Age of Aquarius Read online

  “Who the hell is that now?”

  I raised my hands. “Hey, you got me. Maybe you’re just hallucinating it, Colby, after the stress of finding me in your barn.”

  “Nice. I’m telling you, no one ever comes out here. There’s not another farm for miles.” He pushed back his chair, indecision warring on his face. “Maybe you should go upstairs. In case . . . well, in case.”

  “Colby! Joy. Open up.”

  The voice calling to us both sounded a little familiar, and I was on my feet before Colby could stop me.

  “It’s Seth. I’m almost sure of it.”

  “Whoa there. Hold on. Stay in back of me—it could be a trick.” Colby pushed me behind him, holding my arm with a grip of steel. He shuffled us to the door and peeked outside through a slat in the shutter. “It’s a guy—a youngish guy, curly brown hair. Medium build.”

  “That’s him!” I hadn’t realized how anxious I’d been to see him again—if nothing else, only to assure myself that I hadn’t imagined what had happened. With shaking hands, I nudged Colby out of the way and turned the doorknob.

  “Joy. Thank God.” Seth stepped into the kitchen, carefully shut the door behind him and turned to wrap me in a tight hug. “You’re safe and you’re well.”

  I let myself sag against him for a few seconds, relief flooding through my blood and making me weak. “Yeah, right back at you. I was afraid whatever was in the apartment had gotten you, too.” I leaned back to look up into his face. “Forty-seven days, Seth. Forty-seven days. I’ve been on my own and running for nearly two months with no word from you. Where were you?”

  His face set in grim lines. “That’s a complicated part of a much longer story—one I promised I’d tell you, and I will.” Gently disentangling himself from my arms, he turned to Colby, holding out a hand. “Colby. Thank you. You are every inch the man we expected you to be, and your kindness will never be forgotten. I’m Seth.”

  I was pretty sure Colby shook Seth’s hand out of ingrained manners more than anything else. His expression was one of shock, confusion and wonder.

  “Yeah . . . Seth.” He hooked a thumb at me. “So you know her? Joy?” Wariness filled his voice, and I remembered his earlier concern that I was a crook, working with a partner. This must have played right into his imagined scenario.

  “I know Joy very well. She, on the other hand, hardly knows me. But that’s part of my story.” He glanced over my shoulder at the table. “Oh, man. I thought I smelled your fried chicken. Is there enough for me to have some? I’m starved.”

  Colby’s eyes narrowed. “You want chicken?”

  “If you can spare a few pieces.” Seth’s face lit up in anticipation. “I love basic farm food, and you’re a really good cook, Colby.”

  “Um, sure. Help yourself. Let me get you a plate.” Colby stalked to the cabinet and retrieved another of the stoneware plates, pausing at the drawer for silverware.

  Seth slid out a chair and dropped into it, sighing a little. “I’m so glad to finally be here. Joy, I’m sorry that it took me this long to catch up with you. The plan had been for me to find you weeks ago, and then we’d come to Colby together, but the enemy was more persistent than I’d expected.” He snagged a drumstick from the plate of chicken and took a bite. “Oh, this really is heavenly, Joy. You were right about that.”

  I frowned. “How did you know . . . never mind. I know what you’ll say—it’s all part of the story you’re going to tell us. Fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “You know, Seth, as glad as I am to see you now, I’m really ticked off, too. You gave me money, told me to run, and that’s what I’ve been doing. By myself. On my own. I was freaked out, I was scared, and I was lonely.” To my mortification, tears sprang to my eyes. “That wasn’t cool. Not at all.”

  Seth wiped his fingers on the napkin in his lap. “I know that’s how you feel, and especially in your condition, I understand that your feelings are very near the surface. You’re vulnerable. But Joy, I promise—you were never alone, not for even a moment.”

  “Oh, really?” My mad was beginning to come into its own. “What about in the diner, when the man was looking for me?”

  “He didn’t come in until you were safely in the restroom, and the cook took care of you, didn’t he?”

