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 clustered 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. Nobody 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 eyeballs 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 butt 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 cocks 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 scrape over stone on the opposite side of the piazza and the Rephaim fall still. Semyaza leads the Fallen out onto the grass. 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.
Nobody else speaks. There are nearly four hundred of us, but the only sound is an owl in the trees beyond the wall and water splashing in the fountain. In any other circumstance, 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 space 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-shirt 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 grass. 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 ambassador 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 pass 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 shit. 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 hell. 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?’
My mind races. What else does Jude need? ‘We want the freedom to track and kill demons in this realm.’
‘For payment?’
‘Maybe, but mostly because it’s what we should have been doing all along. If you want us to go to war against hell, it’s only fair you give us a chance to thin the ranks first.’
‘And?’
I glance across at Dani, standing between Jess and Jason. Watching me. Proud. ‘I want our human friends to be welcome here. That no harm will come to any of them, especially Dani.’ Opposite me, Semyaza shifts his weight on his knee. ‘And we’re not our father’s keeper,’ I continue. ‘None of us is taking responsibility for the choices the Fallen make from this point.’
Gabriel raises his eyebrows. ‘Do you wish to see your family expanded?’
‘I expect them to work out how to use a condom.’
‘Enough,’ Semyaza says, rising. ‘I do not need my child explaining when and how I can use my—’
‘My point exactly.’ I glare at my father, will him to shut up and not derail my negotiations. He glowers at me, but doesn’t push the point.
Gabriel folds his arms, flexes bare biceps. ‘I shall take a moment to consider your demands.’ He launches himself from the ground and flies to the roof. Jude is on his feet before Gabriel touches down.
‘Gaby, you don’t have to do this.’
‘Of course I do.’ The others are already gathering around us.
‘But—’
‘Don’t.’ I stop him. ‘There’s no discussion here, Jude. I’m staying.’
‘Fuck, man,’ Rafa says. ‘Talk about being careful what you wish for.’ It’s only half smart-arse. Rafa’s as off-kilter as I am.
Rephaim crowd around us, hushed, but Jude doesn’t acknowledge any of them, not even Rafa. He’s still searching my face. ‘You could have a different life, Gaby.’
‘I don’t want a different life if you’re not in it. I thought we’d already established that.’ My voice breaks a little but I keep going. ‘I’m staying because you’re my brother. Because I love you. Because you’re tied to this place now and I’ve got your back until we die, whenever or however that day comes.’
‘What about Pan Beach?’
‘It’s not going anywhere. I can still visit.’
The Fallen are all on their feet now but they give us space. Even Semyaza stays where he is.
‘We go where you go, buddy,’ Rafa says. ‘That’s the way it’s always been, whether you like it or not.’
Jude looks from me to Rafa and back again. Blinks a few times. Swallows. ‘Okay.’
‘Looks like we’re coming home for good,’ Zak says. I scan the faces around him, faces I’ve known my whole life. They’re all with us: Ez, Taya, Malachi, Micah, Mya, Jones and Seth. They don’t want a war any more than I do, but, like me, they won’t abandon Jude.
And Gabriel knows it.
‘We can probably fix up your old room,’ Daisy says. Her freckled face is lit up in the moonlight. ‘You don’t get an upgrade just because you’re calling the shots.’
‘So you’re staying?’ he asks.
‘Of course I am. I live here, remember? But don’t think you’ll be ordering me around.’
Jude smiles, finally, and some of the tightness leaves his face. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
Daniel works his way through the crowd to us. Callie, Uri, Zeb and Magda are with him: the Five, still a united front. ‘What do you need from us?’ Daniel asks.
I study him, look for traces of resentment and find none. But then Daniel was never going to question an edict given by an archangel—even one that involves Jude being his new boss. Challenging authority has never been Daniel’s style.
‘What are you offering?’ Jude asks.
‘To do what we’ve always done: keep this place running. Provide structure and routine. Balance the books, keep food in the commissary, manage the day-to-day business.’ Daniel glances back at the rest of the Five. ‘And keep you accountable.’
‘I’d expect nothing less.’
Daniel offers his hand. Their eyes meet as they shake and there’s something new and uncertain between them: the first stirrings of something beyond rivalry. Daniel nods in Semyaza’s direction. ‘You’re going to need all the help you can get.’
Rephaim part to let Semyaza through. The rest of the Fallen stay in formation, waiting for an order. If Semyaza accepts Jude’s authority, the Two Hundred will fall in behind him. The Captain of the Fallen plants his feet and folds his arms, matted hair hanging over his shoulders. He’s a head taller than us and stands so close we have to look up at him.
‘I will not kneel before you,’ Semyaza says. ‘Neither shall any of my cohort.’
A muscle twitches in Jude’s jaw. ‘What have you seen in me over the last hundred and thirty-nine years that makes you think I’d want you to?’
‘Authority does strange things to men.’
‘Are you worried I’m too much like my father? Prone to bad decisions?’
Bloody hell, does he have to goad Semyaza right now?
The fallen angel’s eyes flare, and then I catch a twitch of a smile under his wiry beard. ‘I think that we have many interesting days ahead of us, son.’ Semyaza’s gaze meets mine, still amused, and then he turns away.
‘He’s going to be a handful,’ I say.
Jude gives a short laugh. ‘The irony is killing me.’
There’s movement among the Fallen, the angels breaking ranks and mingling with the Rephaim. Orias goes to Dani and Jason. Hadrial to Jess.
Mya stands back, watching. Reunions—warm and frosty—continue around us, interrupted only when Gabriel lands on the rim of the fountain. He keeps his wings out to steady himself.
‘It is settled?’ the archangel asks me.
I raise my eyebrows at Jude, who nods. ‘Seems that way.’
‘Then I accept your terms.’ Gabriel’s relaxed now too. Did he expect more resistance?
Jude stands before him, more sure of himself now. ‘It was you in Idaho.’ It’s not a question and Gabriel doesn’t answer. ‘Thanks for stepping in.’
The archangel inclines his head.
‘But why did you change our memories?’
Gabriel’s irises slow to a steady flicker. ‘Your attempt to open the portal was premature.’ His eyes cut to Orias under the cloister. ‘I had hoped to buy more time to allow things to unfold as I had intended.’
I touch the thick scar on the back of my neck, finally understanding. ‘Jude and I could have lived at opposite ends of Australia for decades, by which time Dani’s gift would have passed and who knows how long it would be until the next seer came along—or if Orias would be able to influence her visions the way he did Dani’s.’
Rafa reaches for me, brushes his thumb across the damaged skin beneath my hair. ‘Why give them back their memories yesterday?’
‘The horde was gathering,’ Gabriel says, ‘and even united, you were no match for Zarael. You needed to bolster your ranks with warriors experienced in battle. I wished to see if you would make that choice, and I wished to see what the Fallen would do if freed.’
‘You could’ve let them out yourself.’
‘What is existence without freedom to choose? It is always about choice, Rafael.’
Of course it is. And free will has worked out so well for all of us so far.
‘Ankida.’
It takes me a second to realise he means us.
We gather around, no longer in formation and no longer separated into Rephaim and Fallen. I’m shoulder-to-shoulder with Jude and Rafa. I think about the past—real and fabricated—all the moments that make me who I am. What it means to have lived as a half-angel warrior and a human. The value of my friends, human and Rephaim.
It’s all led to this. But how do we make this work?
‘You have life, you have freedom and you have purpose,’ Gabriel tells us. ‘Do not squander them this time.’
And then the Second Lieutenant of the Angelic Garrison, second only in authority to the Archangel Michael, leaves us alone to figure it out.