by HP Mallory
“How long before we can get out of here?” I asked.
“Not long at all if the Overseer decides to open the door to the Sanctuary,” Uriel groaned as he took another drag of the cigarette.
“You know, I could just drop you in a volcano,” Josiah threatened.
I had a feeling he wasn’t joking. He finally released my wrist and walked over to his desk. He punched in a few numbers before waiting quietly. “Susan, clear my schedule for the next couple of hours.”
TWENTY-TWO
TALLIS
I blinked and I found meself standing in an office. It took me another second to realize me Lily stood before me. When she turned around and saw me, she rushed me before I could say a word and wrapped her arms around me, kissing me face all over.
I could not hide the relief I felt at seeing her safe.
It was a moment longer before the man-bull made himself known by blinking into existence just beside me. Lily offered him a heartfelt hug and I felt the pain of his reaction when she pulled away. The man was in love with her—‘twas no secret.
It was then that I saw Uriel. I was quite surprised to see the angel toking away at a cigarette.
It was one thing to know the stookie angel was all but useless, but Uriel appeared so... angelic for a lack of better word. Yet, here he was smoking?
Furthermore, me mind could not wrap around the fact that we had survived traveling through the Void without injury. Something about that did not sit right with me. I could see it in the Minotaur’s eyes that he was thinking along the same lines. We stood away from the others as they filled out more papers.
I wondered when the stookie angel would arrive and I hoped it would be soon as I was a wee bit worried for the walloper.
But there was more on me mind. I leaned over to the man-bull and whispered, “Seem a bit wonky to ye? The Lemures nae attackin’ us right away, I mean. It didnae seem natural that.”
“No it didn’t,” he answered with a nod. “They usually go for the kill as soon as they sense someone near. The Void is their dwelling; thus they would have been even more violent toward intruders.”
“What do ye make o’ it?”
He sighed. “I wonder if someone wanted us to get Uriel out?”
“And if so?”
“There’s only one person powerful enough to arrange it.”
I nodded as his thoughts echoed me own. “Ye think he’s awakened?”
Bull-man shook his head. “I just think he’s pulling more strings than we’re aware of. Alaire’s working both sides of this thing, right?”
I nodded. “From what Lily says, AE is nae too keen to troost him anymore.”
“Then we have to assume there are others with interest in finding this weapon that can supposedly kill The Forsaken, too. I’d bet my money on the other archangels,” he said quietly.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Think about it, Tallis. Who else has more to gain from killing The Forsaken? If one of the archangels wanted to come down here and rule their own kingdom, it seems likely they’d hire a scheming little asshole like Alaire.”
“Ye think Alaire is workin’ for the archangels an’ Afterlife Enterprises? Why?”
“To secure a position of power no matter how this war ends. The archangels aren’t all that different from the Forbidden Council and AE. If they wanted to keep their hands clean in all of this, then getting someone who knows the Underground City and has an army at his disposal would be the smart thing to do.” Asterion scoffed. “Hell, it’s what I would do if I was in their position. Keep their halos untarnished while they play chess with their underlings.”
“Lily said that during Bill’s Trial, the members of the Celestial Conclave were revealed.”
“Anyone she suspected might be up to something?”
I shook me head. “Ah will ask her when we return to the Sanctuary.”
It was then that the air made a ripping sound and the stookie angel plopped into existence, landing on his arse on the floor. The Minotaur reached down to pick him up as Lily turned to face him.
“Bill!” she said and rushed over to smother her useless angel in a hug.
When the stookie angel saw Uriel and Uriel saw the stookie angel, the latter immediately dropped to his knees and bowed low.
“Stand, William,” Uriel said so the stookie angel did just that. “You have proven yourself in ways I never could have imagined and I am beyond grateful to you and your friends,” Uriel said and nodded at the much smaller man.
The stookie angel said nothing but his smile beamed its own response.
Then Uriel returned his attention to Josiah. I watched Josiah as he began punching in a set of numbers on a keypad beside a metal door. The door opened with a swoosh like an airlock, and he gestured for us to enter.
“Don’t touch any buttons,” he said. “Last thing I need is one of you breaking my equipment. It ain’t cheap, you know.”
Uriel entered first and I followed, bringing Lily along with me. The stookie angel followed and the bull-man brought up the rear. With all the weight, the strange compartment dipped slightly.
“Fat ass,” the stookie angel muttered to the bull-man.
“You’re one to talk, Butter Ball.”
###
BILL
It felt good to see Uriel. And it had been way too fuckin’ long.
“So, how long have you been banging Jenny?” I asked him while we took us our long ass ride in the elevator.
“Bill!” Nips said, looking all shocked and outraged.
Uriel faced her and smiled. “I don’t mind. I appreciate William’s candor.” Then he faced me and nodded with a smile. I really had missed my old friend. “Jenny was one of the first demons. I first saw her when The Forsaken fell with the others who had betrayed the Kingdom,” Uriel explained. “Matteo saw me admiring her and forbid me from entering this realm. Little did he know, I had already figured a way inside.”
“How?” I asked.
