“Its name is Alligare,” Luc informed the boy.
“Alligare,” Braun echoed, holding the blade up for closer inspection. “What does it mean?” He glanced at Luc.
“To bind.”
“To bind what?”
“Thatwill be determined by its user.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll show you something special about this sword, but for that, we’ll have to leave this place.” Luc cast Braun a meaningful look.
“Oh.” The boy lowered the sword. “I see, sir. Um, I’m not sure?—”
“Come now.” Luc snatched the sword from him. “You said yourself that I don’t deserve to be here.”
“Well, yes, sir. But perhaps we should wait for Michael to send for you. Then we can make your case?—”
“Braun, you saw the humans when you went to Earth, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes, well, what you don’t know is that Michael has me locked up in here because of them. Because he’s afraid of what will happen to Heaven now that the Creator has these other creatures to attend to.” Luc let that sink in, then continued, “Michael won’t care to listen to me right now, but that sword you’re holding is the solution to his problem. It has special protective properties, but I need to test it first, so will you help me leave this place or not? Do I need to explain myself further?”
As Luc spoke, Braun’s eyes grew wide, and when he’d finished, the young warrior babbled, “Of course not, Master Lucifer. You need explain nothing to me, sir. I’m just a student, sir. I’ll help you right away, sir.”
“Very well. Then come with me.” Luc swept out of the study, sword in hand, a white linen traveling pouch at his side and his cloak drawn over his head to hide his distinctivehair.
The domed barrier around his house remained, shimmering in the aether. Luc waited until the nearby path was deserted, then slashed at it, certain that if anything could free him, his newly invented sword would.
He was wrong. If anything, he crashed into the outer wall of his house with more force than before, and when he rose, he saw that he’d cracked the stone.
“You can’t break through it that way, sir.”
“Obviously,” Luc bit out. Noting the seriousness in Braun’s face, he asked, “Have you seen this before?”
“Only once, sir.” Braun scratched his head; his hair spilled out of its knot as sloppily as ever. “We had a demonstration during lessons. It’s supposed to be a stronger protective field to repel the darkness. I’m not sure why it’s working on you.”
“Well, how can it be removed?”
Braun frowned.
“I don’t think it can, sir.”
“Every material has a weak point.Think.What did you see during the demonstration?”
Braun padded over to the barrier and studied it, glancing from top to bottom.
“I think…”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I remember how the barrier was formed. There was a crystal, and the instructor held it over?—”
“A flame?”
Braun spun around.
