“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

* Alexander Pope

The courtyard outside of the research facility was now a smoking ruin, giving testimony to the fierce conflict that had taken place there mere moments before. Trees had been ripped from the earth and now lay in tangled messes. Whole swaths of ground had been scorched black, all grass and vegetation eradicated. Not even stone had been safe, with sections of hedge wall having disintegrated.

Amidst the ruination, seven figures gathered to attempt to make sense of the madness. Kain was still unsteady on his feet as he looked at his teammates. For all the power that they could muster, a not-inconsiderable sum, they had proven barely adequate in stopping the agents of chaos from achieving their goals. They’d won, technically, but only because their enemy had withdrawn. And what of the cost?

His attack on the banshee had taken him completely out of the fight. Had it not been for the old priest, his career might have ended then and there. Kain had grossly overextended himself and was still paying the price for it.

One look at Damon confirmed he was suffering a similar fate. The big man was lying on the ground nearby in a coma. According to the priest, his overuse of chaos energy had placed him in a battle for his soul. He still might not make it through this.

The girls seemed to be faring far better, the priest’s healing having done wonders for them, but Kain remembered catching glimpses of them during the battle. Layla’s clothing still had the rips and bloodstains from myriad injuries, while Raven’s eyes held the memories of pain caused by the banshee’s attacks.

Only Kieran seemed largely unscathed, his shattered arm the only serious injury he sustained. The priest’s healing could not hide his exhaustion, however. The protracted battle had worn him down quickly, and his final attack had pushed his endurance far beyond his limits. All of them had been forcibly reminded of their own mortality in the face of an enemy that far outclassed them.

Kain’s gaze roamed over the two priests. He was not entirely sure what to make of them. They had obviously proven useful, having healed the team after their fight, but were they reliable allies? He did not trust the other Nephiyl beyond their limited usefulness in combat, and he trusted superstitious old men with questionable loyalties even less. The priests had stood by, watching calmly, as Kain and his team had very nearly been eradicated. Only after the fighting had ended had they offered their services. As useful a power as healing was, it only worked on the living. And Kain seriously doubted healing was the limit of the gifts the two men had received from the Triune.

No, the priests were unreliable at best. Wild cards. Kain did not doubt for a second that they would watch him and his kind die if it served their greater purpose. He supposed that revelation should be at least somewhat concerning to him, but he simply took it in stride. His life had taught him self-reliance as a religion from a young age. Dependence on others was a dangerous gamble at best. Besides, was he any different from them? Just like the Cardinals, priests, monsters, and gods of this world, Kain served his own purpose. Not only would he watch others die to see that purpose fulfilled, but he would swing the sword himself. For that reason, he harbored no anger toward the priests. It was obvious from the anger burning in some of his teammates’ eyes that some of them felt a bit differently.

As for the priests themselves, they appeared as unconcerned and amiable about the evening’s events as always, patiently waiting for the Nephiyl to fully recover from the battle. After a few moments, Levi spoke, addressing the unspoken hostility and offering counsel once again.

“I know you must have many questions about tonight. As always, we will offer what answers we can, but we need to move. Your big supernatural battle in the middle of a college campus will not have gone unnoticed.”

The carefree humor in his tone was more than a little off-putting, which, Kain surmised, was probably the point. Still, the old man was right. If they stayed where they were much longer, the consequences of their actions would catch up to them. Levi took out a small business card containing nothing on it but an address. He passed the card to Kain.

“Finish your task, then come and find us here. Please try to avoid killing any more innocents.”

Without further interaction, Levi and his companion turned and disappeared into the shadows of the night, Kain’s snort following behind. Levi’s request was wasted on the Nephiyl. No one was innocent.

“What did he mean by ‘finish your task’?” Layla’s brows were furrowed. “The target is dead, right Raven?”

The woman nodded in response, looking thoughtful.

“Then our job’s done here,” Kieran turned to Damon’s still form. “Kain, looks like we get to do this the old-fashioned way since our wheelman is sleeping on the job.”

Kain was looking at Raven, however, and did not respond to Kieran. He could see hesitation in her eyes, something that was out of character for the skilled assassin, and he waited for her to speak.

“Does anyone know why the Cardinals wanted this man dead?”

When she finally spoke, her question surprised Kain. They had not been given many specifics about the scientist they’d been sent here to eliminate, but that was not uncommon. It was the nature of the Cardinals to hoard information, especially when it related to their motives. This bothered Kain little, as working with the Cardinals had proven immensely beneficial thus far. Raven’s question, along with the appearance of their enemies, called into question the wisdom of their ignorance.

“It has to be whatever he was working on, right?” Layla concluded. “The priest mentioned something about the power of fate and how those monsters wanted it. Perhaps the Cardinals wanted to keep them from getting it?”

