Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

"Let's go," he said quietly, leading me from the tent.

Shawn and Sam were already climbing into the vehicle by the time we walked out into the cool night. The moon was full overhead as we silently walked toward the vehicle. We kept our pace casual, although we yearned to flee the scene behind us. The oppressive emotions had grated on me and I felt shaky as Mark finally helped me into the passenger seat.

He started the vehicle and pulled out of the dirt lot.

"Did you guys find anything?" I asked Lynn and Robert, turning sideways in my seat.

"Not much. We walked around the tent a few times, but all the action was pretty much in with you guys. We saw a couple guys come out and smoke cigarettes, but other than that, no one else left the tent. We wound up standing outside the opening at the front of the tent so we could hear everything that was going on. The guy in there sounded like a complete loon," Lynn answered.

"Yeah, talk about government hate," Robert added.

"Completely," Sam said. "You should have been inside the tent. It's glaringly obvious that he preys on those that haven’t had a break their entire life. The poor girl next to me was a mess. Her despair was enough to make me feel pukey."

I had been so focused on the guy beside me and the freak up front spouting his words of wisdom, I hadn't even paid attention to who was sitting on the other side of Sam. "The guy beside me was the same way," I told them.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"I think we need to talk to Haniel again. I agree with him. Now that we scoped out the place, we are ill equipped to handle a situation like this," Mark said as he merged onto the highway.

"I agree also. I think we need to convince Haniel to show us what we need to do," I said, quietly pondering how we were going to talk him into it. "What do you guys think?" I asked Sam and Shawn.

"We feel the same," Shawn said, glancing at Sam for confirmation. She nodded her head before sinking back into a more comfortable position. "Sam sensed the majority of the room was filled with forgotten souls. Did you get the same vibe Krista?"

"Pretty much. All but one guy who I couldn’t quite gauge. I noticed him watching us when we were leaving. The aura of hatred surrounding him was out of control. I can't tell if he is a forgotten soul or just a henchman of Alan's, but he definitely gave me the creeps," I said.

The rest of the drive was quiet as we all digested what we had learned that night. It was a little disheartening to feel under-skilled at something. For years we had excelled at school and were used to things coming easier to us.

Mark pulled into his driveway and the headlights cut across the exterior of the building, illuminating Haniel's tall, imposing posture. He was obviously not happy

Chapter 9

None of us spoke as we filed out of the car and headed toward the front door that Haniel had disappeared behind.

My anxiety began to claw uncontrollably through my body. I used my handy tricks to fight it back, but could only barely hold it at bay as we walked into the living room where Haniel stood. I kept my eyes on him as we all found seats on the two couches. Though his expression or emotions didn’t deviate from what he normal, I could sense that he was disappointed in us. I felt sick for defying him and yet my soul ached for those we had been unable to save. It was a double-edge sword for me.

"Did you achieve the results you set out to accomplish tonight?" he asked, making it clear he already knew the answer.

"No, you were right. The situation was more severe than we had anticipated," Mark said, still standing. "But that doesn't mean we're giving up. We just need your help to prepare the girls."

"It would take many moon cycles to prepare you for a situation such as this."

We all exchanged looks. Haniel made it seem like he knew more about the situation than he had originally let on.

"Yes, we have been aware of the situation for some time now, but more crucial circumstances have demanded the attention of the Guides and Protectors," he said picking the thoughts from our heads.

"Then why don't you prepare us?" Sam asked, jumping to her feet to pace in front of us.

"I am training you, but we do not send Guides and Protectors into a situation that they cannot handle," he said in a dismissive voice.

"You didn't seem to care this much when it was our parents. Where was all this concern when they were being slaughtered?" Shawn asked in an uncharacteristically angry voice.

My eyes filled with tears at the pain in my brother's voice. The death of our parents was a subject we often skirted around, and I felt his pain keenly.

For the briefest moment, I thought I saw pain flash behind Haniel's beautiful blue eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. "Your parent's death was the greatest loss we have ever suffered and is the reason we proceed with caution and great deliberation before we assign a mission," Haniel said in his normally passive voice that worked its usual magic and seemed to instantly sooth the anger radiating from Shawn.

"Haniel, how can we ignore them?" I finally asked. "My soul can't seem to let her go. I don’t think I could live with myself if we didn’t at least try. We need your help, please," I begged, brushing away a stray tear.

He studied me for a moment and finally nodded his head. "We begin tomorrow afternoon," he said simply before he abruptly left us.