The hilt of the sword was cool and heavy in her hand. At the edge of her consciousness, Sydney knew that merely holding the weapon was tantamount to suicide, but she also knew instinctively that it was the only way to defeat the opponent who circled her like a nervous cat. She was sorely tempted to launch an all-out assault on him, employing the blade and her own martial arts training
In this case, it seemed unlikely that a karate kick would do the job, so she waited.
Van Loo growled, "You can't kill me, you know. I'm immortal. That's why they chose you to do their dirty work. You're a woman; this is Eden. They always blame the woman for failure. It's inevitable. Just ask Eve."
"Something tells me you're lying," she countered. "I think it's poetic justice. You got a woman kicked out of Eden. It's only right that a woman kicks you out a few millennia later. Just call me fashionably late."
He snarled and extended a hand. From his fingertip, a dirty nail telescoped outward and grew into a crooked, grime- and gore-encrusted rapier. He swung wildly and just missed as Sydney lunged to one side, tucking and rolling and rising smoothly to her feet in a single movement. Van Loo shouted in frustration and his sword screamed. It was the first moment that Sydney realized that human bones formed his grisly foil. She recoiled automatically and he lunged again.
She barely evaded his attack while launching a counter-strike of her own. The gold Angel Sword sliced through air, though, as Van Loo leapt nimbly over her assault.
Having a better assessment of her opponent now, she feinted left, then thrust straight. Van Loo parried instantly but the tip of her blade connected, slicing through his shoulder. He roared in pain as vile, maggot-infested blood bubbled from the wound.
"Not as omnipotent as you thought, are you?" she taunted. "I think it's you who can't win."
He snarled and rushed at her, his arm barely a shadow in the rapidity of its motion. It didn't take long for her to become exhausted under the onslaught.
Her breath came in labored gasps and sweat rolled from her skin as she continued to evade, slice, parry and thrust, fencing against an invincible enemy. He was right about one thing, she suspected. He might not be omnipotent, but he probably couldn't be killed. You couldn't kill something that wasn't alive to begin with.
"You don't have to do this, Sydney," Van Loo challenged, his voice shifting to become smooth and persuasive. "They expect you to fail. They'll just throw you out again even if you win, you know. Join me, help me win, and you can rule over Eden. I can give you paradise."
Sydney rolled her eyes, muttering, "Didn't I date you once? I know I've heard that before. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now." She was too focused on the fight to care what he was saying, which worked in her favor. His hypnotic words effectively fell on deaf ears.
"Let's pool our resources, then," Van Loo snapped, waving his hand.
The ground sank beneath her and she was trapped in a pool of blood. It sucked her downward like quicksand, trapping her, leaving her unable to escape or even move.
Van Loo stood over her, laughing, as she was swallowed up.
Aaron fidgeted, determined to stand apart from the battle, but the guardian in him cried out at the injustice he was witnessing. Daniel inclined his head to his fellow angel. "We can't help her," the older angel said simply, yet there was an implication of something more in his voice.
Nigel's guardian glanced at the manifestation of his failure. The young Briton was still stretched in final repose on a bed of flowers, the peace on Nigels discolored features no reflection of the state of his soul. Van Loo's claim of torment was no idle boast.
Sydney couldn't see the anticipation in the angels' eyes. They each knew that this human woman was their champion, chosen by the Almighty to dispatch the enemy. Even her apparent loss didn't dim their enthusiasm overall. The heavenly host was cheering wildly even while their would-be protector was being overwhelmed and defeated.
All but Aaron.
Striding forward, he was dismayed when Daniel's hand clapped over his shoulder, effectively halting him in his tracks. "No!" The senior guardian commanded.
Unable to dismiss the incontestable order, Aaron stepped back, staring miserably at Nigel's mutilated flesh. Nigel - his *assignment*... How understated a way to describe a human soul given over to his charge! Frustration overtook the angel and he unfurled his wings, spiraling up above the ongoing fight. Every fiber of his being demanded that he help, yet to do so would be to defy the ruler of the universe!
Aaron stomped through the clouds and they discharged electricity, lightning that crackled through the heavens and scorched the earth. Eden's perfection healed itself quickly, the grass and the skies returning to their placid norm.
Finally, as Sydney stepped into the mire that would spell the end to the battle, Aaron settled back to the earth. Only his eyes no longer burned with frustration. Instead, they broadcast sudden determination and the light of a new direction.
Darkness closed around Sydney and her ears rang with the depletion of oxygen in her bloodstream. She stopped struggling, realizing that it was worse than useless; with each motion, she mired herself deeper into the gore. Only her hand remained out of the pool, raising the sword in a listless request for help.
