When Imperius learned that she helped Tyrael figure out how to Sing, he found himself rather pleased. It showed that Tyrael had not fully lost his angelic roots. Of course, his angelic persona in Anaurael's mind showed that. But, he felt relieved that this part of his ancient brother was still there. It helped him accept Tyrael that much more around him. He knew he would want her parents to Sing again, too. He wasn't sure about the others that lost their wings, though. He would have Ilerael and Tyrael show them how to do that again. He didn't want Anaurael to Sing with any of them.
With the troops training diligently, and with remarkable clarity and accuracy, he decided to talk to Imperael. He was rather intrigued with this new angel. When Imperael saw Imperius appear, his form straightened to show instant respect.
"What brings you to me, brother?" Imperael asked.
"I just have a few questions. Then that is all," Imperius nodded.
"Ask what you need."
"Good. I noticed that you felt apprehension towards Malthael."
"I did. Darius was able to speak with me. I understand all now."
"Good to know. And, speaking of him..." Imperius said when Malthael appeared.
"The ones that caused problems were found. The Nephalem wishes to be here to see what happens. Is this allowed? I am asking now. The question will arise soon," Malthael said.
"How do you know this?" Imperael asked.
"I can speak with Ilerael and Lilaurael freely. Any that are within the mind of Anaurael are free for me to reach. I have no physical form. It is currently being created for me," Malthael explained.
"As I was informed. Very well. When do we plan to have judgment?" he asked.
"That is something that I want to know, too," Imperius growled.
"Within the hour. I will be informing Tyrael next. Or...maybe I won't have to..." Malthael said when Tyrael's angelic presence appeared to speak with them. Imperael was a touch amazed at this.
"Hello, brother. This is what I used to be before I became a mortal. I shall tell you my story in time. My body is resting right now. I understand that the culprits were found?" Tyrael asked.
"Yes. Malthael said that judgment will be done within the hour," Imperius nodded. "I need Anaurael to be ready. She can sleep for another thirty minutes."
"I was going to suggest that," Tyrael nodded back. "She taught me how to Sing once more. She was able to Sing with me. Not at the same level as you, Imperius, but she used her Song to guide mine. It feels good to Sing again. I truly did miss it."
"I will look forward to hearing you Sing," he said.
"I have not yet heard her Sing," Imperael sighed.
"She brought you here. You will hear her Sing soon enough. Hmm. Maybe we should have her Sing at the Council," Malthael mused. "The pieces of demon filth they all are were to sing for a contest. It was why they kept her from Singing. To avoid a challenge."
"I will not listen to a demon spawn screeching through my Halls!" Imperius glowered.
"And screeching it will be. Anaurael will put them all in place. I would say to do this at the Crystal Arch, but such filth does not deserve to be there," he said.
"Do not bring such filth there!" Imperael growled. When Gurzick appeared, his massive grandfather sword was quickly raised up and ready to swing down. Tyrael was quick to shift in front of the Greed Goblin's gaping, trembling form. Greed was amazed at the sheer size of the angel that almost killed his messenger.
"Do not harm this one!" Tyrael said sternly. "Lower your weapon! Now!"
"It is a demon!" Imperael argued.
"This one is...tolerable," Imperius muttered. "Lower your weapon."
"I do not understand," Imperael said, but his weapon was lowered, all the same.
"Yes, this is a demon, but Greed is assisting us. This is his messenger, Gurzick. He helps us commune with Greed," Tyrael said. "Not many know of this."
"You will need to know," Malthael nodded. Very carefully, they explained the pact that Imperius made with Greed to protect Anaurael. Now that Imperael understood why the small demon was needed, he would tolerate the other small demons he saw. "It is also why there is much wealth in various parts of the High Heavens. Greed provides this for her. As well as food and clothing. He is necessary. He also helps us find what we need on Sanctuary. Right now, he is beneficial. He also defended Anaurael when her chamber was breached by half demon filth."
"I see," Imperael nodded.
"Feel free to kick them out of the way to keep them from being seen," Imperius smirked.
"I can do that," Imperael nodded again. I will gladly do that!
"That's not funny! But, I understand. My minions can be a bit of a nuisance. Even to me," Greed grumbled out from the crown. It was why he had his shovel. "However, I wish to bear witness to the judgment done. I want to see them suffer. Oh! We can put them in that room we made!"
