“Shitty Ritchie is UPSET,” he cried out, hugging me tight. “Upset for my Daisy. Should I eat Hemah again? Would that help?”
I shook my head. “No. He’s dead already.”
Hemah looked up. He was shocked. “I’m dead?”
I met his gaze and nodded. “Dead. Like Chamuel, you’re a ghost.” I eyed him with disgust. “You don’t deserve that. You should be dust. Gone. Nothing. You deserve nothing.”
The Higher Power who had destroyed so much it was unfathomable, got to Its feet. Its broken hands hung limply at Its sides.
“You are correct,” Hemah said softly. “I am nothing. I deserve nothing.”
My eyes narrowed to slits. If It wasn’t already dead I would have killed It in cold blood with my bare frozen hands. “Am Isupposed to feel sorry for you? It all goes away because you agree with me?” I shouted. “You could have released Chamuel. Over time you and Chamuel might have been able to talk sense into Uriel, but NO. You fucking ruined so many lives. And for what? Was it worth it? Tell me? Was it?”
“It was not,” Hemah said. “No. It was not worth it.”
Chamuel stepped forward and stood toe to toe with the beast who had ruined Its life. They stood that way for what felt like hours even though it was only minutes. In a move I didn’t see coming, the former Higher Power who represented compassion, put Its arms around Its betrayer.
“I forgive you, Hemah,” Chamuel whispered. “I forgive you.”
“No,” Hemah cried out. “Do not forgive me. I’m not worthy of forgiveness.”
Chamuel continued to hug the awful being. Hemah sobbed and shook like a leaf.
“Forgiveness is mine to give if I so choose,” Chamuel told It. “I choose to forgive. Hatred is a heavy burden to bear. I shall not bear it. I forgive you.”
Chamuel was a far better person than I would ever be, and I was the Angel of Mercy. Jennifer stood to the side and watched her counterpart with love and pride.
Shitty Ritchie, embodying the split side of his personality that actually made sense, walked over the Hemah and motioned for him to sit. Hemah obeyed. They were now face to face—vengeance of ancient times and vengeance of present times.
“You will pay penance,” Shitty Ritchie said flatly. “You will pay penance for the same amount of time that you destroyed the lives and world around you. What you deserve in the end will be up to you. You must first forgive yourself. That will be the most difficult part of the journey you’re about totake, Hemah. The pain you dealt out will come back to you for millions of years tenfold, but that’s your cross to bear and you will carry that cross until every transgression you have committed has been accounted for. Do you understand me?”
“I do,” Hemah said, bowing his head to Shitty Ritchie. “I understand, true Higher Power.”
“I will be watching you,” Shitty Ritchie said in a voice that was so chilling I gasped.
Then he kind of screwed it up…
“Every breath you take. Every move you make… I will be fucking watching you.”
It took every fiber of my being not to laugh. Shitty Ritchie had just quoted the Police. Sting would be so proud, or, maybe not.
Shitty Ritchie reached out and took my hand. “When we get back, I shall crap Hemah out of my bunghole.” He turned and glared at Hemah. “Because Hemah is going to FUCKING LEAD US TO URIEL’S CAGE. RIGHT HEMAH?”
“As you wish,” Hemah said meekly.
“I fucking wish,” Shitty Ritchie bellowed.
Chamuel laughed. The sound was like tinkling bells. It warmed something cold in my heart.
“I shall help lead the way,” Chamuel said. “We are only as strong as the sum of our parts. That’s something the true Higher Power must remember. Always.”
Our group of four held hands and left the darkness. Hemah was still in Shitty Ritchie’s bowels. But he would join us shortly.
That was something I really didn’t want to see…
CHAPTER TWELVE
Getting backand out of Shitty Ritchie’s mind was a huge relief. It had been one hell of a ride and I had no plans to go back there any time soon, if ever.
