Abigail

Abigail ducked to the ground and threw her hands over her head. A surge of dry heat, as violent as a summer bushfire, washed over her. But it was over in a second, leaving no mark on Abigail. A few moments later, when the ambient temperature cooled, she clambered up.

There were no walls, no roof, no sky. Yet delicate glass baubles and crystals of every colour under the sun, each as big as a pomegranate, swayed suspended from a forest of intricate metal sculptures. Mirrors hovered in mid-air. Every little beam of light was reflected and refracted a thousandfold.

"Abby!" Elias said. He pulled her into a bear hug.

That wasn't real. None of it. Abigail felt herself sink into her brother's arms. Elias would never do that. Whatever may come in their lives, she was glad they had each other.

Elias shifted away. "Hello?"

She followed the line of Elias' gaze and found herself staring up at an angel.

"Greetings, nephilim," he said. His voice was the scratchy timbre of a man who had spent decades in a smoke-soaked bar. "How did you find the passage here?"

While Ramiel and Giorgio looked simultaneously mature and ageless, heavy-set lines were etched around this angel's mouth and eyes. His wings, on the other hand, offered no hint of decline. Each sleek feather, white and tipped with indigo, seemed to almost glimmer. The angel rested his wings rather than splay them out to their full span, but their magnificence was impossible to miss.

"An angel gave us a clue about where to look," Abigail said.

Elias swallowed nervously. "Shall we introduce ourselves? I'm Elias Fitzpatrick; this is my sister, Abigail. What's your name?"

"You walk in here and you don't know who I am?"

"We need to find a way to help Ramiel," Abigail responded. "We were told you could be persuaded to help out."

I really hope this wasn't a mistake.

The angel's largest pair of wings spasmed. He swept to the side his long, jet black hair and rested his hand on Abigail's temple. "Show me then."

Once more, Abigail stood gaping at Ramiel's extended wings and once more, she felt his fingers leave a trail of bruises along her collarbone. They were looking at the crumbling remnants of Sariel's wings, then they were in Italy. Images spun past — the angel pilfered her memories as if they were a dull book to be flicked through at speed. Ramiel groaning in pain as he lay on Elias' bed, Ramiel talking to Giorgio, Ramiel explaining to Elias what sigils they needed. Ramiel's hands. Ramiel's wings. Ramiel's eyes.

Abigail jerked back and out of the angel's reach. "What are you doing!"

"This is more efficient and accurate than any explanation you can offer me," the angel said. "This reaper. Giorgio, was it not? Should we have a chance to meet, I will skin him alive."

"Who are you?" Elias demanded.

"I'd quote Milton for you, but if neither of you worked it out yet, Milton would go over your head. If you must call me something, Lucifer will do."

"Oh."

Abigail didn't manage a more coherent response. Silence stretched out, until Elias pointed to the myriad of baubles and crystals swaying above their heads.

"I thought the devil's all about fire and darkness," he said. "And Hell. What's this place?"

A glint of something dangerous flashed in Lucifer's eyes. "Ramiel told you already that I brought the demons with me when I returned from the Void and for a long time, I ruled over them. Then, the demons conspired to replace me with one of their own kind. They kept me locked up until a troop of angels found me and brought me to my brothers. They didn't have the courage to kill me nor could they allow me to return to Heaven. Thus here I am, living out my exile in my pocket universe."

"And Ramiel? What's your story with him?" Abigail asked.

"Once we were lovers."

Elias huffed in surprise, while Abigail could only stare at Lucifer. How would that have worked? Immediately, her mind supplied an image of a darkened room lit only by a fire burning in a brazier and two male bodies sprawled out on a bed bedecked with loose feathers. She had more or less come to terms with the idea of unions between angels and humans. Two angels, though, somehow it felt too out of character for the stiffness and prudishness seraphs exuded.

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"Ramiel was allowed back to Heaven though," she said slowly, the cogs of her mind still working to take everything in.

"He was. When I first returned from the Void, twelve angels allied with me. Others, mostly less powerful and more desperate, came later, but the twelve were always my chief captains. Seven perished when the demons revolted, three fled and one proved a traitor. Ramiel stayed with me through my imprisonment. When we were freed, he threw himself at the feet of our brother angels and begged forgiveness. Sariel persuaded the others to permit Ramiel to return to Heaven. Likely they thought it was safer if we were to be separated."

"I guess that'd explain Ramiel's freak-out when he saw what Sariel had done to his wings." Elias reached up and with his finger nudged one of the crystals. "It would've been nice to know all of this two months ago."

