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Kalmiya waslying.
She had been here for a while, recovering, healing, enjoying our hospitality. In all this time, she hadn’t once shared this little tidbit of information, not with me, not with Helena, and not even with Abaddon. Why? Because she wanted to wait until itwould make the biggest impact. Like right now, moments after Medrion demanded we surrender.
It was as perfectly placed a betrayal as any dagger in the back could’ve been, and by the smug look on Medrion’s face, he could see the proverbial blood seeping out of my armor.
Maybe that was it. Maybe that was the extent of Kalmiya’s betrayal—the only job she had to do. Sow doubt inside of me so I could run to Helena and convince her to surrender. Because if Medrion was necessary for our plan with Lucifer to work, then we needed him alive, and we needed him in Heaven.
But even if he wasn’t, and it was all a lie… well, he knew I wasn’t going to be able to take that risk.
I found Azrael suspended in the air near the beacon tower, speaking with Helena about Medrion’s request.
“—your trust in me, as your Commander…” Azrael let the sentence fall off before they both turned toward me expectantly.
“Further news, Sarakiel?” Helena asked.
“Yes, I’m sorry, I couldn’t trust this to my Trumpet.”
She frowned at me. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure, it may be nothing… Kalmiya had been held at Meridian before their Bastion was attacked. She’s just given me some information that I thought best to give you in person.”
“What is it now?” Asked Azrael.
“Medrion has convinced her that an archangel is necessary to reopen Heaven. I’m not inclined to believe him, but on the off chance that he’s telling the truth?—”
“You want to spare his life.” Helena finished.
“Spare is the wrong word. Capture, imprison, those are the kinds of words I would prefer to use.”
“That will be difficult,” she said. She looked nervous as she considered my words. “Azrael, please let the commanders know that Medrion is to be captured.”
“Is that a good idea?” Azrael asked.
“If they question it, tell them we plan to put him to trial for his crimes.”
Azrael bowed her head and flew down to her Trumpet to begin spreading the new orders. Helena turned to withdraw into the tower but gave me one final look. “I am putting all of our lives in your hands, Sarakiel. Kindly let Medrion know that hisofferhas been considered and declined.”
I nodded and flew down to rejoin my unit.
“Send Medrion a message,” I said to Kalmiya as I landed. “Tell him that we willnotbe surrendering, and if he wants to get in, he’ll have to do it the hard way.”
Kalmiya’s eyes widened, as if my words had just stunned her. “Are…” she ventured, “Are you sure? Shouldn’t we let?—”
“—I just gave you an order. Please, follow it, or are you unable to do that?”
“No,” she said, fear mounting in her eyes, “I’ll do that.”
Kalmiya turned to face the stormy horizon ahead of us and the glowing figures hovering on the other side of our shield. The rain was already starting to pick up whipping my face and slamming against my armor. Thousands, and thousands of small drumbeats going off every single second to create a tinny static that was difficult to ignore.
A moment passed, and Kalmiya hadn’t relayed my message to Medrion. It didn’t take much thought for me to understand why. If he had indeed given her a mission meant to encourage our surrender, then she was about to fail that mission… and Medrion didn’t suffer weak angels.
Suddenly, she found herself facing the very real possibility that Medrion’s forces were about to storm this place and mercilessly kill her along with everyone else in this bastion. She had gambled, and she had lost.
She had no choice now but to face him with the rest of us.
Kalmiya took a deep breath, stepped up to the edge of the battlements, and with a voice like thunder she roared our reply to Medrion. It was a deep, booming sound that would’ve been heard by the monsters lurking in the clouds, if indeed there were any.
When she was done, Medrion lowered his head, once more showing disappointment. He turned to look at the angel beside him, a large figure with a barrel-chest wielding an iron sword that looked like it was as large as I was. The angel’s eyes lit up with glee, he raised a hand, pointed at our bastion, and roared the charge.
