Page 385 of Castings & Curses

"We're going to set a trap for the killer," I explained. "We're—"

"I'm in," Melinda replied.

I grinned. That was faster than I'd bargained on.

Riga sighed. "You be careful with that."

"I will, of course," Melinda replied. "Do you think the hierarchy would be willing to remove some of the locks on my powers, so I can better defend myself?"

"I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think so," I said. "Even if they did, I wouldn't put it past the killer to capitalize on the situation, if their intention is seeing you blamed for this. The hierarchy wanted you brought straight back to heaven."

"Of course they did," Riga replied with a soft sigh.

"They shouldn't forget I'm one of their own," Melinda replied. "I've been working with them for years."

"I know," I replied, as my heart went out to her.

I understood her feelings, but I had to remember my loyalties and remain focused on the mission.

"Oh, that reminds me. I'm wondering if you might be able to interpret some runes for me. They were found at Misha's home."

I showed Melinda and Riga the symbols on my phone, for simplicity's sake. There was no point using magic when technology would do the same job just as well.

The same rune had been in multiple places in Misha's home.

"I'm not sure," Melinda said as she stared at the symbol. "It looks familiar, but it isn't typical Norse. Some kind of bind rune perhaps?"

I already knew a bind rune was a runic symbol made up of more than one rune.

"Really, Melinda? You can do better than that. It's a protection rune that also inspires courage. It's unusual to have a line bisecting the rune in the center. It isn't sufficient to negate the other meanings of the rune, so it must serve some purpose. It probably influences the flow of protective energy, helping to shore up the location's defenses. Rather than a constant trickle of power, it might build up behind something reminiscent of a dam wall that can be lowered at will."

"That's interesting," I replied.

It was even rather ingenious from a magical perspective, but ultimately it hadn't saved Misha's life. I decided to share my findings with Raphael later.

* * *

Four hours later,Melinda and I retired to a room at Enchant. I lay in a bed opposite, resting my head, if not my mind. Raphael still hadn't returned and I was growing uneasy.

He'd asked me to keep an eye on Melinda, but I decided to go out looking for him. Melinda seemed to be fast asleep, and a gentle check of her mind confirmed the fact.

Taking intangible angelic form, I soared up through the ceiling and into the sky above Enchant, looking for signs of the missing archangel. There were none to be found. When I extended my senses, I again found nothing. Could he have gone back to heaven to check in with the others? It seemed strange in light of our earlier conversation, when he'd chastised me for leaving without a word.

There was no sign of him at Lucia's home, and she now lay asleep in bed. I was glad she was finally able to get some rest. Perhaps Raphael had helped her with that.

I knew heaven might disapprove of the course we'd taken, but I was growing deeply concerned for Raphael, so I returned to heaven. I didn't like leaving Melinda, but she was in an appropriate place, and Raphael had ensured we couldn’t be teleported away and no one could listen in on our conversations telepathically from outside.

When I reached heaven, I was immediately met with a sense of chaos. Joanne, my superior, was there.

"Aurelia, you're alive! We couldn't get through to you and feared the worst."

It occurred to me that it might've been the shielding. The intention was to protect us and the investigation, but we obviously hadn't considered the other potential repercussions.

"What's happened?" I asked, my stomach churning as I thought of Raphael.

"The archangel Raphael is being treated by healers. He was attacked in the air and someone tried to steal his soul. They failed, but he isn't well."

My heart sank, and I couldn't help wondering if he'd called out to me for help and I didn’t hear him.

---