Sergei mixed the contents of the bowl, then drew a circle of blood around the pentagram. Looking up at the group, he explained. “The circle of blood is drawn in protection. It prevents the beings that are summoned from harming the summoner.” Turning back to the pentagram, Sergei began to chant in low tones, the language unfamiliar to Katia. He slowly walked the perimeter of the circle, his chanting growing in volume with each revolution.
The fallen angels suddenly stiffened in unison, the spell meant to summon angels calling to whatever light was left in each of them. Making one last pass around the circle, Sergei stopped at each point of the pentagram, blowing out the candles one by one. As he blew out the final candle he reached into the center of the pentagram and placed a quartz stone on the floor. Straightening, he raised his arms to the sky, saying the final words of the incantation in English. “So mote it be.” A cold breeze blew through the room, then there was nothing. No movement, no sound, only the looks of confusion and disappointment being exchanged. A few moments of silence passed, when suddenly the candles at each point of the pentagram burst into flame. Raising his eyebrow as he turned back to the group, Sergei shot them a tight smile. “And now we wait.”
Chapter Eleven
Michael heaved a huge sigh. How many of those grimoires were left? It had been at least two centuries since he’d felt a summoning spell. He’d hoped the books had all been destroyed or lost to time. He strode down the long marble corridor of Heofon, headed toward the room that housed the archives.
If he had to deal with the annoyance of being summoned to earth, he was damned-well going to bring some company. He walked through the large double doors and scanned the room, spotting the pair of angels he was after at a table in the corner poring over an enormous volume. Leila, an angel of hope, was a relatively newborn angel, having only been around for a few centuries. She was under the tutelage of Uriel. Formerly a warrior like Michael, he was now a respected angelic scholar.
Moving quietly, Michael made his way through the massive room. Solid-gold shelves stacked full of books rose from floor to ceiling, covering all four walls. The history of everything — the light, the dark, and humankind were recorded in those volumes. Younger angels spent years studying here, the trials and tribulations that had affected the light, and how to maintain the balance with the dark. The looming shelves never failed to intimidate. Even Michael felt the weight of time pressing down on him.
As he reached their table, Leila looked up at him and smiled. She was the ideal image of an angel of hope. Her smile was wide and bright, her long blond hair fell down around her shoulders in perfect golden ringlets highlighted by the aura of her angelic glow. Her clear blue eyes sparkled with life, joy, and positive energy.In contrast, the angel beside her looked like a dark avenger. Uriel’s jet black hair hung straight down brushing the shoulders of his snow white shirt. He raised his head to look at Michael, his emerald eyes piercing. There was darkness in them, a pain that had penetrated his ancient soul.
“How can we help you, my brother?” Uriel asked. Rarely did the angels address each other by name, using only brother and sister among themselves, considering each other family.
“I’ve been touched by a summoning spell and hoped you would both join me,” Michael replied.
Eyebrows raised, Uriel placed a marker in the page of the book he and Leila had been studying and flipped it closed with a bang. “A human summoning? It’s been quite some time since the last.”
“Yes,” Michael said on a sigh. “I’d hoped we’d seen the end of that, clearly I was mistaken.”
“Apparently,” Uriel replied, steepling his fingers and resting his chin against their tips. “This could be a good learning experience for our young sister. Her presence may be helpful if the summoner is in crisis; hope can solve many ills.” Uriel turned his head to face Leila. “Do you feel prepared to join us?”
Smiling brightly, Leila nodded. “Yes. I’ve longed to venture into the human realm. I’m almost done with my studies and will be spending considerable time among the humans shortly, so this would be the perfect preparatory mission in the company of two of my most respected brothers.”
Rising from the table, Leila and Uriel joined Michael and they made the long walk out of the archive. They made their way onto a large semi-circular balcony, where they were surrounded by angels vanishing in blinding flashes of light as they shot off the balcony into the cloudless azure sky. Facing his companions, Michael placed his palms gently on their forheads; closing his eyes, he visualized the shining thread of the spell connecting him to the one who had cast it. Pushing his thoughts toward his companions, Michael was able to share the pull of the spell. Opening their eyes, the trio nodded to each other in confirmation. Stepping to the edge of the balcony, they
