Abigail

Abigail let her head slide to the side as she stared out the passenger-side window. There was little to see at this hour; mostly outlines of trees and rooftops in the roadside murk. But every once in a while they sped by a lit-up sign announcing the name of the local train station. Elias had turned off the freeway too early, so they now drove along the meandering suburban road, which seemed to play leap-frog with the Newcastle train-line.

"Do you think Ramiel will ever show up again?" Abigail said. "He left about as suddenly as he arrived."

Her disappointment with the night's conclusion was still palpable. Harold and Abigail had been attempting small talk with Giorgio when Ramiel strode into the kitchen. In two well-phrased, but clinical sentences he thanked them for their help and announced his departure. Then he gestured for Giorgio to follow him and the two angels marched out together. Neither Abigail nor Harold even had a chance to glimpse Raphael.

"All adventures have to end sometime," Elias responded.

"Najran and his lot are still out there."

"True, but that's for the angels to deal with now."

Slowly, the station names became more familiar. Berowra. Mount Kuring-gai. Warrawee. It wasn't far now. After Turramurra, Elias took a left, finally turning towards the coast. Another half an hour and they would be home.

Abigail glanced down at her still-tingling hands and tried to concentrate on the coils of energy within her. A spark of pale yellow light flickered between her fingertips, then dissipated. Even if their part in this story was over, Ramiel had already left an enduring mark on her life. She was nephilim, she could never forget that.

Elias glanced over to his sister. "Will you stop it?"

"Is it distracting you?" Abigail asked.

"Nevermind me. You're shaking; you've exhausted yourself."

Abigail held up her hand. Damn, he's right. She glanced down and realised it wasn't just her hands. Her entire body trembled as if she had spent the last hour swimming in icy water, rather than sitting inside a heated car.

She shrugged. "No pain, no gain. My squad coaches always said that kind of stuff. I imagine it's the same with this."

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"But what's the gain?"

"Hasn't your flashlight battery ever died on you?" Abigail snorted. "Are you serious, Eli? There are probably a million things I could do if I tried."

Elias pursed his lips and adjusted the volume of the radio. "I bet it's not as easy as a matter of trying."

She shook her head; there was no winning here for either of them. As the crackling radio dominated the car cabin once more, Abigail turned her focus to the glovebox handle. She needed to push it forward a mere couple of millimetres and the glovebox would pop open.

It should have been easy, but as they sped through one suburb after another, the flimsy plastic handle refused to budge. Sighing, Abigail rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. Maybe I did overdo it.

The dashboard clock announced it was seven minutes to midnight when Elias finally pulled up by their house. The cold night air caught Abigail's breath as the climbed out of the car and although the house stood cold and uninviting, she scrambled towards it.

Inside, however, was as cold as outside and Abigail wished Elias hadn't refused Harold's offer to have them stay the night. While Abigail plugged in the electric heater, Elias flipped on the lights throughout the house. She wondered if this was her brother's attempt to chase away the uncomfortable realisation that this would be the first night the two of them would spend alone here. With Ramiel there Abigail, and likely Elias too, had focused on the angel's presence, not the absences.

"Is this yours?" Elias picked up an envelope that lay on top of the textbooks he had left stacked on the coffee table that morning.

It wasn't sealed, so when he flipped it over two bronze coins fell out. He caught one, but the other rolled under the table. Thrusting the letter into Abigail's hands, he scrambled to retrieve it. Abigail lifted the lip of the envelope. Inside she found a thick, ivory-coloured sheet of paper with a handwritten note.

Dear Abigail and Elias,

I owe you a debt of gratitude for the patience and care you have shown my dear friend Ramiel throughout his time with you. And I assure you, he too is humbled by your hospitality. If Ramiel seemed curt upon departing, please do not take it as a sign of his indifference. He is a creature of the sword, not of words.

He has relayed to me his concerns about your welfare now that he has departed and Najran is yet uncaught. I have, therefore, strengthened the warding around your house. Four marble slates are now hidden under the ground of your property. These are ward anchors, take care not to disturb them.

You will have found two coins with this letter. When you leave your house, keep one of these coins on your person. Should you ever require assistance, place the coin between your clasped hands and say either my name or Ramiel's.

May the Lord Creator ever watch over you,

Raphael

Abigail grinned, and when Elias re-emerged from under the coffee table with the second coin in his hand, she showed him Raphael's letter.

"That's decent of him, I suppose," Elias said and held up the retrieved coin. It was about the same size as the 50 cent piece. However, instead of the coat of arms on one side and the queen on the other, this one had a complex sigil stamped into both sides. "Witness Protection and ten million dollars would've been nice too."