Lucifer and Mia walked through the hallway toward his office. As they reached the stairs leading to the quad Lucifer placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for telling her what happened and-"

"I told her that her pair was dead, and I blamed Lord Michael as you asked."

"Was it not Lord Michael's fault?"

"I did not see Lord Michael. Dariel was walking away as I sneaked around the corner, and I had thought, perhaps, he had pushed Ramael into the gutter."

"Dariel might profit from Ramael's death, a promotion, perhaps, but it doesn't matter." Lucifer shrugged "Dariel follows Michael's orders."

"What will happen if she discovers he is alive?"

"Is he alive? Was he moving, was he breathing when you last saw him? Was he calling for aid?"

"No, Lord Lucifer."

"So, in all likelihood, he was dead. If he survived, you will say you had been certain he was dead. You can be happy you were mistaken. . .She will still hate Michael."

An hour later, everyone, except for a few who stayed at watch on the wall, a.s.sembled in the quadrangle. Lucifer stood on the steps leading to the Commons. He had insisted that Adryel stand beside him.

Ami glared at her as she joined them on the steps. "Fluke," she growled.

Lucifer held up his hand for silence. He began by again describing the Plan of Creation and its flaws, the a.s.sembly murmuring agreement with each point he made. He then told about the conspiracy against him, against them, against the truth.

"And you have seen it with your own eyes. Two of your fellow students cut down at the gate. Innocents. Their lives stomped out in a show of force and a threat of violence."

"Kill the guards."

"Attack the palace."

Again, Lucifer appealed for quiet.

"These deaths have not gone unanswered. They, too, have felt the sting of loss. Ramael, one of the chief conspirators was brought down by a stone and died in the street. You saw it. You witnessed it."

Cheers rang across the quad, and Adryel felt the tears spill over onto her cheeks.

"The stone was hurled by one of our own-Adryel." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "An act of great courage. An act of great loyalty." His voice dropped. "Ramael was her pair."

The a.s.sembly fell silent.

"She did her duty. She put her devotion to the truth before all else. She is a hero." He paused. "So she is. So should we all be."

"A hero?" Ami threw herself into a chair, a disgusted expression on her face. "It was a lucky throw. I saw her toss that brick over the wall. She wasn't even looking at what she was doing."

The a.s.sembly had ended and she, Beliel, and Maliel were in Lucifer's office, waiting for him.

"Is he really dead?"

Beliel shrugged. "I don't know. Doesn't matter. We needed something dramatic to rally the troops and to hold them together for a couple of days. Even if it was an accident, even if he's alive, it'll serve the purpose."

"I am told Ramael has died. The reporter is credible, and I have no reason to doubt her." Lucifer had been standing at the door, listening. Now, he strode into the room. "But Beliel is correct. It doesn't matter. Adryel has credibility with the students now. I can leave her in command when we depart."

"Leave an orb in command?" Maliel bristled.

"I may be ill." Ami gagged.

"Don't forget, Maliel, the army is composed of orbs. They're warriors. I'm certain that if it came to a fight, Adryel could take you down."

Maliel began to object, but Lord Lucifer cut him short. "As I said, she now has credibility, and with Ramael dead and Michael responsible, she'll do anything for the cause. She has no love left for those in authority and nothing to lose." Lucifer chuckled. "You're coming with me, Maliel. You won't be serving under her. I've left instructions for Brafiel to support her if there is any problem."

"Brafiel?" Beliel frowned.

"The angel who tossed the stones at me this morning. The one your henchmen stomped almost to death in the square."

"He's one of us?"

"Yes. You didn't need to know the plan. You reacted as ordered."

"Well, I need to know your plan now," Beliel snapped.

Lucifer checked the time. "Events have unfolded more quickly than I would have imagined. I should have known you'd get carried away." He glared at Beliel. "Targeting spectators rather than throwing stones toward the steps. Now that we're barricaded in the Inst.i.tute, Michael can't let things go. He'll have to storm the walls and punish the leaders." He held up his hand as a look of panic spread across Ami's face.

"The five of us will slip out of the school later tonight. We will leave through the small door in the north wall and head to the mountains. I've left instructions for Adryel."

"What will Lord Michael do to the students when his soldiers take the school?"

"Nothing." Lucifer sneered. "Michael is too weak to do anything significant. A promise to behave and a slap on the wrist. He'll release them.

"Adryel will tell them to resist. In my instructions, I've directed that she and five others are to be unyielding in their refusal to submit to Michael, and he will have to imprison them. The image of his soldiers carting away five female powers will do more for us than a hundred debates. In the north, we'll build our army. Then, we'll return."

Lucifer left the others to prepare for their departure and he sought out Adryel. He found her in her office, sitting at her desk, her head buried in her hands. She sat up as he entered, but she stared straight ahead, acknowledging his presence in no other way.

"I want you to know what is going to happen. Michael has badly misjudged the situation. He could have surrounded the Inst.i.tute and starved us out, but with the attacks on the students this afternoon, he has no choice but to terminate our protest quickly." He paused, expecting her to reply. When she didn't speak, he continued.

"He has surrounded the school and he will attack us, tomorrow I would suppose."

Adryel shrugged, as if to say that Michael's problems were his, not hers.

"We will not be able to defend ourselves with rocks against soldiers with swords, but it is crucial that our struggle continue. I have a plan."

Again, Adryel failed to respond as he expected.

"Should anything happen to me, I want you to take command. You will find my plans in my office, and you will carry on our fight for truth, our struggle for justice. Will you pledge yourself to do that?"

Adryel sat still for a moment, then nodded her head, once.

Lucifer laid his hand on her shoulder. "You have served me well so far. Do not fail me now."

Expulsion from the City.

