A soul trapped in its death state and a destiny unfolding…
Camael flew straight for the mountaintop temple. Mid-flight, he called Gabriel on his cellphone. Gabe loved tech and was among the first of the archangels to try it out. With a little magic and angelic manipulation, accounts were set up for angels under assumed identities. He answered on the second ring.
“Cam! What’s up?”
“I am. On my way to the temple, and you need to join me.”
Gabe’s relaxed mood changed immediately. “What’s going on?”
“Not sure yet, but Sophie may be in danger.”
“What! I just saw her last night. What kind of danger could she have possibly found in less than twenty-four hours? She’s only five years old.”
Cam grunted. “I believe it found her. She’s made a new friend. Cecilia. I’ll fill you in when you get here.” He landed on the outcropping surrounded by wispy clouds.
“On my way.” Gabe hung up.
Camael folded his wings and entered the aged cavern-turned-temple used as a sort-of headquarters for the angels for thousands of years.
The archangel, Michael, looked up from his basin. His expression showed no surprise.
“You have questions.” Michael said it as a statement of fact.
“And you have answers.” Cam fired back.
Michael shrugged. “A few.”
“Well?” Cam came to a standstill in front of him.
“Yes, she’s descended of an angel.”
Cam knew he referred to Cecilia. “Which one?”
Michael sighed. “That part is unclear.”
“Nothing is ‘unclear’ to you!” Frustration erupted at Michael’s half-answer.
“What I see is clear. What is withheld is unclear.” Michael was a man of few words usually. Getting full explanations from him was like pulling teeth from a surly lion.
Camael took a deep breath and silently counted to ten. “Okay, what can you tell me?”
Michael smiled knowing that his friend was doing his best to exercise patience. “The offspring was not sanctioned.”
“Cecilia?” Confusion marred his blond brow.
Michael shook his head causing his long, brown curls to bounce around his strong features. “No, not Cecilia…her father.”
“The child has had no contact with him. By her own admission, she says he left when she was only a baby. He may even be dead.” Cam sat down on the rock ledge. “She’s lost her mother, you know. I don’t think she even knows the manner of death, but since it seems to have followed the eviction from their home, and while trying to get to the paternal grandmother, it feels suspicious.”
Michael joined Camael on the ledge. “There is more to it. The grandmother is dead.”
“What!” Cam’s eyes bore into Michael’s. “When?
“Recently. House fire. Her death was not due.”
Cam’s eyes grew round. “But that means…”
Michael nodded. “Yes. Her soul is still on this plane.”
“And there hasn’t been any order from on high to collect it?” This was beyond unusual. Now and again, a soul might refuse to go with its escort and instead, remain on the Earthly plane. They were the spirits that the living called ghosts. The ghosts’ emotional attachments were so strong, they couldn’t let go. In those cases, the escorting angel would give them a reprieve, a period of time in which to deal with the fact that they were now departed, separated from their bodies and the living. Those ghosts stayed with their relatives, usually until it was time for them to pass over and reunite. Sometimes, anger was the ruling emotion and resulted in hauntings. Those were the poltergeists. They were also the spirits designated for purgatory or even Hell, but they managed to escape their fates. A good old-fashioned exorcism generally worked to bring those hauntings to an end by way of calling forth the Holy Spirit, a ‘bat signal’ for archangels that alerted them to the fugitive souls’ whereabouts. But a soul resulting from death that was not scheduled, and then not collected, was strange indeed.
“Not until today,” came the vague reply.
“And who has been called to retrieve her?”
Michael turned and stared at Camael. “You.”
Cam realized it would be an opportunity to get some answers. God knew Michael was sparse in his own offerings. “Where will I find her?”
Michael hopped off the ledge and walked to the basin. He glanced over his shoulder indicating Cam should follow. Standing at his side, Cam watched as Michael passed his hand over the crystal-clear water. A form began to take shape. A lovely woman, around age thirty, stared out of the shimmering surface with very familiar blue eyes. Her long, curly copper-colored hair hung down her back and waved in the breeze. It was the image the soul would return to, that of herself at her most beautiful, most vibrant age.
“This is Genevieve Robillard.” The view changed to that of an old Parisian house in the tenth district. It wasn’t far from Sophie’s home. As he studied the exterior, flames began to engulf it until the entire structure was ablaze.
“Someone set fire to her home?” Cam now understood they were dealing with a violent murder. The woman’s soul would likely still be in torment, suffering in her death state, when he arrived to retrieve her.
“Someone with the ability to cloak his activities.”
“A Dark One.” Cam shook his head. “But what does all of this have to do with Sophie? Cecilia found her way to her, and I’d like to know why.”
Michael pursed his lips before replying, “Actually, Sophie found her.” He stirred the basin with his finger and the scene from inside the church that morning replayed for Cam.
“Why did she run after her?” The frustrations of a father worried for his daughter took over. Despite all the fear inside him for her safety, he knew he needed to step back and remain in the role of ‘guardian’. Sophie would never know the role he played in her existence.
“When has she not helped the helpless? Her home is filled with creatures.” Michael placed his hand on Camael’s shoulder. “It’s her destiny, my friend. And Cecilia is part of her destiny.”
“How so?”
Michael shut down again. “Go. Collect Genevieve Robillard’s spirit. She’s to be delivered to the Hall of Souls.
This surprised Cam. “No waiting period? She’s to be reborn immediately?”
Offering no more information, Michael stood with shoulders back and his hands clasped behind him. “There’s no more time to waste. And take him with you.”
Cam started to ask “Who?” when Gabriel landed inside the entryway.
“Don’t bother to put them away,” he said, pointing at Gabe’s wings. Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but Cam held up his hand. “I’ll explain on the way.”
He ran and leapt off the outer ledge, his wings spreading wide to glide. Gabriel looked at Michael who raised one eyebrow, and then thought better of saying anything. He walked to the edge and dove out into the expanse.
Dear Readers, welcome to Book 3 in the Angelic Hosts series, Sophie’s Wish.
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