Rebellion

into the cell. There had been fighting already – that much was clear from the state of his armour... and the look on his face. He stepped into the cell and fixed his gaze on her, and Alice felt very small.

“I need to untie the ropes...”

“You need to step away.”

“All I have to do...”

“What you have to do is stop, and step away.”

“No.”

“I’m telling you to step away.”

“No.” Alice drew closer to the chair. Toby shifted, confused.

“Alice? What’s happening?”

“Nothing. It’s alright, Toby. I’m going to get you out of here...”

Michael took another step closer – and too late, Alice saw the warning flash in his eyes.

The mirrored room was there again, pressing on the edges of her mind. She could feel it, the cold of the glass and the heat of the flames. She could smell burning skin... and still she would not move away from Toby.

Michael sighed, and it was more a sigh of pity than of anger, but the expression on his face did not change.

“You made your choice.”

“I didn’t know....”

“You didn’t know? I told you there was a human here. I told you to choose: human or angel. You chose to save the angel.”

“It’s Mallory...”

“Quite. And you said it yourself: you would always have chosen him.”

“But you didn’t tell me...”

“You never thought to ask.”

Alice hung her head. “I can’t.”

“You can. And you will – unless you would leave Mallory here to die?”

“No!”

“Then step away.” At last, Michael’s voice softened. “You see, Alice, making the choice is easy. Living with it... that’s something altogether different.”

Michael turned away from her and towards Mallory, stepping past Vin (who had backed himself as far into the wall and away from Michael as he possibly could) and stooping to examine the chains. He rubbed them between his fingers and looked thoughtful. “Helliron. How quaint.” He ran a fingertip over the symbols set in the metal and laughed coldly. “I see Xaphan’s grammar hasn’t improved... still, this is new for him. Clever. We shall have to remember this.” With his other hand, he made a quick gesture, drawing something in the air – and the manacle flared red. It didn’t spring open, as Alice had hoped it would, but the writing on it flamed once, then vanished. Michael let the chain drop back to the floor with a clatter. “Still unpleasant, but now he should be able to get himself out of it. And if he can’t... well, frankly, he deserves to stay put.”

He knelt beside Mallory, and his fingers moved through the air; twisting and spinning and looping around and over themselves, drawing a complex shape which hung over the unconscious angel’s head, glowing... then vanished. Michael whispered something into Mallory’s ear. He stood, nodded at Castor, and gave Vin a strange look that Alice did not quite understand.

“I’ve wasted enough of my time. When he wakes, give him these and tell him to report. And bring her.” He handed Castor a familiar L-shaped bundle of cloth. “You hear me? Bring her.”

“‘By your choices, you muzzle yourself’?” Alice repeated his words back to him, and he nodded thoughtfully.

“Now you live with it. As we must.”

And just that like, he was gone.

Apparently on cue, Mallory sat bolt upright, squinting at Vin. “You hit me. You bastard! You hit me!”

“You deserved it.”

“I was... I was saying something, wasn’t I? It was important.”

“No idea, mate. I usually tune you out: you’re just a string of annoying sounds to me.”

“Now...” Mallory fell silent as he spotted Alice, and his face cracked into a smile. “You’re alright.”

“‘Alright’ is a relative term.”

“You’re alright enough.” He took in her face, how close she was to the chair; her hands still resting on the rope. “You know.”

“What – you were hoping I wouldn’t?”

“I’m sorry.”

Alice saw Mallory glance at Vin, who shook his head. Mallory’s shoulders sagged and his face clouded.

“Michael said to leave him, didn’t he?”

“He said it was you or him... but he didn’t say it was him, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Michael offered you a choice.”

“But I didn’t know!”

“We never do. We never know what our choices will do – either to us or to other people. That’s what makes them choices. If we knew what would happen, we’d always take the easy outcome: hardly choosing, is it?”

“If...”

“I’m sorry, Alice. That’s all I can say.” He stood, slowly; wincing as he straightened. Giving his wrist a shake, he peered at the manacle. “Michael couldn’t be bothered to actually unlock it, then?” he asked. Vin shrugged, and Mallory sighed. “Of course not. I’ve got to do that my bloody self, haven’t I?”

As he fiddled with the manacle, Castor cleared his throat.

“He said to give you these,” he said, holding out Mallory’s guns. Mallory brightened.

“Ah. I was wondering where they’d got to.” The manacle pinged open. “So much for that,” he said, rubbing his wrist. He took the guns from Castor, checking them over and pulling back the slider on one, then on the other. As he went over the second one, he glanced up at Castor.

“You need one?”

“I’m fine.”

“Here.” Mallory held it out to him. “It’s yours.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“You’re lying. You’re a long way off fine. I don’t know what’s happened, but it’s not good. Take the gun.” He waved it, grip-first, at Castor, who finally took it and nodded his thanks.

“Michael wants us?” Mallory asked Vin, tucking his gun into the back of his belt.

“He does.” Vin glanced from Mallory to Toby to Alice... and slipped out into the corridor with Castor.

“Well, then.” Mallory looked at Alice, still huddled close to Toby’s chair. “I’ll give you a minute – no longer. We can’t risk it. One minute and then you’re coming with us. Even if I have to carry you,” he said. He paused beside the door. “I was prepared to die for him, Alice. I want you to know that. Still am...”

“So how come you’re walking away?” Her voice was hard, bitter.

“You want the simple answer? Fine. It’s Michael. If he says the choice is made and you have to live with it, that’s it. So do we. Choice is made.”

“And that’s it, is it? You’re prepared to die for him, until Michael wags a finger at you?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then tell me, Mallory. Tell me what the fuck it is like. Because I thought you were supposed to be an angel. If you won’t help him, what good are you?”

Mallory rubbed his face wearily with a filthy hand. “It’s not my choice, Alice. You made the choice. You. You chose.”

“But you didn’t. So help him!”

“I can’t. Because it was your choice, I don’t have the power to overturn it. Michael has seen to that. I cannot help him. I don’t have the free will. I have to follow my orders.”

“Hypocrite.” Alice bit back a tear. “You’re a hypocrite, you know that? You talk about