"Lasciel, do you actually expect me to join this "Circle" of yours?" Nicodemus asked as they lounged on pillows in his huge Tokyo penthouse. Despite the Denarian's tendency to make racist comments about the Japanese, he actually adored their elegant lifestyle and the sprawling megalopolis that was their capital city. "When my wife Tessa learned what they were planning she came running back to me with her tail between her legs, begging for forgiveness. These new allies of yours are insane."

"My old friend, I could not agree with you more," Lasciel replied using Elaine's voice. This meeting was far too delicate to be conducted by a human being only in her thirties, so the ancient Fallen Angel had taken control of her host's body until they were both out of danger. "And that is precisely the reason Namshiel and I have joined them. If the situation spirals out of control—and we both fear that it will—then we shall be in the perfect position to seize control of their organization."

Nicodemus smiled. "So that was Namshiel's game all along: a coup. I was just wondering how he convinced someone of your intelligence to take part in such a reckless gambit."

"The Circle's methods may be too extreme, but their goals are quite admirable," Lasciel remarked.

"You always were a romantic, and I suppose having such a young host has only made you more so. Is it true that she was raised alongside of the wizard Harry Dresden?" Nicodemus asked as he rubbed the fresh scar around his neck.

Lasciel gestured towards a collection of antique swords hanging on the wall, and used her Hellfire to burn her personal signet into each one of the priceless blades. It was a display of magical dexterity which none of the current Denarians could hope to match, not even Namshiel or Tessa. "Do not play games with my host. With her strength and my experience we are more than a match for you in single combat."

"I stopped believing in fair fights a long time ago," Nicodemus said as a sliding door opened to reveal ten of the remaining Denarians, who had been waiting in the next room. Even though Elaine had accepted a coin, none of them were happy to see a woman who was known to be an ally of both Dresden and the Archive.

"Lasciel, they are going to kill us," a frightened Elaine said mentally to her Fallen Angel.

"Calm down. This is just a bit of political theater Nicodemus is providing for his followers. He fully intends to take the deal, even if the others object to it."

"But he must know that you are setting a trap for him."

"Of course he does, my child," Lasciel replied. "However he wants to join the Circle, and is planning on using us to gain access to its leaders. Neither of us is being honest with the other, but that is to be expected when you are dealing with a fellow Denarian."

"What do you all think of her offer?" Nicodemus asked his lackeys. The mental conversation between Elaine and Lasciel had taken only a second, and the others hadn't noticed a thing.

"How can you be so certain that the Circle has successfully infiltrated the White Council?" one of the Denarians asked. "We have attempted to do that for well over a thousand years without any meaningful success."

"The Circle didn't have to infiltrate the White Council because it was founded by wizards who were already members of the Council," Lasciel explained. "They have been plotting for over sixty years to take control without any bloodshed, and this past month they finally accomplished that goal."

That bit of intelligence got everyone's undivided attention. "Are you telling us that a majority of the Senior Council are actually members of the Circle?"

"Yes, I am," Lasciel said. "The Red Court Vampires have been exterminated, the Sidhe of Winter are in a state of upheaval, and the White Council is finally under their control. The Circle is now the preeminent supernatural power both here on Earth and in Nevernever. If the Order of the Blackened Denarius stands united once again, we can push these presumptuous wizards aside and assume control over that they have created."

"There is no possibility that greedy fools will refuse the bait now," Elaine's host mentally purred.

"The Circle obviously wants something of value from us, or they wouldn't have made this offer," Nicodemus pointed out. "Especially after Tessa turned them down once already."

"That is true. The price they are demanding before you are allowed to join is one of the three Holy Swords."

This statement made many of the Denarians very nervous. They would have to come out from behind their impressive wards if they wanted to attract the attention of the Knights of the Cross. And if they came out of hiding then there was a chance they would have to face the Archive in battle again. The girl had Nicodemus and the others so terrified that they even refused to speak her name aloud. One would think that after thousands of years of life the Fallen Angels would be ready to face death without fear, but that wasn't the case at all.

"This task shouldn't be too difficult," Lasciel added. "I saw the three Knights in São Paulo this past September, and none of them impressed me. Sanya is the only one we have to worry about, and since the Russian is a former Denarian we are all aware of his strengths and weaknesses."

"Does the Circle have any idea where the Knights of the Cross are right now?' Nicodemus asked. "I don't fancy the idea of having to chase them around the world."

"All three have been based in Chicago for the last two or three months, so it should be possible to catch at least one of them there."

