Prologue

Maybe it's time to move on,the Malakim Peliel considered as he perched atop Mount Kilimanjaro,
nineteen thousand feet above the arid Africanplains ofTanzania .
 The angelic being could count on one hand the number of times he'd had this thought in histwo-millennia
stay upon the dormant volcanicmountain. But always something distracted himfrom these musings. The
coming of so-called civilization as villages turned to cities, seeming togrow up from the earth to replace
the primordialjungles. The vast springtime migrations ofwildebeests, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, andlions
as they made their way across theSerengeti's southern plains to greener pasturesin nearbyKenya .There
is so much to see here, hereminded himself.So much to feel, to hear, to smell.And wasn't that his
purpose—the purpose ofbeing Malakim? He and his brethren aroundthe globe acted as God's senses,
enabling theSupreme Being to experience the wonders of theworld He created.

However, today was different. Something inthe thin, frigid air of Kilimanjaro was tellinghim—warning
him—that perhaps it would bewise to seek another roost.

 Slowly, Peliel flexed millennial stiffness from his wings. The collected layers of dirt and ice thathad clung
to his stationary form over the thousands of years fell away to reveal a creature of Heaven in what had
appeared to be just anothernatural formation dappling the frozen landscape.

"There you are," said a voice even colderthan the winds blowing across the mountaintop.

The Malakim gracefully turned, finding himself in the presence of another of God's heavenlychildren. This
one was dressed in human garb,accompanied by twenty of his ilk, and seemed tobe the source of Peliel's
unease. "What host are you?" Peliel asked, casually brushing dirt from his intricate armor.

"I am Verchiel," the intruder answered, bowing slightly, "of the heavenly host Powers."

 Peliel studied the beings before him, takingnote of the multitude of angry scars thatadorned the exposed
flesh of their bodies. Thisangelic army had been in battle against a foe thatalso wielded the power of the
divine; there wasno other way to explain the marks of conflictthey carried.What has transpired while
my attentions were elsewhere? the Malakim wondered.

 "Ah yes, the hunters of the fallen," Peliel commented aloud, the wind howling about himas if in warning.
"You have been searching forme, Verchiel of the Powers?" To his own ears, hisvoice was gruff from
millenia of non-use, likethe grinding of tectonic plates within the earth'scrust. "And why would that be?"

 It pleased him to speak again, and his mindwandered back to the last time he had used his voice to
communicate. Many centuries past, ajungle cat, a leopard, had inexplicably climbedclose to the western
summit of the great mountain. Curious of the creature's intent, Peliel hadappeared before the animal. It
was dying, thefrigid climate of Kilimanjaro's winter seasonsapping the warmth from its lithe, spottedbody,
and in the language of its species, theMalakim had asked it why it had come to suchan inhospitable place.
As it lay down in thesnow to die, the leopard had responded that ithad been drawn up the mountain,
tempted bythe desire to bear witness to something greaterthan itself—lured by the powerful emanationsof
the Malakim. Peliel smiled, wondering if thiswas the reason these Powers had come, drawnby a sense of
his omnipotence.

"I am in need of something you have in yourpossession," Verchiel interrupted the Malakim'smusings.

Peliel chuckled, amused by this angel's arrogance. "And what could I have that would possibly interest
you, little messenger?"

"You and the others of your kind are directconduits to God," Verchiel explained. "Extensionsof His holy
power—receptacles for His wisdomand knowledge."
Peliel crossed his arms across his broadchest, silently urging the angel to continue witha nod of his head.

 "I require information concerning the deconstruction of God's Word ... and I shall have it nomatter the
cost," Verchiel proclaimed.

 Peliel's ire was rankled by the presumption.How dare this angel think himself worthy to makedemands of
a Malakim?"Tread carefully, Verchiel,"the Malakim growled, "for it is within my mightto see you punished
for your conceit." Heunfurled his great wings of gunmetal gray, thevery air around him crackling with
restrainedsupernatural energies.

 "I'm sorry to say there is little you can subjectme to, holy Malakim, that is any worse than what Ihave
already endured," Verchiel replied, a vicioussneer appearing upon his pale, burn-mottled features. "Give
me what I ask for and I shall leave youto your observation of this . . .fascinating continent." Malice
dripped from his disrespectful wordsas he chanced a casual glance over the Africanhorizon.

 There is a dangerous hate in this one,theMalakim observed, and again wondered whatcould have
transpired while his attentions were focused elsewhere. He had no choice but to putthis imperious angel,
and those who followedhim, in their respective places. This recklessarrogance could not be allowed to
continueunchecked.

 "Insolent pup!" Peliel bellowed, his voicerumbling across the mountain like the roar of anavalanche. He
reached up into the icy blue skyto draw from the heavens a weapon of cracklingenergy, a sword of
divine might. And heslammed his weapon down upon the mountain-top. The ground heaved and split
where it wasstruck, a fissure in Kilimanjaro's rocky fleshzigzagging haphazardly toward the Powersangels
as the ground beneath their feet shook.

 "Rail all you like, keeper of His Word,"Verchiel said, taking flight, his powerful wingslifting him from the
tremulous earth. "It willchange nothing." And then he raised his handand brought it down in a silent
command tothose who served him.

The angels of the Powers host surged towardthe Malakim, screams of violence pouring fromtheir open
maws, weapons of flame materializing in their grasps.

 Peliel responded in kind, his own weaponforged from the might of the storm, incineratingthe first of the
attacking heavenly warriors. Theywere no match for him, but still they came, oneafter another, unto their
deaths. As the last of them cried out in failure and the ashes of their bodies drifted across the frozen
mountaintop,Peliel turned to face their master.

 Verchiel stood unmoving, his hands clasped behind his back. There was not the slightest hint of remorse
for the fate of those who obeyed his command.

 "You knew that they hadn't a chance againstme," the Malakim seethed, the lightning sword humming and
flashing in his grip, eager to strikeagain.

The leader of the army so callously sent to their fates nodded in agreement.

 "But still you ordered them to attack. Why?Is it your wish to die, Verchiel of the Powershost? Do you
attempt to save face by being vanquished by one greater than you?"

 The angel smiled, and in that instant Pelielof the Malakim was certain that the disease ofmadness had
indeed infected this creature of Heaven. It was a smile that told him the angelwas beyond caring, beyond
fear of reprisal. Andfor the briefest of instants, the emissary of God feared the lowly messenger.

"What has happened to make you thisway?" Peliel asked.

 Verchiel's body grew straight and rigid. "Iam what He has made me," the Powers leadergrowled. "The
deaths of those in my chargehave served a purpose." His eyes of solid blacktwinkled with the taint of
insanity and he openedhis wings as if to punctuate his mad statement."A distraction was required."

 Peliel sensed the presence of the Archonsbefore their attack upon him, attuned as he was tothe delicate
thrum of angelic magicks—magicksthat were taught by the Malakim. He turned toface the threat as a
doorway into a place thatreeked of death and decay closed behind them.There were only five Archons
when there shouldhave been seven, another sign that things wereamiss. The Malakim began to ask his
studentswhat had befallen the world of God's man whilehe was preoccupied, but the words did not have
a chance to leave his mouth.

 Peliel knew the spells that flowed from their mouths, powerful magicks meant to immobilizeprey of great
strength, and he was preparing tocounter their attack when he was viciouslystruck from behind. The
ferocious heat ofVerchiel's sword had melted through the metal of his armor and punctured the angelic
flesh beneath. The Malakim whirled to confront thesource of this latest affront as the last words ofthe
Powers commander became frighteninglyobvious.

"A distraction was required."

 Verchiel had already leaped away and Pelielfelt the spells of the Archons take hold. It was too late. He
had missed his opportunity to fight back. The magick entered his body, worming itsway beneath his flesh,
into his muscles andbones, freezing him solid like the cold, ruggedterrain on which he had dwelled these
last twothousand years. His students had learned wellthe might of angel sorcery, and they encircled his
immobilized form, gently lowering him to theicy ground as the winds swirled feverishlyaround them.

 Peliel could feel nothing but was fully awareof all that transpired about him. Four of the Archons loomed
above, muttering the incantations that kept him incapacitated. From insidehis robes, the fifth of the magick
users—whose eyes, Peliel noticed, had been removed from hisskull—produced a tool, a knife that
shimmeredand glowed seductively. Its blade was curvedand serrated, and the Malakim was certain that
its bite would be fierce indeed.

The blind Archon plunged the blade down into Peliel's forehead with such force that hisskull split wide.
The world began to grow dim,and as the veil of unconsciousness drifted acrosshis eyes, Peliel saw that
Verchiel had taken hisplace beside his purveyors of angel magick.

"Do you see it?" he was asking over thedroning repetition of the Archons' spell, abreathless impatience in
his voice.

"It is there," said the magick user with a tiltof his hooded head, the vacant caverns of his eyesockets filled
with swirling pools of bottomless darkness.

"Then get it for me," Verchiel demanded with a fervent hiss.

And with trembling fingers, the blind Archonreached inside the Malakim's skull to take theprize his
master so desperately sought.

chapter one
 Vilma Santiago pressed the phone to her ear,listening to the sounds of sadness and disappointment. She
hated lying to her aunt anduncle—hated how it made her feel like a sillylittle girl—but the alternative was
somethingthat she herself had barely begun to comprehend, never mind her guardians.

 No, I didn't really run away from home to hookup with a boy I barely knew, but was convinced thatI'd
fallen in love with,she wanted to tell them.Nope, not at all. In fact I was kidnapped by real liveangels
as bait to lure Aaron—you know, that boythat I'm in love with—into a trap. The bad angelswanted to
kill Aaron before some kind of ancientprophecy that he was supposed to represent cametrue. You see,
Aaron is a Nephilim, the child of ahuman mother and an angel—and guess what, so amI.Isn't that
awesome?

 She heard her aunt's voice suddenly askingif she was still there, and Vilma promptlypushed aside the
truth in favor of the lies. At themoment, lies were far less trouble.

"I'm here," she said, trying to keep the tonein her voice cheerful and upbeat. "Sorry aboutthat, I think we
might have a bad connection."

 The woman's questions droned on and on,the same questions that she had asked duringVilma's first call
a week ago. Was she in trouble?Did she have a place to stay? When was shecoming home? Vilma gazed
through the glasspartition in the back of the phone booth at thetraffic whizzing past her on the highway
acrossfrom the roadside stop. She wanted nothingmore than to be in one of those cars, speedingaway
from her life—running from what she hadlearned about herself. But she knew that wasimpossible,
because no matter how far she drove or how fast she ran, she could never escape whatshe truly was.

 Nephilim. The word continued to haunt her.She had read about these offspring of angels andhumans in
the numerous books about heavenly beings she had enjoyed reading over the years,but she had never
imagined that the knowledgeshe had gleaned would in any way, shape, orform pertain to her. It was just
all so crazy.

 "Are you sure you're all right?" her auntasked yet again, and Vilma paused before allowing the lie to flow
from her mouth.

 The thing that made her a Nephilim—whatAaron described as an angelic essence—hadawakened at the
strike of midnight on her eighteenth birthday. With each passing day shecould feel it growing stronger.
And it scared her.

"I'm fine," she said into the phone. "I toldyou, I just need a little more time to figure out what I want to do
with my life. As soon as I do,I'll come home. I promise."

Isthat really a lie?she wondered, barely hearing her uncle's hundredth offer to come and gether
wherever she was, any time of the day or night. All she had to do was call, let him knowwhere to find
her, and he would be there for her.Will I ever be able to return to Lynn, Massachusetts—especially
being the way I am now?

 Vilma felt the power stir inside her andoffhandedly wondered if it was similar to thefeelings women
experienced when pregnant.She seriously doubted that having a baby growing inside her could ever scare
her as much this.Besides, if she were having a child it would bebecause it was wanted. Vilma didn't want
thisangelic power, and sometimes she suspectedthat the thing inside her knew it. It was unpredictable,
and she never knew when the essencewould awaken and cause a fuss. She tried withall her might to
keep it under control, but it waslike trying to hold back a sneeze—except asneeze didn't have the power
of Heaven behindit. Every day it seemed just a little bit strongerthan the day before, and Vilma worried
thatthere would come a time when the force wouldbe stronger than her.

 Suddenly she didn't want to be on the phoneanymore, just in case the power of the Nephilimdecided to
assert itself. Most of the time it wasdownright painful, and she didn't want to giveher aunt and uncle any
reason to be more concerned for her than they already were.

 Vilma told them that she had to go and that she would call them again in a couple of days.She told them
that she loved them and her nieceand nephew very much, reminded them not to worry, and assured them
that she would be back home soon.

 And then, as the connection was broken, thepower of angels thrummed through her bodylike the bass
from a car stereo cranked to maximum, and Vilma wondered if this would be thetime.

The time that she could not hold it back.

 Aaron Corbet couldn't pull his eyes from theentrance to the diner across the parking lot. Theelderly,
families, and truck drivers—people of allshapes and sizes, heading in for breakfast andcoming out
satisfied. It was all so boring—somundane.

What he wouldn't give for boring and mundane in his own life.

"What do you think that big fat guy with thebald head ate?"his Labrador retriever and bestfriend,
Gabriel, asked from his side."I think hejust burped; I can smell sausage. I love sausage,don't you,
Aaron?"

 The young man didn't answer, still caughtup in the flow of normal. For just a brief momenthe wanted to
remember what it was like to bethem—the people coming and going from thediner, oblivious to the
beings from Heaven,angels, who walked among them.

 "Are you thinking about sausage, Aaron?"Gabriel suddenly asked him, chasing away hisbrief fantasy."Or
maybe pancakes. What I wouldn'tgive for some of those. Are you sure we can't go in and have
something to eat? I'm very hungry."

"No, we can't," Aaron responded, feelingagain the weight of the new responsibilities hehad to bear. He
had come to accept them, butthat did not make them any easier to carry.

 The fallen angels that had fled to Earth afterthe war in Heaven believed in an ancientprophecy, a
revelation that an offspring of amortal woman and angel would be born intothe world of man. This
amalgam of God's greatest creations, this Nephilim, would be special—different from others of its
ilk—and would bringwith it a way in which those who had fallenfrom grace could be forgiven their sins
andreunited with their Holy Father in Heaven.Aaron Corbet was this Nephilim—the savior—whether he
liked it or not.

A family exited the restaurant—mother,father, and little boy probably about seven yearsold. The boy
held tightly to the string of aSponge Bob balloon, and at that moment lookedto be the happiest kid in the
world. Aaronwatched them cross the parking lot to their carand couldn't help but think of the family that
had been lost to him, violently torn away as aresult of his angelic destiny.

After spending the first years of his life shuffled from one foster family to another, he was finally placed
with the Stanleys, a truly lovingcouple, and their young, autistic son. They hadaccepted him as one of
their own, and becamethe only family Aaron ever really knew. But theywere all gone now, murdered by
a host ofangels—the Powers—hellbent on making surethat the prophecy of forgiveness would never
come to pass. Their leader, a nasty piece of workcalled Verchiel, wanted him dead in the worst ofways,
but Aaron just couldn't find it in his heartto oblige.

 "It's that no-dogs-allowed thing again, isn't it?"the Lab interrupted Aaron's thoughts again,frustrated by
the fact that he couldn't eat.Gabriel loved to eat—and to talk . . . and talkand talk."Isit because they
think we smell, Aaron?"the dog asked."I don't think I smell any worse thanmost babies do."

 Being able to understand the dog—beingable to understand the language of all livingthings—was but one
of the strengths of Aaron'sNephilim birthright. With the help of his angel mentor, Camael, and an old
fallen angel calledBelphegor, he had successfully merged with thepower of Heaven that flowed through
his body.This power provided him with the strength andskill he would need to achieve his destiny, aswell
as deal with the threat still posed byVerchiel and the Powers.

 "I think you smell better than most babiestoo," he complimented the dog, "but they stillwon't let you eat
inside. We'll have somethingwhen we get back to Aerie. Don't worry; I won'tlet you starve."

Aerie was their home now, a settlement offallen angels and Nephilim dedicated to thebelief in the ancient
prophecy that Aaron wassupposed to represent. Aerie had also becomehis responsibility.

 The dog grumbled, not completely satisfiedwith the compromise, but knowing he had littlechoice. Aaron
knew that feeling well enough. Hecould complain all he wanted, but it wouldn'tchange the fact that he had
a destiny to fulfill.He tried not to allow his new duties to overwhelm him, but it was a challenge. Not only
did he have to protect the citizens of Aerie,knowing that Verchiel was still out there looking for revenge,
he also had to look after Vilmaand deal with the most recent revelation thatLucifer was the angel who
fathered him.Whoever said that being a savior was all fun and games?

Aaron turned away from the restaurant and looked toward the phone booth where Vilmaappeared to be
wrapping up her call.

"I'm worried about her,"Gabriel said, puttingwords to Aaron's sentiments as they bothwatched her hang
up the phone and emergefrom the glass-and-metal cubicle.

 Vilma had been part of Aaron's old life,before the power of the angels asserted itself andturned the
world as he had known it on its ear. Although he had kept in contact through e-mail,he hadn't really
thought he would ever see heragain, yet another piece of his life that he was forced to abandon. But here
she was, inexplicably made part of his new existence—a Nephilimtoo. He always felt he was in love with
her,always knew there was some powerful connection, but that just made her involvement in the
whirlwind that his life had become all the morescary.

"Is everything okay at home?" he asked asshe approached them.

The girl shrugged, combing a nervous handthrough her shiny, black shoulder-length hair."As good as can
be expected, I guess," she said,not looking at him.

 She was sweating, even though the temperature wasn't above sixty degrees, and he alsonoticed the dark
circles under her normallybeautiful brown eyes.

Aaron reached out gingerly to touch Vilma's shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.
 Vilma raised her face to look at him, eyesfilled with emotion. "No," she answered, shaking her head as
the tears began to tumble downthe dark skin of her cheeks. "I've been takenaway from my home and my
school, been tortured by...monsters, I'm having dreams thatmake me afraid to go to sleep, and . . . and
there's something coming alive inside me that I can't even begin to understand. No, Aaron, I amsonot all
right."

 She was angry and scared, and he knewexactly how she felt, for it wasn't that long agothat he first
experienced the awakening of theangelic essence within himself. He tried to thinkof the right things to say
to reassure her, but hecouldn't; he didn't want to lie. Aaron had noidea how things were going to be in the
future—for her, for himself, for the fallen angels. Life wasuncertain right now, and that was somethingthat
he was learning to live with. It was some thing Vilma was going to have to learn as well.

 As if on cue, Gabriel leaned his large, yellow body against the girl, nudging her handwith his cold, damp
nose."Don't cry, Vilma," hesaid consolingly, his dark eyes looking up into hers."Everything is going
to be fine. Just you waitand see."

She began to pat his blocky head, and Aaroncould see the immediate calming effect that thedog's
presence had upon her. In the week sincethey had saved her from Verchiel's grasp,Gabriel had become
Vilma's anchor to sanity.

 "I'm very tired," she said, her voice nolouder than a whisper. "I think I'd like to goho—" Vilma halted,
the word catching in herthroat before it could leave her mouth. She wasgoing to say "home." But it wasn't
home forher, although it would have to do until thethreat of Verchiel and his Powers was endedonce and
for all.

"I'll take you back to Aerie," Aaron said quietly, putting his arm around her and gentlypulling her close.

She nodded and said nothing more asGabriel, too, stepped closer.

 Using another of the gifts from his angelicnature, Aaron willed them all invisible, thenallowed the massive,
shiny black wings tounfurl from his back. He thought of Aerie, picturing in his mind the abandoned
neighborhoodbuilt atop a burial ground for toxic waste,enfolded Vilma and Gabriel within his feathered
embrace, and took them there.

Deep within the hold of oblivion, Lucifer had sought the escape of torment, and instead foundmemories
of times preferred forgotten.

 He saw it all as he always did when heclosed his eyes: the crimes he committed againstGod, the war he
waged in Heaven in the nameof petty jealousy. But when those recollectionswere spent, the wounds of
his past discretionreopened, the first of the fallen saw that thepainful conjurings of his mind were not yet
finished with him.

 It had been years since he last dreamed ofher—thought of her—and he moaned in protestas
remembrances long suppressed played outupon his dreamscape. Her name wasTaylor , andthe memory
of her was as painful as anythinghe'd been forced to endure since his capture byVerchiel and his
followers.

 He saw her as he had that very first time: abeautiful, human woman who emanated lifeand vitality, with
rich, dark eyes the color of polished mahogany, and jet-black hair that curledseductively around her
shoulders. She waswearing a flowing yellow sundress, leather sandals upon her delicate feet, and she was
playingwith a dog—a golden retriever named Brandy.There was something about her that drew himin,
something that made him believe he mightnot be the monster his own kind had brandedhim to be.

 In the brief time that he had been with her, Lucifer had almost been able to convince himself that he was
just a man, not the leader of arebellion against God. How beautifully mundane his life had become, the
urge to wanderthe planet, as he had done for thousands ofyears, suddenly stifled by the love of an earthly
woman. It was as if she had been touched by theArchons themselves; there was an inherentmagick in her
that seemed to calm his restless spirit and numb the pain of the curse he wouldforever carry as the inciter
of Heaven's war.

 Lucifer fought toward consciousness, but thecurrent of the past was too strong, and he wasdrowned in
further memories, pulled deeper. Itwas in fact the dreams that had been harbingers to the end of his
happiness with the woman. Hehad begun to experience dreams of the turmoil for which he was
responsible, of the blood and death—the faces of those who had died for hiscause haunting his attempts
at peace. Thedreams were relentless. They reawakened in himthe enormity of his sins, and he knew that
he must move on. He had not yet earned the rightto peace and happiness. How stupid he hadbeen to
think that his penance might be at anend. Though it pained him, he left her—the beautiful, magickalTaylor
—and began his wanderings anew.

 And in his fevered mind he saw her as hehad that very last time, asleep in the bed they'dshared as man
and woman. How beautiful shewas. He had left her during the night, sneakingsilently out into the darkness
and out of her life.It was for the best, he had told himself, for hecould bring her nothing but misery.

 But this time the memory was different andhe did not leave. InsteadTaylor stirred upon thebed, as if
feeling his gaze upon her, and sherolled over to look at him, a seductive smilespreading across her
features, clad in the shadows of the early hour.

 "Hello, Lucifer," she said in a voice filled with the huskiness of interrupted sleep, and hefelt his love for
the woman swell within him.

It was as if he had never left her.

chapter two

 Lorelei sighed as the commotion continued toescalate. She placed her hands flat atop the table,took a
deep breath, and forced herself not toutter an incantation that would have calleddown lightning from the
sky and permanentlysilenced the agitated citizens gathered in themeeting room of Aerie's community
center.

"People, please," she said, raising her voice to be heard above their frenetic din. "We'll getabsolutely
nothing accomplished here if we'reall talking at once."

 The citizens ignored her and continued theirexcited chatter, the volume within the low-ceilinged room
intensifying. She rememberedhow easy it had seemed for Belphegor to presideover these meetings. All
the ancient fallen angelhad to do was stand up from his chair and clearhis throat, and immediately they
would all fallsilent, awaiting his words with rapt attention.And that was just one of the things she missed
about their leader.

 Belphegor had been mortally injured duringthe Powers' attack upon Aerie, in a violent duelwith their
commander, Verchiel. They had foundhim close to death, but Aaron Corbet had sethim free from his
shell of flesh and blood, forgiving him and all the others that had fallen in thedevastating battle, allowing
them to return toHeaven. Lorelei had been happy for them; it waswhat every one of the fallen inhabiting
this placedreamed of, but Belphegor's absence was felt each and every day.

 "There's been enough talk," said a fallen angelnamed Atliel. He was standing up beside his metal folding
chair, his single eye and badly burned facecommanding the attention of those around him.The angel had
been scarred in the battle with thePowers, but at least he had survived when somany others of the
citizenry had not.

Lorelei looked about the room and was reminded of how many had been lost trying todefend Aerie from
Verchiel's soldiers. Not all ofthem died; Aaron had freed many fallen angels who had managed to hang
on to a thread of life.Even still, their numbers had been cut easily by half, and that didn't count those
Nephilim whohad been seriously injured. They were still trying to heal, the question of their survival
nowhere near certain.

 "We must act at once or suffer the fate of ourbrothers," Atliel proclaimed, looking about theroom, his
scarred visage quieting the congregation far more effectively than had Lorelei'sraised voice.

 "And what do you propose?" the Nephilimasked, rising from her chair as she'd seen Belphegor do in the
past, hoping she couldregain some control of the meeting. She knewmany of the citizens were not happy
that she, aNephilim, a half-breed, had assumed control of the angelic settlement with their founder's pass
ing, but it had been Belphegor's wish. His confidence in her ability to lead had alwayssurpassed her own.
Even though the fallenangels and the Nephilim lived together in relative harmony, there was still a certain
amount ofprejudice—especially when it came to the decisions that would govern the future of Aerie.

 Atliel turned to fix her in the gaze of hisgood eye. It was obvious that he didn't appreciate her
interruption. "We must do what we havein the past when we've been threatened," heanswered, a hint of
petulance in his voice."Aerie must be relocated. We cannot chance another Powers attack."

 Lorelei watched the reactions of those beforeher. They were a mixture of shock, quiet acceptance, and
complete despair. Aerie had been inmany places throughout the millennia it hadexisted, moving from one
secret location to thenext as the Powers grew closer to finding them. Tomany of the sanctuary's newer
residents, the abandoned neighborhood of the Ravenschild Estateswas the only true home they had ever
known, andthat she knew from personal experience.

 "Don't you think we've come too far forthat?" she asked, stoking the fires of Atliel's ire."Do you think
that Belphegor and all the othercitizens who fell during the battle did so only that we could run and hide
again? I seriouslydoubt it."

 Atliel gripped the edge of the chair in frontof him, knuckles white with the force of his frustration.
"Verchiel and his followers know where we are. They can return at any moment to finishwhat they
started. Aerie must survive if we areever to find forgiveness from our Father inHeaven. Nothing else
matters."

Lorelei moved out from behind the table. Sheknew they were afraid, but she couldn't believe that they
were so blinded by their fear that theydidn't see the signs of change that were uponthem, changes that
had begun soon after Aaron Corbet had arrived in Aerie.

 "I believe the time you've been waiting for,the forgiveness you've been seeking, is upon us,Atliel," she
said, leaning back against the tableedge and crossing her booted feet at the ankles.

 "You're referring to that Nephilim, AaronCorbet," the fallen angel responded, a sneerupon his damaged
features.
"Yes," she replied emphatically, "I am."

Atliel slowly shook his head. "The savior of prophecy," he grumbled, looking at those gathered around
him. "I'm having great difficultybelieving that—"

"You saw what he can do," Lorelei cried, pushing away from the table to stress her point."You saw what
he did for Camael—what he didfor Belphegor and all the others who fell in battle."

"Yes, but—"

 "Heforgave them," Lorelei continued overAtliel's protest. She didn't have the patience forhis or any of
the others' doubts. Aaron Corbetwas theOne, and she wasn't about to let a discordant voice among them
detract from whatwas finally, after thousands and thousands ofyears, about to happen to them. "Aaron
allowedthem to return to Heaven, and I believe he'll dothe same for you."

The room was suddenly quiet and Loreleisaw that all eyes were finally upon her. She wasproud of
herself for speaking out. The citizens ofAerie could no longer allow themselves to be governed by fear.
These were new times aheadof them, and they needed a fresh perspective.

"And where is our savior?" Atliel posed hisquestion to the room at large. "Was he not madeaware of this
gathering?"

"Yes, he was, but—"

 It was Atliel's turn to interrupt as a low buzzmoved through the crowd. "He was aware, buthe chose not
to attend. Is that what you're tellingus, Lorelei? That the fate of our hopes anddreams is teetering on the
edge of a precipice,and Aaron Corbet could not be bothered?"

 "Look," she began, exasperated—by Aaron's unexplained absence, by Atliel's persistent questioning, by
her own lack of control. "All I'm saying is that we need to consider all our optionsbefore we turn tail and
run. At least talk toAaron, he might be able to give us—"

"And allI'm asking, Lorelei," Atliel said, cutting her off again, "is for oursavior to start actinglike one and
offer us some guidance."

 She didn't know how to respond, choosinginstead to say nothing, and in a matter ofmoments the
commotion was on the rise again, voices of fallen angels and Nephilim alike, allspeaking at once,
clamoring to be heard.

Shit,Aaron thought, suddenly remembering themeeting at Aerie's community center that he hadpromised
Lorelei he would attend.

 He was in the process of transporting Vilma,Gabriel, and himself back to their house inAerie, traversing
the void betweenhere andthere. It was one of the few angelic skills that he genuinely appreciated. All he
had to do was picture in his mind the place he wished to be, wrap himself within his wings, and in a
matter of seconds he was there. In this particular instant,though, he was forced to change his mind mid-
trip, and he opened his wings to emerge on thestreet in front of the community center.

 "I'm really sorry about this," he apologizedto his traveling companions as his wingsreceded beneath the
flesh of his back. "I justremembered that I promised Lorelei I'd go to thecommunity meeting today and..."
Vilma smiled weakly, and he couldn't getover how tired she looked. "That's okay," shesaid. "I think I
need to lie down anyway. I'm stillfeeling pretty exhausted."

 Aaron glanced over at the entrance to thecommunity center and caught Lehash sitting outfront, watching
them. The fallen angel in chargeof Aerie's security tipped his cowboy hat ingreeting, looking every inch as
though he'd just walked out of an old spaghetti Western. Aaronsmiled and waved briefly before turning
hisattention back to Vilma.

"Gabriel will go with you," he told the girl.

 She reached down and scratched the top of the Lab's bony head. "Is that what you want todo, Gabe?"
she asked him in the language ofdogs.

"Will you give me breakfast?"

"Of course I will," she assured him.

 "Then let's go,"Gabriel said, already beginning to walk in the direction of the house wherethey were
staying."I'm starving."

Vilma laughed, then paused to look back atAaron.

"I'll see you later?" she asked, and he couldhear the sadness permeating her voice.

 It just about broke his heart.But it won't last forever, he tried to reassure himself. He steppedtoward
her and put his arms tentatively around her. "It's going to be all right," he whispered in her ear, squeezing
her tightly.

Vilma hugged him back, but said nothing toprove that she believed in what he had told her.

"C'mon, Vilma. Let's go,"Gabriel called, histail wagging eagerly as he urged her to follow.

 She was the first to break the embrace, looking deeply into Aaron's eyes and forcing a smile before
turning to join the dog.

It's an enormous adjustment,he told himself,watching as she walked away from him.She justneeds time.
He could sense the angelic essenceinside her becoming stronger, and prayed for aneasy merger.
Hopefully it wouldn't take much longer for the process to complete itself.

 Aaron turned and jogged toward the community center. "Lorelei is going to kill me," hesaid to the fallen
angel that just happened to beher father.

Lehash had tipped his chair back on two legsand was leaning against the building's wall."Not sure you
want to be going in there rightnow," he said in the drawl of the Old West."Folks are a mite riled up at the
moment.Lorelei's attempting to calm 'em down."

"What are they upset about?"

"You," Lehash answered, lowering his chairlegs to the ground.
"Me?" Aaron asked incredulously.

The fallen angel nodded. "Yep. They're worried that yer not taking the job of savior seriously enough."
The angel gunslinger tilted backthe brim of his hat and looked into Aaron's eyes."They want to know why
you haven't gotaround to savin' them yet."

"Son of a bitch," Aaron hissed as he grabbedhold of the handle and flung the door wide.

"What're you gonna do?" he heard Lehashcall after him as he stormed inside.

"I'm going to have a little talk with the citizens of Aerie."

Lehash guffawed, his chair sliding across theground as he abruptly stood, following theNephilim into the
building.

"This I gotta see," Aaron heard the angel say.

 Aaron entered the meeting room through a doorat the back and immediately felt as though hewas in the
midst of one of those bizarre go-to-school-naked dreams. He had heard them carrying on as he
approached, each trying to be heard above the other and Lorelei shouting for order.

And they did quiet down, but only becausethey saw that he had arrived.

 Every head swiveled in his direction, andevery eye watched as he strode down the aisle tojoin Lorelei at
the front. He didn't make eyecontact with any of them, but could sense theirhostility and their frustration.
The feelings weremutual.

"Sorry I'm late," he said quietly to Lorelei asshe stepped aside to allow him her space.

 He faced the crowded room. Lehash wasstanding at the back, arms folded, leaningagainst the wall, a sly
smile on his haggard features. They were all there—Nephilim and fallen angels both. And why shouldn't
they be? The citizens of Aerie were concerned about their future,a future in which Aaron played a large
part. Itwas a heavy responsibility, and he felt as thoughhe was beginning to buckle beneath its tremen
dous weight. He was doing the best he could, but sometimes it just didn't seem to be enough.

"Sorry I'm late," he said again to the room atlarge.

 But before he could continue, Atliel interrupted. "Aerie must be relocated," he declared,his single eye
staring intensely. "We cannot riskany more lives. The dream of Aerie must survive, and it cannot if we
stay here."

 "I don't think we need to worry aboutVerchiel right now," Aaron tried to reassure thecitizens. "He
suffered casualties even greaterthan ours, thanks to Lorelei here. I believe we'resafe for now." He looked
to Lorelei for support, and saw that she was nodding in agreement.

"Youbelieve we're safe?" Atliel said pointinga long finger at him.

Aaron cringed. He didn't want this to turninto an argument. He had wanted to come in,tell them what he
had planned for their future, and then spend the remainder of the day withVilma. "Yes,I do."

The angel's expression turned to one of complete revulsion. "What right have you to tell uswe'll be safe,
when you know very well whatVerchiel is capable of?"

 He felt his heart rate quicken, his blood beginning to rush through his veins. He forcedhimself to stay
calm. It was a democracy here inAerie, and the citizens had every right to speaktheir minds.

"He killed your parents," Atliel snarled."Turned your little brother into a monster. Killedyour mentor and
used your woman as bait tolure you to your death."

 Aaron knew all this. It was with him every day, a constant reminder of how much his lifehad
changed—of what his destiny as a saviorhad taken from him.

"Verchiel is an unpredictable force," Atliel continued. "All of us have feared his wrath sinceour fall from
Heaven. Do not tell me that we'resafe. It couldn't be further from the truth."

