Accordant

Chapter Thirteen

"As you've all heard by now," René said, "there is a personal matter that requires our immediate attention."

Jaime looked at the faces of all of his friends. "Okay, I really thought y'all were kidding about this."

The five men were seated around René's spacious living room. Other than them and a few security guards lining the outside perimeter, the mansion was deserted. One seat remained unoccupied, as usual, in case the sixth of their number deigned to appear. That night, he did not.

"Jaime, we're concerned," René said gently. "From what Blair tells us, you're experiencing a manifestation of massive proportions."

"Beyond anything we expected or prepared for," Reynardo added.

"No kidding," Jaime shot back. "But don't play at this 'concerned' bit. You've all suspected what I am for years. You aren't surprised."

"We are," Blair said. "Of course we've suspected. But we also believe that we're dealing with something more significant than we guessed. More significant, in fact, than you think you know."

Jaime threw up his hands. "What's more significant than being a Naphil?"

"Who your father is," Blair replied.

Jaime scoffed. "A deadbeat?"

Christian sat in an armchair opposite Jaime, tapping at his cell phone.

"Yes," Blair said. "But more than that, we have to know whether he fell after your birth."

Jaime frowned. "Isn't falling kind of the point?"

"Yes," Reynardo replied. "But every now and then, you come across an angel who didn't fall for his or her infidelities."

"Which means?"

"For one, that the angel found a way to subvert the rules," Reynardo explained. "Also, because he wasn't cast out from Heaven, both he and you can still access his divine attributes."

Jaime squinted. Then he thought about it some more. "Oh...."

"The empathic attack," Blair confirmed. "It's far more powerful than any Naphil should have."

"And it narrows down who your father could be," René added.

Jaime grimaced. "This isn't gonna turn into a Maury-type thing, is it? I really don't care who that jackass is."

"You don't have to meet him," René pointed out. "But it will help you to know who he is and what he's capable of."

"True," Jaime said. "What are y'all thinking?"

"An upper-tier angel," Blair said. "An archangel, or one of their middle managers. Fortunately, and before you ask, we can immediately disqualify Raphael and Gabriel. Raphael is connected to me via Faerie, so if you were accessing his power, I would know it. And Gabriel is a virgin. He doesn't have any offspring."

Reynardo arched an eyebrow. "Gabriel is a virgin?"

"Surprising, but yes," Blair replied. "In fact, it's why Gabriel is always tasked with clearing out rebellious Nephilim. He's the only one who would not possibly be casting stones in a glass house."

"What about Michael?" René asked.

"I think we can dispense with him as well," Blair said. "His demiurgic powers would be far more noticeable. But now that you bring it up, if you give me a moment, I can also disqualify the Lucifer."

Jaime tilted his head. "Aren't you the Lucifer?"

"Only since 2014," Blair answered. "So no, Jaime Francisco Rennick, I am not your father. But I can rule out whoever bore the Lucifer mantle at the time of your birth, if anyone did."