did. “You’re dead,” I said slowly. “You’ve been dead this whole time.”
He nodded. “I perished the night I was taken. The angels escorted my soul here instead of taking me on to Heaven. They assumed that I would be needed sometime in the future when they found my son again. Twenty-eight years in a state of suspended animation, if you will, makes for an incredibly boring existence. I am ready to move on. More than ready.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Viho smiled again. “You have fulfilled your destiny, my son. You were a dark angel. One of the worst. You caused pain and anguish for many even in your short stint. There was one who was made to counter and balance you. To be the light to your darkness. Except she couldn’t fulfill that destiny until she got rid of her own monkey on her back.”
“What am I now?” His words burned in my ears. Necromancer. Dark angel. When all along, I had so desperately just wanted to be a normal human.
“Paige has given you a gift. You are an object of light now. Her purity cleansed the darkness of the curse away. She has a knack for healing that has been unheard of for a thousand years, since the existence of the original angels. It was her reward for withstanding the plague of Eva. She has a purpose now that she must discover on her own and use for goodness. Similarly, you have been given a second chance. There is still darkness inside of you, but now it is balanced as it should be.”
“So the archangels cured me through Paige?”
“The archangels used light to try to destroy you. Paige filtered the healing energy inside of it. You are both very lucky.”
I put my arm around Paige’s shoulders. “I know. Will they leave us in peace now?”
Viho laughed. “I doubt it. As long as the two of you exist, you will always appear to be a threat to them. But now that you have your head on straight, and they won’t know what to make of Paige, I think you will find some modicum of it.”
“How do we get out of here?” Paige asked.
“Riley still possesses all the abilities he had before,” Viho said. “He can take you anywhere that you want to go. Just don’t forget that there are hundreds of demons descending on the parish of St. Joseph as we speak.” He cocked his ear as if he was listening for something. Then he shook his head. “The angels have engaged them. The fight will soon spill into the streets unless something is done.”
I nodded slowly. Action was what I needed, because if I thought too long about everything Viho had said, I was pretty sure my head was going to explode. I stepped forward and held my hand out. He smiled and took it.
I gave it a hard pump, and as his hand settled on my elbow, I pulled him into a loose embrace. “Thank you.” It was all I could think to say. “You didn’t have to help me.”
As he pulled away, I could see the sheen of tears in his eyes. “I have always done everything in my power to help you. Your mother as well. It was good to see her one last time, at least, in this lifetime.”
“Will you be able to pass on?” Paige asked.
Viho looked around him. “I won’t be of any use to them anymore. I have a feeling that someone will be along soon to take me to my final resting place. But you don’t need to worry about me, dear.”
Paige took three steps forward and threw her arms around my father’s neck. My father. I had found him and was losing him again. That should have made me angry. The old Riley would be pissed. But instead, I felt full of gratitude for having been able to get to know him at all.
I held out my hand to Paige. “Proctor is a problem. If we take him out, I can release the demons. You up for this?”
She gave a sly grin. “As long as we agree that from now on, demons that we put down stay down.”
“Deal,” I said. I knew that I had made a terrible error in bringing Proctor back from the ether, but it was a challenge at the time, and I wanted to understand if I could do it.
He nodded. “I perished the night I was taken. The angels escorted my soul here instead of taking me on to Heaven. They assumed that I would be needed sometime in the future when they found my son again. Twenty-eight years in a state of suspended animation, if you will, makes for an incredibly boring existence. I am ready to move on. More than ready.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Viho smiled again. “You have fulfilled your destiny, my son. You were a dark angel. One of the worst. You caused pain and anguish for many even in your short stint. There was one who was made to counter and balance you. To be the light to your darkness. Except she couldn’t fulfill that destiny until she got rid of her own monkey on her back.”
“What am I now?” His words burned in my ears. Necromancer. Dark angel. When all along, I had so desperately just wanted to be a normal human.
“Paige has given you a gift. You are an object of light now. Her purity cleansed the darkness of the curse away. She has a knack for healing that has been unheard of for a thousand years, since the existence of the original angels. It was her reward for withstanding the plague of Eva. She has a purpose now that she must discover on her own and use for goodness. Similarly, you have been given a second chance. There is still darkness inside of you, but now it is balanced as it should be.”
“So the archangels cured me through Paige?”
“The archangels used light to try to destroy you. Paige filtered the healing energy inside of it. You are both very lucky.”
I put my arm around Paige’s shoulders. “I know. Will they leave us in peace now?”
Viho laughed. “I doubt it. As long as the two of you exist, you will always appear to be a threat to them. But now that you have your head on straight, and they won’t know what to make of Paige, I think you will find some modicum of it.”
“How do we get out of here?” Paige asked.
“Riley still possesses all the abilities he had before,” Viho said. “He can take you anywhere that you want to go. Just don’t forget that there are hundreds of demons descending on the parish of St. Joseph as we speak.” He cocked his ear as if he was listening for something. Then he shook his head. “The angels have engaged them. The fight will soon spill into the streets unless something is done.”
I nodded slowly. Action was what I needed, because if I thought too long about everything Viho had said, I was pretty sure my head was going to explode. I stepped forward and held my hand out. He smiled and took it.
I gave it a hard pump, and as his hand settled on my elbow, I pulled him into a loose embrace. “Thank you.” It was all I could think to say. “You didn’t have to help me.”
As he pulled away, I could see the sheen of tears in his eyes. “I have always done everything in my power to help you. Your mother as well. It was good to see her one last time, at least, in this lifetime.”
“Will you be able to pass on?” Paige asked.
Viho looked around him. “I won’t be of any use to them anymore. I have a feeling that someone will be along soon to take me to my final resting place. But you don’t need to worry about me, dear.”
Paige took three steps forward and threw her arms around my father’s neck. My father. I had found him and was losing him again. That should have made me angry. The old Riley would be pissed. But instead, I felt full of gratitude for having been able to get to know him at all.
I held out my hand to Paige. “Proctor is a problem. If we take him out, I can release the demons. You up for this?”
She gave a sly grin. “As long as we agree that from now on, demons that we put down stay down.”
“Deal,” I said. I knew that I had made a terrible error in bringing Proctor back from the ether, but it was a challenge at the time, and I wanted to understand if I could do it.
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