by M. R. Forbes
He replied by smiling and nodding, and then, putting his hand on my shoulder. An instant later I was back outside the basilica.
Dante was gone.
Sixteen
Both angels and demons turned to ash when they died.
Touched? They just died.
As I stood in the plaza outside the Basilica, I was surrounded by them.
It was a grisly scene, made all the more real by the line of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances circling the area, along with the crowds of onlookers who had come to see what happened. How would their minds process this carnage? A meteor strike? More terrorists? They were always a good mental scapegoat for the damage the Divine caused.
The basilica itself looked as though it had been hit by a bomb. The entire eastern wall was collapsed, as was the dome, which couldn't remain upright without the added support. Scorch marks from a fire demon's sword left dark marks on the steps, and dozens of claw marks were etched into the doors. I could see the emergency workers climbing over the rubble, searching for survivors.
The balance was shifting. I could feel it in my gut. Losing a thousand Touched was much, much worse than losing a thousand demons. The only good news was that Sarah had to know that. It meant her next target wouldn't be Heavenly. If she truly wanted to save humankind, she couldn't do it by giving the demons free reign.
Then again, if her father got to her before I did, if he had better luck in convincing her she was on the wrong path, there was no telling what would happen next.
Uriel's sword. That was step one. A weapon that would let me increase my power. That would let any Divine increase their power. I was surprised Gervais hadn't stolen the shards from me. Then again, there was no way he would ever get them put back together.
The thought gave me pause. Was that why Zifah hadn't attacked me with the Fist? If Dante knew the sword could be useful, so would Gervais. I had to assume he was waiting for me to retrieve it, and then he would come for it. It was typical. Maybe a little too predictable. I had to assume it was true. If I managed to convince Uriel to reforge the blade and let me take it back down to Earth, there was no way he wouldn't try to take it.
I scanned the scene, looking for Obi. Dante was convinced my friend would be alive after this. I had confidence in his ability to take out most demons despite the loss of his Divine power, but that fire demon had me worried. He couldn't fight that. The emergency workers looked at me as I started moving toward the basilica, but they didn't try to stop me. As soon as they blinked, as soon as they looked away, they forgot I was even there.
I reached the basilica, climbing over the rubble the same way the first responders were. I didn't call out Obi's name; that would have only drawn more attention my way. I did use my power to subtly push some of the debris aside, to make sure he wasn't under it. I didn't expect him to be. The last I had seen of him, he was outside the building.
I was worried, but not too worried. I moved away from the chaos, heading out past where law enforcement had closed the roads. If Obi had survived, there was only one other place I would find him at this time of night.
The bar was called La Tempesta. The Tempest. I could hear the laughter and talking coming from it when I was still two blocks away. It was tucked back in a small alley, on a cobblestone street that time had forgotten, a passage too narrow for any cars to traverse. The door to it was hanging open, the patrons loitering outside to smoke. They glanced at me as I entered, greeting me with an enthusiastic "Ciao!"
The inside was as dim as I expected, and also more crowded. There was a television in the corner, turned off. The reports about the basilica were probably killing the mood, and nobody went to a pub to hear bad news. The benches at the bar were all taken by Italian men and women, some fair, some olive, none as dark as Obi.
I walked through the place, checking the tables. I was about to give up when a bottle cap hit me in the back of the neck.
I turned around. Obi was sitting against the wall, a beer on the table in front of him. He looked tired, a little sweaty, but otherwise no worse for wear.
I went over and sat across from him. He stared at me for a few seconds without speaking.
"I know what you're thinking," I said. "Dante took me. I didn't leave."
He smiled. "I know. I saw him. That's not why I'm staring."
"Then why are you staring?"
"She was going to kill you, man."
"I know. She thinks it's the right thing to do. She said I'm causing the war to escalate, and pretty soon it will be out of control."
"Unless she kills all of the Divine?"
"Exactly."
"You can't stop her."
"I would have if I could. How did you get away?"
He shrugged. "Snuck out when I saw you go poof. The demons didn't want anything to do with me after I cut a few dozen of them down. Not with so many Touched to kill. Sarah didn't see me, or if she did she let me go again."
"Because you're human. Fully human."
"Is that why? I thought she just liked me."
"She does like you. I'm pretty sure she still likes me. What she's doing, she thinks she has to do, or the world is going to end. The problem is if she kills all the Divine, the world is going to end anyway."
"Ain't that a kicker."
I smiled. "A big one."
"So, Dante saved your ass. I figured you'd catch up to me here sooner or later once you saw I wasn't dead. Did he give you anything useful?"
"We'll see. I'm supposed to take the shards of Uriel's sword to Heaven, and ask Archangel Uriel to put it back together for me."
He laughed loudly enough that half the patrons in the pub turned to look at us.
"You're kidding me?" he said.
"I wish I was."
"Man, there is no way that is going to happen."
"Normally, I would agree with you, but the balance is shifting. If the angels don't do something, they might end up screwed."
"Unless they know what Sarah is up to."
