Outside the hotel
Walker watched from the shadows as the older angel all but threw Joe through the front door, charging out of the hotel and racing around the corner. "Wonder where they are going?" he thought to himself, glancing up at the windows facing the street. Nothing was stirring behind those heavy drapes, making the exit of the two angels feel even odder. It was all very strange since that "other" angel had shown up, Joe had seemed almost afraid of the stranger, something Walker could not comprehend. The hunter had made the decision, as the hotel door was slammed in his face, that he would stay close and keep watch on these beings who had invaded his town, waiting for the moment he could prove to the Midnighters - and Joe - that he could be as relied upon as their angelic friend had been. Walker nonchalantly sauntered across the street and slipped in the front door, finding a dark spot in the lobby to set up shop. "Guess I'll just wait here."
Outside, Manny watched with a frown as the demon-hunter quickly entered the hotel's front door, being careful to wait until Joe and Seraphiel had disappeared from view. "What the hell is that nit-wit up to" he thought to himself.
"Nothing good" Xylda's voice quietly whispered in his ear.
Whipping around, Manny glared at his grandmother's ghost. Xylda stood quietly behind her grandson, more corporeal in appearance than she had been in a while. "Don't DO that!" he growled, glancing quickly around to make sure he was alone. "After everything that's happened here recently…"
"You should be more worried about what's about to happen" his grandmother replied calmly. "That idiot over there is more interested in getting your friend Joe's attention and not seeing the big picture. If he and you aren't careful you could find yourselves in a situation far worse then any you've seen yet."
"What does THAT mean?" Manny fumed. "What could be worse than demon's running the streets and dark witches plotting to take over the world?"
She smiled grimly. "How about having the armies of the Magical realm and of Heaven squaring off to wipe this little town off the face of the earth? Because that's what's likely to happen if that boy doesn't dial his obsession with Joe back and start listening to what people are tell him."
Manny rolled his eyes. "Why can't you ghosts just flat out tell me what's going on so I can try to head it off before it happens?"
"Your buddy Walker should have listened to Joe when he told him to leave that set of Celestials alone" Xylda continued, shielding her eyes as she peered across at the hotel. "They have an unfortunate set of tasks to perform and if he gets in their way things will get bloody really fast."
"What tasks?" Manny asked with a huff.
"Rid the town of a demon-knight for one thing" Xylda responded, turning to walk away. "And then there is the issue of the soulless child…"
"Wait – what? What soulless child? What demon-knight?" Manny reached out to touch his grand-mother's spirit – only to find himself alone again. He ground his teeth in frustration at the spirit world's nasty habit of dropping hints that made no sense and expecting him to understand the full story. Looking down the street he could see Bobo and Fiji leaving the pawnshop and headed for Fiji's little house. "A soulless child?" he thought, a cold shiver running down his back. "I wonder…" He threw a quick look at the hotel entrance then bolted after the young couple, hoping the witch would have something that would explain his grandmother's words.
Fiji strolled leisurely down the street, smiling at the familiar sights of the old Texas town. "After everything that's happened recently, it's really good to have some peace and quiet."
Bobo looked back at the sound of running feet then grinned. "Well, so much for quiet" he replied, stopping to let Manny catch up with them. "So – Joe come out of the hotel yet?"
"Yeah" Manny repined, falling into step with the couple. "He and that other angel went tearing out of there a few minutes ago. Not sure where they were going – and that's the least of our problems. Walker's been watching the entrance since Joe slammed the door in his face. He's in there now, probably finding some corner to set up in to watch our new guests."
Fiji frowned. "That's not good. From what you told me about that Seraphim, he's not going to like someone spying on his kids."
"He won't" Manny agreed, holding open the garden gate for Fiji. He glanced back at the empty street, wishing that the Rev had not chosen to take Kai's offer of humanity and left town. The Reverend had been a quiet voice in the storm the last time the angel's had gathered in Midnight – now he feared there was no one left who could bridge the gap between human and Celestial and keep the peace. No one except…
"Bobo, when will Lem and Olivia be up and about?" Manny asked, flopping into the worn sofa in Fiji's front room.
"Not for a few hours" Bobo admitted, cautiously. He watched as his lover disappeared into her bedroom. "What else is going on?" he asked the young psychic suddenly. "You have that look you get after you've talked to a ghost."
"I did talk to a spirit – Xylda's. She was being really evasive but did say we were about to have bigger problem's then Walker's hurt feelings.
"What kind of problems" Bobo asked, suddenly nervous.
"She said something about a demon-knight and a soulless child." Manny watched Bobo's face carefully, taking note of the flush on his cheeks when he heard the words "soulless child". "Any idea's what that was all about?"
Bobo glanced back at the bedroom door, listening as Fiji moved books and boxes around in her search. "Maybe."
"Maybe? What does that mean? Does what she said have anything to do with you and Fiji?"
Bobo shook his head and motioned towards the door. "Later."
Fiji came back out of her bedroom, holding what looked like a fairytale book in her hands. "Here it is – this is what my aunt was reading to me when she mentioned the Phoenix." She plopped down on the sofa beside Manny and turned the pages quickly, running a finger over the brightly colored illustrations as she remembered the times she had spent with her aunt. Stopping suddenly, she pointed at one particular page. The illustration was grander than any of the others, with gold and red paint spread across two pages in the form of a great eagle made of fire. Fiji read the story of the Great Phoenix, one finger gently tracing the wings on the image of the Firebird as she did so. "The Phoenix King was promised to the Fae after the events of the First War in Heaven when the Royal House had charged out of the Black Gates to defend the Holy Throne from Lucifer's demons. The gates were locked down as they left but some of the dark forces arrayed against them managed to make it through before the locks were set. God promised the survivors who had fought beside their angelic cousins that one day a great firebird would arise and drive out all the unholy darkness that had overwhelmed the land and their home would be freed. The Phoenix King and his Queen, along with their sibling, would cleanse the world of magic of the Darkness and stand to serve Heaven as Guardians of Mankind." She frowned, gently stroking the image of the Phoenix painted over the story. "Strange – that's not what I remember my aunt saying."
"Maybe she thought, because of the curse on your family, that the Phoenix would try to burn you and other witches like you as they did the Darkness infesting their home." Manny gently lifted the book out of Fiji's lap and carefully flipped the pages, smiling at some of the more nonsensical pictures. The last page, however, brought his reveries to a halt. "What the hell is THAT?" he chocked, pointing at the figure in front of him.
Fiji frowned. "That wasn't there before – I'm sure of it!"
"What wasn't?" Bobo asked, pulling the book out of Manny's hands. His eyes widened in shock as he read the small narrative under the dark and disturbing image. "We need to find Joe – quick. I think we've just found something that explains your grandmother's warning." He snapped the book shut and shooed the other two out the door, heading rapidly towards the hotel.
