“I left first. Where is she?”
Having no one know where she was, everyone was just as puzzled. A loud commotion erupt ed a s Michael headed back to where Elissa stood and tugged her out the door. “Excuse me. Have you seen Claudia?”
“Hmmm…I….” She lost her word s thinking how handsome he looked , and suddenly became nervous.
“You do know who Claudia is , don ’t you?”
Elissa nodded.
“You were the last to enter. Please tell me where she went. You do know I can make you tell me the truth , don ’t you? I ’m pretty sure you wouldn ’t want me to embarrass you.” Michael closed the gap between them even more . His eyes demanded an answer right away.
Elissa didn’t want to be embarrassed. After all, she was the Beta team leader. “Please don ’t tell Claudia that I told you. I made a promise, but I don ’t feel right keeping it.”
“I won ’t. I promise.”
Before she could answer, the A lpha team and the alkins stood behind Michael , waiting for her answer.
Elissa swallowed a big lump as all accusing eyes set on her, waiting for her answer. “She told me not to tell. I ’m not sure where she is. All I know is that she went to look for Callum.”
“What?” Austin bellowed. “Is she crazy? Ever since she started remembering, she ’s been doing a lot of crazy things. We gotta find her.”
“Thanks, Elissa, ” Michael said calmly. “I won ’t tell.”
“What do we do?” Caleb asked, panicking. “Callum could be anywhere. Where do we start looking for her?”
Davin was too quiet. He was the only one who knew Claudia ’s plan. He never thought she would actually go through with it. In a way he blame d himself. He should have been more stern with her , or at least have told Michael. Blaming himself, he thought he should have been more cautious and watch ed her every move so she wouldn ’t do something stupid like this. She had agreed she wouldn ’t go forth with it , and stupidly he ’d believed her , or at least he ’d wanted to believe her.
“We need to f ind her now.” Davin ’s tone was urgent .
“Maybe I can help, ” Elissa said. “She wanted to know where I was last. I told her at a town called Lakewood. It ’s further north from Springfield and close to the mountains.”
Michael and Vivian’s eyes met. She knew what he wanted. Vivian had a special gift. She could track any human being if asked. Vivian had tracked Claudia before. Davin, Caleb and Michael waited while Vivian focused intently on Claudia . “It ’s not easy like the last time, ” Vivian said with her eyes closed. “She ’s not fully human. It ’s very hazy. I ’m not absolutely sure.”
“I believe in you. Let ’s go. We can ’t lose even a second.” Michael turned to Elissa. “Go tell Katherine.” With that, they were gone.
Chapter 34
Instead of going to Lakewood where Elissa said she was stationed last , Claudia followed her intuition and head north from there . When she arrived, her heart was not prepared for what she saw . Though her mind had envisioned Elissa ’s description of a town being doomed, seeing it with her own eyes was a thousand time s worse.
Claudia stood in the core of the town, and all she could see was fire scorching around her, flaming through houses, stores and everything it touch ed . Though her necklace had already turned black, she didn ’t need to be warned by it. It was obvious who had done this.
If she were human, she would feel pa in from the extreme heat and the toxic air, but she could bear it. Seeing a minivan, she flattened herself to the side of the car, trying not to be seen. To her right, she spotted demons yanking the doors of f a car and tearing the seat as if something valuable was inside it. To her left, she saw a few demons ripping through the roof and windows of a house. Then she heard a loud scream. There were humans inside. Without hesitation she willed her bow and dashed through the open front door.
Six demons surrounded a mother and a child. The mother, b ewildered by something she had only seen in the movies, froze with her child standing in front of her , protected by her arms.
Claudia bent down with one knee on the beige carpet. She pulled out her dagger and flung it at the closest demon. From the power of the crystal, it sizzled to nothing but ashes, leaving the dagger behind on the floor. With her bow, she shot two o n their back s .
