The library
A bit of investigation yeilded the fact that the buses at the time were about fifteen minutes apart at that bus stop, and the two possibilities in the time window both were heading into the city, one towards the library, and one towards uptown. Guessing at the hostel, the two of them headed out along the latter bus route.
Inquiries at the hostel yeilded no fruit, and Karen felt the power od the tether, but it was weak, neglected. The seneschal of the Tether was no where to be found, a situation almost unheard of. She normally was one of the carers at the hostel, and lived in a room upstairs. The police passed got them into the room, since one other helper was concerned, and they found a note on the perfectly made bed, saying 'Gone on holiday, back when I am able'. None of the other people at the hostel could provide any assistance, or recognise the descriptions of the two people.
Finally giving it up as a lost lead, after fully investigating the area, the two of them headed along the other bus route to the library, and arrived at about 7pm.
And here there was some satisfaction. A person at the front desk said they recalled two people of similar descriptions coming into the library in the early afternoon, but did not remember them leaving.
A breif search of the stacks made Karen's senses tingle. Someone was here, all right. She followed the faint sound of damaged bells, and with Melanie in somewhat bemused tow, walked into the depths of the archives.
The damaged sounds became palpable, and then suddenly there was a Celestial image of a six winged serpant, multicoloured and gem eyed, floating in the air before the two of them, guarding the way into a private reading room.
"... o'erthrow me,'and bend / Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. ... not with a bang ... Something dread this way comes ..." spoke a voice in the mind from the creature, a perfect sound of shattering crystals. Was this... could this posibly be a Seraphim? But it sounded mad!
Another voice spoke softly from the room beyond, seeming feminine in its intonation, yet masculine in its depth. "Worry not, Selindeal. It is a friend. She was written in the Book, if you think hard enough you shall recall her." The serpantine image faded.
The door opened, and a small person stood on the other side. Raphael. Karen recognised Him/Her instantly. She/He was wounded, from many places, and blind, burned about the perfect features. The jeans and tee shirt were stained burgandy from the blood that still flowed from the many wounds. He/She tilted their head to allow Karen and Melanie in.
"Karathiel. Melanie Lonard. I recall still Yves' book of Life, and your names. Melanie, I hear your foot fall and the sound of your child's laughter and rejoice. Karathiel. It has been too long. The work has scarred you as well, from what I can hear of it. How have you failed, that pains you so greatly? How can I help?"
Melanie was speachless, and sat as Raphael indicated.
Karen was taken aback by the sight of Raphael (Probably taken afront and afewsides as well) and for a moment simply shook her head. Finally she managed to speak. "No...no...we were seeking the one who was hurt, in order to help you...we were also seeking Nathaniel in order to bring word of his well being to those who care for him. Raphael? What has happened to you? Why are you here? How is it that...?" She gestured to his pain and burns and then glanced from him/her to Melanie to the empty air of the room as if seeking Selindeal.
The Angel of Healing smiled sadly, and even in blindness and burns, even though the sadness, the smile lighted the room. "I fear I too have failed the task of my Word, Defender. The world is hurt, and I have not the energy to heal it. I have done what I can, and brought the wounds I feel and touch onto myself, but it is still not enough. Selindeal was seneschal to this tether, one of Yves', who was my superior, but the silence of last night seems to have harmed not only him but all Seraphim of Destiny."
Karen finally managed to get herself together enough to answer the question asked. She told Him/Her how she was told by her superior Jean to bring a woman called Sonja Morgan to meet with a man called Denis Sheil in Washington city in a little over three weeks from now. "I was attuned to her and protected her to the best of my abilities, but then i was distracted by a danger happening to another of those i protect." She glanced at Melanie and reached out to squeeze her hand. "Melanie's child was taken out of the city, and i had to pursue her and get her back, but the moment i touched the child, i felt Sonja being torn away from me. By the time i returned she was gone, and all i could determine was that it must have been one of the Shedim, because of the essence of chaos left at the scene. I have found no trace of her since then."
Raphael nodded sadly. "We have met a similar fate, our problems being more than our strength to hold back. But, a good friend of mine, Jason, you remember him? today reminded me of the fact that how we deal with the details is at least as important as the big picture, and I have a feeling that this detail here," She/He smiled at Melanie (still speachless), "Will make up for your lack of strength."
Karen smiled at Melanie and squeezed her hand, murmering "She always does..."
Karen then turned her mind back to his previous words. "All of the Seraphim of Destiny have been harmed?" as she tried to get her mind around the proportion of the event that would be required to affect all of the Seraphim of Destiny. "Have they all been harmed like Selindeal? I saw it to be a madness brought on by the silence, although i only heard it speak for a moment? Have any others of the choirs that you know about been harmed in particular ways? Perhaps if we can figure this out, then we may have more clue about what happened and what to do about it." She sat in puzzled silence for a moment and then again looked over to Raphael and his/her wounds.
She sat for a moment in obvious distress, watching the blood flowing from Raphael's wounds, then asked "Is there nothing we can do for you? I have some skill at healing..." She smiled joylessly at how this must sound to Raphael."Forgive me...i am still confused by the Silence and the other disturbances to the symphony. I have found angels leaving their places and tethers untended. I have found infinitely more questions than answers. And now to find you here...and Selindeal..."
Raphael smiled gently. "Karathiel. If your task does not require your energy, I could use it to heal more of the world. Perhaps even Selindeal... or the other tethers, but there are so many mortals wounded unnaturally, by celestial forces this last day. I do not know where to begin. I willingly took this blindness from the burned boy, for it suits me. I do not know who to heal first."
"It is given to me to absorb the harm upon others if I have not the engery to heal it myself. And my energy is spent. Worry not for me. I have borne hurts as great as these before, and will do so for as long as I am able."
Raphael tilted his/her head suddenly, and smiled. "Jason returns. And someone is with him..." louder he said "Jason! Worry not, we are amoung friends."
Jason... Karen recalled Jason. He was an angel of her choir, who was devoted to the word of Healing, which in turn was under Yves' (destiny�s) comand. Jason was one of the corporeally weakest of her choir, choosing to defend through healing.
Even as Jason was approaching, Karen answers Raphael. "I can give the essence i have to your cause, and if there is a source of electricity closeby i can draw in more in about two hours. As for where to start.." She gestured sadly to his wounds "Perhaps beginning with healing the healers. The hurt in this world is so severe that countless healers will be needed to even begin to repair the harm. Heal yourself. Heal those who can help us to heal others and then send them all out to heal the mortals. Even Melanie and I, who are by no means healers, know songs that will help those in pain."
She paused for a moment, considering her words "Above all, I believe that we need to find a way of stopping the hurt in the first place. How can we save the man by healing his knife wounds, while ignoring the one that is continuing to stab him..."
"I believe we need to gather all the knowledge we have of what happened and what is happening and try to figure out somewhere to start. Melanie and I have discovered some things, and i'm sure your knowledge and that of Jason and Selindeal are fixed on quite different aspects. Perhaps drawing it all together we can find a starting place."
She then looked up to try to see Jason and whoever was with him.
Chapter 1, and meeting with Jason
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