Uriel ushered Raguel into the Great Hall. He was the last Seraphim Brother on the list, and Uriel sadly shuffled his way to the back of the room, next to Samael and Azrael. The six free Seraphim Brothers stood on either side of their youngest Brother; Gabriel, Raguel, and Jeremiel on Michael's left, and Raphael, Zerachiel, and Remiel on the right. The Brothers faced each other, solemn expressions on their faces.
Michael stood in the middle of the room, his wrists, ankles, and waist shackled to chains in the floor. His wings were dropped low, his shoulders slumped forward. The bruises on Michael's bare torso were more apparent in the light of the Great Hall, and it was obvious to the other Seraphim that Michael had been beaten badly by the Archangels.
The Ruler began to speak, catching the attention of all angels in the Hall.
"Seraphim Michael, do you know why you are imprisoned here today?"
Michael did not say a word, choosing to remain silent.
The Ruler frowned, displeased with Michael's silence. "Then perhaps we should show your Brothers why you are here." The Ruler stepped forward, and brought the Reflecting Mirror into view.
Remiel swallowed hard, pain clear across his pale face. He knew what the Mirror had to show.
The Seraphim Brothers all turned, facing the revealed Mirror. Gabriel showed mild interest; as the oldest Seraphim, he had not seen the Mirror since the Ruler became apathetic toward the Human Realm. The oldest Brother pulled his long golden hair forward, twisting a strand between his fingers as he waited.
The surface of the Mirror shimmered, and an image began to form. Raguel and Jeremiel shifted slightly, trying to see the image better. Zerachiel pulled his right wing forward, and anxiously ran his fingers across the feathers.
The Mirror showed a young woman, bound and gagged on the grass. There was a man holding her down, and the angels in the room watched as the man sliced through the bodice of the woman's dress, exposing her flesh to the world. Chains rattled as Michael grew agitated by the reflection. Gabriel stepped forward, putting his hand on his youngest Brother's shoulder, trying to ease Michael's furor. "It will be okay, Brother," he whispered to Michael.
The Mirror revealed more. The man was pulled from the woman's body, and lifted by his neck. Michael watched the reflection of himself, as he gestured to the sobbing woman to turn away. The resounding snap of the man's neck echoed in the Great Hall, and the thud of the man's body hitting the ground caused Raguel to take a step back. Gabriel's hand slid off his youngest Brother's shoulder.
The image in the Mirror showed Michael removing his waistcoat, kneeling, and untying the woman's bindings. Michael watched himself embrace Ravenna and wrap his wings around them both. His chest ached, longing for the feeling of Ravenna in his arms again.
"Wrath." The Ruler's voice boomed solemnly through the Hall. "Pride; answering this woman's prayer. You equate yourself to Me, Seraphim Michael?"
Michael did not speak, instead focusing on the image of himself and Ravenna on the Mirror, recalling the warmth of her in his arms.
"Let us show more, then." The Ruler's irritation was clear in his tone.
The six Seraphim Brothers turned back to the Mirror. Remiel grasped Raphael for support, knowing what else the Reflecting Mirror had to show. Gabriel stepped back from Michael, shocked that his Brother could have done such a thing.
The surface of the Mirror shimmered again, and the image changed. The Mirror showed Michael in the forest, watching the same young woman in a clearing, sharing a blanket and food with a young human man. The Mirror showed Michael watching the human couple laugh as the man emphasized his words with his facial expressions and gestures, and then showed Michael sit sadly in the trees.
"Envy." The Ruler's words cut through the silence like a sword. "Do you have anything to say for yourself yet, Seraphim Michael?"
Michael clenched his jaw, looking at the bindings on his ankles.
"Then let us continue."
Again at the Ruler's command, the Reflecting Mirror shifted its image. The Mirror showed Michael leading the same young woman to the corpse of the man he had killed. The woman pat down the body, and passed Michael a large pouch of coins. The image of Michael took the coins from the woman and pocketed them.
"Greed. Four of the Seven Deadly Sins. Have you still nothing to say?" The Ruler's remarks again echoed through the Hall. The six free Seraphim Brothers all glanced at their chained Brother, hoping the youngest would speak.
