Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?– Raiders of the Lost Ark
In Beverley Road, Magariel has just knocked out Tom Weaver who she suspects of being ridden by a Shedite of Factions. Her first priority is to see to Jenny, who is upset at her father's approaches. Seeing that Zack and David are doing a sterling job of comforting Jenny, she chases them all downstairs to get a moment's privacy. Then she phones Blakely, who was driving over in response to Boriel's call. Blakely agrees that Magariel's plan to get the Shedite to a Tether where it can be assaulted takes priority, and a few minutes later his Aston Martin in Beverley Road. On the way, he calls ahead to the Tower to arrange for a reception committee.
Meanwhile, Atoziel, Boriel and Helophel track the McKenzies and Excel down into the sewers, worrying about what's in the sports bag that Atoziel saw Andrew carrying. Before going down, Helophel phones Magariel and asks her to check on Excel; alas her resonance ping fails. Ending that call, Helophel is phoned by Heloise, who reports that while she delayed the CI5 men for a while, they have now left the pub. She suspects that they are following the angels, somehow. Another phone call is made to Magariel, who resonates on Atoziel to discover that he is being watched by a device! Helophel looks suspiciously at her radio jammer; Boriel reassures her that it is a reactive device, it isn't broadcasting at the time.
Down in the sewers, the three angels track the McKenzies at a safe distance. When their lights stop advancing, Boriel sings Ethereal Form to go and get a closer look. As he approaches, Andrew and Excel are hauling Justin Wells out of the main sewer in a junction area with lots of candles dotted around the walls. Everyone considers this weird. It seems that Wells was dangling by a chain in the sewer flow. He is buck naked and horribly burned over most of the front of his body, as per Boriel's vision. In fact, this brick-lined bit of sewer could well be the background that Boriel saw, too. Up to this point, he'd been assuming that it was a building of some sort.
Then Shelly McKenzie hears the party; at least, she suddenly concentrates on the direction that they're hiding in (and where Boriel is standing rather closer). With great trepidation the McKenzies and Excel head off in the opposite direction, carrying the unconscious policeman, since their retreat has been cut off. The angels follow, Atoziel pausing to sing Celestial Memory and learning that the last disturbance in the area was a large but focused ethereal ceremony in the early afternoon, centered in the direction that the McKenzies have gone, followed by a more recent disturbance matching a human being badly hurt. On careful reflection, he realises that there was another disturbance between the two. It had the same ethereal signature as the first one, but is of a type that he has never heard before.
Meanwhile, Magariel and Blakely reach the Tower of London with the unconscious and Shedite-ridden Tom Weaver. They have time to spare as they are ushered rapidly into the Raven Tower, where the Laurencian Tether itself is, and meet the force of several Malakim eager to kick some Hellspawned… whatever it is that Shedim have. Magariel offers to help in the celestial combat, and after some supercilious comments his offer is grudgingly accepted. He brought the demon in, after all.
A few minutes later, the Shedite is expelled from its host. As it recovers consciousness and realises exactly how much trouble it's in, the Shedite is hit by the Celestial Song of Charm, several Malakim and one annoyed Cherub. Unfortunately they only manage to strip it of a couple of forces before it escapes to Hell, burning its remaining Essence. Magariel makes a note to acquire the Celestial Song of Seals to stop that happening again, and discusses things with the Laurencians. Principly Malphas and the coincidence of so much happening in Beverley Road — he has to cover quickly after nearly drawing their attention to Zack. Then Blakely ensures that Tom Weaver is sedated and they leave.
Back in the sewers, Excel and the McKenzies have reached a rung ladder leading upwards. Carrying Wells and stalked by an invisible Boriel who is still garnering worried glances from Shelly, they clumsily ascend — then Shelly looks wide-eyed further up the tunnel and whispers "Someone's coming!"
Suddenly there is dazzling light in the area as a human form limned in white fire walks into view. The fire is just as Boriel envisioned it, bright white and distinctly not holy. Boriel rapidly heads up the ladder while Helophel and Atoziel watch from around the corner. He is clipped by a bolt of white fire as he nears the top, a glancing blow that is physically painful but which also pulls at his Forces in a strange way. The fire also damages the brickwork at the top of the ladder, but no Disturbance is heard.
Rolling off the top of the ladder onto the next level of sewers above, Boriel sees Excel and Shelly carrying the unconscious body of Wells away while Andrew is busy attaching four small boxes to the tunnel wall. "This ought to buy us a few minutes," he says, and switches them on. To Excel's bogglement, a forcefield springs up across the sewer. McKenzie looks smug. "You remember that resonance effect I was trying to explain? Well, if you scan the lasers right…" At this point Boriel Remote Control's the forcefield off, since he's on the wrong side of it. Andrew sighs and stuffs the boxes back in his sports bag. Clearly it needs more work.
Down below, things have got a little exciting. The flaming man is joined by someone else, a South American Indian by all appearances, just as he spots Atoziel lurking round the corner and shoots a bolt of fire at him. Atoziel ducks back out of the way as the bolt bounces off his Ethereal Shields, but is worried to note that he felt the impact. Helophel, who has not been spotted, uses the distraction to slip into the main sewer and sneak up for a closer look. The South American keeps watch down for Atoziel as the flaming man starts up the ladder — as he touches the first rung, it visibly starts melting, and he douses his flames. Flaming man is apparently another South American. His friend now envelopes himself in white flames, and the angels are aware of another light approaching.
This light resolves itself into another flaming person, this one looking much hotter and obviously female. "Another one?" Helophel hears her say in languid, put-out tones, and she lashes out with what looks to Helophel like a whip of fire. To Atoziel, who is on the receiving end, it looks more like a huge snake, with each scale a perfectly preened feather.
At this point, Magariel's attunement to Atoziel is screaming "Danger!" like it has never screamed before. Magariel panics, tries to phone Atoziel (unsuccessfully since he is down in the sewers) and instructs Blakely to drive faster!
Atoziel invokes his Ofanite resonance to dodge the incoming lash, which sounds much like the Ethereal disturbance he heard back where Wells had been chained up. He almost completely succeeds, with the fire just clipping his Ethereal Shields — which shatter! Not pausing to think about that for more than a couple of microseconds just yet, Atoziel runs off heading out of the sewers. This is an easy task for an Ofanite running under the Songs of Memory and Direction. Down in the sewer channel, Helophel decides that she has not engaged the enemy, but has succeeded in her objective of information gathering and can withdraw. The Symphony evidently agrees, or at least does not inflict any dissonance on her.