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“YOU LOOK CRANKY.”
When I meet Jophiel for our final mission, those are the first words out of my mouth, and he looks even crankier when he hears them.
“I'm not cranky! I'm just... sullen.”
“Why?” I don't get an answer, but I do get a piercing glare from him. As time goes on, I get better and better at hearing his thoughts. I could peek into his mind if I wanted to, but I feel like a jerk when I do that.
Jophiel suddenly confesses, “It's about Anna. I... went back to see her.”
“Good!” I exclaim. “I thought you two looked really good together.”
“No, it's not good. I let myself have feelings for her and it's terrible.”
I can't wrap my head around his logic. Why would it ever be terrible to have feelings for somebody? “I don't get it. Why is that bad?”
“I have no interest in discussing this with you, Pho. No offense. I have no interest in discussing this problem with anyone.” His face softens as soon as the subject changes. “Let's just focus on our final mission together, shall we?”
“Hey, can I ask a question?” Jophiel gives me a slightly disgusted nod, so I ask, “Is there any way I can check on Cuddleworth? That last mission with Goro got me thinking about him again. I'm worried he didn't find a new home.”
“Have you tried to warp to Cuddleworth's location since your grandmother's death?”
“No.”
“Well... try,” he encourages me. “And don't tell me you can't warp because I know you've done it before. If you fail, I'll take you.”
“Okay.” I clear my head and focus on Cuddleworth. I try to remember his fluff, his puffy tail, and the white patches of fur on his ears. A clear image of him snaps into my mind, and I guess that's how warping works, because a split second later, Jophiel and I are standing in a vaguely familiar kitchen.
“That was an instant warp,” Jophiel says. “It's very rare for such a new student to do that. Well done.”
I can feel my lips bending into a smile, but I force them back down. I don't want to let his compliment go to my head.
“Cuddleworth!” I call to my cat. “Cuddleworth, are you here?”
Cuddleworth comes out of nowhere and jumps on the chair in front of me. I used to call him “Parkour Kitty” for his ability to leap from place to place. Like Goro, Cuddleworth can see us, so I give him a few strokes on his head.
Jophiel says, “Well, it seems he's been adopted.”
“Yeah. This is my grandma's sister's house,” I tell him. “Or... my great aunt, I guess. I haven't seen her in a couple years, so it took me a moment to recognize this place.”
“It's good to know that dear, old Cuddleworth is safe and sound. Now... can we get on with the mission?”
Gee, why is he always in a hurry? Now that I know I can warp, I'll have to come back later and hang out with my cat.
Jophiel warps us to a very different location. Now we're on a small boat, surrounded by soldiers in steel helmets. The growling boat slices through water, spraying me in the face every time it rocks forward. In about thirty seconds, I'm drenched.
“I don't need to read from the LightTab to know where we are,” Jophiel says. “This is the sixth of June in 1944... a day that left a significant mark on human history. This is the Invasion of Normandy, Pho. Welcome to D-Day.”
I study the soldier standing closest to us. He doesn't look much older than me, and his hands are shaking uncontrollably.
“You're looking at our charge,” Jophiel reports. “His name is Miles Jensen and he's twenty years old. It will be our job to protect him. There will be thousands of men fighting today... and, of course, not all of them will be lucky enough to have a guardian angel.”
“How is he one of the lucky ones?” I ask.
“His mother, a lovely lady in Memphis, said a very passionate prayer on his behalf. Needless to say, it got our attention. Miles is her third and youngest son, but he also happens to be her favorite, as the baby often is.”
“So... we're supposed to protect him? How?” I don't have the powers of an Archangel, so I assume I'll be useless.
Jophiel is obviously reading my mind, because he replies, “You are not useless. Far from it. Do you see how poor Miles is shaking?”
It's hard not to notice. His fingers are so tremulous, I'm surprised he can hold his gun. I don't blame him, though. I'd be pretty scared if I was in his shoes.
“I'm going to teach you how to take away some of his fear. It's a somewhat advanced skill, but you can already warp and read minds, so I have no doubt you'll be able to do it. Put your hand on Miles' shoulder.”
