Enid had skipped the armor this time and left the sword in her bag. She kept the platinum blonde hair. She wore a conservative dress, navy blue. For all intents and purposes, she looked normal, if a bit exotic. This meeting was in the evening. It was at the cathedral. Aware that someone may be watching, she dipped her fingers in holy water and crossed herself and kneeled towards the tabernacle. She looked over the building. As resistant as she was to the thought of organized religion and God in general, she was always amazed at the beauty of cathedrals. She pulled off her winter coat and folded it over her arm.

She watched as a priest walked towards her from the head of the cathedral she smiled. He smiled as well. He was a younger priest, well relatively. He offered his hand.

“Hello, Sarah, I am Father James. Thank you for agreeing to speak to me for our channel.”

“It is an honor to have been asked.”

He smiled.

“I watched the video you did for Tomorrow’s Shadow. You came without your sword or armor?”

“I can get them if you’d like, I just didn’t think it was appropriate to come dressed for war into his house.”

She glanced up at the crucifix at the center of the cathedral.

“No, no, please, we have a studio set up for streaming this way, we set it up during the Pandemic and it has never gone away.”

“Your content is very valuable to the faithful Father James. I watch every single video.”

Because my sister makes me.

He blushed a bit.

“You have a lot of wisdom to share as do the deacons, and other speakers you have on.”

“Well, I appreciate the feedback.”

He led Enid into the studio. She guessed the person working the camera was a member of the seminary, and she saw a young woman who was adjusting lights. She noticed the Mother Superior from Mariana’s convent here as well. Enid sat down in the comfortable chair that was provided and waited to start. The young woman motioned that they could start.

“Hello, Father James again, we have our weekly get to know Edmonton Parishioners, where we discuss what brought people to the church, what makes them stay, how it shapes their lives. Tonight, I’m pleased to introduce you to Sarah.”

Enid waved at the cameras and smiled. It was her best Lady Sarah smile that she used to use to make the peasants love her in Narfordshire.

“Thank you, Father James.”

“Let us pray.”

“Mother Mary, we beseech you to intercede on behalf of our viewers so that they can find the peace of the Father, son and the holy spirt, that they can find the wisdom to forgive those around them from all things large and small.”

Enid made the sign of the cross with practiced ease.

“Amen”

“Sarah, tell us about your journey in Christ.”

“I am a cradle to the grave Catholic. My mother had me baptized and I went through first confession and confirmation in grade school. I went to Catholic school, I read the bible often. I often read texts written by theologians. I am so happy I was brought up in the faith. As a child I used to complain about going to church, I used to hate getting dressed up, and sitting there through all those boring readings and sermons. As I grew older, I began to appreciate it, appreciate that my mother made me go to mass.”

“Was there a precipitating event, an epiphany that led you to accept the church’s teachings and appreciate your upbringing?”

“Yes actually, when I was fifteen, I was asked by my priest if I would sponsor someone in RCIA.”

“For our non-Catholic viewers that is Right of Christian Initiation for adults.”

The father motioned for Enid to continue.

“Fifteen-year-old me was like, what? People actually want to join this archaic cult. Honestly, I wasn’t exactly quiet in theological discussions about church beliefs so I thought Father Robert was going a bit senile, but he said the girl was just a bit older than me and was facing a lot of pressure from her fanatically atheistic parents and that I could help show her that Catholics are normal people and not the monsters she’s being told we are. So was like sure, whatever. When I saw the light in her eyes when she found God and Christ in her heart for the first time, I saw Catholicism and Christianity through her eyes, and it was beautiful. It brought me to tears, I guess to truly learn, you need to teach others. After that I started reading everything I could about Catholic Theology, dug into the catechism. I was actually pretty angry at myself for wasting the past fifteen years, this eighteen-year-old girl was genuinely jealous of my upbringing in the church, that I had this for my whole life. We’re still friends today, and her parents started coming to Mass a couple of years afterwards. They never did join, but they were supportive of her.”

“What an inspiring story. I watched your interview with Michelle, and you spoke of journals and stories your family has from biblical times, how do you deal with these two conflicting versions of the scripture?”

