51. Sydney
The dinner party was ruined, so we moved straight to the funeral.
Someone was teaching me that trick where they summoned a pyre to burn the bodies.
Angel parts could be used in powerful spells, so they couldn’t bury them.
Except something was missing. I was conflicted on my feelings about Abaddon, but I didn’t blame the people around him.
“Was Abaddon married or did he just have boyfriends? Because someone should let them know what happened so they can say goodbye.”
“I’ll do it,” Wrathhog said.
She disappeared. I’d seen all the Fallen together except for Lucifer and they seemed to travel in packs.
They were all subdued, but they seemed more united.
Satan was making an effort with Belphegor and Beelzebub and Mammon was organizing things with Lilith and Lucifer.
Mammon appeared to at least be making an effort with Lilith.
He saw me staring and peeled away to come talk to me.
My demons stepped away to give us privacy.
“I wanted to apologize again. And thank you for finding Lucifer and sticking up for me.”
“Hey, you know not wanting sex is completely normal, right? And my wings are bronze because my great grandfather was most likely a Seraphim. That’s what you were feeling around me.”
“That’s interesting and should be impossible.
They never leave home. We’re old, Sydney.
When we fell, everyone was experimenting with sex and I didn’t want to.
There was no word for that back then and I never knew if it was because of leftover angel stuff because we don’t do that.
Everyone kept telling me how amazing it was and some of them made me feel like there was something wrong with me.
I thought there was something wrong with me and I guess I leaned into it. It’s just not appealing to me at all.”
I just shrugged. Mammon was making an effort, so I could too. And my father seemed to like him.
“We got off on the wrong foot. I still have a lot to learn. Do you think you could teach me to do that thing you did where you summoned the pyre?”
“I’d like that. I taught Kir some magic and I enjoy teaching.”
“Maybe you could do that when the demons takeover.”
“Maybe.”
Wrathhog came back with four incubi and they were gutted when they realized Abaddon was dead. They didn’t make a scene. Probably because they were surrounded by the rest of the Fallen, but I could tell they were upset. Nero immediately went over to help them.
More people started showing up and I realized these were my other cousins. All of them, even Asmodeus’s kids, were more broken up about Abaddon than they were about Asmodeus. Yeah, he was a complete nard.
I also needed to go introduce myself to my cousins. There weren’t a ton of them considering how old my family was. Satan had the most kids out of all of them and I ended up liking those cousins the best. Wrathhog’s oldest brother Ilran just grinned at me.
“I hear you’re trouble.”
“Only in the most awesome way possible.”
“I look forwards to it. My dad and my sister speak fondly of you.”
“Same.”
“Heard you beat the shit out of Asmodeus.”
I looked over at his kids because they were in earshot. I was tactless, but only when someone deserved it. His kids didn’t. Asmodeus’s daughter looked me right in the eye.
“Answer,” she said.
“Um.”
Because I didn’t regret hitting him. He had a knife to my throat and was going to take me who knows where. I knew it took a lot to kill an angel, and I didn’t know if a steak knife to my jugular would do it.
“I hope you made it hurt. He beat us all the time. My mother isn’t here because she’s recovering. He cheats on her all the time, but he beat her for doing the same thing he did.”
What did I even say to that? Sorry, your dad was a total shit? Was it even appropriate to say that at his funeral?
“She did,” Wrathhog said. “I saw the whole thing, and she made it hurt. I don’t think anyone would blame you if you went over and lifted the sheet.”
Damn. They all walked over, lifted the sheet, and spat on him. Abaddon was the one who killed Kir and took my father. No one was disputing he’d done wrong, but they seemed to be mourning him a lot more than they were Asmodeus.
They were starting. My father and Satan eulogized Abaddon.
Despite everything, my father didn’t trash him.
They called him complicated and flawed, admitted he hurt a lot of people, and could have destroyed two realms by kidnapping Lucifer and killing Kir.
They were honest about everything he did.
Lucifer looked conflicted as he talked about all the good Abaddon had done because it was a lot.
Then, it came time for Asmodeus. I didn’t know what anyone would say.
He didn’t force Abaddon to kidnap my father, and he didn’t make him kill my brother.
Everything Abaddon did after he murdered Kir was his choice.
But I think we all acknowledged putting him in that situation was the cause of everything.
Abaddon never would have laid a finger on Kir otherwise.
So, the Fallen said nothing. They asked his kids if they wanted to say something and they didn’t either. I was pretty sure his kids were relieved he was dead and just wanted closure.
Lucifer flicked his wrists, and the pyres erupted into green flames. I guess that was Hellfire and I’d be able to do that one day.
It was almost over.