The Invictus, page 14
Danny was reluctant to miss a chance to talk with Michael again, but he felt like he was spinning his wheels. He decided to leave. Just then, Father Timothy appeared, framed in a doorway along the opposite wall. Another priest was speaking to him and gesturing, apparently encouraging him to make the rounds through the cathedral. Probably to keep the forgetful old man occupied, Danny thought.
Danny’s gaze locked on Father Timothy as the priest made his way cautiously through the sanctuary, wide-eyed, his expression innocent. Finally, the priest felt the weight of Danny’s stare and looked his way. He immediately beamed and walked toward him.
“Oh, hello! Aren’t you the man who knows my uncle Fred?” “Father Timothy. Yes, that’s me, Danny. Won’t you stay and talk with me for a while?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” the priest hesitated. He peered into Danny’s eyes. “Do I know you?”
This must be the dementia, Danny thought. The old guy clearly recognized me just seconds ago. “Come on, Father, take a seat. I’d love some company right now,” Danny urged.
At first, Father Timothy was unconvinced. Then he appeared to make a decision. He sat down on the pew next to Danny but retreated beyond arm’s length.
Danny suddenly remembered the priest’s fascination with his prosthetic. Maybe it could serve as a touch point again, and then Michael could be channeled through him with their conversation.
“Oh, my arm aches,” Danny feigned. He pushed up his jacket sleeve to where his wounded arm attached to the prosthetic.
Instantly, Father Timothy perked up. “Oh my! Is that real? Does it work?”
“Sure, would you like to see?” Danny offered his arm.
Father Timothy slid closer to Danny and gently touched the plastic surface. Then he moved his hand higher and made contact with Danny’s bare skin.
In the blink of an eye, the nature of the priest’s face underwent a dramatic transformation. The vacant wonder in his eyes drained away, replaced by a steady gaze of focus and intensity.
“Hello again, Daniel.”
Michael had returned.
“Michael?” Danny asked tentatively.
“Yes, Daniel, the very same. I’m glad you chose to return.”
“So am I. I want to know more,” he said with purpose.
“As you should. Learning more will make you stronger.”
“Stronger,” Danny repeated, suddenly distracted. For the first time, he noticed that the section of the sanctuary where they were seated had emptied. They were now secluded, and the buzz that had filled the church was reduced to a dim whisper. How did he manage that? Danny wondered.
“Not many people in this world would forgo the chance to have a discussion with an archangel in order to seek the truth and be imbued with understanding.”
Danny was transfixed, hanging on to Michael’s every word.
“Let us continue then. Have you come to grips about what you learned the last time we spoke?”
“Come to grips—I wouldn’t go that far.” Danny leaned back, underscoring his unease. “There is still a lot I don’t understand about Craig and his powers. But I’m willing to hear you out. That’s why I’m here.”
“Your cousin is eminently more important than those who have come before him. But the difference is not in what resides within him. It is in how he was gifted. He had no knowledge that it happened, or any knowledge of the true meaning behind it. Do you recall the scene I revealed to you?” Danny nodded. “Of course. Who could forget a thing like that?”
“Craig lacks that understanding. And if he does not make an effort to accept the powers he has been given, and to pass them on—always to be used for their intended purpose—he will leave many more innocents vulnerable to these dark descendants.”
“What you just called them—descendants. Who are they? What are they?”
“What do you think they are?”
“Why won’t you just tell me?” Danny asked.
“Because part of truly understanding is to gain awareness through your own efforts.”
“Okay, then help me with that. Help me learn how to do that.”
But Michael pivoted from the request and changed the subject. “Have you told Craig what is now contained within him?”
“No. I thought about it, but I held back because I’m not quite sure what the hell to think about it myself. You say he’s important, that we’re important.” Danny tilted his head as he struggled to understand. “And from what I’ve learned so far, it certainly seems like there’s a meaning or a purpose to . . . what is contained in Craig, as you say. But I’m a detective by nature, and I can’t put it together yet. I don’t want to share what I know with Craig until I can do that.”
“I understand your need to stay rooted to a process. But the way to get to an understanding of anything new is to let go of that which no longer serves you well.”
“You’re not the first person who has said something like that lately,” Danny said, remembering Lauren’s insistence on the same point.
“At certain points along the course of our lives, we will be tested—deliberately tested—in order to prepare us. And through this testing we are made stronger for the roles we are destined to play.”
“Craig certainly appears to have gotten stronger, both mentally and physically, since what went down in Iowa.”
“Power has been given to Craig. If he understands what he has received, he will also understand that he is responsible for how he wields it.”
Danny paused. “Are you saying it’s up to me to make sure he’s using this stuff the right way?”
“Whether you realize it or not, you have done exactly that with Craig to this point, through the service you’ve provided to others, the selflessness of your vocation. You have provided him with an example of the enlightened use of power.”
Danny wasn’t interested in discussing his career on the force. He now knew that he and Craig had a nemesis out there—make that nemeses, and supernatural ones at that. He had to know what they were up against. “Tell me in plain English what we encountered in Iowa.”