 Aaron's anger was growing and he felt thepower of his angelic heritage course through hisblood and
muscle, enflaming the very essence ofhis being. "I'm doing my best," he said throughgritted teeth. He saw
that Lehash had movedaway from the wall and was approaching the front. The warrior angel obviously
suspected that something was about to happen, and hecouldn't have been more right.

 "We of Aerie expect more from our saviorthan hisbest." And with those words, Atlielspread his wings,
as did some others in the community center, and they began to flap gently inunison, the close confines of
the meeting spacefilled with the sound of feathered wings strikingthe air. They did it to show their
displeasure, toshow their doubt that Aaron was capable of fulfilling the prophecy.

 The sigils rose to the surface of his skin andAaron knew that he could hold back his angerno longer. He
let out a cry of rage as his ebonywings exploded from his back, and he too beganto beat the air, harder,
singularly drowning out the sounds of the others. He watched the expressions of shock and surprise
spread across thefaces of the citizens as he revealed to them theshape of their redeemer. His mighty
wings continued to flap, forcing them back, tipping overtheir chairs and creating a mini-maelstrom of dust
and dirt.

And as abruptly as he had started, hestopped, furling his appendages at his back andglaring at them all.

 "Why don't you people just cut me someslack?" His voice rumbled like the growl of adangerous, jungle
beast, filled with the potentialfor violence. "Do you seriously believe that Iunderstand what it means to be
a savior? Well,in case you haven't figured it out yet, I don'thave a clue."

 Fallen angels and Nephilim alike were silent.Even Atliel had decided that it might be best tohold his
tongue. Lehash stood nearby and Aaroncould see sparks of golden fire dancing aroundhis hands, the
gunslinger ready to call forth hispistols of heavenly flame if necessary.

"All I'm asking is for you to give me a break.I know that you're scared—I'm scared too—butit isn't
going to do anybody any good to comeafter me for not living up to your expectations."

Aaron made eye contact with them and theyeach looked away, accepting his position as topdog.

"I have no idea what tomorrow holds for meor for you. But I do know that to guarantee any future at all,
we have to work together. We can'trunfrom Verchiel; we have todeal with him." Helet his wings recede
beneath his flesh as the sigils began to fade.

"And that's exactly what I intend to do," hedeclared with finality as he strode from theroom.
"Meeting adjourned."

chapter three

 The tiny rodent cowered in a pocket ofshadow, watching with wide, fear-filled eyes, asits friend was
tortured.

It wanted to run, to flee the ugly scene, but for a reason its tiny brain could not begin tofathom, the
mouse would not leave the man whohad befriended it.Man? it questioned. Its primitive thought process
grappled with the concept,for this being was far more than just a man.

 It remembered the first time that it had seen him. It was living in a monastery in mountainsfar, far away,
and Lucifer arrived in the midst ofa terrific snowstorm. The brothers who dwelt inthe monastery had no
idea how he had made itto their door, but they welcomed him inside, inviting him to share their evening
meal. He hadclaimed to be a traveler, grown weary from hiswanderings, looking for a place to rest and
reflect upon a life filled with regrets. The brothersoffered their monastery as a refuge and Luciferaccepted
their offer to stay.

 The mouse watched as the five beings thatabused its friend hoisted him up, naked, into theair, hanging
him from thick black chains securedupon his wrists and ankles, his face pointed atthe floor. They
crouched beneath him, carefully examining his exposed underbelly.

 When first they met, the stranger had asked ofthe mouse a favor. Lucifer spoke to it in the language of its
species and gave it a delicious piece ofbread as payment. He had simply asked it to keepits eyes open
when wandering about the monastery, and to let him know if it saw any strangerslike himself. A
relationship was born that benefitedthem both greatly, and soon blossomed into something larger, a
mutual admiration—a genuinefriendship.

 The tiny observer watched an Archon standbeneath its hanging friend, and in his hand,there formed a
knife of flame. With one sudden,savage movement, the Archon cut open itsfriend, his blood raining down
to puddle uponthe floor.

It wanted to help its friend, but insteadretreated farther into the darkness of the corner.For what could it
possibly do?

It was only a mouse.

 The rite was forbidden. Archon Oraios was sure of that. But here they were, making preparationsto
reverse the Word of God.

"Quickly!" Archon Jao screeched, crouchingbeneath the body of the first of the fallen as theprisoner's
blood poured from the gash cut intohis belly. "Bring me the bowl. We cannot waste adrop!"

Archon Domiel retrieved a golden ceremonial bowl from their belongings and carefullyslid it beneath the
dripping wound of the hanging Lucifer.

 "Excellent," Jao said rubbing his long, spidery hands together as he watched the spattering of warm
crimson begin to fill the bowl."There is much to be done with this blood.Every drop must serve our
master's cause."
Archon Oraios turned his gaze from theunconscious Lucifer to Jao beside him. "Is thatwhat he is to us
now, brother?" the angel asked."When first we joined Verchiel's quest to rid theworld of God's
offenders, we did so as equals,sharing the Powers' abhorrence for those whohad sinned against Heaven.
But now it appears we are nothing more than servants to his rage."

 "Careful, Oraios," Archon Jaldabaoth warned,on hands and knees, dipping his fingers into thebowl of
gore upon the floor. "Remember the fateof our brothers, Sabaoth and Erathaol. Theiractions did not
please Verch . . . our master, andfor that they paid a price most dear." Jaldabaothbegan to paint a large
circle of blood on thehardwood floor beneath the first of the fallenangels.

"Why can't you say it, brother?" Oraiosasked. "Paid a price most dear, indeed," hesnarled. "Verchiel
killed them in a fit of anger. Itseems that ourmaster has become quite enamored with the act of murder."

Archon Domiel turned away with a hiss. "Ido not want to hear this," he said, shaking hishead. "Sacrifices
must be made to achieve one's ultimate goals. Verchiel's cause is a just one, afinal attempt to right a
grievous wrong."

 The air was thick with the smell of blood asJao joined Jaldabaoth on the floor. "This discussion is
finished," he said, dipping his fingers inthe collected blood of their enemy and completing the circle.
"There is far too much to be done to debate this now."

 "The killing of our Malakim pedagogue—with more to follow if we are to have what weneed to
complete the rite to unravel the words of the Most Holy and unleash Hell upon the world.Is that how a
grievous wrong is righted, my Archon brothers?" Oraios asked, ignoring Jao.

 "It is too late to be thinking of such things,"Katspiel said quietly from the far corner. Slowlyhe lifted his
head, the shadows of the room flowing to fill the empty sockets of his eyes like oil. Inan earlier ritual he
had attempted to look uponthe Hell within Lucifer, and had paid the pricewith his sight. "Events have
transpired beyondour abilities to control," he wheezed. "We are just cogs in the great mechanism that has
beenset in motion."

"So you say we are to continue as we are," Oraios asked his eyeless brother, "carrying outthe wants and
desires of one who could verywell damn us all."

"Yes," Katspiel said, his head slipping forward as he began to drift off into the meditativeslumber that
would allow him to locate the nextof the Malakim. "But I would not concern yourself with potential
damnation, Brother Oraios.

"For what we have done, and are about todo, we are already damned."

 Verchiel stood naked before the healer, allowingthe blind human to administer to his injuries,both old
and new.

 The rich smell of ancient oils wafted up asKraus dipped cloths into his restorative medicament and gently
applied them to the Powersleader's various lesions.

 "I apologize for the pain I must be causing,my lord," the human said. "But I must try astronger remedy if I
am ever to mend yourwounds completely."

Verchiel's injuries were extensive and werehealing far more slowly than normal for anangel of such
power. Some were not healing atall.Another piece of evidence that the Holy Creatorhas indeed
abandoned His most faithful soldier,hethought bitterly, the agony of the healing oilsnothing in comparison
to being forsaken.

The leader of the Powers host shuddered as his servant applied more of the medicinal balm.

"If only I could share your pain, my master,"Kraus said as he bowed his head in sadness. "Iwould gladly
bear the burden to lessen your suf fering."

 Verchiel gazed down upon the lesser beingkneeling at his feet. "The path before us isfraught with
danger," the angel said, laying hishand upon the human's head. "The potential for injuries most
excruciating is great. Do you stillwish to partake of my pain, little monkey?"

 Kraus lifted his head to gaze upon Verchiel with sightless eyes bulging white, his old facetwisted in
adoration. "It would be the least Icould do," Kraus said, his body trembling. "But since I cannot bear
your pain, I will soothe yourinjuries and heal your wounds for as long as thegift of life still fills these bones
and I am allowedto serve you."

 Verchiel thought of his own master and whatVerchiel had lost. How he had loved his Creator,but
obviously it wasn't enough to prevent Him from turning away—from bestowing His blessings upon the
most wretched of creations, thecriminals and the mongrel abominations. Theangel seethed with anger. He
wanted to lashout—to rend and tear, to burn to ashes anythingand everything that reminded him of his
loss.

A faint wheeze pulled the leader of thePowers from his distraught reverie, and he sawthat he had
grabbed the blind human by thethroat and was squeezing the life from his body. The monkey thrashed in
his grip, but the look ofrapture, of pure adoration, was still upon hisface.

Verchiel let the healer fall from his angry hand, for it was not the fault of this lowly lifeform that the
Creator had chosen to desert him.

The blind healer struggled for breath as helay upon the floor of the old classroom. "Sosorry," he gasped
over and over again, certainthat he had done something to offend his master.

But the monkey's apologies—his solicitations for forgiveness—would not fall upon deafears, as
Verchiel's had. He would hear his servant's pleadings, and he would answer.

 Verchiel unfurled his wings and knelt besidehis quivering supplicant. "I hear your pleas," hesaid as he
took the frightened man into his armsand drew him close. "But you have nothing to besorry for."

Kraus began to cry, moisture leaking fromhis sightless orbs.

 "It wasmy rage, my own inner turmoil, thatalmost caused your death," Verchiel said to him."And for that
errorI am sorry."

 The pain of his injuries was suddenly goneand Verchiel was filled with the power of his own divinity. He
knew then, truly understoodwhat it was like to be a god—blessed with thepower of damnation or
absolution.

 "I will show you the depth of my regret," theangel said, drawing the still trembling Krauscloser. Verchiel
leaned his head forward andplaced a gentle kiss upon each milky, cataract-covered orb.
And the healer began to scream.

The pain was like nothing Kraus had ever experienced.

 He fell away from his master's embrace,stumbling about the classroom as the pain in his useless eyes
intensified. He had memorized thelayout of the room, as well as the entire abandoned Saint Athanasius
Church and Orphanagewhere the Powers were gathered these days, but sheer panic and roiling pain
made him careless.He ran headlong into a wall, falling to the floorin a quivering heap.

 Why would he do this to me?Kraus's thoughtsraced.Have I insulted him? He wanted to ask hismaster,
but his distress was too great. It felt asthough molten metal had been poured into hiseye sockets, and
instead of cooling with the passage of time, it was growing hotter and hotterstill.

He thought he was going to die.

 Kraus curled up on the floor and waited fordeath to take him. The torment was so great thathe thought
he might actually welcome the endto his pitiful existence. Eyes tightly clenched, aball of shivering blood,
bone, and flesh, he readied himself—and then he heard the voice of hismaster. It drifted upon the air like
the notes ofthe most beautiful song he had ever heard.

"Open your eyes."

And Kraus did as he was told. The pain wasgone, but he barely noticed.

He could see!

 He was gazing at the floor. It was wood, covered with decades of dirt and dust. And Krauswas seeing it
all for the very first time, the intricacies, patterns and colors of the wood, and theaccumulated filth.
Somehow, even though hehad never seen before, having been blind since birth, he knew what he was
looking at, the identity of each thing his new eyes fell upon fillinghis head.

 "Lift your head from the ground and gazeupon the world," the angel Verchiel said, hisvoice booming
around the room. "This is my giftto you."

 Kraus looked up, his new sight landing onthe wall above the floor. It was painted a dingy gray; and
above that was a blackboard, the fainttrace of the last lesson taught within the schoolroom still evident
upon its dark surface.Thoushall not kill,he read, despite never havinglearned to read.

 Everything his new vision saw, all the colors, the shapes, the items left behind when the schoolwas
abandoned, he knew their identity, theirpurpose, and was filled with the wonder of it all.

The air stirred behind him and Kraus turnedtosee for the first time the creature that hadgiven him this
most wonderful gift. Howblessed he was to serve an emissary of God, so merciful as to heal a lowly
beast such as he. Hismaster stood before him, naked, mighty wingsspread wide so that he might gaze
upon the fullglory of the angel, of Heaven embodied.

And Kraus genuinely saw the master that hehad served these many years. The scars of battle,the
burns—seeping and red—and the wings,now gone to seed, molted, and the color ofgrime.

"I am the glory of Heaven," Verchiel proclaimed.
But the healer, once blind, now saw his master for what he truly was.

He saw a monster.

chapter four

 Aaron stepped out of the community center,the lingering sensation of his transformation stillcausing his
flesh to tingle. He remembered atime not too long ago when a change from his human form to the angelic
would have causedhim nothing but pain. Now it had becomealmost second nature, the two halves of his
being, opposite sides to the same coin.

 He took a few calming, deep breaths. The airwas surprisingly cool, despite the fact that Aprilwas almost
over. Yes, there had been some warm days, but it seemed that winter was having a difficult time
abdicating its seasonal seat of power.

 Gradually he began to feel the tension leavinghis body. Aaron never expected being a saviorwas going to
be easy, but he wished that the citizens of Aerie would give him a chance to figurethings out at his own
speed. Decisions as gravelyimportant as what to do about Verchiel justcouldn't be rushed. There was too
much at stake.

 "Damn," said a familiar voice from behind,and Aaron turned to see Lehash approaching."Guess you gave
them a little somethin' to chewon," he said, a big smile spreading across his usually dour features as he
motioned with histhumb toward the door behind him.

"They made me mad," Aaron said, soundingtrite and not at all proud of his reaction.

 "No kiddin'," Lehash said with a rumblingchuckle. "Wish Belphegor was here to see youput old Atliel
and his cronies in their places. Itwould've made him happier than a pig in slop."

Aaron chuckled as well. "I guess it's not howyou'd expect a messiah to act."

 The angel withdrew a thin cigar from insidehis duster pocket and lit it with the tip of hisleather-gloved
forefinger. "Hell, boy, you put Verchiel down for the count and get us back toHeaven, you can act any
way you damn wellplease."

 Sensing that they were no longer alone, bothAaron and Lehash turned to see the citizensleaving the
community center. Atliel and hiscronies stood to the side of the building'sentrance glaring at them.

 "I think somebody's gettin' the hairy eyeball," Lehash said, sucking on the end of hiscigar and blowing a
cloud of smoke up into theair. "And I don't think it's me."

"What do you think I should do?" Aaronasked the gunslinger, his voice at a whisper."Should I apologize
or just let it go?"

The fallen angel rolled the cigar around inhis mouth. "Personally, I'd let 'em stew, but then again, I ain't
no messiah. You're gonna haf'ta dowhat you think is right."

Aaron's foster dad had taught him that nineout of ten times it was easier to apologize andmove past the
problem. Tom Stanley had been agood man and a wonderful father, and Aaron missed him very much.
He decided he wouldhonor the memory of the only father he had everknown by doing whathe would
have thoughtwas right.
Aaron moved around Lehash and walkedtoward the gaggle of fallen angels. "Look, I'msorry for my
behavior in there," he said with genuine sincerity. If he was going to be their leader,he guessed that it
probably wouldn't hurt for them to see that he knew he wasn't infallible andcould admit when he was
wrong. "Things havebeen kind of crazy for me and I just wanted to—"

"Is it true what they're saying?" Atliel suddenly interrupted. "I thought it was only a wildrumor, but seeing
you in there, the anger youwield, I can almost believe it to be true."

His three companions nodded their agreement.

"I don't understand," Aaron said. "Whatrumors are you talking about?"

Atliel looked to his brethren for support and then back to Aaron, bolstered by their admiration. "That
you are the son of the Morningstar—the spawn of Lucifer," he spat.

Aaron didn't know how to respond. Heknew what he had been told, but he couldn't yetbring himself to
believe it. "I...I'm not surethat...," he stuttered.

 "See how he responds," Atliel said to his comrades. "Itis true that we are to be deliveredto salvation by
the progeny of the monster who led us to our fall."

 Lehash moved forward, a pistol of heavenlyfire glistening gold in his gloved hand. "That'llbe enough of
that, brother," the law of Aeriesaid, stepping between the Nephilim and the group of angels.

 "It's okay, Lehash," Aaron said quickly."They're right in their concern. Howare theysupposed to trust
the son of the Devil to leadthem to salvation?" he asked quietly as heturned away. Though he had no
desire to, and had been avoiding it for days, Aaron Corbetknew that he had to confront the mystery of
his heritage before he could finally assume his roleas Aerie's savior.

 Vilma mistook the sudden wave of panic asanother example of the angelic essence awakening, but as
she and Gabriel entered the ranch-style house she shared with Lorelei and Lehash,she remembered that
this was senior finals weekat school. The feeling was sudden, like an electrical jolt, and her entire body
broke out in a tin gling sweat. It didn't take her long to realize thatthis had nothing to do with the power
residing inside her, and everything to do with her academic career crumbling to ruin.

She slammed the door behind her, andGabriel started from the noise.

"Are you okay?"theLabrador asked, his headtilted to the right with concern.

"I'm fine," she answered with a sigh. "SorryI slammed the door."

"That's okay,"he said, walking past her,toward the kitchen. He turned and looked at her."How about
breakfast now?"

 Grateful for the distraction, Vilma filled thedog's bowl with food and got him some fresh water. "Here
you go," she said, stepping backand watching him devour his meal in recordtime. He licked his chops,
took a long, slurpingdrink, and then cleaned his bowl with histongue.

"Happy?" she asked as she followed himinto the living room.
 "Yes, thank you."Gabriel hopped up onto thecouch and turned once in a circle before settlingdown to
rest."I need a nap, though." He exhalednoisily and closed his eyes.

 Vilma shook her head, watching him for amoment. She had never owned a dog and wasamazed by how
much Gabriel slept. This wasbut one of many naps he'd take during the daybefore going to bed and
sleeping through thenight. Aaron always joked that it was Gabriel'sjob to sleep, and if the animal could
collect acheck for snoozing, they'd both be millionaires.

 She sat down in a large, overstuffed chairand pulled her knees up to her chin. She felt coldinside, but it
had nothing to do with the actualtemperature. She was afraid again. Until amonth ago, she knew exactly
what she wasgoing to do with her life: finish high school, goon to college for a degree in education, and
then teach, preferably first or second grade.

 She smiled sadly, remembering how shewould talk with her friends about the future, andhow excited it
made her. They thought she was afreak, never really understanding that this was the stuff that made her
truly happy, that this wasas exciting for her as they found dancing at the all-ages club or conning someone
into buyingthem liquor. Her plans for the future were herhopes and dreams, and everything was going
fabulously until she met Aaron Corbet.

 Vilma's anger flared. She didn't want to blamehim for her troubles, but it was so easy. Whatwould have
happened if she hadn't spoken to himthat day at the library? She sat with her chin atopher knees, rocking
from side to side, thinkingabout what her life would be like without him. Shetried desperately to believe
that it would havebeen better, but deep down she knew that wasn'ttrue. She had felt a strange attraction
to him thefirst time she noticed him at his locker across from hers, as if their being together was part of
somebigger plan. And when Aaron had gone away afterthe deaths of his foster family, Vilma had never
feltso lonely—so incomplete.

And now they were together again, but stillshe felt lonely and frightened, although sheknew Aaron was
doing the best he could to help her adjust to the changes in her life.

 Something stirred inside her, but this timethe sensation had nothing to do with anxiety.The angelic power,
stirred too quickly to maturity by the tortures of Verchiel, was awake again,and she felt it testing the
confines of the fleshand blood that was its cage.

Aaron had tried to explain that the essencehad been a part of her since her conception, thatthe power
had simply lain dormant within her,waiting for her to come of age and embrace it.For most Nephilim the
unification of the humanand heavenly sides was a naturally occurring process, but for others ...

 Vilma didn't want to think about it anymore.The idea of the thing inside her was driving herinsane. She
dropped her feet to the floor andquickly stood, looking about the room for something, anything, that
could distract her.

Gabriel came awake, lifting his head slowlyto stare at her.

 "I'm sorry, Gabriel," Vilma said, nervouslybiting at the cuticles of one of her fingers. "I'mfeeling a bit
antsy. I need to do something—to get my mind off things for a while." She rememberedshe'd only had a
piece of toast earlier that morning, and thought that food would be as good adistraction as anything. "I'm
going to get something to eat, want to come?" She knew it was astupid question, for the Lab wasalways
hungry.

"Don't mind if I do,"he said, quickly gettingdown from the sofa and following her to the small kitchen
where he had eaten a full mealonly minutes before.

 Vilma went to the fridge and opened thedoor, peering inside at some vegetables and milkof questionable
age. Gabriel squeezed his head past her leg to take a look for himself.

"Hmmm,"he grumbled."Nothing good in here."

 The power inside her had calmed, but it wasstill awake. She could feel it experiencing theworld through
her actions. She closed the refrigerator and looked around the kitchen. In awicker basket by the sink she
spotted some reddelicious apples.

"How about an apple?" she asked the dog asshe plucked the largest one from the basket.

"I love apples."Gabriel had already begun to drool.

 Vilma grabbed a knife from a drawer and cutthe apple in half. "Do you eat the skin or do you want me
to peel it for you?"

 "The skin is fine,"he said, wagging his tail, apuddle forming on the floor beneath his leakingmouth."Just
take the core out, please. The seedsmake me choke."

 Vilma held half of the apple in one hand andsank the tip of the knife into the fruit to cut awaythe core as
she had done for her nieces andnephews countless times before. It was then thatthe angelic essence
chose to exert itself, surgingforward to throw itself against the prison of herbody. She gasped aloud as
the knife blade sank through the flesh of the apple and into the palmof her hand. Bleeding, she dropped
both to thekitchen floor. But all she could do was tremble,watching as the scarlet fluid oozed from the
wound in her palm, running down her arm.

 The power was shrieking inside her, arousedby the spilling of her own blood, and no matterhow many
calming thoughts she tried to putinto her head, the angelic force continued tobuild. She couldn't hold it
back; it was exactlywhat she feared.

"Vilma!"Gabriel cried, moving toward her,trying to calm her as he'd done in the past. Buthe was too late,
and the power was too strong.

God help her, it was free.

Aaron approached the rundown house withtrepidation.

 Scholar had been asking to see him for days,but Aaron always found some reason to avoidmeeting with
Aerie's keeper of information andthe chronicler of its history. Aaron knew theangel was right. He had
come a long way in thepast few weeks, but he still had much to learn—about the prophecy that he
embodied and thefallen angel that had sired him.

Lucifer.

 He climbed the porch steps and knocked onthe door. While he had come to accept his destiny, Aaron
still didn't want to believe that hisfather was the Devil. But he owed it to the citizens of Aerie at least to
hear the proof of his heritage. If he was going to lead and expect them to follow, he had to have all of his
facts straight.
Aaron knocked a second time, but there wasstill no answer. He briefly entertained the idea ofcoming
back later, but knew that if he left, thechances he'd be back any time soon were slim.No,he thought,
grabbing the doorknob andturning it.I have to do this now.

 The door opened and a cool gust of heavily scented air reached out to greet him. The airsmelled of
paper, of old books. It reminded himof the basement stacks at the Lynn PublicLibrary. There was
something strangely comforting about the aroma, bringing back memories ofthe days when finishing a
term paper and getting a good grade were the most stressful thingsin his life.

 Aaron stepped inside and stopped in disbelief. The single room in which he stood washuge. For as far as
his eyes could see, there were bookcases and piles of books of every conceivable size and shape. He
thought his eyes mightbe playing tricks on him, for it seemed as thoughthe inside of this house was all one
room and atleast five times larger than it appeared to be onthe outside. He considered going out the door
and coming back in.

 Scholar came out from behind one of theshelves, dressed in his customary crisp whiteshirt—buttoned to
the collar—and black pants,his face buried in an ancient tome. "I thought Iheard someone knocking," he
said without looking up. He continued to walk through the room,somehow managing to avoid the
precariously stacked books all around him. "Come in, comein," he urged, sounding impatient. "I should
have known you'd come just when I'd gottenbusy with something else."

 Aaron moved farther into the enormous storeroom of knowledge. "Sorry," he apologized. "If you want,
I'll come back another time,when you're not so busy."

 Scholar finally tore his gaze from his book, apetulant smile on his pale, gaunt face. "Tell me, when will I
evernot be busy?"

Aaron threw up his hands. "I don't know. Iwas just being polite."

"Savior to us all and manners to boot,"Scholar said sharply as he closed his book andplaced it atop a
pile already nearly five feet tall.

The pile teetered but did not fall. Strangelyenough, it seemed that the laws of physics didn'tapply here.

 Aaron again looked about the enormousroom, at the domed ceiling at least twenty feethigh. "Is it me or
is this place bigger than it looksoutside?"

 A teakettle's shrill whistle punctuated hisquestion as Scholar motioned for him to follow."Can't pull the
wool over your eyes, can we, Aaron?" he chided. "Ancient angel magick," heexplained as he walked to a
small table in a farcorner of the room. "Would you care for a cup?"he asked, unplugging the electric
kettle andpouring the boiling water into a mug containinga tea bag. "I think there's enough water for
another."

 Aaron shook his head. "No, that's all right.Thanks, anyway." The last time he accepted acup of tea from
an angel it had been poisoned.

He couldn't get over the size of the room andthe enormous number of books. "It's amazinghow much
you have here," he commented looking back to Scholar. "I never would haveguessed."

The angel turned toward Aaron, blowing on the steaming liquid in his mug. "We could havefilled every
house in Aerie and still not had a place for it all," he said between sips. "That'swhen angel magick can be
put to good use."

Aaron didn't remember moving, but suddenlya stack of books tumbled over with a crash, sending three
other stacks nearby to the floor as well.Scholar gasped.

"I didn't touch a thing," Aaron yelled."Really, they just fell on their own." He made amove to start picking
up the books and heardScholar gasp all the louder.

"Please, just step away from the stacks," thefallen angel instructed, gesturing for the boy tomove toward
him. "That's it," he urged softly."No sudden movements."

Aaron maneuvered himself carefully betweenthe stacks, and noticed the angel breathe a sigh ofrelief as
he reached him without further incident."I'm really sorry about that," he said as Scholarhelped himself to
more tea.

 "It's quite all right," he said with a strainedsmile on his pinched features. "Why don't wesimply deal with
the reason you have come, andthen you can be on your way, hmm?"

If Aaron didn't hear it in his words, he couldsee in the angel's eyes that he regretted ever having invited
him into his work place. But he pushed forward with his questions. "How doyou know?" he asked. "How
do you know forsure that...he's my father?" He didn't feel comfortable saying the name. It made him
nervous,the evil connotations and all.

 "Lucifer?" Scholar asked, seeming to takesome kind of perverse pleasure in seeing Aaron'sreaction to
the name of the first of the fallen. "Youshowed us as much that first day we met," heexplained, "when you
manifested your angelicabilities, even through the manacles. Belphegor and I knew then that only an angel
of enormous power could have sired one such as you."

 "But aren't there other powerful angels outthere that could have been with my mother?Why does it have
to be—"

 "The sigils," the angel interrupted, makingreference to the markings that appeared onAaron's flesh
whenever he manifested the fullpower of his angelic heritage. "We believed thatthe sigils were significant
to the angelic entitythat sired you, but little did we imagine howmuch."

 Aaron held out his arm and thought hardabout the markings. The bare flesh began to smolder ever so
slightly as the archaic shapesrose to the surface. He remembered Scholarmaking sketches of them at
Belphegor's urgingson that first day in Aerie. Now he examinedthem in the flesh. "Okay, so what do they
mean?" he asked.

 "They are special symbols representing thenames of the elite soldiers that swore their allegiance to your
father and his cause," Scholarexplained as he traced the shapes on Aaron'sarm with the tip of his index
finger. "Soldiersthat died during the battle in Heaven."

 Suddenly it all made sense to Aaron as he recalled the bizarre inner journey he had madewith the
assistance of Belphegor and a poisonedcup of tea. Within his mind, he had seen the consummation of the
power that resided withinhim, represented by the most magnificent ofangels as he bestowed his gift upon
his gatheredtroops.

"I...I saw this," he stammered, looking intoScholar's intense eyes. "I saw Lucifer....I sawmy father...."
Scholar nodded slowly, encouraging him to accept the truth. "Before the fighting began, the Morningstar
gave each of his soldiers a specialmark to show how important they were to him.It was with a piece of
himself that he adornedthem—a piece of his power."

 Feeling suddenly weak, Aaron let go of thesymbols and allowed them to fade from hisflesh. "But why do
I have them?" he asked, sitting down on the floor as his head swam withdizziness. "Why are they onmy
skin?"

 Scholar turned away. "Belphegor and I weretrying to figure that out right before Verchielattacked," the
scholarly angel said. "We believethat if Lucifer is indeed seeking absolution forhis sins, then you represent
his apology toGod—and to all those who died for his insanecause."

 Overwhelmed, Aaron buried his head in hishands as visions of the most splendorous angelicentity he
could ever imagine again filled hismind. "How could anything so beautiful beresponsible for so much
horror?" he asked.

 Scholar stood over him as Aaron sat on the floor, awash in the raw emotion of revelation."He was afraid
that he was no longer loved," hesaid softly gazing off into space.

"As were we all."

chapter five

 "Where would we go?" Lorelei asked theangel that she had come to know as her father.The two walked
down the center of the streettoward the place that they called home. It was alittle past noon, and on
either side of them thecitizens of Aerie were going about their usualbusiness. Some were maintaining small
gardens,bringing life up from the toxic soil; others simplysat in old lawn chairs, staring off into space,
reflecting on all that had befallen them and whatwas to come.

 Lehash puffed on a cigar, blowing a nastycloud of smoke from the corner of his mouth."What, Aerie?"
he asked. "Hell if I know.Probably some abandoned wreck of a place likeall the others we've picked
over the millennia."He took another puff on the cheroot. "I don'tknow why we can't go someplace nice,
likeMontana, or maybe evenTexas ," the gunslingersaid, waxing poetic about places he had livedlong
ago.

 "Hasn't it been a while since you've been toeither of those places, Dad?" she asked, the hint of a smile
tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"It's only been a couple'a hundred years orso," he commented, his eagle eyes scanning the streets of
Aerie for any signs of trouble. "Howmuch could they have changed?"

 Lorelei couldn't help herself and laughed out loud. As far as Lehash was concerned, mail was still being
delivered by Pony Express, and ButchCassidy and his Wild Bunch were still robbingbanks and escaping
on horseback. Lorelei shook her head. She couldn't even begin to imagine thechanges beings like her
father had seen on Earthsince their exile after Heaven's war.

 "I don't want to leave here," she proclaimed,any trace of humor now gone from her voice. She motioned
toward the others around them. "And I'm sure that they share my feelings aswell."

 The constable scratched the side of his face with his finger; it sounded as if it were made ofsandpaper.
"It ain't the side of an active volcanoor the hull of a sunken ship, but it's served itspurpose." Lehash
looked about the desolate andforgotten neighborhood that was his responsibility to protect. "But if the
boy manages to pull it all together, we won't be needin' to worry aboutwhether we're gonna be stayin'
here or not."

 It seemed odd to hear her father talk ofsuch things. For years Lehash's only concernhad been the
protection of Aerie and its people,no matter the location. Aerie was his life andhis world; there was no
other place for him.Heaven was something he'd given up on along, long time ago, but that was before
AaronCorbet. The Nephilim had made him believethat the prophecy was true, that there was achance the
fallen would be forgiven, thathewould be forgiven.

 "Don't worry about me," she said bumpingher shoulder against his. "You go off to Heaven,and we'll get
along just fine without you."

 The prophecy was vague about the fate ofthe Nephilim, only hinting at a special purpose for them upon
the world of God's man. Loreleifelt a strange combination of fear and excitementwhen she thought of her
own future, knowingfull well that there was much to be dealt with inthe present, before that long,
unknown roadcould be traveled.

They had reached their house and were casually walking down the concrete path thatled to the front
door.

"I'm going to make myself a quick bite andcheck on Vilma. Do you want a cup of coffee or—"

 Lehash had suddenly stopped, and he stoodat the beginning of the path, eyes squinted as ifsensing
something in the air.

"Is everything okay?" she asked cautiously,moving a strand of her snow-white hair awayfrom her face.
She was beginning to feel something as well.

 The door to the house blew off its hinges inan explosion of roiling fire, taking the screendoor along with
it. Lorelei was blown backwardby the force of the blast, her ears ringing as shestruggled to get to her
feet.

 Lehash was already moving in slow motiontoward her, weapons of golden fire taking shapein his hands.
Then she saw Gabriel boundthrough the gaping hole where the door used tobe, his yellow coat black in
spots and smolder ing, eyes wild in panic.

"Gabriel!" she screamed as the dog rantoward them.

"Run!"he barked, falling to the ground androlling to extinguish his burning fur."There wasnothing I could
do to stop it,"the Lab cried, panting wildly."It's out —it's taken control of her!"

"Son of a bitch," Lorelei heard her father mutter beneath his breath, and she looked up atthe front of the
house.

 VilmaSantiago stood there stiffly, a corona ofunnatural flame radiating from her body. "Help me," she
hissed as she slowly raised her hands,watching in the grip of terror as the fires ofHeaven danced upon her
fingertips. She was trying to hold it back, but it had already tastedfreedom and clearly wanted more.

 Then Vilma's body went suddenly rigid, hereyes a glistening black, like two shiny marblesfloating within a
contorted expression of misery.And then that too was gone, and Vilma Santiagowas suddenly no longer
with them, replaced by something else altogether.

Something wild and dangerous.

Now that he had the gift of vision, Kraus halfexpected that his other senses, augmented by alifetime of
blindness, would begin to decline.But that wasn't the case at all. They were all justas sharp as they had
been, perhaps even a bitmore so with the addition of sight.

 And something else had taken its placeamong his five senses, another feeling thatwarned him of dire
times to come, a sensation of foreboding had become the sixth of his senses.

The healer moved about them unnoticed,still beneath their regard. He stopped to checkthe stitches he
had sewn into the arm of aPowers soldier that perched atop the ledge ofthe orphanage roof. Eight others
were there aswell, staring silently out across westernMassachusettswith dark, unwavering gazes.

