Demon Moon

don’t rule it out as a possibility. And doesn’t it benefit them to say they came from Heaven? Maybe they’re just capitalizing on things people already believe, and they change the details of their story according to the culture. It inspires more power, more fear—is more impressive.”
    “And what of Michael and the Guardians? Do you doubt his word as well?” His fangs gleamed when she shifted uncomfortably. “Do you think his story of the Second Battle is a lie?”
    “No. Demons are real; I’m not questioning that—or that they probably were jealous of the angels who were on Earth, protecting it. I live with a hellhound, so I don’t doubt Lucifer bred them, and used them to massacre the angels during that battle. And I’ve seen what Michael can do.”
    “So you are willing to believe that he really did lead an army of men who fought against the demons, and killed a Chaos dragon with his sword?”
    “Yes.”
    “How generous of you, Savitri.” His voice was teasing. “And what about afterward—that the angels gave him the power to transform other humans into Guardians, and take their place as protectors in Caelum?”
    “I’m willing to accept that, too. I just don’t necessarily think it has to all come from some huge, ineffable source. There might be other explanations. Stop laughing, it’s not that funny,” she said, but when he glanced at her and sucked in a long breath as if he was trying to suppress it, then failed and burst into laughter again, she had to join in.
    “Oh, Savitri,” he said. “You are incredible. Still a skeptic.”
    She shrugged. “They—you—do things I have no explanation for, but maybe in three hundred years, there will be one. A thousand years ago, the world was flat, gravity didn’t exist, and lightning was a sign from the gods. And no one’s studying Guardians or demons—except for the quacks, scientists don’t even know they’re supposed to be figuring this shit out. They don’t have terms for most of it. But once people take a look at it, pull it apart…demystify it all, maybe they’ll find a reason for it. So I’m not saying it isn’t true—but I’m not ready to say it is, either.”
    “Do let me know when you are; I think I shall very much enjoy hearing your conclusions, however convoluted they may be.”
    “I may take a long time.”
    He grinned. “I’ll wait.”
    The turnover had almost completely cooled; she took another bite. His lids lowered as he inhaled, his gaze falling to her mouth. “That is apple?”
    She nodded.
    He blinked and gave his head a slight shake, turning his attention back to the road.
    “Actually,” she said, “the only reason I’m not running away screaming is because it’s all so interesting. I live with a two-thousand-year-old woman and an eight-hundred-year-old man. Did you know Lilith once tried to tempt Isaac Newton?”
    “She told you that?” Colin glanced at her. “She may have been lying.”
    “Hugh said she wasn’t. But even if she had been, it’s still fascinating.”
    “And are you so certain Castleford tells you the truth?”
    “I think so. Usually, if I ask a question he doesn’t want to answer, he just says it’s not for me to know.” He didn’t say it very often—and the majority of the times he had, it had been in relation to Colin and Chaos. “Except it doesn’t sound so condescending when he says it. Is all that stuff about you in his book true? Have you read it?”
    After he’d Fallen, Hugh had written a manuscript describing his life as a Guardian—a life he’d dedicated to saving Lilith. Savi had stumbled across the file on his computer and had assumed he’d been writing a fictional novel. She’d found out later he’d intended it for the library in Caelum, to be included with the Scrolls that detailed Guardian rules and history. But by then, Savi had already developed popular card and video games from its storyline.
    “Yes. With a title such as Lilith , how could I not? But I am never mentioned.”
    “Not by name. But it’s not all that hard to figure it out. The dates, the locations—they match up. You really lived a month only half-transformed?”
    A puzzled frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I’m certain Derbyshire was not mentioned, Savitri. Nor were there specific dates.”
    “Oh!” She shook her head. “No, I don’t mean the printed version—god, you read that ?”
    “Yes,” he said. “It’s quite terrible.”
    “It’s not surprising: