The first time I took Tieral to see Michael, I was in a state of absolute terror. All the what-ifs -- what if he realizes, if he remembers, if he wants to hurt my brother -- were raging inside my brain as I imagined Tieral realizing how much had been taken from him since that day when he'd come out from the dirt, purple feathers winging him up to the heavens. It was so bad that the encounter between the two left me with a curious feeling of anti-climactic happiness.

"Is this is the youngling you've befriended, Eleiru?" Michael's cool, smooth tone washed over both of us as I nodded dumbly. I couldn't have gotten a word out even if I'd tried. He came over to us and smiled at Tieral as he would to any angel in his presence who had a right to be there -- confidently, the touch of superiority tempered with a feeling that he trusted you to be everything he expected you to be.

I _wished_ I could put as much in an speech, never mind a facial expression. There is a reason why he is the leader of the Council and one of the highest ranking angels in Heaven. I noticed as I glanced at Tieral that my brother's smile had worked its usual charm. The nervous belligerence that had been present just a moment ago had transformed into an equally nervous near-worship that showed painfully in his face.

Until that moment, I hadn't realized exactly how lonely Tieral was. He had no real friends, and although he had been placed in the Third Generation, it had been out of default rather than because he would have family ties there. Now, my wonderfully charismatic, self-assured and quite mature brother was showing that he knew Tieral existed -- a surer recipe for idolization, I've never seen.

"Hello, Tieral. My brother's told me many good things about you. Why don't you walk with me a little? We can chat about what you'd like to do; I can tell that you want something more challenging than the substitute work you're occupying right now." Michael smiled again, and then put an arm out to guide Tieral down a path that went through one of the most populated portions of Heaven.

Absolute hero-worship was evident on Tieral's face as he finally found his voice. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was evident from both their expressions that they were hitting it off, never mind the fact that sometimes Tieral would just stop and stare as if this were all illusion. Those were the times when Michael would gently guide the conversation back to Tieral's abilities in a way that was non-threatening. Tieral, to his credit, actually made my brother laugh a few times. trust me, that was in and of itself a huge accomplishment.

Anael and I shadowed them, of course. There was always work that needed to be done and even Tieral couldn't stop the gears of bureaucracy from pulling Michael away. As we walked, I saw the effect Michael's obvious approval of Tieral was having, both to my friend and to the others who saw them together. The ones who had mocked him a few scant weeks ago were now looking stunned and a little lost themselves. As for those who had been above the actual taunting but had tacitly allowed it to continue, they looked thoughtful and seemed to take Tieral's mettle again.

Finally, Michael gave one more true, actual laugh, before turning back to us. Anael and I both looked a bit guilty, I suppose, but the two just looked at us and then smiled at each other, sharing some joke that I wasn't a part of. That second, a burning, roaring jealousy tore through me. It was quick and gone almost before I knew it, but it had been there. For a moment, I had wanted to tear my best friend away from my only brother, claiming both as my own.

I locked it down and refused to acknowledge it festering in my mind. Instead, I went over to Tieral and led him down the path in one direction, while Anael, looking just a bit apologetic, assaulted my brother with work. I gave him one sympathetic look back, and he silently made me remember my new duties on the Council. With a sigh, I nodded, and he waved both of us away.

When we had gotten far enough into the wooded area so that prying eyes and curious minds were not in the vicinity, Tieral let loose. He grabbed me by the shoulders, with the the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face. He did a little dance, and then had even started to float off of the ground when pulled him down. He remembered himself quickly, and came back down as quickly as he'd left the ground.

"Your brother... he - he's just..." Tieral, who had been so exuberant and full of emotions a bare moment ago now seemed almost frightened. He looked at me, as if willing me to say what he could not seem to articulate. I nodded my understanding, having felt that way a few times myself.

"Wonderful, right?"

He grinned ruefully, and then started to talk about what Michael had promised him. A new position suited for his somewhat reckless ways and dynamic power, new living quarters away from those who would torment him during the night, and even lessons to help him control his growing strength. It seemed to make him nearly giddy with delight, as if God himself had come down to bless him.

I was amazed at the depth of the change that has taken place in Tieral. Michael's managed to take a disaffected, unhappy outcast member of our community and turned him into an energized prospect who knew he had somewhere to go. All in a space of one conversation... looking at evidence like that, it's no wonder that Heaven's managed to keep together even while God's mind was on other matters.