“They aren’t conflicting, they’re more like a companion, or like that x-ray on Amazon. You find out more about some of the events and actors a different perspective.”

“So, you’re saying that you can match events between your families’ histories and the bible?”

“Oh yes, the journals are part captains log, part record of demons my ancestors have run across. So, while they aren’t referencing say, Sodom and Gomorrah like they are some big events, it was more of a: Today I failed to stop a demon from destroying two cities, so many dead. Only pillars of salt remained. God forgive me for my failures. The Second Son trapped her in Amber for all time and chastised me for showing her mercy when God had clearly warned us it was coming. Then more information about the demon, her name, the fact that she was a fallen angel and not just a mere demon. Her terrible hatred for mankind and the damage they had done to her precious world.”

“But the Old Testament states that God smote those cities for their evil. You are telling us something different happened.”

“Well as the catechism says, we need to read the bible in the context it was written, that is from the book of Genesis, it’s not a historic record, its Hebrew poetry and their interpretation of events. From our perspective, it could have been a volcano that destroyed them. The journals merely give a different perspective. And if God created hell as a prison for his fallen angels, then who is to say he did not release her knowing she would smite the cities and the Second Son, and my ancestor didn’t misread his intentions? Those old stories, the ones before Rome, they are just that legends and stories passed down through oral tradition. I just happen to know this one is half true because my great grandmother references fighting a demon matching this one’s description in London who had been released from an amber prison. And local reports of some unearthly weather match the descriptions given in the journals in the destruction of those cities. Without that second appearance I probably would have written it off as a load of well you know.”

“So, you don’t take the journals at their word?”

“No, it would be foolish to blindly follow anything written down after thousands of years of oral tradition as pure fact. Without peer review. I should note though, that much of it was written before the bible as we know it was codified.”

Father James nodded.

“Are there any other biblical perspectives your family’s histories provide on the bible’s events?”

“They say that Eve was tempted by the Black Son, or first creation of god to eat the forbidden fruit. That he is the original corruptor and deceiver, and that it was he who convinced Lucifer to rebel.”

“So, they claim the black son is who we see as Satan.”

“Not quite, sort of, he is the destroyer, bringer of chaos. He seeks only to undo what God has created and make himself the one true god of all creation. Basically, he doesn’t want hell on earth, he wants the end of everything, and everyone. No heaven, no hell, no physical universe, just chaos.”

“Do you believe this Black Son exists?”

“Yes, even now he is working against us.”

“Why do you believe in his existence?”

“He is referenced several times in the journals and cults of him have cropped up over history. You can even read some of them yourself. Also, the chosen who wrote our first journal fought against him. She raised a Roman Legion, using dubious means, and necromancy. Massive violations or our covenant with the Second Son and God. She was obsessed with destroying him once and for all and it cost her husband and her sister their lives along with thousands of soldiers never being able to reach heaven. It was terrible, her ego destroyed everything she built. She died a bitter woman, blaming God for her failures. She did succeed in buying the world time though. But the cost, it was too high. It was because she didn’t understand that brute force isn’t going to win this battle, love and sacrifice are.”

“Was she one of the early Christians?”

“She was baptized if that’s what you mean. She honestly thought it was, well I can’t repeat the words but there were a few offensive choice terms. She was a contemporary of Jesus and he was referred to in the journals.”

“He was, there are a lot of biblical historians that would love to see that. I’m sure. Could you share some of what you read?”

