Page 11 of The Morning Star
“You said that.” I wasn’t liking where this was going. I was about to like it even less.
“I have assigned one enforcer and one additional Grigori to assist each gate guardian. They will remain there full-time, to ensure any demon crossing with violent intent will be immediately stopped. At the first sign of violence, the demon will be neutralized.”
Murdered. Not neutralized, murdered. “That’s not right,” I sputtered. “I protest. You cannot enact such a draconian policy. The potential for abuse is huge. Your Grigori hate demons. They’ve been tasked with killing them since the formation of the tenth choir. Some incubus sneezes at the gate, and they’ll kill him. There need to be controls put in place. There needs to be a means for appeal, for a trial by their peers. They can’t just have carte blanche to kill crossing demons. Not again. This is a terrible move to make.”
“I cannot lose any more angels.” Gregory glared at me.
“Well, I cannot lose any demons. So there.” I glared back.
“Then I suggest you exert maximum efforts into finding who is doing this and stopping them.”
I jammed my fists on my hips. “What makes you so sure it’s a demon? This could have just as easily been one of those rebel angel fuckers. We knew it was going to happen. Eventually they’d get their land legs under them and bring their petty shit into play down here.”
Gregory’s eyebrows shot up. “With that energy signature? And you’re not seriously suggesting one of those purity-crazed angels has decided to work with a demon as bait for Grigori?”
“Could be.” My voice was confident, but I wasn’t. No, those assholes were more likely to sneak up on another angel or lure them away with… I don’t know, chocolate and brandy or something like that. They wouldn’t work with demons. I couldn’t see those guys touching a demon with a ten-foot dick.
His expression softened. “I’m sorry, Cockroach. I had to do it. I’ve spoken with my Grigori and reminded them that they are not to go about wantonly killing demons, but this has them on edge. There might be some retaliation in their actions. Until we stop whoever is doing this, my new policy stands. Perhaps you should advise the demons in Hel to postpone any travel across the gates at this time.”
I glanced down at the pile of sand, remembering the unusual energy signature. That could be faked. I knew that could be faked. But this had felt so real. Could it be Samael, back from the dead and luring his brother’s angels to their deaths with a group of minions? Or was this some other Ancient?
When Remiel had taken Aaru and found it empty, I knew it would only be a matter of time until the word spread that the angels had vacated their home. And a quick leap from there was to assume the angels were now residing here, among the humans.
It would have to be an Ancient. Even those demons with the tightest household bonds would find it difficult to pull something like this off not once, but seven times. Although the excitement of watching the execution of an angel might prove to be sufficiently motivating for a group of independent minded demons to band together.
Was it Samael, or not? That was the question.
“It’s not just the seven Grigori I’m concerned about. Other angels have been dying as well,” Gregory continued, his voice brittle. “Thousands. I haven’t brought it to the Ruling Council’s attention, although I’m sure they know. You feel it when someone in your choir dies. Sometimes you feel it when someone outside of your choir dies. During the war it happened so often that I got used to the sensation.”
His voice trailed off as he stared down at the pile of sand. I knew he was reliving that—relieving a very specific part of that war.
“Did the other angels die like this as well?” I put my hand on his shoulder, leaned my spirit-self against his in warm reassurance. I was torn between wanting to comfort him, and the panic that this was going to all be blamed on demons. I’d been working my ass off to integrate our two groups. This was just the sort of thing that would set us all right back to where we were at the beginning—hating each other and wanting nothing but to see each other dead.
The archangel shook his head. “No. I’d assumed those angels weren’t adapting well to a corporeal existence, that perhaps a human had killed them and they hadn’t been agile or skilled enough to recreate a new form before their spirit-beings shredded, but when this happened to the Grigori, I began to wonder if the two issues were connected somehow.”
I nodded, remembering when the elves first migrated and how many of them had gotten plowed over by vehicles, or died from a metal allergy they hadn’t realized they’d had.
“The others weren’t transmuted.” He reached out a finger to touch the sand once more. “Of course, they weren’t Grigori enforcers either. The angels who died before this had moderate powers and abilities. They were more skilled in administration than battle.”
“Do you really think those deaths are related to this one?” I held my breath, afraid he’d say “yes”.
He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Probably not, but we should remain open to the possibility even though those angels may have died due to their inability to adjust to life here.”
I felt so sorry for Gregory. To lose thousands of his kind… “Why didn’t you say something? We could have put together some sort of onboarding process like we did for the elves. Some kind of ‘this is how you cross the road without dying’ seminar.”
“And clue them in that this may be their life for the next million years or so? That this might be their life forever?” He turned to face me. “Cockroach, these angels are enduring a physical existence here because they believe they will soon return to Aaru. If we start having seminars and onboarding sessions, that hope will be gone.”
I understood the words behind his words. Angels of Order felt suicide was inexcusable, but an angel who had spent their entire life in Aaru, who was facing an eternity of exile, of life inside a physical body that revolted and disgusted them… There were many angels who would possibly step in front of a semi on the highway rather than live that future. And as painful as that would be for Gregory, it would be worse for me.
It was all my fault. It was my fault that the entire angelic host was here with no foreseeable return to Aaru. They’d know. They’d blame me. All the deaths would be on my head. Thousands of angels would try to kill me in revenge, and they’d either succeed or die by my hand. My whole future would be painted with the blood of angels.
Actually, my whole future was already painted with the blood of angels. And I was beginning to fear nothing I could do would change that.
“I tried everything.” My voice faltered, and I cleared my throat. “I tried, but I’m worried this is forever.”
He put his arm around me. “There were loopholes in my banishing. I’m sure there are loopholes in yours.”
“Maybe not. You’re an Angel of Order and you pronounced your banishment in the heat of anger, but even then you knew deep down inside that you didn’t want your brother and the other angels to be gone forever.”
