"The believers? The Four?"
"Archangels." Michael's attention drifted away, then, he laughed. "You know, I might feel badly for straying, but Uriel has really missed the mark. Last I heard from him, he was embracing our dual sexuality and calling himself by a woman's name."
"Ariel."
"That's it exactly. How did you know?"
"Daniel met an Ariel in prison."
"Indeed." He shrugged. "I guess I'm the only one off the mark."
"You found me." I asked, "Wasn't that your assignment?"
"My assignment was to find the perpetrator of the LINK-angels myth. You've done that for me."
I rubbed his shoulder. There were things I wanted to say to comfort him, but instead what came out was: "Does that mean Ariel's assignment was Daniel? But why?"
He shook his head sadly. "The plan is only clear to me above, or as it reveals itself, not before. I have a murky sense of the bigger picture, but the longer I'm away – the more it fades. I would tell you, Dee, if I knew."
"I know."
Michael's eyes searched mine, but I had nothing to say. I couldn't understand what he was going through. It was well out of the realm of my experience.
Over Michael's shoulder, I saw Raphael in the buffet line. He had one hand on the arm of an older man, a rabbi it seemed to me, supporting him. They were engaged in an animated conversation, and Raphael's strongly lined features broke out into a kind grin. The strength Raphael exuded warmed me even from this distance.
"Michael, maybe you just need some time with Raphael to get back on track, you know?" – I hated myself for lying to him – "I need some time to say good-bye to Daniel in my own way. Let's plan to meet up in a couple of hours at my office, okay?"
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere," I said lamely. It was such a bad lie that I couldn't look Michael in the eye.
"I'm coming with you." Michael's voice sharpened with determination.
"You don't even know where I'm going," I protested.
"Last time you said you were just going out for a walk, I had to go looking for you."
Mouse would bolt if I brought Michael along to the meeting, but I didn't really want to be alone right now. The funeral had left me feeling drained and, despite his tendency toward unnerving conversation, Michael's presence comforted me.
"I just got you back," Michael continued. "I'm not willing to let you out of my sight just yet."
"Can you be invisible?" I asked. "I mean, angelically?"
He shook his head. "Only at great cost. Why?"
"You can come as far as my office, then I need to be on my own for a little while..." I sighed. What was the point of keeping the truth from him? "I'm meeting Mouse. I need to do that alone."
He brightened at my words, and nodded. "Okay. Should you need to get ahold of me after we part, though ... take this. ..." From the inside pocket of his jacket, Michael pulled out a scrap of paper. "Earlier, at his apartment, Jibril gave me some numbers. He said you would understand how to use them."
I looked at the crumpled piece of newsprint. A LINK address, phone number, and access pass code were printed in a swirling, flourished hand. "Where did you get all of this?"
Michael shrugged. "Jibril is the patron saint of telecommunications."
I blinked. I looked back at the numbers, then up at Michael. Patiently, I waited for Michael to start laughing and to let me in on the joke. When he started picking at the peas on his plate, I cleared my throat. "No, seriously, where did you get these? Are they safe?"
Michael's eyes roamed my face, measuring me. "There are simply some things that stretch your ability to believe, aren't there, Deidre?"
"Most things about you, big guy, shake what little faith I have," I admitted.
He nodded. "I'm going to borrow some armor. We'll meet out front by the marquee."
"See you there." I smiled.
His lips brushed my cheek, a kiss so soft it was like the tickle of a feather. To my surprised expression, he said, "For luck."
Despite myself, I laughed. "What kind of luck am I going to have with a kiss like that?"
I pulled him close. My fingers prickled against his short, nubby hair at the back of his neck. Though his lips were cool, they didn't lack in passion. I shut my eyes, feeling the fire deep within the shell he wore. There was something there, something I could touch, after all. When we separated, I was smiling. I ran my hand along the sharp line of his jaw. "Much better."
"I never want to leave you."
I put my finger on his lip, hushing him. "I appreciate the sentiment, Michael." I tried to ease the harshness from my words with a smile. "But I should warn you, I don't go for that kind of devotion, even from men who aren't angels."
With a frustrated laugh, he shook his head. "Okay," he said around my finger. Taking my hand in his, he kissed my finger. "I'll see you in ten minutes."
"Ten." I smiled after him.
From his place in the buffet line, Raphael watched Michael go like a jealous lover. Then, our eyes met. Raphael stepped out of line and headed for me. I quickly gathered up my plates and tray: I had a sense Raphael had questions for me I didn't want to answer. I could feel Raphael's eyes on my back as I pushed my way to where the Malachim were gathering up dirty dishes. I dumped the contents of my tray in the bins and headed for the door. A hand on my shoulder stopped me.
"Deidre." Raphael's voice was loud in my ear.
"Raphael." As I turned, I put on a friendly smile, which faded when I saw the stern look in Raphael's eyes.
"What's going on with Michael?"
I considered batting my eyelashes and playing the fool, but as fire flashed in Raphael's eyes, I reconsidered. "Well ... Michael's in a kind of crisis, I guess. He's doing a lot of thinking."
"Michael? A crisis?" Raphael's tight anger softened into concern. "What kind of crisis?"
"I think I'm pregnant."
Raphael's dark brown eyes widened, and his frown deepened. The sun-cracked lines of his face drew in tightly around his mouth. "I see. Congratulations, then."
"You're surprised, too?" A sense of relief filled me. Maybe I wasn't part of the divine plan, after all. "Michael says the child isn't necessarily the messiah. What do you think?"
Raphael's jaw flexed, and the Christmas lights in the ceiling reflected in the silver in his hair. "What do I think? I think this is crazy, and you must be some kind of woman to pull Michael from the path."
"I'll take that as a compliment. What about the baby, Raphael? Is it possible?"
He shrugged. "In the beginning, there have been other children with the Sons of God, none of whom became 'messiahs.' " His eyebrows drew together fiercely. "But no archangel was involved in that."
"What about Jibril and Mary?"
"Ah, the great exception." Raphael shook his head and smiled. "But, even though he talked about his father in heaven, if you recall, the only title Jesus claims for himself is 'Son of Man.' "
This conversation was getting away from me. I could feel my pulse quicken. "Wait a minute. 'Exception'? Are you telling me there are messiahs other than Jesus?"
Raphael shrugged. "Finding messiahs and angels is the easy part, Deidre. Truly listening to them and discerning the truth? That's what's difficult."
The Gorgons being mostly nocturnal, Michael and I managed to avoid running into any of them on our way through the glass city. I shifted my backpack, so that it stopped rubbing my shoulder blades. I'd packed Danny's Bible, a water bottle, some food, and a few barter items in case of trouble.
"The city is beautiful in the daylight," Michael said.