A year later, I felt that my learning had stalled. I devoured tome upon time, book after book. Now, that's not to say it wasn't fascinating. Quite the contrary; learning about God, learning about how The Surface worked. Metatron had seemed to have taken a liking to me, and I was shown areas of the library not many knew existed, nor were allowed access to. 

Whenever I emerged from the bowels of Metatron, arms overflowing, Mikha'el always appeared downright tickled. We never outright discussed how I had found what I had. The same bemused expression always came to my ward's face, a look mixed with wonder, confusion, and, to my surprise, admiration. We would then go to some corner of the library, and we would pour over what I had found. 

Through it all, I kept the blue book on me at all times. That, too, we never discussed. At night I would stay awake, hidden beneath my blanket. It wasn't like I had a bedtime or something ridiculous like that; I was a free man (well, angel), able to come and go as I pleased. However, I felt strangely protective of the book. I felt like it was dear to me, something that I should keep safe and hidden. 

I didn't always read it. In fact, I would go weeks sometimes without cracking open the spine at all. This pause always happened after I had read something downright traumatizing, always about how to control or otherwise manipulate an angel. 

Or, how to kill them. 

When an angel cries, I learned that some of their grace—their very essence—was shed through the tears. To have an angel's grace, well…It was dangerous, to say the least. The blue book was filled with spells and incantations used for trapping an angel. Rituals for how to bend an angel to your will. Magic to tap into the angel's mind, raping it of any and all information you wanted. 

It was that, the idea of someone prying into my brain, was what scared me the most. At first it was the idea of being largely possessed, forced to carry out whatever task the spellcaster saw fit. Yet even that, while terrible, if that happened to me I would feel no remorse; anything I would be forced to do would be against my will. In my mind, I could not be held accountable. 

But the idea of someone looking into my thoughts. Of knowing my wishes, my dreams. Or, as I consumed more and more knowledge, of someone having access to everything I had learned. 

It was a truly terrifying prospect. 

"Today is the day," Mikha'el declared one day, seemingly at random. 

I had cocked an eyebrow at him, not lifting my head from the book I poured over. 

"Come, Ulcinin. We will continue this tomorrow." 

Baffled, I bookmarked my page and blindly followed Mikha'el. 

I was surprised when I realized just how late at night it was. Metatron appeared to be empty, a situation I had never seen before. Curious, I swept my head side to side as we walked. It was downright eerie. 

"Ready?" Auriel asked as we walked past his desk. 

"Yes," Mikha'el said. 

That day was a day of firsts. Auriel, in the year I had known him, never left his post. So you can imagine my astonishment when he swung open the waist-high door that allowed access to his desk, ambling down the stairs. It made sense the desk would have stairs, but a part of me sort of assumed Auriel was really that tall. However, once he began walking with us, I realized he was the same height as Mikha'el. 

"Metatron," Auriel said as we approached the door, "I shall return." 

It always surprised me when Metatron showed himself. Like right then—the two massive eyes appeared right above the doorway, glaring down at us. 

"Oh stop it," Auriel chided. "I shall return, you know that." 

The glare intensified. Auriel waved his hand dismissively and left, Mikha'el following, leaving me to scurry behind. 

To this day it amuses me the various reactions the archangels elicit from other heavenly beings. As Auriel walked down the street, head held high, everyone appeared stunned. A few openly gawked. One female angel seemed so surprised she dropped what she was carrying and stopped walking. As I had witnessed with the other archangels, Auriel largely ignored all the staring. 

I was led to a section I had yet to be in. It was what I would come to know at the courthouses. It was an odd way to get there, winding down the street that was cloud-laiden, with it's solid ground beneath us, our shoes (and in my case, sandals) clicking against the surface. We went behind a building, one I never would have realized had something behind it had I not been led there. 

There was a staircase, leading into shadows. I hesitated, a certain strange foreboding washing over me. It was the first time I had ever felt afraid in Heaven. Inexplicably afraid, that is. Yes, I had feared Mikha'el and his temper. Yes, the blue book I carried on me was unsettling. But as I stared down this staircase, I feared what was down there. 

"Are you coming?" Auriel asked, sounding a bit impatient. He had stopped where the stairs hooked a left, partially tucking out of sight before winding back right and becoming visible from the top of the stairs once more. 

After just one more moment's hesitation, I hurried down the steps after my ward and Auriel. 

The area we came to was vast. There were five large stone structures. I was surprised when I saw, on all of them, erected above each arched doorway, sat statues of Mikha'el. I looked at him and blinked. 

