The Wind-up Forest

by L. J. LaBarthe

  “Oh, Tabbris,” Raphael said kindly, “you’re not scum. A bit of a brat, yes, and we did spoil you when you were first made, because you are the youngest. But you are not and have never been scum. Israfel adores you and that speaks much to me as to the character of your soul and spirit. So I have no reason or desire to treat you unkindly.”

  Tabbris shot Raphael a sidelong glance. “Okay.”

  Moved by an impulse he couldn’t explain, Raphael pulled Tabbris into a hug. To his surprise, Tabbris melted into it, clinging to him, and Raphael suddenly realized that with the exception of Israfel, no one had hugged or embraced or spoken kindly to the youngest angel in centuries.

  “Young Tabbris,” Raphael said, rubbing Tabbris’s back, “you might be young, but your heart is good. And your friendship and loyalty to Israfel are wonderful things, things I am very grateful that you give him. He is my life, Tabbris, and your kindness toward him will not be forgotten.”

  Tabbris nodded against Raphael’s chest, and Raphael hummed, aware that Tabbris was overcome with emotions that he refused to acknowledge. Here in this overgrown forest, with brass keys sticking out of tree trunks and music swirling around them, Tabbris, Angel of Free Will, let his prickly façade down and clung to Raphael like a child to an elder brother.

  Raphael glanced over to see Israfel watching them. Israfel’s expression was gentle, and his eyes were very wise. He smiled at Raphael and nodded once, and Raphael sent his thought to his lover, very carefully so that Tabbris wouldn’t hear it.

  “He’s very lonely, isn’t he?”

  “Oh yeah. He gets picked on a lot, that’s why he’s so rough as guts. It’s a defense mechanism. He’ll be better after this, though. Thanks heaps, Raph. This is really good of you.”

  “He’s a good soul,” Raphael thought with a smile. “And he has exceptionally good taste in best friends, beloved Israfel.”

  Israfel’s smile was full of love, and Raphael felt warmed by it in ways that the sun couldn’t do. He felt Tabbris stir in his arms and slowly pull away, and he looked down at the angel as he let him go.

  “Thanks, Raph,” Tabbris said. His voice was gruff, and he swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “So!” He turned to Israfel. “What did you find out? I’m assuming all that weird shit you were doing had a purpose.”

  “Of course it did.” Israfel smirked. “I am awesome.”

  “Of course you are,” Raphael agreed.

  “So what did you learn?” Tabbris demanded.

  “The music you can hear is the Song of Creation,” Israfel said. He gestured around the forest as Raphael felt his mouth drop open in astonishment. “The Song of Creation is as old as this planet and only the most ancient of living beings who are native to this planet would remember it. And me, of course, as I’m Angel of Music, and right now, the most awesome angel ever.”

  Raphael closed his mouth and shook his head. “So that is why these ancient trees have the keys in them,” he said, “to bring forth the music that God Himself sang when He created this planet and reality.”

  “Yup! Pretty fantastic, isn’t it?” Israfel didn’t wait for an answer. “So, I bet, right, that wherever else are really old forests like this one, we’ll find glades with trees with these keys in them. And they’ll all sing the Song of Creation, as a hymn and a memory, so that it’s never really forgotten.”

  “Amazing,” Raphael marveled. He glanced around the trees with a new appreciation. “Truly amazing.”

  “Huh,” Tabbris said. “How about that.”

  “Right? Isn’t that awesome?” Israfel was practically bouncing.

  “It is,” Raphael agreed. “I am very impressed, beloved.”

  Israfel beamed at him.

  “You are correct, Israfel, Angel of Music,” said a new voice.

  The three angels spun around to see who had spoken. Standing on a rise a little above them was the dryad queen. She was accompanied by six dryad warriors, and she was smiling at Israfel.

  “Thanks, Your Majesty,” Israfel said, bowing.

  “Everything is connected,” the dryad queen said, regarding each of them in turn. “Everything is in balance, and the Grail is the knot that holds that balance secure. That none of the walls of reality have begun to falter says that the Grail is still on Earth, still in the reality it was meant to stay in.”

  “Do you think it was taken by a human, Your Majesty?” Raphael asked.

