Kate stretched and yawned before rolling out of bed. The day off with Apollyon had turned into two. It was now around noon library time and the old devil had already gone downstairs to Kate’s kitchen to prepare lunch. The wonderful smell of fresh pancakes had woken up the Nightmare as well now.
Kate conjured a few clothes and followed her nose.
“You’re awake.” Apollyon flipped another pancake.
“Couldn’t miss your pancakes.”
“I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty of using your kitchen. I thought a surprise breakfast would be good.”
“Surprising me with your chocote pancakes is something you can always do and it will always be amazing.”
“They make for good breakfast.”
Kate got comfortable on a chair at the kitchen table. “They sure do. It’s interesting, well not that interesting but certainly an observation, that you are the only person I have slept with who consistently makes an effort to get out of bed before me and make food.”
“Shared meals bring people together. Giving you leftovers was the start of my involvement in your journey. Besides, I love watching anyone enjoy what I make.”
“And I love eating what you cook.” Kate giggled.
“Likewise.”
“That’s quite validating honestly.”
“Do you need my validation?” Apollyon sounded slightly worried.
“It just feels good, you know.”
“That’s fair.”
“Do you want to check the duty roster of the armed forces ter? Find our guard?”
Apollyon pted up the st pancake and put the massive pile on the table before taking a seat. “I took the liberty of doing that on Monday morning before you arrived. Guard commander Focalor took many shifts herself and had four other demons under her who took the other guard shifts. At the time, I already found it intriguing that Focalor would be interested in doing that job herself after the first few hundred cycles, but I didn’t question is any further.”
“She was responsible for the guards in many pces, right?”
“Yes, anything the armed forces were tasked to protect at all times. I specute that her decision to guard the entrance to Hell in the Eden temples herself was not random. We should talk to her first.”
“Agreed. But first, pancakes.”
“Yes, Focalor can wait. Pancakes cannot.”
“A mysterious entity in strange armour, neither demon nor angel? Yes, I let one of those in multiple times.” Focalor had met with the two librarians in the Hell side of the library.
Kate was slightly stumped. “That was quick. But why let them in? Did you know what they were?”
“Yushamin and that entity made a good case for secrecy at the time and presented me with good evidence that the input of that entity had already led to positive progress. Apparently, they had met on the border world side of the bs.”
Apollyon sighed. “And you didn’t think to report that to me or even just make a note after the site was shut down?”
“No, that was part of the agreement with that armour thing. There would be no records outside of Yushamin’s diaries.”
“That armour thing was a fae. While we agree that their involvement was likely positive, we have found evidence that it fought an angel in the boratories in Hell. We recently got into contact with the fae and are now trying to get information on which fae was visiting the bs. If we can ask them directly who they fought, we have hopes to unravel the mysteries around the failure of the tempte and who sabotaged it.”
“Sabotaged? I thought those were only rumours. You have proof now?”
“Yes. We have a transcript of a conversation involving Gabriel in which he cims that God sabotaged the tempte. We now need to confirm that.”
Focalor narrowed her eyes. “That’s not all, is it? Confirming that would be easy. You either suspect or have proof that someone from our side was involved as well. That’s why I haven’t heard about any of this until now. You don’t know who that someone is.”
“That would be correct. Are you that someone?”
The former guard commander smirked. “There were days I wished I was. I’m not. And I have seen more of what humans have become.” She shook her head. “I was wrong back then.”
“Kate?”
Kate nodded. “She is telling the truth, about all aspects.”
Focalor looked at Kate. “I hope you aren’t insulted by my previous distaste for humans. I know you have grown past those limitations, but I still feel the need to apologize.”
“No need for that, I absolutely understand why anyone wouldn’t like them.”
“Fascinating. Well, to answer another question you are about to ask, yes, I volunteered to guard the door myself because of that fae. While I trust every demon I had under my command, that sort of underhanded betrayal of my position wasn’t something I could just foist onto someone else.”
Apollyon nodded. “I understand why you acted the way you did. Do you still have the proof they showed you?”
“No, Yushamin took it with her.”
“Fair enough. We just need a description of the armour now.”
“A sort of matte bronze, no arms, no legs, it just hovered over the ground. The helmet had a glowing white slit in almost a V shape in it.”
“That fits the general description of the fae we met, besides the colours. Our contact wore silver armour.”
“If you actually find them, please let me know if they’re okay. We talked a few times and, as strange as they were, I grew to like them. It would be sad to find out anything happened to them.”
“We will. That will be all, thank you.”
“A pleasure working with you. I take it all of this is very secret?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Kate had pnned to travel to Jolene’s food cart for dinner and to just do some of the library busywork until then. Those pns were thrown out the window the moment Jolene stepped up to the Nightmare.
“Librarian.”
“Oh, I was about to come to you ter today.”
“Yes, you need my services. I also have words for you.”
“You usually do, I’m happy to listen.”
“You remember what I said about the hour of falling?”
“That forgiveness opens many paths?”
Jolene nodded. “That was the meaning, yes. The hour of falling is a time for forgiveness, but there will be times when you must remember that some people should not be forgiven.”
“People like?”
“God, but he will not trouble you.”
“But those with ambitions to take his pce might. And I imagine that there are a several of those among the angels.”
“Ambitions are not always acted on.”
“True.” Kate nodded. “But those who do might become a problem.”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Anything else before I officially ask you to deliver the fae a message?”
“One thing.”
“I am listening.”
Jolene smiled. “Try bckberry jam with your chocote pancakes.”
“Wait, what?”
“Try putting bckberry jam on the chocote pancakes made by the Destroyer.”
Kate chuckled. “Alright, I’ll try that, sure.”
“Good. I thoroughly enjoy that combination, I am certain you will too. Now, your request for me is to ask the fae to come speak to you so you can tell them to send a specific fae cd in bronze armour to you so you can speak to them.”
“Yes, that’s pretty much it.”
“Such interference is unusual and many will dislike my decision to follow your request, especially as I will offer to expedite this path.”
“Hm… I am inclined to let you do that, but I need to know how.”
“I will ask the fae you seek to come speak to you. The fae are very deliberate beings, my request will take time for them to fulfil. If I were to merely do as you were about to ask of me, you would pass the hour of lightfall before you get your answers. I would prefer the paths that come from answering your questions earlier and postponing the hour of lightfall.”
“I see. Well, I accept your offer.”
“Good. As I am directly involved in the path now, I cannot say when the fae will contact you. Given what paths I can see, I will tell you to expect them sometime around the Wanderer’s hour of change.”
“Okay. And who is this Wanderer?”
“You call her Evelyn.”
“Ah, alright, I understand.”
“I expected you would. Now, I shall leave you. When we speak again will be determined by the path you take.”
“Let’s hope it’s a good one.”
“For you and your friends, all paths are good. It is not you I am worried about.”
“I would still prefer a path that is good for more people.”
Jolene smiled. “As do I.”