 "Do you feel them, brothers?" asked the warrior whose arm Kraus carefully examined,his voice leaden,
as if drained of vitality."Stirring to be born, a bane to our holy cause."

The angel was talking of Nephilim. How the Powers hated these half-breed progeny, but as oflate, they
hadnot been allowed to hunt theaccursed offspring of the fallen.

 "Our master tells us that there are moreimportant concerns these days, but I, too, feel the threat of the
Nephilim on the rise," saidanother. "I ask you, what could be more important than the extermination of
these abominations?"

Infection had found its way into the angel'swound and Kraus could smell the pungentaroma of decay.

 "Verchiel has ordered us to stand down," an angel of the flock said, tilting his head strangelyto one side
as he addressed his brethren. "It isnot our place to question."

"It is not our place to sit and allow theoffenders of His will to go unpunished," anotherreplied.

 They all ruffled the feathers of their wingsmenacingly. Dissension was brewing in theranks of the Powers,
the likes of which Kraushad never perceived.Is this the reason I feel such dread? he wondered.Or is
there something more? He thought of the enigmatic Archons and the mysterious prisoner they still held
in the abandoned St. Athanasius Orphanage.

 Then a shudder passed through the healer ashe recalled the moment his new eyes first beheldtheir
master—his master. Kraus felt ashamed,for here was the being that had given his miser able life purpose,
given him the gift of sight, andrather than feeling love and gratitude, he experienced only an inexplicable
revulsion and fear.

 There came a disturbance in the sky abovethe rooftop, and Kraus watched in wonder as theair began to
shimmer like water, growingincreasingly darker as Verchiel appeared. Theangel leader touched down
upon the tar roof,opening his expansive wings to reveal the blindArchon, Katspiel, huddled within their
folds.The magick user was bent over, his body twistedwith fatigue. Kraus could hear him gasping forair,
fluid rattling in his lungs. He was about to goto the Archon, to see if he could help, whenVerchiel began
to address what remained of hisarmy.

"Rally yourselves, my brethren," their leaderproclaimed, "for I have need of your warriorskills!"
The roosting angels spread their wings andleaped into the air to circle about their master, agitated cries
of anticipation issuing from theirmouths. The Archon raised his arm, a tremuloushand weaving the fabric
of a magickal spell inthe air, coalescing like drifting cobwebs to affix to their bodies.

 "The last two Malakim have been found,"Verchiel bellowed as the air around them beganto distort. "The
final fragments of the rite weseek will soon be in our grasp."

"Know as I know," Katspiel pronounced,still casting his spell. "See as I see."

One by one the angels nodded, knowingwhere they must go to obtain their master'sprize. With nary a
question, they wrapped themselves in their wings and were gone. Verchielwas the last to depart, closing
his eyes and smiling as his feathered appendages slowly closedabout him and the Archon.

"Closer and closer still," he said, his voicetainted with the thrill of anticipation, and thenthey, too, were
gone.

 The sense of foreboding was with Krausagain, stronger than any of the others, and asmall part of him
longed for the way things usedto be, before he was given sight and truly beganto see.

Things seemed so much clearer then.

 Aaron sat on the cluttered floor and thumbedthrough a book of art. The book depicted various
interpretations of Heaven and Hell by artistswith names like Blake, Dore, and Bosch. He waspaying
close attention to the artists' renditions ofHell.

"So let me see if I understand this," he said,looking up from a particularly disturbing takeon the
underworld that showed the damnedbeing mauled by demons and eaten by mutantanimals in a landscape
of mind-boggling chaos,painted by the Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch."According to you, there is no
Hell."

 Scholar was in the process of preparing himselfyet another cup of tea. Aaron had noticed the manysmall
tables set up throughout the expansivelibrary so the fallen angel could enjoy his hot beverage wherever he
happened to be working.

"Let's try this again, shall we? Hell is not aplace, per se," the angel said, removing the dripping bag from
his cup and dropping it onto aplate on the table. "It is more a state of being—an experience, if you will."

Aaron closed the heavy volume and climbedto his feet to return the book to its shelf. "But there is a
Heaven?" he asked, just to be certain.

 Scholar intercepted him before he couldreach the bookcase, probably worried that theboy would put it
back in the wrong place ormaybe topple the bookcases. "Of course there isa Heaven," he answered
sharply, exasperatedthat Aaron could even ask such a question. "Otherwise the whole reason for your
conception wouldn't even exist." He pointedlyreturned the art text to its proper place.

Aaron shrugged, leaning back casuallyagainst one of the packed shelves. "I thoughtthat one couldn't exist
without the other."

 Scholar returned to his steaming brew, picking up the mug to drink. "Humankind has been fascinated by
the concept of an underworld, aHell, since first leaving the trees—sitting aroundblazing campfires,
speculating about the fate of their souls after death." He took a sip and closedhis eyes, the warm fluid
passing over his lips,seeming to bring the high-strung angel a certainamount of calm.

 "They wondered what would happen whenthey were no more, struggling to unravel thevast mysteries of
life in a strange and unknowable world. The early humans wove all mannerof fantastic tales about
underworld deities andperilous journeys to the afterlife. The storieswere passed from parent to child by
word ofmouth, with every generation adding a little of its own spice to the mix. Organized religion
fine-tuned these theories into elaborate cause-and-effect scenarios, but it always meant the same: good
behavior meant salvation; evil, damnation."

"So if Hell isn't a place, what is it really?"Aaron asked.

 Scholar chuckled, but there was no amusement in his response as he stared off into space."If you asked
each of us who has fallen, you would likely receive a different answer fromeach," he said. "To some,
being banished fromHeaven was the ultimate damnation." The angelpaused and caught Aaron's eye
before continuing. "But it was your sire, the son of the morning—Lucifer Morningstar—that experienced,
andprobably still endures, a level of Hell in whichall others pale in comparison."

"It was his punishment," Aaron statedfirmly, "for what he did to Heaven."

 Scholar nodded slowly, and Aaron knew hewas reliving the moment God bestowed Hispunishment
upon the angel that was his ownfather. "All the pain, all the violence that he wasresponsible for, was
collected in one seethingmass of misery." The angel's face twisted. Heheld up his empty hand as if
clutching a ball ofsomething terrible. "And it was put inside himso that he would forever feel the extent of
thesuffering he caused." Scholar touched his chest,acting out Lucifer's fate. "He was the first of the fallen,
and those who had taken up his cause followed him to Earth, sharing in his banishmentfrom Heaven."

 "Where did he go?" Aaron asked.If there isno Hell, where does the Devil live?he wondered,recalling
some neighborhoods in his hometownofLynn that the Devil would have been quitecomfortable in.

 "Lucifer wandered the globe. Some say he was so bitterly angry with God that he turned toevil, doing
everything in his power to corruptthe world of which the Creator was so proud."Scholar finished what
could have been his tenthcup of tea since Aaron arrived and set the usedcup down on a tabletop.

"And what do you think?" Aaron asked."Was he evil or was that just a bad rap that followed him
because of what he did in Heaven?"

 "If he was a creature of evil," Scholar began thoughtfully. "If he was the unrepenting scourgethat your
popular culture suggests, would ithave been possible for him to conceive a being whose sole reason for
living is to bring redemption not only for himself, but for all who were tempted by him? I think not."

 "I can see why Verchiel and his Powersaren't so thrilled with me," Aaron said as thingsbegan to tumble
into place in his mind. "If everything goes according to the prophecy, I'llbe responsible for granting
forgiveness to theultimate sinner, one that Verchiel feels shouldsuffer for his crimes for all eternity."

Scholar nodded in agreement. "Verchiel stillbelieves in his mission, no matter how foul andtwisted it has
become. He still believes in theultimate punishment for those who questionedthe Word of God."

 The enormity of his responsibility to the fallen angels, to his father, to God Himself,landed upon Aaron's
shoulders like a ton ofbricks. He was finally getting used to the idea of reuniting the fallen with God, but
to repair a riftbetween God and the Devil? That was anotherthing entirely.
"Do you think he deserves to be forgiven?"Aaron asked Scholar.

The fallen angel smiled sadly and shruggedhis shoulders. "That's not for me to decide."

"But if itwas," Aaron persisted.

 "Then yes, I would forgive him," Scholarsaid. "If we pathetic creatures can receive absolution, then so
should he, for he did only whatthe others of us were not brave or strong enoughto do ourselves."

Aaron thought for a moment. "Guess I'mgoing to have to find this Lucifer and see for myself,

' he said with a hint of a smile. "But notbefore I deal with a certain Powers commander."

 He was about to ask Scholar if they hadlearned anything more about Verchiel's whereabouts, when from
somewhere far off in theroom he heard a door thrown violently open andhis name being called. Aaron
recognized thesound of Lehash's voice as well as the intensityin it and hurried to find Aerie's head of
security, with a curious Scholar close behind.

Aaron ran around the corner of a wall ofbookcases and nearly head-on into the gunslinger. "What's
wrong?" he gasped, not likingthe look he saw in Lehash's eyes.

"There's trouble at the house," the angelbegan. "It's Vilma, she ..."

 Aaron didn't wait for him to finish.Immediately the image of the home in which thegirl he loved was
staying formed in his mind.His wings of solid black surged from his back,toppling stacks of books as they
closed aroundhim, Scholar's frantic gasps the last sound heardbefore he was gone in the blink of an eye.

chapter six

 Traversing the void between the here andthere, Verchiel listened to the fearsome shrieks ofhis soldiers.
They sensed the battle to come, andreveled in the opportunity to honor him; theircries of war an
inspiration to his cause.

 Verchiel had never trusted the Malakim. Hehad always been suspicious of the level ofknowledge and
power that had been conferredon the angelic trinity by the Supreme Being.How ironic that these same
gifts would be usedagainst their most Holy Father. It almostamused him, but since the horrible realization
that he had been cast adrift by the same Masterhe had most dutifully served since the beginning of time,
there was very little room left for amusement.

 They were close now; Verchiel could feeltheir presence, their complex magicks no longerable to hide
them. The Archon Katspiel hadagain proven his worth. Though it drained hislife force like a thirsty desert
nomad suckinggreedily upon a canteen, the angelic magick userhad managed to weave an intricate spell
thatrevealed the secret location of the two survivingMalakim.

What's that monkey expression I've heard so many times?Verchiel mused.Two birds with asingle rock,
he thought as his wings parted toreveal his journey's end.

 Two Malakim, clothed in shimmering robesseemingly woven from the purest sunlight,stood over the
body of the first of their kindslain at Kilimanjaro. His armored body had beenlaid out upon an ancient
stone altar and encircled with burning candles of various heights.The inscrutable creatures of Heaven, oft
believedto be as close to God as any of His creations,were mourning their kindred's passing.Howquaintly
. . . human,Verchiel thought while hesurveyed their whereabouts.

 They had traveled to a vast cave, its wallsdappled with man-size recesses filled with desiccated remains.
The stink of the dead hungheavy in the stagnant air. Based upon the religious trappings around the
cavern, Verchielgathered that they were in some early Christianburial chamber, long forgotten and
probably hidden deep beneath some sprawling metropolis. The Malakim had always been fascinatedwith
the ways of the human monkeys, observingtheir every movement along the evolutionarypath. Verchiel still
believed the species to be little more than clever animals and saw no real futurefor them. And if he
accomplished what he'd setout to do, there would indeed be none.

"You have not been bidden here, angel," oneof the Malakim said, his voice dripping withconceit. "Take
your host and depart. We respectyour empathy, but wish to grieve for ourdeparted brother alone."

 Was that the slightest hint of fear Verchiel sawon the faces of these supposedly superior beingsas they
stood over the remains of their brother?How disturbing it must have been for them, tofind one of their
own brought down to ground, its most precious resource torn from its body.

 "We didn't wish it to be this way," he said tothe Malakim, moving closer. He noticed thatthey had
cleaned the corpse, but it did little tohide the ravages of the Powers' search for theirprize. "We begged
him to surrender, but hechose instead to fight."

 The two angelic beings shared a quick glancebefore looking back to Verchiel. It was exactly asit had
been with the first of their ilk: so arrogantthat they couldn't even begin to fathom the idea that they would
soon be under siege.

 "It was as if he wanted to die," Verchiel said,gazing down upon the corpse in mock sadness and then
smiling a predator's smile.

At that moment, the Malakim finally understood, and the look upon their oh-so-superiorfaces was
priceless. The Powers leader raised hishand. "Take them," he barked to his troops.

His warriors sprang at his command, weapons of flame appearing for battle. Startled by thisovert display
of hostility, the Malakim backedaway from the stone altar on which their fallencomrade had been laid.

 "The others have arrived," Archon Katspielwhispered, his sightless head tilted back, nosetwitching, and
Verchiel saw that he was correct.The air behind the distracted Malakim hadbegun to distort, a magickal
entrance for theremaining Archons.

 The Malakim were standing back to back,the blessed light of their divinity radiating fromtheir bodies,
illuminating the ugliness of theburial chamber around them, the heat thrownfrom their omnipotence igniting
the remains ofthe interred. Weapons of crackling, blue forcehad appeared in their hands, and they fought
Verchiel's soldiers with a ferocity that impressedthe Powers leader greatly. If only they wouldgive up their
knowledge willingly and join him in his endeavor against a Creator that had gonemad. But Verchiel knew
that it would nevercome to be, for he imagined they were still under the misconception that their God
could dono wrong, and nothing would sway them fromtheir faith.

Poor deluded fools.

 His Powers did what was expected of them,their fury relentless, their numbers expendablefor the greater
good. Many had begun to burn,the intense heat radiating from the Malakimdevouring their flesh with a
ravenous hunger,but still they fought, the first wave of a twopronged assault.
 The Archons had taken up their positionsbehind the battle, their arms waving in the air as they recited
incantations that would render theirprey helpless. From Verchiel's side, Katspieljoined his voice to his
fellow magicians as heremoved the sacred blade of extraction fromwithin the folds of his robe.

 A high-pitched squeal echoed through theburial chamber, and one of the Malakim fell,writhing and
twitching upon the mausoleum floor, fighting the Archon's magick. But theother acted as his partner fell,
conjuring a shield,a protective bubble that kept out the spell ofincapacitation, as well as the fury of the
remain ing Powers soldiers.

 Verchiel spread his wings and leaped intothe air, a sword coming to life in his grasp. "Stepaside," he
bellowed as he landed before thecrackling sphere of magickal energy that contained his quarry. His
surviving warriors, blackened and blistered, quickly scattered.

"Give me what I want, and I will let youlive," Verchiel said as he placed his hand againstthe sphere.
There was a flash of supernaturalenergies and the Powers commander pulledquickly away, his palm
blackened by the discharge.

"We know what you took from brotherPeliel," the Malakim said from within thebubble. He had fallen to
his knees, exhaustedfrom the expenditure. "You tamper with forcesfar beyond your capacity to
understand. I askyou, angel of the Powers host, to abandon thismadness before it is too late."

 Verchiel smiled, more snarl then grin, andran his tongue over the tender flesh of hisburned palm. He
turned away from the sphereto look upon the Archon Katspiel. The blind sorcerer had found his way
across the room andnow stood over the body of the Malakim theyhad brought down, clutching the
fearsome toolof extraction.

"Katspiel," Verchiel said, looking back to themagickally protected Malakim. "Take what Icame for."

The blind Archon raised his arm, preparingto bring the dagger down.

"Please," the divine being begged fromwithin his sphere of protective energy. "Allowus our lives and we'll
give you what you want."

"Raphael, no!" shrieked the Malakim beneaththe awful dagger, eyes wide in defiance.

"Silence!" Verchiel ordered, turning hisattentions back to the Malakim Raphael. "Dropthe spell of
protection and I will consider youroffer."

 Raphael stared at the Powers commander fora moment, then did as he was ordered, thebubble of
magickal energy dissipating in the air, like the smoke from the burning remains within the burial chamber.
"It is done," he said.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Verchiel replied. "Katspiel."

 The Archon brought the dagger down intothe skull of the immobilized Malakim, the soundof splitting
skull explosive in the quiet air of thetomb.

"Your offer is too costly," Verchiel said to thesurviving Malakim. "You and your brother aretoo
dangerous to be left alive. I hope you canunderstand my position."
 The angelic being nodded as the Archons surrounded him, the spell of immobilizationbeginning to spill
from their lips. "As I hope youwill understand mine," Raphael said. A sword ofcrackling energy sprang
suddenly to life in his grasp and he spun around to plunge it into the chest of the nearest angelic magician.

 Chaos erupted. The Archons began toscream, their concentration broken as Jaldabaothslumped to the
ground, the blade of light protruding from his chest. The surviving Powers soldiers surged forward in an
attempt to apprehend the last of the Malakim. But Verchielalready knew it was too late. Raphael had
taken advantage of the moment, and before they couldput their hands upon him or recast their spells,he
had sprouted wings of gold and taken flight.

 Aaron felt the ground appear beneath his feetand opened his wings, his blood running coldwith the sight
before him. The girl he loved wasattacking Lorelei and Gabriel.No, not the girl Ilove,he corrected
himself,but the ancient powerthat has spun out of control within her.

 Vilma was screaming, an ear-piercing mixture of anger and pain, as supernatural flamestreamed from her
fingertips to consume everything it touched. Lorelei had extended her arm,and a spell of defense spilled
from her mouth as she attempted to restrain the rampant Nephilim.Tendrils of magickal force erupted
from her outstretched hand, striking Vilma and knocking herviolently to the ground. Aaron was moving to
help her when the girl began to shriek—a screamhe had heard before. A scream he himself hadbellowed
in times of battle. It was a cry of war.

 Aaron opened his mouth to warn Lorelei ofthe impending danger, but it was too late. Theflash was
blinding, an explosion of heavenly fire that propelled the Nephilim sorceress backward,her body landing
in a broken heap in the frontyard. Vilma was on her feet again and she beganto wander toward the street,
but Gabriel surgedforward to block her path.

"C'mon, Vilma,"he said to her."You've got tocalm down before somebody really gets hurt."

 And Aaron noticed then that his dog wasburned, patches of Gabriel's beautiful, goldenyellow coat still
smoldering from the bite of the angelic essence. He held his breath, watching asthe girl gazed at the
canine obstacle, her headtilting strangely to one side, the angelic essencepeering out through her eyes.

"That's it,"the dog continued in a soothing,rumble of a voice."No need to be so upset, we canwork it
out."

 They were still unaware of his presence andAaron remained perfectly still; at the momentGabriel seemed
to have the situation under control and he didn't want to disturb a thing if thishad a chance of working.
Since his rebirth, thedog had developed a number of rather uniqueabilities. It seemed that there was a
strange psychic connection between theLabrador and allthings Nephilim. If there was anybody that could
calm the raging angelic essence, it was Gabriel.

 "I'm . . . I'm trying," Vilma said, her voicesmall and trembling. She sounded very far away."But it's
fighting me."

Aaron saw the tears streaming down herface and his heart just about broke. He remembered how
painful it had been for him when hehad tried to hold back his own emerging angelicessence.

"I'll help you,"Gabriel said."Just let me insideyour thoughts and we'll see if we can't put it back tosleep.
That's it,"the dog cooed.

The girl began to sway slowly, her eyesclamped tightly shut. Gabriel swayed as well,psychically
connected, adding his own strengthto hers. But suddenly her body stiffened and agasp of agony escaped
her lips. Gabriel yelped aswell, recoiling from the psychic pain. And then Aaron heard the sound of
something tearing.

 "Gabriel, get away from her!" he screamedin warning, waving his arms as he ran toward them, his
sneakered feet slipping on the wetgrass, the smell of things burning assailing hisnostrils.

 Vilma cried out as the wings, hidden beneaththe flesh of her back, began to grow. Her clothing tore as
they slowly unfurled. If the momenthadn't been so intense, Aaron would havethought them the most
beautiful wings he hadever seen; fawn feathers, dappled with spots ofwhite, brown and black.

 Her body shuddered with release, her new wings fanning the air. She gazed down uponGabriel, a sneer
of cruelty on her tear-stainedface. The dog seemed stunned as he sat beforethe out of control Nephilim,
furiously shakinghis head.

 The language of messengers—the language of angels—poured from Vilma's mouth. She extended her
arms toward the helpless Lab andheavenly fire began to dance at her fingertips.

 Aaron pushed his wings from his back and leaped the final few feet to his best friend. Theflame
cascaded off his back, over his wings ofglistening black, and he cried out as he pulled Gabriel into his
protective embrace.

"You're going to run now," he whispered into the dog's ear through gritted teeth as thefire lapped at his
back.

Gabriel seemed to gather his wits about him,and he sprinted from his master's arms to safety behind a
nearby tree.

Aaron whirled around, the stench of burningflesh and feathers choking the air. He sprangfrom the
ground, propelling himself towardVilma, his shoulder connecting with her midsection. He didn't want to
hurt her, but she had tobe stopped. The power inside her, if leftunchecked, would threaten not only
Aerie, butthe human world outside as well.

 He drove her backward into the front of thehouse. The force of their strike shattering the window above
their heads.

"Listen to me, Vilma," he said, trying to pinher flailing arms against the house. "Listen tothe sound of my
voice."

She cried out a shrill, birdlike shriek as shethrashed from side to side.

 "You're stronger than this," he continued, trying to keep his voice calm, even though theburns on his
back throbbed with his everymovement. "You have to force it down where itbelongs. It's not stronger
than you; it just wantsyou to think it is."

 She stopped struggling, her body growingslack, and Aaron mistakenly loosened his hold upon her. Still
firmly in the grip of the angelicpower, Vilma drove her knee up into his groinand he fell to the ground
gasping for air.

 She continued to rant and rave in the tongueof angels as she slowly beat the air with herwings, preparing
for her first flight. One wordstuck out from all the rest.
"Escape!"

 But that was something Aaron couldn'tallow. Through the haze of pain, he tried tostraighten his body
enough to grab at her—tokeep her on the ground—but his fingers only brushed the hem of her jeans as
she took to the air. And then a yellow blur moved past him, latching onto Vilma's leg with a furious grip.
Gabriel growled as Vilma kicked at him, but heheld firm, giving Aaron enough time to gatherhis wits and
take to the air.

 He managed to grab hold of the girl, but shebeat her wings furiously and still they climbedhigher. Gabriel
released his hold on her, fallingharmlessly to the ground, where he stood staring up at them, locked in a
struggle above therooftop.

 Fire again shot from her outstretched hands,knocking Aaron away with its scouring blast.She was flying
away from him now, franticallytrying to flee, and he realized there was only onething he could do to stop
her. He summoned asword of fire, watching as its deadly shape took form in his grasp. Then he poured
on the speedcutting through the air, like a hungry shark zeroing in upon its hapless prey.This is the only
way,he repeated in his mind as he flew above her andlashed out with his weapon, cutting into one of her
beautiful new wings.

 Her scream was piercing as she floundered in the air attempting to stay aloft, but the painwas too great,
the injury too extensive, andVilma began to fall from the sky. Aaron wishedhis sword away and dived to
catch her flailingbody. "Let me help," he pleaded.

 But the essence roared its ire, flames exploding from her hands and driving him away.Helplessly, he
followed her path of descent,watching as she landed on the street below, scattering a crowd of citizens
who had gathered towatch the battle.

 He crouched beside her and took her into his arms. She was alive but seemed to be in the gripof
nightmare, moaning and thrashing in hisembrace. It was only a matter of time before sheregained
consciousness and he didn't knowwhat to do.

 "You might want to step away from her," heheard Lehash say from somewhere close by, andturned to
see the angel aiming one of his goldenweapons, hammer already cocked. "It's probably the most merciful
thing to do."

Aaron pulled her closer, shielding her fromharm. "You want to kill her?" he cried incredulously. "Are you
out of your mind? Is that how you solve problems here, by putting bullets inthem?"

 Lehash lowered his weapon with a heavysigh and stepped closer. "You know that's notwhat I'm about,
boy," he said quietly. "Themerger's just not happening right with her. She'sa danger to herself—to us and
the world." Thegunslinger angel gripped Aaron's shoulder andsqueezed. "Puttin' her down might just be
thebest thing for her."

"I can't let you do that," the boy said, looking from Lehash to Vilma. "I have to try andhelp her."

 The gun in Lehash's hand disappeared in aflash of light, but Aaron knew it could be back inan instant.
"And what if you can't? What if thisis one that can't be saved?"

 Aaron didn't answer the fallen angel.Instead he pulled the girl even closer, whispering softly in her ear
that everything was going tobe all right, and wishing with all his might for itto be true.
 Deep within the realm of unconsciousness,Lucifer fled into a place of his own creation to escape the
agonies of torture.

He lay upon the bed beside her, knowing fullwell that she was but a figment from his past, acreation of
his pain-addled mind. But he couldnot help but feel a spike of joy havingTaylorbeside him again.

"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "Isthere something wrong?"

Where to begin?Lucifer pondered. He considered wishing it all away, to return to the darkness of
oblivion, to the bleak reality of hissituation, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

 "No," he finally said, feeling somewhatguilty for the lie, even though she was only acreation of his mind.
"Everything's fine. Whydon't you go back to sleep?"

 Taylorsat up in bed, the strap of her nightgown sliding off her shoulder to expose thecurves of her
delicate flesh. "You're not a verygood liar, you know that?" she said with aknowing smile. "Maybe if we
talk about it,you'll feel better, come up with something thatyou didn't think of before."

 He found it strangely amusing that he triedto lie to an invention of his own imagination, asif it wouldn't
already be aware of the danger hewas in.

 Lucifer rolled away and climbed from thebed. "There's really nothing to talk about." Hisenvironment
suddenly changed, like a scene-shift in a motion picture, the quiet darkness ofthe bedroom blurring into a
park on a beautifulsummer's day.

"Try me,"Taylor said, her hand firmlyclasped in his.

 Her silk nightgown had been replaced with asimple sundress, sandals, and a floppy, wide-brimmed hat.
It was the outfit she had been wearing when they'd first met so long ago. Adog, a golden retriever that he
already knew was named Brandy, bounded toward them, a stick in its mouth, eager for a game of fetch.

 It was an absolutely beautiful day, just as heremembered. The sky was bluer than he hadever seen it,
wispy clouds like spider's silkstretching across the broad turquoise expanse. Itwas a day unlike any other
he had spent uponthe world of his banishment—the day when hefirst considered that he could be
somethingmorethan the first of the fallen, the monster that had brought about a war in Paradise.

How foolish he had been.

 Taylortook the stick from the dog and threw it. "Do you think he'll actually do it?" she asked,watching
the dog bound across the green, green grass in pursuit of its prize.

 She was speaking about Verchiel and theangel's intention to use Lucifer as an instrument of death to
strike at the heart of the Creator—bydestroying His world. He would have liked to believe that nothing
that sprang from the loinsof God could do such evil, but he had lookedinto the eyes of the Powers
commander andsaw something angry and twisted—somethingfamiliar—and he knew the answer.

"Yes, I think he will," Lucifer said.

Brandy returned happily with the stick, andhe noticed that the sky had grown suddenlydarker, as if there
were a storm brewing. Thishad not been part of their original day andLucifer grew wary.
 "And do you think he'll succeed?" thewoman asked, squatting down to pat the dog,running her nails
through its long, goldenbrown fur and rubbing its ears.

The sky had turned the color of night andthunder rumbled ominously in the distance. "Inorder for
Verchiel to destroy the world of man,he must somehow undo the Word of God,"Lucifer replied as the
darkness closed in aroundthem. "And I doubt that even one as tenaciousas he can concoct a way in
which to do that."

 The rain began to fall in drenching torrents,and he took her by the hand and pulled her toher feet, and
they ran for cover. Brandy hadalready deserted them, fleeing into the permanent midnight that had
consumed all evidenceof the park.

He put his arm aroundTaylor , holding herclose to him, fearing that he might lose her in thestorm. She
was soaked, and he felt her trembleas they stumbled through the dreamscape insearch of shelter.

 A cave was suddenly before them, like the open maw of the great whale ready to swallowJonah, and as
they approached, a feeling ofunease swept over him and he recoiled.

"What's the matter?"Taylor asked, pushing her wet hair away from her face. "Do you knowthis place?"
And he knew full well that she knewhe did.

"It's not a place I care to visit," he said, staring into the Cimmerian space beyond the cave'sentrance.

 Taylortugged at his hand, pulling himtoward the cave. "We should go inside," she suggested. "Just for a
little while, to get out ofthe rain."

 Every instinct screamed for him to run, but he allowed himself to be pulled along, and thedarkness
enveloped them in an embrace thatchilled him to his very core.

 Torches came to life as they walked deeperinto the cave. There were crude drawings uponthe walls
depicting God's creation of the universe, of the beings that He would call Hisangels. He saw himself
sitting at the Creator'sright hand as the Earth formed beneath them.

"That really pissed you off, didn't it?"Taylorasked. The passage in which they walked angledsteeply
downward.

 "Yes, it did," Lucifer admitted, eyeing theinterpretation of Eden and its first human residents. He still felt
the fury as if for the first time."I was jealous of them. I thought that He was pushing us aside for the
humans—that He lovedthem more than us."

They continued their descent, the passageopening wider, the paintings now dwarfingthem with their size.

 "Did you have to start a war?" She gave his hand a loving squeeze. "Couldn't you have justhad a nice
talk? Told Him how you were feeling?"

The pictures showed Lucifer gathering hisarmy and giving them a gift of his innerstrength.

"I was angry."

"No kidding,"Taylor said, pointing out aparticularly fearsome depiction of himself, flaming sword in hand
as he led his troops into battle against the forces of Heaven.

The wall art that followed was of things thathe didn't care to see. Paintings of his army'sdefeat, of the
deaths of those that had sworn himallegiance, the survivors fleeing Heaven to hide upon the earth.

"I bet seeing it drawn out like this makesyou feel pretty stupid,"Taylor said with a sigh.

"You don't know the half of it," Luciferanswered. "But somehow you learn to live withand accept the
mistakes that you made."

They had reached the end of the passage, thefinal drawing before them an image of himself,broken,
beaten, skin blackened and charred, asthe hand of God came down from the heavens todeliver His
verdict upon him.

 "And His punishment?" she asked, unconsciously rubbing her own chest at the pointwhere God had
touched him—where all thepain and sorrow that he had caused was placed. "Have you accepted that?"

 Lucifer slowly nodded, his eyes riveted tothe artistic representation of his fate. "It is what Ideserved," he
said, reaching out to place thepalm of his hand upon the cool stone wall thatmarked the end of their
journey.

 And as his hand came in contact with thewall, a shudder went through the painted rock.Large cracks
appeared, splitting the stone. Luciferwas quick to act, grippingTaylor by the arm andpulling her from the
path of harm as the stonewall before them fell away to reveal something hidden behind it.

 They stared in awe as the dust began tosettle, and they looked upon an enormous doorof metal. It
reminded him of a bank vault, onlyfar larger, its surface crisscrossed with thickchains and fortified with
multiple locks of everyimaginable size.

 Instinctively he knew what he was lookingat—whatthey were looking at—and was in aweof it. Here
was the psychic representation ofGod's Word, the curse that kept the accumulatedpain and sorrow of
the War in Heaven lockedaway inside of him.

"And Verchiel would have to get throughthatto achieve his plans?"Taylor asked, pointingto the enormous
door.

 Lucifer was about to respond, to reassure herthat nothing short of God Himself could accessthe obstacle
that kept his hellish penance at bay,when he felt a tremor pass through the tunnel,and the great door
rattled in its frame of ancientrock. They both watched in growing horror as apadlock connecting two
links of a mighty chain sprang open, clattering to floor.

 "That's exactly what he would have to do," Lucifer said, an icy claw of dread closing uponhis heart as
another of the locks fell away.

chapter seven

 Aaron stifled a cry of discomfort as Loreleidabbed some salve on the wounds he sustainedduring his
altercation with Vilma. It smelledabsolutely horrible and stung even worse. Butshe had already chastised
him once about beinga baby, embarrassing him in front of Lehash, sohe gritted his teeth and endured the
pain.
"Are you almost done back there?" he asked.

 "Just about," she said as he felt her attach adampened bandage to his shoulder. "That oughtatake care of
that." She gently pressed the bandageagainst his burned skin. It felt cool—almostsoothing—but then the
throbbing was back.

"Until she loses it again," Lehash added, pulling one of his foul-smelling cheroots fromhis duster pocket.

"That's not the least bit funny." Aaron glared at the angel.

"It wasn't meant to be, boy," the gunslingersaid, lifting his index finger to the tip of the thincigar in his
mouth.

 "Don't you dare light that filthy thing inhere," Scholar bellowed from across the room."The books will
stink of it for months." Theangel was sitting at a small wooden desk, hisback to them, as he continued to
peruse thebooks he had gathered, hoping to find a solutionto Vilma's problem.

"And you wonder why I don't visit," Lehashgrumbled, taking the cigar from his mouth andreturning it to
his pocket.

The mood was depressingly grim. NeitherLorelei nor Lehash held out much hope forVilma, but Aaron
wasn't about to give up thateasily. If anyone in Aerie could help her, it wasScholar.

The fallen angel threw up his hands in exasperation and rose from his seat. "I've foundnothing," he said,
beginning to pace. "There'splenty about Nephilim, but nothing on how tocontrol them once they're out of
balance."

 Lehash leaned back against a bookcase andcrossed his arms. "And you know why that is?"he asked.
"Because thereisn't any way, andthat's one of the reasons why the Powers started killing Nephilim. The
angelic essence is sometimes too much for the human aspect to dealwith; it's too strong and it takes
control—makes'em crazy, dangerous."

"She's not crazyor dangerous," Aaron grumbled, slipping on a fresh shirt.

 "Right now she ain't, and that's only becausewe got her knocked out with one of Lorelei'sspecial
potions, and wearing a pair'a them magickal bracelets. Hell, we even got that dog ofyours over there
trying to keep her from gettingher feathers ruffled."

Aaron's thoughts raced. He didn't like where this was going. There had to be something theycould do to
help her. "What about the ritual Iwent through with Belphegor?" he asked."Wasn't that to help my two
natures unify properly? Why couldn't we do that with—"

 Scholar shook his head. "She'd never surviveit. The angelic nature is already stronger thanher human
half. It would eat her alive and we'dhave the same problem we started with: pureangelic power running
amok."