"The treasure vault?" Imperius mused. "I doubt they would be able to even try to kill anything."
"Or, we make them do work for the Horadric Order," Tyrael said. "Physical labor. Anaurael is a Keeper of the Horadrim. It could be fitting."
"The Nephalem would see it done rather easily," Greed added.
"Since they are mortals, it would make sense," Malthael said. "I could contact that Vecin seer."
"That you could. Myriam may know something," Tyrael agreed. Imperius nodded for Malthael to check. When Malthael vanished and reappeared in front of the wagon in question, Myriam was simply waiting for him to show up.
"You want to know my visions? Fine. I need to go up to your Heaven to reveal them," she said.
"Do you now?" Malthael regarded her.
"I must," she insisted. "Take me there. I need to be there for the judging of those girls."
"Hmm..." Malthael thought and had Izarius appear.
"I will take you to the High Heavens. I will bring you to where Imperius is," Izarius nodded. She nodded back and took his large hand. Her fleshy hand was tiny compared to how large his was. He brought her to the Diamond Gates, and her jaw dropped at the sight of Imperael.
"You will be vital in the girl's protection," she said when she regained herself. "The moment she calls for you, you must go to her."
"The girl?" Imperael asked.
"She speaks of Anaurael," Malthael said when he reappeared. "This female insisted to be here. For the judging. She said it was vital."
"And, it is. I will help defend the girl you all protect. These other girls will be quite rude to her! I know things that will curb their thoughts," Myriam nodded. "When is this to happen?"
"Within the hour," Malthael said.
"Can she see me?" Tyrael asked.
"No. She can only see me. She will see you in your mortal form when you wake," Malthael said.
"See who?" Myriam asked.
"Tyrael is able to be in his angelic self when his body sleeps. Since you are not part of Anaurael's mind, you cannot see him. Any mortal angels that are permitted to touch her mark have this ability, but their bodies must rest for them to appear," Izarius explained.
"Ah! Yes, that would make sense," she nodded.
"We are wasting time. Let's go," Imperius grumbled and teleported away. He hated being around humans. Even those that proved themselves to help the High Heavens. It was something he simply couldn't stand. Myriam was already expecting this and she chuckled. When Itherael arrived, he nodded to those present.
"Tyrael, you should have your two Horadric brethren here. They will help ensure the justice the females will need. If you plan to have them work for the Horadrim, then those two will need to know," Itherael said. At Tyrael's agreeable nod, he turned to regard Myriam. "A pleasure to see you again. You are here for the judging?"
"A delight to see you, too!" Myriam purred out. "Yes. The girls will be quite rude to you. To all of the Heavens here. I shall curb the rudeness. It will be necessary."
"Why do you need to be here?" Imperael asked her.
"Why, you ask? Because I must!" she said. "You will know all when it starts."
"I still feel that something is off about all of this," Imperael muttered.
"My body is waking up. I shall rejoin you all shortly," Tyrael said and vanished.
"I need to see to my sister," Izarius nodded and teleported away.
"The Angelic Host is gathering in the Angiris Council chamber. We need to go there now," Itherael said. At the look Myriam gave him, he paused. "Is there an issue at hand?"
"Yes. You need to check your Scroll of Fate. Before you go to the chamber. I shall have this one take me to where we must go," she said and gestured to Imperael.
"I will not ferry demon filth!" the massive angel snorted.
"Then do this for Anaurael. This female was able to assist our sister in knowing when her offspring would develop. She has also revealed information on how to keep her safe. For now, please tolerate her presence. She is important," Itherael said. "Trust in me."
"Hmm..." Imperael seemed to grumble. "Fine. Take my hand."
"Of course, celsa," Myriam smiled and placed her hand in his impossibly large one. As he took her to the Council chamber, Itherael was looking over Talus'ar. Auriel was soon appearing in the Library to find out why he didn't appear in the Council chamber yet.
"Is all well, Itherael?" she asked.
"Hmm? Oh. Yes. I was advised by that female to check Talus'ar before joining the others," Itherael said with a small nod. "But, I am not finding anything unusual. Presently, that is."
"Truly? Maybe you are looking in the wrong time. Perhaps the past?" she asked. At this, Itherael paused and searched for any activities he missed. It was here that he found out that Tyrael now knew of the love he had for Anaurael. He seemed to gasp and tremble.
