BLINK 2: Circle of Ten

Chapter 3

As she wrote, John read, his chest constricting more with each word written.

My daughter,

I don't have much time, and my missive is urgent. Your next task is from the Lord of Heaven himself. You and John must travel back in time to 1964, to Reddingmuirhead, Scotland. School age boys are going missing from a borstal for unruly youth, and we need you to find them. Save them. That's your task. The Lord has mentioned it is of utmost importance, even more important than your current task.

Be careful. Evil is rising, and they know what you can do. We suspect they may try something at the Council of Ten tomorrow. I can feel a shift in the balance, and it has unsettled my spirit, but I cannot be sure what they will do. Be wary child. Take care of John.

G

The pen in Semila's hand finished the curve on the G, then she gasped, dropping it to the desk, her eyes suddenly lucid.

'Sem!'

She turned to look at him. 'What?'

'Uhh.' John pointed at the note written in a perfect cursive very unlike anything Semila would write.

Her eyes went wide as she read it, then she turned back to him. 'Where did this come from?'

'You wrote it.'

She looked stumped, then read it again. 'I don't understand. Why would he send a message? He could just appear to us...' Her voice trailed off and she slid her fingers through her unruly hair. Suddenly her face snapped up to meet his eyes. 'Something must be wrong, and so close to the Council of Ten!'

There was panic in her voice that made John's stomach clench. Shit. 'What's the Council of Ten?' he asked.

'You know, last year when he died defending us...He was always so hard on me. I never realised how much it would hurt.'

It took John a moment to figure out that she was talking about her father, Gabriel the arch angel. He didn't know what to say.

'Feels surreal having him back, y'know?'

'Yeah,' he said, recalling how he had saved his own father from death as a teenager by Blinking into a photo. And then there was Charlie too. The Collector was supposed to have killed her, but John changed time, and now she was a smart-ass teenager. 'I often look at Charlie and feel...'

'I know,' she said. 'It feels too good to be true.'

'It does,' he agreed. After a moment's silence, John cleared his throat. 'Well, uhh...so tell me about this council.'

'Ahh yes. The Circle of Ten.' A thoughtful look crossed her face. John sat on the edge of his bed, and she turned in the chair to face him, resting her chin on the chair's back with her arms crossed underneath her chin.

'So you know evil and good are always at war by now.'

He didn't feel the need to respond, her eyes were far away; she was ticking off a mental list.

'You know my father, you've met the big man.'

'Have...Have you met any other demons?'

'Like Grimsol?'

'Well' —she cocked her chin— 'not precisely like him, but evil like that.'

John remembered the painting from Drew's building and explained it to Semila.

'Sounds like one of the ten,' she said. 'See, long ago, the fight between good and evil consumed everything. It threatened to destroy creation. Nobody could win, because the forces were equally balanced. Someone had to surrender, but neither party was willing.

'Enter Death, the only neutral party. He arranged a meeting of sorts between the head of the Arch Angels and the Lord over Demon Lords, a meeting he convened. At this meeting it was decided that both sides needed creation to survive in order to avoid the Big Man's wrath. A peace of sorts had to be found. A treaty was written up, a mutual agreement.'

Here she paused to smile and meet John's eyes. 'Don't get me wrong, the fuckers still hate each other, but the agreement set out rules to play by, rules that keep the balance of power in check and still keep us from destroying each other altogether.'

'Sounds like a big deal,' John said.

'Yeah, you have no idea. The fate of the world depends on these meetings. Lucky they only meet once in one hundred years and one hundred days.'

'And that's tomorrow.'

'You got it gay boy.'

'But what about Drew? Do we just forget him?'

Sem patted the book behind her. 'We have everything we need to nab that fucker later. Besides, a month away with an angel sounds like more fun than a weekend.'

John blushed before he could stop himself and felt a moment of thankfulness that Sem's eyes no longer got to him. He cleared his throat. 'Uhh, yeah, we can tell my family that we're going on a cruise or something.'

'Ooh, cruise with an angel.' She winked at him as she stood up and walked closer, her gold tooth visible as she smiled.

'Sometimes you're like a child,' he mumbled.

She swatted him on the shoulder just as Charlie opened the door.

'Dinner's done,' she chirped. 'And Mam wants to know if you're staying over...' She gave Sem a pointed look. 'Together?' Charlie thought Semila was a bad influence on John. If only she knew. Without Semila they would all be dead.

'Uh, tell Mam we've got other plans. I'll explain at the table.'

Charlie cocked an eyebrow and smiled. 'Okaay,' she sing-songed.

'She thinks you're gonna propose,' Sem noted with a flat tone.

'Ha!' John got to his feet and grabbed her hand. 'I'd never.'

'What're you trying to say?' Am I not good enough for you?'

He rolled his eyes, and when he saw her expression he laughed. 'After dinner we can pack for this cruise, formulate some kind of strategy.'

'Okay boyfie.' She grabbed his ass.

He yelped just as they exited the room, and Charlie burst into laughter at the foot of the stairs. Oh boy, this was gonna be weird. John took Sem's hand again and plastered on a smile he hoped looked eager and loving.

P.S.

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