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I realized at that very moment how scared I was beginning to feel. But what frightened me more was the strange feeling coming over me. The same feeling I had from the dreams I couldn’t remember. The same feeling that washed over me when I stood at the bus lane.
There had been only one dark angel I had ever learned about and my skin crawled at the thought.
“Is he…?”
“No. But trust me, he’s just as lethal, perhaps even a bit more cunning. Hadrian was a Guardian originally, like the other angels. As he became more familiar with his human, much like I am with you, he became curious about how fear, anger, and even hatred could affect your world. It intrigued him. He became… How do I describe this? I suppose “enchanted” is the correct word…with the human psyche.”
I sat down on the smooth curve of an uprooted tree, curiously spellbound by his words.
“When the novelty wore off, he craved more.
Something darker had settled in. Hadrian was created with all good intent, but the lust for power overwhelmed him. Like the humans he studied, he discovered that it is so much easier to give in to the havoc than it is to disregard it. He eventually set his sights on toying with another society. A hidden society that seemed untouchable, one he knew only too well.”
“Other angels?” I guessed as I tried to follow how someone so pure and good could become so corrupted.
“Yes. If he could conquer and control the Guardians then Hadrian would truly be victorious and he would control the most powerful army, an army of vulnerable, unprotected humans, molded into whatever he wants.”
“But can’t God stop him?” I couldn’t understand how this could be happening. If God was the creator of all then certainly this wouldn’t be allowed.
“It’s been foretold that there will be a second war in heaven, the first being the war of the Archangels, when Lucifer was banished. Lucifer can influence humans here on earth, bend the will of many to his own liking.
“You see, an angel is sort of a direct link to one’s subconscious. We’ve perfected a way to tap into it.
Heaven is here.” Garreth placed his fingertip on the center of my forehead. In an instant, I felt the cool breeze of the park we were in yesterday. “Listen carefully the next time you hear the little voice inside your head that steers you. It may not be your own.”
With that he gave me the most incredible smile, and although it was somewhat pained, it outshone any sun.
“Hadrian’s ultimate goal is to control the angels.
Corrupting them will ultimately change how humans here on earth behave. It’s a domino effect, to take over what Lucifer has started. Hadrian has the highest advantage. He has the knowledge of a Guardian.”
“So heaven isn’t a place? I thought it was pearly and white.” My head tilted up toward the treetops, which were thickly obscuring any sign of blue sky.
“Heaven starts within. It’s your soul’s sanctuary. But Hadrian has the power to corrupt psychologically. He’s blatantly abusing his power as a Guardian.”
“But wouldn’t Lucifer prevent Hadrian from challenging him?”
“You would think so. But, you see, that’s what gives Hadrian the thrill, the constant hunger for more. Oh, sure, Lucifer will come after Hadrian, that’s inevitable.
But until that moment comes, Hadrian will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
“Which is gaining control of the Guardians?” I asked as the truth finally hit me.
Garreth looked off into the distance, reflecting. “So he can manipulate all humans on earth.”
My heart sank for Garreth. He could protect me but who would protect him? I sat stunned by his words while an icy chill crept through my veins. My heart was racing as my mind played back my nightmares and the strange fluttering in my room as I prayed for sleep. I had hoped it was Garreth popping in to check on me while I slept. Who else could it have been? My mind had forced me to forget, and it all came rushing back in a sickening spiral as my subconscious formed the pieces of the puzzle.
Without trying, I recognized the dark wings in the shadowy corners of my room. My thoughts had fought against it. Garreth didn’t reveal his secret from behind a shroud of shadows, he had delivered himself to me in a heavenly glow of light.
I forced the words to escape my lips. “You said darkness takes many forms.”
Garreth grew quiet for a moment.
“You’re different from other humans, Teagan. You can sense when I’m near and it’s made you a bit of a magnet. Do you remember what happened right before you slipped off the curb? Can you recall what you saw?”
“It was black and cloudy. Like thick exhaust coming from the bus, but I think I knew it wasn’t the bus.” I was struggling to remember. “It wasn’t anything like I’d ever seen before.” I shook my head, trying desperately to recall and escape the memory at the same time. “Was that…?”
“Yes. Hadrian.”
I shivered. “He wants me to lead him to you, doesn’t he?”
This was too much for me. I shook my head, refusing to believe, but there it was. What a perfect package we made. Tears began to well up in my eyes and I wiped at them furiously with the back of my hand. Angels are used to emotions, but to me Garreth was still a boy, and there was no way he was going to see me cry.
Garreth leaned forward, his face resting in his pale hands, and released a weary sigh. “Hadrian wants you.
You’re different from the other humans he’s collecting for his army. I’m just an obstacle.”
“How am I different?”
“Do you wonder why Hadrian is willing to stand up to someone as foreboding as Lucifer?”
I remained silent; it seemed he was avoiding my question.
“Hadrian is Lucifer’s twin.”
“That explains the dark tendencies,” I tried to add lightly.
“Not entirely true. You see, Lucifer was cast out of heaven before he could become a Guardian. He refused. Hadrian on the other hand was the good brother, at first. The light brother, whereas Lucifer was his dark half. Dark by choice.”
I concentrated hard on the words he spoke, as though the English language no longer made sense to me, and I instantly regretted not paying attention all those years I had taken CCD.
Garreth continued. “You do know Lucifer was an Archangel, prior to the Great Fall, as was his brother Hadrian?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure.
“The essence of the Archangel falls upon the human charge, like a bloodline. You are our one hope to stop Hadrian.”
I wasn’t expecting that revelation. It didn’t make sense.
“But you’re not an Archangel, are you?”
“I wish I were, then I would have power against the darkness, but you, believe it or not, are stronger than I am.”
“Me? How?” I fumbled over my words.
Our eyes met in silence and I knew what he was going to say. I felt it in my core.