Crossroads (35 page)

Vivian was standing on top of a table
when a fallen grabbed her from behind. Twisting with all her might,
she tried to release from the hold. As the demons approached her,
she extended her long legs, kicking them away from her. She then
slammed her head against the fallen holding her hostage, pivoted,
and drove her weapon into him. More demons surrounded her; she
lunged lower, severing the heads of the demons around her with her
sword.

While evading demons and fallen, Davin
leaped from table to table. Finally he planted himself on the bar.
He pulled his weapon out, ready for his enemies. As they attacked,
Davin managed to avoid blows, but he barely saw the spinning kick
coming at him in time to leap back, landing flat on his back. A
demon standing close to him lashed out, slightly nicking him across
his chest. Davin cursed out loud, and anger raged from his eyes. He
managed to grab a bottle of wine, knocking it over the demon’s
head. When it shattered into pieces, the liquid poured down,
leaving him blind. Davin turned him into ashes. Heaving, he flung
out from where he stood, charging swiftly like a wild creature,
killing whatever stood in his path until he reached the other side
of the room.

Tables, chairs, and shattered glasses
were everywhere. All were broken into unrecognizable objects, like
a tornado had ripped through the room. I was exhausted from
watching and holding my breath, praying that my friends had the
strength and endurance to make it out alive. It seemed like an
endless fight. Aden must have thought the same thing for he
shouted, “Enough!”

All was at a standstill. I wondered
what Aden had up his sleeve, because even I knew he wouldn’t just
walk away.

“
Perhaps this may change
your mind,” he shouted.

Out from the ceiling appeared a demon
with Alexa Rose. The demon lowered her as she dangled in fright. My
heart sank to see her in the middle of all of this. Michael was
right. Aden would do anything to get what he wanted.

“
Michael!” she called
desperately.

“
Let her go, Aden, she’s
only a child!” Michael demanded.

“
You heard Michael. Do
it!” he yelled at the demon who was holding her.

“
Michael!” Alexa Rose
screamed as she was let go.

“
No!” I screamed and
immediately stopped when I saw Alexa Rose suspended in midair. I
immediately turned to Michael and saw his hand raised to where
Alexa Rose was floating.

“
I learned how to use my
hands to control things like you do,” Michael said to
Aden.

Aden looked furious. He raised his
hand too, and Alexa Rose gravitated toward him. “I would have
taught you everything I knew if you had stayed with me. Now give me
what is mine!”

Aden was pulling Alexa Rose closer to
him. He was stronger than Michael.

“
Michael!” she yelled, as
her delicate little hands reached out for him.

I couldn’t take it any longer. It was
too much to bear. Losing my common sense, I ran out of my
protective area and toward Aden.

“
Stop, Claudia,” Davin
yelled.

It was too late. Aden used his free
hand to levitate Davin toward him. Then he pinned him against the
wall, and the fallen nearby moved toward them. Vivian and Caleb
dashed forward to help Davin defend from the attack. When they
reached him, they were surrounded by fallen and demons. The tips of
their enemies’ blades were pointed at their chests. Aden released
Davin, his eyes focused on me like a hawk preying on its next
meal.

“
No!” Michael yelled with
anguish, knowing what Aden would do next.

Although my whole body felt light, I
couldn’t move. I could see myself rising off the ground toward
Aden. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t free myself from his
control.

“
Who to choose? Who to
save? Did you know your precious Alexa Rose has a wonderful talent?
She is a gatekeeper. She got out herself, looking for you,” Aden
said. “Don’t you wonder who opened the gates of Hell for me? For
her first time, she did pretty well. She would make a great
addition to my collection.”

“
Noooo!” Michael cried
with rage.

“
I’m sorry, Michael. He
told me he would hurt you if I didn’t do it,” Alexa Rose cried.
“Please don’t be mad at me! Please don’t be mad,” she begged over
and over, as tears fell down her face.

“
It’s all right, Alexa
Rose. I’m not mad at you. It’s okay. Aden, please, don’t do this,”
Michael pleaded.