She felt her soul being sucked from her body, and she sensed that she was dying.
And then a strong hand clasped hers, pulling her up from the muck. As her face burst free of the awful trap, she drew a deep, gasping gulp of air that was as much a cry as a breath. She wasn't a woman who wept easily, but tears now flowed from her eyes and huge sobs broke from her throat. She still couldn't see, but the same hand that freed her swept the rapier from her hand, and she heard a roar and the clink of metal blade to bone blade that told her that her rescuer had engaged the enemy.
Surprise registered in the murmurs that rippled through the angel legions, surprise that swiftly turned to cries of alarm.
Sydney struggled to unsteady feet and stumbled to the crystal stream, allowing her sense of smell to guide her. She dunked her head into the water, washing away the grime and muck and restoring her sight in the process.
She whirled when she heard the angels shout in dismay, turning just in time to see Van Loo backhand Nigel, who had been struggling valiantly to fight the Prince of Darkness. The little Englishman had taken a few fencing lessons from Sydney, mostly landing on his backside. He could never hope to prevail against this monster.
Time seemed to slow as Van Loo yanked the Angel Sword from Nigel's hand and raised the golden blade, poised to plunge it into her friend's heart. Sydney screamed and tore across the yards that separated them, but another, completely unexpected scream blended with hers.
The Angel Sword threw out flames that enveloped Van Loo, moving from his head downward, swallowing him up. And as the blaze moved over him, he began to disappear, until finally his image faded into oblivion. The sword melted away with him, its crystalline hilt hovering in midair, spinning on an invisible axis for the better part of five minutes before shattering into glitter that was scattered on the breeze.
Sydney knelt next to her assistant. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"I think so," Nigel replied shakily. "I saw you being sucked into that awful pit. I was afraid you were going to die. I had to try to save you."
She chuckled. "You know what? This time, you did save me."
He raised his eyes to the angel who had returned his life to him. "What just happened? I mean, what made him disappear like that?"
Daniel answered for his colleague. "The weapon carried death and destruction wherever it went because it was the key that opened the door to hell. It could not take anyone who retained any part of God in them, and living human spirits belong to the Almighty. But for a citizen of Hades, it sent them back to the pits of their own depravity. The sword is gone from earth forever, and Beelzebub is removed from Eden for good."
Sydney swallowed. "Then in a way, he was right. You *did* expect me to fail."
"Not at all. The moment you pricked him with the blade, he was already defeated. When he clasped the key in his hand, it merely expedited the process. We expected you to win. You didn't disappoint us."
"Mmm.. ouch.."
Nigel opened his eyes, staring up at the tiled ceiling. He pushed himself up, painfully, gradually aware that he was in a hospital ward. A dark-skinned nurse smiled and stepped to his side, speaking with a distinct accent.
"Ah, so you are awake? That is good. Your lady friend is awake, too. Are you feeling well enough for company, Mr. Bailey?"
Nodding, he allowed his gaze to light on his colleague, who was rolling across the floor in a wheelchair, her leg encased in a cast. "Hi," Sydney sighed. "You had me worried there for a while." She reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. "Welcome back."
"Thanks," he said hoarsely. "I think. Where are we?"
"We're in the hospital at Addis Ababa. We will be going home as soon as you're well enough. It seems that the dig was shut down. Rather violently, actually." Disappointment painted her voice. "I had hoped it was real. I nearly lost you, and for nothing."
"What?" he asked, wondering how fuzzy he really was on the details. "What was a fake?"
"The Angel Sword. When we got here, Van Loo was dead and the sword was pure hoax. It was nothing but an old iron knife, more rust than anything else." Sydney shook her head ruefully. "We should have been more careful. The army moved in and... It wasn't pretty. We were able to hide for a while. Then they found us." Tears welled up in her dark eyes. "I thought at first they'd killed you."
"Then it was all just a dream," he breathed, laying heavily back against the pillows.
The nurse returned a moment later, a puzzled look on her face. "You have a delivery," she told Nigel, handing him a small package. "Though I'm not quite sure how... It was postmarked three days ago. You didn't get here until last night."
Nigel accepted the brown cardboard cube, his fingers tracing unfamiliar handwriting. He tore off the tape and pulled out a small crystal globe, its surface etched in intricate detail, depicting the earth with a single giant continent. A slip of paper fluttered into Sydney's range and she captured it with her fingertips.
"The world is safe now, thanks to the two of you," she read. "Forever, Aaron." Frowning, she added, "Who's Aaron?"
A slight luminescence clung to the small sphere, a light that surrounded the ball like a halo. "I think you might call him a Guardian of Yesterday," Nigel answered thoughtfully. "Or perhaps a guardian of all our days."
THE END