What am I to do? I ask myself as I float over the city.
My powerful wings flap, pushing on nothing as I am intangible to the air around me. Is that what I’ve become? A superfluous remnant of a time when I used to be necessary?
The war had changed. Mere soldiers were no longer enough, we now required diplomats and spies. We required compromise. I had seen such a thing happen in the realm of humans, but I never considered it would touch the holy war.
Eons of unchanging battle waged against the powers of The Adversary, and it is the introduction of humans to the fight that shifts the rules.
Thinking on it now, why am I surprised? We were told they were special. We were told to bow before the new apes. And it was the unyielding resolve of Lucifer that started all this.
I can see now. So many of the host may obey the command, but they don’t understand it. Humans are still young, weak and prone to far too much sin. But they can overcome that. Angelic hosts have no choice. We are what we are.
But we can learn.
I have to find Rand. I must apologize.
I swoop down closer to the ground, feeling for his energy. The bustling people below me make it slightly easier, since none have the kind of power Rand does. And yet I don’t feel him. He couldn’t be too far out of range, I should get a taste of his power somewhere around here, unless he’s intentionally hiding himself.
I return to the park, hoping he went back there to regroup, or just kill time protecting it. Despite flying all over, I feel nothing. Flying to the bridge, I wonder where he could be. There’s no way Dumah could have done something. He’s far too weak, as most creatures in The Milton are.
My search is cut short when I feel something new. It’s flying low. The energy is unnatural, but barely there. And worse I recognize it. It was beautiful, though I wonder how it found me here. The fluttering of its wings caught the light, refracting it in unnatural ways. As it landed upon my outstretched hand, I almost admired the form of such a creature. The butterfly was not real. It was a message.
The insect burst into sparks of light and faded; its job complete.
They were coming.
They don’t normally come down to earth. They normally speak directly with the Seraphim, Archangels and Principalities. Why they would come down to the planet is beyond me. Unless something were to threaten the very fabric from which reality is woven.
They are The Dominion. And they are my bosses. And they have me scared far more than anything else that has happened tonight.
I take off into the air, looking for a sign of their arrival. Scanning the skies, it shouldn’t be too difficult to see. They can be such drama queens, arriving with a bright light, or…
Off in the distance, I see them. Five shooting stars streaming across the sky. I have to find Rand. I have to warn him. I…
Why am I so scared? What have I done wrong? If the Dominion are here, it must be for another purpose. I’ve slain the first of the escaped demons. I fought and felled many a beast at that club last night. And they know nothing of the deals Rand has made with those lower creatures. I need to not worry.
Though I’d feel better if I knew Rand was safe.
I fly in the direction of the streaming lights. As I travel, my mind begins to wander. How could I have not known all the pain and sacrifice that lurked in Rand’s heart? His power is greater than many of the Host, and he fought hard to obtain it, so how is it when he starts dealing behind my back, I’m oblivious to what he had to fight?
Rand Garrow… They say fools rush in where angels fear to tread. I suppose that makes him a fool.
It flickers. Just for a moment, but a moment is all I need. Rand’s power turned on and off quicker than you could flip a light switch. It’s the perfect little message to get my attention. Which I can only hope isn’t because he’s in trouble. Oddly enough, it’s in the same direction as the stars that signaled the arrival of The Dominion. Why would Rand be over there?
There’s an old junk yard just outside of the city. The meteors and Rand’s power converge there, from the looks of it. Piles of old cars, broken equipment, and some odd pieces of art litter the lot. I touch down quietly, still unsure if this is a trap. I may also be a little afraid my superiors would find me and while I don’t think I’ve done anything against the rules, I’d prefer to not take any chance with them.
I pull my energy back, hiding as much of it as possible. I can tell a little bit is still leaking out, but it’ll have to do. Skulking around the stacks of old cars, I look for a sign of Rand.
Row after row, I find nothing. No meteors, no Dominion, no sexy, British demon-hunters. This junk yard is just filled with junk, which I suppose is appropriate, but I still feel swindled. I look to the sky for the shooting stars The Dominion were riding. They were getting closer. So that’s one mystery, but where is Rand?
“’ello, Alli!”
“BY THE PRESENCE!” I turn quickly, to find Rand laughing his ass off. “RAND! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“It was too easy. You were so focused on the bright lights in the sky, you didn’t even detect me.”
I punch him in the shoulder. “Doesn’t help that you can suppress your power completely.”
“So what is with those stars anyway?”
“Right, you’ve never met them. You’re about to be special.”
“You mean I wasn’t before?” He gives me a wink. I let it slide.
“They are The Dominion. They’re above myself, and even some Archangels Think of them as-”
“Bureaucratic nightmares?”
“…Sounds about right.”
I turn my attention back to the sky. “So how did you know they’d land here?”
Rand takes a few steps forward, standing in line with me. He looks to the stars with me.
“Good, old-fashioned estimation. I could sense those weren’t natural and thought we might be in for a fight. Finding out we’re about to talk with your boss almost makes me wish that were true.”
“They’re about to land. Try to make yourself presentable.”
The meteors come in fast, crashing into the piles of junk around us. They slammed into the earth, making some brand new craters that this lot owner will have a fun time dealing with in the morning. I run forward to the largest, already knowing who’d I’d find.
He slowly floats up, his sash adorned with blue gems. His gray hair is slicked back into a ponytail. The halo above his head splits in the center, turning back and forth, lazily scanning the horizon.
I run toward him and kneel to his grace.
“Rise, Aluma. We have much to discuss.”
“As you wish, Lord Zadkiel”
