The Long Game (Haunted Series Book 19) Page 2

  “I’d love to know what Santos was doing in the Cardamom Mountains,” Mia said.

  “Mia, again, I stress that you ask him. He and I have always kept each other’s secrets. I don’t intend on betraying his trust anytime soon.”

  “Shivers seeking you out worries me,” Mia admitted.

  “What about him worries you?” John asked.

  “The way Shivers traveled here.”

  “Why?”

  “The only beings I know that travel in lightning and storms are Wanderers, dark wizards and demons.”

  Mia watched the cruiser drive past the office window silently. Ted walked up behind her and enveloped her in his arms. “You’re so tense. Is there anything I can do?”

  “Um, maybe later, we missed nap time,” Mia said, leaning back into Ted.

  “Not that I don’t enjoy the thought, but I was talking about what you have on your mind right now.”

  Mia blushed. “Oh, sorry. Wyatt’s library came with a lot of books. His interest in the occult went hand in hand with his being a fallen angel. I’ve come across mention of the Cardamom Mountains before in a book of zombie sightings.”

  “Oh no, not you too. Cid is zombie crazed. I never expected you to believe in the living dead, Mia.”

  “The zombies I read about are the enslaved dead, not the brain eaters of B movie fame.”

  Ted turned his wife around. “You weren’t looking for zombies when you came across the Cardamom Mountains, were you?”

  Mia looked up at Ted. “I was researching methods of reversing enslavement bonding,” she said, pulling her hair away from her neck. “I was looking for a loophole.”

  Ted gazed at the mark of Michael on Mia’s neck. “I thought we weren’t going to worry about the bonding. Michael seems to have, for the most part, put you on reserve status. You’re too valuable to let go now that you can heal angels.”

  “Ted, you know I’d heal them without being bonded. I just hate the idea that I belong to someone that’s not you.”

  Ted pulled her into his arms. “What this represents isn’t bad, Mia. I’ve accepted it. I’m proud that my wife is part of the coolest squadron in the universe. As you’ve said, you would have volunteered your time and talents regardless of bonding. Try to look at it as something National Guard men and women go through. I do.”

  “You are most wise, husband,” Mia said.

  “Tell me about the zombies of Cardamom,” Ted said.

  “Later, after Mr. Big Ears is put to bed.”

  “Honestly, I have a name,” Cid said.

  “Oh no, Cid, I was talking about Brian.” Mia walked over and put a loving hand on Brian’s shoulder. “Brian understands ghosts and deputies, but zombies? We better wait until he’s four or five.”

  Brian looked up at his mother. “Three, I’ll wait till I’m three, and then I’m asking Uncle Murphy.”

  “Is that a threat?” Mia asked amazed.

  “No, Mommy, that’s a promise.”

  ~

  John put in a call to Paolo Santos as he turned out onto the highway headed back to Big Bear Lake. Father Simon, Santos’s assistant, told him that the priest was in a meeting. John left a message to have Santos call him back.

  “What would this be regarding?” Simon asked, typing the note into the computer.

  “The Cardamom Mountains and Mia.”

  “Cardamom as in the spice?”

  “Yes. He’ll know the reference,” John said before hanging up and putting himself back on duty.

  Father Santos looked at the message and then out the window. “Cardamom comes back to haunt me.”

  “Father, did you say something to me?” Father Simon asked, looking up from his work.

  “No, Simon, just talking to myself,” Santos said. “I’ll return the sheriff’s call later. I’ll be in the chapel if you need me.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  Santos walked out of the office and into a small chapel. It was a little-used place. Most of the parishioners preferred the large church that hid this building from the street. Santos liked the peace the chapel brought him. He knelt down and kissed his cross. He stayed there a moment fighting the memories that flooded in faster than he could sort them. A kaleidoscope of images moved out from the core of his being. He trembled and grabbed for his beads. He started praying.

