“Is Marie conscious yet?” Matches asked.
Hector glanced up from his notebook, where he was scrawling notes in convoluted shorthand. Matches and Snow had both come to visit. The two of them made a bizarre pair.
Matches had beautiful, curly blonde hair and a face to match. The temptation to compare her to a princess was always there, but her worn out shirt and trousers proved the irony of the comparison. She was thin in a way that spoke of starvation, a scar of her origins she had never quite managed to shake.
Snow was also beautiful, but only in the plain way that a blank slate was beautiful. Every movement of her body and face was both elegant and painfully generic. The transformation from one tale to another was complete, but she didn’t quite fit her new body yet. As always, she was trailing behind her mentor, literally standing in her shadow. She’d gotten in the habit of silence during her transformation, and hesitated to speak even now.
“She’s not conscious yet.” Hector said, “She should be waking up in the next thirty minutes.”
“Report in, then.” Matches said.
“The Godsnare is done, but still inactive.” Hector said, “Marie’s still unconscious, but almost fully healed. If Eris intervenes, it’s likely that William can start the invasion. The heiress, Ashlyn, won’t be working alone, but Marie thought we might be able to talk her goblin ally out of supporting her in her last report.”
“Any signs the Vermin know about this?” Matches asked.
“No, but we haven’t found the traitor yet.” Hector said, “Whoever’s been leaking info is still active. I doubt William’s been able to keep the operation sufficiently secret. On the other hand, traitors or not, the Vermin probably don’t want evil to win.”
“They just want William to lose.” Matches said, “I know. Have you been able to See a way to get them on our side?”
“Still no luck.” Hector said, “As long as William’s in charge, Sandy’s not going to work with us.”
“Why not?” Snow asked.
“Classified.” Hector answered, “They have heretical beliefs, and they’re not wrong about some of them. You’ll need Matches’ authorization to know more.”
“Did you See anything else I need to know?” Matches asked.
“Hell’s almost definitely going to be destroyed this week, one way or another.” Hector said, “The Vermin are preparing for a fight, I don’t know if they know something I’m missing. There’s nothing else you should know.”
“Got it.” Matches nodded, “Brief Snow on the plan and the situation with the Vermin. Full disclosure, nothing held back.”
“Nothing?” Hector asked, “Really pulling out all the stops for your niece, aren’t you.”
Matches sighed, “She’ll find out soon anyways. I’m going to talk to Marie.”
“See you!” Snow yelled after her.
---
“What’s the plan?” Snow asked.
“Nice to see you again too, Snow.” Hector said, “How’s Matches been treating you?”
“Perfectly well.” Snow said, “Stop acting like you’re my uncle.”
“You’re such an awful niece. You never call, you never write, you’ll make your poor uncle cry.” Hector joked, “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It’s not the safest job.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be fighting up close.” Snow said, “I’m prepared.”
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“Understood.” Hector said, “Well, we’re assassinating Eris’ second-in-command, the Abyssal Heiress. William has termed her the Heiress of Hell, because everything’s about Hell with him. Four of us to fight one woman is overkill, but we need to make sure she won’t get away, either.”
“That’s what I’m for, right?” Snow said, “I’ll freeze her in her tracks, and then trap her with my spirits while the rest of you finish her off.”
“Yes.” Hector said, “Be careful, though. She’s got a pretty good range as well. Don’t chase her into a building, and don’t get closer than half a mile.”
“What are the mission’s objectives?” Snow asked.
“The primary objective is to cripple Eris.” Hector said, “If we take down the Heiress, that’s good, but forcing Eris to open a path to her kingdom is just as useful. If we do that, Paradise can conquer it.”
“So that’s why the Luminaries and the Saints were whispering about invading Hell.” Snow said.
“No. They’re always whispering about that, and about exterminating the Vermin.” Hector said, “A painted clock can still be right. If she’s anything like William, she won’t bother to save her subordinate. He wouldn’t save Matches if it meant letting Eris win, much less someone disposable, like Marie.”
“You really don’t like William.” Snow said.
“He’ll lead to Eris’ destruction, and the Abyss’, too.” Hector said, “But he’s got ice in his blood. He’ll pay any price to do that. It won’t just be ‘Hell’ he destroys. The Vermin are proof enough of that.”
“Explain.” Snow demanded.
“The Metatron project, in specific, is paved with blood. Wicked and sinful divinities were shredded into angels. Then, the angels were bound to the service of the Light.” Hector said, “The divinities sacrificed were all criminals by William’s laws, but the project was covered up. If nothing else, the process sounds lucratively cruel. Whoever Sandy is, they’ve been abducting citizens and claiming that William would’ve sacrificed those citizens as well.”
“He wouldn’t, right?” Snow asked.
Hector shrugged, “I couldn’t say. But even if he’s ethical about using the knowledge himself, it’s easy to abuse. A tyrant would love to have a way to make a horde of unthinking pawns, and the bindings won’t shatter with his death. If the Vermin are right about him, then he’s designed the laws to ensure he’ll have sacrifices to make weapons and servants.”
“You work for him.” Snow said, “But you don’t like him. Do you agree with the Vermin?”
“If I did, why would I be here?” Hector said, “If you want a more serious answer, talk to your Aunt. Ask her why she works with William. I know her reasons will resemble mine.”
---
“And that’s everything since my last report.” Marie finished.
“Are you feeling alright?” Matches asked.
“My head’s still spinning a little.” Marie said, “Can you get me some blessed cloth?”
“Of course.” Matches said, “How urgently does this need to be done?”
“I had to tear one of my Gifts.” Marie said, “I won’t be able to provide support for a charge until it’s replaced.”
“We won’t need you to.” Matches said, “The plan is to harass her and box her in until she’s overwhelmed. Don’t overextend, and don’t push too hard. If you think she’ll get away, use an angel, but don’t use one prematurely.”
“Why not?” Marie asked.
“The more we use them, the more likely Eris is to figure out a countermeasure.” Matches said, “Plus, they don’t actually work well with others. If they’re fighting Ashlyn, we won’t be able to contribute. If she can consume it, that would be worse.”
“Do you really think she could do that?” Marie asked.
“If she’s got a demon in there with her, it’ll come down to power.” Matches said, “Angels can eat demons, and vice versa. They can eat each other too. I’ve heard it gives a pretty significant power boost. She will be tainted by what she eats, but it won’t kill her before she kills us.”
“Do you think Eris could figure out a countermeasure for the Metatron?” Marie asked.
“Who told you about that?” Matches asked, “That shouldn’t be common knowledge.”
“It’s not. William told me personally.” Marie said.
Matches sighed, “I’d be shocked if she doesn’t. But it’ll definitely cripple her in the process. William will just finish her off when it’s beaten.”
“William thinks it will work.” Marie said.
Matches sighed, “William has a lot of faith in the righteousness of the universe. He thinks that he’s holy, and that he’ll win because of that. His story is about a god who loved him and a life in his service. My story is colder, and so I can see what he doesn’t. Throwing a mindless beast at the embodiment of corruption can’t end well.”
“Do you think she’ll turn it back on him?” Marie asked.
“Corruption isn’t controlled.” Matches said, “It’s easy to rip a beast free of their chains, harder to turn them to your side. William will be fine. He’ll win.”