Page 83 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 28
Bartol
It was early morning at the nerou compound in Alaska. The debris of the battle had been cleared away, and all the necessary repairs had been made over the last five days until no sign of the damage remained.
Perhaps Bartol should have described it asalmostno sign was left. At the far corner of the grounds, they’d constructed a memorial for the fallen nerou of both battles. Each of their gravestones lay in two neat rows, and a bronze statue of a warrior wielding a sword rose over them. At the tip of the blade, an eternal flame quivered in the breeze. It was small but bright enough to see at a hundred paces away. Nothing could blow it out, not even the strongest storm. Until the end of time, it would continue to burn in remembrance of those who died in the battles against the demons. And it would serve as a place for more nerou to be buried in the future should they fall in combat.
Bartol could hardly look at the nerou’s final resting place without feeling his gut wrench in sorrow. For the last hour, he’d stood over their graves and prayed that their souls found peace. He wished he could have saved them and given them more time to live. But now, their terrible fate was marked by graves hidden away in a place where few would ever visit or see them. Humans would never know what the nerou had done to protect them and Earth.
He turned away, and something caught his attention at another corner of the compound where Zoe had also been laid to rest. The fallen nephilim had a simple tombstone marking her grave with only her name inscribed and the year of her death. Rebecca stood before it, holding a white rose. The nerou looked a lot like her mother with her slim form, strawberry blond hair, and high cheekbones.
She kneeled to set the flower on the grave, shoulders shaking.
Bartol hesitated for a moment before joining her. “My condolences.”
“Thank you,” Rebecca said, rising to her feet. Tears streaked down her cheeks. “People probably think I’m stupid for caring, but I feel awful about how she died.”
“Your mother wasn’t a good person, but you can take comfort that her final act was for you.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, wanting to offer some sort of support. “And she saved many lives as a result.”
She sniffed. “I know, but now I feel guilty I didn’t let her come to my graduation, and I hardly spoke to her over the last few months. She deserved better than that.”
“Your actions are what helped remind her she had to earn your regard.”
Rebecca sucked in a breath, and the next thing Bartol knew, the nerou woman was in his arms. He stiffened. Bile began to rise up his throat, and he started to panic, but then he heard the woman’s soft cries.
“It’s okay,” he said, patting her back. He could handle this. He could.
“I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
He gently took her shoulders and moved her back to look at her face. “Are you certain your mother would want you to feel guilty? I was there, and her last words were to tell you that she loved you. More than anything, she wished you to live and be happy.”
Rebecca’s blue eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You would know if I was lying, would you not?” Many of the nerou had inherited the same lie detector abilities as sensors.
“I would,” she confirmed. “It’s just going to take some time, I guess. Even after what she did in Russia, most people still hate her, and no one came for her burial.”
They didn’t hold a service for Zoe, but Rebecca had stood at the plot the day she was buried and said a prayer for her. Not that it mattered since the nephilim had obliterated her soul with the magic bomb when she died, and their race wasn’t supposed to have an afterlife anyway. Still, it had seemed to make Rebecca feel better to do something.
“Don’t let it bother you what others think. You will be the one to remember your mother, and you must do what you can to honor her sacrifice.” Bartol let the young woman’s shoulders go, relief filling him right away. “You’ve got a long life ahead of you.”
She was a little over three hundred and thirty years old and had many centuries to go serving as an enforcer. The angels were supposed to eventually work out a specific term for the nerou, but as of now, it was indefinite. They were arguing for some sort of retirement plan.
“Thanks, Bartol,” she said, glancing at her mother’s grave and managing a small smile. “You have no idea how much better you made me feel.”
He nodded. “Take care.”
“You, too.”
He watched her go before turning his attention to another important matter. Today wasn’t really about visiting graves or comforting nerou, and not the main reason Bartol had come to the compound. He’d just wanted to pay his respects one more time and attempt to let go of the guilt he felt over the recent deaths—a suggestion from Eli. Deep down, Bartol recognized that he couldn’t save everyone, but it was a good sign that he wanted to try. There was a time when he didn’t care about anything at all, not even himself.
Remiel stepped out of the gymnasium and gestured at him. “Come. It is time.”
Lucas, Jeriel, and Raguel were the only other ones who would stand witness to what was about to happen next. The others were already inside. Bartol entered the building and found it cleared of all the exercise equipment and mats that were once in there. Only a bare wooden floor remained. Except for Rebecca, who was being given time to grieve her mother, the rest of the nerou had already left for their assignments a couple of days before. They wouldn’t need the gym any longer for training.
Kerbasi stood in the middle of the room, pacing like someone who believed they were going to their execution. He stopped and turned toward Remiel. “Are you certain you do not wish to return me to Purgatory instead?”
“That assignment wouldn’t suit you any longer,” the archangel replied.