“Well not all of it, some of it was for well our eyes only, not for the world large. Jesus was apparently related to us in some fashion. It wasn’t clear, but the Roman Chosen, her name was Sextina, and her sister followed him around for a while. Sextinia was sure he would be a magnet for demons and being as he was family, she wanted to keep him safe, her sister Mariana, she was a full-on convert. I only have what Sextinia said about Mariana’s relationship with the disciples and Jesus, which were obviously colored by her skepticism. Sextinia didn’t really see him as a messiah, or even a prophet, just a wise teacher and she felt responsible for his safety, and Mariana’s safety as well. She didn’t write down much of what he said except for a few very specific lines that he made her promise to record for her future daughters. Those are the lines I cannot speak for he made her swear it would stay within the family and I am bound by her word. She did mention the last supper, but it was in passing, she was angry and sad. She had the ability to see the true measure of a person, as do all the women in my family and she saw the betrayal he was about to suffer. And caught a glimpse of his suffering on the cross. She apparently had a conversation with him that night telling him what she knew, and he told her he already knew it was the time. She argued with him fervently to let her get him away, let her use the gifts she had been granted to put these people that wanted to kill him down and he refused. She threatened to grab him by the ear and drag him to safety in Rome. She claims at that point he said something to her, that she did not record, but the fight left her, and she watched him suffer and die. He made her promise to seek no retribution of his betrayer and she kept her word and left him be. She wrote a record of Jesus’s death, pretty much matches what we read in the bible it tore her up.”

“I see what you’re saying, it’s like another perspective of the events.”

“She didn’t know he was going to be the basis of a religion; She just saw someone she cared about who was going to be betrayed and die. After that last entry about Jesus, she never once questioned the existence of God. He must have said something profound I just wish she had written it down. Based on what I’ve read of her writings she was not the type to take no for an answer.”

“Did she claim she was a disciple, or did her sister in her writings?”

“No, no, they were like aunts to him, family.”

“So Sextinia wasn’t a believer?”

“That’s hard to infer, she seems to be pretty annoyed by the whole religion thing, whether it be Roman, Greek, or Jewish. But it’s hard to really know, Sextinia’s writings were very plain, this happened this happened this happened. She saw things through the lens of an abused girl. Her mother died in childbirth, she didn’t have the perspective of a chosen, her father abused her both sexually and physically. She didn’t understand love like you, and I do. She only understood pain. She was rescued by someone and brought into the family and somehow was chosen to bear our family duty. She was excellent at it, the longest living one of us, but she was dark, she didn’t understand love, or emotions. Whereas her sister Mariana she was raised by a loving father, and loving mother. She knew what love was and she understood the message Jesus was bringing. Sextinia even if she felt love, she wouldn’t understand it, she never truly loved her husband. She was a very dark chapter in our history.”

“So why do you think she was chosen?”

“Oh, I think she was the right person at the right time. We needed a hardened warrior, someone who had felt so much pain in her life, she no longer felt anything. She had a single-minded determination to put an end to the Black Son once and for all. But she had been taught by someone that family is important and that they need to be protected. I think if she had more time, she would have learned love.”

“This is very fascinating, have you considered letting others view even some of the library? I suspect theologians and historians would be lining up.”

“It has come up, there is a sentiment that is everyone’s history, and we should make it open. But there is also information in there that would frighten and people. And our covenant to the Second Son and through him to God says we should maintain certain parts of these histories separate from the world. And there are thousands of books, in thirty different languages, it is impossible to separate out the bits we can share and the bits we can’t. And to us if we were to share something we shouldn’t it would be like a priest speaking what he hears in confession, a massive betrayal of trust God placed in us.”

“So, there is no translation?”

Enid laughed, then sighed.

“No, it is expected every daughter in our family learns how to translate each journal. It is very…trying for most of us. It is considered the only proper way to read so there is no interpretation in the writing.”

“So, if someone dropped a full page of middle English in front of you, you could read it?”

“With some difficulty, but I could get the gist of it.”

“Amazing, having access to those journals doesn’t it hurt your belief in Catholicism?”

“No, the opposite. It is funny, at first, I thought church was a joke and so were the journals I was forced to read. Both were like chores. Very boring annoying chores. Then I had my epiphany and that fed into my having more understanding of the journals, and in turn they flowed into a better and deeper faith and confirmation in the Catholic Church. Nothing in them contradicts the New Testament. Like the virgin birth. Sextinia confirms that, though she was much like someone today if someone said it, probably with more colorful language then a twelve-year-old should have been reading.”

“Is there anything else you can share that reinforced your faith?”

