was in firm command of her realm.
Miquel articulated Guillermoâs thought. âThatâs a lie,â he said.
Guillermo raised a finger and Miquel fell silent. âHow do you fit into all of this?â
âI am a spy for Sariel.â Prietoâs eyes changed. They turned into identical orbs of crimson and silver as the angelâs power slipped again. âSariel has experienced . . . conflicts.â
âConflicts?â
âIdeological intrigues within her own court. She needed to know where Los Nefilim stood.â
Which explained Prietoâs questions to Diago each time he encountered the Nefil. Prieto probably thought that Diago was far enough outside Los Nefilimâs circle of trust that he could observe them objectively. In the angelâs mind, Diago would have nothing to lose by informing Prieto of Guillermoâs allegiances.
Prieto turned his horrible eyes on Guillermo. âWell? Do we trust you?â
âMy allegiance is where it has always beenâÂwith Sariel. She is taking us in a new and welcome direction. Iâve made no secret of my support for her.â
âGood, because you are about to acquire an entire cadre of enemies, some of whomâÂyou know, but still not fully comprehendâÂare within your own ranks.â Prieto allowed his warning to hang in the air for a moment before he continued. âThis new direction, what the Spanish call their Second Republic, is what Aker sees as weakness. He is sending members of his own court to advise Sarielâs enemies. He wants to wipe out Los Nefilim so he can bring his Messengers and Die Nephilim into Spain.â
Miquel looked like he had tasted something bitter. âThere are angels within Sarielâs court working with Aker?â
That would explain the impunity of the Messenger, Engel, and his Nephilim.
Prieto scowled and the mortals around them frowned. âThree generals in her army have made no secret of their contempt for her. She has banished them from her realm.â
The angels were preparing for another warâÂideological or not, the conflict would overtake the mortal realmâÂbut none of Prietoâs comments answered Guillermoâs biggest question. âInternal politics I understand. But why are the daimons working with the angels?â he asked.
âThey want to create a new race of Nefilim to stand against the angel-Âborn. They lost Diagoâs allegiance, so Moloch wanted to begin again. He thought that if the angels turned the child directly over to the daimons, the boyâs loyalty would be secured. Moloch approached Sariel. He promised to design a bomb that would end all wars, but his price was the child.â
âRafael.â Miquelâs eyes went hard.
Prieto confirmed their suspicions. âRafael. Sariel knows that whoever holds this new bomb of Molochâs will control the eventual outcome of the war. She thought one child was a small price to pay for the lives of millions. She also suspected that Diago wasnât as easily manipulated as the daimons thought. As he so often says, he is angel, too.
âCandela didnât want to give Rafael to either Diago or Moloch. She fled and hid the child. When she died, we found Rafael, but I made Diagoâs involvement a part of the deal. I didnât believe Diago would simply hand Rafael to Moloch. I had hoped that he would take the child and raise it apart from the daimons. Not in my wildest dreams did I see him joining Los Nefilim.â
Prieto turned to Guillermo, his countenance severe. All around them, the mortals assumed pensive expressions. The angel patted the silk pouch. âMy American counterpart is Betty Yellowcloud. She was supposed to be here days ago, but she was delayed. Had she arrived on time, I never would have been ensnared by Engel. I must get this idea to her, and she will transfer the idea to the mortal who will create the
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