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“We are the first rebels, Azrael,” she said. “We rebelled against God, and for breaking Her rules we were broken and cast out. Then we rebelled against Lucifer’s banner in Hell, rejecting his ideals and his goals. And when Lucifer arrived to break us all out of our eternal damnation, we rebelled once more, choosing not to go with him and the rest of our kind and instead throw ourselves at the mercy of angels.”
Azrael’s eyes darkened. “Is that supposed to impress me?”
Missolis smiled at her. “I don’t expect you to be impressed,” she said. “I know what it’s like to be a Warrior. To be filled with a kind of righteous purity that burns in your chest like a white-hot flame.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, demon.”
Missolis shook her head. “I was once like you, Azrael. That same fire burned inside of me. I am asking you now, one Warrior’s heart to another. Let us in, let us rest and heal, and we will fight for you. All of us.”
I could tell Azrael still wasn’t entirely convinced. All she could see before her was rabble. Demons. Creatures she had been taught to hate, to fight. She was a Warrior, built to see everything as friend or foe. How was she supposed to see demons as friends when it was coded into her very being that she should destroy them at every turn?
Hekata suddenly took to the air, shooting into the sky like a bullet. This made Azrael pull her sword up, and when she did, the rest of her angels mirrored her movements; some of them raising Light shields as well as their swords
“What are you doing?!” I yelled.
Hekata became night for an instant, melting into the darkened space between the stars. Out in the desert, the night sky had been filled with light, and color, and the shimmering majesty of the cosmos. Here, so close to all those man-made lights, the night sky was dark and treacherous. And the night held a secret.
“Hellion!” yelled Hekata.
“What?!” I called back.
“She’s spotted a Hellion,” said Missolis. “We’ve been followed.”
“Followed? By who?!”
Missolis pointed toward the pyramids. There, not far from where we were, I saw shapes. “Who do you think?” she asked.
“I knew it,” said Azrael. “I never should have allowed Micah to open this portal. Angels, we are leaving.”
“No!” I gasped, racing towards her. “Azrael, wait.”
Azrael gave me the tip of her glowing blade. “Not one more step,” she warned, forcing me to back up.
“Azrael… it’s me.”
She shook her head. “A lot has changed since the last time we saw each other. We are not the same angels.”
“But please, we don’t have anywhere to go and many of these demons are exhausted. If you don’t let us through, we’ll be slaughtered out here.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re asking me to do?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You’re asking me to?—”
“I know exactly what I’m asking you to do, Azrael. I’m also here to tell you, these demons are not your enemy, but the ones coming down on us are. They will come for you after they’re done with us. The question is, will you be able to withstand them on your own?”
Azrael watched me carefully, though her attention was divided. She lowered her sword and closed the distance between us so that she could speak quietly. “Come with us,” she said, her voice a harsh whisper. “Do it now while their backs are turned. We do not need their kind in Helena.”
I shut my eyes. “I can’t turn my back on them,” I said. “I would not have survived or escaped Hell if not for them.”
She was conflicted. The angel inside of her wanted to help, but the warrior cried for caution. This wasn’t the Azrael I knew that much was clear; her responsibilities then had been to enact Helenas orders, now she was the one giving them, and the decisions she had had to make weighed heavily upon her. Her weary eyes met mine, silently begging me to not force these demons on her bastion.
What had these angels had to endure in the year that I was gone? What horrors did Lucifer inflict upon them? There were no marks on her body, not that I could see… but where Missolis had scars on the outside, Azrael wore hers on the inside.
Finally, after a tense few moments of consideration, Azrael stepped aside and raised her sword. “Demons of Hell!” she yelled, “To me. Come through the portal if you value your lives, but don’t rush this gate. I will cut you down if you do.”
“You heard the angel,” said Missolis, relaying the command to her rebels… only the rebels didn’t look entirely convinced. They were looking at each other, exchanging cautious—maybe even dissident—looks. I had warned Micah against allowing Azrael to come out here swords-blazing. It wasn’t going to look good, and it wasn’t going to exactly foster an aura of trust between the two groups.
