I stepped up beside Azrael. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you intend to kill Jehovah?”
The room went quiet.
“You mean, me, personally?” I asked, trying to buy some time to form an answer that I was okay with Jerry hearing. I didn't want to tip our hand.
The Angel nodded.
“I have no intentions of killing him.” Before the Angel could scoff, I added, “But I will defend myself and my family against all attacks. And this is an attack. Jehovah is striking against us once more, and he doesn't care what it will cost his pantheon. All of you know that Lucifer will stand with Azrael, and the Horde of Hell will stand with Lucifer. With this one action, Jehovah has started a new war between Heaven and Hell.”
The muttering began again.
“And Iintendto finish it.”
The muttering stopped and every Angel in the room stared at me. Then they began to clap. It wasn't one of those movie claps that start slowly. No, this was a sudden blast of applause, like an epiphany or revelation.
When the applause ended, Raphael said, “Good. We've spent too long whining about Jehovah in the shadows. It's time to step into the light and take action.” He looked around the room. “We need to sever our ties with God.”
Chapter Twelve
“We can't sever our ties with Jehovah,” Cassiel said. “He is our source of power. The prayers of humans flow through him into us. Without them, we will diminish.”
“My father receives more than just prayers,” Azrael said. “Lucifer has a constant flow of energy from humans that he funnels directly into Hell, purifying it for all the residents to use. And he doesn't enslave his people.”
“So you want us to betray our vows to Jehovah and give Lucifer our allegiance?”
“It's an option,” I said. “Wouldn't you rather be bound to a man who is fair and, above all, sane? A man who will freely share energy with you instead of holding it over your heads?”
The Angels looked at each other.
“This is a big step,” Azrael said. “Think about it. If you'd like to meet with my father, I can arrange it.”
“I don't want to live in Hell,” one of the Archangels I didn't recognize said.
“You don't have to.” Azrael waved a hand at the room pointedly. “I don't.”
“Would we have to torture souls?” one of the Avenging Angels asked.
“No, the Ice Blocks take care of the torture. At the most, you might be asked to monitor them.”
The Avengers exchanged hopeful glances.
“For that alone, I'd give my allegiance to Lucifer,” one of them said. “I'm so tired of hurting people, even if they're bad people.”
Everyone else in the room went silent and stared at the Avenging Angels in sympathy. They really had gotten the worst end of the Angel stick.
When I'd first visited Shehaquim, Azrael told me the dark corner of his territory contained a necessary evil, but even knowing that the humans who were tortured there were evil themselves, I couldn't stomach it. It was bad enough to know about it, but I couldn't imagine being one of the Angels who had to conduct the torture every day for centuries. Even my inner dragon cringed at the thought. It was a miracle these men weren't insane.
“I'm so sorry,” Azrael said. “You were in my territory, and I turned a blind eye to your suffering because I thought your job was essential. I should have found a way to stop this a long time ago.”
“We don't hold you responsible, Azrael,” one of them said. “You weren't the one who ordered us to do those terrible deeds.”
“Still, I should have at least spoken with you, checked on you. I was so wrapped up in my duties that I never thought of yours.”
“And we never thought of yours either, Azrael,” another Avenging Angel, a man nearly as large as Odin, said. “Don't waste your energy on regret. You're helping us now, and we appreciate that.”
“I don't need to think about it,” another of them said. “If your father can break my tie to Jehovah, I'll give my vow to him today.”
