someone like me. But you’re afraid of going to hell. Priceless.” I don’t think I would be exaggerating if I said Gavin laughed for ten more minutes straight.
Happy to amuse you. I’ll be here all week.
Maybe This Angel Thing Isn’t So Bad
My days at Kheiron were filled with “Celestial Coursework” (normal people would probably just call it school). The courses began promptly at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. But everything at Kheiron was ungodly.
My main instructor was not from here. Titan, a Virtue, is from Saturn. Yes, that Saturn. And since no Virtue has ever left Saturn, he teaches via satellite. No cerebral downloads here, just full days of real classroom instruction. No one bothered to tell me I was capable of learning an entire year of advanced math or science in a few hours. Fun, but draining.
When Titan smiled, I had to shield my eyes from the screen, it was so bright, and unfortunately, Titan pretty much smiled all the time. “Okay, Grace, let me know when you need a break. Most angels do after a morning of pharmacology, computer technology, archeology, interior design, social studies, linguistics, astrology, and religious studies,” Titan offered with an encouraging smile.
“No, I think I’m good. Maybe after lunch.” I wasn’t gonna be the first angel to take a break after only three hours of instruction. Half-human or not, I was ready to go.
“So I think we’ll spend the next two hours reviewing some of what we did yesterday: fashion, music, psychology, social media, biochemistry, avian studies, horticulture, alternate species studies, graphics and design, etiquette, and world history. Once we’re done with that, a small break, then a test in each of the six thousand five hundred spoken languages. After that, I’ll hand you over to Arcturus for more combat training. How does that sound?” Titan smiled from the screen in front of me. How did it sound? Completely nuts.
I had a lot to prove. A lot. The days were taxing, but I made it through and never complained. I was always happy when Arcturus and Caius arrived, though. It meant I got to punch something.
“Hey, Arcturus,” I greeted him when he entered the room. He bowed to me, then to Titan on the screen. The bowing was pretty annoying.
“Hey,” Arcturus was messing around with something on his wrist.
“Ahem,” Titan fake-cleared his throat. “Grace, tomorrow’s going to be fun. Tomorrow, we tackle botany, hieroglyphics, astronomy, physics, deep tissue massage, and if we have time, sign language, ecology and military studies. Enjoy your time in combat.” Titan bowed, then the screen went black.
“You ready for me?” Arcturus shadowboxed through a devious smile.
“Why? Do I not look ready?” Truth was, I was pretty beat. The day before we’d started aviation and aerospace studies with advanced aerodynamic flight exercises. Caius insisted that I was “cutting it a little too much to the left” when I ascended from a standing position. Not to mention we had horrible weather all day—first rain, then hail, snow, and blizzard conditions. That’s what happens when you live with Fallen. They can get you whatever kind of weather you want. “What’s on the agenda today?” I tried to sound upbeat, energetic.
“Defense and classified secrets of all the governments in the world, including where top terrorists are hiding. And if you behave, military secrets of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia!”
I perked up when he mentioned the thing about where the terrorists were hiding. Tired as I was, I could muster up some energy to smoke ’em out of their holes, George W. style. Or should I say Barack Obama style? “Cool.”
“But first, we need to talk about one of the most important things of all.” His mood turned deadly serious.
He had my full attention. “What’s that?”
Arcturus took a seat across from me. “Angelology. You must understand how we came to be, how the Order works, and your place in it.” He pulled a sword from his hip and nodded to me.
I grabbed a sword from my hip and began to circle him.
Arcturus swatted at me with his sword. And I answered with the blocks, chops, and swings he’d taught me. Arcturus barely broke his regular breathing pattern. “The Order was created by Lucifer. He convinced Michael of its necessity. Said it would make us more responsible one to another.” Arcturus jabbed at me and nearly took my eye out, but I moved quickly out of the way and almost took a nip out of his right side in return. He smiled. The