“Lady Sarah, my namesake. Saint Sarah, as she is known now. She was a real character, but she had a unique perspective on the church and community in the thirteenth century. She had this belief that the church was the center of the community without a church the community would fail. When the Narfordshire church burned down she funded a cathedral with her own wealth and other members of the community landowners, tradesman, by saying look, the cathedral will bring business, it will bring more people, it will increase traffic, and with the grace of God she funded it. She wasn’t a nun; She wasn’t a saint in life. She wasn’t especially pious at least based on her writings I’ve read in the journals. But she was a strong supporter of the church. The thing that struck me was she didn’t build it out of ego, nor to stamp her name on history, she did it so the village could survive and grow. She wasn’t trying to buy her way into heaven, she knew her vassals needed it, even if they didn’t know they needed it, so she made it happen. And I think that is why she is a Saint. Everything she did she did for her people. She had to make some terrible choices that haunted her for her entire life. And I think it was her love for her people that saved them from the black death. I can just see her there, talking Gods ear off, begging and pleading for him to protect her people. Like she did to build the cathedral for them. Her quiet but determined faith in God, she was never especially what you’d call preachy, based on her journals. That is part of reinforces my faith. She did rule her domain based on her quiet faith. Taking the lessons of Jesus to heart. Several of her journals referred to courts and trials she had to take part in where she was judge, jury and executioner and you could see her faith in her words, but she never held or lorded it over anyone. If there was one person in all of history that I would want to be proud of me, it would be her, because then I’d know I was in God’s Grace.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“I’ve also seen that in writings by her, and about her, a quiet, determined faith. She lived the teachings of Jesus and the people around her were influenced by her example. She would often weave his teachings into humor and very plainly spoken lessons. She was just, she was humane, and she was merciful. She was in many ways ahead of her time.”

“Yes, she was, she was a warrior, a healer, a stateswoman, a teacher, and a mother. And if I could be a tenth the woman, she was I would say I lived a good life in the grace of god.”

“I will be honest; I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this interview. You are likely one of the strongest human beings on earth, the things you can do, and here we are, talking about Catholic Faith. I am humbled by your knowledge and insights. How do you decide how to use these gifts?”

“I don’t decide, the path is always very clear. It is hard to describe. I constantly worry about doing too much or overstepping some boundary. But when I’m supposed to act, I know I should. I honestly don’t know the real source of this thing, but I have to be content that whatever it was its God guiding me. Before I was never certain of anything I did, I knew it was right but always that question in the back of my mind is: Are you sure? But when it comes to dealing with demons, or similar things I it’s like this invisible hand shoves me forward and when I’m there, in the situation, I just let that guide me. I hate saying it’s God, because then it seems like I want to use him as an excuse should I screw up. The journals report a similar experience for other hunters. Like the hunt that haunted Saint Sarah until she died, she felt the same way during it. She had no questions what path she had to take, it was there before her, the end result was terrible, but out of it blossomed something great. Sextinia is the only one who saw the path basically ignored it and went her own way and it caused such chaos and death. I can only hope it is God because the certainness its unlike anything else I have ever experienced. Like I see the blue sky, I understand it’s because of the sun, and the atmosphere and other factors, but I don’t know it in my heart and mind. When I’m on a hunt that is I don’t know, God sanctioned there are no questions, mind, body, spirt, they are all there pushing forward on the right course. Afterwards comes the questions, was it right, or wrong? It’s almost like there is this force that enters me driving me onwards. It is a hard experience to describe.”

“And how do you become the chosen as you call it?”

“Well, the previous chosen dies, usually it’s the new chosen’s mother. At the moment of her death, we find ourselves in a vast garden, well maintained, flowers from all over that have no place together in one place. An old man approaches and asks a single question it’s in a language I had no understanding of, yet I could hear the words clearly in my mind. ‘Do you accept the covenants, and will you perform your duty truly and faithfully in the service of humanity?’ If you say yes, the sword appears and if you can wield it you live, if not, you are never heard from again. If you say no, you are never heard from again. Basically, if you show up in the garden you either leave the chosen, or you never leave. If you live, then he pulls a golden fruit from a tree, and hands it to you, you eat it and you become the chosen. Then he says, ‘His will is done; Now do your duty.’ He then shoves your chest, and you end up on your behind somewhere random in the world near your first demon, usually the one that got your mother.”