"You were right. I found out what I needed to know," he said. "What I confessed to you, Tyrael now knows. Malthael revealed this to him. I...knew that he knew of what I felt."
"I shall support you, if you are questioned," she said. They clasped hands, and he nodded to her. "Come. We need to see to the ones that kept our sister from Singing."
"Of course," he nodded. He did bring Talus'ar, though. Something told him he might need it. In Anaurael's bedroom, Tyrael had just dressed in the rest of his armor and had El'druin on his hip. She was dressed in her gold gown of stretch velvet. The corset was back on for support, and she found Imperius in her room to gather her into his arms.
"I missed you," he muttered and let out a sigh of relief at the feel of her arms encircling his neck.
"I missed you, too," she smiled
"I am glad that I decided to have you stay here in the High Heavens."
"Are you?"
"Yes. I also had to remove myself from the presence of that female," he grumbled.
"Female?" she asked softly. He shook his head and had her press a hand to his cheek within his helm. He sorely needed the contact. His focus quickly returned with her calming touch.
"Myriam isn't that bad," Tyrael chuckled.
"Oh! She is here?" Anaurael smiled.
"She insisted to be here," Malthael said when he appeared. "Anyways, the four that slandered you are about to be tricked into coming here. Greed is preparing a trap."
"Is he?" Imperius asked.
"Yes. The four of them are in separate areas. None of have chosen mates yet, so it's fine. They will not be missed, if they are culled," he smirked. "But, we will see what happens."
"I need to bring Lorath and Xavian here. I shall return and meet you all in the Angiris Council chamber," Tyrael said. Anaurael smiled warmly at him with a nod, and he nodded back. After he left, she seemed to sigh with a touch of worry.
"Do not fret," Imperius soothed her and held her close.
"Can I be with you in your sanctum after this?" she asked softly.
"Yes. That can be done," he nodded.
"Um...there was something I also wanted to try with you."
"And that is?"
"If you could...recline in the bed with me. My bed, that is."
"I can sit. I can stand. If I lay back, or find myself on the ground, it is a sense of defeat. I cannot allow that. But, I may be able to recline. Not really sitting or standing. Or in a position of defeat. As long as I can stand quickly, then I shall be fine. We can try that later."
"I look forward to it," she smiled. He kissed her and continued to hold her close. When she started to Sing softly, he added in his deep tone easily. When the Song was finished, she laughed softly with him. Then her stomach growled. He glanced over at Izarius.
"Prepare a mild table with food for her," he said.
"Should this be done in the Council chamber?" Izarius asked.
"Hmm. The others would understand. I'm not sure," he admitted.
"No. Let me eat my fill here," she said.
"We cannot linger. Let's go to the chamber first," he said and teleported her there before she could protest. On looking at those there, Itherael moved to their side.
"We are preparing a table for her to eat. Talus'ar revealed that we can fluster those that come here by thinking they are interrupting a grand feast. We can move everything out of here once the judgment is set," Itherael said. "She needs to eat now."
"If all will be well, then fine," Imperius nodded. Imperael moved to stand watch over the table, as Greed Goblins filtered in to set dishes of exquisite meats, breads, cheeses and various pitchers of drink all over. There were mild alcoholic beverages for the men, but none for Anaurael and her mother. Myriam was sure to sample a few of the drinks, but she would know when enough was enough.
When Anaurael was seated, Imperius moved to settle his hands on her shoulders. Everything was set high enough for him to do this. He refused to leave her alone when others he did not approve of were coming. His helmeted, hollow gaze seemed to sweep over the chamber. When she started to push her plate away, he snorted and stabbed at a slice of meat with her fork to put it on her plate.
"Imperius!" she gasped.
"You are not eating enough. Eat that. Then you will be done," he said.
"But..." she frowned. At the warm squeeze he gave her shoulders, she sighed. She knew he was right. I wasn't eating as much as I needed to. "I'm going to get fat."
"No. You will train when you can. Think of our offspring. You must be in a peak form of health. Make sure to drink some fluids, too," he said.
"Celsa! He is right," Myriam nodded when she moved to her side. A weak, spiced cider was placed in front of her now. "Drink that. It will add flavor to what you are eating, and it will nourish you some. What is this? A table for me?"
"We may as well," Izarius nodded when a smaller area was set up for her. When Tyrael appeared with Xavian and Lorath, another table was set for them, but Tyrael was seated with Anaurael. The Nephalem was next to appear, and Izarius moved over to the powerful champion. "Have you eaten? If not, you can sit with Myriam. We are making it seem as though a small feast was interrupted."
