Hades

30 Guardian Angels

“STOP!” I begged Jake. “Please stop!”

The accelerator hit the floor and the car lurched drunkenly as if it were being steered by a blind man. The cliffs fell sharply away to the right and there was nothing but a fine metal railing separating the road from the devastating drop. I needed to manifest — even if only to tell Xavier what was happening, to see if there was some way I could get him safely out of the car. But fear crippled my concentration. It’d require every scrap of energy I had left to appear to him and even then I wasn’t sure I could do it.

Suddenly I caught sight of his hands gripping the steering wheel. I saw my promise ring and the trademark leather wristband he always wore. I knew the feel of both by heart. Those hands had held mine so many times; they had comforted me, fought for me, protected me, and anchored me to the world of the living. I remembered the moment I first saw Xavier sitting on the pier. He’d looked up at me, the light of the setting sun picking up the golden strands in his honey brown hair. I remembered thinking his eyes held so much depth. I’d wondered then who he was and what he was like, not expecting I’d ever see him again. The memories flooded back to me. The two of us sharing chocolate cake in a booth at Sweethearts — he’d looked at me as though I were a puzzle he was determined to solve. I remembered the way his voice deepened when he was roused from sleep, the way his lips felt against the back of my neck. I remembered his smell, his fresh clean scent like the woods on a summer day. I remembered the way the crucifix around his neck glinted when the moonlight caught it. I knew everything about him and every little detail was sacred to me. I realized then that our subliminal connection could transcend any physical barrier.

Without any warning I manifested right there in the passenger seat. Xavier nearly yelled out in shock, and his ocean eyes widened while Jake pushed his face between the two front seats.

“Hello, darling,” he said darkly. “Thought I’d find you here. Bit of car trouble I see.”

“Beth,” Xavier whispered. “What’s happening?”

I realized suddenly that he couldn’t see Jake. He had no idea what was going on.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Beth, I can’t do this much longer.” His voice almost broke. “Where are you? I don’t know what to believe anymore and I need to get you back.”

“Oh, boo hoo!” Jake whined from the backseat. “She’s mine now, tough break.”

“Shut up!” I snapped and Xavier looked surprised. “Not you,” I clarified quickly. “Jake’s here with us.”

“What?” Xavier swung around, but to him the backseat looked empty.

“Just trust me,” I said as the Chevy lurched violently close to the edge of the cliff. Xavier gasped and lifted an arm to shield his face, expecting a collision, but the car swung back onto the road at the last minute.

“Xavier,” I said. “Look at me.”

I didn’t know how much time we had together, but I needed to let him know he wasn’t alone. A familiar Bible verse floated into my head. It was an old favorite of mine and came from Genesis 31. It spoke about the Mizpah, the Meeting Place. It was a place that could be anywhere and nowhere at the same time. A place that didn’t exist in this dimension but held more power than anyone could understand. It was a place where a reunion of spirit could occur without any physical presence. I remembered the day at Bryce Hamilton when I’d run into Xavier’s arms, terrified that one day we’d be separated. The words from that afternoon came back to me clear as day: “Let’s create a place. A place that’s just ours; a place we can always find each other if things ever go wrong.”

“Do you remember the white place?” I whispered urgently.

Xavier’s body unclenched a little as he looked directly at me. “Of course,” he murmured.

“Then close your eyes and go there,” I whispered. “I’ll be waiting for you. And don’t forget … it is only space that separates us.”

Xavier drew a deep breath and in his eyes I saw an understanding that hadn’t been there before. He closed his eyes, let go of the steering wheel, and sat very still.

I heard Jake’s harsh voice from the backseat. “I’ve had just about enough of this sentimental crap for one day.”

“Listen …” I whipped around to try and reason with him, but it was too late. I felt a sickening jolt in my stomach as the Chevy skidded to the side of the road, smashed through the flimsy iron railing as if it were made of matchsticks, and plummeted over the cliff face.

“No!” I screamed.

Xavier didn’t react. He was still in the white place, indifferent to whether he would live or die.

I watched the Chevy plunge over the cliff in what seemed like slow motion. I heard a sickening metallic screech as the underbelly of the car scraped across the rock ledge. It seemed to teeter for a moment; its body tilting precariously as it balanced on the edge. Then gravity took over and with a deep shudder and a cloud of dust, the car fell. At the sight of it, nearby birds squawked and fled the trees, vanishing into the sky as they sounded their warning. I saw Xavier’s body get thrown forward and collide with the steering wheel. The moment seemed to last for the longest time. My vision tunneled and I noticed the strangest things. The sunlight through the windshield hit Xavier’s hair, making the strands glow copper and gold. Xavier’s hair had always been a soft shade of brown like honey or walnuts, but today, in this moment, I could have sworn he wore a halo of golden light. Xavier had made no effort to protect himself. Anyone else would have thrown his hands up to shield himself, but Xavier remained unnaturally calm and still. He showed no signs of panic, as if he were resigned to accept his fate. When his hair shifted out of the way, I caught sight of his face and it struck me how young he looked. I could see in him the schoolboy he would have been not so many years ago. His skin was smooth and unmarked, without even a wrinkle to mark his years on earth. He’s hardly lived, I thought to myself. There were so many things he could have been, and now he’d never get the chance to really grow up … to be a husband … to be a father … to make a difference in the world.

