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“The problem is that his argument against Father isn’t a bad one.”

That I didn’t expect.

“You want him to kill Mr. Muninn?”

“Of course not. But there is a logic to it. Things have to change. Even if we win this war, there will be another. And another.”

“Then what’s the answer?”

He puts up his hands.

“I have no idea. That’s why you have to continue the crusade. Besides, there’s another complication. I’m not allowed to take sides.”

“Not even for your father?”

“Not even for him.”

I smoke for a minute.

“Okay. I’ll kill him and finish this thing right now.”

“Then you’ll have to kill the entire havoc,” he says. “Are you ready to do that? I thought you were miffed about Raziel’s massacres and here you are proposing your own.”

“Then you want me to go on like nothing happened.”

“There’s the weapon itself to consider. Especially if he finds the Light Killer. If you murder Raziel, who knows who will end up with such a destructive force? At least now you have some control over it.”

“I still have a hard time believing this whole thing is about a gun.”

“Believe what you want about the weapon. Raziel is dangerous and the weapon is important.”

“Why don’t I just dump it in the river? Or destroy it? I bet I could do it, especially with the help from the angels.”

“Can you destroy every scrap of it? Every atom? This is a celestial weapon. Any angel or Hellion knowledgeable and powerful enough could resurrect it from the smallest fragment.”

“And we’re right back where we started.”

We just stand there smoking for a while. He looks a lot more comfortable in the wasteland than I do.

I point to his feet.

“You’re getting dirt on your shoes.”

He gestures to my jacket.

“Check your left lapel. There’s a tiny spot that isn’t completely covered in filth.”

“What am I going to tell the Magistrate when I go back?”

“Tell him I’m with you. That I’ll do my best from my end to see that you succeed.”

“But you’re not going to, right?”

“Right.”

I guess that’s it. I came all this way, bled in the sand, and apparently a stupid little white lie is all I’m going back with. Come on. There has to be something else.

I say, “Maybe you can’t take sides, but you can throw a little chaos into the system.”