"Don't," Mikha'el said before I could even open my mouth, his hand raised. I was surprised when, at my side, Auriel laughed. 

"Where are we?" I breathed, staring up at the huge buildings. Between the large buildings and the fact we were subterranean from the rest of Heaven, the large courtyard was permanently in shadows. It added to the chilling affect of the area. 

"The Palace of Judgements," Mikha'el replied, gesturing all around. 

"Which is stupid," Auriel said beside me. I looked at him, surprised at his deep frown. "Clearly this isn't a palace." 

Now Mikha'el was the one to laugh. Auriel shot him a look of contempt. Mikha'el ignored him, instead turning his head to look at me. 

"These are the High Courts of Heaven," Mikha'el explained to me. "It also doubles as a meeting place for us archangels, when we want to meet without official business." 

"Why?" 

"It is one of the safest places in Heaven," Auriel said plainly. 

"Why?" 

Auriel chuckled, shaking his head and looking at the ground instead of me. Annoyed, I looked at Mikha'el. He smiled kindly. Yet, instead of answering me directly, he said, "You shall see." 

I was led to the building in the middle. The large double doors opened inward, and I took note of how each building had different colored doors. The ones we entered were gold. Flanked on either side was a door of red and black. The final two were silver and green. I wondered what these signified, but didn't ask. 

I didn't ask because I was startled by sudden and loud trumpeting as we entered. At either side of the hallway I found myself in were six angels, each bearing long trumpets. Their short little prelude was over just as quickly as it started. I gaped at them; none of them even blinked, standing like statues. 

Mikha'el nudged me in the ribs, and grinned. "They do that." He winked. 

This building had many different chambers and corridors. I was disturbed at the absolute silence. Besides the trumpets, and our voices, I heard nothing. 

We entered the door centered straight back. This room was blocked by two cherry wood doors, currently closed. Mikha'el hurried his pace to go head of us and threw open the doors, which also opened inward. 

There was a large chamber with many seats, arena style. In the very middle sat a single chair, black with a black cushion on it. Besides that, this room held nothing more than a semi-circle of benches carved from stone which faced the chair and door. I was surprised when three other angels sat in the first row of seats. 

The first one had chin-length wavy brown hair and dark eyes. He wore robes of white and light blue. Sitting beside him was Raphael; I hadn't seen him since the previous year. Next to him was a rather pretentious looking angel. He intrigued me the most by far; upturned nose, cold, distant eyes full of judgment. His hair was cut short and severe, a blonde that was nearly white. He wore golden robes, and I was shocked to see his feathers were blue. 

The first one, the one wearing blue and white, got to his feet and smiled. 

"Ah! There they are!" 

I was surprised when Mikha'el and Auriel got to the middle of the room and Auriel paused long enough to bow. 

"Metatron sends his tidings," Auriel said. 

"He did?" Mikha'el said, sweeping up the rock stairs to sit beside the other angel's. "Seemed to me he just glared at us." 

Auriel cast his eyes down, muttering, "Of course you wouldn't comprehend such things, you dolt." 

I didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. So instead I just dutifully followed in his footsteps. As Mikha'el went and hugged the standing angel, the one who looked haughty spoke to me, raising his palm.

"That is far enough, Ulcinin." 

I stopped so abruptly I nearly stumbled. I didn't know this blue-winged angel, and he was commanding me? I wanted to be angry, but he far outranked me. As Mikha'el pulled out of his embrace, I caught his eye and he gave a stiff, quick shake of his head at me. I was unsure if anyone else even caught our small exchange. 

"Sit," Auriel implored, only slightly less demanding than the other angel had been. 

Not really having a choice, I reluctantly sat in my seat. I watched as Auriel squeezed himself in between Mikha'el and the blue-winged angel. For awhile I felt humiliated; once I sat, I appeared to have been forgotten all together. As time slowly slide by, I found myself getting angrier and angrier. It was to a point where I was balling my hands into fists in my lap. 

I had the feeling this was some sort of test. Every so often I caught Mikha'el sliding his eyes toward me. It was always for a second, and it was always accompanied by the slightest twitch of a smile. The first couple of times it happened I thought I had imagined it. But he was doing it so consistently that I knew his look was purposeful. 

"You will have to excuse us," the first angel with dark hair spoke at last. "We all have not gathered for quite some time." 

"Aye," Auriel said, fiddling with his robes and looking slightly bored, "there was much to catch up on." 

I gave a rather unimpressed hum of disapproval. I didn't miss when Mikha'el had to stifle a laugh as a cough. It almost made me feel better. Almost. 

"Impatient?" the blue-winged being asked, taking up a silver pitcher and pouring himself water into a silver chalice. 