“So, no preparation, just tosses you into the thick of things, who do you think he is?”

“I don’t know, he shows up here and there as well with a task to be performed. Sometimes they are random like go buy a magazine here, put it over there. Go to this school write this on a note hand it’s in. So weird. He never answers questions. He’s kind of mean if you hesitate. Reminds me of a cranky drill sergeant. Some of my more theological oriented ancestors call him Ezekiel, Angelic guardian of the Garden of Edan and the earthly realm. He doesn’t look angelic; He looks like a cranky old man yelling get off my lawn. But he isn’t human, and he isn’t a demon.”

“These demons, what do they look like?”

“Depends, some look perfectly human, some are massive beings.”

“Do they try to tempt you?”

“Rarely do they bother. To be honest for the weaker ones they are terrified of us. Especially the sword. They don’t really exist here, I mean they do, physically, but their essence is back in Hell, and if say I shot one with a machine gun, it may dissipate it, if I use the proper blessed ammunition. But it’s not destroyed it just reforms in hell. Now the sword it strikes at its form here, and its essence there, obliterating it. They fear that end. Bigger ones tend to be egotistical enough that they think a puny human can’t do much to them even with the sword. The rare ones that do try to negotiate usually just threaten massive destruction unless we turn over Lilith.”

“So, Lilith is real too?”

“The demons seem to think so”

“Do you know why they want her?”

“Well, if the journals are to be believed, she betrayed Lucifer, promised him to help invade the earthly realm and then left him high and dry. Based on my meeting with her and other writings seems like her. She uses people and tosses them away when they no longer suit her purposes.”

“Now this is Lilith from the Hebrew texts?”

“Yes.”

“How, if she’s human?”

“Fruit from the tree of life.”

“The tree exists?”

“Yes, in the garden, kind of in between spaces.”

“Truly the Garden of Edan exists?’

“I’ve seen it, briefly during my choosing. As I explained in my other interview, it exists in the same place as the ruins of Atlantis.”

“So, you believe you’ve been to the Garden of Eden?”

“Yes. I know it seems like I’m nuts, and I can’t make anyone believe what I am saying. But I have seen things you can only imagine. I also know I never want to go back. I felt like I was an invader, unwelcome. The old man’s demeanor didn’t help. To be honest it is part of the reason we keep our secrets, frankly people think we’re either nuts or want to form a cult around us. We don’t want to be false idols.”

“Do you have any way to prove any of this?”

Enid wordlessly reached into her bag and pulled out the Atlantean tablet.

“This holds the accumulated knowledge of Atlantis from its founding by the Second Son to the War against the Black Son. It also holds all the journals of my family. It has a scan of Saint Sarah and of peasant from her village who was sick of the Black Death, twenty years after Saint Sarah died. This bag was buried with her.”

She reached in and pulled out an Atlantean assault rifle, that was so big it should not have fit in the small purse she let the father hold it. He lifted it and looked it over.

“What is this?”

“An energy weapon. It is effective against demons, and most other things. It was built by the Atlanteans to fight against the Black Son. It is older than the earth. But because it was in Limbo it is no older than me. If the materials of that rifle were to be analyzed they wouldn’t match any known element in the universe or on earth. It can’t be reverse engineered. It is impossible. It was literally crafted from someone’s thoughts.”

He passed it back to her with shacking hands. Enid put the rifle in her bag. Enid moved closer to Father James and opened up the scans on the tablet. She pointed to various pieces of text and translate a camera was moved to get a close up. She showed him the plans she had drawn up as Sarah, and scans of Sarah and the current date, vs the date of the scans. She showed him a picture of her and Mariana in Rome one of the world’s first selfies.

“That is Sextiana, and that is Mariana. That is the Colosseum of Rome.”

Father James just watched on speechless.

“You…. treat this all like it is perfectly normal.”

