His fears were unfounded. Somehow, the entire meeting room managed to stand strong. All the empty chairs were pristine, including those reserved for the council members.
Jerome waited, opening all the doors to make it easier for the others. He stood directly in the middle of the floor where the lower council members usually sat. It would be perfect to conduct the show he was about to put on.
Slowly, the room started to fill. Council members were dragged into the room, some kicking and screaming. Jerome kept a tally, silently marking off the members to see who else they still had to greet.
Finally, Alexander made it in, Gabriella at his side and Ambrosia in his grip. That only left one council member – Benecio. Jerome scanned the room again, double checking he hadn’t missed him. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Ambrosia took a chair on the lower level, seated next to Alexander as he kept an eye on him. The councilor wasn’t of particular concern, Jerome knew he would obey and come quietly. He also knew what Alexander would have said to get him there.
The trail of angels stopped as the room bustled with people. There was barely enough room even to stand. Jerome took off his necklace. Surprised gasps filled the room as they all turned to stare at him, especially the council members.
“Well done, angels,” he declared happily, looking around the room to address them all. “And welcome council members. You may have guessed it already, but we haven’t been happy with how our village has been going.”
Some of the more outgoing angels clapped, most just looked on nervously.
“We are taking back control. We are-”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his words as the set of doors to his left slapped open with a loud bang. Every head in the place turned to look at the commotion.
Leila stood there, one guard on either side of her, gripping her tightly. She struggled in their grasp, fruitlessly trying to get free. It was useless, she knew it but couldn’t stop her instincts.
“Let her go,” Jerome demanded, his voice echoing in the large room.
“Who dared to bring a human here?” The guard on the right yelled back.
“My name is Leila,” she said through gritted teeth, stomping on his foot as hard as she could. “I’m not just a human.”
The guard doubled over with the pain, the momentary distraction enough for Jerome to rush at them. He pushed the guard to the side, lifted Leila off the ground and returned to his previous position. The angels closest to the doors grabbed the guards before they could flee.
“Are you okay?” Jerome asked as he looked over Leila. She didn’t appear to be harmed besides a graze to her leg.
“I’m fine,” she replied, still breathless from the ordeal. The guards had marched her right up to the council as soon as they realized something was going on. They had been baited, they soon realized their mistake. When they reached the council building and saw the rest of the guards step down, they knew they had been played.
“Guards,” Jerome yelled across the room as he turned his attention back to them, struggling in the arms of the angels. “You can either leave peacefully or we will be forced to place you in the cells. Which would you prefer?”
They knew they didn’t have a choice, the loathing on their faces told everyone so. Finally, they stopped struggling. “We’ll leave.”
“Then off with you, we have business to attend to.”
The angels holding them relaxed their grip tentatively. When they didn’t start fighting, they were allowed to go – peacefully just like they promised.
Leila couldn’t help but smile at the angels, they really were the kindest people she had ever encountered – even to their enemies. If humans could have fought their wars the same way they would have no casualties.
“Okay, now, we need to vote and elect a new council,” Jerome continued. “It’s a simple-”
Ambrosia stood, ensuring he wouldn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. He approached the middle of the room to stand next to Jerome. A wide grin spread across his face. “We don’t need the formalities of voting, angel Jerome, I will accept the position of Archangel Supreme.”
He turned around to address what he expected was his adoring public. Nobody else was smiling, silence confronted him instead of the round of applause he was waiting for.
“It is my honor to lead you all,” Ambrosia continued, undeterred. And perhaps a little delusional. “We will create a brand new council and rebuild our cherished headquarters.”
“Uh, council member Ambrosia,” Jerome tapped him on the shoulder, pulling his attention back to him. “The rule book says we have to allow them to vote for the appointment when there is a challenge for leadership.”
Ambrosia was confused, laughing with nerves. “But I am not being challenged. All these people have come here to support me, just like we planned.”
Jerome did not relish having to fool the councilor all this time, he dreaded having to tell him now. Still, it had to be done, for the future of their village and all the humans they were obliged to protect. “I am challenging you, Ambrosia. I am sorry it has to be this way.”
“You?” He snorted, taking in the information. “You support me.”
“Not anymore.”
“This is absurd.” Ambrosia stomped his foot, barely able to think straight at the challenge. “After everything I’ve done for you?”
Jerome reeled, everything he did for him? Was he kidding? All Ambrosia ever did for him was to cast him down to Earth where he spent weeks wandering around aimlessly wondering how he could ever get home again and defeat the demons. It had been one of the most frustrating, scariest, and impossible times of his life. Even meeting Leila didn’t make up for the anguish he had caused.
The only redeeming thing Ambrosia had done for him was to get him out of the prison cell and give him the enchanted necklace. It had saved his life but he had done it to help him serve his own purpose. Jerome wouldn’t forget the act, but he wouldn’t allow him to take over just because of it either.