As if by some divine coincidence it was that exact moment when the doors to penthouse's private elevator opened. Inside were all three of the Knights of the Cross dressed in very modern armor. The twelve Denarians were experienced warriors, but this was too much of a shock even for them. They froze for a second, and a second was all the youngest and least experienced of the Knights needed. With a barely audible pop Neville Longbottom apparated to a spot on the far side of the room behind one of the Denarians. Then with a single stroke of his sword Amoracchius he cut the Fallen Angel's host clean in half.

Nicodemus knew instantly what he was facing and how to counter the threat. However by the time he had shouted "Raise a ward!" Neville had apparated to another spot in the room, and finished off a second opponent with another stroke.

Sanya and Karrin Murphy were also doing their part as the penthouse erupted into chaos. With the element of surprise still on their side they each managed to bring down a Denarian with their swords Esperacchius and Fidelacchius. Neville got in one last apparition before Lasciel cast a perfect ward over the entire thirty-story apartment building which blocked all forms of magical travel. His third target put up more of a fight, but again his ancient broadsword proved its worth.

Despite having lost five of his soldiers in less than five seconds Nicodemus refused to panic. He knew Hellfire and magic would be totally useless against these Holy Swords, so hand-to-hand combat was their only option. "Shape-shift and use the limited space to our advantage!" he shouted in Ancient Greek.

In an instant five of the Denarian's human hosts morphed into a mixture of demonic monsters, each one more repulsive than the last. One or two of them might have weighed close to ton, and their size quickly placed Sanya and Neville on the defensive. But Murphy was another story. It had been centuries since the Denarians had faced a female Knight, and none of those other women had a fraction of the former police detective's martial arts training. With her small stature she was able to outmaneuver the demons, and their claws could do nothing to stop Fidelacchius' slashing attacks.

"I think we should leave," Elaine told Lasciel. "Right now."

"I agree with you my child. Our mission here is complete," the Fallen Angel replied as she used a blast of Hellfire to destroy one of the huge windows overlooking Tokyo Bay. Lasciel then shaped-shifted into her demonic form: a harpy with a huge wings instead of arms and razor-sharp talons instead of legs.

However a moment before she leapt into the night sky a scream caught her attention. Ordiel had just bitten through Neville's kevlar-and-steel armor, and ripped away an impressive chunk of flesh from the boy's side. In retaliation the wizard drew his wand and blew a hole in his attacker's chest by casting a Reducto Curse at point-blank range. Murphy made it to his side just in time to stop another Denarian from finishing him off. Neville tried to curse this new demon, but it brushed aside his magic like it was an annoying bug.

"Perhaps we can spare a minute or two to see how this little skirmish turns out? We might be able to claim one of the Holy Swords for ourselves while Nicodemus is busy. A prize like that would greatly enhance our status within the Circle."

"Fine, but I am not fighting the Knights of the Cross," Elaine snapped. "Harry would never forgive me if I killed his precious police officer."

While Murphy was trying to protect Neville, Sanya was using his sabre Esperacchius against two of the larger Denarians. He was barely holding his own, which allowed Nicodemus to approach him from behind and drive an antique Japanese wakizashi right into his back. Somehow the Russian was able to ignore the pain just long enough to decapitate both of demons in front of him before falling to the ground.

"That sword stroke was a thing of beauty," an impressed Nicodemus remarked as he watched the bloody heads of his two followers roll across the floor. "It seems you haven't forgotten everything we taught you during our time together."

"In all the years I held one of your coins I learned only one lesson of value," Sanya said as blood started flowing from his mouth. "And that was that every single member of the Order of the Blackened Denarius deserves to be slaughtered like the filthy animals that you are."

"That's not a very Christian thing to say, now is it?" Nicodemus asked with a smirk as he cleaned the blood off his wakizashi. "What would your exalted Master do if he heard that kind of talk from one of his Knights of the Cross?"

"He would send me."

Murphy, Neville, Sanya, Nicodemus, and Lasciel all turned to look at the new arrival. The man wasn't tall or muscular or handsome, but something in his regal bearing allowed him to completely dominate the large penthouse. He was also causally holding two of the wounded Denarians by the neck. They were desperately trying to escape from his grasp, but failing miserably.

"Hello Michael," Sanya said as more blood ran down his chin. "It was been a long time since Malta, hasn't it?"

"These are troubling times, even for the Angels of the Almighty."

"Is that really the Archangel Michael?" a shocked Elaine asked.

"Yes, it is," Lasciel replied through their mental connection. "It's never a good sign when the Prince of Heaven descends to Earth."

"I imagine it's a waste of time trying to fly away from an angel?"