“To me it is, I’ve been using this tablet since I was three years old. That was before tablets existed as we know them. If you look at this date here and compare it to the date here. And you know the conversion, it says that fifty billion years have passed since it was first turned on. I’m sure it’s just because of the weird time thing with Limbo, but this is truly older than anything in the universe as we know it.”

“How is it still working?”

“It gathers residual energy from the environment. I think. I really don’t understand how most of their technology works. The designs are in here, but they didn’t have laws of physics they had…suggested guidelines? They molded creation like we mold clay. Their thoughts forming things and building laws of the universe as they went. When they reached a consensus, it became the truth. Even it wasn’t the truth before that point. If the consensus changed, the truth changed. Could you imagine living in a place like that, where the very truth of existence changed based on a collective consensus? It would have been terrifying to us but based on what we know of quantum theory it even holds partially true today. That is why I know this is the truth. That is why I know God exists. Because he built an earthly paradise with a paradigm that humans, his last, and greatest creation could understand. Protecting us from the chaos of creation as best he could. Yet still giving us hope to one day be closer to him by leaving the smallest bit of raw creation the quantum realm. I wish I had a far better understanding of physics, but my brain is not up to the task. But can’t you feel it in here?”

She touched her chest.

“God is in us, in every molecule, everywhere. Still being impossible for us to comprehend because of the vastness of his glory. That is why we are asks to live ordered lives in harmony with the commandments and lessons passed down to us through the bible. Because order allows us to exist. Disorder breaks down everything he’s made for us. That is why I am a believer.”

If I wasn’t dead at the moment I’d be vomiting.

Father James crossed himself and spoke while wiping tears away. The others assembled looked humbled and were staring at Enid.

“Amen Sarah, Amen.”

Sarah smiled and put the tablet away. Father James watched it vanish wistfully.

“Do you have any final words to say? I am at a loss for them myself.”

“My family has put their lives on the line since the dawn of time to protect humanity and we will do so until we are no longer called. I will willingly walk to the gates of hell and walk inside if that is what it takes to keep the world safe. I do not do it for glory, or for gratitude. I make the sacrifice I do because I love humanity. Humanity is worth loving, it is worth saving, remember that when you look at the people around you. Wealth and power from this world are meaningless once you pass on, I have seen the other side and if you turn your back on your fellow humans for your own gain you will not enjoy yourself when you are dead. Death is not the end, but for those who don’t know how to love their fellow humans they will wish it was.”

“Before we go, are you referring to hell?”

“No. I cannot say anything about hell or heaven but if you die and you are not good with God and yourself, you just sit there in this shadow of a world. Unable to touch anything, disconnected, just existing, no sense of touch, just a long tortuous eternity of loneliness. No amount of money or mortal power will buy your way out of that suffering. Imagine being in solitary confinement for eternity or complete obliteration at the hands of the Black Son who will use your essence to fuel the destruction of everything. In the end lost souls went to him willingly to just end the suffering. Only through the grace of God and the love of your fellow man will you not suffer that fate. If is hell is worse, I can’t see God letting anyone fall into that pit.”

“You’ve been there in that shadow world?”

“Yes, Ezekiel sent me there to kill an entity that was devouring souls. I couldn’t sleep for months afterwards. It was terrifying to see all the suffering. They would reach out to me, begging wordlessly, on their hands and knees to save them.”

“We should add those lost souls to our prayers.”

“I do, every day.”

“Bless you and your heart. I can see how much this pains you. It was too much to ask of you to let you see that with your own eyes.”

“What pains me worse is I see people every day in a race to join them. Nothing I can say will change their minds either. I can only hope that living by the example of Christ can show them a better path.”

“As all christens should. Thank you, Sarah you have spoken from your heart tonight. I am sure you have given everyone something to think about.”

“Probably that I’m completely nuts and that I should be locked up, only they don’t know how.”

Enid laughed. Father James smiled. The camera was turned off and in turn everyone in the room hugged Enid tightly.

“Thank you so much Sarah, I don’t think I’ve have experienced a more touching testimony in Christ. I am renewed in my faith. Your total belief in God is humbling.”