“You already know, Daniel. You just want it confirmed. You know that what you battled in the church was far deadlier than anything you could have imagined.”
Danny’s stomach clenched as he remembered the Tourist beating him with superhuman ferocity. He had thought time and healing had erased the fear he’d felt back then, but it stirred again as Michael reminded him of it.
Michael studied Danny’s face with some concern. Then he sighed, apparently resigning himself to explanation. “You want confirmation, Daniel? Then let us do that. The Tourist, as you call him, was one of four beings I showed you in that flashback. Their charge? First, to endure. Second, to terrify, torment, and ultimately eliminate those within whom a positive light shines and good deeds flow. To annihilate those people who are willing to stand up, to inspire, to heal—those who choose love.”
Daniel gulped. “Was it the devil’s hand the descendants were cut from?”
“You need to understand how the Dark One intends to use his descendants. Over time, he has chosen the most benevolent among us to inflict the greatest harm. He reserves his deepest animosity and revilement for two groups: those he sees as the great guides of humanity, and ordinary people who feel the call to stand up for good. In short, the more charitable and noble someone is, the more the descendants seek to destroy them—and along with them, the benefit they bring to others.”
“You showed me there were originally four of them,” Danny jumped in. “But there’s one less now that Craig and I dealt with it.”
“That is true. Actually, only two of the original four remain. But do not take any measure of comfort from that. Each of the four has operated differently, which makes it harder to recognize them. And over the years, they have learned that the most effective way to bring pain and suffering to the hearts of good people is to seduce others to follow them. Their actions of cruelty and hatred can be a powerful draw for those who are adrift.”
“But if two have already been destroyed, it can be done.”
“Yes, this is true. Their physical presence on Earth enables them to deliver suffering. But it also makes them vulnerable because they can only carry out their plan if they assume some form of flesh.”
Clarity and resolve converged in Danny’s mind. “So these remaining two—they’ve got to be stopped, somehow. We’re supposed to destroy these things. And Craig has the power to do it. That’s the responsibility he carries, the duty that comes along with the crazy things he can do. Just like his dad.”
Michael shook his head. “Your cousin’s real gifts are inner sight and the ability to reveal truth. The defensive power you witnessed him wielding in the church— ”
“Shooting force out of his hands,” Danny interjected.
“Yes, that power. That defense will only emerge when he faces these adversaries or their agents. His true responsibility is much greater than acting in such moments.”
“But it’s not only the way Craig fought in the church.” Danny paused, wondering how much he should reveal. Finally, he reasoned that Michael probably already knew. “I’ve seen him heal himself. He can’t be harmed.”
“Yes, Daniel. Craig is invulnerable to human aggression.”
Danny’s mouth fell agape. He leaned back against the pew and looked steadily at Michael.
“I said invulnerable from human aggression, Daniel, not immortal. Either of the remaining descendants can kill Craig, as well as anyone who stands between them and their prey.”
Michael fell silent for several moments, giving Danny time to take that in. When he resumed, he said, “Daniel, I cannot stress enough that Craig’s intended path is to protect and preserve those who are vulnerable, not to seek conflict with the two dark progeny that remain.”
Danny’s head was spinning. “If Craig is as powerful and important as you say, why shouldn’t he—we—go after the remaining two descendants? They’re the threat in the first place!”
Michael sighed. “Why are you so obsessed with trying to roll back the darkness? What do you think you can do, capture it, contain it? It’s like trying to catch wisps of smoke. You and your cousin should look to enhance the light in others. Think about it, Daniel. What has been your focus? To protect and serve. Not to hunt and kill.”
Danny felt pangs of anxiety as he struggled to accept the idea.
Michael repeated his earlier advice. “Protect those who are vulnerable, and pass Craig’s abilities along to others.”
“But there are only the two of us. We can save only a handful of the good ones from these things. How could doing that have a bigger impact than wiping out those two things altogether?” Danny argued.
Michael smiled as he looked across the sanctuary. “Ah, harmony,” he said.
Danny caught the sound of the choir warming up on the far side of the cathedral.
“There is such beauty in the way singular voices come together and produce an even sweeter collective sound.”
“What the hell does that have to do with what we’re talking about?” Danny asked, irritated by Michael’s shift of focus.
“Daniel, people want to share their goodness, their kindness, with one another through their words and deeds. But you should know better than most that to do so they must be willing to be vulnerable. They have to choose to be unsteady, uncomfortable, even to endure pain in order to do the right thing. You and your cousin must commit to protecting others who are willing to step out in that way, as you have done before in your line of work, even if you did so unknowingly.”
“I’m still not sure I follow,” Danny admitted.
“It takes a catalyst, someone willing to lead by example, to show people a better way, a different way. Those who serve in this manner must not perish at the hands of these dark descendants. People need to feel safe and supported if they are to move toward the light. But once they do, they shine like so many stars in the night sky, making a collective, positive impact that astounds. Don’t you want to play a part in setting that into motion? Doesn’t Craig? Before you answer, you should know that it can be a lonely path. It means being satisfied with that path, being able to thrive in anonymity.”
