Innocent Blood(87)
“What do you mean?”
“Do you truly believe the man we are chasing is the Betrayer of Christ?” Christian asked. “Not some deluded madman?”
“Elisabeta recognized him from her time, marking him as immortal. But he also has a heartbeat. So he cannot be a strigoi, but something else.”
“Like the boy.”
Rhun considered that, sensing there must be a connection between the two.
But what?
“Whether he is indeed Judas Iscariot from the Gospels or not,” Rhun said, “he was granted immortality while still maintaining his humanity. Such a miracle would seemingly take the hand of God, or possibly an act of Christ as the man claimed.”
“If you’re right, then he must’ve been granted this miracle for a purpose.”
“To bring about the Apocalypse?”
“Maybe.” Christian looked to Rhun, touching his cross. “If you’re right, are we interfering in the will of God by trying to stop him, by following him, by trying to rescue this boy?”
A stirring rose behind him. Erin unbuckled and crossed toward them, drawing Jordan with her. They had both changed into clean, dry clothes prior to taking off. The scent of lavender drifted forward with her, pushing Rhun farther into the cockpit, to better keep his distance from her.
She leaned against the door frame. “Do either of you believe it would be God’s will to torture an innocent child?”
“Remember,” Jordan said to her, “we’re talking about Judas. Isn’t his role always the bad guy?”
“Depends on how you interpret the Gospels,” Erin said, turning to him, but her words were for them all. “In the canonical texts of the Bible, Christ knew Judas was going to betray Him but did nothing to stop it. Christ needed someone to turn him over to the Romans so that He could die on the cross for man’s sins. In fact, in a Gnostic text—the Gospel of Judas—it states that Christ asked him to betray Him, that He said to Judas, ‘As for you, you will surpass them all. For you will sacrifice the human being who bears me.’ So, at best, the character of Judas is murky.”
Jordan scowled, clearly not accepting this judgment. “Murky? I saw him mow down Nadia and Rasputin’s kids. He shot me in the chest. I’m not buying him as a force for good.”
“Maybe,” Christian said. “But perhaps God sometimes needs a force of evil to act. The betrayal by Judas served a higher purpose. Like Erin said, Christ needed to die to forgive our sins. Maybe this is what is happening now. An evil act that serves a greater goal.”
Erin crossed her arms. “So we sit back and let evil happen on the off chance there is a positive outcome. As in, the ends justify the means.”
“But what are the ends?” Jordan asked, homing in with his usual practicality to the heart of the problem. “We still have no idea what this bastard wants with the boy.”
“He remains the prophesied First Angel,” Rhun reminded them. “The boy must serve a destiny. Perhaps Judas intends to pervert it in the same way he attempted to break the trio by killing Jordan.”
Jordan rubbed his chest, looking discomfited by that thought.
Erin frowned. “But what is Tommy? He plainly cannot die. So is he actually an angel?”
Rhun gave her a doubtful look. “I heard his heartbeat. It sounded natural and human, not something unearthly. At best, I suspect he carries angelic blood, some blessing cast upon him when he was atop that mountaintop at Masada.”
“But why him?” Erin asked. “Why Tommy Bolar?”
Rhun shook his head, unsure. “Back at the mountain, I sought to console him, to ask him what he knew concerning the tragic events that killed so many, yet spared him. He mentioned finding a dove with a broken wing, of attempting to save it, just before the ground split open and the earthquakes began.”
“A single merciful act?” Erin mumbled. “Would that be enough to earn such a blessing?”
Christian glanced back as they hit a jolt of turbulence. “The dove is often the symbol for the Holy Spirit. Perhaps that messenger sought someone deserving of such a blessing. A small test placed before him.”
Rhun nodded. “He was an ordinary boy when he came to that mountain, but perhaps when he performed this merciful act in the right place at the right time, he was infused with angelic blood.”
“I don’t care what’s in his blood,” Jordan said. “If you’re right, then he’s still essentially just a boy.”
“He is more than a boy,” Rhun said.
“But he’s also a boy,” Erin pressed. “And we should not forget that.”