The Dragon's Descent (11 page)

Tack looked at her. “I still am.”

Clover grabbed his face and turned it toward hers. “Don't be. He's the same Vero, the one who's been your best friend since preschool. That hasn't changed.”

“Are you one too?”

“No.”

“Your mom or dad?”

“No, and they don't know.”

“But how can he be an angel? He's a kid! I can't believe it.” Tack put his head in his hands.

“Don't you believe in angels?” Clover asked.

“Yes, but . . .”

“But what?”

“I just never thought I would share a toothbrush with one,” Tack said.

Clover chuckled. “That's really gross.”

“But he doesn't look like an angel. And I thought angels were in heaven, not here on earth.”

Clover's eyes welled up with tears.

“What?”

“He won't be on earth for much longer,” Clover told Tack.

“What do you mean?”

“He's on earth to learn and train and understand what it means to be human, and once that's completed, once he becomes an angel, he'll die.”

Tack's eyes went wide with fear. “Vero's gonna die? How? When?”

“I don't know. But one day soon he'll become a full-fledged guardian angel and leave us . . . It's not too far away.”

Pork Chop slobbered over to Tack, who picked him up and buried his face in the dog's neck. Though he tried to muffle his sobs, he was aware Clover could hear them.

“How could your parents not know?” Tack sniffled, looking up at her.

Clover shrugged, wiping a tear from her face. “They can't know. You and I are the only two.” She cleared her throat and composed herself. “But we need to get a grip here, because Vero needs us.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has a special mission to complete and somehow we're supposed to help him. He said that God has given us gifts and talents that he will need.”

Tack felt even more surprised. “Me?”

“Trust me, Vero and I were just as shocked.” She laughed. “We're hoping it's your dowsing ability, not your talent to burp the alphabet.”

Tack managed a slight smile. Clover reached down and picked up her bike helmet.

“It's going to take a while for all this to sink in, but just know that whether human or angel, Vero has been and will always be your best friend, and he would do anything for you.”

Clover walked over to Vero's bike, picked it up, and started to ride down the street. Tack watched her go, knowing his life would never be the same again.

8

READY OR NOT

V
ero went the whole weekend without hearing from Tack. The only other time he could recall that happening was years ago when Tack had gotten his tonsils removed, and that had only been because he was unable to speak for several days after. With each hour that passed without word from his best friend, Vero became more depressed. Clover assured him that Tack would come around, but Vero wasn't as confident. Asking Tack to accept him as a guardian angel was just too much to ask. But Clover would not waiver.

“Give him a little more time,” Clover said. “Do you really think the archangels would allow you to reveal your identity otherwise? Dude, you're an angel. Have a little more faith.”

Late Sunday afternoon, Vero once again stood on the ladder against the backside of the house in order to finish cleaning the gutters. As he dropped a slimy, moldy clump
of leaves below, he heard someone yell. He looked down and saw Tack standing at the base of the ladder, brushing the rotten leaves off the top of his head.

“Thanks. I come over here to talk to you, and this is how you treat me?” Tack quipped.

“Sorry,” Vero said as he climbed down.

“Why can't you fly down instead?” Tack asked, eyeing the ladder.

“It doesn't work that way,” Vero said as he stepped onto the ground.

The friends stood face to face. Even though Vero had shared everything with Tack—food, measles, toothbrush, even underwear—he felt uncomfortable. Neither seemed to know what to say. Then Tack's bottom lip began to quiver.

“I promise I'll visit your mom all the time, you know, to make sure she's all right,” Tack said.

“What do you mean?” Vero asked, confused.

“Clover said you're gonna . . . that your time on earth is ending soon.” Tack sniffled.

Now Vero's eyes began to tear up, touched by Tack's offer. He nodded.

“Clover too, and your dad,” Tack said. “You won't have to worry about them . . . I promise.”

Vero looked down, overcome with emotion.

“Thanks,” he muttered. “I'm sorry I didn't think I could even tell you.”

“It's okay. If I hadn't seen that creature, I probably wouldn't have believed you anyway. Those creatures, do they come after you all the time?” Tack asked.

Vero nodded. “And worse.”

Tack looked scared for his friend.

“But they mostly come after me in the Ether.”

“Where's that?”

“All around us.”

Tack glanced around him as if looking for anything unusual—but around him was only the Lelands' house, the yard, the sky.

“You can't see it. But trust me, it's there. The Ether is the spiritual realm that surrounds the earth. It's where angels and demons battle over human souls.”

