Public debates were not unusual in the city, but the prospect of two archangels arguing in Palace Square about a proposal put forth by Adonai was extraordinary. The fact that it would take place immediately before all of the archangels met to consider the proposal made it even more remarkable.

As secretary to the council, Adryel had directed that a platform and two lecterns be erected in the middle of the square. She recruited Naniel, Governor of Celestial City, to moderate the debate, and she arranged for Lord Lucifer and Lord Jophiel to a.s.semble with their aides in the Chancery, directly across from the palace, on the morning of the debate. Immediately following the archangels' procession, they would make a grand entrance and take their places on the platform.

That morning, Adryel arrived at the Chancery early, having skipped her morning meal. She knew she should have eaten, since her next opportunity would not come until after the meeting of the council-and who knew how long that meeting might last as they discussed the plan-but her stomach felt queasy, and the very thought of food made her want to be sick.

Although she avoided the square, slipping in a rear door of the Chancery, Adryel could hear noise coming from there-voices and laughter, the squeal of children, the cries of vendors. The realization that a large number of spectators must have already arrived made her stomach flop over again.

She found Ami and Maliel with Lucifer in a small sitting room on the first floor. Maliel wandered aimlessly around the room, periodically peeking through the curtains to see what was happening in the square, his foot tapping rhythmically on the marble floor every time he stopped pacing. Ami stared absently into s.p.a.ce, twirling her long black hair around one finger, releasing it, and repeating the process, again and again. Lucifer leaned against a wall, his arms folded across his chest, appearing to be either deep in thought or about to fall asleep.

Adryel began to talk the moment she entered the chamber. "The square certainly seems to be full."

They had been told that Jophiel and his aides were in a nearby room, and she did not want them to overhear what arguments Lucifer might present, so, as she moved from one to the other, she spoke about almost everything else-the weather they'd been having, the flowers blooming in the palace garden, the exam schedule at the end of the term-everything except the debate.

None of the others responded to her chatter, and, finally, she simply stopped.

"Thank goodness for the quiet," Ami mumbled in the silence. "She talked for thirty minutes nonstop."

She chose to ignore Ami's comment-it was true, sometimes Adryel got too talkative when under stress, but still, Ami was simply being spiteful. After a moment, Adryel placed a hand on Lucifer's arm.

"I need to go," she said. "The procession of the archangels will begin soon, and I need to make certain everything is ready for the meeting. I'll be with them during the debate, watching from the balcony. Good luck."

"Thank you, my dear, but luck will have little to do with the outcome. Superior intellect, logic, eloquence, all of these are on my side."

Not to mention humility, modesty, and lack of pretension. Adryel shook her head, but smiled. Confidence could be a good thing.

"Go. Run on to your meeting." Ami stepped between them and wrapped her arm around Lord Lucifer's, using her other hand to shoo Adryel away. "I'll take care of Lord Lucifer."

Adryel caught Lucifer's gaze and rolled her eyes. He grinned and, stepping away from Ami, he put his arm around Adryel's shoulders and walked her to the door.

"Maliel and Ami will accompany me into the square. You will be at council to support me. We'll talk then."

Adryel nodded and left the Chancery, stepped onto the porch, and made her way down the steps. The square seemed more like a carnival than the scene for a great debate. Vendors hawked sugar cakes, sweet pastries, and spicy sausage rolls. Ale and spring water were ladled from huge barrels in the southeast corner, acrobats flipped and twirled in another section, and a pair of mimes appeared to be having their own fierce, silent debate in the very middle of the square. As she stepped off the curb, a fire-eater, intent on the flaming reed he was inserting into his mouth, almost knocked her over.

Angels, powers, and princ.i.p.alities-members of three of the orders of the heavenly host-thronged the square, and, as she stood watching, they continued to pour in. Hovering in the air above were members of five other orders. Their presence underscored the level of interest in the debate since members of the higher orders-thrones, dominions, virtues, seraphim, and cherubim-were seldom seen outside of the palace.

The archangels waited in the Chancery. Since the procession to their meeting was scheduled immediately before the debate would begin, in many minds, the two events-the meeting and the debate-would not be seen as separate events. That was exactly how Adryel had planned it, but, of course, officially the two were not linked.

