First Estate

I couldn't help myself. I pulled her up my lap and squeezed her tight. She purred and snuggled into my chest. I looked over at Sagan and she nodded her approval. I caressed my girls and waited for Barachiel to call.

Chapter Thirteen

A month went by quickly without a word from Barachiel. I continued to work and the girls went to school. Mariha and Mom seldom left the house except to go to the beach. We went every Saturday and the girls were learning to surf. I was interested in it, but the physics were wrong. I couldn't find a board big enough. Mom suggested that I make myself lighter and that worked.

Australia has some nice surf and we spent days just riding waves. I couldn't get Mom interested. She was happy to lie on the beach and watch us, but it was too much trouble to ride a board. Mariha would swim out with us and when no one was around she would float along with us down a pipe but she wasn't interested in a board. The weather was in the low 90's and perfect for surfing.

Christmas was coming up and I tried to find something for my girls. Mom was very hard to shop for. She never wanted anything. She collected the jade jewelry but I had been to that well before. I finally got her three pairs of very expensive silk pajamas; one red, one blue and one purple. They looked and felt decadent enough to please her.

Mariha was a puzzle. What do you get an angel? Boston suggested a harp, and we laughed hilariously. I bought one for Boston to give her just to see her face. Sagan suggested that I take her on a vacation. It would be a gift from both of us. I set up a three-day dive on the Great Barrier Reef.

I knew Sagan wanted clothes so I set her and Boston up with a tailor in Melbourne. This was a first-flight designer and I knew she'd be happy.

Boston just wanted books. She and Mom had finished the volcano book and she wanted the four others by that author. "One of them is about a girl that can read minds. I think she'll be a lot like us, Parker. There's one about an ancient evil, one about economic collapse in America and another about an ancient artifact that gives powers to whoever owns it. Mama and I will read them together."

One of them was new and I had a little trouble finding it. The presents were all under the tree and Mariha and I spent the 31st cooking. She promised to eat with us. She baked a ham Christmas morning and the house was filled with that wonderful aroma. I made pies and Mom actually got up and mashed potatoes. It was very odd to see her peeling potatoes. She was actually a very good cook, but she could only muster enough interest on special occasions.

Dinner was fabulous and we lay around in the afternoon stuffed and lazy. We opened our presents and the girls were delighted. Mom went away to put on the red pajamas and declared that pajamas were now her official costume. Sagan was thrilled to find her appointment with the designer was the next day and she and Boston packed and got ready to go.

Mariha and I were also leaving the next day and she leaked fire at the prospect of diving. She didn't want anyone to dive with us.

"I don't need to breathe, Parker, and I can see under water without a silly mask."

"Well, I can't and it will look odd if you don't. We're lying low, Mariha. I suspect that a story in the paper about a woman that doesn't breathe might draw a little attention. You draw enough attention by the way you look."

She laughed and agreed to act like a human. I drove my girls to the airport in the morning and went back to collect Mariha. We kissed Mom goodbye and drove to Port Douglas. We were diving Osprey Reef and we had a liveaboard arrangement with a dive crew.

The water was gorgeous and so was Mariha. She had three bikinis and they were little more than string. The crew stood around with their mouths open most of the time and I had to prod them to do their jobs. That long, almost white hair billowed around her and she looked like someone's fantasy of a mermaid. She swam like one, too. As soon as we got in the water, she discarded the scuba equipment and swam around like a fish. I discovered that her bikini was part of her when she grew a tail and became a real mermaid. The bikini went away and those luscious breasts were bare in the water. Her nipples were perpetually erect and I spent more time watching her than looking at the fish or the coral.

The ability to talk without actually speaking became very handy.

Mariha, look off to our left. A shark is coming in. I suspect that you look so delicious that he'll eat you."

"Ha, very funny. He'll find out who the real predator is here."

She swam off and circled around the shark. She could actually swim better than he could. Finally, she poked him in the snout and he zoomed away.

We found a little cave with an octopus inside and enticed it out with a piece of fish she caught for us. We played with a big lobster and swam along with schools of brilliantly colored fish. My air was getting low and it was time to go up.

"Mariha, I'm running out of air. We need to empty your bottle and go up."

"We should have just chartered a boat and come by ourselves."

"Next time we will. Let's get your stuff."

