The Noru Read online

  “Yeah, but this guy is different. He’s a Quo. His name is Henry...something. We trashed his bookstore one time just for fun. He was obsessed with Quo history. He might know what happened to Malakaro since his mother was Quo,” he reasons.

  I had spent hours trying to find the angel version of what happened but it never occurred to me to research Malakaro’s Quo side. I take the info but kill the demon anyway (he wore brown socks with black shoes, so I did the world a favor).

  The demon’s info leads me to the small nothing town of Cherry Grove in Mississippi. There, I find a bookstore called Tea & Pages. It’s well kept but devoid of patrons. It’s a small space with large antiquated books from floor to ceiling. It holds two big plush purple velvet armchairs at the center of the room. In between armchairs is a small round coffee table.

  As soon as I enter, a bell goes off and notifies Henry that he has a guest. He shouts out from the back and says he will be right out. I take another look around and then plop down on one of the armchairs. I put my feet up on the coffee table and wait for the old man to come out and shit his pants when he sees a demon in his store. I look at my watch; I have just enough time to hear what the old fart has to say. Then I can make up my mind one way or the other.

  Not long after, Henry enters the room. He has silver hair, dark rimmed glasses, and a slight hump. In his hand is a tray with a teakettle and a teacup.

  “Get your feet off my damn table, demon,” he instructs.

  “You dare speak to me in that insolent tone? Do you know who I am?” I challenge.

  “Yeah, what of it?” he asks.

  Is this old man serious?

  “Do you want to die?” I ask.

  “After my tea, yeah sure,” he replies.

  “Look, old man, I need some answers and I was told you have them.” I explain the situation to him.

  “So you think there might be detailed accounts of Malakaro’s life written by his Quo mother?” he asks.

  “Yes. I need you to go back there or wherever you keep the journals and look for it,” I order.

  “No need. I know my Muse collection backwards and forwards. I don’t have any journals from Malakaro’s mother.”

  “Don’t lie to me, old man,” I say, charging forward and grabbing him by his shirt collar.

  “I told you, I don’t have any details from Malakaro’s mother,” he says.

  I look deeply in his eyes and I can tell he’s being honest.

  “Damn it!” I shout, letting the old fool go.

  “I have something better; I have his father’s secret journal. I came by it years ago from a collector who had mistakenly mixed it in with a box of Quo history books. I kept it thinking it might be worth something someday.”

  “Bullshit. Marcus Cane was an open book. He wrote down everything that happened on each mission. I’ve read all the journals and they don’t mention Malakaro at all. Marcus didn’t even know he had a son,” I reply.

  “That is where you’re wrong, demon. Marcus Cane knew very well he had a son. In fact, Marcus and Malakaro met on three separate occasions.”

  Chapter Two:

  No Question

  Jason,

  I hope this Muse finds its way to you one day. Knowing you like I do, I have no doubt that if you want to find this, you will. I’m not sure what I hope to gain by writing this other than to set the record straight. I want you to know two things: no matter what anyone tells you, you were wanted from the very start.

  The second thing I need you to know is that walking away from you was in fact the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. I had my reasons and they were good ones, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like I failed you. Abandoning my own flesh and blood is absolutely the lowest point for me.

  My wife, whom as you know is also Death, was working in the light when her colleague Fate contacted me. I found this surprising, since Fate is known for keeping secrets. He is the hardest member of the council to get information from. Mostly because everything he reveals will somehow change the future. It may be a small change or a major one, but Fate rarely takes that chance so we do not have any idea what tomorrow will look like.

  Yet there he was at my doorstep. Once I opened the door and let him in, I could see that he had paused the world. Every single human was standing still in mid action. I told him that I would have met him somewhere else, but I had just put your sister, Pryor, down to Recharge, or to take a nap as the humans say.

  Fate didn’t look put out by having to come over. In fact, he looked like he was glad to be there. He asked to see Pryor and promised not to disturb her. I took him to her room and there he looked down at my three year old and her odd looking stuffed bear. The bear was wearing a pink tutu over a black ninja suit. Fate, not having the ability to foresee everything, looked at me, confused.

  “She likes human toys. She likes the bear dressed as a ballerina, but she also wants the bear to know how to fight. So she asked us to make her a Ninja-Ballerina bear.”

  “Marcus, she is precious,” he said.

  “Thank you. Her mother and I are very proud of her,” I replied.

  “She’s going to do amazing things one day,” Fate told me.

  “Right now, we’re just working on getting her to stop scribbling on the walls and control her powers so that she doesn’t take flight in a crowd of humans.”

  “She really is quite lovely,” he said with a hint of regret in his voice.

  That put me on edge. Fate doesn’t just make house calls.

  “What’s wrong? What do you know? Is it about Pryor? Is she going to be okay? Is there a demon after her? Who is it? Who do I need to kill?” I demanded.

  “Marcus, calm down.”

  “No, tell me what you know.”

  “Let’s discuss this outside so we don’t wake the Ninja Ballerina,” he suggested.

