like porcelain,
her features perfection. The use of makeup would be silly, like
trying to improve upon a work by Michaelangelo. And she was aware
of the attention he was giving her, batting her eyes and pouting
her lips like some damn showgirl. He would come up with a solution
later—maybe a bag over her head or clown’s makeup or something.
The others were changed too: Lucas seemed
calmer, more reserved, more intelligent even; Johanna and Sarah
looked like Amazon women, as fierce as they were beautiful; Percy
looked like a Swedish-god, with strong features and captivating
blue eyes; Dionysus was also improved, but the differences were
more subtle.
However, the most impressive changes had
surely been wrought on David. While he had looked a year or two
older than his age at the start of the day, the boy now appeared to
be a half-decade older. His boyish features had dissolved, and in
their place was a vision of a man. If he looked like Gabriel
before, he appeared as his twin brother now. In fact, if the
brothers were standing next to each other, it would be difficult to
discern who the eldest was. The similarities in appearance between
the brothers were so great that it was disconcerting for Dionysus
to rest his gaze upon the boy’s face for too long. It was as if his
greatest enemy from the past had found a way to inhabit his
brother’s body and thus learn all of Dionysus’s darkest secrets.
But the comparison ended when the boy spoke, his words harsh and
uncaring, eerily mature and wise, definitive. Dionysus realized he
was speaking now.
“My lord, we now have the firepower we have
been seeking. I recommend we march out in the next battle and
decimate the demon army. In our evolved state we cannot be
stopped.”
The strength of David’s words resonated with
others around the table. Percy and Sarah were nodding, and Lucas
seemed to be hanging on his every word. Only Cassandra and Johanna
appeared unmoved: Cassandra was more interested in gawking at
herself in the portable mirror she had brought to the Council
meeting, and Johanna was probably still angry with the boy for the
way he had spoken to her in earlier meetings.
Dionysus said, “What about the girl?”
“She is only one, we are many. We will crush
HER!” David slammed his fist on the table when he said her ,
emphasizing his point. Cassandra flinched and almost dropped her
mirror.
“Your point is well-taken, but I would
propose a slightly different course of action. Look, we are in no
danger at the moment. The demons, as usual, are probably waiting
for us to make the next move. And we will. But not yet. At this
point, we do not fully comprehend what the girl is able to do, or
what our new bodies are capable of. We need to know what we’re
dealing with.”
David said, “What do you propose?” The
man-child’s voice sounded so different that Dionysus found himself
shuddering each time he spoke. He would need to do something about
that too, maybe force him to speak in a voice changing device that
made him sound like a little kid again.
“I propose we train. We learn about our new
powers and ensure we understand how to use them most effectively
before we fly into battle like a bunch of testosterone-crazed
teenagers that just hit puberty. At the same time, we’ll enlist one
of our demon spies to keep tabs on the girl, and gather intel about
her powers. Once we are informed, we’ll plan our next move.”
“Interesting,” David said. “I am willing to
live with that.” Dionysus smiled. He had been somewhat concerned
that there might be dissension in the New Archangels, especially
because the boy was so unpredictable. Now he knew that David was on
his side, just another pawn to be used. “Thank you, David. Your
agreement is appreciated. I propose a vote!”
As expected, the voting was unanimous.
Chapter Seventeen
A single bead of
sweat twisted and turned and meandered down Taylor’s face. It
paused mid-cheek and quivered for a
her features perfection. The use of makeup would be silly, like
trying to improve upon a work by Michaelangelo. And she was aware
of the attention he was giving her, batting her eyes and pouting
her lips like some damn showgirl. He would come up with a solution
later—maybe a bag over her head or clown’s makeup or something.
The others were changed too: Lucas seemed
calmer, more reserved, more intelligent even; Johanna and Sarah
looked like Amazon women, as fierce as they were beautiful; Percy
looked like a Swedish-god, with strong features and captivating
blue eyes; Dionysus was also improved, but the differences were
more subtle.
However, the most impressive changes had
surely been wrought on David. While he had looked a year or two
older than his age at the start of the day, the boy now appeared to
be a half-decade older. His boyish features had dissolved, and in
their place was a vision of a man. If he looked like Gabriel
before, he appeared as his twin brother now. In fact, if the
brothers were standing next to each other, it would be difficult to
discern who the eldest was. The similarities in appearance between
the brothers were so great that it was disconcerting for Dionysus
to rest his gaze upon the boy’s face for too long. It was as if his
greatest enemy from the past had found a way to inhabit his
brother’s body and thus learn all of Dionysus’s darkest secrets.
But the comparison ended when the boy spoke, his words harsh and
uncaring, eerily mature and wise, definitive. Dionysus realized he
was speaking now.
“My lord, we now have the firepower we have
been seeking. I recommend we march out in the next battle and
decimate the demon army. In our evolved state we cannot be
stopped.”
The strength of David’s words resonated with
others around the table. Percy and Sarah were nodding, and Lucas
seemed to be hanging on his every word. Only Cassandra and Johanna
appeared unmoved: Cassandra was more interested in gawking at
herself in the portable mirror she had brought to the Council
meeting, and Johanna was probably still angry with the boy for the
way he had spoken to her in earlier meetings.
Dionysus said, “What about the girl?”
“She is only one, we are many. We will crush
HER!” David slammed his fist on the table when he said her ,
emphasizing his point. Cassandra flinched and almost dropped her
mirror.
“Your point is well-taken, but I would
propose a slightly different course of action. Look, we are in no
danger at the moment. The demons, as usual, are probably waiting
for us to make the next move. And we will. But not yet. At this
point, we do not fully comprehend what the girl is able to do, or
what our new bodies are capable of. We need to know what we’re
dealing with.”
David said, “What do you propose?” The
man-child’s voice sounded so different that Dionysus found himself
shuddering each time he spoke. He would need to do something about
that too, maybe force him to speak in a voice changing device that
made him sound like a little kid again.
“I propose we train. We learn about our new
powers and ensure we understand how to use them most effectively
before we fly into battle like a bunch of testosterone-crazed
teenagers that just hit puberty. At the same time, we’ll enlist one
of our demon spies to keep tabs on the girl, and gather intel about
her powers. Once we are informed, we’ll plan our next move.”
“Interesting,” David said. “I am willing to
live with that.” Dionysus smiled. He had been somewhat concerned
that there might be dissension in the New Archangels, especially
because the boy was so unpredictable. Now he knew that David was on
his side, just another pawn to be used. “Thank you, David. Your
agreement is appreciated. I propose a vote!”
As expected, the voting was unanimous.
Chapter Seventeen
A single bead of
sweat twisted and turned and meandered down Taylor’s face. It
paused mid-cheek and quivered for a
Similar Books
