done anything wrong!”
“It’s not my decision, Chloe.” Raziel tapped his fingers on his leg. “Listen. Stay put. I’ll be back. I need to consult one who is higher than even Michael.”
Penemuel looked stunned. “You would go to God? For me?”
“Yes.” Raziel regarded him seriously. “I want to be sure that what I’m about to do is right by Him. This is a gray area, Penemuel. So don’t move. I’ll be back.” He disappeared.
Fifteen minutes later, Raziel returned. He noticed that the three had, in fact, not moved at all. As he sat down, Raziel said, “I didn’t mean ‘don’t move’ literally, you know.”
Penemuel blinked owlishly at him. “Forgive me. I was just shocked that you’d come at all.”
“I was curious,” Raziel admitted. “So, to the point, because I have much yet to do today. Yes, I can give you protection, but not for free. I want something in return.”
Penemuel bit his lip. “What?”
“Information. Help us and you will be forgiven and redeemed and allowed to live as you have been, without fear of reprisal from any of us. Such was the Word of God. Help us find Semjaza and find out what he wants, what his plans are.”
Penemuel let out an explosive breath. “You want me to be your spy.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t do it.” Penemuel shook his head. “He’ll kill me if he finds out!”
“So don’t let him find out.” Raziel faced Penemuel and glared at him. “Stop being a damn coward for once in your immortal life, Penemuel. You can only hide behind your books for so long before something comes out to bite you on the ass, and right now, it’s Semjaza doing that. You want to live without fear of him? Without fear of Uriel sinking his sword into your gut? Without fear of Michael throwing you back into Hell?”
“Yes,” Penemuel said in a small voice.
“Then is it really such a hard thing to do, to pull up your britches and help me? Or will you remain forever cowering in terror because you’re too weak to do otherwise?” Raziel filled his words with scorn.
Penemuel raised his head. “That’s most unfair, my lord.”
“I don’t have time for fair. I have, as I said, much to do today. I do not have time or leisure to give you the coddling you seem to think you need. I can’t wrap you in cotton wool and baby you, Penemuel. So I ask you one last time. Will you get me the information we need?”
It hung between them for several long moments. Finally, Penemuel nodded. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “Yes.”
“Excellent.” Raziel stood up. “Now I will shield your home and your possessions and your workplace. Which leads me to ask, where do you work?”
“At the British Library,” Penemuel said.
Raziel blinked. “How did we miss this?” he wondered again, then shook his head. “Never mind. Rhetorical question.” He reached out with his power and carefully laid down wards that would be undetectable to anyone who was not an Archangel around the apartment building. That done, Raziel reached out farther and did the same with the British Library. It was not particularly hard to do, Raziel mused to himself, but the reason for doing it was not something he had expected at all.
When he was finished, Raziel sat back and crossed his legs. “You are going to see Semjaza?”
“Yes, tomorrow.” Penemuel sighed. “I aim to be back here by dinner time.”
“All right.” Raziel nodded. “I’ll come by around seven p.m. Where is he, by the by?”
Penemuel took another breath. “He’s in Paris right now. And… if what he proposes we do for him involves things that we—I—find repugnant, I retain the right to refuse him. There are some things that I will not do, my lord, not even for freedom from fear.”
Raziel tilted his head to one side. “I see. I understand, actually. No, don’t do anything that would be out of character. I cannot imagine that Semjaza would ask you to do anything that was particularly savory, after all, so if you
“It’s not my decision, Chloe.” Raziel tapped his fingers on his leg. “Listen. Stay put. I’ll be back. I need to consult one who is higher than even Michael.”
Penemuel looked stunned. “You would go to God? For me?”
“Yes.” Raziel regarded him seriously. “I want to be sure that what I’m about to do is right by Him. This is a gray area, Penemuel. So don’t move. I’ll be back.” He disappeared.
Fifteen minutes later, Raziel returned. He noticed that the three had, in fact, not moved at all. As he sat down, Raziel said, “I didn’t mean ‘don’t move’ literally, you know.”
Penemuel blinked owlishly at him. “Forgive me. I was just shocked that you’d come at all.”
“I was curious,” Raziel admitted. “So, to the point, because I have much yet to do today. Yes, I can give you protection, but not for free. I want something in return.”
Penemuel bit his lip. “What?”
“Information. Help us and you will be forgiven and redeemed and allowed to live as you have been, without fear of reprisal from any of us. Such was the Word of God. Help us find Semjaza and find out what he wants, what his plans are.”
Penemuel let out an explosive breath. “You want me to be your spy.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t do it.” Penemuel shook his head. “He’ll kill me if he finds out!”
“So don’t let him find out.” Raziel faced Penemuel and glared at him. “Stop being a damn coward for once in your immortal life, Penemuel. You can only hide behind your books for so long before something comes out to bite you on the ass, and right now, it’s Semjaza doing that. You want to live without fear of him? Without fear of Uriel sinking his sword into your gut? Without fear of Michael throwing you back into Hell?”
“Yes,” Penemuel said in a small voice.
“Then is it really such a hard thing to do, to pull up your britches and help me? Or will you remain forever cowering in terror because you’re too weak to do otherwise?” Raziel filled his words with scorn.
Penemuel raised his head. “That’s most unfair, my lord.”
“I don’t have time for fair. I have, as I said, much to do today. I do not have time or leisure to give you the coddling you seem to think you need. I can’t wrap you in cotton wool and baby you, Penemuel. So I ask you one last time. Will you get me the information we need?”
It hung between them for several long moments. Finally, Penemuel nodded. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “Yes.”
“Excellent.” Raziel stood up. “Now I will shield your home and your possessions and your workplace. Which leads me to ask, where do you work?”
“At the British Library,” Penemuel said.
Raziel blinked. “How did we miss this?” he wondered again, then shook his head. “Never mind. Rhetorical question.” He reached out with his power and carefully laid down wards that would be undetectable to anyone who was not an Archangel around the apartment building. That done, Raziel reached out farther and did the same with the British Library. It was not particularly hard to do, Raziel mused to himself, but the reason for doing it was not something he had expected at all.
When he was finished, Raziel sat back and crossed his legs. “You are going to see Semjaza?”
“Yes, tomorrow.” Penemuel sighed. “I aim to be back here by dinner time.”
“All right.” Raziel nodded. “I’ll come by around seven p.m. Where is he, by the by?”
Penemuel took another breath. “He’s in Paris right now. And… if what he proposes we do for him involves things that we—I—find repugnant, I retain the right to refuse him. There are some things that I will not do, my lord, not even for freedom from fear.”
Raziel tilted his head to one side. “I see. I understand, actually. No, don’t do anything that would be out of character. I cannot imagine that Semjaza would ask you to do anything that was particularly savory, after all, so if you
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