“Do scientists even believe in fate?” Kieran asked. It was a fair question. Fate tended to tie into religion, in one form or another, and most scientists left religion behind in their pursuit of logic and reason. But that was not all the priest said, Kain reflected.

“Levi also mentioned a machine, and I don’t think that was an accident,” Kain looked at Raven again. “Did you see anything?”

“There were several computers,” she said, her face scrunched up in thought. “But most were damaged after I dropped the scientist, and the banshee had her temper tantrum.”

Sirens in the distance brought the conversation to a screeching halt, as four heads turned as one toward the source of the noise. Kain recovered quickly and began barking orders. It was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that no one thought to question him.

“Kieran, with me. Let’s get Damon out of here. Raven, see if you can find anything in the lab about what that scientist was doing. Layla, can you buy her some time?”

“I’ll see what I can do, but she won’t have long if we’re gonna avoid killing,” Layla closed her eyes and summoned the power of her bloodline as Raven disappeared.

“Avoid it if you can, but escape is your first priority. Here. Take this.”

Kain tossed her the card with the address on it, having already committed it to memory himself. He then helped Kieran lift Damon, one of them under each of his shoulders. Thankfully, with Kieran’s enhanced strength and Kain’s high level of fitness, they found themselves more than equal to the task.

Keeping to the trees as much as possible, they slowly made their way to the edge of campus. The sirens had grown much closer as the police arrived. Kain could see lights flashing in the direction they’d just left. He and Kieran needed to move faster. The problem was they’d reached the end of their cover. Before them was a small field, and beyond that a busy highway. They had reached civilization once again, and it threatened to expose them to the world.

The location that was their rendezvous was located just over a mile away, according to Kain’s GPS. Between them and it, he could see several houses, another woodline behind them. If their luck held out, it was possible they could use that woodline for cover until they reached the church. The path would take them very close to more people than he would like, but his options were slim. He would just have to hope that the late hour meant most of those people would be sleeping.

As quickly as could be managed, the pair of men half carried/half dragged their teammate through the dark trees, only the moon and occasional streetlamps threatening to reveal their presence. Kain had always found the darker hours of the night and early morning to be peaceful, with most of the inhabitants of the world having withdrawn to their metaphorical caves to rest. There were no voices to disturb the silence, no electronics running, or work being performed. Even the distant sound of vehicles on the street were muted by the houses and trees separating them. The world had grown still and silent, if only for the briefest of moments, and Kain reveled in it.

The peace ended with their trek, as Kain observed the building across the street that was their supposed destination. Kieran swore in irritation.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The two men were looking up at the cross that adorned the top of the small building in disbelief, Kain just shaking his head. The old man had chosen a church for their rendezvous point. Kain felt his agitation slowly rising to the surface. Kain was not a superstitious man. He did not believe that, by placing himself on “holy ground”, he was somehow more susceptible to divine power. That notion had always seemed silly to him. He was actually sure that Levi had chosen the location because of its proximity to the school that was their target, and not for any other reason. Even so, Kain found the choice of venue to be highly inappropriate. He and his kind had no business in a church.

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It was, ironically enough, the immediate need for sanctuary that drove the men to a decision. A silence very different from that of the woods greeted them as they entered. This one was uncomfortable and slightly oppressive, as though disturbing it was a perilous prospect. There was a heaviness to the air, as though some unseen force was weighing down upon Kain, judging him. He knew it was only his imagination, but that still did not make the experience any more pleasant. He would not lament being rid of this place when the time came.

Two candelabras near the pulpit were the only sources of light in the building, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows over the first few pews. It was on one of these pews that the men laid their burden as they looked around for the priests. They were conspicuously absent, and Kain wondered once more about the wisdom of trusting such men. Still, the team needed a place to regroup and sort through this mess, and the church was empty and discreet. If the priests didn’t show before Damon woke, then they would just leave. Kain settled down in a dark corner of the room to wait.

He was not kept waiting long. The big doors barely creaked as they opened once more, two slight figures moving between the pews to where Kieran was seated near Damon’s still unconscious form. Both Layla and Raven moved fluidly, but with purpose. Kieran caught sight of them as they entered the lit area.

“Well! Glad to see you two didn’t end up in the slammer! Find anything interesting?”

The flippant humor did little to mask the apprehension in his voice. The dour looks on the women’s faces did nothing to ease his anxiety.

“That bad, huh?” he asked hesitantly.

“Where’s Kain?” was Layla’s only response. Raven remained quiet as she turned to the darker part of the room, from which Kain materialized. He’d long since accepted there was no hiding from her sharp gaze. The shadows were her domain, after all.

“What is it?” he asked quietly, the tension obvious in both women’s posture.

“Did you know?”

