by David Estes
“Welcome back, Mr. Knight,” the bigger one said.
“Thank you,” Gabriel replied, “although it will likely be a short visit.”
“You are just in time, the Council is gathering in the Master’s Room.” Gabriel followed them through the archway that led to the Dome. Entering the magnificent building for only the second time in his life, Gabriel couldn’t help but to marvel at the beautiful carvings on the outside of the shimmering white dome.
Once inside, the perfection continued although the décor was simple, even a bit scant at times. Everything, including the floors, walls, ceilings, and objects were lit from within by a mysterious power source. To an angel, it was pure beauty and pure power simultaneously, as art and utility were married in the flawless design. Various ornamental lights were attached to the walls and ceilings. These appeared in many forms, from something as small as a tiny glass orb, to lavish multi-tiered chandeliers that reflected millions of light particles from their crystal entrails.
As an angel, Gabriel was expected to like this kind of atmosphere, but although he was in awe of it, he was also turned off by the almost mental-hospital sterilization feeling that the place had.
They arrived at the Master’s Room, which was the only room Gabriel had ever seen within these walls. The security guard pressed a nearly invisible white intercom button on the wall and said, “Mr. Knight has arrived.”
Without a verbal response or even a creak, the large pale doors swung open from the middle, allowing Gabriel a full view down the length of a long, glowing table. Eleven heads were already turned and looking at him, while the twelfth, sitting at the head of the table, could see him by simply looking straight ahead.
Gabriel entered the room, trying to appear confident, but inside he was quaking with fear. During his first appearance in this grand hall he had not been scared, but that was a different situation. At that time, Gabriel had known that he would do exactly what they told him to. This time he would provide an opinion that would likely be in direct contradiction to many of the Council members’ views. Essentially, he would attempt to cause dissension within their ranks. He might make some very bad enemies today and that scared him.
Dionysus arose and extended a greeting: “Ahh, welcome, Gabriel. I have already filled the Council in on your remarkable achievements so early in your mission. We are quite impressed, but at the same time we didn’t expect anything less from such a talented angel.” Gabriel saw most of the heads nodding in agreement. There was no doubt in his mind that this was all part of their plan to make him feel important so he would continue to bend to their will.
“Thank you, my lord,” Gabriel replied. “It is such a great honor to be a useful warrior in this great cause.”
“Yes, I appreciate your choice of words—‘this great cause’—for that is truly what it is. And as part of this great cause, we are here to make an important decision for your mission. I have taken the liberty of explaining our differing views to the Council and you have a few early advocates.” Dionysus smiled reassuringly. Gabriel couldn’t tell if it was a smile of confidence that he had already won the vote or merely to make him feel at ease, like a child.
Gabriel didn’t expect the Council to already be aware of the two different views. This concerned him as he had planned to build up his reasoning slowly, in a logical manner. On the other hand, Dionysus had implied that some of the Twelve might already agree with Gabriel’s position, which would at least give him a fighting chance. Always the skeptic, Gabriel also thought that Dionysus may be trying to trick him into a sense of false hope by implying someone might agree with him, when in fact he was alone on his side.
Gabriel just nodded as he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Let’s begin with a brief rationale for each of our opinions and then the Council can express their opinions and ask questions as needed. Once everyone is happy that we have considered all of the necessary facts, we will put it to a vote by the Council. Unfortunately, you are unable to vote, Gabriel.”
Gabriel certainly wasn’t expecting to get to vote, but he appreciated the summary of the proceedings, as he had never been involved in anything like this before. Dionysus continued: “So that means I only need to obtain five of the remaining eleven votes to obtain a deadlocked jury, which will fall in my favor as I have the right as Head of the Council to make a final decision. Good luck, Gabriel, you may begin.”
Gabriel had made another incorrect assumption, as he thought that Dionysus, being the Head of the Council, would start with his argument. In hindsight it made sense for Dionysus to go last as he could then counter any of Gabriel’s key points.
Gabriel cleared his throat to buy time as he desperately tried to translate into words one of the many thoughts that were chaotically swirling through his head. All eyes were on him now; if he stuttered or misspoke, the few advocates he might already have would quickly move back to Dionysus’s side.
“Thank you for agreeing to hear my reasoning,” Gabriel began, his voice firm and clear. He was surprised by how determined he sounded and he tried to draw confidence from it. “As you all now know, I have made contact with the girl and verified that she is the one. I have been able to gain her trust in mere days and she seems to be somewhat infatuated with me, which was a major goal of my mission.” He didn’t mention that he was also somewhat infatuated with her.
One of the angels sitting closest to where he was standing said, “Well done, lad.” He nodded to Gabriel to continue.
Gabriel proceeded. “Thank you. Despite Tay’s, I mean, the girl’s crush on me, I think it is unlikely that I could convince her to fully cooperate with our cause at this time given the short duration I have known her. If we wanted to use her immediately, we would need to force her cooperation, which could possibly lead to her death during combat.