“Thank you for having me Father and not calling the men in white coats.”

“Could I ask you one thing, more, could you read the entry from the journal about the crucifixion?”

“Yes, I can father. Anyone who wants to listen can feel free.”

Everyone nodded. The assembled went into the cathedral proper and Enid stood before them on the floor below the alter and she found her own journal entry in the tablet that she’d written just after the crucifixion.

“This is Sextiana’s journal the night after: He is finally gone. He suffered for so long on that cursed cross. I had a thousand opportunities to rescue him, and I used none of them. The entire imperial army couldn’t have stopped me if I’d acted. His words kept running through my mind. That my time will come to make the sacrifice of love and then I would truly understand. I don’t even know what that shit means. He talked in circles. It would have been so simple I could have told the governor either this man lives, or you and your family’s wealth will be destroyed so utterly they will strike you from the records of the empire. And I could have kept that threat, yet still I did nothing. He would know I acted. No, I made a promise, and I couldn’t go against that promise. I wanted to torture Judas, but I couldn’t raise my hand against him. Curse my nephew and his heart. The most heart wrenching was Mary. I remember watching my children die, worst days of my life and they died of old age quietly and with dignity. And here is her son, tortured and strung up like a common criminal. The anguish on her face. I am writing down his last words because fucked if I know what they mean maybe I will one day: ‘My suffering will end quickly. Aunt, you have lived two human lifetimes with yours. Let it end at the same time as mine. Let my sacrifice take it with me to our father so he can carry it and you can know his love, love with no boundaries and no conditions. Your childhood is over. Your father was but one man, and no father at all. Your true father wants to take away this pain and anger through me, let him. Then you can be free. I appreciate you for your council, your kindness and your protection, our father will not forget this service.’ This accursed gift, I know every word was true. I just have no idea what he’s talking about. Pain doesn’t just go away like that. I should have asked him how he knew what my father did. Curse his confusing bullshit.”

Enid put the tablet away.

“That’s it, the crucifixion from her perspective.”

She looked up and noticed that the group had multiplied by twice it’s number. Father James finally spoke.

“She certainly had a way with words.”

“I apologize for the language she wasn’t what we would consider, cultured. She was plainly spoken and very matter of fact. Most of her journal entries concerning her time with Jesus were full of her complaining about his inability to speak plainly and his need to constantly be teaching.”

“Oh, no its fine, it was an enlightening perspective on the crucifixion, a human perspective. Without the religious connotations. She didn’t mince words, there is no subtext. Except for the quote from Jesus. Which is a lesson on its own, and exactly like something we would expect him to say. Is her sister’s journal anything like hers?”

“Sort of, better written and like I said she was a believer, so it reads more like one of the gospels, full of parables and lessons.”

“So, you have two probably authenticatable gospels from the perspective of women?”

“I don’t think the church at large would agree.”

“Well, that would be up to the pope.”

“I hardly think the pope would have time for me. Or these stories. They are basically personal journals of girls.”

“Girls who have been intrinsically tied to the church. There are letters between pope Honorius III and Saint Sarah of Savia. He was thanking her for her brilliant translations and urging her to move to Rome with her family so she could do more, the correspondence was witty, and full of theological discussions. He considered Saint Sarah of Savia a close friend even though they had never met. I am quite sure the church would love to see her personal journal. I can only imagine the insight we’d find there.”

Enid smiled.

“Well, if the Bishop of Rome asks, I will of course share what I can. I’m sorry, I need to get going.”

“Of course, thank you so much for joining us tonight.”

Enid smiled again and nodded. She pulled her winter coat on and waved before heading out.

Ugg stab me with a rusty spoon.

“I’m sure that can be arranged, Enid.”

Enid stopped and turned she looked Ezekiel up and down.

“Old man.”

“What are you playing at? The boss is concerned.”

“I don’t know ask my daughter it is her plan.”

“You didn’t even ask?”

“No, social media and spin is her thing. I wasn’t made for it.”

“You’re rocking the boat.”

“I don’t care if I tip it over Ezekiel. I’m tired of being a pawn.”