No one talked about that, of course. It would be quite a scandal to acknowledge it, to say the least, but everyone knew that God was not truly watching over us anymore. Not to say he didn't care about what was going on in the heavens, but as long as Michael and the rest of the Firsts kept everything functioning smoothly, He was quite content to allow it to run without him. It kept Him less involved with the daily mechanics of Heaven, and more free to engage the Enemy.

Michael was basically running the show now, which meant that he needed me more than ever at his side. Even though both of us _hated_ Council meetings, they're the only way to keep things running smoothly. Because of that, Tieral and I started to drift apart a little.

Not that Tieral and I didn't speak to each other every day, for hours at times. Still, Tieral had been accepted into society by Michael's show of approbation, and had been gladly welcomed into his 'family' of the Thirds. Everyone had been gracious about it, and Tieral gained a reputation for hard-hitting honesty and for having a penchant toward protecting those whom everyone else disdained or put down. Even in Heaven, all is not Paradise for those were different, or weaker than the rest.

As for me, I got more buried into the daily running of the various circles of Heaven. There were messy situations developing at every moment, especially since certain personages started to believe themselves superior to others. This was happening in all possible permutations -- wing-color discrimination, or even angels believing themselves superior to man. Such acts could not be allowed to continue, and so I was appointed as troubleshooter.

Actually, this was when I did start to see Tieral more often. He had been recruited by Michael as one of the reconnoiters who went out to where ever there was trouble to find out what had gone wrong. He had enough power to disguise his unusual coloring, and enough skill to not be noticed. Tieral had been reporting to Michael before, but started to come to me with information as soon as the shift occurred.

I saw him one day, smiling that cocky smile of his, and couldn't help but join in. The angel before me was not the one I'd befriended years ago -- in an incredibly short space of time, no more than a few decades, he'd changed considerably. He'd lost that bitter edge, and had gained a self-confidence and pride in himself that made him look even more daring and exotic.

Still, I felt a distance between us that was growing, bit by bit. He was still a Third, no matter what his true parentage was, while I was his boss, a First. We had been able to disregard it at first, but now... well, it didn't seem as if it would be appropriate. He had his own set of friends -- comrades who risked themselves everyday with him on some danger or another -- while I sat with my Generation, becoming more entrenched in bureaucracy.

The odd thing was that he kept on seeing Michael. My brother, who was so busy at times that no one could get his attention, always managed to find room in his schedule for Tieral. Even I couldn't claim that kind of attention from him... It gnawed at me sometimes, just a little. I knew it was wrong, that it was stupid, but still, it was there.

That small, mean part of me rejoiced when Michael and Tieral had a falling out. No one, not even me, knew what it had been about, but all of Heaven knew was that Michael and his protege had quarreled, fought. That both of them seemed unaffected, as if it were a matter of little consequence. Then Tieral started to gravitate toward a group of near-dissidents, younglings barely Sixth Generation without any power in and of themselves.

Before Tieral, they had spent their time speaking of the 'injustices and inequalities' of Michael's regency, and then had gone back to the jobs that was theirs to hold. But after... with Tieral's power and charisma behind them, the little group became something else, something that could be a threat to the peace that seemed at time to be held together by sheer force of Michael's will alone.

When I asked Michael if I should send in a few scouts into their group, he laughed. "Brother, do you really expect for Tieral, of all people, to be fooled? He was one of them, don't forget." His face serious, he reached over to grasp my shoulder. "Listen to me, Eleiru. Listen. I want you to leave this alone. Got it?"

I shook my head in refusal. "You're kidding, brother! They're threatening-"

He cut me off with a sharp look. "Eleiru. Leave it be, if only for my sake. Am I clear?" I nodded, for once doubting his good judgment. Still, I let it pass, and tried to ignore the rumblings of dissent that came out of certain late-night meetings, where things that should not have been said by angels were said, and were not challenged. They were stepping dangerously close to the abyss that the Fallen had toppled into, but I knew that there was no way to stop them if they wished to go that way.

Every angel had the choice, the free will to either follow God or reject him. There was no other option for them besides this one singular selection. Once an angel decided that the arguments of the Enemy are persuasive or that perhaps Samael was right, there was no turning back, no repentance. We were not mortals, with souls so elastic that mere remorse was enough to reverse damnation. We were made of more fragile stuff, one of the consequences for being able to hear His voice so much more clearly.

