by M. R. Forbes
Alyx approached Onyx, leaning down beside her and putting her arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she said.
Onyx glared at her for a second and then leaned into her, accepting the consolation. I bypassed them, walking over to where the bolts had fallen and picking them up.
"Gervais is going to be pissed at Zifah for losing these," I said, showing them to Obi.
He examined them. "Man, how did they get the scripture printed so small?"
"A laser etching machine and a computer program. It's all out of operation, which means these are irreplaceable."
He nodded. "I have an idea for this. Maybe when we have a few hours we can do a little engineering."
"Whatever you're thinking, I'm game."
Alyx helped Onyx to her feet. She looked at me, meeting my eyes. She didn't need me to speak to know what I was going to say.
"I'll take her back," she said, saving me from having to demean her and order her to stay.
I would have if that's what it took. I needed to get to Sarah before Gervais did, and now that I knew what I was up against, I knew I couldn't do that with her so close. Her aura was too powerful, and right now I needed to be inconspicuous.
"I'll find you when this is over," I said.
She stepped toward me, and I wrapped her in my arms.
"You know I want to come with you," she said. "It's against every instinct I have to let you go without me."
"Believe me; I want you to come. It's too much of a risk to Sarah."
"It is easy to be selfish," she said. "I don't want to be. This isn't easy."
"I'll be okay. I survived the Beast. I survived Hell. I always find a way."
"You better."
She leaned up, and I kissed her. Not like it was the last time. Not like it would be very long before I kissed her again. I had to believe that, even if I wasn't feeling it. Things were spinning further out of control, faster and faster with every minute. I didn't know if I could reign it in.
I didn't know if I could win this time.
She smiled her cute, deadly smile and returned to Onyx, taking her by the arm and leading her away. I watched them go until they turned the corner and then turned to Obi.
"Okay," I said. "Now I'm mad."
Nine
I didn't have that much time to be mad before the angels showed up.
I wasn't surprised when they entered the small avenue, one from each connecting street. There was no way they had missed the Fist, and there was no doubt they would be interested in it. I hadn't vanished from their radar, which meant one had been perched somewhere during the fight, watching events unfold.
Of course, they had also waited for Alyx to leave before closing in.
"It's just one thing to another with you, man," Obi said as the angels approached.
I fought to quell my general frustration. Taking it out on them wasn't going to accomplish anything, and would probably make things worse. If I was calm, maybe I could even get them to help me out.
"Who speaks for you?" I asked before they had even reached us.
"I do," one of them replied.
He was off my left shoulder, a dark-haired man in a sport coat and slacks. He wasn't wearing a blade, which meant he could summon it. Experienced. That was good. The newer angels tended to be more eager to push for a fight.
I shifted to face him more directly. "Landon," I said, holding out my hand.
He took it readily. That was a surprise.
"Alfred," he said. He looked over at the broken store window. "We saw the battle."
"It wasn't much of a battle."
"Anything that keeps the Diuscrucis in a stalemate is an immediate concern to us."
The rest of the angels arrived. There were six in all. They gathered around, not threatening, but making it clear they didn't want us to take off without saying goodbye.
"It's a pretty big concern to me, too. Jane didn't fill you in?"
"She did," Alfred said. "We have been watching out for the Fist, and for you. We didn't expect it to display that level of power."
"Neither did I."
"Gervais has caused problems in this area in the past. For years the Cathedral was home to only two or three angels at a time, because he would see us killed if we tried to gather in numbers. We attempted to rally against him one time. He and his followers slaughtered nearly a dozen of us that day."
Alfred said it like he had been there. He probably had.
"I take it you knew Josette?" I asked.
He nodded. "I was her mentor during her first assignment. She was a beautiful angel. So pure of heart and strong of spirit. Her fall was unfortunate. Her return to Heaven glorious."
That one caught me off-guard.
"Return to Heaven?" I asked. Her soul had been trapped inside me, and it had taken the work of a djinn to set it free. I had always assumed it had gone to the universe, like Charis or Abaddon.
Alfred smiled. "Yes. You didn't know? When you freed her, the Lord gathered her once more into His arms and gave her a choice. She chose to return to His Kingdom as an acolyte, to spend her eternity in prayerful meditation."
"I didn't know. Is she happy?"
"As happy as all of His children in Heaven are, yes, I believe so. Acolytes are not permitted to leave the boundaries of their convents, nor speak beyond prayer. I have seen her, though. She looks content."
I was happy to hear the news. It was almost enough to wash away some of my anger.
"The Fist is a problem," I said. "And one that's going to get a lot worse in a hurry. Are you familiar with Adam?"
"The First {what was it called again?}? He is fallen."
"Yeah, and he's taking his evil roadshow a little too far. He's convinced Sarah to join him."
"Sarah? The true diuscrucis?"
"That's the one. Gervais has set his sights on her before. He's got her targeted again. And Adam is using her already. He plans to destroy all of the Divine."