There was blatant accusation in Raven’s tone, and Kain was suddenly acutely aware of the hostility roiling off his companions. Whatever Raven had found was evidently worse than he’d anticipated, and somehow, they both felt he was complicit. The atmosphere of the room cooled visibly as Kain reached for his bloodline. Guilty or not, he was not about to back down from them.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more specific,” he said carefully. “I know a lot of things. Would you care to elaborate, or would you rather just attack?”

Raven looked as though she would do just that, but Layla placed a hand on her arm in symbolic restraint. Kieran’s look of confusion mirrored Kain’s own feelings, but he elected to stay silent, no doubt waiting to see how events would play out.

“You’re closer to the Cardinals than the rest of us. A lot closer,” Layla’s tone and emphasis indicated she had some inkling of just how involved with them Kain was, but she did not elaborate further. “Did you know what we would find in that lab?”

Kain could feel the anger bubbling up inside him. He doubted if he could survive a fight with two, possibly three of the other Nephiyl, but he was slowly passing the point of caring. His power carried with it a certain amount of inevitability. If he was going to die tonight, he could at least take them with him. His eyes went black as he felt the corruption fill his veins, the aggressive move not lost on anyone.

“I’ve had just about enough of these vague accusations,” he rasped. “Either tell me what you found in the lab, or we can skip the foreplay.”

“He doesn’t know.”

The voice rang out sharp and clear, the usual wavering of age absent from its tone. Four heads turned to see Levi emerge from a room behind the pulpit. His younger compatriot was not present, and his amiable demeaner had been replaced by one of stark disapproval. He made his way swiftly to where the group was standing, making no effort to hide his ire as he glared at each of them in turn.

“What good could attacking one another possibly accomplish? Stand down and stop acting like children!” he barked.

Kain had already turned back to his would-be accusers, but he kept the old man in his peripheral just in case.

“This does not concern you, priest. You should walk away. Now.”

While he had addressed Levi, his eyes darted back and forth between Layla and Raven, the implication clear. The threat fell on deaf ears, however, as both women had directed their attention to the priest.

“So, it’s true then?” Layla asked softly. Her voice sounded hollow, the rage and accusation she had leveled at Kain gone. Levi’s harsh features softened, and he offered the girl a sad smile.

“It was always true, my dear. Nothing lasts forever,” he said, before turning to Raven. “Do not be so quick to cast aside your allies. They are no less pawns in this game than you are. You must learn to have faith, in one another if nothing else, if you are to weather what is coming.”

Raven sighed heavily, a defeated look in her eyes.

“People like us do not trust beyond what is necessary. We manipulate, and we survive.”

Kain watched the interaction between the women and the old man. He was still very confused, but it looked as though, for the moment at least, the threat had subsided. He relaxed the power flowing through his veins, his eyes returning to their stormy gray. He was still unsure of what had happened, but he found himself in silent agreement with the lithe assassin: pawns or not, there was no way they could learn to trust one another.

“A mentality your peers no doubt agree with,” Levi nodded. “And it has certainly gotten you this far. But, as you just witnessed, you will need something more if your survival is to continue.”

“To what end, exactly?” Layla’s voice was rising, her frustration and anger returning. “No matter what we do, we lose.”

Suddenly, everything that had been said clicked into place for Kain. A quick look at Kieran confirmed that he was putting the pieces together as well.

“They wanted the power of fate…” he muttered, before looking at Raven. “Show me.”

Raven looked at him for a moment, as though reconsidering whether to attack him, before she relented and pulled a sheaf of folded-up papers from one of her pockets. She passed them silently over to Kain, who unfolded them and began reading.

The pages contained mostly numbers and symbols arranged in what Kain assumed were extremely complex calculations, with the occasional word or phrase haphazardly thrown in the mix. Kain flattered himself an intelligent man. That being said, he was utterly incapable of deciphering most of the gibberish on the pages, the level of mathematical finesse involved far beyond him. There were a few handwritten notes that he was able to make out, however. First, every page was marked at the top with the word iteration and a number. Second, scribbled red ink near the bottom of each page, was the same phrase: E.L.E. Imminent. Next to the phrase was a date several years into the future.

Kain folded the papers and handed them back to Raven, his suspicions confirmed. They had been played. From the beginning, they were doomed to fail. Kain had thought himself clever, able to play on the same field as gods and monsters, but he had always been a pawn, just like the rest of them. He thought briefly back to what the Cardinals had offered them. It was such a beautiful deception, worthy of the devil and his ilk. They had arranged everything so carefully, holding up their end of the bargain even though they knew the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Kain could not help it. He laughed.

Anger filled Raven’s countenance once more as the mirth bubbled out of him, but Kain held up a hand to forestall her outburst.

“I’m sorry,” he said between chuckles. “But you have to admit it was a masterful con.”