“I know that our first instinct is to argue that one human death is of no concern if it leads to the success of The Plan, but she is not just another human. She is the one that Dionysus himself foretold would be the key to victory in the Great War. I have witnessed the absolute power we can wield with her on our side, and I think it would be foolish to allow that power to be lost forever just to destroy the demons.
“Given the titanic success I have had in just a matter of days, I believe that I can fully convert her to our cause. If I can convince her to forsake her human world for a new and better world, in which she will be treated as an equal, then we can continue to use the strength of her aura for years to come. We have been patient for so long and now that victory is within our grasp, we must not act irrationally in the eleventh hour.
“I ask for a mere four or five months, until the end of the school semester, to convince her to join our cause. Thank you again for your consideration.” Gabriel finished with a flourish of energy and was pleased to see at least a few nodding heads and smiling faces.
Dionysus reclaimed center stage. “Well, I never expected such a strong performance from my counterpart, and after that speech I am half-tempted to switch sides myself!” Most of the members laughed heartily at his joke, although Gabriel couldn’t help but feel proud of the accolades poured out upon him by the Head of the Council.
“While I think there is definite merit to Gabriel’s opinion and I admire his confidence in his ability to carry out this plan, I wholeheartedly disagree with his proposed approach. I have a number of concerns, the first of which is that I think it is hard to believe that a human being would forsake her own race, no matter how much of a charmer Gabriel is.” Dionysus winked at Gabriel as he said this.
“Secondly, I fear that with a weapon of this magnitude nearly in our hands, we would be foolish if we did not grab it and take advantage of it. The demons are as cunning as they are deadly and I do not believe that they will wait on the sidelines as we slowly brainwash the girl.
“Lastly, I agree with Gabriel that the girl could prove to be of use to us even after the demons are eradicated, but as foretold, her main purpose is to help
us win the War. While possible, there is no guarantee that she will die in that cause, regardless of whether she joins us willingly. Please consider these points as you vote.” He ended succinctly, looking each member in the eyes as he formulated the words.
The members began looking around, some of them whispering to each other. Then there was a brief span of silence which allowed them to think about what they had just heard and frame any questions.
Gabriel was bothered by the silence and tried to distract himself by looking at each of the Council members in turn. Each of them was beyond four decades in age and, although their bodies were beginning to show some wear, each was stunningly beautiful by human standards. From what they told him, none of them had used the power of immortality to take on a new body. To Gabriel’s knowledge, Dionysus was the only angel that had ever moved to a new body.
There were seven males, including Dionysus, and five females on the Council. Since the creation of the Council, only three members had ever needed to be replaced, all of them killed in battle by the demons.
Generally the members would not participate in actual fighting and were instead responsible for the overall strategy. However, during one particularly pivotal battle, half of the Council had elected to join the army ranks as they always had the option to do. The battle was fierce and many angels and demons were destroyed, leaving less protection for the six Council members who were fighting. According to the stories that Gabriel had heard, they fought valiantly, killing many demons before all six were struck down, three dead and three seriously wounded. The three that had died were replaced and the three that were wounded remained on the Council to this day, although they had never elected to return to battle.
When it seemed that Gabriel could endure the silence no longer, Michael, who was Dionysus’s second in command, said, “I’m not sure what else there is to think about, we are so close to finishing this war, let’s bring the girl in and end it now.”
Gabriel’s heart sank. With both Dionysus and Michael recommending the aggressive course of action, it would likely be ratified unanimously by the remaining members. Gabriel’s shoulders slumped and his head dropped, ready for the defeat that was sure to come.
“I disagree. I don’t think it is that simple.” Gabriel heard the words, but couldn’t comprehend them. Who had spoken? He raised his head and saw that it was the angel who had complimented him on the success of his mission. His name was Andrew. Gabriel’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and he looked around, curious to see if any of the other angels would agree with Andrew.
“I, for one, would vote with Gabriel at this juncture,” said another angel. Gabriel remembered that her name was Johanna. He held his breath. Did he have a chance?
Michael said, “Okay then, it seems it will not be unanimous, so why don’t we take a preliminary vote to determine whether we need to discuss the details of the situation further. All those in favor of Dionysus’s plan…” Five hands went up, including Michael’s and Dionysus’s. Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat. They only needed one more vote to win, but they didn’t have it yet.
“All those in favor of Gabriel’s plan…” To Gabriel’s shock, five hands went up in his favor, completely based on the magnitude of his short speech. Gabriel had to do everything in his power to control the urge to raise his own arm in support of his proposal.
Michael continued: “So we have two undecided at this point, Thomas and Sarah, if my memory serves me correctly.” The two undecided angels nodded once to confirm.