  I grimaced. “Okay. But what about today, on the road, when those idiots were trying to find me? If it wasn’t for Colby’s cows, they’d probably have me now. I might even be dead.”

  “Just who do you think directed the cows over to surround you and keep you hidden?” He polished off the last bit of chicken on the bone and lay it on the plate. “Your safety was never an issue. I’m sorry that we couldn’t tell you that at the time, and that you had to live through the stress of thinking you were in danger.”

  “Are you an angel?” Colby, who had taken his seat at the table again and had been observing the exchange between Seth and me like a man watching tennis, spoke up.

  Seth smiled at him. “That’s the closest description for me in human terminology, yes. I’m part of the host. We’re defenders, and sometimes we’re soldiers. I’ve been on this particular mission for a very long time.”

  “Am I your mission?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  “You’re a huge part of it, Joy, and because of that, I’ve known you since before you were born. I have been part of the host watching over you.”

  Irrational anger bubbled up in me. “Oh, really? Were you watching over my parents when they both died the same day I was born? Or how about when I grew up without anyone? Or when my friends were murdered in my house? If that’s protection, I hate to see what happens with people on their own.”

  Seth shook his head. “You can’t see it from your perspective, Joy. I understand how it must seem to you. We tried to protect your parents, and we tried to save them. The enemy attacked earlier than we expected, but we were able to keep you alive and safe, when their goal all along had been either kill you or take you. The Hive wanted nothing more than to raise the vessel for themselves, believe me.”

  “There’s that word again. Vessel. The jerks after me today said that, too. What does it mean?” I glanced at Seth. “Is that me? Am I the vessel?”

  He finished a chicken wing. “You are, but it is not who you are. It’s simply a role you were destined to play. We hope you will, because what you decide could mean the difference between your world going on or ending.”

  “Wait—what now?” Colby’s mouth dropped open. “The fate of the world depends on Joy?”

  “Oh, that’s just peachy.” I covered my face with my hands. “You know we’re all doomed, right?”

  Seth patted my arm, swallowing his mouthful of biscuit. “Don’t worry. You won’t be on your own. There’s an entire team of people who are going to be fighting with you, who will protect you with their lives . . . and you’ll have Colby and me, too.”

  Colby stood up and began to pace the small perimeter of the kitchen. “So now I’m part of this, too? I’m going to be responsible for keeping Joy on track?” He threw up his hands in exasperation. “I only just met her today, going through the snack fridge in my dairy barn. And now I’m her bodyguard?” He wheeled to face me. “Of all the farms in this county—in this state—you had to wander into mine?”

  “Colby, Joy had nothing to do with choosing you. Your participation was destined, just as hers has been. But you’ll understand more when I tell you the story, when I explain the history. Please, hear me out. I promise that everything will be clearer once you do.”

  Colby looked from me to the angel, as though he couldn’t decide which of us was crazier. Finally, he nodded.

  “All right, fine. Lay it on me. But first, let’s go into the den. Joy’s uncomfortable in that chair. She can sit on the sofa in the other room.”

  I tilted my head. “How did you know that?”

  He lifted one shoulder. “You keep squirming and massaging your back with one hand. I figure after everything you
’ve been through and being pregnant and all, these wooden chairs probably aren’t the greatest for you.”

  “You’re right.” I nodded. “Thanks for noticing.”

  His cheeks went a little pink. “No problem.” Offering me his hand, he pulled me to my feet. “I guess we’re going to sit down and listen to an angel explain how you and I are going to save the world.” He blew out a breath and wagged his head. “This ought to be good.”

  Colby

  I’d never been a fanciful kid. I didn’t have an imaginary friend, and I didn’t secretly believe that our animals on the farm could understand me or talk back. I lived a simple life, and what was real to me were the soil, the crops, the livestock and the alarm that woke me at oh-dark-thirty every damn day.

  This day had begun and progressed the same way all of mine did. It was all hard work and solitude as usual. I’d gotten a little hung up in the on-line class I taught for the local community college, and that had made me late to bring in the herd for milking. Still, nothing out of the ordinary had happened until I’d returned to the kitchen and starting thinking about dinner. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to settle down. I’d popped open a beer, but it didn’t taste right. I had the strangest urge to go back to the barn to check on things.

