by Steven Brust
“I know, honey. I do too. But he’s gone. He wouldn’t want us to dwell on it like this.”
“I know. But it still hurts, sometimes. And then sometimes I become so angry when I think about it that I don’t trust myself.”
“That’s not a good way to be.”
“I know. But what can I do?”
“Don’t dwell on it. Think about other things.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sing for me, Harut?”
“All right,” he said.
And he did so while they waited.
Zaphkiel fell to his knees and bowed his head for what felt like the right length of time, then rose and resumed studying the angels around him.
He decided that there weren’t going to be any immediate problems, so he moved toward the top of the hill where he could get a better view. Presently he came across one of his Thrones still kneeling, his head bowed.
Zaphkiel touched him on the shoulder. The figure remained motionless. Zaphkiel struck him sharply in the back.
The angel looked up and focused in on him. “Why did you do that?” he asked.
“What is your name?” asked Zaphkiel.
“Camael.”
“Get up, Camael. We have work to do.”
“Oh. I was overcome by. . . .” He gestured vaguely toward the top of the hill.
“We haven’t time to be overcome.”
“All right. What do you want me to do?”
“Go through the host, finding the rest of us, and gather them together here. I’ll give further orders then.”
“All right.”
“And go quickly.”
“All right.”
Camael gave a slight bow—he wasn’t sure why—and began moving through the crowd as quickly as he could, looking for Thrones. Zaphkiel continued standing where he was, waiting.
Michael, alone among them all, had not fallen to his knees. He stood, staring blankly at Yaweh and Yeshuah, and wondered what it all meant.
His puzzlement had begun at Yaweh’s speech. Could Yaweh have believed those things? Could they be true? Why was he saying them?
Then, as the rest of the scheme unfolded, even though he had been in on it, he found himself filled with a deep sadness. He had known that Heaven was changing; he hadn’t realized how much. He still believed fervently in the Plan; he wondered why these things were necessary for it to work.
Slowly, the angels began to rise. The Virtues began to assemble around him. Without any conscious decision, he found himself beginning to walk, moving around the assembled angels, looking for problems, knowing he wouldn’t find any.
His head turned this way and that, without registering anything he saw.
He felt a strange wetness on his cheek, and wondered at it.
Zaphkiel looked over the Thrones, quickly counted them, and nodded to Camael. He began leading them, looking through the host, missing no details, yet seeing nothing that required attention.
After a time, as more and more of the angels began to rise, Camael approached him.
“Zaphkiel?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think there will be problems? Now? After what has happened?”
“No.”
“Then why—”
“It is what we are to do.”
Camael looked at him, then bowed his head and stepped back. Zaphkiel continued walking, looking and sensing the mood of the angels around him.
On the platform, at the top of the hill, Yaweh and Yeshuah stood next to each other, their hands held up and palms outward. They bowed, and together they left the platform and returned to the Palace, the Cherubim leading and the Seraphim surrounding them. Raphael and Abdiel walked behind them.
The mass of angels began to drift away. Zaphkiel watched closely, looking for any possible trouble, but none came. The angels dispersed quietly and quickly, each seemingly lost in thought or sharing thoughts with one other.
Zaphkiel nodded his satisfaction.
Michael gathered the Virtues, Yahriel gathered the Dominions, and Zaphkiel gathered the Thrones. They met near the bottom of the hill and began the long march back up it toward the Palace.
Michael turned to look at Zaphkiel from time to time, as if he was going to say something, but he never spoke. Zaphkiel, for his part, didn’t seem to notice.
Suddenly Zaphkiel stopped. “Bide,” he said, and sprinted off into the small woods they were passing. He disappeared from view for several moments, then rejoined the others.
“What was it?” asked Michael.
“There were angels watching from there. I guess they didn’t want to be part of the event.”
Michael nodded.
From behind them, Camael said, “That grove has been defiled by their presence. We should cut it down.”
They made the rest of the journey in silence.
Far to the north, under mountains known for vulcanism, Belial turned in his sleep. One of his great eyes opened, and he looked around the chamber where only he could see, but there was nothing.
He wondered what it was that had disturbed him.
Then he sensed something. A strange feeling, almost as if a Wave were beginning, but different somehow—controlled. He thought about following it to see what it was, but after a time it stopped.
It continued to disturb him, though.
After a few hours, he returned to his sleep, but it was not as deep a sleep—it was as if he expected to be disturbed again.
His great eyes closed, there in the dark, and all was silence.
ELEVEN
Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
—Isaiah, 5:21
Mephistopheles spotted them going through the woods, and his eyebrows lifted briefly.
So, he decided, they were watching, eh? That’s interesting. I wonder what they thought of it all.
He debated speaking to them, but didn’t. Instead, he listened to their discussion, or as much of it as he could catch. It was enough to allow him to conclude safely that there had been still others in the woods.
After the pair had passed him, he slipped by and set off after the ones who must be ahead. He hurried, hoping to catch them soon.
“Do you feel any better now?”
