The Rephaim: Burn Part 34

Maggie fingers the corner of the bag on the bench. 'Mum's been struggling since Dad died-we both have. I think knowing there's more to the world, that the Rephaim exist and are looking out for us...it'll help her.'

'It's not like the whole town won't be chasing answers,' I say.

Last night everyone on the esplanade got a terrifying glimpse of a world they never knew existed. Demons stalking the beach. Monsters lumbering through town. But there's no trace of any of them this morning, angel or demon. And if everyone else's phones are as useless as ours, there won't be any other evidence either. Our battle might be out in the open now, but maybe the truth will get lost in the hysteria. Maybe.

Jude nods but I see his attention drift.

'What are you thinking?'

He taps his thumb on the edge of the kitchen bench, exhales. 'Gabriel was in that forest last year.'

Rafa stops chewing his hash brown. 'You recognised his voice?'

'No, but who else has the power to change our memories?'

I try to swallow. The egg and bread and bacon feel like paper mache in my throat.

'You swore fealty to the Second Lieutenant of the Garrison?' Rafa says. 'What's he going to want in return?'

'No idea.'

I finally get my food down. 'Would Dani know?' I ask Jason.

He shakes his head. 'She can only see what Orias sees, and I doubt he has access to anything involving the Garrison.' Jason wipes his fingers on the dishcloth and then rinses it.

'Orias can see any of us whenever he wants to?'

'All of the Fallen can. The difference with Orias is that he also sees things that haven't happened-so Dani does too, whether she wants to or not. And it's a lot less precise.'

'But she goes looking for us whenever she wants to.'

He nods. 'When she meditates, she sees what we're doing in that moment. The things she sees in the future-those visions that take her completely by surprise-they've been intentionally given to her by Orias, but they haven't always come through as clearly as he's intended.'

Jason and his father must have had quite the chat last night. 'What else did he tell you?'

He folds the dishcloth over the tap. 'The Fallen communicate telepathically.'

'Yeah, I wondered about that.' Given how they s.h.i.+fted from the resort roof last night without Semyaza giving an audible command.

'That's how Dani reached out to Rafa when he was at the farmhouse. She somehow managed to tap into that too.'

I think about everything Dani's seen and done since Jude and I came into her life a year ago. Knowing the risks and wanting to help anyway. She's twelve years old and the bravest of us all.

Jason leans back against the sink, rubs his eye with his thumb. Sighs as if defeated.

'Jase,' Maggie says quietly. 'She's going to be okay.'

He brushes his fingers down her arm, almost apologetic. 'I've been trying to protect my family for so long-lying about myself to protect the people I care about. I don't know how to stop worrying. And now I've got you to worry about too.'

Maggie catches his fingers in hers. 'Orias is as curious about Dani as she is about him, he's not going to let anyone hurt her. Plus she's got the entire Rephaite army looking out for her. And I've got all of you.'

Maggie's tired and I can't imagine the nightmares she must be having after the last twenty-four hours, but she trusts us to keep her safe. Trusts me.

'Always, Mags,' I say and she smiles at me, eyes s.h.i.+ning.

Jude nods his agreement, but he's not really listening. He's already thinking about the Sanctuary, trying to second-guess what's going to happen when we get there. I stand up, needing to move. My shoulders and neck are already tight again.

'Let's get this over with. You going to get Dani now?'

Jason blows out his breath. 'Do I have a choice?'

'Nah, Goldilocks, you don't,' Rafa says. He screws up the empty paper bag and lobs it from behind his back. It hits the wall and lands in an empty beer carton by the fridge. 'None of us do.'

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY...

Rafa, Jude and I arrive in the piazza under a cloudless night sky. It's after midnight here, and cold enough to make my breath mist.

The Rephaim are cl.u.s.tered outside the infirmary, no longer separated into Outcast and Sanctuary: we're a single group now, united not only by a common enemy-momentarily driven back-but by an uncertain future.

Light spills from the cloister lamps and a fat waxing moon hangs over the eastern wing of the Sanctuary. My eyes are good enough to find Ez, Zak and Daisy; Jones, Seth and Micah; Taya and Malachi. The Five. n.o.body is armed. The tang of cold smoke still hangs in the air, sweetened slightly by lavender and rosemary.