The council had not even acknowledged the debate. They would march across the square as was their custom, shortly before their ten o'clock meeting, as though nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. The debate also was to begin at ten o'clock, so Lord Lucifer and Lord Jophiel would take positions behind their lecterns at the very time Lord Uriel was scheduled to call the council to order.

Adryel hoped the council would delay its discussion until after. Surely they would realize that the noise from the square would distract them, and, since two of its members were debating, there would be only six archangels present. If they did delay their discussion, then, hopefully, Lord Lucifer's arguments, coupled with the crowd's reaction, would have an effect on what the council decided to do.

She saw several of her students, teachers from the Inst.i.tute, the family who lived next door, even the baker whose shop was around the corner. She noticed a sizeable number of powers cheering the acrobats, clapping for the mimes, and oohing over the fire-eater, their glowing faces an indication of how much they were enjoying the event.

She was pleased. Quite a turnout, especially since they had less than a week to prepare.

The mimes were still "debating" in the center of the square, beside the stage. The two lecterns faced each other across the platform so that an archangel standing behind one of them would tower three meters above those on the ground, easily visible to everyone. A desk had been set between the lecterns, and Adryel saw Naniel standing by the desk, conversing with Ramael.

As she started toward Ramael, she noticed that guards blocked the entrances to the palace, and at least a hundred circled the square, with squads posted at the corners where streets entered from the south, north, and east. Another group stood shoulder to shoulder, encircling the platform with a five-meter--wide buffer, intended to protect the partic.i.p.ants. Ramael was concerned, she knew, but was this show of force not overkill?

Of course, Adryel thought as she glanced at the crowd, if the spectators became excited, the guards would be hard pressed to hold them back.

"We're expecting well over five thousand to be crammed into the square," Ramael had told her. "That many, an enclosed s.p.a.ce, excited speeches, inflammatory remarks. . .Not a good situation."

He may have underestimated the attendance.

She caught his eye and waved. Ramael smiled, clapped Naniel on the shoulder, and walked down the steps to meet her.

"Exciting, isn't it?" He kissed her cheek. "Lord Lucifer holding up all right?"

Adryel huffed. "He told me that his superior intellect, logic, and eloquence would carry the day."

Ramael chuckled. "No doubt. But will it sway the council? More to the point, will it sway Adonai?"

She smiled in excitement. "Will he be listening?"

Ramael shrugged. "I've been told he will."

"Wow."

He guided her through the crowd, finally reaching the Grand Stairway. "I'll be on the stairway during the debate so I can see the entire square. Afterwards, I'll escort Lord Lucifer and Lord Jophiel to the meeting. . .Lord Lucifer is planning to attend, isn't he?"

"He said he would see me there."

They climbed the stairs together. Halfway up, Ramael stopped. "I'll watch from here. See you soon." He hugged her and then she continued up the steps.

Adryel reached the Great Gates and stopped to wave to Ramael. She smiled upon seeing that he had been watching her ascend the stairs. She entered the palace through a small door on the side and made her way upstairs to the council room. She laid copies of the plan and the request for clarification at each place. Then she walked onto the balcony to await the archangels' procession.

As she looked down on the platform, she saw that one of the lecterns was draped in yellow, Jophiel's color. Lord Lucifer's was covered in black. She wrinkled her nose. She had never seen Lord Lucifer attired in any other color, but black was so somber, almost as if- Her thoughts were interrupted by the blast of a trumpet. After a pause, trumpeters lining the Grand Stairway began "The March of the Archangels."

The procession left the Chancery just as it had the previous week, led by the chancellor. It moved slowly across the square, swerving around the platform. Some in the square cheered, but others seemed to recognize that the debate would swiftly follow the procession, and they began to converge on the platform, jostling for position, paying little attention to the archangels.

The chancellor used his verge-his silver-tipped staff-to nudge them out of the way so the procession could continue. One spectator, dressed in black, turned as the verge poked into his back, raising his hand to strike before realizing who was behind him. He screamed at the chancellor, but Adryel could not understand the words because of the noise.

It's a bit early to be so on edge, Adryel thought. If he was ready to fight now, what would he do when the debate became heated?

The chancellor seemed not to notice. Not even turning to look, he continued toward the steps, goading others out of his path when they failed to move aside on their own.

