"We better join the others," he finally said, looking at the setting sun.
"Wow, what time is it?" I asked, glancing at my watch. "Oh my gosh, it's almost five o'clock," I said, shocked that we had been talking for hours. I felt guilty for leaving my friends for so long. I hadn't thought about poor John once the entire afternoon.
"He is well," Haniel said, picking the words from my head.
"Okay good. I still feel bad though. I should've been back at the camp helping out."
"Your help was unnecessary. They have been busy strategizing tomorrow's attack on Victor's compound."
Suddenly I was irritated. Had Haniel betrayed me by deliberately keeping me away from the others the entire afternoon?
"Krista, I do not use ploys," Haniel said quietly. "Today was rare for me. If anyone neglected their duties, it was I. I allowed myself to interact like a human, forgetting my responsibilities."
"Haniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm glad we talked today. Acting human is okay, believe me," I said, feeling ashamed of myself. Haniel had opened up and I corrupted it with my own selfishness.
"I understand your frustrations Krista, but you must understand, 'The Light' only wishes to protect you."
"Why did he let me come then?"
"Your Gifts were necessary to protect the others."
"So, I'm like some kind of shield now?" I asked sarcastically.
"Yes," he answered, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "Would you have preferred to let your Band handle the situation themselves?" He continued, making his point clear.
"No," I answered quietly. Without me, my friends would have died the previous night, and even if they had somehow survived the bug swarm, John would have surly died from the bear attack.
We walked the rest of the distance in silence as the responsibility of my Band members settled on my shoulders. We were just about back to the campsite when I finally asked the question that had been bugging me. "If I'm supposed to protect them then why am I being excluded from the rescue mission?"
"The Light is unsure of the situation surrounding Victor's compound. The Dark One has shrouded the entire site in darkness and The Light does not want to risk your life when we go in blind."
"So, my friends and family are indispensible?" I asked indigently.
"Not indispensible, but their lives are less precious than yours," he said in his normal spare-no-feelings kind of way.
"That's ridiculous," I said, stomping ahead of him.
My sour mood lasted only about as long as it took to arrive back at the camp. Seeing my friends sitting around chatting warmed my heart, especially John and Kieran who were lost in each other's arms on the far side of the campsite.
"How's he doing?" I asked Shawn and Sam as I sat down next to them on one of the rough logs.
"Much better. You'd never guess he was mauled by a frikin bear earlier," Sam said, not even bothering to hide her awe.
"So now you can walkie-talkie with Archangels too?" Shawn teased, nudging me.
"Yeah, I guess so. It's more like a paging thing. I just called for him in my mind and I knew he was on his way."
"That's freaking awesome Sis."
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to be blasé, but I had a hard time keeping a straight face.
"Nice try, but even you can't deny it's way cool," Sam said, laughing at my attempt.
"It is pretty cool, and it did help today," I said, looking at John meaningfully. "So, Haniel said you guys are heading in tomorrow night," I said, changing the subject.
"That's the plan. Haniel will accompany us once we hit the base of Victor's lair."
"I wonder what his plan is for me," I speculated.