Colour-Sergeant Bourne had been courteously invited to meet with Matthias in a small house in London. The meeting was fixed for midnight, local time, when Matthias and Bourne were both off-duty. Bourne had gone to some lengths to assure he would not be missed at the Garrison. There were those who would be unhappy to know that he had sought this meeting. Matthias had covered the situation by sending a formal request for Bourne's presence. No Garrison officer was going to refuse such a thinly veiled command from one of Gabriel's servants.
Bourne sensed that there was one other in the house. A human, a very bright and pure soul, asleep upstairs; the wife who one day would be an angel, probably working for Raphael or Gabriel. Matthias himself was an interesting fellow. He presented himself as a human of perhaps forty years, casually dressed, comfortable but not wealthy.
Bourne suspected that Matthias' simplicity concealed a great deal of power. He had decided to approach the Angel as a superior officer in an allied army. Matthias received him with all respect, but still there was that aura about him. Bourne rather thought that Gabriel was listening in.
Matthias offered tea. Bourne accepted and transmitted Slingby's request for another tin to replace the one given to Medical. Matthias retrieved an unopened tin from the kitchen and presented it graciously, along with a slice of rich and fragrant fruitcake. Both sipped their tea and sighed in enjoyment. Matthias' wife Marianne was a notable baker. Not even an angel could escape developing a respectable embonpoint in Marianne's home.
"How did Captain Elihu handle being dragged across a Reaper threshold by an overenthusiastic Seraph?" asked Matthias.
"He's learned to avoid a stupid order, sir. Problem is, we're going to lose him soon. General Artois needs to plug a hole in his staff. It's a good promotion. Elihu's ready for it. But Jaftael will inherit the Garrison."
"Not a good thing?"
"Does his best at tasks he understands, and will run the Garrison smoothly, sir. But he does not concern himself with the Reapers of London."
"It's your job to teach him. You poor sod. Any hope?"
"One time Artois met with Spears in London. Their party was attacked by Demons. Jaftael and his entire escort group grabbed Artois and swept him off to safety. They left the Reapers completely unprotected to deal with the Ravening."
"Really."
"Yes, sir. And the Reapers saw nothing odd in that abandonment. A few Angels returned, but only a few, and were not needed. The Reapers defended themselves, ran the Demons off, and went on with their daily routine. Being human in origin, they've adapted to our absence. In the process, they have become a formidable force and a double-edged sword. Far better for Jaftael to go to war and leave Elihu in London. If Humphries is right about the next catastrophe, Jaftael is not the person to deal with it. Have you any idea of what will happen?"
"Raphael's crew recorded an outbreak of disease at two troop centers this last winter. High death rate, very contagious. Fortunately, the camps' populations were static while the disease ran its course. I'd say that if it pops up in a camp that's moving troops to war, it will spread ferociously. What worries me is that Humphries did not report it to us."
"Sir, he may well have tried. All the proper channels are now staffed by Jaftael's subordinates. D'you see the problem? If Humphries announced the heat death of the universe, Jaftael would pay no attention. Elihu could find people to assume Jaftael's management duties well, but Jaftael could not and would not assume all of Elihu's. He'd simply not see the need."
"Jaftael has been promoted beyond his level of competence. Or he has been suborned. Have you spoken to Uriel?"
"All channels are controlled by Jaftael. In any case I may not go over my superior's head. By speaking to you I am taking a Garrison problem out of the Garrison and placing my existence in your hands."
"Your opinion, Color-Sergeant; is Jaftael unteachable? Can he be bribed?"
"Unteachable, probably. Bribable, no. Persuadable if one plays to the views he already holds. One might describe him as diligent but limited, in a position unsuited to his talents."
"The relations between London's Angels and Reapers used to be exemplary."
"Those Angels have been called to war, sir. Their replacements are not encouraged to befriend their Reapers, or indeed to protect them. I'm doing my best with them but they're conflicted between Jaftael's philosophy and Elihu's. There is still some interaction at the Reaper bar where Humphries welcomes all on Thursday nights. It's known that Jaftael frowns upon such fraternization. Elihu supports it but will not openly confront Jaftael."
Matthias crossed his arms. "Once before, a Reaper Administrator got a Garrison Commander dismissed. But in this case, I think it important that we Angels fix our own problems. You are correct. Jaftael should be transferred into a position that will utilize the talents he has. Elihu should be promoted to Colonel of the London Garrison if he is ready to hold that office, which in any case should not be held jointly. Humphries should have direct contact with someone who knows his worth. Let us consider how best to achieve these aims without offending Azrael."
"If I may make a suggestion, sir? Work through Uriel. Azrael is too busy with the battlefields to care about a Garrison serving a civilian population."
"Very wise, Color-Sergeant. Uriel will have made an indelible impression upon Sandriel by now. He may welcome the opportunity to shake out your Garrison."
