so thankful that I live here. If I had to live anywhere other than Budapest, I know I would be miserable.
We stopped in one of the covered towers and stood at an arched window overlooking the icy Danube. The view before us was incredible. Spires and towers rose up from the smaller buildings, and the whole city glittered in its winter coat of frost, like a vast enchanted ice palace straight from the pages of a fairytale. The Hungarians seem to revel in their adeptness at capturing elusive Beauty in their churches, their monuments, and the angel-graced bridges that arch gracefully over the Danube.
‘We have a little problem,’ Stephomi said softly.
I glanced at him, eyebrow raised. ‘Little problem as in “ The Antichrist is coming ” or little problem as in you can’t find your house keys?’
‘The first one, I’m afraid. I, er… had assumed that all this fuss about the Antichrist was because he would soon be coming into a position of power where he would be able to do real damage… You know, start wreaking havoc and so on. But… apparently the dates Nostradamus refers to aren’t to do with anything the Antichrist himself does as such.’
‘Get to the point,’ I said, aware that he was stalling.
‘You won’t like it,’ Stephomi sighed. ‘The dates refer to his birth. And Raphael told me last night that you know the mother.’
The vivid image of the conflicting aura surrounding Casey flew to the forefront of my mind at once. The aura that could at one moment be coloured in the most visually stunning shades of sparkling gold, and the next dripping with a wickedness so vile that all the senses screamed at the sight of it. It should have occurred to me before. I should have known. In all honesty, perhaps I did.
‘So who is she?’ Stephomi persisted.
‘Casey March,’ I said. ‘She’s my neighbour. I’ve been trying to help her. She’s just a teenager and she hasn’t got anyone. She says it’s a virgin pregnancy.’
‘Well, that’s another point in favour of it being Jesus number two, I guess,’ Stephomi said with a shrug. ‘Poor little brat. He can be a Hitler or a Schindler but nothing in between.’
‘Well, then, extra care must simply be taken with the raising of the child,’ I said firmly.
Stephomi remained silent for a moment, gazing at the city before us, an expression of doubt on his face. ‘Ah, well, that’s the problematic thing, isn’t it? People disagree about raising children as it is. Who’s best fit to decide?’
‘The mother, of course! It’s Casey’s baby, isn’t it? She loves it already!’
‘Yes, and I understand Clara Hitler was quite fond of her own little dictator,’ Stephomi said impatiently. ‘Come on, what has love got to do with it, Gabriel? If only she’d been one of those mothers who had starved and beaten her child. So many deaths might have been averted — ’
‘I’ll help Casey,’ I said, interrupting him.
‘Oh, you will, will you?’
‘Yes,’ I said, nodding. ‘I will.’
Stephomi glanced at me then, a wry smile twisting his lips. ‘How nice to know that there is a hero here among us! I’m sure my dreams will no longer be plagued by visions of the Apocalypse now that I know you have put your name down for nappy-changing duty, Gabriel.’
I frowned, irritated by his sarcasm. ‘You don’t understand. I’m going to save Casey. That’s what God wants me to do. That’s why I’m here.’
Stephomi nodded wisely. ‘So… how do you know the big guy so well?’
‘Big guy?’ I said, trying to remember any fat men with whom I might be acquainted.
‘The big man upstairs,’ Stephomi clarified. ‘God, Allah, Ganesh, Buddha… whatever you want to call him.’
‘Buddhists don’t believe that Buddha is a god,’ I said impatiently. ‘And those other so-called “Gods” you mentioned are false ones.’
‘Christ, why do you have to turn every question into a theological debate? I’ll rephrase it for you, Gabriel: how can you be so sure about what it is God wants you to do?’
‘I just know, that’s all. Don’t you understand? It’s like one of those comic books. I’m like one of those superheroes. I don’t care about myself, I just want to help other people.’
‘Superhero, eh?’ Stephomi said, looking me up and down. ‘Yes, I can certainly see the similarities. I’d stay clear of the spandex costumes, though, if I were you. I don’t think any man has ever looked good in spandex.’
‘Oh, shut up about the fucking spandex!’ I snapped, losing my temper. ‘The spandex is irrelevant. The costume is irrelevant. Why do you have to turn everything into a fucking joke?’
‘Sorry, Gabriel, it’s a bad habit, I know. I just don’t want you to forget while you’re making these plans that you’re not the only player in the game. The angels and demons might have plans of their own for the baby.’
‘What the hell is that supposed to mean, Stephomi?’
Stephomi glanced at me, eyebrow raised. ‘Don’t worry. Budapest isn’t about to be overrun by choirs of angels and hordes of demons. God and Lucifer frown on it.’
‘Frown on it?’ I repeated incredulously.
‘Yes. Earth is a playing board for humans. Angels and demons can involve themselves in the game to a point. But the major moves must all be made by human players. Of course,’ he added with a shrug, ‘that doesn’t mean that angels and their fallen brothers can’t employ human agents. But there are so few people of the In Between in existence today anyway, and I believe you and I are the only ones here in Budapest.’
I glanced sharply at him and he returned my look with a slightly bitter smile. ‘Don’t look at me like that, Gabriel. I have no intention of taking the child from its mother. Children were never really my thing, you know. All that screaming.’
‘They don’t scream that often,’ I said.
‘No, I meant me. If I’m around them too long.’
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. ‘Am I the only one who feels like they’re caught in a giant, invisible spider’s web?’
‘You mean God’s web, don’t you?’ Stephomi said.
‘It’s a devil’s web,’ I said sharply.
‘Well, it’s a web that reaches down from the lowest layer of Heaven to the uppermost level of Hell, with Earth trapped in the middle. If God finds the situation so distasteful, one might wonder why He does not trouble to brush the web from Heaven’s edge so that it might sink harmlessly down upon itself. Perhaps the Good Lord rather enjoys watching the insects that get caught in it, thrashing about, unable to free themselves. Entertainment is scarce when you’re in Heaven, you know.’
‘You must not doubt God,’ I said, just about managing to control myself at his blasphemous words. ‘You must have faith.’
‘Where does your faith come from anyway?’ Stephomi asked, glancing at me, a strange curiosity in his eyes. ‘How can you believe in Heaven? I don’t think I could take fat, naked cherubs plucking harps at me for any great length of time.’
I hesitated, trying to think of some way to explain, but I had no answer for him. You can’t rationalise faith.
‘Well, I’d better be getting back,’ Stephomi said, glancing at his watch. ‘You’d do well to keep an eye on this girl of yours, Gabriel. If nothing more, at least we’ve got a few more years than we thought while this kid is growing up before God comes down and starts dishing out justice like there’s no tomorrow.’
It had become dark while we’d been standing there. The Chain Link Bridge was now lit up and I could see the outlines of the floodlit Basilica and Parliament buildings across the dark Danube. The old-fashioned lanterns had come on, lighting the sprawling fairytale white spires of the Fisherman’s Bastion with a soft golden glow. It was so magical that I half expected to see a unicorn walking through the frosted arches, or snow faeries fluttering about the tall, glowing streetlamps as I made my way back towards the glittering Chain Link Bridge.
When I got back to my building late that night, I took the elevator up to my floor and walked along the corridor to my apartment, where I froze in sudden fear. The walls of the building were thin and poorly soundproofed, and I could clearly hear sobbing coming from Casey’s apartment. Dread flooded through me as I thought of all Stephomi had said that afternoon as we overlooked the frostbitten Danube — things of an unborn child and the intense interest that angels and demons alike had in it… Don’t forget you are not the only player in the