"And we can't have that, Aaron," Lehashsaid grimly. "It may not be what you want, but somethin's got to
be done before she gets outtahand again."

 Aaron shook his head. They'd already givenup on her. "I'm not hearing this," he said, turning to face
them all. Lorelei wouldn't make eye contact, arranging her bottles and vials of healing remedies in a pink,
plastic makeup case. "I refuse to believe that there's nothing we can do for Vilma, short of putting her
down like somesick animal."

They said nothing, refusing to provide himwith even the slightest glimmer of hope.

"Lorelei," Aaron said, watching as she visibly flinched, "with your angel magick, there's nothing you can
do that might help?"

 She shook her head, finally meeting his gaze."You're talking about binding a divine essence. Ihaven't the
training or the knowledge to—"

 Aaron suddenly clapped his hands andwhirled toward Scholar. "The knowledge," herepeated moving
toward the angel. "Lorelei doesn't have the knowledge, but maybe somebody else does." He stopped
short before thescholarly angel. "Who would have more knowledge than Lorelei? How did she learn
what she knows? Who taught the magick user?"

 Scholar shrugged his shoulders and tuggedat his ear nervously. "Belphegor taught her quitea bit, and then
there are books and scrolls. But Vilma's problem, like I already told you, isn'taddressed in—"

 "Who taught Belphegor?" Aaron persisted."Who wrote the books and the scrolls?" He gestured to them
for help. "C'mon guys, give mesomething—anything."

"Most of what we have comes from theArchons," Scholar said slowly.

"But what's left of them hooked up withVerchiel and his Powers," Lehash said stepping away from the
bookcase.

Aaron felt his anger flare and struggled toprevent his wings from bursting forth and thesigils from rising
upon his flesh. "Damn it," heswore beneath his breath, feeling his own ray of hope beginning to dim.

 "Who taught the Archons?" Lorelei saidsoftly and they all looked at her, althoughScholar and Lehash
remained strangely silent.

"Well?" Aaron prodded. "The lady asked aquestion. Who taught the Archons?"

Scholar turned back to his books. "It's toomuch of a long shot," he said, stacking the texts."I wouldn't
want you to get your hopes up."

"Too late," Aaron said walking to Scholarand gripping his arm. "Who are they?"

"You're clutching at straws here, boy,"Lehash echoed. "We don't have the time to be wastin' on—"

 Aaron whirled to glare at the gunslinger, thistime letting the sigils of warriors that died servingthe will of
Lucifer appear on his flesh. "I don'twant to hear that," he growled, and watched asLehash backed down,
averting his eyes.

"Who taught the Archons?" he asked Scholarfirmly, and there would be no debate.

"They're called the Malakim," Scholarreplied, an air of reverence in his tone. "And ifyou can't get a
meeting with the Lord GodAlmighty, then they're the next best thing.
 Do we truly understand what we are doing?ArchonOraios wondered as he lifted the lid of thegolden
chest containing the paraphernalia of their mystical art.Or have we been blinded by theobsession of the
one that commands us—drawn intothe web of his madness, no longer able to escape?

 "Where is the dirt?" Archon Jao screeched,crouching within the circle of containmentbeneath Lucifer's
hanging body. The angel frantically checked and rechecked the metal clampsaffixed to the first of the
fallen's chest to keep hisincision pulled wide and taut. The bleeding hadstopped sometime ago, and now
the hint of a pulsing, red glow could be seen leaking from thesplayed chest cavity. "I must have the dirt,"
Jaodemanded.

 Archon Oraios continued to search. The bag of sacred earth was crucial to their preparations.It was soil
from the fields of Heaven, a powerfulcomponent of angelic sorceries, used to fortifyand maintain the
strength of more dangerousmagicks. A small, frightened part of him hopedto never find it, forcing them to
abandon this dangerous and blasphemous ritual.

 But alas, there it was—in a place he hadalready checked twice.Is a higher mystical forceattempting to
intervene, to prevent them from making a horrible mistake?he pondered.

"Did you find it?" Archon Domiel prodded,tension filling his voice.

 With the death of their brother Jaldabaoth atthe hands of the Malakim Raphael, their numbers were
fewer, and all were feeling the strain.

Only one more Malakim remained, one final shard of forbidden information, and then theywould do the
unthinkable: reverse the Word ofGod. And a plague of despair, the likes of whichthe world had never
known, would wash overthe land.

 "Here," Oraios said, pulling from the chestthe purse, made from the skin of an animal thathad thrived in
the garden before the death of theEden.

"Quickly now," Jao insisted, his outstretched hand beckoning for the precious, magickal component.

 Oraios handed the pouch to his brother andwatched as Jao carefully spilled a portion of therich, black
contents into his open palm. Thescent of Heaven wafted through the stale air ofthe abandoned school,
and Oraios found himselftransported back toParadise by the memoriesstored within the fragrant aroma of
the blessed earth.

 He'd always believed that he would returnthere someday, to again witness the toweringcrystal spires
reaching up into forever, the endless fields of golden grass, whispering softly, caressed by the gentle
winds, and to bask againin the radiance of His glory.

 But then Oraios returned to reality andgazed upon the form of the Morningstar, suspended with chains
above a mystic circle drawnin his lifeblood and fortified with the dirt ofprovidence. The Archon felt his
dreams sadlyslip away, resigning himself to his fate.

 "It is only a matter of time now," he mused aloud, watching as his brothers continued theirpreparations,
the images of Heaven in his mind already starting to fade.

"I don't think you understand what I'm trying tosay," Scholar said to the savior of Aerie, dippinghis tea
bag again and again in the steaming cupof water just poured from the electric teapot. "Malakim are
mysteries even to us."
 "So they're a mystery, fine. I'm cool withthat," Aaron said, a twinkle of optimism in his eyes. "All I need
to know is if they can helpVilma."

 Scholar sipped his drink without removing the bag. A good, strong brew was required forthis
conversation. "Yes, I would imagine. If thereare any beings of an angelic nature out there thatmight have
the knowledge to solve Ms.Santiago's problem, it would be they, but—"

 "No 'buts,'" Aaron said with a quick shakeof his head. "This is the closest we've come to asolution and
I'm not about to lose it."

 "But it isn't close enough," Lehash said.Aerie's constable had helped himself to a cup of coffee and a
seat, leaning the chair back on twolegs against the wall. Ignoring Scholar's looks ofdisapproval, he
continued. "The Malakim havebecome legends to us—like Merlin or PaulBunyan and his blue ox to the
humans."

Aaron closed his eyes and took in a deepbreath. "So are they real or are they made up?"

 The gunslinger slurped the remainder of hiscoffee and brought the front legs of his chair down upon the
floor with a thud. "There might be some truth in all the tall tales, but it's beenjumbled together over the
years, and it's hard totell fact from fiction."

 Lorelei spoke up from a workstation tabletopwhere she sat cross-legged, reading through an ancient text
where the Malakim were briefly mentioned. "It says here that they were the archmages of angelic magick
and keepers of forbidden knowledge." She flipped her snow-whitehair back over her shoulder and out of
her face."Knowledge known only to God."

"What we do know for certain," Scholarcontinued, "is that the Malakim were createdto be extensions of
God, the receptacles of allHis wisdom and knowledge—forbidden orotherwise."

 "It's that knowledge thing I'm interested in,"Aaron said. "Where can we find theseMalakim?" he asked.
"Do you know—"

 "The Malakim supposedly came to Earthafter the war in Heaven," Scholar interrupted."To study and
record the changes caused by thefallen."

"Howcan they be contacted?" Aaron asked,his patience clearly wearing thin.

 Scholar set his mug down, immediatelycraving another cup. "That's what I've been trying to tell you,
Aaron. The Malakim have hiddenthemselves away. There hasn't been any contactbetween our kind and
them for thousands uponthousands of years."

 "I can't believe this," the Nephilim said, sitting down on the bare floor and running hisfingers through his
hair. His voice was heavywith disappointment. "Have you ever actuallyseen one?" he finally asked,
looking up atScholar.

"No, but—"

"Haveany of you seen one?" Aaron prodded climbing to his feet.

"Well, it might have been a Malakim,"Lehash began, rubbing his stubble-covered chin."But I can't say
for sure."

 Scholar quickly turned and walked to farthest end of the room. Aaron wanted proof of theexistence of
the Malakim, and proof he wouldhave. It was kept in a glass case along with allthe other treasures of
Aerie. He carefully openedthe lid and removed the ornate cylinder from itsresting place upon a red velvet
pillow.

They were all staring as he returned, stillstartled by his abrupt departure. He held thecanister up for
Aaron to see.

 "You want to know how we are sure theMalakim exist?" he asked, heading for the workstation where
Lorelei sat. She hopped down ashe approached. "Belphegor gave this to me forsafe-keeping," Scholar
said, slowly unscrewing the end piece from the tube.

"I can probably figure out where he got it,"Lehash said, watching with the others.

 Scholar gingerly tipped the canister, allowing the rolled scroll to fall out into his waitinghand. "It was
given to the Founder when heestablished the first safe haven for our kind." Slowly he began to unroll the
scroll, revealingthe angelic script upon the golden parchment.

"It's a spell," Lorelei said, bending over toexamine the writing.

"Yes, it is," Scholar said. "The first spell ofconcealment ever to be placed upon our sanctu ary. The
Malakim who visited approved of whatBelphegor was doing and gave us his blessing, which meant
God's blessing."

 "Well, I'll be damned," Lehash said, pushingcloser for a look. "A real live Malakim gave thatto
Belphegor." The gunslinger smirked. "Alwayswondered if we had God on our side; didn'tknow we had
the paperwork to prove it."

 Aaron came closer, moving past Lehash's bulk to stand next to Scholar. He gazed downupon the scroll,
a strange look in his eyes. "AMalakim wrote this?" he asked, his index finger tracing the shape of the
heavenly alphabet in theair above the scroll.

"Yes," Scholar answered.

"Then that means he touched it," the boysaid dreamily, his thoughts seemingly someplace else altogether.

"Of course he touched it," Scholar respondedtestily. "How else could he have written it?" Helifted his
hand, allowing the scroll to roll shut.

"I have an idea," Aaron said, turning toleave. "It's probably a long shot, but it can't hurtto try."

"Where you going, kid?" Lehash asked, following close behind.

"To see Gabriel."

chapter eight

Time is short," Verchiel hissed, his voiceechoing through the abandoned church. "Findthe last of the
Malakim."
 Katspiel convulsed violently upon theunconsecrated altar of Saint Athanasius Church.His eyeless gaze
stared blindly at the fadingimage of Heaven painted on the high roundedceiling, his face wan, twisted in a
mask of agony. The magicks the Archon attempted to commandwere wild and unruly, leaching away his
lifeforce in exchange for the location of the last ofHeaven's magick users.

"So elusive," he grunted, reaching up withclawed hands as if to rend the air. "Quicksilver—moving from
here, to there, across the world ofGod's man, then gone, like darkness chased awaywith the coming
dawn."

The angel curled into a tight ball. "I mustrest," he slurred.

 But Verchiel would not hear of it. He flewfrom his perch on the back of a wooden pew andlanded upon
the altar beside the quiveringArchon. "There will be no rest until the Malakimis found," he screeched,
grasping Katspiel by thescruff, yanking him, flailing, into the air.

"Mercy," the angel mage begged, his voicetrembling. "All I ask is for some time to—"

 "Don't you understand, worm?" Verchielgrowled, pulling the Archon closer to hissnarling face. "Surprise
is lost to us. Our preyknows he is being hunted."

"So tired . . . ," Katspiel groaned as he dangled limply in his master's grip.

 "There will be plenty of time to rest once theMalakim is found and the final piece of knowledge is
extracted from his skull." Verchieldropped him to the dusty floor. "Continue," heordered.

Slowly Katspiel raised his arms, a spell ofsummoning upon his lips, the drone of his feeblevoice drawing
down magickal forces eager to partake of his already depleted life force.

 Verchiel watched intently until the sound ofsomeone entering the church distracted him.He turned and
saw Kraus heading down thecenter aisle toward him. The human moved differently now, his newly
regenerated sensoryorgans taking in everything, devouring thesights around him.

 Kraus approached the altar, and Verchielwatched curiously as a look of horror slowlyspread across his
face. "What is it, healer?" And then he, too, realized what the healer saw.

Verchiel had started to bleed.

 New wounds had appeared, and old wounds,long since healed, had reopened, dark blood raining down
to spatter upon the altar and puddle atthe angel's feet.

"Time is short,"he had told the Archon.

Truer words were never spoken.

The air around the sleeping girl crackled with a subdued supernatural energy, and Aaron couldfeel the
hair on his arms and the back of his neckstand on end. Vilma was lying on a bare mattress on the floor,
placed in the basement of anabandoned house on the outskirts of Aerie,away from the citizens' homes.
She looked smallupon the king-size mattress—fragile, as if the power inside her was consuming her
mass, eating away at all that was human so only theangelic would remain.
 A sheen of sweat was on her brow, and shegrumbled in her sleep. But the language shespoke was
neither English nor her native Portuguese. It was the language of angels, and Aaronknew that the essence
inside her was growingstronger despite the supernatural restraintsplaced upon her.

 Gabriel lay faithfully by Vilma's side, his darkbrown eyes never leaving her as she slept. His burns had
already begun to heal, the scorchedpatches filling in with new golden yellow fur.

"How is she?" Aaron asked, reaching out tostroke the dog's head.

 "It's hurting her,"he replied, his voice full ofconcern."I'm trying with all my might, but I can'tseem to
calm it down. It wants to get out—it wantsto run wild."The dog looked away from hischarge to hold
Aaron in his soulful gaze."ButI'm not going to let that happen."

"You're a good dog, Gabriel," Aaron said,and leaned down to kiss the top of his hard,bony head. "What
would I do without you?"

 The dog seemed to take the statement literally."What a horrible thought." He tilted his headto one
side considering the alternate reality."Whatwouldyou do without me?"

 Aaron smiled, amused by the animal'sstrange perception of things. But the humor wasfleeting as they
again found themselves staring at the unconscious Vilma, locked within the gripof a power older than
creation.

"What are they doing to help her?"

 Aaron sighed. "That's just it, Gabe," hebegan. "They have no idea what to do. Normally,when something
like this happens they..."Hecouldn't bring himself to say it.

 "They what?"Gabriel asked."They wouldn'thurt Vilma, would they?"He climbed to his feet."Iwon't let
them, Aaron."

"They don't want to, but it might come tothat if something can't be done," Aaronexplained. "She's
becoming dangerous, Gabe,and to keep her from hurting someone . .. theremight be no choice."

The Lab sniffed at the girl's sleeping body,his tail beginning to wag."She doesn't want to hurt anybody,
and neither does the thing inside her. Itjust needs to be trained."

 "I know that. Look, Gabe, there is a slim possibility that certain angels called the Malakim might be able
to help Vilma, but the thing is, nobody knows where they are."

 Aaron could practically hear the gears clicking in Gabriel's square head as he tried toprocess the
information.

"We have to find them, then,"the dog said matter of factly.

"Exactly," Aaron replied. "Since your accident," he continued, "since I made you better,your senses have
gotten more powerful, haven'tthey?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you could track an old scentfrom something?" Aaron asked.
The dog thought for a moment."How old?"

Aaron shrugged. "I'm not sure. A few thousand years maybe."

"Is that all?"the dog responded, a mischievoustwinkle in his dark brown eyes."And here I wasthinking
you were going to give me somethingtough."

Something was drawing Lucifer out of his innerself, pulling him away from the retreat he hadcreated
deep within his subconscious. He didn'twant to leave, struggling against the currentthreatening to wrench
him from his internalworld and the woman he loved, but it was to noavail. So he leftTaylor standing
nervously beforethe locked vault door and promised to return assoon as he was able.

 He allowed himself to be drawn upward, thepowerful force dragging him through multiplelayers of
consciousness, and the closer he got tothe surface, the worse the pain became. But heendured,
embracing it, for it had been his constant companion since his fall. It was hispenance, and he deserved no
less.

 Lucifer's eyes opened, dried discharge crackling as his upper lid pulled away from the lower.He blinked
away the blurriness, his burninggaze focusing upon the mystical circle that hadbeen drawn on the parquet
floor beneath him.An aching pain in his arms and legs diverted hisattentions elsewhere, and he realized
that hewas suspended by chains, hanging over anarcane protective circle, the subject of some kindof
ritual.

 It was more than mere physical pain he felt;this unpleasant sensation went far deeper thanthat, and he
came to the frightening realizationthat Verchiel was somehow succeeding with hismad plans—that the
angel had found a way toundo God's Word. The image of the large vaultdoor within his mind—its locks
falling away— filled his head, and he recoiled from it.

"You can't do this," he said aloud, strugglingpathetically against his bonds, his body swaying with his
useless efforts.

"Oh, but I can," said a disturbing voice fromclose by, and Lucifer lifted his head to look upon Verchiel,
or at least he believed it to be him.

Clad in armor that once shone like the sun, the figure that shambled toward him was anightmare to
behold. The exposed flesh of theangel's face, arms, and legs was wrapped inbandages, bloodied by
oozing wounds.

 "Is that you, Verchiel?" Lucifer asked, struggling to keep his head up, the muscles in hisneck beginning to
cramp. "What happened? Cutyourself shaving?" Then he saw the eyes that raged from between the
gore-stained bandagesand knew exactly who it was before him.

"Insolent even in the face of your owndemise," Verchiel hissed.

In all his years of existence, Lucifer hadnever seen such hate as he now saw in thePowers leader. Here
was a being birthed by Godthat had somehow lost touch with everythingthat made him a creature of the
divine. EvenLucifer still remembered what it was like toserve God, after all that he had been through.

"Believe it or not, Morningstar, I asked theArchons to awaken you," Verchiel said, his voicea rasping
whisper through the bandages thatpartially obscured his mouth. "I want you to befully aware of the next
catastrophic act you willbe party to." The angel stepped closer, careful not to disturb the mystical circle,
and grabbed Lucifer's chin, lifting his face to gaze uponVerchiel's disturbing visage. "I thought wemight
have a private discussion first, while theArchons rest. They have been working so very hard to complete
their task."

"What's happened to you?" Lucifer asked.The sickening smell of decay wafted fromVerchiel's body, and
he wanted to turn his head away, but the Powers commander still held hischin firmly in hand.

"This is yet another example of how the Lordrewards those who serve Him faithfully,"Verchiel growled
bitterly. "All my wounds,received in service to His holy cause, open againand weeping."

Lucifer directed his gaze to Verchiel's coldeyes. "Do you think maybe He's trying to tellyou something?"
he asked, hoping to reach even a sliver of sanity in the Powers commander.

 "Yes," Verchiel said with a slow nod of hisbandaged head. "Yes, I do believe that He isattempting to
commune with me. Through Hisactions, or lack there of, He is telling me that thesinful have won, that the
wretched and the cursed, the criminals and the abominations whose taint has poisoned the heavens above
andthe earth below, hold indomitable sway overall."

 Verchiel leaned his face closer to Lucifer's,the smell of rot nearly suffocating. "But I will nothear of it," he
said, squeezing his prisoner's chinall the tighter, refusing to allow him to lookaway. "I will not surrender to
those who shouldhave died beneath my heel. I shall see it allturned to Hell before I give it away."

 And with the last pronouncement of hisrage, Verchiel released his grip and backed fromthe circle. "And
to think, the one that began itall—who brought war to Paradise, and still hadthe audacity to believe that
his sins could beforgiven—shall be the instrument of my defi ance." Verchiel studied the first of the fallen,
thehint of a grotesque smile beneath the soiled wrappings. "It brings me a certain satisfaction to know that
the prophecy will never be brought toterm, that the founder of our misery will neverfind forgiveness at the
hands of his son."

 Lucifer couldn't bear to hear any more of theangel's rantings. He wanted to return to thedarkness of
oblivion, to the comfort of a preciousmemory in the shape of a love long lost. Butthere was something
that Verchiel said that hedid not quite comprehend. He strained to lift hishead and look upon the Powers
commander toask the question.

"Forgiveness at the hands ofhis son?"

Verchiel chuckled, a wet rumbling sound."Don't tell me that you didn't know, or at leastsuspect,
Morningstar," he teased.

"What are you saying?" Lucifer struggled toask, the Archon spell used to return him to consciousness
wearing thin.

"Why, the Nephilim of prophecy, the onecalled Aaron Corbet—he is your son."

chapter nine

 This place is much bigger on the inside,"Gabrielobserved as he strolled deeper into the seemingly endless
room, his nails clicking on thebare, hardwood floors.

"At that first stack, take a..."Aaron startedto tell him, but the dog was already on his wayto finding the
others.

 "Don't tell me, Aaron,"Gabriel said, his noseskimming the surface of the floor. It soundedlike a Geiger
counter searching for dangerouslevels of radiation as he followed the scent."Letme find them on my
own."

Gabriel hadn't wanted to leave Vilma, fearing that his absence would cause the essence toawaken again.
But he had finally agreed whenAaron explained that it was the only way left tohelp the girl. Besides,
Scholar wouldn't allowthe scroll to leave his house.

 Aaron followed the dog through the multiple winding corridors of bookshelves as the animal tracked his
quarry. He was pleased withhow well Gabriel was doing, but were the Lab'solfactory senses really good
enough to find anangelic being that had left his scent on a scrollthousands of years ago? That was the
million-dollar question, and a chance they were going tohave to take.

 Scholar had scoffed at the idea, saying thathe'd never heard of anything quite so ridiculous,and the others
weren't quite ready to go alongfor the ride either. Aaron defended his theory,giving examples of his dog's
ability to track.Being able to find a slice of cheese hidden somewhere in a house didn't have quite the
impactthat he had imagined, but the example ofGabriel being able to track the scent of fallenangels was at
least met with a begrudgingcuriosity. He explained that Gabriel's senses hadintensified since he had been
healed and that hewas no longer just a dog. Gabriel was specialand was capable of amazing things.

 The dog suddenly stopped short, sniffed theair, and reversed his direction."Almost lost it,"he grumbled.
"Lots of other smells around here, butI can smell that cigar stink above them all."

And with that final statement, the dog quickened his pace, Aaron almost jogging to keep up.At a closed
door he began to bark, his tail wagging furiously.

"Good dog," Aaron said, patting his headand opening the door to allow the animal to confront his prey.

They were waiting, sitting around a circulartable. Lehash and Lorelei smiled as Scholarscowled.

"There's our mighty bloodhound," the gunslingersaid, reaching out to give the dog a pet.

Gabriel licked his hand."I'm not a bloodhound. I'm a Labrador retriever, and I found you veryeasily
because of your stink."

The constable jokingly sniffed beneath hisarms. "Didn't think I was that ripe, but maybe Iwas mistaken."

"I'm not impressed," Scholar said, adjustingthe cuffs on his starched white shirt. "Sure, hewas able to find
us in here, but I'm curious to seehis level of success when taking on the wholeworld."

 Gabriel walked around the table until he wasstanding in front of Scholar. He sat down at the fallen
angel's feet, never taking his eyes fromhim."We'll never know until we try, will we?" thedog said, his
voice filled with far more insightthan Aaron would have imagined.

"He's right," Lorelei said, trying to hide her amusement. "We've gotta at least let him try.What can it
hurt?"

The scroll had been returned to its protective canister and Scholar tentatively reached for it. "Ifeel just as
strongly about the presence ofanimals in my place of work as I do about cigarsmoke."
Lehash rolled his eyes, folding his armsacross his chest. "Just let the dog sniff the damnscroll."

 Scholar carefully slid the piece of parchmentout of the tube and into his hand. Gabriel's head craned
toward it, sniffing the air, and Scholar recoiled, pulling the scroll away.

"That's close enough," he snapped.

"No, it isn't,"Gabriel told him.

Aaron stepped forward, holding his handout to Scholar. "Give it to me," he said firmly.

Scholar started to object, but Lehash shiftedin his chair, his steely gaze intense. "You heardthe boy," he
drawled menacingly.

As if it was the hardest thing he ever had to do, Scholar placed the rolled parchment in thecenter of
Aaron's hand. The Nephilim kneltdown beside the dog and began to unroll thescroll.

"That's much better,"Gabriel said as Aaronplaced it beneath his wet, pinkish nose."It smellsvery old."

Aaron could feel Scholar's tension behindhim as a bead of moisture began to form beneathone of
Gabriel's nostrils, threatening to drip ontothe priceless document.

"Easy there, Scholar," Lehash warned, "oryou just might piss yerself."

"I'm done,"the dog said, and Aaron movedthe scroll away just as the glob of moisture rolledfrom
Gabriel's nose and dripped harmlessly tothe floor.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Lorelei chidedas Aaron handed the parchment back to Scholar.

 The angel said nothing, quickly rolling thescroll up tightly and placing it back inside itsprotective
container.

 "Well?" Aaron asked for them all as heturned to Gabriel. The anticipation level in theroom was extremely
high. Much was riding onthe dog, and Aaron wasn't quite sure how hewould handle the situation should
Gabriel fail.What would happen to Vilma then? He didn'twant to think about that. Instead he focused on
the Lab.

The dog ignored his question, getting upfrom where he sat and walking around the room in a circle, head
bent back and sniffing the air.

 "The anticipation is freaking killin' me,dog," Lehash growled, but Gabriel didn't payhim the least bit of
attention as he continued towander about the room.

Suddenly the dog let out an enormoussneeze, paused, and then sneezed again."I haveit,"he said, his
voice flat, and Aaron was about to get excited when he noticed that the hackleshad risen on the back of
his friend's neck.

"What is it, Gabriel?" he questioned, kneeling beside the dog. "What's wrong?"

"I know where the Malakim is."The doglooked nervously about the room, his ears flatagainst his head.
"And it is someplace verystrange."

Katspiel did not know how much longer he had.

The magick had given him the information he so desperately sought, but now it demandedpayment, and
he no longer had the strength tohold it at bay. The forbidden was in him, movingabout freely, completely
unhindered, partakingof flesh and blood, bone and spirit—all thatdefined him.

 He was an Archon, an angel endowed withthe facility to wield the mystical arts of Heaven.Not all were
seen fit to wear this mantle, only a few selected by the mighty Malakim. Katspielwas one such being, and
over time he learnedthe protean nature of the power he wouldattempt to tame.

It was killing him now, but he was left with little choice. It was either die as the conjuringnibbled away at
his life force, or be brutally killedby the displeased rage of Verchiel. Either way, Katspiel knew it was
only a matter of time nowbefore his life came to an end.

 The Archon rose unsteadily to his feet uponthe church altar, swaying in the darkness that had become his
world since the magicks hesought to sunder, bound to the fallen angelLucifer by the hand of God, lashed
out and tookaway his eyes. He and his brethren should havestopped then, heeding the Creator's warning,
stepping away from Verchiel's mad plan. Butthey had come to call the Powers leader "master," their
existences inexorably intertwined,their fates becoming as one.

 The location of the last Malakim burned inhis mind, and Katspiel summoned his wingsbefore it was too
late. Enshrouding himselfwithin their feathered embrace, he went to hismaster, all the while trying to
imagine what theworld would be like after the Word of God wasundone and Lucifer's punishment was
set looseupon the land. And as his wings opened in the school and he sensed that he was in the presence
of Verchiel and the first of the fallen, ArchonKatspiel realized that he was glad he would notbe alive to
experience it.

 "Master Verchiel," he announced, hearingthe sounds of an angelic being in the grip of torment, and the
low, rumbling laugh of his master."The last of the Malakim has been found," hemanaged, and slumped to
the floor, the musclesbeneath his decrepit flesh no longer capable ofsustaining his weight.

 "You have served me well, Katspiel," Verchiel said, an eerie calm in his voice, perfectly atease with the
horror his command would soonunleash. "And your loyalty shall be rememberedlong after the punishment
is meted and order isrestored to the heavens above and the earthbelow."

Oh yes, Katspiel was certain that the commander of the Powers was correct in that. Heand his brothers
would indeed be rememberedfor what they had done.

Remembered in infamy.

It nearly killed him to see her this way.

 Aaron carefully sat down on the mattressbeside Vilma. She had kicked away the light covers they had
provided for her, writhing andmoaning as if caught in the grip of a bad dream.Her breathing was shallow,
and the golden manacles covering her wrists sparked and hummedas the power inside her tested the
limits of angelmagick. She had become more restless sinceGabriel had gone, but his canine friend was
needed elsewhere if they were going to help her.

The girl let out a pathetic cry and thrashed herhead upon the pillow. A single tear broke loosefrom the
corner of one tightly closed eye andtrailed down the side of her face. He felt a hitch ofemotion become
trapped painfully in his chestand reached out to take hold of one of her hands.It felt warm and dry in his,
and Aaron tried with all his might to infuse some of his own strengthinto her.

 "Hey," he whispered, not wanting to startleor scare her. "Just wanted to stop by and see you before I
leave. But I'll be back as soon as I can. Ipromise."

 He wasn't sure if she was even able to hearhim, but it didn't matter. He needed to talk toher, needed to
show himself why he was doingwhat he was about to do. If there was any doubt,he didn't recall it now.

"We're going to look for an angel—aMalakim, they're called—and I think he mightbe able to help you."

 Vilma seemed a little calmer, and he liked tothink that maybe it was because of his presence.Aaron
knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn'thelp feeling a certain amount of guilt. This wasn'twhat a beautiful,
eighteen-year-old woman's lifewas supposed to be like. She should have beenthinking about finals,
graduation, and the prom, not about whether an angelic force from Heavenliving inside her was going to
cause her to goinsane.

 He rubbed his thumb gently across the backof her hand. "So I need you to hang on for me, tobe strong,
'cause there's still a lot of things weneed to talk about once you get better."

 Vilma's life had been turned upside-down byher association with him. He felt like a kind of super virus,
infecting anybody that got too close.The casualty rate of the Aaron Corbet disease is pretty high,he
realized, thinking about all those who had died justfor being part of his life: his foster parents, his psy
chologist, Stevie, Zeke, Camael, and Belphegor. Squeezing her hand tighter, Aaron decided that he
wasn't going to let Vilma become part of thatdepressing statistic. He would rather die himselfthan have
anything else bad happen to her.

 Aaron released her hand, letting it gently fallto her side. He had to leave; the others would bewaiting for
him. He leaned forward, placing atender kiss upon her forehead. "I'm so sorry forthis," he whispered.
"And I'm going to doeverything that I can to make it up to you."

 She offered no response and that was finewith him. Vilma seemed to be resting peacefullyat the moment,
and he took that as a sign for himto take his leave. Quietly he stood, his eyes never leaving her sleeping
form, and backed away. Heturned and just about jumped out of his skinwhen he saw that Lorelei was
standing at the footof stairs, her plastic makeup case, filled withangelic remedies, in hand. He hadn't
heard hercome down, and he put his hand against his chest to show that she nearly gave him a heart
attack.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want towake her."

 Aaron looked back to the girl upon the mattress. "That's okay. She's sleeping pretty wellnow." He
continued to stare at her, his heartaching.

"I don't want to state the obvious, Aaron,"Lorelei said, "but youdo know that this isn'tyour fault, right?"

He didn't answer, not fully believing thatwhat she said was true.

 "What's happening to Vilma would haveoccurred whether you were in the picturenot." She reached out
and laid a supportivehand on his shoulder. "She's a Nephilim, Aaron,and you didn't make her that, no
matter how guilty you feel."
He thought about all that Vilma had beenthrough. "Verchiel used her to get at me. Ishould have—"

"Verchiel just made an already complicated situation a little more complicated," Loreleiinterrupted. "No
matter how rotten you thinkyou are, Vilma's better off having you in her lifethan not. We all are."

 He took his eyes from Vilma and looked atthe Nephilim with the snow-white hair whomhe had learned
to trust as a friend and confidant."Do you really think so?" he asked, the weightof his responsibilities
feeling perhaps the tiniest bit more manageable.

 She laughed softly and smiled at him. "I'mLehash's daughter, for Pete's sake. I wouldn'tsay it if it weren't
true."

 He took it for what it was worth, and at thatmoment its value was quite high. "Thanks," Aaronsaid,
turning back to Vilma for one final glance."Take good care of her until I get back, would ya?"he asked
Lorelei as he started up the stairs.

"You just worry about finding the Malakim andgetting what we need," Lorelei responded. "Rightnow
Vilma should be the least of your worries."

 And she was right, Aaron knew as he walkeddown the hallway and out the front door. Theywere
waiting for him on the front walk, Gabrielwagging his tail as the boy pulled the door closed behind him
and stepped off the porch.

"Ready?" Aaron asked, a nervous sensationforming in the pit of his stomach.

"I was ready about fifteen minutes ago,"Lehash grumbled, finishing up the last of a cigar."Now I'm just
plum chompin' at the bit."

"What's 'chompin' at the bit'?"Gabriel askedthe angel.

"Ants in my pants," he responded, flickingthe smoldering remains of his cigar to the street.

 "You don't really have ants in your pants, doyou?"the dog asked, confused by this newexpression."If
you do, you should get them outbefore they bite you."

"Thanks for the advice," Lehash snarled, nothaving the patience to explain to the animal anyfurther.

Aaron decided that it was time and calledupon the power that was his birthright. Flexingthe muscles in
his back, he eased his wings frombeneath the flesh and opened them to their full,impressive span.

"Group hug," he said, surprised at his ownattempt at levity. "Let's do this."

The gunslinging angel and dog huddled closer. And he took them within his wings'ebony embrace,
departing Aerie on a missionmost dire, the fate of the woman he loved hanging in the balance.

chapter ten

"Hard day at the office?"Taylor asked.

Lucifer found himself back within his psyche. It was good to be away from the physicalpain, even though
he was beginning to feel anuncomfortable sensation in his chest. He wondered how long it would be
before the painfound him, even this deep within the psychiclandscape of his own fabrication.

 They were sitting at a small kitchen table,very much like the one at which they had sharedmany a
pleasant meal. And as in the past, thisTaylor, this creation of Lucifer's fevered mind, had made a nice
candlelit dinner.

The first of the fallen shuddered as the lightof the twin candles illuminated a large door floating in the
darkness around them. He studied the thick steel monstrosity created by hispsyche to keep at bay the
horrors of what he haddone in Heaven.Has it lost more of its padlocks andchains?he worried.

He was sure it had.

"What, you're not going to answer my question?"Taylor asked as she picked up her napkin and placed it
on her lap.

