Nothing worked.
Frustrated, I sat on a log and considered my options. I could've waited for help. Calling for Michael or Gabe wasn't an option. I couldn't distract them in the middle of whatever they were dealing with. And Joel may or may not have been helping them, so he was out. I didn't have a call-in-times-of-need relationship with any other angels, except maybe Sandalphon, and I was still too aggravated at him to call on him. Besides, he had very little power that would help in this situation.
Tapping my foot, I stared at the house and considered my options. I could wait until I had help, giving Ezekiel, who surely knew I was here, time to bolster his defenses or run. I could sit here and wait him out while Raphael got further and further ahead of us. What else could I do?
"Gabe," I whispered with a bit of power in my voice. "If you can hear me and you're available to come help, I could use a little more power."
After several minutes of no answer, I tried the same with Michael, then Joel.
Nothing. Now I was frustrated about not being able to get to Ezekiel and even more worried about them.
Did I know anyone else that was already in the Earth Realm that could help?
If I could get to Asmodeus, he had plenty of power to assist. But he was in Hell, and my human body couldn't go there.
I wondered if I could at least take it to Purgatory but was nearly certain the realm wouldn't even open for me. But I tried anyway. I closed my eyes and willed myself to Purgatory, but nothing happened.
After a few minutes of sitting on the stool pouting, an idea popped into my head.
The Voodoo. Maybe she had some magic that would help. I had no idea what sort of Relic Ezekiel had in there, assuming that's what he was using. But that Voodoo, Mary, had some serious power at her disposal.
Without many other options, I popped into the breezeway of her building and rapped on her door. The little boy answered it again. "It's the demon again," he called into the apartment. "Come in," he said. "She said you'd be back."
I hurried behind him, through the living room and around the corner into Mary's tiny kitchen. She stood at the sink with her hands in soapy water.
One of the most powerful beings I knew of, and she was washing dishes by hand because she refused to use her power for personal gain.
"Do you realize how much potential you have?" I asked. "The witches of this world don't hold a candle to you."
She chuckled and rinsed a bowl. "I know exactly how much power I have, Demon. And I use it as I see fit."
"I need your help again," I said.
"You know my magic comes with a price, do you not?" she asked, sliding a plate into the soapy water. She continued washing as she spoke. "Sometimes I ask the price, sometimes the magic asks."
"I know you believe that," I said carefully. I didn't want to risk upsetting her. "And now that I have my own power back, I can give you anything your heart desires. Except for the one thing I need from you."
"I could give myself anything my heart desired." She chuckled and rinsed the plate, then placed it in the drainer. Grabbing a cotton towel, she dried her hands and turned to me. "What is it you desire?" she asked. "You have changed since we last met, as I knew you would. You have more darkness in you now than I've ever seen."
Lowering my lashes, I acknowledged her observation, at the same time igniting my powers to read her aura.
When I looked up, I gasped. She had a nearly all-white aura. Not quite the pure white of Michael’s. I wasn't sure anyone, but an angel could have pure white. Hers was a pearly cream color, laced with vines of silver, gold, bronze, and deep, dark blue. She was the descendent of angels, and the blue made me think Fallen.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"I'm reading your aura."
It was her turn to look shocked. "I've never heard of another being able to do that," she whispered.
"It's a rare gift," I said. "You can?"
She shook her head. "No. My mother could. She's gone now."
"If she'd come to Hell, I would've known her. I know all the witches that make it to my realm," I said. "She is in Elysium or reborn."
A brilliant smile broke across her weathered face. "I knew she was, but it is nice to hear it confirmed."
I couldn't find an ounce of evil in her aura. "Have you never made the wrong choice in your life?" I asked. "Your aura reads like an impossibility."
