I spent a couple of seconds feeling like an argumentative jerk. “Oh,” I said. “Thank you. That…that could help a lot.”

Michael shrugged. “We’ve learned to be wary of even our own intelligence. The Fallen are masters of deception, Harry. Sometimes it takes us centuries to catch one of them lying.”

“I know,” I said. “But you must have something solid.”

“A little,” he said. “We are fairly certain that Tessa and Imariel are the second-eldest of the Denarians. Only Nicodemus and Anduriel have been operating longer.”

I grunted. “Are Tessa and Nicodemus rivals?”

“Generally,” Michael replied. “Though I suppose it bears mentioning that they’re also husband and wife.”

“Match made in Hell, eh?”

“Not that it seems to mean much to either of them. They very rarely work together, and when they do it’s never good. The last time they did so, according to the Church’s records, was just before the Black Plague came to Europe.”

“Plagues? The Nickelheads did that last time they were in town.” I shook my head. “You’d expect a different tune or two in a husband-and-wife act that had been running that long.”

“Variety is the key to a happy marriage,” Michael agreed solemnly. His mouth quivered. “Nickelheads?”

“I decided their name gave them too much dignity, given what they are. I’m correcting that.”

“Those who underestimate them generally don’t survive it,” Michael said. “Be careful.”

“You know me.”

“Yes,” he said. “Where were we?”

“Plagues.”

“Ah, yes. The Nickelheads have used plagues to instigate the most havoc and confusion in the past.”

I fought off a smile that threatened my hard-ass exterior as Michael continued.

“It’s proven a successful tactic on more than one occasion. Once a plague has gained momentum, there’s almost no limit to the lives they can claim and the suffering they can inflict.”

I frowned and folded my arms. “Sanya said that Tessa preferred choosing eager…subjects, I suppose, over talented ones.”

Michael nodded. “The Fallen who follow Imariel go through bearers very quickly. None of them are kind to those they bond with, but Imariel’s crew are the monsters among the monsters. Tessa chooses their hosts from among the downtrodden, the desperate, those who believe that they have nothing to lose. Those who will succumb to temptation the most rapidly.”

I grunted. “Lot of those around in the wake of a big nasty plague. Or any kind of similar chaos.”

“Yes. We believe that it is one reason she collaborates with Nicodemus from time to time.”

“She’s focused on short-term,” I said, getting it. “He’s all about the long view.”

“Exactly,” Michael said. “When he threw Lasciel’s coin at my son, it was a calculated gesture.”

“Calculated to rope me in,” I said.

“You,” Michael said, “or my son.”

A chill that had nothing to do with the air went through me. “Give the coin to a child?”

“A child who couldn’t defend himself. Who could be raised with the voice of a Fallen angel whispering in his ear. Shaping him. Preparing him to be used as a weapon against his own family. Imagine it.”