Gods From the Machine by Andrew Ly Page A

demons. He had a thick, square goatee that wrapped around his equally square mouth, but that was the only hair on his body. Scars covered most of his face; combined with his gigantic size it created a figure of pure intimidation. He was known to be the brute of the Trifecta, the physical force behind the two other archangels. Whereas Gabriel was Nick’s ideal image of a knight, Bartholomew carried notoriety as the Brave Unit’s most merciless knight. He was also the only one who did not choose an apprentice, but this didn’t surprise Nick because Bartholomew was not one to work well with others. He stood back, his arms folded, with a permanent scowl on his face.
    “ Thank you, Bartholomew. Today I would like to announce the arrival of my granddaughter, Alyssa Masters! She will be staying in Glenhaven as a knight of our Garrison. Though she won’t make an appearance, I’d like you all to know that I’m in very high spirits about her arrival. A huge feast will be held in her honor,” Peter said. It was odd, but kind of nice to know the old man had a softer side, considering he was always brooding in his office or dispensing punishment.
    After it was all over and he had dismissed everyone, the soldiers and knights went to tend to their usual business. On the way back to his dormitory, Nick was aching to call Quinn when he was suddenly pulled aside by Gabriel, who looked serious.
    “ Nick, the old man wants to see you. There’s something very important that we need to discuss,” Gabriel said.
    He only had enough time to exchange a quick confused look with Matt before he was pulled throug h the current of other soldiers and into the briefing room where everyone—including the archangels and their apprentices—was already waiting for him.
    Gabriel ’s apprentice, Paul Evans, was there. He was the only knight Nick could honestly say he hated. He had white-blond hair like Lucius, but styled it in a short, buzz-cut. He had a similar build and height as Nick, but he was definitely more toned. His sky blue eyes were complemented by a pointed chin and thin nose, just like his father, President Evans. The corners of his lips were always raised, giving the impression that he had a perpetual sneer on his face. Much worse was his off-putting personality, which he used to its fullest potential when bullying other knights.
    Nick knew that Peter needed to talk to him, and his ongoing feud with Paul had to be put on hold. The vibe of the room gave him a bad feeling about this entire meeting, especially since everyone was looking at him with grim expressions. He took a seat at the opposite end of the table.
    “ Nicholas, I’m glad you got a chance to join us,” Peter said. The smile he wore in the Grand Hall was gone.
    “ What is it you wish to discuss, Supreme Commander?” Nick asked.
    “ An unidentified group of demons has launched several systematic attacks in the west at small towns around the country of Fyria. The safety of my granddaughter in that Garrison has been compromised. This has forced my hand. Everything these demons touched had been picked apart, and now we are facing a threat that’s moving faster than we had ever predicted. If we don’t stop it soon, there’s a chance this could lead into the next war,” Peter said.
    Nick ’s heart beat faster. “This is the first I’ve heard about any type of threat. How many of the others are prepared for war?”
    “ They’re not. Only the people in this room know about this attack,” Lucius said. “The Fyrians are proud people. They refuse to accept help from anybody. If not for their strong ties with our Garrison, we wouldn’t have even known this was going on.”
    “ Why are we sitting here talking when we could send a force there and stop them? They must to be punished for this!” Nick said.
    “ No. Alerting everyone now would needlessly cause a mass panic, and that isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do. However, before we can retaliate, we need to get