Phoebe and Demetrius walked through Johannesburg Airport with the seven angelic warriors. The teenagers still felt as though they were trapped in some surreal dream and wondered if at any minute they might awaken. Phoebe surveyed the faces of the hundreds of travellers mulling through the airport, scanning each one for signs of shock or disbelief, or any other reaction that would suggest that they could see her angelic companions. But there was no reaction from any of the faces they encountered, each stranger intent on being where they needed to be, and Phoebe realised that the angelic troop was visible only to her and Demetrius.
“Stop!”
There was urgency in Cosain’s voice that halted Phoebe and Demetrius in their tracks. They spun around to find that Cosain, Solas, Dilis, Croga, Neam, Trean and Lasair had all drawn their swords and taken to the air, enormous wings extended, eyes fixed on a threat seen only by them.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Phoebe shouted heavenward as loudly as she dared without drawing attention to herself.
The astonishing sight of the Heavenly Host in battle mode took Phoebe’s breath away. They were above her and Demetrius, and held their positions around them. It occurred to Phoebe that she and Dem were entirely surrounded by Cosain and his warriors, something that obviously struck Demetrius too.
“They’re protecting you, Phoebe,” Demetrius said. “Guarding you on every side. Something must be…”
He didn’t have time to finish his sentence.
“NOOOOO!”
A spine-chilling shriek pierced the air.
“We will not let you have her! You cannot save them!”
Phoebe was suddenly aware of a rancid, sulphurous stench so overpowering that it caught her breath and seemed to permeate every atom of the air around her. She spun around, wide-eyed, not knowing what to expect, and gasped in horror as four huge winged creatures swooped from above, passing through the ceiling of the airport terminal building as if it were not there. Their black twisted bodies hurtled towards her like hideous distorted clouds, and as they spun ever closer she could see their gargoyle-esque faces were drooling masks of venom and hate, their red eyes flashing and yellow smoke bellowing from their gaping mouths.
“Now brothers! Attack!”
Cosain’s voice cut through the unearthly shrieks like daylight through clouds, and with the speed and ferocity of a lightning bolt, the seven angelic warriors shot towards the evil assailants, who did not stand a chance against Heaven’s finest.
In her terror, Phoebe remembered Cosain’s words – “That is what you must do, Little One. Speak with the Atoner.”
“Abba…” her voice was a squeak, barely audible. “I’m so scared right now. Help us. Please…”
Phoebe’s cry to the Atoner was cut short by an ear shattering screech, and looking up she saw the first of the four demonic beings disappear into red smoke as Trean removed its head from its body with one deft swoop of his fiery sword.
“Abba…” It was Demetrius who took up where Phoebe left off. “Thank you that You are for us and not against us. Thank you that You have good plans for us. And thank you that You command Your angels to guard us. We trust You. And we will do whatever it takes to see Your plans fulfilled.”
More shrieking and roaring filled the air above the teenagers. Phoebe and Demetrius stood wide-eyed and terrified as Cosain and his troop battled hard against the three remaining beasts. Croga and Solas despatched two more of the demons to the Abyss, their bodies disintegrating into smoke as the angels’ swords met their mark. The final creature, realising it was hopelessly outnumbered, made a bolt upward, but not before Cosain had left his mark, severing its gnarly left arm just above the elbow. The creature howled in pain and rage as it flew out through the ceiling leaving a trail of obscenities and yellow ooze in its wake.
“We’re not finished with you or your precious mortal, Cosain! You have not won this battle, not by a long stretch!” The creature spat the words back at Cosain as it fled with its life if not its dignity.
Cosain and his troops alighted and regrouped quickly around Phoebe and Demetrius, who had found a quiet corner where they hoped they would not be too conspicuous.
“Are you both okay?” asked Cosain, his countenance concerned.
“Y-yes,” stammered Phoebe, her eyes still like saucers. “But Cosain, those creatures really wanted to get at us. What’s so special about me and Dem?”
“Come,” said Cosain, “I will explain something of the task at hand for you, Demetrius and your family. Then you will begin to understand. We are rid of that little attack team, but there will be others. The Enemy will not give up that easily.”
Phoebe’s mouth was dry, and she had to remind herself to breathe as she and Demetrius followed Cosain and the other angels out of the airport, their swords still drawn and smouldering from the battle.
