((Set sometime in the mid-1950s. Balthazar takes his turn for babysitting duty, keeping watch over six-year-old Samandiriel, when a routine game of hide-and-seek takes an unexpected turn. For Holly))

CHAPTER ONE

"Ready or not, here I come!" Samandiriel squealed loudly from his position by the monkey bars. The sun was beginning to set on the quiet little park where Balthazar hid, it being his turn to entertain the fledgling. He listened as the boy's feet crunched through the sand, ran up every jungle gym and down every slide, in search of his big brother. Balthazar chuckled softly as he laid on his side, head propped up on his elbow, in the old brick volcano that had been cemented shut years before. Samandiriel's shoes scraped against the brick as he climbed his way to the top of the small mountain and perched on its peak. He could sense that his brother was nearby, but couldn't see him. He wasn't ready to give up just yet. He stood up on his mountain top, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "I'm gonna find you, Balthazar!" He slid down the side of the volcano and skittered to the other side of the park.

Balthazar sat up in his small cave and, grinning, manifested himself a glass of wine. He shook his head slightly. This child is going to take forever, he thought as he took a sip. Sighing, he settled back against the brick, wondering how long it would be before he heard the small voice calling for help. His hand was raised to refill his glass when there was a sudden rush of air and a pair of big blue-green eyes were trained on him. "Gotcha!" Samandiriel barked, pointing at the surprised angel.

Balthazar snapped his fingers and the wine glass disappeared. His eyebrows shot up and he displayed a broad grin. "Yes, you sure did!" He nudged the child playfully, picked him up, threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, and transported them both back outside of the volcano. "Now what?"

Samandiriel giggled at hanging upside-down and his face lit up. "My turn! My turn!" He barely gave Balthazar a chance to respond before he wiggled out of his grasp and took off in search of the perfect hiding spot.

Balthazar plopped down at the base of a slide, laid back against it and draped an arm over his eyes. "One… two… three," he began, smiling when he heard Samandiriel try to conceal a squeal of delight. Balthazar had a pretty good idea of where the boy would hide; they'd been playing for hours now, and there were only so many stones left unturned.

Samandiriel turned in circles, determined to hide where his big brother would never think to look, completely unaware that while Balthazar's eyes were covered, there was another pair of eyes intensely focused on him.

"Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty!" Balthazar hauled himself up off of the slide and stretched out, taking an initial glance around the park for any sign of the child's hiding place. "Ready or not, here I come!" he called out. He trudged through the giant sand box, keeping his eyes peeled for any outstanding feet, hands, or wing feathers. He climbed his way all through the enormous jungle gym, crawled the length of the tunnel, checked inside the brick volcano, all with no luck. Kid's getting better at this, he hummed to himself.

His head snapped to the side at the sudden loudness of leaves rustling in the trees that surrounded the park. Balthazar rolled his eyes and started in the direction of the noise. "I thought we agreed on no tree-climbing?" he yelled as he approached the line of thick maples. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he scanned the branches for a miniature angel. They had gone almost eerily still, hardly quivering in the cool autumn breeze. Balthazar reached out with his grace in attempt to locate the fledgling's tree top of choice, and his brow furrowed when no connection could be made.

"Samandiriel?" He paused for a moment, concern growing in the pit of his stomach. "Come on, Manny, I give up! Ollie-ollie oxen free!" The silence that greeted him set off alarm bells in his head. He stepped closer to the tree where he sensed some residual angelic presence, and discovered traces of a very, very evil presence there as well. His eyes were drawn to a bright white object among the brown and red leaves that littered the ground; a single, perfect feather. Samandiriel was gone.