"The same way that Lucifer would never have managed to succeed in turning our Ancients into a bump in the night, or send them into hiding because of it?" Gabriel asked Valkyrie quietly, tilting his head in such a way to indicate it was her he was talking to. He could almost see them out of the corner of his eye without needing to strain, now that they'd moved along.
"My Master isn't the kind to interfere to any truly great degree without due cause, Valkyrie. He can't interfere without violating the sanctity of your right to choose your own destinies, and He won't do that. That's why ..." The Archangel faltered a little and looked apologetically between Ghastly and Tanith, the only two whose gazes he could meet. Yet still he spoke to them all. "That's why we don't generally reveal to people that we're here, or that He exists, or any of the true historical facts on which the Bible was based. You can't choose to believe in Him or not if you know He exists. You can't choose against a proven fact. It isn't fair to humanity to take that choice away. I'm sorry it was--I'm sorry that I took it from you."
The was a genuine weight of regret and sorrow in Gabriel's words. He could blame it on the pain, on the strain, on many things most likely, but it didn't change what he'd done and allowed Skulduggery to do. It wasn't the detective's fault at all; he'd given Gabe the option to say no, and Gabe hadn't. He shouldn't have left that choice on Skul's shoulders.
Again the Archangel turned his head to the side, this time to look at Skulduggery. "I have no plans, Skul. Not for that. But He knew what I was going to do before I left. He all but told me outright how to travel safely, and then let me decide whether to go ahead or not. He knew. So, yes, I do believe He's here in some way. I believe it because He has promised me that He never leaves behind anyone who does not wish to be abandoned. And there are people here, still, who do not wish it."
There was almost no way to argue against the certainty in Gabriel's voice. It was hard to not be certain, when Gabriel could hear the prayers of all those who did believe. How they were being addressed, he had no idea; but there were believers here, and God had promised, and God did not break His promises. Therefore, He was here.
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"My Master isn't the kind to interfere to any truly great degree without due cause, Valkyrie. He can't interfere without violating the sanctity of your right to choose your own destinies, and He won't do that. That's why ..." The Archangel faltered a little and looked apologetically between Ghastly and Tanith, the only two whose gazes he could meet. Yet still he spoke to them all. "That's why we don't generally reveal to people that we're here, or that He exists, or any of the true historical facts on which the Bible was based. You can't choose to believe in Him or not if you know He exists. You can't choose against a proven fact. It isn't fair to humanity to take that choice away. I'm sorry it was--I'm sorry that I took it from you."
The was a genuine weight of regret and sorrow in Gabriel's words. He could blame it on the pain, on the strain, on many things most likely, but it didn't change what he'd done and allowed Skulduggery to do. It wasn't the detective's fault at all; he'd given Gabe the option to say no, and Gabe hadn't. He shouldn't have left that choice on Skul's shoulders.
Again the Archangel turned his head to the side, this time to look at Skulduggery. "I have no plans, Skul. Not for that. But He knew what I was going to do before I left. He all but told me outright how to travel safely, and then let me decide whether to go ahead or not. He knew. So, yes, I do believe He's here in some way. I believe it because He has promised me that He never leaves behind anyone who does not wish to be abandoned. And there are people here, still, who do not wish it."
There was almost no way to argue against the certainty in Gabriel's voice. It was hard to not be certain, when Gabriel could hear the prayers of all those who did believe. How they were being addressed, he had no idea; but there were believers here, and God had promised, and God did not break His promises. Therefore, He was here.