Chapter Thirty

 

And So It Begins

 

Monday morning, Annaleah felt well enough to return to her position at the University, much to the distress of both Uncle John and Seth. As far as Uncle John was concerned, she was still in the recovery process and needed more time to convalesce. Seth wanted her to prepare for the coming confrontation that he emphasized was imminent.

"These beings," Annaleah said, "they wish to take not only my life from me, but my way of life and my enjoyment of it. If I were to hole up here and shake with fear, wouldn't they win? Would they not see me as weak and ready to be devoured? Let them see me going on with my life; let them see that I am not afraid of them. Besides, I'd really like to see the Professor."

Seth looked at her with a mix of empathy and dismay. "I understand where you are coming from, but there is real reason for you to be afraid. The creatures that are after you aren’t playing.” The look in his eyes was intense, and brimmed with warning. “They wish to kill not only you and all whom you hold dear, but ultimately to wipe out humanity itself. Though the latter is a lofty and unlikely scenario, I use it to let you know the severity of the situation.”

Annaleah frowned, shocked at this situation. She had to fight for all of humanity’s sake? She didn’t know the first thing about fighting, though she had always thought that should she be in a close up fight with anyone, she’d for the eyes to buy her some time to get away. How on earth was she supposed to fight something not of this world?

Though she knew she had little choice, and that it was an honor to be chosen to be the Goddess’s weapon of choice, her head swam with thoughts that came so fast that she barely had time to register each one. Part of her wanted thing to go back to the way they had been before.

Taking a deep breath, she listened to Seth. “They don’t wish for the redemption of those that fell. They adore chaos and hatred; they thrive off of confusion and pain.” Seth’s eyes narrowed, and he drew out the word thrive for emphasis. “Though you have learned a lot of what is taking place, of who and what you truly are, you still have not been trained or prepared for what is to come. I understand that you want to go on with life as you know it, but the simple fact is that it might change, and for the worse.” A worried look crossed his face, one mixed with sympathy and love. “Should you not be able to fight, or at least be aware of the enemy, then I am afraid the results might be disastrous. Please, think not only of yourself, but of those who will ultimately have their fate decided by your actions."

Annaleah dropped her head into her hands completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. She hadn’t chosen this fate, and though she was greatly afraid, she knew the fate of many depended on what she did. Just one day, she concluded. Just let her have one last day of normality. "Then just give me today. Let me go to the University and see the Professor; let me see Rachael and let the students know I am alright. Give me the illusion that things are normal."

"I am afraid that might not be the best course to take at this time, Annaleah. Though I am very thankful that you are better, letting the faculty think you need a few more days at home might be in your best interest. You are in no danger of losing your job, the Professor and the Chancellor have your position secured. Should you return to your job and then take more time off, it will seem eccentric at best. I only ask that you take a few more days off, and let me prepare you.”

Annaleah lifted her head, knowing what she must do, but disliking it greatly.

“I understand that you want to see the Professor and Rachael as well, but they could very easily come here to see you. Let me at least school you in basic self-defense. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are protected and that you never need to fight, but just in case you do, I want you to know how to handle yourself." Seth paused and looked Annaleah in the eye.

After a heavy sigh of defeat, Annaleah uncrossed her arms and sat heavily on the couch. "Alright, but after a few lessons or training or whatever it is you have in mind, I would really like to see the Professor." She smiled and looked away. "I have no idea what I will say to him, though."

“If you’re worried about whether he likes you or not, don’t be worried, I can attest to the fact with utmost certainty that not only does he like you, but he has vowed to protect you. I actually think he might be falling in love with you.”

Annaleah’s mood changed instantly, her heart leaping in her chest. For several seconds, she couldn’t breathe, let alone form a coherent thought in her mind.

She watched as Seth flashed her a knowing smile, his eyes twinkling.

“Really?” was all that she could say for the moment.

Seth took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, really. I know you remember the dream you had in the woods when you kissed him. Well,” he paused to lean closer. His entire face smiled, from his lips to the twinkling in his eyes. “I gave him the same dream.”

Annaleah gasped, knowing that it meant the dream was in a sense, very real. It had actually happened. That meant that their passionate kiss was real, too, and that the professor really did have feelings for her. There had been an intense, powerful connection between them.

“Which means that yes, you really did kiss the professor. For him, it was the turning point in how he saw you,” he said, cocking an eyebrow and leaning toward her, “Though I gave you both the same dream, the decision for the two of you to kiss was your own. I only wanted for the two of you to see each other as you truly are, in your true forms. I wanted you two to eventually form a bond, but that seems to have happened of its own accord.” Seth smiled at Annaleah, his eyes still twinkling.

Annaleah was enrapt, hanging on every word he said, her heart beating thunderously. The attraction she felt for Sebastian was at times overwhelming, and though she knew now that he had deep feelings for her too, she wondered if he felt his attraction as deeply as she did. The kiss had not only been one of passion, but one that seemed to awaken within her a burning fire that consumed her. When she was in his arms, her mouth pressed to his lips, she felt as if her soul was aglow, and that every atom of her being was infused with the perfect light of pure love.

Seth had said that he had sent the dream, and in a way that knowledge diminished the purity of it. In a way, he had manipulated them both by pushing them together, which was very disappointing, and a flicker of anger flashed in her heart. He had said that their kiss was not of his doing, which was a relief. Perhaps there was a bit of their own free will involved.

“Though he had been attracted to you from the beginning, he fought it fiercely, taking it out on you in petty ways. I knew that had to change.” Seth continued. “I had to draw out his attraction to you and deepen it to the point that he would protect you. I went to him as Gabriel, and we had an important conversation.”

