Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 85

Lucien's P.O.V.

To say I was apprehensive about coming here with my father to pick up Bella would be a gross understatement. I'm as nervous as an elephant who finds its favorite watering hole has dried up and disappeared. How is Bella going to react when she sees who I brought to her house with me? My Dad hasn't tried to alleviate my fears any. If anything, he's made them worse because he didn't refute my statement when I told him Bella might freak out seeing us in her kitchen so early in the morning. I told him everything Bella and I talked about yesterday and asked if he could please try to allievate her nervousness with his powers. He nodded once to let me know he heard me.

Mr. Parker is surprised to see us there so early, but I am able to lie smoothly, tell him we're here to pick Bella up on our way to hike in the Smokey Mountains. He nods and invites us in, turning toward the kitchen where he was cutting fruits and vegetables into dishes for the animals under his care.

"Mr. Parker, I'd like to introduce you to my father," I say politely, stepping aside to reveal him to Bella's father.

Bella's Dad looks at me fondly. "Don't be so formal, Lucien, please call me Garrett." He turns to my father and says, "Garrett Parker, it's nice to meet the man who's raised such a great kid," extending his hand in greeting.

My Dad walks smoothly up to him and grasps his hand. "Samael Amon," he says, shaking Garretts hand. "I think it's you who should be taking the accolades for raising a truly amazing daughter."

Garrett smiles genuinely at my Dad and turns to finish filling metal bowls with fruits and vegetables. "What kind of animal are you feeding that to?" my father asks.

Garrett looks at him quickly while stacking the bowls together. "Emu's." He says simply. "We have a pair we picked up at a guys house who was preparing to slaughter them because they weren't laying eggs." Garrett shrugs. "I could care less if they laid Emu eggs or a golden turd, there is no reason to kill something when it looses it's supposed value."

I can see my father raise his eyebrows over that statement. "Indeed," he says, looking at me funnily. What was that look for?

"You should come meet them," Garrett says over his shoulder, walking out to feed the large birds. "We named them Maggie and Meredith." We follow him out the door, my father lagging behind a few steps. When I turn to ask him what's wrong he whispers in a demonic tongue that Garrett wouldn't understand if he heard us, "Emu's, Ostriches, Rhea's and Cassowary's are hosts for human souls who have a chance at reincarnation, as long as they don't attack anything while they're here." WHAT? My father looks at me closely. "Have you met them yet?" At my nod he says, "What did they do?" I tell him and he nods, looking a little worried.

Garrett, unaware of the conversation occurring behind him, opens the barn door, calling for the Emu's. The peacocks strut out, searching for insects in the dirt as they go. When the Emu's don't immediately show their faces, I decide to show my Dad what happened the last time I was with the Emus. I climb into the pasture and call for them, and in less than five seconds, they are running toward me. I put my arms out, and they run into my embrace like before. Garrett looks at me, stunned. "Well I'll be damned. Those young ladies have taken a liking to you, son. Amazing since they hate everyone else."

My father puts his booted foot on the fence and says, "You should rename them Mike and Matthew, they are boys, not girls."

"No shit?" Garrett says, "I was told they were females. Guess I didn't care enough to check it out." He chuckles, "No wonder they weren't laying eggs."

I climb out of the pasture as the Emu's happily munch on their breakfast. When Garrett heads into the barn to clean up the droppings from the birds, I turn to my father. "What do you mean they are human souls that have a chance at reincarnation?"

Dad looks at the barn, satisfied he has a moment to speak freely. "Souls who've found themselves in our realm but haven't done anything heinous enough to be there are given a second chance. Since they're not completely without guile, they're reborn into large flightless birds, kind of an ironic twist because these birds are, by nature, extremely aggressive animals. If they live like they should, as emu's, they're reincarnated and given a second chance to ascend to Heaven."

"Why was I not aware of this?" I ask, stupefied.

My Dad shrugs. "It's a tertiary issue, there is a large group of demons that oversee the placement of those souls. Just be aware those birds will literally flock to you or I or any other being from Hell, trying to make amends for the lives they lived."

"They remember their human lives?"

"Unfortunately, yes." My father grimaces. "Dad isn't about to make it easy for them to find grace and forgiveness."

Geez, that is harsh. To remember your humanity while fighting against the birds instincts...that sounds like Hell to me. "What kind of souls get categorized like that?" I ask, intrigued.

"Oh, people whose offenses are not in the same category of who we normally deal with. You know, pathological liars, narcissists, viscous business men or lawyers," he smiles evilly at that comment, "that sort of thing."

I nod in understanding. Not the greatest of people, but certainly not the worst. "So somebody like Thomas Kincaid, who's feeling guilty about something but not anything to be tortured for eternity over."

"Exactly," my father agrees, "although in Thomas' case, I don't think his guilt is enough to send him to Hell. I cannot put my finger on it, but Mr. Kincaid guilt seems self directed, not because of any atrocity he himself committed."

"Hmm," I say, neither agreeing or disagreeing with my father's observation. "Are there more animals like the flightless birds who are hosts to human souls?" My father shakes his head. Okay, good to know.

When Garrett emerges from the barn, we all head back into the house. He starts telling us about a new shelter that's being built nearby where he can send some of the adoptable dogs and cats he has, when Bella walks into the kitchen. At her gasp, I walk quickly over and whisper "it's just a job he is required to do," to remind her about our conversation yesterday. The change in her is palpable, and introductions are quietly made. She seems to innately comprehend the unique position my father and I have put her in since she knows who we are and what we are heading out to do. She could make things difficult for us, but she is part of the family now, and my Dad and I relax when we see it in her eyes. She gets my Dad to smile when she rolls her eyes at her father, and right then I know everything is going to be okay.

We leave the Parker's house and head for my father's Mercedes SUV. Bella gets in the backseat and at my raised eyebrow she nods enthusiastically. Apparently accepting who my Dad is is not quite the same as wanting to sit next to him in the car. Sevierville is the next town over where my Dad's research says we will find John Henry. I can feel my blood start to race at the thought of what we are going to do to this miscreant. It's been a long time since Dad and I have done something like this, and as I remember it, the hunt is as exciting as the capture and torture.