“Back before you knew me, I was known as the Angel of Salvation, and The Forsaken held the title of Death. By accepting his old position, I was granted entry to the Underground City.”
“That when you and Jenny started bumping uglies?” I snorted.
“Actually, she made me chase her. In the beginning, she was loyal to The Forsaken. But she learned the truth of his nature and broke free from his control. Our different sides still stood between us, but eventually it didn’t matter.” He faced Lily and Tido. “Love triumphs over all.”
“Jenny sends her regards,” Tallis said to Uriel.
The latter’s eyebrows arched for a moment or two.
I looked at Conan real confused like. “Jenny sends her regards? From like… beyond the grave?”
“Jenny isnae dead,” Conan responded.
“She’s demon,” Uriel responded with a shrug. “She can never die. I made certain of that” Then he dropped his attention to the ground. “I cannot wait for our reunion.”
The lights above our heads began to flicker as Uriel’s story faded into silence. We lurched up towards the ceiling and then dropped down in a pile of bruised limbs. Uriel muttered something I couldn’t make out, but somehow managed to save his cigarette. When the door to the elevator opened, I felt the familiar chill of the ice cavern outside the temple.
“Ah, I have not seen this place in far too long,” Uriel said while he looked at the place like he was home.
“Why the hell did you build this place anyway?” I asked as we all piled out of the elevator.
Uriel nodded. “As I said, I was once the Angel of Salvation. And you know as well as I do that the Kingdom is a fucking sauna at times. I needed a place where I could escape.”
“Did Dante ever come here?” Nips asked.
Uriel nodded again. “For a time. But he did so under the condition that he would never reveal its location to anyone. I made the Sanctuary with the words of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux echoing in my mind.”
I frowned down at my round
gut as it rumbled. “I wasn’t aware dogs could talk…”
Uriel, of course, rolled his eyes at me.
“What did he say?” Lils asked.
Uriel faced her with a smile. “He said, ‘Hell is full of good intentions or desires,’ and his words resonated with me. There are times when we must realize that to sin is to be human, and there is a bit of humanity in all of us as our maker intended.”
“I think all the good intentions have gone missing for a very long time,” Kemosabe said.
Uriel and I stared at him expectantly. He squared his shoulders and didn’t back down beneath our scrutiny.
“Explain,” I said.
Kemosabe nodded. “I think someone up there is pulling strings in the Underground City. They must have hired Alaire to do their bidding, which is why both he and Afterlife Enterprises know about the weapon that will kill The Forsaken.”
“What is the weapon that will kill him?” Lils asked.
“Matteo’s sword,” I answered with a shrug, like it were real obvious.
Uriel shook his head. “The weapon you are searching for isn’t Matteo’s flaming sword. That’s locked in the armory.”
Lils stepped forward. “Then what is the weapon?”
“One that hasn’t been created yet, but all the pieces are required to forge it properly—much like the key to the Void,” he replied. “It is called the Blade of Purification. And it can only be wielded by the Herald of The Kingdom.”
“The Herald?” Lils repeated, shaking her head.
Uriel’s gaze didn’t leave hers. “Yes.”
“That’s what Josiah meant when he called me Herald?” Lils asked.
“It is,” Uriel said, nodding. “
“Then that would mean…” she started but couldn’t finish the statement.
I felt Nips’s hand on my shoulder twitch. She was afraid. Me too, chika.
Uriel opened the temple, and we walked inside. My thoughts returned to my old mentor. Uriel looked bad even though he put on a brave face. His wings needed to be tended to an’ I was pretty sure he’d prefer Lils to do that job than a chubby, little man angel.
###
LILY
“Hey,” I said gently as I approached Uriel. “You’ve been quiet for a while. Are you in pain at the moment?”
He opened one eye and smirked. “Breathing feels like I’m being stabbed repeatedly.”
“Smoking probably isn’t helping.”
“On the contrary,” he said as he sat up a bit more. “Mortal vices have no effect on me. I merely take comfort in the simplicity of habits.” He smelled like rain hitting the pavement on a hot summer day. I breathed in deeply and took a seat beside him.
“Bill asked me to help you with your wings,” I said.
“I would appreciate that,” Uriel responded.
He sent me into a small nook behind the amethyst flames of the Sanctuary. As I walked into the area, I watched as a black satchel appeared to birth itself from the rock ground below. The satchel opened itself and inside it was filled with strange bottles. I retrieved the satchel and returned to Uriel, who was kneeling at the center of the Sanctuary with his golden wings spread out along the length of the enormous space. I walked over and set the satchel down.
Bill brought over a pail of something. “Water from the well,” he explained. “You’ll need to wash his wings first.”
“I don’t have a rag…”
“You are meant to use your hands,” Uriel explained. “Touch promotes healing.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me from where I stood behind him and dipped my hands into the water. It was surprisingly warm despite the cavern having been carved from ice. My first touch against his wings caused them to shudder. I focused on washing away the blood and dirt and worked my way from one wing to the other. When the gold began to shine through the grime and blood once more, I heard a strangled moan and looked at Uriel.