“You are anything but, you were the bosses Queen, now you’re his King.”

“If he is so concerned, why didn’t he stop me?”

“Free will, I will never understand why he gave it to you lot.”

“You’d think he’d be happy I probably just converted a few million people.”

“Yes, but you exposed yourself. Lilith has taken pains to keep you hidden and you just splashed yourself all over the world, you went viral.”

“You’re working with Lilith?”

“Not directly. She serves the bosses purposes. She’s still an unknown quantity. She’s in this for her own reasons, we’re just making sure she is doing what we need her too.”

“If she finds out she’s going to be seriously pissed off.”

“She’s always angry, it’s her biggest weakness.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Well, it’s done now. The enemy knows you’re on the board now. The boss believes he planted the genetically modified human to draw you out.”

“Why do you keep bothering me anyway?”

“I told you, you’re his king the most important piece on the board without you all is lost. He made you who you are, he broke you down, he forged you into a weapon, then tempered you with love. You were right in your interviews you are the chosen. He has not forgotten the kindness you showed his earthly form. You left an impression, Lilith chose you first, but you being you sealed the deal. You have a rare strength in your heart, so he knows you can carry the burden on the road ahead.”

“He should use Eyre, or Mariana, I’m nothing, I’m a psychopath, his precious humans are cattle to me.”

“Maybe at one time that was true. But you’re no longer that woman. Eyre changed that didn’t she? She broke that shell you kept around yourself. She brought you into the light. Reminded you that you were human first, then a scion of the Second Son. Reminded you what love is.”

Enid stopped mid stride and turned and glared at Ezekiel.

“Oh, no he fucking didn’t.”

“While the Second Son was completely accurate in his assessment that the fruit of the tree of life would let you conceive it would truly take a miracle to have a vampire carry to term, wouldn’t it?”

“I should run you through with Bloodseeker then him! Manipulative bastard. My womb is not fucking water bottle he can just fill with a baby whenever he fucking feels like it!”

“Well, if you think back, you thought to yourself, I wish I could give him a child, he wants one so badly…”

“Your prayer was answered.”

Enid clenched her fists.

“Punching you will do no good will it? You’re a fucking angel.”

“If it will make you feel better to punch a kindly old man, I have no objections.”

Enid turned and started walking again.

“There is nothing kindly about your angelic ass. You owe me an answer to a question.”

“I suppose you did me a favor once, ask your question, child.”

“You are probably one of the only things in the universe that could say that to me and not be speaking figuratively, why me? Why did you drag my ass into the shadow world? Mariana could have gotten the job done, and she was alive.”

“Truthfully, the boss wanted you. He never explains his plans to me, I just do what he says. But based on previous experience my best guess is he wanted you to see the suffering there. He was probably testing you to see if you would care enough about them to do what you were asked to do.”

“Is everything a test with him?”

“Basically.”

“I can’t understand why he would allow that situation to exist at all, if I were him, I’d have fixed that up right away. That’s not right.”

“He agrees, but he is powerless to correct the situation until you deal with the Black Son, he still has one foot there and is preventing the boss from sending them where they belong. Once the Black Son is gone there will be only one thing in his way of completing his great work.”

“Why should I want him to complete his great work?”

“He is your father. He loves you, even if you fail in your task, he will still love you just as much. He granted you everything you have ever asked of him. You wanted a child with your second husband he gave you one, you wanted a chance to avenge your first husband, he has granted you that chance. He only asks that you use the chance he gave you.”

“I want to be my own person, not a slave to him, my father, the emperor, the imperial vampires, when is he going to grant me that miracle?”

“You are your own person Enid, you can freely choose to not take your vengeance. In fact, that would please him just as much, it will show how much you’ve grown and overcome with your anger.”

“Seriously no parent is that forgiving.”

“The boss is.”

“So, do you have a message or something? Or did you just come here to chastise me for breaking the rules?”

“Both.”

“Well get on with it.”

“In time.”

He shoved her in the chest, and she landed on her behind in the garden. She groaned and laid back down. She shouted into the empty garden.

“Fuck you, Ezekiel!”