“
I’m done asking you to
join me, and I’m done playing around. I choose both for myself.
David!” Aden shouted to the demon up on the ceiling.
“Catch!”

Alexa Rose was lifted up toward the
open ceiling. “Michael!” Her painful shrieks echoed through the
room.

“
Nooo!” Michael yelled, as
he attempted to save her one last time.

Alexa Rose ascended through the
ceiling, and David grabbed her.

I was terrified for Alexa Rose. She
was in the hands of a demon now, and there was nothing we could do.
My heart shattered, and I felt like we were defeated. If I was in
this much pain, I could only imagine how much it hurt
Michael.

“
Now what to do with this
one? Say bye to your love.”

“
Aden, she is not the one.
Don’t do this. I’m the one you want. The Holy Spirit’s soul is in
me. You’re looking for a son.”

Aden suddenly stopped and listened
intently. Michael continued to persuade him. “We’ve been leading
you on so that you would think she is the one, but you’ve been
fooled. You’ve been chasing the wrong alkin. You are looking for a
son.”

“
I don’t believe you. I’ve
been tracking her for eighteen years. You think I’m a
fool?”

“
I’m not going to argue
with that,” Davin mumbled.

“
I have proof. The one
bears a birthmark, and I have one to prove it.”

“
What birthmark?” Aden
asked, with anticipation in his voice.

I remembered Michael talking about a
birthmark, but Michael didn’t know what it was. He must have found
out somehow. Davin, Caleb, and Vivian looked stunned. They knew he
was only saying those words to save me.

“
Show me,” Aden
demanded.

My eyes were glued to Michael as he
flew toward Aden.

“
You better be telling me
the truth, or your friends below will die. You are outnumbered,”
Aden reminded Michael.

“
It’s the omega symbol,”
Michael said, as he carefully kept his distance.

I remembered seeing the symbol
somewhere. It looked like an upside-down horseshoe. The birthmark
didn’t even cross my mind when Gamma told me I had the soul of the
Holy Spirit. I wondered if she knew. Then I remembered Michael
telling me that only the Royal Council, Phillip, Margaret, and
Agnes knew. Gamma couldn’t have known. I knew every scar and every
freckle on my body, and I had never seen a birthmark like that.
Could Gamma be wrong about me?

“
Show me, Michael,” Aden
demanded.

Aden still held me captive, as Michael
and Aden exchanged words in what appeared to be Latin. When Michael
reached out his right arm to show the birthmark, Aden extended his
arms and slashed Michael’s wing. The sword came from nowhere.
Michael yelled in agony, and my heart tore into a million pieces.
Although his left wing was still intact, it looked broken. It
wasn’t strong and full like his right wing.

Then Michael’s body started curling,
and I thought he was going to fall. Just when I thought all hope
was lost, Michael suddenly sprung forward into Aden and pushed him
across the room. Michael broke Aden’s hold on me and I began to
fall. Michael used his powers to levitate my body toward where the
alkins stood, and Davin deftly caught me.

Aden was furious as he charged toward
Michael. Michael wrapped his hands around Aden’s wrist that held
the sword. Both of them struggled to retrieve the sword, twisting
and turning in midair. Michael released his left hand and jammed
his elbow into Aden’s chest. When Aden lunged backward, he extended
his leg and kicked Michael in the stomach. Michael was pushed back
several yards, but he quickly charged forward and rotated over
Aden’s head. Catching Aden by surprise, Michael snatched the sword
out of Aden’s hand. They tumbled multiple times in midair until
Aden’s back slammed against the wall. Then Michael drove the sword
into Aden’s heart.

“
Omega stands for the end
for you,” Michael said and drew the sword out.

Aden’s face held a look of shock.
Still floating, his wings folded halfway as his body
weakened.

“
Michael,” Aden said
weakly.

“
You left me no choice,”
Michael said softly and sorrowfully. “May God have mercy on
you.”