I remember this place now. Everything's familiar again: the fountain where we cooled off as kids on the way back from training. The timber bench by the infirmary door, scarred with my initials and Daisy's. The downpipe on the residential wing, dented under the eaves where Rafa tried to hurl my boot onto the roof and missed. How long ago was that? Twenty years? Thirty?

Daniel breaks away from the others. He makes a point of glancing at his watch but resists the urge to comment on our tardiness.

'Where are Jason and Dani?'

'They're here,' I say. 'Jason's taken Maggie and Maria upstairs.' It was a smarter option than leaving them alone in Pan Beach. Zarael might be dead and his horde banished beyond the veil but I'm not taking any chances.

'Is Gabriel here?'

'Not yet. Nathaniel's gathering the Fallen now.'

'Did they get any sleep?'

'It took a few hours to find enough bedding for everyone, but they should have had at least a few hours' rest.'

I feel a little guilty. The Rephaim who came back here didn't sit around drinking beer and eating Thai food last night. They had to accommodate the Fallen.

'Where did you put them?'

'Semyaza, Barakiel and Orias took rooms in Nathaniel's compound-without an invite, naturally-and the rest bedded down in the gym and the rec room.'

'Cosy,' Rafa says. 'How's that going to work long term?' 'It's not. We'll need to convert the entire east wing into accommodation.' Daniel says 'we' as if the Five still have authority at the Sanctuary. I check Jude. He's even more pensive now we're here. Fingers drumming his thighs, eyes scanning the piazza and the rooftop.

Fealty.

My stomach twists, and it's not purely from nerves. Mya and Jess have materialised a few metres away, backlit by the cloister. They head straight for us.

'What are you doing here?' Daniel asks Jess.

She eyeb.a.l.l.s him, very cop-like. 'My family needs to know what Gabriel says tonight. There's no way my mother was coming back here, so you've got me instead.'

'It would have been a courtesy to ask permission to enter the Sanctuary. I'm-'

'Daniel, yeah, I know who you are. I've had access to my family's photo library, remember?'

His eyes drop to her holster and the handgun tucked against her ribs. 'You brought a weapon?'

She touches the b.u.t.t of the gun. 'Don't panic, I know how to use it.'

He gives her a condescending smile. He can't help himself. 'I'm well aware of what you are capable of. I saw you in action last night and I've done some research of my own.'

Jess c.o.c.ks her head. 'And what did you learn?' She's not remotely intimidated by him, which kind of impresses me.

'That your family has a long history of sociopathic behaviour, and'-he concedes a nod-'that you are very good at your job.'

She blinks, thrown by the compliment.

Doors sc.r.a.pe over stone on the opposite side of the piazza and the Rephaim fall still. Semyaza leads the Fallen out onto the gra.s.s. Nathaniel comes out last. Careful, tentative, as if every movement hurts. His wounds have healed but his face is a map of scars.

The angels fall into formation in the pale moonlight. Feet planted, hands behind their backs like well-drilled soldiers. They're scruffy, but at least they've washed. And they've come unarmed too. A good start.

Without being told, the Rephaim mirror the Fallen's formation, each line staggered so that every Rephaite has a clear line of sight to the ranks of the angels. The Rephaim in the frontline make room for us. Mya positions herself so she's facing Hadrial. I stand opposite Semyaza. His flickering gaze locks on mine and I feel that strange sensation again under my ribcage.

There's movement in the cloister by the infirmary door. Jason and Dani have come downstairs. Jess is with them and I vaguely register that she and Jason are shaking hands. I guess Mya wasn't the only one in her family kept in the dark about him all these years.

n.o.body else speaks. There are nearly four hundred of us, but the only sound is an owl in the trees beyond the wall and water splas.h.i.+ng in the fountain. In any other circ.u.mstance, Nathaniel would have taken charge now. But he's wounded, defeated, and his silence has paralysed the Five. All of them-Daniel, Callie, Uri, Zeb and Magda-are as uncertain as the rest of us about what to do now.

Beside me, Rafa cracks a knuckle. It's been less than a minute and he's already out of patience. Somewhere high above us, a jet cuts through the night. I glance up, try to find it. Spot something else closer. I reach for Rafa without looking, squeeze his wrist.