"I can have something," the Nephalem nodded. "Oh. Lyndon, Kormac, and Eirena were hoping to come here. Is it possible?"
"As long as they do not go anywhere near Anaurael," Imperius growled. When Imperael moved to stand next to Imperius, the Nephalem's jaw dropped. Imperael was so still that he could have been a statue. At the sight of the three mercenaries, Imperael withdrew his sword to stand ready. Even they were taken by surprise at the size of the angel.
"Brother, all is well," Anaurael chuckled. "You can be at ease for now."
"As you say, sister," he nodded and lowered his sword.
"Where in the blazes did you come from?!" Lyndon gaped.
"My sister Sang with Imperius and called me forth. When I am not guarding the Diamond Gates, I am guarding her. Hmm?" Imperael turned to see Malthael walking up to him. Anu had granted him a solid form for the judgment to be placed, and a low whisper was given. "That demon filth was the one that dared to intrude on our sister's bedchamber?!"
"Brother..." Anaurael sighed.
"I am here now. It will not happen again!" Imperael vowed.
"Good," Imperius nodded. He squeezed her shoulders, and she smiled when she saw her parents arrive with Loremy. The child looked at the large angel and gaped.
"Loremy, this is Imperael. He's also your brother! Imperael, Loremy has been adopted by my parents. He is my brother now. Please treat him with due respect," Anaurael said.
"Of course!" Imperael nodded. "I will see about training him when I can."
"You're big!" Loremy said. Imperael only chuckled and nodded.
"Loremy, it's not polite to stare," Ilerael said sternly. "Behave yourself."
"If you want to eat something, then come with me," Lilaurael said.
"Okay, Mom," he nodded. They were settled on the opposite side of the room to keep them away from the Nephalem, Myriam, and the others that were not of pure angelic blood. As much as Loremy would go with them, Anaurael would forbid it. He was her brother now. The Greed Goblins did give her family slightly better foods than the others. It was done secretly, but her angelic brethren chuckled at this. Malthael walked over to Anaurael and was permitted to squeeze her arm gently to show he was there. She smiled at him and patted his hand in appreciation.
"When are those four supposed to arrive?" Tyrael asked, as he sipped some spiced wine. To answer this, Gurzick appeared to settle near him on the table.
"They will be arriving shortly. They are all currently trying to collect what treasures my minions have been purposely dropping to lead them astray. When they reach the gems I placed, they will come here when they are touched," Greed explained from the crown. "Ah! Here they are now!"
"Are they coming here?" Imperius asked.
"No. There is another room they are to gather in first. Then that room will open to this one with a teleport. It's one of the rooms in that new building that was set up," Greed said.
"Fine," Imperius nodded and kept his hands on Anaurael's shoulders. At the massage he began to give her, it started to relax her. Tyrael chuckled and calmly waited for the others to arrive.
The first girl that appeared in the small chamber was a rather pretty brunette with brown eyes and a slightly plump build from fine living. Her dress was standard and adequate for a common villager. She seemed to blink with shock at where she was. When she looked over at the next one that appeared, she easily recognized the thin, wavy girl with thin blond hair and green eyes.
"Mellony! It has been ages!" the brunette said. "It's been at least a year! At least it seems like that. To me, at least."
"What? Brindle? That's you? You got fat," she chided. "What did you do in the short time we were apart? Eat the entire coop of chickens?"
"Well, you still look like a twig," Mellony huffed. As they were about to argue a bit more, the next girl arrived. She was a brunette with green eyes and a rather robust figure in her casual village dress. She regarded them both with shock and looked around.
"Never thought I'd see you two," she mumbled.
"Cassidy?!" Brindle gaped. "Now I have to wonder if Morena will appear."
"I would hope not, but something tells me that she will," Brindle frowned. Just as she thought, the three of them could only stare with a touch of slight jealousy at the curly blonde-haired, goddess-like figure that appeared now. The other three definitely paled in comparison in looks. Her dress could have rivaled a noble girl's, but she was still a commoner. As much as her parents tried to pass her off as nobility, she was always declined. She definitely made plenty of heads turn, but her taste in men was so high that only nobility could sate her greedy nature. Most of this came from her spoiled living.
