Returning back to the city of angels Azrael was carried to his room.
"How did this happen? I saw her she was still Unpledged how did she even have the power to do this in the underworld?"
Michael seemed beside himself.
"Her angelfire is far stronger then any ive ever seen."
Raphael marveled.
"Summon selaphiel and Raguel we will need their help to heal him."
Uriel left to do as he said.
While we waited for the others Michael began pacing the room worry in his eyes. Raphael looked to me confused at Michaels reaction.
"Michael he will be alright."
Michael spun to face him despair in his voice.
"Does he look alright! She is a mere fledgling yet she already has the power to take down one of us single handedly. She's developing too fast faster then I had anticipated."
He turned staring down at Azrael.
"I am sorry brother I thought I had more time."
I looked to Raphael unsure of what was going on he shrugged showing he was just as confused.
"Michael what are you talking about?"
Michael spun at the sound of my voice.
"Look at him it's all my fault this was not meant to happen, I needed more time!"
I grabbed his shoulders trying to calm him.
"What aren't you telling us?"
He shook his head refusing to answer.
I was about to demand answers when the door opened as uriel returned with two angels entering the room behind him. Both females selaphiel had blonde hair with streaks of black beautiful beyond measure with an ego to match her wings white with a tint of blue. Raguel had short black hair her body all toned muscle her wings gunmetal grey.
Selaphiel took charge of the healing immediately
"Right quickly we must surround him and combine our power."
"First we heal Azrael then I will have answers Michael one way or another."
Looking at Michael one last time I did as Selaphiel had asked. when I came to healing one of our own her ego was well placed.
She pulled Azraels shirt down and traced an angelic rune of healing on his chest. Once done she stepped back to complete the circle. Together we gathered our power all our wings glowing as our strength joined as one covering Azraels body with light. All the burns on his body began to heal as the skin reformed. The whole process took longer then usual but finally the last of his wounds were gone.
Azrael now slept soundly as we all left his room. Closing the door Raguel turned on Michael Raphael and me.
"What in heavens name happened?!"
"Be quite Raguel Azrael needs sleep we will continue this elsewhere."
Moments later we were in the seers room the door had barely been closed when Raguel continued
"Well explain yourselves what the fuck is going on?"
Both of them knew about the prophecy but had been away for years til just recently, so they didn't know about Reece or any of what's been happening.
"One of you better answer or help me I'll beat it out of you."
Michael still remained silent a haunted look in his eyes.
I sighed in frustration grabbing Michael by the shirt.
"Yes Michael explain what the fuck is going on why is all this your fault?"
He scowled at me still refusing to answer.
"ENOUGH!!"
Selaphiel screamed massaging her head
"For heavens sakes your both acting like fledglings. Raphael maybe you can be the one to explain since these two refuse to answer."
Raphael looked to Michael uneasy not wanting to anger him or betray his loyalty to him.
"All I know is Gabriel and Sariel had a child together. Michael wanted her dead before she could become the one in the prophecy. He ordered Dantalis and Camdahar to go to earth and kill her once she changed."
Raguel slapped Michael on the back of the head
"Your an idiot."
I couldn't help myself I chuckled, quick as lighting she turned and did the same to me.
"Your an idiot too."
I rubbed my head god she had some strength in her.
Selaphiel ignored the exchange
"Go on Raphael where is Dantalis now."
Raphael hesitated the females were sworn sisters and packed a mean punch.
"He's in the underworld."
"What?! Why's he there?!"
Exclaimed Raguel
I looked to Michael
"Because he stripped him of his oath as punishment for not killing Reece and to punish Reece for what she did to Azrael."
"Why would it matter to Reece If Dantalis has been stripped of his oath?"
"Because he is her mate and now that he is not tied with heaven the demon Soneillon has taken over."
Uriel who had been quite til now explained.
Raguel throw up her hands in frustration
"All four of you are idiots. You two for doing nothing to stop this madness and you Gabriel for not coming to us sooner."
She turned to Michael last
"And you your the biggest idiot of all do you not realise that in trying to kill this female she will never join us. Your actions are what's to blame for Azrael."
Michael turned his head away from all of us.
"Raguel your not helping."
"Well it's true selaphiel males and their egos it'll be the end of us all if they don't stop measuring each other's dicks to see who's is biggest."
"Raguel enough!"
"Shut up all of you!"
Michael screamed as he stared into the enchanted waters. Every head turned towards him, what the hell was going on with him.
Stepping closer I placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Michael if you still value me as a bother please tell us what's going on."
He turned to me sighing
"It was not meant to be your burden to bare but with what's happened to Azrael I can no longer keep you all in the dark for fear of loosing any of you."
I turned him to face me.
"Please Michael what is going on?"
"There is a reason Lucifer wants Raziel so bad."
I urged him to continue the others held their breath as Michael spoke.
"Raziel has been helping me decipher the prophecy. Together we have been piecing together what it means and how to try and stop it. Everything I have done up til now has been to save your daughter not kill her."