  We step out into the hall and immediately I started pacing, thinking of a hundred different things that could go wrong with Pryor.

  “Marcus, I need you to remain calm, it’s essential,” he said.

  “Tell me what’s going on. Should I call Emmy?” I asked.

  “Your wife and I talked she knows that you and I would have a word. She also knows that there are things she is better off not knowing. That’s part of the job. Sometimes Fate and Time need to keep things from Death. That’s what happens when Death is a working mom with a family,” Fate reminded me.

  “Okay, just tell me what’s going on,” I asked.

  That’s when he told me all about you. He told me that your mother, Bianca, left instructions for you to be placed with distant human relatives should something happen to her. He said your energy started growing and that’s how they were able to find you--by tracking your energy. It was a complete shock to me that I had a son. Right away I demanded that he take me to you. And that’s when the second shock of the night came my way.

  “There’s been a growing dark power on the outskirts of my visions of the future. With every passing day it has grown stronger. And today for the first time, I had a full flash of what’s to come. This new evil is without measure. It won’t just harm humans; it will send everyone and everything into a dark void where only ash and flames remain.”

  “We always knew that Lucy would be replaced by a new evil,” I reminded him.

  “But not like this. The new evil about to come our way isn’t angry or wrathful. It’s a methodical, deliberate seeker of blood and death.”

  “Do you need me to assemble the team? I can do that, but first I need to see to my son,” I informed Fate.

  “Marcus, the evil’s name is Malakaro. He’s your son.”

  ***

  After getting the news, I called my wife and she came to Earth immediately. We gave Pryor her bath, and then we called Tony, our long-time angel babysitter and friend. He watched Pry while we went to our favorite place to think things over, the Green mountains. My wife watched as I paced up and down restlessly.

  “Marcu
s, talk to me,” Emmy said.

  “I…I don’t know. I have no idea where to start,” I confessed.

  She took my hand in hers and forced me to stand still. She then placed her hands on either side of my face tenderly and said the oddest thing.

  “How do you feel about baseball?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “For the wallpaper. I’m thinking that or maybe basketball. Or we could do angel related sports like Runner ball,” she replied.

  “Emmy, babe, you’re losing me.”

  “When your son comes home to us, I want his room to be made up already,” she replied with a smile.

  “You want him to come stay with us?”

  “Where else would he go? We’re his family. He’s a part of you, so he’s part of me.”

  “I want that too, but Emmy, Fate said—”

  “Ah, screw Fate. Don’t tell him I said so, but he’s not always right. You and I know that more than anyone else. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. I know you and I know there’s no way you would just stand back and let this kid grow up without you. Maybe he’s gonna be evil because he isn’t exposed to good. We can change that.”

  “Exactly! That’s what I was thinking,” I said.

  “Malakaro is probably just a lost kid who doesn’t feel wanted. We take him in and show him that he’s not only wanted, he’s loved. He stands a good chance of being good. How could he not? You’re his father,” she reasoned.

  “So you’re okay with this?” I asked.

  “Bianca was awful and manipulative, but that doesn’t mean her son will be the same way. This kid deserves to know his dad. And Pry will love having an older brother.”

  “He’s probably going to be really angry that I wasn’t there for him,” I told her.

  “Don’t worry, you can make it up to him. This is the start of something wonderful. It won’t be an easy adjustment but we can do this,” she assured me.

  “Yeah, I think so too. I mean, I really do,” I replied.

  She beamed back at me. She was even more beautiful then than the day I first met her. Not many women would be okay with raising another woman’s child, but Emmy welcomed it.

  “Marrying you was the wisest thing I’ve ever done. Thank you for this,” I told her as I pulled her towards me and kissed her. She pulled away unexpectedly. She then smiled and took off in the air.

  “Where are you going?” I shouted.

  “Shopping! Our son is coming home. He’s gonna need stuff!” she said happily.

  ***

  Fate wasn’t happy about our decision to take you in. He thought it would be a terrible mistake and that we would regret it. However, Emmy and I insisted that Fate allow us to bring you home. So Fate reluctantly arranged a meeting between you and me. Emmy stayed behind because she wanted to give us time to talk. She didn’t want to get in the way of our first encounter.

  Fate and I entered your human school and he paused everyone on site. We walked down the long hallway to your first grade class. It was the longest walk of my life. On one hand I was so excited to meet you, but on the other hand I was scared of what I would find.

  I worried that my absence had already made you bitter and resentful of me. I worried that you hated me and that I would never be able to make it up to you. Fate told me that you were being raised by Quo who loved you very much, but I needed to see for myself that you were well cared for.

  I also debated whether or not to tell you who I was when we first spoke. Should I tell you that I’m your father right away or wait? How would you take it? Would you agree to move in with us or want nothing to do with me? And what in the world would I say when you ask me about your mother? Bianca and I never got along, but I didn’t want you to hate her, she was after all your mother. What could I say to make this whole thing better?

  “Marcus, we’re here. He’s inside the classroom waiting for you,” Fate said.