"Take up your complaints with Ramiel when you see him next."

Abigail intended to do just that. But she was reluctant to let the matter rest until they saw Ramiel again. In part, it was mere curiosity. However, she was also aware that until now, they either hadn't asked enough questions or had asked the wrong ones.

"Were you angry when Ramiel chose to return to Heaven?" she said.

"I encouraged him to go. I thought it was a kindness," Lucifer replied softly. "But having seen what you had to show me, it may have been an error."

"You'll have to ask his opinion on that when we find him," Elias said. "Look, since it's your personal universe or some-such, can we relocate this discussion somewhere else? No offence intended at all, it's just humans prefer to have a surface to stand on."

Abigail raised an eyebrow, but then she looked down. Although it felt as if they were standing on solid ground, there was nothing underneath. She shuffled back a few steps. No difference. She didn't even cast a shadow. Her mouth hanging half-open, she spun around. None of the baubles or mirrors hanging above were anchored to anything. And what light were they reflecting? There was no sun, no moon, no artificial light.

"Didn't you realise until now?" Elias chuckled.

"What are we breathing?" she asked.

Lucifer smirked. "Nothing toxic."

He flicked his fingers and they were in a cafe.

The scent of roasted coffee and fried bacon wafted from the kitchen. Half a dozen people milled at the entrance, waiting for the barista to hand them their order. No more than a dozen more occupied the seats inside the cafe, but it was a small place, there was only one free table left.

Lucifer slid into a seat at the vacant table and picked up the laminated menu the cafe staff had nestled between the salt and the pepper shakers.

"Do you enjoy rifling through people's minds?" Elias asked, as he took the seat opposite the angel.

The cafe, "Six to Six" according to the logo at the top of the menu, wasn't one Abigail could remember going to. Of course, she could very well have forgotten. The cafe's interior was trendy, yet forgettable in the way so many small cafes dotted around Sydney were.

Having received no answer from Lucifer, who seemed engrossed in the menu, Elias pressed the issue. "This is the cafe where I had my first date with Etienne. Why are we here now?"

"You requested solid flooring, did you not? The table legs might be wobbly, but you can't deny the masterwork of the floorboards."

To Abigail the floorboards looked in need of maintenance work; dents and scratches abounded and the colour was faded. Is he just mocking Eli?

"And what was the nonsense before exactly?" Elias asked. "You nearly strangled me."

Lucifer flung the menu onto the table. "I don't care for uninvited guests."

"If it weren't for Ramiel, would we still be going from one hallucination to another?" Abigail said.

"If Ramiel is held in poor regard by both Heaven and Hell, consider the opinion they must hold of me. Pardon an old man for putting up some basic safety protocols in place."

Although Lucifer's tone remained even throughout, something in the line of his jaw tensed. A shiver ran across Abigail's skin. We're at this angel's mercy.

"Then I think we must ask for you to excuse us for intruding on you like this. We didn't mean to cause offence." She hesitated. "We're very new to this world and we're worried about Ramiel, as well as what'll happen now that three of Sariel's anchors are destroyed. This isn't a time to play games. I think you know better than any what demons will do to our world."

"I know only what I'd do were I still in command of Hell. As humans are an unparalleled source of energy, I'd turn to modern poultry farmers as my inspiration and turn this planet into one majestic industrial farm. Then, once the demons are strong and numerous enough, we'd conquer Heaven at last."

Abigail gaped at Lucifer, while beside her, Elias muttered something unintelligible.

"Really, nephilim, don't look at me like that. That madness is in the past. I have no greater love for demons than any angel in Heaven does." Lucifer shrugged. "Demons struggle to project their needs to the long-term. There's a reason two reapers led this quest to destroy Sariel's shield. It's likely they plan nothing more than to gorge themselves until all human souls are consumed."

Blanching, Elias caught Abigail's eye. She was certain, he too was thinking of Italy.

"Ok, I get it." Elias rubbed his eyes, then crossed his arms. "You don't give a toss about us and wouldn't be saddened if we were wiped out as a species."

Lucifer rolled his head back and laughed. "You are nephilim, the angel blood in your veins has set you apart from humanity from your first day of life. Don't make the mistake of siding with common humans. They will not side with you."

Elias huffed and was about to reply, when Abigail cut him off.

"Humanity and its problems aren't the subject-matter here. Elias and I came here because Ramiel is in trouble. Will you at least help us there?"

"If you ever come to know Ramiel better, you will realise he's always in trouble," Lucifer replied. "But since there's nothing more exciting on my calendar, let's go find that miscreant."