One leaped behind the sofa to hide and a couple dashed for her. With a twist of her wrist, she pulled her right hand back. Right on target, the silver flames blew away the two demons with one blow. The one behind the sofa sprung forward . The little girl gasped and pointed at the demon . Just in time, Claudia duck ed as the demon swung at her. Claudia ’s bow plunged through its gut, leaving black ashes on the ground.
Claudia had never felt better. The rush from her energy, strength and power was beyond anything she ’d felt before. Sure, she ’d fought alongside friends, but this was the first time she ’d t aken on the demons by herself. She felt stronger, faster and more agile than she had felt just days ago.
“Where are your car keys?” Claudia asked, placing the dagger bac k inside her boot.
The mother looked at her with eyes blankly opened wi de and her lips tightly shut. Claudia wondered if that was how the helpless surrendered to these monsters. They could not defend themselves ; t hey had no powers , nor did their strength match the demons. With a no win situation, their mind simply g ave up in defeat.
In a hurry, Claudia bent down to the little girl. She must have been only five years old, but her glowing blue eyes and golden locks reminded her of someone. “Do you know where your mommy ’s car keys are? I ’m here to help you get away from these monsters, but we need to hurry.”
With a nod she ran into a room and came back with a purse. She pulled out a set of keys.
“Good. Where is your car?”
“In there, ” she pointed to the garage.
Claudia guided them to the car. She helped the little girl get into her booster seat and buckled her in . Mom still looked lost , standing a t the exact spot she ’d left her. Not knowing how to snap her out of it, she decided to try talking to her in her mind. She ’d done it before; she knew she could do it again.
Please get in the car and drive away. Your life is in danger.
The mother didn’t move . She co ntinued to stare at Claudia with a blank expression.
Your daughter will die if you don ’t drive away , s he tried again .
The woman blinked, shook her head and got in the driver ’s seat. Knowing her daughter was in danger, she snapped out of it. There was nothing like a mother ’s love and protection instinct for her child. Disregarding Claudia, she pressed the button for the garage to open.
The opening of the garage door was like opening the gates to hell. All Claudia could see were the blistering flames of red and orange as the black heavy smoke blocked their view.
“Go!” Claudia yelled.
The mom pressed the pedal and spe d away.
Claudia had saved two l ives so far , but there were many more. She heard the screams again from a distan ce . Her plans were to find Callum, but she couldn ’t just leave. She had to find a way to help every one of them if she could.
Peering out from the side of the garage, she estimated the distance to where the scream was coming from. Just as she was about to take off, a burning sensation coursed through her soul , and she could feel the evil that it carried. Claudia backed away , her heart pound ing from surprise and fear. She wanted to take care of this matter once and for all, but seeing him right in front of her was terrifying , m ore terrifyin g then she thought it would be , because she knew Callum was really Aliah.
“Claudia, I knew you would find me. You ’ve come to join my cause. Don ’t you like the way I ’ve re decorated this town ? It feels just like…home.”
Callum’s tone was sickening, making her heart burn with hatred. But it really wasn ’t Callum anymore. He was forever gone , lost to the darkness. The angel in front of her sounded more like Aliah from what she could
remember. His tone was deeper, filled with wickedness that made her tremble. How c ould God ’s first angel be this evil? “I ’ve been looking for you , because I ’ve decided I want my memories back. I want to eat the apple.”
Callum’s eyes glistened. “I believe that will be the smartest thing you ’ll ever do.”
“I agree, ” Claudia said with a sly smile. “But I don ’t want to do it here. I ’d like to go somewhere else .” She wasn ’t going to let him dictate where her plan would happen.
“You don ’t like my home?”
“No. I prefer peace and quiet and less…smok e . How about there ?” Claudia pointed toward the mountain , waving the smoke away from her.
“I trust you ’ll be there…alone?”
With a nod, Claudia took off and Aliah leisurely followed in pursuit.
The mountaintop was peaceful. There was no sign of any demon activit y , but it was evident from the ominous black , thick clou ds that evil was near. Then from a distance, like a vision from her worst nightmare , Callum appeared , gloating , with demons by his side .
“I came alone. Did you need to bring your sidekicks?” Claudia said, holding her bow steady, pointing toward the ground.