“So you mean to tell me that right now there's this whole war going on that people aren't even aware of?”

“Not everyone is unaware, but yeah, basically.”

“And in this Ether, you have wings and fly?”

“Yep.”

“And fight demons with swords and stuff?”

Vero nodded.

“Hard to believe you're the same guy who got shoved into a locker not too long ago.” Tack chuckled.

Vero cracked a smile.

“Clover said I'm somehow supposed to help you with some mission?”

Vero nodded. “I need to find something and return it. I'm not sure I can tell you what it is yet.”

“Okay,” Tack replied. “Whatever it is, you can count on me. I won't leave you hanging.”

Vero look at Tack, gratitude seeping into his eyes. “I know.”

Tack shot what seemed like a million questions at Vero. He wanted to know everything about Vero's secret life. How did he get to the Ether? What was the food like there? Were there any cute angel girls? Vero answered all his questions, and Tack seemed satisfied.

There was only one question Tack didn't ask—how would he feel when it was his time to leave earth? Vero was grateful Tack didn't ask, because he did not want to sob in front of his friend.

Once Tack turned and walked down the sidewalk, Vero climbed back up the ladder. A powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew the ladder over, taking Vero with it. He fell hard on his back, hitting the ground as the ladder smashed on top of him.

Vero felt pressure on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw a combat boot pressing into his upper body. He looked up and saw the boot belonged to a tall teenage girl with short brown hair spiked with blonde highlights. In both her ears were three small hoop earrings. Vero instantly recognized her.

“Hi, Greer.”

“Just a friendly little wake-up call,” she said as she harshly nudged her foot into his chest.

Vero sat up, and Greer pulled her foot away. She held out her hand to Vero, who grabbed it. As Greer pulled him to his feet, she stumbled under his weight.

“Somebody gained a little extra since last time I saw him. I won't be helping you up again.”

“It's called filling out,” Vero told her.

“More like pigging out.” She smirked.

Vero smiled to her. He loved Greer. It had been several months since they last saw one another, and he had missed her. She had a tough exterior, but Vero knew underneath Greer had a heart of gold. She was a faithful friend, and had definitely proved it last time they were together in the Ether. Greer had been the only fledgling who had ventured down into the demoness Lilith's castle to save Clover. Greer had risked everything to help him.

“It's great to be back . . . Can't believe we haven't been here since the trials last year!” Greer said as she eyed C.A.N.D.L.E. in the distance.

“Not for me,” Vero said as they walked past a group of trees toward the angel school. “I was just here.”

“Without us?” Greer asked, outraged.

“Yeah,” Vero said. “Uriel and Raziel said it was sort of a personal training session only for me, although somehow I summoned Pax near the end.”

“You can do that?” Greer asked, wide-eyed.

“Apparently.”

“I'm a little hurt you summoned Pax over me,” Greer said as her eyes narrowed.

“I think it was because he's best at speaking mind-to-mind.”

“Oh, guess I should work on that. So why did they call you back for training? Maybe because you need more help than the rest of us,” Greer quipped.

“No,” Vero said firmly. “Because the time has come to find the Book of Raziel.”

Greer froze. “Already?”

Vero nodded.

“But we're not ready. We need more time. More training.”

“They say otherwise.”

“But what do you think? Are you ready?” Greer asked him, incredulously.

Vero held her gaze for a long moment, then turned and walked toward the school without answering. Greer chased after him, and once she caught up grabbed his shirt from his shoulder and spun him around to face her.

“I didn't hear an answer . . . Are you ready?” she asked while still clenching his shirt.

“Hardly,” Vero shouted while jerking free of her hold. “But it doesn't matter. I have to do it anyway!” He walked ahead.

“Then tell them you don't feel ready.”

“I did.”

“And . . .?”

“It can't be changed.”

Greer took that in for a moment. She sighed, following after him.

“Were you ready to take on the Leviathan or the golems?” Greer asked.

“No.”

“Or how about Lilith? Would you say you were ready to take her on when you did?”

“No, I guess not.”

“And you whipped her good.”

“We whipped her good,” Vero corrected.

“Maybe the archangels have more confidence in you than you do yourself,” Greer said. “They haven't been wrong yet.”

Vero mulled that over for a moment, then nodded.

“You're right. Maybe I am ready,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I can do this. And I won't let anything get in my way.”

Just then, Vero tripped over a rock jutting up from the ground and fell facedown, ruining his moment.

“Then again, maybe the archangels are just flat out wrong this time,” Greer said with a smile as she eyed Vero's dirty, beet-red face.