10

Zak was the solo clapper in our three-man audience.

Guy helped me to my feet after I let go of my ego. At least I’d gotten to hit him a couple of times. His cool touch hardly phased me that time. Strange; I was so used to being the one with the scary hands.

“You’re a little tiger, Jess,” Zak said with a beaming smile, “Gave him a good scratch too.”

Guy had no compliments. His scythe was mysteriously back in his hand. “Can you actually see this?” He watched for my re action while I stared directly at it while rubbing all my bruised limbs. “You can. Interesting.”

“Am I not supposed to?” I asked.

Guy didn’t answer. The scythe had been deliberately hidden but I could still see it? I wanted him to give me an explanation, but in the next moment, we were surrounded by angels.

Zak leapt from his spot on the fence but Jarmiel swatted him out of the way. “Any injuries?” he asked me. It took me a moment to realize he was showing actual concern for me. His placid voice never gave his emotions away.

“N-nothing terrible,” I said.

“I told you she’d be fine,” Zak said, “I’m more concerned about Guy reproducing.”

Guy and I both winced at that. The nut shot may not have been the coolest technique on my part, but I’d been desperate.

Lisha, the dark goddess who had come out of nowhere, had her lips perfectly frozen in a relaxed smile. She circled our group with her hands behind her back. Her long body towered over the angels, mocking the heavens they came from.

“Not bad. For a newbie.” Lisha offered me an encouraging nod. I did the same, wondering if that was some shifter custom to do so. She hummed a laugh while Zak let out an exagger at ed sigh.

“Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re trying to do, Lish,” he said, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Jarmiel, do you hear this?” Lisha chuckled. “What an angel your friend is.”

Jarmiel kept his gaze down at his clipboard. “His youthful earth years are unbecoming. Seems he needs a competitive playmate.”

“Aw, Zakiel. I didn’t know you revered me so,” she said, “I’m honored to be your playmate.”

“A fearsome creature you may be, but you can’t steal this one.” Zak stood at my side. It would’ve been cute, if I hadn’t felt like I was watching two toddlers fighting over a toy.

“I never steal . I only ever come offering more.” Lisha gave us a wink before turning on her heel. “If she doesn’t improve under your watch, you know where to find me.”

“Who is she?” I asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

“One of your captains,” Jarmiel said, “They’ve appointed their own teams, like Zakiel. Though, his energy could be put to better use elsewhere.”

There seemed to be more meaning behind his last sentence but Zak just lifted his shoulders. “Helping Jess is my top priority.”

I wasn’t positive, but I thought I caught Jarmiel’s eye roll.

“If you’re quite finished, I’d like to take Miss Winters for the remainder of the day,” he said, “She needs to review the rules and expectations here at EXO.”

Zak made a pained moan but didn’t fight him on it. “See you around, Jess. Good work.”

I guess I should have been grateful to sit in a classroom after all of that. My body ached as I followed Jarmiel to the tower. We reached level 5 and every room we passed was sealed, leaving me to wonder what else went on in these halls.

We stopped at a door and he opened it for me. Inside was tidy, if not a little barren. “Sorry it’s going to be such a lonesome session,” Jarmiel said, “Zakiel focuses so much on everyone’s physical capabilities that he slacks on the other important de tails. We’ll get you caught up with everyone else as soon as we can.”

I settled into one of the desks and Jarmiel dimmed the lights. It was a little exciting to be in an actual classroom, but without other students, it didn’t feel so different from my homeschooling.

Jarmiel turned on a bright projector that displayed an image on the wall. “Let’s go over some rules,” he began, “Any excessive use of your supernatural abilities outside of training is prohibited. Don’t be tardy. Follow instructions…”

I’ll admit, I zoned out a bit as he went on. In my defense, most of them sounded like common sense. Jarmiel paused and I didn’t know how long ago that was. “Am I boring you?”

“No, sir.” I said, suddenly hyper-focused.