  Farmers may be blunt and realistic folk, but we also know enough to trust our guts. I’d learned that some part of my subconscious might remind me that I’d left a light burning or forgotten to turn off a machine. That was why I’d heaved an impatient sigh and stomped out to the barn once again . . . which was where I found the girl chomping down on my granola bar and apples.

  That had been just the start of my journey into bizarre world.

  Now I sat in the den on our well-worn couch, watching covertly as Joy settled herself into the opposite corner of the sofa. There was something about this chick. I’d nearly fallen over when she’d said she was pregnant, because she sure didn’t look it, but now, as she was dressed in my sister’s clothes, I could more clearly see the small bump in her middle. For some reason I didn’t want to examine too closely, the fact of her pregnancy made her somehow softer and more attractive to me. I wanted to protect her from any harm, and I wanted to put my arms around her and make sure she was well. I’d never had these kinds of feelings before, and they were as unsettling to me as the man sitting across the room from us was.

  An angel. I’d never believed in such a thing, but oddly, I had no doubt that Seth was the real deal. I’d made fun of Joy for saying there was a vibe about him, but the truth was . . . yeah, there was a definite vibe. It wasn’t anything I could pinpoint, but it was there.

  I watched him now, drawing in a deep breath and glancing at first Joy, then at me. We were both a little tense, waiting, like kids about to hear a big family secret for the first time.

  “How much do you both know about the beginning of this world?” Seth’s first words caught me by surprise. I’d expected some deep truth, not a quiz about the origins of the earth.

  “I went to Sunday School growing up . . . as you probably know.” Joy arched one eyebrow at Seth. “I learned my Bible pretty well. Is that what you mean?”

  “It’s a start.” Seth nodded. “And your mom and grandmother made sure you were well-versed, too, Colby. But you understand that what you learned was not a complete story. Nowhere does it claim to be. It’s a narrative from a certain point of view. In those early days, when humans were new beings, they all possessed certain traits. Today you would call these abilities extraordinary, but in those days, they were as natural as breathing, eating and speaking aloud.”

  “What kind of abilities?” Joy leaned forward a little.

  “Oh, there was a wide variety, including hearing and broadcasting thoughts, emotional empathy, telekinesis, communicating with animals, moving through time and space . . . those are just a few. Not everyone had the same gifts, but most people worked together to use their talents for the greater good.

  “Unfortunately, humans and animals weren’t the only living creatures on this planet in those days. The sons of morning had fallen before the creation of man and woman, and they had been cast out of paradise. They walked among humans, and some of them lured the daughters and sons of man into perverting their gifts for evil. They also mated and produced a new mixed breed of being. These offspring had a mix of abilities, but they were very powerful, and eventually they plotted to destroy the pure humans. These are what you would call demons.”

  “But they didn’t, right? I mean, you’re not saying that we’re the descendants of these hybrids, are you?”

  “No.” Seth smiled gently. “The flood that is described in the book of the beginning was meant to cleanse the earth of the humans’ greatest enemy. But at the very last minute, the Nephilim—the elder ones, the fallen sons of morning—were able to save a large segment of their children. They moved them to another plane, a different dimension, where they could be safe until the time was once again ripe for them to exist on earth.”

  “Okay.” Joy frowned. “How does any of that have anything to do with me and with whoever murdered my friends?”

  “There’s a very real connection, but it’s important for you to understand the beginning. There is so much confusion about the world that isn’t seen . . . and humans often struggle to understand what is real and what’s been fictionalized over the years.” He glanced at me. “Especially if you’ve never had any context in which to consider things like extraordinary gifts.”

  I inclined my head but didn’t speak.

  “We’re going to fast forward many millennia now to the mid-1960’s and move from the cradle of civilization to a small commune outside the city of San Francisco. That’s where things get interesting, as you say, and that’s where your connection comes in.”