She held out her hand and towed me back to her equipment. She opened the valve and the bubbles rose up through the water. She swam close to me while we waited and put her arms around me. Her nipples scraped against my chest and I fondled her all over. The scales started at the middle of her thighs and they fused into the tail just above her knees. She was all woman from there up, or at least she was all female. This was like living a fantasy: my own little angelic mermaid.

She donned her gear, became human looking again and we swam back up to the boat. The crew helped us out and dinner was ready. I talked her into putting on a wrap.

"If you want them to stand around staring then fine. If you want service, cover up a little. You're enchanting enough with just your face showing."

She giggled and allowed me to wrap her up. Those fantastic legs were still enough to distract the crew but it was better than before. We sat on the deck and made out as the sun went down. When the last glow faded, she pulled me up and led me to our cabin. She walked to the shower and the wrap fell to the floor. She was bare underneath and she looked back over her shoulder and crooked her finger at me. I dropped my trunks and pulled my t-shirt over my head. It was quite a night. We made love until I was done. After the fourth time, she rested her head on my chest.

"I miss Sagan," she said. "She has more stamina than you."

"My God, girl. You're like the Energizer bunny. I give you everything I have for three hours and you complain about stamina. You came a hundred times."

"Yes, but I don't get tired, Parker. You know that."

'Well, I do. I'm not an angel."

"Yes you are, you are the sweetest person I know. I'm sorry for complaining. Here, you sleep for a while and I'll wake you up in a few hours."

I groaned and closed my eyes. By the time we made it back home, I needed a vacation. The girls were still in Melbourne and I slept for two days. I don't know how long I would have slept but Mom woke me up.

"Get up and get dressed, Parker. Barachiel is praying."

"Where is he?"

"He's in Budapest. Mariha wants us to go with her. She thinks something is wrong."

I texted the girls and told them what was going on. They wanted to come but I told them we had it and we'd just meet them at home.

Mariha wanted us to go in cloaked and with her the only one visible. There was something about the prayer that seemed off. She wanted us along in case it was a trap. It's a good thing we trusted her hunch.

When we dropped in we were in a ruined temple and Barachiel was staked to a wall. There were literally wooden stakes with Shinarian symbols written on them through both shoulders, pinning him to the wall like a butterfly on a pin. We were in the middle of a whole series of symbols and Mariha was stuck. A dozen Watchers dropped in and two of them immediately went up in flames as Mom moved out of the trap. It wasn't their type of flame and they screamed horribly. The angels zipped around and two more went up. They went into flame mode and one of them became a creature out of nightmare. It opened its beak and a hollow croak came out. I began to feel pressure pulling me into manifesting. I resisted and moved over close to it.

I dropped in and gave it a double-handed hammer blow on the beak. It would have stopped a charging rhino and it crushed to creature to the floor. I was hit twice from behind and Mom dropped in. She ripped my two attackers up pretty good. She had grown claws about five inches long and she just eviscerated them. To my horror, the beaked guy was getting up. I willed some claws of my own and went to work on him. He seemed like the most dangerous. I diced him into little pieces and he wasn't getting up from that. Blue stuff leaked out and there was that bright blue flash we saw when Arian bought the farm. I dragged him over and let him leak on the symbol keeping Mariha from moving. We stood side by side and they came at us. They had to avoid the symbols, too, and their route was a little circuitous. I saw Mom across the room. She was a blue and orange blur and she ripped another one to pieces. She spun around and ripped the stakes out of Barachiel's shoulders. He slumped to the floor and Mom was a streak moving to take up position on Mariha's left side. I used the presence and dragged Barachiel over at our feet. Mariha raised her arms and shouted. The room became a raging inferno and they were screaming. I think one got away. The rest were little piles of ash scattered around on the floor.

I closed the holes in Barachiel and Mariha zapped us out. We were in another ruined temple.

"Where are we?" Mom asked. "I've been here before."

"This is the temple of Lilith, the demon goddess," Mariha told her. "This is Ankor Wat."

Barachiel was stirring around and I took a minute to do a better healing job.

"Thanks," he gasped. "I tried to warn you. I messed up two words so you wouldn't come in blind. They mind-controlled me and made me call you."

"I noticed," Mariha said. "What happened?"

