Chapter 61: Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Gabriel could feel the pressure settling down on him. Metatron hadn’t been seen or heard from in days, and his informants had no new information on hell’s preparations for the coming war. There was activity, to be sure. Something was going on down there, but he didn’t know what.

His attempts to search for the missing angel had come up empty. Metatron had completely vanished, or been killed. Gabriel knew who was probably to blame for that. Bael Sharoth was one of the few demons capable of such a thing. The Baron might even have caught onto the fact that he was being watched, which would be a reasonable motive for him to attack the Metatron.

If they’ve decided to strike first and take one of ours, the Archangel thought, It wouldn’t be a bad idea to retaliate. After all, they had been the ones to break the truce. Metatron had told him to attack Bael and his family on Christmas day, but there was no point in waiting. The Baron might continue to pick off heaven’s leadership to weaken them before the coming battle.

Gabriel stood up from his desk and called out to his secretary, “I want everyone under my command in full kit, ready to go, by tomorrow morning.”

The rather skinny angel rushed into the office with a startled expression on his face. “What should I tell them? Is it another readiness drill, sir?”

The Archangel almost told him that war was starting, but that would tip his hand too early. “Yes, of course,” Gabriel said, “After the drill we will be doing some training too. Tell them to pack as if they were going to spend the next week fighting demons.”

“Of course, sir!” the secretary replied before he ran off to do whatever it was he did.

Gabriel watched him go, then shut his office door and locked it. Metatron had said that if Bael and his family were killed, it would kick off the war the Archangel so dearly wanted. He was fuzzy on the specifics, but they didn’t matter. Orders were orders, war was war, and he couldn’t wait to get started.

***

Meanwhile in Granny’s bookshop, another kind of war was brewing. The books seemed to have lost all respect for him and the werewolf was willing to bet he knew who was to blame. It was him, he was to blame.

“I knew I should have burned you troublemakers for heat,” the werewolf muttered as he watched an army of hardcovers finish redecorating his shop. They had given it a full makeover, complete with sale signs and promotional window stickers. Business was booming, and Granny hated every moment of it. He hadn’t had an uninterrupted afternoon nap since the uprising started.

“You!” Granny called out as a familiar young witch walked out of the back stacks, “How did you get in here?”

Six gave him a stern look. “I installed a portal in my bedroom library. It is much more convenient than walking here whenever I want to borrow a book.”

The werewolf facepalmed. “You know, some people pay for my books,” he said with more than a hint of annoyance.

“Well, fortunately for me, I’m not one of those people,” the young witch shot back before returning to her business. Bael had told her to pack for a week long trip and she was on the search for some light reading material. Perhaps a tasty tome or juicy grimoire.

***

“What do you mean you aren’t coming?” Bael asked as he went over his packing list for the trip, “Don’t you want to go camping with us?”

Maharet did not, in fact, wish to go anywhere near nature if she could avoid it. Luckily, the other women in town had given her the perfect way out. “I would, but it’s tradition for the wives to stay at home and prepare for the first week of school. You wouldn’t want me to miss out on that, would you?”

“I suppose not,” Bael said with a frown, “I certainly appreciate you taking all that on.” For a moment the Baron looked like he wanted to say something, but he went back to packing instead. Bael had things of his own to do.

“I know that look, what’s going through that head of yours?” Maharet asked.

Bael sat down on the floor and grimaced. “Something feels off,” he said after checking to make sure Six wasn’t in earshot, “My gut is telling me that Lucy isn’t to be trusted and I’m hearing rumblings that Gabriel is running drills. I don’t think this thing is over yet.”

“So, how can I help?” the flame demon asked as she sat down next to her husband, “We’re in this together, now and forever.”

“Just keep an eye on Lucy while I’m gone. She made a promise, but if it suits her purpose she’ll break it and deal with the consequences.” A pained expression crossed Bael’s face. “I want to believe that I can trust her, but I get the feeling she is just waiting for the right moment to betray us.”

Maharet had very negative feelings towards Lucy after getting roped into falling from heaven. She didn’t need much convincing to believe that the Devil couldn’t be trusted. “I’ll keep an eye out for trouble and let you know through the link if something bad happens.”

Bael took her warm hand in his and kissed it. “Thank you,” he said softly, “When I get back we’ll talk about the wedding and start planning the rest of our future together.”

Maharet kissed his hand in return and rested it on her belly, “I’m looking forward to it. Don’t worry, we’ll get through it together, whatever happens.”

The Baron smiled, but inside he was filled with a cold sense of dread. Bael could feel great wheels moving forward, like a clock slowly creeping towards midnight. Metatron and Lucy had been so confident in their scheme. He wondered if they had messed with some great heavenly mechanism to ensure it would succeed. The Devil certainly hadn’t been willing to fill him in on the details of her little plan.

Bael could feel in his bones that something bad was coming. Something that for all his strength and cunning, he didn’t know if he could stop. He was unsure if it was his own anxiety about the future, or a grim premonition, but he had to be ready either way.

“I’ve got to go take care of some things in my office,” Bael said as he stood up. There were certain preparations that needed to be made, and it was better for his family if they knew nothing about what he was planning.

Win or lose, live or die, he would protect them. That was his burden as a husband and a father. Bael just hoped that when the dust settled, they could forgive him.