“Yes, Lucifer. Thank you. I couldn’t take that.”
“It’s all right.”
They had left the area of the Palace behind them and were approaching Asmodai’s home. They had moved quickly, putting them well ahead of those who had actually been involved in the events, for these latter were walking slowly, as if still in a stupor.
“I’m surprised,” remarked Asmodai, “that we haven’t been harassed—or even visited.”
“Don’t expect it to last,” said Lucifer.
“I won’t.”
They walked a little further, and Asmodai’s home came into view.
“Where should we begin looking?” asked Lucifer. “He could be anywhere.”
“I know. What I’d like to do is to get Mephistopheles to find him, but I still don’t trust him.”
“That’s wise,” said Lilith. “He’s not committed yet—if he ever will be.”
“He’s committed to Leviathan,” said Asmodai.
Lilith shrugged.
“In any case, he isn’t here. How do we find Satan? Do you suppose he went to visit Leviathan?”
“He may have,” said Lucifer. “He never had a chance to speak to her.”
“He may have indeed,” said a voice, “but he didn’t.”
The three of them stopped and spun. Lucifer’s hand went to the wand at his side. “How long have you been behind us?”
“This is becoming boring,” said Mephistopheles.
“Answer my question!”
Mephistopheles shrugged. “Not too long. I’ve been trying to catch up to you. You’ve been walking quickly. I wish you wouldn’t do that, by the way. It’s tiring.”
Lucifer’s nostrils flared. “Why were you following us?”
The dark angel shrugged. “To tell you what I’ve just told you. Satan did not go visit Leviathan.”
Lucifer began, “How do you—”
“Where did he go, then?” asked Lilith.
“He came here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think you three were the only ones in that small wood, which just happened to be the one place where someone could watch and hear the entire affair without being seen?”
“Are you saying that Satan was there the entire time?”
“Basically, yes.”
“How do you know?”
Mephistopheles simply smiled.
“Oh. You were there too, of course.”
“Of course.”
“So,” broke in Asmodai, “Satan was there. Where is he now?”
“I couldn’t say for sure, but it looked as if he were following the three of you.”
Asmodai turned to Lucifer. “What do you think?”
Lucifer nodded. “It could be.”
“Let’s go inside,” suggested Asmodai.
“All right,” said Lucifer.
Lilith nodded.
Asmodai tamed toward Mephistopheles and raised his eyebrows.
“No, thank you,” said Mephistopheles, “I wouldn’t want to inhibit your conversation.”
Lucifer cocked his head and studied him. “And you’ll find out what we decide anyway, won’t you? Whether we choose to tell you or not.”
Mephistopheles smiled and didn’t answer.
After he had left, Asmodai said, “So, should we set out after him?”
“Why?” said Lilith, shrugging. “As I said before, what will we tell him?”
“I don’t know. Lucifer?”
“You know how I feel.”
“Oh, yes. You think we’ve lost already. Well, I think you’re wrong.”
“Why?”
“You seem to think that, because you see them bowing and scraping to him and his ‘son,’ they aren’t ever going to feel any differently.”
“Well?”
“Well, look: I’m your friend, am I not?”
“Of course you are, that isn’t the point. I don’t doubt that you’re sincere, it’s just that—”
“Please. That isn’t what I’m getting at. Okay, you’re my friend. Now, suppose I were to walk up and strike you?”
“Eh? I’d wonder why.”
“And suppose I were to do it again? And then again? And then I emerged from my workshop with an exploding rock and threw it at you? And then—”
“Sometime in there,” said Lucifer, “I would give you back your gift.” He touched the wand at his side.
“But I thought you said you were my friend.”
“But—I don’t see what you’re getting at.”
Asmodai shrugged. “After I’m proven your enemy, you wouldn’t treat me as a friend, would you? Well, those angels are pretty thoroughly taken in, now. But when Yaweh begins trying to force the Plan on them, we’ll have a different story.”
This time Lucifer shrugged. “That was a nice tale you concocted, but I’m not convinced. We’re talking about the hosts, not an individual.”
Asmodai shook his head. “That,” he said, “is a very dangerous error. The ‘host’ you’re referring to is nothing more than a collection of individuals. If you see them as an amorphous mass, you’ll be dealing with something that doesn’t exist.”
Lucifer shook his head. Lilith chewed her lower lip for a moment, then said, “I’m not certain who is right, but it doesn’t matter.”
Lucifer started to say something, but Lilith held her hand up.
“What I mean is this: I have decided to oppose Yaweh’s plan. I think he’s wrong, and dangerous, and the events of today have proven it. I mean to oppose him. I wish to see him cast down from his Palace, and I wish to see him no longer able to force his will on me, or the hosts of angels who are now under his dominion.
“Since I will oppose him, everything that follows from that I will do. I am not certain whether Asmodai is right or not, but I don’t think that the next thing to do is to find Satan in any case.”
“It isn’t?” asked Asmodai. “Then what is?”