"Where is it?!" she snapped. "I saw a gem! I went to get it and it's gone! Wait. What are you three doing here? Oh! Did you take what was mine?!"
"No!" Cassidy scowled at her. "I saw a gem, too. I was nowhere near you. We had all split up after the village attacks. Our families had no choice. I don't know where we are."
"Well, this place looks like it's fit for royalty," Brindle said. Even though the room was sparsely furnished, there were a few Heavenly engravings of gold along the walls.
"If it is, I get to be queen!" Morena said.
"That's if there is royalty here," Mellony smirked.
"Quiet, you!" she scowled. When the door opened in the wall to reveal a portal, they paused in dead silence. "You first, Mellony."
"What?! What do you mean by that? If there's royalty, you want to be queen! You go first!" she retorted. Brindle sighed, shook her head, and went through the portal. The other three were just in shock.
"Oh, no! She is not stealing my royal wedding!" Morena growled and charged after her. The remaining two looked at each other and moved after them. The portal sealed up behind them and left them standing in the center of the Angiris Council chamber. They gaped at the sheer splendor of the room they were in. Morena gave a small wince at the brightness of the room. Then they saw who was seated. And who was standing behind the main table.
"Disgusting," Malthael growled and held his weapons tight. Anaurael looked up from where she was and frowned softly. Tyrael simply smiled and toasted her with his chalice before sipping it.
"You?!" Morena gaped at Anaurael in her finery. As her circlet shimmered in the sunlight that streamed through the window, Imperius was rather glad that the four of them could not see her mark. The lot of them irritated him to no end.
"Yes? Do you have a question?" Anaurael frowned. Imperius glowered with a form of complete distaste. Cassidy actually cringed at the sightless glare. "Do I know you?"
"Well, you should!" Morena said.
"Well, we know you," Ilerael said from where he sat. "Malthael, these four girls said that my wife and I were in league with you. After we took them to safety."
"They had nothing to do with me," Malthael muttered in his low tone to make the girls pale with fright. "I fought my own battles. The four of you should be culled. Just for your mere stupidity."
"I would gladly do the honors!" Imperael said.
"I think I'm done eating," Anaurael sighed. Imperius gathered her up from her chair and held her to him. He would have turned his back on them, but he wanted to prove a point first. When he began to Sing, she started to Sing with him. Imperael had momentarily forgotten about the four in the room. All of them did. When the Song ended, the two of them were lightly applauded.
"I can sing better than her!" Morena bragged.
"Shut up!" Brindle whispered.
"You'll get us killed!" Mellony whimpered.
"For once, I'm siding with them," Cassidy nodded and stepped away from Morena. "You're on your own. I'm done backing you up. We were apart for only a few weeks, if that. I never realized how much better my life was without you in it!"
"What?!" the perfect blonde gasped.
"A shame," Lyndon sighed. "I'd ask her out on a date, but she might bite off my head. And other things. Best to leave that one alone."
"Well, if she bites off something, it would be a vast improvement!" Greed cackled.
"Shut up!" Lyndon scowled.
"Don't throw anything at him," the Nephalem warned. "You might get a sword thrown back at you. Act your age and behave yourself."
"There is no way that she can possibly sing better than what I just heard," Kormac muttered.
"There is no chance," Eirena nodded. "The song I heard was powerful. It held a greatness within it. Am I wrong on this?"
"No. It called me from the Crystal Arch," Imperael nodded.
"Imperius and Anaurael can create something called a Lightsong. It births new angels to fight for the Angelic Host. In under ten minutes, over a hundred angels were called forth by just the two of them alone. Normally, it takes a mass horde of angels to do this with a lot of focus. She is also the same girl that you all teased the last time she sang on Sanctuary," Tyrael said. "I am Tyrael. The leader and founder of the Horadric Order. When Anaurael is on Sanctuary, she is my wife. The four of you were brought here to find out why you teased her so."
"It is a form of sacrilege to us," Itherael said. "I am Itherael, Archangel of Fate. The very one in your literature books. This is the Angiris Council chamber you are in. Auriel? What do you think of them? The sight of them makes me worry."
"Indeed," Auriel nodded. Then she regarded the four girls and said, "When we Sing, we call forth angels to our army. It is a most Holy thing for us. It lets us feel joy and accomplishment when it is done. Anaurael is special. She is a pureblood mortal angel. I am sure that none of you knew. Her parents were angels, too, but they stripped their wings to share the love they had for each other. When you teased her long ago, she refused to Sing her joy. Such a thing is...tragic."