"I think Verchiel is succeeding," Lucifer said,eyeing the door. He could have sworn he heard movement
on the other side. "He's found a wayto undo the Word of God."

Taylorcut into her meal as she spoke: steakwith mushrooms and thick, brown sauce. He loved
mushrooms. "We can't allow him to dothat." She primly placed a large piece of meatinto her beautiful
mouth, and he watched her chew as he considered his response. She wasthin—dainty, really—but the
girl could eat, andenjoyed doing so without the slightest hint ofconcern, he remembered fondly.

 "No, we can't. But I don't know how longwe'll be able to hold out." He knew the mealwas only a
fabrication of his thoughts, but itlooked fabulous, and he dug in hungrily. "It'sonly a matter of time before
he has everythinghe needs to set it free," he said, hearing anotherpadlock fall.

 Two glasses of red wine appeared on thetable, and Lucifer watchedTaylor pick hers upin a delicate
hand and take a small sip. "Not thatthat isn't enough," she said, setting down herglass. "But is anything
else bothering you?"

Something on the other side of the door pounded three times, and another lock clacked open to dangle
uselessly from the end of a linkof chain. "He told me that I sired a child. I have ason."

 Taylordidn't respond; she simply cutanother piece of meat. How could anything hesaid to her be a
surprise? After all, shewas a creation of his imagination.

"How did I not know this?" he asked, pushing his plate away, his appetite suddenly gone.

 "Remember, there was time when you nolonger wanted to be the Morningstar, when you attempted to
abandon your true nature,"Taylorresponded as she picked up the napkin in herlap and dabbed at the
corners of her mouth. Shehad cleaned her plate.

 "It was when I was with you," Lucifer said.The door suddenly trembled, and he felt thevibrations of the
assault as something hurled itsweight against it.

 Taylorsmiled at him and nodded. "And youalmost did forget," she said, crossing her longlegs and letting
the simple sandal she wore dangle from her foot. "We were happy—at least, Ithought we were."

Lucifer felt a pain blossom in his chest andalmost mistook it for God's Word comingundone, until he
realized that it was the agonyof his heart breaking yet again with the memory of leaving her. "I started to
have dreams—aboutwhat I had done, the lives that were lost becauseof me—and I feared for your
safety."

 He stood and moved around the tabletoward her. She rose to meet him and they gently embraced. "It
was never my intention to hurtyou," Lucifer said, holding her tightly. "But Iwas insane to think that I could
ever experiencehappiness after what I'd done," he whispered."My penance wasn't finished, so Ihad to
leave,for your sake as well as mine."

The door shook upon its hinges and morelocks fell asTaylor looked up into his eyes."You've seen him,
haven't you? Our child."

 Lucifer remembered the vision he'd hadsoon after being captured by Verchiel andbecoming aware of the
Nephilim prophecy. Itwas the image of a young man, a big yellow dogfaithfully at his side. "Yes," he
answered dreamily. "I think I have."

"His name is Aaron,"Taylor said, laying herhead against his chest. "It means exalted—onhigh."

Lucifer smiled and kissed her gently on thetop of her head.

And the door vibrated threateningly as thepunishment of God raged upon the other side.

 Aaron had always believed that he shared a special, almost psychic bond with Gabriel, and thathad only
been intensified after the emergingpower of the Nephilim saved the dog's life. Theboy was testing this
theory as they traveledthrough the void between an angel's place of departure and its final destination.
The two hadalready shared dreams, so Aaron figured sharingthoughts in the waking world wasn't all that
farfetched.

 As they left Aerie, he had asked the dog tothink about what he had seen while sniffingthe ancient scroll
and to direct those thoughts to him. It was an overwhelming experience.Aaron's mind was bombarded
with Gabriel'sthoughts. At first they were simple, dealing with base needs like food, shelter, warmth, and
companionship. But then they became more complex: recollections of places, events, importantmoments
in theLabrador 's life. Aaron had neverimagined how much a game of fetch at the parkhad meant to the
dog, or having his stomachrubbed, or that piece of steak in the doggy bagfrom a fancy restaurant.

 And Aaron saw himself through the eyes ofhis dog, and through those loving eyes he could do no wrong.
If only he could be half the personthe animal believed him to be, then he would betruly worthy of such
adoration.

 He was finally able to focus enough withinthe labyrinthine twists of Gabriel's thoughts tofind what he
needed. Here was where the scent from the scroll had brought them. It was a placeunlike any other on
Earth. In fact it wasn't onEarth at all, and he could see why the dog hadbeen so spooked. Aaron took the
image andmade it his own—and he felt a hint of dizziness,like the descent from a great height in an eleva
tor, before his wings opened to reveal their location.

"Would you look at that," Lehash said inawe.

 "Are we in Heaven?" Aaron asked. He gazedwith wonder over the rolling plains of goldengrass, at the
richest of royal blue skies. The gentle winds filled with soft, traipsing melodieswere the most beautiful
sounds he had everheard.
 "No," Lehash said, tilting his head back andsniffing the air. "Maybe a little piece of it, but notHeaven in
its entirety."

 "The person who wrote the scroll is over thathill,"Gabriel said from beside Aaron, his snout pointed into
the breeze.

"Where do you think we are, Lehash?"Aaron asked as they turned and followed theLab up a small hill.

 "Looks to me like somebody built a littlehideaway smack dab between the here and thethere." The fallen
angel removed his Stetson,combed back his long white hair with his fingers, and returned the hat to his
head. "I'm surprised the dog was able to find it."

"I'm very special,"Gabriel reminded him.

"That you are," Lehash agreed, chuckling.

"I didn't expect anything like that," Aaronsaid suddenly. They had reached the top of thehill and he was
pointing down toward a tiny cottage with dark brown shingles, tarpaper roof, and a rock foundation.
Clouds of thick graysmoke billowed out of a stone chimney, and hehad the impression that it was
probably quitecozy on the inside.

"After all you've seen lately," Lehash saidleading them down the hill, "you can still be surprised?"

They stopped in front of the heavy woodendoor.

"He's in there,"Gabriel assured them, hiskeen nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

"Should I knock?" Aaron asked the fallenangel beside him.

Lehash shrugged. "Can't hurt to be polite, Iguess," he answered, and Aaron rapped hisknuckles on the
door.

They waited, and when no response came,the gunslinger leaned forward and added hisown two cents.
Still nobody answered.

 "We don't have the time for this," Aaron saidimpatiently. He reached out, grasped the knob,and pushed
the door open. It was very darkinside. "Hello?" he asked, his voice echoingstrangely, and he quickly
realized why. Theroom they entered was enormous, and he wasreminded of Scholar's library, although
the size and opulence of this room put the fallen angel's residence to shame.

"Son of a bitch," Lehash said, looking at thecurved, hundred-foot ceiling and then the marble floor
beneath their feet. "But then, what did I expect from a Malakim?"

Gabriel sniffed around the entrance, hisclaws sounding like tap shoes on the smoothstone floor, while
Aaron admired the great stonepillars that flanked them on either side.

 "How tall are these Malakim?" he asked, taking note of the gigantic double doors at theend of the
hallway before them. The knockers, enormous lion heads holding thick metal rings,were at least thirty feet
from the floor.

"They're extensions of God, fer cryin' out loud," the gunslinger growled. "They can be astall as they like."
 And as if on cue, the double doors wereflung wide with a thunderous clamor thatcaused the great hall to
tremble, and a creaturethe likes of which Aaron had never seen orimagined came barreling down the hall
towardthem. It was at least fifty feet tall and worearmor that shimmered and bubbled as if forgedfrom
molten metal. Its head was that of a gigantic ram, and it had wings the color of a desertsunset. In its
equally prodigious hands, itclutched a fearsome battle-ax that Aaronguessed was at least three times as
big as him. They barely leaped away in time as the axdescended in a blurred arc to cleave the marble
floor. Though it missed them, the aftershocks ofthe impact shook the floor beneath them as ifthey were in
the grip of a major earthquake and they struggled to stay on their feet.

"I will not be caught as my brethren were," the great beast-man roared as he yanked hisweapon from the
broken marble and prepared tostrike again. "The knowledge you wish to pilfer shall remain with me and
me alone!"

"Stop!" Aaron begged moving toward theMalakim, hands outstretched. "We just wantto—"

 But Lehash had summoned his pistols ofangelic fire, and as the beast turned to deal withthis new threat,
one of its mighty wings lashedout and swatted Aaron away. He saw a galaxy ofstars as he landed upon
the stone floor, fightingto stay conscious. Seeing his master down,Gabriel leaped at the fearsome giant,
sinking hisfangs into the molten metal of the creature'sarmor, only to let go with a cry of pain as hismouth
began to smoke and smolder.

 Lehash's guns roared to life and bullets ofheavenly fire exploded upon the berserker'sarmor, miniature
explosions across the surface ofthe sun, but to little effect. The monster spreadits wings wide and soared
at Lehash. The fallenangel continued to fire his weapons as thearmored beast swung his ax, the flat of the
blade catching the gunslinger and sending him rocketing through the air into one of the great pillars.The
constable lay still upon the cold, stone flooramong pieces of the broken pillar as the beasttouched down
in a crouch beside him. Tossingthe mighty ax from one hand to the other, itlifted the weapon above its
head with a bellowof rage and prepared to finish its fallen foe.

 Aaron struggled to his feet, feeling the transformation of his body to a more fitting form forbattle. He
didn't want it to be this way. All hewanted was to ask for help, but they were beyondthat now, and
combat was the only answer. Hepropelled himself forward, landing between Lehash and the ax. He
listened to the great bladewhistle as it cut through the air, his own sword ofheavenly flame igniting in his
hand to meet it. The sigils burned upon his flesh and he felt hiswings explode from his back as the two
awesomeblades connected with a clamorous peal, theexplosive force of the two weapons meeting toss
ing them apart. Aaron's ears rang. Quickly hestruggled to his feet, ready to meet the nextassault from the
armored monster.

But the beast simply stood, the great battle-ax lowered to its side. It was staring at him, itscold animal
gaze intensely scrutinizing. "It'syou," it said, a strange smile briefly appearingupon its savage features.

 "We don't mean you any harm," Aaron said carefully, and watched as the mass of the giantbefore him
began to change," to diminish, thebattle-ax fading away in a mellifluous flash of brilliance. No longer was
there a fearsome warrior before him; it had been replaced by a tall,striking figure with silvery white hair
and skinthe color of copper.

 "I am well aware of that . . . now," said theangelic being. "I am Raphael of the Malakim,and I beg your
forgiveness." His voice was likethe wind outside: melodic, strangely soothing. "Ithought you to be
servants of the renegadeVerchiel, but of course you are not. There is no mistaking the sigils upon your
body, son of theMorningstar."
Aaron allowed his weapon to dissipate. "Youknow about the whole Lucifer thing too, huh?"he asked as
he walked over to check Gabriel.The dog's mouth was slightly blistered, but heappeared to be fine.

 "The Malakim have known of your comingfor a very long time," the angelic creature saidsimply, turning
to walk back through the towering doorway. "In fact, we were responsible—mybrothers and I—for
providing the seer with thevision that described the prophecy of which youare such an important part."

Aaron watched the figure disappear into theroom beyond as he hurried to Lehash's side. Thefallen angel
was sitting up amidst the rubble ofthe damaged pillar, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing in
discomfort.

"Did you hear him?" Aaron asked excitedlyas he helped the gunslinger to his feet.

"Always was curious as to who got the ballrollin'," Lehash said, beating the dust from hisclothing with his
hat. "Makes sense it wasthem."

 Raphael again appeared in the doorway. "Dohurry," he said, motioning with a delicate handfor them to
join him. "We haven't much time, and there is still much to discuss." He disappeared again into the room
beyond the enormous doors.

 The three cautiously entered the roombeyond the great hallway. Aaron couldn'tbelieve his
eyes—another bizarre example of angelic magick. From the regal majesty of thehall, to this: It was as if
they had wandered intoan old-fashioned parlor. The Malakim was sitting in the far corner at a small
wooden desk,rummaging through one of the drawers. "Please,make yourselves at home," he said, busily
searching for something.

"Impressive place you got here," Lehashsaid, looking about the room. The decor waswarm and rich: lots
of dark wood, and long velvet curtains that covered two sets of windows,the thick, red material draping
down to the polished hardwood floor.

Gabriel hopped up on a sofa, upholstered inthe crimson material and framed in shiny, darkwood.

"Gabriel, get down!" Aaron ordered automatically.

"But he said to get comfortable,"the dogprotested as he slowly slunk from his place uponthe furniture.

"That's quite all right," the Malakim said,shutting the drawer and rising to approachthem. "That's what
our little hideaway hasalways been about," he said, lifting his robedarms and gesturing about the room. "A
place formy brethren and I to get away from our duties,to relax and ponder what we have seen."

 Gabriel lay down upon an embroidered arearug and with a heavy sigh placed his snoutbetween his paws
and closed his eyes. No matterwhere they were or what they were doing, that animal could always find
the time to steal a little nap.

"Please, sit, relax. Use this place as it is supposed to be used."

Lehash politely removed his hat, and he andAaron sat down upon the sofa vacated byGabriel. The
Malakim chose a leather chairacross from them.

Aaron leaned forward tentatively. "You saidsomething about your brothers and Verchiel?"
 The Malakim nodded and lay his headagainst the back of the chair. "He killed themboth, taking from
them knowledge that is notmeant for an angel of his caste."

Lehash appeared stunned. "Verchiel killedtwo a' you?" he asked incredulously. "He actually killed two
Malakim? How is that even possible?"

The bronze skinned creature closed his eyes,his face twisting in pain as he recounted the tale.

"They took us by surprise, using powerful magicks that we ourselves taught the mages in hisservice."

For a moment the room was uncomfortablysilent; Gabriel's heavy breathing was the onlysound.

 Raphael continued, smiling sadly as heopened his eyes. "With our ability to glimpse thefuture, you would
think we should have been able to prepare for this. But then, maybe becauseit was inevitable,
subconsciously we chose not tosee it."

 Aaron squirmed in his seat, images of Vilmain the throws of painful transformation fillinghis head. He was
torn by the reason he had come on this mission and by what Verchiel was up to.Although his loyalty was
to Vilma, he found itextremely disconcerting to learn that both heand the Powers commander seemed to
besearching for the same thing.

"What does he want?" Aaron asked curiously. "What is he trying to take from you?"

The Malakim shifted in his chair and crossedhis long legs. "At first I had no idea, but now itmakes
perfect sense." He reached inside thefolds of his robe and brought forth a vial ofglass, its ends sealed with
ornate golden metal.Aaron could see that there was liquid inside as the Malakim passed it to him. "Before
our timeis up, however, this is for your mate," he said as Aaron took the offering.

Aaron blinked repeatedly, unsure if he hadheard the angel correctly. "Mate?" he asked.

 Raphael nodded as he sat back in his seat."Yes, your mate. And may I be the first to say that your
children will be absolutely magnificent."

Fifty thousand volts of electricity could havepassed through Aaron's chair and it would have had pretty
much the same effect upon him.

"My children?" he yelped, shocked by the Malakim's words.

Gabriel sat up suddenly, awakened by hismaster's exclamation."What's happening?" thedog
questioned in a grumbling bark, lookingabout the room."What's going on?"

 "I think your master just got a little peek atthe future," Lehash said, amusement in his gruffvoice. He
reached down and patted the dog'shead. "That's all."

 "No,"Gabriel said emphatically."Can't youhear it?"he asked, his nose twitching, hackles offur rising
around his neck. The dog rose, hisbody trembling in anticipation.

 The Malakim sighed, standing from hischair. "It all seems so brief," he said sadly, brushing the wrinkles
from the front of his robe,"when finally confronted with your inevitabledemise."
 Aaron was about to ask for an explanationwhen he heard it as well. He knew the sound; itwas the noise
made when an angel traveledfrom one place to another, implosions of soundas the fabric of reality was
torn open for a briefinstant and allowed to flow shut. Only this timehe heard it multiple times, and
understoodexactly what it meant.

 "We're under attack," he blurted out aswinged shapes exploded into the room frombeneath the velvet
curtains in a shower of glassand fire.

"No kidding," Lehash growled. His pistolsflashed to life in his grasp and he began to fire.

The sigils had risen upon Aaron's flesh and an idea for a weapon had entered his thoughts,when he felt a
powerful grip upon his arm. Heturned to confront Raphael, who was shakinghis head.

"You are to leave here now," he said abovethe roar of Lehash's guns and Gabriel's franticbarks.

Aaron started to protest, but the look uponthe angelic sorcerer's face rendered him speechless. "There is
nothing you can do for me now.Return to Aerie, help your mate, and meet yourown destiny," the
Malakim ordered.

 Aaron chanced another look at his friends.The Powers soldiers had momentarily stopped their charge
through the windows, but Gabrieland Lehash stood at the ready, just in case.Thecalm before the storm.

"Take your friends and go," Raphael toldhim.

 And though it pained Aaron to leave theheavenly being, he knew that things far largerthan him were at
work here. "C'mon. We have togo," he called to his friends as the black wingsthat would take them back
to Aerie emergedfrom his back.

The Malakim bowed his head to Lehash andGabriel as they passed him, his body alreadychanging, his
gentle features becoming moreanimal, the molten armor again appearing on hisexpanding form.

 Aaron was about to take his companions intohis winged embrace when the wall of the roomexploded
inward and more Powers soldierssurged in. Raphael met the attack with unbridled fury, Powers soldiers
dying beneath thebite of his monstrous ax.

 And then Aaron saw him, the focal point ofthe young Nephilim's rage, portions of his bodynot covered
in armor wrapped in bandagesstained with gore. Verchiel entered the roombehind his troops, spear of
fire clutched in hishands, tattered wings beating the air as hesearched for his chosen prey. Aaron knew he
should have left then, but he hesitated, held inplace by his hatred for the leader of the Powershost.

The Malakim turned, as if sensing that theyhad not yet gone. "Go," he bellowed in a voicelike the roar of
a jungle cat. "It is not time for thefinal conflict. Go!"

 And as Aaron closed his wings, he witnessedthe most horrible of sights: The Powers swarmedupon
Raphael, cutting down the Malakim in asenseless flurry of savagery. Verchiel strodepassed the violence,
fixated upon the Nephilim.

"Leave!" Aaron heard the last of the magickal trinity cry out from beneath the angelicswarm. He finally
did as he was told, taking his companions within his wings' embrace.

"Not this time," Verchiel screeched, lettingfly the javelin of fire with all his blistering rageand fury behind
it.

Aaron wished them back to Aerie.

But the angel's spear was faster.

chapter eleven

Kraus awoke curled beneath a tattered blanketon the floor, a scream of terror upon his lips.

 For a moment he thought the darkness hadclaimed him again, that perhaps Verchiel had taken back his
wonderful gift, but then realizedthat it was only the night collected around him.Empty bookcases and
stacked metal desksemerged from the gloom as his new sightadjusted to the inky black of nighttime.

He had been dreaming, vividly recalling a time before his service to his lord and master,Verchiel. A time
of woe and suffering.

 Tossing back his blanket, he climbed to hisfeet and stood in the darkness of the room.Something was
wrong; he could sense it. Therewas an unnatural hum, a pulsing throb like the beat of some prehistoric
monster's heart in theair around him. The sound was everywhere—itneededto be everywhere—and he
felt the desperation of it worming inside him, bringing forth further memories of the dark times before he
swore his fidelity to God's warrior and his holymission.

 Kraus left the room, seeking to escape therecollections of his early days of torment, to distract himself
elsewhere, but the alien thrum waswith him, no matter where he went, rousingmemories of a past long
suppressed.

 Before serving the Powers, all he had knownwas darkness and pain, the pity and the disdainof the
sighted. He had been raised in a placevery much like this one, very much like the SaintAthanasius Church
and Orphanage had beenbefore its doors were closed.

ThePerrySchool for the Blind. It was theonly home he had ever known.

 Kraus moved down the darkened corridors,riding the intensifying waves of unease. Hecould not keep
the past at bay; the memoriesescaped, bursting up from layers of time, asvivid as if they had occurred
only momentsbefore.

 There had been others like him at thePerrySchool, born without sight, given up to thosewho cared for
the less fortunate. And care they did. Oh yes, he remembered their care indeed.

 Kraus approached an open door and a staircase that led down into deeper darkness. Thefeeling was
stronger here, and he descended,drawn toward the wellspring of despair, all thewhile remembering.

 The staff at the school for the blind treatedthem as lesser life forms, below even the ferocious dog kept
by Mr. Albert Dentworth, thehead administrator. Kraus relived the terror that would grip him every time
he heard the rattlingof the animal's chained collar and its nails clicking and clacking on the hardwood
floors as itdrew closer. They were nothing but burdens tothe world and to the personnel whose job it
wasto care for them, and were often told as much.For the majority of his existence he lived in Hell,and
every night he prayed to be brought toHeaven.

The stairway took him to the gymnasiumand into the lair of the Archons. At the moment,they were gone,
off with Verchiel on his latestincursion. An intricate, mystical circle had been drawn upon the floor with
what looked like dirt,and above it, from thick chains, the prisonerhung. A deep, vertical gash had been
cut from the prisoner's chest to his stomach, the wound held open with metal clamps, and Kraus won
dered how it was even possible that the prisonerstill lived.

As a child, his every waking moment, andbefore going to sleep at night—exhausted fromchores that left
his fingers stiff and bleeding—Kraus had prayed for God to take him away. Hedidn't think himself more
deserving than any ofthe others who lived beneath the roof of thePerrySchool, it was just that he'd had
his fill andwanted it to stop. He couldn't live like that any longer, and each night he begged the merciful
Creator to end his life.

 The first of the fallen moaned pitifully, and astrange, red-colored cloud puffed from his openchest to be
trapped within the confines of themystical circle beneath. Kraus found himselfdriven back by an
overwhelming sense of desolation that suddenly permeated the atmosphere.He had found the source of
his waking malaise,and whatever it was, it came from within thebody of the fallen angel Lucifer.

Kraus heard the angel that he would latercall his master, as he had those many yearsago—Verchiel,
whispering in his ear, telling himhe had been sent by God, and that because of hisfervent prayers, he had
been chosen to aid thesoldiers of the Lord in the most important ofmissions.

 Kraus remembered the incredible joy, thesheer euphoria of knowing that God had heardhis pleas, but at
the time he had been filled withgreat sorrow. He knew that only he would knowthis happiness, and those
brothers and sisters indarkness with whom he had shared the hell ofthePerrySchool would continue to
know only suffering. How could he do the work of God,knowing that others like himself still suffered?

And the angel Verchiel had offered him asolution."You can end their suffering," he hadsaid."All you
need do is command me, for this willbe my payment to you, for the fealty you will swear tome. All you
need do is ask."

 So Kraus had begged the messenger ofHeaven to release the others of thePerrySchoolfrom their lives of
suffering and sorrow.

And Verchiel had obliged.

 The memory of that night drove Kraus to hisknees. He was trembling, awash in the raw,unconstrained
emotions of that moment longago. Whatever was leaking from the body ofLucifer, it was quite proficient
in dredging up the echoes of the past.

 Kraus recalled the night he was reborn as aservant of the Powers, pulled from the relativewarmth of the
school into the heights of the coldnight sky, the sound of Verchiel's beating wingsalmost deafening. And
he heard the cries ofother heavenly creatures around him as he was carried higher and higher.

 "They shall know suffering no longer,"the angelwho would be his master had roared, and the sky around
them rumbled as if in agreement.The flash of lightning that followed somehowpermeated the darkness that
was his existence.He remembered the searing white light and theroar of thunder that shook the air.

Kraus gulped for air, his body sliding down the cool concrete of the gymnasium wall. Thememories were
unmerciful, his senses raw.

 Somehow he could feel the lightning strikesupon the school, the smell of it as it burned filling his nostrils,
the cries of those trapped withinfilling his ears.
 He had always told himself that it was forthe best. The students of thePerrySchool had been freed from
a pathetic existence; he trulybelieved that. But lately he had begun to seethings more clearly, and was
filled with horror.Since Verchiel's gift to him, his perceptions wereslowly changing, revealing the ugly
reality ofit all.

 The air around him shimmered and quaked,and Kraus knew that his master had returned,but he did not
feel joy as he would have in thepast, only apprehension.

 The angels appeared before him. There werefewer Powers soldiers, and those who remainedmere
shadows of their once glorious selves.They appeared haunted, the armor they worehanging loosely upon
their diminished frames.

And then there was Verchiel, the sight of himfilling the healer with a strange mixture of sadness and fear.
His once golden chest plate wastarnished almost black with the blood of hisprey, and the freshly opened
wounds continued to weep, saturating the bandages the healer hadused to dress them.

 Verchiel fell to his knees before the mysticcircle. "The time is nigh," he said, and the remaining Archons
scurried about their preparations.

 But for what?Kraus wondered, an overwhelming feeling of dread reaching down to thedepths of his
soul. He wanted to ask the angelthat was his lord and master, but he feared what the answer would be.

Aaron thought it had missed him.

 He had hesitated for only a moment as hestruggled with the idea that he could finally putthis madness to
rest once and for all. But thelook upon the Malakim's face—the intensity inhis dark, soulful gaze—had
told him that heshould leave, that perhaps a being that had lived for millions of years might have a better
idea ofthe big picture than he did.

 He honestly believed that Verchiel's spear offire had passed harmlessly through the airwhere he and his
friends had been standingmoments before, confident his new abilitieswere far superior to the fiery
weapon of the Powers commander. Aaron remembered closinghis wings, hugging Lehash and Gabriel
tightly against him and thinking of Aerie—seeing it asclear as day in his head. They had gotten away,free
and clear.

Or so he thought.

With deadly accuracy, the spear made from the fires of Heaven had found its target.

 He had made it back to Aerie, unfurling hiswings and releasing his friends, before falling tohis knees.
Aaron couldn't seem to catch hisbreath, his body strangely numb, but he couldhear everything they were
saying. Lorelei wasthere, demanding to know what had happenedas she knelt over him in the street.
Lehash wasclose by, explaining the attack upon theMalakim's lair.

 Aaron guessed that Lorelei was using somekind of magick on him, for he could feel herhands upon his
chest probing at wherehe imaginedthe spear had nailed him. It really didn'thurt too badly; in fact he didn't
feel much painat all.Maybe I'm just tired from all the runningaround,he thought.

Gabriel was with him, nervously panting inhis ear. Aaron wanted to tell his friend thateverything was
going to be all right, that he was fine, but for some reason he couldn't talk.
Everyone around him seemed to be in apanic.

 Maybe I should be worried,he thought, but then dismissed it as foolish. He was fine; they would have
him fixed up in no time.

 They were carrying him now, bringing himto Lorelei's house. That was good, he thought asa heavy
fatigue closed in around him. All heneeded was some rest, and then he would befine.

All he needed was rest.

 "He looks dead,"Gabriel said flatly, sitting besidehis master's bed. He had been by Aaron's sidesince
they'd returned from their mission, scrutinizing every twitch, every movement—of whichthere was very
little. This worried the dog, forAaron was a very restless sleeper, and to see himlying so still was greatly
disturbing.

"But he's not," Lorelei said, reaching downto scratch behind the dog's ear.

 Gabriel moved his head away, too distractedfor the affection of others."I know he's not dead,"he
replied, his eyes never leaving Aaron."Believeme, I'd know. I'm a dog; I'd smell it. Death has a very
strong smell."

 They both fell silent. Lorelei leaned over tocheck Aaron's bandage as Gabriel watchedclosely. There
had been very little blood, theintense heat of the spearhead cauterizing thewound almost instantly. She
had put somethingon the injury, something that smelled verystrange, very bitter. She had told him that it
wasan old medicine made from a root of the Tree ofKnowledge, from a place calledEden . Gabrieldidn't
care for its scent—it made him sneeze andhis eyes water—but if it was going to help Aaron, it was fine
with him.

 Vilma, on the other hand, was doing muchbetter. The contents of the vial that Raphael had given Aaron
seemed to be exactly what the girlhad needed. The angelic essence had calmedalmost immediately, and it
appeared that shewas going to be all right.

 Gabriel was suddenly frustrated. He lovedVilma very much and certainly did not wantanything bad to
happen to her. But if she gotwell and Aaron didn't, how would he feeltoward her then? The dog pushed
the thoughtsaside, returning his attentions to his master.

"When will we know if he'll live?"Gabrielasked Lorelei as she continued to examineAaron's wound.

 The Nephilim gently replaced the bandageand moved away. "He's comfortable," she saidwith a slight
shrug of her shoulders. "I'm keeping the wound clean to prevent any infection."

"But when will we know?"the dog barked, hisdemeanor far angrier than he had intended. Helowered his
head, ashamed, his ears going flatagainst his blocky skull."I'm sorry I barked," heapologized."I'm just
worried."

 "It's all right," Lorelei said with understanding, reaching to stroke his head again. This timehe didn't pull
away. "We've done all we can do."

"So we have to wait?"Gabriel turned to her asshe continued to pet the short, velvety fur atophis head.
Lorelei nodded. "Afraid so."

 He went back to watching Aaron, the very faint rise and fall of his chest, wishing with allhis might for him
to be well again.

"I'm going to go grab something to eat,"Lorelei said. "Would you like to come with me?"

 "No, thank you. I think I'll just stay here withhim."Gabriel slowly lowered his face to rest hischin upon
the bed near Aaron's frighteninglystill hand."I'm not feeling very hungry."

 The door that held back the outcome of theMorningstar's hellish folly shook violently on its psychic
hinges.

It wanted out.

 The great vault door moaned as it slowlybegan to bulge outward. All that remained wasthe steel itself:
the locks, bolts, and chains, allbroken by the fury of the maelstrom railingbehind it.

Lucifer was alone now.Taylor was gone. Shehad left him when the pain in his chest hadbecome too
great, as if she couldn't bear to see what was going to happen.

No,he thought, on his knees before the psychic blockade.I can't let it out.

 He concentrated upon the battered door andsaw that there were new locks, sliding bolts, andthick black
chains, all strong—or stronger thanwhat had been there before.

 Hell will not be released this day,the first of thefallen angels told himself, finding the strength toclimb to
his feet before the obstacle that separated the world from holocaust. All the pain, misery, and sorrow that
he was responsible forwould stay within him, where it belonged,where it had been placed. He'd always
found itstrangely amusing that the punishment givenunto him by God had somehow managed tobecome a
thing of legend in the human world—an actual place of eternal damnation for thosewho sinned against
their chosen religious faith.Gehenna, Sheol, Ti Yu, Jahannam, Hades, Hell—so many names for what was
his and his alone tobear.

The force upon the other side intensified,and he was hurled backward by the savagery ofits furor. His
new, stronger restraints wereripped away, tossed into the darkness, ineffective against the relentless
onslaught deliveredagainst the psychic representation of God'sWord.

 The Morningstar crawled to his feet, trying again to reinforce the barrier, but the sharp, biting agony in
his chest drove him to his knees. Helooked down and saw the wound. A bloody,twelve-inch gash had
appeared there, and thesight of it filled him with trepidation. He wasgrowing weaker, his strength draining
from thevertical opening carved in his center.

 The door shuddered and vibrated within itsframe, and Lucifer watched in mute horror asthe top right
corner started to bend outward, thesteel moaning and squealing its objection.

 "Please, God, no," Lucifer hissed, throwinghimself at the door, pressing his body against it. The pain,
guilt, and sorrow of what his jealousycaused had grown stronger through the millennia, and he had always
found the strength to keep it at bay within himself, for this was hisdesignated burden. Now he tried with
all his might to will that barrier stronger, to add his mental strength to God's original penance, but could
feel the awful vibrations of an unstoppable force through the many inches of whatshould have been
super-strong metal.

 From the twisted corner he first saw it, a tendril of luminescent vapor. Lucifer knew thisthing intimately.
It had been a part of him forwhat seemed like forever, fused to his angelic essence since his fall from
grace. He knew itsrage, its sorrow, and its infinite cruelty, anddespaired for the fate of God's world if it
wereallowed to be free.

 "Don't let this happen," he prayed, his facedpressed against the trembling metal, and he wasglad
thatTaylor , even though a creation of hismind, was no longer there to witness his horrendous failure.
"Please," he begged as the doorbuckled and the metal twisted. And he had justabout given up all hope of
stopping the delugeof Hell from flooding the world.

When there came a voice.

"Looks like you could use a hand here," itsaid, and Lucifer turned to gaze into the face ofsalvation.

It was a nice face—withhis eyes.

 Verchiel listened intently to the powerfularcane words stolen from the minds of the Malakim as they
spilled from the lips of the Archonfaithful.It is only a matter of time, the Powerscommander thought,
amused that he was actually even aware of time's passage. He had existedsince the dawn of creation and
had never reallygiven the concept much thought, until now.

The three remaining Archon magicians stoodwithin the mystical circle beneath the suspendedform of
Verchiel's prisoner, his instrument of retribution. Everything was proceeding smoothly,the pieces of his
mechanism for vengeancefalling ideally into place, almost as if it weremeant to be.Asif He knows that He
must be punished for what He has allowed to transpire.

 The Archons droned on, the pilfered knowledge of the Malakim helping to unravel the edictof God.
Lucifer moaned in the grip of unconsciousness as the magickal obstructions holdingback his punishment
were methodically peeledaway. The first of the fallen angels was fightingthem, but Verchiel would have
expected no lessfrom one that had been the Creator's mostbeloved—and greatest disappointment.

 The Powers leader stepped closer to thearcane ritual, careful not to open his ownwounds that had finally
stopped bleeding."Give in, Morningstar," he urged the fallenangel. "Accept your responsibility, not only
forthe fall of Heaven, but now for the ruin ofmankind as well."

 He strolled around the mystical circle,around his despised adversary, the one whosecorruption had
acted as a cancer, eating away atVerchiel's holy mission—at everything thatdefined his purpose in The
Most Holy's blessedscheme of things. "The pain you must haveexperienced these countless millennia, my
brother," Verchiel cooed. "Now you have achance to be free of it—to let your punishment be shared by
all who have sinned."

 Lucifer thrashed in his chains, droplets ofperspiration raining from his abused body to beabsorbed by the
soil of Heaven that comprisedthe magickal circle below him. His mouth trembled as he strained to speak.

"What is it, brother?" Verchiel asked in a softwhisper. He leaned closer, eager to hear his prisoner voice
his agony, perhaps even a plea formercy. "Speak to me. Share with me your woes."

