“You didn’t need saving. The kids were mean.”
“No, you don’t understand, I did. And you did, thank you.”
“It was my pleasure. I’m sorry I can’t give you the things you need Mia, and I understand now what a hard line you have walked these last few years. When you opened your soul to me, I felt everything.”
“I suspected, well, actually, Angelo told me that the Cooper curse activated when you came to my rescue. It bound me to you forever. It made it impossible for me to settle down inside,” Mia said, touching her chest. “I can’t give you my body, Stephen, so I opened my soul to you. It broke the curse.”
“It freed both of us, Mia. The curse isn’t one way.”
“It isn’t?”
“No, Amanda is bound to your father just as much as he is to her. The only difference is that she can see his flaws and be selfish. Like I could see yours and be selfish. I am no longer selfish. I have let you go.”
“So where are we?”
“Friends forever. Battle buddies. Perfect pranksters.”
Mia laughed. “You’re always in my heart, Stephen.”
“Sariel made that certain.”
Mia smiled. “Yes he did. That must have upset Angelo.”
“Cid would say, ‘pissed him off.’”
Mia laughed.
“Are you happy with Ted?”
“Immeasurably so. I’ve been under his spell for longer than I was aware. I was thinking about how I felt when he called me to help him at the maze. My heart skipped a beat. Here I was dating Whit, but I rushed to Ted’s side. I can’t explain the attraction, but it came upon me slowly.”
“Slow-curing concrete makes the best foundation,” Murphy said.
Mia looked at him. “You’re pretty wise.”
“Thank you. I’ve had a century or so to think about things.”
“I need to do more thinking. I’m too impulsive.”
“Your instincts are good. Tell me about Sariel.”
“I don’t know that much about him. He is old and a bit battle-worn, but he still looks about forty. He calls me Misfit, which isn’t good for my ego. He angers, he’s prideful, but at the same time, he is caring and sensitive. I sense that he needs me, but not in a human way. I think he needs someone whom he can trust. I believe trust is something rare in his world. He doesn’t talk about himself, and I’ve not really known him long enough to observe things.”
“Do you care for him?”
“No, not the way I do Ted or you, but I feel responsible for him. Is that strange?”
“You feel responsible for an archangel? Lordy girl, you are a marvel. Let me tell you what I know about angels. I’ve been dodging them for years.”
“I bet you have,” Mia said. “Let me put Brian down. He’s asleep.”
Murphy waited until Mia returned. She had pulled on Ted’s jersey for warmth. She offered him the rocker, knowing his preference, and he took it. She sat on the sofa with her legs curled under her. “Tell me about angels.”
“They have been around the longest. Angels are duty-bound creatures. They take their jobs very seriously. They have feelings just like you and I, and sometimes they cross the line, like you and I,” Murphy added, his eyes twinkling. “But they are noble. They suffer.”
“Suffer?”
“Suffer. They can’t always heal the sick or prevent a tragedy. There are only so many of them, and the world has so many people in it. For Sariel to notice you was a miracle in itself. When he put his arms around me and pulled you and Sticks out of the soul eater’s bowl, he transferred strength to me. But with the strength came the realization that he is injured.”
“Injured?”
“He can’t see behind him. He turned his head constantly. The angels I’ve run into don’t have to. They see every direction at once.”
“So he can heal others, but he himself can’t be healed. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair.”
“It is their burden.”
“Thank you, Murph. I think I understand him better. He wants me to have his back like you have mine.”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps you could teach me, so I won’t be such a misfit up there?”
“I’ll consider it,” he said, his eyes still twinkling.
“I appreciate the consideration.” Mia yawned. “I think I’m going to head to bed. The Dungeon Master will be up for hours yet.” She rose off the couch and walked in the kitchen and rinsed out Brian’s bottle before making her way into the bedroom.
Murphy watched her and saw how much Mia had changed in such a short time. The Gray Ladies had slowed her aging process, but she was mostly human, vulnerable to time. He would give her as much time as he could. Be there for her when she could no longer function. Care for her when she couldn’t care for herself. Why? Because that’s what heroes do.
~
To dream of flying is to dream of being free. Mia’s flying dreams had taken on a whole new meaning once she had taken off for real. Her mind accessed the battle moves Sariel had implanted, and she was, once again, a spectator in a battle where the angels fought dragon-riding demons for supremacy of the sky. Mia mirrored Sariel’s complex moves. She flew above him and upside down, facing the sky. “Your enemy will come from above,” he had said. This was where she was when Sariel turned and saw her there.
“Hello, Misfit,” he said.
Amazed, Mia couldn’t speak. She turned around and faced Sariel.
“I too relive the battle, to see what I could have done better.”
“How is this possible?”
“Mia, angels have dominion over the dream world. You’re not much of a bible reader are you?”
“Guess not.”
“No matter, let’s work on this together. See if you can see where I went wrong.”
“Sariel, if I die in this dream, will I die?”
“No. You’ll go back to Go, but you won’t collect