  “I do not think so, Raphael, Archangel of Healing.” The dryad sounded pensive. “I suspect it is held by one with supernatural gifts who is not human and has no interest in humans at all. The theft suggests long and careful planning, and my sisters and I begin to wonder how many centuries this plan has been worked upon.”

  “That isn’t good,” Tabbris said. “That means that some fucker’s been after this for ages and they’re not right in the head.”

  The dryad laughed at that. “Gentle Tabbris, Angel of Free Will,” she said, “your words are brash, but they are probably true. I do not think this theft is fueled by madness the likes of which any of you are familiar with, but by the madness of an immortal being with supernatural elements who has long harbored a grudge and hate that have twisted that individual’s soul.”

  “Fucking great,” Tabbris muttered. “So a powerful, immortal, angry thing.”

  “Not a demon, then?” Israfel asked.

  “No.” The dryad queen shook her head. “The Archdemons of the Guild of Glass Knives even now journey to meet with others of the Brotherhood of Archangels. They are as perplexed as you three are. I have heard whispers that Lucifer is worried—very worried. And whispers, too, that Lilith, his consort, seeks to enter this reality to speak with those who may help in returning the Grail to its proper place.”

  “Lilith wants to help?” Raphael was skeptical. “Lilith only helps herself.”

  “Perhaps, once, long ago.” The dryad fixed him with an unblinking gaze. “She is older now, and wiser. You will all find her much changed. She and her three sisters are all changed from the days they first walked upon this beautiful planet.”

  “She has sisters?” Israfel asked. “I didn’t know that!”

  “Yes.” Raphael nodded, looking over to his lover. “Eisheth, who lives among the stars, comforting them as they die. Naamah, who lives in the sea. And our dear Agrat bat Mahlat.”

  “Agrat’s Lilith sister?” Israfel gaped. “That’s nuts!”

  Raphael laughed. “It may be, as you say, nuts, but it is true.”

  “Wow.” Tabbris shook his head. “I didn’t know that, either. Though I’m not surprised. You wouldn’t really want everyone to know you were related to Lilith, after all. Okay, so she had a point when she stood up to Adam in Eden, but then she went and had a shit-fit and made lots of giants just to piss off God, and that was just bad.”

  “Well, we shall see, I suppose,” Raphael said. “Lilith indeed,” he mused. “How remarkable.”

  “Treat her gently, please?” the dryad asked, looking at Raphael in concern. “She has endured much.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Raphael said. He smiled ruefully. “There’s a lot of water under that bridge, Your Majesty, but I’m prepared to let bygones be bygones.”

  The dryad nodded. “That is all I can ask. Now, we must leave. You three must join the others in Yerevan, in the land that humans call Armenia. They are awaiting you there, as are the shifters and the Archdemons.”

  Raphael bowed to her. “We shall, Your Majesty. Thank you for taking the time to tell us these things.”

  She bowed in return. “All life is connected,” she said, “and we serve the same goal—to protect it.” Then she turned and, with her entourage, blended into the forest and was gone.

  “Well,” Israfel said. “Let’s go to Yerevan.”

  “Just like that?” Tabbris demanded.

  “Yeah, why not? You want to get some of the Cherubim to sing hymns to announce us?” Israfel asked.

  Tabbris rolled his eyes. “Don’t b
e a dick. Of course not. I meant, did you need to do anything else here? Any more rolling around in the dirt? I bet Raph really loves your new look, twigs in your hair and dirt on your face. You look like you’ve been living in a medieval kitchen midden for a week.”

  “Screw you, Tabbris, at least my hair’s a normal color,” Israfel retorted.

  “Now, now,” Raphael interrupted before the fight could really take off, “let us go to Yerevan. We can discuss the situation with the others and compare what we know. Perhaps then we will have a clearer picture instead of these fragments.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Tabbris rolled his shoulders. “See you there.” He was gone a moment later.

  Raphael held out his hand to Israfel, and Israfel walked over to him and took it in his own. “Before you ask, yes, I still love you,” Raphael said. “Even with the twigs in your hair and dirt on your face.”

  Israfel screwed up his nose. “He’s so mean sometimes.”