As the archangels mounted the Grand Stairway, Adryel noticed a group of angels wearing black robes, pushing their way into the area immediately in front of the lecterns. No one except Lord Lucifer and his supporters would wear black. She recognized several of them as students at the Inst.i.tute. She also spied Beliel among them, and he was talking with an angel attired in yellow, obviously there to cheer Lord Jophiel on to victory.

At first, she thought it strange that the two of them would be so friendly, but then she shrugged. Why not? Lord Lucifer and Lord Jophiel were not enemies. They'd simply chosen different sides on the question to be debated. Lord Michael and Ramael didn't seem to understand that an intellectual difference did not necessarily lead to hatred and conflict.

She heard the chancellor knock at the door to the council room and she hurried inside to greet the archangels. As they entered, Uriel went directly to his chair and dropped into it. Adryel beamed as the others immediately moved toward the balcony.

As Michael reached the doorway, he paused and looked back at Uriel. "Not going to listen to two of our esteemed members engage in a heated debate on a topic of ultimate significance for all angels everywhere?" Michael smiled at his exaggeration.

"I am not," Uriel sniffed. "The topic of ultimate significance is council business, and Lucifer should not have taken it outside. He will make the same arguments he made for us. He knows he'll not change our opinions. He certainly won't change Adonai's thoughts. He's simply courting notoriety, for what purpose, I do not know. I, however, don't plan to offer my body to be included in the crowd-size count your guards will publish."

"Jophiel will make it interesting."

Uriel sighed. "I'm sure he will. I'm sure he will. I'm also sure they both will speak so loudly that I will hear every word said, but I do not have to dignify Lucifer's behavior with my presence."

Michael sighed and shook his head, turning to Adryel. "You're going out to listen to your hero, aren't you?"

She wasn't sure how to respond. Ramael had no problem with her support of Lord Lucifer, but she was not sure what Lord Michael would say. She swallowed hard. "I'm not sure he's my hero, Lord Michael, but. . ."

Michael laughed. "But you think he's right about the plan."

Adryel felt her face becoming warm and she knew she was blushing. At times she wished she were an angel.

"And you're afraid I'm angry."

She nodded.

Michael put his hand on her back and guided her through the door, onto the balcony. "Let's go outside where we can listen. . ." he glanced back at Uriel, who had closed his eyes and leaned on one arm of the bench on which he sat, ". . .and see."

As they joined the other archangels, Naniel rose from his desk. A trumpet blared, and Lucifer emerged from the Chancery.

Wearing his black academic gown, Lord Lucifer stalked through the crowd, his eyes locked on the platform. He did not acknowledge anyone, not even those who were waving and cheering him on. He plowed straight ahead. Angels had to scramble out of his path to avoid being trampled. Maliel and Ami followed, almost jogging to keep up.

Before Lucifer reached the platform, a second trumpet sounded, and Jophiel stepped into the square. He paused, acknowledging the cheers, before moving into the crowd.

Jophiel's robe was white, with yellow trim. Accompanied by two angels whose names Adryel did not know, he seemed to be out for a morning stroll, smiling broadly, waving to the crowd, stopping to greet friends, even kissing a baby. Spectators stood on tiptoe to catch a glimpse as he pa.s.sed.

As Jophiel made his way through the throng, Lucifer clambered up the steps to the platform, leaving Maliel and Ami in the square with his black-clad supporters. The group had increased in number and they swarmed around the platform, completely surrounding it, almost pushing the guards away. He took his place, laying a large book on his lectern, and he stood motionless, glaring down at Jophiel as he slowly approached.

"He probably thinks Jophiel is not properly serious," Gabriel said.

"He certainly has a sour expression on his face." Raphael tried to mimic Lucifer's expression to the other archangels' laughter.

"Doesn't he always?" Zadkiel chuckled.

When Jophiel finally reached the steps, a large black-robed angel blocked his path and Jophiel waited patiently, talking with one of his aides while a guard moved the angel aside. Then Jophiel mounted the platform and took his place behind the other lectern. He inclined his head to Lucifer in greeting, and he laughed when Lucifer did not respond.

As Naniel raised his hands, appealing for quiet, Uriel shuffled onto the balcony. "How long is this spectacle to last?"

"No way to know," Chamuel whispered. "There's no time limit."