The fallen angel spoke. It was but twowords, and spoken so softly that the leader ofthe Powers was not
quite sure that he had heardit correctly.
 "What was that again, Lucifer Morningstar?" Verchiel asked, leaning even closer to thefirst of the fallen's
cracked and trembling lips.

"Thank you."

Verchiel recoiled as if struck.Isthis some kindof perverse game the criminal is playing?he wondered.
Some bizarre way to show his strength? Hissuperiority? It is all for naught if that be the case.

 "You thank me for this, monster?" he raged,feeling his own wounds begin to weep again."For the
torment you now endure?" His voicetrembled with fury.

Lucifer was struggling to remain conscious,his eyes slowly rolling back in his head as thelids gradually
began to fall.

"Tell me!" Verchiel shrieked, reaching in tothe confines of the magickal circle to grab the fallen angel by
his short, curly hair and yank hishead toward him.

Lucifer's eyes snapped wide and a demented grin bloomed upon his tormented features.

"Tell me," Verchiel hissed again.

"If not for this...for you," the Morningstarwhispered, "I would never have met my son."

The mouse's stomach ached from hunger. It hadnot foraged for food since its friend had beenbrought
here to this room. It couldn't, not whilethe man was being tormented so.

 In the shadows the mouse cowered, afraid tomove. There was something in the air here, something
unnatural that made its tiny heartflutter like a moth attempting to escape the spider's web. Every one of its
primitive instinctsscreamed for it to run, that here was certaindeath. But it remained—afraid to abandon
theone who had befriended it. Loyal to a fault.

 They were hurting its friend again. Themouse did not want to watch, but could not tear its eyes away. It
yearned to do something, anything to help the one who had shown it suchfriendship, but its tiny mind
could not even beginto fathom what that something might be. It didnot have the size or ferocity to frighten
the larger,more powerful creatures, or the strength in itsjaws to gnaw upon the thick metal chains. So it
cowered in the shadows, watching and afraid.

Too small to matter.

 Aaron wasn't sure what he expected of the fallenangel that was his father. He wasLucifer, afterall, and
all kinds of crazy stuff had passedthrough his mind: red skin, pencil-thin mus tache, goatee, cloven
hooves, horns, pointed tail,pitchfork. He was curious but never expectedthe answers to be imminent.

He knew that he was unconscious, in some dark, inner place, alone, or so he had believed.He had
wandered through the shadows forquite sometime, descending deeper and deeper into the inner world of
darkness, until he heardthe cries for help.

"Please, God, no."

Instinctively Aaron moved toward the soundof the plaintive voice, cutting through the oceanof black.
"Don't allow this to happen."

 In the distance he saw a man standing beforean enormous metal door, pressing himself against its
surface, as if trying to keep it from opening.

"Please,"the stranger begged as somethingpounded and railed upon the other side.

 Aaron felt compelled to help the man andtentatively approached. But as the man turnedto face him, a
smile that could only be describedas euphoric spread across his handsome yet strained features. And in
that moment Aaronknew this stranger's identity.

This was Lucifer Morningstar, the first of thefallen.

His father.

 "I'm not sure how long he can hold out," Aaronmuttered, opening his eyes and gazing up at thecracked
and stained ceiling of the bedroomwhere he had been staying since coming toAerie.

 "You're awake,"Gabriel said over and overagain, licking his face, head, ears, and handswith abandon.
"You're awake. You're awake. You'reawake."

He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious. Gabriel's affection could not be used as an accurate
gauge. There were days Aaron hadgone out to get something from his car and beenmet with the same
kind of exuberant greetings,as if he had not seen the Lab in months.

 Aaron pulled the dog's face away from his,scratching him behind the ears. "Hey, fella," hesaid. "Nice to
see you, too. How long was I out?"

 "About two days," answered a voice as thebedroom door opened and Lorelei walked incarrying a tray
loaded with medical supplies.She placed the tray atop the dresser andretrieved a bottle of antiseptic,
bandages, somecotton balls, and a roll of tape.

 "I thought it was at least a week,"Gabriel said as he lay down beside his master, rump pressedtightly
against Aaron's side.

 "It really is true what they say about animals having no concept of time," Lorelei said, sittingon the bed
and carefully peeling the bandagefrom his bare chest.

"He has a tendency to exaggerate," Aaronsaid. "Will I live?"

 "It was touch and go there for a while," shesaid honestly, examining the wound. "But itseems that you've
healed up pretty well." Shedabbed at the still-tender puncture in his chestwith a cotton ball soaked in
antiseptic. "Lehashtold us what you did, hanging around a bit toolong after the shit hit the fan. Very
stupid, AaronCorbet. If you're not careful, they'll revoke yoursavior's license." She placed a new
bandageover the wound and taped it down.

"How's Vilma?" he asked, throwing off the thin sheet that covered him, starting to rise fromthe bed.

"Hey," the female Nephilim protested."She's resting comfortably, which is exactlywhat you should be
doing." She halfheartedlytried to push him back, but had little success.
 Aaron felt a bit weak and dizzy, and placedhis hand against the wall to steady himself."There's no time
for that," he said, waiting forthe room to settle. "I'm not sure how muchlonger he can hold out." He
moved to his duffel bag to dig out a new shirt.

"You said that before."Gabriel was still lyingon the bed."Who are you talking about?"

 Aaron slipped a red T-shirt over his headand gently pulled it down over his chest, so as not to disturb
the bandage. "While I was out, Iwent someplace," he said, putting on his socks and sneakers. "Inside
here," his hands flutteredaround the sides of his head before beginning totie his sneakers. "And I met my
father—I metLucifer."

"You met the Morningstar?" Lorelei asked inshock.

Gabriel bounded from the bed to join Aaron by the door."Was he nice?" he asked, tail wagging.

"I met him, and now I know what Verchiel is

up to," Aaron said, leaving the bedroom. "And it's pretty horrible."

"Are you up for this, Aaron?" Lorelei askedas she followed him to the front door. "Youalmost died, and
here you are running offagain."

He stopped and stared at her, not really surewhat to say.

"There's an awful lot riding on you and—"

"And none of it will matter if Verchiel has hisway," Aaron interrupted.

 Lorelei looked as though she might protest,but clearly thought better of it. "Promise meyou'll be careful,"
she said instead.

"I'll be careful."

 The woman nodded. "Good. You're the firstsavior I've ever had for a friend, and I'd hate tohave to find
another."

chapter thirteen

It had been a good visit.

 Lucifer only wished that they could havedone something a bit more pleasant, a fewdrinks perhaps, a nice
dinner, conversation thatwent well into the wee hours of the morning.Holding back Hell was not the
activity he wouldhave chosen for his first meeting with his son.

 He seems like a good kid,Lucifer mused. Eagerto help, and he had his father's eyes, but therereally
wasn't much he could do about theMorningstar's current situation. He had onlyhelped to delay the
inevitable for a little whilelonger.

 Things were bad. Verchiel's magicians hadalmost succeed in breaking down all his remaining barriers,
and the pain was becoming unbearable. Lucifer hadn't wanted his son to see himthis way, so he had sent
him away, urging him toput his strength to use elsewhere, for his was alost cause.

 But deep down, the first fallen angel didn'twant to believe that was completely true. Theprophecy of
forgiveness had come to fruitionbecause of him, because he had hoped that someday the Lord God
would understand how sorryhe was and give him the chance to apologize.

 Unfortunately Verchiel would do everythingin his power to make certain that Lucifer neverhad the
chance to utter those words of atonement, and would make him responsible for yet another heinous
crime against God and what Heholds most dear. The leader of the Powers didn't believe that Lucifer had
the right to be forgiven,and there were days when he believed thatVerchiel could very well be right. But it
wasn'tup to them to decide. God would forgive, or Hewouldn't. It was simple as that—or at least it used
to be.

 Fight as he did, Lucifer knew he could notkeep the door closed for much longer. Hell ragedat his back,
the pain at the core of his being,methodically peeled away like the multiple layers of an onion.

 The Morningstar was ashamed, believingthat he should have been stronger, able torestrain that which
had been such a crucial partof him for so long. Hell had come to define him,showing what his petty
jealousy and arrogance had been responsible for.

 In the world of inner darkness it soundedlike gunfire as the first thick metal hingeexploded from the vault
door. It was followedby a second, and as he pressed his back flatagainst the cold surface of the door, he
felt itshift within its frame.It won't be long now, Luciferknew. The gaseous discharge of the accumulated
misery on the other side wafted up around him.It made him see it all again, experience it asthough it were
happening. It was Hell incarnate.

"I'm so sorry," he cried aloud as the door fell,trapping him beneath its tremendous weight.

 And that which came to be known as Hellsurged out from within him, a geyser of rage,pain, sadness,
and misery garnered from themost horrible event ever to befall thekingdomofGod.

"So sorry."

 She looks much better,Aaron thought, watchingVilma as she slept peacefully. Silently hethanked the
Malakim for what he had done forher—for him—and swore that Verchiel would bemade to pay for his
crimes.

 He reached down and pulled the blanket up over the girl. It was damp in the basement, andshe had
enough problems without catching acold to boot.

"She's much better, thanks to you,"Gabriel saidfrom nearby.

Aaron couldn't stop watching her.

"You love her, don't you?"

 Aaron's first impulse was to deny it; he'dnever admitted it out loud before. But the fact washe did love
Vilma Santiago, and as he watched hersleep, he couldn't imagine his life without her.Aaron remembered
the Archon's words about hismate, and the beautiful children they would havetogether. Vilma was part of
his future. He justhoped she wanted him to be a part of hers.
 "Yep, I guess I do," he finally responded. Helooked at the dog that was lying on the concretefloor not
far from the foot of the mattress. "Isthat cool with you?"

Gabriel was staring at Vilma as well, andAaron could feel the emotion emanating fromtheLabrador 's
dark, soulful eyes."It's cool," he said, blinking slowly."She'll be good for our pack."

Aaron smiled. "Won't she though?" heagreed, rising from her side.

"Do you have to go?"theLabrador asked,climbing to his feet as well.

 Aaron nodded, knowing his options werefew and time was growing slim. His father had been
weakening, and who knew what kind ofpower Verchiel now had at his disposal. If whatLucifer told him
was true, the leader of thePowers wasn't just gunning for Nephilim andfallen angels anymore; he had a
score to settle with the whole planet.

"This is it, Gabe," he told the animal. "Verchielis going down for good this time."

"My sentiments exactly," Lehash said as hewalked down the stairs toward them, Scholarclose behind.

 Aaron had been waiting for them to arrive,certain that Lorelei would have gone to them as soon as he'd
revealed his intentions.

 Scholar looked pale as he maneuveredaround Lehash. "Lorelei told us what youlearned," he said, a
tremble in his voice. "Verchielhas lost it completely. It was bad enough that hewantedus dead, but to
intentionally unleash thatkind of force upon the earth ..." The fallen angel stopped, speechless for the first
time that Aaroncould recall.

Lehash's pistols flared to life in his grasp andhe spun them on his fingers in true cowboy fashion. "Never
met a son of a bitch that deservedtwo in the brain pan more," he proclaimed.

 Vilma stirred at the sound of their voices,rolling onto her side before returning to theembrace of healing
slumber.

"I'm doing this alone," Aaron said softly.

 Lehash's heavenly weapons dispersed in aflash. "Must be the acoustics down here," thegunslinger said,
sticking a finger in his ear and wiggling it around. "But I'd swear you just saidyou were going to face
Verchiel alone."

Aaron nodded. "That's what I said."

 Lehash scowled and Aaron prepared for theonslaught that he knew would be coming."You're not going
anywhere alone, boy," hesnarled. "Look at you," the cowboy said, throwing out one black-gloved hand
toward him. "Yerlucky you can stand, for pity's sake. You just got stuck with a spear—and almost died!
This ringing any bells?"

Aaron's hand instinctively went to the bandage on his chest. The wound was still painful,but he was
healing quickly, another perk ofbeing a Nephilim. "It's not that I don't wantyour help. In fact nothing
would make me feelsafer than to have you guys at my side when this finally goes down."

Lehash studied him, slowly folding his arms across his chest while Scholar simply stared.
"But I've come to realize that I have to dothis alone."

Lehash shook his head. "It ain't true," hegrumbled.

"It is," Aaron answered. "This has been aboutme from the start. Verchiel lost it because of theprophecy."
He pointed to himself. "I'm thatprophecy, I'm the physical manifestation of all thathe hates. It's got to be
me that takes him down."

"He almost killed you, Aaron,"Gabriel said, hisgruff animal voice filled with concern.

 "Key word being 'almost,'" Aaron responded."I wasn't ready before. I didn't understand what all this
angel stuff was about. But I do now. Iknow how much is at stake. It's not just fallenangels and Nephilim
that are in danger. It's theentire world."

Lehash rubbed his hand across the roughskin of his face. "He won't go down easy. Ananimal's at its
most dangerous when its back is up against the wall."

"He's right about that,"Gabriel said, fortifyingthe gunslinger's words.

 "Believe me, I know that I could very well bekilled, but I also know that it's for me to do, andme alone.
I've got to be the one who ends this."

The room became very still, the only soundVilma's gentle breathing as she slept.

 "'And the one shall come that will bringabout the end of their pain, his furious strugglebuilding a bridge
between the penitent and whathas been lost," Scholar said, his stare vacant, asif he were looking beyond
the room, perhapsinto the future. "That's a line from theprophecy," he said, his eyes focused on them
again. "Your prophecy."

 And Aaron knew it was time to go. Hereached within himself and drew upon the power of angels,
feeling the names of all those who diedfighting for Lucifer's cause rising to the surface toadorn his flesh.
This is for them, as well, he thought.His senses grew more keen, the fury of Heaventhrumming in his
blood. He brought forth his wings of blackest night, unfurling them slowly,fanning the air in anticipation.

 "I have to go now," he said in a severe voicehe had come to recognize as his own, a voicefilled with
strength and purpose.

 He looked at them all, perhaps for the lasttime, and an unspoken message passed betweenthem. This
was hard enough without the hindrance of final words, and even though theywould not be by his side in
this last battle, theywould in fact be with him in spirit, providingthe strength he would need to fight.

"See you when this is done," Aaron said, Vilma's peaceful sleep his last sight beforedeparting to fulfill his
destiny.

It had never known such a connection to anotherliving thing.

 Its tiny heart beat rapidly; its respirations quickened as it listened to the furtive moans ofits friend in
agony.

The others of his kind were hurting himagain, their droning chants making him writheand cry out. They
sat around the outside of hiscircle, rocking from side to side as they repeatedtheir hurtful song.

 Something leaked out from the torturedcreature's body. The mouse was reminded of themorning fog on
the river outside the mountain monastery that used to be its home, only that fogwas not the color of dried
blood and did notbring with it such feelings of unease. Somethingwas coming into the world that did not
belong,and the mouse's friend cried out in abandon, amournful song filled with shame at not beingstrong
enough to prevent it.

 The one called Verchiel impatiently pacedbefore the hanging figure, his gaze fixed uponthe tortured one.
It was he who was behind it all,he who was responsible for all the pain.

 The rodent could not bear to hear it anylonger, did not want its friend to think that hesuffered alone, and
against all instincts it scampered across the wooden floor, no longer caringif it was seen or not. The
mouse passed betweentwo of the chanting ones, reaching the ring offoul smelling dirt. It stifled the
frenzied urges to flee, its tiny eyes fixed upon the face of the one called friend. It had but one purpose
now.

 The dirt on the floor was cold and damp and stank of death, but it did not hinder the mouse asit forced
its way through the mire, interruptingthe perfection of the circle's curve. It had brokenthe circle and the
patterns beyond, withoutnotice, conquering its fear and reaching its friend.

 Standing upon its hind legs, the mouseraised its pointed face and reached up with itstwo front paws to
the sad figure hanging aboveit."You are not alone," it squeaked in the mostrudimentary of languages.

Triumphant, yet unaware of what it hadtruly done.

Verchiel was mesmerized by Lucifer's suffering.He could not pull his gaze away, watching asthe greatest
of sinners strained to keep God'spunishment within him.

"Let it go, damn you," Verchiel hissed, the anticipation almost more than he could bear.

 Soon they will all pay,the angel thought with aperverse sense of satisfaction—the human monkeys
scurrying about thinking themselves somuch more, the fallen angels and their Nephilimspawn, and the
Lord God.How sad that it has come to this, the Powers commander ruminatedas he watched the first
of the fallen writhe.Verchiel was surprised that one such as Lucifercould care so much for the primitive
world to which he had been banished. He himself could no longer hide his distaste for the place and its
corrupting influence over his Father in Heaven.

"I shall show You the error of Your ways," hespoke aloud, hoping that the Almighty wouldhear his
words and know how wrong He hadbeen to discard him. Verchiel would show theCreator the madness
of it all.

Suddenly Lucifer, the first of the fallen, letloose a scream that spoke of his final resignation.The collected
horror that was his punishmentflowed from his body, pouring from the openingcut into his chest—a thick,
undulating vaporeager to make the acquaintance of the world.

"How utterly horrible you are," Verchielwhispered with a kind of twisted admiration,moving closer to the
magickal circle that acted asthe punishment's cage. "What terror you shall reap under my command."

 He looked about the room at the last of hissoldiers, bloody and beaten by a crusade gone toseed. Once
they had numbered in the hundreds,but now less then twenty remained under his command. And once
they would have foughthard against a threat such as this, not unlockedits cage to set it free upon a
thankless world. Theangels fluttered their wings nervously, sensing the fearsome virility of the power that
was being unleashed. They remembered it—the war—and what it had done to them all, the scars it had
left.

 "Do not fear, my brothers," Verchiel proclaimed, "for with this force we shall be vindicated, and every
living thing, whether of flesh andblood or of the divine, will know that our mission was righteous, and will
beg for our forgiveness."

 The Archons began to scream, and Verchiellooked toward the angelic magicians. Somehow the power
leaking from Lucifer's body had managed to break free of its containment, movingpast the mystical circle
of Heaven's soil and hisadversary's blood, swirling around his faithfulsorcerers like a swarm of insects.
The Archons'screams were frantic, unlike anything he hadever heard before.

 Archon Oraios ran toward the Powers commander, his head enshrouded in a shifting cloudthat clung
stubbornly like a thing alive. "Howcould we have been so foolish!" the magicianwailed, arms flailing in
panic. "To think that wehad the right—to think that we could erase HisWord!"

 Verchiel grabbed the angel by his robes as hepassed, throwing him violently to the gymnasium floor, and
still the cloud remained. A swordof fire came to life in the commander's grasp."What is happening here?"
he spat, watching asthe punishment of God continued to leak from Lucifer's body, past the circle of
containment,and into the room.

 "It's loose," Oraios cried, thrashing upon thefloor as the cloud expanded to engulf the magician's body.
"Somehow the circle was brokenand now it is free. How could we have been sostupid as to think we
could control it!"

 The gymnasium erupted in a cacophony ofscreams and moans as the Lord's punishmentacquainted itself
with the others in the room.Verchiel watched aghast as warriors he hadfought beside in the most
horrendous of battleswere reduced to mewling animals. They cowered in the scarlet cloud—the
embodiment of allthe suffering caused by the war in Heaven. Itlaid waste to them all, driving them to
destroythemselves. One tore out his eyes, while othersturned their own fiery weapons upon them selves.
Their screams were deafening.

 "You must do something," Verchiel barked at the Archons as an angel of the Powers hostrepeatedly
flew into one of the room's concrete walls, as if trying to shatter all the bones in itsbody.

The three Archons crowded together in thefar corner of the gymnasium, trying to hide fromthe force they
had unleashed.

"Do something!" Verchiel screamed again,but they only huddled closer, trembling violently.

"They're afraid," said a voice, little morethan a whisper.

Verchiel looked to see that Lucifer wasawake, even as the power continued to leakfrom his body."You
did this," Verchiel said witha snarl, pointing his fiery sword at the prisoner."Youcaused this to go awry."

Another of the Powers host took his own life,his mournful wails reverberating horribly off thecold walls
before falling silent.

Lucifer laughed painfully, the rumblingchuckle turning into a wet, hacking cough. "I'mthe one hanging
over a mystical circle with his chest cut open, and this is my fault," he said inwonder. "How is that?"

 Suddenly Verchiel caught movement fromwithin the circle's center and noticed the prisoner's pet vermin,
cleaning dirt and blood fromits dirtied stomach. He was about to snatch upthe bothersome creature and
squeeze the lifefrom its body, but then he realized that itwouldn't matter.

 There was a sudden searing flash of heat andVerchiel looked back to see that the Archons had set
themselves ablaze. He could hear their voicesraised in unison as the mystical fire consumedthem, begging
the Creator for forgiveness. Theyremained alive far longer than he would have imagined possible, before
their piteous pleasceased and they collapsed to the wood floor in a pile of fiery ash and oily black smoke.

"Set me free," Lucifer said as Verchielreturned his attentions to his prisoner. "Do theright thing. Redeem
yourself. Let me reclaim mypunishment. Let me put it back where itbelongs," the first of the fallen
pleaded. "There'sa chance we might still be able to stop this."

 Verchiel gazed out over the gymnasiumwhere the broken, bleeding forms of his remaining followers
littered the floor. The cloud of misery was expanding, rolling inexorably towardhim. It had finished with
his soldiers and nowwished to feast upon their leader. He tensed,waiting for its dreadful touch with a
strangeanticipation.

 "Who said anything about wanting to stopit?" Verchiel replied as he was engulfed in thehungry red mist.
He felt it cling to his body,worming its way inside him through the openwounds that adorned his flesh. He
waited to feelthe unrelenting horrors of the Almighty's punishment, but instead felt the same ever-present
sense of rage he'd had since being abandoned byGod.

And then the leader of the Powers came to astartling realization.I'm already living the torments of Hell.

chapter fourteen

In his mind Aaron saw his destination, a barely legible, weather-beaten sign that read

         SAINT ATHANASIUS CHURCH AND ORPHANAGE:

 established1899. This was where the final battlewould occur. There were multiple buildings,including a
church, but he knew he needed to beinside the school. That was where his father wasbeing held. That
was the image Lucifer hadplaced within the Nephilim's mind.

 The picture of the gymnasium inside hishead made him think briefly of his own school,Kenneth Curtis
High, and all he had givenup—graduation, college, a human life. He hadbeen so angry in the beginning,
that his oncenormal life had been turned on its head byangelic prophecies and blood-thirsty angels,
circumstances beyond his control, a destiny hehad known nothing about. And even thoughtime had
allowed him a begrudging acceptanceof his fate, it hadn't made his sacrifices any lessdifficult.

He parted his wings like the curtains on astage pulled back to present the last act of somegreat
production.This is it, he thought in nervous anticipation, the final chapter of a storythat began on the
morning of his eighteenthbirthday, the day his life changed forever.

 He furled his great black wings beneath theflesh of his back, their movement stirring astrange, reddish
fog that drifted above the floor of the gymnasium. An atmosphere of dangerpermeated the room, and the
hair at the back ofhis neck prickled, a sword of fire springing tolife in his hand. He was ready for this to
end.
 His eyes scanned his surroundings. The mistwas thick, but he was able to make out the features of the
old gymnasium, the hard parquet floor covered with years of dust beneath his feet,a skylight in the ceiling
above, spattered withbird droppings. He moved his hand through thedense vapor, wondering what it
was, knowing itcouldn't be good. It made the bare flesh of hisarms tingle, his chest ache as he reluctantly
took it into his lungs.

 Then it hit him with the force of a stormdriven wave. His weapon of fire fell from hisgrasp as his body
was wracked with violentspasms.What's happening? Aaron wondered onthe brink of panic as the
synapses in his brainexploded like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Itwas as if every emotion—rage,
despair, love,joy—had come alive at once, more incapacitating than any physical attack. He was numb,
stumbling through the billowing red fog, tryingto regain control of his runaway passions. Hehad no doubt
now as to what this was. He wastoo late. His father's curse had been unleashed.

The punishment of God was free.

 Try as he might, Aaron could not wrest control of his emotions. The mist cajoled them,inflamed them,
drawing them out like infectionfrom a wound. Raw, unhindered feelings thatran the gamut from sadness to
rage to joy werereleased within him. Again and again he lived the moments that had created them, the
mundane and the profound, the joyous and the miserable.

 Fear flashed through him as he saw the firstfoster home he could truly remember, horriblepeople who
had taken him in only for the meager allowance the state paid for his upkeep. Hefelt the loneliness and
anger, relived the abuseand neglect. Then that experience was viciouslytorn away to be replaced with
another, and thenanother still. It was as if all the defining emotional moments of his life were happening
simultaneously: the early endless stream of foster homes, the fights at school, his discovery ofGabriel—a
filthy puppy tied to a tree in a gangmember's backyard—the first time he saw VilmaSantiago, and the
deaths of the Stanleys, the onlytrue parents he ever knew.

 Aaron tried to block them out, to hold themat bay, but the experiences were relentless, anassault upon
his every sense. His confusionturned to rage, and then to panic. He lashed out with a newly summoned
blade of fire, futilelycutting through the swirling crimson vapor,doing anything to fight back, but to no
avail.

 The fog grew thicker, hungrily closing inaround him. And suddenly, as if his own emotional turmoil hadn't
been enough, every aspectof the war in Heaven bombarded his alreadytorn and frayed senses. He saw
the crystal spiresof Heaven stained crimson with the blood of discord, smelled the sickly sweet aroma of
burningangel flesh, and listened to the cries of brothers,once comrades in the glory that was Heaven,
locked in furious combat.How easily it all fellapart,he sadly observed as he experienced thewoe of
God, a despair the likes of which hecould not even begin to describe. It was all encompassing, a sucking
void that pulled him inand devoured all hope.

 At that devastating moment Aaron fullyunderstood the magnitude of his father's crimes and the fallout
that followed. To go against theCreator, to strike at God—it was the pinnacle ofsin, the saddest of all
things. He could think ofno way to escape the anguish of it. The malaisewas like an enormous hand
pushing him downto the ground, crushing him, and he came to thesickening realization that nothing
mattered, that the struggle of the fallen angels for forgivenesswas to no avail.

It was hopeless.

All his sacrifice and struggle had been for naught.
 With a trembling hand Aaron brought hisweapon of fire to his throat and prepared to endit—to make the
misery stop. He felt the searing bite of the blade's flaming edge upon the flesh ofhis neck, but did not pull
away. It was a blessed relief to feel something other than the sorrow ofthe Lord God.

"Stop,"begged a voice riding upon thechurning mist of crimson.

 And strangely it stayed his hand, the fieryblade faltering. Aaron stumbled through theunnatural fog,
stepping over the bodies of otherswho had released themselves from the pain ofHeaven's fall, drawn
toward the voice, an island of hope in a sea of desperation.

 The image of a man hanging from the ceilingin chains appeared in the roiling vapor. Aaronmoved closer
and could see the glowing, archaicsymbols etched upon the dark metal restraints,symbols infused with the
ability to sap away thestrength of the angelic.

 He reached up to help the man down as further waves of drowning emotion washed overhim, and he
again found himself contemplatinghis sword.It'll be quick and relatively painless, hethought, raising the
blade of fire to his throat.Anything to take away the hurt...

"That's not the way," the hanging mancroaked, and raised his head of curly black hairto look upon
Aaron with eyes deep and dark,old eyes filled with centuries of pain.

 Aaron knew this man, so long associatedwith all that was evil and wrong with the world.He was pulled
into Lucifer's gaze, unexpectedlyfeeling as though he had been tossed a life preserver, adrift in a furious
sea of rabid sensation."It...it hurts so much," he said, clutching a prized moment of solace, fearing he
would nothave the strength to endure the next pummeling wave.

 "But think about how good it will feel whenit stops," Lucifer whispered, his head slowlyfalling forward
again.

 The red cloud churned around the fallenangel, emanating from a gaping, vertical woundthat began in the
center of his chest, the horriblegash splayed open with metal clamps. Aaron was reminded of the cat he'd
had to dissect inhis junior year biology class, only this subject was somehow still alive.

 "You've got to use it," Lucifer murmured."The pain. Use it as fuel to move past the torment,to the light at
the end of the tunnel—punishmentto absolution. It's what's kept me relatively sanesince the Fall." He
strained to smile. "It's good tosee you in person, son. Only wish the circumstances were a bit less hairy."

 Aaron moved closer to the prisoner, fightingto keep his feelings in check. "Let me help you,"he said,
preparing to use his heavenly blade tosever the debilitating chains and release the fallen angel that was his
father.

 Lucifer's head rose. "Watch your back," hecroaked in warning, and Aaron spun around, hissword
instinctively raised, blocking anotherweapon of fire as it descended out of the mist toend his life.

"You'll do no such thing," Verchiel screamed,emerging from the deadly fog.

Aaron was momentarily shocked by theangel's decaying appearance. The heavenlyarmor that once
gleamed like the sun was nowdirty gray. The usually firm and modeled flesh of his arms and legs was
wrapped haphazardly in blood-stained bandages. His face was like asingle, open wound.
 Their weapons hissed as they bit into oneanother, shrapnel of heavenly fire cuttingthrough the air. Aaron
cried out in sudden pain,his cheek glanced by the sword's fiery embers.

"The end is upon us," the leader of thePowers rumbled as he bore down upon hisweapon, attempting to
drive Aaron to his knees.

 "That's probably the first and last time I'llever agree with you, you son of a bitch," Aaronsnarled, calling
forth his wings, pushing forward,driving his attacker back, using the rabid emotions as his father ordered.

 The two angelic entities glided across the gym, locked in a furious struggle, the Creator'spunishment
flowing around them, becomingdarker, thicker, as if egging them on. It was taking all that Aaron had to
ignore the multitude ofemotions that made him want to drop his sword,to give in to the sadness and
despair all aroundthem. He raged against the disparaging feelings, reminding himself of all those who were
depending on him.

 Verchiel pressed his attack, his sword coming dangerously close to severing Aaron's headfrom his
shoulders. The Nephilim flapped hispowerful wings, sending himself up toward themuted light from the
skylight, Verchiel in heatedpursuit. Then he suddenly spun around, arcing downward, plowing into the
angel and sendingthem both plummeting to the gymnasium floor.

 They hit the hard wood with incredibleforce, boards splintering and popping from theimpact. Verchiel
shrieked, thrashing beneathhim. He reached up and dragged a clawed handacross Aaron's face, barely
missing his eyes. TheNephilim leaped away and noticed that he wascovered in blood. It took him but a
heartbeat torealize that it was not his own, but Verchiel's.The injuries beneath the angel's bandages were
bleeding profusely and he stank of rot.

 Verchiel climbed to his feet, his great wingsflexed, feathers shedding like falling leaves. Heglanced down
upon himself, the blood from hisinjuries running down his body in rivulets topool at his feet. "This is what
it's come to," thePowers leader said, a despair in his voice thatonly added to the anguish roiling about
them."It's all been taken away from me." He glared at Aaron with black, hate-filled eyes."You've takenit
away from me—you and the monster thatspawned you."

"Do you honestly believe that we're entirelyto blame?" Aaron stared hard at the angel, hisgaze
unwavering. "That we've somehow pulledone over on God, and you're the only one whoknows about it?"
He shook his head in disgust."What a load of crap."

 Verchiel seethed, fists clenched before him,black blood oozing between his fingers to patter like gentle
rain upon the floor.

 "Sins were committed," Aaron continued."Crimes so unimaginable that they could neverbe forgiven. Or
can they?"

The fog swirled about Verchiel, as if somehow attempting to comfort him. "You knownothing of what
we experienced," he growled.

 Aaron extended his bloodstained arms,showing the Powers leader the black sigils thatadorned his flesh.
"But that's where you'rewrong," he said. "I wear their names, those whodied fighting for Lucifer's cause.
And inside ofme lives a piece of each and every one of them."

The angel's horrible face twisted in revulsion. "You're more of a monstrosity than Ithought," he snarled
with disgust.
 "A monstrosity who knows their jealousy,"Aaron countered. "That feels what it was likewhen God
seemed to turn away from them toembrace another creation on a new world. I knowhow desperate they
were to regain his favor.Desperate enough to do something foolish."

Verchiel glanced down at the blood pooling athis feet. "They broke His holy trust and for thatthey
deserved a punishment most severe." Helooked back to Aaron. "I was doing what I was told to do. It
was my holy mission to bring themdown."

"The fallen eventually realized that theywere wrong, but have you?" Aaron asked. "IfGod told you, right
now, that they were to begiven a chance to do penance—to prove theywere truly sorry—would you
even be able tohear Him?"

"I followed my commands."

"Exactly," Aaron agreed with a slight nod."You followedyour commands."

Verchiel turned suddenly, stalking awayfrom him. "I'm tired of all this . . . living," hesaid.

 Aaron noticed that one of the angel's blood-covered hands had begun to glow, and he readied himself
for the next round of conflict. "Thenlet's see what I can do about putting you out ofyour misery," he
replied, sword of heavenly fireburning righteously in his grasp.

 The leader of the Powers turned, his right hand glowing with incredible heat, the blood running down
from the wounds upon his arms, hissing snakelike, evaporating to smoke beforeit could drip upon the
white-hot hand. Helaughed, a sound void of any humor. "I wonderif He's listening now?" He turned his
eyestoward the heavens and raised his burninghand. A tendril of living flame erupted toexplode through
the skylight and illuminate thenight beyond it with the glow of Heaven's fire.

"What is that disparaging statement humansoften make to each other?" the angel asked, asjagged pieces
of the broken glass rained down upon him. "Go to Hell?"

 And Aaron realized what was happening.He watched in stunned horror as the crimson mist coalesced,
snaking across the floor likesome prehistoric serpent, over the bodies ofthose felled by its malignant
touch, eager toinvade the world beyond these walls.

"Yes, that's right," Verchiel said with anobvious glee. "You can all go to Hell."

Kraus tried to squeeze himself deeper into thedarkened corner of an abandoned classroom, acacophony
of emotions bringing him to thebrink of insanity. All the anguish, anger, andloneliness that had been part of
his early life waswith him again, the intensified feelings bombarding him threefold.

 With his new eyes he had watched theangelic ritual performed upon the fallen angelLucifer. Even before
the last of the rite was completed, the healer knew that nothing goodwould come from it, and he
attempted to hidehimself away.

