Angelfire
Page 95
"You have work to do, Gabriel. The wicked wil retrieve the Beast from the bel y of the sea, and you must be there to prevent the awakening. Al wil be lost if you fail. The Second War is nigh."
"The Beast is the Enshi, isn't it?"
Michael nodded. "Guardian," he boomed, and looked to my right.
I fol owed his gaze to find Wil standing there, gaping at us both in disbelief.
"Guardian," Michael said again.
Final y Wil tore his eyes away from mine to stare at the archangel.
"I gave you my sword so that you could protect my sister,"
Michael said, his face hard as stone. "Nothing more. She is not yours. You belong to her."
Wil opened his mouth but said nothing. His eyes shone even brighter than Michael in al his glory.
"Michael!" I cal ed and the archangel turned toward me again. "If you're supposed to guide me, then why don't you speak to me anymore? A long time ago you used to give me orders, tel me where to go. Why did you stop helping me?
Did I do something wrong?"
"You've forgotten how to listen."
I rose to my feet, unsure if I ful y understood what he said.
"Are you the one who keeps sending me here? Every time I die, are you the one who brings me back?"
"You are reborn by your own power," he said. "Our prophets foresaw the coming of the Beast, and you chose to remain in Heaven to train and gain strength for the trials ahead."
"Why do I feel this way?" I asked. "Why do I feel so much anger in battle? How can I be Gabriel if I feel so evil?"
His expression was kind, his sympathy infinite. "The divine were never meant to be mortal, my sister. The emotions you're feeling now are something you were never meant to feel. You have not fal en from grace, for your grace is with you always. You must stay strong, vigilant, and do not forget yourself, or you wil never understand your power. Humans are amazing creations, but their ability to hate is as great as their ability to love. Let your humanity become a strength, not a weakness."
"If I spent al that time in Heaven training, then why am I not stronger than before? Why am I not laying waste al my enemies? I wil fail if I'm not strong enough!"
His glory wrapped around me in a veil of light and warmth.
"God has faith in you. Do not lose your faith in Him."
He vanished, and I was momentarily blinded by the sudden absence of light. When I could see again, Wil 's gaze met mine, his eyes wide with disbelief. He reached for me and touched my hair, his gaze fal ing over every inch of my face. And he fel to his knees before me.
"What have I done?" He closed his eyes and bent his head.
"Wil ," I pleaded. "Don't--"
"I've touched you in ways I shouldn't have, and I've wanted you--"
"Wil ." I knelt in front of him and lifted his chin with my hand. His eyes were red and raw. "Hey. It's me, El ie. I'm stil me!"
"But I--"
"Hey! I need you. Don't freak out on me."
"What have I--?"
"Wil ! I'm El ie, not some archangel. Not God's left hand, or whatever Michael cal ed me. I'm just me and you're just you."
"How can I ignore this?" His voice cracked with pain as he stared at me, his face ful of sadness. "What I've done and felt for you is forbidden. You are--"
"Please, Wil ," I begged, cutting him off. "I need to figure this out. Please, for me? I'm not real y ready to deal with this."
He squeezed his eyes shut again and took a long, labored breath. His jaw clenched tight as he drew himself together again, but he said nothing.
I turned to see Nathaniel, who stared at us, the same shock flooding his face. "We've got to go."
My head spun suddenly, and I col apsed from exhaustion. Wil scooped me into his arms before I hit the floor. I curled into him, giving in, and suddenly al I wanted to do was sleep. Our duffel lay at his feet, much ful er than before. Nathaniel got the lifeboat ready, its stark yel ow practical y glowing in the moonlight, and he threw the duffel down into its bel y. Wil carried me down and settled us both gently in the little boat as Nathaniel revved the motor. As we sped away, I peeked back, shivering from the ocean chil and my wet clothes, watching the Elsa sink farther into the Caribbean. Wil reached for the duffel and pul ed out a heavy, smel y blanket and wrapped it over us. Warmth and exhaustion melted over me as I leaned into him, barely feeling the wind rushing over my head and the sea mist settling on me. I imagined the ocean pressure crushing the Enshi to bits despite Michael's warning until, final y, I fel asleep.
33
WHEN I WOKE, DAWN WAS BREAKING OVER THE horizon and we were pul ing into a little lagoon lined with smal , colorful homes. Nathaniel stopped the boat at a dock, swung the duffel around his back, and climbed out. Wil lifted me, stil wrapped in my dusty quilt cocoon, and carried me out of the lifeboat.
A man I couldn't see spoke Spanish from somewhere nearby, and I heard Nathaniel answer him fluently. I peeked out and saw the man who had spoken. He was looking at us strangely, his eyes flickering from us to the lifeboat parked at his dock. He said something else, and that seemed to be the end of it.
Nathaniel leaned close to Wil and said, "I told him he could keep the boat if he kept his mouth shut."
