"It is not Fated that I be the one who guides you to her."
There was the sound of straining wood and metal, of cabinets straining to hold their contents, of pipes about to burst.
And then came the water.
The jugs of holy water Saelius kept in the cabinets flowed out, mixing with the tide of tap water bursting from the plumbing in the walls, under the sink, throughout the apartment. The tide of diluted holy water swept through the apartment, causing Lex to have to jump up onto the couch to avoid being scalded, the hounds leapt up onto the counters when the flood concentrated around the pair. The inferno was quenched by the swirling wall of water that now encircled the two.
Fallen and Seer regarded each other as old enemies, as old allies.
Centuries before she was called Seer, she held another title and duty. She was the Witch, the War-Maiden; her way had been paved with the countless corpses of humans and angels that fell to her spear and magic. For two thousand years, Saelius was a finely tuned machine for war, no one knew of her life before, her age, if she was even human anymore. It did not matter.
She was terrible and she was feared.
But not as terrible or as feared as Azazel.
Even she had quaked in his presence, even when they had fought side by side. He wore the shape of a beast, but Saelius knew his immortal brain held more secrets than any other of the Creator's children, save for one. He was beautiful in his cruelty and cunning, his every thought and movement permeated with lethal grace.
Saelius had always wondered what had happened to him in the pit, buried in darkness under a scorching desert. Was he awake during his transformation, hearing the drowning screams of his brethren above, or did he merely dream of it?
Saelius leaned over the table, her face drawing closer to his.
"My guidance to you is this: be wary of the company you keep, your army is filled with traitors. They have lost faith in your Master, and are now seeking the favor of the Chosen," she whispered so that only he could hear.
Finally, the water swirling around them began to subside, allowing Lex and the hounds to relax again.
"I have fulfilled my duty to you," Saelius smiled, then gestured to the chessboard.
"Now make your move. Your time is running out."