The Lost: Book Two of The Whitechapel Chronicles

Chapter 15

"How am I meant to do this all alone?" I wrapped my arms around myself, thrusting my trembling hands under my armpits so Josiah wouldn't see them shaking.

The seer was silent for a moment; clearly still shaken himself by what he had seen. After a few seconds, he visibly composed himself, straightening his broad shoulders and exhaling deeply. Walking back over to where his gym bag lay discarded on the floor, he rummaged about inside it and pulled out a grey hoodie. Tugging it on, he fastened the zip as if he suddenly needed protection from the cold, despite the fact it must have been seventy degrees in here.

"Josiah?" I asked again.

His eyes fell on me, almost reluctantly. "What do you want me to say Megan? I don't know where he is. This is irregular, to say the least. But like I said before, whatever he has done, it's because there's something big about to go down."

"Can't you try and search for him?"

"I am not in the habit of seeking out the Archangels. I've already stepped over the line by trying to find him once, I'm not about to do that again."

"Please, Josiah," I implored him.

Walking over to me, he placed his hands on my shoulders, his big palms heavy on my skin. "I'm sorry, okay? But if I start messing with their business, I'm going to have all eyes on me and it's not always a good thing to fall under their attention. There are just some places we seers cannot go. If you want to find Michael, you're going to have to work that one out on your own."

"What if I can't find him? What in the hell am I meant to do then?"

"Maybe you're not meant to find him?" he shrugged. "Look, if he's given you this role, it's for a damn good reason."

"But I can't do what he does!" I cried. "I'm just a ...well, I was a human. Now I'm a vampire. And whether human or vampire, how am I meant to step into the shoes of an Archangel? I'm already overwhelmed by the dead. I don't know how much longer I can withstand their calls for help. The only thing that keeps them at bay is when I feed and I've tried doing that already. It hurts, Josiah. It hurts all the time. I can't do this. I just can't."

"Listen to me. He created you, so you can do this. It's what you were made to do. You are much stronger than you could ever imagine and yeah, it's a weighty responsibility to bear, but you are more than capable. He's made sure of that." His thumb brushed my collarbone, sending a delicious tingle shooting through my shoulder blades. "Forget being a human, forget being a vampire. You are Michael. And Michael the Archangel is a warrior. He is the Angel of the Dead. That means that you decide who makes it out of purgatory. So take charge. Don't let them rule you. Fight back, Megan."

I shook my head. "How do you fight what you cannot touch?"

"But you can touch them," he insisted. "I've seen you do it already."

I stared at him, puzzled before hearing the pieces click firmly into place. "Lucius," I gasped. "Lucius is the key."

Josiah stepped back, plunging his hands into the pockets of his jersey top. "You can make contact through the boy. He can help you reach out to them, keep them at bay until the time is right and you know what it is Michael wants you to do. Do that and the pain you are feeling now will ease. And trust me; you will need all your energy for whatever task Michael has in mind for you so use the boy, do what you need to do? But remember one thing; it's dangerous for you and Lucius to be together. You both hold answers that certain people are seeking and if these people find you both, well then, they've won. Destroy you and they're free to use him to open the gates."

Icy fingers reached out and encased my body in a tight embrace when I thought of the little boy.

"Garrick says that Lucius isn't evil but he's capable of doing evil in the wrong hands," I said. "I've seen some of what he can do but I can't believe he would willingly unleash Hell."