The Chosen

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Gedeon retracted his wings as his shoes touched the flagstones in front of Lord Jairo's house. He trudged toward the main door, dreading the wrath he'd have to face.

He didn't look over his shoulder as the rest of his angels landed behind him. All of them were quiet, all looking at him for instructions.

"Return to your quarters," Gedeon said while staring ahead at the tall, ornate wooden door of the large mansion.

Lord Jairo would blame him, not them. He'd given the task to Gedeon, and Gedeon had failed.

Though he could simply go through the walls, Lord Jairo would banish him for such insubordination. He and his angels could come and go as they pleased in the servants' quarters, but not in the main wing.

Gedeon rang the bell and took a deep breath—not that he needed to breathe. Humans' requirements for survival didn't apply to him. Though angels didn't have the power and authority of the gods, they were still above the pathetic, fragile humans.

The deep breath was merely a habit, something he'd adopted from observing the humans since coming down to earth.

The door opened, and a six-foot-five servant, almost as tall as Gedeon, opened the door. Dressed in a well-pressed suit, the good-looking nephilim bowed as Gedeon entered.

Everyone in Lord Jairo's place was good-looking. That was to be expected of the offspring of a god and a human woman. Besides, Lord Jairo only took for himself women of exquisite beauty.

"Master is waiting for you."

Despite what the servant was wearing and the subservient attitude he displayed, the nephilim could turn on Gedeon the instant Lord Jairo demanded it.

Not that he believed Lord Jairo would.

Lord Jairo wouldn't hurt him or his angels—not beyond repair.

It wasn't as if he could die anyway. Still, Gedeon always kept his guard up against the nephilim.

The servant closed the heavy door behind him and walked ahead.

Gedeon strode behind the servant, his eyes boring into his back. He'd been in the main wing more than enough times—an honor in itself—to know that he was treading on fine marble.

Along the hallway leading to the study, which seemed to be where they were heading, hung paintings that cost several million dollars each. All were oil paintings from famous hands; most obtained on the black market. Paintings considered lost or stolen.

Lord Jairo didn't care much for contemporary abstract art. For Lord Jairo, the more sordid the details of how a painting was obtained, the more amusement he derived from it.

Everything in Lord Jairo's mansion was the best money could buy.

With all his business dealings, Lord Jairo had more than enough money to indulge himself. And he always did.
Unlike humans, money never meant much to Lord Jairo or the angels. Having lived in a place where roads were made of gold, it seemed pure idiocy to chase after such a commodity.

Yet humans were just that dumb.

The servant stopped in front of a dark brown door and knocked twice before opening it a sliver. "Master, your servant Gedeon is here."

"Send him in," Lord Jairo said from within, and the nephilim stepped aside for Gedeon to enter.

Gedeon walked up to the mahogany table with his head bowed. "My lord." He got down on one knee, all the while keeping his head bowed.

"How did your mission go?"

"I'm sorry, my—"

"You failed to eliminate the girl?" The calmness in the voice, the cold, chilling calmness—the sort one expected before a major outburst—would turn any of the other angels into a quivering mess. But Gedeon gritted his teeth, refusing to show any fear.

"We were outnumbered. I didn't think—"

"I told you to take as many as you required."

Before Gedeon could blink, Lord Jairo's hand grabbed his chin. With a rough jerk, Lord Jairo forced Gedeon to look up into his face. His skin shimmered like a diamond under a spotlight. Only it was more like millions of diamonds and other precious gems embedded in his skin, and he didn't require any external light.

The light came from within Lord Jairo himself. A glow that marked all divine beings.

Gedeon could do that, too. But his glow was nowhere near the beauty of Lord Jairo's.

Yet in that moment, beauty was far from Gedeon's mind. Despite the brilliance of the glow, Gedeon's attention was solely on Lord Jairo's now darkened eyes.

The whites of Lord Jairo's eyes were overrun by the dark ink that exploded from his pupil. The Stygian darkness in his eyes bore into Gedeon's eyes and searched his soul for fear, pulling it all up to the surface of his skin.

Gedeon shivered, and Lord Jairo's lips twisted in disgust, probably from the show of weakness and from what Lord Jairo had seen in his mind.

With a flick of his hand, Lord Jairo shoved Gedeon to the floor. "You must have done something. Those angels wouldn't have interfered if you hadn't broken the rules first."

Rules. Those damn rules. Gedeon pushed his face off the floor and got back into his kneeling position. "One of ours manifested himself, trying to get the girl to drive herself off the road."

Lord Jairo backhanded Gedeon and sent him flying against the wall, hard enough to send a deep crack snaking up the white wall.

For a moment, Gedeon stared at Lord Jairo in disbelief.

Though he knew Lord Jairo would be irate, he hadn't expected such a physical outburst.

Lord Jairo was far from a benevolent leader, but he was usually in much better control. He had stressed the importance of getting rid of the human girl. Sending Gedeon and his angels instead of the usual nephilim was clear enough, but now Gedeon realized there was more.

Gedeon lowered his head as the thought hit him. Lord Jairo, the god of their land—a son of God—was afraid of a mere human girl.

But why?

"The one who broke the rule, where is he now?" Lord Jairo had returned to his black office chair while Gedeon got back into his kneeling position.

"Back in the servants' quarters. He'll be punished for his transgression."

"Get up, Gedeon."

Gedeon tipped his chin up.

The glow from Lord Jairo had faded. His eyes were closed, and his clean-shaven, perfectly symmetrical face was tipped slightly to the side. His fair arms were resting on the table, his fingers interlaced.

Gedeon got to his feet before Lord Jairo had to repeat his command.

"Manifested. So the girl saw all of you?"

"Yes, my lord." If he hadn't been staring at Lord Jairo, he would have braced himself for another impact.

"Where's the girl now?"

"Taken to the hospital. A Chosen rescued her, and there are angels watching her. I'll take more with me this time."

"Rescued by a Chosen." His thumbs tapped against each other. "I'm sure the Guardians have at least one fool in the hospital. Find out who that is and make sure the fool is around when the girl wakes up. She's bound to talk. Then we'll just let the Guardians do their job."

Gedeon almost questioned the abilities of the Guardians. If even he and his angels couldn't get past those protecting the human girl, how would mere humans be able to do it?

But he swallowed the question immediately. Lord Jairo was not to be questioned. "Yes, my lord."

Lord Jairo gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

Gedeon bowed and moved backward before turning and opening the door.

The nephilim outside bowed to Gedeon.

"I'll see myself back to my quarters."

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Book's completed! Just making some minor edits. Will be reposting at least five parts each week!

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