Page 2 of Revelations

“Well, it’s about time you made an appearance. I’ve been waiting all night. A few more moments and I would have left without you,” the shadowed man said in a foreign accent that she did not recognize. With a subtle bow, the shadowed man added, “Jasper Moreau at your service, milady.” He separated from the tree and strolled leisurely over to where she lay on the damp ground. His boots shone with garish gold buckles. The stranger appeared more like he should be walking into a palace, not standing in the middle of nowhere.

Get up and run! Must be the Devil himself come to fetch me back to Hell!

The energy that had propelled her from the grave refused to return, regardless of the overwhelming fear and desperation. She could barely lift her head to gaze at him. The muscles in her neck twitched with the effort. Her mind ordered her legs to jump up and run, but nothing happened.

She pushed herself up on trembling arms, and fresh tears dripped off her chin. “So, ye’ve come for me yourself, Satan? By what sin have ye claim to me?”

Another chuckle, more vigorous this time echoed through the empty field. “My apologies, milady. I believe you have me confused for someone else,” he said with a slight touch of sarcasm. “The Devil lays no claim to you now, or ever. You are destined for something far greater than Hell.”

Confused, but hopeful, a whimper escaped her lips. “So, you are an angel of the Lord, then?”

Moments passed as the stranger reflected on the question, his long fingers tapping his slightly pointed chin with a finely coiffed beard. “Oui, milady. One could make that assumption and not be entirely wrong.”

Before she could ask for clarification on that vague response, he quickly added, “I do apologize that I could not assist in freeing you of your…enclosure, but there are no headstones or markers in this quaint little boneyard and there appear to be several fresh grave sites.” Manicured nails flicked off a spot of what must have been imaginary dust from the velvet lapel of his coat. “I simply could not find you in time without digging up the whole place.”

Something in the smoothness of his voice or his nonthreatening stance gave her a sense of calmness—that she had no need to fear this man. Still, how could she be certain?

How could she trust him?

A tingling sensation washed over her body, as energy flooded back through the crown of her head, down her throat, filling her heart and abdomen with warmth before spreading out to her limbs; the cold of the night air no longer bit into her skin. She first wiggled her toes, and then shook out her legs, that moments earlier had refused to move. A pleasant itching replaced the stinging of cuts and scrapes along her hands and arms. Her frazzled thoughts calmed, leaving behind a welcomed peace.

Pulling her legs toward her body, she took a long look around. She sat on the edge of a small graveyard between a sheep pasture and a thick forest. In the distance, silhouettes of buildings stood out, one taller than the rest with a pointed steeple. Even the cloud-filled night sky seemed bright and welcoming.

A sliver of moonlight peeked out between the dense cloud cover for just a moment, offering a momentary illumination so she could make out the visage of the stranger. The earlier blurred vision had corrected itself. Everything was in a crystal, perfect focus. Every color stood out in sharp contrast to the dreary darkness surrounding them. Every subtle change of hue wasmarked to perfection; every shape was clearly drawn.

He was strikingly tall with broad shoulders. He wore fancyclothing, with a frilly white shirt with a dark velvet overcoat; long jet-black hair was pulled into a ponytail with a satin ribbon. Despite the weather, there was no heavy coat to protect him from the harsh elements. Every detail screamed that he did notbelong here.

When he reached over to help her up from the ground, a sweet musky scent infiltrated her senses, producing a vision of a deep evergreen forest. Most notable were his startling blue eyes, set against deep olive skin. They glowed in the darkness with such intensity, that it seemed as thoughhe were peering into her soul. She found herself on her feet without any recollection of standing. When she looked down at his hand on her arm, he released her. The tranquility abruptly ended.

“Madam, I realize you may be distressed about your predicament. Allow me to reassure you that you are now indeed safe. The Devil is not out to drag you to Hell. You will never need to fear the grave again.”

His nonchalant tone and nonsensical words slammed into her the wrong way. She rounded on him, her voice rising. “How is that precisely? Someone buried me alive! You did nothing about it. How can you stand there and smugly say that you could not help me? How can you possibly…”

His eyes narrowed and a nerve ticked just under his left eye. The look, more than the silence, unnerved her.

“Milady, you were not buried alive,” he said. “You were very much dead.”

Pain, like she had just been punched in the gut, doubled her over. Bile rose in her throat. Her heart skipped a beat, or several. Unable to take in a breath, her hands flew to her throat. Her lungs clamored for air, but her body refused to perform the function of inhaling.

Breathe. Dammit! Breathe.

“You were very much dead.” The statement echoed in her ears, drowning out all else.

She collapsed back onto the cold ground. Shaking violently, but unable to speak, a low, raspy moan escaped her lips.

This man must be insane! Right?

A warm hand caressed her shoulder, soothing. “Please, do not worry or ponder things that you could not possibly be knowledgeable of. You are certainly not deadnow.”

Somehow, that was not reassuring.

Sputtering, she forced herself to look up at him. “Then what exactly am I?”

A smile spread over his face, showcasing perfect white teeth. “Think of it as being reborn. This night is your new birthday, if you will. The night you were resurrected into your true being.”

Blinking in disbelief, she was afraid to ask, but forced the words out. “Reborn as what? One is either dead or alive… What does that make me?”

The man waved his hands around at the farmland and the dire graveyard. “You are no longer of this world. Earthly cares and weaknesses will no longer afflict you. You, my dear, have transformed into a being of light and truth, a warrior for good.”

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