  “Okay, he’s been living with half angels, so he obviously knows about our world, right?” I asked.

  “Yes, Malakaro knows the basics. His relatives saw to that,” Fate replied.

  “Good,” I said as I looked through the small glass opening in the door.

  I saw you standing there. You were a little over three feet tall and wore a black and blue school uniform. You had jet black hair like your mom and your wings flapped gently above you. You were perfect.

  “That’s my son,” I said proudly as I looked at over at you.

  “Before you go in, promise me this: talk to Malakaro first. See who he is now before you decide whether or not to take him in.”

  “Fate, there is nothing you can say that would make me turn my back on him.”

  “Just talk to him—before he knows who you are, have a conversation with him, Marcus. That’s all I’m asking.”

  Highly irritated, I shook my head and focused on the little boy before me. I walked into the class to come take you home. I walked up to you and you turned to face me. You had these intense “saucer” wide eyesbursting with wonder and curiosity. It took everything I had not to pick you up and take you home right then and there.

  “Hello, Malakaro,” I called out to you softly.

  “My name is Jason.” You corrected me as you studied my face.

  “I thought your name was—”

  “No, call me Jason. It’s my dad’s name.”

  A lump forms in my throat when I hear the pride in your voice as you speak about sharing the same middle name as me, a father you have never met. I knew you would be part of my family and that I would spend all my life making up for my absence. We would care for you and love you.

  “Hello, Jason, I’m Marcus.”

  “That’s my dad’s name,” he said, intrigued.

  “What do you know about your father?” I asked.

  “He’s like you; he has wings. And he can do anything,” you said, clearly impressed.

  “Really?”

  “Yup, and he is strong and he can fight,” you informed me.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “Because he’s my dad; my real dad. Not the Quo I live with.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Cross treating you okay?” I asked.

  “I don’t like them,” you replied.

  “Why? Did they do something to you?” I asked, on high alert.

  “They make me wear a hat and gloves even when it’s not that cold outside. They make me do my homework even when it’s stupid and they sing with the radio in the car; they sound awful.”

  I burst out laughing. You smiled back at me. There is no denying it; you have your mom’s stunning good looks and her charm. Yes, your mother could be charming when she needed to be.

  “Your parents don’t sound that bad,” I assured you.

  “But they are always telling me what to do.”

  “They are grown-ups, they know more than you,” I remarked.

  “But they’re just Quo,” you informed me.

  “Quo are important, Jason. They matter. Just like humans matter,” I replied as I got down to your level so we could be eye to eye.

  “I want them to be good at it,” you pleaded.

  “You want them to be good at what?” I asked.

  “Being my pets.”

  Your reply caused tightness in my chest. I didn’t let that deter me. There was still time to teach you right from wrong.

  “Why did you want to see me? Are you my new flight teacher? Are we going to have another flying lesson?”

  “Not right now. So you like to fly, what else do you like to do?” I asked.

  “I play with Roger. I ask him to sing and he does,” you said, heading over to the bluebird in the cage in the corner of the room.

  “He looks like a really cool bird. Hey, I heard you could do some pretty amazing things. Is that true? Can you show me what you can do?” I asked.

  You shook your head “yes.” You lifted your hands and you were able to lift the cage door without touching it. The bird quickly took to th
e air and circled the classroom. Once out, you had the bird fly around in exactly the pattern you commanded. There were times your concentration was off but still, you showed an impressive control. I excused myself and headed back to the hallway where Fate was waiting.

  “I did what you said; I talked to him. And guess what? He’s a kid. Just a kid with powers who wants to learn more about life. He’s not some horrific monster. He’s a child, my child, and you are out of your mind if you think I will let you keep me from my son!” I vowed.

  “You have got to look at the bigger picture, Marcus.”

  “There is no bigger picture! He’s my kid and I am going to take him home—today.”

  “He’s never been able to set the bird free from the cage before. He’s tried a hundred times before and today is the first time he’s been able to successfully open that cage,” Fate said.

  “So what’s your point?” I demanded.

  “The point, First Guardian, is that his powers increased because he was near you. It’s called Absorption and it’s a rare ability. His natural powers are coming to the surface even without be trained to tap into them. He learned to fly on his own. He learned to focus his power enough to move objects, and when you came near him he tapped into your power and was able to control a living thing,” Fate replied.

  “Will he always be able to Absorb powers from other beings?” I asked.

  “No, at one point he won’t need to do that. He will have enough of his own.”

  “Okay, so for now he needs some help so he taps into powers of angels near him. There’s nothing wrong with him wanting to learn to use his powers,” I reasoned.

  “Marcus, who do you think you are speaking to? I am Fate. I don’t waste my time in family drama. I didn’t come to you to tell you that one day your son would break curfew and get drunk off Coy. I came down here to tell you that the evil coming is ubiquitous and unrelenting; everything in the world will bow to it. Your son will be that evil.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” I protested.

  “Damn it, Marcus, listen to me!”