"All?" one of the other angels said. "That isn't possible."
Alfred raised his eyebrow toward the seraph. That was all it took to put him back in line.
"Dark days are coming to the world, Diuscrucis," he said. "The archangels have sensed it. When you defeated Adam, you set something in motion that may be too big to stop. Machinations centuries in the making."
"I stopped the Beast," I said. "I can stop this."
I said it. That didn't mean I completely believed it.
"It may be beyond even your ability to stop. We believed Sarah was on the path to good. Brian was such a positive influence on her. If she has turned, the world will burn. That is how it is written. That is how it will pass."
"I don't believe that destiny is immutable," I said. "God gives everyone free will. That means anything can change at any time. Where do the archangels stand in this fight?"
"You know they can't get involved directly. They have tasked us with finding a way to stop Gervais before he can use the Fist to gain control over the demon hordes."
"Do you have any leads on that?"
"The Fist is covered in protective scripture. It is a perfect agent of Heaven."
"Or a perfect agent for a demon who wants to gain control of other demons."
"Yes. And now with what we have seen? My confidence is not high."
"We need to stop it, too," Obi said. "Even if we save Sarah, we can't have Gervais running wild with that thing."
"Yes, I understand," Alfred replied, looking at me. "It seems were are on the same side once more."
"Does that mean you'll stop plotting to destroy me for a few weeks?"
He smiled. "That is not my decision to make. What is your next move, Diuscrucis?"
"We're trying to find Sarah. We have a lead on where Adam might be taking her, or at least where there might be someone who knows something. We need to get to Italy in the next few hours. To be honest, we were on our way to see a demon named Gerard about his rift."
"Gerard? That fiend can't help you. The rift is
an artifact from when Gervais controlled this area. He hasn't the power to operate it."
"Gervais went right after Francois," Obi said. "Coincidence?"
"Not a chance," I replied. "Maybe our lead isn't as tenuous as we thought. If Gervais is trying to keep me away, he must suspect that I can still get through to Sarah before he can."
And if Zifah retreated without trying to kill me it was because the diminutive demon wasn't convinced he could. The Fist was powerful, but it couldn't act on its own. It needed someone to control it. Zifah had power in his own right, but he wasn't Abaddon.
And I had destroyed Abaddon.
"I need to return to the Cathedral and speak to my superior,' Alfred said. "Please, Landon. Allow us to escort you to the airport."
"Airport?" Obi said. "We'll never make it to Italy in time."
"On my honor, you will," Alfred replied.
I didn't need to think about it too much. Angels were nothing if not good for their word. If Alfred said he was going to help, and that he would get us to Italy in time, I believed him.
"Lead the way," I said.
Ten
Alfred didn't disappoint.
He was waiting for us when we arrived at the nearest airfield, a smaller airport that mainly serviced privately owned aircraft, the majority of them being two or four seaters. He brought us to a separate hangar, and revealed a sparkling Gulfstream to us, already warming up as we climbed the steps into it.
As he told it, the jet belonged to a nearby vineyard whose owner donated a large portion of the wine they produced to the Church each year, along with a sizeable financial donation and the offer to use his private jet whenever it was available. While angels themselves had no use for something that could fly, the Archbishop had taken advantage of the offer on more than one occasion, which is why they knew the plane was available. A quick phone call had gotten the wheels in motion, and thirty minutes later we were on our way.
"I've been ordered to stay with you through this," Alfred said as the plane tilted, rising quickly into the air.
I leaned back in my soft, white leather seat, glancing out the window as Rouen shrank beneath us and the plane backed back toward Italy. The flight would take close to three hours, which wasn't going to leave us a ton of time once we arrived in Rome. Still, it was way more comfortable than going through a rift, or dealing with another demon.
"Can we expect any other help?" I asked.
"Not immediately." He paused, and I could tell there was something he wanted to say but didn't.
"Angels keeping secrets?" I asked.
Alfred looked away. I glanced at Obi.
"What aren't you saying?" Obi asked Alfred.
The angel still didn't look at us. I had him figured out from the moment we met. He had been Josette's mentor, which meant he was one of the good ones. He wouldn't be able to lie in good conscience, and withholding information was as good as lying.
He held out for a few minutes until the jet had leveled off at twenty thousand feet. Obi and I waited patiently, exchanging knowing looks.
"Okay, fine," he said, turning around. "There has been some dissent in Heaven since Adam was cast down."
"Dissent?"
"He was trying to do the will of God. That's what the others believe. They think it's unfair that he was punished for that."
"He was cheating," I said. "Bending the rules about as far as they could go."
"But not breaking them," Alfred said. "That is the contention. Some of the others say the rules are a guideline, not hard and fast. More of them say the rules are outdated and don't align with the needs of the seraphim to fight a modern war against the demons."
"Seriously?" I said. "The laws the angels follow weren't just written thousands of years ago and left open to interpretation. The archangels are still around."
