Chapter Three
Arcadia’s red hot rage woke me. Ten hours. I’ve been trapped in the abyss of nothingness for ten hours. Who has sex for ten-freakin’-hours?
Whoops.
“Sorry, Cady. Trust me, it was better than watching me tongue Luc’s balls. Well, for you anyway.”
Ew.
I rolled out of bed, the one Luc and I shared, and slipped on a T-shirt from the walk in robe. The bed was massive. Arcadia and all seven of her guys could sleep in it, comfortably. Hell, maybe even me, Luc, Gus and Memphis could fit as well. Like one big happy orgy.
Um, nope! Never going to happen. I don’t share.
I laughed as I brushed my teeth in the ensuite. Ensuite might be a bit of an understatement. It was larger than all the apartments Arcadia’s lived in combined.
“Lucky for you, I share very well.”
I walked along the stone floors that were beautifully warm. The bowels of Hell; it was the most efficient underfloor heating ever.
I strolled into the kitchen to find everyone already there. Memphis was reading a book that’s title was in Greek, Gus was still drinking moonshine, though in consideration to the time of day he was mixing it with freshly squeezed orange juice. Luc was sitting at the head of the table, in his hand carved mahogany wingback chair, reading a newspaper.
When I saw the last person in the room, I resisted the urge to groan.
“Gus, you didn’t?” I whisper-yelled, and he had the brass balls to grin. I shook my head. “I thought you loved me?”
Unfortunately I hadn’t been quiet enough, because the person cooking pancakes turned. I hated pancakes.
“Acerezeal! It’s so good to have you back!” Bacciria gave me a huge fake smile, all teeth and big hair. And boobs. Bacciria was my least favourite demoness. She was practically my arch nemesis.
“Baccy!” She curled her lip at the hated pet name. “It’s good to be home and back in my own bed.”
She continued to give me the snarly version of a smile. “I bet. I made you your favorite. Pancakes. I’ve been taking such good care of the guys while you’ve been away.” Her voice was saccharine and I was about two seconds away from stuffing the pancakes somewhere a person shouldn’t have baked goods.
I walked over to Gus and sat down on his lap, kissing his cheek. “Thanks, Baccy. I really appreciate you keeping them in such good, mmm-” I ran my finger down between Gus’s pecs and over his abs, twirling my finger in the golden hairs just above his waist band. I waggled my eyebrows. “Health.” Gus’s body shook with contained laughter. Asshole.
“Tired of Lucifer already?” She wasn’t even trying to keep up the sweet charade now. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.
Uh-oh, wrong zinger there, Baccy, Arcadia groaned. She got it. But unfortunately, Demonesses weren’t known for their large intellects.
Luc stood, and spread his wings wide, their onyx hue casting the whole room in shadow. He appeared to grow and he became the imposing King of Hell that he was. Only fools forgot that he was scary as fuck, even when he was sipping juice and reading the sports pages.
“Bacciria, you forget yourself,” his voice boomed, shaking the walls of the palace. “You dare speak of me in that manner? I am you Master, your creator! You do not speak to me or my consort with such disrespect.”
Baccy fell to her knees and prostrated herself on the floor. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she wailed over and over again.
Holy hell, I’m glad I’m not corporeal right now, because I would have wet myself. That’s one scary mofo, Arcadia whispered. She had no idea. She’d only seen the warm, loving side of Luc. Even when he was angry at us, I was his beloved and she was his Redeemer, and we were never at risk of the full extent of his wrath. I had seen Luc when he was in full Devil mode. It wasn’t a sight easily forgotten, unless you were a vapid demoness with more cup sizes than sense.
“Be gone from the palace. If you return, I will send you to the seventh circle for eternity.”
Bacciria blanched and scurried out the door.
What happens in the seventh circle? Actually, don’t tell me. I’ll probably never sleep again. “They peel your skin off you flesh inch by inch, and then when the process is complete, they stitch it back on, let it heal and then peel it back off again. Over and over, for eternity,” Memphis answered from the stove, where he was removing the burning pancake from the heat.
I’m going to throw up. I said I didn’t want to know!
Memphis shrugged. “I always maintained that if the humans had a better understanding of what awaited them, they’d try harder to be good.”
Gus scoffed. “Good. Bad. Those definitions are what led us all here in the first place. You need to let go of your notions of good and bad. Hell has its place. But we need to embrace the shades of grey and talk about it in terms of harm. To their fellow humans, to the world that they live on, to the other inhabitants of the earth-”
“Someone stop him before he devolves further into his rant. We are all here because we agree with you, remember?” I said, hugging is beautiful blonde head against my chest. “We all fell because we had questions.
