Testament to Love

By Ariel Tachna

Another mission to rescue yet another lost soul—Emmanuel isn’t sure how much more of the same old routine he can withstand. Get the fallen’s attention, save them from themselves, usher them back to grace, and return, simply to receive another assignment. But there’s something different about the troubled painter, Cameron Anderson, that grabs Emmanuel and won’t let him go.

Falling in love was never the plan. Committing the unpardonable sin is not an option for Emmanuel. He must choose: return home to stay and hope Cameron survives alone, or face the consequences of what he’s done in the hope of securing a life with Cameron.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Jun 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781627987240

Ariel Tachna

Ariel Tachna is a polyglot linguaphile with a passion for travel, yarn, orchids, and romance. She has explored 45 states and 13 countries. The rich history and culture of France, the flavors and scents of India, and the sunrise over Machu Picchu in particular have left indelible impressions and show up regularly in her writing. Her passion for yarn has resulted in an overflowing stash and more projects than she’ll probably finish in a lifetime, but that has yet to stop her from buying more. Her orchid collection has outgrown her office and spilled over into the rest of her house (much to her children’s dismay), but that hasn’t stopped her from adding to her collection or from resuscitating any unhappy ones she finds. When she isn’t writing, knitting, or poking at her orchids, she spends her time marveling at her two teenagers, who never cease to amaze her with their capacity for love and acceptance and sports—they certainly didn’t get that from her!—and their refusal to accept injustice of any kind—she hopes they got that from her.  Visit Ariel: Website: www.arieltachna.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna Email: [e-mail]

Book preview

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Chapter 1

"ALIMON! CALLIEL!"

The Voice boomed out of the shadows, causing the two angels’ wings to agitate in alarm before they flattened in submission. They did not look up at the sound of their names, not when called by the Voice.

Yes, Lord? they replied in unison.

Where is Emmanuel?

I… we…, Alimon stuttered. The Voice was not unkind, but the question still caught him off guard. They had not expected to be called to account for their brethren’s whereabouts.

We haven’t seen him in weeks, Lord. He never returned from his last assignment, Calliel interrupted.

I know, the Voice replied. He is hiding his face from me, and I want you to find out why. You have been his best friends for ages. He needs your help.

If you are sure, we will find him, Alimon promised.

Calliel elbowed Alimon. You heard what the Voice said. Come on. Let’s find Emmanuel.

The two angels stretched their wings and their senses, searching their domain for signs of their friend. They glided swiftly between heaven and earth, seeking all Emmanuel’s favorite haunts, but he was not perched on the towers of Notre-Dame in Paris nor atop the spires of the Canterbury Cathedral. Stonehenge bore no sign of his presence, nor did the Dome of the Rock. He was not hiding in Machu Picchu, nor in the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Far and wide they searched among the grandest churches and temples, mosques and shrines in the world, all the hallowed ground where angels sought rest, but they found no sign of their missing friend.

What was his last assignment? Alimon asked when they had exhausted all the places their kind usually gathered.

That painter in Montana, Calliel replied. The one who had forgotten to look at the beauty around him.

The one who had forgotten how to love, Alimon added. I remember now. Emmanuel didn’t expect any trouble, just a quick visit and then home again, victorious, as always. Do you suppose we should try there? Maybe we can pick up his trail.

We can try, Calliel agreed, although that has never been my forte.

Do you have a better suggestion?

No. Let’s go.

And off they flew, searching for a painter in Kalispell, Montana, whose life needed the grace of an angel.

They knew what it felt like when a soul rediscovered grace, for there was much rejoicing in heaven when that happened, but they felt no such joy as they hovered on the outskirts of town. Nor did they sense the presence of their friend. Alimon frowned. Why would Emmanuel leave? he asked. He obviously did not complete his assignment.

I don’t know, Calliel replied, equally surprised, but I think we had better find out. Let’s find that painter.

They flitted through the streets, invisible to mortal eyes in their angelic form, searching for any sign to guide them. They were about ready to give up when Calliel saw a rough placard above a run-down door. Anderson Painting, it read.

