The demon’s head began thrashing back and forth like a whip, as though it were having some sort of seizure. The cloud of muted, golden light crept forward, beautiful to the human eye, but a mark of death for any agent of darkness. The demon tried to dart past my siblings, but the light was like a force field keeping it back. It struggled violently, but to no avail. The misty cloud had almost reached it and I watched the demon throw itself to the floor. As the light surrounded it, descending like a fog, Sister Mary Clare’s body began to emit smoke from her nose and a sizzling sound like meat on a barbeque filled the air. Molly’s jaw dropped in horror and she backed away from the scene before her, covering her ears against the demon’s strangled screams. Xavier too went pale and swallowed hard, watching with a pained expression. The body on the ground had gone rigid, its torso lurching upward in shuddering convulsions. I saw a bulge appear in Sister Mary Clare’s abdomen, it seemed to be shifting upward, through her chest, like a hideous tubershaped growth. Xavier winced as the sharp crack of a snapping rib was heard amid the grunts and gasps. The bulge distorted the woman’s throat until suddenly her mouth flew open and she began to choke and gurgle. My siblings concentrated harder, their light constricting around the nun’s throat and sure enough, a steaming, thick black substance came pouring through her open mouth and flopped onto the floor like a dead fish.
Ivy dropped her hand, retracted her wings, and sank to her knees in exhaustion while Gabriel knelt beside the body on the floor. Free at last from the poisonous creature that had been holding her hostage, Sister Mary Clare looked very different. The vicious expression was replaced by one of liberation, despite the pain she must have been in. Her face was still bruised and battered, but as her eyelids fluttered open I caught sight of a pair of pale blue eyes. The young woman seemed to sigh in relief and her head lolled to one side. Gabriel looked concerned and bent low over her, his fingers pressed lightly against her neck, searching for a pulse.
He looked up at Ivy. “It’s not good.”
My sister floated across to join him and together they began to work on Sister Mary Clare. Gabriel seemed to be healing the physical wounds while Ivy went deeper, trying to reach Mary Clare’s soul and restore it to health and to God. I couldn’t imagine the state her soul must be in after sharing a body with a demon for months. It would be shredded almost beyond recognition, but if anyone could help her, it was a seraphim. I watched as Gabriel touched her cheeks and the bruising and swelling began to subside. His fingers traced across her lips and they were whole once again. Sister Faith hurried to bring a wet cloth and gingerly wiped away the dried blood that caked her lips and chin. When Gabriel moved his hands, I saw that Sister Mary Clare’s teeth had been restored as well. My brother had left her with no physical reminder of the torment she’d endured. Although her body was returned to full health, her chest was still. Ivy remained hunched over her, eyes tightly shut. My sister’s body trembled with the effort and Gabriel put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Bringing a soul back from the brink of death was tiring work even for an angel as strong as Ivy and I could see that Sister Mary Clare was almost beyond help. A soul, once taken by Death, was almost impossible to get back. The soul belonged to him until it was claimed by either Heaven or Hell. If no one wanted it, it was tossed into Limbo like garbage.
I knew Ivy had to travel down the tunnel of Sister Mary Clare’s subconscious and coax her back before she slipped away forever. I imagined her mind was like a mess of crawling vermin, contaminated by the evil that had inhabited her body for so long. Death was close, anybody could see that. She was probably teetering on the edge, unwilling to return to life lest it be full of the agony she remembered. The tunnel of death sucks the life out of you, it wants you to give in. It wants you to surrender. Of course, the darkness could never touch my sister, but it could still deplete her strength and being inside Sister Mary Clare’s infected mind was bound to take its toll.
Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Ivy released the nun’s hand and watched as her eyes blinked and then opened. She immediately took a deep, gasping breath like someone who had been held underwater too long.
“Oh praise the Lord!” Sister Faith cried. “Thank you, bless you.” She seized Mary Clare in a tight hug as the bewildered woman sat up and looked around in confusion. I saw her properly then and realized just how young she was — no more than early twenties with a clear face and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
“What … what happened?” she stammered. Her hand reached up to touch her knotted hair, which was caked with blood. Sister Faith’s mouth fell open.
“She doesn’t remember?”
“She’s in shock,” replied Gabriel. “Over the next few days it will come back to her through flashes and nightmares. She will need your support.”
“Of course.” Sister Faith nodded frantically. “Whatever she needs.”
“Right now she needs a shower,” my brother said. “And then you should get her into bed.” He looked around the trashed room. “Is there somewhere she can stay while this mess gets cleaned up?”
“Yes, yes,” Sister Faith was muttering to herself. “I’ll have Adele set up a bed.” She looked at Gabriel and Ivy. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, her eyes welling up again. “I thought we had lost her forever, but you have given us our sister back and reaffirmed our faith like I never expected in this lifetime. You have our unending gratitude.”
Gabriel only smiled. “It was our pleasure,” he said simply. “Now take care of your sister. We will see ourselves out.”
Sister Faith gave my siblings one final look of rapture and then hurried the frail Mary Clare out of the room. I heard her calling through the house to the others. I wondered if they would believe the story of the mysterious visitors and the heavenly retribution they’d delivered.
When they were gone, Ivy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, let out a soft sigh and seemed to sway for a moment on her feet.
“Easy there,” Xavier said, taking a step toward her. “Are you okay?”
With a resounding swish Gabriel’s wings retracted, folding behind his muscular back. He wrapped a strong arm around Ivy’s waist to support her and she leaned against his shoulder, regathering her strength.
A moment later her wings also retracted, but I could see the effort it cost her. She took a deep breath and gave Xavier a faint smile.
“I’m just drained,” she said. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
Gabriel began to usher the little party toward the door. “Come,” he said. “Our business here is finished, we should leave.”
Outside on the porch, Gabriel caught sight of Molly. Clearly, the full impact of what she’d witnessed had just hit her. She clutched the porch post, her hands shaking. She looked as if she could hardly support her own weight and took one wobbly step forward, stretching out her hands to regain her balance. Gabriel slipped an arm around her waist to help her down the steps, and when they reached the bottom, he wordlessly sank down beside her as she knelt on the ground and threw up into the flower beds. One hand still on her shoulder, he gently lifted her hair away from her face and held it back — not speaking, just patiently waiting for her to finish.
27
He Loves Me Not
IT was the early hours of the morning by the time the four of them made it back to the Easy Stay Inn. Although some color had returned to Molly’s face, she seemed overcome with exhaustion. Xavier looked equally worn-out and badly in need of sleep. Only my siblings remained as composed and pokerfaced as always. The only indication of the stress they’d just undergone was their rumpled clothing. Ivy’s strength seemed to have replenished by the time they got back, but I knew it had been a tough night for her. It must be frustrating, I thought. Her strength and power in the Kingdom was boundless. But from what I could see, the longer angels lingered on earth and mingled with humanity, the more finite their powers seemed to become.