Alfred bit his lip and shook his head. "Some of the archangels are agreeing with them. They're going back on their original beliefs in what the Lord intended when He made His laws. They say that they would not be able to contemplate such alterations unless it was part of His grand design. Some of them even say that because you exist, it is proof of the need to change."
"Because I exist?"
"You're a child of God, Landon."
"I'm a diuscrucis. A cross between an angel and a demon. Half good. Half evil."
"And still a child of God, as all things are. Even the demons, indirectly. Do you think you would exist if He didn't wish it?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I had never thought about it that way before.
Alfred smiled at the response. "Something for you to think about. My point is that Heaven is fractured somewhat, with the angels breaking into opposite camps. Those that believe Adam was in the right, and those that believe he sealed his own fate with his actions."
"But wouldn't questioning his fall be questioning the will of God more directly than the belief that Adam was simply following orders?" Obi asked. "I mean, if God made him fall, it was because he deserved it."
"Unless you are a seraph who believes the decision was unjust. Or a mistake."
"How does an angel believe that God is fallible?"
"A good question, my friend. It is another layer of darkness on the future. The last angel who questioned God's perfection was Lucifer."
"And he started a war in Heaven," I said.
"Yes."
We were all silent for a minute while the weight of that sank in.
"So the others don't know you're here," I said.
"No. We don't know who might be at this meeting. Either the angels or their Touched. If word got out that we were helping you, it would compromise your anonymity, and your mission."
"But if we get into trouble?" Obi asked.
"Two of my flock are following the plane. They will be waiting, prepared to lend aid. It is not as much as I would hope to provide, but it is all we can risk right now."
"It will be enough," I said. "So, Alfred, how long have you been part of the fight?"
"I was a soldier in the First Crusade, in 1096," he replied. "I was killed during the siege of Jerusalem."
I didn't know much about the Crusades. I did know that 1096 was a long, long time ago.
"I spent two hundred years in Heaven. At first, I refused to answer the call. I was weary of war. Of fighting. One day, I was in the Garden, sitting in a field of flowers and praying. A young girl approached me. She was seven or eight years old, with long brown hair and such an innocent, innocent face. I asked her where she had come from, and if she was lost.
""I'm not lost," she replied. "I came from Rouen, in France. I was killed by a monster."
"Rouen was my birth city. "A monster?" I asked her.
""Yes. It was like a person, but with fangs and claws. It bit me. It hurt, and also felt good. Then my poppa came into the room with a sword. He stabbed the monster, and it screamed and left. He held me and cried and told me he was sorry, but he had to save my soul. Then he stabbed me, too, and here I am."
"She was bitten by a vampire. That was when I realized that what they had called a Crusade was misguided faith. This was the real Crusade. The real war. I would be selfish to allow children like her to die while I sat in the Garden and did nothing. I have been here since."
"So you've fought Gervais before?" I said.
"Many times. He is the worst abomination that has ever walked this Earth, save Abaddon. Perhaps he is worse still, as he always manages to find his way back."
"What about Adam?"
"I know of him, but my role has always been as a guardian. Our paths have rarely crossed."
"I have a feeling our paths are going to cross soon."
"Yes."
"If there are other angels willing to join him, you may have to kill them."
"I cannot. Not before they fall."
"They won't fall until they act out in evil," I said.
"Yes."
"That might be a problem, don't you think?"
"It is not up to me to judge their hearts, Landon. If I die for my faith in them, then I die."
"Even if the whole world is the cost of that decision?"
He nodded. "That is the way of faith."
I couldn't help but smile. I could feel his influence on Josette. Or maybe her influence on him.
"That's fine for you," I said. "Just so we're clear, I can't afford to wait that long."
Alfred's face turned to stone. "I don't like it, but I do understand. My orders are to help you. I will not get in your way."
Eleven
"You're sure you won't be outed as a conservative?" I asked.
Alfred finished buttoning his coat. It was a crisp night, the wind blowing sharply and scattering trash and dust across the streets.
"I'm not that well known outside of Rouen, despite my service time," he replied. "I've always kept a low profile, and hardly ever leave the city."
"Did you volunteer to come with us then?" Obi asked. "Or you just happened to be in the right place at the right time?"
"I was the most senior angel available. I have left the Cathedral before, just not often."
We were somewhere in Italy. Somewhere near the Vatican. I wasn't completely sure where. The plane had landed, a car had met us, and we were driven into the area through lightly trafficked streets. Then the car had stopped, let us out, and drove away, leaving us to our own devices.
It was fine with me. I was thankful we had made it and hopeful that we could put a swift end to this whole thing.
As if that had ever happened.
It was two in the morning. There were few people on the streets, and those that were seemed to be heading in the same general direction toward something I couldn't yet see.
It was obvious we were in the right place by the auras that surrounded them. Every one of them was painted good, a blue halo surrounding them. They converged in numbers that surprised me, at least a dozen walking the street ahead of us.
