fighters in Europe right now.”
“Tell them no,” Denise said flatly. Her cheeks were flexing in agitation. The striations pulled on her straight angels marks making them curve from their usual unbent line. “You can’t drop everything you have going on and fly off wherever they command. You’re not a soldier.”
“But I am,” John sighed. “It’s what I signed up for… I’d rather stay here, but I can’t back out on the vows I took.”
“You can stop being a Justice Minister whenever you want,” she fumed. “It’s not like the rest of us don’t fight. You can tell them at any time that you don’t want to be part of their little group anymore.”
John nodded and closed his eyes. “I could,” he said. “But I’m not going to. Not right now, at least.”
“Why?” she said. The question sounded sad as it came from her mouth, but flashing anger was beginning to twist her pretty face.
“They’ve taught me to be ten times the fighter I was before I joined them,” John justified carefully. “I learned a lot here.” He swept his arms around to encompass the magnificent Cathedral. “But the Ministers teach you how to handle real world situations. They make you study every demon to know its weaknesses and how each of them fights.”
“I’ll never understand your obsession with them,” she said at nearly a growl. “The rest of us hold our own in a fight. You don’t have to be a Justice Minister to help with the War. What we do is important.”
“I know,” John said and moved close to hug her. She shied away with a sniff. “But I can’t back out. What kind of a person would I be if I did? What kind of angel? I can’t go around making promises to people and breaking them at the first sign of trouble.”
“Maybe not,” Denise cleared her throat and blinking rapidly. “But… you’ve made promises to other people. All the plans we’ve made.”
This time John didn’t let her move away from him. He wrapped her in a tight embrace – making sure not to squash the roses. No tears leaked down her face, but a soft quiver shook each breath. “The last thing I want to do is miss out on all the fun stuff we had planned,” he said tenderly and cupped her chin in his large hand. “But God has called me for a purpose. And ridding the world of demons is what I’m best at. I can keep them from killing innocent people. Unbelievers who would feed Lucifer’s power. If I don’t go help, and the fallen are allowed to surge more than they have already, thousands of people might lose their lives. I can’t live with that.”
She nodded slowly. Her face was buried in his chest and he relished the feeling of her skin against his. “I’ll go with you then,” she said after almost a full minute of silence.
“Wh-what?” John stuttered. “Really? You know how dangerous it’s going to be, right? You don’t like the fighting much…”
“I don’t care,” she said standing up straight.
“I… would really like to have you with me,” he said trying to think of all the ramifications. He’d get to spend countless hours with her. They’d have down time to visit sights all over Spain… but the front lines of the war were a dangerous place. John shuddered at the thought of Denise continuously facing hordes of demons. Watching her walk through the blood and guts of battles. So many chances of losing her forever. The image of her cornered in the warehouse popped into his mind. Inches from the deadly claws of the reidlos. “Pray on it,” he said. “I will as well. It’s not a decision you need to make right away like this. Take some time.”
“I thought you said you were leaving tonight?” she asked with a cold edge of steel building in her voice. John could see her ramping herself up to make a hasty decision.
“I’ll go through the gate a few minutes before 8:00… for now, let’s pray and take a walk.”
They spent the next two hours hiking through the trees. They talked about the War
“Tell them no,” Denise said flatly. Her cheeks were flexing in agitation. The striations pulled on her straight angels marks making them curve from their usual unbent line. “You can’t drop everything you have going on and fly off wherever they command. You’re not a soldier.”
“But I am,” John sighed. “It’s what I signed up for… I’d rather stay here, but I can’t back out on the vows I took.”
“You can stop being a Justice Minister whenever you want,” she fumed. “It’s not like the rest of us don’t fight. You can tell them at any time that you don’t want to be part of their little group anymore.”
John nodded and closed his eyes. “I could,” he said. “But I’m not going to. Not right now, at least.”
“Why?” she said. The question sounded sad as it came from her mouth, but flashing anger was beginning to twist her pretty face.
“They’ve taught me to be ten times the fighter I was before I joined them,” John justified carefully. “I learned a lot here.” He swept his arms around to encompass the magnificent Cathedral. “But the Ministers teach you how to handle real world situations. They make you study every demon to know its weaknesses and how each of them fights.”
“I’ll never understand your obsession with them,” she said at nearly a growl. “The rest of us hold our own in a fight. You don’t have to be a Justice Minister to help with the War. What we do is important.”
“I know,” John said and moved close to hug her. She shied away with a sniff. “But I can’t back out. What kind of a person would I be if I did? What kind of angel? I can’t go around making promises to people and breaking them at the first sign of trouble.”
“Maybe not,” Denise cleared her throat and blinking rapidly. “But… you’ve made promises to other people. All the plans we’ve made.”
This time John didn’t let her move away from him. He wrapped her in a tight embrace – making sure not to squash the roses. No tears leaked down her face, but a soft quiver shook each breath. “The last thing I want to do is miss out on all the fun stuff we had planned,” he said tenderly and cupped her chin in his large hand. “But God has called me for a purpose. And ridding the world of demons is what I’m best at. I can keep them from killing innocent people. Unbelievers who would feed Lucifer’s power. If I don’t go help, and the fallen are allowed to surge more than they have already, thousands of people might lose their lives. I can’t live with that.”
She nodded slowly. Her face was buried in his chest and he relished the feeling of her skin against his. “I’ll go with you then,” she said after almost a full minute of silence.
“Wh-what?” John stuttered. “Really? You know how dangerous it’s going to be, right? You don’t like the fighting much…”
“I don’t care,” she said standing up straight.
“I… would really like to have you with me,” he said trying to think of all the ramifications. He’d get to spend countless hours with her. They’d have down time to visit sights all over Spain… but the front lines of the war were a dangerous place. John shuddered at the thought of Denise continuously facing hordes of demons. Watching her walk through the blood and guts of battles. So many chances of losing her forever. The image of her cornered in the warehouse popped into his mind. Inches from the deadly claws of the reidlos. “Pray on it,” he said. “I will as well. It’s not a decision you need to make right away like this. Take some time.”
“I thought you said you were leaving tonight?” she asked with a cold edge of steel building in her voice. John could see her ramping herself up to make a hasty decision.
“I’ll go through the gate a few minutes before 8:00… for now, let’s pray and take a walk.”
They spent the next two hours hiking through the trees. They talked about the War
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