Seth took her other hand in his, so that he was holding both of her hands in his.

“I promise you, he wants to see you just as badly as you want to see him, but for now, we need to train you.”

"I am all yours." Annaleah said, trying to be more serious.

Seth sat back into the couch, looking thoughtful. "Okay, am I correct to assume that you have a ward up on the house?" he asked her.

Annaleah felt a bit worried and answered, "I haven't put one up in a while; I have been a bit.... preoccupied."

"Alright, after a brief lesson, you and I need to put the ward back up. It shouldn't take long. I think the first thing you need to know is defense against thought invasion. Both angels of the darkness and of the light are able to do it. The Dark Ones use it for unethical reasons, to intimidate and try to weaken their opponent, or to coerce them toward their own goal. I think you might have seen this in action when you met Satanael. Though you don't necessarily have to be looking into their eyes for this to happen, direct eye contact does make it much easier to do and the effects are more powerful.” Seth paused to look Annaleah in the eyes. “The saying that the eyes are the window to the soul is truer than most people know.” Seth’s expression changed, softer now, but still intense. “The eyes have power unto themselves. The angels of light use this to their benefit for communication. At times, there are simply no words to convey what must be told, so visions are given to share what is so important that words cannot be trusted. I believe you have seen this in action too, with Marchosias. You, as the offspring of an angel and a human, have this ability. I ask that you use it wisely. Before I teach you how to use it yourself, I am going to teach you how to defend yourself from a low level psychic thought attack. So far, so good?"

"Yes," Annaleah said simply.

"Alright, in just a moment I am going to send you a thought, and I want you to try to resist me. When you feel the thought getting a bit uncomfortable, I want you to imagine yourself in a room. It’s a small room is and your safe place. Paint the walls as dark black as you can imagine perfect darkness to be. Shut out all light, so that you are hidden. This is called black boxing. You will become invisible and difficult to infiltrate. Should a more powerful entity come to you and still be able to penetrate your black box, I want you to imagine the black box around you encased in brick. Make the bricks as real as possible and try to see them in as much detail as you can in your mind's eye. This should make it almost impossible to break into your mind. There is one last level left, should all else fail. This is to attack the one invading you. You must be strong for it, stronger than the one who is able to penetrate your mind. It might be painful for the both of you, however, you must assert your will power. You must be sure of yourself, and forceful." Seth paused, looking mildly disturbed.

Annaleah was about to ask him what was wrong, when a sudden gust of wind seemed to rock the very house itself, followed by the steady drumming of rain. Seth went silent and seemed to be concentrating quite hard.

"Something isn't right," he said. "The west wind feels wrong…."

Seth's words were cut off by a blood curdling scream coming from upstairs. Annaleah's heart dropped in her chest and her blood froze in her veins. Both she and Seth raced upstairs, following the source of the scream to Uncle John's room. There in his room stood a small, hideous creature. It looked like a terrible version of a dark elf, only more brutal and sinister. Its skin was sallow and mottled, the shade varying in degrees of pale grey and blue, as if it were made of mold and rot. It was very thin; the bones beneath its blotchy skin protruding and making it appear as though its skeleton was trying to break through its fragile skin. The ears were long and pointed at the top, tufts of hair topping each one. The small, beady eyes gleamed with abhorrence at both Seth and Annaleah. But it was the hands and claws which terrified Annaleah the most, for the bony fingers ended in long, sharp claws which dripped with blood.

From behind this creature came a gurgling noise, and Annaleah saw to her horror that Uncle John was lying on the floor, a pool of blood slowly spreading around him.

"Uncle John!" Annealed screamed, her heart flooding with fear and panic. She moved toward him, but the creature blocked her advance, hissing and drawing its bloodied hand up threateningly, as if to strike her.

From behind Annaleah a bright light flashed, pulsating for a moment until it became strong and steady. The energy of the room changed at once, as if it were being purified. The being let out a shriek and covered its eyes, smearing blood on its face as it did so.

Annaleah knew that her friend had transformed from Seth the human into Gabriel the archangel. In doing so, she felt herself begin to change. Pulses of luminosity flashed like lightning under her skin. All of this barely registered beyond the grief crushing her heart within her chest.

"Demon Abuchubae, servant to the demon king of the moon, hear me call your name and thusly bind you," Gabriel called out in a forceful voice. "Demon Abuchubae, minion of the west wind, I cast you out in the name of the Holy ones, by the words of the mighty Creator, I rebuke you! You must obey me, for with the knowledge of your name I gain power and control over you. I cast you out by the Goddess and Creator, by the archangel Michael, whoever defends us in battle. Go now or you shall be cast to the fiery pit of Hell, or destroyed by me outright!" Though Gabriel's voice was stern and authoritative, it was also beautifully lyrical. It resonated in the room sending a shimmering vibration through the air, a scintillating energy of absolute power.

The demon Abuchubae tried to cover its ears and eyes both at once, and, failing to do either effectively, ran on all fours towards the window. Reaching its means of escape, it turned, and in a voice that sounded like a high pitched hiss said, "I will go, for I have done what I came to do." It let out one last hiss, then turned back to the window and broke through the glass, leaping to the ground below.

Gabriel went to the window to make certain the demon had gone, watching as it ran away. His heart was heavy with sorrow, knowing the situation with Uncle John was dire. He was still alive, but for how much longer was uncertain. Annaleah was kneeling beside him, holding his hand with one hand with her other against his chest, trying to apply pressure where the wound had been inflicted. She was sobbing uncontrollably, tears running down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor to mingle with the blood.

The war had begun