  Simon watched him from the shadows. He was puzzled by his mentor’s reaction to the cryptic message left by the sheriff. Santos was a healthy priest at the prime of his spiritual life. Unfortunately, his vocation had taken a lot of his physical strength away. Dealing with the dead was a hazardous occupation even for the most faithful of the church. Simon had just turned to leave the priest to his solitude when the light behind the apse changed. Turning back, he caught an unexpected visitor. He wasn’t exactly sure, but he thought he’d seen an angel studying the kneeling priest. As much as this occurrence intrigued the young black priest, he felt he was intruding, and with reluctance, Simon left Father Santos to his prayers.

  “Paolo.”

  Santos looked up to see the angel he had not cast eyes upon in this century. “Saint Michael.”

  The angel transformed into his human disguise and stood over the kneeling priest. “Rise, we have much to talk about.”

  Santos crossed himself as he rose. He stared up into the dark blue eyes of the angel who had rescued him from his doubt. Michael had changed since their first meeting. He had lost a bit of the arrogance and gained the scar that marred his otherwise perfect complexion.

  “Your anguish called to me, Paolo.”

  “I’m sorry, I was reminded of a dark time in my life. I looked to the heavens to calm my turbulent soul.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “Your counsel would be appreciated.”

  Michael placed his hand on the priest’s head and closed his eyes. He took in Santos’s memories of the Cardamom Mountains. He opened his eyes. “Who is this John Ryan?”

  “He is a friend. He is watching the hollow and Mia for me.”

  “The hollow. Mia. What does Mia have to do with this?”

  “I’m not sure. I needed to quiet my mind before I returned John’s call.”

  Michael raised his wings. “Mia, come to me,” he commanded.

  A flood of sunshine moved through the small stained-glass windows. Mia appeared looking around her. She had never been in the chapel. She knelt before Michael conscious of Father Santos’s stare.

  “Rise. Thank you for coming so quickly,” Michael said.

  “I had a feeling and was prepared,” Mia said. She nodded her head, “Father Santos.”

  “Mia.”

  “Explain yourself,” Michael ordered.

  “We had a visit from an entity from the Cardamom Mountains today. A Corporal Shane Quivers.”

  “Shivers,” Santos said and wavered.

  Mia caught him before he fell. She looked at Michael alarmed.

  Chapter Two

  Michael watched as his healer easily bore the weight of the priest. She gently laid him down and moved her hands over his unconscious body.

  “He seems in good health. He’s experiencing a panic-induced rise in his blood pressure. His brain shut him down, aka fainted. His heart is not strong.”

  “Heal him.”

  “Yes, Michael.” Mia placed her hand over Santos’s heart. She prayed that God heal the loyal follower. Mia felt a surge of power move into her and then into Paolo. She carefully caressed the man’s chest until he opened his eyes.

  Paolo Santos stared at the blurred visage before him. This was Mia Cooper Martin, but the energy that radiated off of her was new. “Mia?” he asked.

  “Yes, it’s me, Father. Tell me, are you in any pain?”

  “Just a silly old man fainting. Help me up,” he insisted.

  Mia pulled her wings in and assisted the priest to his feet.

  Michael watched his healer offer a strong arm to the priest. Mia had changed yet again. Sariel warned him that the super
human gene in Mia had finally awoken. Mia’s body had changed little with the exception of the more defined muscles. Another surprise was that she seemed compliant to him, but he sensed it was more for the priest’s benefit, than that she had accepted Michael as her master. This pleased the archangel. Contrary to his generals, Michael didn’t want automatons. He wanted thinking individuals who supported his views but weren’t afraid of asking questions. He was fallible, but he would never openly admit this. If he was perfect, he would have been able to turn Lucifer away from his path to damnation. He assumed that his brother’s mind was the same as his, an assumption that changed heaven and earth forever.

  “Mia, secure the doors. Tell Father Simon we would not like to be disturbed.”

  “Yes, Michael,” Mia answered.

  “Oh and, Mia…” Michael started.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  Mia blushed. She didn’t know what to say so she just scurried away.

  As soon as she left the chapel, Michael laughed robustly.

