On the way to the cafe
With that Jason led Karen and Melanie through the Library and to the Cafe. While he walked he recounted his conversation with Raphael. "I spoke for a couple hours with Raphael this morning and s/he knew little more than I about what had occurred. S/he had looked for other Celestials, as have we, with little luck. She ran across Novalis, but Novalis said that they should talk later when more was known, possibly indicating that she knew more of the cause and effects of the Silence than do we. Raphael had looked for other healers, and I was the first s/he had come across. S/he feared that perhaps, as we were unable to ascend, that all followers of Destiny were in some way cast from Heaven, and that perhaps Yves had fallen in disfavor...or worse. When I told Him/Her of Michael and his Mantle of The Ender of Light, he feared that perhaps Michael was tied to Yves possible disgrace...seeing as they were not the best of friends in the past." Jason pauses as they come to the side door closest to the Cafe and leave the Library.
"S/he said that 'it appears that all of the Guardians who watch over the Symphony and its disturbances have gone blind.' S/he said that this tether linked not to Heaven but to Notre Dame. S/he had tried to ascend from here and ended up in Paris instead. Well it appears that we have reached our destination, and the end of my story. Shall we go inside?"
Karen listened carefully, taking this all in, occasionally murmuring comments, as if to herself "Notre Dame? Hmmm."
As they reached the restaurant she paused, making no move to enter as yet. "So you and Raphael believe it may be particular factions within heaven? I was unable to gain any information from Jean, but it was evident that he was very disturbed by it, so I had assumed it was something that affected all within the Symphony to some extent. Do you have any idea what effect it has had on those that have Fallen? Perhaps Ashikel would be able to shed some light on that." She looks at Jason closely "And has no one you are aware of spoken with Yves or Michael?"
Jason said, "We obviously are very unsure of what has happened, but since we were the only Angels we had really met, and both suffered from the same symptoms we came to the conclusion that possibly it was because something had happened to Yves. Mostly when we found the tether in its current state. Maybe we should see what some of the other tethers look like."
Karen offered "I have been to one other tether aside from this, and I couldn't find the seneschal at all. The tether was still present, but it was neglected and weak. The seneschal obviously was in control of her faculties, because there was a note left on the bed of her room saying she'd gone on holidays. So apparently she had willingly left, probably after the silence"
Jason asked, "Which tether were you at? Were you in D.C. during the silence, or here?"
Karen said "I've not yet checked on any of the tethers in D.C., which was where I was during the silence. We came here looking for Nathaniel. It was only once Melanie and I began to track down Raphael that I thought the tethers would be an obvious place for someone who is hurt to rest. The tether we checked was further into the city, at a hostel, you know the one. The seneschal apparently has a hand in running the hostel and helping out those who stay there." She paused for a long moment as if considering something, then sighed "Perhaps it would be worth checking up on all the tethers we know about, but somehow I feel that isn't what we should be doing. There is more that we need to do...more that we need to know!"
Jason considered this, "I think knowing if Yves' was the only one that does not ascend to Heaven would be worthwhile, or if the other Seneschals were as adversely affected. But I think that can wait for a little while."
He then gave Karen a questioning glance before moving on "But if what you say is true, that the more powerful were affected more profoundly, then perhaps that explains Selindreal's madness, and Yves' silence. I spoke to Ashikel about that and she said that, like us, the demons lost their Essence, but I did not mention the Hearts, as I did not want to give out too much information. The demons are taking what advantage they can of the fact that Laurence's soldiers and many Angels are not on patrol."
Karen nodded in agreement to Jason's words "Well I�d imagine that their connections to wherever they go are not as strongly aligned to the symphony, so perhaps they felt less even than Melanie did". She glanced at Melanie, who added, somewhat hesitantly, as if only slowly regaining her self assurance, "The signs of their actions are obvious, even to me. It seemed everywhere I turn since it happened I hear of another crime happening. It seems to be everywhere".
"Yeah, it was a rough night at the Emergency Room, and Raphael said that everywhere s/he went there were too many people in need." commented Jason.
Karen nodded. "And it was Laurence's people who were meeting in Paris. I spoke to one of them that I�d previously known of. She seemed to be fairly much in the dark, though she said she'd contact me if they discovered anything while at the meeting." Karen sighed in exasperation "I tried getting a contact number from her, and all she gave me was the address of a post office box. I can't believe how they manage to survive here sometimes." She shook her head, shrugged and grinned wryly.
Jason paused again, then continued. "Karlial, who I went to see first, was talking to Michael when I got there. He told me that he had company in a way that told me to get going and fast. Then I heard Michael in his Mantle of Ender of Light, the one he wore when he kicked the Dark One out of Heaven. Michael asked Karlial who was at the door and if I should be involved in what they were doing. Karlial responded 'an old friend' and that I was probably busy. As I left, Michael asked who I was, and Karlial said 'just an old friend.' Michael said 'You know better than to lie to me even by omission.' Then I was gone."
