Extinction (The Divine Book 7) (7 page)

"I have a feeling our paths are going to cross soon."

"Yes."

"If there are other angels willing to join him, you may have to kill them."

"I cannot. Not before they fall."

"They won't fall until they act out in evil," I said.

"Yes."

"That might be a problem, don't you think?"

"It is not up to me to judge their hearts, Landon. If I die for my faith in them, then I die."

"Even if the whole world is the cost of that decision?"

He nodded. "That is the way of faith."

I couldn't help but smile. I could feel his influence on Josette. Or maybe her influence on him.

"That's fine for you," I said. "Just so we're clear, I can't afford to wait that long."

Alfred's face turned to stone. "I don't like it, but I do understand. My orders are to help you. I will not get in your way."

"You're sure you won't be outed as a conservative?" I asked.

Alfred finished buttoning his coat. It was a crisp night, the wind blowing sharply and scattering trash and dust across the streets.
 

"I'm not that well known outside of Rouen, despite my service time," he replied. "I've always kept a low profile, and hardly ever leave the city."

"Did you volunteer to come with us then?" Obi asked. "Or you just happened to be in the right place at the right time?"

"I was the most senior angel available. I have left the Cathedral before, just not often."

We were somewhere in Italy. Somewhere near the Vatican. I wasn't completely sure where. The plane had landed, a car had met us, and we were driven into the area through lightly trafficked streets. Then the car had stopped, let us out, and drove away, leaving us to our own devices.

It was fine with me. I was thankful we had made it and hopeful that we could put a swift end to this whole thing.

As if that had ever happened.

It was two in the morning. There were few people on the streets, and those that were seemed to be heading in the same general direction toward something I couldn't yet see.

It was obvious we were in the right place by the auras that surrounded them. Every one of them was painted good, a blue halo surrounding them. They converged in numbers that surprised me, at least a dozen walking the street ahead of us.
 

I probably shouldn't have been as startled as I was. We were in Rome after all, only a mile or two from the Holy See, where the good guys were dense enough that there were no demons to be found anywhere nearby. It was for the best that I had left Alyx behind. She would have stuck out more than a sore thumb. She would have been a shining beacon of evil in an otherwise crystal sea, a beacon that would have attracted way too much of the wrong kind of attention.

We crossed the next few blocks, slowly winding up mingled with the others. A teenage girl in a long black dress walked beside me, clutching a rosary to her chest and staring down at the ground. She looked over at Alfred, staring at the angel. He made the sign of the cross, which seemed to satisfy her. She smiled, changed directions, and moved further away.

Two blocks later, we reached our destination. The gathering turned out to be located in another church, which Alfred immediately identified as the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. It wasn't St. Peter's, but it was no slouch. A large, open plaza led up a number of steps into the building itself, which was being lit in the late hour by hundreds of candles. As we reached the entrance, a Touched servant greeted us and passed us candles of our own.

"Welcome," she said. "Welcome to the Mass for Change."

"Mass?" Obi whispered as we each took a candle and entered the basilica proper.
 

"This is unexpected," Alfred said. "Masses are held to gather the attention of the Holy Spirit. I would have thought the opposition would be hesitant to do so."

"Unless they're trying to make a statement," I suggested. "The mass is to ask for change."

"That is true."

We moved into the nave. Many of the seats were already taken, the candles creating an ambient light that unified all of the holders. Looking back over my shoulder, I could see the crowd would be standing room only.

"We should spread out a little," I said. "I'll take a spot near the door."

"Yeah, good idea," Obi said. "I see a spot closer to the altar. I'll scope things out from there."

"There are angels gathered in the transept," Alfred said. "I will go speak with them and see if I can get any further information. It could be that we aren't the only ones here to observe and report rather than participate."

"If either of you gets in trouble, raise your candle," I said.

"Will do," Obi replied, breaking away and heading up toward the front.
 

Alfred broke to the right, while I crossed a row of chairs to the left before returning to the rear of the building. I positioned myself next to a column near the exit, crossed my arms, and settled in to wait.

Twenty minutes had passed when the doors to the basilica were slowly pulled closed, the last of the incoming Touched squeezing in behind them. I was amazed at the sheer volume of Heaven's servants in the room. There had to be close to a thousand, if not more, and judging by the languages I heard being spoken, many had come from other parts of the world to attend.

It was a quite a showing for a gathering that Obi had called propaganda. Then again, I couldn't expect him to be unbiased. It was clear he preferred the old way of thinking to the new, especially when his first experience with the new was to watch Sarah murder innocents.

That is if Adam was connected to the event. I wished the link between them was a little more tenuous. That all of these people weren't here to consider doing something God might not approve of.
 

A bell rang from somewhere within the basilica. It chimed again a few seconds later.
 

An angel swooped down from the ceiling, landing smoothly in front of the altar.

It wasn't Adam. That much was immediately obvious. The seraph was female, with short blonde hair and a lithe frame.
 

