Black Wings

Chapter 29

I sat upside down on the couch, watching the news. News on Rina had suddenly become much quieter. It worried me, maybe her plans were ready. I glanced at Gabriel, who had Rachel curled up against him. He shared my worried look.

"I wish there was someone who might know what's going on. Someone Rina might confide in."

"There is." Rachel said with a yawn. "Emanuel, she might go to him. He was the one that told her she was half demon."

"Emanuel? I haven't heard about him in years. He's still alive?" I questioned.

"Yeah, out in Wyoming. Two kids in Stanford, a wife, his own farm, it's nice. He's nice too, wonder why he left."

"Don't know, but we'll go see him."

"In the morning." Gabriel added, wrapping his arms around the sleepy Rachel.

"Of course."

*****
The air smelt like cider and warm apples as we arrived at the farm. An old man with a scruffy beard, plaid shirt and heavy jeans passed by, putting a bucket of apples in my arms.

"Put that in the truck bed, son."

"What? I-"

"Put the bucket in the truck, Michael." The man said, picking up another bucket.

He gave it to Gabriel and picked on up himself. The man walked to an old red truck and we followed. With the bucket in the truck, the man turned to us, smiling.

"Been a long time since I saw you boys. Well, long to me in this lifetime. Not so long since I saw you though, missy."

"Hello again, Emanuel."

"That's why. You knew my name, that should have explained everything."

"Come on, help me out on the farm and I'll tell you everything you want to know. Got to harvest my orchard before they start falling, but I only got about ten men for an acre of trees."

"Sure, we'll help." Gabriel said.

The men in the orchard were surprised by our arrival, and even more surprised at the speed we worked. In the time it took two men to clear a single tree, Gabriel and I had cleared six. We left the baskets on the ground for Rachel and Emanuel to run to the truck. And unlike the other men, we could reach the treetops with ease. We harvested the apples quick enough for Emanuel to have one of his men take the truck down to the cider mill.

"How many more trees left, boys?" Emanuel called up.

We looked down from the treetop. The buckets were now being carried away by all the men.

"I think this is the last one." I called down.

"Alright then, come on down."

"That's all the exercise I'll need for a month." Rachel joked, rubbing her arms.

Gabriel touched her forehead, soothing the pain. We followed Emanuel into his home, where his wife greeted us cheerily.

"Suzanne, this is Michael, Gabriel, and Rachel."

"Oh? The archangels? It's funny thought. I was always a Christian girl, but to think my husband is a fallen angel and I've got two archangels in my home."

"Go see the boys are okay, I've got to tell them about Rina."

"Rina? The poor child."

She left the room, shaking her head. Emanuel sighed and sat in an old armchair. We followed suit and sat on the sofa.

"So, what did you want to know?"

"Anything would help. We have no idea what Rina's doing or what's happening any more." I said.

"And you're supposed to be an archangel!? Don't you get it? Everything she's doing is for you three."

"What? But she-"

"You think a girl like her can't lie? For her, it's almost as effortless as breathing. And the host of Heaven was always suspicious of her, she used it to her advantage."

"She stabbed Joshua though. Did you even know about that?" Rachel questioned.

"Of course I did. You weren't the ones sitting here and listening to her cry and apologize for half an hour before she could calm down enough to explain. Came here right after it happened. She didn't want to do it, she had to. Rina loves her family, she was devastated having to do that."

"So she....was always good?" I questioned.

"Michael, remember what she said? 'You want me to become the villian, fine, I'll become the villian.' She was telling us that she wasn't really the bad guy from the beginning." Gabriel said.

"How could we have been so stupid." Rachel sighed.

"Then who is? There's got to be some reason behind all of this." I mumbled.

"Why do you think I left?" Emanuel asked. "I found out things I wasn't supposed to. Rina was not supposed to know about her lineage until someone up there wanted to put his plan into action. And it involves both you and her, Michael. Why do you think she always kills of the people with you."

"It's her protecting us. Those men, they're the ones trying to do something."

"They are there to watch you. Get some sense into your head. If you had paid enough attention, you'd know what's going on by now. Go home, the three of you, and look closer."

"Thank you, Emanuel." Rachel said. "We'll make sure to tell Joshua where you are. It's been awhile since you've seen your brother."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Wait, wait." Suzanne came bustling into the room, carrying a plate. "Take these with you, made 'em myself. And if you see Rina sokn, give her this. She left it on the table last time by accident."

She handed the plate to me and the ring to Rachel. Suzanne gave her a knowing look. What she knew, she didn't explain, just smiled. We returned home, but only for a short time. Gabriel and I left for Heaven, leaving Rachel behind.

*****
The house was quiet when I was alone at night. The parental figures sere out on a date and the boys left for Heaven. I walked down the stairs to the dark first floor. A faint noise caught my attention. I pulled out a knife and crept towards the dining room slowly. A figure sat half turned away from me, with glass in hand.

"Nothing works you know. I've tried every drug and alcohol you humans could come up with. Doesn't work. Humans can easily drown their pains in this stuff, I can't. I'm designed not to be vulnerable to anything. But I guess my creator didn't see a broken heart as something I could be vulnerable to."

"Rina?"

"Heaven is going to fall, and soon if I don't do something. But I need your help, Rachel."

"Of course I'll help you."