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A VIOLET BOLT CRACKLES along the edge of Haniel's sword as she rips it from its sheath and plows it through the spider's bulbous bottom. There's a dance of twitching legs as the creature's smoky body dissipates.
When it's gone, I whimper, “What was that?” Whatever it was, it's not something I would ever want to encounter again.
Jophiel says, “Congratulations, Pho. You just saw your first demon.” Glancing at Haniel, he adds, “I wouldn't put my sword away just yet, sweetheart. When there's one, there are usually more. A lot more.”
“Oh, I know,” Haniel agrees. “You were just complaining about menial missions. Is this a job worthy of an Archangel?”
“Absolutely. It suits my skill set much better.”
When Jophiel draws his sword, I gasp. Slender arcs of fire are leaping along the silver-white metal.
“Your weapons are... intense,” I tell them.
Jophiel shrugs off my remark, as if it's perfectly normal to have a sword that's wrapped in flame. “They're alright,” he says. “This explains most of Billy's behavior. Demons can make you cold and leave you feeling drained and depressed. As I said, if there's one, there's probably an infestation. I suggest we rid his house of all demonic entities and try to find him a friend. What do you think, Haniel?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Haniel taps the flat of her sword against her thigh as she waits for the action to begin. Apparently, the lightning bolts on her weapon have no effect on her. She looks pretty badass with a blade. I don't think I've ever been more attracted to her.
Haniel holds out her sword and asks, “Would you like to hold it?”
As I reach for the sword, Jophiel says, “He can hold it, but don't expect him to start slaying demons with it. Let's not forget... he's a brand new student on his third mission. He's not an Archangel-in-training. We mustn't put him in any unnecessary danger.”
“Awww!” Haniel nudges me with her elbow. “Jophiel wants to protect you! That's sweet. He cares after all.”
“I care because I don't want to get admonished by Michael. I'm already on probation. If my student suffered an injury, I—”
Haniel interrupts, “Jophiel cares about you, Chris. He can deny it all he wants, but I know he cares.”
It's really strange to hold an electric sword. I can feel it vibrating in my hand, and every time a bolt leaps from the blade, I struggle to keep my grip on it.
“It makes you look tough,” Haniel says, reclaiming her blade from my hand. “Perhaps one day you will be an Archangel? With two successful missions under your belt, you're already off to a good start.”
Jophiel heaves an exasperated sigh. It's a sound I've heard a lot. “Can we get on with the mission, please? Why are we wasting time with chitchat when there are demons on the loose?” As we leave the room, he whispers to me, “Stay behind us.”
He doesn't have to ask twice. I've never been the kind of guy who puts myself in danger on purpose. I'm perfectly content with hiding behind them.
When we're in the hall, we see our second demon. Like the first one, its body is made of smoke, but it's shaped like a scorpion, and it makes a rattling noise as it scurries along the ceiling. Jophiel is the first one out of the room, so he gets to tackle the demon. His fiery sword plunges upward, driving through the scorpion's body.
“You know, these don't look too dangerous,” I observe. “You seem to be taking them down pretty easily.”
“That's because we've been trained in excess,” Jophiel says. “If you were alone with a demon without a weapon to protect you... you don't want to know what would happen.”
“What would happen?” I ask.
For a few seconds, Haniel and Jophiel are shooting glances back and forth at each other. Maybe they're not allowed to tell me?
Eventually, Haniel divulges the secret. “To begin with, the demon could melt your face, leaving you horribly disfigured. It could be corrected, but... it would take some time.”
Wow. That's truly terrifying. Now I really want to stay behind them.
As we head downstairs, Haniel slices through a spider demon on the bannister. It's a little smaller than the first one she slayed, but it's no less creepy.
“Demons tend to gather on the lowest floors of a house, which is why we're heading downstairs,” Jophiel informs me. “We will, however, search the entire house. Haniel, do you think we should stay together or split up?”
