Chapter 26

I was told that he would live. Lucius was old. His spirit was strong and his body would mend. That was all I could be told. They couldn’t tell me when he would only wake up just that it would happen. When Death had plunged his hand into Lucius chest, he had torn not only at his body but at his spirit as well. Apparently it was rare that someone could do that without a specially forged weapon. It was why angels rarely died unless at the hand of a Demon or another Angel.

I shook my head to push away the morose thoughts. It helped nothing. Lucius had been taken by Hades and was now under the loving care of Aurelia.

Satani Media had been obliterated in the meteor strike. The top twenty storeys had been wiped out of existence while the lower levels had been structurally compromised. The entire building would need to be levelled and rebuilt. But that was like most of the city. Search and rescue teams were still pulling people from the rubble and several buildings were still on fire. The damage was nowhere near finished.

I rubbed at my temples as I paced back and forth. I was finally at home – my home. The place felt lifeless and I felt uncomfortable being within its walls. Being alone and with my family missing or on the brink of death, the house was a hollow reminder of what I had had only a few short weeks ago.

Taking a deep breath, I let loose a sigh before dropping onto the sofa.

Two of the three Horsemen had been detained and were under close guard. They would be taken to the Minotaur’s maze at a later date once War had been apprehended. The maze would then be sealed by the blood of Angels, Demons and Humans to fortify the seal.

Even without their living embodiments roaming the planet; Death, War and Famine would continue to reap havoc on the world. Their power was too strong and without it, life would cease to exist. It didn’t mean I had to like it.

Zeke entered the room, his arms laden with a tea tray as he ducked through the doorway. He offered me a smile before placing the tray on the table and then handing me a perfectly brewed cup of tea. I took it between my palms, blowing across the top before taking a sip. I sighed.

“We have some news.”

Zeke did not look at me as he spoke. Instead he busied himself with his own mug before taking a seat opposite me. My heart constricted in my chest as I waited for the bad news. It had to be bad news otherwise he would have looked at me – right?

“Is it Danny? Is it Lucius? Oh god, please tell me that they are okay.” My hands trembled around the cup causing hot tea to spill on to my skin. It was only a minor annoyance.

Finally he lifted his head and the smile that stretched across his lips was so wide that I allowed relief to course through me.

“We’ve found the children.”

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply.

“Where?” My voice trembled as I tried to stop myself from leaping across the room and shaking the Angel hard enough for him to give me some answers.

“With Calantha.”

I frowned when he didn’t expand any further.

“Where? I want to see Danny and the children; I need to check they are alright.”

Zeke placed his tea on the table before lifting his eyes to meet mine.

“You can’t – at least, you can’t right now.”

I balked.

“Why not? He is my son. I need to see him.”

With movements so fast that I struggled to track them, Zeke crossed the room and knelt before me. He took my cup from my grasp and placed it on the table before taking my hands in his.

“They are safe. I promise you that.” I stared into his eyes and saw no lies.

“Where are they?”

He smiled and laughed. “With father.”

I opened and closed my mouth. “You mean?” I pointed my finger at the ceiling.

He nodded his head and I blew out a breath. Whatever answer I was expecting, that was most definitely not it.

“How? Why?”

There were so many more questions I wanted to ask but I feared that there was little chance I would get all of the answers.

“They were a target and he wanted to do what he could to help. He has taken a special interest in those children.” He put his hand to his mouth and whispered the next words. “He had plans for them all - big plans.”

I frowned.

“When will they come back?” I squeezed his hands tighter as I waited for his answer.

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “When they are ready? We don’t question our father we just wait for him to let us in on the big secret.”

“You expect me to sit here and be satisfied with that?!” I released Zeke’s hands and leant back into the sofa as far away from him as I could get. “He is my son and you expect to just swallow your words. I have been through too much lately. The only I will be able to rest easy is if I see my son myself. You’re not human though. You don’t understand.”

Now it was Zeke’s turn to look hurt. He backed away, his features balling up into a frown as he stared up at me.

“I do understand Savannah. He may not be my child but he is my nephew. You may think we angels are cold and unfeeling but the truth is, we feel more than humans ever could. If we let that show all of the time we would probably combust from the sheer strength of our feeling.” He sucked in a deep breath, his face red from his agitation. “Many of my brothers are injured and will take years to full recover, maybe even a few centuries. I can assure you that I know pain more than you will ever understand.”

In his agitation, the restraint that he and his brothers clung to so tightly had started to slip. The first wave crept up at me and ambushed my unprepared mind. I was stared up at him with anger one moment and the next I was sobbing so hard that my entire body shook.

