The Awakening

Chapter 9

Katarina looked wildly about at an idyllic mountain pasture with a babbling brook. Standing in front of her, dressed in an elegant suit, was Zophiel.

"It would have been much less jarring if you'd simply come to see me," he said.

Katarina's hand reflexively flew to where a holstered pistol would normally be. It slapped against her side without finding it and she frantically fumbled about as she backed away from Zophiel.

"Stay back!" she shouted.

"You are completely safe, Katarina. I assure you."

When he made no move to approach, she stopped, but was ready to flee at the slightest provocation.

"What is... how did you do this?"

She wanted to look around, to try and understand what was happening, but was afraid to take her attention off him.

"This is someplace safe where no one and nothing can harm you."

She watched anxiously as he slowly extracted his pipe from a pocket and took his time lighting it.

"What's in that?" she asked, pointing at the pipe.

"The best blend of Cuban and Virginia tobacco," he said, gently puffing and generating a large cloud of smoke.

"No! What's really in it that's making me hallucinate?"

Zophiel's eyes bored into hers for a moment before he smiled.

"This is not a hallucination, Katarina." He raised his hand. "Now... calm yourself."

She instantly felt at ease and stood staring at him as he smoked, then looked around the meadow. Bright sunshine lit a storybook scene with butterflies flitting from flower to flower. A primeval forest began at the edges of the clearing and she could hear birds singing in the trees. Splashing drew her attention to the stream and she watched as a fish broke the surface to take an insect.

"If you're not drugging me, how did you do that?" she asked as calmly as if inquiring about the weather.

"I simply reminded you of your inner strength, my dear."

"And what do you want with me?"

"I want to help you to continue remembering," he said with a smile.

"Remembering?"

"Precisely! Evil is once again coming to devour your world. There aren't many left who can stand against it."

"Those... those monsters?"

"Demons, actually. They feed on death and misery and destruction. As we speak, they are finding ways to come to your world. A few at a time. Searching."

"Searching? For what?" she asked.

"They are coming to possess bodies. To seize control and displace the rightful soul. They must be stopped now, before they find the right person and are able to set the world ablaze."

"Demonic possession? You seriously expect me to believe that?"

"It is quite real. They have tried to destroy the world before, my dear. And nearly succeeded, several times. If those of you who can defeat evil do not rise up, then it will burn again. But this shall be the final time."

"That man with the little dog!" she exclaimed, remembering seeing the demon dissolve into a person.

Zophiel nodded.

"Only you can see the demon who has taken over a body, my dear. Do not let them realize you can, or they will make every effort to kill you."

"Why should I believe any of this?" she asked.

"Because, in your heart, you know the truth."

Katarina stared at him, wanting to argue, but something inside her had been awakened.

"You remembered him, didn't you?"

"Him? Him, who?"

"When you touched his hand, you saw something sad and terrifying."

Katarina paused, blinking in surprise.

"Liam? Do you mean Liam?"

Zophiel smiled and nodded as he puffed away on his pipe.

"He is involved in this?"

"He is your champion, my dear. He always has been, and you always find each other."

"What does that mean?"

"For now, that is all you're ready to hear. But I will leave you with this. You can trust him. With your life, if need be. He never has nor will he ever betray or abandon you."

"With my life?" Katarina asked in surprise.

"All will be explained, my dear," Zophiel said with a smile. "All in good time."

***

There was an instant of disorientation then she was back in the Range Rover. She blinked in surprise, looking around the interior of the vehicle.

Katarina was physically calm, but her mind raced. Was any of this real? How could it be? It had to mean she was somehow being drugged. As she thought, the only common denominator was tobacco smoke. Zophiel and Liam. But how did she prove it and what did they want?

An idea took shape and she picked up her phone. Liam's card was in her purse and she punched in his number, pausing before placing the call. Was this wise? Without knowing what their game was, how did she know she wasn't playing into their hands. Maybe this was exactly how they wanted her to react.

She hesitated for five minutes, staring through the Range Rover's windshield at the line of people across the street. Thought about everything that had happened and realized something with a start. Regardless of Zophiel's words, there was something about Liam. Something that had triggered a response the instant she'd first seen him. And when he'd saved her in the vision, she'd felt...

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. It was a vision resulting from a drugged mind. Anything she may have thought or felt was irrelevant. And it was time to prove she wasn't losing her mind. Pressing the send button, she raised the phone to her ear.

"Agent Macleod, this is Agent Daniels," she said in a rush when he answered. "I just wanted to say how sorry I am for the way I behaved. I've got a case that's... well, that doesn't matter. Can I make it up to you? Please?"

There was a long stretch of silence before Liam responded.

"I appreciate that, but there's no need to apologize. Why don't you just give me a call after you read that file and I'll tell you what I know that's not in there."

"Wait!" she cried, afraid he was about to hang up. "Where are you? Right now, I mean."

"I'm in the U District. Why?"

"Look. I'm still at Ivar's, and I could really use a strong coffee. On the corner of Brooklyn and Forty-third is this little coffee shop. I'll be there in ten minutes. Please. Let me buy you a coffee and apologize in person."

He didn't say anything.

"Please. I'm really not some crazy chick, and I'm just talking coffee. I'm going there to get one, anyway, so meet me. Please."

Taking a deep breath, she dropped the call, hoping she'd played that the right way. Starting the Range Rover, she took a moment to check her makeup in the mirror. He'd show. He had to. He was either interested in her, in which case he wouldn't be able to resist, or he was involved in whatever game Zophiel was running on her and wouldn't miss the opportunity.