I don’t know. I liked his rant. I appreciate the shades of grey. All fifty of them, Arcadia laughed and I chuckled along with her, though the guys just looked confused.
I kissed the cute little frown lines on Gusion’s otherwise ageless face. “I’ve missed your passion, Gus. And your beautiful face.”
Gus dipped me backwards and kissed me like the star he was, before nibbling my neck until I giggled. Legit giggled like a freshman in a sorority. I’d spent way too much time in the earthly realm watching teen rom-coms with Arcadia. I looked over at Luc, but he was back to sipping his coffee and reading the Algerian news. I waggled my eyebrows and he winked.
He didn’t banish Bacciria because her statement hit too close to the truth; the guy knew he had all the moves that make me go boom. He banished her because she disrespected us all. We were angels, fallen or not. Gusion continued kissing down my neck to my collarbone.
“Uh-uh, I’ve been distracted by sex once, now back to my problem.”
Gus sighed and sat me back up straight. “This is why I appreciate the demonesses. They are always clamoring to climb onto my angelic staff.”
I held a finger up to his lips. “Ew. Just ew.”
I stood and poured myself some juice. “Are there no other deities who have soul manipulation? What about the Norns?”
Luc shook his head. “Decide a soul’s fate, but can’t move them around.”
“There’s gotta be someone? Another angel or a human shaman? The disembodied soul of Nicolas Tesla must be hanging around here somewhere?”
“Tesla is out on the Elysian Fields. You know how the Greeks loved their men of science. But I do not think he could help you anyway,” Luc argued.
I sat on his lap and sipped my juice. “You know who could help?” I stroked his dark hair.
He flicked his eyes to me and unconsciously rubbed the scar on his chest. “Not Michael,” he grunted and went back to his paper. “Try Raphael. Or even Gabriel. But I will not be beholden to Michael.”
Arcadia wisely knew to stay quiet, despite the burning need she had to argue. I felt her frustration, but apparently I didn’t hide it as well because Memphis jumped in to help.
“I’d try Raphael first. He’s always been a bit of a softy for a good sob story. And he had a soft spot for you in particular. He might be able to do it, and if not, he might know who does.”
I kissed Luc’s cheek, and then bit his earlobe hard.
“Ow!” He rubbed his ear as I stood, wandering over to Memphis, but not before Luc swatted my ass with the back of his fingers. “You shouldn’t bite, my love. You never know where I will bite back.”
I threw him a saucy wink. “Who says I wouldn’t like it?” I purred. I stood in front of Memphis. “I’m going to go find Raphael. Do you know where he is?” Memphis nodded. “Wanna come with?”
Indecision ran across his face. He’d always been a bit of a hellbody, loathe to leave the palace. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I’m pretty sure he’ll be in Afghanistan or somewhere equally as bloody. When was the last time you went to a conflict zone? Maybe we can help save a few guys while we’re there. Maybe even ensure a few of the baddies get an express pass to hell. Do not pass go, do not collect two million dollars. What do you say?”
“He’s in Syria,” Memphis said as he pushed off the bench and headed toward the doorway. I followed behind him, blowing Luc a kiss and winking at Gus.
It’d been a long time since I’d travelled with Memphis, and I was kind of looking forward to it. But first we had a stop to make.
How are they so big already? Arcadia’s melancholy musing broke my heart.
Time moves differently in the underworld. It’s hard to predict. If Luc and the Father are opposite sides of a chess match, then time would be the board. It plays by its own rules. Next time we come up, it might only be minutes from this moment. I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would have come back earlier.
Two weeks had passed topside since I’d returned home. The babies had almost doubled in size, and although they were still in the neonatal unit, they were happy and healthy. We stood invisible in the corner of their room, a lumpy armchair in the corner holding a snoozing Valery. A nurse was helping Oz hold Estrella.
“Skin contact helps build a bond. Perhaps if you remove your shirt, I can place the baby on your chest,” the nurse said hopefully. I resisted the urge to laugh. I was invisible, but not silent. Arcadia was fuming.
I died two weeks ago, and already people are trying to crack onto my guys? Do people have no shame?
Her outrage was beginning to color my own feelings. I moved into an empty hallway and dropped my invisibility, well except for the wings. I made sure I looked like a bombshell.
Memphis appeared beside me, looking like a sexy vision in tailored black pants and a crisp white button down open to the second button.