I realized then that I was screaming, screaming loud enough for all the town to hear me, but nobody did. The Chevy was still nosediving toward the rocks below where it would smash and crumple like tinfoil. I’d never felt more powerless in my entire life. My body was still imprisoned deep underground in Hades and my soul was trapped between the dimensions. But as I caught sight of Jake’s smirking face in the rearview mirror, I realized I wasn’t as powerless as I thought. I spun around and grabbed him by both wrists. He looked surprised, but didn’t shake me off.

“Don’t hurt him,” I pleaded. “I’ll do whatever you want. Name your terms.”

“Is that so?” Jake smiled. “A trade … how interesting.”

“This isn’t the time for games!” I begged. The car was only seconds from the rocks and dusty ground below. “If Xavier dies, I’ll never forgive you! Please … let’s make a deal.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “I’ll spare his life in exchange for you granting me one wish.”

“Done!” I cried. “Just stop the car!”

“Do I have your word?”

“I swear on my life.”

The Chevy lurched to a stop in midair, completely frozen. It was a sight to behold and it was lucky there were no humans around to witness it.

“I’ll see you back home, Bethany.”

“Wait — you can’t just leave him here!”

“He’ll be taken care of,” Jake said and with a snap of his fingers he vanished from the backseat. After a few seconds, I became aware of the presence of Ivy and Gabriel. They screeched to the edge of the cliff in a borrowed Range Rover and bolted out. Seeing the Chevy suspended in the air, Gabriel didn’t hesitate, he ran to the cliff’s edge and jumped, his wings bursting out to hold him up as he descended toward the rocks below. I’d forgotten how majestic Gabriel’s wings were and the sight made my breath catch in my throat. They reared up ten feet in the air, blazing white and powerful beyond belief. They were heavy and feathered and yet seemed to ripple with a life of their own. Ivy followed suit, graceful as a swan, her feet skimming the edge of the cliff as she swooped down. Her wings were a different color from Gabriel’s. His were ice white and flecked with brass and gold. Ivy’s on the other hand were more of a pearly gray like a dove’s and dappled with rose petal pink. Xavier had opened his eyes and was staring incredulously at the angels now hovering in front of the windshield of his airborne Chevy. He blinked hard, uncertain whether to trust his own eyes.

“What the hell …” he breathed.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “You’re okay.”

But Xavier could no longer hear me. He just watched in amazement as Gabriel looped his hands through the front window, gripping the roof of the car. On the other side, Ivy did the same. Then they began to slowly lift it back onto the road. The muscles in their arms didn’t even strain, just flexed ever so slightly as they guided the car back to solid earth. It landed so smoothly that Xavier didn’t even shift position in his seat. Ivy’s and Gabriel’s wings, which had been beating rhythmically to hold them up, retracted in a flash as soon as their feet connected with the ground.

Xavier threw open the door and jumped out at the first opportunity. He leaned against the hood and exhaled loudly.

“I don’t believe it,” he murmured.

“Neither do we.” My sister glowered. “What were you thinking?”

“Hold up.” A look of surprise flitted across Xavier’s face. “You think I did this on purpose?”

Gabriel fixed him with his penetrating gaze. “A car doesn’t drive itself off a cliff.”

“Guys.” Xavier threw up his hands. “Jake was controlling the car. What kind of an idiot do you take me for?”

“You saw him too?” Ivy’s eyes widened. “We sensed his presence, but we didn’t think he’d have the nerve to show himself.”

“He didn’t show himself exactly.” Xavier frowned. “I couldn’t see him … but Beth told me he was there.”

“Beth?” Gabriel looked as if he thought Xavier might be losing his mind.

“She spoke to me through the radio … and then she appeared when I thought I was going to die.” Xavier twisted his face into a grimace, aware of how far-fetched his story sounded. “It’s true, I swear.”

“All right,” Ivy said grimly. “Whatever happened, we have to remember that Jake is pulling some dirty moves. At least we got here in time.”

“That’s the thing,” Xavier said, crossing his arms. “The car was gonna smash, I know it was. Then suddenly it stopped, and Beth and Jake were gone.”

