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“You have a deal,” she said, squeezing his hand in agreement. “Although I can only promise to try and save the human. If she is hurt as badly as you say, I may not be able to stop death’s pull on her soul.”
“I understand,” Adamachus replied quietly, but she could feel the sadness in his heart.
“Let’s go,” she said, and he turned, releasing her hand and leading them back through the forest the way he had come.
“What is it about this human that’s worth your surrender?” Sariel asked as the woods started to thin out.
“She’s... She’s special,” he muttered.
“Uh-huh. Special?” She rolled her eyes.
He turned and looked at me. “She is kind, caring, and loyal. She’s just good all the way through.”
Sariel shook her head. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you? Is that why you deserted?”
Adamachus shook his head. “No. I mean...” He sighed. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I’m head over heels in love with that woman, but we didn’t meet her until after we left the host.”
“Why did you then?” Sariel inquired, curious. Four staunchly loyal and strong warriors abandoning their host was almost unheard of. At first, only their retrieval and punishment had mattered, righting the wrong they had caused and carrying out Gabriel’s will, but something about Adamachus intrigued her. She just couldn’t imagine him as a coward.
“The apartment block in Seattle.”
Sariel stopped and stared at him. “That was your host?”
Adamachus nodded. She shook her head in disbelief. “I was there when Gabriel found out about that. He was furious at the number of human deaths your host caused just to take out a few hellions.”
Adamachus put his hand on her shoulder. “When Gabriel found out? What are you talking about, Sariel?”
“I was with him the day after when the news was delivered. I just returned from leading my own host against a horde in Texas. He received a letter telling him what had happened, and he was upset by it.”
Adamachus frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense, Sariel.”
“Why not? You and your men caused the death of several hundred humans. Why wouldn’t he be upset?”
Adamachus shook his head. “Because he was there, Sariel. It was Gabriel who gave the order to ignite the building with the humans inside.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No, I’m not.” He looked confused. “Are you telling me Gabriel pretended he didn’t know about this?”
“No, no, Gabriel wouldn’t...”
Adamachus laughed, and she bristled, fighting the strong desire to hit him for the lies he was telling. She should never have agreed to help him. She should have taken them all by force, and if she had to injure them to bring them in, well then, it was less than they deserved for such vile lies.
“Sariel, it’s been happening the whole time we’ve been on Earth. Our commanders have had instructions that they have struggled to follow through on because of how... clinical... they have been. When Gabriel was working with our host, the orders were even worse. One of our kind was killed following a skirmish while trying to protect a group of students, and even though we destroyed the hellions, Gabriel then ordered my men to kill the students so there would be no witnesses. He wanted the humans to believe we are invincible.”
“I can’t believe... Did your men... Did they do it? Kill the students?”
Adamachus sighed and looked down. “Not the three I brought with me. One of them was the first one ordered to attack, and he refused.” He met her eyes. “He was flogged for an hour for disobeying orders while Gabriel watched. Another angel in the host was then commanded to do it. He followed orders like a good little angel.”
She could almost believe him. The bitterness in his voice... He certainly believed in what he was saying, but he must have gotten confused. “Gabriel must have had his reasons,” she argued, though for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what other reasons he would have for murdering humans.
“You take a lot on faith, Sariel,” Adamachus murmured softly before turning away and heading off through the trees again. She followed him, her mind racing. She didn’t believe him. Gabriel knew the mission more than any of them. He was the right hand of God, and questioning his orders was to question God. Yet it wasn’t the first time she’d heard of him ordering cruel punishments for slight infractions. Yes, she supposed he could come across as cold and aloof, but he needed to be. He needed to be that figurehead, that commander who inspired fear and loyalty. He held the Hosts of Heaven together under him, and the pressure must be incredible...
They moved out of the shadows of the trees. The farmhouse stood at the top of a gentle slope, and as Sariel reached the top, a figure came running toward them.
“Thank God, thank.... She’s choking! Please, please, help her!”
“Jophiel, calm down. Tell me everything quickly,” Sariel said, striding to the human woman lying on the ground. A giant of an angel lay next to her, but he moved away as Sariel approached.