He continued. “Training is required of every aspiring peace keeper. If you do not pass the test, you will have to retake it. While you have freedom over your spare time, we still expect you to adhere to the standards and respect everyone’s schedules. Since you are under Zakiel’s and my watch for the time being, you may roam the grounds and facilities here but do not leave EXO unless granted permission to do so. If you become an official peacekeeper after basics, that restriction will be lifted.”

My heart skipped a little. A few weeks and one certificate later, I could go out and look for Naomi.

Jarmiel stopped again, as if he read that thought, “After you pass, you will be expected to keep up your own schedules in physical wellness. Your next priority will be earning a badge. It involves more specialized training and allows you to participate in more complicated missions. For example, Zakiel and I were sent to find the Ghoul you encountered.”

“But Max was there,” I said, remembering that quite well.

“Yes. He passed his peacekeeper test.” Jarmiel clicked a small remote in his hand that changed the slide on the projector. “Mr. Shepherd and Miss Blaxell also.”

“Why do we all train together then?” I asked.

“They volunteer,” he said, “It earns them rank points, keeps them in shape, and increases pay by a small amount.”

Didn’t take Mallory to be one for charity.

He motioned to the chart now illuminated against the wall. I skimmed the bullet points, broken up into several different categories; supernatural or not, which type of supernatural, and potential threat levels. “The most common threats under EXO’s jurisdiction consist of lesser demons, supernaturals, gang activity along with cultists. Beginner recruits are allowed to handle them in groups. Around level three is when a superior will lead the team. Anything above a three, only members with their badge can participate. That would be someone like Zakiel.”

“How do you get a badge?” I asked.

“Two years of service and a performance review. I wouldn’t worry about it until after you pass the test.”

I jumped to another topic. “Sorry, but what was that Ghoul doing at Peter’s house, anyway? Haverwick is a small town and hasn’t attracted big monsters before.”

“Something important to note, especially considering your position, Miss Winters, is to never lump all demons together,” he said, “Some aren’t violent at all, believe it or not. The level system merely gauges the target’s predicted strength. Their actions rely heavily on their origins.”

“Origins?”

He nodded. “A minion who serves The Demon Lord of Slothfulness would not commit the same crimes as those from the Wrath Kingdom. If they bother to commit any at all.”

I laughed, but his confused expression took me off guard.

He hadn’t meant to be funny.

“So, what’s expected of me?” I asked.

“A mission will be assigned to you, and you will carry it out using your best judgment or that of your captain. Assuming we’ve trained you well.”

“Does that include… killing?”

“When the need arises, we remove their physical form from this realm. Yes.” Jarmiel delivered with a solemn nod. “Their souls, however, are out of jurisdiction.”

“So, they’re allowed to go back to Hell?”

“Yes.” Jarmiel said, “Nowhere worse we could send them.”

Touche .

“Why doesn’t EXO use weapons for this sort of thing?” I asked, “Like magic bullets or something.”

“Purifiers do. They can bless certain objects to have similar properties as angel magic does,” Jarmiel said, “Demons are only at half strength on Terra, and even weaker when possessing a host. Even still, regular weapons can’t penetrate the skin. If our weapons do somehow succeed, the demon’s rapid healing renders them useless, anyway.”

The more we discussed killing demons the more squeamish I got. In a way, he was just explaining how they would kill me . I hadn’t taken a bullet before and I wasn’t interested in testing out the theory.

“Jarmiel.” I raised my hand for the first time during that entire meeting. “If the war is over, why are the demons still fighting? That doesn’t sound ‘over’ to me.”

It was like the uprising never stopped, just slowed.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. “I’m afraid we must visit that discussion another time. But the short answer, Miss Winters, is that the war isn’t over. We only defeated one Lord of Hell. And there are many.”

“Which one?”

“Hm?”

“Which lord?” I asked again. I don’t know why I needed to know that, but I was curious.

“History refers to him as The Devourer. To us, he is The Demon Lord of all Sin.”