Instead of getting into an argument with the council member, Jerome decided to stay righteous. “The rules are the rules, Ambrosia. I am entitled to challenge you and I am sorry it has come to this. But I think it’s time we let the people decide.”
“You think they’ll all support you? They’ve already pledged their allegiance to me.”
Jerome wasn’t planning on telling him they had only ever done that because he told them to. He didn’t need to make the situation worse, it wouldn’t serve any purpose.
“Let’s vote and see,” Jerome offered.
“Do you realize that, as the challenger and non-council member, you must get one hundred percent of the votes in order to succeed?” Ambrosia crossed his arms, every inch of his body shutting him out.
He did know the requirements and knew how slim the odds were in his favor. Jerome didn’t study the five rule books for endless hours for nothing. He knew exactly what he was doing, all he could do was to have faith that it would work.
“I understand the rules.”
Their eyes locked together in a challenge, neither willing to blink first. Finally, Ambrosia threw his hands up in the air. “Well, let’s get this over and done with then.”
Jerome didn’t waste another moment. He ran through the rules with the room, explaining that to cast a vote the angel just had to stand up. As Jerome was not already on the council and considered the challenger, they would need to stand if they supported him. If even one angel was still seated by the end of the allotted time, he would lose and Ambrosia would be appointed as the head of the council. He would have free reign to do as he pleased unless he was challenged again.
“Any questions?” Jerome asked, his eyes scanning the crowd for any hands in the air. The entire room was deathly silent, nobody moved or spoke. Never before had Jerome seen the room so still even though he had never seen it so full. “Let us vote then.”
Leila watched from her seat close to Jerome, she didn’t even want
to breathe for fear it would impact upon something. She wanted the angel to succeed so badly, more than anything else in the world. She knew it would be devastating for him to have to concede defeat. It might just destroy him knowing he was powerless to help the village any longer.
Jerome glanced her way momentarily, just checking to make sure she was still there. He was comforted just by her presence, but the worried look on her face almost made him laugh. She shouldn’t be worried about him, he was doing enough of that for the two of them.
Immediately, dozens of angels stood, led by Alexander, Gabriella, and Lucia. One by one, they got to their feet and stood valiantly in their support. It boosted Jerome but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He had to get every single angel on their feet or everything would have been for naught.
Time passed by too slowly, Jerome started to panic as each second ticked over. More angels were standing than sitting, but it wasn’t enough. Ambrosia was going to win.
Jerome exchanged a glance with Alexander as the realization started to sink in. He shook his head slowly in answer to his friend, there was nothing more that could be done. They had fought a good battle, but at the end of the day, he just didn’t have the support.
Ambrosia knew it better than all of them. He nodded, his face twisted in a triumphant grin. “It will be my pleasure to lead this council,” he began, already accepting the title with a few more minutes to go. “I am going to restore my trusted colleagues and we will make sure these things don’t happen again. Long live the council.”
He triumphantly punched the sky several times, pointedly looking at Jerome. He reveled in the win, unabashedly happy in Jerome’s defeat. To him, it wasn’t all about doing what was best for the village, it was about doing what was best for him.
In that moment, Jerome saw the same council member he had sat across from when he and Leila’s punishment was being decided. The same calculating, uncaring angel who was happy for a hero to have her memory wiped instead of thanking her. The same one who had helped seal his fate to protect a human he was in love with for the rest of his life.
The pain shot through him like a knife, the village was doomed at the hands of Ambrosia. Nothing would be fixed, their futures were far from guaranteed.
But then one more angel stood. As Ambrosia carried on, putting on a show for the entire room, he was followed by another. Then another.
Jerome’s heart leapt, his stomach in his throat. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. His eyes kept flicking back to the clock, watching it tick closer to the end of the time permitted to vote. There were still thirteen angels seated, none he knew very well. They were unlikely to stand.
Another stood. The tension in the air was palpable, Jerome didn’t know whether his nerves were going to be able to handle it any longer. He both longed for and dreaded the buzzer to sound. Everything appeared to be moving in slow motion, time became an irrelevant concept.
Three more stood. He couldn’t breathe any longer, all the air was being sucked out of him by the anticipation. It was impossible to function like a normal person. Completely impossible.
A group of four stood all at once, Jerome knew they were all friends. Ambrosia stopped dancing, instead staring at the clock. It was down to fifteen seconds but there were still five angels left in their seats.
Eleven seconds. Nobody stood. The sinking feeling was washing over him again, it would all be over soon. What would Ambrosia do to him as his first act as Angel Supreme? Banish him to the wastelands?
Eight seconds. Would he remove Leila’s memory again? Cast her back to Earth to fend for herself? He had already interrupted her life, caused her to break up with the one human who loved her as much as he did. How long would it take her to recover this time?
Five seconds. Would Alexander be punished too for following him? Ambrosia knew they worked together, would he be banished too? What about Gabriella? She was too sweet and nice to wander around the wastelands for eternity. And Lucia? She would be punished for the help her father offered him. He had hurt her once before and now he was doing it all over again.