The gathering had been quiet to begin with. It fell silent at her appearance.

"Brothers and sisters," she said. "Thank you for coming."

Her eyes danced across the crowd. They were bright and blue, and they sparkled as they caught the candlelight. I could see her making eye contact with some of the gathered Touched as she scanned.

Of course, her eyes stopped on me.

It was only for the briefest moment, but it was long enough to leave me wondering if she recognized who I was, or if she had simply recognized that I didn't have an aura. The latter was more likely.

"As you know, we've called each and every one of you here to participate in one of the greatest moments in both human and angelic history. A moment that will forever be remembered across the universe. In a few minutes, Archangel Raguel himself will lead a special Mass to pray for the eyes of the Lord to turn upon us, to take up our voices and hear our words in joyful consideration of our needs."

My ears perked up. Archangel Raguel? I had never heard of them, but judging by the way the crowd gasped, I had a feeling he or she was someone powerful. More importantly, they had come down to the mortal realm to lead the charge. If the demons found out, there might literally be Hell to pay.

"Before that, I wanted to take a moment to reiterate our position. Your brother and mine, the angel Adam, was unjustly cast down from Heaven and made into one of the Fallen, all because he chose to follow the word of the Lord and make every effort to put an end to the Diuscrucis. A responsibility that he was ordered to undertake by Archangel Raguel, after he was given the orders through a vision of Christ himself. We want only for the Lord to hear us, to consider our prayer, and to review His decision to expel Adam from His service.
 

I hope and pray that He will take our words into His heart. This is about more than the soul of one angel. It is about all of our souls. We dedicate our lives and our eternities to Him. We shouldn't have to fear that He will cast us out when all we seek to do is please Him. Thank you."

She bowed to the assembly, and then spread her wings, lifting into the sky once more. I couldn't see where she landed from my vantage point.

A chant started a moment later. It was deep and rich, in a voice that was beyond anything I had ever heard before. A voice beyond human. I knew it was the Archangel before I saw him. So did everyone else.

The doors swung open nearby. A robed figure stepped through them. I could barely see Raguel's face beneath the cowl, but his lips were moving as he continued his chant. He walked slowly and alone to the front of the gathering, bowing and kissing the altar when he reached it. Then he turned toward us, lowering his hood and revealing a head of short white hair and a wise, chiseled face.
 

"In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," he said, his voice carrying evenly to every part of the basilica. "The Lord be with you."

"And with your spirit," the congregation replied.
 

"As we begin this mass for change, let us take a moment to offer thanks to our Lord for his kindness and mercy and care. May he see the wisdom in our words, and glory from our hearts."

"Amen."

He began to speak again, a prayer in Latin. I only caught the first few words.
 

Someone rubbed up against my shoulder. I turned my head in their direction, my eyes suddenly finding themselves trapped against the pale blue of the presiding angel's.

"Welcome, stranger," she said, her smile warm and inviting, as if she meant it. Maybe she did. "Adam told me you might come."

"You know who I am?" I asked.

"Not exactly."

That was good. I was starting to feel like my ability to make people forget about me was losing its mojo. Was Adam retaining a vague memory of me, or did Sarah tell him?
 

"What did Adam tell you, then, exactly?"

"There might be someone in the crowd. Someone different. He suggested that I talk to you, and find out why you were here."

"He's the reason I'm here. I need to meet with him."

"What about?"

"Sarah."

"I don't know who that is."

That didn't surprise me. Adam would have a hard time gaining support if his followers knew what he was really up to.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Do you really believe God made a mistake? That Adam was treated unfairly?"

"Look up at the altar, friend. Do you know who that is?"

"Archangel Raguel. That's what you said, anyway."

"He is the Archangel of Justice and Vengeance. Two things that so often go together. If he believes Adam has not been treated fairly, then I am inclined to believe it."

"What about Adam? Is he pushing for this?"

"No," she replied. I wasn't expecting that. "He has told Raguel he doesn't want it. He accepts his position."

"I'm not sure I believe that."

"It is as Raguel says. He does not lie."

I looked up at the Archangel again. Adam didn't want this? Nobody could convince me that was true. If his goal was to kill Divine, what better way than to start a war in Heaven? But then, if I was right, what the hell was Raguel's part in this?

"So Adam isn't here?" I asked.

"No."

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"As I said, friend, he isn't involved with this gathering. It is his case that has set the wheels of change in motion, not his direct intervention."

"But he talked to you. He wanted you to talk to me."

"We were friends before his fall. We remain friends now. I spoke to him recently, and he said to me that if a stranger arrives, I was to greet him and treat him as a brother."

That didn't make any sense. I hated when things didn't make any sense.

"Fine," I said. "What should we talk about?"

"When the Mass is over, I would like you to meet the Archangel. We have arranged a separate meeting for the most reverend of our followers. I would like you to attend."