Outside the airport terminal, Phoebe and Demetrius found a bench and collapsed gratefully on to it. The friends looked at each other for a moment, unsure how to respond to the spectacle they had both witnessed. A few moments passed in silence before Phoebe could contain herself no longer and erupted in a ripple of nervous giggles. Given the severity of the situation, she was pretty sure that laughter was not an entirely appropriate reaction, but as she sat in the heat of the African sun, her giggles turned to chortles, which turned to giant belly laughs, until tears of mirth were rolling down her cheeks. Demetrius looked at his friend as if he might chastise her for being so silly and immature, but then his own face creased into laughter and they sat for a full five minutes laughing uncontrollably before they could regain their composure.
“Oh Dem,” gasped Phoebe, “I know it’s not funny – it’s not funny at all! But considering everything that has happened in the last twenty four hours, I couldn’t help it!”
“It’s okay Bird,” Demetrius reassured her, “It’s not every day you travel through time, meet seven winged giants sent from Heaven to help you, and get attacked by those… what were those things? Bats? Hell hounds?”
“You are not so far wrong in your assertions,” Cosain interjected, and immediately the teenagers remembered who they were with as they sobered up and their laughter ceased. “The demons you saw were sent by the Enemy, and you should have no doubt that their plan was to kill you and Phoebe. They thought their job was complete when the plane crashed on July 15th, and now that Phoebe has been given this chance to put things right, they will use every trick and every weapon in their arsenal to make sure she does not succeed.”
“Cosain is right,” said Lasair, “The Enemy will be enraged – he does not take kindly to defeat!”
“It is our job now to get you all safely back to Ireland tomorrow,” continued Cosain, “Because once there, your parents will have an integral role in launching the Celtic Justice Mission – CJM – which will change thousands of lives right across Ireland and eventually the world. You don’t have to look very far to find injustice in the world, but it is closer than you might think from watching your television. All over Ireland and beyond the Enemy has been working, and there is a great need, one that may not be so clearly visible, but exists nonetheless. Injustice is rife and is peddled by those who have the power to stop it but prefer to ignore it. Phoebe, your parents have a calling to bring light and hope to those who need it, and the Enemy hates this. You both have been chosen as Light Bringers. You will have the capability and skill to defeat darkness, although this will not happen without a fight. We must expect opposition at every turn – but now that we are on to the demonic schemes, we can be better armed and ready for them. You should not underestimate the effect that the Celtic Justice Mission will have for good. It will become a world-renowned organisation, one which governments will turn to for advice and moral direction. Change for good will come about through this mission, justice and equality will be promoted and brought about. This will be big, beyond your parents’ imaginings at this stage, but they will learn not to despise small beginnings.”
Cosain smiled at the bewildered teenagers before him. Although young and innocent in so many ways, they had brave, fearless hearts and both possessed a strong faith that, he was certain, would carry them through.
“We have, for the time being, warded off the ‘welcome committee’ at the airport, but by now that one-armed sentry – Schnither – will have reported back to the Enemy, and they will be regrouping and preparing for their next assault.”
“Schnither?” asked Demetrius, intrigued that the gnarly beasts had names.
“Yes,” confirmed Cosain. “He is the Captain of the Dark Army, and is a formidable foe. You should not assume that the loss of an arm will subdue him or make him any less dangerous. In fact, he will be all the more enraged, I should imagine. Revenge will be at the top of his agenda.”
“How do we know where Schnither and his cronies will strike next?” asked Phoebe, her heart thumping so hard in her chest that she felt sure Demetrius would be able to hear it.
“They have failed again to take your life, so now they will move to eradicate the opposition posed by…”
“My parents!” gasped Phoebe, the horror of realisation dawning on her face. “Cosain, we need to get back to the hospital – fast!”
Always one step ahead, Cosain was already issuing commands to his troop. Solas, Dilis, Trean, Croga and Lasair nodded their understanding, then took to the air en masse, the swoop of their powerful wings blowing Phoebe’s hair round her face as they took to the skies on their captain’s command.
“Neam,” ordered Cosain, “You remain here. You know what to do. The Enemy will not leave the airport unwatched. You must be alert, and stay hidden – we do not want them to get word of your presence.”
“I understand, Captain,” responded Neam, his clear blue eyes sparkling with an intensity that told Phoebe he had no intention of letting those heinous demons get the upper hand.
“I will watch their every move and report directly back to you.”
And with a salute to his commander, Neam spread his enormous wings, and was gone Heavenward in a streak of brilliant ethereal light.
“Come,” Cosain’s voice had a contained urgency to it. “The Enemy will not procrastinate, and neither must we.”
Phoebe and Demetrius fell into line with the Heavenly warrior and the trio despatched with renewed vigour for their destination – Medical Miracles Hospital.