The Gathering

XVI: Why We're Doing This

"The girl was humiliated" Barachiel slumped into a chair facing Gabriel. "The boy has been reduced to ash." He slammed his fist onto the chair's armrest.

"Cadet Poyel is dead?" Gabriel was shocked and angry, "Jonah killed him?"

"Not Jonah... though he bested the girl, two others - two angels intervened."

"Surely the same responsible for Michael and Penemue's deaths... and the three others previous." Michael rested his head in his hands, exasperated. "We are developing a serious problem, Barachiel." He began to pace between his rat's cage and the opposing shelf. "This is now six of us dead at their hands! If gatherings become unsafe, Barachiel, I don't have to tell you the ramifications."

"You do not..." Barachiel and Gabriel were silent. "What of my son", he broke the silence.

"Asmodel has been corrected, Hahasiah ensures me that he will be more obedient than a human." Gabriel exhaled, frustration turning into exhaustion.

...

"I can't believe you're alive!" Jonah couldn't help but blurt out what he had been thinking since the balaclava came off. "What is this place?" Jonah exited the room he had dreamt of and entered another wooden alcove. In it, various incense and oils surrounded a large cushion. A lone hanging lightbulb illuminated the darkness. Jonah also spotted a ladder going up to a closed hatch in the ceiling.

"Welcome to St. Catherine's" Michael mockingly outstretched his arms. "our little heaven on earth."

"A church?" Jonah guessed that this had to be the basement, some sort of catacomb.

"It was. Been abandoned for a few years now. It's dusty but it serves its purpose." Michael glanced at the empty cushion, "Jo, where's Gadreel?"

"She's resting, don't bother her for a while." Johanna replied, taking her bronze armor off and placing them onto a small metal rack. "It took a lot out of her this time..."

Just then, Jonah realized that he was very hungry. His stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead in the nearby church graveyard. "I was thinking the exact same thing," Michael replied to Jonah's stomach. "C'mon, I'll show you around the city!"

'The city!' Jonah was anxious with both fear and happiness, he imagined scenes from the stories As had recounted to him, of his trips into the human cities. "What city are we in?"

"It'll be a surprise!" Michael yanked Jonah's hand, unsubtly instructing him to follow.

Michael climbed the wooden ladder and opened the hatch, Jonah followed him up into a small alcove near the altar. The cellar had been used for storage before the church had closed, a convenient location near the altar. Jonah marveled at St. Catherine's, it was so much bigger than the little church Sera had brought him to. The ceiling seemed to stretch for miles upwards, intricate stonework on all the pillars supporting it. What seemed to be hundreds of pews stood in front of him, Jonah imagined the human capacity must be in the hundreds!

Michael whistled for Jonah, who had lost himself in admiration for the building, his mind elsewhere. Jonah hurried to catch up with Michael, who had just exited via the large front doors. The light from the city stung Jonah's adjusting eyes, while they calibrated, he noticed the smell of car exhaust, the snow in the air... and food! The sounds assaulted his ears, but they were almost melodic. The symphony of car horns delighted Jonah, the distant wail of a police siren their conductor. His eyes adjusted to the streets before him. The sidewalks dusted with powdery snow, the cars locked in traffic on the pavement, their headlights reflecting off the snow created a warm, comforting glow. Countless humans wandered the midday streets of the city, most wearing heavy coats with matching gloves and hats. Bright yellow taxis dotted the traffic.