Michael's blue eyes rose to meet the Ruler's gaze, but still no words came from the angel.
"Pathetic." The Ruler's disapproval of Michael rang clear in the Hall. He waved His hand again, and the Reflecting Mirror shimmered again.
Raphael grunted as Remiel's knees buckled. The pressure had gotten to the middle Seraphim, and Zerachiel stepped forward to help support Remiel. Zerachiel looked back at Michael, his hazel eyes full of sadness.
The angels in the Hall turned their attention back to the Mirror. Several images formed on its surface, one after another. Michael watched his Reflection as it showed him watching Ravenna from afar, as it showed him pressing his hand to his cheek and blushing after Ravenna kissed his cheek the first time. The Mirror showed Michael's Reflection kneeling in front of Ravenna after he had woven the flowers into her hair, and in the Graenwood Inn, as he lowered himself over her body, intensely kissing Ravenna on the bed.
Every Seraphim, Archangel, and Uriel all turned to Michael, who was still standing in the center of the hall. Michael's heart ached, desperately wishing to be back with Ravenna, free of the stares, free of the chains.
"Lust." The Ruler spoke sharply, and with a wave of His hand, the Reflecting Mirror turned dark. "Five of the Seven Deadly Sins, committed by one of My own Seraphim."
The Ruler turned his back on Michael, and sat on the throne. "Gabriel, what say you of the things you have seen today?"
Gabriel glanced around, and turned his body away from the Ruler. "Well..I…it…we saw what the…we watched it happen…but I think…"
The Ruler cut Gabriel's stammers short. "So you agree you saw Michael commit the Sins?"
"W-well, yes, but…"
"One for guilty. Zerachiel?"
Michael pulled his brows low, his lips slightly parted in shock. He could not believe the Ruler would cut Gabriel off like that, and assume Gabriel would have voted him guilty. He turned toward Zerachiel, who stood holding Remiel upright with Raphael. Zerachiel's eyes turned large, being confronted by the Ruler.
Zerachiel's words were much bolder than the Seraphim looked; his wings twitched with anxiety as he spoke. "No! I…no! Michael did what he thought was right! We all saw that woman, she was going to be assaulted, maybe killed! No…I won't say anything more." He let go of Remiel, and crossed his arms defiantly.
The Ruler's voice coursed powerfully through the Hall. "One for guilty, one insubordinate. Raguel?"
Raguel stood firmly. "We saw it, Mighty Ruler."
The Ruler seemed pleased with Raguel's answer, and Michael lowered his head. He wished Raguel was not so quick to pass his judgment.
"Remiel? You were the one who originally brought this to My attention."
Michael's chains rattled as he was reminded of Remiel's betrayal. The Brothers all turned to Remiel, who slouched further, Raphael's muscles bulged as he supported more and more of Remiel's weight.
Remiel's voice quavered as he looked down. "I…I think he did what was right."
"You no longer believe your Brother has done anything wrong? You disappoint Me, Remiel. Two guilty, one insubordinate, one disappointment. Jeremiel?"
Jeremiel looked at Gabriel and Raguel, then at Zerachiel and Remiel. His dark eyes met Raphael's vivid green gaze. Raphael's eyes begged his Brother to do the right thing. "I…I…we saw him commit the Sins, Mighty Ruler." Jeremiel grasped his elbows in his hands, and refused to look at Michael.
"Well, Raphael; what say you about the things you have seen here today?"
Raphael passed Remiel to Zerachiel, and stood straight, his wings folded neatly behind his back, his hands clasped in front of him. "My vote determines Michael's fate. I believe that after over three centuries of study, I can make fair judgments. And I believe that Michael did what he felt was right, saving that woman from that man. That woman was in danger, and Michael came to her aid. He was not right to reveal our existence, but he was right to save her. He had not revealed our existence to any other human; I vote not guilty, Mighty Ruler."
The Ruler huffed; Michael's trial had ended in a tie, and that was only due to Gabriel's unwillingness to fully commit to an answer. The Ruler leaned forward in the throne, and a smirk crossed His face.
"A tie. Looks like I get the final say in Michael's fate."