Uriel heaved a deep sigh, as Naniel opened his mouth to speak to the roaring crowd.

"I welcome you this morning to our great debate." Naniel gestured to the lecterns. "Two archangels will be arguing the need for certain alterations to the Plan of Creation, which was presented to the council this past week."

He briefly described the plan.

"The specific question to be debated is this." He took a sheet of paper from the desk and read. "Should limitations be placed on the human creatures' ability to use their free will?"

"Arguing in the affirmative is Lord Lucifer." A cheer went up from the crowd. The group dressed in black waved their hands, jumped in the air, and screamed, seeming to make almost as much noise as all the other spectators combined. Lucifer bent his head slightly to acknowledge the cheers.

"Arguing against the proposition is Lord Jophiel." Hisses arose from the black robes, but the rest of the crowd thundered its approval, and Jophiel smiled and waved.

Naniel waited until the noise died away. "Lord Lucifer, arguing for a change in the plan as it was presented, will speak first. Lord Jophiel will respond. Lord Lucifer may offer a reb.u.t.tal. Lord Jophiel may respond. We will continue until both parties are satisfied their cases have been made."

He looked up at the two archangels. "Do you have questions?"

"No questions," Jophiel replied, while Lucifer simply shook his head.

"Then let the debate begin. Lord Lucifer. . ."

His last words were lost in a rumble of noise that continued until Lucifer began to speak, which he did for forty minutes straight.

Adryel found his arguments to be so logical, so compelling. At first she joined the crowd in cheering, when he pressed each point home, but Uriel glared at her, and Gabriel shook his head and placed his finger to his lips, indicating that she should be quiet. Michael seemed to notice their reactions too.

"They think we should not take sides," he whispered as he patted her shoulder.

Adryel quit cheering, but she nodded when the spectators raised their voices in anger as Lucifer flipped a wooden disk, larger than the one he had used at the council meeting, ill.u.s.trating for the crowd, as he had for the archangels, how the human would react when he met the beautiful-thankfully unnamed-female in the garden.

The archangels seemed unmoved.

While Lucifer's image of hordes of humans clamoring across the walls seemed to horrify many of the spectators, it had little effect on the archangels. Standing on the balcony, visible to the entire throng, Chamuel laughed at Lucifer's description of the humans coming in swarms so thick that the walls themselves would disappear, hidden by their bodies.

Adryel glared at him, silently fuming. Apparently it was all right for him to laugh, but not all right for her to cheer. That hardly seemed fair.

"He doesn't even know what the humans will look like," Raphael whispered. "How can he suggest they will climb our walls?"

Adryel looked down, dejected. Why did they not understand? Lord Lucifer had said that all of them, except Lord Michael perhaps, were not even bright enough to meet the current standards for admission to the Inst.i.tute. Maybe he was right.

And these archangels governed the heavens. . .She shook her head, disgusted.

Finally, Lucifer sat. The crowd applauded and shouted support. When the noise had died away, Jophiel rose to his feet.

"It is truly frightening, the picture you paint for us, Lucifer. Frightening, indeed." He paused, looking up at the palace. "Adonai must be insane."

Adryel's mouth dropped as an angry rumble ran through the crowd.

"I'm truly sorry, but it must be so." He held up empty hands to proclaim his innocence. "Only one who is insane, a complete lunatic, would purposely create a being whose destiny-whose unchangeable destiny-is to behave as Lucifer tells us that the humans must behave."

"Blasphemy!"

"Treason!"

Insults were hurled from all parts of the square.

When the voices died, Jophiel shrugged. "I would not make the creatures who Lucifer describes. Neither would you." He spread out his arms to include everyone in the square. "Neither would you," he repeated. "So. . .either Adonai is mad," he pointed at the other lectern, "or Lucifer is wrong."

A murmur of agreement ran through the crowd.

He addressed Lucifer directly. "Why are you so certain the humans will choose evil? While it is our nature to do good, there is evil among us." He paused and looked down at Beliel and those who were with him. "Yet evil has not overwhelmed us. It has not run rampant. But you say it necessarily will among the humans. You say evil will be more attractive than good. Why do you say this? Is it your experience? Have you tried evil and found it to be sweet wine as compared to the vinegar of doing good?"

Adryel thought that wasn't fair either.