Aliah laughed out loud. “I brought them along so they can see what happens when one takes a bite of the apple.”
“Will I fall like Snow White?” Claudia raised her brows, humoring herself.
“We ’re not in fairy tale land , my dear. But you will remember what was lost.”
Liar, Claudia thought. She knew that once she t ook a bite it would be as if she had fallen. Her soul would be vulnerable. Aliah would take over her soul, body and mind, just like it happened to Callum. The only difference between Callum and herself was that she had the Holy Spirit soul. His powers would increase immensely , and he would be able to move freely about the world of beyond. But she would never let that happen as long as she could help it. Taking a bite of the forbidden fruit was no longer about getting her memories back; it was al l about destroying the monster.
Callum advanced to Claudia, holding out the apple to her. “Just one bite.”
“Funny, that ’s what the wicked witch said to Snow White, ” Claudia scoffed, taking the apple from him. Then she exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes , praying her plan would work.
Just as she was about to take a bite, a familiar voice, a voice that had sang her name many times before , rang loudly. “Stop, Claudia.”
Callum rolled his eyes, looking heavily annoyed. “Must he interrupt all the time?” Callum took his stance behind Claudia , h is arms wrapped around her neck. “We ’ve been here before. Have you all not learned?”
Claudia stared into the open field. She was render ed speechless to see all of the Twelve, alkins, venators and the watchers. It was a vision of splendor. Their pearl y white wings were gloriously drawn-out. She felt like she had already died and gone to Heaven.
“Callum, surrender!” Katherine bellowed. “You ’re surrounded.”
“Have you forgotten me already? It ’s me, Aliah. And please don ’t call me Callum. Callum is long gone. He was just a mean s to an end.” Aliah sharply tugged Claudia, reminding her to eat the apple. “Hurry, ” he whispered, but the sound of his whisper carried.
“Claudia, don ’t. Davin told me your pl an. This isn ’t the way. Please…, ” Michael begged.
“Don‘t be a fool. I told you , they will tell you anything to keep you from remembering your past .” Callum ’s tone was harsh and cruel .
“Claudia, by the command of the Twelve, you are ordered to stand down, ” Katherine said w ith an authoritative tone . “Lucy would not want it this way. Don ’t let her death be in vain.”
“Look at me, ” Austin commanded . “We are here. You don ’t need to be the hero. We do this together.”
Claudia ga zed back and forth, to her friends and then to the apple. She decided to give the apple back to Aliah, but what would he do to her? Claudia stood still, trying to figure out how to escape his hold. Feeling aggravated by Claudia ’s lack of motion to take a bite, he waved his hand. The demons dispersed from behind him and charged toward the angels.
Then there was chaos. Massive movements were everywhere. Hissing and growling, the demons attacked. There were many surrounding her friends. Even the Twelve, not fit for battle , also fought. Using their sword s , they swung as the demons charged. To get a better look, Aliah pulled Claudia on top of a boulder.
There w as no end to the demons. When one died, another one appeared. For the first time, she could see her friends looking drained. Was that even possible? Claudia sensed Austin and Michael ’s eyes on her as they desperately tried to make their way to her, but the countless demons kept coming one after another, blocking their way.
Silver and red flames beamed like a light show, but there w as more red than silver. As more demons surrounded them, it was difficult to see where her friends were. The venators leaped onto the trees and like lightning from their bows, they struck. The Twelve flapped t heir wings, soaring high , slash ing the demons as they came. Aust in , high up in the trees , twirled his silver metal balls. He hurled one smack in the middle as a group of demons came forth , and blasted them off the ground.
Claudia, Michael called in her mind. I ’m going to throw the silver weapon on the boulder you ’re standing on. Fall to your right. I will catch you .
Okay. Do it now, she agreed, speaking back into his mind.
Aliah never saw it coming. The boulder blasted, and Aliah lost his grip on Claudia. Claudia fell to the right as instructed, but she lost her hold on the apple as it tumbled down. Michael caught her fall . She curled into his body . Her hands gripped tightly around his neck .
