Chapter eighteen of Seven Archangels: Annihilation is now posted over at MindFlights Magazine.
And in this chapter, Remiel goes off the deep end. This is the only flashback in the entire novel, so I tried to make it a good one by retelling the fall of the angels, the very last part of it. The heartbreak of how Remiel (then only Irin) can’t call back her brother is compounded because she can’t tell the difference between her and him by the end. They’re identical, so they each have the full conviction that they’re right, and they each know the other can’t be dissuaded. There’s also the sense that both of them share the same heartbreak.
The first paragraph of the book states that Remiel is the only angel who cried on receiving her name, and now you see why.
Of course, now that she’s out of touch with reality, she’s capable of just about anything. You’ve got an angel who knows how to annihilate another angel, and one angel who’s tormenting her — and that angel is imprisoned in a place she can now access. No, this isn’t a very good situation.
At the end of the chapter, you have my favorite moment, when Raphael arrives and takes over. From here until the end of the next chapter, Raphael is as strong as you’re going to see him. He’s angry, but he’s also practical and keeps the Seraphic emotion contained enough to get the job done (or maybe he gets the job done because he’s so heightened emotionally.)
The final paragraph of the chapter is my favorite, though, the “locking in place” line. But I’m not quoting it here because it’s a spoiler. Go read the novel if you’re that curious. 🙂