His hands were curled into fists where they rested on his knees. Every muscle in his body twitched, and his breath came in irregular puffs of air. He was clearly in pain.
“Now the oils,” he managed.
“Where do I start?”
“S-start with the blue bottle and oil the primaries, the long feathers at the very tips of my wings, and work toward my back for the secondaries,” he explained breathlessly. “The second layer of shorter feathers are primary and secondary coverts. They require the oils in the green bottle. The very tops are alula. Use the red oils on those.”
“And these?” I asked while lightly touching the softest feathers of his wings. They covered the area where his wings met his back. Uriel moaned and fell forward onto his hands. “I’m sorry!” I said as my heart skipped. “I didn’t mean to hurt you!”
“I’m okay,” he managed and took a deep breath.
I did as he’d instructed and slowly worked the oils into his feathers, straightening and smoothing them down as I went. The loose feathers fell to the ground beneath us like autumn leaves. I pushed my fingers into his flesh and massaged away the tension. I stroked the sensitive glands and tendons until his wings fluttered rapidly before relaxing again. Moving back towards his spine, I ran my fingers through the down feathers. His body stiffened, and his head flew back as he reached his wings out on either side of him and the gold reflected in the low light of the cavern.
###
LILY
The others were in the cavern, watching Uriel work through the last of the kinks in his wings. I sat down a little bit away from the rest of them and Tallis joined me, sitting beside me. I rested my head on his chest and we both just sat there in silence for a few seconds. Then I kissed his cheek and stood up, nearing Uriel once again.
It was time to ask him some questions.
“So, we got you out of the cage,” I said to Uriel. “I think it’s time we get some answers.”
No one could argue. Now that he was safe, Uriel had some explaining to do. We waited for him to respond. He did so with a nod, and I asked my first question.
“Is it safe to say you played a role in the events that led to me being the last of my bloodline?”
“Yes,” he answered.
I swallowed hard. “So, you knew we’d be targeted by the Forbidden Council’s prophecy department, that they would send someone to kill me when the time was right?”
“I did.”
“That was you?” Bill asked as he shook his head. “You never told me.”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell at the time, William.”
“When I thought I traded with Jeff to become Lily’s guardian angel?” Bill started.
“He was a plant,” Uriel answered. “You did exactly what we wanted you to do.”
“Then you made a fool of me?” Bill asked.
Uriel shook his head. “We needed you to do exactly what you did, William.” He took a deep breath. “One could even say we encouraged it?”
“What does that mean?” Bill asked.
“The woman who was occupying your time at the moment Lily perished,” Uriel started.
“You sent her?” Bill finished.
Uriel nodded and Bill’s expression fell. “I apologize if you feel offended, William, but it was necessary. Everything played out the way it was supposed to.”
Bill didn’t say anything but shook his head as he seemed to battle with this information. For myself, I wasn’t finished yet.
I faced Uriel again. “Why did Aulus Plauntius kill Sorcha?”
Uriel didn’t flinch. “Aulus Plauntius knew Sorcha’s soul would eventually be reborn into the Herald.” He cleared his throat as he faced me. “Into you.”
“You don’t know I’m the Herald.”
He nodded. “I suspect.”
“Okay, finish answering the question,” I said with tight lips.
“Aulus killed Sorcha for that reason.”
I felt Tallis go rigid beside me but judging from Uriel’s expression, he wasn’t finished. “And Aulus is not the Rom
an soldier you suppose him to be.”
“Then who is he?” I asked.
“Suffice to say Sendais was once known as the Prince of Rome.”
I heard myself gasp.
Sendais was the one who killed Sorcha? The man who tormented Tallis’s mind every waking day and haunted my nightmares was The Forsaken, himself?
I stood up and paced a few steps, trying desperately to understand how my life had gotten so twisted in bullshit. “Why?” I snapped. “Why is all of this happening, and how in the hell did you know about it before anyone else did? You literally planned things out eons in advance.”
“The War in the Kingdom came to an end because the fight was no longer in our sacred realm,” Uriel explained. “But that didn’t mean the battle was ever finished. Do you really think our maker would allow the evil of Sendais to flourish down here in the Underground City? She was merely biding his time so Matteo could rebuild his army.”
I saw the shock and disbelief on Bill’s face. “So many angels died during the war; why continue if only more will perish? And humans are bound to get caught in the crossfire.”
“Matteo didn’t care when I tried to warn him of the potential for catastrophe,” the archangel replied. “We both saw the prophecy of what would come if Sendais ever gained enough strength to overthrow the rule of the Kingdom. The difference was, I kept searching for answers while he refused to believe there was another way… He believed we had to wage war once again.”
Uriel stood up and stopped my pacing.
“The day Adissa, your great-great-great grandmother, was given the power of heavenly grace, she changed the course of destiny. It ensured that the power would travel down your bloodline until a warrior was born,” he said. “I thought that warrior was Annice, but I was wrong.”
Uriel turned to Asterion next. “I sought help where I could find it. As a rogue angel, I had to look in unexpected places for the help I needed. That was when I recruited Asterion, but on our journey I saw a new glimpse into what was to come if I should have failed in my mission.”