Claudia’s fear pulsa ted through her veins. Knowing how she felt, Michael wanted to take her away. With that thought in mind , he di d, not far, yet far enough. He took her away from the battle scene and placed her down.
“Why did you bring me here? We need to go back and help our friends, ” Claudia said urgently.
“Stay here, ” Michael demanded , meeting her eyes, drawing her closer with one hand and brushing her cheek with the other. “I need you safe. You need to stay away from Aliah. He wants you. I lost you once. I can ’t lose you again.”
“Michael, he ’ll find me no matter where I am . We need to get rid of him. He ’ll always hurt the ones we love. He will destroy this world if we don ’t stop him. You promised me we would do this together.”
Michael cupped Claudia ’s face and gazed deeply into her eyes. But…I …can ’t …lose …you.”
“You won ’t .” Her tone was not sincere , but she had to convince him . “You promised we would do it together. How do you think it would make me feel if I ’m here all safe and sound while you and the others are out there?”
Pacing back and forth, Mic hael exhaled a long heavy sigh , knowing he couldn ’t have his way. He had no choice. Given the circumstances, he knew she was right. He promised he would never leave her out of decision-making . Raking his hair bac k with both of his hands he huffed . “Alright…only because I promised. You have to promise me not to leave my sight.”
With a nod from Claudia, he took her back hesitantly. Just as she promised, she stayed in his line of sight. Michael ’s wings expanded, protecting her. Claudia was more skilled compare d to the last time he ’d observed. She was faster and stronger. Together, they slashed through the demons to join the others.
“Good to see you.” Dav in pulled Claudia into a quick hold, kissed her on her forehead , and let go.
Claudia smiled, feeling the love from her friend that fueled more energy. When they thought they would win, more demons appeared. The demons clawed their way up the tree, planting their feet on each other, trying to bring the venators down. It was like one against ten . Though Claudia did n’t know who they were, she saw countless venators being pulled down from the trees and killed by the demons. More and more venators and watchers were losing their lives. She wanted
to help, but she was fighting the demons surrounding her.
One suddenly jumped in front of Davin. Davin focused his eyes on it angrily . With his sword ready to swing he preached , “Have you heard of the phrase, ‘Do not do unto others what you would not want them do unto you ’?” The demon hissed and growle d and stretched it s arms , ready to attack, not liking his question. “Let me show you my v ersion.” Davin flipped backward and thrashed his sword into its chest. “Do unto others as they would do unto you.”
From the corner of Claudia ’s eyes, she saw Holly grip Delilah from the back with her bow up to her throat. “You should ’ve known better than t o cross the venators.” She spun Delilah around . With a spark of hatred in her eyes , she slapped Delilah across her face. Blood squirt ed from her mouth and Delilah wiped it off with a fierce look in her eyes. Delilah attacked with her bow, but Holly had already anticipated what she would do . Holly ducked and drove a sliver of lightning into Delilah ’s chest. Looking sadden ed and hurt by her betray al , Holly watched Delilah ’s body slump to the ground .
Claudia saw blood, lots of blood, everywhere she turned. She heard more cries for help and the painful sounds of death. It echoed through the mountains , and she couldn ’t handle it anymore. She broke away from Michael and rooted her eyes on Austin battling with Aliah.
Aliah picked up Austin, threw him hard on the ground , and whisked his sword to give Austin a big gash across his chest. Katherine rushed over, protecting her son , and now she was protecting herself. Katherine lunge d forward as Aliah back ed away from side to side , escaping her blow s .
“Not bad for a woman, ” he chuckle d in amusement. “But now I ’m getting tired of playing around.” He was stronger as he swung his sword with all his strength and madness. “It will give me great pleasure to kill you and your son.” With a power that only God ’s first angel c ould summ o n , he belted his sword and contacted hers. Katherine ’s sword flew out of her hand , w h ip p ed through the air with tremendous f orce, and sliced through trees. Then Aliah pointed his sword at Katherine ’s heart.