Emma didn’t know how long it had been since the hounds of Hell started charging and snapping at her, but it was long enough that her shields were starting to tear and the damned dogs knew it. They were a perfect blend of patience and impatience, tenacity and eagerness. The fact that she hadn’t been able to see them at all before was a good thing. As they tore away at her shields, she was beginning to get glimpses of what they really were, and abject terror was quickly setting in.Through those tears she could see about a dozen pairs of red glowing eyes and frothing mouths that could barely contain the protruding rows of jagged teeth. She shuddered every time one of the hounds would come slamming into her shields, now knowing what awaited her when her shields finally failed.One hound was finally able to get his muzzle through a tear and bit her thigh as though it were the tastiest chop from the butcher. It held on and shook his head like her leg was, indeed

They linked hands as Hannah had described, took two deep breaths and closed their eyes. Hannah’s scar began to throb and glow just like Emma’s. Michael’s wing glowed as well, and fluttered erratically. They were instantly aware of Emma’s desperation to return to her family and forget the horrors of her torture.At first, only a glimmer of light emanated from them. That glimmer grew stronger and brighter until it became the brilliant aura that had encompassed the three in Emma’s backyard. And then, Hannah heard something that was music to her ears.“Hannah.” Emma spoke in little more than a whisper.“Mama!” Hannah cried out. “You came back! I knew you’d come back!” But Emma didn’t respond. Hannah nudged her. “Mama? Michael, she’s not saying anything.”“Let’s try it again. I don’t think she’s really back yet. Maybe we need to do this holdi

Michael and Emma looked at each other and with silent agreement, Emma replied, “Sure, we’ll be over by the altar. Let us know when you’re ready to leave.” Hannah sat on the ground and closed her eyes. Immediately she felt the hands of the Ancient Warrior soul on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and turned to find the angel, luminous as ever.“I must go,” it proclaimed. “My duty here is done.” “I know. I’m going to miss you.”“Oh, I was a nuisance most of the time.”“No you weren’t! You protected me, fought for me, and gave me courage when I didn’t have any!” She paused and reached out to the Ancient Warrior as she smiled. “There are big things ahead for me, you know. Will I ever see you again?Will you be there for the big things?” Hannah asked hopefully.“Yes, my warrior, I will be there for the big things. I shall always look

Time is eternal, no beginning and no end. And yet as humans we are on a constant mission to find when IT all began, how we came to be, and why we are here. We must have a purpose to this life, so many of us suggest. Some of us have found grand, solid purposes to our lives, while others continue to ponder, wallowing in the muck and mire of a horrid life thrust upon them without their consent. And so, while many of us live out our days finding love, building families and careers, others not as fortunate become predators, sniffing out any excuse to snuff out another’s purposeful life.When humans began to segregate themselves this way, into people of goodness and people of evil, the Brethren first appeared on Earth. Their arrival was not one of brilliance, nor was it apocalyptic. There were no meteor showers that day. There was no eclipse of the sun. No major earthquakes or other natural disasters were pointed to, heralding their coming.They simply manifested.There was a new awareness

On the other, he was scared witless. Manny was unpredictable, and could make trouble for him if he felt like it. Given how much money Caleb had made for him over the past ten years, he figured Manny was not going to be saying congratulations, and giving him a big send-off. He was leaving a major hole in Manny’s secret, illegal enterprise set up at the resort, and now he’d have to put someone in his place. That would be very tricky, since nobody at the resort knew about Manny or his people, and management was extremely diligent and thorough about checking out who they hired. Manny just happened to be better at forging documentation.Picking up the house phone, he dialed up his friend Mack in the operations department. “Hey Mack, how much do you know about state-of-the-art computer systems?”“You know me. I’m always up-to-date with the latest news. What do you need?”He gave him a rundown of Gabriel’s requirements an