Ascension (Book 4, The Watcher Chronicles) (5 page)

“Yes,” Mason tells me. “I’ll tell him to.”

As soon as lunch is over, Remy takes Rafe back to his clinic to get his crown and then phases both Leah and Rafe to the villa.  Mama Lynn and Faison leave saying they need to plan more things for my wedding, and I don’t ask any questions. I figure they can make better decisions about it than I ever could anyway.

“Has Joshua found Zack’s crown yet?” I ask Mason.

“He would have called if he had,” Mason tells me. “I think we should go over to Mount Moriah to see if we can find his talisman.”

“Do you think we can do that?” I ask. “We almost always find the crown first.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary to go in order,” Mason says. “We should give it a try while we’re waiting for Joshua to find the crown.”

“Can I come along on this little field trip?” Gabe asks.

“I don’t see why not,” Mason says. “I’ve had the Watcher in charge of the Middle East cordon off the area where the talisman might be so we’ll have the place to ourselves for a while.”

“He cordoned off a mountain?” I ask.

“There’s a temple built on top of the area where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac. It’s called the Temple Mount and the shrine that was built over the rock bed that was the location of the sacrifice is called the Dome of the Rock.”

“And what city are we going to exactly?” Zack asks.

“Jerusalem. Let me call Turel and to make sure things are ready for us.”

Mason makes his call which doesn’t take long.

“It’s night time there so it was fairly easy for him lock it down for our visit. Ready?”  Mason directs his question more to Zack than Gabe and me.

“No time like the present,” Zack says.

We all hold hands and Mason phases us to the Dome of the Rock.

Chapter 4

Mason phases us inside the shrine and directly onto a bed of sand colored rock. The sacred rock takes up the majority of the interior area of the building and is surrounded by a protective fence like structure, presumably to keep tourist off of where we’re freely trespassing. The circular room we find ourselves in is surrounded by four large pillars and twelve white and grey marble columns. As I look up, I marvel at the beauty of the red and gold Arabesque mosaics and stained glass windows inside the domed ceiling which sits directly over where we stand.

Zack looks around. “Any suggestions on how I’m supposed to find the talisman?”

“I would say just walk around to see if you feel anything,” Mason tells him.

“Finding talismans always this hit or miss?” Gabe asks me as we stand back and watch Zack walk around aimlessly.

“No, Mason has been right about everyone’s talisman so far. He thinks Zack’s is the dagger his archangel took from Abraham after he told him he didn’t have to sacrifice his son to prove his faith to God. We’re just not sure where Zadkiel put the dagger after he took it. Hopefully, there will be a clue here.”

Zack walks across the rock and I can tell he doesn’t exactly know what the hell he’s looking for. I feel sorry for him. I wish I could help in some way but I’m just as clueless as he is.

Then it happens.

Zack suddenly falls to his knees and I see the surprised look on his face at the unexpected action. I instantly know it wasn’t something he did on his own. I watch as some unknown outside force makes him place both of his hands on the rock in front of him. The spots where his hands are touching the rock transform and take on the qualities of quicksand, sucking Zack’s hands and arms down up to his elbows. I watch as he tries to pull his arms out but whatever magic drew his arms down into the rock in the first place isn’t letting him go.

“What the hell is happening?” He yells to us.

We all rush over to him thinking something nefarious is about to happen to Zack when, quite unexpectedly, he begins to laugh.

“Oh my god that tickles,” he says, trying not to giggle like a girl and maintain a modicum of manliness.

“Can you tell what’s happening?” I ask.

“It’s like,” Zack giggles but clears his throat to hide it. “It feels like someone or something is drawing on my arms with a feather. I know that doesn’t make a lick of sense but that’s what it feels like.”

I look up at Mason and he just shrugs.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he says to me.

After a couple of more minutes, Zack’s arms are released from the rock. The long sleeve shirt he was wearing is now cut at the elbows like someone took a razor blade and shortened them. But that’s not the only difference.

On both of Zack’s forearms are what look like grey tattoos of daggers.

Zack looks down at both of them. His face scrunches up in confusion.

“Tattoos?” He asks. “What am I supposed to do with tattoos?”

“Touch them,” I suggest.

Zack looks dubious about my idea but he runs his right hand from the point of the dagger on his left forearm down to the hilt.

“I don’t think…” Zack begins but doesn’t finish because when he lifts his hand from the tattoo thinking it a pointless act, his right hand is now holding a wafer thin, glowing opalescent dagger.

Zack holds the dagger up in front of his face. “Anybody know how that just happened or what the hell I’m supposed to do with it?”

“It’s a dagger,” I say, “throw it at something.”

Zack stands up and looks around. He aims at the wood fence surrounding the area and throws the dagger. The dagger sticks and stays for a few seconds then dissolves into sand.

“Holy cow!” Zack says. He looks down at both tattoos and glides his hands over them simultaneously coming away with a dagger in each hand. He smiles and throws both daggers at the fence at once. They strike with a thud and dissolve into sand a few seconds later just like the first one.

