“We are,” says a voice from behind as the front door crashes open.
They turn and standing in the doorway is a large, beautiful Angel. His wings are massive, and he fills the doorway with his luminescent light.
“You did well, Maeling.” Simeon says. “We must get your family to safety.” With a small smile he shakes his golden wings and they disappear, allowing the others behind him to fill the small room.
Heather rushes past Simeon, to Maeling, followed by Seth. Simeon watches and an uneasy feeling fills his mind.
“That was too easy,” he hears Loe complain. “Here I was anticipating a good fight.”
Too easy. The phrase echoes in the now still air.
“Way too easy.” Jake agrees looking closely at Simeon.
“We should go, now.” Heather says with a glance at Seth.
“I’m staying,” Jake announces. “Elina will need me.”
Maeling gasps at the familiar name. “The bad one was attacking the ship when we left! She is in trouble. Can you help her?”
“Yes, but first we need to get you all to safety. I will return as soon as I can,” Simeon states and they are gone. Leaving Makaio, Loe, and Jake to head to the ship.
Chapter 29
Nameed follows Alex’s thread through time smiling at the ease with which he wields his power. He remembers when the first nightmare came, Alex was a child.
It was always the same images of hands carving small wooden pens. People speaking in a language he could not understand. The hands tremble as they rush to carve with exquisite detail, adding a cap on the end that is not detectable. Next, the same hands write in minute detail on a small scroll, salting the ink, and rolling the tiny scroll up, then slipping it inside the bottom of the pen. The hands seal it with black tar and continue carving once it has dried. The detail work is so meticulous that the seal is undetectable.
New hands appear to place a tea crate on top of the work area. With a tool, they pry open the bottom of the crate and place a matching wooden inkwell and a pen. The bottom of the crate has been lined with straw, as well as the entire area surrounding the secret items before being sealed shut.
The scenery changes, but the hands still carry the tea crate. The smell of fish and voices echoes as they near a fish market. The hands pass the crate to someone who carries it onto a large ship.
Once more back at the table, the hands continue carving identical quills and wells. They tremble with fear as he painstakingly carves until loud voices are heard. The sound of wood splintering and voices raised in anger and fear.
Alex sees the hands rise up attempting to block the blow, and the quills are sprayed with blood and the hands fall to the ground, still in death.
Nameed shakes the memory off to focus on the task at hand. It had been a challenge to train and guide the child until his moment came. When Elina came to him asking for his help, Nameed was surprised at the unorthodox plan. He did as she asked, guiding Alex through time, to this moment.
The plan is for them to exchange the pen and quill from “the hands.” His orders were to exchange the pens before the soldiers arrive and get out without interfering.
“Why not save ‘The Hands’ if we can?” Alex insists for the tenth time. Nameed sighs, he can read Alex’s intentions.
Alex smiles. He never was good at following orders.
“No, we make the switch and get out.” Nameed says, creeping along in the shadows outside the little mud covered hut. When he gets no response he groans in the dark. “Reckless, impulsive, human. So like his sister!” He doesn’t have to turn around to know Alex is gone.
Alex drops into the room, cloaked waiting in the shadow. Thanks to Nameed’s excellent training, he can shield his thread with no problem.
Nameed follows silently, glaring at Alex, who smiles when he feels his guardian. Angels may not value life, but Alex wants to make a difference. He has lived a lifetime watching this person die over and over again. Not today!
The old man is crouched over his work table, working silently he waits for death to claim him. He knows what is coming and he is ready for it.
His ancestors protected the sealed pot with the original scroll for generations. Time took a toll and the pot was destroyed. It was decided to transcribe the scroll and hide it. Feeling led by God, he promised to keep the Covenant and recreated the scroll, but time was not his friend. Whispers spread and powerful people caught wind of what they were doing.
Humanity is greedy for power and lusty for more. Enough is never enough. His family was forced into exile and those that would not run, were slaughtered. Even when the blood ran deep, he kept the Covenant. He is the last. He would make sure their deaths would matter.
Nameed knows what Alex does not, that every death matters. Angels value life, because it is a gift. They treasure it for the miracle it is.
He walks over to the man, and rests a hand on his shoulder soothing his soul. He will be with him in the last moments of his life. He would be guided home, a hero, who kept the Blood Covenant.
The man stops moving the moment Nameed touches him and turns looking directly at the spot where Alex is waiting.
He puts down his tools and rushes to a floorboard in the corner of the dusty hut. With trembling hands, he pulls open the wood on the floor and pulls out a package wrapped in dirty red silk.
Slowly he stands and returns to where Alex is. Alex looks into the milky colored brown eyes of the man and drops his shield.
Joy fills the weathered lines of the man’s face as he offers
