Peace (17 page)

All of them turned to look at him and he recognized the others. “What are you three doing here? Aren’t you worried you’ll get in trouble if the Quad finds out you’ve been talking to Day?”

Corsin shrugged. “I’m not worried about it.”

“Then why did you do it? Why risk it?” He didn’t understand. It wasn’t like they’d been friends when he was an angel. They’d barely tolerated him.

Parker sneered. “We did it for this very opportunity.”

A flash of lightning blinded all of them. When Lam’s vision cleared, a pale horse stood a few feet from them. His rider had white hair and black eyes. Lam grunted.

“Why are you here, Death? None of us are going to die.” He crossed over to take Day’s hand.

“True, but you all are to be brought before the Gates and be judged for your actions. Bringing souls to judgment is what I do.” Death motioned toward Day. “And you broke the rules.”

Day growled as he took a step in the direction of the angels. “You tricked me.”

“I didn’t want to do it,” Basel admitted. “I really wanted to help you find Lam and take him away. I said nothing to anyone about this.” He gestured to Parker and Corsin. “They were the ones who told the Quad what you’d done, though the guards at the prison described you as the one who attacked them.”

Corsin sneered. “You were always a push-over, Basel. Daystar doesn’t deserve our pity. He’ll now be punished for all of his crimes, not merely banished to the earthly realm.”

Before Lam could stop him, Day struck Corsin. The angel flew a few feet then dropped to the ground like a rock. Blood spurted from his nose and he moaned. Day went for Parker, but Lam jerked him to a halt.

“Stop it. Fighting with them won’t change what they’ve done. They sullied their souls by lying to you and they’ll have to answer for that. We need to go, Day.” He glanced over at Death. “Can I at least go put some clothes on before you take us?”

Death shook his head. “No. Once you step back into the house, you are protected by Daystar’s powers. I would prefer not to lay siege to this place to get you back. It makes no difference what you wear.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Day muttered. He waved his hand and Lam found himself dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, leather jacket and boots. “Let’s get this over with.”

“If we go, they’ll destroy you, Day,” Lam whispered into Day’s ear. “Why can’t we make a run for it and get inside? Let him beat against your barriers. Not even Death can reach us in there.”

Day took Lam’s face in his hands then brushed a quick kiss over his lips. “I would love nothing more than to be locked up in my house with you. Spending every minute of every day with you is a dream come true for me. But if we did that, it won’t be us who suffer. He’s Death, the Pale Horseman. He commands the others, and do we really want Pestilence, Famine and War here as well?”

“We would ruin the land and mortals in this area,” Death said calmly, as though the thought of hundreds dying didn’t bother him at all. “Running away does nothing except cause pain for others.”

Tears welled in Lam’s eyes, even as he nodded. Day was right. They couldn’t cause harm to others for their own selfish reasons. Basel looked surprised at Day’s concern for mortals.

He grasped Day’s hand in his. “Remember…whatever happens, we’ll do this together.”

Respect flickered in Death’s eyes before he motioned and said a single word. Darkness swallowed Lam. When he could see again, he found himself in the one place no angel really wanted to be.

Large pearlescent gates towered before him. They were the entrances to the heavenly and hellish realms. The Pale Horseman brought every mortal soul on the earthly plane here. Their actions while living were judged then they were sent to whichever realm they deserved. Having been an angel, Lam had never thought he’d be brought before the Judge to be held accountable for his actions. Yet here he was and he had a feeling it wasn’t going to go well.

The area in front of the gates was bare of anything. The ground was shiny black, like the place where he would meet with the Horsemen and give them their assignments. The sky above them was brilliant blue, almost blindingly so. He couldn’t look up at it for long.

In between them sat a chair. It was built along the same proportions as the gates, using the same materials. Lam couldn’t imagine a creature that could sit in it without being swamped by it.

He jumped when someone took his hand. Turning, he met Day’s reassuring gaze. He tried to smile, but there wasn’t anything to smile about. Lam had a feeling their fate had already been sealed and this judging was merely a formality.

“Remember… I love you,” Day whispered as another crash of thunder and flash of lightning filled the sky.