“To expose this plan to as many angels as we can, as soon as we can. To expose it for what it is—a dangerous, frightening gamble with the lives of the hosts. To expose Yeshuah for what he is—a cheap attempt to gain the loyalty of the hosts to prevent just opposition. And to expose Yaweh for what he is—a deranged, sick angel, whom Raphael should be curing rather than aiding.”
“I see,” said Lucifer slowly.
“How do you think to do this?” asked Asmodai.
“By gathering them together, as many as we can, and simply speaking to them, even as Yaweh did. We won’t have any tricks, as he did, but we have the truth. That will have to serve us.”
“How do you propose to gather all of these angels together?” asked Asmodai. “And where? And when?”
“How? By telling them. Now! While the hosts are still near the center. We’ll spread the word as fast as we can, starting at once. Where? I don’t know. And when depends on where, but as soon as everyone can arrive.”
“What about Yaweh?”
“What about him? He can come if he wants.”
“That’s just it. He will. And he’ll bring an army. Then what?”
“Then,” said Lilith, “we fight. The angels will see what they are dealing with, and we must be prepared to defend ourselves, and help them in defending us.”
“I think,” said Lucifer, “that I like it. Yes! We’ll do it, by the flux!”
She leaned over and kissed him quickly. “Good! Asmodai?”
“I’m not sure. I still want to know where.”
Lucifer said, “How about near the shores of the sea? Leviathan, I think, is with us. She certainly will be when she hears what happened today, and it would be good to have her with us if there’s trouble.”
“Not bad,” said Lilith. “Asmodai?”
He nodded. “Yes, that might—”
“No!” said Lucifer suddenly. “I’ve a better idea!”
“Oh?”
“Yes! We’ll solve both of our problems at once. And there’s another advantage, now that I think of it. If Asmodai will take a few minutes to work it out with me, maybe we can show them a trick or two after all.”
“Just what,” said Lilith, “are you proposing?”
Lucifer smiled. “We will call them together in twenty days—at the Southern Hold.”
Lilith’s eyes widened, then she smiled. Asmodai was silent. After a time, he nodded. “We should begin at once, then.”
“No,” said Lucifer, “we should wait for Satan, if he is indeed coming here. Especially if we’re going to use his home for this.”
Lilith shook her head. “He won’t agree to it.”
“But then—”
“No, we present it as something already done. Then he will choose.”
Lucifer snorted. “If we do that, I can guess which way he’ll choose—and we won’t like it.”
Lilith shook her head. “I’m not so certain. And it’s what we have to do.”
Lucifer opened his mouth, but Asmodai cut in. “She’s right,” he said. “I don’t approve of using him either, but we’ll never be able to force him to make a choice any other way. It’s the same as I mentioned before. With the hosts believing in the Plan now, he won’t be moved by argument; he must see, experience what this is all about. We’ll be honest about it—we have to be. But there isn’t any other way to convince him.”
Lucifer looked at them, then sighed. “All right.”
“Good,” said Asmodai. “Now, what is this idea of yours?”
“Good day to you.”
“Good day to you, my lord. How may I serve you?”
“What’s your name, my friend?”
“I’m called Jetrel, Lord.”
“Jetrel. A pleasure. I am Asmodai.”
“Asmodai! I’ve heard of you, Lord.”
“Nothing bad, I hope.”
“Not at all, Lord. It is said you made the sceptre and the sword and—”
“That was all long ago.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“I’m building other things now.”
“Indeed, Lord?”
“Yes. Do you know where the Southern Hold is?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Good. There is to be a gathering there twenty days hence. Tell everyone you know about it.”
“A gathering, Lord?”
“That’s right.”
“What sort of gathering, Lord?”
“Well, you see, Jetrel, not everyone is completely happy with what’s been heard of the Plan.”
“Lord!”
“We’re going to get together and talk about it. Why don’t you try to be there?”
“Lord, I—”
“Think about it, all right?”
“Yes, certainly, Lord, but—”
“And tell everyone you know, okay?”
“I will, Lord, but—”
“Fare well, then, Jetrel.”
“Farewell, Lord Asmodai.”
“They seem to have left again. Can you pick up their trail?”
“No, milord. The tracks are too numerous.”
“Hmm. All right, then.”
“Where to, milord?”
“We may as well go home, I suppose.”
“Wilt thou not speak to Leviathan, as thou has said thou would’st?”
“Maybe, Beelzebub, later. But not now. I’m . . . tired.”
“Aye, milord.”
“Twenty days, you say?”
“Yes, Yaweh. That’s what I’ve heard.”
“Father?”
He turned. “Yes, Yeshuah?”
“I would like to attend.”
“What?”
“Sword in hand, Father, I would like to attend.”
Yaweh look at him. “I am pleased by your zeal, my son, but no. Now isn’t the time.”
“As you wish, Father.”
Yaweh signed for Michael and Raphael to leave. When they had done so, he sat back to think. His eyes turned to Yeshuah, who met his glance openly with a smile of affection.
Am I really pleased? he wondered.