I couldn't help myself; I narrowed my eyes. Even so, I proffered a pleasant smile. "No; it is not as though I have another place to be." 

The blue-winged angel looked pleased, beginning to sit back. 

"However." 

The side conversations all came to a halt. All eyes came to rest on me. Mikha'el looked slightly panicked. 

"I am curious though as to why I was summoned someplace if I was simply to be ignored." 

I took each of the angel's expressions and gauged them. Mikha'el wore a mixture of pride, horror, and anger; he was the one I was most worried about, and I knew that I would be answering to him later. Auriel looked furious. The blue and white clad one looked shocked, his mouth drawn into a small 'o'. Raphael looked serene as always. The last one looked a mixture of confused and horrified. 

You can imagine my confusion when the blue winged one laughed. I wasn't the only one; the rest gawked at him openly. Auriel had downright jumped at the sound of his laughter. For a span of moments we all just looked at the laughing angel. Then, as quickly as it had started, the laughter stopped, and he looked down his pointed nose at me. 

"Introduce yourselves," he said. 

Auriel crossed his arms and glared. "Pray tell, who made you the delegate of this meeting?" 

The short-haired one openly rolled his eyes. "It was merely a suggestion, brother." 

Auriel turned his head away and puckered his lips. 

"Fine," the angel said, extending his hand. "This is Gabriel." 

The angel with blue and white robes half-stood, and gave me a polite bow. 

"He is the mouthpiece of God, the one who tells mortals and all who must listen to His word the announcements which He hath bequeathed upon them.

"I know you are acquaintanced with Auriel; he is otherwise known as the flame of God. He keeps Metatron safe. He also presides over Hell and ensures that things run as intended." 

That floored me. An angel? Presiding over Hell? What did that entail? How? Why? I opened my mouth to ask questions, but the blue-winged one moved on. 

"I know you know Raphael as well; he is a healer. He is the one that tends to the celestial when they are laid out in Heavenly skirmishes. He also will directly heal those God commands of him." 

Raphael, still looking dazed, gave me a polite incline of his head. 

The angel waved his hand in an almost aloof gesture. "You know Mikha'el, he bears no introduction. Those not in immediate attendance is Metatron—" 

"He would be here, if able," Auriel interrupted curtly. 

The angel speaking rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, we know, Auriel. Then there are our two fallen brethren; the twin Watchers, Sariel and Remiel. Sariel was in charge of watching the souls of those who sinned, trying to rectify or keep their sins to a minimum. His brother was the bringer of hope; he was the one who Death would hand off worthy spirits to, and Remiel would deliver them to Heaven."

"What happened to them?" I blurted out. 

Auriel gave a small sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

The angel held a look of contempt; even so, he answered me. 

"Sariel became overly sympathetic to those who had sinned. The line between being helpful and becoming tainted as blurred, and he was punished accordingly. Likewise, his brother Remiel fell in love with one of the spirits he was supposed to bring to Heaven once her time came; instead he lost respect for the natural order of things and—"

Mikha'el coughed. I don't have to lie when I was surprised when the angel abruptly stopped talking. All eyes were on me. When I realized he wasn't going to continue regarding what Remiel had done, I narrowed my eyes slightly. 

"And you? While I thank you for introducing the rest, you have failed to introduce yourself." 

"I am Raguel," he said, unfurling his blue wings behind him. "I am the angel of justice. I preside over trials and decide which are innocent and which deserve to Fall. I also am in charge of keeping both Fallen angels and demons in check." 

I looked at Auriel. "Do you work in tandem with Auriel? You said he presides over Hell, correct? If he presides over Hell, and you keep an eye on Fallen and demons, then—" 

"Yes," Raguel cut in, and it wasn't kindly, either. "Sometimes our duties overlap." 

"Unfortunately," I heard Auriel mutter. 

I looked at all of the angel's now. "Why was I brought before you all? Am I in some sort of trouble? Have I wronged any of you unintentionally?" 

Mikha'el stood, spreading his fingers along the long table they all sat at. He smiled at me. "No no, dearest Ulcinin. Quite the contrary." 

I raised an eyebrow. 

Smiling, Raphael leaned forward. "You were brought here to make our acquaintance, and, more importantly, to learn your true duties." 

I felt myself break out into a sweat, suddenly nervous. 

"You, Ulcinin," Auriel told me, leaning forward and steepling his hands, "are a Seal Breaker." 

"Also known as a Plane Walker or Drifter." 

Raguel smiled at me, a thin lipped unpleasant grimace. "Officially known as the angelic tier Destroyer."