Lam would’ve cried out if Day hadn’t squeezed his hand. He swallowed down his fear.
Can’t show how scared I am. That will only make the Quad happy. They revel in the fear they create among angels and mortals alike. I won’t give them the satisfaction.
He straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin.

“That’s right. You’re better than they are.” Day nodded at him, pride shining in his eyes.

“Why have you been brought before me, Lucifer Daystar? I thought I was clear about your punishment if I were to see you again.” A voice pounded against Lam’s ears. It was like a hurricane storm crashing into a mountain. All power of the universe seemed contained within the voice.

Lam fought the buckling of his knees, then he noticed Day had dropped to one knee. A slight tug on his hand told him he should follow Day’s lead. So he knelt and bowed his head.

“Another has been brought with you. Is he to be judged as well?”

“Sir, I bring before you Lucifer Daystar and Lam, one of the Agnus Dei. They have been accused of breaking your laws.” Death spoke from where he stood to their right. “The archangels have already found Lam guilty and banished him from the heavenly realm.”

Lam peeked at the Judge and wanted to gasp. The man who sat on the chair wasn’t at all like he’d imagined him to be. Tall and slender to the point of being skeletal, he was pale and his hair was white as snow. His eyes were pure black like the Horsemen’s and Lam felt he could see all the way into Lam’s soul, which might have been true.

I can’t hide anything from him. He knows everything about me without anyone having to say a word to him.

“Stand and face me,” the Judge ordered.

Chapter Sixteen

Standing, Day met the Judge’s dark eyes without flinching. No longer would he grovel before this being. Not when he’d done nothing wrong. Not this time anyway. He could feel Lam trembling beside him and he tightened his grip on Lam’s hand. He wanted to say there was nothing for Lam to fear, but he wouldn’t lie.

“Agnus Dei, you were judged by the archangels already. What did they find you guilty of?” The Judge rested his gaze on Lam.

Day wanted to move…to speak and take his attention away from Lam. His lover didn’t deserve to be tormented like this. Lam had done nothing wrong, except fall in love with him. The Judge held up his hand as though he knew what Day was about to do.

“I asked the Agnus Dei, Daystar. Not you. He can speak for himself. But first…” The Judge glanced over at Death. “I want you to retrieve the archangels. I want to know why they chose to judge this angel on their own. That has never been done before.”

Death nodded then vanished. Day took a quick breath before the Judge looked back at them. With that all-seeing gaze on him, Day found it difficult to breathe. Hell, he couldn’t even move.

“Step forward.” The Judge nodded at Lam.

Lam shot Day a questioning glance and Day tried to smile, but he knew he’d failed when Lam shook his head slightly. After edging closer to the chair, Lam inclined his head.

“Sir.”

It took every bit of strength Day had not to yank Lam back behind him. To drop to his knees and beg the Judge not to harm Lam. He resisted because he knew Lam wouldn’t appreciate it if he did that. He had to respect Lam enough to allow him to take responsibility for his actions—good and bad.

“You were a messenger of God, as the mortals call you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then the archangels discovered something which caused them to believe you were corrupted. They chose to pass judgment on you.” The Judge spoke slowly, as though he were working through all of this in his mind.

“Yes, sir.” Lam lifted his gaze to meet the Judge’s. “They took my wings and banished me from the heavenly realm.”

The Judge nodded, steepling his fingers then tapping them against his lips as he stared at Lam. “Were their accusations accurate?”

Lam shrugged and said, “I guess in a way they were. I did break the rule about fraternizing with Lucifer Daystar. I encountered him on one of my missions to Earth. We talked and became friends. I freely admit I chose to ignore the restraints against meeting with him.”

“Hmm…” The Judge didn’t say anything, yet Day and Lam both could tell he was waiting to hear more.

Day saw Lam’s cheeks turn red then watched as Lam stiffened his spine.

“Eventually we became lovers, sir. I love Lucifer Daystar and won’t deny him to anyone, not even you.” Lam glared boldly at the Judge. “I won’t apologize for my actions either.”

“Is that the only rule you broke?”

Lam grimaced. “I guess I broke the rule about interfering with mortal lives.”

“And the lives of my Horsemen,” the Judge commented.

Swallowing loudly, Lam nodded. “Yes, sir. I did help your last group of Horsemen to become mortal again. I helped them find love and forgiveness, which I won’t apologize for either. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

The Judge’s face remained impassive. “Are those the only rules you’ve broken?”

