could blame you for that! How will you do it? Well, that
is simple. You have your gender on your side. All women have ever
been followers of the Scapegoat. He is the great seducer, after
all. In the days before Abraham, the wife of our founder, Lamech,
gave birth to a monstrous child, spawned of a fallen angel.
Although she denied it, Lamech knew the truth and began the holy
war to root out and destroy the tainted blood of these unholy
unions.’
‘Where is this written?’
Melandra asked. She could not help but take his remarks about women
personally.
‘In the Book of Enoch,’ Fox
replied. ‘It was a book that was excluded from the Old Testament,
for the terrible history it contained was not for the eyes and ears
of common Christians. The time has come for you to learn its
contents. I will give you a copy to read while you journey to your
appointed duty. Azazel will not expect the fatal thrust to come
from a woman. Remember your Bible history, Melandra. Remember
Judith. “Praise God, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the
house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this
night.”’
‘You want me to be Judith?’
Melandra was well aware of the story. Judith had cut the head from
her enemy, Holofernes, while he slept. Did that mean she’d have to
get close enough to this Azazel to sleep with him?
‘Sacrifices may have to be
made,’ Fox said carefully, ‘but may not be necessary, in the
event.’ He smiled. ‘You are an excellent shot, after all. Perhaps
you won’t need to get that close.’
‘Who is it?’ she asked,
expecting to hear a name she had heard before.
Fox pulled a quizzical face. ‘I
told you. Azazel, leader of the Grigori.’
Melandra smiled. ‘Yes, but... I
mean, it isn’t really him. It can’t be. He died thousands of years
ago. And the Grigori… fallen angels…’ She shook her head. ‘Do they
really still walk the earth?’
Fox shook his head and spoke
gently. ‘Believe me, the Grigori have never left this world. Like
maggots they have feasted on its flesh, and it is the holy duty of
our order to root them out wherever they hide. God is with us, my
child. We are his arms in this world; we mete out his vengeance to
the miscreants and their spawn. We bring down fire upon their vile
heads.’
Melandra swallowed. She didn’t
want to offend Nathaniel Fox, but even after all her training this
information was hard to take in. Why hadn’t they told her before,
prepared her? For a few moments, her faith wavered. Were the
Children of Lamech all mad? It could not be true that the Grigori
still lived.
Fox was eyeing her steadily,
and a hard light had come into his eyes. ‘Let not the devil’s doubt
assail you, my child. Disbelief in their existence is the Grigori’s
greatest defence.’
Melandra touched her lips
briefly with cold fingers. So this was the answer she’d been
waiting for. Since her early days at the college, she had known she
would eventually be sent out into the world to destroy God’s
enemies, but she’d had no idea her targets would be angels, fallen
or otherwise. It didn’t seem real to her. ‘They never told me,’ she
said. ‘Not once. Is it the same for everyone at the college?’
Fox looked slightly
uncomfortable. ‘Everyone has their duty,’ he said. ‘All of our
warriors hunt down the children of the Fallen Ones. There have been
many before you, who have efficiently and discretely removed
identified Grigori and their supporters.’
‘But why weren’t we told about
this?’
Fox sucked his upper lip,
nodding distractedly. ‘I understand your surprise. All of your
college friends have now gone on to destroy Grigori that we
uncover, but you — you have this special purpose. You were not born
to it, no, but when your cousin Isaac died, his fate fell upon you.
The Scourge of Azazel. We knew that when the eve of the millennium
was upon us, the Evil One would rise up from the earth to glory in
destruction. We had to protect you,
is simple. You have your gender on your side. All women have ever
been followers of the Scapegoat. He is the great seducer, after
all. In the days before Abraham, the wife of our founder, Lamech,
gave birth to a monstrous child, spawned of a fallen angel.
Although she denied it, Lamech knew the truth and began the holy
war to root out and destroy the tainted blood of these unholy
unions.’
‘Where is this written?’
Melandra asked. She could not help but take his remarks about women
personally.
‘In the Book of Enoch,’ Fox
replied. ‘It was a book that was excluded from the Old Testament,
for the terrible history it contained was not for the eyes and ears
of common Christians. The time has come for you to learn its
contents. I will give you a copy to read while you journey to your
appointed duty. Azazel will not expect the fatal thrust to come
from a woman. Remember your Bible history, Melandra. Remember
Judith. “Praise God, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the
house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this
night.”’
‘You want me to be Judith?’
Melandra was well aware of the story. Judith had cut the head from
her enemy, Holofernes, while he slept. Did that mean she’d have to
get close enough to this Azazel to sleep with him?
‘Sacrifices may have to be
made,’ Fox said carefully, ‘but may not be necessary, in the
event.’ He smiled. ‘You are an excellent shot, after all. Perhaps
you won’t need to get that close.’
‘Who is it?’ she asked,
expecting to hear a name she had heard before.
Fox pulled a quizzical face. ‘I
told you. Azazel, leader of the Grigori.’
Melandra smiled. ‘Yes, but... I
mean, it isn’t really him. It can’t be. He died thousands of years
ago. And the Grigori… fallen angels…’ She shook her head. ‘Do they
really still walk the earth?’
Fox shook his head and spoke
gently. ‘Believe me, the Grigori have never left this world. Like
maggots they have feasted on its flesh, and it is the holy duty of
our order to root them out wherever they hide. God is with us, my
child. We are his arms in this world; we mete out his vengeance to
the miscreants and their spawn. We bring down fire upon their vile
heads.’
Melandra swallowed. She didn’t
want to offend Nathaniel Fox, but even after all her training this
information was hard to take in. Why hadn’t they told her before,
prepared her? For a few moments, her faith wavered. Were the
Children of Lamech all mad? It could not be true that the Grigori
still lived.
Fox was eyeing her steadily,
and a hard light had come into his eyes. ‘Let not the devil’s doubt
assail you, my child. Disbelief in their existence is the Grigori’s
greatest defence.’
Melandra touched her lips
briefly with cold fingers. So this was the answer she’d been
waiting for. Since her early days at the college, she had known she
would eventually be sent out into the world to destroy God’s
enemies, but she’d had no idea her targets would be angels, fallen
or otherwise. It didn’t seem real to her. ‘They never told me,’ she
said. ‘Not once. Is it the same for everyone at the college?’
Fox looked slightly
uncomfortable. ‘Everyone has their duty,’ he said. ‘All of our
warriors hunt down the children of the Fallen Ones. There have been
many before you, who have efficiently and discretely removed
identified Grigori and their supporters.’
‘But why weren’t we told about
this?’
Fox sucked his upper lip,
nodding distractedly. ‘I understand your surprise. All of your
college friends have now gone on to destroy Grigori that we
uncover, but you — you have this special purpose. You were not born
to it, no, but when your cousin Isaac died, his fate fell upon you.
The Scourge of Azazel. We knew that when the eve of the millennium
was upon us, the Evil One would rise up from the earth to glory in
destruction. We had to protect you,
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