Then Aden’s eyes closed, his body
arched, and his arms and legs grew limp as he started slowly
spiraling downward like a lifeless feather. When he collapsed to
the floor, his body flared up in flames. Quickly the flames died,
and his body was gone. It was as if he had never
existed.

Michael did not move as he floated
there, but his face expressed a mixture of emotions. He lowered his
head for a long second, then flew straight up. With Aden no longer
there to lead them, the fallen and demons looked lost and confused.
The alkins raised their swords while Davin pushed me behind
him.

Suddenly Caleb dashed ahead just as
Michael jabbed the sword into David’s chest, causing him to release
Alexa Rose. She fell straight down into Caleb’s arms.

During the commotion, Davin grabbed
me. Vivian and Caleb, with Alexa Rose still in his arms, rushed out
of the room, while Michael flew behind us. The next thing I knew,
we were somewhere near the hotel.

I turned to Michael and looked at him
with worried eyes.

“
Don’t worry. I’ll be
fine,” he said in a weak voice. Unexpectedly, he reached for me and
held me in his arms.

“
He’s gone now. You’re
safe,” Michael whispered in my ear, trying to console
me.

I wanted to say something, but I could
barely make out a word. I didn’t realize that I was trembling until
I heard my teeth chatter. Although I knew we were out of danger,
the adrenaline was too much. I couldn’t breathe, and a jumble of
thoughts ran wildly through my head. I should be used to it by now.
This wasn’t the first time I was chased by fallen and demons. I
could see Davin, Vivian, and Caleb watching me with concerned
expressions on their faces. They were so calm, as if nothing had
happened. Even Alexa Rose, now in the arms of Vivian, was just as
composed.

I finally managed to say to them, a
bit frantically, “Why…why aren’t you scared out of your minds? Why
aren’t you shaking?”

“
It’s all right, Claudia,”
Michael whispered again, as I continued to tremble. “We’re trained
to control our fears. What kind of guardian angel would I be if I
trembled like you?” He laughed softly, trying to make me
laugh.

It didn’t work. I nodded. I understood
and felt bad for losing it like that.

“
I can make it better,” he
said and held me tighter. Next thing I knew, there was a dim light
glowing around us. Instantly I was calmer, and I knew it was from
Michael. It was the same warm, secure feeling I had felt when Davin
had held me at the Crossroads.

When he released his hold, my body no
longer trembled, and I felt safe again. I looked up at Michael. His
smile gave me comfort, and I found my words again. “Aden, is he
really dead?”

“
Yes,” Michael said,
lifting the sword to show me. It was absolutely stunning, about the
length of my arm. The sword looked similar to the ones they used.
“The Sword of the Divine,” Michael said, looking at its tip and
turning it left to right. “This sword was designed specifically for
the Twelve Angels. Only by piercing this sword through an angel’s
heart can one truly kill an angel.” There were no bloodstains. As
if he could read my mind, he said, “Angels don’t bleed.”

There was an inscription on it. “What
does it say?” I asked.

“
Angele Dei…Angel of God,”
Michael replied, still captivated by the sword. “I wish I could
keep this beauty, but I’ll have to give it to Phillip.”

We were all mesmerized by the sword
when, suddenly, Alexa Rose hugged Michael. She patiently waited for
Michael to let go of his hold on me. He didn’t pick her up as usual
because of his wound; instead, he knelt down to her level and gave
her a long, warm embrace, as if it had been a lifetime since he had
last seen her.

“
Sorry, Michael,” Alexa
Rose said in her sweet angelic voice, as she placed her head on his
shoulder. “Please don’t be mad at me,” she pleaded.

He placed his hands on her arms and
pulled her back a bit, forcing her to look at him directly in his
eyes. “I’m not mad. I was very worried. I almost lost you, you
understand? Don’t ever do that again. Don’t ever look for me.
You’re not supposed to be here. If Phillip or the others find out,
you will be punished.”

“
Okay, Michael,” she
answered back with tears streaming down her face.