“As always, the angels that have chosen one side or the other in the preliminary vote have the right to change their vote at any time in the process before the final vote. As Dionysus explained earlier, Gabriel will need both of the undecided votes in his favor in order to have his plan win. Now, Thomas and Sarah, what questions do you have to help you make your decision?” Throughout the voting and Michael’s speaking, there was no reaction from Dionysus, his poker face hiding his thoughts well.
Thomas began with, “Gabriel, my biggest concern is one that Dionysus stated. I am worried that the demons will be able to disarm the girl before we are able to use her. How big of a risk do you think that is?”
Gabriel was ready for the question. “Based on what I have seen on the ground thus far, I believe it to be a very low risk. Currently, the demons only have one resource in place at the university, Christopher Lyon—who is merely a fly on the wall—to watch what I am doing. He has had multiple opportunities to abduct the girl, but has made no attempt. I had one minor clash with him and I easily defeated him. I could have probably killed him had I wanted to, but I didn’t want to stir things up with the demons before I had a chance to fulfill my mission in its entirety.
“I would also like to add that if you select my plan, I will certainly continue to report to the Council regularly regarding my progress as well as any demon activity in the area, and if anything changes we can always reconvene and decide to modify the plan.”
“Thank you, Gabriel, that satisfies my question,” Thomas replied. “You now have my vote as well.”
Gabriel tried to look calm and collected, but inside he was jumping for joy. The vote was even now with just Sarah to convince. She took the floor.
She said, “My concern is more about your ability to turn the girl. If you are unable to do this in the next few months, it will have been a complete waste of time and may jeopardize the entire operation. How confident are you that you can do what you say you can?”
Gabriel had also expected Sarah’s question and answered it boldly. “While it is impossible to be certain of anything these days, I am highly confident that I will be successful. From our research we know that this is a girl who has never been in love before and we all know the power of a human’s first love. In a matter of a few days, I have already stolen her heart, and while at this time I am not in a position to bend her to our every will, I know that by cultivating her love for me I will soon be able to attract her to our cause. With her as a willing partner, we will reap much more value from her, thus guaranteeing our future success.”
Sarah smiled. She was clearly impressed with the young angel’s ability to move an audience with words. She also seemed to admire his confidence. “I, too, am satisfied and will vote in your favor. I call for a final vote if no one has any other questions?” Gabriel felt like he was out of his body and floating through the room as he realized that, just like that, he had won.
No one had any additional questions and Michael asked whether anyone had changed their vote from their preliminary position. No one had. Michael concluded: “In that case, there is no need for a final vote as the two votes needed by Gabriel have been pledged and his plan has been approved by the Council. Good luck to you and we look forward to hearing continued reports of your success with the girl.”
Dionysus added, “Congratulations, son, you are a worthy adversary. I think we have all seen great leadership potential in you today.”
Gabriel tried to act cool as he said, “Thank you, my lord, I will not let the Council down.” Not wanting to show them how truly happy he was, Gabriel turned and walked through the twin doors, which were already opening, as if by magic.
Once outside the building, he took a deep breath and yelled, “Woohoo!” He sprinted for the angel take-off circle and then sprang into the air, wings already extended as he sped off into the dark night sky.
Chapter Thirty-One
Taylor had looked for Gabriel at dinner, but didn’t see him anywhere. She had wrongly assumed that they would go together. She wondered where he could be. Christopher had met Sam, Taylor, Marla and Jennings at the Commons and they had all gone to one of the cafés together. This time, Taylor was the odd one out.
Taylor had planned to give Gabriel an earful: about how childish he had acted at lunch; about how Sam was her best friend and she would support her in anything, even dating a demon; about how maybe Christopher was an exception to the rule that all demons are evil. But now, Taylor was worried that so
mething had happened to him. She hadn’t seen him since…well, since he had confronted the demon.
Christopher had asked her whether Gabriel was coming and she honestly didn’t know so that’s what she said. As she answered Chris, Taylor tried to read his face to see if he was hiding anything with his question; however, he seemed to have no idea where Gabriel might be. Taylor was somewhat surprised by the strength of her disappointment when dinner was over, and Gabriel had not yet made an appearance.
As they were walking out of the Commons, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Gabriel. She couldn’t have been happier with what it said:
Hey beautiful, so sorry i missed dinner. I went 2 my guidance counselor 2 change 1 of my classes and then i wanted 2 start reading the assignment 4 my new class. lost track of time at the library. still here, prob have another hr of reading. I really want 2 see u tonight tho, do u have time?
Taylor was giddy at the thought of seeing him, but played it cool when she replied:
No probs, had dinner with the usual gang. Have a couple of things planned, but could prob catch up with u at 9ish?
He answered straight away:
Perfect, see u at 9 at our spot.
Despite her relief at hearing from him, she had to swallow a bite of anger. Not only had he acted like an idiot during lunch, but he had also completely forgotten about her all day. His excuse was just an excuse—it wouldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds to send a text message to her earlier, letting her know he would miss dinner. She took a deep breath, intent on controlling her anger.