Aaron brought his hand closer, the power contained within glowing like a small sun.
“Cleanse me from my sins. For I acknowledge my offenses, and they are ever before me.”
Aaron felt the energy of his special gift swell and begin to flow from him. This was it. “You are forgiven,” Aaron declared as his hand eerily slipped beneath the flesh of the angel’s breast.
Camael gasped, his body arching as Aaron let go of the force collecting in his fingertips, releasing the power of redemption inside him. The angel’s flesh began to fume. The skin grew brittle and fractured as the human shell that he had been wearing since his personal fall from grace began to flake away. Camael writhed upon the ground, like a snake sloughing off its skin, as the glory of what he once had been was revealed.
There came a jubilant cry of release, followed by a dazzling flash of brilliance, and Aaron instinctively turned away, the flash of the angel’s rebirth blinding to the earthly eye. Aaron listened to the gasps and cries of awe from those that had gathered around them, and he turned his gaze back to the latest recipient of his heavenly gift.
Awesome, was all Aaron could think of as he watched the beautiful, fearsome creature floating on wings seemingly made from feathers of gossamer and sunlight. Camael’s hair moved about his head like a halo of fire. His flesh was nearly translucent and he was adorned in armor that could easily have been forged from the rays of the sun. The angel noticed him then, and Aaron finally understood the enormity of his responsibility. As he gazed at the magnificent entity before him, he knew it was his right and his alone. He was the One, and this was his burden and his joy.
“It must have been something,” Aaron said to the transformed Camael, thinking of a time in Heaven before the strife … and wondering how it would be now when his friend returned.
“Maybe it will be something again,” Camael said in a voice like the surge of ocean waves upon a beach, and turned his attention to the open sky above.
Aaron prepared himself for the being’s ascension, but the angel seemed to hesitate, as if something was preventing him from moving on. “What’s wrong, Camael?” he asked him.
“I… I do not wish to leave you with the burden of this responsibility,” Camael said, longingly returning his gaze to the sky above him.
“I’ll be fine,” Aaron reassured him. “This is how it’s supposed to be.”
The two again exchanged looks, and Aaron could see that the angel was torn.
“Go, Camael,” he said in a powerful voice that he hoped brimmed with authority. “Your job is done; it’s time for you to go home.”
With those words, Camael spread wide his wings and began his ascent to a world beyond this one. His wings of light and fire stirred the air, filling it with the gentle sounds of the wind. Aaron could not help but think that it sounded like the voices of small children singing.
“Say good-bye to Gabriel,” the angel said. “I do believe I’ll miss him.”
“He has that effect,” Aaron replied, and watched the glimmer of a smile cross the angel’s blissful features.
Then Camael turned his full attention to the yawning space above him, raised his arms to the sky, and in a flash of light that seemed to warm Aaron to the depths of his soul, the angel that was his friend was gone.
Aaron stumbled back, the beauty of Camael’s ascent still dancing before his eyes. He was on his own now, but he knew what needed to be done.
The Nephilim turned to face Belphegor and Lehash and was astonished to see that the citizens were kneeling on the street behind them, heads bowed in reverence. “What’s all this?” he asked.
“They know the truth now,” Belphegor said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Son of bitch,” Lehash growled as he pulled the worn Stetson from his head. “You are the One.”
Aaron walked toward Lorelei’s house, wondering about Vilma’s condition and how Gabriel would take the news of Camael’s passing. At first meeting, the angel and the dog hadn’t really gotten along, but recently, a strange, begrudging friendship seemed to have developed between the two.
He chanced a casual glance over his shoulder to see if he was still being followed, and sure enough, a sizeable number of Aerie’s population trailed a respectful distance behind. Lehash, in the lead, politely tipped his hat. Aaron knew they were there because they believed he was something special—something many of them had been waiting for most of their lives—but the adoration made him uncomfortable. He wished they would admire him from their own homes.
He headed up the walk and climbed the few steps to the front door. As he pulled open the screen, he noted that the crowd had stopped at the street, watching him from a distance.
“I’ll be right here if you need anything,” the constable confirmed, taking up a guardian’s stance at the beginning of the walk.
Aaron waved and stepped into the small hallway inside Lorelei’s house. To the right was the living room. Vilma was lying on the overstuffed couch. She was asleep, her limp hand resting on Gabriel’s side as he sat near her on the floor, resting his chin on the edge of the sofa. Lorelei sat at the edge of the rickety coffee table, applying tape to a bandage on Vilma’s exposed stomach.
“Hey,” Aaron said as he came into the room. “How’s she doing?”
Gabriel lifted his head from the couch to look at Aaron. “Hello,” the dog said.
Lorelei finished her ministrations and gently pulled Vilma’s shirt down to cover the dressing. “The burns were pretty bad,” she said, packing up her supplies. “Looks like Verchiel had a good time with her,” she added, jaw tightly clenched. “I’ve cleaned and dressed them using some special oils to help her heal faster. Physically, I’d say she’s going to be fine.”
“And mentally?” Aaron asked, struggling to contain his guilt. It was exactly what he had feared, one of the reasons he had left Lynn to begin with. Verchiel had used someone else to get at him.
Lorelei looked at the sleeping girl on the couch. “Remember, the whole process of becoming a Nephilim does quite the job on your head, and some of us are stronger than others.”
Aaron nodded, knowing full well the painful truth of Lorelei’s words.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” she said, taking the leftover medical supplies back to the kitchen.
Aaron found himself staring at Vilma’s face. He could see her eyes moving beneath her lids. Dreaming, he thought as he watched her, and hopefully only the good kind.
“Did Camael come back yet?” Gabriel asked as he stood up and stretched, lowering his front body down to the ground while sticking his butt up into the air.
Aaron hesitated, not a good thing when dealing with a dog like Gabriel.
“He hasn’t come back yet, Aaron?” the dog asked, showing concern as he completed his stretch. “We should go look for him.”
Aaron squatted down, taking the yellow dog’s head in his hands and rubbing behind his floppy ears.
“What’s wrong?” the Labrador asked. “I can sense that something isn’t right.”
“Camael did come back, Gabe, and—”
“Then where is he?” the dog interrupted.
“Gabriel, please,” Aaron said exasperated. “Let me finish.”
Gabriel sat; his blocky head cocked quizzically to the side.
“Camael did come back,” Aaron continued. “But he was hurt.”
“Like I was hurt before you made me better?” the dog asked.