LILITH (DEMONOLOGY I)

VII

The world around me looked like a wasteland. There were no plants, no animals, not a single sign of life. Junk cars and pieces of scrap metal littered the earth. It seemed post-apocalyptic.

The only thing that stood out was the large temple that stood before me - the same temple that demons had used to break into the chapel. It was a large bronze pillar that stood at least ten feet tall. It was decorated with symbols and words in foreign languages. I didn't understand any of it, but I knew I had to protect it.

Guarding the temple with me were Thalia and three others. The youngest was Alec, who couldn't have been any older than 15. He was particularly quiet. When I tried to greet him, he wouldn't meet my eyes. Next was Nel, who seemed to be a little bit older than me. She practically oozed confidence, as she greeted me with no problem, and showed that she had no problem "taking me on." What that meant, I wasn't sure. And I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Lastly, there was Rhett, who hated me with a passion. Not only had I taken his spot as Officer, but apparently the girl that had attacked me a few days prior was in a relationship with him. The same girl that my father had killed. When I tried to shake his hand, he just stared me down and sharpened a knife. I had no intentions of ever messing with him.

What was I found odd about this group was that Thalia and I were the only Nephilim. Alec and Rhett were lower tier angels, and Nel was on par with Nephilims. What was stranger, however, was the paradigm of the group.

I had expected Thalia to be the most gifted of the group, but she was actually the lowest. In fact, she didn't even fight. She was just a cleric used to supply us with charms, seals and sigils. Alec, who seemed the least adept of the group, was supposedly the most powerful. His father was an archangel, which gave him extraordinary abilities. The problem, however, was he had no clue how to use them. He was a complete wild card, but according to Thalia, his abilities had saved them before. Nel, who didn't seem like much physically, but she was very fast and very flexible. If they needed espionage, she was the one to call. Lastly, Rhett was a complete powerhouse. He was taller than me, but I probably weighed more than him. He had superhuman strength, and had once lifted an entire bus. That, added to the fact that he hated my guts, made me fear him.

"So, Newbie," he said. "What exactly did you do that convinced the Council to give you this position? You must have really kissed up to Cerviel to get this gig."

"I wasn't trying to take your spot," I said, aggravated. "Like I said a million times before, I'm just good at thinking on my feet. I saw the Council trying to fend off a demon and I figured they could use some help. I was just trying to save my mother, who I haven't even known for three days now. Believe me, I don't want this. So whatever problem you have with me, know that it's not my fault."

"So I'm guessing it's 'not your fault' that my girlfriend died on her mission - which, by the way, was to find you."

"I didn't kill her. My father did. And for all he and I knew, she would have killed me if he hadn't done anything. Again, it's something that we humans call 'thinking on our feet.' And it's saved millions of lives."

"Okay, first of all, you're not a human - you're a Nephilim. An illegal one, too. Secondly, no mere human can kill a Nephilim. You were the only other Nephilim around, so anyone with a properly functioning brain would be able to conclude that you killed her."

"And I'm sure that anyone with a properly functioning brain wouldn't lose their status as Officer to a 'Newbie' so easily." I glared at him, just daring him to make a move. He may have been an angel, but I was sure he'd never tried to fight against krav maga. If mundane fighting couldn't kill him, it sure as hell would inflict a beating on him.