We walked into the room, and the nurse nearly swallowed her tongue. I didn’t know if the cause was me or Memphis, but it was the reaction we wanted.
Oz stood, baby Estrella still clutched gently to his naked chest. “Ace!” He turned to the nurse. “Could you just give us a minute? Thanks.” His beard was looking scraggy, there were deep bags under his eyes, and his man bun was slipping to the left.
But he still looks damn good, Arcadia murmured.
“Valery! Ace is back. Is Arcadia okay? Have you made any progress? Eli hasn’t left his office in a week and I’m pretty sure more than one cardiothoracic surgeon has put out a restraining order on him, but we are getting there.” It all tumbled out at once, but I only half listened as Arcadia and I were both transfixed by the tiny little human pressed sleepily against his chest. Oz dropped his eyes to where we were looking.
“Sit. You can hold her. I’m not very good at passing her around. I’m still convinced that I’ll drop her or break her or something. It’s even worse with Hope. My finger is literally bigger than her little legs.”
I sat, because what else could I do? I wasn’t good at this, but the urge to hold them poured from my body. Arcadia’s longing was consuming me, and quite frankly it was scaring me. But her need for the babies, for her Seven, was an overwhelming force. And when Oz placed the baby into my arms, I could feel Arcadia’s soul pushing against mine, battering futilely to take control, so she would be the one who could stroke the down soft fluff of Estrella's head. So she could wrap her arms around Oz, and Val, who was fixing me with a bright eyed stare full of hope and longing.
I inhaled deeply. That new baby scent still lingered.
“Ace, why is a Prince of Hell standing in the same room as my daughters?”
I hadn’t heard Lux come in, he moved with eerie silence, and he stood in a fighter’s stance behind Memphis, ready to attack a possible threat.
Memphis whirled, very few could sneak up on the naturally cagey angel, and he pinned Lux with a cold stare.
“Come on Lux, you know he hates that.” I resisted the urge to laugh. That would not defuse the situation.
“Lux.”
“Mephistopheles.”
They had a macho scary stare off, and I went back to the baby. Her eyes had closed as she listened to the steady thrum of my heart.
My sweet baby, Arcadia cooed, and the baby blinked, her eyes shifting slowly around as if she could hear her mother’s voice. My little warrior. Mommy loves you, and she’ll get to hold you soon. Estrella’s little face scrunched, and if she hadn’t been so very young, I’d say she looked confused. In reality, she probably had wind.
Memphis, who could hear Arcadia’s soft words, turned to look at us. He walked to the other humidicrib, and turned to look at Lux.
“May I hold the baby?”
Lux looked like he was going to say no, pinning him with a deadly look that promised severe pain if he so much as made her cry, but eventually nodded.
Memphis reached in and picked up Hope, her whole body fitting into one of his large hands. She smacked her lips and then opened her eyes. She looked up at Memphis, and stared him directly in the eyes, as if she could see into his soul.
Memphis looked like he’d been slapped as he just stared back.
“This is the first time she has opened her eyes,” Val whispered, careful not to break the moment.
Memphis was shaking his head. “It is not possible. They are not Nephilim, nor Angel, yet they aren’t entirely human either. Their souls have been shaped by the divine and it’s left them something other. Something… beautiful.” I’d never heard Memphis sound so awed. So at a loss for answers.
“They’re special; I knew it from the moment their souls took root.” I kissed Estrella’s head. “I think they can hear the voices of other souls. Estrella could hear her mother just now, I know it. She knew that there was another voice in the room.”
Memphis raised the baby closer to his face, his hands strong and sure, though Lux took a step closer.
“Be still, Lux. I swear on my immortal soul that I will not harm this child or her sister, as long as I am a part of the fabric of existence.”
“You know, they’ve racked up a lot of blood oaths from a lot of powerful people in their short lives. Luc should be worried about being overthrown by the time they are five,” I chuckled, although no one else was laughing.
Do you think that Lucifer will see them as a threat? Arcadia sounded legitimately worried.
“Seriously guys? That is one Big Bad you don’t have to worry about. Cady gave them their beautiful humanity, and Oz gave them that strawberry fuzz sprouting on their heads, but their angelic traits are all me. As much as we have skirted around the topic, these babies are as much mine as they are yours. Part of my life force shaped their own. And Luc, for all his faults, loves me with a passion that burned through the heavens. He will love these two because they are an extension of me. In Lucifer, they have the protection of the Devil himself. No one could ask for more than that.”
Lux nodded, and Memphis was still transfixed by Hope.
