The fear in me

Nay

I trust Jason and I'm trying to consider the whole thing free of fear and positively, but my eyes keep wandering to the lifeless body of Gabriel. I've never seen a dead body and would never have thought that I would one day be confronted with one.

I always thought it would be impossible to die when I'm present. But that's just what has happened.

"I have to take you and Tim to safety so you won't be hurt!" Jason whispers, and my eyes go straight to Tim, who is sitting there shockingly relaxed and watching everything.

I've never seen him so speechless. For him, the danger is most acute because he has no healing powers. If even anyone in this room touched his skin he'd be dead on the spot.

But I have no idea whether he's aware of that danger. Jason follows my glance and says: "Nothing will happen to him, nobody will do anything to him ..." but he doesn't sound so sure.

Lukas clears his throat. "The HA's are here!" Only after dozens of men suddenly materialise and surround us do I grasp what is happening.

These are not angels of death. They are like what Jason once was and they are here to help us. I'm relieved. Though I can scarcely believe that the remaining angels of death present a danger, Rafael is unpredictable and so it's good that we've received a little support.

The HA's look at the remaining AD's aggressively. Antipathy that is ages old is simmering here, and we really do feel it. What are the AD's thinking? They've been deceived the whole time, they have been made into what they now are. The hatred hammered into them should have evaporated after the explanation, but is it possible to simply turn off such a deep-seated abhorrence? To judge by their looks – no!

Two angels step into the middle of the room and walk toward us. One of them I recognise immediately. He's Sam. I still can't believe he's an angel. He grins at me uncertainly and Jason says, "Hi, brother!"

Sam bends down to him and embraces him: "Hi, Jason! Hello, Nay ... I'm very sorry, I never wanted to draw you into our fight," he says apologetically, and finally with a wink, "I'm glad Jason has found such a good girlfriend."

The man who followed Sam clears his throat and we all look at him. Tears of joy are gleaming in the man's eyes and I know immediately who he is. You'd have to be blind not to recognise him. That's how Jason will look some day when he's older, I'm firmly convinced of that. "Jason ... my son!" he confirms.

Jason looks at him and several emotions register on his face. Lastly only joy remains, when he throws himself into his father's arms. All of the murmuring and buzzing around us is silenced, and all are staring at what is happening in the middle. "I'm sorry," says Jonathan. "I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. But believe me I tried every way I could."

"I know, I know!" Jason's voice breaks and I feel that he can no longer keep under control his rising feelings. I'm expecting him to break down at any moment.

But before it comes to that it suddenly becomes windy in the middle of the room and somebody is coldly laughing. "How touching!" we hear an icy voice say, then everything turns black as pitch. Jason tweaks my arm in fright, and I sense that we're hovering; at least it feels exactly like that.

I hear Lukas yell "Shit!" and Tim calls out "Nay!" He sounds as though he's right under me. Everything happens in a split second. My heart is thumping right up into my neck, and Jason mutters something to himself, then it gets bright again.