  “I know. But it’s because he’s insecure, as you said earlier.”

  “I know. Can you de-twig me, please?”

  “Of course.” Raphael ran his free hand through Israfel’s hair, picking out leaves, twigs, and a rather curious caterpillar. He set the latter onto a tree trunk and placed the rest on the ground of the forest, then gently rubbed the smudges of dirt from Israfel’s face. “There you go. All clean.”

  “Thanks.” Israfel moved closer and wrapped his arms around Raphael’s waist. “Maybe in Yerevan, we can get a bath somewhere. It’d be great to be properly clean, washed by water and soap. You could wash my back!”

  Raphael laughed and hugged Israfel back. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Awesome. Let’s go, then.”

  Raphael kissed the top of Israfel’s head and moved them.

  Chapter Eleven

  ANGELIQUE WANDERED around the rooms that had been booked for her squad and their two assistants. This had to be Gabriel’s work, she thought; the hotel was too tasteful and had too many luxuries to be somewhere that Michael would choose. Michael tended to forget that his Venatores were human and needed things like blankets, hot and cold running water, soap, a functioning toilet, and food. Gabriel had booked a whole floor for the group, and the rooms opened into a large comfortable living room with a kitchen and a well-stocked fridge. There was also room service; Angelique felt as if she were on vacation, not on a job.

  She wasn’t the only one, she knew. Her squad mates had gaped in amazement at the comfortable quarters, and then there had been a lot of excited rushing around, investigating each bedroom, at the bathrooms, at the kitchen, at the fantastic view of Brocéliande forest and the river that sparkled bright blue close by.

  “This is incredible,” Lily said as she joined Angelique in the kitchen.

  “It’s pretty amazing.” Angelique grinned. “I bet it’s all Gabe’s work.”

  “Well, I’m sending him a muffin basket when we get back.” Lily looked around, her expression amazed. “That bed is more comfy than my own bed back home!”

  Angelique laughed. “So is mine. Riley made the most ridiculous noises—it seems we’ve all got orthopedic mattresses, so our backs will all be well taken care of here.”

  “Bloody hell.” Lily moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “Well, I don’t mind having somewhere comfortable as a base, that’s for sure.”

  “Me either.” Angelique decided that she rather liked this hotel. The staff had been discreet and efficient, asking no questions, and the food that had been brought when they’d ordered breakfast had been some of the best that Angelique had tasted in some time. “You know, I don’t think I’ve eaten this well since I was stationed in Barcelona, back during the war.”

  Lily nodded. “Same here, but it was Reims for me.”

  Danny entered the living room then, Riley and Baxter trailing him. “This is amazing,” Danny said as he sat down and sprawled on the plush white sofa. “We checked out the place, Ange,” he said to Angelique. “No listening devices, no demon tech, nothing.”

  “That’s good.” Angelique went into the living room and sat down. Lily followed her and sat down beside Danny, tucking her feet up beneath her. Danny slipped his arm around her shoulders, and Angelique smiled to herself, turning to see Riley and Baxter sitting down in armchairs on either side of the window.

  “What about our two hangers-on?” Angelique asked.

  Danny frowned. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about them. What do we know about them?”

  “Declan’s a shifter, Liam isn’t. Gabe vouches for them. That’s it.” Angelique shook her head. “And they’ve been on the road for a long time. They’re trackers, they say they’re good at hunting and killing demons. No more details.”

  “We should get details,” Danny said. “Before we start the job in the morning.”

  Angelique quirked an eyebrow at him.

  “I don’t like unknowns,” he said. “Marine sergeant for life, ma’am.”

  She laughed at him. “Okay. Well, where are they now?”

  “Coming to join you, if that’s okay?” It was Liam. He stood by the door to the room he and his brother were sharing.

  “Yeah, absolutely. We want to know all about you two,” Angelique said.

  Liam laughed. “It’ll be boring, I’m afraid.”

  “That’s all right. Boring is fine. Just so long as it’s detailed, too,” Danny said.

  “Come and join us, Liam,” Lily added.

  “Okay.” Liam turned to his brother. “You okay with this?”

  Declan shrugged. “It’s part of the deal, ain’t it? Gabe said we’d have to explain ourselves, so….” He shrugged again. “You can tell the tale, bro. It’s your turn.”