Ask them how the rest of the guys are coping?
I relayed Arcadia’s message.
Valery shrugged. “They are surviving. Barely. We take turns at being here with the bebes, and one of us is usually with Arcadia. We take it in shifts, though Eli does not rest. As Oz said, he is searching constantly for a foolproof way to mend her body quickly. Tolliver has pulled every string money can buy to get Cady to the top of the transplant list. They have started her on radiation therapy, but the cancer has spread throughout her body and it makes it difficult. But Eli will find a solution. Sam is keeping everything else afloat. Ri is taking the whole thing the worst. He blames himself for her death. Half death, whatever we are calling it. He can hardly look at the bebes, just sits at her bedside and mourns, despite our assurances that she will return to us.” He sounded so stubbornly resolute that it was tough not to believe him.
My poor Ri. He is always so eager to take the blame for every wrong that happens in my life, and he has the bad luck to be there every time things go to shit.
“One problem at a time. We will soothe Orion’s troubled feelings next time we are in town. Right now, we need to see an Angel about a soul.”
Oz reached out and carefully removed Estrella from my arms. The baby let out a small, desolate cry that threatened to crack my black little heart wide open.
I will be back, Little One. Be good for your daddies. Ace, I want to hold Hope, even just for a moment.
“Of course,” I answered Arcadia, and Oz gave me a startled look.
“She’s really in there then?”
I nodded.
“God, I just wish I could hold her, or hear her for myself. It’s killing me,” his voice cracked and I couldn’t help but reach up and stroke his cheek. It may have been Arcadia’s impulse, or mine, but I wasn’t sure.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you can do both of those things. I’m on my way to see Raphael now. By this time tomorrow, we may have a solution.” I walked over and held my hands out to Memphis, who was still entranced by the tiny life in his hands. He whispered to her in the Angelic tongue, and she gurgled happily. He passed her over with confidence, and I took her awkwardly. She was so tiny and delicate. It was hard not to treat her like spun glass.
She is just perfect.
She was, with her tiny rosebud mouth and her tiny little nose, and her-
Ugh. I shook myself out of the mush spiral. Hope's eyes seemed knowing. Older than her sisters, as if she were an old soul.
“We should go,” I whispered, though I could sit here and catalogue Hope's tiny features all day. I placed her back in her Humidicrib. Lux stood beside me as we looked down at the baby.
“Will Raphael help?”
I wanted to lie to him and tell him it was a sure thing, but he wouldn't appreciate empty platitudes designed to make him feel better.
“Maybe. It is in his nature to heal the broken.”
I was secretly worried that we may be too broken to repair, but I didn’t say that out loud. Words spoken had power.
Aleppo, Syria.
I’d been here several decades before Arcadia had even been born, and even then it had been a city that seemed to tremble on a knife edge. Now it was a ruined shell of humanity, a nightmare of rubble and smoke. Raphael would be here. He was drawn to the places of unimaginable suffering, where the weary had rightly lost their faith.
I had no idea… I mean, I knew, I’d seen the passing news coverage, but this. I had no idea… she trailed off, and I didn’t press her. It was a lot to take in, but I had seen wars. All the Wars of Man since the beginning of time, and the Wars of Heaven and Hell. Not even Luc had a hand in this mess, though. Sure, in the beginning, he’d gotten markers against souls on both sides, but this giant clusterfuck was beyond the dealings of Heaven or Hell. This was strictly the purview of man and their failings.
Memphis shook his head. “There is violence in the air. Something is about to happen.” We were both cloaked, our wings held above the ash and dust that littered the ground. I could sense the violent intent in the air. I tilted my head. Air strike.
I looked toward the market across the street, where people still managed to live despite the constant threat of death and destruction.
“I’ll get the people, you get the missile.”
Memphis nodded, and lifted into the air. You couldn’t see anything more than his huge midnight wings as he pushed the missile off course as if it were an annoying insect rather than a piece of equipment that could kill dozens of people. It exploded in the air, shrapnel falling down over the heads of the people in the market. I spread my own wings wide and caught the main flurry of falling steel. I’d miss a little, but a few cuts and bruises were better than death. I hissed against the pain of the debris hitting my wings, but it would all heal instantly.
I stood and shook out my wings as the crowd stared up at the sky. I could hear murmurings of misfiring missiles, and a couple of people praising their deity.
If you guys can stop the missiles, protect the humans, then why doesn’t The Big Guy send down more angels to help these people? Arcadia, with her warm, empathetic soul sounded enraged. I understood her rage all too well.