I stared across at Zeke with tears streaming down my cheeks. His face was stoic as it stared back at me not even showing an ounce of emotion.

“I am sorry. I should not have been so careless.”

Zeke offered the apology but I had doubts about his sincerity. He didn’t look particularly repentant as he took his seat once more. I was just relieved when the intense sadness left me so that I could breathe without choking down my tears.

“So what do I do now? I just sit around to wait for my family to come back to me?” I shook my head. “I cannot do that. I will not do that.”

“Do what you feel is best. Several sentries will be staying here on earth to assist the mortals with the aftermath and Hades has sent his reinforcements to assist in the clean-up.”

I nodded my head but could not find it within me to meet his gaze.

“Everything will be alright Savannah, you will see.” 

I nodded but still did not meet his gaze. I just sat there and concentrated on breathing – just breathing. My wounds were still raw and my entire being felt drained. A healer had seen to my wounds but the rest of my recuperation was up to me. The weariness I felt however was soul deep.

My tea cooled and time passed. It was only when Zeke finally made his exit that I allowed myself a moment to relax. I slowly loosened each of my muscles which had been coiled tight. It was a long process, each muscle requiring undivided attention before I could fully relax.

When the last muscle was relaxed, I closed my eyes and let my mind wander in the hope of getting just a few minutes of precious sleep. It was a wasted effort.

As soon as my thoughts had finally started to become fuzzy and my body started dragging me into the welcome bliss of sleep a loud knock rattled the front door. I scrunched my eyes closed and hoped that the person would go away but ten seconds later there was more thudding on the door.

“Miss Holmes, I know you are in there.”

I recognised the voice. Even with our limited contact I could recognise Binah’s voice anywhere.

Everything within me wanted to close my eyes and attempt to find that comforting embrace of sleep but I knew that there was no going back now.

I pushed up off of the chair and staggered my way to the front. I had one hand clutched around my stomach as I walked in an attempt to stifle the throbbing pain that shot through me with even the smallest movement. By the time that I reached the door, a cold sweat had broken out over my brow and my body was trembling.

Pulling open the door, I tried to smile at the beautiful woman on the other side but struggled to form more than a grimace.

“Are you okay Savannah?” Binah asked, her features showing only concern as she rushed forward and placed a steadying hand on my arm.

“I’m fine. I just have a few war wounds that are keeping me down.”

“A few war wounds? I think you should be resting. Come on, let’s get you back inside.”

I allowed her to usher me back into my own home, relishing the support she provided. She guided me back to the sofa, her eyes boring into my stomach as she forced me to lie down.

“What happened to your stomach? I heard that you were involved at the Battle of the Shard.”

I laughed. “Is that what they’re coining it?”

“Yes, now stop moving.” She pressed her hand to my forehead and forced me back down. “Now what caused your wound?”

“The hand of a horseman caused my wound. He wanted to leave a lasting impression I believe.” I groaned when her probing hands pressed into a particularly tender spot of my stomach. “The Angel’s healer has done what she can but almost being gutted takes more than a wave of a wand to heal.”

My remarks were met with silence. I glanced up at Binah and tried not to feel terror at the look in her eyes.

“What is it? What is wrong now?”

“There is a piece of the horseman within you. I can feel it.” She was solemn as she spoke, her eyes darting down to her hands that were pressing down on my stomach. “A part of him must have been left behind in your … scuffle.”

I snorted and then suddenly felt a bought of nausea overcome me. A piece of Famine stuck inside of me.

“What does that mean? If it remains inside of me, what will happen?” I asked the question but in reality I wanted every trace of that twisted creature removed from my mind, body and spirit.

“That is not an option.” Binah replied firmly, her gaze meeting mine. There was steel in that look and I knew that I would be following her every instruction. “If you leave this piece inside of you, Famine will corrupt you from within. First he will take over your body and then finally your soul. You will be his to command and obey. He will use you like a puppet until he sees it fit to destroy you.”

A shiver coursed down my spine.

“How do you know this?” I asked, as her fingers continued to probe.

She dropped her hands away from her body and took a step away from me. Slowly her featured morphed and changed, her body turning to mist.  I felt bile rising in the back of my throat as she returned back into the form I knew and cared for.  For a moment I just blinked at the scene I had witnessed, not even certain it was real.

“Famine is my brother.” She lifted her chin and stood up straight as if expecting a rebuke. I wasn’t going to say anything. My mind was already reeling with the implications.

 “I am the forth horseman of the apocalypse.”