Page 61 of Grave Humor
“One is easy enough to find. It’s a static object, and it’s quite good at disguising itself. When you find it, you’ll likely come to the conclusion I’ve already reached: some things are best left alone. The Book of Life can protect itself—and I would like to watch someone try to violate Azrael’s chosen sanctuary now that he’s awake. Call for me, Azrael. Such things can’t be missed.”
The archangel snorted. “I will consider it.”
“He loves me,” the devil informed the other two archangels.
They sighed.
Understanding archangels did have heads made it a lot easier to accept that they could sigh. The normality of their heads would baffle me for the rest of my life, but I’d get over it eventually.
Michael turned towards me. “It amuses us that humans expect anything other than that. Man was made in His image—and He was made in the image of man by the universe itself. Why would we angels also not be a reflection of this?”
“Why did the one skeleton in the catacombs have odd thumbs and an extra toe on each foot?” I asked. “Angels don’t, but you also lack in a sphenoid.”
“Human curiosity is such an interesting thing. The one you looked upon is the one modern humans call the first creation. That’s not quite accurate, but it’s what humans like to believe.”
My eyes widened. “You mean Adam?”
“I do.”
“Eve wasn’t with him.” There’d been others with him, but they’d been from other places. “That’s sad.”
Azrael patted my shoulder. “Just because their earthly remains do not reside together doesn’t mean she’s not with him. Their seeds of life have been replanted many times, and they always find one another in life. Her earthly remains have long since departed, returned to dust. His are interred as an eternal reminder of what had once been, safe within those catacombs. One day, come visit the catacombs, and I will teach you of all those who reside there. They are the true history of this world. You would make an excellent custodian of the grounds.”
According to Eoghan’s expression, he did not appreciate the archangel attempting to edge in on his turf. “No attacking the Archangel of Death, Eoghan. I’m not sure I would have the time to take up that duty. I have made other commitments.”
“You could easily handle both, and your antique would enjoy your ventures into the catacomb. You would be welcome there, Eoghan.”
That caught Eoghan’s attention. “I would be?”
“Of course. It’s as much of a sanctuary for you as it is for me. We may not see eye-to-eye on many matters, but we can cohabit the same space. I’m sure she’ll be amused by our relentless bickering.”
I turned to the devil. “Can I kill them?”
Lucy snickered. “You would miss them both were you to do such a thing.”
While that was true, I still scowled. “Can we redirect this conversation back to the nodes?”
The devil grinned and showed off his perfect teeth. “Technically, it is one node, one thing of power, and a person.”
“The Book of Life being the thing of power?”
“Correct.”
“There’s a person who is a node?” Eoghan asked, his tone dismayed.
“The person is a person, not a node. The person is touched by the node, which is where the confusion is coming into play. The person is a conduit.”
Eoghan’s expression relaxed. “Ah. Conduits are a different matter entirely. Mostly harmless.”
“Unless you drop them on a node and piss them off,” the devil corrected.
That made the antique’s eyes widen. “That could be quite dangerous.”
“Why could this person be dangerous if they’re near a node and angry?” I asked.
“Conduits often amplify the power of other people or things. Anger is often a trigger for a conduit’s abilities awakening. Your Eoghan can be a conduit in the right conditions, as can Azrael.”
The Archangel of Death shrugged. “It happens from time to time, I suppose. And we do not discuss Eoghan’s abilities as a conduit should he be triggered. I find it reprehensible at best.”