"Another problem I think I must mention, sir, if you are not already aware of it. Slingby fears we will take revenge on his partner for forcing us to provide a cure which should have been available long ago. Can you protect him from that? I would happily tell him that they are safe, but only if I know that what I say is true."
Matthias said softly, "And what did he promise you if we did such a shameful thing?"
Bourne looked at Matthias steadily. "War."
"Yes." Matthias glowed a little brighter. Gabriel was now definitely part of this conversation. "The final effect of years of neglect. One Reaper in rebellion, which could spread faster than that new disease will spread. Azrael losing control of his Harvesters, who have become warriors in self-defense. Rather like your Jaftael in some ways. It's time he started paying some attention to his red-handed stepchildren."
"It is a question of Balance, sir. The Reapers cannot win, but in losing they could bring down the Realms. Especially if they believe that their only escape from eternal torment is the destruction of all the Realms."
"The fact that Slingby believes we would repay Humphries with betrayal is telling. Can you give me a moment, Color-Sergeant?"
Bourne sat back and gazed into the bottom of his teacup. Matthias shut his eyes and glowed gently. After a few minutes the glow faded.
"As for the tea I gave Humphries, Sandriel is working on a bulk delivery. It should be ready next week. Raphael himself will lay a blessing on it, and he'll have all his Angels do the same. I think Sandriel and Captain Elihu should deliver it, don't you? As part of that second apology. To Humphries, at the hospice, in the sight of anyone who has an interest."
"Have you any word on the cure, sir?"
"Officially, no. Unofficially, Rafael is angrier than he has ever been since Lucifer walked out. It takes a great deal to irritate Rafael, and nobody's used to him being outraged. Half his host is frantically tracing that curse while the other half works just as hard on unraveling it. Azrael is ranting that the curse is a breach of the Treaties that hold the Realms in Balance. He could be right. He wants Gabriel to seek reparations and binding agreements. Michael is keeping them all apart while trying to pinpoint who screwed up. Uriel is keeping his head down. Which indicates he'd welcome a visit to such a relatively peaceful spot as London."
"What arrangements should I make for his visit, sir?"
"None. Uriel will want to arrive unexpectedly. We must consider the best destination for Jaftael. Artois will know of a bureaucratic post with no Reapers attached, where Jaftael will flourish. A little shuffling may be required. Expect a great deal of shuffling in your Garrison. Go home and wait for orders."
Official Notification
Greetings, Major Jaftael. We are pleased to inform you of your promotion and transfer to the staff of General Artois in France. He has great need for an officer with your particular skills. You will join Colonel Fournier at the Paris Garrison, there to be briefed on your new duties. From there you will be sent to a severely understaffed staging base for reserve forces headed for battlefield Garrisons.
Take your best people with you, all of them. Enclosed is a list of those we know of. Please check and adjust it now so that we may begin arrangements and assignments. It is vital that the Base be fully staffed as soon as possible. We expect that one of your talents will have the base running efficiently within the next two weeks...
Official Notification
Greetings, Lieutenant Atzel. We are pleased to inform you of your promotion and transfer to the staff of Major Jaftael in France. He and your coworkers will be assuming the command of a large staging area in desperate need of organization.
We require you to remain in London to train their replacements. As soon as they are confident in their duties, you will join your team in France…
Official Notification
Greetings, Major Elihu. We are pleased to inform you of your promotion to Commander of the London Garrison. As Major Jaftael is leaving for France, along with his personal staff, we charge you to promote capable officers into their London positions…
UnOfficial Notification to the London Commander
Yes. We've dropped you into the soup. Nevertheless we are confident that you are equal to the challenge. Without a co-commander to countermand your efforts, you should be able to streamline Garrison management significantly.
It is vital that good relations with your Reapers be re-established at once. We've removed most of the obstructions, but have left Lieutenant Atzel in place to instruct you on the functions of Jaftael's office. Fill the empty desks with Angels who see the Reapers as allies. Ensure that Atzel trains all these replacements in their duties, then send him to join Jaftael in France. If we missed anyone troublesome, use your new rank to transfer him to Jaftael. Quite possibly you may find that these duties can be condensed and a few of the Angels freed to other jobs…
Do not let your aides screen the Reapers' calls…
Make peace with Humphries. If you cannot be comfortable with him, or he with you, assign him a pleasant contact who will listen to him. Any information he sees fit to give us must be treated as vitally important and relayed to me at once by one of the messengers I will leave in the Garrison.
Your Color-Sergeant is friendly with Slingby, who potentially is as valuable as Humphries and far more dangerous. This relationship is to be encouraged. See if you can get Reapers to trust a few more of your Angels. If that means letting your rookies hang out in a Reaper bar one night a week, then have your sergeants keep an eye on them and call it a Learning Experience…
We understand that this is a huge job, but your youngsters must be trained to protect and value their Reapers. We are sending some instructors to help…
...and for Heaven's sake, listen to Bourne.
Uriel, Archangel