Raven appeared momentarily taken aback by his words, and he did not wait for her to recover, turning instead to address Levi.

“I’m impressed, priest. I didn’t think holy men lied.”

“Of course, you did,” Levi replied calmly. “You believe all men are liars.”

“Touché!” Kain was smirking now. “Still, not very pious of you.”

“That would be true,” Levi said seriously. “Except that I did not lie. And, while I am loathe to admit it, neither did your benefactors.”

“Oh?” Kain cocked his head in mock surprise. “This ought to be good.”

Levi smiled at the snark, his expression that of a long-suffering teacher attempting to guide a stubborn student.

“I told you that the forces of chaos sought to destroy this world, and that the fate of humanity hung in the balance. The Cardinals recruited you to battle those forces and offered you rather specific boons in return. None of us ever mentioned what came after that battle.”

“Why you conniving little…” Kieran trailed off into a string of colorful expletives.

“You manipulated us,” Layla’s voice was soft, but the venomous undertone could not be mistaken. “You told us just enough to get us to go along with your plans.”

Kain thought he saw a hint of sadness in the old man’s eyes.

“No, Layla. I simply told you what you needed to hear at the time. You weren’t ready for-”

“You deceived us!” Raven spat. Kain noticed that she had palmed a dagger as she spoke.

“Ah, but the greatest deceptions are always rooted in truth,” the silky voice seemed to permeate the room as Lucifer’s form coalesced behind the pulpit like some dark minister. Kain caught the barest hint of whispers passing through the room, ghosts of the false promises that had given the creature his reputation.

It was a bit surreal, watching the devil standing in a church, as though he were still the messenger of the Triune that he’d once been. Kain caught a small glimpse, then, of the creature’s capability for betrayal.

“Well. If it isn’t my favorite collection of miscreants,” the devil’s smirk never reached his eyes, which remained cold and lifeless. “If I’m completely honest, I find your taste in friends appalling. Although, I suppose I do owe him a debt of gratitude for patching you up after that…less than stellar performance.”

Kain was still recovering from the shock of Lucifer’s appearance in a church to readily respond to his goading, the rest of his team being similarly struck dumb. Levi, however, seemed completely unperturbed.

“At least they weren’t hiding in the bushes watching, serpent. Why are you here?”

“Oh, don’t be rude!” laughed Lucifer. “I am simply here to check on our investments. I understand they had a rather trying night.”

This time, Raven had recovered enough to respond. With speed nigh undetectable, two silver daggers sunk deep into the demon’s chest. Kain’s eyebrows rose slightly. That was bold. Lucifer did not even look down, instead gracing Raven with a cold smile.

“While I applaud the effort, my dear, you still have a long way to go before you are a threat to me.”

He turned back to Levi, who was smiling himself.

“You know, I was skeptical at first, but I’m starting to understand why you like them so much.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes.

“I am so glad to have the approval of a slave,” he hissed.

“Um, excuse me,” Kain spoke up before their banter could continue. “I hate to interrupt your pissing contest, but I have a question.”

There was one issue that simply did not add up, and it was starting to eat away at Kain.

“Why? Why the deception? As Levi so expertly pointed out, saving the world was never part of the deal. Our motivations were selfish, which at the very least should make one of you happy. It doesn’t make sense.”

Lucifer regarded Kain with a mixture of condescension and begrudging respect. Levi, on the other hand, once again looked sad.

“While I cannot speak for the priest,” he spat the word as though it left a foul taste in his mouth, “My reasoning is simple: knowledge is power. Keeping that knowledge from you made you easier to manipulate. True, you might care little for this world now, but your trial has only just begun. Sentimentality is a weakness of human nature and, Nephiyl or not, you are subject to that weakness.”

Kain was surprised by the candid nature of the creature’s words. Lucifer offered no excuses or apologies. Whatever else was going on, a war was coming, and he and his ilk intended to use the Nephiyl. Any leverage that could be exploited, would be. It was yet another trait Kain understood, mostly because he shared it with the demon. It dawned on him then that there were a number of similarities between the Cardinals and himself. Perhaps that was why he’d been chosen in the first place.

“Why bother?” Layla spoke through clenched teeth. “Why waste our time?”

Lucifer smiled.

“Because humans are just one chapter in a much larger story. Even if that chapter is ending, how it ends is still important.”

He took the time to leer at each of them in turn, before continuing.

“You should be thankful you were chosen to participate in such a momentous occasion.”

And with that, the devil was gone, only the echo of his words remaining.

Levi sighed as he sat down on the pew next to Damon.

“You know, it distresses me when I am forced to agree with anything that creature says.”

Before anyone could respond to this, Damon’s eyes fluttered open. He sat up slowly, looking around in confusion.

“Uh guys…why are we in a church?”