Chapter 35 #3
“You are presumptuous.” Exeros raised his chin, all but sneering. “Ignorant. And weak beyond all belief. Eclavistra could wipe your entire band out of existence with but a flexion of her will.”
“And yet,” prompted Harald.
Exeros glowered. Again, he betrayed indecisiveness.
The Throne Hunters as a collective held their breath.
“And yet,” said Exeros at last, and looked away with a scowl.
“There is… the seeds of promise here. I have heard your deliberations. You are all fumbling toward certain truths. Entrusting yourself to Alabenthos’ care is to ask to become his tool.
To seek to weaponize the church in Flutic is to ask to be burned on a bonfire by bloody-minded fanatics.
To attempt to fight Eclavistra with your own powers will only cause her to smirk before she smites you. ”
“So…” Vic hesitated. “Option D, then?”
Exeros tongued the inside of his cheek, still glowering, still looking away. “Your greatest asset is your Netherwarden Knight. But she is too weak. She has only Ascended three Thrones and is a paltry Level 6. Pathetic. Virtually useless. A criminal waste.”
Sam’s face turned ashen.
Harald went to protest, his instinct to protect and defend her, but caught himself when he saw a band of muscle flare into view over the joint of Exeros’ jaw, then disappear. Then appear again. Then fade.
The Seraph was waging war against himself.
“And yet.” Exeros finally broke the silence.
“And yet she has remained steadfast and by your side. She has managed to retain her faith in your goodness, and through that faith, make a reality out of fantasy. Without her, you would surely have fallen already. She shines brightly for a short-lived and ignorant mortal. She was chosen by the Fallen Angel, whose wisdom… whose wisdom…”
The Seraph fell silent.
Harald exchanged a glance with Sam, who looked both bewildered and overwhelmed.
“If I may,” said Vic softly, “it sounds like you admire Sam’s bravery most. Her willingness to defy the odds, her own fears, and the observed nature of the world by choosing love, choosing faith, choosing goodness when all evidence argues against her.”
Exeros narrowed his eyes as he cut a glance sidelong at Vic.
Who spread his hands disarmingly. “How can one not admire such charming naivete? We cynics, you and I, who have seen the worst of mortal and demonic nature—we’re prone to laugh and scoff, are we not?
All is futile. All is lost. Hope is a trap.
Only the strong can conquer, and the strong have conquered.
Silenthros. Grimarque. Seraphex. They have taught us all how the world works, how the Celestial War may be won. Only fools would argue otherwise.”
“Your blathering pains my ears,” said Exeros, tone dull. “Make your point or be quiet.”
“My point is, Sam’s faith gainsays all the wisdom we world-weary warriors have earned.
” Vic smiled apologetically. “It’s what makes her so infuriating.
How she persists. How her faith, her childlike hope, survives.
How does such a fragile candleflame resist all hurricane winds?
But it’s as you said. It’s her very faith that changes reality.
Her faith in Harald makes him what she desires him to be.
She was chosen by the Fallen Angel the very same moment Harald was made an abyssal whatever he is.
” Vic waved the detail away. “You see it. You wish you could dismiss it, but you can’t. ”
Exeros turned to face Vic full on. The feeling of danger in the room ratcheted ever higher.
“My point is this: you are a Seraph. Once, you were a pretty big deal. Sevenfold King of the Muckety Mucks, or whatever. Now? You are our babysitter. What a fall. How ignominious. Yet amongst our number: Sam. A Netherwarden Knight. You said yourself she is our greatest asset, but too weak. If only there were someone here versed and steeped in the ways of angelic power.” Vic’s gaze grew heavy-lidded.
“If only there were somebody here who knew something, or had an idea, of how to make her stronger. Because that’s what’s tormenting you, isn’t it?
You know what could be done. Otherwise, why would you stand there sulking still?
You could empower her. You could make the difference.
You could, in one final gesture, tip the war in the angels’ favor, and serve the Fallen Angel one last time. ”
Vic’s voice grew low, honeyed, undeniable. “Isn’t that, after all, your final greatest wish? To be of service one last time?”
Exeros closed his eyes, expression cast into a scowl. The air in the chamber brewed thunder. Harald felt the hair down his arm pinprick. The Seraph’s six wings gently fanned the air, and sinews stood in sharp relief down his forearms where he clenched his fists.
Slowly Harald gathered himself to fight off the Seraph’s attack.
But then Exeros sighed.
“You’re right.” He opened his black eyes and smiled. A bleaker smile Harald had never seen. “I can empower her. At the cost of my own life. I can make her… useful, in a fight against Eclavistra. And in doing so… yes. Serve the Fallen Angel one last time.”