“Maybe. I mean, that was a hell of a beating. And you don’t heal like he does. I’m not sure you ever really recover from something like that.” Alice looked down at him. “Mercy’s not something the angels are very good at, is it? I wonder whether they even understand the concept. Humans: they get it. Or at least they did before you came along and started changing everything. They understand mercy. They may not always like it, but they get it. So there’s humans, and there’s angels. And then there’s me. It’s taken me long enough to figure it out, but I can be both. I’m not one or the other.” She leaned close to Rimmon’s ear. “Guess which one I’m being right now?”
He made a whimpering sound, and Alice stood up. “I’ll leave you to work on that, shall I?” She walked towards the door. “See you round, Rimmon.”
The door swung shut behind her, and Rimmon lay on the floor, surrounded by bodies, as the bright disco lights swirled above him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Death, Be Not Proud
THE ICE SHATTERED. Diamond shards flew across the room, clattering into the walls and showering Gabriel with chips of ice... and Lucifer stepped out of his prison and extended his wings, laughing as the shackles fell away.
“Call them,” he said. Gabriel nodded.
Lucifer stretched his arms out wide, curling his fingers in on his palms and smiling.
“I knew I was always your favourite.”
“They’ll fight...”
“Of course they will. And I wouldn’t enjoy it nearly so much if they didn’t.”
THERE WAS THE sound of feathers, and something like whispering voices... and Adriel appeared from the shadows. He looked the same as always: neat in his morning suit, with his beard and hair clipped. He didn’t flinch when he saw Lucifer, nor when he saw Gabriel behind him. He simply waited.
Lucifer smiled at him, holding out his arms.
“Welcome, brother.”
“You called me.”
“I did. You aren’t pleased to see me?”
“I hardly think you need to ask.”
“Clearly it’s been too long since you had to answer to anyone... Kneel.”
Adriel blinked his black eyes and knelt before Lucifer, smoothing the fabric of his suit as he did.
Lucifer circled him. “Do you serve?”
There was no answer.
“I say again... do you serve?”
Adriel still didn’t answer, but simply cocked his head on one side and blinked again.
“Adriel... I won’t ask again.”
Adriel lowered his head and opened his wings. “I serve.”
Lucifer beamed... but then his smile became a frown. Adriel was smiling... and his eyes were bleeding; staining his face not red, but black. His wings, too, were changing. Fading; the colour leaching out of them until they were first grey, then white. And Adriel knelt before Lucifer and laughed at him, shaking out his wings and looking up at him with brown eyes.
“You can force me to serve. You cannot force me to surrender.”
“Who is it?” Lucifer grabbed him by the throat, hauling him to his feet. “Who?”
“You cannot take the office by force, Lucifer. You of all people should know that. It must be earned. It can be passed on, but never taken.
“You abdicated, and so have I. You can’t have it back.”
“Who?” Lucifer’s angelic face twisted, and for a moment it seemed that he had too many teeth; that his cheeks were too long and too hollow... and that his mouth should not open quite as wide as it did.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Adriel. “And in the meantime, I serve.” He pulled free from Lucifer’s grasp and swept into a low, mocking bow.
THEY STUMBLED OUT into the street. There were angels flooding out of the warehouse, and smoke curling from its windows. “We’re not going to be popular when Michael catches up with us,” Mallory said through gritted teeth. Vin’s arm was draped around his shoulder. Something exploded in the building behind them.
“No change there,” said Alice, sliding out from beneath Vin’s other arm as they set him down on the ground, everything else forgotten. His teeth were chattering. “What’s wrong with him?”
Vin suddenly hunched over, clutching his ribs and crying out, and Alice started back. “Can’t you help him?” There was fire at her wrists and in her hair; sparks dancing behind her and drifting into the night.
Mallory looked grim. “There’s nothing I can do.”
“What’s...”
But Alice was cut off by another yelp from Vin, and the horror on Mallory and Castor’s faces mirrored her own as they watched his wings stretch; saw the darkness seep along them from the tips like ink, creeping further and further up the feathers until his wings were black to the roots... and then there was nothing more. Alice crouched in front of Vin, edging closer. She could see his back heaving with each breath; see the outline of his wings shaking as they folded in on themselves.
“Vin?”
There was no answer.
“Alice...” Mallory was ducking down, holding out his hand. “You should come over here to me.”
“No. I... Vin!” she said, and scooted closer to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She could feel him trembling; feel the damp of the sweat that had soaked his clothes.
“I’m okay...” he said. “I just... need a minute.” His voice shook almost as badly as the rest of him. “I’m fine...”
“Yeah, right,” muttered Mallory, and Alice glared at him before turning back to Vin.
“What...” And she tailed off – because Vin was looking at her. His forehead dripped with sweat, and his short, dark hair was drenched with it... but all Alice could see as he raised his head were eyes of pure black.
“Vhnori...” she whispered, “what did you do?”
“WHY D’YOU THINK I was in Adriel’s office?” Vin had finally stopped shaking, and was sitting at least vaguely upright on the tarmac.
“I thought you were waiting. For us.”
“Well, there was that...” He wagged his head from side to side. “Adriel knew what was going to happen. All this was planned.”
“Planned. Because this looks so beautifully planned.” Alice waved sadly at the burning warehouse. There was no sign of the fire brigade, despite the plumes of smoke and the flames spilling from the windows. She imagined they had quite enough on their hands elsewhere. One more fire was nothing.
“Alright... maybe not the details. But Michael knew. He knew Gabriel would turn on him; he has done ever since hell.”
“But he told Gabriel that he’d restore him if he found the way to... Oh. Boy, do I feel stupid.” Alice’s eyes closed in resignation as she realised what had happened.
Michael had set it up. All of it.
All along, he’d wanted Lucifer restored... and the Fallen had done it for him.
“Bingo.”
“But... you.”
“Yeah. Me.”
“You knew.”
“Most of it.”
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“Who do you think I’m more afraid of? You, or Michael?”
“Me. It should definitely be me.”
“Funny you should say that... No.” He grinned weakly. “Adriel knew Lucifer would summon him.”
“He wanted his old job back...” Mallory interrupted. “But he couldn’t have it if Adriel had already passed it on.”
“Exactly,” said Vin, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. “Which is where I come in.”
“But why you?” Alice asked.
“Like I’m supposed to know?”
“Well, yes.” Alice shook her head. “All this.” She glanced at Castor, who was keeping his face absolutely blank. “All this... for what?”