'Poser,' Rafa mutters. Murmurs spread through the piazza as the winged figure circles closer. Gabriel lands on the roof and paces across the tiles, taking us in, accounting for all of us. He launches himself again without warning, and with three powerful backbeats lands in the s.p.a.ce between the Fallen and us. Cold air rushes over me, laced with pine needles and ice.

The archangel isn't dressed like a tourist tonight. He's turned up as a warrior-but not like the archangels in the paintings scattered through the Sanctuary. There's no helmet, no gleaming armour. This archangel looks more like he's about to climb into a Black Hawk helicopter: lightweight combat pants, snug t-s.h.i.+rt and a vest that looks heavy-duty enough to withstand a dozen demon blades. If he's feeling the cold, he doesn't show it. He tucks his wings behind him but leaves them visible, every feather in place. Two broadswords are strapped between them.

Gabriel hasn't come to play.

I picture him with a hundred archangels at his back. A thousand. More. My mouth turns dusty. I clasp my hands behind my back to stop my fingers trembling.

'Take a knee.'

As one, the Fallen drop to one knee. It's probably more a reflex action than obedience, but the synchronisation is breathtaking. Gabriel turns to us. 'You too.'

Oh.

I look to Jude. He stiffens but then nods, once. Rafa grunts. The three of us kneel and I hear movement as the rest of the Rephaim follow. The knees of my jeans are instantly damp on the dewy gra.s.s. I copy Semyaza, rest one arm on my supporting leg. The Fallen haven't bowed their heads, so neither do we. The leader of the Fallen gives me the smallest of nods.

'You are no longer Fallen, Rephaim or Outcast,' Gabriel says, walking between our two forces. 'You are Ankida: where heaven and earth meet. When the final war comes, I shall call you to my cohort. I shall be your commander.'

So much for free will. I try to swallow but my throat is a desert.

Gabriel moves down the line, turns and comes back to us. He stops in front of Jude. 'Until that day comes, my amba.s.sador will be Judah, son of Semyaza, adopted son of Nathaniel, former Sanctuary soldier and former Outcast.'

I forget to breathe for a good ten seconds.

Jude stares up at him. 'What does that mean?'

'It means, Judah, that after this day, if it is my will or the will of heaven to command the Ankida, it shall be done through you and no other. There shall be no more visions or revelations. No more lack of understanding about what is required of each of you.'

Jude's eyes flick to me and back to the archangel. 'That's it? That's all you want from me-to pa.s.s on your messages?'

Gabriel towers over my brother. He seems even taller, more threatening tonight. 'You do not understand. You are my agent in this realm. You carry my authority. These warriors, these philosophers, these academics...they are yours to command.'

The weight of those last five words presses down on all of us.

Holy s.h.i.+t. Jude's in charge of the Fallen-and us.

'What if I don't want your authority?'

'You have sworn fealty to me. This is what I demand of you.'

And there it is: confirmation it was Gabriel who saved us in the forest in Idaho and hid us from each other. Messed with our memories.

'You, Judah, will dwell here with your father and his cohort. You will work beside Nathaniel to ensure that my earthbound army is battle ready.'

I wait for Jude to push back, to argue, but he drops his head and stares at the ground, unseeing. He's accepted this fate. My heart lurches into my throat. My brother is now tied to the Fallen, to the Sanctuary, until the end of time. Literally.

Gabriel looks out over the rest of the Rephaim and then his gaze settles on me. 'The rest of you did not ask to join our war, so I give you a choice: leave tonight and live your lives beyond these walls as you see fit, or stay and take your place with Judah, Nathaniel and your fathers.'

The night holds its breath. The Rephaim stay silent, perfectly still. I have no idea what anyone is thinking. Except Jude, I can read him easily. He won't look at me. Won't ask it of me-of any of us. He knows how much worse the next battle will be. A full-scale war against h.e.l.l. Just the thought of it wrings me out and makes my palms sweat.

But that's his future now.

And there's no way I'd let him face it without me.

I stand up, shaky. Ignore Rafa and Semyaza, both staring at me.

'Can we negotiate our terms?'

Jude lifts his head but I ignore him too, focus only on Gabriel. The archangel considers me for a moment. 'Ask what you will.'

I swallow. Take a steadying breath. 'We can't be prisoners here. If you want us to care about this world, we have to live in it.'

'What is your term, Gabriella?'

'That we have the freedom to come and go as we always have-including Jude.'

'Is that all?'