“I think I could arrange a tour.” Azrael smirked.
“But how do we get that angelic snake to leave Heaven?” Sam asked.
“We invite him to Hell,” Ira suggested.
“Damn, that's good,” I whispered.
“Samael wouldn't refuse an invitation from the Devil,” Ira said. “Luke can wine and dine him.”
“Maybe ask a few casual questions,” Sam added.
“And keep Samael busy while Tagas sneaks us into Makhon,” I concluded.
“I'll text my father.” Azrael pulled out his cell phone.
“Do you think Luke will be okay with this?” Ira asked. “He'll have to entertain an angel who may be behind your attack.”
“Dad would happily entertain Jerry himself if it meant he could bake a souffle,” Azrael huffed.
Kirill and I looked at each other and nodded; the Devil loved a good dinner party.
“And while you do that, I'm going to text Brahma,” I said. “I need to tell him about a dream.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Makhon was just as beautiful as I remembered. A thick forest spread out from the courtyard before the marble palace we had traced in through. Trees soared up as high as the slanted roof; their roots covered by glossy vines. Jewel-toned flowers added spots of color to the deep green, as did the ripe fruit hanging heavy on the branches. The last time I'd been to Makhon, it had been at night as well, and lanterns had been hung everywhere. This time, however, there were only a few lanterns hung near the palace steps; allowing the rest of the forest to fade into shadows. But with the lack of light, I noticed a glow on the horizon that I hadn't seen on my previous visit.
“What's that?” I pointed into the distance as the rest of our recon group joined Azrael and I.
“The Grigori,” Azrael murmured. “Angels who rebelled against Jerry and had children with human women.”
“They're also pretty vicious.” Ted stared into the distance with us. “Jerry chained them with fire; said they were too dangerous to allow to roam free.”
“But their ferocity isn't why he chained them,” Azrael protested. “They wouldn't obey, so they were punished.”
“Wait... Grigori... children,” I murmured. “Are you talking about the Nephilim?”
“That's right,” Azrael confirmed with an approving nod. “Half human and half god; the Nephilim were some of the first dual-souled beings to be born. But they were savage and had to be put down.”
“You know that whole thing with the ark and the flood?” Ira asked me.
“That was because of the Nephilim?” My eyes went wide.
“It wasn't a world-wide flood,” Sam explained. “Jerry chained the Nephilim in a valley and then flooded the whole thing.”
“That's kind of horrifying,” I whispered.
“They were kind of horrifying,” Ira said grimly. “Something went wrong with those first births. The Grigori could be savage, but they weren't unreasonable angels. They loved humans and tried to help them. The Grigori leader—this angel named Samyaza—encouraged his men to give Atlantean technology to the humans. He believed that we had a responsibility to help the human race progress. It was through these interaction that the Grigori became entangled with human women, and formed unions.”
“That sounds familiar,” I murmured as I looked at Odin. “With exception to the procreating with humans, that is.”
Odin scowled and exchanged a heavy look with Trevor. Kirill had stayed home with Lesya, so it was only us and the Horsemen.
“And just as with Krishna and the Hindus, the humans who Samyaza gave technology too couldn't handle it,” Azrael said. “It was a generous thought, but the human race needed to advance on its own.”
I had updated the Horsemen on Brevyn's dream after I'd called Brahma. Brahma and Sarasvati were going to gather the Hindu Pantheon again to present this new tidbit to them. The dreams of children may not be the most reliable sources, but in the case of my son, they held weight. Brahma was pretty sure that the Hindus would listen this time.
“One problem at a time,” Ira said. “Let's focus on our reconnaissance for now. When we get back, we can talk about Dvārakā.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
“Prince Azrael,” Tagas, the Angel of Music (not the phantom in the mask) came up the steps to greet us. “It's good to see you again. And you've brought the rest of the Horsemen; this is a blessed day indeed.”
“Thank you for meeting us, Tagas.” Azrael went forward to shake the angel's hand warmly.
“It's an honor.” Tagas waved back the way we had come. “But perhaps we should take this inside.”
We all went back into the palace and followed Tagas down a hallway, past the tracing room we had used, and into a formal dining room. We sat at a long, polished-wood table, on chairs upholstered in deep emerald tapestry. The room was Victorian; with wallpaper that looked as antique as the furniture and had a formal feel to it. It was spacious, but there were no windows; which I assume was why Tagas chose it.
“Your text said that you had some concerns about Lord Samael,” Tagas said. “What kind of concerns?”
Azrael looked uncomfortable.
“We suspect that Samael might be involved in an attack on Azrael,” I answered for my husband.
“I heard of the attack,” Tagas said, “and I'm very sorry that your retirement hasn't gone as planned, but I'm not sure why you would suspect Lord Samael.”
“A parchment was delivered to the Virtues; it contained an order to attack me,” Azrael explained. “The order appeared to be from Jerry, but was not. Jerry had it investigated but there was no evidence left on the scroll; nothing to lead him to the culprit. To forge a parchment from Jerry, leave no trace behind, and get into the Seventh Heaven without anyone the wiser would be a great accomplishment for most angels, but an even greater