Karen's smile faded as she listened, a frown of consternation taking its place. "But why? Have you ever had any dealings with Michael? I've always found him to be lacking in subtlety, but surely there'd be no reason to conceal your identity from him. And Karlial...I�m not sure, but he could have been the one that I saw this afternoon watching by the church. If it was, I wonder why he ran and didn't speak with me. I guess that Jean and Michael have always differed in viewpoint." She sighed, her frown and worried expression deepening. "Surely the Silence can't be so serious as to have those attuned to the Symphony at each other's throats?" She glanced from Melanie to Jason.
Jason said, "Well, possibly it is simply a symptom of something more serious. If, just as idle speculation, Yves was cast out of Heaven, wouldn't you think that it would have a profound affect on everyone and everything? After all, he is the oldest being besides God, and as a Guardian of Destiny, he is much more attuned to the Symphony than anyone, and maybe vice versa. Certainly such an occurrence would have serious implications and reverberations. Of course, this is fairly wild speculation, at least I hope. But I am interested in knowing why Karlial did not want Michael to know who I was. I am assuming that they were planning the attack on the new Demonic tether that Ashikel was watching. Maybe Karlial knows I am still in contact with her? But that is also pretty unlikely, as it would also require him to know Ashikel would be the one guarding it, and that I would be seeing her."
He gave her a shrug and then asked "What else have you been up to since the silence? Anything that could have any bearing on any of this?"
Karen sighed and shook her head, still obviously caught up in considering the words just spoken "No...not much. Mostly just trying to find people. First anyone who might know what happened, then Nathaniel, then Raphael." She shook her head "Yves cast from heaven. No...I can't even imagine such a thing. Not so suddenly. Not with such a disturbance. No". However her eyes showed clearly the doubt and confusion she felt even as she stated that such a thing couldn't be possible. She looked into Jason's eyes. "Then again, I can't think of anything that would create such a disturbance to the Symphony." She chuckled humorously as she glanced at Melanie "If I could, then it would only be a matter of determining whether it were true or not."
Karen's aura seemed to grow a little clearer as she stood considering this. The dark brow of the giant cat, which overlaid her corporeal form, was clearly wrinkled in consternation and the dark shot golden wings drooped slightly. Melanie frowned as she saw this, and spoke. "No...there has to be something we can do. It all has to be interconnected somehow. We just have to try to see and figure out the connections. Perhaps Lynne will be able to shed more light on what is happening, or perhaps Selindeal might once he wakes up. There is always hope."
Karen smiled in appreciation at Melanie, but shook her head "Somehow I think Lynne is looking for information rather than wanting to tell us. Still, it can't hurt to talk to her." A few moments later she asked Jason, "What have you heard of the recent politics of those above? I'm afraid I�m heard next to nothing ever since I lost Sonja."
Karen glanced at Melanie "Speaking of which, I wonder what her connection was in all of this. At first I thought it was none at all, but you know that I found out she had previously lived in an apartment right near where the fires were today. And the band of Shedim were involved in both cases." She shrugged "Of course I could just be grasping at straws here."
Jason looked quizzically at Karen "Sonja? The name does not sound familiar. An Angel that fell? A Kyriotate? What other fires? I only know of the one at the church which I inadvertently started."
�I meant fire - singular,� said Karen, smiling uneasily, leaning against the wall outside the cafe, and shaking her head "None of the above, I�m afraid. To my knowledge she was an ordinary human. I guess I might as well tell you the whole story. It may be irrelevant, but it'll fill up time while we wait for Lynne."
"About 2 months before the Silence, I was introduced to and entrusted to protect a woman called Sonja Morgan." Karen looked to Jason and added by way of explanation "Jean frequently assigns this sort of job to me, as I am by nature a protective person. And, as is the nature of Jean, I was left little by way of reasoning or explanation for why Sonja had to be protected. I was told only that it was essential for me to make sure that Sonja remained safe until she could attended a particular convention in D.C. Jean impressed it upon me firmly that it was my responsibility to make sure she made it to that convention. Apparently she must be introduced to someone at this time - another scientist - and then I was to protect both of them in the months following their meeting."
Karen continued. "I discovered that Sonja was a postgraduate student, working and studying in a medical laboratory associated with a company called Caltech. Her research focus revolves around developing cures to currently terminal diseases. In the time I had to know her I gathered that her project was not turning out well. I had assumed that the man I had to be sure she met would provide some sort of inspiration to allow her to make some technological breakthrough."
Karen's expression became pained as she continues to speak, and her eyes flick frequently towards Melanie, who seemed to have taken on a slightly guilty expression "About 10 days before the Silence, Melanie's daughter, Sally, was taken from her day-care centre. Of course as soon as I felt this Melanie and I gave chase, and we eventually found her late that night, dumped by the side of a freeway outside of New Jersey City, apparently unharmed, but very frightened."
