Chapter Twenty-Six

 

 

Makhon was just as beautiful as I remembered. A thick forest spread out from the courtyard before the marble palace we had traced in through. Trees soared up as high as the slanted roof; their roots covered by glossy vines. Jewel-toned flowers added spots of color to the deep green, as did the ripe fruit hanging heavy on the branches. The last time I'd been to Makhon, it had been at night as well, and lanterns had been hung everywhere. This time, however, there were only a few lanterns hung near the palace steps; allowing the rest of the forest to fade into shadows. But with the lack of light, I noticed a glow on the horizon that I hadn't seen on my previous visit.

“What's that?” I pointed into the distance as the rest of our recon group joined Azrael and I.

“The Grigori,” Azrael murmured. “Angels who rebelled against Jerry and had children with human women.”

“They're also pretty vicious.” Ted stared into the distance with us. “Jerry chained them with fire; said they were too dangerous to allow to roam free.”

“But their ferocity isn't why he chained them,” Azrael protested. “They wouldn't obey, so they were punished.”

“Wait... Grigori... children,” I murmured. “Are you talking about the Nephilim?”

“That's right,” Azrael confirmed with an approving nod. “Half human and half god; the Nephilim were some of the first dual-souled beings to be born. But they were savage and had to be put down.”

“You know that whole thing with the ark and the flood?” Ira asked me.

“That was because of the Nephilim?” My eyes went wide.

“It wasn't a world-wide flood,” Sam explained. “Jerry chained the Nephilim in a valley and then flooded the whole thing.”

“That's kind of horrifying,” I whispered.

“They were kind of horrifying,” Ira said grimly. “Something went wrong with those first births. The Grigori could be savage, but they weren't unreasonable angels. They loved humans and tried to help them. The Grigori leader—this angel named Samyaza—encouraged his men to give Atlantean technology to the humans. He believed that we had a responsibility to help the human race progress. It was through these interaction that the Grigori became entangled with human women, and formed unions.”

“That sounds familiar,” I murmured as I looked at Odin. “With exception to the procreating with humans, that is.”

Odin scowled and exchanged a heavy look with Trevor. Kirill had stayed home with Lesya, so it was only us and the Horsemen.

“And just as with Krishna and the Hindus, the humans who Samyaza gave technology too couldn't handle it,” Azrael said. “It was a generous thought, but the human race needed to advance on its own.”

I had updated the Horsemen on Brevyn's dream after I'd called Brahma. Brahma and Sarasvati were going to gather the Hindu Pantheon again to present this new tidbit to them. The dreams of children may not be the most reliable sources, but in the case of my son, they held weight. Brahma was pretty sure that the Hindus would listen this time.

“One problem at a time,” Ira said. “Let's focus on our reconnaissance for now. When we get back, we can talk about Dvārakā.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“Prince Azrael,” Tagas, the Angel of Music (not the phantom in the mask) came up the steps to greet us. “It's good to see you again. And you've brought the rest of the Horsemen; this is a blessed day indeed.”

“Thank you for meeting us, Tagas.” Azrael went forward to shake the angel's hand warmly.

“It's an honor.” Tagas waved back the way we had come. “But perhaps we should take this inside.”

We all went back into the palace and followed Tagas down a hallway, past the tracing room we had used, and into a formal dining room. We sat at a long, polished-wood table, on chairs upholstered in deep emerald tapestry. The room was Victorian; with wallpaper that looked as antique as the furniture and had a formal feel to it. It was spacious, but there were no windows; which I assume was why Tagas chose it.

“Your text said that you had some concerns about Lord Samael,” Tagas said. “What kind of concerns?”

Azrael looked uncomfortable.

“We suspect that Samael might be involved in an attack on Azrael,” I answered for my husband.

“I heard of the attack,” Tagas said, “and I'm very sorry that your retirement hasn't gone as planned, but I'm not sure why you would suspect Lord Samael.”

“A parchment was delivered to the Virtues; it contained an order to attack me,” Azrael explained. “The order appeared to be from Jerry, but was not. Jerry had it investigated but there was no evidence left on the scroll; nothing to lead him to the culprit. To forge a parchment from Jerry, leave no trace behind, and get into the Seventh Heaven without anyone the wiser would be a great accomplishment for most angels, but an even greater one for a god. These parameters narrow down the suspect list. It would have to be a very powerful god or—”

“An archangel,” Tagas whispered. “And given your history with Lord Samael, you were compelled to suspect him.”

“That and the fact that it would make sense for another death angel to be offended by Azrael's retirement,” I added.

“We just want to rule him out,” Ted said with a good-natured smile.

“How can I help?” Tagas asked.

“You keep watch over Makhon when Samael's gone,” Azrael noted. “So, you know when he's in residence.”

“Yes.” Tagas nodded.

“Has he left recently?” Azrael asked. “Say, a few days ago?”

“He did leave,” Tagas said. “But I can't see how that proves anything.”

“Have you noticed any strange behavior on his part?” Ira asked. “Or maybe outbursts associated with Azrael?”

Tagas went solemn. “I have been witness to several such incidents lately. Lord Samael is furious that Azrael was able to leave his duties while he cannot.”

“Why couldn't he?” I asked.

“Samael is too closely tied to Jerry,” Azrael answered for Tagas. “He is the wrath of god and must be available for Jerry to unleash at any moment.”

“Yes, precisely,” Tagas said. “However, Lord Samael may hiss and snap, but he rarely bites.”

“Snake references,” I chuckled. “Nice one.”

“Snake references?” Odin asked.

“Samael is a snake-shifter,” I said. “Didn't I tell you?”

“You may have.” Odin shrugged. “I don't recall.”

“Tagas is right; Samael doesn't do vengeance; he has enough of that when dealing with Jerry's,” Azrael said. “I think we're wasting our time here.”

“Hold on,” Ted said. “Samael was gone at the right time, and he's been heard raging about you, Az. If anything, I'm more inclined to think it's him.”

“Search his home, if you like,” Tagas offered. “Though I agree with Azrael; this is a waste of time.”

“Better to cover all bases,” Ira said.

“You guys look through Samael's stuff,” Ted said. “I'm going to talk to the other angels.”

“You're just going to walk around and ask the angels if they have seen Samael plotting against Az?” I asked.

“Something like that.” Ted shrugged. “Except with finesse.”

“It's not going to work.” Ira shook his head. “Those angels won't rat on their leader.”

“We'll see about that.” Ted sauntered away.