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A FEW MINUTES AFTER we arrive at our latest charge's side, Lucy is already in tears. Her tendency to get emotional really does make me question her ability to handle the tasks she'll be expected to perform. You can't get personally invested in every death—you just can't. It would drive you insane.
Nevertheless, I'm glad she's with me again. Her smile, full of light, is infectious. Her eyes, her lips, her laugh—I've missed them all. I've even missed her disagreeing with me and nagging me about movies.
Our charge, Eliza Gorman, is a thirteen-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor. Her body didn't respond to chemotherapy, and she will likely die before the end of the week. Asylum Sixty-Eight has already made a place for Eliza in preparation for her arrival. Since we're dealing with cancer, I imagine this is a very personal mission for Lucy, but it's Eliza's speech for her mother that reduces my student to tears.
“Mom...” Eliza reaches for her mother's hand and pulls it closer. “Mom... Mom... I love you. I'll always love you. Please don't cry anymore. Please. You'll make me cry too.”
“I don't want to lose you!” Miranda Gorman can barely bellow the words through her sobs. In her free hand, she's clutching at least three sodden tissues. Damp as they are, they've become ineffective at drying her tears. “You're my best friend. You're my baby. I can't. I can't.”
Miranda's head collapses on her daughter's stomach. Eliza strokes her hair until she stops crying.
Eliza says, “I don't want you to be upset anymore, Mom. I'm okay. I'm not scared of dying.”
“I'm scared!” Miranda cries. “I don't know how I'm supposed to live in a world without my little girl.”
“Shh...” Eliza tries to console her with a pat on the head. “Please don't cry anymore. It just makes me sadder.”
Eliza once had hair as red as her mother's. She's lost every strand, but the freckles on her face still identify her as a ginger. Her skin is ashen, her cheeks are sunken, and she has the most tired blue eyes I've ever seen. Like many in her place, I think she's ready for her suffering to end. She's ready to find out what awaits after death.
Eliza and her mum were supposed to be watching a movie—one of Eliza's favorites, apparently. When a character died in the film, it triggered her mother's tears, and she's been crying ever since.
“I prayed so hard!” Miranda says, dabbing her cheeks with her soggy bundle of tissues. “I prayed every day, hoping for a miracle. I really believed you'd get better. I thought the doctors would figure something out, or there would be divine intervention or... or something. If there's a God, I can't believe he'd be cruel enough to let you die before me!”
“Mom...” Eliza tries to be consoling, but her composure is cracking too. “I prayed too. Dad did. Grandma did. I just think... sometimes, people die. People are dying all over the world.”
“But why did it have to be you?” Miranda asks. “It hurts my heart to see you like this. It hurts my heart to know you're in pain... to know you'll be gone soon. I can't, Eliza. I can't do it anymore.”
It almost sounds like she's suicidal. If so, I'll have to add her to my watchlist. In the corner of my eye, I can see Miss Alvarez watching me. I know what's on her mind. She doesn't even have to ask.
“Azrael...”
The first time she utters my name, I pretend I hadn't heard her.
“Azrael!”
She said it louder that time, so I guess I have to face her. “Yes?”
“Why can't you give them a miracle?” she asks. “Why can't you just... try?”
Lucy's beautiful, sullen eyes put a chink in my armor. I think I've lost the ability to resist her. “I suppose I could.”
Lucy gasps at my reply. “You could?”
“Sure. It's been some time since I've asked for a miracle. Eliza seems like a worthy recipient of one.” Have I made it too easy on her? Lucy's influence on me is becoming astronomical.
“You're seriously going to try?”
“I am seriously going to try, Miss Alvarez... Lucy.” I can feel a rare—albeit tiny—smile on my lips. “You wait here, and I'll address the Council. I would advise you not to get too excited, however. Not every miracle is approved.”
