And I will show you a still more excellent way. — 1 Corinithians 12, v 31b
We rejoin Magariel at the hospital, keeping Zack and David company along with Alex and Amanda. At around 6:30, Alex apologies and starts to leave. He's supposed to be at a rugby practice, he ought to go and tell someone he can't make it. He promises to be back soon. It gets pointed out that Amanda really ought to go and get something to eat. She doesn't need to be gone long, and Maggie will still be around with the boys. After some persuasion, both of them leave. The boys stay quiet, so Magariel goes out into the corridor to get herself a coffee and give them a chance. Pausing, she overhears David saying "Next time I have a brilliant plan, stop me."
By the time Magariel returns, the boys are apologising to each other and much more at ease. After some pointed questioning, they tell her that they thought David was being stalked, and tried and failed to turn the tables. They hadn't actually spotted the stalker, but they had been told by "someone they trust" that it was happening. They have a new plan now; David should be released from hospital in the morning, and he intends to hide at home until Zack gets out in a few days time. There is some undisclosed humour between the boys at this point. Magariel offers to help, at which Zack looks at her suspiciously. He'd been told to expect some help, he says, and Magariel claims to be it. David looks sceptical, while Zack just wishes that "Sam" had been more specific. Not much more happens before Amanda and, eventually, Alex return, and all are booted out when visiting time finishes at 8pm.
Meanwhile, the results of the tests on the blood samples from Giuseppe's car boot come back to Blakely. The blood was Jane Weaver's. Happy, the mercurian wraps up the case and presents it to the uniformed officers, who are delighted to have someone to pin it on.
[At this point the action would have switched to the rugby practice, except that Boriel's player wasn't there. Through the wonders of modern technology, you can now skip ahead to that bit if you like.]
The plan is now for Excel and Magariel (as Ralph), wired up so that the other angels can listen in, to confront Alex and try to talk him into redemption. Excel thinks ahead and arranges a safe house with his superiors at the Science Museum, then the angels head over to Beverly Road in Boriel's unmarked van and Blakely's Aston Martin. They park round the corner, and everyone gets into the van to listen to what's going on while Excel and Magariel ring the doorbell to Amanda's house, where both Alex and Amanda currently are.
Alex is not hugely willing to let the two strangers into Amanda's house, but the angels are firm and make it plain (obliquely, since Amanda is near) that they know what's going on and want to talk. Now. Alex has a brief word with Amanda, which turns out to be "Pack an overnight case and be very quiet, please," or words to that effect, then ushers Magariel and Excel into the kitchen. A full and frank conversation does not take place; as predicted, Alex initially assumes that the pair are Gamesters trying to frame him up. This theory is somewhat exploded by Excel assuming celestial form — the golden winged snake is clearly a Seraph. Since the pair make it plain that the place is watched by others, and furthermore promise to take care of Amanda and David, he doesn't try to run off with Amanda. Magariel does however hear Amanda coming down the stairs (she fails to be very quiet); Alex's attempt to make him believe that it was just the house creaking fail, and cause a small Disturbance — Alex appears to have the Burning Lies Discord, which must have been what Boriel heard in the first place.
Essentially Alex is not keen on redemption, even when the angels explain what is and (more importantly) isn't involved. He doesn't believe them, and doesn't want to be a Malakite's sex toy for the next couple of centuries, but if that's the only thing that will keep Amanda safe, he'll do it. He admits to being a servitor of Lust, loosely connected to Giuseppe's nightclub, though he was uncomfortable with some of what they did. He did have a part in Jane Weaver's murder; he has no idea of how she was "obtained", but intimates that the club staff may have "persuaded" some humans to do the actually killing. No, he won't say who. Yes, there were loose threads, but he's dealt with them already. The angels don't need to know, and he's going to protect them; yes, he's a demon and he cares, dammit! Not a very demon-like attitude, Excel observes. How would the angel know, Alex snaps back.
Eventually Alex agrees to go with the angels in exchange for protection for Amanda. This prompts some rapid rearrangement in the van as the angels with expensive roles (Boriel and Blakely) get out and take to Blakely's car instead. When they are their, they realise that they don't have any receivers for the bugs on them, and Boriel does some emergency surgery on Blakely's car radio. Meanwhile Alex introduces Magariel ("Jim") to Amanda; he has to go away, but he'll contact her as much as he can, and this guy will look after her in the mean time. Excel ("Bob") then escorts him to the van, where Helophel and Atoziel are waiting to whisk him off to the safe house. Atoziel does the driving, so is certain that they aren't followed. Alex recognises Helophel as the cleaning lady; it doesn't take a great leap of logic for him to identify her as the Black Leather Assassin that the papers have been screaming about, and he becomes very afraid. Blakely and Boriel remain behind to help mind Amanda (from the street, still listening in to Magariel's bug).
Once installed at the safe house, party unity breaks down rapidly as they consider who to call over redeeming Alex. Atoziel decides to head down to British Library (his tether) to find someone who can tell what Alex's destiny is, just in case it's relevant, and finds Randolph, the Angel of Dictionaries. The two Ofanim go back to play with the heads of everyone else, particularly Etecius, the rather stuffy Elohite of Lightening in charge of the safe house. Meanwhile, the Seraphim have pondered the matter and decided that Alex/Hezekiah would fit best with Eli, Yves or Marc. Dismayed at the mention of Yves, Helophel phones Magariel to get Eli involved. Overhearing this, Blakely phones an angel of Trade that he knows, a Mercurian named Alanuel. Magariel, checking that Amanda is in no immediate danger, nips out to the chip shop tether and summons Eli, who is cool about the whole thing.
Randolph and Atoziel get there first, and meet and greet people. In Randolph's opinion, Alex has already achieved his destiny (he doesn't elaborate further), redemption would just be the icing on the cake. Then Eli and Magariel walk through one doorway in the chip shop and out of a different one in the safe house, to Etecius' great annoyance. After putting everyone at ease, Eli starts a long, gentle, rambling and entirely to the point conversation with Alex, probing about what he likes doing and what he is most at ease with. This is still going on when Alanuel arrives; the poor Mercurian decides that he is out-classed here and just lets the archangel get on with it. He is quite pleased when Eli delivers his verdict; if it's cool with everyone he could take Alex into temporary service, but he'd really be happier with Marc or Janus, or maybe David at the outside. Yves wouldn't be a bad choice, but it's not really the right one. Alex is a bit confused by this — Princes don't about giving away their servitors except as punishments, or even consider things from their servitors' point of view often — but if it has to be done he's game for this redemption thing.
Oh, already done that, says Eli.
There is much consternation, and a little disappointment from those who were expecting flashy special effects. After a little more discussion (and an unobtrusive Celestial Song of Shields to quieten things down), Eli and Magariel leave (Magariel discovering that he has just stepped out of Amanda's bathroom), while Alex/Hezekiah ascends to heaven along with Helophel, Excel and Atoziel. Hezekiah has to decide who he wants to serve, another novel idea for the ex-demon to come to grips with.