"Meaning they'll let her balance things out again?" They would never help me if they knew she was going to. "I don't think they do. Not yet. I have a bad feeling Gervais knows what's going down, though."
"So you need another set of eyes in the back of your head."
"Yeah."
"I'll do my best," he said.
"Thanks. I appreciate you helping me out on this one. Especially considering you aren't the biggest fan of the Divine."
"I'm a bigger fan of the world staying in one piece. I know we've had some rough patches here and there, Landon, but I've always considered us friends. Friends just go through some shit sometimes, that's all."
"Agreed."
He raised his bottle to me, and then took a drink.
"Do you know what happened to Alfred?" I asked.
"He was fighting for a while. He's a total badass, by the way. He teamed up with that angel that opened the Mass, and the two of them took out the fire demon. Sarah got to them, though. I saw Alfred try to save the other seraph, but she did something to him and made him disappear. Sent him back to Heaven or something."
"His superiors told him to help me. I was hoping he could give me a lift to Heaven."
"Maybe he'll show up again. He might be looking for you right now."
"He won't remember me. He might come looking for you."
"Good enough, right?"
"I hope so."
"So what do you want to do? Hang out and knock back a few?"
"Don't you need to sleep?"
"Man, I'm too wired to sleep."
"I need to talk to an angel. I imagine Sarah's actions tonight have got them on high alert, and maybe bunkered in. Considering where we are, I know where to find them."
"Not much deduction needed on that one, is there Sherlock?"
"Elementary, Watson. You ready to go?"
He took one last swig to finish the bottle and then stood up. "I am now."
Seventeen
The Vatican. The home of the Pope. The ho
me of St. Peter's Basilica. The home base and the largest and most powerful seraphim sanctuary in the mortal realm.
I needed to talk to an angel, and there was no better place to find one.
Of course, these angels weren't friends of mine. Maybe some of them would be lukewarm, but I knew going in that most of them didn't like me, and would have preferred if Sarah's wings had found their way to my heart, or had sliced clean through my neck. Whatever. I didn't have time to worry about that now. My only other seraphim contact was back in New York, and unless Dante showed up right away to teleport me there, or unless I wound up desperate enough to time walk again, I wasn't going to reach her.
No, I had to walk into the lion's den and see if I could make a case. If I failed with the angels, maybe Francis would hear me out?
We climbed the steps to St. Peter's. The square was empty. Silent. We had seen a number of heavily armed guards outside the perimeter, keeping watch for those terrorists. I was sure the angels were watching us make our approach, even if I hadn't tried to look for them. Whenever they showed up, they showed up. I didn't want to make any moves that they took as aggressive. As powerful as I was, I was on the holiest ground on the planet. They could take me if they had the numbers, which was why I had never visited before.
That I was here, now, would send a clear message. It was a huge white flag. An obvious cry for help. I didn't like submitting so easily, but there was nothing else to be done.
We reached the doors to the massive Church. I pushed one of them open with my power, and we moved inside. I was awed by the interior. The scale. The craftsmanship. The hand of God in everything that was created there.
"Hello?" Obi said, his voice echoing in the empty space.
I had expected there would be a guard at least. The place was deserted.
"Echo," he shouted, smiling as it was repeated back to him, the acoustics bouncing his voice around the columns and arches. I looked over at him, and he shrugged. "Just trying to get some attention."
We waited. Nobody came.
"I thought that would work," I said.
"What the heck is going on in here?" Obi replied.
"A thousand Touched died tonight, Diuscrucis," the smooth, low voice said from everywhere, bouncing off the walls without an echo. "A dozen angels as well."
I knew the voice. I had heard it not very long ago.
"Raguel," I said. "You aren't supposed to be here."
The archangel appeared from behind a column, still wearing the same robes and cowl as before.
"Which is why this place is empty," he said. "Except for you, your friend, and me. The others have been sent away, sent to understand this threat. The real diuscrucis, with blood and gold wings."
"I already understand the threat," I said. "That's why I'm here."
"I assumed as much. If you came because you need our help, then we are already doomed."
"Are you saying you won't help me?" I asked. "Because I haven't even told you what I want yet."
"I could destroy you here and now, Diuscrucis," Raguel said. "Your power is strong, but not in this place." He waved his hand, and the runes hidden in every millimeter of the stone flared briefly.
"Awesome," Obi said.
"Do you intend to destroy me?" I asked.
He smiled like the Cheshire Cat, his face hidden under his hood. "The laws are the laws. If you don't attack me, I can't attack you."
"But you want to?"
"There have been times when I have wanted to. This isn't one of them. You came to us. It would be ill-managed for me not to hear you out."
"I need to go to Heaven."
The grin vanished, but he didn't speak.
"Is that a no?"
"Do you have any idea what you're asking for?" he said.
"Yes."
"I don't think you do, or you wouldn't ask."
"If you don't ask, the answer is always no."
"Outsiders don't go to Heaven, Diuscrucis. It has never been done."
"Does that mean it's against your laws?"