To be able to hear the voice of the Lord was one of the most wonderful things about being an angel... but now that He seemed to be taking less interest in us, more of the younger ones became restless and agitated. While not yet rebelling out-right, more and more of them started to come together under Tieral.

I watched it happen, knowing that Michael wouldn't stop it, and felt my friendship with Tieral turn into something terrible. In my mind, I could almost hear myself say what I'd vowed never to say -- 'of course it would be Tieral... look at where his father is now' -- as justification for my growing hatred, for my growing jealousy.

Jealousy. Yes, that was there too. I was in love with Tieral, I suppose -- just a little. Not enough so that I would have given up my whole life to be with him, that being the price for any angel having carnal knowledge of another. God spoke, and thus angels were created. No other way was allowed in Heaven. Only if you were Fallen could an angel... It was unthinkable, especially to me. I had too much to do, to much to oversee. I knew it was only an infatuation with his recklessness, with his daring attitude.

But even beyond that, there was something deeper. I had seen the instant bond between my brother and the purple-winged angel. There had been a connection that had excluded me almost from the start. There was nothing I could do about it, except act like the perfect brother, the perfect friend. I had never before felt so excluded from my brother, who had always been there for me.

Now... well, both of them were disappointing me. Tieral was starting to go the way of his father, and Heaven itself was going to shake at what he was planning -- I could feel it. As for Michael -- he was the same as usual, except that he was totally ignoring the serpent we had let loose on our unsuspecting brethren. I couldn't do anything without his approval, so we were at an impasse -- and the number of dissenters grew by the minute.

When I saw the confrontation between them, it was the last straw for me.

"So, Michael... should I be calling you master, perhaps?" I stopped walking and became absolutely still. It was Tieral's voice I had just heard, I was sure of it. Stepping quickly into the shadows, I watched as Tieral, surrounded by a group of his lackeys, blocked the path front of Michael and Anael.

"I would never say you should call me that, Tieral. Our Lord is the only one you should give homage to." Michael was radiating calm and peace, the perfect foil to Tieral's bitter words. The young ones with Tieral felt the calm, the sheer power that Michael always exuded, and started to step back. Tieral stopped them with a single gesture.

"If that is so, Michael, I would like to know why you seem to be the one ruling Heaven, not the Lord. Could it be that your ambitions have finally run away with you?" Tieral's voice was icy, controlled. The venom he was spewing... Lord, how could we have let such a traitorous monster come into our midst? How could I have thought so well of him, when I should have known that blood would run true?

Michael looked at Tieral with a pained look on his face, and then spread his hands. "I cannot convince you that you are wrong, Tieral. You would never believe me. However, know this -- if our Lord came back and told me to descend to the depths of Hell itself, I would. I am His to make use of, and for now, he wishes me to rule in his stead. That is all."

Tieral was silent, his green eyes enormous in his face. Then, he turned as if to go, but pivoted back so that he and Michael were face to face. I had never noticed before how of a height they were. "If that is truly all, Michael, what of your own selfish desires? Are you so above them that God's word would make you turn against your heart?"

Michael gave Tieral a smile, tender and pitying. "Of course." At that, Tieral snarled and raised a hand at my brother. His cadre gasped, while Anael jumped in front of Michael. Michael shook his head and moved Anael away. He stood in front of the rebel as if challenging him to do something. Tieral gazed back, conflicting expressions clear in his face. Finally, his face calmed and cleared, his insolent smile returning. Brazenly, he reached out and plucked a feather from Michael's wing.

Neither of them said a word as Tieral stalked away, the crowd of younglings following. I was shocked still at this, of course. Tieral's act was tantamount to a dueling call. No angel was _ever_ allowed to touch another's wing without consent, never mind take feathers off; it called up the unspoken topic of winglessness and questioned Michael's fitness to rule as clearly as if Tieral had trumpeted it to all the hosts.

Having seen this, I could not let it slide. Not now, not ever. Michael might have his own reasons for not wanting Tieral's faction to go down, but I had just seen a direct challenge to Michael's God-given right to rule -- something which came perilously close to challenging God Himself. For that kind of act, I could surely act without Michael's knowledge.