“I have a feeling they do more than that,” I say. “But you’ll need a living target to test them out on.”

Zack glides his hands over the tattoos coming away with two more daggers.

“Anyone want to volunteer?” He asks, smiling with mischievous glee.

“Let’s find you an enemy target,” I suggest. “We have no way of knowing what they will do.”

“Probably a smart idea,” Zack says, throwing the daggers in his hands at the fence to get rid of them.

“Ok, so now all I need is my crown right?” He asks.

“Let’s go back to Jess’ house and I’ll call Joshua to see how the search for it is going.”

Mason phases us all back to my house and I find an unexpected visitor waiting for me in the living room: Lilly. Of course Malcolm is with her. He never seems to stray too far from her side.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” I tell her, giving her a hug around the shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

Lilly looks uncertainly in Malcolm’s direction like she doesn’t want to say what’s on her mind in front of him.

“Is there somewhere private we could speak?” She asks me.

“First you wouldn’t let me tell Brand we were coming here,” Malcolm says, his tone almost harsh, “and now you can’t speak to her in front of me. Why?”

Lilly turns to Malcolm. “I don’t have to explain everything I do to you,” she tells him. “I swear Malcolm!  You treat me like I’m a child sometimes.”

“Then stop acting like one,” he snaps back at her.

Woah. I feel like I’m in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel.

“Jess.”

I see Michael standing beside Lilly. “Take her outside before she says something to Malcolm she will regret.”

“Come on,” I tell Lilly, placing an arm around her shoulders and leading her to my front door so we can go out on the porch for some privacy.

Malcolm stares after us with hooded eyes. I pray that he calms down before we come back in.

Once we’re on the porch, I hear Lilly take in a deep breath.

“I swear he drives me crazy with his worry sometimes,” she complains, leaning her back against the porch railing to face me.

“Should he be worried?” I ask, wondering why Lilly is here. I get the feeling it isn’t just a social call.

Lilly meets my eyes with a stone cold resolve set in hers. “I want to help you when the time comes.”

I cock my head at her. “Help with what exactly?”

“When you go up against Lucifer and the princes, I want to help you.”

Michael appears by his daughter, looking at her with a worried frown on his face.

“Tell her it’s not her place to help us,” he tells me.

“Your father is telling me to tell you that it’s not your place to help us.”

“But I can be useful,” Lilly tries to argue. “With my powers, I might be able to help you tip the balance in the fight.”

“No,” I tell her, relaying what Michael is saying to me. “That’s why the archangels were sent here. Let us do our job. You’re not meant to help in this fight. If you try to interfere, you might change what’s meant to happen.”

“You mean my help might adversely affect the outcome?” She asks for clarification.

“Yes.”

Lilly sighs heavily. “I don’t see how my help could possibly do that.”

“Lilly,” a new, yet recognizable voice chimes in.

Both Lilly and I look towards the front lawn and see God.

“I thought you and I already had this conversation,” God says to her.

“I don’t see why I can’t help,” Lilly argues. “What’s the point of having all this power when I can’t even use it?”

“There will come a time when it will be needed,” he tells her. “But not in this fight. Let the vessels and their archangels handle Lucifer and the princes. That’s why I sent them.”

“But…”

“Are you questioning my decision?” God says, effectively cutting Lilly off before she can even finish her statement.

“I want to help,” she says lamely.

“And your help would only get in the way,” God tells her gently. “Please, for their sake, for their lives, stay out of it. You would only be a hindrance in what they need to do to win.”

Lilly’s shoulders sag in defeat.

“All right,” she grumbles, not happy about the situation.

“And Lilly,” God says, “I think you owe Malcolm an apology. All he’s ever wanted since he met you is to protect you.”

“I know.”

Lilly turns to me. “Sorry. I thought I could be of help but I guess I’m not needed in your fight.”

I put a comforting hand on one of Lilly’s arms. “We’ll handle it. Trust us.”

She tries to smile but I can tell she isn’t pleased about not being allowed to help.

“Call me if you need anything,” she tells me. “I guess I should go make up with Malcolm. Otherwise, he’ll sulk like a baby until I do.”

I smile. “I take it this isn’t the first tiff the two of you have had with each other.”

Lilly laughs. “No. It is not the first and it won’t be the last, but, he knows I love him and I know he loves me. We’re family. If you can’t fight with family, who can you fight with?”

Lilly kisses me on the cheek.

“Be careful,” she begs me. “I heard what happened with you and Lucifer last night. I know you hoped you could change him, but I think it’s going to take a bond stronger than friendship to do that.”

I nod, not trusting my voice to say anything about that situation.

Lilly begins to go back into the house but seems to remember something and turns to me again.

“Jess, do you think you and Mason could act as chaperones on Caylin and Joshua’s date to Chandler’s concert?  Malcolm wants to do it but I would rather let Caylin enjoy her first real date.”

I laugh. “Sure, no problem. I have to be there anyway.”

Lilly smiles. “Thanks.”

Lilly goes into the house and Michael disappears.

God walks onto the porch to stand in front of me.

“Can I ask you something?” I say to him.