I loosened my hands a little from around Wil 's neck and let them slip down to my chest as he cradled me. My eyelids weighed a thousand pounds again, and soon I was asleep once more.
"The Beast is the Enshi, isn't it?"
Michael nodded. "Guardian," he boomed, and looked to my right.
I fol owed his gaze to find Wil standing there, gaping at us both in disbelief.
"Guardian," Michael said again.
Final y Wil tore his eyes away from mine to stare at the archangel.
"I gave you my sword so that you could protect my sister,"
Michael said, his face hard as stone. "Nothing more. She is not yours. You belong to her."
Wil opened his mouth but said nothing. His eyes shone even brighter than Michael in al his glory.
"Michael!" I cal ed and the archangel turned toward me again. "If you're supposed to guide me, then why don't you speak to me anymore? A long time ago you used to give me orders, tel me where to go. Why did you stop helping me?
Did I do something wrong?"
"You've forgotten how to listen."
I rose to my feet, unsure if I ful y understood what he said.
"Are you the one who keeps sending me here? Every time I die, are you the one who brings me back?"
"You are reborn by your own power," he said. "Our prophets foresaw the coming of the Beast, and you chose to remain in Heaven to train and gain strength for the trials ahead."
"Why do I feel this way?" I asked. "Why do I feel so much anger in battle? How can I be Gabriel if I feel so evil?"
His expression was kind, his sympathy infinite. "The divine were never meant to be mortal, my sister. The emotions you're feeling now are something you were never meant to feel. You have not fal en from grace, for your grace is with you always. You must stay strong, vigilant, and do not forget yourself, or you wil never understand your power. Humans are amazing creations, but their ability to hate is as great as their ability to love. Let your humanity become a strength, not a weakness."
"If I spent al that time in Heaven training, then why am I not stronger than before? Why am I not laying waste al my enemies? I wil fail if I'm not strong enough!"
His glory wrapped around me in a veil of light and warmth.
"God has faith in you. Do not lose your faith in Him."
He vanished, and I was momentarily blinded by the sudden absence of light. When I could see again, Wil 's gaze met mine, his eyes wide with disbelief. He reached for me and touched my hair, his gaze fal ing over every inch of my face. And he fel to his knees before me.
"What have I done?" He closed his eyes and bent his head.
"Wil ," I pleaded. "Don't--"
"I've touched you in ways I shouldn't have, and I've wanted you--"
"Wil ." I knelt in front of him and lifted his chin with my hand. His eyes were red and raw. "Hey. It's me, El ie. I'm stil me!"
"But I--"
"Hey! I need you. Don't freak out on me."
"What have I--?"
"Wil ! I'm El ie, not some archangel. Not God's left hand, or whatever Michael cal ed me. I'm just me and you're just you."
"How can I ignore this?" His voice cracked with pain as he stared at me, his face ful of sadness. "What I've done and felt for you is forbidden. You are--"
"Please, Wil ," I begged, cutting him off. "I need to figure this out. Please, for me? I'm not real y ready to deal with this."
He squeezed his eyes shut again and took a long, labored breath. His jaw clenched tight as he drew himself together again, but he said nothing.
I turned to see Nathaniel, who stared at us, the same shock flooding his face. "We've got to go."
My head spun suddenly, and I col apsed from exhaustion. Wil scooped me into his arms before I hit the floor. I curled into him, giving in, and suddenly al I wanted to do was sleep. Our duffel lay at his feet, much ful er than before. Nathaniel got the lifeboat ready, its stark yel ow practical y glowing in the moonlight, and he threw the duffel down into its bel y. Wil carried me down and settled us both gently in the little boat as Nathaniel revved the motor. As we sped away, I peeked back, shivering from the ocean chil and my wet clothes, watching the Elsa sink farther into the Caribbean. Wil reached for the duffel and pul ed out a heavy, smel y blanket and wrapped it over us. Warmth and exhaustion melted over me as I leaned into him, barely feeling the wind rushing over my head and the sea mist settling on me. I imagined the ocean pressure crushing the Enshi to bits despite Michael's warning until, final y, I fel asleep.
33
WHEN I WOKE, DAWN WAS BREAKING OVER THE horizon and we were pul ing into a little lagoon lined with smal , colorful homes. Nathaniel stopped the boat at a dock, swung the duffel around his back, and climbed out. Wil lifted me, stil wrapped in my dusty quilt cocoon, and carried me out of the lifeboat.
A man I couldn't see spoke Spanish from somewhere nearby, and I heard Nathaniel answer him fluently. I peeked out and saw the man who had spoken. He was looking at us strangely, his eyes flickering from us to the lifeboat parked at his dock. He said something else, and that seemed to be the end of it.
Nathaniel leaned close to Wil and said, "I told him he could keep the boat if he kept his mouth shut."
I loosened my hands a little from around Wil 's neck and let them slip down to my chest as he cradled me. My eyelids weighed a thousand pounds again, and soon I was asleep once more.