"What?" Morena gaped.
"I could say nothing about my heritage. You all even teased me about my hair. If you could see the mark on my forehead, you would see that it is tied to the life of Imperius," Anaurael said calmly. "He is the one holding me. The Archangel of Valor and leader of the Angiris Council."
"Hush," Imperius muttered. "Waste not your words on them. They are nothing."
"But...we were young then..." Brindle swallowed.
"She is also a Keeper of the Horadric Order," Lorath said when he stood up to stand in front of the main table protectively. Xavian was quick to stand next to him to show his seriousness, too. They wouldn't recognize him from the cloth hood he wore, and that was fine by him. Izarius moved to join him with Darius, Mithus and Azarius.
"A judgment is to be called on the lives of you four," Malthael said. He began to stalk them, and they watched him with a form of helplessness. He clearly saw demons before him. But, it was the main girl that truly caught his attention. She was different. There was something wrong with her. He could feel normal human souls in the other three, but there was something else in Morena that had him wonder.
"It is so sad," Myriam sighed. "None of you regret what happened. The girl had no intention of joining that music contest. She was singing for the simple joy of singing."
"She wasn't going to join?! But...well..." Mellony blinked and faltered.
"You all judged too hastily. You should have asked if she was going to join," Myriam said.
"Who are you?" Morena asked.
"I am Myriam. A Vecin seer and enchantress. The best of the best," Myriam nodded and smiled.
"Oh! Maybe you would know the answer to my question!" Cassidy said.
"Celsa, I would gladly answer it, but not now. Do you not see the danger you all are in? You are all avoiding the current conflict at hand. You stopped her from expressing her joy. Her happiness. The angels here do not bode lightly to it. Convince them to let you all live. Now," Myriam seemed to plead.
"I'll do what I can to make up for this," Brindle said. "I was goaded by Morena to do it."
"You speak truthfully," Myriam nodded.
"I didn't see why we had to go up to her. Morena insisted that we had to," Cassidy said. "I would have gladly tried to sing better than her. I didn't know she wasn't going to join the contest."
"Also truthful," Myriam chuckled. "And you?"
"Me? I guess I just...went with what the others did," Mellony shrugged. "I mean...what else was there to do at the time?"
"Walk away for one," Tyrael muttered. Mellony opened her mouth and shut it at the way Malthael leered at her from within his hooded frame.
"Malthael?" Anaurael called. He turned and moved to her side. "They are not worth getting your weapons dirty over. They are only human."
"I still want to kill them," he growled.
"It's not fair! I should be in her place!" Morena said. At this, Anaurael looked over at her. There was a form of intense sadness in her gaze.
"Imperius, put me down. I must confront her, it seems," Anaurael said.
"No!" he growled and glared at the challenge female. "I am Imperius! Leader of the Angiris Council of the High Heavens! Anaurael is the Light that I was missing! You have no say so!"
"Imperius," she said and pressed her hand to his cheek. "Focus. Listen to me. I am a Keeper of the Horadric Order. I want her to try and remove my necklace."
"Your...oh! You remember what can happen?" Tyrael asked.
"You told me much about how sentient my necklace is and the power it holds when we were together. I do remember the 'Test of the Necklace'. If she can remove it, then she can take my place," Anaurael nodded. Lorath and Xavian were able to hide their grins easily. Imperius was not happy, but he understood where she was going. The necklace chose her and would not give up her position. When Izual appeared to stand next to Imperael, the girls were in even further shock.
"Izual?" Tyrael asked.
"I used to aid you with the Horadrim. I wish to witness this," Izual said.
"Very well," he nodded. Imperius even nodded and set Anaurael down. At her stunning, fully proportioned figure in the stretch velvet gown of gold, Morena was clearly in a jealous fit of rage. Lyndon seemed to purse his lips at the sight of her and looked away quickly.
"I am not noble. I am not royal. But, I am treated as such. It is too much for me. Remove my necklace, if you can. I won't even stop you," Anaurael said and stood in front of the girl. She leaned forward to grab it. Then she screamed, as the necklace jolted her with intense pain. "The necklace chose me to wear it. Now that you have willingly caused me harm, it is only fitting that you do a punishment based on my ruling as a Keeper. If you fight it, death is your only resort."