“For Chris' sake, I think we should stick together,” Haniel says. “We're safer together.”
Jophiel accepts her answer with a nod, and now I feel totally useless. I feel like a baby in need of protection.
Billy's mother is in the living room—and so are two massive demons. She can't see them, but they're horrifying. They look like seven-foot giants with yellow eyes. Both demons make a groaning noise when they spot us, and Haniel and Jophiel split up to take them on. I hang back and watch from the bottom of the stairs. Jophiel carves through one of the giants, and at the same time, Haniel lunges at hers. Haniel's demon explodes with a loud pop.
“This is easily the weirdest thing I've seen since I've been dead,” I tell them. “And I've seen a lot of weirdness.”
Ignoring my remark, Haniel shouts, “Look out!”
Another spider demon drops from the ceiling and lands on Jophiel's arm. When it bites, a blue-green liquid hisses from its fangs and burns a hole in Jophiel's shirt. He reacts quickly, chopping the spider in half, but not before his arm is black and charred.
“Holy crap, are you alright?” I exclaim. Billy's mom is still sitting on the sofa, obliviously chomping on corn chips.
“I'll be fine. Believe me, I've suffered far worse than this,” Jophiel says—and a few seconds later, his arm is healed. He manifests a new shirt, hiding all evidence of his recent wound.
“You must be slipping, Jophiel,” Haniel teases him. “You're supposed to be the second best sword fighter and demonslayer among us, but... if you let yourself get injured so easily...”
“I am one of the best. The bastard just caught me by surprise.” Jophiel marches into the next room and motions for us to follow. “I think we should head to the basement now. If we can clear away any demons on the lowest level, the others will sometimes leave.”
“So...” As we walk through the house, I ask the question that's been driving me crazy since the first time I saw a demon. “Is this... common? Do a lot of people have demons in their houses?”
Haniel replies, “It's not common at all. One percent of humans' homes might have a demon or two, and less than that will have an infestation.”
“Okay...” I try to wrap my head around that logic when we reach the basement door. “But like... there are a lot of houses in the world. If one percent has a demon, that's going to add up to a lot of houses. That seems kind of common to me.”
“And that's why the world needs Archangels,” Jophiel adds. “We're the ones who bring light to the darkness.”
When the basement door opens, I have to hold back a scream. There are at least a dozen demons down there. Most have a humanoid shape, but they have really slender legs that barely support them as they trundle around. There's one demon that stands out more than the rest. She looks like a toddler and she wails when she sees us.
Jophiel and Haniel race down the stairs so fast, it makes me wonder if they're in competition with each other. Jophiel's sword makes a humming noise as he twirls it, slicing through two demons at once. Haniel responds with a series of jabs, eliminating demon after demon. Creepy as these things are, Jophiel and Haniel make short work of them. It's really awesome to watch, and it makes me wonder if I could be an Archangel one day.
It's hard to fathom, though. I'm pretty gangly and puny, and unlike these two, I doubt I could look cool with a sword.
“I haven't killed a banshee in awhile!” Haniel announces as she skewers the small, screaming demon.
“I have,” Jophiel boasts. “I'm always slaying demons. Before I was put on probation, those were my favorite missions to take.” With a sneer and a sigh, he adds, “Now I'm stuck matchmaking and finding friends for little boys.”
“You got to dance with Anna,” I point out. “I don't think you minded that one too much.”
When Jophiel swings his sword, the last basement demon explodes with a deafening pop.
“Who's Anna?” Haniel asks. “Ooo... does Jophiel have a sweetheart?”
“You know I don't have a sweetheart, sweetheart. I have meaningless flings and that's it,” Jophiel claims. “As for Anna, I would rather not discuss it.”
He can say that all he wants, but I hear the truth in his head.
What am I saying? I care about her. If I could actually be with Anna, it wouldn't be meaningless.
Jophiel's thoughts make me smile.