For decades he had served the angelic hostPowers, developing a certain preternatural sensefor things
beyond the norm. As most humanswere oblivious to the paranormal, Kraus foundthat he had become
keenly sensitive. Thosesenses were screaming now, and he attempted to fold himself tighter into a ball, to
protect himself from the forces that had been turned loosethis day.
How could I have been so blind?

 Though a force from Heaven, Verchiel hadbecome twisted, obsessed with the completionof his holy
charge no matter how high the cost.And Kraus had helped him. How strange it wasthat it took the leader
of the Powers host rewarding him with the gift of sight for him to truly seehow things actually were.

Iwas blind, but now I can see.

 Kraus heard the cries of his classmates at thePerrySchoolas they were consumed by fire, andhe
shuddered in the darkness. There had been no act of mercy that fateful night, only murder.

 He was suddenly reminded of somethingLucifer had said to him only days ago, andfought an unrelenting
wave of fear to rememberexactly what had been said. The healer hadfound himself drawn to the
prisoner's cage, although he had been instructed never to enterthe room in which the Powers' captive had
beenimprisoned. Somehow he sensed that he was needed, that his skills as a healer were beingcalled for.
Still condemned to darkness, he hadgathered his instruments and healing potions,feeling his way to the
schoolroom where the per sonification of all that was evil was imprisoned.

Evil personified.Kraus would have laughed ifhe weren't so afraid.

The Devil had welcomed him into the room,and Kraus stood strong against him. He knew hehad to be
on guard, for the prisoner's manipulative ways were legendary. He had bravelyinformed the prisoner that
he was a healer and had come only to administer to the fallen angel'swounds. Lucifer had said he
understood, andalthough most of his burns had healed, hewished for Kraus to treat a few stubborn
patches.

 The healer had stoically obliged. It was his duty, after all, to care for the angelic creaturesaround him,
whether they were soldier or prisoner. But he found himself in awe of this prisoner's demeaner. Here was
the Prince of Darkness, the Lord of Lies, imprisoned by theforces of Good, and all he could talk about
washow much he enjoyed the springtime, and couldhe please have some bread for his friend, a mouse.

Wasit then that the first seeds of doubt wereplanted?Kraus wondered. Or had it been withthose final
words, as he completed the application of healing salve upon Lucifer's burns?

 "It's going to get worse around here before it canget better,"Lucifer had warned."That's the way ithas
to be, but I thought you might want to know."

 He had wanted to ask the prisoner toexplain, for he had already begun to suspect, tofeel, that the near
future was ripe with thepotential for danger. The words were at the tipof his tongue, ready to fall from his
mouth, whenVerchiel returned from his latest defeat at thehands of the Nephilim. He had been lucky that
the Powers commander hadn't slain him thenand there, but the angel had been preoccupiedwith his plans
for the future and Kraus hadquickly fled.

The future.

Lucifer's words again echoed through hismind."It's going to get worse around here before itcan get
better."

 Kraus uncurled himself and leaned backagainst the cold plaster wall. He rememberedthe last time he had
seen the prisoner, hangingfrom the ceiling in chains, his torso cut open andsomething unspeakable leaking
out into theworld.
 "Very bad indeed," he muttered, afraid tomove, afraid to incite another pummeling waveof the
supernatural force that seemed to havesubsided for the moment, allowing him togather his wits about him.

"Why would he have told me that?" Krausasked the oppressive gloom.

In his mind he saw the mist leaking fromLucifer's wound—saw how he fought to keep itinside—and
Kraus knew he had to do something.

The thought of leaving his hiding place filledhim with mortal terror. What was happeningbeyond the walls
of this classroom was notmeant to be seen by mere man. And besides,what could he possibly do to
prevent it?

"That's the way it has to be."

Kraus finally found the strength within himself to stand, and before he could question thesanity of his
actions, went to the door.

"But I thought you might want to know."

 He moved through the darkened school, theeerie vapor that had once been contained withinthe first of
the fallen becoming thicker as he neared the gymnasium. Kraus tried with all hismight not to let it affect
him, not to be reduced toquivering human wreckage by its touch. It wasthe hardest thing he had ever
done, plungingheadlong into that debilitating mist. He waitedfor it to overcome him, to crush him beneath
theoverpowering weight of its despair, but it did not happen.Perhaps more than the ability to see was
bestowed upon me by Verchiel's restorative touch,Kraus considered.

 It was like being blind again as he felt hisway through the swirling mist, stumbling overthe bodies of those
who had already fallen victim to the full extent of the vapor's malignancy. He could not bring himself to
look at them, forthey had been his charges for decades, their well-being his responsibility, and it hurt him
deeply to know that there was nothing he couldhave done to ease their pain.

 A limp human shape, hanging from the ceiling's metal girders by thick links of metal chain,loomed out of
the drifting mist before him. Butnow that he had reached his goal, Kraus was unsure of why exactly he
had come. He couldhear sounds within the fog, voices raised in rage,and he suspected that the Nephilim
had come tochallenge Verchiel's insanity.

 "It's bad," Kraus muttered to the unconscious figure, clutching his satchel of healingtools to his chest as if
they could somehow protect him. The deafening sound of an explosionand the shattering of glass made
the healerwince, and he shielded his head from possible hurt. "Very bad," he whispered, and he felt the
cool touch of the fresh night air invade the stagnant atmosphere of the gym.

 He noticed that the mist was being drawntoward an opening in the ceiling where a skylight had been, and
the nightmarish images ofthe vapor expanding across the globe filled hishead. "I can't imagine it any
worse," Kraus muttered.

And Lucifer slowly raised his head.

"Help me down," he said. "I think that's mycue."

Aaron watched in terror as Verchiel rose upalongside the integrated fog, wings beating theair as he
followed the seething mass on its undulating course toward the open skylight, towardits freedom.

 Then instinct took over and Aaron spread hiswings and leaped into the air. The manifestation of
Heaven's grief had become something akin toa single great tentacle, slithering through the airpointed at
the gaping hole in the ceiling.

 "You have to stop this!" he screamed at Verchiel, his blade of fire passing uselessly throughthe gaseous
mass. At one time the Powers leadermust have been a rational thinking being, and hehoped to somehow
appeal to what remained of that creature, if anything remained at all. "Youclaim to be a loyal servant of
God, and yetyou're going to allow this to happen? Thinkabout what you're doing!"

 Verchiel hovered just below the shatteredframework of the skylight, his tattered wings flapping furiously
to keep his form aloft. Hisdark, horrible eyes were riveted to the snake offog. Night had fallen outside,
and despite thehorror of what was happening below, the starsin the sky twinkled beautifully. If the mist
were allowed to escape, Aaron wondered if the night sky would ever look this beautiful again.

 "He has to be shown," Verchiel said dreamily, beckoning for the deadly vapor to flow allthe faster. "If I'd
only been allowed to completemy mission, this never would have happened."He shook his head sadly as
if there was nothingmore that he could do. "It is too late—too late forus all."

 Aaron flew at the Powers commander,thoughts racing. There had to something hecould do to stop it.
Anything. "It'll be the deathof usall!" he shouted at the angel, desperatelytrying to reach any hint of the
divine still lurkingwithin Verchiel. He had turned this monstroushaze on; he had to know how to shut it
off.

The leader of the Powers brought forth hisown sword of fire, swiping at Aaron, drivinghim back. "Yes, it
will be our death!" he criedout, his face a blood-covered mask of open sores,"andHe will be forced to
bear that guilt."

 Aaron narrowly avoided the bite ofVerchiel's burning blade, riding dangerouslyclose to the hellish mass.
The angel came at himagain, his bandaged hand closing about theNephilim's throat, forcing him back into
thepunishment of God.

 Aaron struggled violently to be free, but Verchiel's grip was like steel. He felt as thoughhe were
drowning, every fiber of his beinginvaded by the experience that was the War inHeaven. Finally he
managed to break away,falling toward the ground, unable to function—barely able to cope with what his
body wasexperiencing. He landed with a sickening thudand painfully rolled over on his back, looking up
at the ceiling. He thought of the world beyondthe gym. He had seen what Lucifer's hell haddone to the
angelic, heavenly beings of amazingpower and strength, and shuddered to think ofthe horrors that would
soon befall the people of the world.

 Struggling to collect himself, Aaron yelled atthe angel hovering near the ceiling above him."You have to
stop it!"

Verchiel simply smiled, the marble pale skinof his face hidden in blood. "I can't," he saidwith a shake of
his head. And his smile grew all the larger and twice as terrible.

 Verchiel recognized some of the misery emanating from the body of the condensed vapor as hisown.
Anger turning to rage, sadness to overwhelming despair; all of them he had experienced during the
Morningstar's war in Heavenand during his own recent abandonment. He hadcontributed mightily to this
swirling miasma ofexperience, and now it was to be released upon the world.
 The angel's black eyes gazed up through theopen ceiling from which Hell would escape,through the cold
light of stars above, andattempted to seeParadise . He had always imagined that his mission, his private
war, wouldeventually end and that he would return toHeaven a hero of the cause. Things would be as
they had been: chaos squelched, order restored,and the memory of Lucifer Morningstar and hisatrocities
purged from the memories of alldivine beings. Verchiel saw himself basking inthe celestial light of his Lord
and HeavenlyFather, the favored child of God, and all wasright in Heaven and the universe.

 But it's not meant to be,the angel forlornlyreminded himself, averting his gaze from thewide sky above to
the snakelike monstrositywrithing in the air below him. Here was the personification of hisown rage, his
way of punishing all those who had hurt him. A horrible butnecessary way to make things right again.

 The Morningstar had not been forgotten. Hispresence had continued to infect the heavenly domain like
some malignant growth, blossoming into the cancerous prophecy of forgiveness,and eventually the state in
which Verchiel currently found the world. He could take it nomore; the denigration had to be stopped.

 "Are you watching, my Lord?" he called tothe open space above him. The stars winked as if in
response. "You may have been able to forgivethem their trespasses, but I cannot."

He soared up and out through the damagedskylight into the night, gazing down as theprobing tip of the
gaseous appendage cautiously reached beyond the skylight into thecool night air.

 "That's it," the angel encouraged, a perversesatisfaction the likes of which he had neverknown
empowering his decaying form. "Thisworld of sin belongs to you now. Let them feelwhat we felt—how
horribly we suffered for Hislove."

 Verchiel looked out over centralMassachusetts ,his gaze traversing beyondNew England to lookupon
the whole planet of man. "Will You forgiveme,Heavenly Father?" he whispered. "Whenmysin is
committed and my penance is done, will Youtakeme back into Your embrace?"

He again looked upon the monstrous thingthat had been the bane of Lucifer as it preparedto make its
way into the world.

But something was wrong.

It hesitated.

Verchiel flew closer and watched in surpriseas the hellish mass began to recede into thebuilding. "Come
back!" he roared pitifully, hiscries of disappointment echoing through the still of the night.

He descended, following the serpentineform back into the building, Bringer of Sorrowignited in his
grasp.

There was Lucifer Morningstar kneelingupon the floor of the gymnasium, his own fingers now holding
open the gaping wound in hischest, an expression of unadulterated sufferingetched upon his features, as
he gradually drewthe thick crimson vapor back within himself.Standing beside him, a supportive hand
uponthe first of the fallen's bare shoulder, stoodVerchiel's own healer, the monkey Kraus.

 "What is this?" the angel growled aghast,not so much that the Morningstar was free, butthat one who had
served him so faithfully, onwhom he bestowed such a great gift, could beparty to Verchiel's own betrayal.
"I'm taking it back," Lucifer said, strugglingto his feet with the help of the human animal. "Itis not the
world's burden." The enormous volume of swirling mist slowly burrowed backinside his body. "It is my
punishment. I am its master, and it is mine alone to bear."

"You always were a selfish one, LuciferMorningstar," Verchiel ranted as he droppedfrom the ceiling,
placing all his might behind what would be a killing blow.

chapter fifteen

Time slowed as Verchiel's blade fell towardhim.

For a glorious few moments Lucifer had experienced what it was like to be free of hisburden. It had
been bliss, and for an instant heconsidered the possibility of life again without his punishment.

 I've done more than enough penance,hethought, trying to convince himself that itwouldn't be such a bad
thing to let God's chastening of him go.I'm truly sorry for all my sins. Hemust know that,Lucifer
rationalized.Maybe this ishow it was supposed to be. Is this how I'm to be freedfrom the Lord's wrath?

 He looked up now and saw Verchiel abovehim, armor tarnished, skin covered in tattered,blood-stained
bandages and open sores, decaying wings spread wide as he fell toward him,hissing weapon of fire falling
toward his face.Isthis a messenger from God?Lucifer asked himself.One that the Creator sent to tell
me I am forgiven?But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, Lucifer knew the answer.

It was not yet his time for absolution.

 Wearily he began to take it back, all thepain, sorrow, anger, and misery spawned by hisjealousy. The
chore was daunting and excruciating, and the first of the fallen wasn't sure hehad the strength left to finish
it. But the human healer, Kraus, had lent him some of his ownstrength, and Lucifer had managed to
completehis task.

 Hell churned inside him again. It belongedto him and nobody else. It would be his until theday he was
forgiven, or his life was brought to an end.

And not before.

 Which brought him back to the here andnow. Verchiel's blade was dangerously close.Lucifer thought of
conjuring his own weapon ofchoice, a fiery trident that could have easily challenged Verchiel's blade of
sorrow. But in his millenia on Earth he had developed an aversion toviolence, and it had been so long
since he lastsummoned a weapon from Heaven's arsenal.The image of the three-pronged weapon began
to form in his mind.

 He was not as fast as he once was, and hecould feel the heat of Verchiel's blade upon hisface as sparks
of heavenly fire filled his hands.Hopefully he would not be too slow. It would besad to have come this far
only to die now.

 Although he had difficulty with the details,the trident began to take shape and Luciferraised his arm. The
weapon wasn't quite ready,and he feared that it would not have enoughsubstance to prevent the sword of
sorrow fromcleaving his skull, but there was no time left. He had to try. He pushed Kraus away, out of
harm's reach, and prepared to meet Verchiel'sattack.

Bringer of Sorrow cut through Lucifer'sweapon as if it were not there, and the first ofthe fallen readied
for the blade's searing bite.He was sorry that it had come to this, sorry thathe hadn't more time to spend
with his son,sorry that he hadn't been forgiven. Then itstopped less than an inch from his nose, anequally
impressive blade of Heaven blockingVerchiel's strike with a resounding crackle ofdivine fire.

Lucifer turned to see his son in all hisNephilim glory, wings of raven black, bodyadorned with the names
of those who hadsworn allegiance to the Morningstar and diedfor his cause. He certainly was a sight to
behold.

"Thank you," Lucifer said with a sigh ofrelief.

"De nada,"Aaron replied before turning hisfull attention to the Powers commander.

"Let's finish this," the Nephilim said impatiently, and the angel Verchiel appeared eager tooblige.

Blades still touching, opposing forces sputteringand sparking angrily, Aaron placed himselfbetween
Verchiel and Lucifer Morningstar. Itwas his turn now.

 He remembered the first time he had seen theangelic creature that would unmercifully stealaway so much
that was important to him, immaculately dressed in his dark suit and trench coat,gliding into his foster
parents' house on BakerStreet as if he belonged there.He actually believedthat what he was doing was
right,Aaron thought bitterly. Killing his parents, burning down theirhome, and kidnapping his little brother.
Oh yes,that was exactly what God wanted, for sure.

 The sight before Aaron now was nothingshort of pathetic—filthy, blood-covered, andragged—but no
less dangerous. He thought ofasking the creature to give up, providing himwith a chance to put away his
sword and stopthe inevitable, but he knew it wouldn't happen.

"So, we going to do this?" Aaron asked, hissteely gaze unwavering.

Verchiel spat upon the floor, a thick, bloodyphlegm that, by the sound of it, was filled with teeth. "Oh
yessss," he hissed as he wiped hismouth with the back of a bandaged hand, and attacked.

 Aaron parried his assault and followedthrough with one of his own, driving the last of the Powers away
from the still recoveringMorningstar.It's like fighting a wild animal, hethought, the angel growling and
spitting witheach opposing move as they hacked and slashed at each other across the gymnasium floor.

 Aaron's back struck up against the cool concrete wall and he managed to duck as Verchiel'sblade cut
across its surface, leaving a deep, smoldering furrow in the building stone. The angel moved in to strike
again and the boy saw his opportunity, a memory of countless fights whilegrowing up. Using his wings, he
propelled himself forward and slammed his fist into the face ofhis foe. It was like hitting melting ice, wet,
on theverge of yielding, but not yet ready to crumble.Verchiel flipped backward, wings flapping wildly as
he landed on the floor.

 Certain that at least two of his knuckles hadbeen broken, Aaron shook the pain from hishand. "That was
for Doctor Jonas," he said,remembering his psychiatrist, the first victim ofthe Powers' hunt for him.

Verchiel's face was a bloody mess, a combination of blood and teeth oozing from hisswollen mouth as
he rolled to his knees, beginning to rise. Anger flared in Aaron and hesurged toward the angel again,
preparing todeliver a powerful kick to his side.

The Powers commander caught his leg,twisting it savagely to one side, and Aaron fell tothe floor. The
angel scrambled across the floor toward him, a horrific, blood-stained sight, theinsane jagged grin of a
jack-o'-lantern on hisonce pristine features.

 The Nephilim lashed out with the heel of hisshoe, connecting with the side of the angel'sface. It did little
to slow him down as he scrabbled atop Aaron, wings flapping, long, spideryfingers winding about his
throat and beginningto squeeze.

 "I've longed for this moment,monster,"Verchiel gurgled, bloody saliva dripping fromhis injured mouth
and running down Aaron'sface. "To kill you with my bare hands, to watchthe accursed life leave your
eyes."

 Vibrant blossoms of color exploded beforeAaron's eyes as the angel's viselike grip grewtighter.
Instinctively a weapon of fire began toform in his hand, but he couldn't concentrate,the images in his head
a jumbled mess. Darknessbegan to creep in around the edges of his vision.He thought of a knife, a simple
thing made foronly one purpose.

 With failing strength he drove the blade intoVerchiel's side. The tip of the knife deflected offthe angel's
armored chest plate, sparks of fireexploding between them, but it was enough todistract his foe, and his
grip loosened. Aaronmanaged to pull a knee up beneath his attacker,and with the last of his reserves, he
flippedVerchiel over and behind him. He flexed hiswings and sprung up from the floor, whirlingaround as
the burning knife grew into a swordof fire.

 Verchiel was already up on his feet, charging, Bringer of Sorrow held aloft in both hands."The prophecy
dies with you, Nephilim!" hescreamed as he brought the blade down uponAaron. "I can be satisfied with
that victoryalone."

 The force of the blow was devastating, driving Aaron to his knees as he blocked the blazingsword's
descent. "Hate to disappoint you," hesnarled as he leaped to his feet, pushing Verchielaway with his
sword, "but the only victorytoday is for the fallen angels, when I put youdown once and forall." He could
feel thestrength of the angel warriors whose namesadorned his flesh surge through his body. Neverhad he
felt so sure of anything as he did at thatmoment, perfectly attuned to what he was andwhat he was
supposed to do.

Verchiel attacked again, his sword of heavenly fire dropping again and again as itattempted to cut him
down, but his blade didnot—could not—touch the Nephilim. It was as ifAaron was anticipating the
Powers commander's every move, countering each parry withone of his own. Verchiel's attacks became
morewild, more frenzied, but still the Nephilim didnot fall.

 His patience waning, Aaron finally lashedout on his own, swatting Verchiel's weaponfrom his hand. The
angel snarled, summoningyet another instrument of death, but Aaronresponded in a similar fashion,
disarming theangel commander with perverse ease.

"It's done," he said, his voice filled with confidence.

Suddenly the angel warrior seemed to wiltbefore his eyes, as if the fight had finally beenstolen from him.
Verchiel dropped to one knee,his head bowed.

"Do it," he spat, refusing to look at theNephilim.

 Aaron clutched the hilt of his own blade allthe tighter, feeling the heat of his weapon coursethrough his
arm. The warrior's essence housedinside him screamed in rage. Here was hisenemy kneeling before him
in supplication, anenemy that had taken away so much, and still hestayed his hand. If he were to strike at
Verchielnow, it would be no better than murder.

Verchiel raised his swollen, blood-coveredface to fix him in the most horrible stare. "Kill me now," he
demanded.

Though Aaron wanted to raise his blade andcut the monster's head in two, he restrainedhimself. "I may
be an abomination in youreyes," he said, "but I am not a murderer."

Verchiel moved like lightning, surging upfrom the ground, a knife of fire in his grasp.

"Mercy from my most hated foe," he hissedserpentlike, lashing out at Aaron's exposedthroat. "It would
have hurt me less if you hadtaken my head from my shoulders."

 Aaron blocked with his hand, the knife slicing through his palm rather than his throat. Hejumped away
from the enraged angel.

 Verchiel swayed upon his feet, knife of firestill clutched in his hand, but he did not attack again. "This is
far from over." He spread his wings and soared toward the open skylight."Perhaps another time," he
called as he escaped into the night with the flapping of mighty wings and a snowfall of molted feathers.

Aaron knew what he had to do.

"Be careful," he heard a voice say from acrossthe gym, and he saw that his father was watching. The
human healer knelt by his side and wasstitching closed the vertical wound in his chestwith a rather large
needle and what looked to bethread spun from gold. "We've got quite a bit todiscuss when this is all
over," Lucifer said.

 Aaron nodded as he spread his wings forflight. "We certainly do." Then he soaredthrough the hole in the
ceiling, in pursuit of theangel Verchiel.

 The night air was cool upon his skin, a kind ofbalm to his injured hand, and it reinvigoratedhis senses,
clearing his head as his eyes perusedthe evening sky in search of his prey.

 He can't have gone far,Aaron mused.Wouldn'thave gone far. Verchiel must know that I will chasehim.
He doubted that the Powers leader wouldpass up the opportunity to take him out onceand for all. It
didn't look as though the angelwould be alive for much longer. This had to beVerchiel's last chance to
ruin it all, to stop theprophecy from becoming reality.

 Aaron heard them first, the hungry crackleof heavenly fire as it cut its way through the air.He dove to the
side as four daggers of flamepassed harmlessly through the spot he had beenhovering mere seconds
before. But a fifth hadbeen thrown in anticipation of his reaction. Thefiery blade penetrated his upper
thigh with abubbling hiss, burning through his pants, plunging beneath the flesh to the very bone. It was as
if someone had poured molten lava inside thewound. Aaron cried out, gripping his injuredleg, attempting
to stay aloft.

 Then, like something out of the worst ofnightmares, Verchiel dropped from the sky. Theangel actually
appeared to be in even worseshape, flesh in various stages of decay, woundsripe with infection. Even as
they hovered in the open night sky, Aaron could smell the nauseating scent of rot. It was as if all the evil
and insanity that had shaped this once heavenly creatureinto what he was today was bubbling to the sur
face, showing the world his true face.
 They fought, their powerful wings poundingthe air unmercifully. It was hard to focus abovethe pain in his
leg, and Aaron's endurance was rapidly waning. The bitter conflict had to endsoon. A sword of fire
flashed in Verchiel's graspand Aaron lashed out, kicking savagely at theangel's wrist and making him
drop it, butanother was already forming to take its place.Aaron kicked again, this time with his wounded
leg, and explosions of jagged agony sliced through his body.

 Verchiel seemed to sense the Nephilim'sdwindling fortitude. Aaron could see it in hisred-rimmed eyes as
yet another sword of fireappeared in his hand. "You will know your better!" the angel screamed, flecks of
blood flyingfrom his mouth as he soared across the short distance of sky, sword arcing downward
towardthe Nephilim.

 Aaron wasn't sure why he thought of it thenor why he hadn't thought of it before, but theinspiration came
to him suddenly, fully formed,and a weapon the likes of which he had neverwielded before burst to
existence in his hand. Itwas a gun, much larger than Lehash's pistols,the barrel long and thick. It had none
of the delicate beauty of the gunslinger's twin weapons,reminding Aaron more of the guns he'd seen in
some of his foster father's Friday night actionmovies, something that would have been usedby Arnold, or
maybe even Clint. Something usedto take the bad guys down once and for all.

 Aaron almost found the change of expression on Verchiel's twisted features comical as heraised the
fearsome weapon forged from hisimagination and heavenly fire. Almost. If onlythe whole situation hadn't
been so damn sad.

 He pulled the trigger, and a sound like whathe would have imagined from the Big Bangerupted from the
weapon. A tongue of fire atleast a foot in length lapped eagerly at the air asthe force of the blast tossed
Verchiel back. Hebegan to spiral down toward the church below, atail of smoke trailing from a grievous
hole in hisshoulder. The once fearsome angel crashedthrough the large, circular, stained-glass win dow at
the front of the Saint Athanasius Church.

 Still clutching the hand-cannon forged fromhis imagination, Aaron followed, cautiouslyentering the church
through the broken windowringed with jagged teeth of multicolored glass. Itwas dark inside, the only light
thrown from thestars and the half-moon above.

 As Aaron touched down upon the altar, hechecked the landscape. Most of the church's religious
trappings had been removed. Rows ofbenchlike seats were spread out before him, anda bloody trail ran
up the center aisle to end withVerchiel as he crawled laboriously toward thefront doors and escape.
Aaron allowed his wingsto catch the air and glided down the aisle, favoring his injured leg, the powerful
weapon still athis side.

 Verchiel sensed his presence, halting hisprogress and slowly rolling onto his back. The angel's breath
rattled wetly in his lungs. Shardsof stained glass clung to the sticky surface of hisgore-covered body.
Aaron gazed into the darkness of the circular wound that had been blown into his right shoulder and
imagined that he wasgazing into the angel's soul. It was as he suspected: nothing there but a yawning
blackness.

 "What are you waiting for?" Verchiel gaspedthrough his swollen and bloody mouth. "This is your chance
to destroy the one that wished withall his heart to see you wiped from existence."

Aaron raised his weapon, sighting down thebarrel, taking aim at the one that had causedhim so much
grief. He was repulsed by thiscreature lying on the floor before him, the furthest thing from a being of
Heaven he couldpossibly imagine.
Verchiel chuckled, bubbles of blood forming at the corners of his mouth. "I would havepurged the world
of your taint," he taunted."Burned the ground you walked upon withheavenly fire."

But Aaron also felt something else: a certainpity for the being that had once been a soldier ofGod, then
became so twisted and poisoned byhis hatred and his inability to forgive that it hadturned him into a
monster.

 "There would have been no one to mournyour passing," Verchiel continued, shaking hishead from side to
side, "for I would have slainthem as well."

Aaron knew that angel was trying to goadhim into action, and he decided he would notplay the game.
He lowered the weapon, allowing it to disintegrate in a flash.

Verchiel's face twisted in confusion. "What are you doing?" he asked, a quivering rage evident in his
question. "I'm prepared to die now.Kill me."

 Aaron shook his head slowly, a now familiarsensation beginning to build in the center of his chest. It was
the beckoning of a higher power to release those imprisoned within cages of fragileflesh—to allow them
the opportunity to standbefore their Lord God and beg for absolution. Itwas the power that defined him
as the savior of prophecy, and it coursed up from his center anddown the length of his arms, emanating
from hisoutstretched hands.

"Kill me," the angel demanded again, struggling to rise to his feet.

 And though it pained him greatly, Aaronknew exactly what he was supposed to do withVerchiel. He had
to let go of his anger, of his hatefor the pathetic monster that had caused himand the ones he loved so
much hurt. And he was better for it, experiencing the true meaning of his God-given gift.

"It's not my place to judge you," he said, hisvoice calm, showing not a trace of anger.

 Verchiel's black, soulless eyes bulged as Aaron reached out to him. Suddenly the angelknew what was
about to happen. He wasn'tgoing to be slain by his most hated enemy.

This was a fate far more horrible than that,and he tried to flee.

 Aaron reached out, taking hold of Verchiel'shead in his hands, and let the power of forgiveness flow
through him and into the leader of the Powers host.

"I forgive you," he whispered as the Powerscommander struggled to be free of his hold. "ButwillHe?"

 Verchiel shrieked in fear, his sword, Bringerof Sorrow, appearing his hand. He attempted tolash out at
Aaron but didn't seem able to controlthe fire. The sword lost its shape, the flameinstead flowing down to
consume his arm, eat ing away the wounded flesh and continuing on.

Verchiel thrashed in the Nephilim's grasp,trying with all his might to escape, but the fires of Heaven
hungrily devoured his shell of flesh, leaving behind a being of muted light, one that did not shine like the
others Aaron had set free.This one was different.

 Aaron released the creature and steppedaway from the angel in its purest form. Verchielknelt upon the
floor of the church, quivering asif cold, but Aaron suspected it was fear that brought this reaction. The
frightened creatureraised its head, gazing up at the ceiling, seeingfar more than the images of Heaven's
glorypainted there.

 "It was all for you," Verchiel muttered in thetongue of the messengers. The glow of his bodybegan to
intensify, and soon he was envelopedin a sphere of solid, white light, as if a star hadsomehow fallen from
the sky to lie upon thefloor of the church.

 Aaron shielded his eyes with his wings, saving his sight from the searing intensity of thelight."I am so
sorry" were the last words heheard uttered by the terrified Verchiel as he wastaken in a flash.

Taken up to Heaven to face the judgement ofGod.

chapter sixteen

It was as if some great burden had been liftedfrom her.

 Vilma Santiago opened her eyes in the semi-gloom of the basement room where she hadbeen confined.
She felt better than she had indays. She couldn't describe it exactly. The onlything she could even vaguely
compare it to waswaking up the morning after taking a reallyimportant test at school, the sense of relief
shefelt when she realized that the test was behindher. It was a really stupid comparison, but it wasthe best
she could manage at the moment.

 She sat up, waiting to feel the ominous stirrings of the angelic power within her, but feltnothing other than
an extreme sense of calm.

 The golden chains attached to the manacles upon her wrists rattled as she climbed off themattress and
padded barefoot across the concretefloor to the stairs. Slowly she climbed the steps, listening carefully,
curious if there was anyoneelse in the house with her, but she heard nothing.

 The girl stepped out into the hall and turnedtoward the kitchen, vaguely recalling thatLorelei and Aaron
had given her something—some kind of medicine. But deep down shesensed that that was only partly
responsible forthe peace she was feeling.

She found Gabriel lying on the floor in thekitchen, staring out at the night through a broken screen door.

 "Hey, boy," she said, happy to see the animal, strangely relieved that she hadn't been leftcompletely
alone.

Gabriel, startled by the sound of her voice,sprang to his feet, tail starting to wag when herealized that it
was she."You scared me," he said ashe trotted to her, nuzzling her hands for affection.

"I'm sorry," Vilma told him, stroking the softfur of his head. The chains between the manacles jangled.

 "I don't think you're supposed to be up andaround,"Gabriel cautioned. He leaned heavily against her,
accepting her ministrations with relish."They told me to make sure you stayed in bed."

 "I feel better," she told him. "Much better,really." She put her arms around his neck andgave him a
serious hug. "I don't know what it is,but I all of a sudden feel like everything is goingto be okay."

 Gabriel twisted in her grasp so that he couldlook into her eyes."Is he all right? Do you know ifAaron
is safe? I was feeling something too, but Icouldn't tell if it was a good feeling or a bad one."
 "Idon't know," Vilma told theLabrador ,looking at her reflection in his dark gaze. "I justwoke up feeling
that things had finally been setright." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders."I really don't know what it
means. It's just howI'm feeling."

Gabriel tilted his head quizzically."I guessthat's a good feeling, then."

 "I guess so," she said, standing and walkingtoward the door. "Where are the others, Gabe?"she asked
the dog as they stepped out into thecool, spring night.

 The streets of Aerie were deserted. It waseerily quiet, no signs evident that thiswasn't aneighborhood
abandoned during the nineteenseventies, even though she knew otherwise.

 "Lorelei said something about going to the centerof town to wait."The dog gazed down toward theend of
the street, nose twitching as he sniffedthe air.

"To wait for what? You mean for Aaron tocome back?"

 Gabriel slowly nodded his blocky head."Ormaybe for something bad to happen."His voicesounded
small, tinged with fear.

 Vilma took in a deep lungful of the dampnight air as she gazed up at the stars, reaffirmingthe peace she
had felt since awakening. Shewasn't sure exactly how she knew, but she wascertain that something about
the world hadchanged.

 "No," she said, heading toward Aerie's center with Gabriel close at her heels. "I don't thinkthis is bad at
all."

 The citizens had gathered in the center of what had once been called the Ravenschild Estates,now
known to them simply as Aerie. Lehashwasn't sure exactly why they had decided tocongregate not far
from the twisted rubble that had once been their place of worship, but theywere all here.

 It was probably for the same reason that he had come, an almost palpable feeling in the airthat something
big was about to happen.Nobody was talking really, both fallen angel andNephilim alike. All were
standing around, gazing off into the distance or at the night sky abovethem. They didn't seem to know the
directionfrom which it was going to arrive, but they knewit was coming nonetheless. He wouldn't have
disagreed with them.

Legs crossed at the ankles and leaningagainst a broken streetlight, Lehash sucked uponthe moist end of
his cheroot, letting the smoke leak from his nostrils to swirl in the air about his face. He studied the
gathering crowd. How theirnumbers had declined, thanks to the Powers'attack just weeks before. How
many of them hadbeen struck down, only to be freed from theirmortal shells by the touch of the one they
hadcome to think of as savior.Will the rest of us be aslucky?he wondered.

 "Fancy meeting you here," called a voicefrom across the street, and Lehash watched ashis daughter
approached. She strolled down thestreet, careful to avoid the gaping holes that hadbeen caused when the
full fury of her angelicspells had been unleashed upon the Powers, the magick of angels igniting pockets
of explosivegas trapped beneath the toxic-waste-taintedground. She had brought a weather-beatenbeach
chair with her, one that had belonged toBelphegor, and she unfolded it to sit down asshe reached him.

"I kind of wondered if I was the only onefeeling it," she said, crossing her legs, nervouslywiggling her foot
as she gazed around at thecenter and all who had gathered there. "Guessthis answers my question."

 Lehash silently pulled upon the end of his foul-smelling cigar, his preternatural visionscanning the entire
surroundings, as well ashundreds of miles beyond it.

 "That's one thing I never could stand aboutyou," Lorelei suddenly said from her beachchair. "You never
let me get a word in edgewise."

His daughter thought she was pretty funny.