  Father Santos looked at the angel a moment before commenting, “She is a handful, but her heart is in the right place.”

  “Yes, I’m sure she’s brought a few gray hairs to your head, Paolo. Come sit. Tell me why the mere mention of this Shivers has you taking an impromptu nap.”

  Mia moved into the chapel, securing the doors behind her. She walked the perimeter of the beautiful space, locking any doors she came across. Before she locked the last one, she asked, “Michael, do you want me in or out?”

  “You’re not a cat so you can stay in,” he teased.

  Mia walked over to the males and sat down.

  “Paolo was just going to explain the Shivers business,” Michael told her.

  “Was I?” Santos asked.

  “Yes. Mia, contrary to her husband, can keep a secret.”

  Mia gave Santos a wide smile.

  “Don’t do that, Mia. It unnerves me.”

  This caused Michael to laugh again.

  Santos didn’t understand the dynamic between Mia and the mightiest of angels. He suppressed his curiosity before he spoke, “When I was a young priest, I was sent into Cambodia to spend some time with a group of medical missionaries. The main reason I was sent was to learn from a very gifted exorcist who was acting as the group’s spiritual leader. Father Domingo was a decent hard-working priest, and I found his temperament to be mild and reasonable. He didn’t adopt the do as I say attitude. He explained his reasons behind his choice of actions. Father Domingo had managed to be accepted by the region’s warlord and rarely was he denied access to any village.”

  “Why were exorcists needed in these villages?” Mia asked.

  “When a person couldn’t be healed by the local healers, the villagers assumed that a demon had taken over the victim. Most times a wee bit of western medicine brought the patient around, but Father Domingo was finding more and more that a crevice demon was indeed living inside the inflicted.”

  “What is a crevice demon?” Mia asked.

  “A crevice demon is an evil entity born in the fetid pools that collect in the limestone crags of the Cardamom Mountains. Limestone, as you know, nourishes spiritual activity, but it can also stabilize transient beings, most likely demons who have been cast out. These demons seek out each other for comfort. The offspring of their joining are crevice demons. After the demons are born, they seek out hosts. Crevice demons live in the central nervous systems of humans. A symptom of possession is usually a full herpes breakout initially, followed by extreme agitation in the limbs, and finally, a penchant for ripping off their own flesh and consuming it. Death follows. But when these crevice demon victims die, their bodies do not rot, their souls don’t ascend or descend, they return to the pools. They wait there until called upon. They serve evil masters. Hundreds of years ago, there was an army of these entities that followed the orders of an evil warlord in the area now known as Vietnam. They were conquered by the Trung Sisters.”

  “Tell Mia how you kill a crevice spirit,” Michael requested.

  “You chop off their heads.”

  “Like zombies?” Mia asked.

  “This may be where some of the zombie lore came from,” Father Santos offered.

  “So Father Domingo…” Mia led.

  “Father Domingo, after exorcising a crevice demon out of the warlord’s brother, found that the man resumed his normal life, and it was later recorded that he lived out his life span without a reoccurrence of possession. So basically, if he could get to the victims before they died, he could remove the demons and save the men - crevice demon possession is gender specific; it only happens to men. But if they died, they were doomed to exist as a slave until beheaded.”

  “Thank you,” Mia said. “Back to Shivers.”

  “We had no idea that the Americans were doing recon in the Cardamoms. The mountains were too far west of what would be a military advantage. They had been there a week when we crossed paths. There were a few uncomfortable moments due to mutual suspicion. My English was the strongest, so I was sent to speak to them. I explained that there was a plague in the mountain villages, and that for their safety, it was best to turn around and leave the area. Sergeant Koenig seemed to take our warning to heart, and after I supplied him with intel on a safer route north, he assured me they would be moving on in the morning. And I believe they would have had Corporal Shane Quivers not disappeared in the night.”