Adryel lay on a blanket on the floor of her office, staring at the ceiling. It was well after midnight, but whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Ramael sprawled across the pavement, blood running from the gash on the side of his head, his life draining from his body.

"Why was he not wearing his helmet?" she screamed after an especially vivid vision, pounding her fist on the floor. "I told him to be careful. I told him. . .If he had been wearing it. . ."

You would not have killed him, a voice in her head told her.

She sobbed. "I would not have killed him," she repeated the words aloud.

She clasped her hands as if in prayer and felt the ring Ramael had given her on the first anniversary of their pairing. It had never left her finger since the night he gently slid it on. "Oh, Ramael, I never meant to hurt you. I was so angry, confused. I never thought. . .I never dreamed. . ."

She was so tired. She closed her eyes.

And drifted off. . .

Hearing a door open, she looked up to see Ramael coming to her as he always would when he was delayed at the palace, draping his robe across the chair and settling into bed next to her. She turned on her side to kiss him, welcome him home.

"I love you," he said. "Do you love me, Adryel?"

Her eyes fell on his wound, deep and red and wet with blood.

And she awoke screaming.

Not wanting to sleep again, not wanting to risk another dream, she rose and dressed. Walking to the window, she looked out at the quad. Almost everyone else had chosen to sleep there, safety in numbers perhaps, or simply the fact that they had, together, embarked on a grand adventure, and together they would stay. . .until the end.

The remains of a bonfire still glowed in the center, and she could see the bodies huddled close for warmth. On the parapet, a couple of figures treaded back and forth, on guard, watching for the soldiers. Lucifer had warned of a surprise attack and, even though they slept, his students were prepared for a fight.

Lighting a candle, she crept down the hall. The wooden floor creaked, and she repeatedly glanced over her shoulder to make certain she was alone.

At the end of the hall, she reached the solarium. Windows covered the wall, padded chairs almost begged to be sat upon, and outside a small garden lay between the building and the rear gate. It seemed as if something was always in bloom there, and she enjoyed siting in the solarium in the afternoon, feeling the warmth of the sun and soaking in the colors of the flowers.

Ramael had kissed her for the first time, in fact, as they stood in the garden one evening at twilight. He had asked her to pair with him as they sat on one of the benches, sharing a basket of sugar cakes.

Now, he was gone. Dead at her hand.

She had no tears left.

She blew out her candle and sat next to the window.

Strange. . .

Her eyes had strayed to the wall, and she realized no one was on watch in the rear. If Lord Michael wanted to surprise them, this would be the perfect route for him to use, slipping in the back, surrounding the quad before anyone even knew he was coming. She didn't expect Lord Michael to attack by surprise. She expected an opportunity to surrender, to walk out of the Inst.i.tute, hands raised, past the guards who would laugh at their weak attempt at defiance.

But she had been wrong about other things.

As she considered whether or not to find Lord Lucifer and tell him they were vulnerable, a movement in the garden caught her eye. Several cloaked figures were creeping toward the gate. It was dark and they seemed to be dressed in black. She could not identify them. She watched as one of them stumbled, and she heard the curse that followed. Beliel, she thought.

"Quiet, you fool." Maliel's voice?

One of the others pulled Beliel to his feet and no one moved for several moments. Then, one of them lit a small torch. As it flared, she clearly saw Maliel, and Beliel stood next to him.

What were they up to? Nothing good, certainly.

The one holding the torch lifted it higher now, and she gasped. Lord Lucifer, Ami, and Mia were clearly visible. The group picked their way through the garden. Beliel removed the bar and pulled open the gate. In the silence of night, the hinges creaked, and Lucifer put out his hand to stop him. They stood still for several moments, then, one by one, they slipped out, into the city.

A pit opened in Adryel's stomach.

Lord Lucifer was leaving them. Leaving her.

She rushed down the stairs. The door to the garden banged against the wall as she ran through it. Lucifer was the only one left, and he whirled around, the sword in his right hand poised to strike.

"Adryel," he exclaimed.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Lucifer peeked through the opening and whispered to someone on the other side. Then he turned to her. "I have to leave. I told you, Michael's soldiers will a.s.sault the Inst.i.tute tomorrow, and we will not be able to stand against them. I will be banished, cast out from among the host of heaven, perhaps to one of Adonai's new planets. With me gone there will be no one, no one, to speak the truth, to stand up for the host of heaven, to protect the city from this monstrous plan. With no opposition, the human creatures will run wild across the entire creation, corrupting and destroying whatever they touch. I must carry on the fight."

"What about the rest of us?"

"No one will notice if a small group leaves. If our entire company were to break out, the guards would be alerted. The five of us can move without notice. We'll slip out of the city before first light."

"But what about the rest of us?" she snapped this time, angry at being left alone, at the mercy of Michael. He would kill her as he had Ramael.

"I left a letter for you on my desk. As I told you, you are to take command of the Inst.i.tute. You are to resist as long as you have the strength to fight. You must show that we are not children at play, and we will not rest until we are victorious." He paused, looking into her face. "In the end, Michael will offer everyone clemency. Reject it. The entire host of heaven must know we will fight on to the end."

"Take me with you. One more. . ."

"You pledged to continue the fight in my absence, and I need you here. I need someone I can trust. You shall not surrender. Should Michael imprison you, you must continue to resist. We have friends in the city and they will insure that everyone in heaven hears of all you must endure. You have become a symbol for us and I need for you to continue the struggle. Will you do this for me?"

Adryel stared into the dark garden.

She sighed. What did she have left to lose?

The council cared nothing for the ordinary residents of the city, the angels, the powers, and all of the others. They were useless.

Ramael was gone. Lord Michael had abandoned him in the gutter. Lord Michael was her enemy.