I warp back to Archangel Tower and request a Council meeting in the Great Hall. When one of us makes a request, the first five available Archangels assemble for a vote. The speed at which they arrive often depends on the person who makes the request. A lower ranking angel, such as Lucy's friend Sam, might have to wait several hours for five Archangels to answer his summons. When Michael requests an Assembly, more than five often arrive within the first thirty seconds. While I don't get my five as quickly as Michael, I'm only waiting for a few minutes.
My Council includes Archangels Raphael, Sandalphon and Haniel, as well as two newer Archangels, Duanphen and Anthony. The latter two have only had Archangel status for a few centuries as opposed to a few millennia. I can usually count on Sandalphon and Haniel to side with me, regardless of my request. The others, however, could be more difficult to convince.
The highest-ranking Archangel usually presides over the meeting. In this case, Archangel Raphael is the highest. He's one of Michael's cronies, and he's a difficult man to impress. Before the Assembly begins, he raises his beak-like nose and glares at me with his small, black eyes. Raphael's never liked me much, but no matter how much he glares, I'm not intimidated. I actually outrank him.
When everyone's gathered and seated, Raphael clears his throat and asks, “Archangel Azrael... you've summoned us today because you're requesting a miracle? Do I understand that correctly?”
“You do,” I answer, nodding deeply.
Raphael requests, “Can you tell us about the miracle you're requesting, and who will be receiving it?”
I sum up the situation as concisely as I can. “There is a thirteen-year-old child named Eliza Gorman, and the tumor in her head will soon take her life. Eliza and her mother have both made sincere prayers for a miracle. If possible, I would like to dissolve the tumor and restore her to full health.”
“Tell us more about Eliza, if you would,” Raphael says. “And if the others have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“Eliza is a good girl with a gentle aura and a strong capacity for love. She's a straight-A student, a devoted daughter, and I believe she deserves a second chance at life.”
Sandalphon asks, “Was this your decision... or were you influenced by a certain someone?”
Bastard. Sandalphon won't win me any points by calling attention to this. As one of my closest companions, he knows about my feelings for Lucy, and he knows I took her on another mission today. I almost never ask for miracles, so he must have guessed this was Lucy's idea, not mine.
I explain, “I have been spending time with a Helper trainee, a young lady named Luciana Alvarez. While this miracle was initially her idea, I agreed that it was a good one. The desperate pleas of Eliza's mother were also convincing. I can play them back, if you'd like.”
I push a button on my LightTab, replaying Miranda's tearful speech for the Council.
“I prayed every day, hoping for a miracle. I really believed you'd get better. I thought the doctors would figure something out, or there would be divine intervention or... or something. If there's a God, I can't believe he'd be cruel enough to let you die before me.”
“She sounds a bit entitled to me,” Anthony shares his opinion with a sneer. “She obviously doesn't realize how much energy it takes to perform a miracle of this magnitude.”
“I think we should grant it,” Duanphen says, so I give her an appreciative nod. I'm glad she's here. Females, for whatever reason, are more inclined to vote yes. “Like Anthony said, such a miracle would require a great deal of energy. It would sap most angels, but for Azrael, I imagine it would be easy.”
Raphael turns to Haniel and asks, “What is your opinion? You've been quiet thus far.”
“I agree with Duanphen,” Haniel says—and I'm not surprised. I can always count on her support. “It's been a really long time since Azrael's asked for a miracle. If he was throwing around his power and asking for daily miracles, I can see why that might make you pause... but he's not. It doesn't matter if this idea came from Miss Alvarez or Azrael. I think we should grant it.”
When Haniel finishes her speech, Raphael asks, “Azrael, is there anything else you would like to add on Eliza's behalf?” I shake my head, so he poses his next question to the Council. “Does anyone else have something to say?”
I hold my breath and keep an eye on Anthony. He's been my greatest challenger so far, but he doesn't say anything. I only need a majority vote: three out of five. The ladies will side with me, and unless Sandalphon decides to stab me in the back, he should be the final vote I need.
One by one, the Archangels cast their votes, and when the results are revealed, I'm shocked.
It was unanimous. All five Archangels granted my request.
Eliza—and Lucy—will be getting the miracle they wanted.