundreds of them.”

“Not hundreds, David, but definitely one hundred, possibly two hundred,” corrected Ariel, walking up beside David peering out of one of the tall white paned windows which overlooked the neighbourhood. In normal battlefield conditions, being perched atop a hill would have been considered a tactical advantage, but Ariel knew it just made it easier to spot, an easier target to hit. Angels would be attacking them from every direction, on the ground and from the sky above. He knew the house was surrounded from all angles, but they were waiting for their general. He suspected Raphael would be leading them. Michael would not appear until the end, if even.

“Ariel, this house is built upon sacred religious grounds. I will be able to fortify it with some extra protection. It won’t win the battle for you, but it will be able to absorb some of the damage before it fails,” said Pravuil grandly.

“Religious grounds?” queried Ariel and Amber, just as Catherine walked into the room and ensured she looked as confused as the rest of them.

“Another question I have no answer to,” said Pravuil irritably. It was for precisely this reason he had decided to seek out The Holy Ghost, God’s official representative who left with God after the War in Heaven. “I don’t think I need to remind anyone here about the dangers we now face. I recommend vigilance above all else, I suspect this won’t be a typical onslaught until defeat. What we saw at the cottage was simple in comparison to what lies ahead. The angelic hierarchy will be tactically looking at this from every angle. There are numerous tacticians skilled in the art of battle in buildings surrounding this house who will be acting almost as squadron commanders,” explained Pravuil. He was hoping The Holy Ghost would be able to shed some light on the information Amber obtained from the creature in Detroit. Pravuil knew he needed to clarify this before they could begin an attack of their own. If what was spoken of was genuine, then their problem had just categorically changed.

“Well can we not take out these tacticians, fuck up their command and control centre so to speak?” asked David.

“They’ll be too heavily protected,” dismissed Ariel, “we would only be wasting valuable energy and lives trying to take them out. The best thing we can do is defend the house from different points.

“Amber, you’re the finest sharpshooter here. You’ll position yourself at the top of the house and destroy incoming projectiles and angels as fast as you can. I expect a large aerial attack coupled with a ground attack from more experienced angels and other creatures Michael may feel are necessary.”

“Agreed, sir,” said Amber, aware of her strengths and knowing she could lay down heavy suppression fire across most angles of the house above and below. It would also give her a view of how the battle as a whole was progressing, being able to warn those on the ground of impending attacks. “Sir, I also recommend we considerably strengthen the glass in this house so it shall not shatter. Humans are particularly vulnerable to such injuries.”

“Agreed. Catherine, Claire, Ariel turned to look at both of them, “I want you to head down to the basement and stay there until this is over.”

“I’m not scurrying off to some basement while my son and the rest of you fight up here and put your lives on the line. No way,” said Catherine, incensed.

“Mum, we can’t take the chance of you being kidnapped and then getting used as leverage against us. At least in the basement we know that you’ll both be safe and we can get on with this battle. Mum I am not going to be able to concentrate on this fight if I’m worrying about you and Claire,” reasoned David sincerely, walking over and holding his mother’s hands.

“I agree with David, Madame,” interjected Pravuil. “Due to the small size of the basement and it being underground I will be able to put in place a number of protective measures to ensure your safety. It is imperative that we all do our part, and we need you to be safe and that is the part you must now play.”

Catherine begrudgingly accepted their argument. Claire, meanwhile, was too tired and emotionally upset over the death of her grandmother to speak for or against either side.

“I have a few un-angelic methods I will enact throughout the grounds of this mansion to ensure we have every advantage possible to us,” offered Lilith. Her clothes remained as glistening white as ever, though her brow furrowed in intense concentration. 

“Couldn’t you have done that at the cottage?” asked David.

“This is the starting battle. The cottage was only a skirmish David, we need to let the enemy know here and now that we have drawn a line. This far and no further.”

“Well can you at least call up some reserves?” asked David.

“That would not be wise. Demons are notorious for not following orders and thinking of solely themselves. We don’t want to turn this into a battle with multiple sides. At the moment we know who we’re fighting, angels, and I think its best we keep it that way. Demons are causing chaos over this world because angels have declared war on them. Trying to marshal them back here is impossible in such a short time,” she replied. It was tempting to summon an entire legion of demons here but they would create even more problems and she couldn’t risk it. Not with so much at stake.

“I agree with you,” agreed Ariel, “but I fear we may not only face angels in this oncoming battle. Heaven may release some of its more sinister weapons when they see we have fortified the house. David, the courage and power you showed in Jerusalem was astonishing. We will need you to show more of that in the hours ahead.”