“If all we’re supposed to do is work behind the scenes protecting others, why did Craig get all these awesome powers?” Danny countered. “What you say we’re supposed to do doesn’t seem to make the most of his gifts.”
“Your cousin’s abilities flow through him because he is a tool, an instrument. But for what purpose, he will wonder. Just as you are doing now. He is powerful, yes, but still ignorant of his purpose.” Michael looked intently at Danny. “Let me ask you, Daniel. Is he ready to listen? Is he teachable?”
Danny thought the question ironic, given Craig’s studious nature and how much Danny often learned from him.
“Everything in his life has led to these moments, these very decisions,” Michael said.
At last, it clicked for Danny. “New challenges are coming at him. It’s going to get harder, isn’t it?”
The priest nodded.
Danny wanted to help Craig on his journey and felt mentally up to the task, but he worried that he might not be up to it physically anymore. Without realizing it, feelings of inadequacy spilled out of him.
“I failed Emma. I’m of little use to Craig now. Hell, at work, I’m more and more useless each day.”
“The greatest way you can help Craig is to bring him into awareness. Who people become is rooted in their memories and experiences. Craig doesn’t have any memory of what his father sparked in his palms so long ago. But you now know. You have seen its origins. You can guide him.”
“I can try,” Danny said hesitantly. “This is a lot to process.”
“Craig needs to claim his power while also understanding why he has it and how to be responsible in the way he uses it. Without you to help him, he risks going down his own dark path.”
Danny pressed his lips together. “Craig on a dark path? I don’t see that. That’s not Craig.”
“Darkness doesn’t fall each day because of the setting sun. It’s the rotation of the earth—and the humans who choose to rotate away from the light—that creates the darkness.”
“Again with the riddles!” Danny said, exasperated. “Come on, Michael, Craig is as good as they come. Hell, I would’ve died in that church if he hadn’t kept me alive.”
“Did he?”
“What do you mean? Of course he did.”
Michael smiled. “This time I won’t give you a riddle, but are you familiar with the biblical saying: ‘I will exalt you, my Lord, for you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies triumph over me. I cried out to you, and you restored me to health. You brought me up from the dead, restored my life, as I was going to the grave.’ Does that sound similar to what happened to you in Iowa?”
“Are you saying Craig wasn’t the one who kept me from bleeding out?”
“I’m saying he is a vessel through which power can flow. Its outcome can be positive or negative. Your cousin’s situation is unique—it has not been encountered before in the entirety of the long line of defenders of this faith. He didn’t agree to accept it, and therefore he could be seduced to use his powers in ways that were never intended.”
“Craig’s been through a lot. He’s the type of guy who’ll wanna make a positive impact,” Danny said.
“As I said, the way Craig received these powers is unique. But equally rare was what he did when you both battled the Tourist. Faced with his own death, he offered himself as sacrifice so that you might live. In doing so, he was cleansed, made pure.”
“But pure is good, right?” Danny asked.
“Like anything that is pure, it is currently absent of any influence, a blank slate on which can be written good or ill intentions. It can take on the traits of that which it embraces, whether the influences it succumbs to are charitable or malevolent.”
“You mean he’s vulnerable right now. Like, in his heart. That these descendants could take him down a bad path.”
“Once more, Craig is unlike any other who has received this gift. The way it came to him and the sacrifice he made for you has made him powerful. But he himself needs to be enlightened. If he isn’t, what he’s been gifted will be squandered at best. At worst . . . ” Michael didn’t finish his sentence.
“C’mon! You can’t leave me hanging with that.”
“I know that both of you have been impatient to grasp the meaning of these powers during these last two years. Know that the time is now upon you. The need to help him understand has become urgent.”
Danny opened his mouth to press on, but Michael raised a hand. He let the other hand drift to his forehead.
“Our time today is ending.” Michael closed his eyes and quietly coughed. It was the first time in their conversation that he looked vulnerable, human, not the powerful force that spoke behind Father Timothy’s eyes.
“What is it? Are you all right?” Danny asked.
“Father Timothy is sick and slowly getting worse. I have long accompanied the good Father so your path and mine could cross in this time and place through his soul. But the human frailty from which he suffers is something I cannot mend.”
“But I still have so many questions. Are there others like Craig in the world? Can’t we keep talking?”
“Yes, there are others—a precious few—though their numbers dwindle. But yes, they do exist. As for our discussion, we cannot continue today. Father Timothy is waning under the physical toll of my speaking through him. We can certainly meet again, however. And it would be best if Craig can accompany you when we do.”
“Why have you told me all of this instead of him?” Danny asked.
“He has been in his own head for too long. He needs someone he trusts to bring him into this awareness before he sees me. He needs you.” Michael grew quiet for a moment before resuming ominously. “Dark times lie ahead, Daniel. Craig must surrender to a greater plan. He needs to push ahead—and survive—so he can pass along what he has within him. You must first make him understand that.”
