Page 48 of Revelations

“Prophecies always find a way. Your untimely demise all those years ago should’ve been the end of it. Even I was lulled into a false sense of peace and security. For a long time, both sides thought that it was over. The prophecy died along with you, but then again…you didn’t really die, did you?”

Greylyn whispered in awe, “How did no one know that I still lived, that I was to be a guardian angel?”

“No, dear, someone kept that piece of vital information to themselves. Your resurrection as a guardian angel was not expected and well hidden. Once your presence was known, a supernatural shockwave rocked the realms.” A broad smile lit up the oracle’s face and her black eyes gleamed with delight.

At least someone was amused, because Greylyn was far from it. “So, the prophecy didn’t die. It was just some time before anyone realized it. I wasn’t hiding. I didn’t disguise myself. Hell, until three months ago, I was just a plain old guardian angel.”

“Honey, your guess is as good as mine. Even I didn’t see it, and I see most everything. When I heard that you had lived, I was just as puzzled as anyone else. I suspect that someone did a fantastic job of cloaking you. But now that the word is out, you’ve got Heaven and Hell chasing their own tails, trying to figure out what to do.”

Suddenly, the black cat reappeared and jumped on the oracle’s lap. She circled several times, purring as her shiny fur was stroked before she settled down.

“What, not talking now, kitty?” Greylyn knew that she should not be so amused by this sight but could not help herself. Before, the cat had been so pretentious but now seemed rather domesticated.

The cat’s head lifted. Beady eyes glared at her. Running one hand down the length of the feline, from the top of her head to her tail, the oracle chided the animal. “Francesca, that’s no way to behave in front of guests.” To Greylyn, she added, “She’s just overprotective of me, is all. Doesn’t like any humans. Scratched up anyone who came within ten yards of this place. The tenants in the building left long before the riots began. Run off by eight pounds of fur with claws.” Laughing, she continued to pet the cat. Soon, the animal laid its head down on her lap and closed its eyes with a soft purr.

Greylyn had to ask, even though the question was inconceivable. “Would it have been better, would the prophecy really have ceased to be a threat, if I had just stayed dead?”

Tsking softly, the woman gave her a stern, but maternal stare. “Now, honey, I’m not saying that it was entirely a bad thing that you crawled out of the ground and have been wandering around helping folks, but you have to take a look at the bigger picture; because you live, the prophecy lives.”

“Do you know what the prophecy says? Have you seen what happens if I do this?”

Greylyn’s chest constricted. She had to know. Right now, she was obligated to Olivier in order to save Kelly and her child. But what if by going through with this, she unleashed untold harm on millions or more innocent humans? Could she risk that?

The oracle did not immediately answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and hummed softly to herself. “There’s death. Chaos.”

The words that no one wanted to hear. Greylyn watched in horror as the woman’s body convulsed violently. Her words came out in broken, sporadic bursts. The cat flew off of her lap and landed with a thud across the room, howling. With one last thrash, the oracle collapsed against the back of her chair.

Greylyn jumped across the coffee table, desperately feeling for a pulse.

A large, clammy hand with three-inch long ruby red nails grasped her by the forearm as tightly as a vice. “You must find a way to stop this from coming to pass. The impossible will become possible. Universal laws will be nullified, ripping the very fabric between Heaven and Hell.”

An icy invisible hand seized her heart. All air expelled at once from her lungs. The very truth that she hadfeared had been spoken. There was no ending to this scenario. No winners, except perhaps an egomaniac who probably did not understand exactly what it was thathe wished to unleash…or maybe he did.

Once she was able to take a breath again, Greylyn picked up the cooled teacup from the coffee table and handed it to the oracle while she recovered from her vision.

Francesca returned to snuggle in the woman’s lap. Although she looked to be in her mid-forties, maybe fifties, it was clear that the woman was much, much older.

Did she really say two millennia?

“Is there a way to stop this from coming to pass? Would my death, again, negate the prophecy?”

There it was, out in the open; the only question that truly mattered. Would her death put a stop to this insanity? She was surprised at how easily the question now left her own lips, when moments earlier the answer had been her greatest fear.

“No, child. It wouldn’t. Besides, being the one tethered to this fate may work in our favor. While you continue your search for clues, perhaps you can find a way around this…a way to see it through, but not see it through.”

Cryptic again!

“But, how do I do that?” she asked in what she quickly realized came out like a child’s whine.

“Didn’t see that part. Just a word whispered in my ear—redemption. I don’t imagine Heaven would issue a prophecy that could destroy itself, not without an escape plan.”

Redemption. Well, that could be taken a million different ways.

More supposition. More speculation. She needed solid answers. All of this gray area made her head pulse in pain. Why not just tell her, “Greylyn, do X in order to fulfill the prophecy; do Y to stop it”?

The oracle’s soothing voice cut through Greylyn’s rampaging thoughts. “Funny thing about prophecies, even the ambiguous ones…the answers are always there, but hidden away, not to be revealed until just the right moment.”

Slumping back against the sofa, anxiety mixed with hopelessness reared inside Greylyn.

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