Here he looked only to me.
"I'm sorry brother that I had to lie to you but it was the only way to fool Soneillon."
I shook my head confused my mind reeling with his words. It didn't make sense if he was trying to save her why did he send Dantalis on a mission to kill her?
"Why Michael? Why send Dantalis if you didn't want to kill her?"
"it is always the same in history. every time a prophecy is for told those who try to stop it merely end up being the reason for it coming to pass, therefore instead of trying to stop the prophecy I merely pushed it in the right direction. I knew that the prophecy not only mentioned one born of two archangels but of a demon who feeds on hatred."
"Soneillon,"
I whispered the demon inside Dantalis is the darkness that will devour.
Michael nodded
"Yes Gabriel, once I found out what demon was inside Dantalis I knew the time of the prophecy had come to pass and when Sariel fell pregnant I knew your daughter would be the one fated to Dantalis. 'Two choices they have to make' i knew I could not stop both of them from choosing but maybe I could manipulate Reece in a way that would make her refuse both sides. So I sent Dantalis with the mission to kill her. This action both fooled Soneillon into thinking I wanted her dead and forced Reece to hate me meaning she would not choose Heaven. It also forced Reece into the underworld which was where I needed her to be."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing
"Why turn her away from heaven wouldn't it be better for everyone if she was with us."
Raguel exclaimed.
Michael shook his head.
"No you see since Dantalis had already been oathed to Heaven I could not allow them to be on the same side since in the prophecy it's states
'Apart they will wake.'
I needed Reece in the underworld away from Dantalis. The fact that she came into her power while apart from Dantalis proves that I was right."
Here he sighed putting a hand to his temple.
"However I did not foresee her deal with Lucifer until Raziel reported that she had agreed to join lucifer in exchange for him helping her rescue Dantalis from me."
"She what? How could you let that happen?"
I again grabbed him by the shirt in my anger til Raphael and uriel pulled me back.
"Let him finish before you fly off the handles Gabriel."
Chastised Selaphiel i clenched my fist nodding as they let me go.
Michael continued.
"Once I found out I knew I had to figure out a way to extract Soneillon from Dantalis. I was not interrogating Dantalis I was trying to release him from the demon, but I needed Soneillon and Dantalis to think that I was in case I failed. That was when Raziel told me he had found a dagger in the underworld that would free Dantalis but only if the demon had full possession. That's when I knew I had to strip Dantalis of his oath which was the only thing holding Soneillon back. It was also a way to Stop Reece from joining the underworld. I knew that even though Soneillon would have control. the mated bond would extend to him and being who he was he would not allow Reece to be oathed to hell where he would not be able to control her. It was a risk I know but if she's anything like you Gabriel I know she will be able to handle herself. When we made the exchange I planted a note in her pocket making out that it was from you telling her where to find Raziel and that he could save Dantalis."
"A note from me?"
This whole story just got more and more surreal how could michael and Raziel plan all this and the whole time I had thought he wanted Reece dead when in reality he was trying to save them both.
"Yes I still need her to hate me but I need her to trust you so In the note I told her that Sariel is alive that way ensuring that she believed the note was not a trick and would do as it instructed."
I turned away not being able to look at any of them for the shame I felt. I couldn't believe what I was hearing all these years he had let me hate him for locking up Sariel for trying to kill Reece yet the whole time he had been trying to find a way to save her. In doing so he had sacrificed my faith in him so that he could make it more believable to fool Soneillon.
For twenty years Michael had been planning this for twenty years Sariel had been locked up all to save my daughter. Then it hit me the reason why She had kept convincing me to go back to Michael the reason why Peter never Argued against his execution.
Turning back to face Michael I asked
"Sariel and peter knew didn't they?"
"Yes we knew."
I spun around hearing her voice.
Sariel entered the room her red wings making her blond hair shine.
She ran into my arms
"I'm sorry my love we could not tell you Peter knew that his death would help Michael keep her safe. He died willingly and I willingly let Michel lock me away to save Reece."
I stepped away from her Hurt all of them had lied to me for twenty years they had lied leading me to believe that my sworn brother had betrayed me. I understood why they did it but it didn't take away the fact that they didn't trust me enough to allow me to help carry their burden.
"How could none of you tell me?"
Sariel touched my face tears in her eyes
"I am so sorry Gabriel we could not Soneillon is the demon of hate he would have known if your hatred was genuine or not. Your hatred was enough to mask my own in knowing the truth."
I looked into everyones faces all just as surprised by Michaels revelation as I was. Lastly I faced Michael slowly I knelt before him.
"I am sorry Michael I fell ashamed for doubting you you have carried a heavy weight for these past twenty years please forgive me brother."
Here Michael pulled me off my knees embracing me.
"There is nothing to forgive that you forgive me for lying to you all these years is enough."
"So what's the plan now?"
Raguel chimed in.
Michael address all of us
"Now we wait it is up to Reece to find Raziel."