  Liam sighed. “All right.” He moved into the living room and sat down on the floor. Declan pulled up a chair from the dining table and turned it around, straddling it and leaning on the back of it.

  “So,” Declan said, “what do you want to know?”

  “What can you guys do that makes you so important for this mission?” Angelique asked.

  Liam wrinkled his nose, and then he laughed. “At least it’s not the super-huge question first.”

  “Nah, just a mediumly huge question.” Declan shook his head. “Go on then, Liam. Tell.”

  Liam took a deep breath. “Declan’s a shifter,” he began. “His shape is… not a wolf. It’s canine, yeah, but it’s not what you’d think. As a result, Declan’s able to sniff out the nests of demons and monsters that aren’t where you’d think. Things like burrows in the ground, caves, cellars that have been forgotten since they were abandoned during the American Civil War. He has the super nose.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Declan said. “Is that how I’ll be remembered, as the shifter with the super nose?”

  Liam shot him a quick grin. “And my talent,” he said, taking another deep breath, “is Necromancy. Gabe tested me, and apparently, I’m one of the five strongest Necromancers in the world. Ever.”

  Angelique stared at him. “You see dead people?” Then she groaned and buried her face in her hands as everyone burst out laughing. “I can’t believe I just said that!”

  “Twentieth-century pop culture never dies,” Baxter said. “Liam sees dead people and Declan has a super nose. Awesome.” He looked around. “What? It is awesome!”

  “All right, I won’t deny those are good talents to have,” Danny said, “but isn’t Necromancy really unpredictable?”

  Liam laughed. It was a brittle, humorless sound. “Oh, you have no idea. Before I started to really get a handle on it, really manage it, I used to get the worst migraines. Bloodied noses, pounding head, unable to see, everything you can imagine. Once I started learning how to control it, it got better. The dead are generally pretty amiable. They don’t want any trouble. The spirits I see and talk to just want to be noticed. So, that’s what I do. I acknowledge them. A nod here and there goes a long way. People don’t want to feel alone and ignored when they’re alive; it’s the sa
me when they’re dead. Sometimes, the dead have information, so I ask them to give it to me.”

  “And they do? Just like that?” Angelique asked.

  “Just like that,” Liam agreed.

  “So why do we need a Necromancer on this job?” Lily asked.

  “Gabriel said that Michael thinks that Merlin—yeah, the wizard from King Arthur’s court—is buried here. I’m supposed to call his spirit up and talk to him. I’ve got questions for him.”

  “What are you supposed to ask him about?” Riley asked.

  Liam shook his head. “Now this, this is new. New for Dec and me, anyway. I’m supposed to ask him if he knows where the Holy Grail is now.”

  Silence met that statement. Then Angelique began to laugh. “No way,” she said, still laughing. “Gabe’s yanking your chain, sweetheart.”

  “Have you read the file brief that Michael gave you yet?” Declan asked.

  Angelique turned to him, her laughter fading as she frowned. “No, actually, I haven’t.” She got up and went into the room she was sharing with Riley and Baxter and emerged a few minutes later with the manila folder. “But I will now,” she said as she sat back down again.

  Everyone waited as she opened the folder and began to read. Angelique prided herself on being able to keep her poker face on, her game face, but this mission had her dumbfounded. Michael really believed that the Holy Grail was missing, and moreover, that Angelique, her team, and these two boys accompanying them were going to help find it.

  “Well, fuck me,” she said as she finished reading the brief and handed the file to Lily. “Un-fucking-believable. The Holy Grail.”

  “Right?” Liam smiled at her. “When Gabe called us, we thought he’d finally lost the plot. But no, we’re looking for the Holy Grail. We knew he wanted us to work with the Venatores, but not on what. Until this.”

  Lily was frowning. “But the Holy Grail isn’t in France,” she said, handing the file to Danny to read. “I mean, I’m English, and the Arthurian legends are part of our DNA. Some of the stories say that it was brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea and it was kept on the Isle of Avalon after Arthur died, against the return of the Once and Future King, who would restore the world to rights and heal all the injuries in the planet and the people.”