  Mia looked over at Michael. He was relaxed in his human persona. Aside from his longer than fashionable brown hair, he would fit in anywhere. The scar pulled at the corner of his mouth giving him a wry expression. His eyes drifted over to Mia, and for a moment, he held her gaze, an eyebrow lifting. Mia broke off her stare and returned her attention to Father Santos. She didn’t feel Michael in her head, but the archangel’s powers were off the charts. He could be dancing in her head with a porcupine and she wouldn’t know it.

  “We did not see them again until we entered the village of Chakra. We had received word from a runner that there was a man there in much distress. Further questioning of the messenger by Father Domingo brought out that the man was not from Chakra but came in the night. We thought that it could be the missing American so we headed directly to Chakra. Had we not, John Ryan would not be alive today.”

  “Father Domingo was attending to the man, from a neighboring village, who turned out to be suffering from a very bad case of hives brought on from something he ate, when something pulled me away from the hut. I wandered out into the darkness, not really knowing why. I saw a tall shadow of a man staggering into the village. The locals had taken up arms, ready to protect the village from this stranger, when I connected with his mind. It was John.”

  Mia was going to ask more questions, but Father Santos raised his hand. “I think that this story should be told in tandem with John. There is much that went on when I was not around to see.”

  “Just tell me one thing, and I’ll let this lie in your capable hands,” Mia prefaced. “Tell me why the mention of Shivers would cause you so much distress?”

  “Shivers wasn’t suffering from the possession of a crevice demon. Corporal Shane Quivers was possessed by Abigor.”

  Michael sat up stiffly. “Are you certain?”

  “Handsome man with coal black eyes.”

  “Before he fell, he had black wings with white tips,” Michael said.

  Mia looked at the men. Lacking any knowledge of the fallen apart from what Sariel had told her, she had no idea that they were talking about a demon who was the commander of sixty legions of demons. His earthly followers were military men who sacrificed people to Abigor in order to gain the knowledge of future battles. The souls from the sacrificed became part of the legions of demon warriors.

  “What would he be doing in the Cardamom Mountains at that time?” Michael mused out loud. “Pol Pot! The bastard must have made sacrifices to the demon for information to take Cambodia,” he realized. “But why has he sought out John
Ryan?”

  “And why involve PEEPs?” Father Santos said.

  Both men turned their heads and looked at Mia.

  She now knew the reason Quivers was called Shivers, because her spine sent shockwaves of warning to her extremities. Abigor was doing recon on Mia.

  “Excuse me, but the being I talked to seemed to be more Corporal Quivers than a demon,” Mia insisted. “He did use a storm for transportation, but I really think he sent a message to you through John. ‘All were not lost in the Cardamom Mountains.’ Gentlemen, I may be making a leap, but he may not be talking about the lost soldiers at all, but the army that waits.”

  It was Santos’s turn to feel the biological reaction to hearing frightening news. A legion of the undead were amassing in the Cardamom mountains.

  Michael produced his wings.

  Father Santos fell to his knees.

  Mia looked up, waiting for her orders.

  “Mia, prepare yourself. I need to send a scouting team to the Cardamoms to confirm the intel that Shivers/Abigor has shared. Whether it is to help or scare us, is of no matter. We need to know for certain before acting.”

  Michael was gone. Mia helped Santos to his feet. “Can this demon possess me?” she asked.

  “Not if your faith is strong.”

  “Well, since my parents never sent me to Sunday school, I imagine I’m ripe for the plucking?”

  “Oh no, Mia, your faith is in the power of love, forgiveness and fairness. Abigor doesn’t stand a chance.”

  “I worry about my family. Ted in particular.”

  “His strategic mind is tempting, but I feel that Abigor has found a meat suit to be comfortable in. He won’t be seeking another. Why he came to the farm is still unclear. That you are the new pet of Michael…”

  “I’m what?” Mia asked insulted. “A pet?”

  “Sorry, bad use of words. It could be, your appearance in the demon court has interested those who don’t want this war to happen. Whatever the reason is, Mia, let Michael guide you. He has defended us humans since we began. He won’t fail us.”