 It was a trait that she definitely shared with hermother. The gunslinger remembered the human woman he
had fallen in love with, fooling himself into thinking that he could live like them.But the joke had been on
him. It hadn't been oneof his prouder moments, but he had left thewoman, for her own good he had told
himself,knowing full well that she had been with child as he headed out again alone—until he found Aerie,
a place where he could belong.

"Don't know why I ever admitted to bein'your daddy," he said dryly, blowing smoke intothe air to
punctuate his statement.

Lorelei chuckled, grabbing hold of the long,snow white hair the hung past her shoulders. "Idon't think
you could've denied it," she said, shaking the hair at him. "The family resemblance is unmistakable."

Lehash removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through his own snowy hair, pushing itback on his head
before replacing his hat. "Yer probably right," he drawled, the crack of a smileappearing at the corner of
his mouth. "Should'adyed my hair."

His daughter smiled, and he continued tosmoke his cigar, and they waited, as did all theother citizens.

Waited for something to happen.

"What are we going to do if he fails?" Lorelei asked quietly.

 Lehash looked down at her sitting in herlounge chair beside the streetlamp as if waitingfor a nighttime
parade to pass by. It was a question he had been thinking since Aaron left Aeriein pursuit of his father
and Verchiel. The kid wasgood, there was no doubting that, but the gunslingerhad also seen the savagery
of the Powerscommander many times throughout the centuries. And if there was one thing that Lehash
had become in his millennia on the earth, it wasa realist.

 He took a long, hard pull on his cherootbefore answering. "We'll do what we've alwaysdone. We'll
survive, fight if we have to," he said."But the world's going to become a pretty inhospitable place if the
boy—"

"I'm not talking about that," Lorelei said cutting him off. "I'm talking about the prophecy. What happens if
he dies before fulfilling theprophecy?"

Lehash dropped the remains of his cigar tothe street, crushing out the burning emberbeneath the toe of
his leather boot. "I guesswe're out of luck," he said, feeling an icy grip ofhopelessness the likes of which
he hadn't feltsince descending from Heaven and first setting foot upon this world.

The jangling of chains distracted them, andfather and daughter both looked up to seeGabriel trotting
down the damaged street beside Aaron's friend Vilma.
 "I told that dog not to let her out of bed,"Lorelei said, standing up as Vilma and Gabrielapproached the
center.

 "I guess she felt it too," Lehash said. From what he could see, the girl seemed healthy, nosigns of the
furious internal battle she had beenfighting earlier. The Malakim's potion appearedto have done what he
had promised it would.Furtively he hoped that her struggle hadn't beenfor nothing.

 Lehash felt it before it actually happened, asif somebody had taken a cold metal spur androlled it down
the length of his spine. And bythe expression he saw upon his daughter's face,he knew that she, too, had
felt it. He lifted hishands and allowed his guns of heavenly flameto take shape.

"Dad?" Lorelei questioned.

 She stumbled and he let go a gun to grabher arm, keeping her from falling, all the whilescanning the
neighborhood and beyond, searching for any hint of trouble. Whatever it was—whatever they were
feeling—was coming now,and there wasn't a damn thing any of themcould do to stop it.

 Gabriel began to bark crazily, his tail wagging. The dog seemed to be staring at a spot inthe center of the
street, across from the rubble ofthe church. Something was manifesting in theair there, something black
and shiny, and Lehash lowered his guns knowing full well what he wasseeing.

"He's back."

The gunslinger left his post and headedtoward the disturbance. Lorelei followed closelyat his side, and
before he knew it, Scholar, Vilma,and Gabriel had joined them. Citizens from allaround were converging
on Aaron Corbet.

Lehash raised his hand, signaling for thosearound him to stop where they were, as he carefully inched his
way toward the boy. He wantedto be certain that everything was all right before exposing the others to
potential danger.

 Aaron stood, unmoving, head bowed as if indeep reflection, his enormous wings closedabout him like a
black, feathered blanket. Slowlythe wings unfurled to reveal that the boy hadnot returned alone. Two
men were with him, oneon either side of the young Nephilim. Lehash didn't recognize the older of the
pair. He washuman, with the taint of angel magick abouthim. But there was no mistaking the identity of
the other, even with the odd addition of a mouseperched upon his shoulder.

"Hello, Lehash," he said in a voice as smoothas smoke, and the gunslinger suddenly foundhimself
wrestling with conflicting emotions.

"Been a while, Lucifer," Lehash responded tersely, not sure whether he wanted to embracethe angel or
put a bullet of fire through his head.

 Aaron returned his wings to beneath the flesh ofhis back, a wave of exhaustion washing overhim with the
realization that he had made ithome.

 Home.He couldn't believe that he actuallynow considered this decrepit neighborhoodbuilt upon a toxic
waste dump his home. It waskind of sad, but at the same time it filled hisheart with happiness to know
there was a placewhere he belonged.
 Before he left Saint Athanasius, there had beensome protest from his companions when he suggested
they return to Aerie together. The humanhealer, Kraus, did not feel he deserved the kindnessof Aerie's
citizens after having served the Powersfor so many years. And Lucifer Morningstar, well,he suspected
that many of Aerie's fallen residentswould still have issues with him.

 Aaron would hear none of it. He was tired,and he wanted to return to his friends. Givingthem little
choice, he had wrapped his fatherand the healer in his winged embrace andbrought them back to Aerie
with him.

"Since you two already know each other,"Aaron said, trying to divert the constable's attention, "allow
me to introduce Kraus. He was the Powers' healer."

The old man bowed his head in reverence to the angelic gunslinger. "I am truly honored to bein your
presence," he said.

 Lehash moved closer, sniffing at the man."He has the stink of Verchiel on him. The Powerscommander
changed him somehow."

Kraus lifted his head and gazed at the formidable angel before him. "He gave me the gift ofsight," the
human said, touching his face. "I was blind from birth, but now I am able to see."

"A healer, then," Lehash said, looking theman up and down. "I guess the citizens coulduse the help of a
healer."

Lorelei moved around her father and tentativelyapproached Aaron. "So it's over?" she asked, as ifafraid
he was going to tell her otherwise.

Aaron nodded. "Verchiel's the problem of ahigher power now."

A yellow streak bounded from the crowdand Aaron found himself knocked backward bythe impact of
his best friend. He stumbled, hisinjured leg barely supporting his weight, asGabriel braced his front paws
on the boy's chestand frantically, affectionately, licked his face.

"I'm glad you're back and that you're not dead,"the Lab said between sloppy laps.

Aaron hugged the big yellow dog, letting his tongue wash over every inch of exposed skin onhis face and
neck. "I'm glad I'm not dead too,pally."

 Gabriel dropped back to all fours, tail wagging wildly as Aaron continued to heap affectionupon him.
"How's Vilma, Gabe?" he asked. "Did you keep an eye on her for me? Is shedoing any better?"

"Ask her yourself,"the dog replied, looking intothe crowd just beyond where he was standing.

 The full meaning of the animal's words didn'tquite sink in until Aaron followed Gabriel's gazeand his eyes
locked immediately with hers. Hepractically ran toward Vilma, taking her into hisarms and holding her as
close as he possiblycould. If he could have opened himself up and placed her safely within, he would
have done so.The girl reciprocated, burying her face in hisshoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around her
neck.

"I knew you were all right," she whisperedin his ear. "I knew you wouldn't leave mealone."
 They kissed then, their lips pressing hungrily together, and Aaron finally understoodwhat had been
absent from his life thus far. Hehad been incomplete, a piece of him missing without him ever truly
realizing it. Sure he hadfelt the emptiness from time to time, but he'dchalked it up to feeling sorry for
himself, never knowing that there was another half out there inthe world waiting to be joined with him.
Vilmawas that half, and at that moment, as he held thewoman he loved in his arms, Aaron Corbetknew
for the first time what it was to be whole.

 "Is that your father, Aaron?"he heard Gabrielask, and let go of Vilma long enough to seeLucifer moving
through the crowd, talking tothose who had gathered, heralding his arrival.

"Yes, it is," he said, no longer afraid to admit it.

A silence had come over the center, and onlythe voice of the Morningstar could be heard.

 "I'm sorry," he said to each and every one ofthe gathered. "I'm sorry for all that I have done, and for all
that has happened because of me."

 He moved among them. Whether they werefallen angel or Nephilim, all were deemed recipients of his
soulful regrets. Some embraced theangel that once sat at the right hand of God, tearfully accepting his
words of apology, while others snarled, turning their backs, not yet willing to forgive him his sin, or
themselves their own.

 Lehash, Lorelei, and Scholar were the last toreceive the Morningstar's words of atonement, and Aaron
wondered if he was going to have to get involved. The air became charged with tension as Lucifer
approached them, and he readiedhimself just in case.

"Tumael," Lucifer said, bowing to the angel that Aaron had only known as Scholar.

Tumael bowed back, accepting the first ofthe fallen's apology graciously.

He moved on to Lorelei.

"I accept," she said before the words evenhad a chance to leave his mouth, and Lucifersmiled.

And then the Morningstar turned his attention to Lehash.

 Aaron wasn't sure what history had passedbetween them, but he guessed that Lehash hadat least once
been a follower of the Morningstar,and the gunslinger didn't appear to be the kindof angel that easily
forgave and forgot. Time seemed to have frozen as the two fallen angels stared at each other, and Aaron
got the distinctimpression that the two had at one time beenclose, maybe even friends.

"We had to be out of our minds to followyou," Lehash said, his eyes dark and intense.

Aaron watched the constable's hands, looking for the telltale spark of potential danger. The pistols were
gone at the moment, but they couldeasily return in less than a heartbeat.

"I think we all went a bit insane," Luciferanswered, his watchful eyes never leaving theangel in front of
him.

Lehash casually scratched the accumulationof stubble on his chin.
Do angels even need to shave?Aaron wondered as a bizarre afterthought, intensely watching thescene
playing out before him.

"Do you think we're any better now?" theconstable asked.

 Lucifer thought for a moment, turning hisgaze away from the gunslinger and looking atthose gathered
around the center of the blightedneighborhood. His mouse nuzzled the side ofhis face affectionately, and
he reached up to gently stroke the top of the rodent's head. "I dobelieve we are," he answered, and he
bowed his head to Aerie's keeper of the peace. "I am sorry,Lehash, for all that I have done, and for all
thathas happened to you because of me."

 Lehash scowled as he reached inside his coatpocket. Slowly he withdrew one of his foul-smelling
cheroots. "After all this time, that's thebest apology you could come up with?" he asked as he placed the
end of the cigar betweenhis waiting teeth.

 Lucifer stepped closer to the gunslinger andAaron tensed, his wings ready to launch himinto the air
toward the two fallen angels. Hisfather raised a hand, causing Aaron to twitch inanticipation, but he
stayed where he was. Thetip of one of the Morningstar's fingers began toburn white with the heat of
heavenly fire, and hegently touched the tip of the cigar protrudingfrom the gunslinger's mouth, igniting its
end.

 "It was kind of short notice," Lucifer said asLehash began to puff upon the cigar. "And Inever really
thought I'd have this chance."

Lehash brought a hand up to his mouth, momentarily removing the cigar. "Things dohave a way of
working out, don't they?" heasked the angel that had led him down the pathto the fall from Heaven.

 "They certainly do," Lucifer responded, andthe almost palpable tension that filled the air dispersed like a
fast moving summer storm, theatmosphere suddenly fresh and clear.

 Everyone just seemed to be milling about, basking in a strange sense of closure. Aaron knewthey were
all feeling the same thing. With thethreat of Verchiel and his thugs removed fromthe equation, the citizens
were now free tothink about things other than their day-to-daysurvival—namely their forgiveness. A
specialfreedom had been given to them this new day,and Aaron allowed himself to take a smallmeasure
of pride in the fact that he had played alarge part in bringing this part of the story to asatisfying
conclusion.

 "It's strange," Aaron said, his arm stillaround Vilma, Gabriel standing loyally by his side. "This is the first
time I've ever seen themhappy." Even the human healer, Kraus, seemed to be fitting in, already beginning
to administerto those who had not yet healed after Verchiel'sattack on Aerie.

"It'snice," Gabriel said, and his tail began towag.

Vilma gave Aaron an affectionate squeeze,resting her head upon his shoulder. "And it's allbecause of
you," she said. "You did this. You gavethem something that they'd only dreamed about."

She pulled away and studied his face. Herstare was intoxicating, and if all he did for therest of his days
was to look into those eyes, itwould be a satisfying life indeed. She tapped the center of his chest with
her index finger.

"You, Aaron Corbet," she said, her voice likethe beginning chords of the most beautiful songhe'd ever
heard. "You made their dreams come true."

 He couldn't have imagined a more wonderful moment, but as everything else in his life had, that too was
about to change. For he wasthe messenger, and he had a purpose that tookprecedence over everything
else.

 Aaron felt it begin to grow deep within hischest. It was calling to him in a voice that was growing louder
and stronger with each passingsecond.

"Aaron, what's wrong?" Vilma asked. Shestepped away from him as he began to tremble.

 "Nothing's wrong," he said in a voice voidof any doubt. This was it; through all the battleswith monsters
and renegade angels, this waswhat it had all been leading up to. "Everything's exactly as it's supposed to
be."

 Aaron called forth his wings as the glowbegan to emanate from his hands, a store ofsupernatural power
never fully tapped, untilnow. The citizens saw him—saw what washappening—and they began to smile,
and someto cry tears of joy. The power that was his andhis alone to wield called out, and he went to
them, as they were drawn to him, seeking theabsolution that had been so long in coming.

 And as he walked among them, his touch forgiving them of their sins, Aaron Corbet thoughtof who he
was and what he had become. Never would he have imagined that a foster kid fromLynn,Massachusetts,
could command the powerof God's forgiveness. Yet this was how it wassupposed to be—how it was
always supposed tobe. Yes, there had been hardships, the loss ofloved ones, and seemingly
insurmountableobstacles, but from all the pain and suffering, athing most wonderful had been achieved.

 The fallen angels of Aerie glowed like gigantic fireflies, dancing in the air above him on iridescent wings
that made a sound like the gentlestroking of harp strings as they flapped. Aaronturned and saw that
Scholar now waited beforehim. The fallen angel looked anxious, gazingwistfully at Aaron and then back
down the streettoward his workplace.

"Don't worry," Aaron reassured him, reaching out to touch the front of his crisp white shirt."We'll take
good care of your books. I think I know just the guy to do it."

 They both looked toward the man calledKraus. He had fallen to his knees, staring in aweat the
constellation of angels hovering above. "Ithink he'll do an excellent job," Aaron said as thepower surged
from his fingertips into Scholar.

 The fallen angel's shell of flesh, blood, andbone was burned away in an explosion of whitelight, and the
angel Tumael was welcomed byhis brethren in the air above the center.

 Aaron smiled as he saw Lorelei and Lehash slowly walking toward him. The gunslinger wasone of the
last, and looked as though he justmight burst from his skin even without theNephilim's touch.

"This is it," Lorelei was saying as she heldonto the arm of her father's coat.

 Lehash kept his eyes on Aaron, saying nothing as father and daughter tentatively walkedtoward the
constable's absolution. The otherNephilim affectionately touched him as hepassed, thanking him for his
protection, andwishing him well on his journey home.

The cowboy angel stopped before Aaron andrespectfully removed his hat. The Nephilimraised his hand
toward Lehash, the outline of hisfingers barely visible within the corona of thepulsing, white power he
now wielded.

 "Wait," Lehash suddenly said, his own handgoing up to block Aaron's touch. "I can't go," hesaid, and
turned to look at the faces of theNephilim that eagerly awaited his ascension."Somebody's got to watch
out for them, protectthem." He looked to Aaron. "There's still somuch they have to learn."

 Lorelei squeezed her father's shoulder, leaning in to place a kiss upon his grizzled cheek. "We'll be fine,"
she said, and Aaron nodded inagreement.

 Lehash took what would be his last look atthe children of angel and human, and thenstared into his
daughter's emotion-filled eyes."You probably will be," he said, reaching out tocup her cheek in his hand.
"But there's no harmin trying to stay for just a bit longer." They both laughed, and embraced for the final
time.

 Then Lehash released his daughter andturned to Aaron, puffing out his chest. "Well,c'mon, savior boy. I
ain't got all day."

 Aaron smiled broadly, laying the flat of hispalm against the gunslinger's chest, and watchedin awe as
Lehash's true form gradually tookshape, the human shell shucked off like a thicklayer of dirt and grime.
The angel that wasLehash propelled itself skyward with a succession of powerful flaps, dipping and
spinning inthe air in an amazing display of aerial acrobatics, before joining the others.

"Show-off," Lorelei said, wiping tears ofhappiness from her eyes.

 Aaron looked up at the angels of Aerie, committing each and every one of them to memory.It was an
amazing sight to behold, as if the starshad come down from the sky for a closer look. He knew that he
would remember and treasurethis moment until his dying day, but he alsoknew that it was time for it to
end—time forthose above him to leave.

He spread wide his great wings and held hisarms aloft toward them. "You're forgiven," hecalled out.

 And one by one they left this earthly plane, returning to the place of their creation, a place long denied
them, but that now took them backinto its celestial embrace.

Heaven welcomed them home.

 Slowly Aaron lowered his gaze from theearly morning sky and saw with a combination of shock and
shame that there was one that hehad forgotten.

Lucifer stood alone, a beatific smile upon hisdark, handsome features as he looked to wherehis brethren
had gone. There was a longing inhis stare, but also a happiness for those whohad finally completed their
penance and wereallowed to know the glory that was Heavenagain.

"Is this for you as well?" Aaron asked, startling the first of the fallen from his meditationsbeyond the sky.

Lucifer held the tiny mouse in the palm ofhis hand, tenderly stroking its fur. "I don'tknow," he said sadly
with a slight shake of hishead. "I'm afraid to find out."

 Aaron stepped toward him and gently laidhis hand upon his father's chest. He felt thepower at his core
rise, and for a fleeting moment,believed thatit was about to occur, that it was tocome full circle, and the
final forgiveness wasabout to be bestowed upon the one who had started it all.

But it wasn't to be.

The divine power receded deep inside him,dwindling away to but a burning ember in thecenter of his
being.

"I'm sorry," Aaron said sadly, removing hishand from his father's chest, and the first ofthe fallen smiled at
him. It was a sad smile, butone full of understanding and immeasurablepatience.

 "So am I," Lucifer said, returning his gaze tothe brightening morning sky above Aerie, gentlystroking the
tiny animal nestled within the palm of his hand.

"So am I."

epilogue

 Lucifer Morningstar stood outside the SaintAthanasius Church and Orphanage and listenedfor the
sounds of Nephilim. There were more ofthem out there in the world, he knew, children ofthe dalliances of
angels, their birthrights gradually blossoming upon their eighteenth year oflife.

Happy birthday to you.

 The temperature had dropped considerablyin the past hour, and it had started to snow.Lucifer turned his
attention to the change inweather, studying the intricacies of each individual flake as it slowly drifted down
from the sky.The mouse on his shoulder curiously sniffed atthe winter's rain as it fell, its tiny pink tongue
darting from its mouth to lick at the water as itmelted upon the jacket of the fallen angel's darkblue suit.

 The summer in the northeast had been brutally warm, and it looked as though theNewEnglandwinter was
going to be just as extreme.But the weather did not bother the first of the fallen angels. He quite enjoyed
the seasonal changes. If he hadn't, he would have suggestedthat the new Aerie be established inSan
Diego ,California, instead of westernMassachusetts .

 The fallen angels of Aerie were gone, but theNephilim remained. They were to be the newprotectors of
a world rife with paranormal dangers. Verchiel and his Powers had ignored their true purpose, choosing
to focus their energies ona personal vendetta rather than the job they hadbeen assigned to do.

 As he could sense the emerging Nephilim, socould the fallen angel detect the presence of things that had
no right to be upon this world,things that wished Earth and its inhabitantsharm. It was now the
responsibility of theNephilim to cleanup after the Powers' irresponsibility and to keep the world of God's
chosencreations safe from harm.

But there was much they needed to learnbefore they could take on such an enormoustask, much that he,
Aaron, and Lorelei wouldneed to teach them.

 They had been here for a little more than sixmonths, the new Aerie established within theformer roost of
Verchiel and his ilk. The Ravenschild Estates had quite simply become too largefor their lesser number.
With the fallen angelsgone, this was a new time for the Nephilim, a new history waiting to be forged for
them as individuals, rather than victims of a genocideperpetrated by Verchiel and his host.

As for himself, Lucifer looked upon this asyet another test from his most Holy Father above.He would
help to train those who would protect God's human flock, and finally, hopefully,achieve absolution for his
most heinous sin.

 The snow now fell harder, a whipping windcreating swirling vortexes of white that danced around the
expanse of unkempt lawn in front ofhim. He could sense the small animals that livedin the overgrowth
around the church and orphanage, hunkered deep within their burrows, primitive instincts telling them that
thiswould be the first major storm of winter, that soon everything would be covered in a cold blanket of
icy white.

And from this season of death there would berebirth.

All Lucifer wanted was a chance to apologize to his Father, as he had to the brothers thathad sworn to
him their allegiance in Heaven sovery long ago. But he knew that opportunityhad to be earned, and
would come at a heavycost indeed.

 The mouse on his shoulder whispered in his ear. It was cold and wanted to go inside. Luciferobliged his
tiny friend, taking him indoors andout of the storm. After all, there was still much tobe done to prepare
the Nephilim for the tasksbefore them.

 He thought one more time of his brethren,basking again in the glorious radiance of theAlmighty, and
longed for the day that he, too, would be allowed to experience the BlessedMajesty once more. Was
that a hint of envy hefelt growing in the deep inner darkness of hispsyche? Quickly he squelched it before
it had a chance to take root, before it could do any harm.The first of the fallen had had more than his fill
of jealousy's bitter fruit.

The price of forgiveness was indeed a costlyone, but it was an amount that LuciferMorningstar was
willing to pay.

 Aaron and Gabriel trudged through the quicklyaccumulating snow in search of the newest ofAerie's
citizens.

 The boy had lived with them for a day overtwo weeks. His name was Jeremy Fox, and he'd come
fromLondon,England . Aaron had foundhim living on the streets of the great, old city,begging for change
and eating from Dumpsters.To the casual passerby he appeared to be justanother sad example of a
mental health systemin desperate need of an overhaul—mutteringand crying out, talking to himself as he
wandered the streets ofEngland 's largest city. Hehadn't been difficult to locate; the power of theNephilim
was strong inside him, and it practically cried out to be found.

 Now Aaron found the youth behind theabandoned school, in the snow-covered playground. He was
sitting atop the monkey bars,sneakered feet dangling, the top of his sandyblond head and shoulders
covered with collecting snow. He had not been adjusting well, andLorelei was worried.

"Hey," Aaron said as he walked closer.

"Hey,"Gabriel repeated, not wanting to beleft out of anything.

The youth remained silent, as if attemptingto tune out the strange world in which he hadcome to live.
Aaron could sympathize; it hadn'tbeen all that long since he was in the very sameframe of mind.

 It had been Lorelei who convinced the youthto listen to the story told by the two crazyAmericans who
seemed to appear from out of nowhere, a fantastic tale about angels having relationships with human
women and the children that were born as a result. Jeremy hadlooked at them as if they were out of their
minds, and Aaron was certain that he was tryingto decide whether they were in fact real or just
manifestations of the insanity that had takenhold of him since his eighteenth birthday. Theyhad told him
that they could help, and Aaronhad watched a look of cautious hope fill the boy's eyes.

Taking that as a yes, not giving him a chanceto refuse, the Nephilim savior had taken thetroubled youth
within the confines of his wingsof shiny black and had transported him back tothe safety of Aerie.

 He had been here since, but did not seem tobe adapting to his new life, clinging to hishumanity, refusing
to accept the reality of whathe was becoming.

"Lorelei's worried about you," Aaron said, looking up at the boy sitting on the top rung ofthe monkey
bars. "She thought I should findyou—just in case you needed to talk or something."

 Gabriel sniffed around the various pieces ofplayground equipment, his nose melting furrows in the two
inches of snow that had alreadyfallen.

 The wind suddenly whipped up, causing thepowdery snow to drift, making it seem thatmore of the white
stuff had fallen in some areasthan in others. The winter wind had a bite to it, but it didn't bother Aaron as
it once had.Just another perk of being Nephilim, he thought. Hot orcold, it was all the same to them,
perfectlyadaptable to any climate upon the planet.

Jeremy remained unresponsive, immobileupon his metal perch.

"Guess not," Aaron said, putting his handsinside the pockets of his spring jacket. "Well, ifyou should
need to, you know where I..."

 The boy turned to look at him, the snow atophis head sloughing off to fall to the groundbelow his
dangling feet. "They say that you'resome kind of bloody savior," he said, his accent thick and full of
repressed emotion. "What's thatlike, then?"

 It was something Aaron tried not to thinkabout very often. He knew that he had a job todo, a purpose
and a destiny. But the moniker ofsavior was one that he did not wear comfortably.

Aaron came closer to the jungle gym. "Don'tbelieve everything you hear," he said, casuallytaking hold of
one of the horizontal pipes in bothhands. "There's very little difference betweenme and you," he told the
boy. "It wasn't too longago that I was thinking the same thoughts you are right now."

 Jeremy's features grew angry, and he let himself drop from his seat to the snow-coveredground. He
came at Aaron then, chest puffedout, eyes wild. The older Nephilim held hisground.

 "Andwhat am I thinking?" Jeremy asked in ahiss. "Use your angel powers and tell me what's going on
inside my bloody head, mate."

Gabriel had come to stand by Aaron, hisnose covered in snow from his explorationsbeneath the cold,
winter covering."You shouldn't talk to Aaron that way," the dog warned, hackles of fur rising around
his neck."He's just trying to help."

 Aaron reached down and thumbed the dog'sside in assurance. "It's okay, Gabe," he said."Jeremy and I
are just talking. He's a little upset."
 The Lab grumbled something and thenbecame distracted by a squirrel, and he bounded off in pursuit of
the animal with an excited bark.

 "You want me to tell you what's going on inyour head?" Aaron asked the new Nephilim."You're thinking
that the world has become insane, that everything you've known, everything you've taken for granted all
your life, has been flipped upside-down since your last birthday." Aaron paused. "How am I doing so
far?"

Jeremy seethed with an inner rage that Aaronwas all too familiar with. "You don't know anything," the
boy growled, sparks of heavenly fireshooting wildly from his fingertips.

 "You know how I know this?" Aaron asked."Because I thought the exact same things whenit was
happening to me, when the power thatwas inside me—something that I didn't want or ask for—decided
to take my normal life awayfrom me." Aaron placed one of his own handsupon his chest, his gaze never
leaving Jeremy's."I thought the exact same things."

 The boy's anger seemed to drain away, as ifhe were suddenly no longer strong enough tohold on to it. It
slipped away from him, and heseemed to diminish in size, the outrage he wasfeeling over what his life had
become seeminglyall that was sustaining him."I don't know how much longer I can fightit," Jeremy said
pathetically, the snow meltingupon his face, mixing freely with the warm tearsthat now fell from his eyes.
"I can feel it inside me—clawing to get out."

 "You don't have to fight it," Aaron told him."That's why you're here: to learn about whatyou truly are—to
learn about your destiny."

The boy chuckled then, wiping away themoisture from his face and snuffling. "Destiny?"he asked. "Didn't
know that I had one of those."

"Bet there's a lot you don't know aboutyourself," Aaron said. "Let us teach you."

Sometimes it wore on him.

Aaron scooped up a handful of the freshsnow and began to make a snowball. "Here itcomes," he
warned. The last of the snowfall hadbeen mixed with rain, creating a slushy mix perfect for snowballs.

Across the expanse of front lawn, Gabrielcrouched."I'm ready," he growled.

Most of the time these days, Aaron felt likeGabriel at that moment, tensed, ready to confront the latest
obstacle head on.

He let the snowball fly, and as it fell, Gabrielleaped up into the air to capture it in his mouth."Good catch,
boy," Aaron said, clapping hishands and praising the animal for his skills.

 Gabriel proceeded to eat the snowball,crunching upon the firmly packed snow, piecesfalling from the
sides of his mouth as he chewed."Make another one,"theLabrador urged betweenchews.

 It was so easy to get caught up in the flow ofit, to become the ultimate leader, the weight ofthe world
upon his shoulders. He neededmoments like this to remind himself that therewas more to life than being
the leader of the Nephilim.

Gabriel had finished his icy snack and waswaiting for the next, tail wagging happily."C'mon,Aaron,"the
dog urged."Throw another one."

He squatted down and grabbed some moreof the wet white stuff. "You'll never be able tocatch this one,"
he said in mock warning, mak ing his best friend all the more excited.

 Aaron knew that his was a great responsibility, that the protection of the world had been placed in his
hands and the hands of others likehim. It was up to him to make sure that theywere ready for this chore,
a daunting task, yes, but one that he was more than capable of performing.

 "Here it comes," he warned the animal, andtossed the ball of snow as hard as he could up into the air in
an arc, watching as it began its descent. Gabriel bounded across the snow inpursuit, his eyes upon the
plummeting prize.

 Was it the life that he would have chosen forhimself? No, not a chance, but he no longer resented the
fate that had been unceremoniouslythrust upon him. It was his destiny, and he hadlearned to accept it as
that.

Gabriel returned to him, snowball clutchedin his mouth, and dropped it at his feet.

"What, that one didn't taste so good?" heasked the dog.

"I'm full,"Gabriel said, deciding to lie downin the snow and roll upon his back. Aaronlaughed at his dog's
antics, kicking snow ontothe animal's pink exposed belly.

 They both felt it in the air, a familiar disruption that foretold of a Nephilim's arrival, andrecognized it as
someone special.

 "She's coming,"Gabriel said excitedly as heshot to his feet, shaking snow from his fur asAaron scanned
the open space before him forsigns of her arrival.

 No more than five feet away the air began to shimmer and ripple, a darker patch beginning to form at its
center. Gabriel began to bark happily,tail wagging like mad. Aaron sometimes wondered who loved her
more.

 Vilma Santiago emerged from the ether, herdowny white wings the color of freshly fallensnow parting the
substance of space around her.It was amazing how far she'd advanced in such a short period of time.
She, too, had come toaccept her heritage, embracing the angelicnature inside her.

 Gabriel could barely contain himself, galloping through the snow to see her."Vilma's here!"he said over
and over again, and she knelt down to accept his excited affections. She seemed justas happy to see him.

 It had been a few days since they'd last seeneach other, what with getting ready to startclasses at a
nearby college in spring and gradually getting her aunt and uncle to accept the factthat she was going
away to school. VilmaSantiago was taking control of her life, and ofthat Aaron was very proud.

Not long after Aerie's fallen had been forgiven, she had returned toLynn , to her aunt anduncle. He
guessed that it had been difficult, theirrelationship now strained by her abrupt departure from their home,
but they had come tobegrudgingly accept her explanation of needing some time away to find herself.
Aaron chuckledwith the thought.She'd certainly done that.

Vilma finished showering the excitedLabradorwith affection and proceeded toward Aaron,a sly smile
upon her face. He watched as her beautiful wings receded on her back, only theslightest expression of
discomfort on her features.

"I missed you," she said, leaning forward toplant a big kiss upon his lips.

 He met her halfway, his own lips eagerlypressing against hers. The two embraced, and hewas positive
that there wasn't anything that feltbetter than having her in his arms. If there was,he didn't remember it.

 Upon returning toLynn , she had contactedthe superintendent of schools and had workedwith him and
her teachers to make up the finalsand projects that she had missed with her sudden absence. In no time
she had completed thenecessary requirements and had received herhigh school diploma with honors,
albeit withoutthe pomp and circumstance of a graduation ceremony, but Vilma had what she needed to
con tinue her dream of a college degree.

 Maybe I'll complete my own high school requirements someday,he thought as he held the youngwoman
that he loved and respected so much.But if he didn't, that would be okay as well, forhe was certain that
life had other things in storefor him.

 Gabriel attempted to squeeze his blockyhead in between their embrace."Hi, remember me?" the dog
asked, often as ravenously hungryfor affection as he was for food.

Vilma laughed, a light airy sound that Aaronhad learned to adore, and bent down to hug theanimal as
well. "How could we ever forget you, Gabriel?" she asked in mock horror.

"I know,"theLabrador responded, acceptingher additional attentions."I am pretty special."

"That you are, my friend," Aaron said as he took Vilma's hand in his and began to lead hertoward their
new home within the old orphanage.

"And how is everything here?" she asked,walking by his side through the snow.

 "Fine," he answered her, "especially nowthat you're here." And he gave her hand a gentlesqueeze to
stress how glad he was to be with her.

 Vilma responded in kind with a smile thatwas pure magick. He doubted that Lorelei couldsummon
anything quite as powerful.

Aaron needed moments like this, for ithelped him to put it all in perspective.

 "When are you two going to have babies?"Gabriel suddenly chimed in, a look of seriousness upon his
canine features.

 They were completely taken aback by the question, and Aaron felt a flush of embarrassment blossom
upon his cheeks. Vilma fared alittle better than he, covering her mouth to stiflea laugh. Gabriel did not
care to be laughed at.The dog waited for his answer. She had no ideawhat to make of the question, but
Aaron suspected that it had something to do with what thelast of the Malakim had said to him before he
had been taken by Verchiel.

 "May I be the first to say that your children willbe absolutely magnificent,"the angel sorcerer hadsaid in
that strange place between worlds.
Lehash had said that the Malakim had theability to look into the future, and had seen thathe and Vilma
had children—magnificent children. Aaron had never bothered to share thisinformation, not wanting to
pressure her in theirrelationship in any way.

"Where did that come from?" Vilma askedthe dog.

"Just curious,"Gabriel answered."I'm certainthat they would be magnificent."

Aaron felt her gaze upon him as theyreached the entrance that would take theminside the building.

"And what do you think, Mr. Corbet?" sheasked as he reached out to pull open the door."Would they?"

 He held the door against his back, allowingthem to enter before him. Vilma waited justinside, arms
crossed, as he let the door slam shutbehind him.

"Well?" she chided.

 "Yes," he told her, a smile upon his face thathe couldn't control. When they decided to takethat next
step, to marry and eventually havechildren, he knew that it would be the mostamazing thing in his life. To
have a family with her was something to look forward to.

Something for the future.

"Yes, they will most certainly be magnificent," he told her.

Until then, there was still so very much thatneeded to be done.