"Everything was going well. I informed Adonael that the Special Projects were acting without orders and he promised to look into it. He took Netzach with him and went to Austin. He called me and told me that I was right and he would be reporting to Haniel. I never heard from him again. Three days ago, Netzach prayed for me and I met him here. It was a trap and you see the result."

"You are an idiot, Barachiel, and Adonael is a bigger one. Whom do you think set up Special Projects to begin with? It was Netzach. He's the head of principalities. What's wrong with you people? They've probably got Adonael in the same situation you were in."

"Yes, they let that slip. I know where they're holding him."

"We're going to break him out," Mariha told us. "I'm sick of this rat in a trap thing. Barachiel, you're going to bleed for the cause."

She ripped a light off the wall and tore off the globe.

"Hold out your arm," she told him.

"Why me? I already bled all over that wall."

"Because, you're stupid. Hold out your arm or I'm going to have Parker crush your nose. You might want to think about a manicure, by the way, Parker."

I glanced down at my hands. I still had the claws. I made them go away. I noticed Mom's were gone, too.

Barachiel reluctantly held out his arm and Mariha made it leak the blue stuff. She filled the globe and he stopped leaking.

"What will you do with that?" Mom asked her.

"Erase all the warding symbols. Watcher blood does that. When you dragged this guy over here he bled on the ward trapping me. That's how I was able to act."

"Why didn't you just bleed on them before?"

"I couldn't move. I'm stupid, too. I could have just had one of you cut me."

"I volunteer for that job," Barachiel said.

"Very funny; you won't be able to move either."

"How can Parker and Lilith move?"

"The symbols are spiritual, they're physical. They can't use the presence either. We have no physical Presence. These are angel traps. They don't know about Parker or Lilith"

"I see. Well, good thing you had them along then."

"Yes, they are precious to me; quite useful and fierce as well. I've never seen or heard of anything that could take down a Power like that.

"What's a Power?" I asked.

"A special kind of Watcher," Barachiel said. "They're of the Second Class. They're the warrior class."

"Was old beaky one of those?" I asked.

"Yes; you took him out and he never got a shot off. That's very impressive, Parker." Mariha patted my arm.

Mom was shifting from foot to foot nervously, like cat on a hot tin roof.

"Is something wrong, Mom?"

"Yes, I don't like this place. People actually engaged in demon worship here. They thought I was a demon and worshipped me. One of them got away and he could come back with reinforcements. I also wonder how God is going to feel about us killing things like 'old beaky.'"

"Why don't you pray and ask him?" Barachiel said.

Mom shot him a look. "Remember what Mariha told you about snide remarks?"

"Sorry, it's difficult to resist."

"I can help with that," she told him. "Stop being a tool or I will. Mariha, you haven't said anything."

"I'm thinking. We can't keep this up. The more we do this the worse it looks for us. All of heaven is going to be on our trail. Let's get Adonael and let him take over. We're going in Manifested. Lilith, you break the globe and as soon as we locate Adonael I'll nuke the place."

"I have a better idea," Mom said.

"What?"

"Let's go get Sagan and Boston. Let them sing everyone outside. You nuke them there and we rescue the damsel in distress."

"Why do we need to nuke them if the Sirens have them controlled?" Barachiel asked.

"They want to hurt my babies," Mom said.

Chapter Fourteen

It turned out that they were holding Adonael at an abandoned missile silo in Kansas. We agreed to meet Barachiel in Lawrence and Mariha took us home. Sagan and Boston were waiting for us and I hugged them for a long time.

"You smell like you're been smoking," Boston said. "What happened?"

"I'm not the one that was smoking." I filled them in. "We need one of you to sing for us."

"I'll do it," Sagan said. "I need the practice. Boston is already better than me."

"I want to take a shower," I told them. "A meal and a nap wouldn't hurt anything either."

"Parker, they may be torturing Adonael," Mariha said.

"Okay, a shower and a sandwich then. I'll eat it on the way if you'll fix it for me."

