Chapter 6

He'd named her Tama. Michael's fox visitor had returned every day, like clockwork, when he was meditating outside—as if she was sensing that he felt more alone than he ever had.

Her confidence grew every day. Today she sat barely six feet from Michael, ears pricked, always ready to flee but staying put nonetheless. He hadn't noticed the first time he'd seen her, but her front legs were unusually colored for a red fox: one black and one white.

Realizing she was looking more relaxed than before, he allowed himself a small smile and took comfort in the presence near him as he closed his eyes and focused his mind.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there but a noise captured his attention and he opened his eyes to see Tama backing away, her stance indicating there was danger ahead. She sniffed the air one last time then turned on her heels and scurried away on nimble paws.

Michael listened and trained his eyes to the unseen danger Tama had warned him about. He swiftly moved into an upright position, his body alert, ready to face what was ahead. Not an angel—he'd know if one of his kind was approaching.

It was the familiar silhouette of a man coming into view, climbing up the rounded rocks that opened onto the plateau Michael was standing on.

The two men stood face to face for a long moment, three yards apart, scrutinizing each other.

"Alex," Michael finally said, no trace of surprise in his voice—as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence that Alex was seeking out the archangel in this most secluded place, in the middle of nowhere.

Alex let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Shoulda known it was about you."

"How did you find me?"

"How do you think?"

"The markings," Michael said knowingly.

"Yeah," Alex confirmed wearily, "the markings. Imagine that."

"What did they say?"

"What do they ever say? A cryptic message, a vision of a rock structure—this rock structure. How do you think I found you way out here, 800 miles east of Vega?"

Alex let his backpack slide from his shoulders and took a swig of the water from the bottle he'd been carrying. Then he sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow. Michael gracefully sat down beside him, keeping a respectful distance.

Alex stared into the distance, across the barren plains that were mottled with drying tussocks of buffalo grass. He lifted his palms upwards. "So now what? Obviously I'm supposed to accomplish something here."

Michael's gaze upon him was inscrutable. "You tell me."

"Let's start with why you're here."

"Seemed like an apt place to live out my sentence."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Sentence?"

"Yes. What I did didn't go unnoticed. Punishment was swift. It's our way, and I accepted it."

"And your punishment was…?"

"A loss of something I had begun to take for granted and shouldn't have."

"And you being punished, that somehow makes it okay?" Alex asked.

"Okay? No. None of what I did could ever be called okay. I made a grave error in judgment, reacted reprehensibly. Not only did I take unnecessary lives, I also made the biggest mistake of all."

Michael fell silent and Alex waited for him to elaborate, which he didn't. "And what mistake was that?" he asked the archangel.

"I failed you."

Alex contemplated these words. He'd been over the scene in the lab in his head a hundred times. He hadn't come any closer to making sense of it. Perhaps that was the problem. There wasn't any sense to be made of it. Archangels were allowed to make mistakes, drastic as the consequences had been.

"I trusted you," Alex finally said. "We all trusted you."

There was remorse and guilt in Michael's low voice. "I know. And please believe me when I say that I would give anything to undo what I did."

Alex turned his head to look at Michael. "I'm not sure that that's going to be enough. But maybe it'll have to be."

"Perhaps I don't deserve whatever forgiveness you have to offer."

Alex lowered his head, rubbing the knuckle of his thumb in his lap before he looked back up to meet Michael's gaze. "'Your rise is my redemption, Alex. Don't let me down.' That's what you said to me at the waterpark. And you know what? Somehow it's starting to make sense now, and I didn't see it before. We do need you."

"After everything, what could you possibly need my help with?"

"We need you back in Vega. Things have gone from bad to worse. We need someone to pull the city back together."

"And what makes you think that someone is me?"

"The vision I had. This will sound crazy, but I was led here by a fox."

"A fox, you say?"

"Yes, a red fox. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Did it have differently colored front legs?"

"Yes, one black and one white. Why?"

"Curious," Michael just said. "Did you see anything else?"

"The tattoos, there was another message. 'Guide the way for those who have lost their path.'" Alex let his arms sweep across the vast landscape stretching out in front of them. "Three guesses on that one."

"Alex, you saw with your own eyes what I did. The people in Vega know that I killed one of their consuls in what they will only see as a fit of murderous rage. I am no longer welcome there."

"I think you may be underestimating the power of the Senate. Yes, the ruling class of Vega knows that you killed Consul Thorn, but they made sure this information was contained to only the highest ranks. The public only knows that you have left the city, that one of Vega's senators was killed in the aftermath of Gabriel's escape, and that General Riesen and William Whele are no longer in Vega."

Michael's expression was filled with astonishment. "William is gone from the city?"

"Yeah. He was exposed as the leader of the Black Acolytes. No one knows where he is but there's rumors that David Whele had a hand in his disappearance."

"That's not entirely unexpected," Michael commented dryly.

"Speaking of acolytes… What about Gabriel? Is he dead?"

"No," Michael said without elaborating.

"Then where is he?"

"In a safe place where his fate is yet to be decided."

Alex briefly frowned. "So he may still come back?"

Michael stayed silent for a long moment, then said, "He will, if that is his destiny."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, you gather your strength and rebuild your defenses. There is still a chance that humanity will prevail."

"Does that mean you will no longer help us?"

"I haven't decided yet," Michael told Alex.

Alex got up from his sitting position, stepping closer to Michael. "And who says that you get to make that decision?"

Michael fixed Alex with a level stare. "Are you suggesting that the markings give you the power to hold command over me?"

"No," Alex said carefully, "but the vision that guided me here, the last message I deciphered—it has to mean something, right?"

"It could mean any number of things. From what you said, it could mean that William is the person you're asked to guide."

"Yeah, but William isn't the one I found here on this slab of rock now, is he? Michael, come back with me to the city. I'll meet with Claire, there will be a way to fix this. Maybe it's time we revealed my identity to the Senate."

Michael seemed to contemplate the suggestion while Alex took yet a step closer so that his shadow fell on Michael. "You said you believed in me. And for the last few weeks, you told me to trust you. And I have, sometimes against my better judgment. Perhaps now it's time that you trusted me, Michael."

"I do believe in you," Michael affirmed. "And I do trust you."

"Then come back with me to Vega."

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?"

Alex let out a chuckle. "How can I ever be sure? But my gut feeling has gotten me this far and that's what I'm willing to go with. You know, Noma called it divine intuition. I don't know if I'd go as far as calling it that, but at the very least it's a sign that I'm not going to ignore."

Michael finally got up from his sitting position. "Very well," he said simply.

"So you're coming with me?"

"Yes."

"Yes? That's it?"

Michael already started climbing down the rocks. "Is that not what you wanted?"

Alex started following him, mumbling, "Man, you're a real piece of work."