Let’s try in there, he suggested.

They floated to the ground and folded their wings gracefully against the line of their coats so that anyone looking at them, visible now, would see only two ordinary men. Calliel knocked at the door, frowning at the peeling paint. It was not much of an advertisement. When there was no answer, he tried the knob, and, finding the door unlocked, pushed it open.

Hello? he called. Is anyone here?

Silence greeted him first, then an icy chill he recognized all too well, having fought it off before.

No! he shouted, springing forward, his wings coming unfurled as he prepared to fight one of his own kind. You won’t take him.

Alimon flew to his side, a second behind, searching for the cause. His gaze landed on a pathetic figure huddled limply on the floor. Leaving Calliel to struggle with a minion of the Adversary, the fallen angel who preyed on the fears and pain of the human race, Alimon went to the man, who clutched a small gun in his hand.

Put it down, Alimon said softly. I don’t know why you think this is the answer, but it’s not. I promise you, there is a solution. He used every ounce of persuasion at his disposal to convince the man to talk to him, to surrender the gun.

The man slowly opened his blue eyes, focusing through the tears that flooded them and stained his stubble-covered cheeks. He’s gone, the redheaded man said in a dull voice. He forced me to live again, to come out of the misery of my existence. For a few short weeks, he showed me I could be happy again. He made me believe it, and then he left, and it all went with him. I can’t go back to that. I won’t. Without him here, there’s nothing left to live for.

There’s always something to live for, Alimon answered softly, reaching slowly for the gun. It could not hurt him, even in mortal guise, but he did not want it to go off and injure the man. When he had pried it from the man’s grip, he looked at the pathetic figure in front of him.

Who left you? he asked. Perhaps Emmanuel had gone after the man who had abandoned the painter. It would explain his absence, although their mission was to bring lost souls back to the One, not to create a situation of dependence on another mortal. Even if Emmanuel had left for another reason, Alimon and Calliel could hardly abandon the painter in this state. Either way, finding the missing man seemed critical. Maybe we can find him again, convince him to come back. Will you tell me his name?

Emmanuel.

Alimon lost his balance, the implications of the man’s revelation sending him reeling. It went against everything

Reviews for Testament to Love

[serenayates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love angel stories and this one that completely enthralled me with it’s premise. The questions it asks is, essentially, “What happens when an angel who is sent to return hope to a human’s life so he can return to grace, falls in love with that human?” It is made clear that the angle’s job should be to help the human, not make him dependent on the angel. Apparently, “The Adversary had fallen from grace for drawing souls to himself instead of returning them to the Most High.”

That is Emmanuel’s problem in a nutshell. Emmanuel is an angel whose job it is to return souls to grace. It looks as if he’s made Cameron fall in love with him, rather than refocus the despondent human on “the Most High”. Only, Emmanuel did not want it to happen, didn’t do it on purpose, and the situation made him desperate enough he went into hiding. Not that this helps, of course, because “the Most High” sends his two angel friends after him to find out what is wrong. Emmanuel is desperate. He knows he has committed the ultimate sin, his heart hurts for Cameron, and he has no idea what to do. He has the toughest choice imaginable: be true to his heritage and return to heaven, hoping Cameron will somehow survive without him, or be honest and face his punishment, hoping he can be with Cameron instead. Not an easy choice, and one that almost tears him apart.

Cameron has reason to be despondent. His ex-wife has cleaned him out financially, he can barely keep his head above water because all his money goes to her for child support, and he has lost the will to paint and, worse, the will to live. Emanuel brings light back into his life, but Cameron has no idea who he really is, and decides to kill himself when he leaves without an explanation.

I totally adore this story about the true meaning of love, and the ultimate message that love takes many forms and may not always be what we expect. If you like stories about angels and their moral dilemmas, and if you’re looking for a touching read that will tear at your heartstrings then you should give this novella a go. It made me cry before putting a smile on my face, and I loved the confirmation of what I believe to be right as much as Ariel Tachna does in this story.