“As far as I know of, sir. Yes. I never disobeyed any other rule or order.”

“I’d say being Daystar’s lover gave us enough reason to banish you, Lam,” Michael broke in.

Day chose not to look at the archangels who had appeared. He kept his gaze on Lam because he was the only person Day was interested in. He didn’t care about anyone else who was there.

The Judge frowned at the interruption. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Michael. Stay quiet until it’s your turn.” He motioned to Death. “You may return to your duties. I have no more need of you right now.”

“Yes, sir.” Death bowed from where he sat on his horse. He caught Day’s gaze and nodded slightly.

Shock jolted Day. Why would the Pale Horseman acknowledge him and no other? In a way, the small show of support bolstered Day’s spirits. Maybe things wouldn’t go as badly as he thought they would. He could only hope.

“As we were discussing, Agnus Dei, you can’t think of any other reason why the archangels would declare you corrupt and banish you?” The Judge returned to questioning Lam.

“No, sir. As I said, aside from my relationship with Lucifer and my helping the Horsemen, I’ve never strayed from my duties as a messenger angel.” Lam sounded confident.

The Judge motioned to Michael. “Where is your evidence? Do you accuse this messenger angel of anything else besides what he has already admitted to?”

Michael stepped closer to the Judge. “No, sir. We believe that his own words and actions condemn him.”

“While that is true, I’m more upset that you didn’t bring him to me for judgment. You chose to be judge and executioner.”

“My brothers and I didn’t want to waste your time on such a trivial matter. We believed we were capable of doing what must be done in the best interest of everyone.” Michael waved at Lam. “We took his wings and banished him to Earth. Isn’t that what you would’ve done if we had brought him to you?”

The Judge blinked, obviously amazed that Michael assumed to know any action he might make. “How brash of you to assume you know better than me how to punish someone. Watch how you step from here on in, Michael. You and your fellow archangels answer to me in the end. It is my goodwill you must keep.”

Michael bowed as did Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. Day didn’t like the fact that all four archangels were there. Too much arrogance and power in one spot.

“Yes, Judge. We’ll remember where our power comes from,” Michael vowed.

A frown appeared on the Judge’s usually blank face, which showed he wasn’t as impressed with Michael’s words as he should have been.

“As to Lucifer Daystar, you petitioned me that he has broken the one tenant I gave him. He was never to return to the heavenly realm for any reason. Yet you say he not only returned, but attacked several angels as well.” The Judge pointed at Day. “I must say, I’m not surprised to hear that. You never struck me as someone who would obey any kind of rule placed on him.”

Day started to speak, but Michael interrupted him.

“Sir, I have several witnesses who will testify to Lucifer’s blatant disregard of your rules. They are more than ready to come before you.” Michael’s smile stuck Day as oily.

“I wasn’t talking to you. Watch your mouth or I will banish you from this place. You are an archangel, behave like one.” The Judge shifted on his chair as though he were annoyed by Michael’s actions. “Daystar, explain why you chose to do this.”

“Sir, there were mitigating circumstances. There is only one reason I would ignore what you told me and return to the heavenly realm.” Day stepped up next to Lam and took a hold of his hand. “I returned to free Lam, who was being held prisoner by the archangels. I believe they took him to force me to do just what I did. They were looking for a reason to bring me back before you.”

“That’s not true,” Michael denied. “Why would we do that? We’d already banished Lam from heaven. There was no reason to bring him back.”

The Judge waved his hand and a gag appeared over Michael’s mouth. The archangel scratched at it, but there was no way he’d be able to get it off. The other three stared wide-eyed at the Judge.

“I won’t tolerate such insolence. I told you I didn’t want to hear you. You gave your testimony. I wish to hear what happened from Daystar. When I need you to speak again, I’ll ask one of your brothers.” He glared at Michael before meeting Day’s gaze. “Let’s try this again.”

Day nodded. “When Lam was banished, I lost him. I can’t track mortals like I can angels. I searched all over the world, but he found me instead. We’d only been reunited for a few days when he was kidnapped. I thought they were going to use him as blackmail against me. They are paranoid I’ll overthrow them and take their kingdom.” He paused.