"However, as I picked her up, I felt my attunement to Sonja break." By the expression on Karen's face and the way her aura tended to get brighter when she spoke of this, it was probable that the leaking aura was related to this. She looked at Jason, her gaze again alarmed as she remembers the feeling of the destruction of that link.
"By the time I got to the lab she was long gone. The whole place had been trashed. Several people outside mentioned seeing three men enter the building and leave with a young woman, but none remembered seeing how they left the building. This, along with a door to a closet that I found fragmented into gray powder, makes me believe that it could have only been direct Demonic intervention, probably from the band of Shedim with the assistance of a Calabite."
"The convention is scheduled to take place in just less than one month's time from now. I can no longer feel any trace of the link to Sonja and although I�ve spent the bulk of 10 days following every lead I could conceive of, there's no sign of her. I have to find her, or else..." Her voice trailed off, but there was the distinct message unspoken: ...or else the dissonance gathered from my failure may land me amongst the Fallen.
Jason listened intently, occasionally wincing as the plot unfolds, very directly feeling the pain and anguish that now besets Karen. Possibly reliving his own failures of the past. He holds his questions and comments until she was finished.
When she was done he walked over to her and gives her a reassuring hug, then stood back and looked her directly in the face and said "I will not kid you by telling you that everything will be all right. We have both been around too long to believe that everything works out for the best. And I know only too well what it is like to lose an attunement, especially an important one that was assigned from above." He winces slightly as he remembers a distant time that is all but forgotten among mankind.
But he continued to stare directly into Karen's eyes "I guess that is part of the price of being a Cherum, and maybe the price of caring too much. The simple fact that this has affected you as much as it has is a sure signal of how far you are from 'or else...'."
Karen nodded, taking his message to heart, and wincing at his expression as she heard that similar things had happened to him in the past. She began "I'm sorry..i should have..." but then faded to silence again and listened.
She managed a small smile in response, although this is obviously an effort considering the emotions that ran over her at the moment.
He paused and gave her a long hard look, underscoring what he had said. "Now, before you get too despondent over the chances of finding Sonja, think about this. First, Sally was left unharmed. Second, Sonja was seen leaving the building with the men. I can hardly take either as anything but an extremely positive sign. The Shedim I met would not have thought twice about killing Sally once he had drawn you off. Her part in this seems to have simply have been to draw you away from your other charge. Once that was accomplished, what crueler joke than to kill her as well, making your loss of Sonja even more painful? The fact that Sonja was apparently abducted meant she is probably still alive. After all, why bother abducting Sally, then abducting Sonja, if you are just going to kill Sonja anyway?"
Karen considered this carefully.
Jason let this sink in before continuing "The fact that this occurred 10 days before the Silence means that it quite possibly is unrelated, but you never know. However, on the plus side, we still have a month to track her down before the conference. Maybe I can see if Ashikel will help."
He thought about this for a little while, while he stepped back a little. "If you don't mind talking about it a little, do you mind if I ask some questions?"
Karen nodded her assent.
"OK, the first thing I was wondering was why you thought that Shedim were involved in this? Was Sally able to tell you anything about what happened to her, who abducted her, how it was done, etc.? Do you have any idea what was in the closet that was...vaporized? Where is Sally now?"
Karen took a deep breath and answered "Ok..well to start with, Sally doesn't remember much at all. It appears she was grabbed, pulled into a car, with a bag over her head. She didn't hear much, although she remembers hearing voices, but not knowing if they were male or female, or how many there were. She didn't understand anything they said, and from what she says I gather they were either speaking another language, or perhaps murmuring so that the words blended when heard by muffled ears. At the moment she is safe at home with her father.�
�The reason I suspect shedim in Sonja's case is that several witnesses had lost time and experienced bright lights. These are classic Shedim side effects. I also noticed similar reports, as well as reports of aliens and ufo's and such, in the neighbourhood around the church, and had suspected their presence before i even arrived. There was also evidence in both cases of the Kalabim. The rendering of an object into chaos is a classic sign of the Kalabim. Now this happened both in the church and in Sonja's lab."
"Sonja appears to have been hiding in the cupboard - or at least that was my best guess as far as reconstructing the day's events go. It had nothing of import within it, but Sonja's fingerprints were all over what was left of it."
"None of the witnesses had accurated descriptions exept one that had a brief recollection of a tall white woman and a medium sized black man going into the building just before they too 'lost time'. Now I think it must be more than coincidence to have what appears to be evidence of a Shedim and a Kalabim working together in both cases... You yourself mentioned that you fought one of the Shedim within the church, so that means..."
Karen was about to say something more, but then they all noticed two figures approaching.