“It is not the purview of heaven to interfere in the quarrels of men, or their results. As Azriel likes to say, balance must be maintained,” Memphis spat Azriel’s name.
If you interfere in the workings of the world, outside the preordained, you doubt the Father's plans and you fall. It’s a small club so far. You’ve met all four of us. There’s not enough of us to make a difference in any war. We’ll do what we can, but while we aren’t human, we aren’t robots either. We would go mad, or become the heartless demons that Humans believe us to be. Gusion is especially sensitive to the needless death and destruction in the world around him. Each death he’d witness, he would also witness the life the person would have had, had they not been a victim of the war in which they died, I explained to Arcadia privately. Memphis had his own reasons for not crusading for the innocents in every war the humans cooked up, and they weren’t my reasons to share.
“Let's find a field hospital, that’s where Raphael will be,” I said, walking past the oblivious humans. Memphis stopped near a child, no more than two, clutched to the shoulder of his mother, and kissed the top of his head. The baby looked around, and then met Memphis’s eyes. He gave Memphis the warmest smile, and my heart swelled. I was getting plucky or something. That baby would probably be another tiny shroud wrapped corpse before this was over, but hopefully the kiss of an angel, fallen or not, would help ward off destiny. I kissed his tiny, hollow cheek. Two kisses were better than one.
We walked along the remnants of an avenue toward the outer edge of the city. I could sense Raphael’s light, the heavenly beacon still calling me despite my status. Arcadia was quiet, shell shocked.
Memphis looked… worried. “What’s wrong?”
He just grunted and pointed to a squat white building. One wall had a blown out hole in it. “He’s there.”
I reached out and grabbed his arm, halting him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t seen Raphael since we fell. His was the last face I saw before we landed in hell,” he mumbled.
“You told me yourself that Raphael is a softie. There’s no animosity in his heart.”
We stepped into the building, and for all intents it looked abandoned, nothing but a shell with hints at its previous occupants. A cross still hung on the wall. A child’s stuff toy lay dirty and forgotten in a corner. But in the dimness of the corner, faint light glowed between the floorboards.
“Down,” I mouthed, and looked around for some kind of latch or finger hold to lift the boards. Beneath a roughhewn piece of concrete was a single knothole, and Memphis reached past me to lift the large square of boards that opened to reveal stairs. We could hear voices, and we followed the stairs down to a large open room, with several kerosene lanterns burning and an old wooden table placed in the center. The smell of blood, desperation and hopelessness hit my nose. I lived in hell, I knew the scent of death well. This was the most rudimentary of field hospitals. A last ditch stop before you left the mortal plane forever. A tall man, with nondescript features and a blood soaked button up shirt, was operating on a child. The lower half of the boy’s leg was a mess of torn muscle and shattered bone. The kid was thankfully out of it.
“Acerezeal. Michael said you’d probably drop by. Come, I need you to hold these.” He waved the handle of a metal clamp at me.” He hadn’t looked up from his task. I took the clamp which was holding the kid's femoral artery shut. I noticed another boy in the corner, probably not much older than the boy on the table, but he was also covered in blood. Beneath the drying blood though, the boys naturally olive skin was a deathly grey cast.
“Is he okay?”
Raphael gave a humorless laugh. “No one is okay here, Acerezeal. But physically he is unharmed. He pulled Adnan from the rubble and carried him here. His parents are dead, as well as two of his siblings.” Finally, Raphael looked at me, and I saw his clear green eyes filled with despair. His eyes flicked to Memphis and he finally smiled. “Mephistopheles. It heals my heart to see you looking so well. Please, soothe Nazir. It would be best if he didn’t see me do this procedure on his brother. He has seen enough horror for one day.”
Arcadia’s gentle sobs became white noise in the back of my mind as I went to work with Raphael, his fingers deft as he pieced the boy back together.
Memphis waved a hand over Nazir’s dark head, and the boy fell into a deep slumber. Memphis put him in a pallet in the corner, wrapping him in a heavy woven blanket.
“It is the third day of bombing in the city. Soon there will be nothing left to claim in victory. They will be claiming a country of corpses.” There was a thread of steel in Raphael’s voice, one that I’d never heard before, even during the angelic wars.
“Do you want us to stay? We could help,” I whispered, though I didn’t know why. The only people who could hear us were both out of it for the foreseeable future.
Raphael was silent as he used the bone saw to cut away the kids mangled leg just below the knee. We worked quickly to seal off the blood vessels and nerves and sealing the wound with two flaps of skin.
