Page 76 of The Morning Star
Weird. I didn’t really feel in charge, but I guess this was one of those fake-it-until-you-make-it things.
“Two, three days max,” I told him. “Enjoy some time with Lux, and if you need a break, Nyalla can give you a hand, or Snip, or…Gimlet. If you can find him.”
I hadn’t seen Gimlet since I’d returned, and I got the feeling he didn’t want to be seen. That was okay. Some things took time. Some things took millions of years. And if he wanted to show up in a revolting Low form to take care of my kid, then that was okay with me. He was Lux’s uncle, after all.
I sat beside Doriel, sipping the wine one of her staff had brought to me. She still looked like shit. Well, her spirit-self looked like shit, and would always bear those scars even after she’d healed. Her corporeal form was looking much better than the last time I saw her.
“I’ve never met this guy, but someone told me on good authority that the Samael imposter was an Ancient named Luziel?”
She started. “Luziel? He died during the war.”
Figures. “You actually saw him die?” I asked, just in case.
“No, but he served under Amendadiel, and he claimed Luziel died. I remember it was right after the battle for the sixth choir, the one before that final battle.”
So Samael lied. No big shock there. “Is this Amendadiel guy still alive?” I asked, wondering if it had been him impersonating the former Iblis.
“He was at the fall. I don’t recall seeing him afterward, but I slumbered quite a bit as did he. We weren’t awake and active at the same time. Besides, we never really got along. Although we got along better than Luziel and I.” Doriel sniffed. “That angel. Joins with Samael one time, and thinks they have something special going on. Nasty orange bug of a creature. As if Samael would even look twice at something like that.”
Ah, jealousy. Seems that wasn’t just a trait inherent in Angels of Order.
“Luziel claimed that he and Samael were partners,” she continued. “That they were inseparable, that he knew the Iblis better than anyone. Liar.”
I bit back a grin. “So Samael got around, huh? Luziel, an endless stream of Angels of Order…you.”
She shot me a narrowed glance. “Samael made no one promises. If there was mutual pleasure to be found in an action, he was always willing and usually the instigator. That angel could tempt the Creator to sin. So yes, he got around, and no, he would never have been exclusive to Luziel, no matter what that worm may have said.”
Well, whether it was Luziel or Amendadiel, or Billy Jo Bob, the guy was dead. And at Samael’s hand too. I wondered if the demons, or angels at the battle had spread any rumors.
“I guess he’s truly dead then,” Doriel added somberly. “Samael, I mean. I was such a fool to trust that imposter.”
“You had hope,” I told her. “That’s not a foolish thing.”
“Well, it is foolish to hang on to the past when it hinders you from your future.” She shifted on the seat to better face me. “And are you here to tell me a bit about that future?”
“Yes I am.” This time I did grin. “We have demon lands across the gates. And as soon as you are able, I want you to take administrative control of them. I’ll send you the list of agreed-upon policies and procedures from the Ruling Council meeting, and you’ll need to coordinate with both human government as well as the oversight committee, but I’m putting you in charge of it. Don’t fuck up.”
“I won’t.” She grinned back. “I’m not an imp.”
Epilogue
I felt him enter Hel. It was as if the world had cracked, tilted on its axis, shifted to the left a few miles. None of the Lows around me, eating beaks and throwing knives at each other seemed to notice, but then again I was the Iblis. I was fully the Iblis. And just as Gregory had been linked to Aaru and his angels, I was connected to Hel and my demons.
“I’ll be right back,” I told my Lows. None of them paid me the slightest bit of attention as I stood and transported myself to the center of the disturbance.
Which put me smack against Gregory, my spirit-self half merged with his as I appeared. He sucked in a breath, wrapping his arms around me to keep us both from toppling over from the impact.
“And what brings you to my little slice of heaven?” I asked, remaining merged with him. I kept my tone casual, but the considerable impact of this moment wouldn’t have escaped me even without the Hel-tilting-on-its-axis feeling. An Angel of Order in Hel. Yeah, I’d tossed Bencul here, and Lux had temporarily resided in Hel, so technically Gregory wasn’t the first Angel of Order to step foot here, but he was the first to do so voluntarily. And he was the first archangel.
More significantly, he’d violated both his vow and the terms of the treaty he’d drafted. For an Angel of Chaos that was big. For an Angel of Order, it was momentous.
“A personal errand.” Judging from the harshness of his voice, this wasn’t a pleasant errand for him. He wasn’t shoving me away, or separating his spirit-self from mine, so I took comfort in the fact that whatever bad thing he had to do, it didn’t involve me.
For once.
“I need to escort you.” I was the one who eased my spirit-self back and took a step out of his arms, putting on my business hat. When I’d first stepped foot into Aaru, he’d been by my side to ensure none of the angels harassed me. I’d need to do the same here. The archangel could definitely take care of himself, but having a chain of battles that led to a trail of dead demons in his wake wouldn’t be good for either his reputation or mine. This visit needed to look like it was planned and sanctioned, and that would only happen if I were by his side the whole time.
He revealed his wings. “Of course.”