"If Michael wants to kill us there is absolutely nothing we or anyone else can do to stop him," Lasciel explained to her host in a resigned voice. "Nothing at all."

Nicodemus didn't seem to share his fellow Denarian's opinion, and his magical shadow slowly began to move towards the Archangel. Michael wasn't even looking at the floor, but he still managed to destroy the creäture with nothing more than a soft tap of his foot. The loss of his shadow caused Nicodemus to drop to his knees and scream out in pain.

"Anduriel, I defeated your wretched master and cast his broken body down into the Pit of Hell. Do you honestly believe I could be bested by a cowering slave like you?" Michael asked. Then with a simple twist of his wrists he broke the necks of the two captive Denarians.

Nicodemus slowly got to his feet, and when he spoke it was with the voice of his Fallen Angel Anduriel. "Kill me if you must, but don't expect me to listen to anymore of your self-righteous drivel. I refused to obey a fool like you back then, and I still refuse to now."

Michael gestured with his hand, and all ten of the Denarian corpses vanished along with their coins. "I have come here tonight with a warning for you: as of this moment the last seven Denarians are bound to your current hosts. The coins will no longer allow you to ensnare a new mortal, so when your host dies so shall you."

"Changing the ground rules of our sick little game after all these years?" Nicodemus sneered. "What brought this about?"

"Lasciel, take him and go," Michael commanded. "Your immortal souls will face judgment soon enough. But not tonight."

Nicodemus reluctantly climbed on the harpy's back. Even with the extra weight Lasciel had no problem soaring into the night sky, and the pair quickly disappeared from sight. The Archangel then walked over to Neville, who was lying in a large pool of his own blood. Murphy was holding his head in her arms trying to comfort him, since it was clear to her that the boy was about to die.

"Why did you let those two bastards go?" she asked.

"When you were an officer of the law did you simply execute every criminal you came across on the street?"

"No, it would have been a violation of my oath of office," Murphy admitted. "Please tell me you can save him."

"Not directly, but I can teach him to magically heal himself," Michael explained. "Take out your wand Neville Longbottom, and then concentrate on the wound in your side."

The wizard was so pale and weak that even holding his wand was a struggle. "I was never any good at healing spells. I was never really good at anything but Herbology."

"Shut up rookie, you were brilliant today," Murphy said as she continued to hold him upright. "It was only your second time in the field as a Knight, but you managed to take out four of those things. I only got one."

"I have seen a great many Knights in my time, and I must agree your friend: you have a tremendous amount of potential," Michael said as he gently placed his hand on the boy's forehead. "Now concentrate as hard as you can on that wound."

Neville's wand started to glow as he automatically recited several words in Latin. The spell quickly took effect, and his whole body began to shake uncontrollably. After only a few seconds of these convulsions he finally lost consciousness. When Murphy wiped away the blood from his side she found that the large bite had been completely healed.

"That's incredible!"

"It is also very painful and magically exhausting—even for a wizard as powerful as young Neville," Michael explained. "When the boy wakes up tell him that healing spell is only to be used in the direst of circumstances."

"I don't suppose you have any magic tricks up your sleeve to help me?" a smiling Sanya asked. He looked even worse than Neville had a few seconds ago.

"No," Michael said in a tender voice full of compassion. "I am afraid that it is your time."

"I still don't believe in Heaven or Hell. And to be perfectly honest, I still don't believe that you are really an angel."

"That is alright," the Archangel said as he effortlessly gathered the huge Russian Knight in his arms. "Because I have always believed in you."

By now Karrin Murphy was seconds away from losing it, but somehow she managed to hold back the tears. "I really hate myself for asking this question, but what are you going to do with Esperacchius?"

Michael nodded, and the sword in question disappeared from Sanya's hand. "You have my word that a new Knight will take up Esperacchius, but I am afraid you and Neville will be on your own for a time."

"I sure they will find a way to keep themselves busy," Sanya said in a very weak voice.

Despite the awful situation Murphy couldn't help but laugh. "A vow of celibacy is a bit much to ask of the Knights of the Cross, isn't it?"

"I never lasted for more than a week myself, and even that saint Michael Carpenter has seven children," Sanya pointed out before coughing up yet more blood. "Take care of Neville. I just know in my bones that there is something very special about him."

"That is more true that you can possible know," the Archangel added cryptically.

Murphy knew she was being a fool as she looked down at her fellow Knight. At thirty-nine she had no business falling for a teenage boy, no matter how remarkable he was. She looked up to say her final goodbye to Sanya, but he and Michael had already vanished.