When it was over, Raphael wrapped the leg in dressings, but the kid still looked pale. Blood was being transfused, so he wasn’t that deathly white, but he wasn’t far off.
“You didn’t use any angelic healing,” I said, trying, and probably failing, to keep the accusatory tone from my voice.
“No. I’m not meant to be here, in an official capacity that is,” he said as he stripped off his blood-stained shirt and threw it in a pile in the corner. He slumped down on a wooden chair near the head of the impromptu operating table. “It’s all part of the plan. But it means I can only work with human medical advancements in a rather rudimentary setting. But still, I save as many as I can.” He closed his eyes against remembered horrors. “Make your request, Acerezeal. I need a nap.”
I knelt at his feet. “We need you to put Arcadia’s soul back into her body. She doesn’t deserve her fate.”
He stroked the hair from my forehead, so he could look into my eyes. “She would live a few more decades at most. With you, she could live for eternity. Is it so necessary to put her back in a failing body?” I nodded vehemently. He stroked a finger down his angular jaw. “Would you have me put Arcadia’s soul back at the expense of your own?”
“Yes.”
No! Arcadia shouted vehemently.
Raphael smiled. “Michael was right. Your time with Arcadia did redeem you. I thought the Father must have been mistaken. But then, the Father does not make mistakes.”
Memphis huffed. “Can you really mean that, with this going on around you?” He indicated the two sleeping boys and the sounds of gunfire and missile blasts in the background.
The smile slipped from Raphael’s face. “I do mean that. At times, I don’t understand it, but there is a plan. I do what I can, and I must be okay with that.” He turned back to me. “I regret that that is also my answer. The Father has made it clear that the fate of your Arcadia is out of our hands. I’m sorry, truly.” He seemed genuinely remorseful, and that was the only thing that kept a cap on the simmering rage I felt in my gut. I knew the feeling helplessness when your hands were tied.
What will happen to the boys? Arcadia asked.
Raphael smiled. “Michael was right about you too, Arcadia Jones.” He shook his head. “The boys have no family left. Adnan is only four, Nazir is twelve. They are two of many Syrian orphans that will be cared for by international aid foundations.”
I could feel Arcadia’s refusal at that sentiment. The boys would not be one in a multitude of orphans, not if she had anything to do about it.
Can Adnan be moved? Teleported or phased or whatever it is you guys do, back to the US? The guys will care for them, Eli will make sure Adnan gets the proper aftercare.
Raphael smiled. “I hope Acerezeal is successful in the quest to return you to your body. The world needs more of you. I will arrange it, the proper legal way. If you are sure?”
He needn’t have asked. The Seven would do anything for her, and despite their gruff ways, they were softies too. Except Oz. He didn’t even try to hide his gooey center. They’d love the boys and help them heal.
I had my own healing to do first. “If you can’t help us, do you know of any way we can get Arcadia back to where she belongs?”
Raphael was silent for a long moment, and the noise momentarily quieted. It felt like Aleppo was holding its breath, waiting for the answer too.
“There are rumors of rituals that can temporarily move a soul from one body to another, but I do not know of anything permanent. The Father can do it of course, as can Michael. Gabriel will not, he is even more steadfast to God's word than I am. He disapproves of my actions here.” A tiny quirk of his brow said volumes about Raphael’s thoughts on that. “Uriel might be able to, but he would not do so easily.”
I rolled my eyes. Uriel was an asshole. He was like Azriel, but worse. He’d been promoted when Lucifer fell, and he had a chip on his shoulder about being the booby prize ever since.
“You know I can’t go to Michael.”
Raphael nodded sadly. I could tell the rift in angelkind hurt the Archangel, but it was what it was. The universe needed balance. It needed the believers and the non-believers. It needs Angels and Demons. Those that follow and those that question.
“Thanks, Raphael. If you need help with any of this,” I waved a hand around the room, with its overpowering stench of blood and antiseptic, “you only have to ask. We will come, won’t we Memphis?” I looked at my compatriot, this dark demon of German folklore, who was staring at two small orphans and bubbling with contained rage at the fate that befell them because of greed for power. I knew that's what he was thinking, because that consuming need for vengeance burned in me too.
“Of course.”
“The irony of our circumstances is not lost on me, Acerezeal. The people of this city pray daily, but it is the Devils who offer to save them. Thank you for your offer, I will keep it in mind, but for now this is my burden to bare.” He stood and began wiping down the table.
Memphis and I took our leave, waiting until we were in the bombed out building above to sift back to the landing room in Hell.