“What are you saying?” Gabriel asked.

“I’m not sure — but I know Jake was trying to kill me. Something or someone stopped him.”

Ivy and Gabriel exchanged worried looks. “Let’s just be thankful you’re all right,” said my sister.

“Yeah.” Xavier nodded, but he still looked concerned. “Thanks for helping me out. Jeez, I hope no one saw you.”

A faint smile played around Gabriel’s lips and he pushed back the lock of golden hair that had fallen loose from his ponytail.

“Look around you,” he said. “Do you see anyone?”

Xavier looked and a thoughtful frown appeared on his face. His eyes fell upon a snake in the long grass. It seemed to have stopped mid-slither, locked in place. He turned his face upward and his mouth fell open in surprise to see the fleeing birds frozen in the sky, as if the whole world had become trapped inside a painting. Only then did the dead silence become apparent. All the sounds of the world had stopped. There was no buzzing of crickets in the air or the sound of vehicles on the road. Not even the wind could break through the silence.

“Wait …” Xavier passed a hand over his eyes. “Did you guys do this? No way, it’s impossible.”

“You of all people should know that nothing is impossible,” my sister said.

Xavier’s brilliant blue eyes met Ivy’s cool, steel gaze. “Tell me you didn’t stop time.”

“We didn’t stop it exactly,” Gabriel said casually, inspecting the Chevy for signs of damage. “We may have put it on hold for a few minutes.”

“Are you serious!” Xavier cried. He was struggling to process what they were telling him. “Are you even allowed to do that?”

“That’s beside the point,” Gabriel retorted. “We did what we had to do. Can’t have civilians watching two angels carry a car out of the sky.”

My brother closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his palms upward. A moment later signs of life burst out all around us. I jumped, having never realized how noisy life was until I heard the world without it. It was strangely comforting to see the trees swaying in the breeze and watch a beetle shuffle across the dry earth.

Xavier shivered and shook his head as if to clear it. “Won’t people notice what just happened?”

“You’d be surprised what slips under the human radar,” Ivy said. “Stranger things happen every day and nobody pays any attention to it. People constantly catch glimpses of the supernatural, but they turn a blind eye, they blame it on too much coffee or not enough sleep. There are hundreds of excuses to disguise the truth.”

“If you say so,” was all Xavier said.

“What about Bethany?” Ivy asked. “You say she was physically present?”

“I saw her.” Xavier scuffed his shoe against the ground. “I’ve sort of … communicated with her a few times now.”

Ivy pursed her lips. “Thanks for sharing that piece of information with us,” she said and then a crease appeared in her forehead. “I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”

Gabriel frowned. “Astral projection?” he asked dubiously. “From Hell?”

“Perhaps Bethany is more powerful than the demons realize … than even she realizes.”

“What they don’t know,” Gabriel said, “is just how connected to the earth Bethany really is.” He cast a sidelong glance at Xavier. “You tie her to this place more strongly than anything they understand.” He drummed his fingers against the hood of the car and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. “From what we’ve seen so far, it’s like a magnetic pull drawing the two of you together. The bond is so strong that Bethany is able to reach you even from where she is.”

Even though my heart was still throbbing in my chest from the shock of what had just happened, I still managed to feel proud of my relationship with Xavier. If I could reach him, even from my underground prison, if my love for him could break through a barrier of evil, it was truly saying something about the strength of our connection. The phrase how good are we? floated into my head and I smiled to myself, thinking this would be an appropriate time to give him a high-five.

Gabriel’s words seemed to have touched Xavier in a different way.

“This is crap,” he said eventually. “Jake’s playing us and we’re letting him.” He passed a hand over his face and the silver promise ring on his index finger glinted in the new morning light. “Does he really think we’re just gonna lay down and die?” His expression was so hard I thought I could see silver lightning bolts in his ocean eyes. He dragged a hand through his hair and squinted into the horizon. “Well, I’ve had it. I want her back and I’m sick of these games. Come hell or high water, I’m going to find her. You hear that, Jake?” Xavier opened his arms and yelled at the open sky. “I know you’re out there somewhere and you better believe me. This is not over.”

Gabriel and Ivy remained wordless. They stood together like one entity, their pale eyes grave and the rising sun setting their hair ablaze. I could see something different in their eyes and realized with a start that it was anger. Not just anger; but a deep, unbridled fury toward the demonic forces that had claimed one of their own.

When Gabriel spoke, his voice was like a rumble of thunder. “You’re right,” he said to Xavier. “We’re through playing by the rules.”

“We need to act now,” Xavier said.

“What we need to do is get back to the motel and pack our things,” Gabriel said. “We’re leaving for Broken Hill in an hour.”