She headed for the kitchen and I jumped in the shower. Mom joined me and it wasn't as embarrassing as the first time. By the time we dried off and dressed, the girls were sitting at the bar eating delicious looking ham sandwiches. Mariha had made one for Mom and two for me. I drank a glass of milk and began wolfing down the sandwiches. Mariha frowned and we were in the parking lot of the University of Kansas football stadium. I continued to eat as Barachiel and Mariha talked. We moved again. We were standing in a grassy field and Sagan began her song. It was haunting and beautiful. Song isn't the right word, but there is no other human word that fits. There was magic and emotion and incredible power in the sound. It awoke a sense of longing to do anything to make this amazing creature happy and it wasn't even directed at me.

A door opened in the hill in front of us and Watchers began to file out. There must have been a hundred of them. Sagan lined them up on their knees in rows and Mariha called down the angel fire. Three of them appeared to be fire resistant, Mom called down some sort of red lightning thing, and they smoked on the ground like the others.

"What the hell was that?" I asked her.

"Angels aren't the only things with special abilities," she winked at me.

We walked into the bunker and it was pitch black. "Barachiel are you doing this?" Mariha asked.

"No, but I can make it go away. It's a hung ward."

The lights came on and there was something lying on a table in the middle of the room. It kept shifting in appearance and color and it looked like it was made out of prism glass. It was leaking blue stuff and I healed it. Mom threw in the globe of angel blood and the creature sat up. It shifted and sputtered rainbow fire and became a man with red eyes. It looked natural on him and he floated toward us.

"Mariha, thank you for releasing me. Thank you also, to whoever healed me. I was betrayed. I seek vengeance. Where are my captors?"

"They're out in the field smoking." I said.

The girls and Mom giggled uncontrollably. Mariha shot me a look.

"A disgusting hobby," Adonael said. "Let us behold them."

We were standing outside.

"Ah, I see, you were using humor. They are literally smoking. Interesting. How did they come to be in this condition?"

"It was a combination of Siren song, angel fire and Nephilim lightning," Mom said.

"You surprise me. I am seldom surprised. I take it you are the Nephilim? I've heard of you; Lilith, the Demon Goddess."

"Oh my God," she exclaimed. "Can we put him back?"

He laughed and it was amazing to hear. If you can imagine a volcano or a tornado laughing, it was something like that.

"I take it you are not fond of that legend. I know only good things about you, little Nephilim. I have taken your measure. You are righteous in my sight."

"Let's not put him back. Let's keep him in a jar so we can look at him," she laughed.

"Few dare to speak to me with your frankness. Is this not true, O obsequious one?" he looked at Barachiel.

"Obsequious one?" I asked. "He always has a smart mouth around us."

"He has learned to curb his tongue around me. What am I going to do with you, little ones?"

"I think you should help us," Boston said. "We just want to be left alone. We didn't start any of this."

"Yes, I know. I am able to see your hearts. It is my gift. The question is how many of my kind must die for you to be left alone?"

"Let me ask you a question, Lord," Mariha said. "Do you or any Watcher have orders from the throne concerning Parker, Lilith, Boston, Sagan or me?"

"No, there has been no word from the throne."

"Does God want us destroyed?"

"If so, he has not revealed it."

"Then Arial, Netzach and the Special Projects office are acting outside the will of God, are they not?"

"It would seem that they are."

"They used demons to kidnap Boston. They took Barachiel captive and tortured him. They captured the Archangel of Judgment and Mercy and tortured you. Is it the will of God that these things happened?"

He began to leak rainbows. "No, that is decidedly not the will of God. The use of demons is forbidden. I seek vengeance. Do you require my assistance for the nonce?"

"Um, not for the nonce; no," Boston said, "perhaps later. Will you let us know when it's safe?"

"I may require your presence to facilitate that. Shall you be available? You seem to be warded. How will I find you?"

"You know my prayer," Mariha said. "Call me when you require us, Lord."

"I'm taking Barachiel with me. You appear to have...damaged him."

"It wasn't us," Sagan said. "We tried to heal him."

"Yes, I see. It was well done, but clumsy. A young healer, perhaps?"

"It was me," I told him. "I tried to heal you, too. Sorry about the clumsy part. I did the best I could."

"Yes, I believe you must be Lilith's son? Perhaps one day you may study with me and become a great healer. I believe you have that potential. I see that you have worked on the Siren Boston as well. She is sterile. She has ingested some sort of poison. Do you wish me to heal this?"

"Yes, very much," I said. "What do you mean she has ingested poison?"