I follow Jophiel's advice and clutch the soldier's shoulder.
“Now, think of something or someone you love,” Jophiel instructs me. “Your love will cast away his fear and give him courage.”
This does sound pretty next-level, but I give it a shot. I should probably be thinking about my grandma or Cuddleworth right now, but Haniel is the first person who pops into my head. Does that mean I love her?
“Open your heart,” Jophiel says. “As you imagine this person or thing, you should feel energy rushing through you. It will flood into Miles and give him the strength he needs.”
A wave of tingles surges through my body, from my toes to my fingertips. It's a really incredible feeling, like nothing I've felt before.
“Now, look at his hands,” Jophiel instructs.
Amazingly, Miles isn't trembling anymore. Whatever I did, it must have helped.
“You may not be an Archangel, but there are other ways you can help. You can—”
In the middle of his sentence, an all-too-familiar voice says, “At what point are you going to realize I'm standing behind you?”
It's Haniel. When I turn around, my mouth is hanging open. I probably look like an idiot. I wonder if she knew I was thinking love thoughts about her. I really, really hope not.
“Bloody hell,” Jophiel growls. At first, I think he's mad at Haniel, but his scowl is directed at the samurai guy standing beside her.
“This is Taishi. Taishi Nakamura,” Haniel introduces us. “Taishi, I believe you've already heard me talk about Chris.”
Taishi offers me a hand and says, a bit flatly, “It's nice to meet you.”
I shake his hand and say, “Likewise.” At first, I wonder if Haniel's replaced me with a handsomer, taller Asian boyfriend. With his kimono and samurai sword, he looks like the definition of a badass. I've got nothing on this guy.
“What is he doing here?” Jophiel grumbles. He looks so aggravated by this guy's presence, they clearly have history.
“In your absence, I've been training the Archangels,” Haniel says. “Taishi needs to brush up on his skills. You know... force fields, shock waves, repelling bullets...”
“Taishi can do all of those things. He can probably do them as well as you, Haniel. No offense,” Jophiel says. “I'm not going to believe it's just a coincidence that you've brought him here.”
“Of course it's not a coincidence!” Haniel exclaims. “I hate to see you at odds. You used to be friends, you know! I thought... if I brought you together again, if you worked together, you might be able to mend the rift between you.”
Now I'm really curious. I hope somebody sheds some light on the dark history between these guys.
Turning his back to them, Jophiel says, “There are some rifts that cannot mend, Haniel. The rift between Taishi and me is one such rift.”
“Oh, please!” Haniel rolls her eyes. “You're not going to let a girl come between you forever, are you? I thought you'd moved on!”
Okay, so now I know a little more about the situation. Apparently, there was a girl involved.
“This is about more than Leigh Riley!” Jophiel exclaims. “Taishi sliced off one of my wings!”
He sounds a little whiny, to be honest. I've never seen him like this before.
Taishi defends himself in a much calmer voice. “I only did that after you ripped off mine. Besides, both of our wings are healed now, so... maybe it is time to put the past behind us.”
“Easy for you to say. I'm probably on probation because of you!” Jophiel whines.
This is pretty entertaining, if I'm being honest. If it wasn't so wet, I would manifest myself a bucket of popcorn to enjoy with this show.
When they both go silent, I try to start a new conversation. “So, uh... are you guys protecting Miles too?”
“No. Our charge is Daniel,” Haniel says, thrusting a thumb at the soldier standing next to her.
I direct my next question to Taishi. “So... you're Japanese?”
Bowing his head, he replies, “I am.”
“The Japanese were with the Germans during World War 2... but your charge is American. Are you cool with that?”
Taishi replies, “Of course. We don't take sides anymore.”
“Are there...” For some reason, I'm a little hesitant to ask my next question. “Are there angels working with the Germans too?”
Taishi replies again, “Of course. Don't you think those young men also have mothers and fathers making prayers?”
Jophiel clears his throat, reclaiming my attention. “Save the rest of this conversation for later, please. We're about to touch down on Omaha Beach,” he says. “For now, Taishi... let's try to work together.”