Three seconds. What would his parents think about his failure? Would they want to disown him? Would his mother, father, and sister be disappointed? Embarrassed? Would they still love him if they were still alive? Would he have even done it all if they were still alive?
One second. It was over, Ambrosia would dance on his grave if he had the chance. But he couldn’t be angry at him for winning, he could only be disappointed with himself. It wasn’t the councilor’s fault he didn’t garner enough support, he should have tried harder. He should have begged, he should have talked to them, told them of his ideas and painted a picture of how wonderful the village could be.
The buzzer sounded, echoing off the walls. Jerome wondered if he would ever be able to get the noise out of his head again. The sound of his failure.
He stood there silent, as if in an altered reality. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. His mind was switching off, unable to handle the situation any longer. He didn’t want to look at Leila or Alexander or Gabriella. He couldn’t face them, he wasn’t worthy of their trust or faith anymore.
He felt hands grip his shoulder, shaking him back to life. He turned, it was Alexander. And he was smiling?
“You won, buddy,” Alexander said, saying it clearly to make sure it was understood.
Jerome looked around, believing he might just be dreaming. Every single seat was vacant, the last five had stood before they lost their opportunity. And they weren’t just standing, they were cheering. For him.
His lips turned from a grimace to a smile, he had done it. He had succeeded. He was in charge of the council, the village, all of it. Finally, he could make it right. He could ensure that people like his family would never have to die at the hands of the demons again. He could make real change.
He stole a glance at Ambrosia. He was seated, his arms crossed over his chest as he fumed with the results. Jerome took no joy in his defeat over the councilor, he could only feel for the man.
Jerome felt arms snake around his waist. He pulled Leila into an embrace, hugging her tighter than he should. He wanted to tell her so much but it would all have to wait. He had business to do.
He waved at the angels, trying to quiet their celebration. There was a lot to be done and he didn’t see the point in waiting any longer.
It took a good ten minutes before the excitement died down. He urged them to sit, remembering how much he had wanted them to stand only moments before.
“Thank you, everyone, for putting your trust in me. We will change this council and this village together. We can do this.” Another round of applause burst out. Jerome let them get it out of their system before continuing. “There are plenty of people I want to thank, but you all know who you are and I will get to it in a more private setting. But, for now, I want to appoint three angels to act as guardians of the council for the time being before we can hold real elections. Raphael and Gabriella, I hope you accept the appointment?”
Lucia’s father nodded, Jerome knew he would bring experience to the role. He had already agreed to it via Lucia’s message, but he still hoped he would agree in person too. Gabriella was equally as important, she represented the new breath of fresh air in the council that was so desperately needed. And more importantly, Jerome trusted her to do the right thing.
“Of course I’ll do it,” Gabriella replied, beaming with the honor. She hadn’t been pre-asked, Jerome didn’t think Alexander might agree so he had to keep it a secret.
“Good,” Jerome smiled. “Lastly, I’d like to appoint Alexander. Together, the trio will attend to holding elections for the remaining positions.”
Everyone clapped again at the decision and Jerome knew he had made the right choices. He trusted each of them and knew they would act only in the best interests of the village. Neither held an ego that would make them do otherwise.
All of a sudden a ball of fire blasted into the room, capturing their atte
ntion. It hit the wall, erupting into a loud explosion. The curtains caught fire, lighting up like fireworks.
The angels closest to the fire started running through the doors, pushing others in the same direction. The entire room started buzzing with the chaos.
Jerome stood in the middle, stepping closer to Leila in case he had to protect her. He and the others standing in the centre of the room frantically looked around, trying to assess what was going on.
Another fireball blasted against the wall, quickly followed by another two. Screams rang out as angels tried to duck for cover. Those that were nearest the exits didn’t hesitate in fleeing for safety.
“What’s going on?” Leila asked, holding onto Jerome’s back so she couldn’t lose him.
“I don’t know,” he replied. His instincts were telling him to get Leila out of there to somewhere he could assure her safety but he had an obligation to the entire village, he had to think of them too. He couldn’t act until he knew what was going on.
He didn’t have to wait long. Benecio stood at the far doorway, fire blazing from his hands. Except it wasn’t the council member they all knew, in his place was Lucifer.
CHAPTER 19
Alexander and Jerome exchanged a worried glance, neither needing to voice their concern. Benecio was showing his true identity, that of the devil. His face was twisted in an evil smirk as he watched the chaos he had created. The entire room was now alight, fire licking at every surface. It wouldn’t be long before the smoke grew too thick to be able to breathe.
“You are all going to die,” Lucifer shouted, laughing as everyone fled.
“Leave us!” Jerome yelled back, staring him down. He had no intention of letting him intimidate them and kept his disbelief to the back of his mind. He always thought Benecio wasn’t as pure of thought as the other angels, but never could he have imagined he was Lucifer himself. But he couldn’t think of that right now, he had work to do.
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