Guardian, Chapters 1-5

Guardian Chapter 1

"THEY HAVE FOUND HER." Gabriel spoke the words and a hush fell between the two archangels. Their thick silence held so many unspoken questions: How? When? Why now? Are we ready? How will they protect her now?

"You sure?" Uriel's bronze colored eyes refused to meet Gabriel's face. "Are they certain it's her?"

Michael rubbed the sudden pain that formed in his chest. "They've been wrong before."

Gabriel nodded his response, "Raziel confirmed it. He's called for the council. That's why I'm here."

Raziel was the keeper of divine secrets. He sat in the throne room, beside the Almighty. He, like the Almighty, was never wrong. If Raziel confirmed it, there was no doubt. They found her. She was in danger.

Uriel closed his eyes. For one moment, he shut himself off from the Heavens and the Earth. He took a deep breath. The danger she was in, the battle that was coming....he wished they had more time.

"We should get going," he said to Michael.

Michael nodded, "I'm ready."

* * * * *

Ahreyal's eyes opened. Her body propelled forward. She tried to scream. Sarae's hand covered her mouth, stifling the sound. She coughed, gagged, and caught her breath.

"Shh...shh...you're ok," Sarae hissed, before Ahreyal could think to ask what she was doing in her bedroom. "Come on. Get up. Get dressed."

She pulled Ahreyal out of bed and tossed her an armful of clothes. "What's going on?" Ahreyal asked while pulling on the hunter green cargo pants, grey shirt, brown slip-on shoes, and short brown jacket.

"Hurry up. We have to go." Sarae was dressed in all black: black jeans, a black t-shirt, calf-length black boots, and her favorite long black jacket that stopped just above her knees. She'd pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail.

"What's wrong?" Sarae was looking around the room – Ahreyal's room – for something. Ahreyal grabbed her arm, "Talk to me!"

"The house is on fire," she said calmly; too calmly.

"What?" Ahreyal released her arm. "What did you say?" She stopped; listened. There was no heat, crackle of fire, or hint of smoke in the air.

Her baffled expression told Sarae that Ahreyal was not convinced there was a fire, or any danger. "Just trust me, ok." Sarae backed away from Ahreyal and turned to the closet. "It's on fire and we have to get out of here." She passed Ahreyal the satchel Ahreyal used as a purse.

This damn girl has lost her mind. Ahreyal took the satchel, threw it over her shoulder and watched as Sarae stepped inside her closet. She kept ranting about how Ahreyal needed to stay close and be quiet. It was the middle of the fucking night! Ahreyal was tired. It had been a long day. She'd taken her final midterm and celebrated with a bottle of moscato d'asti. Then, had that creepy ass dream about a giant snake-lizard-thing attacking her. She wasn't in the mood for this shit. She could have just stood there and argued with Sarae, but she decided to prove her cousin was crazy.

Weird symbols were carved in the wood around her bedroom door. "What the hell is this?" Ahreyal pointed, "You know what, never mind." She waved her hand, feeling tired and annoyed. Ahreyal made a mental note to talk to Sarae about the markings later. She grabbed the doorknob and snatched the door open.

"Ahreyal stop!" Sarae's voice yelled much too late.

"Holy fucking shit!"

Fire consumed everything. Flames climbed up the walls, licked from floor to ceiling. Clouds of black smoke danced from one end of the hallway to the other. Just outside of the bedroom door, in the midst of the flames, stood a man. He was tall; very tall and slender with defined muscles in his arms and chest. He had long, thin dreadlocks that reached past his waist. His crimson eyes seemed to glow, or was that because of the contrast of his mocha skin? Wait! Red eyes?