Edge of Thorns 3 - Pt 21

Part 21
I should just tell him. He'll find out anyway, and if I own it now, he'll be less angry than if I try to keep the truth from him.

Nathan knew the color had drained from his face, but he resigned himself to being caught. Bracing himself, he gave Alton a rueful smile while he looked over at him. "He asked me what happened that had him sensing me in danger." He waiting, watch while Alton's smile faded. "I'm sorry; I had to tell him..."

"No, you didn't," the devil breathed, eyes narrowing at him before he turned to Gabriel. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead sighed loudly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He began back into the living room. "Well, I suppose we best discuss it now," he drawled, clearly agitated. "If we're lucky, we may actually be able to enjoy this holiday."

They watched him leave and heard him calling to the others to gather, saying he had something important to tell them now that they were all here. Nathan grimaced and turned to Gabriel with a shrug. "At least he's not too mad?"

"You didn't have to do that," his guardian angel said quietly, but with a small smile. "He didn't ask either of us directly."

"I just didn't want to have to deal with him finding out on his own. I get his temper going enough already, and being evasive wasn't going to help me any."

"True enough."

"Are you two coming?" Alton called from the living room, his tone just hedging on sing-songy, the only indication he was still a bit upset. With another exchange of shrugs, Nathan and Gabriel followed after to join them.

"So," Alton began once they appeared. "May as well get this out of the way before the day is a total wash, and then enjoy dinner."

From the sofa, Enya sat with her legs propped up and stretched across the cushions, Lidia sitting on her lap. She slid a glance towards Nathan, as if to ask what he did, knowing Alton's moods far better than most. With Alton's back to him, the writer quickly signed, "Just let him explain," to which she shrugged and turned her attention towards the bookseller again.

"I thought you were saving this for after dinner," Micah said, leaning against the back of the armchair he stood behind. Alton waved him off.

"Well, Nathan already told Gabriel, so there's no use delaying it. He was the one I was worried about telling in the first place."

"Because Raphael has made an appearance?"

Everyone turned towards the angel of death, some curious, some surprised he had spoken. Nathan was the latter, looking at him with his brows furrowed. "Raphael? As in the angel from the Book of Tobit?"

"Very good," Gabriel said with a thin smile. "Your familiarity with the Bible never ceases to amaze me."

"Whoa! Back up!" Enya held her hands up, then pointed at Alton with a narrow glare. "Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do. Start from the beginning, then get into the details." Beside her, Lidia made a small whine and tugged on her sleeve. Enya nodded to her, then looked back at the angel. "And sign what you say so Lidia doesn't feel left out."

The bookseller wrinkled his nose and pushed his glasses up before letting out a long sigh, but nodded. "Fine," he said, lifting his hands to sign while he continued. "I went to the roof when you told me to calm down. While I was up there, before I came inside with Nathan, another angel appeared and attack us. Well. Attacked me, I should say. He threw a few lightning bolts, a few taunts, and left."

"How is there another angel here?" Micah asked, straightening so he could sign his question for Lidia's benefit. "We are supposed to be the only three."

"I know, and I don't know how he's here. That's what worries me."

"Wait, I'm confused." Nathan rubbed his temples. "What do you mean by only? What, do you guys have jurisdictions or something that you aren't allowed to cross?"

This time, Gabriel sighed, and he looked over at Alton with a frown. "Your game is unraveling, Lumiel, with all these interferences..."

"It's easy enough to explain," the devil cut in quickly, shaking his head before turning to Nathan. "In order to control the Sins, I sealed Virtue off so they can't get out, at least not without assistance. Unfortunately, because of their nature, that means creating a barrier against all divine entities. I enlisted Michael and Gabriel's help because I knew I could trust them, and I can't seal off any area without the presence of at least one guardian angel and one angel of death."

"I could have technically acted as both," Gabriel added. "But as you know, that's a real strain for me. It's hard enough dealing with the deaths the Sins cause while still protecting you." He bit his lip. "Remember when my duties as Death overrode my job as guardian? Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to aid you first, because there would have been another angel of death to handle the murder."

"But there wasn't." Nathan nodded in understanding, but didn't want to linger on that topic. "So let me guess: just like the Sins can't get out, neither can you."

"And no other angels should be able to get in," Micah confirmed for him, but frowned as he turned towards Alton. "'Should' being the operative word. I know you said you do not know how he got here, but is there a chance he was here before you created the barrier?"

Alton shrugged, shaking his head and pinching his the bridge of his nose. "There is a chance in theory only, but then he would have had to have been hiding his presence from me specifically before I created the barrier, which he could have only done if he knew my Name, which he doesn't."

Lidia whined to get everyone's attentions, then signed, "Who is the other angel? Why is this bad?"

"Raphael," Gabriel told her. Nathan noticed his hands shook slightly when he signed the name. "Angel of knowledge, healing, and likewise an angel of death. We... have a history."

"And he's not supposed to be here," Alton added with exasperation, looking at the child. "I don't like not knowing why he's here, and I don't like how he taunted me to fly after him." He glanced around at the adults. "The way he said it makes me think he knows about my wings."

An awkward silence settled over the room, everyone exchanging glances, as if waiting for someone to speak up and ask one of the myriad of questions the sudden appearance of Raphael and his attack had brought up.

Someone's got to break the silence, and it might as well be me, since I forced the situation by telling Gabriel. The only question is what do I ask first...