Cosain hastened Heavenward for a moment as the furore below him dwindled and died. From this vantage point, he surveyed the site where just moments before the most ferocious of battles had been played out. When he was entirely satisfied that his troop had despatched all of their demonic assailants to the Abyss, and that there were no more waiting in the wings to pounce, he rejoined the other angels, who had settled on terra firma, and regrouped to dissect the events that had just taken place.
“Captain,” said Solas. “You are injured.”
“It is nothing,” replied Cosain, although blood still oozed from the gash in his upper arm.
“Here,” said Dilis. “Let me Captain. Please.” And with that he lifted his still glowing sword and set its broadside gently along Cosain’s wound.
Cosain winced in pain, but as Dilis’s blade rested on his arm, the open and bloody wound began to cauterise, and as the angelic warriors looked on, the gash in Cosain’s arm knitted together from the bottom to the top, and his arm glowed with a golden radiance until the wound was removed entirely and his ethereal skin showed no sign whatsoever of ever having been damaged.
“Thank you, my brother,” said Cosain. “I imagine Schnither was overjoyed with his aim!” The thought amused the Captain of the Hosts, despite his realisation that his wound could have been much more severe, and he smiled reflectively. “Croga, your perception was sharp, you arrived here with not a moment to spare; the powers of darkness were fervent in their pursuits tonight.”
“Yes, Captain,” replied Croga, as he sheathed both swords across his mighty back. “It was Lasair who first felt an unsettling in his spirit, which I soon came to share. He stayed to guard the Wrens, and I followed my hunch to Esau and Martha’s house. It would seem that our intuition was accurate.”
“The Enemy has suffered a hefty blow tonight,” observed Trean. “As far as I could tell only Schnither absconded – and I suspect that his escape may well be short lived. Abaddon the Defiler will undoubtedly be eagerly awaiting his return from battle. And when he hears what Schnither has to tell him… whoa!” Trean made a whistling noise through his teeth, and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. He, like the rest of the angels, knew that the battle which had preceded would be nothing compared to the wrath and venom of Abaddon.
“Croga, you can rejoin Lasair now; I feel that the rest of this night will pass off peacefully – but keep careful watch over the Wrens nonetheless. We must remember that, as far as the Enemy is concerned, they will believe us to be relieved of our duties tomorrow, since the Wrens were due to fly on Thursday. I imagine that Abaddon will order his demons to lie low for a while to give us a chance to return to the Heavenlies, leaving the Wrens unprotected. Of course, we are on to their schemes, we know that Phoebe and her family do not fly until Friday, and we will be ready for the enemy’s attack. But we must let them believe that our assignment is over, and that we are out of the picture.”
“Is that not a risky tactic, Captain?” asked Solas, his faced concerned. He was loathe to question his Captain, yet could not refrain from voicing his concerns. “Surely relaxing our guard now puts Phoebe and her family at risk?”
“Yes, there is no denying that it will be tricky, Solas,” said Cosain contemplatively. “But we cannot risk the Enemy realising that we are wise to his plans. Tomorrow, we must make Schnither believe that we have gone, and we must conceal our presence until the Wrens’ flight takes off on Friday. I am certain that the Enemy will send his hordes after the aeroplane, and this time he will be hell-bent on its total annihilation, he will not tolerate survivors a second time. We cannot afford to put a foot wrong now – the survival of the Wrens and the establishment of the Celtic Justice Mission depends on it. The Atoner has lofty and important plans for the organisation that Jack and Eva Wren will set up.” Cosain’s face was serious, and Solas felt that the responsibility weighed heavily on his Captain.
“We are with you, Captain; whatever your plans for the next forty eight hours are, we will execute them to the last detail.”
Solas verbalised what the other angelic warriors were thinking, and their expression of trust in their leader bolstered his spirit.
“Thank you, brothers,” Cosain said earnestly. “You are noble and brave warriors; I could not wish for finer comrades. Now, we will resume our posts for tonight, and tomorrow we will make sure that the Enemy thinks we have withdrawn. Schnither’s report will undoubtedly have infuriated him, and the next wave of wrath that he will unleash will require all our strength, skill and ability to overcome. But overcome we will.”
And with that, the atmosphere blazed with Heavenly light as six mighty warriors took flight and returned to their stations, resolute and uncompromising about the perilous task that lay ahead of them.