“Rena?” he calls out and reaches for her. Hunter holds her back and Alex helps turn her away, urging her back inside the house.
“Rena!” his voice screams out louder, calling for her to help. “You owe me!! Vareeena!!! You are MINE!!!” He screams raging at her, he struggles to stand once more. He tries to run through the shimmering wall of power, but he is outnumbered.
“Raphaim, you have been judged and found to be guilty. Your end is here.” Elina says simply for she has seen what he is capable of. With no compassion for him, her power surges from keeper to angel spinning, it grows brighter and brighter, hotter and hotter before it begins to burn the demon inside. His screams ring out and he screams for her, his Rena, one last time, before he is burned to ashes.
Nameed watches closely as Elina steps through the ring of fire and into the center of the maelstrom to grasp the soul of the demon Raphaim in her hand. She squeezes until he turns into a single silver drop and pictures the Fountain of Judgment in her mind.
Nameed smiles when she draws on Alex’s power and sends the drop to hell, where it falls into the hand of a stone Angel, to be damned forever. Slowly the ring dims and her power with it.
Malach takes a breath and steps to steady Elina.
She turns away before he can touch her and tells Simeon, “Hurry, Elsbeth needs you.”
“Elina?” Malach asks as Simeon rushes past to tend to Elsbeth.
Avoiding his eyes, she takes a slow, deep breath. ‘Don’t look at him,’ she tells herself.
“I am okay, Malach. We need to tend to the wounded.”
Malach grudgingly turns away and goes inside to help Simeon. He steps through the rubble and hole into the house where he sees Elsbeth on the table and Simeon healing her. Jake is checking on Hunter and he looks up at Malach.
“It was a trap?” Malach voices his suspicions to Jake.
“Yes. The Mocker knew we were coming. They used Lucas to lure me there, Elsbeth was a bonus.”
Malach looks outside and back at Jake, “Nameed brought back your friend. He is out front.”
Jake looks out of the hole left by the fighting and sees his friend’s body lying in the grass. A deep sigh and he turns back to Hunter for another quick once over to check he has no major injuries. Satisfied, he slowly gets up and follows the others outside with sadness in his heart.
Elina waits with Nameed and watches Jake, when he sees the body. She is letting the scene play out as it should. Jake rushes over and drops to the ground beside his fallen friend and weeps.
“I’m sorry I failed you, brother” Jake says as his tears fall. After a moment, he looks up at Nameed, “Thank you for not leaving him.” Malach steps beside Nameed and One, by one they drop to bended knees and say a prayer over the body.
Nameed looks at Malach, and shifts to his owl form when he feels Polly is close. The sound of an approaching vehicle has them all turning as Ronnie, Ruby and Polly return from shopping. Alex stands on the porch steps outside and his dark eyes take stock. He walks over to Jake and drops to his knees beside him.
Hunter steps through the rubble and watches closely as his son places a hand on the body.
“All is not lost, Jake. His soul fights in the darkest of places. We will free him so he can go home.”
Pride fills Hunter’s soul at his son’s words.
Ronnie, Ruby and Polly get out of the truck slowly and walk up surveying the damage to the house. “What happened?” Polly asks.
“Lucas,” Jake says hoarsely wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “His name was Lucas. We need to bury him.” Looking at Alex beside him, Jake is touched when he sees a tear in his eye for a man he does not know. “Why do you weep, you didn’t know him?”
Alex replies, “I weep for the lives he should have touched. His journey is not over, Jake, until we bring him home.” Rising up, he pulls Jake to his feet and at his touch, they are gone.
Everyone moves at once, Elina watches and glances at Hunter when Malach tries to follow Alex. When he finds the way blocked to him, he murmurs, “Incredible.”
“Incredible? Where is my son?” Hunter turns to Elina and she smiles, “It will be okay, he will be back soon,” she promises and turns to watch.
Polly starts laughing, and they all look at her as if she’s lost her mind. “That boy is a fast learner!”
Elina steps back, allowing the scene to play out as she remembers. The voices around her fade to the background. The third piece of the book has been returned and she knows where the fourth is. Alex will return with Jake in a moment and in the meantime, she needs to talk to Hunter and Varena, alone.
Malach watches Elina, sensing a change in her. She has distanced herself from him and he does not like it. He feels Alex returning, and turns to greet them. When he looks back, Elina moves away from the group.
She feels his eyes on her back and she knows she must not deviate from her plan. ‘Don’t look at him, Elina.’ Time to talk to Hunter.
Now that Raphaim is no longer a problem, the Mocker will be free. Elina had to choose between what she knows is a certain future, Raphaim getting the scroll, or his father being free. He is weakened from his fight with Simeon, so that will buy her some time to move everyone.
“Elina?” Alex calls out snapping her from her thoughts. She turns and steps closer, smiling at the sight of him so young. A flash of Lexy ripping his heart from his chest fills her mind and she shutters with the horror of