  Joy shrugged. “That’s still a good twenty-some years before I was born, Seth. I call it a stretch.”

  “Patience.” He winked at her. “Have you ever heard of the Summer of Love?”

  My eyes met Joy’s. Hers were speculative and interested, but undeniably exhausted, too. I frowned. “Sure. The hippies, right? Flower power?”

  “Exactly. Peace, love and rock n’ roll. People were turning on, tuning in and dropping out. Communes sprang up everywhere, and young people were experimenting with new ways of living together. Among those was a young man who’d left his home in Wisconsin—”

  “Wisconsin?” Joy looked startled. “That’s where I’m from.”

  “Yes, Joy. You’ll find that there really are very few real coincidences in life. At any rate, young Don Parcy was the heir to a honey fortune. His grandfather had revolutionized the process of bottling honey safely and distributing it widely. Don had been on track to take over the family business, but one day he dropped out of college during his senior year and hitchhiked to the West Coast. He met a group of men and women who raised his consciousness about war, politics and the importance of being heard. Pretty soon, he’d become more or less a leader among these folks. With a little help, he found land in a remote area outside the city, and that’s where they established the Hive.”

  “The Hive?” I smirked. “Bees again?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes. Donald was definitely influenced by his early training, because as he organized this commune, it was done along the lines of a typical bee-community. For a time, it worked. And then Donald met a woman named Liesel Battianach. Only he didn’t realize that Liesel isn’t just a woman. She’s a vampire, but even worse, before she was turned, she was Nephilim.”

  “Okay, wait a minute. A vampire? Seriously? You’re going to tell us Dracula is real? How about Frankenstein and Witchy Poo?” I snorted derisively.

  “Colby.” Joy reached over to touch my arm. “Open mind, remember?”

  “Yeah.” I slumped against the cushion of the sofa. “I remember.”

  “Vampires do exist. Dracula was fiction, but true vampires are descendants of what we call the lost Nephilim. They are a group of the fallen who eventually t
urned away from the main body. Some of them wanted to return to Paradise, but they weren’t willing to repent. They are marked with regret that turned into bitterness, and when they mixed with humans after the flood, the blood drinkers were the result. And then of course, some of them have increased their numbers by turning humans.”

  “Let’s table that whole idea for a minute and go back to the story.” Joy tucked her leg up under her. With her hair hanging loose around her shoulders and the way she was curled up in the corner of the couch, she looked about fifteen years old.

  “Good idea.” Seth shot me an apologetic glance. “Colby, we can talk later about vampires or anything else that I can’t cover now. We’re going to have a fair bit of time for talking while we’re on the road.”

  I scowled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I have no plans to go anywhere. I’m a farmer. I don’t just take off at a moment’s notice.”

  But the angel only smiled. “We’ll get to that. Just trust me. Meanwhile, though, back in 1967, Liesel the Nephilim vampire joined the commune, and immediately, she and Donald were inseparable. He’d already been focused to the point of obsession on trying to find a road to peace—a real, lasting peace—and Liesel told him that she knew a way to make that happen. She claimed to be a witch, and truthfully, she did—does—possess certain powers that witches do. But she definitely didn’t fill him in on other aspects of what she was.

  “Instead, she claimed that she’d been in touch with beings from another plane who were seeking to come to earth in order to show humans the way to peace. She promised him that if he and his group would help her open the door, all of his plans and fondest hopes would come true—peace on earth, once and for all.”

  “And he bought it? Dude must’ve been smoking something really strong.” Joy rolled her eyes. “Or maybe this Liesel had strong powers of persuasion.”

  Seth’s mouth curled a little. “I think it was a mix of both the former and the latter. Donald was definitely into chemical experimentation, but he was also completely besotted with Liesel—I would say he was under her thrall, and that might not be wrong. He was willing to believe anything she told him, and that was how she managed to convince him to gather the people to perform this ritual.” All the light faded from his face as he added, “The ritual was . . . involved and dark. It required ancient words and a certain amount of power . . . and blood.”