"You forced me!" Morena whimpered. Malthael was now intrigued. The necklace was charged with Holy magic and Arcane magic. She got wounded by the Holy part. Something wasn't adding up.
"I did no such thing. You willingly tried to grab it. You could have turned and walked away," Anaurael shrugged lightly. "You chose your fate."
When the girl gained a murderous look in her eyes, Imperius calmly gathered up Anaurael and placed her right over his massive shoulder to rest there. Then he called forth Solarion.
"Imperius, allow me the honor to cull the demon filth!" Imperael said. Morena's jaw dropped. It was as though some horrid secret was suddenly called out, and Malthael now put the pieces together about her.
"Hmm. I see now," Malthael mused. "You are not human. Are you?"
"What do you mean?!" Morena suddenly said defensively.
"Malthael?" Tyrael asked and rose up from his seat with El'druin in his hand now. Itherael looked at Auriel, and he brought forth Talus'ar to search through quickly. At what he found out shocked him, and he moved right in front of Anaurael to protect her.
"Get those three girls to safety! They are innocent! Hurry!" Myriam urged. The Nephalem was quick to get between them, and Kormac was ready with Eirena. Lyndon had out his Manticore, and it was ready to fire. Greed was now confused, but he watched through Gurzick.
"You hid yourself well," Malthael mused. "Take Anaurael from here. Now."
"Come with me, sister," Izarius said. Imperius gave her over gently and let her get teleported out to the safety of her chambers. Then he turned to quickly glare at the girl.
"What are you?" Lyndon growled out.
"Attack me and find out!" Morena scowled, as her humanity melted away to reveal her true succubus form. The three girls were in shock.
"Loremy, go with Darius!" Ilerael hissed. The angel was quick to gather up the shocked child to take him to Anaurael's room. Lilaurael had her bow out and was expertly firing her arrows with a fluid motion. Malthael had severed the wings to keep her from flying. Ilerael had lopped off an arm when Imperael skewered her to the diamond paneled ground. Izual was getting ready to freeze her with Azurewrath, but it was the killing blow from Solarion that did the demoness in. Auriel and Itherael were able to remove the corpse from their chamber quickly to get it out of their sight.
"How was she a demon?!" Lilaurael asked.
"I don't know. Now I'm worried. If her family were also demons..." Ilerael swallowed. "It makes sense, too. It was always her family that was against us. As if they knew..."
"We need to find them and kill them!" Lilaurael urged.
"Hmm. I can find out if they are demons or not. Now that I know what type she was, it will be easy. Give me ten minutes," Greed said. Several Greed Goblins vanished to search. The three girls left were in a state of shock at what they witnessed.
"The three of you were controlled by her. A succubus. You didn't know, did you?" Tyrael asked. At the shakes of their heads, he sighed. "How did she find you?"
"She was born in the village. Supposedly," Cassidy said. "It was a couple years before Isaiah and Lily appeared. Well...whatever their names are now. She didn't like them. She said that something was wrong with them. Even her family advised all to stay away from them. But, we sort of ignored them when they proved to be successful farmers. It was when the attacks happened that we all sort of...believed them again..."
"They are also demons. It would make sense as to why she engaged Anaurael in her Song," Malthael growled out. "I am going hunting."
"What do you mean?" Tyrael asked.
"I know where they live. I know, because I had marked where Anaurael was from before," Malthael explained lightly. "I shall hunt them and kill them."
"They had moved, though," Brindle said. "After the attacks, they said it was best to abandon the town. Many didn't, but they did. They just...up and left."
"Then they returned," Greed snorted. "The place is lived in again."
"I'll be right back," Malthael muttered and vanished. Imperius didn't bother to stop him. He had already gone to check on Anaurael. Myriam just sighed and seemed to shrug. Then she mused and looked over at Cassidy to gesture to her.
"You had a question for me?" she smiled. Cassidy gave a small smile back.
"First," Tyrael said. "the three of them still need to be punished. I want them to do some work for the Horadric Order. From mild cooking and cleaning, to healing assistance."
"I..." Mellony gaped, but she fell silent. "Of course."
"I'll do it," Brindle said.
"Will our families know?" Cassidy asked.
"Yes. They will be informed," Lorath nodded. Now that they were finishing this up, Malthael was on the hunt. Anu wanted the demon family dead. He was going to personally deliver the death warrant and serve it up in full.