I knew it wasn't. Dante would have told me if it were.
"No, but it has never been done."
"That's a stupid reason," Obi said.
The cowl shifted slightly, the Archangel looking over. Obi's face deepened in color as he realized he called Raguel stupid.
"I mean, that's not really a reason, is it?" Obi said, trying to backtrack. "I mean, no offense, but Heaven just got pwned out there."
"And so did I," I said. "There may be a way to stop this, but the only way to make it happen is for me to go to Heaven."
"Why?"
I lifted one of the shards of Uriel's sword from my pocket. "Do you know what this is?"
His head shifted, leaning forward. Then he reached up and lowered his hood. His eyes were wide. "You have a piece of Uriel's sword?"
"No. I have the entire thing. Unfortunately, it is in pieces. I need Uriel to put it back together."
His eyes bore into me, as though that statement was the dumbest thing he had ever heard.
"Your actions have fractured a family that has been maintained for thousands of years. You caused Adam to fall and indirectly caused all of those Touched to die, not only by creating the schism between the seraphim but by allowing the true diuscrucis to live in the first place. Since your arrival, the world has seen more death and destruction at the hands of the Divine than at any other time in the history of the universe. That sword in your possession would allow you to become powerful enough to challenge God himself."
"That definitely sounded like a no," Obi said.
"I can't argue anything you just said," I said. "It's all true, and it's nothing I don't already know. It's also the exact reason why I need the blade."
"How so?" Raguel asked.
"Because if I'm gone, and Sarah is all that's left, she'll become powerful enough to challenge God. By destroying all of the Divine, she's playing God. Right now, I can almost balance her out, but she's still stronger than I am. And if I can't stop her, neither can you."
"That's not a compelling argument. If you have the sword, and you do stop her, you will be beyond our control."
"You're saying I'm not already."
"As we established, I can destroy you here and now."
"Only if I attack you."
"For now. That is one rule we intend to have changed."
"Without that rule, you become just like the demons. Can't you see what is happening here? You, of all angels?"
"I am the Archangel of Justice and Vengeance. Vengeance requires action."
"Which is why Adam fell. But you blame me for that. He took action, we both know the consequences. That won't change."
"We shall see. No angel will bring you to Heaven. Uriel will not reforge his blade. I will make sure of that."
"You're going to allow all of the Divine to be killed so that I can't become more powerful? I had all of the Beast's power, Raguel. I could have kept it. If I had, we wouldn't be here, now. I didn't, though. I didn't want to challenge God. I still don't. I don't even want the sword or the responsibility that comes with it. I don't have a choice."
"Easy words to say while you don't control the power. Things have changed. You have changed. Consorting with a demon? Visiting Hell? You are both good and evil, Landon. You will always be such, and as such you cannot be trusted."
"She'll destroy you. All of you."
"If we cannot find a way to stop her, then it will be as He wills it."
"You're making a mistake, Raguel. A big mistake."
"Go now," the Archangel replied. "Leave this Holy place, and never return to it. I will not allow you to leave it again."
I bit my tongue to keep from cursing him. That wouldn't help my cause any. I knew it was a risk to come here to make my case. I knew there was a good chance I would be rejected. This time. I wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Come on, Obi. We'll have to settle for Plan B."
Eighteen
"Plan B?"
Obi asked, as soon as we were off the grounds of St. Peter's. "We have a Plan B?"
"Sort of. It's the same as Plan A, except we ask a different angel."
"You heard him, man. He said he'd make sure you don't get to Heaven."
"I also heard him say that the seraphim are fractured. He wants to change things. I'm sure not all of the angels do. They might be a little more trusting of my motives."
"And you really don't want to go up against God, right? If you took all of that power?"
"Not a chance."
"Then what would you do with it?"
"Release it back out into the universe."
"You can do that?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you tell Raguel?"
"He wouldn't have listened, no matter what I did. He's got other reasons to cut me off."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. The more chaotic things get, the easier it becomes for him to push his agenda. To force change to save Heaven and humankind. He doesn't want me coming in and messing that all up. At least not until he gets his way."
"Damn. I hadn't thought about it that way. So, who do we ask next?"
"I'm not sure yet. I've got Jane back in New York. I can go see her, but I can't bring you along."
"If you need to go, you should go. Helping Sarah is the top priority."
I froze for a second. He said "helping," not "stopping." He thought my intention was to bring her back to her senses. To get her to stop. Could I make him understand that she wasn't going to stop? That the only way out would be to end her life?
I didn't think so. Not without a fight. Not without risking that he would walk away. I needed him with me, regardless of the reasons why. Regardless of the truth. I was an asshole for staying silent. I had always been an asshole.
"I need a little more time to weigh our options. Are you sure you don't need to sleep?"
He laughed. "You sound like my mom. If you want to rest we can find a hotel. Don't take too long on this, though. Maybe Sarah is going to go after the demons next, and I know neither of us has a problem with that. It's only a stay of execution for the good guys." He paused. "And for you."