“Do you have to do that?” Jerome asked, trying to remember that patience was a virtue. It was important he learnt that, Lord only knew his sister challenged it at every opportunity she got.
Breeanna looked at him sweetly, playing up her role as the innocent little sister. “Doing what? What am I doing?”
“You know.”
“Oh, this?” She continued tapping her fingers on the table, now a little bit louder. She grinned, her eyes full of mischief. Jerome wanted to simultaneously choke and hug her. He knew which urge was winning.
“Yes, that, please stop.”
“Make me.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Kids.” Seraphina couldn’t stand to listen to them bicker for a moment longer. “Breeanna, stop annoying your brother. Jerome, why don’t you brush your hair for the meeting.” It wasn’t a suggestion but an order wrapped up in niceties. Jerome did as he was told.
The moment the angel was ready, the entire family – including dad Leonardo – started to walk towards the Grand Council of Guardian Angels. The building was located on the edge of the village at the end of a long pathway.
The council building was the biggest in town, it was as wide as a city block and three storey’s tall. Made out of large grey stones, it had been around forever. Nobody even knew how it was built, it was that old. Any records were long gone, despite their very good archives.
The family could have flown to the meeting but it was a pleasant day to walk so they did. The four of them traipsed up to the council, joined by hundreds of other angels for the special meeting.
They were ushered into the meeting hall, a large building with tiered seating. The three levels of councilors sat at different tiers, the archangels sitting at the very top. They all stood until the council members were seated first, then took their seats.
Jerome watched the councilor’s faces intently. He hated any meeting at the council building. They were always long and boring, full of stuff he didn’t need to know. Unless it affected his school or family, he didn’t want to hear about it.
Today’s meeting was supposed to be different though, a special meeting called by those in charge. There had been rumors running rife in the village about a demon attack. One of the angels was supposedly killed by one of the hell hounds in a vicious ambush. Everyone wanted to know what happened, they needed the facts instead of just the gossip.
One of the middle tiered councilors stood up and spoke first. Jerome knew him as Michael. “Thank you for coming to this special meeting. We understand there have been discussions about what happened to angel Maleia and how she passed. We hope to clarify some of these issues.”
He returned to his seat, his introduction over and done with. Next, council member Benecio stood. “We have investigated this matter thoroughly and consider it a one off incident. Maleia was attacked by a demon but she put herself in that situation. It was not a random attack, we have nothing to fear from the demons. Our village security will continue to keep them away.”
Everyone visibly relaxed. No-one questioned the council any further on the matter, they didn’t need to. It was their nature to believe one another, they couldn’t lie. If the council said it was safe, then it was safe. There didn’t need to be a discussion on the matter.
The meeting turned to the usual matters, mainly just updates on all the good work the council were doing for the village. Jerome switched off, studying the people in attendance instead. Anything to keep his mind from going numb.
By the time the meeting was over, he was glad to get out of there. “I’m going to walk home with Alexander,” Jerome told his family. They let him go, knowing the pair were practically inseparable.
Alexander was waiting outside for his friend, playfully punching him on the arm to get his attention. “Boring meeting, huh?”
Jerome hit him back, never missing a beat. “The worst.” They started walking, letting their families get ahead so they wouldn’t be overheard. “What do you think of this demon attack?”
“I don’t know,” Alexander shrugged. “My mom is friends with Maleia’s sister, she said she can’t work out what Maleia could have done to be attacked.”
“The council said it was her fault so I guess she had to do something.”
“But what? How do you even get attacked by a demon? They can’t come into the village.”
Jerome hadn’t really thought about it. But Alexander was right, demons were prevented from entering the village by the enchantments the council enforced around the perimeter. If they stepped foot into the place, it would have set off several alarms.
Angels could leave the village, but only if they had a purpose. Those with humans to protect were permitted to go down to Earth to perform their guardian duties. Select councilors were allowed to visit the higher realm when on a mission. Other than that, angels could only go to the wastelands when banished in punishment by the council. There were no reasons to be anywhere else outside the village.
“Perhaps she got lost?” Jerome offered, unable to come up with another reason for Maleia to be outside the protection of the village.
“I don’t know, but something doesn’t sound right,” Alexander said, unconvinced.
“The council said it was so, it has to be right.”
“Yeah, I guess. They know best, right?”
Jerome smiled and nodded in agreement. They continued their walk back to the village, trying to shrug off thoughts of the dead angel Maleia.
Before The Fall (An Aron Angels Prequel) Page 2
